All posts by Patty Gosselin, Campus Life Editor

News

Pulitzer Prizes announced

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This year’s 104th Pulitzer Prizes announcement, which has honored excellence in journalism and the arts since 1917, was initially scheduled for April before being postponed until May 4 and delivered virtually.

In the past the announcement has come in late April and since 1984 Pulitzer winners have received their prizes from the president of Columbia University at a luncheon in May in the Low Library but because of the ongoing pandemic Dana Canedy, administrator of the prizes, gave the announcement via livestream on the Pulitzer Prize website.

According to pulitzer.org, the event has been live-streamed on the Pulitzer site since 2015, but because of Coronavirus the livestream this year will hold much more significance.

“It goes without saying that today we announce the Pulitzer winners in deeply trying times,” said Canedy streaming from her living room. “Ironically, the first time the prizes were presented was June 1917, less than a year before the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish Flu pandemic. In difficult times the Pulitzers may be more important than ever.”

Among this years’ prizes was a first in the new category for “Audio Reporting” which honors “audio journalism that serves the public interest, characterized by revelatory reporting and illuminating storytelling,” according to pulitzer.org. The first winner in the category was the staff of NPR’s “This American Life” along with Molly O’Toole of the LA Times and Emily Green freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd” on the Trump Administrations “Remain in Mexico” policy.

Another winner this year was Barry Blitt, contributor to the New Yorker for his cartoons depicting policies and personalities in Trump’s White House. And these prizes have been awarded only a few short days after Trump took to Twitter to declare “Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters be stripped of their “Noble” prizes for critical reporting about him,” according to nydailynews.com.

Trump called for journalists to return their Pulitzers, which he called “Noble” prizes, misspelling the Nobel Peace Prize and confusing two of the world’s most prominent awards. “He later claimed that he intentionally used the word “Noble” to emphasize how improper it was for the journalists to be honored,” as he seeming tried to explain away an apparent gaffe as a less than stellar play on words, according to nydailynews.com.

“Despite relentless assaults on objective truth, coordinated efforts to undermine our nation’s free press and persistent economic headwinds, journalists continue to pursue and deliver essential facts and truths to keep us safe and protect our democracy….One thing we know for sure is that journalism never stops,” said Canedy.

Among other winners this year for journalism are Anchorage Daily News for Public Service, staff of The Courier-Journal for Breaking News Reporting, Brian Rosenthal of The New York Times for Investigative Reporting, staff of The Washington Post for Explanatory Reporting and staff of The Baltimore Sun for Local Reporting among many others.

 

 

 

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Parenting through a pandemic: NECC offers support group to caregivers

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As any community college, Northern Essex has its fair share of students with diverse needs and various non-school commitments. Now, thanks to a new student interest group, busy moms and caregivers will have a place to unwind on campus every Thursday, (when the campus was open from 12:30-1:30 p.m. on the Lawrence campus in room L144.).

Now that the campus is closed the group has moved to using Zoom meetings to connect.

At the head of this group is Susan Redditt who’s an intern from the Salem State Masters in Social Work Program working with Janel D’Agata Lynch, the coordinator of civic engagement, service learning and community resources.

Redditt said she got the idea for the group from Stephanie Haskell, student life coordinator. Redditt is a non-traditional student and like the other members of the group, she has two children, ages 21 and 26.

By her side is Marlenne Astacio, from Lawrence, a public health major. Astacio is a mother of a two year old. Along with raising her child and being a student, Astacio is working an internship with the civic engagement, service learning, and community resources department.

Susan Benoit, from Lawrence, a sleep technologist major, is another co-facilitator of the group and also a mom to a 3 year old.

In the first three weeks of the group’s meetings the goal was to create a space where students that are also moms or caregivers can go to relax, vent, and share parenting stories. According to the members, the group serves as a place where they can share pertinent information that helps them understand their children better. During one meeting the group discussed routines and rituals and how they can help create a balanced sleep schedule for them and their young ones.

The moms discussed the difficulties of trying to be a “perfect” parent and how that’s especially difficult when you’re a new mom without prior experience. One mom said, “You don’t have training, you just [parent] and hope for the best!”

Members are also encouraged to give presentations, like one mom’s presentation on Feb. 27 on bruxism, or teeth grinding, in children. She took the opportunity to educate the fellow moms about the prevalence of this issue and also to vent about how she loses sleep due to it.

The group also offers “real food” supplied by Redditt. There are options available besides just chips and snacks, a luxury for busy moms that also attend college, as they don’t always get the opportunity to feed themselves, according to the group.

