Tag Archives: Classes

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.

Campus Life

A Look at NECC’s Spring Semester

 

Another spring semester comes to a close on both NECC campuses.

There have been many successes, events, causes and sporting events that have been going on between the Lawrence and Haverhill campuses. The beginning of the semester was rocky because of the semester due to the unpredictable and what seemed to be never ending snow.

For most students and this semester, the consistency of snowstorms throughout the month of February were disruptive to their class schedules. Classes that would normally meet on the Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule did not have many Monday classes in the beginning of the semester.

Also, Tuesday and Thursday classes were affected only meeting twice a week, some Tuesday classes either had cancellations or the campus all together was shut down.

Instructors had to change around their lesson plans to format the rest of the semester.
To make up for lost class time, some have had to cancel out some topics they planned to teach.
Other instructors may have had to attempt to squeeze together what was supposed to be learned on the lost days.

The snow caused the closure of both campuses, delays in classes, crammed schedules and difficulty managing an extra workload in some courses.

“In the middle of this crazy winter, I actually looked forward to getting out of the house and going to school,” said NECC business transfer student Hannah Latham.

Many students commented about the impact the snow has made on their spring semester class work.

“I had classes rescheduled, and we tried to cram in what we could every class. It was a game of catch up all semester,” said NECC Health and Wellness student Marjorie Vaccaro.

As the semester continued into the late winter and early spring months, NECC was lively as ever.

Early in the semester on February 25, guest speakers David Forsberg, Governor Charlie Baker’s campaign manager, and Charlie Baker III, a Democratic campaign strategist visited NECC’s Haverhill Campus. Each discussed and spoke about how to have a successful campaign and winning an election.

More recently on May 1, there was a surprise visit by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren on the Lawrence Campus. Senator Warren spoke to students a part of the PACE Program funded by a TRiO grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Also, “College for a Day” on April 15 as well as Spring Jam were widely successful.

A large amount of possible students attended the event, as well as current students.

Many participants were checking out the events hosted by the Student Engagement Center and Student Life on the quad for Spring Jam.

Currently, it may be crunch time for assignments and studying for exams for students.
That last project, paper or presentation has to be submitted this week before grades close.
Also, if the instructor or professor offers, extra credit assignments for that extra boost in a grade are due.

Students reflected on how they think they did overall this semester.

For some students. their final average could be unknown — some keep track of their grades, and others just go along with the course.

“Overall, this semester has been really good. I liked the fact that they were able to accommodate me with my schedule. I can work and go to school which not a lot of students do,” said Latham.

Another student commented on his overall grades for the spring semester.
“I think I did pretty well. I struggled with a couple classes. About 3 out of the 5 could be A’s or B’s. I’m not sure,” said NECC Communication student Matt Couture.

NECC offers a variety of summer courses to help students lighten their load for an upcoming semester or complete their degree more quickly.

Registration is taking place now for Summer classes.

Courses are open to NECC students as well as to students from other colleges who are home for the summer.

“I am taking two online classes this summer. I’m behind two courses and I’m using them to catch up,” said Couture.

Many students who attend NECC take advantage of the summer classes offered on both campuses because of its convenience and can be beneficial to some students.

“I might take an online course this summer, to get ahead,” said Vaccaro.

Also, now is the time for current students to register for Fall classes and to complete financial aid paperwork (if it is needed).

Registering for classes and completing financial aid paperwork before leaving for the semester may make for a less stressful summer.

For more information or to register for classes contact NECC Enrollment Services at (978) 556-3700 or email them at admissions@necc.mass.edu.

Interested students can also drop by the One-Stop in Haverhill or Lawrence during their walk-in hours: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday from noon to 4:30 p.m.

Features

Students Prepare for a Bright Future at NECC

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As the spring semester of 2015 draws to a close, it is also the end of many students’ time at NECC, and the beginning of new exciting adventures for those graduating and moving onward with their academic careers.

One of those students is Molly Fitzgerald, a communications major. Fitzgerald plans on attending Salem State University to get a bachelor’s degree in communications.

One of Fitzgerald’s most inspiring experiences was her internship last spring semester with Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Northern New England.

“I actually put the franchise on Facebook. [I liked] the experience itself, and I kinda found out what I wanted to do. I realized I wanted to go into PR (public relations) and communications.”

As with all experiences, there are good times, as well as trying times. Often a particular subject or teaching style can come along for students that pushes them to succeed despite a difficulty.

“My environmental issues course was really hard, and so was my statistic course, but other than that it was really easy. The professors weren’t really my teaching style per se, so it was kind of difficult to grasp what we were learning,” said Fitzgerald.

Her plans for the future are to pursue a bachelor’s degree in communications, with a concentration in public relations.

Fitzgerald urges students who either want to go to school or go back to school to consider NECC as a great first step, especially if they don’t know what they want to do.

“I went to two private schools before this, and I am one of those people who fell into the huge holes of student debt and I came to NECC, and I had to start all over, but I actually found what major I wanted, and I kind of found who I was as a person. (It’s) definitely a good starting school if you’re not sure what you want to do,” said Fitzgerald.

