On Wednesday April 12th Northern Essex Community College hosted a panel discussion about book banning and intellectual freedom event that took place in Lecture Hall (A) in the Spurk building on the Haverhill campus.
Students, faculty and staff were encouraged to come listen to a panel of hosts discuss their thoughts and research on banning books.

Guest Martin Garnar, director of libraries at Amherst College led the discussion.

The event was sponsored by the Global Studies department and the NECC Library.

Six faculty members from different disciplines joined in on the panel.

Garnar began by asking the audience to get into groups of 4-5 people and the groups were given a piece of paper that gave real life scenarios and each group had to discuss what the people in the scenario should do.

For example, “a teacher thinks her students are plagiarizing; should she go to the library?”

After each group read and discussed the audience formed a large group discussion about their topic and panel members and other groups were allowed to converse through a shared microphone.

Lisette Espinoza, an English professor at Northern Essex and a part of the panel for the banning books event encouraged the audience to read books because “there are many authors banned … because their ideas are complex or controversial.”

Students were able to be challenged with real life scenarios, work together in a group setting to figure it out and gain advice from the panel on different perspectives.

To find out about more events like these you can visit the NECC events tab.

On April 10, NECC students, faculty and staff were invited to join GOV101 in listening to former U.S. Senator and U.S. Ambassador Scott Brown speak in Lecture Hall A on the Haverhill Campus.
Professor Richard Padova had some assistance from Liberal Arts Administrative Assistant Tammy Foster to get this event to happen. Padova had Scott Brown come in for his GOV101 class but wanted others who attend Northern Essex Community College to benefit from his presentation as well.

“I was looking for someone who is a good speaker, who has worked in a couple of branches of government and able to share their personal experiences with students, and someone who does not have to travel far and incur travel expenses.” Padova on why he chose Scott Brown.

The event started at 9:30 a.m. on April 10 and ended at 10:45; allowing Scott Brown to tell his story on how he got into politics and answer questions from the audience.

Students would introduce themselves to Brown and then ask questions. There were questions on climate change, transgender rights, and what is next in his political career.

Erin Magner, a student here at Northern Essex studying human services states that she attended for her GOV101 class but would have made time to come voluntarily if it wasn’t required.

“I’m very excited! I voted for Scott Brown … for Senator of Massachusetts. I think this event is beneficial to gain more knowledge on politics” says Magner.

The former U.S. Senator and U.S. Ambassador stayed after his presentation to answer any personal questions and take pictures with the audience.

Professor Padova states “I’ve brought many speakers to campus over the years, mainly from the field of government and politics, and I’m sure that I’ll continue this. I feel very strongly that this helps to round out a student’s education; in other words, being able to also learn outside of the classroom and interact with people “on the frontlines” from the world of government and politics.”.

If you are looking for more events like these, tune into the Northern Essex Community College homepage under the Event’

category.

On February 8th 2023, NECC hosted a Re-UKnighted Involvement Fair to help students get involved with different clubs and organizations.

The event was organized by Student Life and was designed to help students find new ways to excel through their own personal needs and interests.

Tables decorated with the theme of each club/organization were lined up against the wall in the Spurk (C) Building on the Haverhill campus to catch the eyes of students walking by.

Aimee Stevens, program coordinator for the American sign language program at Gallaudet University and Adrianna Neefus, an administrative assistant at Gallaudet University, hosted a table to represent American Sign Language opportunities at Gallaudet University.

“We hope to bring awareness to this club for students who are learning ASL. There is a program that happens once a month on the Lawrence Campus to help students practice and immerse themselves in the ASL community called ‘Shared Reading Saturday’ that would be beneficial for anyone wanting to learn ASL,” shared Neefus.

“We live in a diverse world, acknowledging those beyond yourself creates a more equitable environment for those who are struggling.” added Stevens.

Both Neefus and Stevens wanted to acknowledge how this organization can help those in all fields communicate with other people.

If you or someone you know are looking for more ways to get involved with NECC, go to the events category on the NECC website to find more information on events like these.