THIS WEEK@NCC - Norwalk Community College

THIS WEEK@NCC
October 27, 2015
Volume 31, Number 8
IN THIS ISSUE
Page 2
Scenes from Common Read Week
Page 3
Recent Wellness Walks at NCC
Workshop: Domestic Violence
Awareness
Lung Health Day
Trunk-or-Treat
Page 4
Connecticut Make a Difference Day
College Information Session:
Smith and Mount Holyoke
NCC Transfer Fair
UConn Transfer Advisor on Campus
Page 5
Author Sharbari Ahmed to Visit NCC
Movie-of-the-Month
Lumina String Quartet
Pages 6-7
News and Announcements
Page 8
Faculty and Staff News
SUBMISSIONS
to Karen Hart
[email protected]
Next issue published:
November 3, 2015
Deadline for submissions:
October 28, 2015
This Week @ NCC is published
by the Public Relations Office of
Norwalk Community College
Copy Editor and Writer
Karen Hart
[email protected]
Copy Editor and Writer
Madeline Barillo
[email protected]
Graphic Designer
Cindy Zaref
[email protected]
Shown from left to right: NCC students Jackoyia Brown and Matthew Baker with Dean McFadden.
Meet-and-Greet with NCC’s New Dean
of Students Dr. Calvin McFadden
On October 20, NCC’s new Dean of Students Dr. Calvin J. McFadden hosted an
informal meet-and-greet reception in his office on the East Campus. Faculty, staff
and students took advantage of the opportunity to get to know Dr. McFadden and
enjoy light refreshments.
McFadden holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Bethune-Cookman
College, a Master of Divinity Degree in Sociology of Religion from the
Interdenominational Theological Center, Gammon Seminary, and a Ph.D. in
Family and Child Sciences from Florida State University.
He comes to NCC from Smith College, where previously worked as Dean
of the Sophomore Class and Ada Comstock Scholars. Before that, he was as Dean
of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Bristol Community College.
His teaching experience includes undergraduate and graduate courses in sociology
at Florida State University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University,
Springfield College, and American International College.
“I am overjoyed to join the NCC Family! The students that I have met, in addition
to faculty and staff, validate my thought that NCC is a great place to work and help
students succeed. I am looking to supporting our students in their academic journey and
want them to take advantage of my ‘open-door policy’ for any needs they may have.”
– Calvin J. McFadden, Sr., Ph.D.
R E C E N T
E V E N T S
Scenes from Common Read
Week: Spare Parts
The NCC choir performed in the Gen Re Forum on October 20 as part of
the Spare Parts events. They were led by Professor Christine Mangone in
a repertoire of songs in both Spanish and English.
On October 20, Joshua Davis, the author of the NCC Common Read
selection Spare Parts, spoke at NCC. During his talk, he recounted the
story of a group of undocumented high school students who created an
aquatic robot using “spare parts.” With ingenuity and perseverance, the
teenagers went on to triumph over college students from some of the
best engineering schools in the country, including MIT.
Fredi Lajvardi (shown on screen, center), the robotics instructor featured
in Spare Parts, joined an NCC Skype conference with his current
students. NCC Professor Steve Cohen (at right), who spent time at the
Carl Hayden Community High School in Arizona this past summer,
coordinated this event.
Members of the
Westport Library’s
Girls Robotics Club
introduced their robot
and put it through
its paces. Afterwards,
they had the exciting
experience of being
interviewed for News
Channel 12.
After his presentation, Davis (left) signed copies of his book, which was
recently made into a motion picture. Davis was impressed with the
NCC student response to his book and presentation. He later sent a text
message to event coordinator Maria Buchta to say, “Ya guys rock!”
The award-winning Shelton High School Robotics Team “Gaelhawks”
provided a hands-on demonstration of a robot designed, built, and
programmed in six weeks by students to compete with robots from
other FIRST teams from around the globe.
On October 22,
scientists from The
Maritime Aquarium
at Norwalk visited
NCC and demonstrated a remotely
operated vehicle
in the stream behind
the West Campus.
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Recent Events (cont’d. on next page)
Recent Wellness Walks at NCC
Child Development Laboratory School (CDLS) Staff, SUN Classroom
children and NCC students participated in the Wellness Walk on
October 13, led by CDLS Director Catherine Neiswonger.
U P C O M I N G
NCC Alum Mayor Harry Rilling (shown second from left) joined NCC
faculty, staff and students for the October 22 Wellness Walk.
E V E N T S
Campus Resource Team
and Crisis Response Team
Workshop: Domestic
Violence Awareness
Tuesday, October 27, 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. OR
Friday, November 6, 10 a.m. to 11:15 p.m.
