Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Southeastern Regional Vocational High School inspires future chefs
By Claire Coakley
Chef Lisa Maiden stands in front of her students wearing her white chef jacket, ready to teach the proper way to make the perfect sandwich.
Students raise their hands ready answer Chef Maiden’s questions on the proper ingredients for a turkey club.
For students pursuing a career in the culinary arts Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School is the place to prepare for a future in food.
Southeastern Regional, a four year high school that serves young men and women from the city of Brockton and surrounding towns, combines academics with vocational and technical studies to prepare them for employment and life after high school.
“The courses that we take at school are intense, challenging, and rewarding all at the same time.” Josh Frank said, a 16 year old culinary arts student.
The culinary arts program is the most popular at the school offering training in baking, cooking, industrialized food service, and dining room functions.
“I would have to say my favorite part of the program is being able to get the hands on experience that a lot of other kids my age aren't offered.” Tequila Stone,17, a culinary student said. “I learned how to sauté and that is really useful because I enjoy doing it at home and showing everyone what I can do. I also learned a lot of useful things like sanitation and different cooking methods.”
Chef Lisa Maiden, one of the instructors at Southeastern Regional said the culinary program preps the students for employment. Academic and technical classes alternate each week to promote the integration of academics and technical education.
“Most students leave here with their high school diploma and their Serv-Safe certificate which is basically management certification which makes them a lot more desirable for employment at restaurants.” Maiden said.
The students usually start class around 8:30 a.m. Class time entails going over different techniques and concepts, such as how to build a sandwich, “mis en place” which is French for “putting in place” and entails having all of your ingredients ready before cooking.
At 10 o’clock, students have “shop”, the hands on experience of working in their school-run restaurant where they get to cook, prepare the food, and run the restaurant.
“Like any other restaurant it has its very busy days where people are running around trying to get everything done and we have our slow days where everyone is doing other things. But having our own restaurant gives students the opportunity to learn the basics of a successful business and develop skills needed for the working world ahead of us.” Stone said.
The cafeteria at Southeastern is not your normal school cafeteria. It is set up as a restaurant and each day student’s are assigned different jobs such as hostess, dishwasher, line cook, and waiters.
The restaurant has a number of small round tables with red and white checkered table cloths, centered with a small vase of flowers ready for hungry customers to sit and eat.
“A typical day for us is to come into shop, get changed, and get right to work. We don't have much time to prepare our meals so we always have to be on top of our game. But the experience we get in the kitchen is my favorite part,” Frank said.
Getting experience, not homework, is stressed. “Honestly we aren't really given homework but if we are it's homework that benefits us and what we’ve learned. For example our instructor might tell us to look up a recipe or come up with our own recipe” Stone said, a 17 year old culinary student.
Maiden said many of the students continue on to culinary school, such as Johnson and Wales University, The Culinary Institute of America, New England Culinary Institute, and Newbury College.
Most students that go on to culinary school from Southeastern already have college credit from the courses they took, saving them money, she said.
“I do plan on going to culinary school. The schools I’m looking into are the Culinary Institute of America and Johnson & Wales University. From there I plan on deciding where I want to go in the culinary field.” Frank said.
Chef Lisa Maiden stands in front of her students wearing her white chef jacket, ready to teach the proper way to make the perfect sandwich.
Students raise their hands ready answer Chef Maiden’s questions on the proper ingredients for a turkey club.
For students pursuing a career in the culinary arts Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School is the place to prepare for a future in food.
Southeastern Regional, a four year high school that serves young men and women from the city of Brockton and surrounding towns, combines academics with vocational and technical studies to prepare them for employment and life after high school.
“The courses that we take at school are intense, challenging, and rewarding all at the same time.” Josh Frank said, a 16 year old culinary arts student.
The culinary arts program is the most popular at the school offering training in baking, cooking, industrialized food service, and dining room functions.
“I would have to say my favorite part of the program is being able to get the hands on experience that a lot of other kids my age aren't offered.” Tequila Stone,17, a culinary student said. “I learned how to sauté and that is really useful because I enjoy doing it at home and showing everyone what I can do. I also learned a lot of useful things like sanitation and different cooking methods.”
Chef Lisa Maiden, one of the instructors at Southeastern Regional said the culinary program preps the students for employment. Academic and technical classes alternate each week to promote the integration of academics and technical education.
“Most students leave here with their high school diploma and their Serv-Safe certificate which is basically management certification which makes them a lot more desirable for employment at restaurants.” Maiden said.
The students usually start class around 8:30 a.m. Class time entails going over different techniques and concepts, such as how to build a sandwich, “mis en place” which is French for “putting in place” and entails having all of your ingredients ready before cooking.
At 10 o’clock, students have “shop”, the hands on experience of working in their school-run restaurant where they get to cook, prepare the food, and run the restaurant.
