MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, Jan. 20, 2006

TIM WISE TO KICK OFF THE MWCC 2006 WHAT’S NEXT SPEAKER SERIES

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Tim Wise, a prominent anti-racist writer and speaker, will kick off Mount Wachusett Community College’s 2006 What’s Next Speaker Series at the college’s Gardner campus on Friday, Feb. 17 at 11:30 a.m.

Tim Wise at the Fitchburg Public Library in April 2005.

Under the theme “Beyond ‘Diversity’: Challenging Racism in an Age of Backlash,” Wise speaks around the country on the topics of affirmative action, Jews and Jewish Americans, alliance-building, militias, multiculturalism, the civil rights movement, class and labor, racism, death penalty, right-wing movements, democracy, youth and student activism, and white privilege.

Wise’s free presentation in MWCC’s theatre is one of four appearances he has scheduled in Massachusetts during February.

Wise was a part of the 2005 What’s Next Speaker Series and spoke at the Fitchburg Public Library last April. In his presentation “Profit and Loss: White Privilege and Its Consequences for Racial Equity & Justice,” Wise offered a different view of affirmative action and challenged the audience to rethink their views on white privilege, racial equity and justice.

“Unless we talk about these things, we will miss the degree we are implicated in the system,” Wise said then.

“We’re proud to bring Tim Wise back to North Central Massachusetts,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “He’s part of our What’s Next Speaker Series because he provokes thoughtful discussion and inspires action. We want this series to lead participants to explore solutions that will improve our communities.”

Wise grew up in Nashville, Tenn., and was raised by parents who believed in desegregation. They sent Wise to a mostly black preschool, and he attended integrated public schools. At Tulane University in the late 1980s, while protesting apartheid in South Africa, he scrutinized what in his life could be traced to white privilege. He filled pages.

Wise has spoken to over 80,000 people in 47 states and on over 350 college campuses. He’s written many essays on race issues and two books, including “White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son.”

Copies of “White Like Me” will be for sale at the lecture for $10, while supplies last. Twenty percent of each sale will be donated to People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, one of the nation's premier anti-racism organizations and where Wise received anti-racism training. The organization’s national office in New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, but its work continues in Fresno, Texas.

Wise’s lecture is sponsored by MWCC’s new Center for Democracy and Humanity and Multicultural Awareness Committee. For more information, send an email to whatsnext@mwcc.mass.edu or call Kimberly B. Caisse at (978) 630-9547.

	New student Josh Ray signs up with MassRides, the Executive Office of Transportation’s new statewide travel options program providing assistance to commuters, employers and students, during spring orientation Wednesday, Jan. 18. Karen Erickson, a transition specialist at Oakmont Regional High School, (standing) Brittany Burnside, MassRides marketing outreach coordinator, (far right) and Juliana Boucher, the MassRides liaison for MWCC students, look on. Twenty-five MWCC students signed up for the MassRides carpooling program during the fall semester.

MWCC ANNOUNCES ‘IDOL AT THE MOUNT’ AUDITIONS

Vocal soloists from Central Massachusetts are invited to compete in preliminary auditions for “Idol at the Mount” on Saturday, Feb. 25 at noon sharp in room 182 at the Gardner campus. (Registration begins at 11:30 a.m.)

Contestants must be 18 years of age or older and must prepare a 16- to 32-bar vocal selection from any musical genre, including pop, rock, show tunes, standards, country, classical, folk and jazz. Judges will select 12 finalists to compete for cash prizes and for the title “Idol at the Mount.”

The “Idol at the Mount” competition will be held to determine the best vocal soloist in Central Massachusetts and to raise money for the many programs supported by United Way of North Central Massachusetts.

The “Idol at the Mount” will be selected on stage at MWCC on Friday, April 7 at 8 p.m.

“Idol at the Mount” is sponsored in part by MWCC, Aubuchon Hardware, Colonial Hotel and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts.

For additional information about the “Idol at the Mount” competition, visit www.uwncm.org, www.mwcc.edu or theatre.mwcc.edu, or contact “Idol at the Mount” coordinator Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162.

NLNAC TO VISIT MWCC’S NURSING PROGRAM

MWCC will host a visit by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) Tuesday, Feb. 28, Wednesday, March 1 and Thursday, March 2 as part of the application process for continued accreditation of the college’s popular Nursing Program.

The public is invited to comment on the MWCC associate’s degree Nursing Program and attend a meeting with the NLNAC visiting team members on Wednesday, March 1 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Murphy Conference Room at the Gardner campus.

The nursing program at MWCC began in 1972 and received initial accreditation by the National League for Nursing in 1977. The last NLNAC visit was in 2001.

