Happy November, HACC Student! A new month brings on many things including cooler weather, busier workloads and other activities that tend to fill our “to-do” lists. This November, we wish to remind you of the mental health resources available to you through our counseling service, M&S EAP. They offer counseling services, as well as other resources that you may need including financial support, health and more. To find out what M&S EAP has to offer you, visit: www.hacc.edu/mentalhealth and follow the prompts to access these services. Be well and stay tuned to the HACC calendar of events to find more resources during the month of November!

In fall 2021, the PNC Foundation awarded a $112,500 grant to the HACC Foundation that provided full-ride scholarships for Black students enrolled in HACC’s Police Academy or Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Program. In spring 2023, the grant was expanded to provide full-ride scholarships for Black students enrolled in HACC’s Advanced EMT, Criminal Justice, Paralegal Studies Certificate and Paramedic programs.

Through these scholarships, the HACC Foundation covers all tuition and educational costs associated with these programs. That’s right - eligible Black students will go to HACC for free.

Please help us spread the word about this initiative so these scholarships can be awarded! Please visit hacc.edu/BeTheChange to learn more and share these materials with interested individuals. 

HACC has dedicated interfaith prayer rooms open to all students and employees of all faiths for prayer and meditation. These rooms are provided particularly in response to our Muslim students’ request to have a safe and comfortable place to perform mandatory prayers throughout the day. Those who wish to utilize the room are encouraged to bring their own prayer rugs, however, mats are also available to use.

Locations:

• Cooper 130 at the Harrisburg Campus

• East Building 311B at the Lancaster Campus

• Leader 158 at the York Campus

Students and staff may contact internationalstudent@hacc.edu with any questions. 

As the fall semester begins, we’d like to welcome new and returning students! Whether you’re just starting out or have already invested some time here, we hope you find the information in this article beneficial and inspiring.

Have you heard of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK)? Did you receive an invitation to join but did not know if it was legitimate or what the benefits of joining are? Well, we are here to tell you that this honor society is legit and offers many tangible benefits to its members.

Phi Theta Kappa is the most renowned International Honor Society, exclusively for the benefit of community colleges. It strives to acknowledge academic excellence and encourage students to enhance their leadership skills. Every community college has its own unique chapter of PTK. Our chapter here at HACC is Alpha Nu Omega (ANO). The ANO chapter at HACC is entirely inclusive and aims to engage members with a focus on fellowship, scholarship, leadership and service. Our goal is to learn, support, celebrate and grow together. 

Why Should You Join?

• Members will be recognized at graduation and receive a PTK seal on their diploma

• Members will receive a welcome packet containing the prestigious Golden Key Membership pin, a Certificate of Membership, and a PTK graduation tassel

• Members will have access to nearly millions of dollars in PTK-exclusive scholarship opportunities (for both members in the community colleges as well as transfer scholarships)

•  Accountability and support, approximately 91% of PTK members stay on track and graduate

• Members can join a network of over 3 million other PTK members worldwide

• Join a community of like-minded individuals with similar goals and aspirations

• Recognition during the induction ceremony

• Opportunities to travel to regional and national conferences

A one-time fee of $85 to officially join the ANO chapter of PTK is required. However, if you are a recipient of the KEYS program here at HACC, you can request assistance with paying the one-time membership fee. There is also an opportunity for scholarship dollars to support your membership, just contact an advisor! 

If you would like to become a member or have any further questions, please get in touch with one of our chapter advisors, who would be happy to help.

•  Gina Crance – Advisor, gcrance@hacc.edu

•  Olajiwon McCadney – Advisor, okmccadn@hacc.edu

• Michelle Dixon – Chapter President, mrd89365@hawkmail.hacc.edu

•  Lauren Irwin – Historian/Treasurer, lai44930@hawkmail.hacc.edu

• Jasmine Ramos – Vice President of Scholarship, jxr82982@hawkmail.hacc.edu

• Kristin Kuhns – Vice President of Fellowship, ker29166@hawkmail.hacc.edu

Or for further reading about PTK, please visit https://www.ptk.org/

Do you remember your first semester at HACC? Were you nervous or overwhelmed? Do you want to help students turn their nerves into excitement and energy? Are you excited to share your story and what you have learned? Would you like to do all of this and develop your leadership skills, make new friends and get involved with the HACC community?

Learn why HAWKGuide and recent HACC graduate McKenzie Hall loved working with the NSO team:

“Being a student worker for the New Student Orientation team has helped me build interpersonal skills and leadership qualities. The greatest gift I received from the NSO team was their amazing support and encouragement throughout my educational journey. The flexibility of the job made it easy to find the balance between work life and school life. It was a pleasure meeting and working with Nakia, Ayelet, and Jenny as well as the other departments here at HACC, and the students that I had the opportunity to mentor.”   

Search no more! Apply NOW to become a HAWKGuide with the New Student Orientation Unit!

Learn how to plan and implement new student orientation programs, improve your public speaking skills, collect and analyze data and more!

For more information, or to apply, visit College Central Network or email us at orientation@hacc.edu.