All posts by Observer Staff

Campus Life, Features

Community College Life

 

By Andrea Davis

Many students who attend community college feel that their college experience varies greatly from those students who attend a university. It’s no secret that dorm life plays a huge role in a college student’s experience. When someone hears the word “college,” they might think of red Solo cups, bonding with roommates, and fraternity parties until 2 a.m. Community colleges do not provide that aspect of “college life.” Social events play a major role in our college years as well as various academic advances. Many students at Northern Essex Community College feel that they are less likely to participate in school events because of this.

Only about 28 percent of community college students will graduate within three years, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Those who graduate take five years to complete their degrees. This is because real life tends to get in the way.

“I work 40 plus hours a week, have a two ­year­ old son, and am enrolled in five classes this semester,” said Kaitlyn Garrison, a Nursing major. “In previous semesters I have only taken one or two courses at a time, because it is simply all that I could handle at once. I think that if I were to live away at school it would be easier for me to complete my degree on time. . . The majority of my friends who are away at school do not have to work. They have more time to study and focus on their studies. I have other obligations that tend to slow me down, and I think that is true for a lot of other people as well.”

Community college used to have a reputation of being much less academically serious than traditional 4 ­year universities. This has dramatically changed in recent years, as academic standards have increased, as have the qualifications of the professors.  “Community colleges really have a stigma to them, and they always have. People thinkthat we aren’t as smart as those who go to ‘real colleges.’ I think that is stupid. I work just as hard as anyone else does.” said Alexandria DeLotto, a Public Health major. “After high school, I felt

ashamed that I wasn’t going off to a big school like my other friends. I was embarrassed that community college was my only option for an education. That is definitely not the case for me anymore.”

“I went to UMass Amherst for a semester and life was extremely different than it is here. It’s a lot easier to make friends and the classes seem to be less awkward. I think that is because everyone is the same age,” said Nicole Keene, a Public Health major. “Everyone knew when major school events were happening because everyone talked to each other.

“Also, a lot of people think that community colleges are easier, workwise, and that is very far from the truth. The work is consistent and the material we cover is ultimately the same, the environment is what truly makes it so different.”

NECC offers several different clubs, sport teams, group events, and seminars that a lot of students are unaware of.

“I had no idea that we had a gym at Northern Essex. I did not even know that we even had any sports teams,” said Zach Mckallagat, a criminal justice major. “I did not think there were sports teams offered at community colleges. That shows how much school spirit I have. I think that NECC could do a better job with promoting these types of things. It is a small school, but there’s still a lot of people here that would like to participate but haven’t gotten the chance to.”

“Community college is an amazing thing. It provides students with the tools they need to move onto a 4 ­year school. Not everyone has tens of thousands of dollars to go off to a big school right after high school. I sure didn’t,” said Amanda Atchley, a Psychology major.  “Northern Essex has given me a chance at a brighter future and I couldn’t be happier with the time I spent here.”

News

A New Writing Club

 

By Ashley Torres

At NECC, there are many clubs and activities for students to participate in, but writing is one particular area not yet covered by them. Abraham Anavisca is a Writing major who thought of a way to get writers together and share their ideas, so they can learn from one another: a writing club.  He is still going through the process of getting the all of the paperwork done, but looks forward to being able to get started soon.

“As soon as things are done then I will start making the schedules,” he said.

Tentatively, the club is planning to meet once or twice a month in the afternoon.  The club would be based on fiction writing and focus on building characters.  Professor Tom Greene will be the club advisor, which a huge plus considering his extensive background in literature.

Courtney Hanson is also majoring in Writing. She is on board with the club and sees it as a way to help improve one’s writing skills while using other students’  critiques. She mentioned how it is a different learning experience to hear what students have to say than to hear it from professors.

If you are a writer who occasionally has trouble putting all your thoughts and ideas together, then this might be a great opportunity for you. Benefiting from the critiques of other writers is one thing, but getting to interact with other people with the same interests is also a solid way to invest your time in the NECC community.

 

Arts and Entertainment

Lack of Film Classes at NECC

 

By Abraham Anavisca

While NECC offers a wide range of studies in the arts, there don’t seem to be many classes offered on the medium of film.  Professors Stephen Slaner in the Global Studies Department and Ellen Yarborough in the Department of English are both qualified to teach film. Unfortunately, their willingness to teach is not enough on its own.

