Hawks Corner

Your graduate application has been reviewed to determine if you qualify to graduate. Those who have met the graduation requirements have been sent an invitation to participate in HACC’s fall 2022 Commencement ceremony that will be held at the Giant Center, Hershey, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 6 p.m.

Check your HAWKMail for the Commencement invitation and complete the Participation form by 11:59 p.m. Nov. 17. For questions related to HACC’s Commencement ceremony, please contact commencement@hacc.edu. More information and updates are available on the Commencement and Graduation website.

It’s all about access to education! Student Access Services (SAS) serves over 900 students a semester by providing access to those who are pregnant, parents or have a disability. According to the ADA, a disability is a documented impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Disabilities can include diagnoses such as asthma, diabetes, broken bones, migraines, seizures, autoimmune diseases, epilepsy, cancer, concussions, vision, hearing, and mobility impairments, cerebral palsy, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, learning disability, intellectual disability, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and more. Students who are pregnant, parenting or have disabilities receive appropriate accommodations to remove barriers and disruptions to learning.

Reasonable accommodations can include things like the following: extended time on tests, extensions on assignments, attendance accommodations, limited distraction testing space, breaks, assistive technology, food and hydration, a reader, an oral proctor, written directions, lecture notes, outlines and recorded lectures.

Accommodations are also provided for our pregnant, related condition and parenting students, under Title IX of the Education Act of 1973. Pregnancy, including related conditions such as miscarriage and abortion, may require students to have an extended leave. Students have the right to take time off from school for recovery without penalty. Additionally, parenting students who need time and space for lactation can also be accommodated. SAS will work with your professors to ensure you have access to your education. Parents' time is stressed as it is. SAS can provide accommodations to parents so they can complete their academic goals.

If you are a student who is pregnant and/or related condition, parenting, or a student with a disability, we recommend you complete the Harrisburg Area Community College Student Access Services Intake Form; https://bit.ly/SASIntakeLink.

If you have any questions about SAS, please contact one of the coordinators on campus. https://www.hacc.edu/Students/DisabilityServices/Contact-Disability-Services.cfm. There is a coordinator on every campus! Here is also a link to our SAS Survival Guide https://sites.google.com/hacc.edu/sasfall2020survivalguide/.

For the greater part of this year, the Career Closet Committee has collected donations to create a professional attire pop-up closet for HACC students where they could obtain a professional outfit to wear at an interview. After many months of hard work, the committee successfully held the event in September on four campuses and invited students from Lebanon to attend the Harrisburg Career Closet. Of the numerous students that utilized the services provided by Career Development, nearly 30 students participated in the event. Thanks to the hands-on services, professional advice and fashion-minded Career Closet Committee, all of the students left the event looking their very best. A special thanks to all of our Career Closet volunteers and the following committee members, including designees and others: Michelle Talbert-Horsey, Kathy Brickner, Teresa Graham, Nicole McCartan, Nicole Roberts, Sharon Zortman, Monica Gillis, Annmarie Driscoll, Carrie Heikes, Jasmine Ramos, Catherine Vega, Tom Frye and the Facilities team members. Because of you, many students' lives have been changed for the better – Thank you!

Below, are a few stories about our experiences assisting HACC students during the Career Closet. The Career Closet Flickr album is here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjA96dn.

Lancaster Campus Career Closet

• A student came to the Career Closet seeking professional clothing. The student acknowledged to never owning dress pants, appropriate-length skirts, or professional clothing of any kind. She was nervous and excited and ended up leaving the event with a professional suit jacket, skirt, and blouse and new-found confidence dressed in the new professional clothes that left her wanting to wear them home to show her husband and mother. She later said, "The Career Services staff member was spectacular and great at helping me find the proper professional clothing. I look like a new "professional" woman, and now I am ready for a job interview and internship."

York Campus Career Closet

• A Student came to the Career Closet and shared they did not expect to find anything. The staff spent time encouraging and carefully assisting the student in locating a well-fitting suit jacket and pants, along with a dress shirt and tie. At the end of the experience, the student shared they were a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and stated they had never felt so welcomed and assisted in choosing the clothing they desired. "The Career Closet helped me feel so good about myself, and the people who helped me were kind and accepting of me. Keep spreading your kindness.”

