Articles - Page 5 of 97 - The Mount Observer

(Archive December 2018) Mark Revesai: Setbacks, Hurt Backs, and Comebacks

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Zach Pavlosky | Editor in Chief

Mark Revasi
Photo by Betsabee Torres

Mark Revesai, Accounting major at Nichols College, talked about the obstacles he’s had to overcome throughout his life and how he stayed positive despite the setbacks.

Revesai, 51, worked as an internal auditor back in his home country of Zimbabwe where he received his banking certification from the Institute of Bankers. In 2002, Revesai came to the U.S.

Revesai wanted to continue working in accounting at MWCC, saying, “Most auditors have accounting backgrounds and, therefore, it would be the best way for me to get back to the audit field.” However, they denied his credentials and he had no option but to start from scratch. read more

(Archive December 2018) David Wyman: Political Poet Shares His Passion

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Alexa Russo | Observer Contributor

Professor David Wyman
Photo by Betsabee Torres

David Wyman, English Professor, poet and father, offered advice for students who want to get published and who are looking for an audience.

Wyman said his poetry book, Proletariat Sunrise, was a “discovery” for him. He learned what his writing style was like and he said that he also gained new insights. His book contains things he thinks about, which Wyman says is not the mainstream poetry. Wyman writes political poetry, which is where he said he found his audience. read more

(Archive December 2018) ‘Reef’er Madness

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Cassie Roy | Assistant Editor

Coral bleaching is a serious issue affecting large amounts of the Great Barrier Reef, as well as other coral reefs throughout the Earth’s oceans.
Image by Acropora, via Wikimedia

The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Australia, is almost at the end of its’ road as it bleaches away its’ remaining color.

The coral reef is approximately 500,000 years old. As of 1998, the reef was filled with beautiful colors that is a result of the 600 types of hard and soft coral that are stacked on each other to create the reef. Over the past 20 years, a process called bleaching has slowly replaced these colors with a solid white coating.

The process of bleaching occurs when the oceans waters raise in temperature, sometimes by just a few degrees. According to the great barrier reefs website, when the water gets too warm the coral excrete the algae that lives inside them which causes the coral to turn completely white. As a result, the coral is also no longer living. The reef currently stretches about 1,400 miles long and losing this destroys the homes, food, and mating grounds for all varieties of fish. read more

(Archive December 2018) A Dire Warning Concerning Global Warming

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Dylan Cernoia | Observer Contributor

Hurricane Florence passed over the Carolinas in early September.
Image from Wikimedia

In the wake of the two hurricanes, Michael and Florence, that hit the East Coast in 2018, one professor said that these storms might be proof of a much larger problem.

Tom Montagno, Biology professor, said global warming is contributing to the severity of the two hurricanes that hit Florida. Global warming has many negative effects including melting polar ice caps, causing water levels to rise, and flooding. However, it also creates warmer oceans, which Montagno said, “fuels a hurricane.” “That’s why that last hurricane became a tropical storm to almost a category 5 hurricane in two days,” said Montagno. read more

(Archive December 2018) Awareness Campaign Addresses Suicidal Pain

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Mark Revesai | Observer Contributor

Leominster campus students taking Introduction to Psychology embarked on a suicide awareness campaign as part of their service learning that culminated in a display on the Gardner campus.

The students picked suicide awareness because each one of them who participated had a story to tell about suicide and how it affected them individually and as a group. They wanted to talk about how people with suicidal thoughts were all around us, and we should listen to them and pay attention to what they have to say. read more

(Archive December 2018) New Law in Mass has Passed at Last

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Sophia Schlegelmilch | Observer Contributor

Ballot Question 3, a referendum on Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, passed with almost 68% approval.

Question 3 asked voters if they agreed with the 2016 decision to add gender identity to the list of statuses protected from denial of service or accommodation in public places. The law also controversially included provisions to allow individuals to use spaces that are traditionally divided by gender, such as restrooms and locker rooms, in a manner consistent with their self-identified gender. read more

(Archive December 2018) Looking to Transfer? ComCom’s the Answer

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Gabriela Villa | Observer Contributor

Transfer Advisor Sarah Pingeton urged students to relax about the transferring process and to consider transfer programs such as Commonwealth Commitment and Mass Transfer.

The most common challenge students face in the transferring process is not knowing where to start, said Pingeton.

“Once someone gets going it’s not that difficult of a process, and I’m happy to help,” she said. “It’s simpler than you think it is. And yes, even you can do it. You can get your Bachelor’s degree. We’ll get you there.” read more

(Archive December 2018) Massachusetts Inmates Get a Second Chance

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Sophia Schlegelmilch | Observer Contributor

North Central Corrctional Institution in Gardner
Photo courtesy of mass.gov

Even prison walls can’t hold back MWCC’s mission to serve the educational needs of the community.

Since 2016, MWCC has offered certificates in Small Business Management to inmates of North Central Correctional Institute in Gardner and Massachusetts Correctional Institute in Shirley.

“The whole goal of Mount Wachusett is to transform people’s lives,” said Stephanie Marchetti, Director of Academic Support & Testing Services, “and this really allows us to do that in a direct, obvious way.” read more

(Archive December 2018) First-Generation Panelists Share Tips for Success

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Sophia Schlegelmilch | Observer Contributor

MWCC Student Janice Bergeron talks about her experience going to college during a panel discussion.
Photo courtesy of MWCC

Panelists shared their experiences as first-generation students in November at the Gardner campus in celebration of National First-Generation College Students Day.

Current MWCC students Nicole Leeper and Janice Bergeron served as panelists alongside faculty and staff members Laurie Occhipinti, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts Education, Humanities and Communications; Margaret Jaillet, Assistant Dean of the School of Health Professions, Public Service Programs and Social Sciences; Briana Pena, Career Development Coach; and Train Wu, Academic Counselor for the Department of Access and Transitions. The discussion was moderated by Gaurav Khanna, Director of the Visions Program. read more

(Archive November 2018) Review – Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

By editorialteam on April 1, 2025

By Corey Sanderson | Observer Contributor

Promotional cover art for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Image from PlayStation.com

After playing through roughly 35 hours of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, I can say that it is one of the best games I’ve seen from the franchise in years.

Black Ops 4 was developed by Treyarch Studios with the help of Raven Software. The Battle Royale mode, Blackout, was developed by Beenox Studios.

This is the first Call of Duty game to not feature a single player campaign. While I have enjoyed playing through Call of Duty’s campaigns in the past, I believe that choosing to not spend resources on a campaign has benefited the game as a whole. read more