Police and Social Media Usage

By Nick Chiocco

Frank Archer, a 22-year veteran of the Mansfield Police Department, was against the use of social media for years, and now, he is one of the main contributors to the department’s Facebook and Twitter page that was created in 2011, and he even maintains his own personal Facebook page.

“It’s the generation of social media. If we’re ignoring that, then we are not communicating,” Archer said.

Whether it be warning the public of a road closing, a follow-up to a case going on in Mansfield, or a simple Happy Holidays wish, the Mansfield Police Department is taking advantage of social media to reach the public.

One police department that has been extremely popular as of late and has benefitted greatly from social media is the Bourne Police Department on Cape Cod.

Just passing 40,000 followers on Facebook this past weekend and gaining about 150 followers a day, the Bourne Police Department feels more connected than ever.

Sgt. Brandon Esip, one of the page’s main contributors, said the initial reluctance in using social media changed following a murder in town.

After a citizen of the town created a Facebook page in memoriam, and gained over 20,000 followers overnight, the department was convinced to use social media.

The department saw this as an opportunity.

The department figured using social media was good way get information out, as well as to get tips and possibly solve cases faster

Detective Kenneth Wright of the Mansfield Police Department also said that social media is a good tool to both do background investigations and solve cases.

“People are sometimes smart enough to post pictures of paraphernalia and say exactly where their location is, leaving us with no work to do other than to go and find them,” Wright said.

Although some social media usage by criminals may be comical, the Bourne Police Department’s Facebook page provides a different level of entertainment.

“The humor is truly what separates us from other departments,” Esip said.

From posting about the “Inn” and their weekly guests in reference to the criminals and their cells, to joking about the traffic and using the “catapult” to get across the Bourne bridge, the department knows how to make people laugh.

Local followers are not the only ones that are laughing about their posts. People from across the United States and 35 countries follow the Facebook page.

Speaking of followers, the Bourne Police is in good company. The department holds the 4^th most Facebook followers in the state of Massachusetts.

According to Facebook.com, the only departments ahead of them are the Mass State Police with 235,997 followers, the Boston Police Department with 162,765 followers, and the Worcester Police Department with 44,285 followers, who they will pass soon enough.

Patty From The Bakery

By Nick Chiocco

Patty From the Bakery Video
From being mentioned in a rap freestyle by Timeflies describing all things Stonehill 2 years ago, to being included in a Stonehill student’s graduation speech this past year, the friendly face behind Stonehill’s Bakery, Patty Chiocca, has left an impression on Stonehill students that is hard to forget.

Being described by students as “very easy to talk to,” “always smiling,” and “very personable”, the woman behind the Bakery at the Roche Dining Commons is seen by most students as somewhat of a celebrity on campus.

Married with 2 children; a son, 39, and a daughter, 42, Chiocca, of Raynham, just recently turned 66, “double six,” as she said.

Chiocca likes to think that she is helpful and kind to the students, which all the students know she greatly exceeds.

“I love it. I love interacting with the kids and I love helping people…someone called me an angel the other day,” Chiocca said.

The interaction between students and Patty is a common thing, as students always have specific memories of exactly why they enjoy seeing her on a daily basis.

Anthony Donato, a senior, remembers Patty coming up to him and his friend while they were fooling around and fake wrestling in the café. Chiocca jokingly exclaimed, “Do I need to separate you two?” making Donato and his friend crack up laughing.

Nick Wisialko, also a senior, mentioned that Chiocca once joked with him saying that she was in at 4:30 in the morning to start baking everything, playing it off, as most Stonehill students believe that she makes everything in the bakery.

For many students like Donato and Wisialko, it usually starts as a general transaction, and in Patty’s sociable nature, she begins to ask about school and make a conversation. From there, it turns into a daily “Hi,” and eventually turns into being on a first-name basis.

That’s just the kind of person Chiocca wants to be.

“I enjoy what I do and how I do it,” Chiocca said.

Prior to working at Stonehill, Chiocca was an executive secretary at the Vadala Management Corporation. There, she worked for her boss, an entrepreneur, who managed 15 different businesses and even helped manage a semi-pro football team and a minor-league baseball team that were both based out of Taunton.

