Articles - Page 3 of 94 - The Mount Observer

(Archive November 2018) Like Father, Like Son

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Zach Pavlosky | Editor in Chief

As the #MeToo movement swept away Hollywood heavyweights such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, men in positions of power soon began to question the future of their respective careers. Actors, writers, producers, directors, CEOs, the guy running the craft services table (you never know) were all struck with the same panic inducing thought – “Am I next?” Whether it was a simple hand on the shoulder or a compliment that came off as just a bit too flirtatious, the movement had a seemingly endless supply of ammunition to use against those who abused their power. As the reshaping of the Hollywood power structure forged on, the movement set its’ sights on a new male-dominated medium – news and politics. read more

(Archive November 2018) President Trump: 2 Years Later

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Mark Revesai | Observer Contributor

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence
Image by Shealah Craighead

Students from the Gardner and Leominster campuses offered their opinions on how they feel about President Trump two years after his election.

A total of 69 students were asked a series of questions related to the current administration. Students were first asked if they were registered to vote. Nearly half of those who were polled, 34, were not registered to vote. Being uninterested in politics, thinking their opinion doesn’t matter, and not being a U.S. citizen were some reasons for them not being registered. read more

(Archive November 2018) Remembering Gene Cauthen

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By The Observer Staff

Gene A. Cauthen
Photo courtesy of MWCC

Gene A. Cauthen, Sculpture and Drawing professor, has died.

During Cauthen’s 35 years teaching at MWCC, he served as both the East Wing Gallery Director, Chair of the Art Department, and was the school’s first Sculpture professor. The early success of the art program was due, in large part, to Cauthen, as he was one of the founding members.

Pictured, from left, Professors Joyce Miller, Gene Cauthen, Tom Matsuda, department founder Jean Tandy, and John Pacheco.
Photo courtesy of MWCC

Cauthen was a strong advocate for a curriculum based around sculpture. He taught mold making and bronze casting, and for 50 years, MWCC has remained the only community college in the state that offers bronze casting to art students. read more

(Archive November 2018) Professor Elmer Eubanks-Archbold: Running for Change

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Mark Revesai | Observer Contributor

Elmer Eubanks-Archbold, MWCC professor and candidate for Representative of Worcestor’s 3^rd District
Photo from electelmer.squarespace.com

Elmer Eubanks-Archbold, Business professor, hopes to unseat Democratic Representative Stephan Hay to represent Worcester’s 3^rd district.

Eubanks-Archbold, is running as a Republican against a Democratic incumbent who has held the seat since 2016. He said hard work, education and self-reliance are important attributes, and that while government should be there, it should not be the only solution.

Eubanks-Archbold has been actively participating in politics from the time he became a United States citizen in 1997. As an immigrant from Costa Rica, Eubanks-Archbold is no stranger to hard work. He has worked as a janitor, earned extra money working in a bookstore, and was even a Certified Nursing Assistant; all while working towards his bachelor’s degree. read more

(Archive November 2018) Student Veterans Receive Free Textbooks

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Briana Shelly | Observer Contributor

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
The Veterans Textbook Donation Program helps to bring college textbooks to student veterans or students in the care of someone who has served in the military, lifting a great financial weight from their shoulders.
Image by Amanda Munoz flickr./com/photos/amanda_munoz

Since 2010, the Veterans Textbook Donation Program has been successfully assisting students with borrowing books free of charge every semester.

Robert Mayer, military veteran and the Director of Veteran Services, has been in charge of the program since 2014.

“Doesn’t matter what ranking or branch or service, they will tell you the wrong information,” Mayer said. Referencing the many students who are unaware of all the benefits they can reap once getting into college, Mayer stated that there have been plenty of occasions where students are coming straight from serving and are misled on their educational path. read more

(Archive November 2018) Hey Alexa, Are You Listening?

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Dylan Cernoia | Observer Contributor

Security cameras have become more and more prevalent as the years have gone by.
Image by RickySpanish

The Humanities Project hosted an event at the Levi Heywood Memorial Library in Gardner called “Hey Alexa, Are You Listening?” that discussed modern day surveillance as compared to the book 1984.

The event informed students and the public about the current situation surrounding modern surveillance. It was led by James Bigelow, a 7-year Criminal Justice professor and former detective, and Reed Hillman, a 10- year Criminal Justice professor.

People often hear about surveillance and it can be difficult to decipher fact from fiction. Are we always being watched or is it paranoia? In short, yes; Hillman said, “There are surveillance cameras everywhere. Even if you’re in the deep woods, there are game cameras.” While that seems like it bears a resemblance to the state in 1984, Bigelow said people shouldn’t worry about the thought police just yet saying, “We have oversight of separate branches, so if the police want to listen to your phone they got to get a warrant. They have to go through a judge; he’s got to review it and he’s got to agree that there is probable cause. Our system of checks and balances does work.” read more

(Archive November 2018) The Selfless Act of Giving Back

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Briana Shelly | Observer Contributor

Shelley Nicholson, the Director of the Stephen M. Brewer Center for Civic Learning and Community Engagement, talked about the different ways that students can volunteer their time to give back to their community.

One way in which students can give back is during the Day of Caring event; a program originally started by the United Way of North Central Massachusetts. This was the fifth year that the event was hosted on campus.

Students making paper flowers and cards for the Leominster Senior Center is one example of past volunteer service projects. Students also put together hygiene bags to go towards assisting Worcester’s AIDS Project Community and cat toys were made for the Gardner Animal Shelter. read more

(Archive November 2018) No, He Can’t Read My Poker Face

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Gabriela Villa | Observer Contributor

Mandatory Credit: Photo by DENNIS COOK/AP/REX/Shutterstock (6415033b)
KAVANAUGH Brett Kavanaugh appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, on his nomination to be U. S. circuit judge for the District of Columbia Circuit
JUDICIAL MEMOS, WASHINGTON, USA

Julie Capozzi, Associate Professor of Sociology, spoke about the issue of body language and its’ correlation with honesty in court cases.

Capozzi said, “Certain body language, gestures and behaviors can be correlated with verbal testimonies for inconsistencies but cannot be used to determine guilt or innocence.”

She used Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony as an example. “One thing we look at to determine if someone may not be truthful is micro gestures, or facial idiosyncrasies,” Capozzi said. read more

(Archive November 2018) Saying “Get Lost!” to Textbook Costs

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Gabriela Villa | Observer Contributor

The use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in college courses is cutting down on the need for students to purchase textbooks.
Photo by Cassie Roy

Open Educational Resources provide high-quality teaching, learning, and research materials that are free for people everywhere to use and repurpose.

“The main benefit of OER is that it saves students money,” said Ellen Pratt, Distance Education and Outreach Librarian.

“There is a push across the country to create degree programs that have zero course material cost related to them,” said Pratt, who has been working to establish OER for a year and a half. OER is now beginning to replace textbooks in many classes. read more

(Archives November 2018) The Final Straw: A Message About Recycling

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Sophia Schlegelmilch | Observer Contributor

As communities across the U.S. propose measures to limit or ban plastic straws, Christine Nelson, President of the Green Society, discussed their environmental impact and offered some greener alternatives.

“We use 390 million straws in one day [in the United States],” said Nelson, “you just use it for a few minutes, and then it’s gone and we don’t think about it.”

According to Nelson, plastic straws are particularly detrimental to the environment because they are in category #5, polypropylene, on the plastics grading scale and most curbside pickup recycling programs won’t recycle them. read more