friday takeout

February 26, 2021

CUPPA JOE | straight up news.

  • Check out the College's new cluster video series, created by Team Gold. These videos are being used to recruit new students. This video features our Business and Marketing cluster ... video


  • The February 2021 edition of Start Here, Transfer Anywhere, an Advising department e-newsletter, shares transfer opportunities and information with our students! ... link


  • FACULTY AND STAFF: Stay up-to-date on the College's Strategic Plan and Tracking document in NICC Shared Files!

WEEKLY FEATURE | good to know.

Writing Tips and Strategies for You, Part 4: Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

Editor's note: All during February, Friday Takeout devoted space to sharing writing tips and strategies for the College community. Here is the final installment of the series. This week we examine active and passive voice in writing. We hope you enjoyed the writing series this month!

Using the active voice in your writing conveys a strong, clear tone and the passive voice is subtler and weaker. Most teachers and composition instructors would advise against using the passive voice, unless you truly can’t write your sentence in any other way. So, what is the difference between active and passive voice? Grammarly.com offers a few examples on the topic:


Active voice

When the subject of a sentence performs the verb’s action, we say that the sentence is in the active voice. Sentences in the active voice have a strong, direct, and clear tone. Here are some short and straightforward examples of active voice.


  • Monkeys adore bananas.

  • The cashier counted the money.

  • The dog chased the squirrel.


All three sentences have a basic active voice construction: subject, verb and object. The subject monkey performs the action described by adore. The subject the cashier performs the action described by counted. The subject the dog performs the action described by chased. The subjects are doing, doing, doing—they take action in their sentences. The active voice reminds us of the popular Nike slogan, “Just Do It.”

Passive voice

A sentence is in the passive voice, on the other hand, when the subject is acted on by the verb. The passive voice is always constructed with a conjugated form of to be plus the verb’s past participle. Doing this usually generates a preposition as well. That sounds much more complicated than it is—passive voice is actually quite easy to detect. For these examples of passive voice, we will transform the three active sentences above to illustrate the difference.


  • Bananas are adored by monkeys.

  • The money was counted by the cashier.

  • The squirrel was chased by the dog.

Let’s take a closer look at the first pair of sentences, “Monkeys adore bananas” and “Bananas are adored by monkeys.” The active sentence consists of monkeys (subject) + adore (verb) + bananas (object). The passive sentence consists of bananas (object) + are adored (a form of to be plus the past participle adored) + by (preposition) + monkeys (subject). Making the sentence passive flipped the structure and necessitated the preposition by. In fact, all three of the transformed sentences above required the addition of by.

Active voice is used for most non-scientific writing. Using active voice for the majority of your sentences makes your meaning clear for readers, and keeps the sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy.

APPETIZER | something for your appetite.

"In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb"?

The spate of nice weather that arrived this week in Iowa has many wondering what Mother Nature has in store for next week – the first week of March. Will the old saying “in like a lion, out like a lamb” hold true for Iowans this year?


Meterologist Megan Salois, of WHO 13 in Des Moines, hasn’t made any bold predictions for 2021. Last year, in an online article she wrote about March weather, Salois did examine the science that backs up the lion-lamb contrast:


“Many March sayings seem to originate from writings from the 1700s. There may be a connection to the stars, as the constellation Leo (Lion) appears at the beginning of March and the constellation Aries (Ram) appears at the end of March … it is the month of transition from winter to spring with normal lows starting in the mid 20s at the beginning of the month and then highs in the mid 50s by the end of the month. (The contrast creates) such a volatile difference through the month.”

WELLNESS 360 | be well.

Self-Care Tips and Inspiration

by Flannery Cerbin-Bohach, Wellness and Life Stage Program Manager

Self-Care Tip of the Week:


Following last week’s focus on burnout, a colleague recommended an additional resource Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by authors Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski. This book explains “… why women experience burnout differently than men -- and provides a simple, science-based plan to help women minimize stress, manage emotions and live a more joyful life.”

You can also listen to the authors' interview with Brené Brown.

Inspiration of the Week:


Have you ever wondered what it sounds like on Mars? The Mars Perseverance landed Feb. 18, 2021, and is collecting images and rock samples, in addition to some sound recordings. You can track the sound bytes on the Mars Playlist. Want to know more about how sound works on Mars? Check out the story about capturing sound on Mars.


Pictured at right: The Mars Perseverance shared its first high-resolution color photo of the Red Planet this week.

Recipe of the Week:


Last week the Wellness Committee had a conversation about healthy snacking. We generated a list of healthy and quick snack ideas. Email me if you have any ideas you’d like to see added! Happy and healthy snacking!


Save the Date: David Woods Bartley will be back March 16 from Noon-1:30 p.m. for a workshop, "Moving from isolation to inclusion using the power of connection: 3 simple ways to unite with others."

BIG FISH | be amazed.

Ellen Steffen

TRIO Student Support Services Assistant | Peosta Campus


When you retire, and assuming you have enough money to do so, what is one cause you would give to because you are passionate about its mission and purpose?

A new cause that has become very important to me is TRIO-Student Support Services. After working briefly in a high school education setting, I was intrigued when I heard about this program and how it helps support and promote student development in the college setting. Since I started learning from and witnessing the TRIO-SSS team in action at the College, I am sold on its purpose and I think it has amazing benefits for so many college students. I am so thankful to be a part of this program that advises and supports scholars on such a variety of levels.


During your career at Northeast Iowa Community College, what is the nicest thing that ever happened to you, or someone did for you?

I haven't been here too long, but my favorite thing that has happened so far was receiving a birthday card from Dr. Wee. I thought it was such a wonderful gesture and it truly gave me the biggest smile when I opened it.


If you could start all over again, what would be your career choice?

I went to Iowa State University for graphic design. I love being a designer, and I am glad it is and will always be part of my life. As I have changed over the years, I realized that I strive to be someone who helps others in a meaningful manner. Someone who makes a difference and others are thankful for their skills or assistance. I think of the nurses we had in the hospital when our children were born who I will remember forever. Sadly, I do not have it in me to be a nurse, but I think that having a career where you can be there for someone, on a level where you mean so much to them, is what inspires me. I think that my new connection with TRIO-SSS has already provided me the opportunity to help others, even if it is just returning an email to someone who needs assistance or being a small part of their experience at NICC.


If you could morph two animals to make one super animal what would you choose and why?

I love patterns and some of my favorites are found on animals! When my daughters were little they often wore a cheetah print. I love the cheetah pattern and our family loves running. Our children are all pretty fast runners and they love being fast (except the one who hates to sweat)! I have also always admired tall people and wished I was taller. Another great animal and animal pattern can be found on the giraffe. I think I would like to morph the fast cheetah with the tall giraffe to make a super fast and tall "Cheeraffe!" The patterns might need blending, but I think we could make it work!


What kid’s movie has completely scarred you for life?

The movie that I saw when I was a kid and have never taken a peek at it since was Stand By Me from 1986. The problem was the scene with the pie eating contest that turned into a barf-o-rama. I could not stomach it and to this day have never finished watching the movie. This is also why I cannot be a nurse!

If you have input on a upcoming feature, Big Fish, something to celebrate or a suggestion, email us at news@nicc.edu!