Traditions & Activities

Welcome Week Tables 

We are developing our upcoming WOW event calendar with programming that may include guided activities, workshops, open houses, tours, guest speakers, Q&A sessions, meet & greets, etc. If you have a campus or virtual event you would like us to include in the Weeks of Welcome calendar to promote to students, please complete this form. This semester, we are limiting WOW events to 35; The event slots are first come, first serve. 

Wednesday Knight Pride

Every Wednesday the students, faculty, and staff of the college are welcome to participate in Wednesday Knight Pride (WKP) by wearing your NECC gear or school colors (blue & gold). Student Life typically hosts WKP events for our college community to participate in. Keep an eye out on the college events calendar to learn about what we have planned. When posting pictures of your school pride please use the hashtag #NECCWKP.

Constitution Day

Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787, recognizing all who are born in the U.S.or by naturalization, have become citizens. Every year on September 17th we provide programming for our campus community to celebrate constitution day.

Advocacy Day

Advocacy day occurs in the month of October, annually. Massachusetts community college students, faculty, staff, and presidents gather at the State House once a year for Community College Student Advocacy

Day to meet with members of the Legislature and urge that they support the state’s community college system in providing a better-funded, more accessible, high-quality education for its students. All NECC students are welcome to attend the MA Community College Advocacy Day with the Office of Student Life.

U-Knighted Fair

The Office of Student Life hosts the U-Knighted Fair every fall semester within the first two months of classes. Our office hosts the Re-UKnighted Fair during the spring semester within the first two months of classes, as well. Staff, faculty, and student organizations are invited to host a table at the fair to advertise to our campus community about what they offer. Typically the Office of Student Life will provide free food and activities for students to engage in at the fair.

Hispanic Heritage Month

With nearly half of our students of Hispanic descent – and as New England’s first Hispanic Serving Institution – we’re proud to honor and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 through Oct. 15).

Upcoming Events

Black History Month

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black Americans throughout history. NECC is hosting a variety of events and programs to honor this important observance and help educate our community.

Events

Community College Student Leadership Association (CCSLA) Conference And Events

Annual Conference

Every year the Massachusetts Community College Student Leadership Association invites students from the 15 MA community colleges to attend their annual student leadership conference. Conference attendees have the opportunity to attend sessions to strengthen their leadership skills. This is an overnight conference and the students selected to attend must get permission from their professors to miss classes. The Office of Student Life selects the students that will attend and pays for their conference fees, hotel room, food, and travel.

Events 

Each semester the 15 community colleges in Massachusetts plan events for students who attend a community college in MA can attend. These events are a great way to get to know students statewide. Events that were held in the past include monthly trivia, leadership speakers, Zuzu African Acrobats, Hip- Hop And Mental Health, Kevin D. Richardson-When They See Us: The Story of the Central Park Five, and The Year-End Virtual Festival. 

Courageous Conversations

Courageous Conversations at NECC are dialogues in which participants commit to engaging each other with honesty, open-mindedness, and vulnerability; to listen deeply to better understand each other’s perspective, and to sustain the conversation and show responsibility to each other and to the conversation.

National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Opportunities

NISOD WEBSITE

NISOD provides budget-friendly, high-quality, and faculty-focused programs and resources for community and technical colleges that want to make the most of their professional development dollars. For over 40 years, NISOD has aligned a wide array of benefits with the needs of our members, which explains why the American Association of Community Colleges named NISOD, “The country’s leading provider of professional development for community college faculty, staff, and administrators.”

Scott Wright Student Essay Contest

NISOD invites students at NISOD-member colleges to participate in the Scott Wright Student Essay Contest!
Students* describe in a 500-word (or less) essay a faculty member, staff member, or administrator who encouraged them to complete a course, finish a semester, or graduate from college and how that encouragement helped them reach their goal(s)
The Prize
Three (3) winning student authors and the faculty members, staff members, or administrators featured in the winning essays will each receive:

• $1,000 USD
• Travel to the International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence (May 27-30 in Austin, Texas), which includes: Up to $400 USD toward travel to Austin, Texas;
• Up to three (3) nights lodging (Saturday, Sunday, Monday nights only);
• One (1) complimentary conference registration.
  (Note: Winning authors will read their essays on stage during the conference’s Excellence Awards Dinner and Celebration on Sunday, May 28.)

In addition, each winning student author’s college will receive a complimentary one-year NISOD membership.