After her boss died in July of 1988, she worked for one of his companies, Middleboro Fire Apparatus, refurbishing fire trucks with new parts, which she said was one of most enjoyable experiences.

In 2004, she began working for Sodexo at Stonehill.

Working at the school for the past 11 years, Chiocca was not always known as Patty from the Bakery.

Before, she was a cashier, but became drawn to the position of Bakery Tech because of the increased amount of interaction with the kids.

Patty the Cashier just doesn’t sound the same.

 Working for the bakery, Chiocca said she has a sweet tooth when it comes to Chocolate Bundt Cake with chocolate ganache.

“I’m happy they don’t make more of it because I would eat it all the time,” Chiocca said with laughter.

Every student may have their favorite bakery item, but when it comes to the best thing at the bakery, Stonehill students would be foolish not to choose Patty Chiocca.

A Coach with More than One Purpose- Karen Boen

By Aisha McAdams

Karen Boen, after being named U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II East Region Women's Coach of the Year- Courtesy of the Stonehill Athletics Communication Staff

As you walk through the office door of Karen Boen, championship trophies and All-American honoree certificates line her walls; each year seeming to inch closer and closer to make room for more accolades.

            At the start of this fall semester, Boen marked her 18th year as Stonehill College’s head coach for the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field team.  She led the women’s team to qualify for the NCAA’s national championships 14 times and the men’s team 12, making Stonehill’s distance program one of the top in the country. 

             This past year, Boen was inducted into Stonehill’s Hall of Fame.  Richard Hart, Boen’s assistant coach, said she turned the program around during her tenure.   

            “I think that there is a real respect for our program in the NE-10 conference because of her.  You hear about other schools asking ‘what do we have to do to get like Stonehill’s program?’ and it’s flattering.  Imitation is the best form of flattery”, Hart said.

            The praise Boen has received from Stonehill and other schools did not come easily and nor did coaching. “It wasn’t an instant roll-over,” Boen said.

            Raised in South Boston, Boen describes her roots as a ‘Southie’. Her love for the sport came during a track and field session at a summer camp Massachusetts created to keep kids off the streets. This was the extent of her running experience until she attended Bridgewater State University and was recruited by the track coach.

            “I was running across the college one day, the end of my freshman year and a car pulled up next to me. It happened to be the track and field coach and he asked me why I wasn’t running because I looked like I was a good runner,” Boen said.

            Boen had to continue to work hard towards her growth as an individual on the course and off.  It did not come instantaneously.  She was no longer the big fish in the little pond of the projects.

            Having grown up in the inner city of Boston in the mid-sixties, the city was experiencing a lot of problems with drugs and mobs. Boen recalled often times using running as an outlet.  It was something she was good at, something that could help ground her when circumstances at home were uneasy.  According to Boen, this outlet still remains the base for the appreciation and drive she still has for running today.

           

            “I was just a person who had potential.  But I did have a sense of ego and a ridiculous work ethic.  I knew that I could be as good as those people; I just had a different starting point.  So I just went to work,” Boen said.

            With her work ethic, passion for running and 18 years of practice, Boen finds herself just over week away from the NCAA Regionals, the meet in which she expects her men’s and women’s team to add another year to the consecutive line of NCAA qualifiers.

            Current athletes describe how they are prepared, though, because she has taught them an aspect far beyond the importance of speed; trusting yourself and your foundation.

            Daniel Gordon, captain of the Men’s cross-country team, said that Boen helps them learn this by being more than just a coach and becoming a mentor to them.  She has created a strong web of a support through her athletes and alumni because of this.

            Alex Grimaldo, a junior on the women’s team, described how Boen has made an impact on her more on the course, personally as well.

             “She has taught me the importance of leading a simple life that consists of people who matter and things that I need to choose in my life. She has taught to be a tough woman and to not get lost in the shuffle,” Grimaldo said.

            Chelsea Bishop, Class of 14’ and All- American honoree, accredits her success to much of how Boen develops her athletes emotionally.

            “She is unique in the fact that she takes a big importance in her athlete’s health physically and mentally because she understands how much the two correlate. She was very perceptive to what I needed often times she knew what I needed even when I didn’t know it,” Bishop said.

