DECEMBER 2011
THE PENNON
IS ONLINE AT:
northshore.edu/pennon
NOLA Service Trip
• A Monthly Publication For The Students of North Shore Community College, Danvers, Lynn & Beverly, Massachusetts •
To Make a Big Impact
BY JESSIE PAIVA
FACES IN THE HALL EDITOR
Community Service
can be many things. It can be a
form of punishment to atone for
one’s missteps. It can be a
cities in that region. According
to Census Bureau estimates,
approximately 455,000 people
called New Orleans (or NOLA
as is commonly abbreviated)
home one month before the hurricane hit. The following year’s
Members of NOLA
requirement of a government or
estimates had that figure at
school to encourage citizens and
210,000 residents. The official
students to help others.
report
counted 343,829 in 2010,
Foremost, it is a way of helping
a
29
percent
drop from the last
another person and, regardless
BY NELSON BAKER
NSCC Unarmed
In a decision that is
somewhat unexpected, North
Shore Community College will
not be going forward with the
proposed “pilot program” to
arm campus police.
This program, created
by Campus Police Chief Doug
Puska, states that the “command
staff” (top three ranked officers)
would carry a weapon for a period of six months, with evaluations taking place throughout,
and then a decision would be
made whether or not to move
forward.
Four to five months of
research by President Wayne
Burton and his colleagues led to
a decision that comes after careful consideration.
“I get concerned that
we have many officers that
migrate up the ladder, quickly
moving on to somewhere they
INSIDE:
NSCC Gets
Active!
Page 2
Police Department.
Among those that
agree with Burton’s decision not
to arm campus police are the
Chair of the Arming Campus
Police Committee: Trustee,
Elizabeth Hogan, Alumni
Trustee, Dr. Donna Costa,
Trustee Joanne Fortunato, Vice
President of Saugus Bank,
David McCoy, former Trustee
and former chair of Trustees
Finance
Committee,
and
William J. Chemelli, Chair of
Middlesex Community College
Board of Trustees and former
Belmont Deputy Police Chief.
But many colleges
have already made the move.
Massasoit Community College
Chief Christopher Cummings
and his team have been armed
for over a decade now. They are
the only Massachusetts community college that has an armed
campus police department.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Fall IDS Forum
BY LYDIA WAHL
FEATURES EDITOR
students working in New Orleans in 2010
head-count in the year 2000.
of the reasons that led one to it,
According to a 2010 study,
a way to explore the depths of
approximately
50,000 homes in
one’s self.
New
Orleans
lay abandoned,
Since Hurricane Katmore
than
25
percent of all
rina devastated the Gulf Coast
homes
in
the
city,
with many of
in 2005 as the costliest storm in
them
being
completely
uninhabU.S. history, New Orleans has
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
been one of the largest impacted
will receive more training, such
as a local police force. With that
kind of turnover, how can you
be sure they have the maturity
and experience to make the
judgments needed when there’s
an incident?” Burton asked.
“We just don’t have the capacity.”
In a February 2011
issue of the Pennon, Chief
Puska said, “We have, in my
opinion, the best equipped, the
best trained, and the best staff
out of all of the community colleges out there.”
You may wonder what
kind of credentials Puska has.
Over thirty-one years as a law
enforcement officer, including
three years as a Special Police
officer in Danvers, should
answer that question. Puska has
also been a certified firearms
instructor for 20+ years, and is
the author of the Firearm
Manual for the Manchester
on the Black Plague
Few of us feel compelled to attend school events
without incentive. There is
ample reason why NSCC provides these events. Events link
information between classes,
completing a broad picture that
can be applied to the work
force. They also provide extended information on topics pertaining to our classes. Events
like this one, for the Black
Plague, presented information
that overlapped several topics.
Since my class had just
finished Chaucer, the reasons
for me to attend were evident.
The Black Plague was a major
influence on Chaucer’s works
Top Ten
Songs of
2011
Page 9
and his daily life. During the
14th century, the Plague killed
off 1/3 of the labor force, creat-
age in a peasant rebellion. From
this arose the middle class, constructing a different economy.
Kara Kaufman and Diana Davis
ing a demand. This demand
gave light to the working class’
importance; giving them lever-
2 New Short
Stories
Page 11
People also started to speak out
about their wages and condiCONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Denise Kent
“Class of
2000”
Page 16
PAGE 2 – NSCC PENNON
Deans Corner
DR. JOANNE H. LIGHT
DEAN OF ENROLLMENT SERVICES
As everyone gears up
for the last stretch of classes,
labs, papers and exams, please
take a moment to be thankful for
your opportunity to be in school
and to hopefully have family
support as well as the support
of all the staff here at the
College. Personally I want to
wish everyone a pleasant holiday and hope you enjoy the
Thanksgiving and upcoming
Winter breaks.
If you have not registered for your Winter/Spring
January semester please do so
right away. Your advisor is
expecting to see you to sit down
and review your academic
goals, your progress and the
right course selection. Take
advantage of that opportunity.
The Student Support and
Advising Center can assist you
in finding out who your advisor
is, as well as helping with advising. Remember you must make
payment arrangements by
December 7th at 5 PM or your
classes may be dropped, and
you must pay or waive health
insurance. The Web has full
information on all options for
means
of
payment.
http://www.northshore.edu/fina
ncial_aid/payment_options.htm
l
http://www.northshore.edu/fina
ncial_aid/health_insurance.html
Come in to one of the
Enrollment Centers if you have
concerns or questions on your
bill. There is also a group of
online classes available to you
in the January intersession
which can help you move forward to completion of your program in a more timely manner.
Check those out when you are
viewing course selection on the
Web page.
There are several charitable collections occurring on
campus so watch for signs,
notices and campus links. It is
always cheering when we try to
be thankful for what we do have
at this holiday time and remember to help.
The Enrollment Centers are moving to the NEW
Heath Sciences and Student
Services building the week of
November 28th, so please visit
us in our new and beautiful,
green space ... but please be
patient as we transition to our
new location.
Have a healthy winter!
NSCC Gets Active!
BY CHRISTINA SIEBERTZ
SENATOR
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
ASSOCIATION
The Student Government Association has developed
multiple goals for this school
year. One of the goals has been
to put more of an emphasis on
community outreach in the
areas where our campuses are
located.
Our first inter-campus
the organizations and groups
present were randomly divided
up into teams with others from
different organizations. This
allowed NSCC students and
faculty to interact and become
acquainted with other active
individuals from various backgrounds. To sustain motivation
and a positive atmosphere
throughout the day, an outdoor
DJ played up-beat, enthusiastic
music which caused many vol-
NOLA Service Trip
Continued from Page 1
itable. These figures were gathered 5 years after the destruction
and now, one year later, not
much has changed.
With so many residents
still displaced after 6 years the
need is as great as ever. The
Labor of Love Committee of
North
Shore
Community
College, our very school, continues to send volunteers to
NOLA each year to assist with
the relief and rebuilding efforts.
In attempt to qualify for this
service trip, the essay and interview process endured is nerveracking but to be selected is a
great honor. To help fund the
voyage, the students participate
in several fundraisers including
Yankee Candle sales, a benefit
concert given by the Squeezbox
Stompers (who also donated
enough CDs to distribute one to
each attendee!), a Comedy and
Pizza night at Prince Pizza, and
staffing the concession stand at
the school Performing Arts
Council’s 2011 production of
Sinbad the Sinful. In addition to
all this each student must pay a
portion of their travel expense
and gladly do so, as each feels
privileged to attend.
Moreover,
students
participate in an all-day training
on Veterans Day, when the
school is closed and no other
students are found on the campus. This training includes
many team-building activities,
as the forthcoming journey
promises to be an experience
that can shake a person at their
core. The importance of teammates and togetherness is
stressed by the student leaders
(who direct most of the activities). These student leaders have
already participated in the service trip the prior year and know
first-hand the challenges and
rewards which will surface.
Plus, the training prepares participants for sensible points
such as weather conditions, airport and travel expectations, and
packing recommendations.
Other focal points of
the training include a workshop
created by the National
Coalition Building Institute
(NCBI) which is a leadership
development program dedicated
to the elimination of racism and
other forms of oppression. This
workshop helps students to
learn about one another’s group
identities and to understand and
respect each person whether
they regard the other as similar
or different. Also, a film depicting the “FISH!” philosophy,
which stressed serving others, is
viewed by the students with an
interactive twist. FISH! has four
main elements: 1) play (have
fun with what you are doing); 2)
make their day (serve and focus
on the customer or person you
are assisting); 3) be “there” (be
in the moment, don’t get distracted while transacting with
one person); and 4) choose your
attitude (you have to get out of
bed everyday, choose to enjoy
it!).
The NOLA expedition
will transpire January 3 to
January 13 of 2012. We expect
great success in rebuilding
homes for grateful residents just
as has occurred for the previous
five years. If you wish to participate in the trip for 2013, keep
an eye out for more information
in August/September 2012. As
always, monetary donations are
needed and appreciated! If you
would like to donate, contact
Lisa Milso in Student Life.
NSCC students on the ride back from the Costa Park build
community outreach initiative
unteers to dance during interwas held on Saturday, October
vals of work! Lunch was pro29, 2011 in Revere, MA. Fifteen
vided at the site at designated
students and faculty members
times for each team.
from both the Lynn and Danvers
The build day came to
campuses participated in the
an end as all groups finished
building of a children’s playtheir projects ahead of schedule.
ground called Costa Park. Other
students and faculty event participants
organizations and groups presA JetBlue Airlines representaent included:
tive recognized NSCC students
• JetBlue Airlines (corporate
and faculty as being the most
sponsor for the park build)
enthusiastic and “danciest”
• Revere Neighborhood Devgroup of the day. However,
elopers (non-profit organization
Costa Park is not finished! The
geared toward community
final phase of the park, Phase II,
development)
will be held in June of 2012,
• KaBoom! (non-profit organibringing the entire project to
zation dedicated to building
completion.
parks around the country)
As a community col• City of Revere official reprelege it is important that we
sentatives
engage in development or vol• Revere High School
unteer initiatives in our sur• Local citizens
rounding areas. It not only gives
The Costa Park build
students an opportunity to take
was held from 8:00 a.m. to
what they have learned and utiapproximately 3:00 p.m. Over
lize it outside of the classroom,
200 volunteers were divided
it also reassures local citizens
into multiple teams denoted by
that NSCC is a valuable asset in
stickers with either Disney or
our community. Look for more
cartoon characters on them.
ways that you can get involved
Each team was assigned a capin our surrounding campus
tain to oversee details of the
areas through volunteer initiagroups’ progress. Members of
tives like this one!
Slice of Culture
Maria Full of Grace
(María llena eres de gracia)
BY JULIA JOHNSON
María Full of Grace is
a movie that takes place in
Colombia and the United States.
The movie was outstanding and
gave me a new respect for both
the Spanish language and what
many people go through when
coming to this country.