“Like any other restaurant it has its very busy days where people are running around trying to get everything done and we have our slow days where everyone is doing other things. But having our own restaurant gives students the opportunity to learn the basics of a successful business and develop skills needed for the working world ahead of us.” Stone said.
The cafeteria at Southeastern is not your normal school cafeteria. It is set up as a restaurant and each day student’s are assigned different jobs such as hostess, dishwasher, line cook, and waiters.
The restaurant has a number of small round tables with red and white checkered table cloths, centered with a small vase of flowers ready for hungry customers to sit and eat.
“A typical day for us is to come into shop, get changed, and get right to work. We don't have much time to prepare our meals so we always have to be on top of our game. But the experience we get in the kitchen is my favorite part,” Frank said.
Getting experience, not homework, is stressed. “Honestly we aren't really given homework but if we are it's homework that benefits us and what we’ve learned. For example our instructor might tell us to look up a recipe or come up with our own recipe” Stone said, a 17 year old culinary student.
Maiden said many of the students continue on to culinary school, such as Johnson and Wales University, The Culinary Institute of America, New England Culinary Institute, and Newbury College.
Most students that go on to culinary school from Southeastern already have college credit from the courses they took, saving them money, she said.
“I do plan on going to culinary school. The schools I’m looking into are the Culinary Institute of America and Johnson & Wales University. From there I plan on deciding where I want to go in the culinary field.” Frank said.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Colleges extend help to Haiti
By Bobby Calobrisi
Published April 20, 2010
The Enterprise of Brockton
Neite Decimus heard what sounded like the rumbling of an oncoming train and realized something was wrong. It was the sound of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 250,000 in Haiti on Jan.12.
Decimus, a graduate student at Bridgewater State College, saw death scattered on the streets and witnessed six to seven people being toppled by a house.
He survived and is telling people that educated Haitians are needed to help the country rebuild.
Decimus is one of thousands of college students raising money and awareness to help earthquake victims in Haiti. At Bridgewater State College, students and faculty raised more than $10,000 on Feb. 2. At Wheaton College, students have raised $3,425 as of Feb. 28.
Said Wheaton sophomore Paul Roell, “It goes to show that this really is a cause worth benefiting. People involved will do the best they can to see things through.”
Even without a first-hand account of what happened, students at Bridgewater State College and Wheaton College have raised a combined total of approximately $13,425 in relief efforts as of Feb. 28.
At Bridgewater State College, the event Hope.Help.Haiti, held on Feb. 2, raised $10,000 from students and faculty alike for the American Red Cross and Free the Children along with Partners in Health.
Decimus spoke at the fundraiser about how Haitians earning scholarships and college degrees would help rebuild Haiti in the future, according to the “Help for Haiti” BSC NewsLog.
In a separate interview, he stressed how Haitians need education to help them
recover for themselves.
“If you want to offer any help to Haiti, see exactly what Haiti needs and train us, don’t just give us food,” he said. “Train people in engineering and farming; train and prepare people for when things like [this earthquake] happen.”
Decimus said Haitians need education, but that education must go towards keeping Haiti its own country. “For [nations] to help us is not to change us. To help us is to help us access knowledge, access technology,” he said. “We are so far behind. We need to take it step-by-step to move forward.”
Decimus said after the earthquake, people took the opportunity to overcharge for resources. He said Haitians cannot extort themselves if they are to do better by their culture.
“We need to learn to live like other Haitians and defend each other,” he said. “We need to be educated as a nation and learn how to respect people, not just those with money or education but with lack of education. We need to know who we are as a people.”
Jonathon White, assistant professor of sociology, estimated over 1,000 people over the course of the event, drawing the feeling, “We are all Haitian.”
White said in the email that students and faculty alike are seeking to extend direct efforts to benefit Haiti.
“There is a strong contingent of students (along with a couple of staff members) organizing to take a trip to Haiti to put their skills to work to helping in any way they can,” he wrote. “Others are continuing to organize fundraisers and education/awareness events. Others, like myself, are deeply involved in organizations outside of the campus who will continue to do work in Haiti for decades to come.”
Wheaton College’s Student Government Association has raised $2,500 for Doctor’s Without Borders, said Gabe Amo, the SGA President.
“They operate on the ground and have been providing medical care for an historic period of time,” Amo said of Doctors Without Borders. “We wanted to put the money to use in a way that is in the spirit of contributing.”
The student-run events have included a social hour, a bake sale, a volunteer gate and a benefit concert.
Paul Roell, the Wheaton sophomore who organized the benefit concert, said pooling the money seemed the best way to send to a fast and efficient organization. “We wanted to have the most substantial amount that we could send for the most fitting cause.”
The one-night benefit concert at Wheaton raised $1,380 on Feb. 5. Seven performance groups (singing, dancing and spoken word) each sang two songs and then sang “Can’t Give Up Now” in unison to cap off the event, which collected donations at the door, starting at $5 an entry.