            At 58, Boen’s athletes believe she continues to reach the fullest potential in them by pushing them out of their comfort zone to find their limits.  Just like Boen had taken the time to fully develop within herself and as a coach, she seeks this in all of her athletes; even if they need a little more guidance than others.

            Boen can still be found running through the trails of Borderland State Park near her home in Stoughton, MA where her and her husband Carl, her assistant coach, reside.  Their three daughters, Colleen, Courtney and Molly have begun to seek their own paths; Courtney having recently helped Boen add grandmother to her list of accolades when she gave birth to her daughter Riley this past August.

Video Courtesy of Aisha McAdams

           

Stonehill Professor passes away from pancreatic cancer after long battle

By Julianne Earle

When Jacob “Jack” Jackson was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2012, doctors expected him to live three to six months, but new medical technology extended his life by three years.

Jackson was diagnosed with a cancerous mass in the head of his pancreas that had spread more than doctors expected, and he was given three to six months to live.

Pancreatic cancer is estimated to affect almost 50,000 people and will account for just over 40,500 deaths in this year alone, according to the American Cancer Society. The one year survival rate is 28 percent, and the five year survival is 7 percent for all stages of the disease combined.

However, new technologies have developed to extend the lives of patients diagnosed with terminal cancers, and Jackson was one of the lucky few to undergo a CyberKnife surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachussetts, specifically crafted to target inoperable tumors.

CyberKnife targets high doses of radiation to the hard-to-reach tumors, allowing for effective and painless treatment that can give patients the extra time they need.

This treatment, along with chemotherapy and radiation, is the reason why Jackson was able to live much longer than originally expected.  Students at Stonehill College remember him for his passion for life and infectious positive attitude.

Professor Jacob "Jack" Jackson with his wife at the Boston Philharmonic Gala.
(Photo Courtesy of Jack Jackson's Facebook)

Erika Isner, a junior Communications and Psychology double major at Stonehill College, said he had a positive attitude, which she saw every day in class with him.

“He was never in a bad mood and wouldn’t allow for a student to be in a bad mood either,” Isner said.

Upon learning of his death on November 7, 2015, Isner was heartbroken, and shared a post on Facebook about how much she admired and looked up to him.

“I cannot thank you enough [Professor Jackson], I wish I had gotten the chance to do it in person. Rest easy,” she wrote.

Matthew Farrenkopf, senior at Stonehill College, took a public speaking class with Jackson, and said it was his favorite class at the college so far.

“He was always brought amazing energy. You never would have known he was sick,” Farrenkopf said.

The Communications major said that Jackson was aware how rare it was for him to live after his diagnosis because the disease was so aggressive.

“I’ll never forget the day he came into class and wrote a small decimal of a number and began to explain that he was one of the few people in the world who had lived two years with his type of cancer,” Farrenkopf said.

Even though exocrine pancreatic cancer still claims the lives of so many people every year, the 5-year observed survival rate has increased since 1992.

Lucia Earle, native of Fall River, remembers losing her mom to pancreatic cancer when she was 32.  Now 60 years old, Earle said treatment has come a long way since 1988, when her mother was diagnosed.

“They went in for surgery because they thought she had kidney stones, but when they opened her up, they saw she was covered in cancer. They didn’t tell us a stage or anything, just how much time she had to live – which was three months at most,” Earle said.

Melo died of pancreatic cancer four months after the surgery, just two weeks after her 67^th birthday.

Amanda Archibeque, a cancer information specialist at the American Cancer Society, said the 5-year survival rate depends on the stage of diagnosis, but that surgery is typically able to give people a better chance at survival.

“Treatment has changed throughout the years and has gotten so much better.  Even the 5 year survival rate for people not able to get surgery improved by 16 percent,” Archibeque said.

According to the American Cancer Society:

• ·   Between 1992 and 1998, the survival rates for different stages ranged from 1 percent (Stage V) to 14 percent (Stage 1).
• ·       Between 1985 and 2004, the survival rate for Stage I was 61 percent and was 16% for Stage V.

Adrianna Rosadio, a senior Communications and Criminology double major at Stonehill College, said she learned more from Jackson than just public speaking.

