All posts by Observer Staff

Features

Spotlight: Being Muslim in America

 

Esraa Sadeek moved to the states from Alexandria, Egypt at the age of 3.

Sadeek is now 22, an alumna of NECC, a current Psychology and Victimology major at Endicott College and a single mother to her son Jaden, 3.

“I was raised in a strictly Islamic household,” she said. “I am very open about my faith and have no shame expressing that I am Muslim.”

Amidst the pride in her upbringing, Sadeek does not deny facing adversity.

“The last few months people have displayed more hate and anger towards me when they find out I am Muslim,” said Sadeek, referring to her interactions after the attacks carried out by ISIS, or ISIL. Sadeek went on to say, “ISIS is not Muslim.”

Sadeek said that the garb she wears on normal days garners a different reaction than her attire for special occasions.

“I wear a hijab on Islamic holidays and people absolutely treat me differently,” she said.

She said it is her belief that society has been conditioned to have a strong disliking towards those of the Islamic faith. She added that the belief that women in hijabs are inherently oppressed could not be farther from the truth.

“It is appalling how much some extra fabric on your head can change people’s views on you,” she said.

Meredith Gunning, a philosophy professor at NECC, has been teaching a world religions course since 2005. She said she first became aware of widespread Islamophobia in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and offered education as an antidote to ignorance of other faiths.

“I do think it’s really important to study other religions. We live in a globalized world, we also live in a diverse culture in the U.S.,” said Gunning.

With regards to terrorist organizations that use the banner of their faith to justify brutal violence, Gunning said that this is not an indication of the entire religion’s beliefs and that anyone can “cherry pick” from any religion or sacred text to do heinous things.

“I prefer to call them Daesh, because ISIL gives them too much credibility,” said Gunning. “There’s direct things in the Quran that could be used to counter terrorists who kill, supposedly, in the name of Islam.”

Gunning would also like to clarify that — like fellow Abrahamic religions Christianity and Judaism — Islam may have started in the Middle East, but is, in fact, a worldwide religion and the fastest growing religion in the world.

“There will be more people belonging to Islam than Christians in under a decade,” said Gunning.

After 19 years in America, Sadeek still faces problems as an immigrant. “I struggle to provide my son and I with many things,” said Sadeek. “I work my butt off as a full time student and employee … to give him the best life possible.”

With a stable home, a full-time job and the commitment of going to college, one might get the idea that Sadeek feels secure. Unfortunately, the mounting tension against Muslim practitioners — quite visible in the media lately — has left her with a sense of unease.

“I fear that my son and I will pushed out of this country that we call home because of the bias and stigmatization the Islamic (community) is going through,” she said.

As for the Syrian refugees, she said America should allow them in. “Provide the refugees with a means to succeed such as English lessons, resources to receive enough food and temporary housing for a month, until they can get a job on their own,” said Sadeek. “That does not mean to give them free housing, 5 years of food stamps, a business and the world on a silver platter.” She understands that there is a level of struggle to overcome as an immigrant, because she saw her family go through it.

Gunning said that certain politicians’ “grandstanding” against the Islamic faith has not helped matters; for example, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz’s calls for a complete halt to Muslim immigrants, legal or otherwise, only helps to perpetuate irrational fear.

Gunning said, “Part of Islamophobia is claiming that those who are Muslim plan on taking over the whole world and forcing people to convert to Islam.” Americans using another’s religion against them as grounds for a ban, are falling victim to the effects of Islamophobia, and forgetting about our constitutionally-granted right to freedom of religion, said Gunning.

Ray Florent, a third-year Elementary Education major, has witnessed Islamophobia in class with Gunning. During Gunning’s world religions class. Florent recalls a particular student’s malice towards Muslims.

“She would say things like, ‘All Muslims are terrorists’ and ‘They all hate Americans,’” said Florent. One student, a Muslim whose identity was not provided for his safety, was so upset by this woman’s remarks that he left and never returned.

“I have friends who are Muslim,” said Florent. “No one deserves that kind of treatment.”

As for Sadeek, she is raising her son as a Muslim and has no plans of backing down to the criticism, still keeping her hopes up for the future.

“Everyone deserves to go to bed at night with the peace of mind that the sun will rise and they will still be breathing,” she said.

