Tag Archives: Community college

News

Comparing online classes to traditional online learning

 

By Courtney Hanson, Correspondent

The likelihood of a community college student failing or dropping out of a course is far greater if taken online rather than in a traditional classroom or face to face setting with an instructor.

According to an April 2015 study done by the UC-Davis Community College, students opting to take their classes online rather than in a classroom are 11 percent more likely to either fail or not complete that course. The researchers behind the study noted that their findings closely match those discovered by others in various states throughout the U.S.

This research shows that online courses are not successful for community college students. This is elaborated on in the New York Times editorial, “The Trouble with Online College,” which reflects yet more research found by Columbia University’s Community College Research Center: “The research has shown over and over again that community college students who enroll in online courses are significantly more likely to fail or withdraw … which means that they spent hard earned tuition dollars and get nothing in return.”

The reason for an online course’s lack of success can be numerous and may pertain to either the student, the instructor, the structure and formatting of the class, or a combination of all.

According to the Times editorial, one of the most likely reasons is a lack of engagement. Many students need contact with their professors in order to find the comfort integral to their success, yet cannot find it within online courses.

Instead, “what they get online is estrangement from the instructor who rarely can get to know them directly.”

Because of the absence of personal contact with professors and other students, NECC Liberal Arts major Shirley Rodriguez said taking courses online would likely be much more difficult for her. “I need to be present in the class, surrounded by others, able to interact,” she said.

Shirley has opted away from taking any of her courses online, and plans to remain in the security of the classroom setting.

Jesse Howlette, a second year Liberal Arts major, said that the lack of success in online courses is directly rooted in their structure.

“To me, it has nothing to do with trying harder,” Howlette said. “It’s because of the vague structure and setup of the classes.”

Howlette said that if there were a more definitive and universal outline put in place for online classes they could in fact, be successful.

The Times editorial supports this criticism of online course structure: “The design and production of online community college courses are decentralized and primitive.”

It proceeds to criticize the often basic, instructor-created PowerPoint presentations, which do very little to engage students and present information in a digestible way.

Arianna Stevenson, an NECC graduate and UMass Lowell business major, has had vast experience with online courses at both institutions.

In her experience, the lack of success in an online course can be directly attributed to the student. Stevenson said that students’ perceived lack of accountability, and lack of motivation, causes them to put forth less effort and thus get lesser results.

“When you’re in community college a lot of people don’t have the motivation to move forward and may not be taking their education as seriously as they do at a four-year college,” she said.

This statement is supported by rigorous research — according to the Hechinger Report — which has found that four-year colleges have vastly different completion results for online classes. Unlike community colleges, four-year colleges see absolutely no difference between the success rate of students enrolled in online courses compared to traditional classroom courses.

Regardless of the research, many community colleges will continue to increase the amounts of online courses offered to the students.

As the Hechinger Report put it, “Community college leaders aren’t blind to research evidence. Many know from their own student records that the students aren’t faring well.

But the community college sector is suffering declines, and offering online classes is a huge selling point to prospective students.”

Campus Life, Features, News

MCCC Union

 
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At community colleges throughout the state of Massachusetts, 1,400 professors, librarians and other full time professional staff members are currently working without a contract.

“The contract expired at the end of June. We continued to meet with the state over July and August and into September with still no opening financial offer from the state,” said Joseph LeBlanc, “…at some point, the M-triple-C began to lose patience.”

LeBlanc is a professor at NECC. He was the faculty advisor for the Observer for 14 years and he is currently the president of the Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC) which is the union that represents the 15 community colleges in Mass. A full time professor since 1988, LeBlanc said that he was unhappy with the policies toward higher education in the state under Governor William Weld and took action by joining the union.

“I pursued a pathway to become the president of the statewide union because I was not happy, but that was a long time ago. We were going through a lot of years with no raises,” he said.

After four years as the vice president and nearly ten years as the MCCC president, LeBlanc said that this year is the longest the negotiations have dragged on during his career with the union.

Contracts are negotiated every three years and although the adjunct (part-time) professors are also covered under a union contract, the contracts are not in sync, so theirs was negotiated about two years ago, without incident, under Governor Patrick’s administration. The adjunct professors are receiving a 4 percent raise in January.  

LeBlanc said, “I don’t want to judge the incoming governor too harshly, but time will tell if he’ll be a friend to public higher ed and particularly a friend to community colleges. We’ll see, but as of right now, I’m not enjoying the experience of these contract talks at all. They’re dragging on for too long.”

