MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Friday, February 25, 2005

WE INVEST IN WHAT IS IMPORTANT:
A LOOK AT PRESIDENT BUSH’S BUDGET PLAN

By MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino

It’s hard to believe that a mere five days separate President Bush’s State of the Union address and the release of his budget. I believe that we invest in what is important. But there is a great divide between the vision for our country that the president articulated last week and the cold hard numbers released in his budget this week*.

	Daniel M. Asquino

Last week, the president told Congress and the American people:

“(As) we watch our children moving into adulthood, we ask the question: What will be the state of their union?’ Members of Congress, the choices we make together will answer that question. Over the next several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans have always done, and build a better world for our children and grand children.”

This week, the president proposed decimating the very funds that “build a better world for our children and grand children.”

The president’s budget proposes eliminating funding for several crucial programs that offer opportunity to thousands right here in North Central Massachusetts. The elimination of Perkins funding, federal TRiO programs, Talent Search/Upward Bound Programs, Adult Basic Education and GED programs would eliminate the opportunity for our citizens to improve their lives and build their own self-sufficiency.

Since 1993, Project Greater Opportunities (GO) has been administered by Mount Wachusett Community College and funded by the Department of Education. The program provides a variety of services--in partnership with our K-12 school systems--to make college a reality. Academic counseling, tutoring, assistance in applying for financial aid, college tours of public and private schools are just a few of the services this program provides. I am very proud of this program’s success. Over 80 percent of Project GO students in our local schools go on to college. That is especially impressive when you consider that 80 percent of the school districts in our region have been identified as performing “low” to “very low.”

GEAR UP, another federally funded program administered by MWCC, has serviced over 822 students at Fitchburg High School. This innovative program has been working with the class of 2005 since they were in the 7th grade providing college preparation activities and academic support. Again, the success is impressive. Nearly a third of the students made honor roll and the total class saw an increase in GPA (Grade Point Average) of .12 during the most rigorous academic year of high school (junior year).

Let’s not forget our adult learners who are not seeking a handout, but trying to improve their skills so that they can better support their families. We are serving more than 500 students in our Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs at Devens, Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster and Winchendon. Despite this, we today have over 500 people on a waiting list for ABE or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services. The people on this waiting list are trying to obtain their GED (General Educational Development) prepare for college classes or to learn English. They want to work and want to contribute to their families’ well-being and to their communities.

Perkins-funded services on our campus help ensure that our students are successful in college and go on to succeed in their careers or in furthering their college education after they transfer from the Mount. This is an extremely cost effective program. For only about $110 per student per year, we are able to invest in academic support, career counseling, transfer services, equipment and supplies to prepare our students. In today’s world, it is crucial that our classrooms and our faculty are constantly updated to reflect changes in the workplace. Investing in the future of your nurses, your police officers, your firefighters, your business leaders, your computer technicians, your graphic artists, your automotive technicians and much more is worth every penny.

To give you an example of the power of an investment in education, consider Javier D. Peluffo. This Leominster High School graduate and Project GO alum joined Project GO in the 6th grade. An honor roll student while at LHS, Javier is now freshman at Tufts University, where he received a $39,000 scholarship to study medicine. He credits the Project GO SAT workshops, campus visits, free waivers for the SAT and college fair held at MWCC as being instrumental in his success.

To cut funds that provide opportunity and hope for students like Javier and the many languishing on our ABE/GED waiting lists is very shortsighted. Students who go on to college earn more and are in a better position to provide for their families. In fact, according to a study by Cape Ann Economic, a Massachusetts community college education more than doubles the full-time annual earning potential of community college graduates, from $21,200 to $42,600. When you multiply this increase by the number of students who have attended Massachusetts community colleges and are still living and working in the state, total personal income in the state is over $7 billion higher than it would be otherwise.