Opinion

Contemporary Affairs on terrorism

 

On Nov. 25, the Contemporary Affairs Club met in C110 to discuss terrorism. Contemporary Affairs is a student organization that seeks to inform people about current events, history, politics and contemporary thinking. Stephen Russell is the faculty adviser of the club as well as a history professor here at NECC.

Russell showed the group a video on empathy, which talked about understanding other people’s cultures and how they think differently than we do. I found the video to be very interesting. It made me see the world differently.

“The video shows how people … not only think differently than us but (helps us) understand why they think that way. We don’t have to agree, though,” Russell said.

Samson Racioppi is also part of the Contemporary Affairs club.

“This is by far my favorite club. This was the first meeting that wasn’t much of a debate,” Racioppi said. “The video puts you in their shoes, which helps you understand why they do what they do.”

It saddens me that there is so much hatred in our world today but when I watched the video, it sort of helped me understand that while other cultures are different from ours, that doesn’t make them “abnormal” or “deviant.” We should refrain from judging or making assumptions about other people.

Opinion

Students unsastified with Jitters

 

By Jake Soroghan

Correspondent

NECC is a community college, and therefore does not always have the same amenities that a four-year institution has. It makes sense the tuition is less, so obviously not as much can be offered. There are less sports teams, the athletic complex is smaller, there are no dormitories and on the whole there are less events around campus.

This is all to be expected; students know the situation coming in. Even with these expectations, though, there’s one issue on campus that seems to irritate practically all students: the food situation. On campus, outside of vending machines, there are only two places to get food. The first is the One-Stop Center’s bookstore, which is essentially a mini-mart. With various snacks, drinks and microwaveable sandwiches, it serves its purposes as a way to get quick food cheaply.

On the other side of campus, there is what is supposed to be the school’s “cafeteria,” but calling it a cafeteria probably gives it too much credit. Run by NexDine and located in the Spurk building, this poorly-run café has little in the way of options and is excessive on the prices. The options for substantive meals come down to pre-made sandwiches in plastic containers and often old Papa Gino’s pizza, if pizza can even be considered substantive.

Andrew Wooster, an English major, said he’s tired of paying so much for the poor-quality food. “The sandwiches are old and skimpy, the pizza is $2.50 for a slice and besides that there ain’t anything else to eat. There’s always two or three employees in there and they do nothing but sit around all day.”

Dissatisfaction is a common theme among students. Ernie Ewusi, a Radiology major, said he no longer gets any food at NECC. He either brings his own, or if he’s in the mood, orders out.

“It just doesn’t make sense to get food here,” he said. “The only thing they have going for them is convenience, and even the vending machines are expensive.”

This is the root of the problem; due to its convenience, students are often compelled to buy the overpriced food here because they don’t have the time or gas money to leave campus to get food and come back for their next class.

Erik Goulet, a Physical Therapy major, says that’s a problem for him every day he forgets to bring food from home, or there is no food at home.

“If I can’t pack a lunch for myself on a given day, I have to go hungry for the whole day. I don’t have enough money to get the expensive food at the café, and am always short on gas, so driving somewhere isn’t an option.”

Expanding the cafeteria to include a wider array of hot food options would solve a few of the current problems.

One, it would simply give students more filling and healthy options. Secondly, if the cafeteria was making its own hot food, the prices would go down.

When nothing but pre-packaged sandwiches and pizza are sold, the prices have to be more expensive because a middleman is involved.

When food is made on site, there is no middleman and therefore prices go down. NexDine either needs to increase the quality of their services or NECC administration need to find another company who can address the need of the students to fill that role.

Opinion

MS: living on both sides of the coin

 

A wise frog once said, “It’s not easy being green,” and although I can’t relate to Kermit the Frog’s plight, I can say for myself it’s not easy having an invisible illness.

Some may ask what that means, and that’s why the news editor is writing an opinion piece this week.

During the last staff meeting, Kim Whiting, editor-in-chief of the Observer, sat across from me as we spoke about the lack of verbage handed to able-bodied people to converse with those of us not afforded the luxury.