Both sessions to be held in East Campus Room E218
NCC’s Campus Resource Team and Crisis Response
Team is sponsoring an informative workshop on domestic
violence. The guest speaker will be Susan Delaney,
Director of Medical Advocacy and Training at the
Domestic Violence Crisis Center. Ms. Delaney has over 25 years of experience in the
area of domestic violence and will speak about the cycle,
dynamics and prevalence of domestic violence, and
laws relating to domestic violence. She will also provide
attendees with useful resources.
All are invited to attend this free workshop. Light
refreshments will be served. Please select your preference
of session and RSVP to Cathy
Miller at [email protected]
or Arlette Werner at awerner@
norwalk.edu.
Lung Health Day
Thursday, October 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
West Campus Atrium
On October 29, NCC Respiratory Care Program students
will celebrate Lung Health Day with a bake sale. All
monies earned will be donated to the American Lung
Association to help sponsor a local child to attend Asthma
Camp this summer. The students will also be using a
“peak flow meter,” a hand-held device used to measure
how air flows from your lungs in one “fast blast.”
The NCC student who achieves the highest peak flow
number on the first try using the proper technique will
win a small Halloween bucket of candy.
For additional information, contact Program Director
for Respiratory Care Maria Grayson at (203) 857-6917
or [email protected].
Trunk-or-Treat
October 29, 4 to 7 p.m.
West Campus Parking Lot
All NCC students and their families,
as well as college faculty and staff, are invited to enjoy
ghoulish games, freaky fun and tasty treats at the annual
Trunk-or-Treat celebration.
(continued on next page)
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Those attending are asked to bring a canned good to
drop off for the NCC Food Pantry.
The event is sponsor by Service Learning, the NCC
Food Pantry, the Office of Student Activities and the
NCC Student Government. Admission is free to all.
Connecticut Make a Difference
Day “Campus Works”
Friday, October 30, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
East Campus, Room E212
All students, faculty and staff are invited to volunteer
their time to complete a variety of events focused on
the betterment of the NCC campus. Some of the areas
volunteers will be working on include:
• working to restructure and re-label classrooms
and offices to incorporate single-stream recycling
information
• planting bulbs with the Early Childhood Department
• campus outdoor clean-up
T-shirts and lunch will be provided. For more information please contact Courtney Anstett at (203) 857-3369.
College Information Session:
Smith College and
Mount Holyoke College
Tuesday, November 3, 2 to 3 p.m.
East Campus, Room E309
Representatives from Smith College and Mount Holyoke
College will be on campus to hold an information session
for NCC students. These schools are specifically looking for high achieving,
female students, ages 25+, for the Ada Comstock Scholars
Program and the Frances Perkins Program. While a
student’s GPA is important, an individual’s life experience
and other factors are also important considerations.
For more information, contact Professor
Susan Gebhardt-Burns
Smith
at (203) 857-7231.
College
NCC Transfer Fair
Wednesday, November 4, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
and 5 to 7 p.m.
East Campus Atrium
Recruiters from more than 45 colleges and universities
will hand out information and speak with students
interested in transferring to four-year schools to pursue
baccalaureate degrees. Students should bring a copy of
their unofficial transcript to discuss with the recruiters.
Representatives from the following colleges and
universities will be in attendence: Eastern Connecticut
State University, Fordham School of Professional
Studies, Johnson & Wales University, Manhattanville
College, New York School of Interior Design, New York
University School of Professional Studies, Pace University,
Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, Saint
John’s University, State University of New York/Purchase,
University of Connecticut/Stamford, University of
Massachusetts/Dartmouth, University of North Carolina,
University of Pennsylvania and more.
This event is sponsored by the NCC Counseling
Center. For additional information, please contact Orlando
Soto at [email protected] or call (203) 857-7030. UConn Transfer
Advisor To Be
on Campus
Thursday, November 5,
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
East Campus, Student Success Center
Lisa Siebert, Academic Advisor/Counselor for the Bachelor
of General Studies (BGS) Program at the University of
Connecticut, will be available to NCC students.
The BGS degree offers an interdisciplinary major that
allows students to gain a breadth of knowledge across
disciplines. With this degree, students can choose a variety
of academic areas to study. This is a bachelor’s degree that
allows students to meet their academic and career goals.
To make an appointment, call the Student Success
Center at (203) 857-7255. If unable to attend the NCC
sessions, students may contact Lisa Siebert at (203) 2519517 or [email protected].
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Author Sharbari Ahmed
to Visit NCC
Thursday, November 5, 1 to 2:20 p.m.
East Campus, Baker Library
Bangladeshi-American writer
Sharbari Z. Ahmed, author of
The Ocean of Mrs. Nagai, and
writer on ABC’s new series
“Quantico,” will visit NCC to
read from her work and talk
about her writing process. Ahmed holds an MA in
creative writing from NYU.