Each group also contributed from their funds that the school gave them, raising a couple of hundred dollars, said Roell, member of an all-male a cappella group, The Gentleman Callers.
At the Jan. 30 basketball doubleheader, held on Jan. 30, where the Haitian national anthem was played and $200 was raised, said Scott Dietz, assistant director of
athletics for media relations.
John Sutyak, assistant director of athletics, said the athletic department was honored the students used basketball to raise money.
“It makes you think how lucky we have it that we can play on sunny afternoon
and there are people struggling right in now in that country and we’re playing a game. It puts things in perspective a little bit,” said Sutyak.
From Feb. 5-7, the Wheaton Athletic Mentors (WAMs), who have put on an
alcohol free weekend the past six years, called the Big Event--that raises money for a local charity--dedicated the event to helping Haiti and raised $800.
More than 1,000 people from Wheaton and 300 others attended, said Jason Clucas, co-president of the Mentors executive board.
“We obviously had a great pouring of support of the school and because of that we were able to have our best Big Event in the four years I’ve been a part of the organization,” said Clucas. “When we changed the foundation, we showed that we were dedicated to helping Haiti and helping the [Haitian] student athletes we had here really finding themselves in tough times.”
The Mentors will send the money to groups helping special needs students in Haiti or a group providing clean water or both, said Clucas.
Published April 20, 2010
The Enterprise of Brockton
Neite Decimus heard what sounded like the rumbling of an oncoming train and realized something was wrong. It was the sound of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 250,000 in Haiti on Jan.12.
Decimus, a graduate student at Bridgewater State College, saw death scattered on the streets and witnessed six to seven people being toppled by a house.
He survived and is telling people that educated Haitians are needed to help the country rebuild.
Decimus is one of thousands of college students raising money and awareness to help earthquake victims in Haiti. At Bridgewater State College, students and faculty raised more than $10,000 on Feb. 2. At Wheaton College, students have raised $3,425 as of Feb. 28.
Said Wheaton sophomore Paul Roell, “It goes to show that this really is a cause worth benefiting. People involved will do the best they can to see things through.”
Even without a first-hand account of what happened, students at Bridgewater State College and Wheaton College have raised a combined total of approximately $13,425 in relief efforts as of Feb. 28.
At Bridgewater State College, the event Hope.Help.Haiti, held on Feb. 2, raised $10,000 from students and faculty alike for the American Red Cross and Free the Children along with Partners in Health.
Decimus spoke at the fundraiser about how Haitians earning scholarships and college degrees would help rebuild Haiti in the future, according to the “Help for Haiti” BSC NewsLog.
In a separate interview, he stressed how Haitians need education to help them
recover for themselves.
“If you want to offer any help to Haiti, see exactly what Haiti needs and train us, don’t just give us food,” he said. “Train people in engineering and farming; train and prepare people for when things like [this earthquake] happen.”
Decimus said Haitians need education, but that education must go towards keeping Haiti its own country. “For [nations] to help us is not to change us. To help us is to help us access knowledge, access technology,” he said. “We are so far behind. We need to take it step-by-step to move forward.”
Decimus said after the earthquake, people took the opportunity to overcharge for resources. He said Haitians cannot extort themselves if they are to do better by their culture.
“We need to learn to live like other Haitians and defend each other,” he said. “We need to be educated as a nation and learn how to respect people, not just those with money or education but with lack of education. We need to know who we are as a people.”
Jonathon White, assistant professor of sociology, estimated over 1,000 people over the course of the event, drawing the feeling, “We are all Haitian.”
White said in the email that students and faculty alike are seeking to extend direct efforts to benefit Haiti.
“There is a strong contingent of students (along with a couple of staff members) organizing to take a trip to Haiti to put their skills to work to helping in any way they can,” he wrote. “Others are continuing to organize fundraisers and education/awareness events. Others, like myself, are deeply involved in organizations outside of the campus who will continue to do work in Haiti for decades to come.”
Wheaton College’s Student Government Association has raised $2,500 for Doctor’s Without Borders, said Gabe Amo, the SGA President.
“They operate on the ground and have been providing medical care for an historic period of time,” Amo said of Doctors Without Borders. “We wanted to put the money to use in a way that is in the spirit of contributing.”
The student-run events have included a social hour, a bake sale, a volunteer gate and a benefit concert.
Paul Roell, the Wheaton sophomore who organized the benefit concert, said pooling the money seemed the best way to send to a fast and efficient organization. “We wanted to have the most substantial amount that we could send for the most fitting cause.”
The one-night benefit concert at Wheaton raised $1,380 on Feb. 5. Seven performance groups (singing, dancing and spoken word) each sang two songs and then sang “Can’t Give Up Now” in unison to cap off the event, which collected donations at the door, starting at $5 an entry.
Each group also contributed from their funds that the school gave them, raising a couple of hundred dollars, said Roell, member of an all-male a cappella group, The Gentleman Callers.
