friday takeout

January 21, 2022

CUPPA JOE | straight up news.

  • Trustees invite staff, students, faculty and community members to attend president finalist forums next week, Jan. 24-28 ... news


  • Hall of Fame Alumni, Marvin Ney and family, expand Paramount Ambulance Service to serve more patients in Midwest and US ... link


  • NICC Business Administration student praises cost-savings of Open Educational Resources (OER) for helping him complete his education ... Iowa OER blog story


WEEKLY FEATURE | good to know.

Bookmark the NICC News Hub Page and Add to your Bookmarks Bar for Quick Reference!

The NICC News Hub is up and running! You can now access this new intranet which serves as a communication hub for all NICC employees. To submit information you'd like to be shared with the college community, submit this form to your department's communication team member.

APPETIZER | something for your appetite.

Podcast Recommendations for the Winter

Does the winter season have you stuck inside more than you would like? The online news publication, The Manual, devoted a section of its Jan. 4 issue to podcasts and favorites to listen to. Whether you’re interested in a deep dive into the internet and its impact on our lives (The Rabbit Hole), or you want to catch up the latest in pop music and hip-hop (NYT Popcast), you’re very likely to find something of interest to you in this list.

Also, remember to check out Flannery’s Campfire Podcast to learn more about your colleagues and their stories about how they stay well — body, mind, spirit. Podcast episodes be updated on a monthly basis.

GREEN CORNER

Kara and Piper, our Green Iowa AmeriCorps Sustainability Coordinators, will be bringing us regular facts and tips to green your life and make it more sustainable.

With record low winter temperatures hitting Iowa this week, we are all turning up the heat in our homes and, in turn, seeing electricity bills skyrocket. One of the biggest energy costs can be the use of a space heater. Running this inefficient appliance every day could add $30-$40 to your monthly energy bill! Instead of relying too heavily on the space heater, try to heat spaces room by room, and if you must use one, make sure it's only being used for a few hours each day. The U.S. Department of Energy has a list of helpful tips (both big and small!) that you can use to lower your energy load in 2022, and bring down that spendy energy bill. Has this winter been a bit drafty in your home? That's another sign that you're losing energy and money in your home. You can recoup some of that money by scheduling an energy audit with your local energy district or energy cooperative. They'll do a full audit of your space to identify any leaks and outfit you with weatherization information and supplies to keep you warm this winter and beyond!

Piper Wood

Why Compost? Taking the first step to composting can feel daunting, but composting is accompanied by so many benefits such as: access to nutrient rich soil (compost), reduced food waste in the landfill, reduced garbage/landfill collection and a personal favorite: no more smelly kitchen garbage! There are so many ways to start composting, and Winneshiek County Recycling is offering a reduced rate for a recycled plastic backyard compost bin. The bin makes composting at home easy. If you're interested in more information, check out this link for pricing, dimensions and ordering details. Distribution of these compost systems will happen in late May, right in time for garden season. In the meantime, here are some other compost tips to get you inspired!

BIG FISH | be amazed.

Dorothy Giannakouros

Communications Instructor | Peosta

Would you own or use a self-driving car?

Absolutely! I am an anxious driver, so I would greatly appreciate the additional security.


How do you feel about people and/or yourself cursing?

This question made me laugh because my children and I have philosophical conversations about swearing. I tell them that cussing is cliché and if you’re truly outraged or scared, you should be able to come up with more creative language! We also discuss the reasons why certain words are considered swearing, and how the words that are dehumanizing for other people are the ones that are never acceptable. I don’t generally mind if people swear as long as they’re not hurting anyone else or making others uncomfortable. Words matter.


What is a person or subject that should be made into a documentary, but hasn’t yet?

A retrospective on the life and work of the late artist Trina Schart Hyman. She meticulously researched the stories she illustrated and her visual interpretations of literary works such as Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene are exquisite.


Tell us you’re an American without telling us you’re an American.

My relatives insist that Jell-O is a salad.


What fictional place would you like to visit?

Avonlea from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. I vividly remember the descriptions of the settings in the novel and it would be wonderful to visit Cavendish, or other parts of Prince Edward Island, and experience those places in real life.

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