Tag Archives: Student life

Features

Spotlight: Being Muslim in America

 

Esraa Sadeek moved to the states from Alexandria, Egypt at the age of 3.

Sadeek is now 22, an alumna of NECC, a current Psychology and Victimology major at Endicott College and a single mother to her son Jaden, 3.

“I was raised in a strictly Islamic household,” she said. “I am very open about my faith and have no shame expressing that I am Muslim.”

Amidst the pride in her upbringing, Sadeek does not deny facing adversity.

“The last few months people have displayed more hate and anger towards me when they find out I am Muslim,” said Sadeek, referring to her interactions after the attacks carried out by ISIS, or ISIL. Sadeek went on to say, “ISIS is not Muslim.”

Sadeek said that the garb she wears on normal days garners a different reaction than her attire for special occasions.

“I wear a hijab on Islamic holidays and people absolutely treat me differently,” she said.

She said it is her belief that society has been conditioned to have a strong disliking towards those of the Islamic faith. She added that the belief that women in hijabs are inherently oppressed could not be farther from the truth.

“It is appalling how much some extra fabric on your head can change people’s views on you,” she said.

Meredith Gunning, a philosophy professor at NECC, has been teaching a world religions course since 2005. She said she first became aware of widespread Islamophobia in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and offered education as an antidote to ignorance of other faiths.

“I do think it’s really important to study other religions. We live in a globalized world, we also live in a diverse culture in the U.S.,” said Gunning.

With regards to terrorist organizations that use the banner of their faith to justify brutal violence, Gunning said that this is not an indication of the entire religion’s beliefs and that anyone can “cherry pick” from any religion or sacred text to do heinous things.

“I prefer to call them Daesh, because ISIL gives them too much credibility,” said Gunning. “There’s direct things in the Quran that could be used to counter terrorists who kill, supposedly, in the name of Islam.”

Gunning would also like to clarify that — like fellow Abrahamic religions Christianity and Judaism — Islam may have started in the Middle East, but is, in fact, a worldwide religion and the fastest growing religion in the world.

“There will be more people belonging to Islam than Christians in under a decade,” said Gunning.

After 19 years in America, Sadeek still faces problems as an immigrant. “I struggle to provide my son and I with many things,” said Sadeek. “I work my butt off as a full time student and employee … to give him the best life possible.”

With a stable home, a full-time job and the commitment of going to college, one might get the idea that Sadeek feels secure. Unfortunately, the mounting tension against Muslim practitioners — quite visible in the media lately — has left her with a sense of unease.

“I fear that my son and I will pushed out of this country that we call home because of the bias and stigmatization the Islamic (community) is going through,” she said.

As for the Syrian refugees, she said America should allow them in. “Provide the refugees with a means to succeed such as English lessons, resources to receive enough food and temporary housing for a month, until they can get a job on their own,” said Sadeek. “That does not mean to give them free housing, 5 years of food stamps, a business and the world on a silver platter.” She understands that there is a level of struggle to overcome as an immigrant, because she saw her family go through it.

Gunning said that certain politicians’ “grandstanding” against the Islamic faith has not helped matters; for example, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz’s calls for a complete halt to Muslim immigrants, legal or otherwise, only helps to perpetuate irrational fear.

Gunning said, “Part of Islamophobia is claiming that those who are Muslim plan on taking over the whole world and forcing people to convert to Islam.” Americans using another’s religion against them as grounds for a ban, are falling victim to the effects of Islamophobia, and forgetting about our constitutionally-granted right to freedom of religion, said Gunning.

Ray Florent, a third-year Elementary Education major, has witnessed Islamophobia in class with Gunning. During Gunning’s world religions class. Florent recalls a particular student’s malice towards Muslims.

“She would say things like, ‘All Muslims are terrorists’ and ‘They all hate Americans,’” said Florent. One student, a Muslim whose identity was not provided for his safety, was so upset by this woman’s remarks that he left and never returned.

“I have friends who are Muslim,” said Florent. “No one deserves that kind of treatment.”

As for Sadeek, she is raising her son as a Muslim and has no plans of backing down to the criticism, still keeping her hopes up for the future.