LeBlanc went on to say that during times of economic crisis, the union has been patient and willing to accept that the state could not afford a larger increase in pay and that they have even gone long periods of time without a contract in the past. The terms of the previous contract continue to apply until a new agreement is reached. However, LeBlanc said, “During normal times, we expect to have a contract in place for a 3 year period…  we’re not expecting to get a 10 percent pay increase but we’re at least expecting to have a fair deal.”

A fair deal would give the employees a 3.5 percent pay increase each year of the three year contract, according to LeBlanc, which would mimic the 2014 contract accepted by their counterparts in other higher education settings.

“The current financial offer from the state is 2 percent in yr one, 2.5 percent in year two and 2.5 percent in year three,” he said. “Everyone else in higher ed, UMass, the state universities and so forth, came to terms in 2014 at 3.5 percent, 3.5 percent, 3.5 percent. That was under a previous administration so this is a new group but we’re trying to push for the 3.5 percent.”

LeBlanc does not think that an increase in professor’s salary would translate to an increase in student fees, since they are voted on by the trustees based on the amount of state funding received that year and not so much on actual operating costs.

Since classes began in September, many NECC professors have been wearing buttons in an effort to raise awareness about the issues. In October, the protest became far more visible when a dozen or so faculty members began to hold informational pickets in front of the main entrance of the Haverhill campus encouraging people to beep and wave “to communicate to the president and his team that this needs to stop,” LeBlanc said. These pickets were informational only. Teachers are not allowed to go on strike, since they are public employees.

On the other side of the issue, The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (MBHE) has a committee of ten members who are appointed by the college presidents. The board includes lawyers, provosts of academic affairs, human resource professionals and a spokesperson for the MBHE and includes NECC head of human resources.

NECC President Lane Glenn is the chair of the president’s council. He reports to the board on the current state of affairs and he comments on issues that come up related to the community colleges. Glenn is also one of three members that serve on the president’s labor relations committee, according to LeBlanc.

Glenn did not respond to Observer email prior to the printing of this article.

Fed up after months with no results, faculty overfilled conference rooms on both the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses on Monday, Oct. 26 and voted unanimously to implement “work to rule.”

This is when everyone agrees to do their job only to the letter of what the contract requires. “People frequently do a whole lot more than (what the contract requires). They may take on extra advisees, they might do all kinds of things that are in technical violation of the contract, but it’s because we’re here to help the students,” said LeBlanc.

He does not think that the students will be much affected by this development, since the professors are contractually required to hold office hours and to serve on one committee or club anyway.

“We were on work to rule a couple of times when I was the advisor of the paper and I continued to work with the students to help them put out the paper since that was part of my job … I could have cut back, but I chose not to,” LeBlanc said, since the number of hours that he put in far exceeded what was required of him. The only potential effect to students this year is that professors may limit their email responses to office hours and use an automated message to answer for them when they are not on the clock.

The potential also exists for some extra clubs or field trips to be suspended, if a professor is carrying more than what is required of them, but LeBlanc said that the administration is far more likely to feel the effects of this than the students.

“It will take us a few weeks to iron out the kinks of work to rule so that more and more people might become aware of it,” LeBlanc said. “People will still be teaching, they’ll be doing their job, they’ll be holding their office hours.” The difference, he explained, is that while they will still be serving on their college committee’s, their only input will be to move to adjourn them. If anyone seconds a motion to adjourn, it forces the committee to vote. If the committee votes to adjourn then the work of that particular committee will not get done.

Work to rule is now in effect at about half of the community colleges across the state and is expected to grow over the coming weeks to include nearly all of the them. “We’ve been trying to grind this out, we really have,” said LeBlanc, “but we just thought, it’s time to proceed down the road to do some picketing, to go on work to rule.”

LeBlanc said, “Nobody likes this, but from now on in, you’re going to have people going to (a meeting) and they’ll move to adjourn. So, technically, they’re there, but they want to cause the colleges and the state some pain here, some friction, cause some anxiety, you know. We want to move them closer to our position on things, so that we can negotiate a tentative agreement that will have a chance of passing.”

As far as the next step goes, faculty will continue to hold signs to inform everyone that this needs to stop. “If it continues in the spring, you’ll see increasingly public shows of our unhappiness about it, but I’m hoping this will be resolved before break.”