At the Jan. 30 basketball doubleheader, held on Jan. 30, where the Haitian national anthem was played and $200 was raised, said Scott Dietz, assistant director of
athletics for media relations.
John Sutyak, assistant director of athletics, said the athletic department was honored the students used basketball to raise money.
“It makes you think how lucky we have it that we can play on sunny afternoon
and there are people struggling right in now in that country and we’re playing a game. It puts things in perspective a little bit,” said Sutyak.
From Feb. 5-7, the Wheaton Athletic Mentors (WAMs), who have put on an
alcohol free weekend the past six years, called the Big Event--that raises money for a local charity--dedicated the event to helping Haiti and raised $800.
More than 1,000 people from Wheaton and 300 others attended, said Jason Clucas, co-president of the Mentors executive board.
“We obviously had a great pouring of support of the school and because of that we were able to have our best Big Event in the four years I’ve been a part of the organization,” said Clucas. “When we changed the foundation, we showed that we were dedicated to helping Haiti and helping the [Haitian] student athletes we had here really finding themselves in tough times.”
The Mentors will send the money to groups helping special needs students in Haiti or a group providing clean water or both, said Clucas.
Backseat passengers still need to buckle up
By Alex Cosmer
Mike Farwell was in the backseat of a Ford Explorer and not wearing a seatbelt when the SUV struck a tree.
Farwell considers himself to be fortunate.
“I guess I am lucky I hit the back seat and landed on the center console,” Farwell said. “A broken nose was probably the best outcome compared to what could have happened.”
National figures show, it can save your life.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a passenger who is traveling in the backseat at the time of their car accident, wearing a seat belt is 44 percent more effective at preventing death than riding unrestrained. For those riding in the rear of vans and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) during a car crash, rear seat belts are 73 percent better at preventing fatalities.
“You are going to be like a missile,” Easton Police Chief Allan Krajcik said.
Krajick recalls one serious crash involving a passenger who wasn't wearing a seat belt.
“A kid was in the back seat at the time of the accident and he was tossed out the back window,” Krajick said.
Not wearing a seatbelt remains the leading cause in accidents resulting in deaths.
Fifty five percent of those killed in passenger vehicle occupant crashes were not wearing a seat belt, according to NHTSA.
People should wear a seatbelt no matter where in the car they are.
“It is absolutely as important,” Krajcik said.
There have been various programs for the public, especially for the youth, to start wearing a seatbelt.
Click it or ticket is a campaign from the NHTSA to increase the use of seat belts. Drivers or passengers will be given a ticket if they fail to abide.
“I have seen an increase in citations and usage,” Krajcik said. “ I believe it is a direct result of click it or ticket push.”
Mike Farwell was in the backseat of a Ford Explorer and not wearing a seatbelt when the SUV struck a tree.
Farwell considers himself to be fortunate.
“I guess I am lucky I hit the back seat and landed on the center console,” Farwell said. “A broken nose was probably the best outcome compared to what could have happened.”
National figures show, it can save your life.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a passenger who is traveling in the backseat at the time of their car accident, wearing a seat belt is 44 percent more effective at preventing death than riding unrestrained. For those riding in the rear of vans and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) during a car crash, rear seat belts are 73 percent better at preventing fatalities.
“You are going to be like a missile,” Easton Police Chief Allan Krajcik said.
Krajick recalls one serious crash involving a passenger who wasn't wearing a seat belt.
“A kid was in the back seat at the time of the accident and he was tossed out the back window,” Krajick said.
Not wearing a seatbelt remains the leading cause in accidents resulting in deaths.
Fifty five percent of those killed in passenger vehicle occupant crashes were not wearing a seat belt, according to NHTSA.
People should wear a seatbelt no matter where in the car they are.
“It is absolutely as important,” Krajcik said.
There have been various programs for the public, especially for the youth, to start wearing a seatbelt.
Click it or ticket is a campaign from the NHTSA to increase the use of seat belts. Drivers or passengers will be given a ticket if they fail to abide.
“I have seen an increase in citations and usage,” Krajcik said. “ I believe it is a direct result of click it or ticket push.”
FLOODED DORM ROOMS ON STONEHILL CAMPUS
by Shane Caffrey
Rains total of over 7 inches of water fell last week in Easton causing harsh living conditions for Stonehill College Students.
The Cascino Residence Hall basement was flooded for the majority of last week.
“It sucks down here. I need to have flip flops next to my bed so I don’t get soaked,” said Angelo Todesca, 20 from Canton Mass and a Stonehill junior who lives in one of the affected dorm rooms.
Todesca and his roommate Cameron Knights, 21 from Hudson Mass, needed to move most of their personal belongings into their common room to accommodate the wet conditions.
“Its awful down here, I can’t breathe down here because of the mold and smell. It makes it difficult to do focus on doing work when some of your stuff is floating around on the floor,” said Knights.
