MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, Sept. 2, 2005

OVER 850 NEW STUDENTS ATTEND MWCC’S ORIENTATION PROGRAMS

By Kimberly B. Caisse

More than 850 new and transfer students attended Mount Wachusett Community College’s orientation programs Thursday, Sept. 1, learning about the wide variety of college services, clubs and service-learning programs while they munched on pizza and had their student IDs made.

	New student Laura Tomer gets her student ID made in the South Cafeteria.

The daytime student orientation, attended by over 750 people, began with a welcoming ceremony in the theatre. “Over 11 percent of our students already have advanced degrees,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Whatever your goal, we will make sure you succeed.”

Asquino encouraged the new students to join clubs. “There are many clubs for you to join, including a juggling club, which I am joining,” he said. Students were greeted by renowned juggler and unicyclist Dan Foley of Airborne Comedians at the beginning of the ceremony. Later, he also wheeled and juggled amid the students gathered in the South Cafeteria and back courtyard.

Diana Russo (’05), a former Student Government Association president and honors student who transferred to the University of Massachusetts-Boston on a full scholarship, said she returned to help with orientation day “because I love this school so much.”

“MWCC was my first choice for college,” she said. “It was hands down, the best decision I ever made.”

Russo also urged new students to be active in the college community. “If you get involved now, you won’t regret it,” she said.

Tuan Nguyen, the student member of the Board of Trustees, told the new students, “You might not be able to change the world, but if you can change one person’s life, they will turn around and change another life.”

	Caitlin Barclay signs up Sarah Leonard as a new member of the Student Government Association at the daytime student orientation.

Caitlin Barclay, the current SGA president, said, “We are your voice.” Later, on the patio near the South Cafeteria, Barclay signed up new members of the SGA.

New students were asked to take and complete a student housing survey. Residence halls are a goal of the college. Student input is a crucial first step in the process. Every survey returned will generate a $1 donation to the American Red Cross’ Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts. President Asquino pledged to match each dollar with a dollar of his own. By the end of Sept. 1, 325 surveys had been returned and another 400 had been taken by new students. The college will mail surveys to 1,200 returning students.

Director of Student Life Greg Clement said there are 14 active clubs and groups and more are in development. “Orientation is an amazing time of the year,” he said. “Greeting all the new students and helping them with their educational goals gives me a tremendous feeling. We could feel the excitement in the air as the new students interacted, made friends and learned about the college community and resources.”

About 100 new evening students attended an orientation program held from 6 to 7 p.m.

Classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 6. To register, contact the Admissions Office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.

MWCC PRESIDENT WANTS MORE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY USE

By President Daniel M. Asquino

	President Asquino

We've all watched gas prices climb this summer, and many of us are watching the price of heating oil rise again this year.* With so many factors causing the increases and threatening to keep the price of oil high, now more than ever it is important for us to have a national discussion about the aggressive pursuit of alternative energy. I'm proud to say Mount Wachusett Community College has been a leader in this pursuit by using a local renewable resource—wood—to meet our energy needs.

When Executive Vice President Edward Terceiro Jr., Senator Robert Wetmore and I began working on a biomass energy plant proposal for MWCC's Gardner campus 10 years ago, we were facing rising energy costs. However, the expenses we wanted to reduce came nowhere near what are now being generated by a crude oil price of more than $60 a barrel.

Realizing that our early investments in renewable energy have positioned MWCC to weather the current energy crisis is why I believe it's important to tell our renewable energy story, share the technology with others and tie renewable energy science and innovation to our curriculum. Today, we see the biomass plant as a "working laboratory" for our students and the greater community.

Our number-one goal, set at a time our state funding began to dwindle, was to reduce the college's energy bill over time so we could apply that savings to our main mission— educating students.

The only college in the state community college system with all-electric heat, MWCC was spending more than $750,000 a year on electricity in the mid-1990s. Building the plant and converting the college heating system to support it required a $4.3 million investment, but it was done without spending any college funds. We broke ground on the project in April 2002, and it has been heating the Gardner campus since the following fall.

The college applied for and received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, a $750,000 grant from the Renewable Energy Trust Fund, hundreds of thousands of dollars in Mass Electric rebates and a performance contract arrangement with an energy service company for energy and water management. That agreement allowed the college to get a loan that guaranteed the energy savings would exceed the annual cost of the financing.

This arrangement allowed MWCC to see $661,000 in savings in the past two years, and our annual savings will increase six years from now, when the loan is paid off. This is possible because biomass fuels are much cheaper than electricity, oil and natural gas. Electricity generally costs at least eight to 10 times more per unit of energy than wood chips in the Northeast, and oil and natural gas cost at least two to two-and-a-half times more.

The Mount's biomass plant also supports the local forestry industry—not foreign petroleum industries—and uses a renewable resource, not a non-renewable resource in diminishing supply. Estimates indicate that only 6 percent of New England's energy is produced locally, but 35 percent comes from international sources.

State experts also calculate that 80 percent of every dollar spent on fossil fuel leaves the region. One hundred percent of every dollar MWCC spends on biomass fuels remains in the local economy. By increasing the use of biomass, it would keep more dollars local.

We knew we were on the cutting edge of the renewable energy debate 10 years ago by just exploring a conversion of our electricity-based heating system to biomass. By completing the project, we've helped the environment as well as saved money and supported the local economy. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs has recognized MWCC for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 20 percent over the past three years.