Political Science professor Stephen Slaner said, “I see the problem at NECC as a function of the state policy on higher education in general, and having a Republican governor isn’t all that helpful.”

Though, he deferred to LeBlanc for the specifics of the current negotiations.

LeBlanc said that teachers have gone years without a contract in the past “during really hostile administrations” and he pointed out that Governor Baker was on the staff of former Governor Weld during one such time. “I’m hoping that he (Gov Baker) values public higher ed and really values the community colleges and the role that we play. The smartest thing to do, I think, is to come to terms ASAP.”

 

This is just misc…

 

Email interview with political science professor, Stephen Slaner on Friday, Oct. 30:

I would defer to Joe LeBlanc on the current negotiations.  In terms of your question, I don’t think students would see any impact of the “work to rule” policy – it has more to do with volunteering for committees or being available for special commitments.  Fortunately, Gov. Baker doesn’t seem as fixated as Scott Walker in Wisconsin, where collective bargaining rights were severely restricted for public unions (except for fire and police, who tended to support Gov. Walker).

Why has there been a steep decline in union membership?  (I think it’s especially serious in the private sector.)  I would say it has to do with the indoctrination we’re all subjected to about how unions are “special interests” that are only out to advance their selfish, narrow interests.  Noam Chomsky correctly takes the opposite position, that it’s unions that stand for the general interests of the working class, while corporations and most politicians stand for the special interests of the 1%, as the Occupy Movement put it.  We tend to forget that unions brought us the eight-hour day, paid vacation, and some concern for occupational health and safety, among other things.  As Bernie Sanders points out, our benefits are much less than those of workers in Scandinavia, and they would be still less were it not for unions.  People should familiarize themselves with the great Bread and Roses strike of 1912 in Lawrence to see what impact a union can have.  I don’t know that there are any real downsides to union membership.  Indeed, if God forbid we are to have a President Rubio, the unions will be one force standing against his “help the rich and pass the ammunition” policy for the various wars he’ll get us into.  (Needless to say, the unions would stand up against a President Clinton if she were to pursue similar policies.)  I believe that food service workers and Wal-Mart employees have tried to organize, and there’s a video available on the situation at Wal-Mart.  Naturally it’s an uphill battle, but the struggle is not yet over.

I’ve felt for some time that the TV series EYES ON THE PRIZE (the best series by far on the civil rights movement) should be complemented by a series called, say, ROLL THE UNION ON (to quote from a song about unions).  There are plenty of workers and academics who could help make such a video; the problem is that PBS, with its corporate ties, probably wouldn’t air it.

I hope this answers your questions.  Feel free to get back to me for any clarifications.

 

MCCC union information picket 8:30 – 9 a.m. Thurs. Oct. 22. At the main entrance of the Haverhilll campus.

 

Joe LeBlanc (MCCC_president@mac.com)

 

In attendance: (see pics)

Left to right: Professor Biff Ward; Professor Rick Lizotte; Professor and MCCC President, Joseph LeBlanc; Professor Pierre Leflynn; Academic Coordinator Joseph Scascitelli; Professor Deirdre Eudzyna; Professor Stephen Russell; Professor Suzanne VanWert; Professor Marilyn McCarthy; Professor Chris Rowse; Professor Tom Greene.

 

Features

Transfer Day: PACE Students

 

Every year, NECC hosts a Transfer Day for students to meet with representatives from different colleges and this year, 58 colleges were represented. Rossalie Catalano, the Transfer & Academic Advisor, said that she was very pleased with the turnout this year.

At the Haverhill campus, attendance to the transfer day almost doubled from last year due to the weather being pleasant this time around.

One program at NECC that helps students with the process of transferring is called PACE.

Kristen Arnold, PACE Program Transfer Advisor, says, “Transfer Day is an awesome opportunity for NECC students to gather lots of information about their potential transfer schools very quickly and without leaving campus. We always encourage all PACE students to attend Transfer Day, and our students who attend always report that it was helpful to them.”

PACE stands for Pathways to Academic and Career Excellence, and are a TRiO Student Support Services program.  They are one of 1,027 TRiO-SSS projects all over the U.S.  Each year, they select 250 NECC students to be part of their program, and provide extensive academic, transfer, career and scholarship advising.