A sense of basic fairness and justice dictates that we should continue to make educational opportunity possible. But it is not only in the interest of the over 500 people on our waiting list for ABE or GED classes, or students in our local schools like Javier that we should continue this funding. It is in our own interest. We want to live in a society where education and self-sufficiency are valued. When you remove opportunity, you kill hope. When you kill hope, you create despair. People without hope who are full of despair often turn to crime, because it provides a short-term economic solution. I think it is more prudent to invest in education early, to avoid spending on all of society’s problems down the road.

These programs slated for cuts in the Bush budget are not frivolous or wasteful. They are proven programs that have demonstrated time and again that if you invest in an individual’s education, they will, in turn, invest in their family and in their community. That’s the vision we should have for our country. It is the vision that should be reflected in the numbers in the president’s budget. What we value, is what we invest in. Invest in education. Invest in the future.

*This article was first published in the “Newsmakers” column in the Sunday, Feb. 13 edition of the Sentinel & Enterprise, Fitchburg.

MWCC STUDENTS FIND HARMONY DURING DRUMMING SESSION

	Jim Donovan, a founding member of the band Rusted Root, leads MWCC students through his Rhythmic Motivations workshop.

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Nearly 50 MWCC students learned to play congas and achieve a “harmonious result” through drumming during a mid-day workshop in the north cafeteria Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Leading them was Jim Donovan, a founding member of the multi-platinum band Rusted Root. The goal of the one-hour drumming session, he said, was to give participants a brief lesson in rhythmic drumming, deep listening skills and finding harmony through cooperation without competition.

Donovan told the group to resist the urge to rush the tempo. “It’s an important concept for you to learn: How to be the master of how fast and (to think about) the method you use to get through the day,” he said.

Following Donovan’s lead, participants beat their drums with their eyes closed. “Play what you think you hear,” he said. Almost all of them reported “feeling different”—relaxed, euphoric, relieved, focused, more confident—when they stopped.

Donovan called it a “harmonious result,” an outcome that required cooperation, not competition to achieve. He told participants they can apply this concept in any group situation.

Donovan’s workshop was sponsored by MWCC’s Committee for Activities and Recreation for Students (CARS) and Student Life Office.

LESLIE LIGHTFOOT, A VETERANS’ ADVOCATE, AMONG 2005 UNSUNG HEROES

By Lea Ann Erickson

Leslie Lightfoot, a veteran who served as an Army medic from 1967 to 1970 and has three children who are veterans, including a daughter currently serving in Iraq, has dedicated her life to making life better for U.S. veterans.

A psychotherapist who has worked with combat veterans for over 30 years, she oversees a series of facilities committed to quality care. The Veteran Hospice Homestead in Fitchburg serves vets with terminal illnesses. Bruce A. Vaudo, a resident who nominated Lightfoot, said, “She goes that extra mile. It’s a one of a kind place.” Vaudo, who had substance abuse problems and has been clean for seven years, credits Lightfoot.

She also oversees the Armistice Homestead and Hero Homestead in Leominster. The three centers serve about 42 veterans. She also launched the Veteran Homestead Mobile Medical Unit, staffed with a driver and a nurse practitioner. “Many of our vets in the outlying areas have no way to get transportation. We provide blood pressure checks, cholesterol and other health screenings. We also refer them to a veteran’s hospital if they need further care,” Lightfoot said.

Her newest project is a self-sustaining farm in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, which currently serves 10 veterans and will eventually serve 20. The self-sustaining farm will produce organic vegetables and is home to two horses, a donkey, dogs and soon chickens, goats and ducks. “It’s such a healthy thing for the guys to have." One veteran who used to have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, now rises every day at 5:30 a.m. to care for the animals. To learn more, visit www.vethospice.com.

Campus Events:

• The Theatre at the Mount will perform “Jesus Christ Superstar” on Friday, Feb. 25, Saturday, Feb. 26, Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 27 and Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m. Parental discretion is advised for children under age 13. Tickets are $18 for evening performances and $15 for matinees, with special discounts available for groups. Tickets are available in person at the TAM Box Office from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. To charge tickets, call (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu. The Theater at the Mount is wheelchair accessible and is equipped with a hearing assistance system.

