67th Year--Vol. I
Northeast Mississippi Community College--Booneville, Miss.
October 23, 2015
Officials respond to increase in security threats By Maranda Cheatwood, Staff Writer
With the recent Delta State University tragedy and gun threats at Mississippi State University, Northeast is making sure that its Emergency Response Plan is up to date and keeping students and faculty as safe as possible. Earlier in September, MSU experienced what turned out to be a minor scare and less than a week later, DSU history professor Ethan Schmidt was shot and killed by fellow faculty member Shannon Lamb who earlier in the day shot and killed a female friend in Gautier. Northeast has not been immune from
putting its plan into place when what college officials determined to be a hoax, caused the plan to be activated on Tuesday, October 6. College administrators say, whether the threat is legitimate or not, a situation like that should not be taken lightly. Northeast officials take all threats to the safety and security of its faculty, staff and students, seriously and meet each time an incident occurs to look over the policies and procedures to update the plan to keep it active with today’s changing environment. “Just cleaning it up, things like that, to make sure that all the people are in the right place at the right time,” executive
vice president Craig-Ellis Sasser said on keeping Northeast’s emergency plan updated. According to Sasser, the emergency response team met in July to discuss things like lockdown procedures and Tiger Alert and are one meeting away from having the plan finalized. Procedures are different for every protocol including severe weather, fires and even bomb threats. Things like Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media are used by over 85 percent of college students every day, which can cause word of emergency to spread quickly but Sasser points to a larger tool that the college uses in the event of an
emergency. “Our biggest tool is called Tiger Alert,” Sasser explained. “We encourage all students and faculty and staff, if they haven’t signed up for it, to sign up,” Sasser said. “You can get there through our website.” Tiger Alert is a system that quickly sends out alert messages and cell phone and land line calls to students and faculty, if they have signed up for it, regarding emergencies and threats on campus. Officials say that an emergency can happen anywhere at any time and no matter if the emergency is true or a hoax, they take each incident very seriously.
Ford ascends to NEMCC presidency Former basketball coach becomes tenth president in college history By Meayesha Foster, Staff Writer
Former Lady Tiger basketball coach Ricky Ford assumed the Northeast presidency on July 1. In just over 100 days in office, Ford has laid out a plan that helps to lead the college not only technologically but also in the five-county community as well.
From the head women’s basketball coach’s office to the office of the president is the journey Ricky G. Ford, Northeast’s tenth president, has taken during his time here. Ford laid out his plans for the college and for the students and their learning environment. “It all starts with the faculty and the environment,” Ford explained. “Getting them together and giving them an atmosphere where they are able to learn and receive all knowledge available, with this comes success.” iPads in the classroom have opened many doors for students and faculty. It exposes them to more knowledge and more information. Also, it cuts the price of books. Starting in November, Northeast will assume control over its bookstore. This means staff will deal directly with the publisher and be able to have more affordable books for our students. At the most students would have to pay $250-300 on all of their books. This is all a part of “making college as affordable as possibl Ford said one of many short range changes for Northeast will be to upgrade the computer learning center so there will be plenty of available computers for students, especially for proctored exams and major projects. Ford is looking forward to the beginning of an MDOT project that will replace the
“Northeast is my heart and soul. I want to do the best job for this school.” Ricky Ford
Northeast President
sidewalks along the boulevard and additional lighting for a safer student environment. This will happen sometime this year. Ford said his plans also include constructing an honors dorm for male and female students, baseball/ softball complex and renovating the Tiger Stadium. As far as mid-range changes the nursing program should expect some major improvements. The labs that are available on campus will be upgraded as well as the labs at the Corinth campus. One of Ford’s biggest goals is to extend Northeast’s reach out into the community by opening another center In Ripley in the future. Ford also would like to make students more ready for the job market by working with local See Ford, on page 4
Northeast crowns Witt as 2015 Homecoming Queen By Madison Phillips, Staff Writer
As truth be told, homecoming never gets old. On October 8 under the Thursday night lights, Corinth native Lindee Witt was crowned 2015 Northeast Homecoming Queen by President Ricky Ford during a halftime ceremony. For the first time in six years, Northeast held its annual homecoming on a Thursday night at Tiger Stadium. Leading up to this crowning moment, Northeast’s Student Government Association (SGA) kicked off the week with the annual homecoming dance Monday night. From the Whip and NaeNae to the Electric Slide, music of all sorts sounded from Bonner Arnold Coliseum under the lights and sounds of DJ MAC of Baldwyn. On Wednesday, the lawn was filled with bouncy houses of all kinds and colors. From slides to relay races, smiling faces walked throughout the Northeast campus all day. Being a kid for the day was always a treat. Later that night, a BINGO session was held that allowed winners to leave with a myriad of prizes. See Witt, on page 4
Northeast president Ricky Ford (left) crowns sophomore Lindee Witt of Corinth as the reigning queen at the college’s annual Homecoming celebration during the halftime ceremony on Thursday, October 1 at Tiger Stadium. Student Government Association president Trace Lee of Columbus (right) served as Witt’s escort for the occasion. Witt, a graduate of Tishomingo County High School, is the daughter of Todd and Candee Witt.