Arnold says, “Most of students have to be first-generation (neither parent has a bachelor’s degree) and income eligible to join PACE.  Our mission is to help students successfully graduate from NECC and transfer to four-year colleges. Some of the services we provide include student success workshops, which we offer in-person and through Blackboard, field trips to four-year colleges, and intensive/supportive one-on-one advising.”

This week, PACE will be traveling to UMass Lowell, South campus. Students that are apart of the PACE program go on college visits for free, food and travel expenses included.

“As the PACE Transfer Advisor, it’s my job to help students develop a transfer plan and follow through with all the steps required for a successful transfer.  It’s an exciting but sometimes daunting time for students, and I love being able to help them understand the process, complete the necessary steps, and review the information each school provides so they can make the best decision about where to go,” says Arnold.  

Students tend to go to transfer and get lost in the paperwork, deadlines, and miss out on serious scholarship opportunities that the PACE program points out for you. Other opportunities provided through PACE include: resume critique job searching, professional development and more.  

Arnold says, “Gathering information about financial aid, scholarships and transfer credits are critical to making an informed transfer decision.”

One of the popular schools to transfer to from NECC is the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Deborah E. Smith, Associate Director of Transfer Admissions at UMass Lowell, says, “(Students) can speak to a transfer counselor at their community college. We are a research institution with amazing faculty, opportunities for internships and coops, and a diverse population.” Students can also visit the transfer admissions office at the University to find out if UMass Lowell is their next step in their college career.

“The main reasons students transfer to UMASS Lowell are price, program and place,” says Smith. Check out UMass Lowell at their transfer Facebook page: Facebook.com/umltransfer.

Arnold says, “My goal for each student is that they leave NECC and transfer to a college that best fits their needs and goals for a price they can afford.  Academically, they each have the tools in their toolbox to be successful, no matter where they end up.”

Features

Student Loan Debt Burdens Learners

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debt
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Financial experts urge NECC students to start reducing their loan debt while still attending school.

According to U.S. News, the average college student graduates with around $30,000 in student loans.

Students who have entered into an unsubsidized loan may not be aware that they can start making payments on the 4.7 percent interest portion of the loan as soon as the money has been disbursed to their school. Therefore, if a full time NECC student was to finance their entire associate degree through unsubsidized loans, at around $1,800 per semester for two years they would end up paying approximately $10,000 in full term loan payments.

However, many students eagerly accept the full amount offered so that they “get money back,” not looking ahead to realize that by the end of their debt repayment, that extra money that they used to buy Christmas gifts or new clothes has just brought their academic debt up to around $13,000.

“I worry about students getting into long-term loans,” said NECC Professor James Sullivan. “You do want to establish credit, but once you start opening credit cards, it seems like magic money. But you don’t want to spend what you don’t have.”

On Oct. 13, just six days after many students received financial aid refunds, NECC held its third annual bank fair on the Haverhill campus. Although they were giving out free pens and plenty of literature on various types of accounts, many of the banks who participated in the fair do not offer student loans. With high tuition and the general cost of living, it may seem ironic for a college student with little to no disposable income to be putting money in the bank for later.

However, establishing a checking account (no matter how low the balance) could help students develop stronger budgeting skills.

“It’s hard to do but you have to live within your means,” said Sullivan.

“You’ve got to stay on top of any and all loans right from day one,” said NECC graduate Lisa Morelli, now CEO of Andover Federal Credit Union. “I can’t tell you how many times my members accidentally miss their student loan payment because they don’t read letters from their lender… because they’ve been getting the same statement since they graduated ten years ago. But the truth is, their account was transferred to another lender who did not have their account set up properly.”

Features

Student Leader Conference

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Student Leaders from across Mass. and N.H. gathered at the Four Point Sheraton in Wakefield on Oct. 15 and 16 for the Community College Student Leaders Association

Conference. The theme of the conference was “Recipe for Success,” with Johnny “Cupcakes” Earle as the keynote speaker. Earle is the owner of a popular Johnny Cupcakes brand T‐shirt line. Earle spoke about how he started his business sense when he was a young child, all the way up to the success of his T‐shirt line that is popular worldwide.

Cupcakes said, “The best advice I can give you is to be original and give out gifts at your events.” He also suggested that students hit up local business because they love to advertise without having to pay for it.

Jasmine Polanco, a Criminal Justice major, introduced Earle and was shocked by how funny he was. Polanco said, “He has a great sense of humor. As soon as I met him, he played a trick on me.”

