Tag Archives: Campus life

News

Veterans at NECC

 

There are over 100 veterans and current or former military members attending classes at NECC, but many may not know that they are even around.

Veterans often carry themselves differently than the typical student by showing leadership, promoting teamwork and displaying self-discipline. However, according to a study by the U.S. Army Medical Department, student veterans and servicemembers frequently face three main challenges: having meaningful social interactions with other non-military students, adjusting to the cultural differences between military and student/civilian life and adjusting to one’s role outside of the military.

Many former military members use their professional background to the advantage of themselves and others.

“I bring life experience to the table, and (students) see that,” said Eddie Hoar, former U.S. Army service member and journalism/communication major at NECC. He followed up by saying that he had to “ease back into college life,” as the combination of his military experience and other life challenges made the transition difficult.

Hoar is also a member of NECC’s club for veterans: the Veterans and Servicepersons Organization, or VSO for short. The VSO’s mission is to provide social and cultural support to student veterans by helping to bridge the gaps related to the common struggles experienced by service members after their military service.

However, some veterans may find it difficult to adjust to student life if they don’t feel comfortable with identifying themselves as such.

“Veterans are unknown on campus,” said Cory Chambers, an Iraq war veteran, engineering science major and the vice president of the VSO. “Why is that?” he asked.

Self-identification is a key struggle across many educational institutions in regards to trying to promote a comfortable environment for student veterans and servicemembers. The aforementioned study found that many veterans may not want to identify themselves as such for many reasons, such as the fear of social stigma or wanting to put their “service behind them.” However, many of the study’s respondents also stated that student veterans’ programs “should be highly visible and promoted to encourage participation.”

“It is what they make of it,” said Veterans Services Coordinator and VSO advisor Jeff Williams, who has served for 29 years in the U.S. Army Reserves, including a combat tour to Iraq. “The administration is always so supportive. Student veterans just have to tell me what they need.”

Williams is a strong proponent of positive change for student veterans and servicemembers at NECC. His most recent accomplishment is his addition of two work study students, which will allow him to help more student veterans in a more effective manner by allowing him more time attend to more pressing issues.

Williams has also been trying to make NECC feel more welcoming for current and future student veterans by his active support in trying to appoint a private study space for veterans and servicemembers and also trying to create a specialized orientation program solely geared toward incoming students with military experience.

One of Williams’ current main goals is to make the Veterans Center more “attractive” to student veterans, meaning he’d like more people to go in to study or talk, or just to communicate their concerns.

Veterans Service is located in the Student Center on NECC’s Haverhill campus in room SC-216, and it is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays.

Coordinator Williams also provides support for students in Lawrence at the El Hefni building’s advising center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Work study hours may vary.

For more information, please email Veterans Services at veteransservices@necc.mass.edu or call (978) 556-3631.

Olsen, Timothy, Karen Badger, and Michael D. McCuddy. “Understanding The Student Veterans’ College Experience: An Exploratory Study.” U.S. Army Medical Department Journal (2014): 101-108. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.​

News

NECC’s Premier Unofficial Club

 

Imagine walking up the stairs to the second floor of the Student Center to go to the bookstore, wondering just how much your educational success is going to cost you today. Your line of sight hasn’t even come in line with the top of the stairs yet when, suddenly, a wave of focus-penetrating howling and laughter shatters your train of thought, which is effectively replaced by other-worldly jargon: “I’m telling you, Duck Hunt Dog is top tier!” “Naruto should’ve ended up with Sakura instead of Hinata.” “I special summon my Cyber Soldier from the graveyard in face-down defense mode!”

You look to the area across from the bookstore and see a gaggle of often peculiarly dressed young women and men chatting away merrily, and possibly eating pizza or ramen, playing card games or reading comics or Japanese manga on the school computers.

No, you have not stumbled into enemy territory, although many may try to avoid wandering into their space as if it was. You have merely come into contact with one of NECC’s most diverse groups—one that means nobody any harm, but instead is very prone to welcoming others without question.

“I guess you can call us Team Meme Supreme,” laughed Liam Lavoie, who is a psychology major at NECC and a member of the close-knit group of friends that frequent the area across from the bookstore. A young man seated nearby playfully shouted, “Let’s make a banner!”

