On Campus: Harper College News Roundup

Theatre Club Video Highlights Dating Violence: Noreen Patel has been in a real-life emotionally abusive relationship. So when asked to tackle the topic in a video aimed at helping fellow young people spot the signs and find help, the Harper College theatre student quickly signed on. “It’s not just about playing a role in this film. It’s about playing a role in ending the violence,” says Patel of Hoffman Estates. “I never want anyone to feel like I did.” She plays the sister of a victimized high school girl in the six-minute film. Commissioned by the Northwest Suburban Alliance on Domestic Violence and newly published to the College’s YouTube channel, it tracks an unraveling relationship during prom season. With input from the Alliance, Patel and other Harper students worked with Theatre Director Kevin Long, Media Productions Coordinator Tom Knoff and Harper Police Chief Mike Alsup to produce the piece amid grim statistics: the 2000 National Violence Against Women Survey shows one in four women will experience domestic abuse during their lifetime, and U.S. Department of Justice data suggests most cases are never reported. “Things have to change,” says State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), co-chairman of the Alliance. “It was our vision to create this video, and we’re so happy to have seen it through with the help of Harper College as we work to ensure our young people know the signs and know how, and where, to get help.” The video includes phone numbers for shelters and hotlines.

Hands-On Expo Inspires Kids, Shows Off Careers: Elona Kadukov was in fourth grade when she visited Harper College’s first-ever College and Career Expo, and she had a succinct reaction: “It’s fun here,” she said. The verdict – coming after she folded paper airplanes under the tutelage of Northrop Grumman employees and toured the College’s state-of-the-art Simulation Hospital – captured the spirit of the event, which aims to give area youngsters an interactive taste of science, math, engineering and technology and the 21st century careers that can come after higher education. Harper will host its 2013 edition of the free Expo from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27 in the Avanté Center for Science, Health Careers and Emerging Technologies on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine (Parking Lot 3). Geared toward students in fourth through eighth grade and their families, the event will feature a long list of hands-on activities and demos showcasing health care, chemistry, graphic arts, astronomy, biology and more. Participants can test their DNA, see police canine dogs in action, design and print their own posters in the graphic arts lab, make slime in a chemistry classroom, get an up-close look at fire trucks and learn more about rocket-building from a NASA-bound team of Harper students. Registration is not required, but an RSVP is encouraged. Visit www.harpercollege.edu.

Student Nets National Scholarship: Stephanie Nyman was 10 years old when she was put in charge of her ailing grandparents and bedridden mother. Twelve years later, the Harper College student believes her natural instincts in facilitating healing will guide her well as a geriatric massage therapist. Now, she’s one step closer to that goal. The Schaumburg resident is a recent recipient of a first-time national $1,000 scholarship from the American Massage Therapy Association. Nyman, who is pursuing a certificate in Therapeutic Massage through Harper’s Continuing Education Department while working full-time at a restaurant, says the scholarship goes a long way toward funding her Harper education. Harper’s program was one of only 20 to receive the scholarship nationwide. “I know what a difference this money makes for our students, and it means a lot that this national organization has recognized us and is willing to help us help our students succeed,” says Susan Landers, coordinator of the program.  Harper’s Therapeutic Massage program takes a year or less to complete. Students learn the clinical aspects of field – taking courses in anatomy, physiology and kinesiology – while also completing 100 hours of clinic practice. Though courses are available in techniques like Hawaiian Hot Stone massage and Lomi Lomi, the College’s program is becoming more therapy-focused overall, with students like Nyman learning skills focused on massage’s role in healing.  Graduates often work in fitness centers, sports clinics, doctor or chiropractor offices, hospitals or nursing homes. The next summer cohort starts May 16.

Gospel Choir Performance Channels ‘The Help’: Harper College will channel the Civil Rights era and its message of hope and determination with a gospel choir concert celebrating the novel “The Help.” The event, featuring the renowned Wheaton College Gospel Choir, the Broadview Chapel Choir and the voices of several Harper student singers, is the College’s final celebration of the Kathryn Stockett bestseller – a story focused on race relations in 1960s Mississippi and Harper’s choice for this year’s “One Book, One Harper” initiative. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17 in the Building J Theatre on Harper’s main campus. A reception will follow. “The primary messages of this kind of music are hope, faith, overcoming obstacles and belief in a brighter day,” says Associate Professor Dr. Shanté Bishop, who helped coordinate the event. “Those were prevalent messages in the Civil Rights era, too, when this book was set and when cultural progress was made.” The vocalists will perform music from both traditional and contemporary artists. One Book, One Harper encouraged a collective reading of “The Help” and, through a series of campus activities – from a southern cooking course to a women’s issues panel – encouraged creative conversations on related topics. Tickets are free for students and $10 for the public.