Sharbari Ahmed
In 2003, she wrote, produced
and starred in her first play, Raisins Not Virgins (based
on one of the stories in The Ocean of Mrs. Nagai). Her
screenplay adaptation of Raisins not Virgins was selected
for the Tribeca All Access Program at the Tribeca Film
Festival in 2008. She also authored a novel, Bombay Duck. The LA Times Review of Books had this to say about
her story collection: “Her carefully curated collection of
eight stories . . . is populated with characters who are
engaged with the world, reacting to it, who are often not
settled in one particular place but belong to many places,
traveling back and forth across multiple landscapes. There
are observations of cultural differences, but it is always
with a sense of unreliability, and an acknowledgment that
the forces at play are much broader and more complex
than we can grasp.” A book signing and reception will follow the reading.
The event is free and open to public. For more information, contact Professor Laurel Peterson at lpeterson@
norwalk.edu.
Movie-of-the-Month:
Death Wish (1974)
Thursday, November 5, 6:30 p.m. East Campus, Gen Re Forum
Charles Bronson stars as Paul Kersey, a New York City
architect who becomes a vigilante after his wife is killed
and his daughter is sexually assaulted during a home
invasion. Directed by Michael Winner, Death Wish has
long been considered a cult film and has generated a
strong following among fans
of vigilante films, who regard
it as one of the first films to
introduce the “pedestrian”
vigilante.
The public is invited to
attend and admission is free.
For additional information,
contact Professor Gary
Carlson at (203) 857-7349.
Lumina String Quartet to
Perform at NCC
Saturday, November 7, 2 p.m.
East Campus, PepsiCo Theater
NCC will host a free chamber music performance by
the Lumina String Quartet as part of the group’s seasonal
concert series. The concert will include selections from
Haydn, Shostakovich, and Brahms.
The group members include: Boris Deviatov, viola;
Asya Meshberg, violin; Jennifer DeVore, cello; and Lynn
Bechtold, violin. They will be joined by guest artist
Phillip Bashor. The quartet actively participates in many
international festivals with their repertory ranging from
baroque to contemporary musical selections with an
emphasis on Russian composers.
The public is invited to attend. For more information
contact Asya Meshberg at [email protected] or
(203) 655-8543.
Prudential Visit to NCC
Tuesday, November 16
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. - West Campus, Room W230
2 p.m. to 4 p.m. - West Campus, Room W130
Prudential Retirement Counselor Davelva Perez will be
on hand to speak with NCC employees about changes
made since Prudential replaced VOYA to manage State of
Connecticut Defined Contribution Plans.
To make an appointment, please contact Ms. Perez at
(860) 837-4214 or [email protected].
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N E W S
A N D
A N N O U N C E M E N T S
NCC Students Win College
Bowl Competition
NCC Director of the Exercise Science and Wellness
Program Paul Gallo joined NCC students, faculty and
staff who recently attended the New England Chapter of
the American College of Sports Medicine’s (NEACSM)
fall meeting in Providence, RI. NCC is the only two-year program to ever compete
in the annual College Bowl event that is held during
the NEACSM meeting. Different four-year colleges and
universities compete to demonstrate their knowledge in
the disciplines of Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology and
Anatomy/Physiology. NCC students competed against
other teams completely made up of upperclassmen.
“I am proud to announce NCC won the 2015 College
Bowl event . . . This is a tremendous accomplishment
for the Exercise Science Program and NCC” said Gallo.
UConn, UMass, Southern Connecticut, and the
University of Rhode Island are several of the four-year
colleges/universities that NCC students outperformed. There were a total of 20 schools in the competition.
The NCC College Bowl team will represent the
New England Chapter at the national ACSM meeting in
Boston, MA this upcoming May. At the national meeting, NCC will compete against the 12 other chapter
winners for a national College Bowl title. The NEACSM
will be paying all travel, conference and hotel expenses
for the team. 2015 Connecticut State
Employees’ Campaign for
Charitable Giving (CSEC) The Connecticut State Employees’ Charitable Giving
campaign represents the unique opportunity for CT State
Employees to support and make a difference in the lives of
many individuals and families through their contributions.
The campaign runs until December 4, 2015 and is
completely voluntary. To obtain 2015 pledge cards, click
on the following link: https://www.givingmatters365.
org/_ctemployeegiving. You may chose a payroll
deduction, or one-time donation by credit card.
To send donations, or receive additional information,
please contact Magdalena Szychowska at mszychowska@
norwalk.edu or go directly to www.csec.ct.gov.
