December 2024
Upcoming Events
A Message from Dr. Scott Behrens, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success
Holiday Break is Almost Here! Are you Ready?
Hello students! I just want to provide one last reminder of things to do before leaving for the holiday break.
Winter Semester Classes Begin January 10, so if you need to add or change classes, there is still time, but act soon because rosters filled quickly this past fall. Make sure you are registered for Winter Semester classes as soon as possible. I can’t tell you how many students I heard from last semester who could not get into the courses they wanted because they waited too long.
Please note that the Admissions Office will be closed from December 24-January 1. It will close early on December 20.
If you have any issues logging into the Husky Portal, please email Katie Navock, director of enrollment management, at knavock@monroeccc.edu.
I would like to hear from you, including any concerns or suggestions you may have, so please feel free to contact me at sbehrens@monroeccc.edu.
Earth Hazards and Natural Disasters Special Topics Course Offered
Earth Hazards and Natural Disasters -- ESC 296 -- is a new special topics course that explores the natural and geophysical processes that have caused disasters, death and destruction to humans and the things they value. In this course, you will study the dynamics of those processes, the different hazards they produce and the disasters they cause, as well as how humans might reduce risk and vulnerability and improve resiliency and prevention. You will examine destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods and extreme weather events and learn about their frequency, magnitude, impacts, distribution and costs. You will also take time to laugh at, critique and correct how these events are often depicted in film and on TV and explore potential natural hazards in your hometown or your own backyard.
The course will be taught by Dr. Hans Lechner, associate professor of geosciences. It will be offered during the Winter Semester on Tuesdays from 10-11:50 a.m. It is 4 credit hours.
MCCC Community Packs Meals to Help those in Need
Last week, MCCC’s Christ-centered Community student organization led an incredible evening together with students and others in the MCCC community, packing 30,024 meals for those in need. More than 400 were donated to MCCC's Heck’s Market food pantry. Some will go to Hurricane victims in North Carolina, and the rest will be shipped to Haiti in a couple of weeks. More than 150 volunteers participated, including students, alumni, faculty, staff, administration, a board member and more. They all came together to show care to people and communities they have never met. Thanks to all who helped!
Winter 2025 Veteran Enrollment
If you are entitled to VA benefits and are enrolling for the WI2025 semester, this is for you. If you have not done so already, you will need to apply for your benefits and choose MCCC as the receiving institution here: https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/.
Once you have filled out the form and you are approved for the benefits, the Veterans Administration will send you a “Certificate of Eligibility." This communication will say those words at the top. A copy of this should be turned in to the Registrar's Office along with the filled-out form titled “VA Blue Form Enrollment" (which is also known as an “Enrollment Certification Request”) to mc3reg2@monroeccc.edu. The “VA Blue Form Enrollment” form is filled out every semester and should be turned in two months before the start of the semester.
You will also turn in a copy, once, of your DD214, which is a document that summarizes a military member's active service.
If you have any question about your benefits, please call 1-888-442-4551.
One Book, One Community of Monroe County: An Evening with the Author Shelby Van Pelt
On Wednesday March 19 at 7 p.m., One Book, One Community of Monroe County will present an evening with Shelby Van Pelt, author of "Remarkably Bright Creatures."
The event, which will be held in the La-Z-Boy Center, Meyer Theater, will include a presentation, question and answer session, and a book signing. It is free and open to the public. A limited number of copies of "Remarkably Bright Creatures" will be for sale for $25. Cash and online payments will be accepted for book purchases.
About One Book, One Community of Monroe County
Each year, the One Book, One Community of Monroe County selection committee chooses a readily available and discussable book written by a major author, and invites Monroe County residents to read the same book at the same time and discuss it through a series of free programs running approximately one month. Each year's events feature book discussions and free county-wide community activities related to the themes raised by provocative and inspiring stories. One Book, One Community of Monroe County aims to enrich the experience of reading for everyone, regardless of race, gender, age, income or the neighborhood they call home.
About the Book
Below is a summary of "Remarkably Bright Creatures":
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her 18-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in the Puget Sound over 30 years ago.
As she works, Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine, but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight tentacles for his human captors -- until he forms an unlikely friendship with Tova.
Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. As his affection for Tova grows, Marcellus must use every trick his old, invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.
Charming, compulsively readable, and full of wit, Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a beautiful exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope -- a reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
Submit to MCCC Happenings
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The next issue will be published in January 2025.