Evaluation Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Content, originality, clarity, organization, conciseness, and grammar.

Submission

Visit the NISOD Website Student Contest Page to review the Criteria and Terms and to submit your essay. 

Student Graphic Design Contest 

NISOD invites students at NISOD-member colleges to participate in the Student Graphic Design Contest and design the official Conference Program for NISOD’s 2024 International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, the definitive gathering of community and technical college faculty, administrators, and staff seeking best and promising practices designed to improve student achievement.

The Prize
The winning student artist will receive:

• $1,000 USD
• Travel to the International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence (May 27-30, 2023 in Austin, Texas), which includes: Up to $400 USD toward travel to Austin, Texas;
• Up to three (3) nights lodging (Saturday, Sunday, Monday nights only);
• One (1) complimentary conference registration.
• In addition, each winning student’s college will receive a complimentary one-year NISOD membership.

Suggested Theme and Style Guidelines
We are looking for artwork with interesting, fun, bold, fresh, colorful, original, and modern images, yet which honors the legacy of NISOD’s International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence. Keep in mind that the winning artwork will become the 2024 Conference Program front cover, and must also be easily applicable to advertising, brochures, and other applications. If you choose to use community and technical college educators in an illustrated format, our preferences are faculty members in classroom settings. No recognizable students, faculty, administrators, and staff are permitted.

Elements That Must Be Included in the Design

• NISOD’s name and logo (download various formats on the NISOD website)
• “International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence” (Note: “Teaching and Leadership Excellence” should be more prominent than “International
• Conference on” if using different font sizes.)
• “May 25-May 28, 2024”
• “Austin, Texas”

What NOT to Include

• Do not use images such as armadillos, cacti, longhorns.
• No recognizable images of community and technical college students, faculty, administrators, and staff.
• No stock images or clip art, except the NISOD logo.
• No copyrighted work.
• No photos.

Artwork Specifications

• All submissions must be original art/illustrations, except the NISOD logo.
• Burnt orange and white are the official colors and the primary palette used by NISOD and The University of Texas at Austin. Although not required, student graphic artists are strongly encouraged to employ the following distinctive burnt orange color in their artwork:
  • PANTONE: 159
  • CMYK: 0, 65, 100, 9 | RGB: 191, 87, 0 | HEX: #BF5700
• All submissions must be minimum 8.5″ W x 11″ H and in PDF format.
• If chosen as the winner, your original file must be produced in vector format for ease of duplication (layered Illustrator .eps or .ai file)

 NISOD Logo

Visit the NISOD Contest Webpage to Download the NISOD Logo in various formats. 

Preparing Art for Submission
Reduce to max file size of 60 MB.

How to Enter Your Submission
Interested students are strongly encouraged to contact the NECC NISOD liaison, Michelle Carter, regarding how to participate in this contest. Once your artwork is completed, your college’s NISOD liaison, Michelle Carter may submit it using the form on the NISOD Contest Webpage. 

Questions & More Information

NECC students please direct all questions for the Student Graphic Design Contest to Art Faculty, Michelle Carter. 

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equity. International Women’s Day (IWD) has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific. 

Student Life at NECC partners with other areas of the college to provide an IWD celebration annually. 

Learn more about IWD. 

Spring Jam

Spring Jam is an event hosted by The Office of Student Life during the spring semester, typically in the month of April to celebrate being a NECC Knight. Student Life usually provides food, drinks, music, activities, and more for our campus community to come together and celebrate our year’s accomplishments. Student Life partners with other offices, student groups, and outside organizations as well to include them in the event. You won’t want to miss this event, it is always a lot of fun with free giveaways for those who attend! 

Reserve A Table Or Sign Up To Volunteer At Spring Jam

Clubs, Organizations, Interest Groups, as well as any area of the college and outside partners are welcome to host a table at Spring Jam. We are asking those who host a table to offer an activity and/or have items/snacks to giveaway. 

Example of activities: crafting, games, temporary tattoos, build a puzzle, sign your name, table top carnival games, & raffles.

If you need funding to provide an activity, table decor, or items to giveaway you can request $ from the Student Activities Fee Request Form while funding is available.

VOLUNTEER 

This event won’t be possible without help from our campus community. If you would like to help with the event set up, running the event, or clean up please indicate that on the Spring Jam Form and we will contact you with more details. THANK YOU in advance. 

If you have any questions please contact Student Life for requests, questions or event information.