When some students moved into Cascino Basement they were told by some Stonehill maintenance workers that these rooms were flooded all summer.
“These rooms are the worst on campus, after the summer we needed to get all new furniture down there,” said one maintenance member.
Such a reoccurring problem should be fixed as heavy spring rains could make difficult living conditions. During the most recent rainstorm, students like Knights and Todesca were given industrial dehumidifiers, powerful fans to dry the rugs, and an industrial strength wet-dry vaccum to suck up standing water. As rains continued this week, their room still remains wet and needed to be washed to avoid mold buildup.
“It always get’s wet down here when it rains, its very bad, very bad,” said Teresa, the custodian of the heights for the past several years.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous, I pay $45,000 a year to go to this college and I can’t even sit at my desk without worrying that my feet are going to get soaked, its ridiculous,” said Steve Zanetti, 21 from Ludlow Mass, who lives in the room next to Knights and Todesca.
Some students from the building have refrained from using the common kitchen area in Cascino Basement due to the smell.
“I’m kind of bummed out because I can’t be in those student’s rooms because I feel nauseous if I’m over there. It’s inconvenient for me because they spend most of their in my room to escape their rooms,” said Michael Cooke, 21 from Simsbury Conn, a Cascino resident not affected by the flooding.
Flooding in the common area of the kitchen was fixed during the winter when water seeped through an electrical box attached to one of the walls and flooded part of the common area of Cascino Basement. However flooding in the dorm rooms continues as the spring rains continue. Members of the Stonehill Maintenance crew have spent large amounts of time monitoring the flooding conditions over the past few weeks and continue to use industrial equipment to counteract the water as it continues to seep into the affected rooms.
College radio leaving an influence on Stonehill and Bridgewater State campuses
By Bobby Calobrisi
Listening to the radio on 92.3 Pro FM, Ellen Rathburn is sure she has heard this song somewhere before.
“It’s really funny usually, ‘Where do I know this song? They say it’s brand new. I’ve heard this before.’ Oh, we played this on WBIM four or five months ago.”
Rathburn is the general manager at the Bridgewater State College radio station 91.5 WBIM-FM and recalls Lily Allen music being played on WBIM her freshman year and hearing her again on Pro FM a year or so ago.
“It’s really nice to know that we do have somewhat of an influence,” said the senior. “Our charting and listenership gets to pick what [eventually] goes on these big time stations and what ultimately becomes popular sometimes.”
In an era of commercial broadcast stations that play predominately mainstream music nationwide, over 1,400 college radio stations are becoming the local alternative.
Jeremiah McCarthy, the general manager at Stonehill College’s 91.3 WSHL-FM, says that college radio is known for featuring up and coming artists.
“It’s a place for us to get undiscovered and budding artists before they catch on to the greater public.”
Peter Q. George, general manager of 95.1 WXRB-FM in Dudley, Mass., as the chief engineer for both Stonehill College and Bridgewater State College radio stations, said, “College radio has the flexibility to play up-and-coming music [without] having to worry about ratings.”
George says that college radio gives students a look into the professional landscape of running a radio station.
“Both mine and colleges offer public service to the community and we are aware of an audience in mind,” he said. "Both have an avid listener base that will swear by what we play."
Geoffrey Lantos, a professor at Stonehill and academic advisor for WSHL, resides in Easton, Mass. and says listening off campus provides insight into Stonehill’s campus life.
“It’s not tightly scripted like a professional station. It’s more conversational, more laid back, easy going [with] no strict time limits,” he said. “It speaks more to college students directly.”
Chris McCormick, who maintains the computers as WSHL’s Information Technology representative, thinks it is good for a college station to have alternative programming.
“It’s not like, ‘You have to play this or you’re fired,’” said the Stonehill senior. “We wouldn’t have any DJs if it was like that.”
Both WBIM and WSHL programming includes hip hop, alternative rock, indie rock, rpm
(a mix of techno and dance), metal, as well as talk radio.
George says each station’s signal covers seven to eight towns: WBIM’s signal covers the southeast direction toward Middleboro while WSHL’s signal goes northwest toward Brockton.
“Each station has a potential listenership of 175,000 people on FM alone,” said George.
WSHL and WBIM make sure there is no dead air when DJs aren’t in the studio.
Using Zara radio, a free program software, students store alternate playlists, taglines and their own recordings, said McCormick.
Rathburn says the majority of emails to WBIM ask how to get their bands on the air.
“A lot of bands send us stuff to play demos,” she said. “We never turn anything away. We try to give everyone a shot.”
The WBIM staff goes into Boston and Providence to listen to artists whose albums have been sent to them by music promoters.
“We’ll [listen] to other bands too that we absolutely love that are opening for [artists we’ve played] or playing in other show next door and grab CDs and just add them to our rotation too,” said Rathburn.
