February 20, 5 p.m., South Cafe.
Join us for a fun evening of Bingo with CASH Prizes and a comedy show by Azeem! Bingo starts at 5pm, dinner and comedy show at 6pm and more bingo to follow the comedy show. Students – FREE, Staff/Faculty/Alumni – $5, Students are allowed (1) guest age 14 and over, cost is $5
By Hannah Bennett | Observer Contributor
As the fall semester ended, students had to for their FAFSA and arrange their spring semester schedules. What students also had to do for next semester is renew their student accommodation forms.
Coordinator of Disability Services Amy Labarge is one of the two coordinators who works on campus with students with disabilities to aid them in achieving success at MWCC.
“Every student is entitled to equal access and opportunities in the classroom,” said Labarge.
By Maya Douglas | Observer Contributor
Jason Zelesky, Dean of Students, recently led a Leadership for Life Bystander training in the Murphy Conference room. Zelesky said the goal of the program is to imagine a college campus community which uses its abilities to look out for others at all times. He said there is a need to build a strong, safe, and respectful community.
The Bystander Program has been able to make a difference and report concerns to invoke change. According to Zelesky, the program started six years ago because of an issue on campus. One studnet walked by another student who was crying in the hallway, and that student admitted that he/she was not okay.
By Marissa Shea | Observer Contributor
The Brewer Center runs the Food for Thought food pantry – a widely used resource on campus that helps provide students in need with meals.
Shelly Nicholson, the director at the Brewer Center for Civic and Community Engagement, helped organize a farmer’s market on campus to provide fresh, locally grown, organic ingredients to students. She is on the board of Growing Places, a Leominster company whose mission is to “…inspire and connect the North Central, MA community to create equitable access to healthy food and environmental sustainability through education, collaboration and advocacy.”
By Maya Douglas | Observer Contributor
The Transitions to College program is a grant funded program which supports non-traidtional students to ease their way into the college lifestyle.
The program is led by Kim Kayser, program advisor and coordinator. Kayser’s goal for the program is to be able to accept more students in the future, since the program has a limited number of slots and there is a waiting list. Her role is to help students prepare and complete the accuplacer test, complete the application process, and help students determine a study program.
By Nicholas Papini | Observer Contributor
A new teaching garden, opening soon on the Gardner campus, will help students broaden their experience and make them more desirable to prospective employers. Thomas Montagno, Professor of Biology and Chair of the Natural Resources Program, described the proposal.
Students in horticulture and greenhouse management programs will interact with and learn to manage a greater variety of plants. Currently, the only plants that these students interact with are planted in pots. The teaching garden will give them the opportunity to learn to prune plants and how plants interact with their environments.
Student Photo IDs Please bring one of the following photo IDs: a motor vehicle license or permit, a military ID, passport or a state issued identification card. ID cost is $10. Returning students who already have an ID should stop by the MWCC library on the Gardner Campus or the front office on the Burbank, Devens or Leominster campus to have your ID validated for the fall semester at no charge.
CATS Programming Meeting (Campus Activities Team for Students) – 12:30 pm, Room W11. Come and join in on the fun of planning and running activities for MWCC students (i.e. Scary Karaoke, Fall Fest). For more information, contact the Student Life office at studentlife@mwcc.mass.edu. 978-630-9148 or stop by the office located in the Student Center. Open to all MWCC students.
By Ryan Lyesiuk | Observer Contributor
Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is an often deadly virus, but with the right knowledge and precautionary measures, the chances of obtaining this disease are slim.
According to Dr. Charlotte Newell, adjunct faculty in the Vet Tech program, the chances of acquiring EEE significantly decrease as the temperatures drop. Newell stated, “Everyone is at risk until there is a hard frost.” Hard frost (28 degrees or lower) often does not occur in Massachusetts until late October or early November, according to the National Weather Service.
By Daniela Perez | Observer Contributor
When it comes to submitting online assignments, having reliable access to the internet is essential for college students.
Many areas on the Gardner campus have little to no cellular signal and in most parts of the school the WiFi can be slow or may not connect at all.
One of the places on campus that rarely has any signal is the basement of the school where Media Arts and Technology labs are held and where MRT students work on projects. The MRT computers are always offline and students have a difficult time connecting to the internet through their own laptops or cellphones.
This story was updated recently: https://www.wcvb.com/article/judge-allows-gov-bakers-vaping-products-ban-to-continue/29536538
By Kristopher Madden | Observer Contributor
A ruling on Monday, October 21 has upheld the statewide vaping ban. Brown and many other vape shop owners across Massachusetts sued Governor Baker in Federal Court to lift the ban sooner.
Many shop owners initially chose to stay open in the face of what is thought to be an unlawful declaration by Governor Baker. Kevin Brown, owner of Madvapes in Worcester, said he planned to stay open “until the jackboot thugs shut him down.” He added, “We know in the vaping world that it’s illegal THC cartridges that are causing this whole kerfuffle.”