The overall experience for Fitzgerald has been a positive and motivating one, and her future is looking bright.

“(My experience was) really good. I think that the professors and the teachers are some of the best around, and you’re going to get the same education here that you would get anywhere else.”
Another student who will be moving on to pursue bigger dreams is baseball star Ryan Mcauliffe, business major.

He plans on going to St. John’s University in Queens, NYC to play baseball. Some of his most cherished memories include going to the world series with the Knights and receiving first team All-Region.
“Winning obviously, and just hanging out. It’s a beautiful place we got here,” said Mcauliffe. There were some struggles too — he was enrolled in seven classes this past semester.

“Well, obviously this past semester I’m in 22 credits, over the summer I had to take 12 credits, last spring I had to take 18 credits so I mean obviously classes here have been a struggle,” said Mcauliffe.
Mcauliffe, like Fitzgerald, also recommends students to NECC. “It’s good to get your grades up. Out of high school I had like a 2.4 GPA, and to pass the clearinghouse to play division 1 I had to come here. My GPA now is a 3.0. So, I mean obviously coming here you save money, you get a good 2 year degree. The baseball is very good,” said Mcauliffe.

Mcauliffe anticipated a rougher ride on his two year degree pursuit, but he has made it.

“Honestly (the programs were) pretty good. I thought it was going to be a lot tougher … but I mean, it helped me manage my time with baseball and school. Taking all those classes helped me manage time well. I thought I did pretty good here,” said Mcauliffe.

News

Getting Enough Sleep to Survive Finals

 

By Rachael Sarcione​

NECC students are preparing for upcoming final exams, and possibly some sleepless nights. However, lack of sleep could cost them more than good grades.

Sleep deprivation in college students is a major contributor to poor academic performance. According to the National Sleep Foundation, students getting less than seven hours per night of uninterrupted sleep are more likely to experience severe memory loss.

“Talk about being stuck between a rock and hard place,” said NECC student Melissa Dow. “I need to rest so I can remember what I studied, but I have to stay up later and study.”

According to the American Psychological Association, being extremely tired can have negative effects on your attitude and social behavior due to the inability to tolerate noise and bright lights. When someone is tired, fluorescent lighting (often used in classrooms) can cause impaired judgement and poor concentration.

Besides the effects that sleep deprivation can have on brain function, some people experience visible symptoms, such as dull skin or even hair loss.

“I have a few clients who always develop Alopecia Areata (baldness in spots) during final exams,” said hair stylist Diana Brown. “I can’t wait for them to graduate and start getting some sleep.”

With so many distractions, some students find that time management issues make it hard to get to bed in time for a good night’s sleep. “There are way too many awesome shows on TV, and […] by the time I look at the clock, it’s like 4 a.m. I don’t know if I should even bother going to sleep at that point,” said Dow.

News

Expansion on Lawrence Campus

 

“This is big news,” said NECC President Lane Glenn, referring to the upcoming expansion of the Lawrence campus. “We expect to be welcoming two new college partners.”

Having these new partners will enable students to get a bachelor’s degree in several majors right on the Lawrence campus.

Regis College, a private college in Massachusetts, will offer students a BA in nursing, public health, and health science. Lyndon State College will offer a BA in Information Technology, a BFA in Graphic Design, and a BA in Visual Communication and Music Business. This is the first time bachelor’s degrees in these majors will be available in Lawrence.
The college is also hoping to open a Regional Public Safety Center in the next few years, and are currently looking for funding for the building. According to Glenn, the facility will be a “new police center for the city of Lawrence as well as a training center for college students.”

The opening of this center would make Lawrence the “premier location for police training in the Northeast,” he said.

The Lawrence campus will be offering “more tutoring services and more developmental coursework, replicating what’s happening on the Haverhill campus,” said NECC Dean Chuck Phair. NECC hopes to create more opportunities for students at Lawrence High School to become involved with dual enrollment.

Glenn also expressed interest in rehabilitating some of the facilities themselves. “We’re hoping to renovate the Dimitry building and the library on the Lawrence campus,” he said.
The college has been working with the city of Lawrence to improve the Buckley parking garage. As part of this, increased lighting in the garage will help students walking to and from their cars feel more safe and secure.

News

Modern Middle East History Class at NECC

 

The Middle East is everywhere in today’s news media. Stories about attacks and bombings in those Middle Eastern countries, stories about the new Iranian Bill, and of course the stories involving ISIS. But do Americans fully understand what’s going on in the Middle East? Have we educated America’s youth enough to form an opinion on all these debates, and the choices our government is making as a result?

NECC offers a Modern Middle East history class which is taught by Professor Stephen Russell. It covers the history of the region, and the impact the United States and other nations have on it. It helps students understand that the problems in the Middle East started before America got involved, and allows students to see the people of the Middle East not just as Muslims or terrorists, but as everyday people, who have survived oppressive regimes, wars, and revolutions within their own country.