Harrisburg Campus Career Closet

• The Career Closet was a fantastic event. Seeing the students' faces light up as they looked at themselves in the mirror was so special, and it touched my heart. There were several moments when I fought to hold back tears, especially when a student asked: "how much." I told her there was no cost, her eyes filled with tears, and she hugged and thanked us repeatedly. This event was a great reminder of my "WHY." I know what it feels like as a college student with limited resources because I've been there, so I get it. I am so grateful for the donors and volunteers. We could not have pulled this off without their dedication and support. I am #HACC Proud to work for HACC and in a fantastic department.

The HACC Film and Theatre program is excited to once again offer live, in-person performances! Our first production of the season will be our Theatre for Young People presentation of the boy who stole the stars by Julian Wiles.

A young boy discovers his grandfather is dying. The old man's behavior is different; he's short-tempered and no longer tells his wonderful stories. The boy enlists the grandfather's aid in helping him with a school project—counting the stars. Their togetherness seems to renew the old man's interest and he begins telling stories, one of them about the dragon in the sky. The dragon, he explains, is there to guard the stars. An old legend says that should the stars be returned to earth; it would mean a new paradise with no unhappiness, no death. Hearing this, the boy goes off to slay the dragon and return the stars to earth, seeking a means of keeping his grandfather from dying. At play's end, the youngster comes to understand how important he is to his grandfather. "I don't need to live forever," says the old man. "I need you. I need you to care about me."

"It steals the audience and steals hearts," wrote a critic when this warm and moving play opened at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.

Under the direction of HACC Theatre Instructor and Costumer, Paul R. Foltz, the production features HACC students: Brendan Shanahan as Nicholas and Mel McKay as the grandfather. The rest of the cast includes: Sadé Smith, Daytona Walsh, Sarah Murphy, April Bennett and a dragon!

Tickets are available at www.hacc.edu/haccTheatre, or by calling the box office at (717) 780-2604.

In order to better support the diverse religious needs of our students, we are proud to announce that HACC has dedicated interfaith prayer rooms at the Harrisburg and Lancaster Campuses! These rooms are open to all students and employees of all faiths for prayer and meditation, and 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.

Coming soon: York interfaith prayer room.

For further information, please see these articles regarding the religious practices of Muslim students and the unique needs of Muslim students in higher education.

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

YOUR Library & Learning Commons is here for you!

• Need a place to study, research or use a computer? Library & Learning Commons spaces are open Monday-Thursday. For more information, check the Learning Commons Updates page.

• Need help with a class? Tutoring is available on-campus and online (via Zoom). For more information, see the Tutoring schedule.

• Need assistance with time management, organization or study skills? Academic Coaching appointments are available on-campus and online. Make an appointment today.

• Need help with locating resources? Make a Research Appointment with a Faculty Librarian.

• Need help with technology? User Support technicians are available on campus and remote. For more information, see the User Support page.

• Need to print? We have printing hubs setup at the campuses. Check the User Support Printing page.

• Need a place to meet with a group? Book a study room in YOUR campus library.

Did you know that HACC has an agreement with select school districts in our service areas to provide a tuition reduction to their students? These school districts have agreed to pay a portion of your tuition if you have lived in their school district for at least a year- even if you did not go to high school in the area. The good news is that this benefit will not cost you anything! All you have to do to receive the tuition discount is show that you have lived in that school district for at least a year and submit the necessary application to your school district. To learn more about this tuition reduction opportunity, click here. If you have questions about this or how it applies to your account, contact the Welcome Center.

The College has a variety of social media pages, and we would love for you to engage with us on those platforms.

Please:

1. Visit hacc.edu/SocialMedia

2. Select your platform of choice

3. Follow us

4. Comment, like and share posts from the College

5. Tag us in YOUR HACC-related posts/tweets

We will see you online!

For any questions, please email imcprojects@hacc.edu.

Socially YOURS.