Nov. '24 News Blog
News briefs from the HCC campus and beyond
Click here to see our past - and future - news blogs ...
March Break
Marching to end hunger certainly makes marchers hungry. Thankfully, around noon today (Nov. 25) as the15th annual March for the Food Bank passed the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute (on its two-day, 43-mile journey from Springfield to Greenfield), marchers found a tableful of white lunch bags ready for the taking. The bags were prepared by students in the HCC culinary arts program. Marchers had their choice of chicken or southwest chickpea and black bean wrap, Caesar or balsamic dressing, along with a farro side salad, lemon sugar cookie and bottle of water. The annual march is a fundraising event for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and led by costume-clad, Pioneer Valley radio personality Monte Belmonte, dressed as Glinda the Good Witch from "Wicked" (pictured in the thumbnail photo with President George Timmons). Among the hundred or so marchers who picked up a free lunch were Food Bank executive director Andrew Moorehouse, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, state Rep. Pat Duffy, and Ben Ostiguy, coordinator of the HCC Thrive Center and Food Pantry. Above, HCC culinary arts students and staff take a moment with President Timmons and the HCC Cabinet.
Bonded Bunnies
In case you haven’t seen the flyers around campus, here’s the gist: Ashby and Cricket, two bunnies now in the care of the Veterinary and Animal Science program, need a new home. The two Rex rabbits are “bonded brothers,” according to HCC veterinary tech lab technician Christine O’Neill, and all that remain of the menagerie of animals veterinary students have been caring for this semester as part of their animal facilities management class. All the rest – beagles, cats, guinea pigs and chicks – have been adopted, a process that occurs at the end of every fall semester. “The students learn about husbandry skills, how to hold them properly, what to feed them, how to change their litter boxes,” said O’Neill. One recent day, she had a rabbit pen set up in the hallway outside her office in Marieb, just to promote the adoption effort. A few details about Ashley and Cricket: They originally came from the Dakin Animal Shelter. They are about a year old, neutered, and litter box trained – “about 85 percent,” said O’Neill, “but they eat mostly vegetables and hay, so the pellets are hard and easy to sweep up.” Rex rabbits, she said, are fuzzier than other kinds of rabbits, because their hair grows straight up instead of lying flat. Most importantly, cecause they are bonded litter mates, they need to be adopted as a pair. “You should see them cuddle and lick each other,” O’Neill said. “It’s so cute.” Anyone interested in adopting Ashby and Cricket can contact O’Neill at coneill@hcc.edu or stop by Marieb 241 to meet them. PHOTO: O’Neill and Cricket
First-Gen Attention
Take a look at the display case outside the HCC Library and you will see the results of a project initiated by TRIO student ambassador Madison Neiween. Big, black letters spell out “First-Gen.” Each letter (and even the hyphen) features affirmations inscribed by HCC students, faculty, and staff in recognition of First-Generation Day, celebrated nationally Nov. 8 to recognize those who are the first in their families to pursue a college degree: “Being first-gen is tough, but I’m tougher,” said one writer. “I’m a second-generation college student, but I probably wouldn’t have gone to college, but for my mother, who was a first-gen student,” said another. “I wanted to encapsulate the excellence and perseverance of other first-gen college students because I myself am first gen,” said Neiween, during the Nov. 13 First-Gen celebration event nearby the TRIO offices. “I wanted a way to capture students’ words in their own voices, what it means to be first gen, what they're proud of accomplishing as a first-gen student, and also hear from people who aren't first gen themselves but want to give words of encouragement.” One of the signatories was President George Timmons, who talks often about the importance of education in his own life: “Being a 1st gen student has taught me the importance of hard work and setting goals.” PHOTO: President George Timmons, center, and TRIO student ambassador Madison Neiween, to his left, at the HCC First Generation celebration on Nov. 13. See more photos in our Facebook photo album ...
Celebrating Our Vets
The college honored its student-veterans and active-duty service persons with a special lunchtime mixer on Tuesday, Nov. 12, following the nationally celebrated Veterans Day holiday. Picture above in The Bunker veterans lounge and study area were some of the attendees: Derick Santos, HCC veterans benefits counselor; student-veteran Michael Ludwig (U.S. Army); Kayelanna Matos-Rivera, college friend (Air National Guard); student Angela Farrick (Air National Guard); student-veteran Alex Ramos (U.S. Navy); student-veteran Nelson Figueroa (U.S. Army); Student Engagement clerk and HCC alum Lindsey Pare ’17, ‘20; and HCC security officer and alum Jiovanny Montanez ’23 (“Army brat”).
Award-Winning Work
Two stories about HCC alumni earned awards for the Holyoke Community College Office of Marketing and Communications at the Fall 2024 District 1 Conference of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations. HCC won the top two awards in the category of Excellence in Writing – Short Form (stories 800 words or less words). Taking gold: “Name That Tune,” a story about HCC math major Tom Dulac ’23, (above left), who won a national award for musical composition that he submitted under the pseudonym “Zac Dune.” Taking silver: “Ready to Go,” a Commencement feature about Tatiana McKnight ’23 (above right), who suffered from agoraphobia during her high school years and transferred to Mount Holyoke College after graduating from HCC. Both stories were written by HCC Media Relations Manager Chris Yurko. “Name That Tune” was published in the Alumni Out & About section of the Spring 2024 issue of the HCC college magazine, The Connection. “Ready to Go” was a published in the Spotlight section of the HCC website in July 2023. The National Council for Marketing & Public Relations is the only organization of its kind that exclusively represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges. NCMPR District 1 includes Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, and United Kingdom. The District 1 Conference was held Oct. 23-25 in Baltimore, Maryland.