It was written and
directed by Joshua Marston, an
American screenwriter and
director. Marston won the
Independent Spirit Award for
Best First Screenplay Catalina
Sandino (who plays Maria
Alvarez) won Best Actress at
the Berlin Film Festival.
I heard many good
After unjust treatment from her
boss, she quits her job despite
her family's intense disapproval.
Soon after, she is offered a position as a drug mule. In desperation, she accepts the perilous
offer, and ingests 62 wrapped
pellets of cocaine and flies to
New York City along with her
close friend Blanca.
In the suspenseful
scene when María arrives at
U.S. customs, she is almost
caught by officials who are suspicious of her movements. She
avoids being X-rayed due to her
pregnancy, and her story that the
father of her child paid for her
air ticket gets her through.
The drug traffickers
Catalina Sandino Moreno
reviews about the movie and
have always loved foreign
films. I watched this movie with
my boyfriend, who is from
Colombia and had seen it
before. We watched it without
subtitles while he translated
words I did not know.
The movie depicts
rural, lower-class life in
Colombia. The main character
is a 17-year-old Colombian girl,
María Álvarez, who works in
very poor and dismal conditions
at a flower plantation. Her
income is essential to her family, sustaining an unemployed
sister who is a single mother.
María becomes pregnant by a man she does not love.
meet and collect María and several other Colombian drug
mules. The girls are held
hostage in a motel room until
they pass all the drug pellets.
Fellow mule Lucy becomes sick
when a drug pellet ruptures
inside her. The traffickers cut
her open to retrieve the drug
pellets, ultimately killing her by
doing so. María persuades
Blanca to escape with her when
the traffickers go to dump
Lucy's body, escaping with the
drugs.
They have nowhere to
stay and ultimately go to Lucy's
sister's house. Eventually, she
finds out that Lucy was murdered and throws them out.
Blanca and María return the
drugs to the traffickers and
receive their money. As they are
about to board the plane back to
Colombia, María decides to stay
in the United States.
The movie had me on
the edge of my seat and I found
that I understood many of the
words without needing to rely
on translation. Although it
seemed that they spoke fast at
times, I know that it is actually
normally-paced dialogue.
I found the themes in
the movie to be heart wrenching
and moving. The bravery that
tMaria has to stay in the United
States where everything is unfamiliar is inspiring. Millions of
people long for an opportunity
to have a better life. The United
States is not perfect, but it offers
better
promise
than
in
Colombia.
Although drug trafficking is a serious and deadly
crime, it is easy to sympathize
with the character and understand the options she weighed
when becoming a drug mule in
search for a better life for herself and unborn child.
In the movie, the viewer sees the process of pellet
manufacturing, gag control to
ingest the drugs, the consequences of unintentionally
expelling one, and the appalling
repercussions of a pellet that has
burst.
Drug trafficking is a
dangerous business. However,
for those who make minimum
wage, work extensive hours,
and still can’t make ends meet;
the amount of money you can
make by being a drug mule can
be too great a temptation to pass
up.
It was impossible to sit
through the film and not be
affected by the characters. Their
predicament was tragic and
unfortunate but it is easy to see
how innocent and vulnerable
people can be lured into the
drug world by the promise of a
better future.
Overall, I thought this
movie was a great story and
depicted the trials of an ordinary
Latin American girl coming to
America.
PAGE 3 – NSCC PENNON
“Seguir y Descubrir
Mi Barcelona”
BY SHANNON HORGAN
“Follow and discover
my Barcelona,” are lyrics that
are featured in a movie I
watched as a child. I felt it was
Picasso Museum. It took a little
while seeing as how I got lost
but was well worth the trouble.
We were not allowed to take
pictures inside the museum
which disappointed me. The
The Picasso Museum
name Picasso is his mother’s
a fitting title for my culture
maiden
name and it was considproject because my boyfriend
ered
an
insult that when Pablo
and I were fortunate enough to
started
becoming
famous that he
get on a plane and travel to
dropped
his
father’s
identity and
Barcelona, Spain. So I would
claimed
that
of
his
mother
like to ask you to follow me and
instead.
He
often
painted
his
discover the Barcelona that I got
women
into
his
pictures
in
varito know and experience so
ous ways. It was thought that
much of. Barcelona is truly an
the women could see themenchanting city where artists
selves fade from his artwork, as
and sculptors flourished, tapas
well as his heart, and witness
were introduced, and gypsies
another woman take shape on
cried out soul wrenching songs
canvas. Picasso might have
that bred a culture so different
been at the top of the artist
from my own. It is unlike any
scene in Barcelona, however
place I have ever traveled to,
this Catalonian city was no
and the streets seem to come
stranger
to artistic genius.
alive at night. During the day,
Antoni
Gaudi
blessed this fortuwandering around the cobble
nate
city
with
plenty of original
stone streets, I learned to apprearchitecture
and
buildings that
ciate a culture and lifestyle that
would
amaze
just
about anywas so far from home. I will
body.
On
our
fourth
day,
we had
share with you my experiences
rented
bikes
and
set
out
to find
of Barcelona as well as the histhe
famous
La
Sagrada
Familia.
tory of this magical city.
We had been warned of the terPablo Picasso said
ribly long lines and huge massthat, “Art washes away from the
es of people all gathering to get
soul the dust of everyday life.”
a chance to tour the building.
He happened to find some inspiLuckily for me, I had done my
ration for his art in Barcelona.
research and read that the most
He split his prominent years
splendid
part could be seen
between Paris, France and
from
the
sidewalk….for free.
Barcelona, Spain. Pablo often
What
is
most
interesting about
referred to Barcelona as his true
this
particular
work of art is
home. I can see why he felt this
way. One the third day of our
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
stay, I set out to find the Pablo
PAGE 4 – NSCC PENNON
The Countdown is On…..
NSCC Going Smoke-Free January 2012!
Students and staff
returning to NSCC campuses
after the holiday break will
notice a big difference. Smoking
will be prohibited in any building or outdoor area owned or
leased by NSCC, including
facilities,
campus
indoor
grounds, walkways and parking
lots. NSCC’s smoke-free policy
will apply to all students, staff,
faculty, contractors, vendors and
visitors. The only place that
smoking will be allowed is in
personal vehicles.
Many college departments have been working this
fall to ease this transition to the
greatest extent possible. Health
Services offered and will continue to offer a series of informational sessions to help smokers quit. Workshops explore various options available to quit
smoking including the use of
medication, online support, selfhypnosis, tips to minimize
weight gain, reduce stress and
increase your success.
NSCC Health Services
Coordinator Brianne Duff
renewed her hypnosis certifica-
BY LYDIA WAHL
FEATURES EDITOR
Students may have
noticed from the countdown to a
smoke-free college and our new
Health building that NSCC is
going green. To parallel this
effort, North Shore has also initiated new environmentally
focused courses.
Inspired
by
the
President’s climate agreement,
it requires participants to gear
their facility and curriculum
toward improving the environment. Two professors in particular, Greg Repucci, Joe
Modungno, and their coordinator Barbara Ikalainen have been
rallying teachers to join the
environmental education force.
They’re heading up the new
Green Curriculum class’ debuting spring semester.
The project started in
2008, having a slow start but
now has thirty teachers and
spans sixteen departments.
Unfortunately this project is facing a shortage of teachers.
However, this means good
things for students.
tion and has been working with
students and staff to help them
prepare for the change.
“Hypnosis is a natural state of
“focused concentration.” Recognized by the American
Medical Association, this safe
and effective technique has been
proven to create positive change
in one’s life. Instructions are
delivered to the subconscious
mind through the use of positive
suggestion. Focus areas could
include smoking, stress, obesity
and other problems. Hypnotherapy enables the individual to
change habits, reduce stress and
achieve goals which otherwise
might not be obtained through
ordinary awareness,” Duff
explained.
The decision to go
smoke-free is an active response
to the fact that tobacco smoke is
a proven health hazard to both
smokers and non-smokers alike,
and that tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death
in the United States. President
Burton says, “We are making
this change because the college
is committed to creating and
providing a safe and healthy
educational environment for all
people who study, work and
visit our campuses. Creating a
smoke free environment is also
in keeping with the college’s
core values and strategic directions of accessibility for all,
respect and sustainability.
“College administrators understand the process of
achieving a 100 percent smokefree environment will take time
and patience,” Burton said.
“NSCC is committed to encouraging and assisting students and
staff who wish to overcome
their dependence on tobacco by
offering cessation programs and
a wide range of supportive systems.
“The ultimate success
of this policy will depend upon
the courtesy, respect, and cooperation of users and non-users of
tobacco products. All staff, students and faculty members
share the responsibility of creating a courteous atmosphere of
self-enforcement,” President
Burton concluded.
Professor Modugno
pointed out that with these
courses you will be signing up
with teachers who are creative,
motivated, and enthusiastic. The
teachers who jumped right in
are passionate about this topic.
These teachers have reshaped
their courses to meet certain
requirements, and have invested
their time in educating students
how to protect their environment to prepare them for a new
work force. Here are some of
the advantages students will get
from taking these courses:
* Students can complete their
required classes but with an
environmental twist
* A variety of new unique courses
* Intro to Sustainable Living
* Environmental Ethics
* American Environmental History, etc...See Below
* Advantage above students
coming from other community
or state colleges who haven't
invested in this education
* Puts students in league with
larger universities and colleges
like those in Boston
* In some cases can get you out
of the classroom (working for a
non-profit organic garden, a
requirement in one of Repucci’s
class’)
* Education on current issues,
dangers to society, and possible
solutions
* Learn how to save money for
yourself and your work place
* Work places can hire someone
who is not only versed in their
profession but also with environmental issues companies are
facing
* Work with like-minded students motivated to make a difference
* Gain perspective on Democratic, activist, and worldly
responsibility
New “Green”
Curriculum Courses Available
When signing up for
these classes, make sure you
really scan the course descriptions. As of now there is no way
to filter them on our Course
Search or anything that makes
them stand out. It should also be
recognized by teachers at the
beginning of the semester and
through their syllabus that they
are participating in Green
Environment Courses. This is
where education is heading.
“We need environmental literacy,” Modugno said. And
Repucci’s idea is that the more
this spreads the bigger difference can be made. However,
Modungno’s quote from David
Orr’s book “Earth in Mind”
really hits the issue. Orr said,
“By what is included or excluded, students are taught that they
are part of or apart from the natural world.”
This quote reflects how
important it is that NSCC has
decided to include natural world
education in its facility. Faculty
vigor and Northshore’s investing will ensure that students will
get a step up in society and the
work place.
