MWCC News & Events: What's Up at the Mount

MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

 

Friday, November 24, 2006

 

CLARK OFFICIAL PLEASED ‘POVERTY IS UP FOR DISCUSSION’

By Kimberly B. Caisse

After many years of silence on the issue, “I’m glad to see that now poverty is up for discussion,” Clark University’s Jack Foley told a lunchtime crowd gathered at the Doyle Conservation Center for MWCC ’s What’s Next Speaker Series Friday, Nov. 17. The 2006-07 series is focusing on “The Many Faces of Poverty.”

Jack Foley, vice president for government and community affairs and campus services at Clark University, speaking about the University Park Partnership.

“You folks are way ahead of the game. You seem galvanized to address this issue,” he noted before he outlined the revitalization efforts in Worcester’s Main South neighborhood, where Clark is located.

Foley, vice president for government and community affairs and campus services at Clark, was invited to speak because of his tireless work in developing the University Park Partnership, a nationally recognized, decades-long collaboration between Clark University, the Main South Community Development Corporation and others that has revitalized the Main South neighborhood of the city and brought new opportunities to families and businesses in that area.

The effort has realized two extraordinary results: redevelopment of affordable housing in the neighborhood and the creation of the renowned University Park School.

For a college or university to be involved in an initiative like this, Foley said, “you really need that presidential leadership to move a project like this forward.” Clark’s catalyst was the arrival of President Richard P. Traina in 1985.

That momentum began with dialog between Clark and its neighbors, he said. “We found common ground on what we wanted to see happen in our neighborhood.”

“The [Main South] CDC has been the lynchpin to all that’s happened in this neighborhood,” Foley said about executing the objectives of Main South residents.

In addition to playing a part in revitalizing housing, Clark established the University Park Campus School. Main South teenagers enroll in this public high school by entering a lottery. Its student population reflects the neighborhood, Foley said. Seventy-three percent qualify for free or reduced lunch, 67 percent have learned English as a second language, 61 percent are students of color and 16 percent have special needs.

The school, which enjoys the status of being a top public high school in the state and nation, has a 97 percent retention rate, he added.

“We show that with high expectations, lots of hard work and lots of support, these kids can be successful,” Foley said.

Clark is currently spearheading an effort to share the school’s innovative approaches to educating low-income students with other public schools in Worcester, Foley said. Other colleges in Worcester are also adopting Clark’s model of partnering with a community development corporation or a neighborhood to improve their surrounding areas.

“Thank you. This is the truth. The truth is our children can achieve,” said Sayra Pinto, associate vice president of inclusion at MWCC. “I appreciate you sharing this story.”

MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino noted, “This is truly extraordinary, but it’s the exception, not the rule. We need to make this the rule.”

“I hope we can move forward on an action plan to address this very important issue,” Asquino added.

The event was sponsored by the Center for Democracy and Humanity, the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health & Safety, the Twin Cities Latino Coalition and the Trustees of Reservations.

The What’s Next Speaker Series will continue Monday, Feb. 12 with David Hansen of the Boston Research Center for the 21st Century presenting "Ideas and Action: Enduring Visions of the Philosophy and Practice of Education." Pre-registration is required. Submit registrations to whatsnext@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9324.

From left, MWCC student Teresa Escalante, Adjunct Professor Yvonne Noyes Stevens, student Curtis Lopes and student Crystal Newkirk stand with the Thanksgiving baskets they made for local food pantries. The students delivered a total of four baskets prior to Thanksgiving Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MASSPIRG AND MOLLY BISH INSTITUTE RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT HAZARDOUS TOYS

By Kimberly B. Caisse

At top, MASSPIRG’s MWCC campus organizer Kacia Kriener answers a question as state Rep. Robert Rice listens. Above, Fagan Forhan, coordinator of civic engagement for the Center for Democracy and Humanity, urges gift-givers select safe toys for children.

To bring attention local to MASSPIRG’s 21st annual toy-safety report, MASSPIRG’s MWCC campus organizer Kacia Kriener collaborated with the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety to encourage parents and others to buy safe toys for children this holiday season.

“Parents must be vigilant that what toys they bring into their home are safe for their children,” said Fagan Forhan, coordinator of civic engagement for the Center for Democracy and Humanity, during a press conference in front of the Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education and Molly Bish Institute Tuesday, Nov. 21.

The “Trouble in Toyland” report, released by the MASSPIRG Education Fund, offers safety guidelines for purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards. The report highlights toys that are choking hazards, magnetic toys, lead-based jewelry, dangerously loud toys and plastic toys containing phtalates.

Kriener encouraged parents to use a toilet paper tube to determine whether a toy or toy part presents a choking hazard. If the toy or part easily fits inside the tube, a child can choke on it, she said.

“Loud toys are more than just annoying to parents—they can hurt a child’s hearing,” Kriener said. Phthalates are hazardous because they have been linked to health problems such as reproductive defects and early-onset puberty, she added.

Kriener also cautioned use of balloons around babies and toddlers. They are responsible for half of all child choking deaths, she said.

State Rep. Robert Rice, D-Gardner, encouraged parents and other gift-givers to give children toys that are educational or fitness-oriented. “There are toys that can help children,” he said.

