Press Releases, October 2007

Public invited to HCC for 5th Annual Forest Summit
HCC's Transfer Fair open to high school and college students
HCC to host three information sessions on Oct. 10, 11, for job training program
College program for high school students with IEPs
Darden joins HCC as Veterans Assistant
Green Certification debate headlines: Fifth Annual Forest Summit at HCC, October 19
HCC to host discussion of Iraq War experience
Joyce D. Desorcy joins HCC staff
HCC Players to perform The Balcony November 8-10, and 16-17


Public invited to HCC for 5th Annual Forest Summit
October 2, 2007
HOLYOKE – Green Certification will be the central focus of an evening forum during the Fifth Annual Forest Summit, October 19 at Holyoke Community College. The 6:30 p.m. debate will follow a day of educational presentations by forest experts focusing such as issues as global warming, forest health, and El Nino. Presentations begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Leslie Phillips Forum. Both day and evening programs are free and require no reservations. For more information visit http://www.hcc.mass.edu/forest or call Gary Beluzo at (413) 552-2445.

Green Certification is a hotly debated policy that seeks to certify all Massachusetts land as either sustainable for harvesting or reserved. Debating the merits of this policy will be Bob O'Connor, director of the Land and Conservation program for the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and Ehrhardt Frost, a member of the Vermont Forest Stewards Guild.

The daytime program will feature talks by renowned tree experts like David Stahle, director of the Tree Ring Laboratory from the University of Arkansas, Lee Frelich from the Center for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota, Tom Diggins from Youngstown State University, and Will Blozan, president of the Eastern Native Tree Society (ENTS).

This event is co-sponsored by HCC and the Eastern Native Tree Society.

HCC's Transfer Fair open to high school and college students
October 3, 2007 

HOLYOKE – Area high school and college students are invited to Holyoke Community College's G-Building Cafeteria on Wednesday October 10 for the annual Transfer Fair, 10 a.m. - noon.

This free, annual event will give participants a chance to meet admissions and transfer counselors from more than 50 New England-area colleges and universities. No reservations are necessary.

Representatives will answer questions about financial aid, articulation agreements, course choices, majors, and the process of transferring to a four-year institution. High school students can find out how to begin their four-year education at HCC. Those currently enrolled in a two-year college program can find out how to transfer to four-year institution.

For more information, call HCC Transfer Affairs Coordinator Mark Broadbent at (413) 552-2498

HCC to host three information sessions on Oct. 10, 11, for job training program
October 4, 2007 
HOLYOKE – High school graduates in need of job training are invited to explore a career as a direct support associate on October 10 and 11 when Holyoke Community College hosts three free information sessions on the Direct Support Associate TrainToWork program.

The information sessions will be held at HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development on Oct. 10 at 6 p.m., and, on Oct. 11, at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. To register call Debra at (413) 552-2496 or visit www.TrainToWork.com/RSVP and enter information session code SULLSPR.

Sponsored by HCC's Center for Business & Professional Development's Human Capital Academy, the TrainToWork program is a 10-day training that provides its graduates with skills and jobs as direct support associates with Sullivan & Associates, a community-based support program for persons with disabilities. Sullivan & Associates provides residential and day programs as well as planned respite, emergency respite, outreach services and deaf services. Classes are scheduled to begin October 29.

Participants in the TrainToWork program must be at least 18, possess a valid Massachusetts driver's license, and be available to work from 3 to 11 p.m. Other eligibility requirements apply. For more information, register for the open house or call Debra at (413) 552-2496.

College program for high school students with IEPs
October 9, 2007 

HOLYOKE – A joint venture by Holyoke Community College and the Northampton-based Community Enterprises is opening up the doors of higher education to students who have individual education plans (IEPs) but who are not scheduled to graduate high school.

On Thursday, October 25 the ASSET (Achieve Success through Supported Education and Training) Program will hold an open house for parents and prospective participants (up to age 22) at HCC's Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, 4:30 -6:30 p.m. No reservations are necessary, but if you would like more information, please call: (413) 552-2878 or (413) 536-4200 ext 213.

The ASSET Program provides office and business training for individuals (up to age 22) who have been assigned IEPs by their school districts but who are not candidates for passing the MCAS or high school graduation. Launched this fall, the ASSET program is designed to allow students to have the full college experience and learn valuable job skills. Upon completion of the year-long program participants will receive job placement and support services from Community Enterprises.

The October 25 event will give interested parents, students, and educators an opportunity to speak with ASSET and HCC staff, who will explain the program's goals and help individuals to assess the program's suitability.

Darden joins HCC as Veterans Assistant
October 9, 2007 
HOLYOKE – Springfield resident Nicole Darden has been appointed to the position of Veterans Assistant at Holyoke Community College.

