Opinion
Major decisions: Tools to help you explore
Picking your major can feel like a defining moment. It might feel like you’re choosing your whole career with one decision. The truth is, you have options. Your major and career path are not a straight line, it probably looks more like a zig-zagging road, with many unnamed side streets. Yet, it’s drivable! The goal of your major is to pick a program that will help you build sk... Read More
Learning with a disability
There are many types of disabilities that people must cope with. The challenge is how they cope with it in their everyday lives. Having a disability is a work in progress, especially with someone who has a learning disability, and I am one of them. All my life, going through elementary to high school, I struggled with my academics. Disabilities can affect individuals in a v... Read More
Free speech is no longer free
The First Amendment protects freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, and the right to petition the government. It guarantees Americans can express their ideas, gather with others, and voice concerns to the government without fear of retaliation or punishment from the government. While the government generally cannot restri... Read More
Current state of free speech: Free speech and college campuses across the U.S.
Photo courtesy @harvard
Many are concerned about the current state of free speech in the United States. There have been demands made of private institutions and criticisms of those who are speaking of their own volition. There are even concerns about the freedom of the press being under fire, and the current presidential administration is going to come down hard on those who are willing to speak their... Read More
A call to my peer students
For the ones graduating this semester, Congratulations! You made it here with a lot of effort and determination, and probably with extra liters of coffee, and several hours of sleep deprivation. For the first generation students, allow yourself a double pat on your shoulder. You learned how to navigate your first steps in academia with no guidance at home, and sometimes with do... Read More
On the death of Pope Francis
As we mourn the death of Pope Francis, we should remember his address to Congress on September 24, 2015, in which he called to mind four Americans who epitomized “a way of seeing and interpreting reality [enabling us] to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves.” Understandably, the first figure was Abraham Lincoln. Second was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose life was dedica... Read More
Letter to the Editor: Latino Recognition Initiative, a national public awareness campaign
My name is Eduardo Crespo. I am a naturalized Latino U.S. citizen who immigrated from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to Lawrence, MA during my high school years. I graduated from Northern Essex Community College with an AA degree and was recognized as one of the 40 Most Successful Graduates during the celebration of the college’s 40th anniversary. In 2007, Eduardo founded and is the CEO ... Read More
Trump’s tariff tumult: Attack on small businesses caused by trade policies
As new tariffs are being imposed and re-upped by the Trump administration, many small businesses are taking a hit and having to front hefty costs when it comes to manufacturing their product and having it sent to the U.S. to be distributed. President Donald Trump has recently imposed tariffs on a countless number of countries, with the main target being China. This was done wi... Read More
Title IX ruling will come at a cost
The NECC coordinators of Human Resources, Labor Relations, and Affirmative Action released a college-wide statement via email in March, detailing the intent of NECC to comply with executive orders and recent court rulings on the enforcement of Title IX in institutions of higher education nation-wide. In the early afternoon of March 20, coordinating staff members Liz Trelegan, ... Read More
Too close to step back: Coming of age in a crumbling technoscape
To have a more meaningful understanding about the world since the advent of the internet I believe it is helpful to create a demarcation in understanding between the initial possibilities of philanthropic utopias new tech could offer and on the other hand understanding the vice grip that government money and commercial control have over the direction of technology’s expansion o... Read More