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in May 2013. MS is a chronic neurological disease that affects the myelin in the nervous system. For those of you that have taken a psychology course here or back in high school, you may remember that the myelin are the protective coating around the pathways in the brain and spinal cord. MS deteriorates the myelin and causes the neurons that transmit signals in your nervous system to misfire.

To put it into simpler, more relatable terms: Imagine driving on the highway. The highway represents the pathways in your nervous system, your car is the signal to be sent and the driving conditions represent your health. You would like to take the next exit, which just happens to be an overpass. Depending on how poor the driving conditions are, you might end up missing the exit or getting on and having the overpass fall right out from underneath you.

Either way, you’re not in the best shape for getting to your destination.

On most days I look and act like any other 20-something college student. I take five classes, I work three jobs, I love going out with my friends and taking selfies with my dog. I look healthy for the most part, which is what makes my MS an “invisible” disease. While people see me as healthy, they don’t know I also just happen to be a self-proclaimed “walking pharmacy,” with seven different medical specialists and at least four appointments every month.

Then there are the days when my disease isn’t invisible.

Trust me, it’s awkward for me to walk around when I have my cane. I get a lot of weird looks from people whose minds I can’t read but whose faces scream, “What’s wrong with her?”

While speaking to Kim, she mentioned that it comes from a good place when people ask questions, even if they do hurt to answer.

My least favorite is, “What happened?”

I usually follow this up with, “It’s just my health acting up,” because it’s not like I fell and hurt my ankle or sprained something. My body is just deciding that it doesn’t want to function properly. This is something I’m currently riding out for an unknown amount of time.

Of course the hardest thing to hear is, “Get better soon.”

I know this is the most ambiguous, well intentioned thing a person can say to another, but it’s hard to hear when it’s not an option. Yes, I can lose the cane in a few days. The damage, however, going on in my brain and spinal cord is permanent and intermittently ongoing.

With the stress of finals and work, I recently had to miss some school, use my cane and have some tests done. Coming to campus with my cane is always a nerve-wracking experience. As a someone who doesn’t broadcast my condition, I just know someone is bound to ask questions, which is not worth the anxiety because it could potentially make my condition worse.

Of course everyone wants to say, “Just don’t think about it … It doesn’t matter what other people think.”

This is easier said than done. I’ve gone to school with breakouts, a rip in the crotch of my jeans and without makeup. I really don’t care in that way, this is another thing entirely to overcome.

I can’t speak for all of the invisible illness fighters in the world, or even on campus, but I can speak for myself. When you see someone with a cane, a walker or a wheelchair, don’t stare.

Hi, human being here just trying to go about my day.

Also, don’t be so quick to make an assumption that something “happened.” Instead of demanding answers about a possibly traumatic event, how about asking someone how they’re feeling?

Even if they’re using the assistance because of a car accident, a skiing incident or they fell down the stairs, how about you just ask, “How do you feel?” instead of, “What happened?”

How about, only if you mean it, “I’m here if you need anything,” instead of the command, “Feel better.”

One day I’m the tall brunette and the next I’m the cripple who’s faking it. People can holler all they want about the world becoming too politically correct, but step into the shoes of someone who lives both sides of the coin.

For more information on MS visit www.nationalmssociety.org.

Editorial

50 shades of black

and  

In reviewing a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, I noticed that the pictures all look so very perfect. Not a single blemish or fat roll or misplaced hair. Every tooth is straight and white, every eye is shining brightly and all of the skin is glowing. Clearly, Photoshop is used heavily.

While that in itself may pose an ethical dilemma given what we know about the effects of body image on the world’s youth, I was struck by an even deeper concern when I came to an article titled “Shondaland,” which included a large picture of Shonda Rhimes surrounded by Ellen Pompeo, Viola Davis and Kerry Washington.

All four are beautiful women to begin with and this picture was no exception. The racial diversity displayed in the picture would, on the surface, appear to be a testament to how far our society has come with regard to racial integration, but I was struck by how the use of lighting in this picture seemed to lighten the black women, especially Shonda Rhimes, to the point that she almost appeared white. I wondered about that because I didn’t remember her being so light-skinned.

Did the photographer use lighting to make her appear less black? Did the editors Photoshop the picture to diminish the contrast between Pompeo and the rest of the group? Did they think their audience would be uncomfortable with an article about mostly black people?