“Everyone deserves to go to bed at night with the peace of mind that the sun will rise and they will still be breathing,” she said.

Opinion

Students unsastified with Jitters

 

By Jake Soroghan

Correspondent

NECC is a community college, and therefore does not always have the same amenities that a four-year institution has. It makes sense the tuition is less, so obviously not as much can be offered. There are less sports teams, the athletic complex is smaller, there are no dormitories and on the whole there are less events around campus.

This is all to be expected; students know the situation coming in. Even with these expectations, though, there’s one issue on campus that seems to irritate practically all students: the food situation. On campus, outside of vending machines, there are only two places to get food. The first is the One-Stop Center’s bookstore, which is essentially a mini-mart. With various snacks, drinks and microwaveable sandwiches, it serves its purposes as a way to get quick food cheaply.

On the other side of campus, there is what is supposed to be the school’s “cafeteria,” but calling it a cafeteria probably gives it too much credit. Run by NexDine and located in the Spurk building, this poorly-run café has little in the way of options and is excessive on the prices. The options for substantive meals come down to pre-made sandwiches in plastic containers and often old Papa Gino’s pizza, if pizza can even be considered substantive.

Andrew Wooster, an English major, said he’s tired of paying so much for the poor-quality food. “The sandwiches are old and skimpy, the pizza is $2.50 for a slice and besides that there ain’t anything else to eat. There’s always two or three employees in there and they do nothing but sit around all day.”

Dissatisfaction is a common theme among students. Ernie Ewusi, a Radiology major, said he no longer gets any food at NECC. He either brings his own, or if he’s in the mood, orders out.

“It just doesn’t make sense to get food here,” he said. “The only thing they have going for them is convenience, and even the vending machines are expensive.”

This is the root of the problem; due to its convenience, students are often compelled to buy the overpriced food here because they don’t have the time or gas money to leave campus to get food and come back for their next class.

Erik Goulet, a Physical Therapy major, says that’s a problem for him every day he forgets to bring food from home, or there is no food at home.

“If I can’t pack a lunch for myself on a given day, I have to go hungry for the whole day. I don’t have enough money to get the expensive food at the café, and am always short on gas, so driving somewhere isn’t an option.”

Expanding the cafeteria to include a wider array of hot food options would solve a few of the current problems.

One, it would simply give students more filling and healthy options. Secondly, if the cafeteria was making its own hot food, the prices would go down.

When nothing but pre-packaged sandwiches and pizza are sold, the prices have to be more expensive because a middleman is involved.

When food is made on site, there is no middleman and therefore prices go down. NexDine either needs to increase the quality of their services or NECC administration need to find another company who can address the need of the students to fill that role.

Features, News

Internships inspire NECC students

 

Students majoring in communications, business and accounting were able to take advantage of the internship opportunities through NECC this semester, gaining real-world experience in their major.

Darian Denis, Brett Davekos and Fausto Caba are just a few of the students who did internships this semester and were glad they did.

Denis, a Business Transfer major, recently completed an internship at Strategic Talent, a recruiting firm and an affiliate company of MFA Financial in Tewksbury.

“This internship is great for students who know what they want and just want to get their foot in the door, but it’s also great for people who have absolutely no idea what they want because it can give them some sort of direction,” she said.

Her main responsibilities were to help the team with research; she would prescreen resumes and make initial calls to candidates to find out what they were seeking.

One of the biggest challenges for her was maintaining a balance between school, her internship, her other job and personal time for herself.

Although it’s recommended that you take fewer classes while you’re doing the internship, she didn’t necessarily listen.

“It’s a lot of work! But it’s all such a positive experience,” Denis said.

One of her favorite parts of the internship class was being able to connect with other people in the same position as she was and expand her network with other students in various fields.

“I am also someone who has no idea what I’m doing after college, so the internship was a great opportunity for me to try out a field to see if I like it, and kind of give me some direction for a future career path,” she said. “Once I got in there and I started doing it, I realized that this is something I could do for years to come.”

Brett Davekos is majoring in business management, but his interest is in the healthcare industry, so he did an internship at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport.

His goal was to figure out what field in healthcare he wanted to pursue, such as nursing, radiology or medical assisting.