We're not stopping here, though. The college was recently awarded funding by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs to purchase sophisticated wind-metering equipment that will quantify the Gardner campus' wind resource for potential electrical generation. We're also under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to install and test a prototype biomass system. It will be added to the current system and is expected to more than offset the energy used by the new Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education and Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety.

Because we are the community's college, we welcome you to come to our Gardner campus to learn more about biomass energy production.

*This article was first published in the “Newsmakers” column in the Sunday, Aug. 21 edition of the Sentinel & Enterprise, Fitchburg.

Upcoming Campus Events:

• Register now for fall semester classes. They begin Tuesday, Sept. 6 at MWCC’s Devens, Gardner, Leominster and Orange campuses, and online. Choose from more than 40 degree and certificate programs. New courses beginning in the fall semester include introduction to natural resources, gender issues, current issues in biology, introduction to the fire service, introduction to energy management principles and renewable energy sources. MWCC newest program, dental hygiene, starts this semester at the HealthAlliance Hospital campus in Fitchburg. The college’s practical nursing program has expanded to the Devens campus. For more information and to register, contact the admissions office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.

• MWCC's Art Department will present an exhibit of kiln-formed glass pieces by artist Lynn Latimer in the East Wing Gallery between Wednesday, Sept. 7 through Tuesday, Oct. 11. Latimer graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1975 with a degree in painting and started Latimer Glass Studio in 1976. She said, “The glass and carving allow me to combine these elements of color, images and textures. I have found inspiration in the paintings of Klee and Miro, old frescoes, the aesthetics of Japanese gardens, and more recently through exploring primitive art-carvings, textiles, and painted surfaces from around the world, as well as the subtle color shifts and patterns in hand woven rugs.” For more information, contact Professor Joyce Miller at (978) 630-9221 or jmiller@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The Lifelong Learning Institute for Enrichment (LIFE) Program at MWCC is accepting submissions for the its annual writing contest in conjunction with the Writer’s Conference it will hold in October. Poetry and short fiction are the genres, and two winners will be announced, one in each genre. For more details, visit the LIFE website: life.mwcc.edu.

• MWCC’s Office of Student Life and CARS will sponsor the annual Welcome Back Fest on Wednesday, Sept. 14 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the commons area and front lawn. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the event will feature the music of the award-winning Peruvian music artist Inca Son. There also will be a barbecue, personalized baseball cards, spin art Frisbee and more. The Fest is free for MWCC students, faculty, and staff. Contact Director of Student Life Greg Clement for more information: (978) 630-9252 or gclement@mwcc.mass.edu.

• MWCC will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the commons area. To sign up, visit Health Services in room 133. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information, contact Marianne Stoy at (978) 630-9136.

• The Greater Gardner Community Choir will hold sign-up and first rehearsal for the fall semester on Monday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. Under the direction of Diane Cushing, the choir meets Monday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m, in room 182 at MWCC. Music for the fall semester includes classical and contemporary holiday selections such as “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” “Gesu Bambino,” “March of the Kings,” “Winter Wonderland of Snow,” “Hodie Christus Natus Est.” A holiday concert is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16 at the college. A $20 music purchase fee is the only cost associated with joining. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or gsteele@mwcc.mass.edu.

• MWCC Entrepreneurial Resource Center at the Devens campus will host a series of seminars presented by Paul Lambert starting next week. They include: “Generating a Viable Business Idea and Bringing it to Market” on Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. for only $40; “Legal, Financial, and Tax Considerations in Selecting Business Form” on Thursdays, Sept. 8 and 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. for only $60; “Writing Your Business Plan” from Wednesday, Sept. 14 through Wednesday, Nov. 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. for only $300; and “Designing Ads and Marketing Materials” on Thursday, Sept. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. for only $40. For more information and to register, contact Lisa Derby Oden at loden@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9548.

• On Wednesday, Sept. 21, MWCC’s Admissions Office will host the annual New England Association for College Admission Counseling College Fair. The fair will run from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Fitness & Wellness Center and is open to the public. It is geared toward high school juniors and seniors from the college’s service area. Also that day, the Admissions Office will host the NEACAC Two Year College Committee’s annual luncheon entitled “Opening Doors for All Students” in the North Cafeteria. The luncheon will feature best practices for recruiting and supporting under-prepared, at-risk and disabled students. For more information, contact the Admission’s Office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Theatre at the Mount will offer a new series of classes for individuals who would like to learn to tap dance or to brush up their tap dancing skills. Nicole Couture, who has choreographed many TAM productions including the recent “Babes in Arms,” is the instructor for the four new classes. “Begin to Tap,” for teens grades 9 to 12 and adults with little or no tap experience, will run on Wednesday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. beginning Sept. 21. “Begin to Tap,” for students in grades 4 to 8 with little or no tap experience, will run on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. beginning Sept. 24. For teens and adults with some tap experience, “Brush up Your Tap” will be offered from 8:15 to 9:15 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning Sept. 21. “Brush up Your Tap,” for students in grades 4 through 8 with some tap experience, will be offered on Saturday mornings from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. beginning Sept. 24. Each program is 12 weeks long and costs only $100. To register, contact the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403 or contact Professor Gail Steele at gsteele@mwcc.mass.edu.

Lea Ann Erickson
Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322 Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
lerickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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