Lavoie continued. “Sometimes we play Super Smash Bros. (for 3DS), cards, Pokémon,” he said, pausing; and then, with an accusatory head nod and glare toward the young man seated beside him, he playfully said, “or making (Dungeons and Dragons) characters.” They laughed.

Each individual that frequently hangs out in the area had different motives and stories concerning how they ended up there, but they all continued going for one reason: friendship.

“My friends were hanging out here, so I came,” said Lavoie, who then stated that he first began hanging out there because it was once a hotspot for casual lunch conversations, and thus bonding with like-minded individuals.

Many students may not know—especially newer students—that the NECC bookstore space was once a cafeteria, and all of the current seating outside of the bookstore was once just a simple eating area for students. Many lasting ties were forged during typical lunch periods between students with similar interests, to include things like the anime and gaming cultures. Those earlier times have essentially allowed for Team Meme Supreme to thrive as well as it has.

“The thing I like about this group is that it’s so big,” said Conor Miller, who is a theater major at NECC and the hand and voice behind the blue Bad Idea Bear (which he affectionately named BB King) from the Top Notch Players’ production, Avenue Q. “We never turn anyone away,” he followed.

The size of the groups that stay in the area across from the bookstore varies greatly, and typically depends on the time and the day of the week one happens to pass by; however, regardless of their size, their presence seldom goes unnoticed.

“We’re the most diverse group on campus,” he said, and then went on to joke about how their numbers would easily trump that of any actual club or organization at NECC. Miller then went on to ponder on how he became a member of Team Meme Supreme.

“I was playing Pokémon Crystal, sitting all by myself next to a large group of people playing video games, when a guy named Mike came up and said, ‘Is that Pokémon Crystal? You should come show us!’” said Miller reminiscently. Miller has since maintained and created bonds with others with interests similar to his.

A major point of speculation from passersby is the amount of time members of Team Meme Supreme spend in their hangout spot. Some individuals have gone as far as to joke that many of those who frequent their spot aren’t even students at NECC because of the lengths of time some of them remain there.

Lavoie stated that he spends around two to two-and-a half hours per day, or about eleven hours per week just hanging out with friends in their hangout spot. Benigno “Benny” Agosto, a psychology major at NECC, who was wearing a black fedora, quickly chimed in by excitedly stating, “I think I spend double that!”

Agosto remarked on how someone had introduced him to the group on his first day at NECC.
“I kind of just wandered in and stayed,” he quipped. “The vibe was awesome, so I kept coming!”

None of the members of Team Meme Supreme seemed very concerned with what others may think of them, to include NECC’s public safety officers, who playfully refer to them as “the loud group.” More than anything, each individual from their informal organization would like their fellow students, faculty and staff, and even the security guards to know that they mean nobody any harm. Instead, they encourage others to join them or engage them in conversation whenever they’d like.

“We’re not as scary as you think,” said Agosto. “We may be loud and we may seem crazy, but we’re really cool. Walk in and we love you!” he said lastly.

As Agosto finished speaking, another affiliate of Team Meme Supreme sat down beside Agosto with a My Little Pony plush doll stuffed in through the neck of his shirt with only its head sticking out.

“It’s for intimidation purposes,” he said with a wry smile, perfectly embracing the joyfully benign spirit of Team Meme Supreme.

Regardless of one’s personal feelings toward Team Meme Supreme, the fact of the matter is that they fully intend to continue hanging out and enjoying one another’s company.
However, if one ever feels like having a joyful conversation about anything, they’d like others to know one thing: “The more the merrier!”

Campus Life

Multicultural Student Alliance

 

It may seem like a small sentiment, but something as simple as having flags from multiple cultures present on campus can help students feel welcome, said Admissions & Academic Counselor Courtney Newman.

Newman is one of three faculty members helping coordinate the new Multicultural Student Alliance, an organization dedicated to helping provide a safe space for students of all ethnicities, nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

“What we’re trying to do is bring a multitude of different students together in one space so they can connect with the college, connect with each other, experience some events and really have a support system,” said Newman.

