Friday, September 28, 2007

MWCC RECOGNIZED AMONG TOP 50 GREEN U.S. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

By Janice O'Connor

Mount Wachusett Community College's commitment to the environment has earned the campus national recognition as one of the country's top green colleges and universities. In its inaugural "Green College Report," Kiwi magazine lists MWCC as one of the top 50 green schools "that will help your kids help the planet." The report credits MWCC with slashing its carbon dioxide emissions by switching its campus heating system to biomass and places the college in the company of Cornell, Duke and Stanford universities.

In addition to being named to the top 50 list, Mount Wachusett was included in the magazine's list of academic institutions that have signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino is a charter signatory of the Presidents Climate Commitment and is a member of its Leadership Circle. In this capacity, he encourages other college presidents to exercise leadership in their communities by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions and educate students about environmental issues.

"I am so proud that our efforts here at Mount Wachusett Community College are not only resulting in a significant reduction in greenhouse emissions, but are also impacting the way that our youth and their parents view their relationship with the environment," President Asquino said.

The recognition by Kiwi magazine is one of the most recent honors and awards MWCC has received for its renewable energy initiatives. On Oct. 12, President Asquino and Executive Vice President Ed Terceiro will accept a Climate Champion Award on behalf of the college from Clean Air - Cool Planet, a leading environmental organization in the Northeast dedicated to finding and promoting solutions to global warming.

MWCC is receiving the award in recognition of its commitment to the environment and its ongoing renewable energy initiatives, including plans to install a wind turbine and the 2002 conversion of its all-electric campus in Gardner to a closed-loop, biomass-fueled hydronic heating system. Since 2002, the project has achieved a 38-percent reduction in electricity, a 52-percent reduction in water usage, and a 22.5 percent reduction in carbon dioxide, while trimming the college’s energy costs by more than $2 million. The award will be presented at Clean Air - Cool Planet’s Global Warming and Energy Solutions conference on October 12 and 13 in Manchester, N.H.

Past awards the college has received include recognition by the National Wildlife Federation in April, 2007 as one of the top four colleges and universities in the country for its reduction of carbon dioxide emissions; a University Environmental Purchasing and Sustainability Award from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2005; a Facilities Management Achievement Practices – Sustainability Award from the International Facility Management Association's Boston Chapter in June, 2007; and an environmental award for achievement in energy conservation in 2005 by the Massachusetts Audubon Society and Worcester Business Journal.

MWCC CELEBRATES DIVERSITY WITH ARTIST'S TALK, UPCOMING EVENTS AND EXHIBITS

Fitchburg artist Lionel Reinford shared stories about his neo-primitive paintings and coming to the United States from Honduras in the 1960s. His talk, sponsored by the Art Department, commemorated Hispanic Heritage Month. Reinford's oil paintings, which include this image of his first girlfriend, Maizie, are on display in the East Wing Gallery through Oct. 5.

Fitchburg artist Lionel Reinford, who came to the United States from Honduras in 1965 and simultaneously developed a passion for teaching and painting, shared stories with art students and others this week. His talk on Sept. 25, sponsored by the Art Department to commemorate national Hispanic Heritage Month, was one of several events scheduled on campus this fall to celebrate diversity and raise awareness.

Reinford, who arrived in Boston in 1965 to study at the University of Massachusetts - reflected on his first day in the United States, decked out in what he imagined all young Americans would be wearing - a Beatles' suit and boots and mop-top haircut. With a laugh, he recalled his dismay at arriving in the midst of the hippie movement. "I was so disappointed - no one was dressed up this way."

Reinford went on to earn a master's degree from Harvard and enjoyed a long career as a foreign language teacher in Leominster, Fitchburg and Worcester. As a child in Honduras, he had dabbled in artwork, creating paintings with brushes he fashioned from blades of grass and leftover house paint. He began painting in earnest in 1975 and has had his award-winning works displayed at the Fitchburg Art Museum, the ArtsWorcester Gallery, and the World Trade Center, among other venues. His exhibition of oil paintings, "To See Through a Beautiful World,” depicts scenes from as far away as Honduras, Argentina and Russia and as near as Leominster and Worcester. The exhibit is on display through Oct. 5 at the East Wing Gallery, located in the Raymond M. LaFontaine Fine Arts Center. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Office of Student Life has scheduled several events and exhibits throughout the month of October to celebrate diversity and raise awareness about issues such as mental illness, domestic abuse and equal rights.