“Film classes aren’t being filled,” said Yarborough. “Eight to 10 students don’t make a class. It’s not fiscally responsible for the school.”

Yarborough pointed out that when classes get cancelled it can really disrupt students’ schedules.  Chris Tetreault, a current student majoring in Multimedia, knows firsthand how troubling it can be.

“The Motion Picture class I signed up for was cancelled, because not enough students signed up for it,” he said.

Those who speak about the lack of film courses offered, like Yarborough, say not enough students are interested in film for NECC to invest in it. The equipment needed for the classes would be very expensive.  While there aren’t any classes directly part of a film major, there are plenty of classes that incorporate the medium in some way: Prof. Meredith Gunning, in the Global Studies Department, teaches Philosophy Through Film; Slaner runs History Through Film; Yarborough has her Art of Movies class; and there’s even a Screenwriting class taught by Professor Ginger Hurajt.

Students interested in film study do have options — but some students like David Snyder, a Liberal Arts Major, have no idea these classes are even offered. Snyder said he had no knowledge of these courses until a fellow student told him.

Sports

Track Correction

 

 

In the Oct. 7 issue of the Observer, in the article “Track is back after 2 years,” there was a mistake regarding the new head coach’s name. The new track coach is Mike Giardina, not Beau Couture. The Observer regrets the error and apologizes for any confusion it may have caused.  Giardina is from Lowell and it will be his first time coaching track this spring.

If students are interested in joining track this upcoming Spring, contact Giardina through email at mgiardina@necc.mass.eduor or you can meet with him face-to-face Wednesdays from 3:30-5 p.m. in his office, room 137D in the Sport and Fitness Center.

Features

Technology is Susceptible to Errors

 

The NECC community got a hard reminder this week: like anything else designed and operated by humans, technology is fallible.  7,800 people were deleted from the school’s servers, causing a widespread loss of access to critical online services.  In the wake of electronic disasters like this, it’s easy to play the blame game — after all, this was a massive inconvenience for all involved.  Still, it never hurts to remain vigilant in the protection of our own information, and there are plenty of ways to do this.

If you want to make sure your email is backed up, for example,  you can actually drag and drop a group of emails from Outlook into a folder.  This will turn them into .msg files, which you can then reopen in Outlook later.  Setting a reminder to do this every week or so can ensure you never lose access to important messages or files contained in your student email.  There are also several online services that can keep your emails safe for you, such as Carbonite (available for $5 a month) and Drop My Email (as low as $1 a month).

It’s also never a bad idea to have your files stored in more than one location, whether that’s essay documents, class syllabi or PowerPoint presentations.

Here at the NECC Observer, many of our editors use Google Drive to store their stories “in the cloud” online for editing before they get printed — and that’s in addition to keeping the files on their actual computers.  Other cloud-based storage services include Dropbox, Apple iCloud and Microsoft OneDrive. External hard drives and thumb drives are also solid options.

If you’re feeling a bit old-school, there’s nothing quite like keeping a hard copy on file somewhere.  Folders, portfolios and binders can be a godsend for both organization and safekeeping — print more than one copy in case you lose one, too.  Even with all these safeguards in place, there’s no guarantee: as the saying goes, “s— happens,” and sometimes you really do have to start all over.

Still, having backups of your information significantly lowers your chances of losing important stuff in the wake of technological mishaps, and might give you peace of mind. Being a college student is stressful enough without losing all your hard work.

Campus Life

Deterring Sexual Violence on Campus

and  

Despite the ongoing crisis of sexual violence on college campuses, NECC remains one of the safest schools in the Northeast.

According to the National Institute of Justice, one in five college women and one in 16 men will experience some form of non-consensual sexual experience by the time they graduate.

Statistics provided by the Massachusetts government (www.mass.gov) show that 46 percent of victims are assaulted by an acquaintance and 21 percent by a friend. Only 19 percent are assaulted by a total stranger.

Anthony Branco, 19, is a student at Massachusetts School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and urges his friends to make safe decisions while attending parties on campus.

“Don’t ever accept a drink that someone else made and if you’re gonna get drunk; make sure you have a good friend with you at all times.” said Branco.

In a mass email sent out on Sept. 14, NECC students were notified that they are expected to participate in “HAVEN (Help Against Violent Encounters Now): Understanding Sexual Assault,” an online course designed to educate students and raise awareness of sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking. Students are required to complete part one by Oct. 9 and part two by Nov. 20.

