Episode Transcript
[00:00:08] Speaker A: Hello, friends, fellow listeners, and bears everywhere, welcome back to the sound barrier. That's right, northeast states official podcast returns for the fall 2024 semester. Yeah, we took a little hiatus up back there in spring, but we're back and bigger and better than ever. So get ready for an exciting semester. My name is Tom Wilson. I'm one of your co hosts here. And I'm with our fellow co hosts, Mister Matt Poole. There we go.
[00:00:31] Speaker B: Excited to be back.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: Miss Mackenzie Moore, gent.
[00:00:34] Speaker C: Nice to be here.
[00:00:35] Speaker A: We're coming to you today from the. We're on the road today in the lovely confines of Wayne G. Basil library here on the Bluntville campus. Thanks to our friend and head librarian, well, dean of libraries, let's get it right, Chris Demas, who has provided us this space here to do our opening fall, our opening fall broadcast. Thank you, Chris. Thank you, library staff. You guys are the best.
As we roll into fall, a lot of new things, a lot of new adventures here at Northeast State. Classes begin on August 26.
So, yeah, we're all pretty excited about the fall semester.
[00:01:13] Speaker C: I know I am. I'm excited to see students back on campus. I'm excited for all these events to be kicking off. And we've got so much going on this fall semester, event after event. It seems like a lot of groups here on campus have worked hard in planning and organizing a lot of fun things, a lot of fun activities, you know, for students, staff, faculty throughout the semester. So, gosh, we've got a list ready, actually, a whole list of fun stuff planned out.
But what does that kick off with? Is that. That's gonna kick off with the bear bash, though. That's a back to school bear bash that I know student life has that planned out just to get new and returning students on campus, to get everybody introduced to each other, get new faces, kind of familiarized with the space before classes get started the week after that. I mean, it's all happening so fast.
[00:02:08] Speaker A: It'll be here before you know it.
[00:02:10] Speaker C: Uh huh.
[00:02:10] Speaker A: Truly, truly.
But there's still time to register for classes also. Our next, probably our final open registration for this semester anyway. Happens August 21. It's from eight to 06:00 p.m. here on the blunt for campus. And it's going to be eight to four on the Kingsport, Gray, and elizabethan campuses. So, hey, you've still got time to register if you want to take one class, if you want to get a whole knock 15 hours, we're here to, there's plenty of classes still open, so get online at northeaststate.edu and sign up.
[00:02:46] Speaker B: Yep. The earlier the better because classes are filling up pretty fast. But there's still room, there's still opportunity to take classes if you're interested. So please get on it as soon as you listen to this podcast, right after you listen to the whole thing, go sign up for classes.
[00:03:02] Speaker C: I mean, you can always learn something new. I've even been considering registering for a class. Gosh, I've had my eyes set on piano lessons. That kind of. I mean, I've been told I have the fingers for it. I don't know though. I've got really long, gnarly fingers. That sounds nasty. Maybe not gnarly. Maybe another word. Gangly. Is that a word? Dangly?
[00:03:26] Speaker B: A word? Yeah, but no. Yeah, you have the perfect fingers for picking up piano.
[00:03:32] Speaker C: Well, thank you, Matthew.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:03:34] Speaker C: Thank you. I mean, I just put the words in y'all's mouth, but.
[00:03:38] Speaker B: Yeah, and there's classes that I see that are interesting to take. I mean, there's so many different literature classes that we have that are, would be probably fulfill your english requirements, but even just as an elective, I mean, we've just got all sorts of cool classes that I think would interest people, definitely.
[00:03:54] Speaker C: Like just from humanities to technologies. I mean, just everything in between.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: Yeah, that's the benefit of technical school is where we have our technologies division. I mean, there's so many real world applicable skills that you can pick up. Some that I need to pick up myself in between, like automotive, you know, computer science. Oh my gosh, all of that is so useful today, especially with the advances in technology.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: 135 programs, is that right?
[00:04:24] Speaker B: Yeah, a lot of on the dot.
[00:04:26] Speaker A: From across the board.
[00:04:27] Speaker B: Yeah, it seems like it's growing every day.
[00:04:29] Speaker A: It does indeed. It does indeed.
Well, over and on, the science and math building, the wade powers math and science building, I should say some major innovations have happened.
So you ought to go over there and check those out.
[00:04:46] Speaker C: What's it looking like over there?
[00:04:48] Speaker A: The floors are down, the labs are new.
They've got all the beakers and all the burners kind of spread out on the tables, like right now as of now. But everything's going in and the labs really look fresh.
All the equipment is new.
[00:05:04] Speaker C: Oh, that's exciting.
[00:05:05] Speaker A: A lot of the labs face the tables. So, yeah, it's been kind of a long project for that building, but it's coming together great. I hear it's going to be really exciting. The students and I know the faculty teach over there.
[00:05:21] Speaker B: Yeah, the faculty that we have for math and science are phenomenal, so they definitely deserve it. And the students will feel good being in that environment. That's like you said, fresh and new. Got that new car smell to things.
[00:05:31] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:05:32] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:05:33] Speaker B: But we're making moves all across campus. It seems like with the Bear Cove, I saw the pictures of that.