News from the
NCC Food Pantry
The NCC Food Pantry, now Wellness
Committee approved, has the following
goals for the new school year:
Feeding Student Success
• to offer fresh food in addition to dry goods;
• to increase the knowledge of members about nutrition
and health/wellness; and
• to combat food insecurity in sustainable/obtainable ways.
Starting in November, there will be a “Featured Items”
section in a special location in the pantry that will be
paired with a nutritious, easy-to-make, recipe. Student
members will find this both a convenient and delicious
way to eat well.
The first recipe is Red Lentil Pasta Sauce. In order
to make this happen some ingredients have been altered to
be “pantry friendly.” Consider donating of the following
key recipe ingredients to get students eating healthfully:
College Bowl winners included NCC students (shown from left to
right) Melissa D’Agostino, Andre Aiken and Antoine Steward.
15 oz. canned lentils
28 oz. crushed tomatoes,
crushed red pepper flakes
dried oregano
jar of minced garlic (small)
black pepper
olive oil
(cont’d. on next page)
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Fresh Food Alert
With the goal of expanding the pantry offerings, there is
now an implemented Fresh Food Alert!, and email blast
to student members to let them know perishable items
are available for them to take home immediately. Last
week the pantry received 50lbs. of organic apples which
disappeared quickly.
There are now three drop-off locations in addition to
the Pantry. Look for the drop-off crates in the following
locations:
• East Campus - Library (look for the display)
• West Campus - Wellness (across from H011)
• West Campus - Academic Services (just inside the
door of Room W106)
If you’d like a drop-off in your area just let the Pantry
staff know and they will try to accommodate it.
Public Relations Moves to
Online Forms for Submissions
The Public Relations Department will be moving to
an online form for submissions of all information that
requires publicity.
An all-college email will go out next week to this
effect when the form is ready for use and will include a
direct link to the form.
The form will be located on the NCC Portal
under “Online Forms” and will work in the same way
forms work for reserving college space and requesting
maintenance work.
Use of this form will streamline the process of getting
events and announcements publicized through various
media including This Week @ NCC, the NCC website,
social media, and press releases.
Food Pantry Extended Hours
With the addition of service learning students, the pantry
is able to expand its hours from now until the first week in
December as follows:
Monday: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Be the first to know all the happenings! Like us on
Facebook www.facebook.com/NCCFoodPantry or Follow
the Pantry on Twitter @NCCFoodPantry. Facebook is
also where you can find Pantry hours, interesting articles
and fun posts.
For more information, contact the Food Pantry at
(203) 857-7265 or [email protected].
Wellness Center Hours
The Pitney Bowes Foundation Wellness Center,
located in room H003 on the ground floor of the Center
for Science, Health & Wellness, will be open during the
following hours:
Monday through Thursday:
8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
NCC Campus Tour Dates
Campus tours will be held on the following dates/times:
Tuesday, November 10, 1 p.m.
Friday, November 20, 3 p.m.
Monday, November 30, 10 a.m.
Thursday, December 10, 1 p.m.
Friday, December 18, 10 a.m.
Monday, December 28, 3 p.m.
For more information call (203) 857-7307.
Tutoring Services Center Hours
The Tutoring Services Center offers peer and professional
tutoring for registered students in a variety of subjects.
Students should visit the Center to check for specific
courses and times. Regular hours are as follows:
Monday - Thursday: 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Attention Faculty: Tutoring Services Center
coordinator Diane Donovan is available to conduct short
academic skills workshops or to introduce the tutoring
services to your classes. Please contact her at (203) 8577205 or [email protected].
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F A C U L T Y
A N D
S T A F F
N E W S
NCC Professor Joan
Fitzsimmons Publishes
Plant Life
NCC Photography Professor Joan Fitzsimmons’ Plant Life
exhibition catalog was recently published by the Griffin
Museum of Photography, Winchester, Massachusetts.
Joan Fitzsimmons says: “I attempted to grow wheat
grass, and later basil. The seeds did germinate, and the
plants were beautiful; but ultimately I was unable to
sustain them. However, I view them not just as a failure,
but also perseverance. Whether they thrive or not, the
photographs hold their own enigma.”
Joan Fitzsimmons is a fine art photographer and has
had solo exhibitions across the U.S. Her work is held in
many museum collections as well as in private collections.
NCC Continuing Notice of Non-Discrimination
Norwalk Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, national origin, marital status,
ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and
expression or genetic information in its programs and activities. In addition, the College does not discriminate in employment on the
basis of veteran status or criminal record. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Chief Diversity Officer and Special Advisor, Cheryl DeVonish, Title IX Coordinator at (203) 857-7016 or cdevonish@
norwalk.edu; or Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator Fran Apfel at (203) 857-7192 or [email protected].
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