• Register now for the Fitness & Wellness Center’s annual youth softball clinics for ages 7 and up on Sundays Feb. 27, March 6, March 13, March 20 and April 3. Session I and II will cover fundamentals of hitting, fielding, and pitching in the game of women’s softball. Session III will cover hitting only. Session I and II costs only $60 per player; session III $50. Center members are eligible for a 10 percent discount. For more information, call the center at (978) 630-9212.

• The MWCC Fitness & Wellness Center’s annual golf lessons begin the week of Monday, Feb. 28. Directed by PGA Professional Mike Egan, the lessons include individual instruction and video analysis. Participants can bring their own clubs or use the center’s. Beginner lessons will be held Mondays and Thursdays at 7:15 p.m. Intermediate classes will meet Tuesdays at 7:15 and 8:15 p.m. and Thursdays at 8:15 p.m. Advanced lessons will be held on Mondays at 8:15 p.m. The cost is $85 per session; fitness center members are eligible for a 10 percent discount. For more information, call the center at (978) 630-9212.

• Theatre at the Mount will hold auditions for the Ellie Greenwich musical “Leader of the Pack” on Tuesday, March 1 and Wednesday, March 2 at 7 p.m. sharp in room 182 at MWCC. Director Tara McRae, music director Nate Newton and Choreographer Chris Casello are looking for a large, diverse cast of adult men and women, ages 17 and up. Actors should be prepared to perform a short vocal selection (accompanist provided) – 1960s pop music is preferred – and to learn a short dance combination. Appropriate clothing and footwear is strongly encouraged. Cold readings from the script may also be required. The tentative rehearsal schedule is Sundays from 4 to 8 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. beginning Tuesday, March 8. Performances of “Leader of the Pack” are Friday, May 6, Saturday, May 7, Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or visit the Theatre at the Mount web site at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• MWCC invites anyone interested in earning an associate’s degree or certificate in the computer field to attend Techno Expo 2005 Wednesday, March 2 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Gardner campus. College faculty and staff will be on hand to discuss and answer questions about MWCC’s computer electronic technology, computer information systems, computer graphic design, computer-assisted accounting, Cisco networking programs as well as the college’s online/distance-learning options, including a new articulation agreement with Framingham State College for the liberal arts program. For more information, contact the Admissions Office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.

• A free seminar on “Making Better Tax Decisions for Your Small Business” will be presented at MWCC Thursday, March 3 from 7 to 9:45 p.m. in room 127 at the Gardner campus. The event, co-sponsored by the Small Business Administration, will address such topics as reducing taxes and eliminating or reducing tax problems by learning now and planning ahead. The session will include a question-and-answer session with two members of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs, Karl Schranek, a CPA with Rodman & Rodman in Newton, and Gordon Ulen, a CPA with a practice in Topsfield. This seminar is free, but pre-registration is requested. To register, contact Enrollment Services at (978) 630-9123. For more information, contact Denise Whitney at (978) 630-9124.

• Registration continues for upcoming lifeguard courses at the Fitness & Wellness Center. Sessions run March 13 to 18, April 4 to 28 and May 2 to 26. The lifeguard course is $200 for members; $230 for nonmembers. The cost includes a lifeguard training manual, pocket mask, lifeguard/first aid certification, CPR for the FPR certification, AED certification, and waterfront module certification. Recertification is $100, and proof of current certification is required at the first session. The Lifeguard Management Course, to be held Sunday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., is $54 for members and $60 for nonmembers. For more details, contact the Fitness & Wellness Center at (978) 630-9212.