Green Curriculum
Courses offered at
NSCC:
* Composition 1
* Composition 2: Literature and
the Environment
* Computer Systems Development
* Principles of Macroeconomics
* Materials Science
* Advanced ESL Writing 1
* Technology of Food Processing
* Environmental Science
* Graphic Production
* History of World Civilization
1
* History of World Civilization
2
* Understanding Nutrition
* Artistic Vision OL
* Music and Healing
* Introduction to Sustainable
Living
* Exploring the Landscape of
Sustainability
* American Literature 1:
Colonial Period to the Civil War
* American Literature 2: Civil
War to Modern Age
* Literature of the American
Peoples 1: American Indian
Literature
* Introduction to Sociology
* Race, Gender, and Class
* Speech
* Environmental Ethics
* American Environmental History
* Introduction to Statistics
* Great Religions of the World
PAGE 5 – NSCC PENNON
North Shore
Uncensored
Mi Barcelona
Continued from Page 3
that, Antoni Gaudi never got to
finish it. He died before it was
done and it has taken over 100
years to build….and it is not finished yet either. Barcelona has a
beauty all its’ own and I’d like
to thank Picasso for discovering
it himself and Gaudi for taking
an active part in it.
One of the most com-
taverns could serve wine without serving a little snack or
“tapa.” Overall the tapas tradition caught on and I found
myself missing my Patatas
Bravas.
Another thing I miss
after returning home is flamenco. Flamenco is a style of music
that became inspired by gypsies.
The Museum of Art and the Magic Fountains of Montjuic
It originated in Andalusia, Spain
mon things to do when visiting
but it is still very popular in
the city is take a tapas tour.
Barcelona. We managed to get
Tapas are Spanish style appetiztickets to a show at Los
ers and a tapas tour is you pay a
Tarantos, which is the cities oldset amount and start off at one
est flamenco club. I felt like I
bar and have a drink over tapas
had stepped into another place
and then advance onto another
and time. It started with them
tapas bar and so on. My favorite
just playing the music for fladish ended up being Patatas
menco with a special guitar and
Bravas, which is potatoes with a
drum. A woman clapped her
spicy sauce. According to leghands to the beat as well as
end this tradition started when
stomped her feet to the tune.
one of Spain’s kings was sick
Then a woman dressed in a long
and had taken to eating small
black dress that emphasized her
meals between wine. When he
small waist and made her feet
got better he announced that no
disappear beneath the billowing
skirt stepped out onto the stage.
She began the traditional flamenco dance and I believe
everyone’s breath in that room
stopped and just watched her.
We watched her dance to a style
of music so different and rough
to the ear than any other. At the
same time it was harmonious,
that she could dance to this
music that sounded like wounded gypsies crying out in the
night. It was a cultural experience I won’t ever forget. I
downloaded a few flamenco
songs when I returned home, so
I could always remember the
way that woman danced to the
gypsy’s song.
“You can breathe in the
music the city makes”, lyrics
from the same movie I watched
as a child. I could not have
picked a better way to describe
it; I fell in love with this city and
I think anyone who sets foot
there will too. The culture is so
different from America that they
enjoy life in a way that I don’t
here. They can leave their houses late at night after a siesta and
be out till three in the morning
and there is always something to
do. The city almost never
sleeps. I hope you enjoyed my
Barcelona as much as I did
myself and it is definitely a
place to see for yourself.
Fall IDS Forum
Continued from Page 1
tions. As Controller of Customs,
Chaucer had a front seat to the
effects of The Black Plague on
his culture and in-turn his literature. Nothing but this disease
could have made it clear how
irrelevant social stature was.
The Plague attacked every class
of people, unbiased to wealth or
position.
For those that missed
the presentation, here are some
highlights: The Black Plague
survives today as Yersinia
Pestis. Presently, the Plague
does not escalate because of
modern science, antibiotics, and
our immune systems. However,
the very same Plague that provided grotesque pictures in our
history classes is the very same
that exists today. As we learned
in the presentation it was our
immune systems that developed, not the virus.
Back in the old days,
people believed things like bad
air, astrological signs, the
Jewish people, and even an evil
eye from someone could bring
the Plague on you. These outlandish ideas were preceded
with even more logical remedies: bleeding people till they
passed out, breathing good air,
quarantine, fleeing the area, and
eating or not eating excessively.
The presenters, Professors Kara
Kauffman and Diana Davis,
were able to tie in several educational aspects into their presentation. They touched on their
own subjects of history and science. Through these topics, students can see how the Plague
has affected literature, economics, and public speech.
These presentations
demonstrate how a subject we
thought was irrelevant to our
major could be very influential.
Diana Davis dutifully showed
us some beautiful pictures of
bulbous sores indicating the
Plague. Kara Kaufman has a
very interesting map that
demonstrated the Plague’s
spread. This inspired many
questions in the audience.
As we watched the
Plague consume the map, one
place smack dab in the middle
remained untouched, Cracow.
One man stood and said he
believed this was due to the
region being left out of the trade
route. This man also asked why
the Plague came to a stop. Davis
answered that some people were
already starting to fight it off
and boost their immunity.
Kaufman and Davis created an
engaging presentation, educating an academically diverse
group.
I caught up with
Professor Kaufman at the end of
the presentation with one question in mind. What inspired you
and Professor Davis to create
this presentation? I believed
there must be some sort of
incentive from the school and
mused that they were assignments thought up by the Dean.
However, she started by telling
me that their offices were not
organized by departments. This
explained the history and science collaboration. As odd as
this seems, by doing this NSCC
connects its teachers outside of
their field. This inspired Davis
and Kaufman to create this presentation in which they found
common ground.
Thank you to Professors Kaufman and Davis for
putting together this event. The
event provided information relevant to several classes and an
interesting and realistic insight
into the experience. It is a testament that the event is relevant to
so many classes.
Forums can be useful to students with essays, finals, or for
extra credit. You can check out
Noodle Bib, on our libraries
website, for help with citing.
Vodka Soaked
Gummy Bears
The North Shore
Uncensored column in the
North
Shore
Community
College Pennon Newspaper
provides educated harm reduction responses and alternative
options to students who have
any questions related to sex,
drugs, alcohol or any other
health concerns sent anonymously
to
([email protected])
. All responses concerning harm
reduction, health, and safety follows NSCC’s commitment to
their students and their well
being. If you have any questions
please send them to the column
address. Your personal information will not be shared with anyone and you have the choice as
to whether or not your question
will be published.
Question:
I have just recently
heard of a new trend where you
can actually soak gummy bears
in vodka. Can you tell me more
about this and how it became so
popular?
NSU:
Thank you for bringing
the vodka soaked gummies
topic into discussion for North
Shore Community College
Pennon readers. Vodka soaked
gummy bears or any other type
of gummy treats are quickly
becoming a popular and cheap
way to consume alcohol without
the intense alcohol taste.
There are tons of
videos on YouTube showing
how to make the tasty treats
with only two ingredients needed- vodka and gummies. The
gummies can take shapes of
bears, worms, bottles, or just
about any other gummy shape.
The gummies soak up the vodka
and become plump and extra
juicy.
The news and parents
have continually discussed their
concern around students getting
drunk at school with what
seems to be a simple average
treat. However, even before the
gummy soaked vodka fad there
were just regular fruit slices
soaked in vodka- such as orange
or apple slices. Students will
always find ways to consume
drugs and alcohol at school and
the question will be whether the
school penalizes the students or
assists with discussions around
substance use.
It is pretty simple to
become drunk off of these cute
shaped gummies. So if you are
going to consume alcohol in any
way, shape or form it is suggested that you do it in a safe place
where you cannot be arrested
for public intoxication or possibly injure other people. Also,
make sure you mix and create
your own drinks, gummies, or
fruit slices. It is possible they
may still be laced with date rape
drugs.
PAGE 6 – NSCC PENNON
Spotlight Corner
NSCC Staff
BY NELSON BAKER
Being a smaller institution, there is much more opportunity to get to know people.
North
Shore
Community
College has always encompassed that traditional close-knit
feeling where everyone seems
to know each other, making it a
fun, easygoing place that you
don’t always want to leave at
the end of the day. Victoria
Pasciuto, advisor of student
activities, is quite the leader,
and quite the professional, but
she embodies a kind, yet motivating spirit that has kept that
tradition alive.
When Pasciuto was a
student at NSCC, she was urged
to join the Pennon by John Duff,
the advisor at the time. She
immediately loved it, and soon
became Editor-in-Chief. “It got
me out of my shell,” Pasciuto
admitted. “It was really a cool
experience.”
After graduating with a
Liberal Arts degree, Pasciuto
received a bachelor’s in History
at Gordon College. By this time,
she had become attached to college life. “It was what initially
shaped my desire to become a
Paws Picks
of the Month
BY TANYA GREEN
Victoria Pasciuto
was “exposed to a multitude of
Higher
Ed
professional,”
opportunities.” She worked in
Pasciuto said. Soon after, at
areas dealing with outreach,
Salem State College, she
politics, and fundraisers.
received her masters in Higher
When the advisor position
Ed. She was only 23.
opened, Pasciuto jumped at the
During her time in colchance. She now oversees
lege, Pasciuto had been a tutor
Program Council, the Pennon,
at NSCC, as well as a tour guide
Project Unity (formerly the
and an orientation ambassador.
Women’s Center), and just
She was then given an opporturecently,
the
Student
nity to work in the institutional
advancement office, where she
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Nothing says winter
like a cup of hot chocolate by
the fire and nothing is as perfect
as a complete picture. Complete
your winter scene with an
adopted cat curled up by the fire
and make everyday this winter
and in winters to come full of
love. Each day will be like a
picture print by Currier and Ives
and all you have to do is simple,
adopt an adorable cat.
This month I have featured two cats who can most
certainly be adopted separately
as they do not even know each
other. Ashy and Heather are just
two of the 38 cats PAWS currently has in their all volunteer
foster home network.
out of my seat (check out my
video).”
You get bonus points as my
match if you:
1. Can turn on the faucet so I
can play
2. Enjoy a good squiggle dance
3. Have some high places in
your house
Heather
Ashy
About Ashy
* Status: Available for Adoption
(adoption info)
Unarmed
Continued from Page 1
When I asked how he felt about
his team being armed compared
to when they were not,
Cummings replied, “We don’t
think anything of it.”
With news of campus
shootings on the rise, it is a nobrainer that the safety of the college should be most important.
Shouldn’t the next logical step
for all institutions be to take
heed of these tragic stories of
campus shootings and prepare
themselves too?
Dan Baer of the Daily
Item recounted in a February
16, 2008 article that District
Attorney Jonathon Blodgett was
once against arming of campus
police in schools. Blodgett
decided to amend his views,
stating, “Times have changed.”
President Burton acknowledged something very
important back in a February
Pennon article. He said, “Right
now, if there is a shooting on
campus, our police are ordered
to immediately exit the building
and then call local police. That
takes time.”
An incident takes just
minutes to become a serious
problem, and if those minutes
are wasted by ordering our own
officers to get out of the building, away from the situation, it
could mean more are hurt.
There is no guarantee that a
local officer will arrive before
the damage is done.
Christine Hauser of the
New York Times stated that
Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter at
Virginia Tech, killed 30 people
over a 9-minute span, firing
over 170 rounds, and this was
after killing two others at a nearby dormitory.