Welcoming though the MSA may be, NECC is a place of learning. Fiona Edwards said the MSA will primarily be looking to encourage students academically. Like Newman, Edwards also works in the Career Planning & Advising Center and serves as a Designated School Official for international students.

“The MSA isn’t just geared toward being a safe space for people of different cultures,” said Edwards. “It’s a retentional tool for the student population. Statistics show that students are more inclined to stay on campus if they have some sort of extracurricular activity to do.”

Extracurricular activities generally make students feel more connected with their school and to the college experience in general. In a survey conducted by the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, 91% of respondents indicated that “participation in extracurricular activities positively contributed to their college experience.” In addition, most students who attended extracurricular activities rated their interactions with other students highly.

Edwards hopes that participation in the MSA will help prepare students for a career in their chosen field by incorporating the college’s Core Academic Skills. “Public speaking, initiatives in the community, the ability to network, the skills they will take out into their field — these will help them put these into practice.”
It’s important to note that the idea of multiculturalism is also about celebrating different ways of life. As part of this, the MSA plans to hold and attend plenty of events both on-campus and elsewhere in the area.

Currently, the off-campus events include a first generation student summit at Wellesley College that happened on March 7 and an upcoming lunch with the Haverhill Kiwanis Club on April 7. Both of these events reflect the MSA’s mission to help students learn about networking and foster inclusivity.

Newman says some of the events being considered include potluck dinners, a flag day and possibly an on-campus parade.

“I’m a movie person, so I’m hoping for a cultural movie night,” she said.
According to CPAC counselor and MSA coordinator Ana Fraden, one of the most exciting things about the MSA is its desire to collaborate with other student organizations. “We’ve been asked to collaborate with the Gay/Straight Alliance on its pride parade, and … we’re currently helping the Community Outreach Group with their bake sale,” she said. Since the values and mission statement of the MSA and many other clubs coincide, Fraden said she sees an immense amount of opportunity.

As of press time, the MSA coordinators have not yet pinned down the date of the next meeting. Students who are interested in more information on the MSA can contact Fiona Edwards at fedwards@necc.mass.edu, Courtney Newman at cnewman@necc.mass.edu or Ana Fraden at afraden@necc.mass.edu to be added to the email list.

Newman encouraged students who might be afraid to branch out to at least give the MSA a try.

“Just come once,” she said. “It’s not going to hurt anything, and if you stay, it looks great on your resume.”

Campus Life

Bacon Board Gamers Club

 

The Bacon Board Gamers club has been a staple at NECC since 2011. The club was thought up by students in Mike Cross’ chemistry class at the time when one student, David Bowie, got serious and took the reins to make the club a prominent one at the school.

“My students really enjoyed the games I used in class to demonstrate various chemical principles and they wanted a chance to play them more often,” said Cross, who serves as the Bacon Board Gamers’ advisor.

The start of the club was slow but the Bacon Board Gamers didn’t give up. They applied for the Campus Catalyst program and received funding, which they mostly used to buy new games.

“We have around 100 games in a cabinet in my office and I have another 250 or so at home,” said Cross.

With the number of games they have there is a diverse set to choose from. “I love to play Cards Against Humanity,” said club secretary Colby Patrie.

Another member, David, said his favorite game to play is Werewolves.

It’s not all about the games with the Bacon Board Gamers. Members also bring in many different foods to the bi-weekly meeting.

“Despite the name, you don’t actually have to eat bacon to be part of the club. One of our members is even a vegetarian,” Cross said.

There is one special food the club always likes to have on hand though.
“We always order pizza with bacon on it,” Patrie said. Even bacon-cheeseburger pizza has made it into the mix.

Since its inception, the club has won some awards and has been recognized by some big names. During their first showcase to the Campus Catalyst program they won “Most Likely to Succeed.” They have also been awarded the President’s Cup by Lane Glenn and NECC. Local media has not failed to see the club’s successes either. The Haverhill Gazette, Eagle Tribune, Newburyport Daily News, WBZ Radio and the Boston Globe have all had feature stories on the Board Gamers.

The best part about the Bacon Board Gamers is that anyone can join.