“I wish I knew about the middle east history class,” said NECC student Traeger Domoretsky, broadcast journalism major. Domoretsky, who is graduating NECC this spring, said “I wish someone had told me when I was a freshman coming into NECC the importance of knowing what’s going on in the Middle East. Now, being older, I listen to the news more and I hear stories about Iran and Afghanistan. I sort of understand what the newscasters are saying, but if I understood how it all began I’d feel more comfortable talking about these topics with people.”

David Peńa, a history major who is taking the Modern Middle East History class said “It’s amazing how much more to the Middle East there is besides what the media tells us.”
The media in America mainly focuses on the negative aspects of Middle Eastern politics and culture, which creates and reinforces strong prejudices in their viewers.

“The Middle East is still in the midst of their revolution,” said Peńa. “I think it’s important for students to take this class and grasp an understand of why this is all happening in the Middle East, because then maybe people wouldn’t hate on people just because they’re Muslim.”

Patrick Murphy, a Liberal Arts major, said, “I’m taking the Modern Middle East History course this semester, it has deepened my understand of what’s going on in those regions today.

He said, “People, especially the youth, need to be educated in what has happened in [the Middle East], and hopefully with that added knowledge and insight, we can begin to make the changes to help better our society for the people of all religions and races in the Arab world.”

Campus Life

A Semester to Remember

 

By Alex Dehullu

For the past month, Massachusetts has been getting snowstorm after snowstorm, bringing more snow than anyone in the area is accustomed to. It seems hard to believe that the snow is finally slowing down and things are beginning to return to normal.

For each of the blizzards NECC was left with no option but to cancel classes for one or two days. Students were excited to receive the text alert from NECC, giving them more and more days off.

Now that the snow is clearing and classes are returning to their normal schedules, students along with professors need to find a way to make up for lost time.
Every class has a required amount of lecture hours and the several class hours missed from the snow is causing a lot of confusion and stress for both students and teachers.

One NECC student, Patrick Murphy, said, “I know for a fact one of my friends professors has already added ten to fifteen minutes to all future classes in order to make up for all those missed classes, and that makes me wonder what I should expect from my professors.”

Some NECC professors have already decided how they are planning on making up the lost lecture hours, but there are some that have either not decided or not informed their students on what they plan to do.

Brian Adamopoulos, a full time NECC student, said, “I noticed very quickly how my professors began to speed up their lesson plans after the snow and the extra work is stressing me out. The snow really disrupted this semester and I’m really hoping it doesn’t harm my grades.”

To some, it may seem unfair for teachers to go through information at a faster pace in order to catch up to where they were supposed to be, but at this point professors are not left with many options.

Other professors decided to continue teaching at the same pace and push back future tests and quizzes.

Mario Encarnacion, a student at NECC, discussed in an interview earlier this week how his microeconomics professor was one of the professors who decided it was best to continue the semester at the pace as before the blizzards. His professor has pushed the first test back over a week to ensure the students had time to prepare.
Encarnacion said, “It was really a relief to find out that the test had been moved back. I’m still not sure what my professor is planning on doing to make up those missed classes, though.”

Even though these blizzards have finally taken a break, it’s clear that the professors along with the students have a lot of work ahead of them before the end of this spring semester.

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.”​

Campus Life

NECCS New Forensic Science Course

 

By Kyle Benson

There’s a new course in town. The Forensic Science course, aimed at Criminal Justice majors, started this past fall semester.

Criminal Justice coordinator Paul Cavan and Professor Mike Cross collaborated to create the class. They figured since Criminal Justice majors need to complete two lab science courses, the students might as well have a lab pertaining to their major other than anatomy and plant biology classes.

Cross, who teaches an array of chemistry courses and science labs, was willing to teach the course.

“I think it was just one of those things where, with my background as an organic chemist, I’m used to dealing with tiny quantities of things and being extremely accurate and precise with all my measurements. A lot of the techniques used in the forensic science lab are the same ones use in a chemistry or biochemistry lab,” said Cross.

“DNA, fingerprinting, all these different techniques are pretty much the same thing, it’s just applied to an actual crime scene rather than just a soil sample that you find on the street.”

The class teaches students to observe, collect, analyze and evaluate evidence found at crime scenes. It also goes over multiple other topics in modern criminal justice.

“Our first week of lab I had two people come up to me after class and start discussing the lab and we hadn’t even actually performed the lab yet, yet they are reading ahead and doing it. That doesn’t typically happen in a regular chemistry class so it’s nice to see so much excitement and enthusiasm and questions instead of just the passive student. I like it when people start to ask questions and they’re interested in finding out a little bit more,” Cross said.

Nathaniel Blair, a student taking the Forensic Science course this semester, said, “It’s a interesting subject. I’ve been interested in it for a while, that’s why I took the class. And also Mike is a very entertaining teacher.”

“The professor always manages to keep it interesting, with his various magic tricks,” said student Paul D’Eon.

Cross is a man of chemistry, forensics and magic, creating a class that is educational and fun for everyone.​