campus life Archives - Page 51 of 55

A Tale of Dungeons & Dragons

By editorialteam on March 3, 2022

Teacher Describes the Benefits of the Role-Playing Phenomenon

By Gabriel Drouin | Observer Contributor

Dungeons and Dragons, also known as D&D, has often been passed off as satanic due to the monstrous art on the cover of its books, but is now becoming the savior for many, acting as a safe outlet for creativity, personal expression, and even therapy. Dice rollers both old and young have partaken in the game for decades, since its creation in 1974.

It is hard to believe that a game that, in recent years, has become so widely popular was once seen as literal evil. Some even believed that by playing the game you were opening yourself up to demonic possession. Oddly enough, fighting off demons can be a common occurrence for the heroes in a D&D game. read more

(Archive March 2020) Student Stories

By editorialteam on March 27, 2020

Learn About Some of Our Fellow Students

Photos by Betsy Torres

Dylan Quigley

By Jayden Hooper | Observer Contributor

Dylan Quigley, age 21, a Liberal Arts major at MWCC focusing on Professional Writing, said that music has impacted and shaped some of his memories.

Quigley spoke of how he enjoys listening to Nirvana’s album In Utero as it brings forth feelings of nostalgia and reminds him of how, in his first car, he owned that CD and it had gotten stuck in the CD player. He said that he had no choice but to listen to it until he got a new car.

Quigley also said that his father and brother’s taste in music influenced his own. He humorously reminisced about how his brother put him to sleep with tracks by Rage Against the Machine, a band known for their hard rock and metal songs. read more

(Archive March 2020) Alphabet Soup Panel Highlights LGBTQ Issues

By editorialteam on March 21, 2020

Local Advocates Discuss Public Safety, Pronouns, and More

By Nicholas Papini | Assistant Editor

MWCC’s Sexuality & Gender Alliance (SAGA) club hosts events and discussion panels throughout the year, including the Alphabet Soup Panel Discussion, which took place last fall. This panel brought to light the lesser known issues the LBGTQ+ community faces, including preferred pronoun usage and public safety.

The panel members included: John Gatto from the Justice Resource Institute; Melissa Manzi, MWCC’s mental health counselor; Kate Milligan and Toni Diaz from Youth Opportunities Upheld, Inc. (YOU, Inc.); and Shane Franzen from Fitchburg State University. The event was hosted by the SAGA club and their advisor, David Iannaccone. read more

(Archive March 2020) COVID-19 Coronavirus Threatens Health and Economy

By editorialteam on March 18, 2020

Faculty and Staff Discuss Potential Risks and Ways to Prepare

By Nicholas Papini | Assistant Editor

An illustration by the CDC representing the COVID-19 coronavirus
Image source: Public Health Image Library & CDC

The COVID-19 coronavirus may not yet be a medical threat to the average American, but they will certainly feel the virus’s effects on the economy.

Katherine Kusza, Health Counselor at MWCC said, “[the] coronavirus is not a concern in Massachusetts according the the CDC or the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of February 26, there have been 18 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, excluding the passengers aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. One of those cases was in Massachusetts. However, on February 25, the CDC announced that they expect an increase in spread of the virus in communities. read more

(Archive February 2020) Three New Art Installations on Display

By editorialteam on February 27, 2020

Photos courtesy of Thomas Matsuda

Tule Lake. Inspired by the WWII Japanese American Internment Camp. Last crosswalk, 2nd floor. Wire, cloth. Wes Ringwood.

Mont Sainte-Victoire. Inspired by the series of paintings of this mountain by Paul Cezanne. Multipurpose room. Colored yarn. Deb Boudreau.

Summer Memory. A childhood summer camp that was demolished. Main entrance. Broken record, acrylic paint. Emily Payson.

(Archive November 2019) A Farm-Fresh Feast

By editorialteam on December 5, 2019

Farmer’s Market Provides Fresh Food for All

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.” read more

(Archive November 2019) A Space to Grow

By editorialteam on December 1, 2019

Preview of the upcoming teaching garden

By Nicholas Papini | Observer Contributor

The proposed plans for the new teaching garden
Image courtesy of Christine Nelson

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. read more

(Archive September 2019) Is It “Bye-Bye” for WiFi?

By editorialteam on November 7, 2019

Students and President Acknowledge Unstable Internet

By Daniela Perez | Observer Contributor

WiFi reception is spotty in certain areas of the college, making it difficult on students trying to work on laptops or other mobile devices.
Photo by Thomas Hill Jr.

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. read more

(Archive October 2019) Early Childhood & Elementary Education Club

By editorialteam on October 24, 2019

By Hannah Bennet | Observer Contributor

The Early Childhood & Elementary Education Club focuses on gathering Early Childhood development majors, providing its members with hands-on experience in their majors, as well as offering kids opportunities in literacy.

The club is open to all students, not just Early Childhood Education majors. Meetings are held in the Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Stephanie Brunell said the club is “a great way for Early Childhood Education majors to connect with one another.” read more

(Archive October 2019) STEM Club

By editorialteam on October 20, 2019

By Ryan Lyesiuk | Observer Contributor

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is an up-and-coming club on the MWCC campus. STEM was established last Spring and they are seeking to recruit new members.

Victor Dhliwayo said he joined because “it sounded fun” and “it seemed like a good idea.” He is one of the approximately 12 current members of the club.

Recruiting methods include, according to Dhliwayo, “talking to students, networking, and having a presence at the BBQ Fest” with a neatly designed billboard on display for all to see. read more

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