There are, at all times,
officers on hand here at the college, and it is not an enormous
campus. Officer assistance is
readily available. “We know the
building, we know the people,
and we are here,” Chief Puska
said.
Despite being a highly
respected college with a calm,
cool atmosphere, there have
been at least three NSCC students that were arrested for
having “an arsenal of weapons.”
They are described in Puska’s
“Pilot Project,” along with a
Lynn Campus officer being shot
at three times on March 3, 1997.
This incident took place within
the MBTA building where no
one was hurt, but the shooter
was never caught.
Also stated in the Pilot
Project is a quote from Danvers
Chief of Police Neil F. Oullette.
He said, “The Danvers Police
Department clearly would
respond to any call on your
campus, but the time it would
take for responding units to
arrive may result in the needless
death of student and faculty.”
On February 28 of this
year, a malfunction in the NSCC
speaker system triggered a false
alarm. An automated message
announced there was a shooter
on campus. According to
President Burton, local police
arrived just minutes later,
though the exact arrival time
cannot be determined because
both the Danvers and State
Police have no record of it.
“There are many reasons why a call is not logged,”
said Trooper Todd Nolan of the
Massachusetts State Police. “It
could just be that there was a
callback, because it was a false
alarm.”
President Burton noted
in a Board of Trustees meeting
that there are “more problems
than plusses,” concerning the
arming of campus police. The
Pilot Program was supposed to
be a work-in-progress, with regular evaluations conducted.
Changes by Burton himself
could be implemented upon his
request.
Other campuses have
worked through their own
“problems” in their transition
into arming their campus police.
Many would argue that, now,
they are safer institutions.
Timing is important.
Maybe it is not the right time for
NSCC to arm campus police.
We must rely on those above us
to make the right decisions, and
these kinds of decisions are
never easy to make. As said
before, the safety of the college
should be the biggest concern.
* Species: Cat
* Rescue ID: C110086
* General Color: Brown
* Color: Bicolor
* Current Age: 5 yrs 10 mths
(best estimate)
* Declawed: No
* Housetrained: Yes
More about Ashy
Ashy is a fun, independent female dancing queenwho loves to frolic and is in
search of her life-long dancing
partner(s). “I am comfortable in
my own fur and know my likes
and dislikes. Words to describe
me include playful (I love a
good game of fly stalking),
adventuresome (surprising for a
cat, I do enjoy playing in water),
happy, and affectionate. I prefer
loving on my terms and will
definitely let you know when I
want more or less. Ahhh, what
can I say but nothing wrong
with a female that knows what
she wants. That being said, I
would do best in a home with
"older" children.
“My talents include
jumping to the highest spot in
the room as I love the view from
up there and my now famous
squiggle dance. I will definitely
let you know how happy I am to
see you by squiggling around,
almost to the point off falling
About Heather
* Status: Available for Adoption
(adoption info)
* Species: Cat
* Rescue ID: C110146
* General Color: Gray and
White
* Color: White with gray patches / Bicolor
* Current Age: 9 yrs 7 mths
(best estimate)
* Declawed: No
* Housetrained: Yes
* Good with Dogs, Good with
Cats, Good with Kids
More About Heather
Heather is an affectionate lady who appreciates a
cozy spot to sleep in, a good
meal, and a daily dose of loving
from her human companions.
Having lived all her life with
her brother, Toby Too, she
would love to find a home that
can take both of them.
However, she is also open to
being the only cat in the household, or a companion for another laid back kitty.
Please check out the
PAWS
web
site
at
http://pawswakefield.rescuegro
ups.org or visit us on Facebook
there are additional photos of
both of these girls and videos of
Ashy.
PAGE 7 – NSCC PENNON
Spotlight Corner
Continued from Page 6
Government Association. Each
organization has its own list of
objectives and needs, and she
closely supports them accordingly. She also works with
Joanne Light, Dean of
Enrollment, coordinating the
Presidential Scholars program,
and finally, organizes the tour
ing them walk across the stage
at graduation,” Pasciuto said.
She works tirelessly, encouraging her students to challenge
themselves at all angles. “I like
being able to think outside the
box and push the boundaries of
my own comfort level.”
Knowing what this has done for
Left to right, from bottom: Konstantine Papageorgiou, Hudson
Henriques, Victoria Pasciuto, Ryan Nolan, John Hruska, and Nick
Lovasco at the Capitol in Washington, DC.
guide committee.
her, she pushes her students to
It’s always interesting
do the same.
to discover what someone is all
Pasciuto certainly seems to have
about, what makes them who
circulated a lot of that “deep
they are. Pasciuto likes to have
thinking” that has become a stadiscussions about things that
ple in her life. New ideas con“really make you think deeply.”
tinue to emerge from her stu-
John Hruska, Victoria Pasciuto, Nicole Saraceno, and Carlo
Lovasco at a NACA conference
“I like having heated conversadents, with new challenges
tions just for fun,” she
being taken on, and though this
explained. Pasciuto is also a
gives her even more to do, it has
writer, and feels that “the power
also given her satisfaction. She
of the written word is amazing.”
calls it “good stress,” and it
But what really motivates her
reminds her that she must be
are the students. “I love seeing a
doing something right. Victoria
student a little nervous, and a
is truly a valuable asset to this
little scared, and then later seecollege.
The Excitement of Life:
BY NELSON BAKER
From the cradle to the
grave, our lives are driven by
how we perceive the world
around us. We are born to a
bright, illuminating exploration
of endless exotic objects and
unusually interesting big people
who seem to be everywhere.
Gradually, we become familiar
with those objects and get to
know the people surrounding
us. Yet, as we grow into young
adults, we confront more and
more unknown wonders, ideas,
relationships. But then somewhere along the way, most of us
are hypnotized by the traditional construction of an aging man
– that we must follow the order
of procedures and grow old, too.
That we have no choice but to
follow suit, because that is simply the way it is. And then that
search for wonder, for something new, begins to tragically
fade away. But this is a disheartening ruse, and many of us have
been fooled, blinded from the
truth.
As a teenager, it was
difficult to see the elderly have
so much trouble simply walking
from their car to the front door
of a restaurant. I watched with
my stomach tightly bound, hoping that they would make it
inside safely, and not trip and
then collapse to the hard
ground, breaking... everything.
The thought of becoming like
this later in life terrified me, and
I tried and failed to avoid paying
particular attention to older people; they fascinated me. I
thought, there must be some
way to grow old, but not grow
old. I had to find out, so I began
asking questions.
Over the next ten
years, I made it a point to talk to
people about this topic, and continued to pay attention to what
people said around me concerning the issue of aging. One middle-aged man stated, rather
angrily, that it is just not possible to slow the aging process by
continuing to work out, or that
older people could maintain any
kind of real strength and agility.
He affirmed that I will find out
myself when my time comes,
and then I will understand.
Another man, only 33,
At Any Age
announced during a Taekwondo
class, “ I can’t do it like I could
when I was 25. What I wouldn’t
give to be that age again.” Are
you kidding me? At 33 years
old? By saying this, he has
already begun to give up on his
abilities, and is locked into a
self-created life-long downward
spiral.
The human body is no
mechanical
self-lubricating
wonder, but it can sustain a
long, healthy life so long as you
take care of it. We all know that
our bodies change whether we
like it or not, but it is very gradual, and can be slowed, adapted
to, or if you are truly motivated,
improved, with age. Many people have proven this, including
Tsutomu Tosaka, a Japanese
then anything is possible. Even
if we are successful, feeling
healthy in these ways will instill
even more passion into what we
want to accomplish. It will keep
that fire burning.
In an article by Jeffry
Life, M.D., Ph.D. titled “Fitness
to Stay Strong at Any Age: How
to Stop Getting Old,” he talks
about how he went from
“exhausted to exhilarated,” and
at 72, feels better than ever. He
learned that his hormone and
testosterone levels were very
low, and he countered this problem by taking the right supplements. Just as a schizophrenic
can find the right pills that will
regenerate normal chemical
activity in the brain, a person of
any age can counter many defi-
Tsutomu Tosaka, 74 years old
ciencies with exercise and, if
bodybuilding champion, who, at
necessary, supplements.
74,
looks
amazing
Who wants that sad(Vikingbodybuilding.com).
ness that seems to create a dark
Not all of us aim to
cloud over so many people as
compete, but people like Tosaka
they age? Who wants that
should prove to the world that
silence and loss of creativity and
anyone is capable of living no
imagination? Who wants to feel
different than when they were
weak, frail, and helpless? None
25. It should make little differof us do, of course, and we can
ence that the Japanese are
often avoid all of these things.
known to be healthier and more
The truth is inside you, not what
active then Americans. Why
you see around you. It begins
should we make excuses in the
with the decision to want to live
first place? We can always learn
your life like you always did
to eat healthier, and make more
before, and the will to take that
of an effort to find the time to be
first step outside your front door
active.
in the morning and look up to
After all, being active
the sky as that brisk, startling
is what makes us really feel
winter air hits your face. Is there
alive, isn’t it? Maybe it is the
something out there for you?
most important thing we can do,
The answer does not depend on
because when we feel strong
your age. It depends on you.
mentally and physically, when
we feel capable and aging hasn’t
distorted our way of thinking,
We need your written opinions
to fill up this page!
Send us your opinion about anything! Up to 500 words. Preferably in MS Word Document.
Send to [email protected] It will be edited for spelling and grammar. Opinions and editorials
are not necessarily those of The Pennon.
PAGE 8 – NSCC PENNON
Pan’s Labyrinth
Jack and Jill
BY NICK STILIANOS
Movie Review
We
saw
Dustin
Hoffman in “Tootsie”; Then
Robin Williams in “Mrs.
Doubtfire”; and now Adam
Sandler in “Jack & Jill.”
bad habit of overstaying her
welcome so she ends up spending the remaining year with her
twin brother, his beautiful wife,
and their two kids. By doing so,
Jack sees an opportunity for
himself at work.
Adam Sandler, as both Jack, and sister Jill
Sandler’s brand of comedy
never seems to get old. You
always see him getting punched
in the face or picking fights with
other characters, and he will
still be the family man.
However,
with
Sandler, it is always the same
comic laughs and the same face;
he does not challenge himself to
take different approaches in his
movies. Not to mention, he
always recruits his usual pals to
be in his movies, like Allen
Covert, Rob Schneider, Peter
Dante, and others.
This marks the seventh
time that Adam Sandler and
comic director Dennis Dugan
worked together and they are
either making movies that are
getting worse or Sandler just
has a special gift with scoring at
the box-office. “Just Go With
It” and “Grown-Ups,” the last
two movies they did together,
grossed over $200 million
worldwide, but “Jack and Jill”
only made $25 million its opening weekend.
This time, Sandler portrays twin siblings Jack
Sadelstein, the family-man and
LA advertisement executive,
and Jill Sadelstein, the annoying, single twin sister. Yeah!
You get to see Sandler in a
dress.