“The Bacon Board Gamers is open to everyone – students, faculty, staff, even the general public,” said Cross.

Cross went on to talk about the club’s success and when they meet.

“Attendance at the club varies, but we probably average about a dozen people at each meeting. We have meetings the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month at 6:30 pm in E260. We meet even during the summer and school breaks. We also hold an All-Day Gaming Marathon twice a year.”

To find out more about this club and its history, they have their own website at www.baconboardgamers.com

Editorial

NECC Releases New Mission Statement

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In 2014 NECC began developing a new mission statement to replace the previous one which has been in place since 1992. The new mission statement has been finalized.

“At NECC, our mission is to educate and inspire our students to succeed. We provide a welcoming environment focused on teaching and learning—strongly committed to unlocking the potential within each student and empowering our diverse community of learners to meet their individual goals. We are a community college dedicated to creating vibrant and innovative opportunities that encourage excellence and enhance the cultural and economic life of our region.”

Mission statements are an important part of any college — they give prospective and current students and idea of the atmosphere and aims of the institution, and they allow for administration, faculty and staff to maintain perspective of the overarching goals of the college.

NECC is unique because it is a community college dedicated to cutting costs for students, especially in comparison with four year institutions, and it is unique because it has such strong diversity and focuses on creating a comfortable and accessible learning community.

The new mission statement is accurate to the stated goals of the college, and it will hopefully keep driving NECC to keep adapting and improving into the future. A mission statement is only as good as its delegates.

News

COG Holds Bake Sale for Animal Shelter

 

The NECC Community Outreach Group held a bake sale to raise money for the Northeast Animal Shelter on Wednesday, March 11, on the first floor of the Spurk Building.

The Community Outreach Group is a student run club that engages in local community service and carries out projects around social and environmental issues of concern.

Meredith Gunning, faculty advisor of the Community Outreach Group, said every semester the group holds different events. The type of events they choose to do “depends upon the sort of local non-profit organizations or projects the students want to be involved in for aiding the surrounding community,” said Gunning.

“The club voted on helping to raise funds for The Northeast Animal Shelter because it is a non-kill site which does a lot of good work with providing shelter and homes for various animals,” said Gunning.

Northeast Animal Shelter is one of New England’s largest non-profit, no-kill animal shelters located in Salem, Mass.

According to their website, “Northeast Animal Shelter receives no local, state or federal funding and is entirely dependent on contributions from the public to cover its annual operating budget.”

Jen Adams, Volunteer and Community Relations Coordinator at Northeast Animal Shelter, said, “The key to our success rests in people who give their time to help animals find homes. Something as simple as a bake sale can help raise money for animals in need.”

Adams said the shelter received fifty puppies from Georgia this week alone. These puppies would have otherwise been euthanized.

Nicholas Stuart, NECC general studies major and Community Outreach Group member said, “We chose to support Northeast Animal Shelter for our bake sale because the values of the organization were parallel to our members’ values. We hope that by having the bake sale we are able to raise funds to improve the quality of life for the animals they harbor.”

Stuart is a proud member of Community Outreach and said being a part of it is important to him because “not only does it help the community, but it also helps show the charitable qualities of the NECC students.”

Campus Life, Lawrence

Winterfest

 

With the accumulation of snow at the Lawrence campus over this semester, a lot of events had to be cancelled along with the school days, Winterfest being one of them.

Winterfest went on without a hitch on the Haverhill campus, but on the day that it was suppose to take place on the Lawrence campus, NECC and New England were walloped with one of many snow storms this year. The Student Engagement Center, along with the Student Senate, wanted the event to still take place, so they worked together to get the day rescheduled.

Ari Chicklis, program assistant, said, “I wanted the event to happen, I like the student engagement. I like how it brings people together therefore it needed to happen.”

At the event, just like in Haverhill, they had a nacho bar and a hot chocolate bar.
There were lots of games to play where students could win prizes and just have a good time and get to know other students. They also had name art, where artists would paint their names using paint and shapes as opposed to directly just painting a letter.

Rebecca Tienhaara, a high school student who is dually enrolled here at NECC, said, “Its awesome there is a bunch of food and games. Plus I get to talk to a few new friends.”

