Headlines

Say Who?

With this edition of the HCC Connection, we are adding a new monthly feature: “Say Who?”

In this monthly column, we will interview a mystery faculty, staff, or student. Then we’ll sit back and see if you can figure out who that person is. Send your guesses to Natalia Munoz in Donahue 101 or nmunoz@hcc.mass.edu.

All guesses must be submitted by Feb. 5.

We will pool all of the correct answers and choose one to receive a special prize. This month, the prize is a free pass to one of the HCC culinary arts luncheons (read below for the luncheon schedule).

You might think you know your fellow students, staff, and faculty. Now’s your chance to prove it:

Name: to be announced Feb. 7

Status: faculty member

Q: How long have you been associated with HCC?
A: 4.5 years
Q: If you were to enroll in HCC tomorrow, what would you major in?
A: I would enroll in the art program because I like to paint. I do watercolors…I like florals.
Q: If you could choose an entirely new career, what would it be?
A: I would be a geologist or a bartender. I think I’ll have to be a bartender when I retire because, then, the only question I’ll have to ask people is: Do you want that in pink or green?
Q: What’s the worst advice you ever received?
A: There are two, actually.
“ You cannot go to college so try to not get pregnant and then you can get a job with a good family.”
Also: “Don’t marry that guy.” (“That guy” is my husband of nearly 30 years.)
Needless to say, I didn’t take either piece of advice.
Q: What’s the best thing (book, magazine, fortune cookie, billboard, etc.) that you’ve ever read?
A: Any book by Jonathan Kellerman.
Q: What’s your favorite song?
A: “American Pie” by Don McLean. It’s not just a song. It’s history.
Q: What’s your favorite movie?
A: “The Rock” with Sean Connery. At the end of a long day, I love to watch “My Cousin Vinny.”
Q: Any nic-names that you go by?
A: No. I’ve spent my whole life trying to avoid having people call me ________.
Q: When you were in grade school, what did you tell people you were going to be when you grew up?
A: I told other people that I was going to be a lawyer, because that’s what my father wanted me to be. I told my mother that I wanted to be a hippy or a tourist. Drove her nuts…
Q: What’s your dream vacation?
A: I would have to say it’s to go to Ireland and to Spain.
Q: What’s your pet peeve?
A: Whiners. Those are the people who suffer from PLOM disease. That’s “Poor Little Old Me.”
Q: In a nutshell, what’s your philosophy on life?
A: “Git ‘er done.” That’s blue collar for “Just do it.”
Q: What’s the best thing about HCC?
A: The absolute best thing about HCC is having students who want to learn something. When they’re on, they’re really on.

HCC volunteers take on Hurricane Katrina

This is one of the apartment buildings that HCC volunteers gutted while in New Orleans, Jan 6 to 13.

From January 6 to 13, a group of 40+ HCC students and staff went to work in the New Orleans and St. Bernard parishes of Louisiana, volunteering their time and skills to rebuild an area that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

The entire community is invited to the Leslie Phillips Forum on Feb. 14 at 11 a.m. to hear from the HCC volunteers who went on this trip. There will be a slide show, personal stories, and even some film clips.

Nearly 18 months after that hurricane swept through the Gulf Coast, the region remains a shambles: whole neighborhoods are abandoned; commercial activity (outside the famed French Quarter) is sparse; rarely is there a traffic jam.

But the HCC crew that visited the area did not come back with endless stories of hopelessness. The determination of the remaining Louisiana residents to rebuild their home was apparent everywhere. Often, residents would honk their horns to say “thank you” to volunteers who were picking up trash or planting new flowers. Some shared their stories of the storm that demolished their homes and stole their loved ones. Others worked silently alongside volunteers who were combing through the neighborhoods.

Pluck was also in abundance at Camp Hope, the abandoned elementary school that was used as living quarters for more than 500 volunteers who came to Louisiana from across the country to help out. The showers were tepid, the coffee weak, and the cots saggy, but volunteers did not complain about their creature comforts. They were more concerned with getting on a work crew that would make a difference.

HCC volunteers were busy with a variety of activities: from gutting apartment buildings to rebuilding a community center to helping out in the Habitat for Humanity recycled building materials store. You can read about their work by visiting Masslive.com, where the “HCC goes to New Orleans” story can be found on the “blogs” page.

MLK breakfast at HCC honors King's memory

Pres. Messner and Reverend Karen L. Rucks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. commemorative breakfast.

January 12, close to 100 gathered in the Kittredge Center’s PeoplesBank conference room for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Breakfast sponsored by the Council for Human Understanding, the Holyoke-Chicopee National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Holyoke Public Schools.

For more than 25 years the council has held this annual event to honor, the life, mission, and accomplishments of the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the continuing work to strive towards ensuring King’s dream of faith, equality, and social justice for all.