Since his internship was more education–oriented, he was placed in various places in the hospital, the two main locations being the Comprehensive Pain Clinic and the Operating Room.

“The duties I had in the pain clinic related to my degree the most because I did a lot of secretarial work such as filing, billing, scheduling and mail runs. However, it wasn’t all office work; my supervisor would have me sit in and see patients with her and the head physician of the clinic would invite me to sit in on some of his procedures,” said Davekos.

In the Operating Room, his main duties were to stock supplies, clean rooms after operations and assist nurses.

During down time, doctors invited him to observe various operations.

His favorite part of the internship was the people that he got to work with, who were knowledgeable and supportive of his education.

“They taught me so many things that I wouldn’t have been able to learn from a classroom; about how to interact with different kinds of patients, such as the elderly, drug addicts or ones going through chemotherapy,” he said.

Every staff member at the hospital expressed to Davekos that they wished they could have done what he was able to do, since many people entering the healthcare industry have limited knowledge of what they are getting themselves into.

When a student’s knowledge is limited to textbooks, it’s difficult for a professor to accurately inform the student of what an actual job in the field would be like.

“This program not only gave me on-site experience, connections and relationships with influential people, but it also helped me pick out that nursing, out of numerous certificates and degrees I could pick from, was the best fit for my work ethic and personality,” he said.

Fausto Caba, an accounting major in his last semester at NECC, did an internship at Bradford & Bigelow in Newburyport, a book manufacturing company. It was his first time working in an office environment.

His two main responsibilities were handling accounts payables and accounts receivables, or paying bills and billing customers.

Each day he would find a stack of papers for him, find invoices, and start working on them at the computer.

Caba’s boss turned out to be an accounting professor, and his boss exposed him to a lot of different parts of accounting.

“There’s no doubt I would recommend this internship to other students. This experience is life–changing,” he said.

Features

Beware the threat of ‘text neck’

and  

Constant use of mobile devices is causing NECC students a real pain in the neck.

In a recent poll, half of the NECC students asked said that they spend more than two hours per day looking down at their phones.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, the average American sends and receives more than 40 text messages per day.

“I’m not surprised,” said NECC student Sam Bergeron, who offers a suggestion to “text neck” sufferers. “Delete social networks.”

“Text Neck,” coined by chiropractor Dean Fishman, has become the official term adopted by healthcare professionals to describe the pain caused by several hours of emailing, gaming and texting.

“I didn’t even know there was a term for it,” said NECC student Paul Giordano. “Whenever I look at my phone for a long time, my neck is always sore when I stand up.”

Instead of raising our arms to view the screens of our devices, we tend to rest the phone or tablet on our laps which causes our heads to be lowered to an unnatural position.

“Posture is very important. You should try to keep your head in a neutral position no matter what you’re doing,” said Rob Wormald, spokesperson for the Health and Wellness Center.

The human head, which weighs approximately ten pounds, is adequately supported by the neck and spine while the chin is lifted to a parallel position to floor.

However, an additional ten pounds of pressure is added for every inch that the chin is lowered toward the chest causing strain on the neck, back and shoulders.

If left untreated, “text neck” can lead to poor posture, permanent curvature of the spine and costly medical treatments.

Joe Parker of NECC’s Movement Science Department is a specialist in corrective exercise and explains that “the lever of the neck is like a seesaw and works best when it is balanced.”

According to Parker, there are exercises that may help to alleviate symptoms of ‘text neck’. The Health and Wellness Center is equipped with a full gym and is free for all current students.

For any non-emergency health concerns you may have on campus, contact the Health & Wellness Center at 978) 556-3819.

Arts and Entertainment

Performances of King Lear captivates

 

The Top Notch Players of NECC held a breathtaking performance of William Shakespeare’s tragedy “King Lear” Nov. 12, 13, and 14 this past week. “King Lear” depicts the story of King Lear (Jim Murphy) in ancient Britain, attempting to divide the kingdom among his three daughters Cordelia (Abigail Seabrook), Regan (Caitlin Kennedy) and Goneril (Geehae Moon). 

His initial plan to give the largest portion to his favorite daughter Cordelia goes awry when she refuses to be a part of his challenge to profess her love to him in order to win over his land.