The story takes place
during the holidays where Jack
has to suffer another painful
visit from his twin sister, who
comes to LA every Thanksgiving and tends to drive Jack
crazy. Oh yeah! Jill also has a
Jack’s current job crisis is trying to get Al Pacino to
appear in a Dunkin Donuts
commercial to feature their new
“Dunkaccino.” Cappuccino! Al
Pacino! So trying to convince
him, Pacino then falls for Jill
and then Jack uses her excuse to
stay in LA so Pacino can say
“yes” to Jack’s commercial.
“When I look at her, I see me.”
Al Pacino, referring to the fact
that he grew up in The Bronx
and that is where the character
Jill is visiting from.
It is one thing that
Sandler is playing two roles
which doubles the laughter, but
all the celebrity guest appearances as themselves is an even
greater part of the hilarity.
Names like Regis Philbin,
Shaquille O’ Neal, Drew Carey,
Michael Irvin, Johnny Depp,
and of course Al Pacino.
It is hard picturing
Pacino in an opera with a voice
like his while thinking of his
unforgettable “Scarface” role.
At the end of the movie, we see
the Dunkin Donuts commercial
where he is singing and jumping
on and off the front counters. I
just died from laughter. It is just
hard to see him in a comedy
after years of playing men of
power and/or great authority
like “Heat” or “Donnie Brasco.”
How was he convinced to star in
this movie? I am stumped.
$25 million; Adam
Sandler; double the acting; Al
Pacino on stage; this movie was
horribly funny.
BY CHRIS CORRICELLI
Movie Review
This is a fairy tale
telling a fairy tale. You have to
watch it to understand that. The
movie takes place in Spain,
around 1944, during the fascist
times.
The main character
Ofelia is sent with her pregnant
mother to live with her new
step-father. He is the captain of
the Spanish army. He is the
character in this movie that you
love to hate because he cares
about no one but himself and his
army, kind of like their Spanish
Hitler.
One night, Ofelia
meets a fairy who takes her to
an old faun in the middle of the
Labyrinth. A faun is a forest
god. The faun tells her she is a
princess and that she has to
complete three very hard tasks
to prove her royalty. If she fails
just one task, she will never
become a princess and see her
real father, The King.
Guillermo Del Toro
directed and wrote this movie.
Anybody that has to sit and
watch any movie with subtitles
may think it’s going to be boring, but trust me, this movie is
worth seeing a few times.
The theme of Pan’s
Labyrinth mixes reality and fantasy, and shows what happens
Faun
when they cross sides. It also
touches on the ability to find
your true home through all the
obstacles life throws at you.
When Ofelia goes on
the three tasks, the movie starts
to get really good and you find
yourself forgetting that you are
reading subtitles.
Pale Man
Celebrity Birthdays
BY NICK STILIANOS
The characters in this
movie really keep you interested. There are humans, fairies,
and forest gods, and a creature
that has no eyes and talks with a
weird accent. The faun is a
strange, magical creature who
guides Ofelia to the fantasy
world. This is the character with
no eyes.
Captain Vidal, Ofelia’s
step-father is a cruel person. He
shows no sympathy and shows
no emotion. All he wants is to
have his son with Ofelia’s mom
so he can raise him to become a
great soldier, just like him.
Other characters that
play key roles are Mercedes and
Doctor Ferreiro. Mercedes is
Vidal’s housekeeper. She really
hates him and hates the way he
treats people, especially her
brother. Doctor Ferriero assists
Mercedes, who aids the rebels
behind Vidal’s back. After word
gets around that he has been
helping the rebels, Vidal shoots
him.
This movie jumps back
and forth from fairy tales to
wars to action. It makes you
want to watch it again. I read
reviews online about the end of
the movie, and that a lot of people cried in theaters.
The fact that this is a
fairy tale telling a fairy tale
makes it a unique movie. I recommend this movie to anybody
Even though it has subtitles, you
will forget that they are there ten
minutes into this movie.
(Decemeber/January)
Birth Date
Name
Age
December 3, 1985
Amanda Seyfried (In Time)
26
December 4, 1949
Jeff Bridges (Tron: Legacy)
62
December 13, 1989
Taylor Swift (Back To December)
22
December 17, 1975
Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil)
36
December 21, 1948
Samuel L. Jackson (The Avengers)
63
December 29, 1972
Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes)
39
January 5, 1975
Bradley Cooper (The Hangover)
37
January 7, 1964
Nicolas Cage (National Treasure)
48
January 13, 1966
Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy)
46
January 17, 1962
Jim Carrey (Yes Man)
50
January 28, 1981
Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings)
31
January 31, 1981
Justin Timberlake (In Time)
31
Facts:
- Announcements have been made for Milla Jovovich to appear in a fifth Resident Evil movie; release
date has been set for September 14, 2012.
- Nicolas Cage is making a comeback for Ghost Rider fans with a sequel coming out February 17, 2012.
- The Farrelly Brothers have stated that they are going forward with a second Dumb & Dumber, and hopefully that means reuniting Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels together.
- Reminder: Patrick Dempsey announced that season eight of Grey’s Anatomy will be his last one for him.
Battlefield 3
Video Game Review
Battlefield 3 is the latest game released by developer
DICE and publisher Electronic
Arts. Announced in February of
this year, Battlefield 3 was one
of the most anticipated first person shooters of 2011, and closely followed by many first per-
tern until they have destroyed
all of the sets, winning the
match. This is a smaller game
mode with smaller maps, fewer
vehicles, and more concentrated
action. It is also superb and
immensely enjoyable to play,
but some of the maps aren’t
designed for rush and consequently are not quite as enjoy-
son shooter fans.
Touting a beautiful
destruction-based engine, cinematic campaign, and innovative
multiplayer, many thought it
would be the best first person
shooter to release this year. All
in all, Battlefield 3 is an amazing first person shooter and one
of the must-buy games of 2011.
Battlefield 3’s multiplayer option is the main attraction in this game. Make no mistake, this game’s multiplayer
does live up to the hype, if you
know what to expect. Battlefield 3 is a slower-paced game
than many of its competitors,
and even in team deathmatch, it
is not a run-and-gun shooter. It
requires some degree teamwork
and cooperation to win, with
each of the four unique classes
playing their respective roll.
Battlefield 3’s best mode is conquest. In this game mode, the
objective is for your team to
capture and hold as many objectives as possible. Each team has
two hundred and fifty “tickets,”
each representing one soldier’s
life. When one team runs out of
tickets, they lose.
To add another layer of
depth, the team with fewer held
objectives slowly loses tickets.
With tanks, jets, helicopters,
and jeeps to use as attack and
transport vehicles on land, more
than sixty weapons to use, fully
destructible environments, and
huge, well-designed maps made
for this game mode, conquest is
an amazingly fun game mode
where Battlefield 3 truly shines.
Conquest, however, is
not the only great game mode
for Battlefield 3. There is also
rush mode, where the objective
is to either arm, or defend from
being armed, multiple sets of 2
charges. Each set of charges is
confined to a small area of the
map you are playing on, making
the action much more frequent
and heavy than in most of the
conquest maps.
The attacking team
starts out with 75 tickets; if they
run out of tickets, they lose. If
they successfully destroy the 2
objectives, they move on to the
next set, continuing in this pat-
able to play on. Also, the scale
of rush is smaller than conquest,
given the greatly reduced map
area and fewer vehicle count.
Scale is one of the main benefits
of conquest and, to an extent,
the game, as whole. Battlefield
3 also features team and squad
deathmatch, modes in which the
objective is for your team/squad
to get the most kills. These are
nice additions; good for players
who are less interested in objective-based modes and just want
to kill people.
The campaign, while a
nice diversion from the multiplayer, is nothing special. It
does contain an interesting, if
not derivative story, in which
you play primarily as a man
named Henry Black, a sergeant
being questioned about his time
in the military. You experience
the story in the form of recollections and descriptions of key
events.
The story mode, while
very cinematic and at times
thrilling, is also linear and the
destruction is very limited in
comparison to the multiplayer.
Usually taking around 6-8 hours
to play through, It’s something
that is amusing to play, but is
definitely of the game’s ultimate
weaknesses and pales in comparison to the game’s superb
multiplayer.
Battlefield 3 also features a very enjoyable co-op
mode, in which you and a partner work your way through various levels similar to the campaign, albeit more free and
diverse. It’s a nice addition that
adds a fair amount of replay
value to the game.
Battlefield 3 is an
amazing overall package. With
truly superb multiplayer that
will hold your attention for
months, an enjoyable, if underwhelming, single player mode,
and fun co-op, it’s an amazing
game that is among the best to
come out this year. I would
wholeheartedly recommend that
anyone who is even somewhat
into shooters buy this game. On
a scale of 1-10, I would give the
game a score of 9.5.
BY CALVIN GIL
PAGE 9 – NSCC PENNON
My Top Ten Songs of 2011
BY ANTHONY HARRIS
POLITICAL SCIENCE EDITOR
#10. “Making Promises” –
Indigo Girls
Amy Ray and Emily
Saliers formed the folk rock duo
Indigo Girls in 1985 and have
enjoyed a long and successful
career, selling over 7 million
albums worldwide while actively supporting several political
and environmental causes.
“Making Promises,” off their
new album Beauty Queen
Sister, is a testament to the
singers’ genuine talent. Ray and
Saliers have a real gift for
enchanting harmonies and
evocative lyrics that pull you in
and keep you listening.
#9. “Sad Song” – The Cars
One of 2011’s most
pleasant surprises in the world
of music was the return of
Boston’s own New Wave pioneers, The Cars. Known for
synth-heavy pop classics like
“Just What I Needed” and “My
Best Friend’s Girl,” the band
parted ways in 1988 but reunited in 2010 to record Move Like
This, their first album in 24
band has gained a following
stateside, cracking the Billboard
200 with each of their last four
albums. “Options,” off their 7th
LP Whatever’s On Your Mind,
is a whole lot of fun, sporting
rollicking verses, an energetic
horn section, and a soaring chorus.
#6.
“Faster”
–
Matt
Nathanson
Nathanson, a Massachusetts native, seems to have
found the perfect recipe for
breezy, uptempo pop-rock
tunes. He scored a big hit in
2008 with “Come On Get
Higher,” but the singer has actually been active in the music biz
since 1993. “Faster,” the first
single off his 2011 album
Modern Love, is a delightful
concoction of choppy guitar
riffs, a salsa-esque beat, and
Nathanson’s exuberant crooning.
#5. “Lost In My Mind” – The
Head and The Heart
An indie-folk act from
the Pacific Northwest, The
Head and the Heart formed in
2009 and have made quite a
name for themselves in the two
years since, singing to Sub Pop
made a big splash this year with
their sixth LP The King Is Dead,
which peaked at #1 on the
album charts in February. When
picking my favorite song from
the album, it was a tough call
between “Calamity” and the
melancholy “Down by the
Water,” but in the end the former’s thumping beat, catchy
guitar hooks, and oddball combination of apocalyptic lyrics
and a sunny melody won me
over.