After a welcome from HCC’s President Bill Messner, Robert Villani, interm priest of the Lutheran Church in West Springfield, gave the invocation. Greetings followed from Holyoke Police Chief Anthony Scott, Holyoke Mayoral Aide Jennifer Perez, and Holyoke NAACP Treasurer Osbenny Pitts.

This year’s keynote speaker was the Reverend Karen L. Rucks, associate pastor of Alden Baptist

Holyoke High Madrigal Singers perform for the commemorative breakfast celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Church in Springfield. Rev. Rucks spoke of honoring the work of Dr. King. However, the broader message was about brotherhood and community.

“ We are a beloved community, and as a community we are more than one but part of a whole. As a community, we are charged and challenged to love the other,” said Rucks.

“ The other are the poor, the different, the hard to love, and the ones outside our comfort zone.”
Rucks urged everyone to look at each other—to examine other people’s faces, eyes, skin, smiles, frowns, hopes, and dreams.

“ We need to notice one another, deem others as having values, reach out to one another and carry each other forward. This is the way to promote peace, hope, and community.”

Granby artist headlines HCC art show

Elton Braithwaite	CoolRunnings: This wood mask is one of 46 pieces which will appear in Cool Runnings, a collection of sculptures by Elton Braithwaite, Jan 22. to Feb. 22.

The public is invited to view “Cool Runnings” a collection of woodcarvings and sculpture by Elton Braithwaite at Holyoke Community College’s Taber Art Gallery, January 22 - February 22. An opening reception will be held Wednesday January 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The exhibition and reception are free and open to all. The Taber Gallery is located next to the HCC library on the second floor of the Donahue building. The gallery is open weekdays. For more information (413) 533-3593.

A native of Jamaica, Braithwaite began carving 44 years ago, when he whittled down a screw driver and used some cut glass to sand a piece of discarded cedar wood. The resulting mask was sold for just $25 but it launched Braithwaite’s life work.

Braithwaite, who works at HCC as a maintainer, now lives in Granby, where he has established the Species of Earth Gallery and serves on the town’s cultural council. His work is a mélange of Caribbean and African influences, and includes walking sticks, masks, ceremonial stools, portraits, and freestanding sculptures.

There will be 46 pieces on display during Braithwaite’s HCC exhibition.

CampusBriefs

There's a new restaurant in town

From January 31 to May 2, HCC is the place to be on Wednesdays. That’s when the HCC Culinary Arts program will host its annual student luncheons in Frost 265. For $6 a plate, you will be able to dine on a variety of gustatory delights, from French Bistro to Mexican. Seatings are at 11:15 a.m., noon, and 12:30 p.m. It’s open to the public.

You should put aside at least one hour to enjoy these three-course masterpieces, prepared by our own culinary arts students. Reservations are required and may be made on a sign-up sheet, which will be posted outside of Frost 255 at 10 a.m. on the Wednesday before the luncheon. Payment should be by check or in cash and should be made on the day of the luncheon.

Here’s the menu for spring semester:

January 31 - French Bistro
February 7 - American Diner
February 14 - Valentines Day Special
February 28 - Cajun
March 7 - Asian (with Chef Peng Yew Chin)
March 21 - Middle Eastern
April 11 - Indian
April 18 - Caribbean
April 25 - Italian
May 2 - Mexican

Get involved with MASSPIRG

All HCC students are invited to participate in MASSPIRG’s (MASSachusetts Public Interest Research Group) spring semester campaigns. This semester MASSPIRG will focus on clean energy by promoting legislation that aims to have 14 percent of our energy consumption generated by renewable sources by 2020. MASSPIRG will continue working on long-term solutions for poverty through volunteering at area shelter/food pantries, and participating in the 24th Annual Hunger Cleanup on April 14.

MASSPIRG is a public interest group on campus that works to solve some big social problems. Last semester, the group registered 310 students to vote, a measure that will encourage politicians to pay attention to the youth vote. MASSPIRG intern Andrea Selvy-Frye organized the "Skip the Party" fundraiser, which raised over $250 dollars for Jefferson Avenue Shelter in Springfield.

Students can do an internship for course credit or volunteer –for an hour a day, or an hour a semester. There are many opportunities to fit your schedule. The important thing is to get involved. Please contact Lily Cavanagh at lily@masspirgstudents.org or at (413) 552-2115.

Notes

Marieb Chair nominations sought

Faculty, staff, students and friends of HCC are invited to nominate an eligible faculty member for the 2007 Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence. The deadline for nominations is Friday, February 16.

This award recognizes a full-time faculty member with five or more years of service who exemplifies outstanding classroom teaching. Nomination forms are available in Donahue 101, Frost 321, all divisional offices, or online at www.hcc.edu. The completed nominations should be returned to the Institutional Development office (DON 101) no later than Friday, February 16.