Instead of deceiving him with sappy, excessive compliments, she tells him she only loves him as a daughter.

He is enraged by this and banishes her from his kingdom, along with the Earl of Kent (Craig Ciampa), who tries to defend her.  Cordelia leaves and accepts a marriage proposal from the king of France (E.P Lehner) while the Earl of Kent secretly stays behind to protect Lear from his two remaining daughters and their corruption. 

The tragedy unfolds when the remaining daughters begin to show their true nature.

Goneril reveals she plans to treat him like he’s an old man, so he opts to stay with Regan

Lear discovers his daughters put. Kent and he realizes they are conspiring against him.

The Earl of Gloucester (J. Mark Morrison) overhears the sisters are planning to murder Lear and informs Kent immediately, to warn Lear.

Kent, Lear and the Fool (played by Sarah Bird) leave for Dover at once. 

Edgar (Christian Doyle) remains hidden and Regan and Goneril discover Lear’s plan to flee. The Duke Cornwall (Hunter Gouldthorpe) gouges Gloucester’s eyes out.

The tragedy ends with Goneril poisoning Regan due to her jealously for Edmund (Daniel Burns-Mckernan) and the death of Cordelia.

Upon the discovery of her death, Lear falls dead on her body.

The vindictive sides of both Goneril and Regan are beautifully crafted on stage, coinciding with Murphy’s portrayal of Lear becoming more and more paranoid as time goes on in the tragedy. From soliloquies to fight scenes, the Top Notch Players gave an incredible and captivating performance that encapsulates the turmoil in ancient Britain and accurately portrays Shakespeare’s complex characters.

Although the show had some setbacks due to illness among the cast and crew, the Top Notch Players pulled together an incredibly well done show, celebrating one of the greatest playwrights of all time.

News

HC Media gives future NECC podcasters a space on the air

 

By Thomas Matatall, Correspondent

NECC will soon see podcasters begin recording at HC Media as hosts and co-hosts of their own show. Pre-production will be starting in November.

There will be four podcasts, each having a main topic, consisting of sports, overcoming life obstacles, race and uncomfortable subjects.

Each podcast will be a length of 30 minutes.

An episode may have a guest speaker who will add their own point of view to that episode’s discussion.

For those who don’t know what a podcast is, it is basically a radio show.

It’s a recording of the hosts conversing back and forth. There’s an editor to make it all fit into one episode neatly and add music and jingles.

You can find each show on iTunes and through podcast apps on your phone.

At the first meeting at HC Media, students went around the table and shared what their podcasts were going to be about.

Also in the room were Amy Callahan, program coordinator of the Journalism/Communication department; Executive Director Darlene Beal; Director of Operations Matt Belfiore; and Radio Coordinator Shawn Smith. Smith will be helping out most with all the podcasters.

Expect for conversations to get emotional, controversial, depressing, harsh and fun.

The benefit of having a podcast is to get insight on topics that people are usually afraid to talk about with one another. And remember: it’s OK to disagree with what you’re listening to.

News

Book showdown: Print vs Digital

 

By Courtney Hanson, Correspondent

23-year-old college student Ariana Stevenson wraps herself in a blanket, snuggling up in the warmth and comforts of her bed with her hands wrapped around the folded and worn cover of an old book. As she reads, she basks in the faint, musky telltale scent of a long-loved book. The light crinkle and rustle of the paper as she turns a page is music to her ears.

Looking across her bedroom, she sees her old Nook, gathering dust in its original packaging on her bookshelf. After a brief trial run of reading from her e-reader, Stevenson has put aside the technology and returned to the love and physical comforts of printed books.

After receiving her Nook brand e-reader as a gift in 2013, Stevenson, like many, saw vast advantages in the lightweight and portable aspects of the e-reader. After a brief stint, though, she realized the technology was not all it was cracked up to be.

“After about three months it stopped working, and Nook ended up recalling it and sending me a new one; I haven’t even bothered to re-open it,” says Stevenson.

“That’s not something that happens with books. You can trust that a physical book won’t short out or malfunction. Books are simply more trustworthy.”