Upcoming events and exhibits include:

The Road to Freedom, a photo exhibit from Oct. 9 through Oct. 12 in the Leo & Theresa LaChance Library. The Road to Freedom is focused on children, teens and adults with the full spectrum of physical, sensory, learning and mental disabilities. Along with color photographs by Gigi Kaeser, the exhibit features interviews conducted and edited by Peggy Gillespie and eighth grade students at the Four Rivers Charter School in Greenfield, Mass. The exhibit can be viewed Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Authors Pat Gozemba and Karen Kahn will discuss their book Courting Equality on Oct. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the North Cafe. On Nov. 18, 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court granted equal marriage benefits to same-sex couples. The decision provoked a searing public debate over the meaning of marriage and family, civil rights and the role of religion in law and society. Through engaging storytelling and powerful photographs, Courting Equality takes readers through the volatile public debate following the decision and introduces some of the many lesbian and gay families who have taken advantage of equal marriage laws.

Empty Place at the Table, a display that commemorates the lives lost in Massachusetts over the past year as a result of domestic violence, can be viewed Oct. 15 through Oct. 19 in the Upper Commons Area. The display was created by Battered Women's Resources, Inc. of Leominster and consists of a formal dining room table set up with two plates for each victim, one with a name and the other with a brief description of the murder.

The photo exhibit Nothing to Hide can be viewed Oct. 22 through Oct. 26 at the Leo & Theresa LaChance Library. The exhibit provides people coping with mental illness and their families a chance to come out of the shadows and into the public eye. The compelling stories of children, siblings, parents, grandparents and extended family members demonstrate strength, courage, integrity and accomplishment in the face of adversity and stigma. The exhibit can be viewed Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

THEATRE AT THE MOUNT PRESENTS ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST

Theatre at the Mount’s 2007 season continues at Mount Wachusett Community College with the upcoming production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, directed by Lorien Corbelletti. The play opens Friday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. and continues on Oct. 6, 12, and 13 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.

First published as a book by Ken Kesey in 1962, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was inspired by Kesey's job as an orderly at a veteran's hospital and by the 1960s counterculture movement touting such themes as freedom, rebellion and fearlessness. Dale Wasserman adapted the novel into a play in 1974, and Miles Forman directed a successful film adaptation of the novel starring Jack Nicholson the following year.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has a roster of complex characters, including the memorable Randle McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, who will be played at TAM by Aaron Whipple and Wendy Almeida, respectively. The cast also includes Chief Bromden (Joe DeStadio), Dale Harding (Victor Kruczinski), Martini (Anthony Santucci), Scanlon (Tony Minichiello), Cheswick (Michael Dickson), Ruckley (March Schrader), Billy Bibbit (Tim Culkeen) and Nurse Flinn (Carolyn Salter), among others.

Audiences will feel like they just stepped into a hospital ward enveloped by the haunting set created by resident scene designer Jeff Boisseau. Costumes are being designed by Rachelle Vachon, and Lighting Design is in the hands of Cindy Baer.

Due to mature content and language, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is not appropriate for children.

Tickets are $20 for evening performances and $15 for the matinee. For tickets and information, call the TAM box office at 978 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu    

More MWCC News:

• MWCC will host the 2007 Northern Worcester County Memory Walk to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association on Saturday, Sept. 29. More than 5 million Americans and 16,000 Central Massachusetts residents have Alzheimer’s. Volunteers, sponsors and walking teams are needed to help move closer to a cure for Alzheimer’s. The event features a one, two or three mile walk, followed by musical entertainment, food, children’s activities and an exhibitors’ fair. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m. Proceeds are used to fund programs such as support groups, caregiver training, research and a 24-hour helpline. For more information, contact Kristi Mendoza at (978) 365-4537 or Kristi.Mendoza@kindredhealthcare.com.
• Mount Wachusett Community College Foundation, Inc. will honor long-serving community volunteer Richard W. Nobile as the 2007 Harold E. Drake Citizen of the Year at the Annual Foundation Dinner Wednesday, Oct. 17 at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner. Outstanding MWCC students who receive Foundation scholarships also will be honored. The award recognizes community members who exemplify Mr. Drake’s extraordinary commitment to the North Central Massachusetts region.Tickets to the Annual Foundation Dinner are $75 per person. A social hour will begin at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Reservations are required by Oct. 9 and may be made by contacting Darlene Cloutier in the Foundation Office at (978) 630-9387 or dcloutier@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The enrollment center is offering Information Sessions on a number of academic programs. Upcoming sessions will take place on the following dates: Clinical Laboratory Science: Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. in OBS Conference Room at Heywood Hospital; Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing: Oct. 18 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 241, and Oct. 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Leominster campus; A.S. Nursing: Oct. 9 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 125; Dental Hygiene: Oct. 3 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 182; Complementary Health Care: Oct. 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 125, and Oct. 19 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 258. Prospective students interested in attending an information session are asked to call the enrollment center at (978) 630-9110 (TTY (978) 632-4916), or send an email to admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The Fall Film Series 2007: Documenting Society continues on Wednesday, Oct. 24 with An Inconvenient Truth. The film runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the North Cafeteria. An Inconvenient Truth offers a passionate and inspirational look at one man's fervent crusade to halt global warming's deadly progress in its tracks by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. That man is former Vice President Al Gore, who is seen as never before in the media - funny, engaging, open and on fire about getting the stirring truth about what he calls our "planetary emergency" out to ordinary citizens before it's too late.
• What do storybook characters, murder, comedy, imagination and a mystery have in common? find out on Friday Oct. 26 at an audience interactive dinner theater production of "Murder in the Land of Lost Pages, a Fairy Tear-able Tale." Sponsored by the MWCC Alumni Association, the event will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by a full dinner and the show at 7 p.m. at the Best Western Royal Hotel Plaza, 150 Royal Plaza Drive, Fitchburg. the show will be performed by the Massachusetts-based Comical Mystery tour, which has been in production since 1995. Admission is $40 per person or $75 for two people. Reservations are required by Oct. 17. Proceeds will benefit the Alumni Association scholarship. For tickets or more information, contact Carol Cullins, director of alumni affairs, at (978) 630-9594 or ccullins@mwcc.mass.edu
• Register now for the second annual Bob Wilson Memorial Scholarship 5k Run/Walk at Fitchburg State College’s Elliot Field Track. Organized by his wife, Tina Wilson, Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems at MWCC, the 5K will take place Sunday, Oct. 28. The Walk will begin at 12:15 p.m.; the Run at 1 p.m. Race Day Registration will start at 10:30 a.m. Proceeds benefit scholarships, through Fitchburg State College and Fitchburg Access Television, to communications and broadcasting students attending MWCC and Fitchburg State. Last year, 180 people registered to walk or run and raised $4,800 for scholarships. Registration forms are available at www.bobwilsonfund.com. For more information, contact Tina Wilson at t_wilson@verizon.net or (978) 630-9225.
• The Democracy Café - Gardner Mayoral Debate will take place Monday, Oct. 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Commons Area. Hosted by the Center for Democracy and Humanity and The Gardner News, the event will provide an opportunity to hear Democratic incumbent Mayor Gerald St. Hilaire and Republican candidate Mark Hawke square off in what is sure to be an informative and spirited conversation. Light refreshments will be served.
• Now entering its ninth year of service to senior learners age 50 and over, the LIFE Program at Mount Wachusett Community College is accepting registrations for a variety of courses being offered throughout the fall semester. Upcoming courses are being offered in computers, writing and poetry workshops, current events, exploring the sacred writings of four major religions, and other topics. Submissions of prose, poetry, short stories or historical memoirs are also being accepted for Tapestries, An Anthology, an annual publication of writings published, distributed and sponsored by the LIFE Program. In addition, the program directs three intergenerational projects that match senior citizens with elementary, high school and college students on a writing project, an arts project and a poetry/arts project. The Mount Walkers meet weekly on Thursday mornings at 10:30 to walk the bike path. To be placed on the LIFE Program mailing list or to receive a course description booklet, contact Lorraine Wickman at l_wickman@mwcc.mass.edu or call (978) 630-9176.