#2. “Pumped Up Kicks” –
Foster the People
If you were near a
radio at any point this past summer or fall, odds are you heard
this creepy little ditty a time or
two. Featuring dark lyrics, a
prowling bass line, and infectious bullhorn vocals, “Kicks”
became that rare crossover
smash, receiving heavy rotation
on rock stations before climbing
the pop charts. Seemingly
inescapable by September, the
tune peaked at #3 on the Hot
100 and has become a staple of
popular media, appearing in
everything from Entourage to
Fright Night.
#1. “Someone Like You” –
Clockwise from the top left: The Cars, The Decemberists, Foster the People, Adele
Records, earning the title
Adele
years. Lead single “Sad Song”
“Seattle’s
Best
New
Band”
from
With two #1 singles,
hit the airwaves in March and,
a
local
magazine,
and
perform13
weeks
atop the Billboard
with its danceable groove and
ing
on
Conan
O’Brien’s
late200,
and
over
10 million albums
prominent synthesizer, found
night
show.
If
you
haven’t
heard
sold,
nobody
had a more sucthe band picking up right where
any
of
their
music,
“Lost”
is
an
cessful
2011
than
British singerthey left off.
excellent
introduction
to
the
songwriter
Adele.
Already a ris#8. “I Might” – Wilco
band’s
sweeping,
wistful
sound
ing
star
after
winning
the 2009
Alt-rock act Wilco has
and
graceful
harmonies.
Grammy
for
Best
New
Artist,
been plugging away since 1994,
#4.
“Barton
Hollow”
–
The
the
23-year-old
diva’s
fame
when it sprang from the ashes of
Civil
Wars
reached
new
heights
with
her
the band members’ previous
An
alt-country
duo
sophomore
album
21,
and
it’s
group Uncle Tupelo. The group
hailing
from
Nashville,
The
easy
to
hear
why.
In
an
age
of
had a sizable radio hit this year
Civil
Wars
burst
onto
the
scene
manufactured
pop
stars
and
with “I Might,” the first single
in early 2011 with their debut
grating, Auto-Tuned choruses,
from their latest offering The
album
Barton
Hollow
and
won
Adele’s heart-wrenching lyrics
Whole Love. The song starts off
praise
for
their
full-bodied
and
soulful voice are at once
with a brisk, jangly rhythm
sound.
From
the
moment
it
timeless
and a breath of fresh
before ramping up with heavily
opens
with
a
powerful
harmony
air.
distorted guitars, a merrybetween singers Joy Williams
sounding organ, and an artfully
and
John Paul White, the title
HONORABLE MENTIONS
placed xylophone.
track
goes
right
for
the
jugular
#7. “Options” – Gomez
with a gritty, snarling rhythm
“Holdin On To Black Metal” –
Perhaps the catchiest
that,
for
a
band
named
after
a
My Morning Jacket
tune of the past 12 months came
19th-century
conflict,
sounds
“Perfume” – The Old 97’s
to us via Gomez, the English
appropriately
rustic.
“Helplessness Blues” – Fleet
indie rock outfit behind songs
#3.
“Calamity
Song”
–
The
Foxes
like “See the World” and
Decemberists
“From Above” – Ben Folds
“Airstream Driver.” Although
Portland-based
indie“Na Na Nothing” – Mike
better known in the UK, where
folk
rockers
The
Decemberists
Doughty
they’ve had a string of hits, the
PAGE 10– NSCC PENNON
CREATIVE
WRITING
BY DEB SCARFO
A Euology
On silent shores she stands, breaking
me down to soft grains, crystallized cold
from tides of time. For years,
I dug my feet in to see how far I could go.
Wiggling her warm between my toes
I would brush her off, but she stuck
in broken clumps, for better
or worse, sickness and in health, itchy
on my skin, ruining my lunch of leisure.
So different were we. I remember
the days she shined warm gold. I drank
her in greedily, for she came but once
a year, if I was lucky. So transient she was
in those days. She would bring her chair
of red, add fluffy whites, making it prettyin-pink. Today, only brilliant blues prevail
leaving sand in my eyes, gritty
still after all these years. A child shouts,
don’t step on a crack, you’ll break
her back. Help me jump higher, stand
taller and I will rise above her
crashing crests—banging breakers
full speed ahead. So cautious
was her devotion. She chose to tread
lightly, her head bobbing; the pearl
marble shot into my inner circle.
I guess I was not meant to be
her diamond in the rough. She should have known
to blow the whistle when I drifted
out too far, for now I may never return.
Nor shall she, for her shine has been stolen
by seagulls kept still by broken wings
that never healed. She searches the wind
these days, I imagine, for golden nuggets left behind
by strangers she chooses over me, abandoned
again. Our castle crumbled long ago,
stomped on by angry combers walking by,
witnessing our deck of cards sinking. Now, soft
sand sifts through my fingers, stone-smooth.
An Exhibit of
Landscapes
BY MARY ANN HONAKER
The landscapes didn't do it for me.
I liked the fallen tree in the rocky glen,
the massed weeds with sun-nicked leaves,
the startled winter trees
black against bleached light and snow,
the pale sunless sunset
mirrored in frozen rivulet.
But I wanted to walk
into a fresh world. The rain
just ceased; colors bright, clean.
Pearled petals and leaves
bowing to let slip
tears then trembling
up again. Instead my eyes left
the same as my eyes before.
I can haze the distant hills
on my own, can peer off
and lose any definite horizon.
I can step back and cast
it all in golden glow.
This I know, painters,
this
I know
so teach me instead
the love of one leaf.
One leaf bitten through
by bug. One leaf the light
loves so, and frankly spines
with shine. Teach me
how lovely
the shaded underside.
It’s Time
For You To Shine
BY ALMA HOXHAJ
I, who had no way but to strive,
I, who had no chance to shine,
I, am brave not to cry,
because you are the star that made me survive,
I, who believe in dreams,
I tell you today, you have wings,
You need to find a way to fly,
because we are lucky to be alive,
I, who had no chance but to strive,
I say to you it's time for you to shine.
“Merry Christmas
Nahant!”
BY ROZI THEOHARI
The last verse of a Longfellow poem
dedicated to Nahant
Seven nights before Christmas
In the evening – December 19, 2009—the roads
Of Nahant—flashing with lights—
The annual Christmas Parade—deafening
Full of cheers, car horn noises, carol melodies.
Nahanters salute from the walkways
In front of their decorated wreathed doors…
On such a night –a Christmas Party
At the almost 200-year-old Jenkins’ Hill House
Invited Islanders celebrating…
Seated near the fiercely burning fireplace
I am attracted by a huge lady’s portrait
In a large gold ornamental frame.
Her dress striped green and gray
With a delicate white lace open collar,
Wearing a diamond brooch.
She looks at me with dark brown eyes
Her face rose-red from the fire’s waves:
“Welcome to the Jenkins’ house”—her voice
echoes—
“If I could, I would be playing this mahogany
piano
As I once did on Christmas Eve.
By chance, as a ghost, as a little bird
I fly tonight in awe!—to the Christmas tree
Where the unseen ghosts of this aged house
Become the white angels
Enjoying the party from their green perches…
A cup of the red Christmas wassail punch—the old
style,
I have the desire to drink, to wish:
Blessed are you Nahanters tonight in this place
The past is never dead!”
I elbow through the crowd—the party guests
In the three big living rooms,
No music, no dance. Only conversations.
Cavaliers’ red pants and bow ties; elegant ladies in
backless gowns—
Standing, stepping, meeting and toasting each
other
With crystal wine glasses—meanwhile chatting
and laughing…
There are antique objects in this museum house
Like old and new telephones—cellphones that men
Put in their pockets—the wiggling-blue lights
shine
Like a handful of fireflies…
The past never dies:
A perpetual Christmas memory on the rock island
In the 21st century dawn
And centuries from now.
Merry Christmas Nahant !
PAGE 11 – NSCC PENNON
BY LYDIA WAHL
FEATURES EDITOR
The windshield wipers
smacked against the window of
the officers’ car. He could feel
the tension, anxiety, and fear of
the criminal in his back seat
piercing through him. It filled
the car and threatened to shoot
through the windows after suffocating them.
“I can’t believe this,”
the criminal said.
The officer said nothing. Taking a deep breath, he
searched his lungs for a sense of
relief but found none. He
stopped slowly at every stop
light, driving as carefully and as
slowly as possible.
“Are you going to say
anything?”
The officer shook his
On The Job
head in response. He heard the
criminal slump back in the seat,
resigned from their attempt. He
flicked down his turn signal,
cringing at the noise he had
made, knowing it could bring
danger.
“Don’t ignore me,” she
screamed from the back, banging her hands against the
divider.
The officer jumped in
his seat but regained composure. He should have just made
the turn, maintained the silence
but he didn’t want to break the
law.
The woman in the back
stared into the rearview mirror.
Her eyes were red and baggy,
exploding with blood vessels,
vibrant against her pale skin.
Her anger toward him rippled in
her pores and shot from her eyes
to his head, giving him a
headache. “I can’t believe this,”
she said again.
The police officer
focused on the rain drops ahead,
reflecting in them the preceding
week. On the rain drops he saw
the missing persons report. He
saw all the places he had
searched for her, and finally, the
place where he had, against the
wall of an alley, saw her shooting heroine into her veins even
as he approached.
The call had come at
about three in the morning but
had not woken him. He had
been up all night racking his
brain. Where is she? The question carved train tracks into his
mind that he didn’t think would
ever go away.
He carried her slumped
in his arms. She had smiled at
him while caressing his beard.
“My hero, my heroine,” she said.
The association had
made his insides burn but he
still set her down gently in the
back of his car. The memories
prompted him; he remembered
now why he had to do this.
He pulled in front of
the station. “I can’t believe this
either, my own wife,” the officer
said.
He saw her eyes
change from sympathetic to
ashamed in his mirror as he got
out, opened the door for her one
last time, and then walked her
into the station.
This Dream
BY SHANNON HORGAN
corners of her beautiful brown
eyes as she laughs when I chase
her. It was almost like an innocent game of tag or hide and
seek. Only, now I’m not “it”
anymore and she’s not hiding.
She’s just gone as easily and
quietly as she appeared.
In my dream I continue
to wander the field with false
hope and open ears but I know I
will never find her because it
was only a dream and my vision
of this child is only that; a
vision. Her soul is nowhere to
be found because it never got a
chance to exist. This doesn’t
change the fact that at some
point, I witnessed her and I
never saw her sadness in being
one of the many lost lights in
this world.
laughter stops and I can’t recover it. It’s suddenly silent and I
feel like I can’t breathe.
Somehow I know something has happened to this precious little girl. There aren’t any
clues but I can sense it in every
last piece of my heart. I strain
my ears each time, every night,
just waiting, wishing, hoping, to
be surprised for once with the
return of her laughter.