“Sexual violence is an epidemic right now and it is going on everywhere,” said NECC student Samson Racioppi. “I don’t know if a 30-45 minute course will change that, but it’s a good place to start.”

In accordance with mandates of the Crime Awareness and Campus Safety act of 1990, all accredited colleges must make available to the public an annual report known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Safety Policy and Campus Crimes Statistics Act.

Information provided by the schools’ individual Clery reports compare 10 of the area’s campuses and show that both the Lawrence and Haverhill campuses of NECC have had zero reported incidents of sexual or relationship violence.

To view NECC’s current Clery Act report online, along with many helpful hints on campus safety, go to the Student Services tab on the NECC home page and access the information under the Public Safety section.

Before enrolling at NECC, Eileen Page, Human Services major, attended a four-year college where most people lived on campus.

“There were reports of sexual violence almost every week.” said Page.

Although NECC students live off-campus, the HAVEN course provides guidance for personal safety in many social or academic environments regardless of location.

“I haven’t participated in HAVEN yet,” said Page. “If it’s telling people not to sexually assault others, I don’t think it’s very productive, but I think if it’s more about empowering victims to report it, then I’m all for it.”

Students experiencing or witnessing a crime on campus are urged to alert Campus Security at (978) 556-3333 or call 911.

“We have to watch out for each other,” said Branco. “Don’t go anywhere alone.”

Students requiring more information about HAVEN can contact Justine Caron, Title IX Coordinator at atjcaron@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3956.

“We have to watch out for each other,” said Branco. “Don’t go anywhere alone.”

Students requiring more information about HAVEN can contact Justine Caron, Title IX Coordinator at atjcaron@necc.mass.edu or 978-556-3956.

Number of On-Campus Sex Offenses Reported in 2014

(compiled from individual schools’ Clery reports)
Northern Essex Community College/ Haverhill     0
Northern Essex Community College/ Lawrence     0
Northshore Community College/ Danvers     0
University of Massachusetts/ Lowell     0
Southern New Hampshire University/ Salem     0
Massachusetts School of Pharmacy and Health Services/ Boston     0
Harvard University/ Cambridge     1
Merrimack College/ North Andover     7
University of New Hampshire/ Durham    21
Boston College/ Boston    23

 

Uncategorized

NECC reflects on Oregon shootings

 

Last week, another school became a headline when a 26-year-old armed man opened fire on his fellow students and teachers, killing nine people and wounding nine others. The killer is also dead, although details are still emerging as to the exact sequence of events that lead to his death.

Thursday’s shooting incident at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg is the 45th school shooting this year and the 142nd such incident since the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

The issue of gun violence is at the center of a heated controversy between those who believe that upholding the Second Amendment at all costs keeps us safer, and those who believe that better laws regarding the accessibility of guns keeps us safer.

President Obama was visibly upset as he again addressed a community, and a country, shaken by the deaths of too many young people. He called upon his fellow Americans to “. . .think about how they can get our government to change these laws and to save lives, and to let young people grow up. . . This is a political choice that we make, to allow this to happen every few months in America. We collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones.” He added: “This is not something I can do myself.”

Jordan Moscone, 24, is a Business and Political Science major from Merrimac. He agreed with many of the things that Obama said.

“He said, ‘these people are sick.’ I think it is a sickness. The problem is, we spend too much time trying to prevent the sickness when we should be trying to cure it. . . we need to understand these people in order to prevent it in the future.”

Moscone further commented about the pressure that he feels as a college student. “I constantly feel pressure to succeed,” he said, “It can be overwhelming and scary at times. Maybe these people just can’t handle the pressure. The media puts it up there like, ‘look at what happened,’ but they don’t talk about, ‘Look at this kid. Look at his past. Look at his face. This kid was a child once. He smiled at one point. He laughed, he grew. But at one point he got so scared to live that he decided to die.”

In response to rumors that Thursday’s killer talked about his plans on social media, 18-year-old Computer Science major Juan Reyes of Methuen said that it can be hard to tell when someone is being serious and that he tries to avoid anyone who could get him into any trouble. ““I’ve seen people say stupid things. . . something that you meant as a joke can go really far. . . you never really know.”

Umpqua Community College is located 180 miles south of Portland in Roseburg. It’s described as a close-knit community where everyone has a friend or relative who attends classes at the college, but this rural community is no stranger to school shootings.