Out of curiosity, I Googled Rhimes, Washington and Davis and the result of my search was actually quite interesting. The thumbnail images on the Google search page showed each woman depicted in drastically different lighting, making them look much darker or lighter, depending on the setting and the publication. The use of creative lighting and editing was obvious when the pictures are viewed side by side. I had to wonder if this is a deliberate whitewash. If so, by whom? The photographer? The editor? The managers?

This may be an example of a publication that would diminish the appearance of race if they feel that they are catering to an audience with less racial tolerance. In this way, the publication can claim to be embracing racial diversity while easily handling those members of its audience who are still uncomfortable with such things. It’s as if they’re saying, “Don’t worry, they’re only a little bit black.”

Editorial

Happy Holidays

and  

Every year at this time, social media starts to blow up with posts from people who are angry because they would rather say “Merry Christmas” than “Happy Holidays.” New this year, I’ve seen memes that called red Starbucks cups an attack on Christmas and “Holiday Trees” an attack on the American way. This strikes me as a strange thing to say here in the U.S., where capitalism is the rule of the land.

Starbucks may save a penny by omitting fancy text and graphics on their cups. They may save a minute of production time or a bit of ink. Maybe the person placing the order just didn’t want to bother. Saving time and cutting corners are the main priority in every other aspect of business, so why should this be any different?

Perhaps, you could argue, having the largest possible target audience to market your product to is the most important thing in a retail business. Which brings us around to “Holiday Trees.”  A few more people may buy a Spruce for the living room if the sellers can convince them that it’s not just for Christmas anymore. What does a tree have to do with the birth of Jesus anyway?

Instead, they can say, it’s more of an all-purpose tree that can be used to celebrate a variety of holidays. Nobody really knows what those other holidays are, yet, but over time, a decorative tree may be adopted by other cultures or religions in order to make this true. Maybe the Pastafarians will have trees hung with ornaments shaped like Flying Spaghetti Monsters and colanders.  Good news for tree growers everywhere.

For myself, I choose to say “Happy Holidays” because I was raised in Needham, which has a large Jewish population. My grandmother explained to me at a young age that saying “Merry Christmas” to a person who does not celebrate Christmas is just silly. Not because they may be offended, but because it’s simply a waste of breath to say something that, by definition, excludes the person you are saying it to.

I’m not worried about offending anyone. I just choose to include every person from every walk of life in my wishes for a wonderful holiday season.

Uncategorized

No end in sight for contract negotiations

 

This “celebration of solidarity” comes after months of failed negotiations and passive protests by the faculty, including informational pickets and the implementation of “work to rule,” which restricts the faculty to performing only those duties specifically required by their contract. Recently, flyers were distributed by the union asking students to show their support for a favorable resolution by calling or emailing NECC President Dr. Lane Glenn.

Glenn said that he has received a few calls and emails but went on to say that he is not directly involved in the negotiations and that he already fully supports the faculty’s position. “The faculty and professional staff in Massachusetts are underpaid, as compared to the state universities and UMass, and as compared to faculty and professional staff in other states,” Glenn said.

Delays to this new contract exist both in the financial proposal and some changes desired in the language of the contract from both sides, according to Glenn. Though he was not able to discuss the actual details of the contract since the negotiations are ongoing, he said, “This is the first time in many years, I think at least 15 years, that there have been any substantive changes suggested to this contract, so that’s one of the reasons … (for the delay). And there’s a new administration in the state. The last two times were under Deval Patrick, and he just rolled salary increases forward.”

In addition to fair wages, the flyer distributed by the MCCC stated that the union members are fighting for a contract that “protects [their] academic freedom rights.” Dictionary.com broadly defines academic freedom as “The right of teachers and students to express their ideas in the classroom or in writing, free from political, religious or institutional restrictions, even if these ideas are unpopular.” This could include any sort of intrusion by the government including censoring a teacher’s curriculum, the implementation of standardized testing, discontinuation of funding for controversial groups or research and a variety of other interferences. Glenn said he is unaware of anything in the proposed contract that threatens the academic freedom of the professors and that no standardized testing or disruption to the curriculum is in any way being considered by the state.

Joe LeBlanc, MCCC president, said that the flyer refers to “…a possible threat from management’s student learning outcomes proposal,” but that the threat is not specific, and he was not able to elaborate.