More MWCC News:

• Dr. Peter Senge

  The Twin Cities Latino Coalition and the Trustees of Reservations will host a conversation with Dr. Peter Senge, author of “The Fifth Discipline” and world-renowned guru of the field of organizational change and leadership development, on Monday, Nov. 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Doyle Conservation Center, 464 Abbott Ave., Leominster. Senge will moderate the panel discussion entitled “Meeting the Changing Face of Our Future: Facing the Challenges of Changing Today in Response to the Emerging Future.” Pre-registration is requested. Register with Sayra Pinto, associate vice president of inclusion, by calling (978) 840-3221 ext. 207 or emailing spinto@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The Winter Fest Fair and Theme Basket Raffle featuring floral arrangements, Shaker boxes, a computer raffle to benefit the Chernobyl Children’s Project and much more will be held at MWCC’s Gardner campus, Wednesday, Nov. 30 and Thursday, Dec. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the commons area. Proceeds from the Theme Basket Raffle will benefit a student textbook fund. The event, sponsored by Student Services, the Student Life Office and CATS, is open to the public. For more information, contact Sandy Arsenault at (978) 630-9133 or sarsenault@mwcc.mass.edu.
• Gateway to College, one of MWCC’s College Access and Preparation Programs, offers high-school dropouts and students on the verge of dropping out of high school an opportunity to earn a diploma in a college-like setting and earn college credits. Massachusetts residents who meet the program’s eligibility requirements may apply. An information session for the session that begins in January 2007 will be held Monday, Dec. 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Gardner campus. To register for an information session or to request materials, call (978) 630-9481 or (978) 630-9450, or visit http://www.mwcc.edu/services/CAPP/default.html.
• The East Wing Gallery in the Raymond M. LaFontaine Fine Arts Center is showing the exhibit “Returned” through Tuesday, Dec. 5. Exhibit showcases six years of collaborative photographs by Lisa Clunie of Australia and Cathy Tuato’o Ross of New Zealand. They

  MWCC student Andrea Suarez speaks with Brenda Doran, director of transfer admissions at Bryant University in Rhode Island at the Transfer Fair held in the South Cafe on Monday, Nov. 20.

  corresponded with rolls of undeveloped film, double-exposing the film without knowing the exact look, but aware of the subject of the other’s shots. This resulted in sometimes quirky and sometimes beautiful juxtapositions and overlaps. For more information, contact Art Professor John Pacheco at (978) 630-9184 or jpacheco@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The Lifelong Learning Institute for Enrichment at MWCC will host a reception honoring participants of the fall 2006 intergenerational writing and arts projects Tuesday, Dec. 5 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the main campus’ north dining area. Participants are also invited to take a tour of the Gardner campus, beginning at 2:30 p.m. from the north dining area. For more information, contact LIFE Program Coordinator Lorraine Wickman at (978) 630-9176 or lwickman@mwcc.mass.edu.
• MWCC’s new Biotechnology manufacturing program will host information sessions Wednesday, Dec. 6; Thursday, Jan. 4; and Tuesday, Jan. 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Tuesdays Dec. 19, Jan. 9 and Jan. 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the main campus, 444 Green St., Gardner. With the decision by the drug manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squibb to locate a large biotechnology company at Devens, the college anticipates a 64-credit degree program will begin in fall 2007 and a 28-credit certificate program in fall 2008 at the Devens campus. The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council predicts more than 100,000 biotechnology jobs will be added statewide by the end of the decade. Registration is required. To register and for more information, contact MWCC’s Dean of Science Charles Weitze at cweitze@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9207.
• The First Connections Mothers Group’s weekly meetings are held every Friday. At the gatherings, which take place in the Children’s Room at Levi Heywood Memorial Library from 10:30 a.m. to noon, attendees discuss topics such as feeding, sibling rivalry, temper tantrums, appropriate toys, traveling with children and how to choose a daycare provider. All mothers and their babies are invited. For more information, contact Professor Nancy Duphily, the meeting facilitator, at duphi@yahoo.com or (978) 630-9233. Duphily will be assisted by MWCC nursing students as part of their service-learning project.

• The Center for Democracy and Humanity contributed a tree to the Festival of Trees at The Gardner Museum. Visitors can enter a raffle for each tree of their choice. The drawing will be held Saturday, Dec. 9. Proceeds will benefit the museum.

  MWCC’s Leo & Theresa LaChance Library will host the "Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend" traveling exhibit beginning Wednesday, Dec. 13 through March 30. The library is one of only 40 public and academic libraries in the nation to host this exhibit. This new exhibit commemorates the 400th anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England and encourages audiences not only to reacquaint themselves with the Queen, but also to become more familiar with the historical and cultural forces that shaped her personality and her time, and to examine the mixture of history and legend that continues to surround her today. The American Library Association Public Programs Office, in partnership with The Newberry Library of Chicago and the National Endowment for the Humanities, is sponsoring the traveling exhibit. All showings of the exhibition and related programs will be free and open to the public. For more information, contact Reference and Instruction Librarian Ellen Pratt at (978) 630-9125.
• MWCC has launched the new Clinical Laboratory Science program. Students enrolled in this program will learn how to use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and computers to analyze blood and other body specimens. Information sessions will take place Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. in the OBS Conference Room on the second floor of Heywood Hospital. Prospective students interested in attending the information session are asked to call the Admissions Office at (978) 630-9110 (TTY (978) 632-4916), or send an email to admissions@mwcc.mass.edu. Information about the new CLS program also is posted on the college Blackboard website called CLS Information Center. To access more information, go to https://bb.mwcc.edu and then enter “cls” as both the username and password.
• Theatre at the Mount is accepting nominations for the inaugural High School Musical Theatre Awards, the TAMYs. These awards recognize the exceptional accomplishments in the production and performance of musical theatre in area high schools. Area high schools are invited to participate in the competition by entering their annual musical production for consideration in a variety of categories, including: best overall production, best actor, best actress, best choreography, etc. Members of the Theatre at the Mount staff will attend and evaluate each production, making nominations in each category. Winners will be honored at a “red-carpet” awards ceremony and dinner modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards. Local schools interested in participating in the TAMY Award program should contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or gsteele@mwcc.mass.edu.