In 2006, a freshman at the town’s only high school shot his classmate in the back four times in the school courtyard. This prompted schools in the area — including Umpqua Community College  — to make plans for how to prevent and handle these types of active shooter situations in the future, according to The Oregonian.

Police arrived on the scene at about 10:45 a.m. on Thursday and the school was immediately put on lockdown. Students and faculty were bused to local fairgrounds after being searched by police for firearms, since Oregon law states that anyone who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon must be allowed to do so, even on the campus of a community college or public university.

Oregon universities tried to institute a ban, but were denied by the courts. Massachusetts has far stricter gun laws than Oregon and no firearms are allowed on the NECC school campus by students or faculty.

NECC Director of Public Safety and Transportation Gene Hatem declined to comment, but David Gingerella, Vice President of Administration and Finance,  said in an email, “that while no organization  can always prevent a tragedy like what happened in Oregon, under President Glenn’s leadership, emergency preparedness is a priority at Northern Essex.”

Devin Baker is a 20-year-old Liberal Arts major from Newburyport and she is not entirely confident of that.

“I thought a lot about the security and how we would not be prepared. There was an incident last year and the whole school was evacuated. . . you can’t really wrap your head around it.”

Thomas Matatall, 21, a Journalism/Communication major from Danville, N.H., had a different assessment.

“I think it makes us safer (having the police train on campus). . . Seeing police people on campus, I feel pretty confident about the security. I haven’t seen any issues, so I feel they must be doing something right.”

Nick LeBoeuf of Salem, N.H. also feels confident about the security here. The 18-year-old Business Transfer major said “I would put it in the same category as terrorism and plane crashes: something that a lot of people are terrified of, but the percentages are really low.”

The shooting at Umpqua comes just one day after a high school student in South Dakota shot his school principal, wounding him slightly, before two unarmed staff members were able to subdue him and restrain him until authorities arrived.

An emergency preparedness plan appears on the NECC website and states, in part, that in the event of an active shooter you should seek cover or safety and call 911 right away.

Further, it is recommended that if the incident is in your location, you should hide, block entry to your hiding place and lock the doors. If possible, turn off the lights and ringers on mobile devices.

You should take action “only as a last resort and only when your life or the lives of others are in imminent danger.”

The plan also addresses what to do when law enforcement arrives, which includes raising your hands and keeping them visible at all times. Try to remain calm and proceed in the direction from which officers are entering.

The full emergency plan can be viewed at www.necc.mass.edu/student-services/health-safety/emergency-response.

Features, News

Mock Election

 

In the last edition of the Observer, we asked our readers to participate in our mock elections. 54 people sent us their responses.

With a whopping 63 percent of the vote, Bernie Sanders is the clear winner.

Sanders, who is currently running for President of the United States under the Democratic Party, is well-known as the only democratic socialist candidate; a fact that’s creating some waves in both of the mainstream American parties.

He says he wants to provide protection for working-class and middle-class families, as well as work toward a true single-payer healthcare system that allows people to get the care they need no matter their economic class or status.

Dr. Ben Carson, from the Republican Party, came in second with 9.3 percent. Other candidates that got less than 5.3 percent were Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Jill Stein, Rand Paul, Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, Lawrence Lessing, Marco Rubio, and Vermin Supreme.

Some of the students of Northern Essex have expressed and shared the reasons why their preferred candidates should win.  

Michael JW Ross, who is a Theatre Major at Northern Essex,  expressed that he will be voting for Bernie Sanders in the upcoming election.

“I am voting for Bernie Sanders because out of all the candidates he’s simply the one that’s going the way I believe.

“He is actually looking towards the future. He is a student’s best friend,” Ross said, referencing Sanders’ plan to make higher education free for American students.

Another student who has shared his candiate choice is Jake Soraghan. “I am voting for  Rand Paul, who I feel has a sense of not only social freedom but physical freedom.

“I also like how he is fighting against the NSA Spy program,” Soragham said.

 Voting is one of our fundamental rights as American citizens, but some people even consider it one of our responsibilities. Many people feel that we should work harder to get informed about the people running for office.

“We live in a democracy. Citizens have the responsibility to be informed,” said Amy Callahan, professor of Journalism/Communication.

It’s very important for the young generation to vote because they are the future voices of this world.

It’s also important for the young generation is that they find a president who will to listen to their voices.