In the future, the group wants to continue to be a safe space where moms and caregivers can meet with fellow students that face the same challenges as them. They want to eventually have the group meet two times a week and, if they can, they’d like to be able to provide child care during the meeting times. The group also makes time for self care for the moms, during one meeting they applied face masks for a “spa day.”

In the face of COVID-19 the members have moved to an online platform of support using Zoom meetings to connect and talk about the fears of parenting during a pandemic. Members say they appreciate having the extra time to spend with their children at home but they’re also afraid to bring their children outside.

Another member got support from the group in the new challenge of supplying their child’s therapy with only virtual help from their therapist.

For more information, contact Susan Redditt at sredditt@necc.mass.edu.

 

News

Are ‘murder hornets’ cause for concern?

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As if living through a pandemic isn’t anxiety inducing enough by itself, social media rumors are now being spread about a mysterious “murder hornet” that has migrated to the United States.

In late 2019 two bees were spotted in Washington, later determined to be Asian giant hornets, the world’s largest wasp according to National Geographic.

Andrew Venditti, a communications major at NECC said the “murder hornet” sounds like it came out of a sci-fi movie. The arrival of the hornets is still a mystery to researchers. Venditti said “I can’t imagine a hornet flying across an ocean, so they probably got here stowed away on a boat or plane.”

Maddy Gosselin, NECC alum and current resident of Bridgewater MA, said she hasn’t even heard of the hornets. “We’ve already got corona, I don’t think anybody wants any more foreign killers entering the country,” said Gosselin.

Retired University of Montana bee expert Jerry Bromenshenk said that the media hype for the hornets is “turbo charged.”

While National Geographic states that they are able to kill humans, the danger lies in the threat they pose to honeybees. The hornets can wipe out entire honeybee colonies. “Hopefully we can get rid of them before they do too much damage to the indigenous honey bees that are already in lower numbers than they should be,” said Venditti.

Caitlin Camiliere, a New England native currently residing in Lander, WY, said she doesn’t know much about the bees but she heard that they’re killing native U.S. bees and that makes her sad. “We are already struggling to keep our pollinators healthy as it is, what with climate change and industrialization.” She added, “If those dirty hornets think they’re gonna kill the last remaining pollinators they’ve got another thing coming!”

Associated Press reported that since a lone hive was wiped out in Canada last September no Asian giant hornets have been spotted in 2020. Bug experts told AP that instances in which these hornets have killed are rare and said for humans “it’s a really nasty sting.” The number of people that seek medical attention after the stings is incredibly small.

To put it in context, the World Health Organization says that mosquitoes are responsible for millions of deaths yearly worldwide while Asian giant hornets kill a few dozen people a year at most, and in Asia people have lived with this hornet for thousands of years.

CBS News reported that a public outreach campaign has begun to report sightings of the wasps. Entomologist Chris Looney says, “don’t try and take them out yourself if you see them.” He says any sightings should be reported to the Department of Agriculture. God only knows what next month will bring us.

 

Campus Life

Is isolation introvert heaven?

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Patricia Gosselin and her dog

You enjoy spending time alone? Check.

You’d rather spend time with one close friend than with a crowd? Check.

You prefer calm, mildly stimulating environments rather than loud, rowdy ones? Check.

After several conclusive internet quizzes, endless field research conducted by myself, and constant comparisons between myself and others, I’ve come to realize that even though I once thought of myself as an extrovert, I am most definitely, without a doubt, an introvert to my core. Though I’m not alone, intovertdear.com says somewhere between 30-50% of the US population are introverts, it can feel extremely lonely some days. In quarantine, not so much.

Are the current guidelines for social distancing a godsend for those of us who self-identify as introverts? It can feel like it. There are no social obligations at this time, not only are you encouraged to stay home but your peers would judge you if you didn’t practice proper social distancing.

For those of us who are introverts and also students, the shift to online learning can be helpful. Anxiety can be a common symptom among introverts, according to PsychologyToday and they can face anxiety in just showing up for class. For me, some days it feels like a grueling task just to get dressed and drive much less be there, so the switch to remote learning comes as a welcomed change. I can work, on my own, at my own pace and Zoom events are far less draining than in-person classes or meetings.

An introvert can feel depleted after social events, almost as if every interaction is a withdrawal from their bank of emotions, and usually the only way to re-charge or make deposits back into that bank is to spend time alone, says buffer.com. With the current social climate, there are minimal social settings and a plethora of re-charge opportunities.