“He appreciated life and everything it had to offer, and he inspired his students to do the same. I’ll miss the way he cared for his students,” Rosadio said. 

Is Training the Mind Just as Important than Training the Body?

By Alexandra Grimaldo 

Distance running is more than just physically training, mental preparation is just as important.

Experts in the sport, such a collegiate coaches and athletes said preparing the brain before competition can translate into wins. When people are watching competitive and elite distance runners compete, they are only watching the physical end of the spectrum

Karen Boen, cross country and track and field coach of Stonehill College said, “Every sport has a cerebral end it, and just because you can’t see the brain physically, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t go unnoticed,” said Boen.  

Coach Karen Boen
PHOTO: STONEHILLCOLLEGE

It is Boen’s 16^th year as head coach at Stonehill College. Boen is the most decorated coach in NE-10 cross-country history. She has been honored with NCAA Division II East Region Coach of the Year 13 times. Under her guidance the men’s team has qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships for 11 consecutive years, and the women’s team 16 consecutive times.

“Running is a two part process: physically and mentally,” said Boen.

She said that there is a “common misconception that because you cannot see the mental side of training, that it does not exist.”

“Athletic competition is a physical test, but the mind is part of it,” said Boen.

Boen said during practice time it is an opportunity to “refine these skill sets, so during competition an athlete is prepared for the any situation handed to them.” 

Aisha McAdams, Stonehill College cross country athlete, said, “Coach tells us to practice like it is a dress rehearsal, and to go into run and workout with intention and purpose.”

McAdams, a junior, has participated in three Cross-Country National Championships, and one indoor track and field National Championship.

“During practice, I experience myself in a race, so when a gun goes off I will be that much more prepared, said McAdams.

McAdams believes in training with a purpose and that if a task is ultimately not going to help win a race, it is not worth doing.

“Know what you are doing, and why you are doing it,” said McAdams.

Co-Captain , Nicole Borofski,  agreed “physical training is useless unless you train your mind,” she said.

Borofski has competed in three Cross Country Nationals Championships, once All-American in the Fall 2015 season, she also competed at two track and field national championships.  

Nicole Borofski,
PHOTO STONEHILLCOLLEGE

“At a national championship, the physical work has already been put in all season, but over 50 percent of the competition at nationals end up mentally choking, “ said Borofski.

Preparing the mind allows the athlete to be more prepared and confident at the task at hand.

Emily Knox, cross country and track and field athlete at Stonehill said “If your mind isn’t ready to endure the physical pain of the sport and doesn’t have the will to push your bodies boundaries there is no way that their bodies fitness level will ever reach it’s full potential.”

The mental side of running can reach far beyond collegiate racing and can relate to a range of distance, especially marathons. Training for 26.6 miles goes far beyond the physical nature of the sport. To be focused for that period of time takes incredible focus and mental toughness.

Tim Noakes, M.D, and author of Lore of Running, wrote that “the brain either allows or limits performances from the body” and “If you really want to be competitive, you have to learn how to deal with discomfort. A lot of good physical training is about training to cope with discomfort.”

Jeff Downin, the Marlborough High School cross-country and track and field coach, and marathoner, started running 19 years ago as a freshmen in high school and has competed in eight marathons so far.

“Just like any athlete in any other sport, these are skills that you train your body to do, practicing, so that when the race happens and you encounter a problem, your body will remember what to do, ” said Downin.

Downin said he explains to his athletes regularly “you need to practice the mental part of racing, just like you practice the physical stuff.  When you encounter a problem, your mind needs to know how to react.”

“Mental planning, especially visualizing and race planning, can go a long way. Racing can seem chaotic and out of control, especially racing with large crowds. Having an anchor, a plan, can help you see through the mess and focus on what matters. Eliminate distractions and job get the job done,” said Downin. 

Adults adapting to modern social media

By Jamie Fleming

            Adults are finding some difficulty adapting to social media, whereas children embrace the updates.

           

With the internet rising, social media is becoming more prevalent in society. Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and many more sites are becoming increasingly popular among adolescents.

Young adults are spending an average of three hours a day on social media, according to Marketing Charts Publishing website.

Lately, the amount of adults using social media is increasing. 76 percent of adults use social media, according to Pew Research. 

