MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Fri., Feb. 13, 2004

MWCC English Department Hosts African American Read-In in Celebration of Black History Month

By Lea Ann Erickson

Mount Wachusett Community College student Steven Belanger admitted he was, “not a big poetry person,” before he shared a poem about the death of Frederick Douglass at an African American Read-In this week. Over 40 students, faculty and staff shared passages from the works of King, Cullen, Morrison, Wright, Hughes, Wheatley and others at the English Department-sponsored event celebrating Black History Month, Wed., Feb. 11.

Academic Support Center Writing Coordinator Joan Croteau read a poem that was adapted from a speech given by Abolitionist Sojourner Truth:
“ Aint I a woman?

	MWCC student Steven Belanger reads at the MWCC African American Read-In

That man over there say
a woman needs to be helped into carriages
and lifted over ditches
and to have the best place everywhere.
Nobody ever helped me into carriages
or over mud puddles
or gives me a best place. . .

And ain't I a woman?
Look at me
Look at my arm!
I have plowed and planted
and gathered into barns
and no man could head me. . .
And ain't I a woman?
I could work as much
and eat as much as a man--
when I could get to it--
and bear the lash as well

	English Faculty member Michelle Valois reads to students, faculty and staff

and ain't I a woman?
I have born 13 children
and seen most all sold into slavery
and when I cried out a mother's grief
none but Jesus heard me. . .
and ain't I a woman?
that little man in black there say
a woman can't have as much rights as a man
cause Christ wasn't a woman
Where did your Christ come from?
From God and a woman!
Man had nothing to do with him!
If the first woman God ever made
was strong enough to turn the world
upside down, all alone
together women ought to be able to turn it
rightside up again.

In addition to the African American Read-In sponsored by the English Department, the Student Government Association (SGA) will sponsor a coffee house, Thurs., Feb. 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to feature the poetry, prose and music of African American writers and musicians. The event will be free and open to the public.

MWCC’s Joe Smith to Exhibit Artwork in East Wing Gallery

By Lea Ann Erickson

Joe Smith, of the Mount Wachusett Community College Forest and Wood Products Institute, carries a sketchbook, colored pencils and pens when he ventures into the woods for a walk or takes a vacation. Work from his resulting sketchbooks from 1990 to 2003 will be on display in the college’s East Wing Gallery from Mon., Feb. 16 through Thurs., Mar. 11.

Smith said he has liked to draw since childhood when he would sketch battleships. In college, he doodled in his notebooks during class and noticed often he had more sketches than lecture notes. After attending drawing and painting courses at UMASS Amherst, a lifelong hobby was born. Most of his work includes sketches in black ink, colored pencils and pastels, but he will also be exhibiting a few watercolor paintings. “But I’m really a detail guy and like the control of pen and pencil,” said Smith.

Included are 46 images of forests, stonewalls, beach scenes and an early palm tree study from when he served in the Peace Corps in Micronesia from 1977 to 1979.

“ I drew them (the sketches) because something caught my eye, or just because I wanted to see if I could. None of them were intended to be finished pieces. I drew them for my own enjoyment,” said Smith. When a sketchbook was filled, I would put it away in a drawer and would only occasionally take it out again. These drawings would have remained in my sketchbooks and in my drawer if Gene Cauthen had not suggested this exhibit.” Smith thanked the entire Art Department for their encouragement and support.

A reception to meet and talk with Smith about his work will be held Fri., Feb. 20 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Upcoming Campus Events:

• The East Wing Gallery is featuring Joe Smith’s sketchbook drawings from Mon., Feb. 16 through Thurs., Mar. 11. A reception to meet and talk with Smith about his work will be held Fri., Feb. 20 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. In addition, as part of the “Works in Clay” exhibition series, MWCC alumna Cheryl Lichwell’s sculpture is also on display though Wed., Feb. 18. She sculpts her pieces out of terra cotta clay or a low-fire white clay. She experiments with traditional and unconventional surface treatments in work that has been described as whimsical, humorous, dark and peculiar. After graduating from the Mount, Lichwell graduated from UMASS Amherst with a B.F.A. in Sculpture. She resides and works in her Hubbardston studio. The East Wing Gallery is open Mondays through Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• The college will host the 16th Annual Girls’ High School Basketball Tournament, Sat., Feb. 14, through Thurs., Feb. 19, at the College’s Fitness and Wellness Center. One scholarship will be awarded to a player on each team. When the tournament began 16 years ago, only four teams participated. This year, 14 teams will participate: Bromfield High School, Gardner High School, Littleton High School, Lunenburg High School, Murdock High School, Narragansett Regional High School, Nashoba Regional High School, North Middlesex Regional High School, Notre Dame Academy, Quabbin Regional High School, St. Peter-Marian High School, Shepherd Hill High School, Tantasqua Regional High School, West Boylston High School. Daily admission to the tournament is $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. For more information call (978) 630-9134.