An alumna of HCC, Darden is a Gulf War Era veteran and mother of two. She is currently studying psychology at Mount Holyoke College. She began her tenure at HCC on Sept. 11.

Green Certification debate headlines: Fifth Annual Forest Summit at HCC, October 19
October 12, 2007 
HOLYOKE – The public is invited to Holyoke Community College's Leslie Phillips Forum on October 19 for the Fifth Annual Forest Summit, 9:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. This event is free. A full agenda may be viewed at http://www.hcc.mass.edu/forest. For more information call Gary Beluzo at (413) 552-2445.

The daytime program will include workshops by nationally known scientists focusing on global warming forest health, and El Nino. At 6:30 p.m. there will be a public debate on Green Certification, a state environmental policy that seeks to certify all Massachusetts land as either sustainable for harvesting or reserved. Headlining that debate will be James DiMaio, the state's chief forester, and Ehrhardt Frost, a member of the Vermont Forest Stewards Guild.

Also presenting at this conference will be David Stahle, director of the Tree Ring Laboratory from the University of Arkansas, Lee Frelich from the Center for Hardwood Ecology at the University of Minnesota, Tom Diggins from Youngstown State University, and Will Blozan, president of the Eastern Native Tree Society (ENTS).

HCC to host discussion of Iraq War experience
Author Elise Tripp and Iraq War veterans to headline event Nov. 8
October 22, 2007 

HOLYOKE – The public is invited to Holyoke Community College on Thursday, November 8 at 2:30 p.m. for a moving discussion of the Iraq War experience featuring HCC adjunct American history professor and author Elise Tripp and a panel of Iraq War veterans and family members. The event will take place in room 301 in the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.

Nor reservations are necessary for this free event, but more information is available by calling Camille Close at (413) 552-2277.

A former international relations counselor for UN affairs at the World Bank, Tripp, of Sunderland has recently published "Surviving Iraq: Soldiers' Stories," ($18, Olive Branch Press) a compilation of narratives from 30 returning soldiers - some of them with connections to HCC.

Released on October 11, the book may also be purchased on Amazon.com for $12.24.

The November 8 event will also feature a panel of military personnel, soldiers, and family members:
· Jaime A. Perez, Captain, Army Reserve, Iraq War veteran, and a counselor at the Springfield Veterans' Center.
· Andrew J. Simkewicz, Sergeant, US Army, Afghanistan and Iraq War veteran, and a counselor at the Springfield Veterans' Center.
· Andre M.M. Queiroga, Corporal in the Marine Corps, Iraq veteran, and an HCC student.
· Joyce and Kevin Lucey, parents of the late Jeffrey Lucey who was a Corporal in the Marine Corps and a former HCC student.

Tripp's book has been hailed by critics for its candor and reverence. Noted filmmaker Ken Burns has called it "[A] shocking, moving, and utterly heroic portrait of young men and women in impossible situations."

The book is available at South Hadley's Odyssey Books.

Tripp's appearance is sponsored by the Authors@HCC series, a year-long promotion of the authors who work at Holyoke Community College. For more information about the series, contact Camille Close at (413) 552-2277.

Joyce D. Desorcy joins HCC staff
October 22, 2007 

HOLYOKE – Holyoke Community College this week announced the appointment of Joyce D. Desorcy to the position of Annual Fund Coordinator. A 1988 alum of the college, Desorcy, a Holyoke resident, will oversee HCC's annual phonathon, its alumni solicitations, and the management of donor and alumni projects.

Desorcy previously served as the coordinator of HCC's Women in Technology Program and as a part-time assistant in the Institutional Development office. She chaired the HCC Alumni Telefund for two years, and most recently served as a volunteer solicitor for the Gift of Opportunity Campaign.

HCC Players to perform The Balcony November 8-10, and 16-17
October 31, 2007 

HOLYOKE – The public is invited to Holyoke Community College to enjoy the HCC Players production of Jean Genet's The Balcony November 8-11, and November 16 -17.

All performances will take place in the Studio Theater, located on the first floor of the C Building. Curtain time is 8 p.m. for the November 8-10 and 16-17 performances; 2:30 p.m. for the November 11 performance. Tickets are $7 for the general public, $5 for students and senior citizens. Members of the HCC community will be admitted for free. For more information, call the HCC Box Office at (413) 552-2528.

The Balcony contains adult material and situations and is probably not suitable for young children. Parental discretion is strongly advised.

The setting of Genet's celebrated play is a brothel that caters to refined sensibilities and peculiar tastes. Here, men from all walks of life don the garb of their fantasies and act them out. These costumed diversions take place while, outside, a revolution isolates the brothel from the rest of the rebel-controlled city. In a series of macabre climactic scenes, Genet presents his caustic view of man and society.