The Marieb Faculty chair was founded in 1991, by Elaine Marieb an HCC professor of anatomy and physiology. The award recognizes the professional development, skills, and dedication to student learning that HCC faculty bring to the classroom. Past recipients include George Ashley, Patricia Triggs, Gerard L’Heaureux, and Susan Mackler.

For more information contact Sue Doyle in the Institutional Development Office at (413) 552-2546.

Career Center offers orientations

HCC’s Coop and Career Services center is offering two half-hour orientations for current students and alumni Wednesdays from 11 to 11:30 a.m. and Thursdays from 12:30 to 1 p.m. in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, room 322.

For more information, call (413) 552-2597 or email Richard Powers at rpowers@hcc.mass.edu.
The center helps participants explore academic planning and employment opportunities. The staff can help people identify career goals, college majors, and co-op /internship opportunities.

Services include job searches (full or part-time), informational interviews, resume and cover letter writing, and job interview preparation.

Walk-in hours are also available Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday and Wednesday evening 5 – 7 p.m. while classes are in session.

It's not too late to learn Latin club dancing, conversational Russian, basic crochet

You can sign up to learn just about anything through HCC’s non-credit community service courses. Courses meet between one and 10 times, on weekdays, weeknights, and Saturdays; many cost less well less than $100.

For a full list of non-credit courses, visit www.hcc.edu and click on the “non-credit courses” button or call (413) 552-2000 or 2324. To enroll, via a convenient 24-hour telephone service, call (413)-538-5815 or 5817.

Why watch a cheesy sitcom when you can learn how to make beaded jewelry, start a new business, or communicate with the spirit world? There are hundreds of options to choose from.

Hop aboard La Guagua pa'l College

La Guagua p'al College

La Guagua Pa’l College, HCC’s specially designed van, began transporting students to the Homestead Avenue campus for evening classes on Monday, Jan. 22.

The bus schedule has been distributed throughout the city, but is also available on the college’s website www.hcc.edu The service is free, wheelchair accessible, and runs every half hour, Monday through Thursdays, 5 to 10 p.m.

For more information, the public is invited to visit www.espanol.hcc.edu or call (413) 552-2000.

College Goal Sunday comes to HCC on January 28

Families who are interested in applying for college financial aid are invited to College Goal Sunday, to be held at Holyoke Community College’s Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation, January 28, 2 to 4 p.m.

College Goal Sunday is a nonprofit program that provides free information and assistance to Massachusetts families applying for financial aid. This event is free and no pre-registration is required. An American Sign Language interpreter will be available.

Students applying for state financial aid before May 1 will receive priority consideration; after that date, they may be eligible for federal financial aid only.

Students and families in low-income and other underrepresented communities will greatly benefit from this event, which is open to the general public as well. Financial aid professionals will be on hand to help families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the federally required form for students seeking financial aid. For more information, please call Karen Derouin at (413) 552-2248.

"a warning for the king" comes to HCC February 1, 2, 3

The cast and crew of "a warning for the king" which will play at HCC Feb. 1, 2, and 3 in the Leslie Phillips Forum

The public is invited to Holyoke Community College on February 1, 2, and 3 for three performances of "a warning for the king" a play by the Northampton-based Performance Project.

The suggested donation for tickets is $10 for the general public, $5 for students. Curtain time is 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the door, but may also be reserved by calling the Performance Project at (413) 586-4960.

"a warning for the king" is a contemporary myth based on themes from the troupe members’ individual life experiences. The piece echoes the troupe’s consensus that, when the voice of one is denied, chaos will ensue for all. Through spoken word, rap and monologue the cast confronts the impact of greed, racism, addiction, and being silenced. The play expresses the urgency of speaking out and recognizing that our fates are intertwined.

HCC Connection is published every other Tuesday (or thereabouts) and is distributed to the campus community, and friends of the college, and local media.

To be added to our email distribution list, please email: Kimberly Wilson, kwilson@hcc.mass.edu
To submit campus event information for inclusion in HCC Connection, email Natalia Munoz, nmunoz@hcc.mass.eduwith details including date, time, location, cost if any, open to public or not, web links (if appropriate) and contact information (name, phone number, and email). Deadline: end of day Friday before publication.

Natalia Munoz
Assistant Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Holyoke Community College
Phone: (413) 552-2183 Fax: (413) 552-2479
cell: (413) 348-8515 (emergency)
nmunoz@hcc.mass.edunmunoz@hcc.mass.edu
Holyoke Community College is the Commonwealth’s oldest community college, serving almost 9,000 students annually in 82 associate degree options and 42 certificate programs, and over 4,000 in noncredit and workforce development courses. The college has the highest transfer rate of any community college statewide, holding articulation agreements with 27 colleges and universities. Recognized for its Honors Program, distance learning curriculum, learning communities, and service to students. HCC now serves as the site for the UMass Isenberg School of Management Professional MBA program.