Only it doesn’t. No
more flickers of her dainty dress
across the field or her hair flowing freely down her delicate
back. No more crinkles at the
This young girl never
showed any awareness that she
wasn’t “real.” She was just a
perfect little girl with probably
her father’s eyes and her mother’s heart playing in a pretty
field.
I eventually wake up
and the presence of this little
angel never disappears. Her
imprint never fades away. So I
have no choice but to cherish it
and wait for a reoccurring night
when I am once again enchanted by her laughter and then devastated by her silence.
There’s this dream that
I have often. I can’t shake how
real it feels or the hurt in my
chest once I wake up.
There is a young girl
running around, giggling in a
large field. A field full of flowers of every color and variety I
could imagine. The sunlight
illuminates every patch of flowers and sends its love with kisses of warmth on a fragile frame.
I keep chasing her, and
when she escapes my sight, I
just follow the tinkling of
chimes that her tiny laughter
resembles. Only, no matter how
long I follow her in this sunny
field, she never tires and I can’t
seem to catch her. Then after
some time, the sound of her
PAGE 12 – NSCC PENNON
Health Services would like to thank all of the NSCC nursing students and
instructors who assisted us with our free fall flu clinics for the college
community. From intake to administering over 200 flu vaccines, you did
a great job. Thank you one and all!
~ The Health Services team
Strategies for Quitting Smoking
Want to quit smoking? Need some help? Health Services is sponsoring two free educational events to
help you succeed. A health educator from Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare is coming to NSCC twice to
teach you about strategies to help you quit:
Monday, December 12th 2-3 pm LE-305 Lynn campus
Wednesday, December 14th 12:30-1:30 pm DB-208 Danvers campus
Don’t forget that the college is going smoke free as of January 1, 2012. Be sure to take advantage of
this free resource for the college community while there’s still time. Also, feel free to stop by Danvers
Health Services DB-108 and Lynn Health Services LW-126 for additional support and information.
~ The Health Services team
World AIDS Day Event
Join us for the third annual World AIDS Day event on Thursday, December 1st in the Lynn gym in collaboration with Lynn Community Health Center, Health Services and Program Council.
From 11 AM -12 PM, our renowned speaker, Sarah Rial, who is a native of Sudan, will discuss AIDS
and gender as it relates to the African community. The co-founder of the African Women
Empowerment Group, Sarah is the Program Director for My Sister’s Keeper, a grassroots humanitarian organization focused on education in southern Sudan. In December of 2010, Hilary Clinton presented Sarah with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights for her important advocacy work with
the underserved.
From 12 – 1 PM, honor World AIDS day by designing a free t-shirt to take home with you.
Also, free and confidential HIV testing will be offered throughout our event.
We look forward to seeing you there.
~ Health Services
New Gender-Neutral
Bathrooms on Campus
Bathroom and Locker Room Use
All students may utilize bathroom or locker room facilities on campus that are designated as genderneutral. Students are permitted to use bathrooms or locker rooms on campus that are gender specific
based on the gender designation contained in the student’s College records.
Changing Biographical Data
In order to change one’s legal name on College records, a student must present a certified copy of a
court order indicating a legal name change has been granted. As for changing one’s gender designation
on College records, a student must provide a certified copy of a court order showing the change of gender, or other legal identification, such as a Massachusetts driver’s license, reflecting the student’s new
gender. If a student presents evidence to the College that the student’s name, gender or other biographical information has been legally changed, the College will recognize that change in its records and in
the application of its policies.
This information was taken directly from the
President’s Council meeting on 9-16-2011
The Halloween party at North Shore Community
College was a great time and we would like to thank everyone
that came to the event.
Donna Rosado and family
Greg and Braylon Ford
LPN nursing students:
Front row (left to right)
Jamie Elliott, Michael DiVecchia
Back row (left to right)
Ellen Bussone (nursing instructor), Eunice Njai, Wendy Jeter, Sheila
Savia
RN nursing students:
Front row (left to right)
Manyya Choum, Brian Hurst, Carlos Diaz
Back row (left to right)
Norene Gachignard, nursing instructor, Victoria Soto, Jennifer
Fernandez, LeeAnn Reynolds, Nicole Leger
Club
News
PAGE 13 – NSCC PENNON
North Shore
Community College
and The Performing
Arts Council present…
The Fantastic Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
A Winter Panto*mime
Club Directory
A F R I C A N S O C I E T Y : LOVE MAYA
A V I A T I O N : JOHN KREEFT
B G L A D : TIFFANY MAGNOLIA
B I O L O G I C A L S C I E N C E C L U B : SCOTT STIMPSON
C H R I S T O N C A M P U S : TIM WHITMAN
C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T : LAURIE MESSINA
C R I M I N A L J U S T I C E : CONSTANTINE SOURIS
& ANN KOSHIVAS
E C O N O M I C S & F I N A N C E : MOONSU HAN
E N G I N E E R I N G : MARY BETH STEIGERWALD
F O O D S C I E N C E & S A F E T Y : GREG REPPUCCI
F R E N C H & S P A N I S H C L U B : IRENE FERNANDEZ
M A R K E T I N G : PATRICIA MANNINEN
M EDI A C LU B : J IM H A RR ING T O N
M U L T I - C U L T U R A L S O C I E T Y : ESPY HERRERA
ANKANA BARUA
M U S L I M A S S O C I A T I O N : YUSEF HAYES
N U R S I N G C L A S S F R E S H M A N : LINDA GOODALE
N U R S I N G C L A S S S O P H M O R E : LORINDA LATVA
P H I T H E T A K A P P A : FRED ALTIERI
P H I L O S O P H Y C L U B : FRED ALTIERI
P O E T S & W R I T E R S : JOE BOYD
P R E - M E D C L U B : RAY PARKER
P S Y C H E D F O R P S Y C H : KRISTIN ERBETTA
Q U E E R S T R A I G H T A L L I A N C E : ANNE TABET AND
VICTORIA PASCIUTO
R E S P I R A T O R Y C A R E : LEN LEBLANC
S O T A : PATRICIA BANKS
RUTH DELISIO
S T U D E N T A R T C L U B : JAMES CHISHOLM
S U R F C L U B : SEAN HANLON
V E T E R A N S C L U B : MIKE SMITH
W O M E N I N T R A N S I T I O N : MARGARET FIGGINS-HILL
Y O U T H G R O U P U N I T E D : ALEXANDER GUZMAN
LE219
X.6693
DB366
X.5592
LW229
X.6622
LW288
X.6288
...................................
LW366
X.5512
DB366
X.5419
DB367C
X.5418
DB367
X.5456
X.6650
LW321
DH216
X.4375
DB367A
X.5442
LE306
X.6665
LE307
X.2159
X.6274
LW113
LW113
X.6274
DB367B
X.5414
DH206
X.4438
DH206
X.4427
X.5556
DB267H
DB267H
X.5556
LE232
X.6238
LW112
X.6683
DB367E
X.5580
DH106
X.4051
DB125
X.5471
DH203
X.4170
DH 203
X.4174
DH 223
X.4168
DB366A
X.5548
DB367E
X.5467
DH106
X.4368
DB366B
X.5515
LW157
X.6601
Organizations
P E N N O N : VICTORIA PASCIUTO
P E R F O R M I N G A R T S C O U N C I L : MATTHEW WOODS
P R O G R A M C O U N C I L : VICTORIA PASCIUTO
S T U D E N T G O V E R N M E N T : VICTORIA PASCIUTO
W O M E N ’ S C E N T E R : VICTORIA PASCIUTO
Written and directed by Matthew Woods
DB125
LW172
DB125
LW125
DB125
X.5471
X.6228
X.5471
X.5471
X.5471
Attention Club Advisors and Members!
Information about your club
can be featured here!
This is your page and if you want other people
to know about your club or what your club is
doing, then contact us!
[email protected]
Join Program
Council!
THIS GROUP PLANS AND COORDINATES A VARIETY OF
SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS FOR
THE ENTIRE COLLEGE COMMUNITY. PAST ACTIVITIES HAVE
INCLUDED AIR BRUSH T-SHIRTS, PSYCHIC READINGS,
AND MASSAGE THERAPY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT VICTORIA PASCIUTO
AT (978) 762-4000 X5471 OR
[email protected].
December 1, 2, and 3 at 7 p.m., also
December 3 at 3 p.m.
At The Neal Rantoul Vault Theatre
At Lynn Arts, Inc.
25 Exchange Street, Lynn, MA 01901
Tickets: $7 general admission
$5 students and seniors (with ID)
children 10 and under free
For more information or to reserve tickets in
advance, please contact Matthew Woods at
[email protected] or call 781-5936722, x 6228
Dear Students and Members of
our community,
The Student Government Association would like to
give you a brief overview of
events, projects, and initiatives
that we have completed or are
currently developing. Please
keep in mind that our meetings
are held on both campuses, and
are open to everyone. You may
voice your opinion on any of the
items below, or bring new items
to the Student Government
Association's attention. Have a
happy and safe holiday season.
The Student Government
Association has been working
toward accomplishing the three
goals set forth in their 20112012 Strategic Plan.
Community Outreach:
SGA members have...
- Helped to lead students to
Revere to rebuild Costa Park
- Asked clubs and organizations
to donate $10 to Ma Dukes
pizza to help offset the cost of
serving Thanksgiving day
meals.
- Arranged to volunteer during
the holiday season at Maple
Street Church in Danvers, and
are encouraging other students
to join in.
Student Engagement/Issues:
- Sustainable Savings Card being developed, will give students discounts at local businesses that are committed to
environmental stewardship.
- Adaptive Lab - members have
been asked by a student to
review the adaptive lab’s hours
of operation.
- Attendance Policy - a subcommittee has been established to
make recommendations to and
work with the Academic Policy
Committee to hopefully review
the current attendance policy
- President's Council Meeting hosted an open forum to foster
collaboration between club and
organization Presidents.
- Service Awards-a subcommittee has been established to create and propose a new design
for the Service Awards.
- Gender Neutral Bathroomspassed a resolution to support
the QSA in their mission to
bring gender neutral bathrooms
to the campuses.
- Consistent contributions to the
Pennon
- Impromptu SGA commercial
in front of the U.S Capitol
building that can be found on
our SGA Facebook Page wall.
Recruitment/succession planning:
- Scholarship- in the process of
designing and developing an
SGA scholarship program to
encourage incoming high
school students to join and provide an incentive for active participation in SGA.
- Facebook Page, to Like search
“NSCC Student Government
Association”
- Tabling in Lynn
- Bulletin Board with member
profiles
- Encouraging club Presidents
to send a representative to SGA
SGA Chief Justice
Konstantine Papageorgio has
resigned from his position as he
and his family will be relocating
to Florida. Konstantine played
an important role during
Smoking Committee deliberations. He will be missed by all
of us, and we wish him well in
all of his future endeavors.
Members of the SGA who wish
to be appointed to the open position will go through a review
process with Dean Holmes and
SGA advisor Victoria Pasciuto
before such an appointment.
Happy Holidays
from the Pennon!
