DECEMBER 2011
THE PENNON IS ONLINE AT: northshore.edu/pennon
NOLA Service Trip
• A Monthly Publication For The Students of North Shore Community College, Danvers, Lynn & Beverly, Massachusetts •
To Make a Big Impact
BY JESSIE PAIVA FACES IN THE HALL EDITOR
Community Service can be many things. It can be a form of punishment to atone for one’s missteps. It can be a
cities in that region. According to Census Bureau estimates, approximately 455,000 people called New Orleans (or NOLA as is commonly abbreviated) home one month before the hurricane hit. The following year’s
Members of NOLA requirement of a government or estimates had that figure at school to encourage citizens and 210,000 residents. The official students to help others. report counted 343,829 in 2010, Foremost, it is a way of helping a 29 percent drop from the last another person and, regardless
BY NELSON BAKER
NSCC Unarmed
In a decision that is somewhat unexpected, North Shore Community College will not be going forward with the proposed “pilot program” to arm campus police. This program, created by Campus Police Chief Doug Puska, states that the “command staff” (top three ranked officers) would carry a weapon for a period of six months, with evaluations taking place throughout, and then a decision would be made whether or not to move forward. Four to five months of research by President Wayne Burton and his colleagues led to a decision that comes after careful consideration. “I get concerned that we have many officers that migrate up the ladder, quickly moving on to somewhere they
INSIDE:
NSCC Gets Active! Page 2
Police Department. Among those that agree with Burton’s decision not to arm campus police are the Chair of the Arming Campus Police Committee: Trustee, Elizabeth Hogan, Alumni Trustee, Dr. Donna Costa, Trustee Joanne Fortunato, Vice President of Saugus Bank, David McCoy, former Trustee and former chair of Trustees Finance Committee, and William J. Chemelli, Chair of Middlesex Community College Board of Trustees and former Belmont Deputy Police Chief. But many colleges have already made the move. Massasoit Community College Chief Christopher Cummings and his team have been armed for over a decade now. They are the only Massachusetts community college that has an armed campus police department. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Fall IDS Forum
BY LYDIA WAHL FEATURES EDITOR
students working in New Orleans in 2010 head-count in the year 2000. of the reasons that led one to it, According to a 2010 study, a way to explore the depths of approximately 50,000 homes in one’s self. New Orleans lay abandoned, Since Hurricane Katmore than 25 percent of all rina devastated the Gulf Coast homes in the city, with many of in 2005 as the costliest storm in them being completely uninhabU.S. history, New Orleans has CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 been one of the largest impacted
will receive more training, such as a local police force. With that kind of turnover, how can you be sure they have the maturity and experience to make the judgments needed when there’s an incident?” Burton asked. “We just don’t have the capacity.” In a February 2011 issue of the Pennon, Chief Puska said, “We have, in my opinion, the best equipped, the best trained, and the best staff out of all of the community colleges out there.” You may wonder what kind of credentials Puska has. Over thirty-one years as a law enforcement officer, including three years as a Special Police officer in Danvers, should answer that question. Puska has also been a certified firearms instructor for 20+ years, and is the author of the Firearm Manual for the Manchester
on the Black Plague
Few of us feel compelled to attend school events without incentive. There is ample reason why NSCC provides these events. Events link information between classes, completing a broad picture that can be applied to the work force. They also provide extended information on topics pertaining to our classes. Events like this one, for the Black Plague, presented information that overlapped several topics. Since my class had just finished Chaucer, the reasons for me to attend were evident. The Black Plague was a major influence on Chaucer’s works
Top Ten Songs of 2011 Page 9
and his daily life. During the 14th century, the Plague killed off 1/3 of the labor force, creat-
age in a peasant rebellion. From this arose the middle class, constructing a different economy.
Kara Kaufman and Diana Davis
ing a demand. This demand gave light to the working class’ importance; giving them lever-
2 New Short Stories Page 11
People also started to speak out about their wages and condiCONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Denise Kent “Class of 2000” Page 16