With the advantages of technology, there can often be a litany of issues such as having to charge your device, the device malfunctioning and resulting in a sudden loss of books and data, or not being able to transfer or share your property.

“With a printed book, I don’t have to constantly be hoping the batteries will be charged. I can always just pick it up and read it,” says Stevenson, who says she will continue buying physical books rather than contribute to the sales of e-readers.

Stevenson finds joy in her frequent trips to her local Barnes and Noble retailer. As she walks among the vast shelves of books, she reaches out and touches the spines, feels the weight of the books in her hand, loads up her cart, and proudly displays the books on her shelves when she returns home.

For Stevenson, there is no joy or pride in downloading a book and storing it unseen in a digital archive replete with complex technology, and veiled by a set of terms and conditions which often seem longer than the books themselves.

Feelings such as these — the joys in the ritual buying and hoarding of printed books — may contribute to the sales of physical books, which are beginning to rise as e-book sales level off, and in some cases, decline.

Since the book world was seized by e-readers in 2010, avid readers all over believed the end to print was inevitable, yet a surprising turn of sales may depict an alternative future, where print is not entirely cannibalized by technology.

According to Publishers Weekly, “the 2014 figures are further evidence that print books are selling better than they have since sales of eBooks exploded in 2010.”

While these recent sales figures may ignite optimism in the print lover, it is not a guarantee that the book world will not be commandeered by e-readers in the technology based future of this world.

“Online vendors like Amazon have already conquered the book market. However, I think hard copies of books will still be sold online. People stare at screens all day and like how reading a real book is easy on the eyes. Though there are a lot of smart features that come with electronic books, there is still a niche market that prefers a physical book,” says 23-year-old college graduate, Shaylyn Wadsworth.

Wadsworth is an avid reader and frequent user of the Amazon Kindle e-reader. While she relies on the convenience of the e-reader during her daily commute through Boston, she still procures physical books for herself, basking in the nostalgia and joy of holding and reading a book as she did in her youth.

As with Wadsworth’s experience, many see a symbiotic relationship between printed books and e-readers and will incorporate both to feed their reading habits.

A way to view the ongoing competition between print and technology is not as a conquering of one medium over the other, but as a coexistence between the two. No matter what format people are reading in, they are reading, and that is good enough. The increasing sales of e-books doesn’t have to be seen as a take over in the book world, considering that people with e-readers in general, consume more books—both printed and electronic—than people without.

According to a Pew Research Study, people with e-readers read an average of 24 books in the past year (in both formats), and people without e-readers only read an average of nine books. “In fact, of those who read e-books in the past 12 months, 88 percent also read printed books,” the study said.

As Stevenson and Wadsworth frequent their local Barnes and Noble book store, they often pass by a section which seems out of place, almost treacherous in its surroundings — the Nook sales kiosk. The presence of this section in the book retailer does however, prove that rather than a competition between the formats, a mutually beneficial relationship between the two may be on the horizons.

Considering the demise of the 40-year-old book retailer Borders, which declared bankruptcy and shut down its 400 store chain back in 2011, introducing the e-reader to the public may have been Barnes and Noble’s saving grace.

According to a transcript from NPR News, “Not too long ago, company officials and industry observers alike were predicting that the Nook would save Barnes & Noble from meeting the same fate as its biggest rival, Borders, which is now out of business. The Nook gave Barnes & Noble a seat at the digital table.”

Rather than disregarding the quickly advancing e-reading software, Barnes and Noble jumped on the digital bandwagon to keep itself breathing.

Meanwhile, Borders didn’t take the internet and e-readers seriously and quickly caved in on itself in crushing debt, serving as a warning to large scale book vendors all over, that if they didn’t adapt they would likely be met with a fate similar to that of Borders’.

Barnes and Noble proudly pushes sales of their Nook e-reader to their customers while maintaining the sales of physical books. Barnes and Noble Book Seller, Kendra Jones, finds that even though there has been a plateau in e-reader sales, there has been no massive decline in the sales of the Nook in her store.

“Just working in the store, I help more people put physical books in their hands,” Jones said. We have the people who take the time to purchase the e-book in the store so we get the credit from that as well.”

She went on to describe how sales in the location she works in revolve heavily around the sales of books and e-readers in both formats.