He does not feel that any progress has been made towards resolution of the contract and said that the state’s financial offer has stubbornly remained at the initially proposed 2 percent raise in year one, 2.5 percent raise in year two and 2.5 percent raise in year three, which is a rate significantly lower than those employed in similar higher education positions at the state universities whose contracts were negotiated under the Patrick administration.

LeBlanc said in an email interview that since the implementation of work to rule, “many college committees are moving to adjourn. College governance has been negatively affected. This will grow worse over time. Employee morale will also worsen.” About the chances of the contract being settled before the start of the Spring semester, LeBlanc said that he is “not confident, but always hopeful.”

Glenn said that he planned to stop by the tailgate party and say hello to the union members later that day. “I, this college, and the other colleges, to the extent that I speak for them, want a swift resolution to this contract, and a fair one, obviously. And while we work on it, I think it’s important that we are civil and collegial to one another and that students don’t suffer,” he said.

News

Student newspapers go missing

 

The disappearance of up to 450 copies of the NECC Observer was discovered by student staff on Friday morning, Dec. 11.

Observer staff are unsure why anyone would want to destroy or take the newspapers in bulk. The only potentially controversial story in the Dec. 2 issue of the Observer was the front page lead story about the suspended basketball coach, who was placed on administrative leave due to charges of illegal gambling filed against him after an investigation by the state attorney’s general office and the state police.

Observer staff estimated the total number of missing copies of the Dec. 2, issue at between 350-450 newspapers.

Six newsstands were discovered empty by staff members, including all of the newsstands in the C building, all the stands in the B building, and the stand outside of the D building.

An additional three full bundles of the Dec.2 student newspapers were also taken from directly outside the Observer’s office on the second floor of the C building. These copies are kept for archiving and to mail tear sheets to the newspaper’s advertisers.

The staff members reported the theft to the public safety department at NECC on Dec. 11.

The disappearance of the newspapers is currently under investigation, and public safety is reviewing security tapes that show video of newsstand locations. Public safety also searched the Dumpsters on campus on Dec.11, but did not find any of the missing copies.

The Observer staff said the newsstands were full on Wednesday, Dec. 9, and believe the newspapers were removed sometime on Thursday, Dec. 10.

Observer staff members were on campus the evening of Dec. 10, covering a home basketball game and a music performance at the tech center and did not note anything suspicious while on campus.

The Student Press Law Center, a nonprofit dedicated to educating student journalists about the First Amendment and supporting the student news media in their struggle to cover issues free from censorship, says that newspaper theft, even of free papers, is a serious issue, especially on the campus of a public college.

Newspaper theft is a “a terribly effective form of censorship,” the Student Press Law Center said on its website. 

“If the perpertrator is a government official – which would include any public school administrator, employee or faculty member – he or she has likely violated the First Amendment,” the center said.

Even free student newspapers are not free, the center said.  “Publishing a student newspaper is an expensive undertaking; student media lose thousands of dollars each year as a result of newspaper theft.  Like other types of theft, newspaper thieves deprive rightful owners of their valuable property … In almost all cases businesses and others have paid to have their advertisements published – money they certainly would not pay if they knew their ad would never be read.”

In the case of the Observer, the Dec. 2 issue had $539 worth of paid advertising, along with printing costs and student staff and adviser stipends, which staff estimate at a more than $1,000 value total.

“Theft of newspapers is a serious issue. It not only is censorship, but it is a direct violation of First Amendment rights. A reporter’s duty to the public is to accurately account stories going on in the community. If the outlet in which a reporter can spread that information becomes hindered, the very foundation for why journalists do what they do crumbles,” said Chad Gorham, Observer campus life editor and president of student senate.

If anyone has any information on the stolen papers, please contact the NECC Observer at observer.necc.mass.edu, twitter @theneccobserver or contact public safety.

Opinion

‘Spotlight’ celebrates journalistic integrity

 

Last week, in the wake of people’s hateful reactions to a number of tragedies and events, I found myself questioning the purpose of journalism as a profession. Taking a rare opportunity to step up on the Social Media Soapbox, I wrote an impassioned tirade on Facebook: “Sometimes I wonder what the point of being a journalist is,” I said. “Why bother relating the facts when so many readers are a) too ignorant to understand them in the right context and/or b) too caught up in their own emotions to even bother with empiricism?”