WBIM does community outreach work on and off campus for Boy Scouts and Club Scouts in the Bridgewater area; Relay for Life; a heart disease event; open-mike nights; and air guitar competitions.
“We really put ourselves out there on campus and try to get involved with as many people as we can,” said Rathburn.
Rathburn said WBIM started reworking its station dynamic by revamping its programming by introducing a news talk show and hip hop as well as rpm. She says that the station is trying to alter away from medal music.
“We definitely are finding a lot of hits before they make it onto the charts, but we are trying to expose Bridgewater State [College] and surrounding communities to music that they wouldn’t hear on other radio stations; stuff that people at our station are passionate about and want to share with the community,” said Rathburn.
In the future, Rathburn says WBIM will be looking to do more community work and underwriting, where a business exchanges goods and services, like giveaways, for on-air advertising.
Extending their services to the Stonehill Community, WSHL has been asked to DJ events for the Office of Health and Wellness; Relay for Life; Earth Week; and the Stonehill chapter of Silent Witness Initiative.
“Working public events gets our name out to people who maybe aren’t aware that the school has a radio station,” said McCarthy.
For the past two years, the Office of Health and Wellness has asked WSHL to DJ the fall and spring health fairs that raise awareness to prevent injury, illness and disease.
“The music for the spring fair was particularly well chosen with a wide range of easy listening yet modern music that people could be seen moving along to the beat of softly singing along to the songs,” says Jessica Greene, wellness coordinator, via email.
For WSHL, McCarthy wants the station to have a greater presence on campus.
This means having more of an active relationship with clubs and organizations utilizing the station’s DJ services.
“If more people are aware we have the capability [to provide service] we would be a greater presence on campus,” he said.
WSHL is in the process of setting up a master computer to store everything from music playlists and downloads to underwrites and public service announcements. This will make it easier for DJ selection, says McCarthy.
Long after he graduates, McCarthy just wants students involved with the radio station to stay committed to it.
“Some students don’t know how lucky they have it to have a radio show,” he said. “Other stations may require you to take a class and they have a lot less freedom of what to play and when to play it.”
Listening to the radio on 92.3 Pro FM, Ellen Rathburn is sure she has heard this song somewhere before.
“It’s really funny usually, ‘Where do I know this song? They say it’s brand new. I’ve heard this before.’ Oh, we played this on WBIM four or five months ago.”
Rathburn is the general manager at the Bridgewater State College radio station 91.5 WBIM-FM and recalls Lily Allen music being played on WBIM her freshman year and hearing her again on Pro FM a year or so ago.
“It’s really nice to know that we do have somewhat of an influence,” said the senior. “Our charting and listenership gets to pick what [eventually] goes on these big time stations and what ultimately becomes popular sometimes.”
In an era of commercial broadcast stations that play predominately mainstream music nationwide, over 1,400 college radio stations are becoming the local alternative.
Jeremiah McCarthy, the general manager at Stonehill College’s 91.3 WSHL-FM, says that college radio is known for featuring up and coming artists.
“It’s a place for us to get undiscovered and budding artists before they catch on to the greater public.”
Peter Q. George, general manager of 95.1 WXRB-FM in Dudley, Mass., as the chief engineer for both Stonehill College and Bridgewater State College radio stations, said, “College radio has the flexibility to play up-and-coming music [without] having to worry about ratings.”
George says that college radio gives students a look into the professional landscape of running a radio station.
“Both mine and colleges offer public service to the community and we are aware of an audience in mind,” he said. "Both have an avid listener base that will swear by what we play."
Geoffrey Lantos, a professor at Stonehill and academic advisor for WSHL, resides in Easton, Mass. and says listening off campus provides insight into Stonehill’s campus life.
“It’s not tightly scripted like a professional station. It’s more conversational, more laid back, easy going [with] no strict time limits,” he said. “It speaks more to college students directly.”
Chris McCormick, who maintains the computers as WSHL’s Information Technology representative, thinks it is good for a college station to have alternative programming.
“It’s not like, ‘You have to play this or you’re fired,’” said the Stonehill senior. “We wouldn’t have any DJs if it was like that.”
Both WBIM and WSHL programming includes hip hop, alternative rock, indie rock, rpm
(a mix of techno and dance), metal, as well as talk radio.
George says each station’s signal covers seven to eight towns: WBIM’s signal covers the southeast direction toward Middleboro while WSHL’s signal goes northwest toward Brockton.
“Each station has a potential listenership of 175,000 people on FM alone,” said George.
WSHL and WBIM make sure there is no dead air when DJs aren’t in the studio.
Using Zara radio, a free program software, students store alternate playlists, taglines and their own recordings, said McCormick.
Rathburn says the majority of emails to WBIM ask how to get their bands on the air.
“A lot of bands send us stuff to play demos,” she said. “We never turn anything away. We try to give everyone a shot.”