Retailers such as this allow us the freedom to incorporate books into our lives in any format we would like, without having to choose a side.

Perhaps buying and using an e-reader doesn’t have to be viewed as treachery to the print world, but as a means of adapting to the coexisting relationship between the two.

During a trip to the bookstore, Stevenson can enjoy the sensory input brought forth by physical books; she can weave in and out of the shelves, touching, smelling and holding her books, return home and proudly display them.

Meanwhile, Wadsworth can take a trip to the same retailer and purchase an e-reader to entertain herself during the long work commutes, as well as buy a physical book or two to satisfy her nostalgia and past-time love of childhood literature.​

Opinion

No ifs, ands or butts: the issue of smoking on the NECC campus

 

By Andrea Davis, Correspondent

Students at NECC are prohibited to use any tobacco products while on campus. This includes the parking lots, buildings, walkways, bathrooms and any general area within the campus premises.

The school’s smoking policy reads:

‘“Northern Essex Community College recognizes the medical evidence that indicates that smoking is a serious health hazard, and that this hazard includes those exposed to secondhand smoke.

Where a primary responsibility of the College is to provide a safe and healthful working and learning environment, this responsibility has led to the following policy: Smoking is prohibited within the confines of all college grounds, buildings and property including college vehicles. (Smoking will only be allowed in private vehicles lawfully parked on campus lots that the smoker is authorized to be in.)”

Many students are unaware of the smoking policy on campus, despite the several “NO SMOKING” signs plastered around campus in all areas students are exposed to.

“I had no idea we were not allowed to smoke in the parking lot. “I was sitting on my car in between my classes smoking and I got asked to leave the parking lot by campus security. I was very confused and was not aware of this rule at all,” Alexandria DeLotto, a Psychology major.   

Many students feel strongly that this rule should stay intact at the Haverhill NECC campus. Others have voiced their opinion that the rule should have some boundaries and be reduced to certain areas for those who are smokers.

“I’m a smoker myself and I still think that this rule should be intact. Smoking on campus is really disrespectful to those students who don’t smoke themselves,” said Amanda Atchley, a Psychology major. “When I see cigarette butts scattered around the parking lot, it makes me sick. At least clean up your mess if you are going to break the rules. No one wants to step on that stuff, it’s gross.” 

“I think that there should be a ‘designated smoking area’ on campus. Somewhere that students who are smokers can go in between classes to smoke and not disrupt those who do not,” says Zachary McKallagat, an English major.

“Some people are addicted to smoking, and it makes it difficult to go through a school day without a cigarette.”

Asia Perrano, a nursing major, said, “I see people smoking in their cars, which I believe is not against the rules. But the smoke is still filtered into the air and the cigarette or cigar will (probably) end up on the ground of the parking lot regardless.

“Smoking should be banned completely. No exceptions.”

Editorial

Letter: Film Classes

 

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to your article titled, “Film Classes Are Struggling At NECC.” 

While it is true that we have faculty, but not equipment to run a film class, we do in fact have the faculty and the equipment to run video, film-based still photography, studio lighting, animation, motion graphics, and 3D modeling/rendering classes. 

We  even have degrees that emphasize photography, and/or multimedia at NECC.

All of our multimedia courses are taught by commercial videographers, animators and photographers. currently working-in-the-field. 

The college has Canon camcorders, DSLRs, a studio complete with chroma key (green screen), high key, low key, hand-painted backdrops, LEDs, monolights, meters, and editing software for students to use while enrolled in these courses. 

If students want to learn more about these classes or programs, I would be happy to help them or they can check with the Art Dept. Chair, Trish Kidney, pkidney@necc.mass.edu or their advisors.

Shar Wolff, Assistant Dean

Technology, Arts and

Professional Studies Division

swolff@necc.mass.edu

Campus Life, Features

Legalization, Legislation and Love

 

The LGBT community reaches some pivotal milestones over the summer.

On June 26, the United States Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage a constitutional right with a 5-to-4 vote.

In his decision, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy stated, “No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.”