Comments may be sent to aruuska@mwcc.mass.edu or Mount Wachusett Community College, Nursing Department, Attn: Anna Ruuska, 444 Green St., Gardner, MA 01440.

HURRICANE KATRINA BENEFIT CONCERT
	Amy Casavina Hall and Joanne Foster handle ticket sales before the show.		The Ethan Stone Band rock the theatre with a high-energy performance. The band ended the night with Ethan's new single "Too Late."
	CARS, along with Student Life Director Greg Clement (right), sell concessions during intermission.		Ray Hendricks and his band open the concert. Ray called Ethan to the stage to play piano for his new single "Coattails of Love."

Other MWCC News :

• The Institute for Nonprofit Development at MWCC will host the Many Hats Discussion “The Drucker Self-Assessment” Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. in the Murphy Conference Room at the college’s Gardner campus. The workshop is free and for institute members only. The basis of the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool is five questions every successful organization should be able to answer: What is our mission? Who is our customer? What does the customer value? What are our results? What is our plan? To register or to become a member of the institute, contact Joanne Foster at jfoster@mwcc.mass.edu.

• MWCC Student Life will host a performance by singer/songwriter Alex Rosenblatt Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the south café. His musical influences include Dave Matthews, The Beatles, John Mayer, Howie Day, Phish, Ben Folds and Elton John. Rosenblatt’s music stretches from blues to alternative to funk to pop. He recently finished his first solo recording, a four-song sampler recorded at Magpie Studios. Rosenblatt’s performance is free for students, faculty and staff. For more information, contact Greg Clement, director of student life, at (978) 630-9252 or gclement@mwcc.mass.edu.

• MWCC’s new Center for Democracy & Humanity and The Gardner News will co-sponsor a candidates debate for the 2nd Worcester District special election on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m. (The election is Feb. 7.) The debate will take place in the commons area of MWCC’s main campus. The public is encouraged to attend. Admission is free. For more information, contact Kimberly B. Caisse at MWCC at (978) 630-9547 or Gardner News Evening Managing Editor Stewart Norwood at (978) 632-8000.

• The First Connections Mothers Group’s weekly meetings will resume on Friday, Feb. 3. At the gatherings, which will take place Fridays in the Children’s Room at Levi Heywood Memorial Library from 10:30 a.m. to noon, attendees will 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 MWCC Professor Nancy Duphily, the meeting facilitator, at nduphily@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9233. Duphily will be assisted by MWCC nursing students as part of their service-learning project.

• Theatre at the Mount will hold auditions for the children’s musical Disney’s “Aladdin Jr.” by appointment only on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or e-mail your appointment request to box-office@mwcc.mass.edu. Auditions will be held in room 182.

• Theatre at the Mount kicks off its 2006 season with “Big River, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” on Friday, Feb. 24, Saturday, Feb. 25, Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4 at 8 p.m. and Sundays Feb. 26 and March 5 at 2 p.m. Season tickets for all five shows are only $65 and are on sale now. To purchase season tickets or request a season brochure, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403. Tickets for individual shows are $18 or $15 for matinees. Tickets may also be purchased online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• MWCC will hold “Idol at the Mount” auditions Saturday, Feb. 25 at noon sharp in room 182 at the college’s Gardner campus. (Registration begins at 11:30 a.m.) The “Idol at the Mount” competition will be held to determine the best vocal soloist in Central Massachusetts and to raise money for the many programs supported by United Way of North Central Massachusetts. Contestants must be 18 years of age or older and must prepare a 16- to 32-bar vocal selection from any musical genre, including pop, rock, show tunes, standards, country, classical, folk and jazz. Judges will select 12 finalists to compete for cash prizes and for the title “Idol at the Mount” Friday, April 7 at 8 p.m. on the Theatre of the Mount stage. Sponsored in part by MWCC, Aubuchon Hardware, Colonial Hotel and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, additional information is available at www.uwncm.org, www.mwcc.edu or theatre.mwcc.edu, or by contacting “Idol at the Mount” coordinator Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162.

• Golf lessons, directed by Mike Eagan, a PGA professional, will begin the week of Feb. 27 at the Fitness & Wellness Center. Participants need to bring their own clubs. The Fitness Center also has clubs available. Beginner, intermediate and advanced sessions will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:15 or 8:15 p.m. The cost is only $85 per session. Fitness & Wellness Center members are eligible for 10 percent discount. To register, call the Fitness Center at (978) 630-9212.

• Register now for softball clinics for girls ages seven to 12 offered by the Fitness & Wellness Center. Directed by Galaxy U14 and U12 coaches, the sessions will cover fundamentals of hitting, fielding and pitching in the game of women’s softball. Clinics will be held on Sundays March 5, 12, 19, 26 and April 2. The cost is only $60. Call the Fitness Center at (978) 630-9212 to register.

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