NewsLog : Institutional Communications : Bridgewater State College

You are browsing all NewsLog stories, totaling 488 articles. (New Search)
<< Previous Stories Next Stories >>

Some of the student volunteers including Jason Hayes (middle) and senior Bethany Verrilli (bottom)

Playing it Safe

Posted on November 9, 2009 - Permalink
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Parents and Visitors Prospective Students Research Trustees

Dr. Tammy DeRamos King, chairperson of the chemical sciences department, chemistry staff members and many student volunteers spent Oct. 15 and 23 applying sealant to the wooden structures at Rainbow's End playground in order to help prevent the spread of chemical pesticides.

The sealant is intended to stop the potentially harmful chemicals from seeping into the soil or from getting transferred to children's hands as they play in the wooden structures.

Dr. King said, by the end of the first day, around 37 student volunteers had helped seal approximately 90 percent of the large, predominately wooden playground - a remarkable feat and "a great community service event," she said. An additional six students helped finish the job the following Friday.

The project was initiated by Dr. King, who spent several years with a number of chemistry majors studying the playground's environment. The surface soil, she said, has chemical pesticide levels considered potentially dangerous according to levels set by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and caused by the playground's equipment being made with pressure-treated wood.

The solution, in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency, is to biannually treat the wood with a specific sealant. So, the Town of Bridgewater provided the materials; Dr. King the volunteers.

Fortunately, said Dr. King, finding so many willing students was an easy task.

"BSC students like to volunteer, and they loved the idea of making sure children are safe," she said.

Indeed, students such as Samantha Morse, '10, a Sandwich resident, found the project very fulfilling.

"It's nice to be able to help the community and to ensure the well-being of the children in town," she said.

Jason Hayes, a freshman from Sandwich, was at the playground to get some extra credit for one of his courses. He said he liked the idea of getting outside and supporting a good cause.

"This is definitely more productive than anything else I would be doing today," he said. (Story and photos by Rob Matheson, Office of Institutional Communications)

President's Breakfast Celebrates BSC Pride

Posted on November 8, 2009 - Permalink
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Parents and Visitors Prospective Students Research Trustees

Among the highlights of this year's Family Day and Homecoming on Halloween was the annual President's Breakfast in the Flynn Dining Commons, attended by several hundred students, their parents and other family members.

Dr. David Ostroth, vice president for student affairs, offered welcoming remarks and told the audience that "despite the financial challenges that we're all facing, the college is moving forward on carefully selected strategic goals and if you've been to the campus over any period of time you can see how much we've changed and grown."

In his comments, President Dana Mohler-Faria told the students and their family members that the groundbreaking a day earlier of a new $98.7 million dollar math and science center "is one example of how Bridgewater's growth and development is focused on the success of our students - we want them to have access to the finest faculty, the finest learning experiences, the best support services and the most modern and up-to-date facilities."

He said he is "enormously proud" of the accomplishments of BSC students "while they are here and once they graduate. Academic excellence is at the heart of every discussion we have at this college, and we're inspired every day by the accomplishments and achievements of our students."

Dr. Mohler-Faria said that over the last six years the college has added 58 new faculty positions "and today our faculty is second to none - they come from all parts of the country and from all parts of the world, and they're dedicated to the highest levels of teaching and research."

He also expressed his thanks to the parents and family members.

"You are part of a very strong community and I thank each one of you for your ongoing support, which is truly vital to all of us," he said. (Story and photo by David K. Wilson, '71, Office of Institutional Communications)

Center for Multicultural Affairs Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Posted on November 8, 2009 - Permalink
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Parents and Visitors Prospective Students Research Trustees

Last month the Center for Multicultural Affairs hosted its 5th annual Dr. Dina Carbonell Heritage Brunch, which illuminates the important achievements of the Hispanic community.

The event, held Oct. 22, celebrates the memory of Dr. Dina Carbonell, who was of Hispanic descent and served BSC as an associate professor of social work. She passed away in 2003. The brunch is one of many events held each year on campus to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

During the brunch, Andrea Garr- Barnes, director of the CMA, talked about the past and present issues facing the Hispanic population, and the importance Dr. Carbonell's work on campus.