Adults are using social media nearly as much as adolescents are. According to the Social Networking Use Data found by the Pew Research Center in April 2015:

            -72 percent use Facebook

            -25 percent use LinkedIn

            -23 percent use Twitter

            -31 percent use Pinterest

            -28 percent use Instagram

            -10 percent use Tumblr

These numbers are increasing, according to Pew Research.

Jennifer Hardin, the Director of Marketing at O’Neill and Associates works in a public relations firm that develops their own social media platforms to lead by example.

“I do find that a majority of adults use Facebook, and many use Twitter as well. As Instagram and Pinterest increase in popularity, I have noticed a growing interest among my older colleagues in these platforms, but mostly only among females. Snapchat has increased in popularity, especially among the 18 to 34-year-old age set, and many presidential campaigns have begun to employ the platform in their communications strategy. However, I have found it surprising that, among adults, the willingness to understand/employ Snapchat is not consistent with their attitude and willingness towards other platforms,” Hardin said.

Adults have more trouble than adolescents adapting to social media and the infinite possibilities that come with each new site.

Charles Person, a Stonehill student’s father said he questions “if someone is looking at your Facebook.” It is quite difficult to conform to the idea that people can be checking in on your life without you knowing.

Anna Fischetti, a school secretary, said she got Instagram to “see the pictures that her friends and family were posting.”

“I didn’t have much trouble adapting to Instagram, just finding people because they use usernames. But I got an Instagram to view what pictures people post without getting into everyone’s daily activities that they put on Facebook, like posting “I am going to the bathroom now,” said Fischetti. 

Some adults find adapting to technology difficult and need help finding their way around social media sites. Just 18 percent of adults feel more comfortable learning new technology on their phone alone, and 77 percent indicate they would need assistance during the process, according to the Pew Research Center.

Usually, these adults turn to their children and family members to help them adapt to social media.

Francesca Rizzo, a freshman at Stonehill College, said her father uses Facebook and her mother uses Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat.

Her mother “couldn’t figure out Snapchat, and the concept of the stories people post, she also didn’t understand the point of filtering all of your photos,” Rizzo said.

Daniel Bomba, a freshman at Stonehill College said he was “unnecessarily worried,” when his father got a Facebook account.

Bomba’s father has a Facebook and his mother uses her husbands Facebook to search people.

“They just laugh at people on it. You know those parents who post a picture and a paragraph if their kid does something like get a hit in baseball? They laugh at that,” Bomba said.

Bomba said his parents made him accept their friends request on Facebook.

“I was pretty passive about that because I use Facebook the least but still enough so that they don’t get curious as to what I’m posting on other sites,” Bomba said.

Brendan Daly, a freshman at Stonehill College, said he doesn’t like his parents using social media.

“Time that would be otherwise spent with family or having conversation was instead spent on using her mobile device and social media accounts,” Daly said.

Zachary Fanara, a freshman at Stonehill College said his parents signed up for Facebook around five years ago. Fanara said he winds up helping his parents use social media often.

“I have to help them constantly, my mom likes to upload pictures and has trouble creating albums,” Fanara said.

One concern some teens and young adults have is protecting their privacy, they don’t want their parents to see what they post.

“I only cared about [my mom] getting Facebook because I didn’t want them checking up on my stuff,” Fanara said.

Joseph Hanlon, a freshman at Stonehill College, said his parents began signing up for social media accounts around three years ago. His mother got Instagram and Twitter accounts to be up with the times, Hanlon said.

“I was embarrassed because my mom is not very tech savvy to begin with,” Hanlon said.

Jennifer Hardin, the Director of Marketing at O’Neill and Associates, says adult’s adaptation to social media is generally based on their willingness to learn and open their mind to the change.

“In my experience, adults' adaptation to social media is quite dependent on their curiosity and willingness to learn, regardless of age. Many communications professionals, specifically, choose to learn by doing and will create personal accounts on new social media platforms so that they can have a hands-on learning experience and then translate that experience to benefit their clients. On the other hand, I work with professionals' who have a limited interest in understanding social media and are only willing to learn about it insofar as it will help their business. It is very much on a need-to-know basis,” Hardin said.