People fought years for the privilege to vote, and it’s our responsbility as a democracy to choose a leader for our country.

Make sure to keep paying attention to the upcoming election and don’t forget how important it is to cast your vote. If you believe in change, you should do something about it!

 

The total number of votes each candidate received (out of 54):

Bernie Sanders, 34 votes

Ben Carson, 5 votes

Hillary Clinton, 3 votes

Donald Trump, 3 votes

Jill Stein, 2 votes

Rand Paul, 2 votes

Marco Rubio, 1 vote

Scott Walker, 1 vote

Jeb Bush, 1 vote

Lawrence Lessig, 1 vote

Vermin Supreme, 1 vote

 

Features

Over 4,000 attend NH Democratic Party State Convention

 

By Richard Padova and Andrew Morse

Special to The Observer

Two Northern Essex professors, Andrew Morse and Richard Padova, were among more than 4,000 delegates and guests, respectively, on Saturday, Sept. 19 when New Hampshire Democrats held their annual state convention at the Verizon Arena in Manchester.  These gatherings provide a forum for the party’s candidates for Congressional and state office.  This year’s convention, however, was highlighted by the appearance of five of the six leading Democratic contenders for New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 9, 2016.

Professor Morse was most impressed by the speeches given by Hillary Clinton and her main rival at the moment, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.  “Hillary gave a terrific speech,” commented Morse.  “She really sounded the note that so many of the convention members wanted to hear.  She blasted the Republican opposition, and praised the accomplishments of the Obama administration.”

Morse was equally impressed by the thunderous ovation given to Senator Sanders.  “Bernie hit hard at the inequalities of wealth in America.  The crowd loved his message: ‘The billionaires can’t have it all their own way.’  The theme of economic redistribution is a Democratic favorite.”

Professor Padova, an unenrolled voter in Massachusetts and author of the 2007 book, First In The Nation: One Insider’s View of the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, was impressed by the common themes outlined by most of the candidates.  “Only one of these six candidates is going to be the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, and it’s expected that the other five will endorse him or her.  Therefore, it’s good that they’re all sounding the same themes and espousing the same or similar positions on major issues.”

The themes most often heard from the candidates speaking at the convention included free college tuition at public colleges and universities, raising the minimum wage to a “living wage” at $15 an hour, equal pay and equal rights for all, affordable child care so that everyone can work, limiting CEO pay and taking big money out of politics.

Besides Clinton and Sanders, the other Democratic presidential candidates who spoke included former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, former Rhode Island Senator and Governor Lincoln Chafee and Harvard Law School Professor Larry Lessig.  Absent was former Virginia Senator Jim Webb.

Besides the presidential candidates, other speakers included Governor Maggie Hassan and Senator Jeanne Shaheen of N.H. and a host of Democratic candidates for other offices.

“I urge NECC students and faculty to attend these conventions,” said Morse.  “They can provide us with a real political education.”

Campus Life

Students Struggle to get Social at NECC

 

By Carly Colombo

Correspondent

Some students at NECC are turning to a popular app, Yik Yak, to socialize with one another and speak their minds. This forum uses location services so students in your area can anonymously post their thoughts. Others in the area can anonymously comment on these posts and so on. Many students on the NECC Yik Yak feed post about the anti-social behavior exhibited here; specifically, the common theme seems to be how hard it is to meet new people at NECC.

“Is sitting in my car between classes gonna be a normal thing now #firstsemesterhere” is what one student posted a week ago, along with others like “another day, another 2 hours sitting in my car between classes.” The latter post was followed by a comment, “I think almost everyone does it.”

One particular post, “I wish people would actually make an effort to be friends,” arose last week on the forum and got up to 11 replies.

On why it’s difficult to meet like-minded people, former NECC student Annie Aquino said, “I think it’s just because everyone is so busy. I know when I went there, I just wanted to go to my classes and go home.”

“It’s sad how we depend on social media as a medium to express ourselves, but yet a lot of us won’t dare to express or even talk to a fellow colleague,” NECC student Gaby Hernandez said.

If this topic is so common among this forum, does something need to be done? Is this app causing students to turn to an anonymous forum rather than speak to their fellow classmates?

“Social media has made us less social (in public settings) … everyone is just in their own bubble,” Hernandez said. “I think it’s just important to not let these kinds of apps take over your life. Why post things and wait for a reply when you can just talk to people?”