"Not all other institutions are this dedicated to Hispanic heritage," she said. "Dr. Carbonell's work, however, helped bring the Spanish community on campus into a visible part of the college."

Mark Brenner, associate professor of social work, delivered a short history of Dr. Carbonell's life and the issues she faced when her family relocated to the U.S.

During the event, attendees enjoyed traditional Spanish foods and music. (Story and photo by Shawn Mullins, Institutional Communications)

His Excellency Le Cong Phung

Vietnam Ambassador to U.S. Delivers Lecture

Posted on November 6, 2009 - Permalink
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Parents and Visitors Prospective Students Research Trustees

His Excellency Le Cong Phung, the Vietnam ambassador to the U.S., was on campus Monday discussing the growing diplomatic ties between his country and the U.S. and how both countries are benefiting.

The ambassador's talk, "Vietnam - U.S. Relations and Vietnamese Education," was delivered to more than 50 faculty, staff and students in the Dunn Conference Suite. In it, he discussed the past animosity between the U.S. and Vietnam - illuminated by the Vietnam War - and how the two countries have recently worked together to overcome their differences.

"We suffered great misunderstandings," he said, "but we decided to get over the past and look at the present and into the future. We were once enemies but are now allies."

Ambassador Cong Phung said the two countries began developing a strong relationship in 1995, when former President Bill Clinton announced the formal normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam. Diplomatic ties between the two countries have been growing since, and the ambassador discussed some of the benefits, such as increased trade between the two countries and greater stability in Vietnam.

The event was sponsored by The Division of External Affairs. (Story and photo by Rob Matheson, Institutional Communications)

Sounds of China (Multimedia)

Posted on November 6, 2009 - Permalink
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Research Trustees

Thursday, Oct. 29, the Horace Mann Auditorium was home to a Chinese music concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Asian Studies program. The event featured faculty musicians, as well as Dr. Chi Cheung Leung, Lin Shao, and Byran Lai, from the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

BSC students also performed, including the Chamber Singers. Also wowing the audience was 9-year-old Hannah To.

BSC history Professor Wing-Kai To, director of the Asian Studies Program, hosted the evening.

The music featured a mix of traditional Chinese pieces, representing different regions of the country. The concert also premiered two compositions by Dr. Leung, one of which was selected to be performed last year at the National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing.

"This was the first time I have ever heard Chinese music. It was very beautiful and the performers were incredible," said BSC student Caitlyn Cashman. (Story and photos by Shawn Mullins, '10, Office of Institutional Communications)

Performance: "Sights of Mountain Village," performed by Lin Shao on erhu (two-string fiddle) and Bryan Lai on yangqin (hammered dulcimer).

Students from BSC and BHS participated in Halloween for Hunger

Trick-or-Treating for a Good Cause

Posted on November 6, 2009 - Permalink
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Parents and Visitors Prospective Students Trustees

On the night before Halloween, BSC and Brockton High School students visited houses all over town. Instead of asking for candy, however, they asked for goods to donate to charity as part of an annual event started by a BSC professor.

Halloween for Hunger, now an international program, was founded by BSC's Dr. Jonathan White, associate professor of sociology, back when he was in college. Participants of the charity drive included members of FAM for Change, the college's mentoring program with Brockton High School, along with BSC students.

The trick or treaters gathered around 1,300 canned goods, nonperishable foods and personal-care items from local houses. All these products were donated to a shelter in Brockton.

Also in tow was Kenny Monteiro, FAM for Change's program manager, representing the college's Office of College and Community Partnerships.

Apart from supporting a good cause, the event was beneficial to the participants in other ways.

FAM for Change mentor Dan Kent, a senior, said, "We are setting an example for the mentees and helping our community at the same time. These kids just need to know that they can have the same opportunities as everyone else if they work for them; we can help them understand that." (Story by Shawn Mullins; photo by John Winters, both Institutional Communications)

Math and Science Center Groundbreaking: The Speeches (Multimedia)

Posted on November 4, 2009 - Permalink
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Research Trustees

Speakers from the Oct. 30 groundbreaking ceremony are presented below, in order of appearance. (Videos by the Moakley TV Studio)

Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria, BSC President