I’m in heaven, you know, besides the whole pandemic thing, don’t get me wrong I would never intend to minimize the deaths of thousands. It feels like this world was made for me, rather than before, where I felt like an outsider most times. The status quo finally leans in my favor.

So, if I, and people like me, are thriving in this moment of increased social distance, then what does the future hold when things begin to return to normal. If anything, I believe more people will have discovered that they too enjoy working/learning from home and social distancing and might want to continue the practice.

Campus Life

Minds with purpose: Student shares passion for helping others connect

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Jeruys Santiago
Jeurys Santiago Patty Gosselin, Campus Life Editor

In his first semester at NECC, business transfer major Jeurys Santiago attended a “Lunch and Learn” event, part of a series put on by the Center for Business and Accounting, and he became inspired by fellow student Daniel Keating’s presentation. Keating sparked a flame in Santiago when he presented the idea that two major companies: Uber and Airbnb, had become extremely successful without owning their own vehicles or properties. Santiago, who considers himself an entrepreneur, thought about how he could replicate that business model to suit him and his goals, and that’s where the idea for Minds With Purpose (MWP), Santiago’s self-made networking platform, came to be.

“What I like doing is helping people and connecting people with others who can help them achieve their goals,” said Santiago. He decided to create a networking platform where he could do that and also create a profitable business at the same time. The profits aren’t the bottom line for Santiago. In MWP’s first year, his plan is to focus on visibility and getting the word out there. “I don’t chase money, I chase genuine connections, money isn’t everything,” said Santiago.

MWP launched with an introduction video posted to Instagram on an account with less than 500 followers; the video was viewed over 2,000 times and shared 100 times in followers’ stories, said Santiago. “I live in Lawrence and that’s a city that has a lot of violence and drug use, so when we put that video out we made a powerful statement, ‘we’re going to be the change we want to see,’” said Santiago.

The first MWP event, which premiered in December 2019, was a “giveback challenge,” reminiscent of the viral “ice bucket challenge” which promoted awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. MWP’s “giveback challenge” encouraged followers to do a good deed and repost it, tagging others to encourage them to do another good deed, and so on. It’s an ongoing challenge so Santiago’s hope is that people continue to share the message of giving back.  MWP’s next event, “A Merry Christmas Giveaway,” held at the end of December 2019, supplied 60-70 people in need with all types of winter clothing.

“I started MWP to show people that the support you need is right in front of you, in your own community,” said Santiago. Santiago’s community is Lawrence and he noticed how many people around him were musicians, so he created “Music Mondays,” hosted by MWP, with the intent of giving local artists exposure in a sober setting to brighten up the first day of the week. The first event went very well, according to Santiago, and they were able to give the winner a substantial prize. Santiago’s goal is to have “Music Mondays” be a more regular event, and to expand it to other music scenes in nearby cities, they’re currently working on one for Haverhill.  Eventually they plan to incorporate fashion shows and work with local, upcoming brands, models and designers, according to Santiago.

“Being here at NECC helped me,” said Santiago. He said he’s always had a business/entrepreneur mindset but that NECC provided him with resources he couldn’t get elsewhere and helped him learn how to network and use LinkedIn properly. “Sheila Muller helped me with a lot of connections. When I needed a venue, she connected me with someone she knew who operated a loft space in Lawrence,” said Santiago.

Santiago isn’t a new entrepreneur, in his past he’s sold bracelets and hats out of his dad’s barber shop in New York City, and he sold Yu-Gi-Oh cards as a kid. Santiago runs MWP while also juggling five classes, but he attributes NECC with teaching him things like different marketing techniques. Economics class taught him about profits, and Intro to Business with Chuck Phair, explained entrepreneurship, solopreneurship, corporations, and nonprofits. Santiago says he’ll use the skills learned in Intro to Public Speaking in his business from now on.

Santiago’s ability to connect with people is what helps him be successful, he says. “There’s no losing in helping people in your community and I know that I can make a change in the cities around me.”

Eventually Santiago would like to create an app for MWP, and even further down the line, a paid membership model where one flat rate would be paid for all events attended.

MWP has been hit hard by the spread of Coronavirus and the ongoing closures of event spaces and social distancing since MWP is all about bringing people together said Santiago. Along with changing his business model, Santiago now has the added challenge of completing his degree online. Still, he’s keeping MWP alive with a new podcast called “Talks With Purpose” which will continue to give local artists and businesses exposure.