The WBIM staff goes into Boston and Providence to listen to artists whose albums have been sent to them by music promoters.
“We’ll [listen] to other bands too that we absolutely love that are opening for [artists we’ve played] or playing in other show next door and grab CDs and just add them to our rotation too,” said Rathburn.
WBIM does community outreach work on and off campus for Boy Scouts and Club Scouts in the Bridgewater area; Relay for Life; a heart disease event; open-mike nights; and air guitar competitions.
“We really put ourselves out there on campus and try to get involved with as many people as we can,” said Rathburn.
Rathburn said WBIM started reworking its station dynamic by revamping its programming by introducing a news talk show and hip hop as well as rpm. She says that the station is trying to alter away from medal music.
“We definitely are finding a lot of hits before they make it onto the charts, but we are trying to expose Bridgewater State [College] and surrounding communities to music that they wouldn’t hear on other radio stations; stuff that people at our station are passionate about and want to share with the community,” said Rathburn.
In the future, Rathburn says WBIM will be looking to do more community work and underwriting, where a business exchanges goods and services, like giveaways, for on-air advertising.
Extending their services to the Stonehill Community, WSHL has been asked to DJ events for the Office of Health and Wellness; Relay for Life; Earth Week; and the Stonehill chapter of Silent Witness Initiative.
“Working public events gets our name out to people who maybe aren’t aware that the school has a radio station,” said McCarthy.
For the past two years, the Office of Health and Wellness has asked WSHL to DJ the fall and spring health fairs that raise awareness to prevent injury, illness and disease.
“The music for the spring fair was particularly well chosen with a wide range of easy listening yet modern music that people could be seen moving along to the beat of softly singing along to the songs,” says Jessica Greene, wellness coordinator, via email.
For WSHL, McCarthy wants the station to have a greater presence on campus.
This means having more of an active relationship with clubs and organizations utilizing the station’s DJ services.
“If more people are aware we have the capability [to provide service] we would be a greater presence on campus,” he said.
WSHL is in the process of setting up a master computer to store everything from music playlists and downloads to underwrites and public service announcements. This will make it easier for DJ selection, says McCarthy.
Long after he graduates, McCarthy just wants students involved with the radio station to stay committed to it.
“Some students don’t know how lucky they have it to have a radio show,” he said. “Other stations may require you to take a class and they have a lot less freedom of what to play and when to play it.”
Brockton area college students turning to military for education and work skill
By Katherine Landergan
Published April 3, 2010
The Enterprise of Brockton
Blaze Montelo had made it to the final round of police training at Bridgewater State College when the college police chief told him his criminology degree from Bridgewater State just wouldn’t cut it.
“He said I would need more training and skill as an individual to stand out, not just an education,” said Montelo of Middleboro.
So, Montelo did what thousands of other college grads are doing: He signed up for the Army.
Montelo is part of a growing trend of young college students who are joining the military to help pay for an education, land a job after graduation and serve their country.
“It’s a resume booster,” said Robert Rosenthal, chairman of the Stonehill College economics department. “A lot of companies consider (military service) valuable when screening applicants.”
According to the Pentagon:
The number of armed-forces enlistees with bachelor degrees rose from about 5,400 in 2008 to more than 6,400 last year.
The number of new recruits with associate degrees from community colleges also went up, from about 2,380 to 2,570.
Rosenthal said the numbers would be higher if there weren’t wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Some people may be motivated by patriotism,” Rosenthal said. “But others who have questions about (the war) or their own safety are choosing not to enlist.”
In his address to Congress last March, Curtis Gilroy, the Pentagon director of recruiting policy, attributed high recruitment rates to the economic slump.
“Generally, times like this make recruiting less challenging,” Gilroy told Congress. “And a regrettable trend in national unemployment operates to the advantage of those who are hiring, including the U.S. military.”
According to a budget proposal by the U.S. Army, scholarships and stipends make up more than half of the Pentagon Reserve Officers’ Training Corps budget. In 2007, the federal government allocated $173 million for ROTC scholarships nationwide.
Locally, the Bravo Company, an ROTC program based at Stonehill College, has nearly doubled its enrollment in the past two years. In 2008, the company served 31 students, and this year 57 students are enrolled.
Bravo Company is affiliated with the 140-cadet Charles River Battalion at Boston University and covers Stonehill College, Bridgewater State College, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Curry College, Massasoit Community College and Eastern Nazarene College.
Montelo, a graduate of both the Bravo Company and junior ROTC program at Taunton High School, is currently pursuing his master’s degree at Bridgewater State College, paid in full by the ROTC. Montelo said the money was just an added bonus.
“The Army offers the training for more skills and to become more marketable in the world,” Montelo said. “I was already on track, but I needed something more for myself and my career.”
Aaron Brown, a sophomore at Stonehill College, said free college tuition played a big role in his decision to join the Bravo Company. He was a member of the junior ROTC at Brockton High School, and received a four-year college scholarship offer from the ROTC.