Prof. Kristi Arford said she was sitting at her computer first thing in the morning when she read the headlines about the ruling. “That was a really important moment!” she said. Colby Patrie was getting ready for an anime convention when he heard the news. He said, “I ran into the living room to watch the news and watched President Obama’s speech.”

The trans community made some strides of their own, continuing to get more and more time in the spotlight. On a local scale, the Massachusetts Trans Political Coalition started a bill to give trans people protections not already promised to them. The bill includes protections against harassment in public places, discrimination in the workplace and protection in general of their well being. Mike Givens, public relations for the MTPC said that the bill met some difficulties town by town leading the Coalition to take it to the State House. On Sept. 17 the MTPC and supporters will hold their “Lobby Day” on the Grand Staircase of the Massachusetts State House.

“I Am Jazz,” a TLC show, debuted July 15. The reality show depicts the life of Jazz Jennings, a 14-year-old trans girl who came out to her parents at the age of 2 and to the rest of her community at her 5th birthday party when she made the bold decision to wear a one-piece rainbow bathing suit.

Jennings came out to the public back in 2007 and has since co-written a children’s book to help younger kids–and anyone else who cared to read it–understand what it means to be transgender. She has become a major spokesperson for the trans community doing panels, speaking at ceremonies and keeping up her own YouTube page.

Caitlyn Jenner created a media frenzy when she came out as trans during an April 25 interview on 20/20.

Arford admits to deleting some hometown acquitances and high school peers over their outrage towards Jenner’s decision to come out. “I don’t normally come in to contact with people in the real world who hold, and openly express, hostile attitudes toward LGBT people,” she said.

Patrie was “fortunate” not to delete anyone he said but did do his fair share of arguing.

“My response is always, get over it, this is big news and a part of history,” he said.

The fire was further fueled when she revealed herself post-operation on the cover of Vanity Fair’s July issue.

Jenner fielded a lot of hate during this time. When she was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYS on July 15, many took to social media to voice their displeasure. Facebook and Twitter were abuzz with criticism that called for a reevaluation of the meaning of courage.

Different memes on the internet juxtaposed Chris Kyle with Jenner with the caption, “Hero. Not a hero.” Some memes went as far as to slander people for judging Michael Jackson for his plastic surgery and praising Jenner for hers.

In contrast, some Internet users fought against hateful language with loving messages, creating memes positioning pictures of Jenner back in her Olympian days and her Vanity Fair cover with the caption, “American hero.”

Patrie a second-year art student, reached a milestone of his own this summer.

“I spent my whole life wondering why I had to wear these stupid dresses … It wasn’t until years later when I learned what transgender was and everything fell right into place,” said Patrie who came out publicly as trans on July 29. He names Jenner as his biggest influence. “She was once known as the manliest man you could ever be, tough, strong, an olympian. For her to come out was the bravest thing she could have ever done. and you see the difference in photos. (Bruce was) always frowning, covering their face, you could see there was pain.”

NECC’s own LGBT presence is known as the Gay-Straight Alliance and is overseen by Arford. Arford has been teaching at the school for seven years in the areas of anthropology, world religions, sociology and sex and gender. Three or four years ago she took on the role of GSA faculty adviser.

Growing up, Arford said she didn’t know any trans kids but, as previously mentioned, she teaches a course on sex and gender and uses her knowledge to try and explain the taboo still surrounding transgender people, “Our culture’s ideas of sex and gender are based on an ‘essentialist’ binary, with roots in religion.  If you believe that God created males and females, and only males and females, with very distinct characteristics and ‘natural’ roles to play, then you most likely believe a person cannot choose to change that, and that one’s assigned sex cannot be wrong. One problem with this thinking is that it doesn’t recognize the difference between sex and gender, and does not acknowledge gender roles as social constructs that vary widely across time and place.”

Patrie adds, “People are afraid of what they don’t know, and start thinking the worst.”

As the world continues to turn and change, Arford said, “People are becoming more aware, and more people are challenging the gender binary. I guess that’ll probably be the next big cultural shift we’ll see, a move away from the binary understanding of gender, toward more fluidity and variance in gender expression.”

Those readers looking for a safe place on campus for LGBT folks and allies alike can contact Kristi Arford at karford@necc.mass.edu for information on upcoming GSA meetings.