As the conference progressed, the students were given the options of two seminars to attend. They could choose from “Financial Advising,” “Ice Breakers” and “Am I Listening?,” among others. In the “Financial Advising” seminar, students listened and spoke about ways of managing their money as they get older. In the “Am I Listening?” seminar students learned about what it is to actively listen.

Nate Miller, a Theatre major, said, “The ‘Ice Breakers’ seminar really helped me to come out of my shell for the rest of the conference. I started to talk to everyone and made so many new people from across the area.” Miller was spotted talking to many people. Students were heard saying, “He is so nice, what a friendly guy.” Miller said, “I really enjoyed the conference. It boosted my confidence.”

After the seminars ended, the student leaders were treated to a dinner. They had a short awards ceremony to honor some of the student leaders who have went above and beyond their call of duty. One of the recipients started a laptop fund for students who could not afford a laptop.  The student leaders were then entertained all night with many different activities.  Karaoke and dancing were the most popular.  Polanco and Miller did a “Frozen” duet together. They had the entire crowd watching. Victoria Gonzalez, a Business Management student, said, “I could not help but smile when they were singing their song. Everyone started to sing right along with them.”

The next day encompassed the closing ceremonies, where Earle arrived to speak again. He reinforced his early message about making events exciting and how, according to his experience, a “recipe for success works.” Earle let students know that anything is possible, and that anything can be successful just by having fun.  Students got together to do a civic engagement project. They created blankets for cancer patients at a local hospital. The blankets were created with only two large pieces of fabric and a pair of scissors. They made a few cuts, tied some knots and the blankets were done. They created 54 blankets in total as a group.

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.

Campus Life

Community College is an Opportunity Well Worth the Price of Admission

 

Going away to college can be a huge shock.

First, you have the feeling of insecurity from not being at home and not knowing anyone.  Then there’s the added pressure of classes, making friends, meeting professors, keeping your grades up and the huge financial burden that most college students have to carry.

Our society puts a lot of pressure on young adults to go away to college right out of high school.  At 18 years old, most people are still trying to figure out their own identity.  Who you are and what you want is going to change from when you’re 18 to when you’re 25 or 35 years old.

Tatiana Benedetti, a Psychology major in her first semester at NECC, went to MCLA for three semesters starting in the spring of 2014.  She was shocked by how unprepared she felt for college.  

“It’s really easy to fall apart at a four-year school in your first semester,” she said.  “When you’re 18, you need a support system.  You shouldn’t be focused on getting as far away from home as possible.”

The hardest part of going away to college was learning to be responsible for herself and manage her time effectively.  Reflecting on her time in high school, Benedetti said she wasn’t encouraged to prepare for college by taking a college class before attending college full time, or by going to a community college first to get a feel for what college is like.

“As somebody who sucked at college, community college was the best decision I made.  I feel a lot more put together here, and this makes me feel more prepared for a four-year school,” she said.

Sarah Stanley transferred from Gordon College in Wenham.  She is a Journalism/Communication major in her first semester at NECC.  At Gordon, she found that if she needed help, it was up to her own efforts to seek out that help.  She didn’t even realize that the college didn’t offer what she was looking for in her major until she was already enrolled.

“I’m really surprised by the support socially and academically at NECC,” she said.   The academic support offered in her first semester at community college exceeded what was offered to her at Gordon.

“Community college is worth it because of the financial burden,” she said.

Christian Doyle, a Theater major in his sophomore year at NECC, transferred to community college from Wagner College in New York.

While he was trying to meet society’s expectations to meet “the typical college timeline,” he essentially ran himself into the ground.

The stress built up until he had “what felt like an emotional breakdown,” but ended up being a spiritual awakening.

Doyle transferred to NECC to work on himself.  His goals changed from following the societal standard to becoming “a more emotionally and physically healthy person. . . and to take some time to breathe and reflect to inspire additional positive growth,” he said.

Through his time at NECC, he’s realized it’s more important to take the time to figure out what you need and where you should go instead of making decisions based on what other people expect from you.

“My time here continues to make me feel more independent, empowered and capable,” he said.

 

Campus Life

School Bookstore has Variety and Lower Food Prices

 

By Evaluna Nieves

Correspondent

Why do more students seem to prefer the NECC bookstore to the on-campus vending machines? Perhaps it’s because the prices for snacks and drinks can be considerably lower at the bookstore. For example, a toaster pastry in the vending machine is $1.50, while at the bookstore the price is 99 cents.