This is a question I’m sure many people in the field struggle with from time to time. After all, when wagging fingers come to rest on the public’s chosen scapegoat for any given issue, it is “the media” in general that gets lazily blamed for the world’s problems. Indeed, it often feels like people would rather not know the truth at all, lest it come into conflict with the version they’ve imagined for themselves.

“Spotlight” is an important film, because it reinforces a key point about journalism’s ability to combat ignorance: it’s not about telling the public what they want to hear, it’s about telling them what they need to hear. In a city with such a large Roman Catholic population, The Boston Globe took enormous risks to tell the truth about corruption within the church’s ranks — let alone corruption dealing with child rape and molestation. But in doing so, they uncovered a global problem that challenged people’s beliefs and forced people to look at things from a different perspective. The story may not have the most satisfying resolution, but it reminded me why journalism is such a crucial service — especially at a time when emotions seem to trump facts.

The movie takes us back to 2001. The Spotlight team consists of Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), Ben Bradlee Jr. (John Slattery) and Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James). They’re a bit on edge because a new editor has been hired, an outsider from the Miami Herald named Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber). Baron wants to redirect the Spotlight team’s efforts, which includes requesting that they pursue information on Catholic priest John Geoghan, who has been accused of molesting several young boys.

As the team scatters to the corners of the city to begin putting the pieces of the puzzle together, it never dawns on us that we’re watching “performances,” as these actors completely embody the journalists they’re playing. It bodes well that none of them are glammed up in stereotypically Hollywood ways; their frumpy, grizzled appearances lend a lot of believability to the recreation of the events here — and unlike other movies set in Boston this year (“Black Mass”), director Thomas McCarthy’s film accomplishes the striking feat of actually feeling local.

As the plot thickens, with more and more revelations being uncovered, the memorable moments pile up: unforgettable, heartbreaking scenes of the victims recounting their abuse at the hands of the priests they so admired; any scene with Stanley Tucci as Mitchell Garabedian, a frazzled but deeply concerned lawyer knee-deep in cases involving the Church; and a late montage set to an eerie youth-choir version of “Silent Night,” which sent chills up my spine. To merely describe the events is to do the filmmakers an extreme disservice; like the outrageous events that fueled Rezendes’ original immense, multi-page expose, “Spotlight” has to be seen to be believed.

This is one of the best films of the year. It’s not just a heartening reminder of what journalism can do, it’s a captivating story in its own right: a portrait of hard-working people absolutely committed to doing the right thing — going up against a monumental institution with a lot to hide, and plenty of places to hide it.

Sports

NECC Knights on the right track to a successful 2015-2016 season

 

On Tuesday Nov. 17, the Knights basketball squad took on Massasoit Community College, in their first game of the season not coached by Darren Stratton. Stratton was placed on administrative leave after gambling charges, so Assistant Coach Joe Tardif took the head.

Massasoit started the scoring. It took 2-and-a-half minutes and a Matthew Jameson layup for the Knights to get on the board. After they got their opening points, they seemed to stay on track. The Knights came up big soon after with a crisp pass-around-the-court play where the ball ended up in Dominic Dar’s hands; he finished it off with a basket.  At the half, the Knights were up 42-39.

The court seemed a little more quiet without Stratton coaching from the side. This did not deter the Knights’ efforts, however, as Tardif kept NECC on track.

The rest of the game was really close, reaching 71-71 with five minutes left in the game. The Knights ended up losing 82-78.

Thankfully, NECC had another opportunity to win at home that Saturday when they faced UConn at Avery Point, and that’s just what they did. The Knights had points coming from all angles that afternoon: Jameson scored 19 points himself, Bryan Morales nabbed 13 and Julio Vicente picked up 12.

The Knights play five games in December, only one home game.

December schedule: Tuesday Dec. 1 @ Roxbury, Thursday Dec. 3 @ Bunker Hill, Saturday Dec. 5 @ Springfield Tech, Thursday Dec. 10 vs. Southern Maine Community College, Saturday Dec. 12 @ Gateway (CT).