Tienharra said, “I love Winterfest. It is an awesome and free spirited event.”
One of the popular events at the Lawrence Winterfest was the Wii system set up to play winter games.

Joe Torres, a nursing student who also works in the gym at the Sports and Fitness Center on the Haverhill campus really enjoys helping out.
Torres said, “I really enjoy promoting fitness and exercise. I believe in trying to help everyone stay healthy.”

Campus Life

NECC Parking Lot

 

By Alex Dehullu

The NECC parking lot has seen better days. Students who had to pay for their parking pass are losing several parking spots because of excess snow. There has been minimal snowfall in the past two weeks, but the parking lots are still dealing with the after effects of the multiple large snowstorms that New England has recently suffered.

Michael Barry, a West Newbury resident, drives to his class every day and is not a fan of what the parking lot has come to.

“There are no lines anymore — people form their own spots with way too much room between cars. I can’t fit my truck into half of the spots because the cars on both sides left so little room in between,” said Barry.

This problem is shared by many other NECC students, and it forces students to park farther and farther away from the school.

In the summer, the long walk wouldn’t be too bad, but due to the unbelievable amount of snow, students must walk down the busy road with cars coming from both sides all the way to the sidewalk in front of C building.

Another NECC student, Andrew Wallace said, “I’m sick of this. If I show up to class anything but early I have to walk so far through the icy street in the freezing cold while cars drive by less than three feet away. At some point the school is going to have to finish cleaning the parking lot up.”

It’s obvious that NECC has put in a lot of effort to cleaning up the parking lot. Students see maintenance workers constantly cleaning sidewalks and the plows do their best to clear the lot of snow after each storm.

There are a couple of moves NECC could make to improve the conditions of their parking lot. One NECC student, Branscome Dubina, suggested, “they should spend some of the money we paid to park there to have snow removed, maybe free up some space for more cars and a decent walk way.”

If there are any more major snowstorms, the conditions of the parking lot may continue to decline. It will be interesting to see how the school will respond.

Campus Life, Opinion

Campus Cafe

 

By Jimmy Richards

Last year, NECC decided to remodel their cafe located in the Student Center, but many students are unaware of what it even has to offer. A majority of students said they didn’t even know where the cafe was located.

Kelsey Brown, a student attending for her first time at NECC said, “Well, I knew there was a cafe in the c building, but I had no idea about the remodeled cafe because no one ever told me about it.”

Many students are saying the same thing because they don’t know what’s going on around campus.

Jared Richard, a new student attending NECC said, “I knew about the cafe, but it’s just too far away for me to get there in between classes. I mean it’s nice, but who wants to hike there. All my classes are ten minutes apart, and it just leaves no time for me to get there.”

Richard also added, “Many students are busy learning in the C and B buildings which means access to the cafe is limited.”

Another student had suggested a different idea that may in fact help out the campus cafe.

Eric Perez, a two-year student attending NECC said, “Honestly, I feel like they should put better food in there. But as the people who work there, they are very nice, very polite and will help with everything. I just feel like there should be healthy things in there, and they should take the time to lower down the price because they are making a profit out of that.”

Perez also gave another valid point about the remodeled cafe.

Perez said, “I feel like there should be more guidance towards the cash register because everything is cramped together.”

Perez also said that the campus cafe is “hidden.”

Opinion

Day vs. Night Classes

 

By Kyle Benson

NECC does not only offer classes during the daytime — they also offer classes later at night for people whose schedules do not fit school during the day.

“I like night classes because I have to work in the day now, but I do miss my buds from when I was going to classes during the day,” said Matt Faia.

Faia, a former day school student, finds that students in his classes with full time jobs agree with him.

Classmate Greg Komornick said, “It really is helpful for me in my life right now. Things get hectic during the day, so I have to come at night.”

Night classes offer some of the same classes as during the day.

“I see a lot of the same classes going on here at night that were going on during the day a few semesters ago,” Faia said. “It has the same feel minus the social aspect.”

Students can sign up for night classes the same as they do for the day. In most cases, there are less days students have to come to school but with longer classes.

“The longer classes are worth it,” said Faia. “I’m definitely on the right track to getting my degree.”​