MWCC Portrait of a Graduate Call for Student and Family Submissions for Community Art Exhibition

Artwork to Represent a Vision of What K-12 Education Should Be

GARDNER, MA – February 4, 2021 - Mount Wachusett Community College is putting out the call for students and parents in North Central Massachusetts to submit original artwork for a virtual exhibit to be held through the Fitchburg Art Museum in March.

The exhibit, called "Portrait of a Graduate in North Central Mass", is looking for submissions which represent the students’ vision for what the future of school should look like for all students.

Using the medium and materials of their choice, artists can choose from one of four prompts:

1. What should the new normal for school be post-pandemic?
2. What ingredients does a perfect school need for students to be successful after they graduate?
3. What can happen in our community when we can be respectful enough to hear all voices?
4. If aliens wanted to build a perfect school on their planet and visited your school, what would they want to take back to their world because its’s so awesome?

Students and families interested in participating should submit their artwork in digital form by February 15 with along with a 3-5 sentence description of the piece and its inspiration.

The "Portrait of a Graduate in North Central Mass" exhibit will launch on March 10, 2021. Exhibition pieces will be judged by a panel of recent MWCC art program graduates as well as local community members. Awards will be announced at the end of March.

Through a grant from the Barr Foundation, the Portrait of a Graduate program seeks to develop a collective vision of what all high school students will know and be able to do by graduation.

"Thanks to our partnership with Inspire to Change, a St. Paul-based organization which specializes in coaching, facilitation and research, we will be able to use the exhibit to extract meaningful knowledge from arts-based methods," stated Lauren Mountain, Director of the United Way Youth Venture Program at MWCC and Portrait of a Graduate lead. "The art show is a vehicle to help us understand what students of all ages envision for their ideal learning experience."

More details, including links to the artists submission form and expanded instructions can be found on the uwyv.mwcc.edu website.

MWCC Newest Criminal Justice Professor Brings Experience in Psychology and Criminology Focusing on Human Trafficking

GARDNER, MA -- January 29, 2021 - Mount Wachusett Community College is pleased to welcome our newest criminal justice faculty member, Katherine Wahrer.

"We are excited to welcome Ms. Wahrer to our team. Her work in human trafficking and race issues bring a welcome new perspective to our criminal justice department faculty," notes Dean Margaret Jaillet, Dean of Health Sciences.

The Scarborough, Maine native discovered her passion for psychology, criminal justice and teaching at Stonehill College in Easton, MA where she earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology and Criminology. Inspired by her professor Dr. Twyman-Ghoshal, she focused her research studies on human trafficking, which lead her to an internship at ASTRA in Belgrade, Serbia where she worked on a variety of action initiatives against human trafficking in that country. In 2016 and 2017 she was a LION Scholar for conducting independent research in Belgrade, Serbia and Yerevan, Armenia, about anti-trafficking actions. In 2017 Stonehill College named her Criminology Student of the Year.

Following her graduation from Stonehill, Wahrer earned her master's in criminal justice at the University of Albany, State University of New York where she is now a doctoral candidate. As a research assistant for the John Finn Institute for Public Safety, she helped code police body worn cameras for projects that examined supervised coaching, instruction, and police performance.

Currently she is a supervisor for the PULSE Lab in Albany, NY, where she researches psychological theory to understand criminal justice and legal issues, particularly those affecting vulnerable and victimized populations. Some previous work includes understanding the medical misdiagnosis of child abuse, specifically the effects of race and involvement with child protective services and the effects of dehumanization and disgust language on immigration attitudes through a sentiment analysis of Twitter.

Assistant Professor Wahrer will be teaching Criminal Procedure, Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Investigation during the spring and 7-week accelerated semesters.

Mount Wachusett Community College offers a law enforcement track and a criminal justice transfer track in its criminal justice associate degree program in addition to a certificate in law enforcement. To learn more visit mwcc.edu.

Campus Assault Bill Signed at Virtual Event

BOSTON (February 3, 2021) - Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, joined Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, and colleagues in the legislature Tuesday for the virtual signing of legislation aimed at holding higher education institutions accountable to a new set of standards and requirements intended to prevent sexual assaults on college campuses.

Gobi had this to say on the legislation’s signing. "I want to thank the student survivors who shared very personal and difficult stories with me. This new law will make sure that our students will not suffer in silence. Our campuses need to be safe and secure so our students can thrive and it was an honor to work on this important issue."

Under the bill, S.2979, An Act Relative to Sexual Violence on Higher Education Campuses, college students will be anonymously surveyed about their experiences with sexual misconduct on campus, and will have access to new, confidential resources in the event of sexual assault. The legislation requires that each campus appoint a confidential resource advisor to help students access support after a sexual misconduct incident, and institutions that do not have their own sexual assault crisis centers will need to enter into an agreement with a local center to provide services to students.

A task force will be created to develop questions for a sexual misconduct climate survey, which after review by state higher education officials, will be distributed to colleges and universities. Schools can also write their own surveys, and both public and independent higher education institutions will be required to survey their students at least once every four years, and post a summary of the anonymous responses online.

Additionally, the bill requires colleges and universities to adopt sexual misconduct polices and post them online. The policies need to include procedures for reporting misconduct, information on receiving emergency assistance, the rights of students and employees, and a summary of procedures for resolving complaints. The bill is aimed at ensuring that students are trained on sexual violence prevention and bystander strategies, and that they are made aware of the rights of the reporting party and the accused during the disciplinary process, as well as any sanctions that may be imposed by the school.

For more information on the bill and its application on college campuses, please email Senator Gobi's office at Anne.Gob@MASenate.gov.

United Way Community Needs Assessment Identifies Critical Issues Impacting North Central Massachusetts Residents

FITCHBURG, MA: February 3, 2021 - United Way of North Central Massachusetts (UWNCM) has released findings from a community needs assessment seeking to identify critical needs for individuals and families in the region. Based on the assessment, UWNCM has also updated funding priorities for its Community Impact Fund and invited select local agencies to apply.

In fall 2020, UWNCM undertook their community needs assessment to gain insight into challenges, strengths, and gaps in service in the region. The assessment included an analysis of publicly available data; a community-wide survey conducted in four languages; and interview and focus group sessions with diverse community members.

Overall, the assessment found that many families and individuals in North Central Massachusetts face significant barriers to socio-economic growth, particularly as wages are not keeping pace with costs of living. Specific challenges include a lack of affordable housing and childcare, a shortage of meaningful out-of-school programming for youth, and economic instability resulting in community members being unable to afford basic household needs, such as food, clothing and utilities.

In response to the findings, UWNCM has updated funding priorities for its Community Impact Fund—a long-standing initiative that supports diverse programs targeting the region’s highest priorities—to address the areas of education & youth development, economic opportunity, and supporting basic needs. UWNCM recently sent a Request for Proposal to select invited agencies to apply for grants for 2021-24.

"The comprehensive needs assessment has both helped us identify the most pressing issues impacting residents in our community and given us a blueprint for how we can effectively and efficiently create change," says UWNCM President Kory Eng. "Through targeted funding, strategic initiatives and leveraging the power of our community, UWNCM is committed to tackling these issues and building a brighter region for all."

An impact paper detailing the community needs assessment and findings is available at uwncm.org.

The United Way of North Central Massachusetts serves the communities of Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Devens, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Hubbardston, Leominster, Littleton, Pepperell, Lunenburg, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Shirley, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster and Winchendon.