Thank you to everyone for their
valued interest and support in the student
newspaper. We will be looking forward to
the new year, with new readers, suggestions, ideas, submissions, and members.
The next issue will come out February 1st.
As usual, all submissions need to be submitted by the 15th of the month. January
15th is the next deadline. See you soon!
PAGE 14 – NSCC PENNON
dents and past encounters with
the female student. She does
have a class with the party three
days a week in Danvers. The
statement given to Officer Salvo
reports that an assault has taken
place, along with harrassment.
All information will be handed
to the first-shift OIC.
10/26/2011 10:32am
LYNN CAMPUS:
A student was escorted off campus. He has been verbally trespassed and must speak to the
Dean of Students prior to returning to any NSCC campus or
campus property.
10/19/2011 5:31pm
LYNN CAMPUS:
Officer Martocchio reports two
disruptive persons arguing in
front of the CPD office at the Tstation. The transit police was
notified and said they would
send an officer. Sgt. Thomas
also arrived on scene to assist.
Sgt. Thomas notified dispatch to
cancel request for transit police,
as both parties went on their
way.
10/20/2011 9:38pm
LYNN CAMPUS:
An officer reported that at the Tstation there were two women
stating that they were being harrassed by a male party and
needed assistance. MBTA was
notifed and arrived on scene at
9:45pm. The report was forwarded to the Dean of students.
All parties cleared.
10/26/2011 6:57am
LYNN CAMPUS:
A student approached the desk
and informed Officer Salvo of
an ongoing issue she is having
with another student. Officer
Salvo informed the OIC
(Officer Khoun) of the situation.
Officer Salvo had party write a
statement explaining all inci-
10/26/2011 3:13pm
DANVERS CAMPUS:
A student reports his vehicle
was struck while parked in Lot
3. After investigating it was
determined that the accident
happened elsewhere.
10/27/2011 7:53pm
LYNN CAMPUS:
A professor called to report an
odor coming from the radiator.
Cpl. Eam was dispatched to the
area. Upon arrival, the odor
turned out to be the heat of the
radiators turning on.
10/28/2011 3:49am
DANVERS CAMPUS:
A single motor vehicle accident
took place at the Topsfield
rotary on the ramp. State Police
was notified. Officer Defelice to
standby until State Police
arrives. State cruiser arrived at
3:55am.
Officer
Defelice
cleared the scene at 4:00am.
10/31/2011 12:24pm
LYNN CAMPUS:
A male student walked out of
the gym with a book in hand. He
was then observed going into
the cafe, and then leaving the
east end of the building, holding
a coffee. When questioned by
Officer Scouten, the party
admitted to taking the coffee
from the cafe.
11/3/2011 5:10pm
LYNN CAMPUS:
A professor called for the foors
to be opened and also reported a
few arguments outside the main
doors. Officers responded and
met with MBTA police who had
a dispute with pedestrians at the
corner of Broad St and Market
St. Lynn PD was notified, butthen told to disregard request
due to parties moving along. All
parties cleared.
11/3/2011 8:04pm
LYNN CAMPUS:
An officer stated he saw a dispute between two parties in the
main lot. The parties seemed to
seperate and went to their vehicles to leave. They then began to
horseplay in their vehicles.
Parties were spoken to and then
all parties cleared.
11/4/2011 10:17am
LYNN CAMPUS:
Officer Lt. Cook reported the
fire alarm was vandalized and is
now taped up.
11/4/2011 12:34pm
LYNN CAMPUS:
A female student reported that a
middle-aged man wearing a
black zip-up sweater and blue
jeans approached her while she
was in her parked car with the
door open. He asked her for
change. The main lot and surrounding areas were checked.
The individual was not located.
11/5/2011 12:28pm
LYNN CAMPUS:
A student reported her vehicle
was parked at the MBTA garage
and broken into. Another student approached the control
desk and reported she witnessed
a party breaking into her vehicle. It was further discovered
that numerous vehicles were
broken into.
11/7/2011 4:19pm
DANVERS CAMPUS:
A party reported another party
was attempting to sell back
books in her office. Involved
party was checked for in-house
records. No information was
found. License check revealed a
different address. Check of
party’s license plate returned no
matching record.
11/9/2011 2:42pm
DANVERS CAMPUS:
A party reported a male wearing
a baseball cap with dark clothing is possibly in possession of a
knife. The party was located and
it was found that the knife is
used at his work place. He was
told to return it to his vehicle.
December 2011
SUN
MON
TUES
WED
Book Buy Back at the NSCC Bookstore
this month will be as follows:
December 13-15, 16, 19-21 from 8:30 AM-3:30 PM
4
11
18
25
PAGE 15 – NSCC PENNON
6
5
Queer Straight
Alliance Meeting
Danvers Student Life
Conference Room
1:30 PM-3:30 PM
Program Council
Meeting
DB208 & LW307
2:30 PM-4:00 PM
13
12
19 Program Council
Meeting
DB208 & LW307
2:30 PM-4:00 PM
Evening Classes End
Book Buy Back
26
14
1 SGA Meeting
DB208 & LW307
2:00 PM-4:00 PM
PAC presents The
Fantastic Voyage of
Sinbad... 7:00 PM
8
15 Student
Government
Association Meeting
DB208 & LW307
2:00 PM-4:00 PM
Book Buy Back
Book Buy Back
NSCC Bookstore
8:30 AM-3:30 PM
Ping Pong
Tournament
Danvers Student Life
Lounge
10:00 AM-2:00 PM
20
21
22
28
29
Queer Straight
Alliance Meeting
DB208 & LW307
1:30 PM-3:30 PM
Book Buy Back
27
Important Numbers
CONNECTING ALL DEPARTMENTS: Lynn: (781)
593-6722 Danvers: (978) 762-4000 Beverly
Cummings Center (978) 236-1200
Math & Writing Lab
Lynn x6254
Danvers x5417
Hawthorne x1544
Computer Lab
Lynn x6296
Danvers x5569
7 Karaoke Day
Danvers Student
Life Lounge
12:30 AM-2:30 PM
THURS
Library
Lynn (781) 477-2133
Danvers (978) 762-4000
x.5526
Book Store
Lynn (781) 477-2127
Danvers (978) 762-4046
Weather Hotline
(978) 762-4200
PC = PROGRAM COUCIL
WC = WOMEN’S CENTER
PTK= PHI THETA KAPPA
SGA = STUDENT GOVERNMENT
PAC = PERFORMING ARTS COUNCIL
Events are Subject to
Change
Book Buy Back
NSCC Bookstore
8:30 AM-3:30 PM
2
FRI
Pool Tournament
Danvers Student Life
Lounge
10: AM-2:00 PM
9
PAC presents
The Fantastic
Voyage of Sinbad
the Sailor The Neal
Rantoul Vault Theater
of Lynn Arts 3&7 PM
3
10
17
16
Day Classes End
SAT
Book Buy Back
NSCC Bookstore
8:30 AM-3:30 PM
23
24
30
31
NSCC Fall/Spring 2011/12 Schedule
Winter/Spring payment due
Dec 7, 2011
Day classes end
Dec 16, 2011
Evening classes end
Dec 19, 2011
Final Exam period,
day classes only
Dec 19, 2011 to Dec
21, 2011
Grades due by noon
Jan 3, 2012
Grades posted
Jan 6, 2012
January Intersession
classes run Jan
3,
2012 to Jan 28, 2012
Martin Luther King
Day - no classes
Jan 16, 2012
Low enrolled courses
canceled Jan 18,
2012
Classes begin, day
and evening
Jan 23, 2012
Deadline to withdraw
and receive 100%
refund of tuition/fees
from 15-week classes
Jan 23, 2012 to Jan
29, 2012
Deadline to withdraw
from 15-week classes
and receive 100%
tuition only Jan 30,
2012 to Feb 5, 2012
Deadline to change
from audit to credit
or credit to audit
Feb 10, 2012
President's Day - no
classes
Feb 20,
2012
Deadline to petition
for spring graduate
& ensure name in
program Mar 9,
2012
Evacuation Day - no
classes
day
or
evening
Mar 16,
2012
Classes in session
Mar 17, 2012
PAGE 16 – NSCC PENNON
Alumni Corner
BY SANDRA ROCHON
ALUMNI COORDINATOR
Denise Kent, Class of 2000
Denise Kent
Attorney Denise Kent is a graduate of NSCC’s paralegal
program. Denise returned to campus recently to present at NSCC’s
Paralegal Employment Panel on November 16th, 2011. At the event,
she told current paralegal students about the “excellent foundation”
the paralegal program had provided her and said that she regularly
relied on every one of the classes she’d taken here. While a student
here, Denise was placed in an internship at a Lynnfield law office.
When the internship ended Denise was hired by the firm, and she
continued to work there as an estates & trusts paralegal while pursuing her bachelor degree at Gordon College and eventually her law
degree at Mass School of Law. Today Denise runs a thriving general law practice in Hamilton, specializing in elder law.
Denise has described her experience at NSCC as “positively life changing” and says she felt supported and encouraged by professors Jane Levesque and Ellen O’Donnell. “These two women
were excellent role models and offered me a glimpse into the future
and the successful woman I could become with discipline and hard
work.” While pursuing her paralegal degree, Denise was a non-traditional student with work and family obligations. She was working,
raising her son and caring for her ailing mother. Denise said the professors at NSCC gave her valuable support in continuing her academic journey and that they understood the difficulties inherent in
balancing work, family and higher education, and yet still challenged students to be their best.
In addition to presenting at the Paralegal Panel, Denise
maintains her connection to NSCC by serving on the paralegal advisory board and providing internship opportunities at her law office.
Faces in the Hall
BY JESSIE PAIVA
FACES IN THE HALL EDITOR
Michelle Bolduc
“Being a part of TRiO has helped me get
more involved with the school. Last
semester I volunteered to read to elementary school kids. This semester, I sold cupcakes to raise money for a hat-and-mitten
drive. Working at Student Life gives me
many opportunities to get involved.”
Question: How are you involved on campus?
Alyssa Brewster
“I’m pretty much involved. If I find an
interesting club I’d try my best to find the
time to get in it. My schedule doesn’t allow
any time for clubs right now. I’ll try to get
in for next semester or next year.”
Kaitlyn Heathman
“I’m more involved than I expected to be.
A lot of it just sort of happened. I make
sure to be at every PACE card event. I’m
involved with MASSPIRG, the Media
Club [as treasurer], the Philosophy Club,
and QSA. We’re hoping to start an
Adventure Club soon. A lot of it just hapDonovyn Pickler
pened and caught my interest. I’d say I’m
“I’m
president
of the Media Club; I
pretty involved.”
work with MASSPIRG, QSA, and
Philosophy Club. I didn’t plan on
avoiding [extracurriculars] but I didn’t
plan on them. I just went to Fall Fest
and signed up at as many tables as I
could, to get on all the email lists and
see what happens. And the Media Club
is always looking for new members!”