In addition, the school bookstore also seems to have a greater selection.

“The store has more variety,” said current first year NECC student Ryan Foucault. Using the same toaster pastry scenario: in the machines you only get one flavor, while at the bookstore you can get at least five different options.

At the store, there are also lunch options like pizzas and sandwiches. They offer some “meal deals” on lunches that include an entree, a bag of chips and a drink.

Paying for snacks can also be more convenient at the bookstore, especially if you’re carrying larger bills.

Campus Life

Transfer Student Chooses NECC

 

While NECC is often used for some students as a stepping-stone before a student heads into a four-year university or college, other students find themselves choosing NECC after the initial hype of attending a four-year school dies down.

Molly Fitzgerald, a current NECC communications major, did not have NECC on her radar at the beginning of her college journey.

Fitzgerald, a previous student at Franklin Pierce and Lasell College, struggled to find the perfect mix of academics and student life on both campuses. As a soccer player, Fitzgerald was drawn to both schools because of their sports programs saying, “I chose it (the colleges) mainly for the soccer program and didn’t even focus on the academics, while is the most important part of going away to college.”

Finding the right personal rhythm on a campus allows a student to engage both academically and socially in a way that will help move their college experiences forward.

When asked if NECC was a school she had ever considered, Fitzgerald stated, “NECC was never in my radar when I was first applying for colleges. But I wish it was. I honestly wish I started out at NECC.”

As verified by College Board, “More than 40 percent of U.S undergraduate students attend community colleges – with students who are 18 and 24 years old making up the largest group.”

While Molly did not start out at a two-year community college, she developed the same feelings and thoughts as the 40 percent of U.S students did, “You get the same education at a community college that you get at a four year school,” said Fitzgerald.

To explain the relationship between community colleges and four year schools, College Board argues that “community colleges save money, prepare for transfer to a four year college, help get students ready for a career and take advantage of all the things a four year school offers without the commitment.”

“I feel as though I’m more prepared this time because I’m going away to school to further my education. Without NECC, I wouldn’t feel as confident in a classroom like I am now.”

Students like Molly Fitzgerald have found comfort in the idea that community college allows for educational and personal growth before commitment to a four year school. While Fitzgerald started other universities and colleges, NECC allowed for the continued development of important career and personal goals for this communications major.

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The Benefits of Community College

 

By Matthew Couture

Deciding where to go for a college education can often be a very long and tough process. Yet at the same time, the decision may be very simple if everyone thinks it through.

There are many benefits to going to a community college, and the first obvious one is the tuition of classes. Community college tuition and fees are lower than those of 4-year colleges and universities.

NECC Student Shaun Connors expressed his opinion on this when he said, “I personally decided to attend Northern Essex because of the tuition cost. I just couldn’t imagine paying upwards of $20,000 per year for four straight years to get an education just to graduate and be burdened with the debt from student loans.”

Community colleges allow students to feel more comfortable with how much money they are dishing out for school, and they love the idea of being able to cut their debt in half after earning their bachelor’s degree or having no debt and an associate’s.

On top of just the tuition of community colleges, there are many other benefits to attending a community college rather than a 4-year college or university.

NECC Professor Amy Callahan pointed out a benefit that most students likely don’t realize when deciding their higher education. Callahan said, “An even greater benefit I believe is the quality of the teaching at a community college, because here the emphasis is on teaching. Whereas if you go to a 4-year college or university, the emphasis there is more on their research and not as much on the teaching itself.”

Community college faculty focuses on teaching and providing personal attention to students. Unlike most university faculty, they are not required to spend time away from the classroom to conduct research.

In addition, students attending a community college are able to gain a real world perspective or experience from faculty members who usually have practical work experience in the subjects they teach.

In addition, when someone thinks of community college, another thought is convenience. Many community colleges, including NECC, have multiple campuses.

That was a huge plus for NECC student Eddie Hoar as he expressed his comforts that NECC is close to his own house and that it allows him to have a flexible schedule.

Connors said, “going to NECC allows me to give myself the schedule I want and need.”

All of these advantages are the main reasons why students go to community colleges like NECC. These 2-year schools give students options that almost everyone can handle and use to help them gain the knowledge necessary to be successful in life.