• The American Red Cross will host a blood drive on campus, Wed., Feb. 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the commons area. Walk-ins are welcome. For more info, call Health Services at 978-630-9136.

• Working full-time? Find out how you can earn your Early Childhood Education Associate Degree in three years by attending weekend courses once or twice a month in combination with convenient online courses. Information sessions will be held Wed., Feb. 18 and Wed., Mar. 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Murphy Conference room at the Gardner campus. Schedules for this option begin in the fall and are planned in advance so students will know exactly what is expected of them for the entire program. No cancelled classes. To pre-register, call Missi Howlett at (978) 630-9273 or email her at mhowlett@mwcc.mass.edu Learn about the program, schedule and financial aid opportunities and see an online learning demonstration. For more information about the program, go to http://earlychildhood.mwcc.edu

• With support from the Massachusetts Campus Compact’s “Raise Your Voice Campaign” and the Molly Bish Institute for Child Safety, Mount Wachusett Community College will be hosting a resource fair for parents and caregivers in the College Commons area on Fri., Mar. 5 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Representatives from a number of local organizations will be there to provide resources and answer all questions, including Community Partnerships for Children, MOC, WIC, the House of Peace and Education, and Child Care Resources. Children don’t come with a handbook, so please come and learn how to keep a child’s life on track. For more information, call (978) 630-9564.

• Discover the “Hidden Treasures” of the Mt. Wachusett Community College Library! All students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend the MWCC Library Open House, Wed., Mar. 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The library staff is eager to demonstrate the valuable resources available to all patrons of the library. Events such as “Plan Your Vacation!” and “Free DVD and VHS Rentals!” will highlight the many uses of your library card. Bring your own questions about library services, and learn to utilize all the library has to offer. Stop by for food, raffles, information, and fun for everyone! A schedule of events will be posted at the library’s home page: http://library.mwcc.edu.

• Reward your New Year's resolution to get fit with a relaxing massage. The college's Fitness and Wellness Center is featuring a student massage clinic. The clinic is open Monday through Friday and every other Saturday. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call (978) 630-9212.

• “Right this way, your table’s waiting.” Theatre at the Mount’s production of the Kander and Ebb musical, Cabaret, opens on February 27 for 5 performances. Set in the tumultuous city of Berlin just before Hitler’s rise to power, Cabaret is based on Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin Stories and John Van Druten’s I Am a Camera. The main action of the play revolves around a cabaret performer, Sally Bowles, and the brief affair she has with an American writer who takes her in after she is kicked out of the Kit Kat Club where she performs. Although Sally and Clifford soon find themselves deeply in love, there is too much chaos in the world around them. Soon they find their relationship is being jeopardized by outside forces which threaten to tear them apart. Also figuring prominently is the tragic relationship between Fraulein Schneider, a German woman, and her Jewish suitor, Herr Schultz. Performances of Cabaret are February 27, 28, March 5, and 6 at 8:00 p.m. and March 7 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $18.00 for evening performances and $15.00 for matinees. For information and reservations, call the TAM box office at 978 632-2403. Tickets may also be purchased online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu
  Cabaret contains adult themes and language and is not recommended for young children.

• Theatre at the Mount and the Humanities Division will sponsor a free lecture entitled “Cabaret: From Page to Stage” Wed., Mar. 3 at 12:40 p.m. in the North Cafeteria. Lorien Corbelletti, director of TAM’s musical production of Cabaret, will discuss the historical and dramatic perspectives involved in recreating the world of 1929 Berlin. The rise of the Nazis to power will be examined as a backdrop for the powerfully decadent musical hit. The lecture is free and open to students, staff, faculty and the general public. Tickets for the performances may be purchased at the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403, or online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu For more information on the lecture, contact Professor Gail Steele at 978 630-9162 or by e-mail at g_steele@mwcc.mass.edu

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

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