• The Institute for Nonprofit Development at MWCC is hosting a free, two-day workshop, “The Art and Science of Grantwriting,” on Monday, March 14 and Tuesday, March 15 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participants will learn about applying for and writing federal grants. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development instructors will cover such topics as securing 501c3 status, researching federal funding opportunities and building coalitions. The workshop is sponsored by the institute and HUD’s New England Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. To register, contact Joanne Foster at (978) 630-9591 or jfoster@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The Forest & Wood Products Institute at MWCC will host a three-day, intensive spray-finishing technology workshop in the Robert D. Wetmore Center, Gardner campus, on Tuesday, March 15, Wednesday, March 16 and Thursday, March 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The workshop is limited to 20 participants per class and costs $550 per person (includes all materials and lunches). Participants will earn 16.5 professional development points. To register, contact Ken Hanson at (978) 630-9179 or khanson@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The Forest & Wood Products Institute at MWCC will host a 10-hour OSHA safety training session Monday, March 21 and Tuesday, March 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wood Products Workforce Development Coordinator Ken Hanson will cover at least nine OSHA safety standards. The cost is only $198 per person and includes lunch. To register, contact Hanson at (978) 630-9179 or khanson@mwcc.mass.edu.

• MWCC, in partnership with the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, will present Career Fair 2005 at Holy Cross College, Hogan Campus Center, Worcester, on Tuesday, March 22 from 2 to 5 p.m. It is open to MWCC students and alums. The fair is especially geared to business and human services disciplines, but students/alums with other majors are welcome. Details and a list of participating companies can be accessed at www.cowc.org. Bring plenty of resumes and dress for success.

• The MWCC Pacers, the college’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life team, are looking for 30 members for this year’s Relay on Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11. The 2004 Relay raised $758,000, the highest amount of the other 156 relays in New England. The Gardner Relay has raised over $5 million dollars since its inception 11 years ago. This year’s goal is to raise $800,000. Other benchmarks reached at the 2004 Relay include having 733 survivors walk the track, a number unheard of at any of the other relays, and being ranked No. 11 nationwide in funds raised (out of 4,200 relays). To join the MWCC Pacers, contact Sue Goldstein, JoAnn Brooks and Jan LeClair to get your relay packet.

• Registrations to take Cycle 4 classes at MWCC’s Gardner and Leominster campuses will be accepted through Monday, March 21 for Monday-Wednesday courses and Tuesday, March 22 for Tuesday-Thursday courses. The accelerated Cycle courses each run for three hours throughout the day and evening, twice a week for seven-and-a-half weeks. For a full list of Cycle 4 courses, check out http://www.mwcc.edu/current/cycle4.html on the Web or pick up a copy of the Spring 2005 Course Bulletin at any MWCC campus location. For assistance with registration, call the Admissions Office at (978) 630-9110.

• The MWCC Winchendon Skills Program, funded by a grant from Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, is offering free GED prep classes at the Community Action Center at 273 Central St., Winchendon, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Enrollment is ongoing. For more information, call Janet Brown at (978) 297-1667 or Tim Robinson at (978) 630-9259.

• Sign up now for the next R.A.D. Basic Self-Defense Course, a 12-hour course for women only, at MWCC on Monday, March 21, Tuesday, March 22, Thursday, March 24 and Friday, March 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. The cost of the course is $25. To register, please contact Melissa Garneau at (978) 630-9150.

• The Lifelong Institute for Enrichment (LIFE) at MWCC is sponsoring a Robin Lane presentation of “Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis” on Thursday, March 31 at 2 p.m. at Best Western Royal Trade Plaza Hotel in Fitchburg. Tickets are $20 and go on sale Monday, Feb. 14 at MWCC’s Lifelong Learning office, room 163, or by contacting Lorraine Wickman at (978) 630-9176. In this compelling one-woman show, Lane reveals the real Jacqueline Onassis, the private woman behind the public mask, while keeping alive the mystique, the magic that was Jackie. Camelot lives again in this personal portrayal of a woman who found her way into the hearts of America.

Lea Ann Erickson
Director of Community Relations
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322
Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
l_erickson@mwcc.mass.edu

To receive weekly updates via e-mail, subscribe to our listserv by sending an email to: publications-on@listserv.mwcc.edu.

top of page