“It seemed foolish not to take it,” Brown, of Brockton, said.
Brown, a criminology major, said his military service should help him become a firefighter. He noted the civil service gives veterans extra points on firefighter entrance exams.
“You get the training that a lot of jobs are looking for,” Brown said. “It’s another thing to put on a resume to make you stand out from other people.”
Kellyanne McLaughlin, also a member of the junior ROTC at Brockton High School, said she would be at a state school if the ROTC were not paying her tuition. She receives four years of free education, $1,200 a year for books and a stipend each month.
McLaughlin, now a nursing student at Curry College in Milton, said the Army is all about job security.
“I’m going to have a job as soon as I’m done with school,” she said. “I’ll have the upper hand over all my friends.”
Andrew Capachione, the only Bravo Company member from Massasoit Community College, said military service offers two financial payoffs.
Not only will he receive a commission, but Capachione said being an Army officer could help him become a Drug Enforcement Administration officer later in life.
“The Army will help me learn all the tactics I need,” Capachione said. “The experience I get won’t be like anything in the civilian world.”
Copyright 2010 The Enterprise. Some rights reserved
Published April 3, 2010
The Enterprise of Brockton
Blaze Montelo had made it to the final round of police training at Bridgewater State College when the college police chief told him his criminology degree from Bridgewater State just wouldn’t cut it.
“He said I would need more training and skill as an individual to stand out, not just an education,” said Montelo of Middleboro.
So, Montelo did what thousands of other college grads are doing: He signed up for the Army.
Montelo is part of a growing trend of young college students who are joining the military to help pay for an education, land a job after graduation and serve their country.
“It’s a resume booster,” said Robert Rosenthal, chairman of the Stonehill College economics department. “A lot of companies consider (military service) valuable when screening applicants.”
According to the Pentagon:
The number of armed-forces enlistees with bachelor degrees rose from about 5,400 in 2008 to more than 6,400 last year.
The number of new recruits with associate degrees from community colleges also went up, from about 2,380 to 2,570.
Rosenthal said the numbers would be higher if there weren’t wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Some people may be motivated by patriotism,” Rosenthal said. “But others who have questions about (the war) or their own safety are choosing not to enlist.”
In his address to Congress last March, Curtis Gilroy, the Pentagon director of recruiting policy, attributed high recruitment rates to the economic slump.
“Generally, times like this make recruiting less challenging,” Gilroy told Congress. “And a regrettable trend in national unemployment operates to the advantage of those who are hiring, including the U.S. military.”
According to a budget proposal by the U.S. Army, scholarships and stipends make up more than half of the Pentagon Reserve Officers’ Training Corps budget. In 2007, the federal government allocated $173 million for ROTC scholarships nationwide.
Locally, the Bravo Company, an ROTC program based at Stonehill College, has nearly doubled its enrollment in the past two years. In 2008, the company served 31 students, and this year 57 students are enrolled.
Bravo Company is affiliated with the 140-cadet Charles River Battalion at Boston University and covers Stonehill College, Bridgewater State College, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Curry College, Massasoit Community College and Eastern Nazarene College.
Montelo, a graduate of both the Bravo Company and junior ROTC program at Taunton High School, is currently pursuing his master’s degree at Bridgewater State College, paid in full by the ROTC. Montelo said the money was just an added bonus.
“The Army offers the training for more skills and to become more marketable in the world,” Montelo said. “I was already on track, but I needed something more for myself and my career.”
Aaron Brown, a sophomore at Stonehill College, said free college tuition played a big role in his decision to join the Bravo Company. He was a member of the junior ROTC at Brockton High School, and received a four-year college scholarship offer from the ROTC.
“It seemed foolish not to take it,” Brown, of Brockton, said.
Brown, a criminology major, said his military service should help him become a firefighter. He noted the civil service gives veterans extra points on firefighter entrance exams.
“You get the training that a lot of jobs are looking for,” Brown said. “It’s another thing to put on a resume to make you stand out from other people.”
Kellyanne McLaughlin, also a member of the junior ROTC at Brockton High School, said she would be at a state school if the ROTC were not paying her tuition. She receives four years of free education, $1,200 a year for books and a stipend each month.
McLaughlin, now a nursing student at Curry College in Milton, said the Army is all about job security.
“I’m going to have a job as soon as I’m done with school,” she said. “I’ll have the upper hand over all my friends.”
Andrew Capachione, the only Bravo Company member from Massasoit Community College, said military service offers two financial payoffs.
Not only will he receive a commission, but Capachione said being an Army officer could help him become a Drug Enforcement Administration officer later in life.
“The Army will help me learn all the tactics I need,” Capachione said. “The experience I get won’t be like anything in the civilian world.”
Copyright 2010 The Enterprise. Some rights reserved
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