[00:05:39] Speaker C: Yes. Truly are just growing and gracious. It just seems every direction, which is great just to see the Bear cove. That's a new space for students to hang out and lounge, relax, meet other students, meet with friends between classes. It's just a very nice open space, and I'm pretty sure you can even rent sports equipment through it. So you go in and I guess they have some sort of registration going on, and you rent out, you can rent out tennis rackets, pickleballs, footballs, basketballs, just what have you, and you can actually head over to our tennis courts on the other side of campus, enjoy a sunny day with your friends playing football or pickleball. I mean, the sky's the limit, guys.
[00:06:27] Speaker B: Exactly. Yeah. The tennis courts over there look phenomenal with the repaving looking or adding, I guess you could say the pickleball lines. People are out there all day, every day playing tennis, basketball, especially pickleball. I mean, pickleball is just blown up.
[00:06:42] Speaker C: It seems like, and it can get intense.
[00:06:44] Speaker B: It really does. Oh, my goodness. It's very competitive.
[00:06:47] Speaker A: Pedagogy's on this campus, I'll tell you.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:06:51] Speaker C: But, yeah, that's a, I don't know. That's a great new area just for students to hang out. But, gosh, that's not the only thing. There's a lot more going on, like the dining services.
[00:07:00] Speaker A: Yes, we have. There's been a renovation down there in the dining area at the student services building, and the entire kitchen facility is being redone, and it's going to be run by the Mets people providing food service that's going to start up this fall. Yes, we're going food service back here on campus this fall. Our plant operations team, they've been, well, they're always at it every summer around the clock, and they are tremendous.
We have, there's tremendous bunch of people over there. They're getting, putting the touches, all the finishing touches up on that area. So, yeah, you can come to campus, get some food. Get some food this semester, which I know it's exciting to students, faculty and staff alike. Yeah. A lot of work has gone into that, which people are very, very happy about, as I, as I understand.
[00:07:51] Speaker B: Yeah. It'll be really nice for both like you said, faculty and students to have food on campus. We don't have to travel out. Go search out for some rations. We can stay in house. We can stay in house and enjoy the fine food that the Met staff provides us. And we're really grateful for everybody who put this together for us.
[00:08:11] Speaker C: And it really is just going to be a full service kind of deal. I mean, from, we're looking at 07:30 a.m. to 230 on weekdays right now. And, gosh, they've got a grill, they've got a deli. So we're going to have burgers, sandwiches, chicken wraps, gosh, you name it.
[00:08:28] Speaker B: You're making me hungry.
[00:08:29] Speaker A: Hungry.
[00:08:29] Speaker C: Pizza. Pizza. They mentioned pizza, so I'm pumped. You can't go wrong with pizza.
[00:08:34] Speaker B: You can never go wrong with pizza.
[00:08:36] Speaker C: And of course, grab and go options, they're also looking to have that available for students. So if you've got night classes, you know, you're still going to have options.
[00:08:45] Speaker B: That's great.
[00:08:46] Speaker C: You're still going to have food options. So that's really, it's great.
[00:08:50] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:08:50] Speaker B: So from renovations to powers math and science building to the food service to the Bear cove, we're even making moves with the esports team as well. So esports is back, huh?
[00:09:04] Speaker A: Esports is indeed Josh. Linda Mood was a player. Josh is now a coach down there in awesome, the Wayne Bazler sports arena here on the first floor of the library. But, yeah, I, they're doing tryouts here in August.
[00:09:17] Speaker C: Oh, I saw, I saw them doing tryouts the other day. Okay. That's awesome.
[00:09:23] Speaker A: I don't know how many teams Josh is going to put together, but I think they're looking at like Rocket league overwatch, two league of legends.
I mean, when we had it like a year ago, we're very, very exciting. I know it's going to be feel like, to feel like it's going to be again because it's some intense competition.
[00:09:40] Speaker C: Yeah. And they take on other schools from just all over the place, all over the country, and they've won, they've won these tournaments in the past, so I'm excited for them to have that opportunity again to, you know.
[00:09:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:53] Speaker B: To compete. Yeah. That's the great thing about esports, is the travel time as well as travel from, from a financial perspective, that's totally out the, you know, not even a part of the equation. We can play anybody. We can play somebody from Washington state, California, Kentucky, New York, et cetera. We're, we can play anybody. And that's so cool. To have as well. If you want to support our esports team, the esports northeast state esports bears, you can follow them and see their matches or games on Twitch. So that's www. Twitch tv, northeast state sports. So go support our fellow bears. I'm sure they would appreciate it.
[00:10:41] Speaker A: Yeah, Twitch tv is, Twitch is very, very, very popular for gaming and so many things. It has really blown up.
[00:10:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: As a platform as well.
[00:10:51] Speaker B: Yeah, it seems like the younger generations, they seem to be, you know, of course, still watching YouTube, but especially making a switch over to twitch. Switch to twitch.
[00:11:01] Speaker A: Switch to twitch.
[00:11:01] Speaker B: That's my play on words for the day.
So Twitch is definitely becoming very and has been really popular for streamers.
So it looks like with the admissions and records, financial aid, the business office and the advising resource center as well, the veteran and military student success center. So really important right here, guys. They have extended their office hours from August 19 to the 29th. So make sure if you need a support or information from those respective offices, their hours are going to be from 08:00 a.m. to 05:30 p.m. so they've extended out their hours Monday through Thursdays and then on Friday they're back to regular hours from eight to 04:30 p.m. and again, that is on a Friday. So Monday through Thursday, if you work and you haven't been able to come up here due to your schedule or other activities, we have extended our office hours an extra hour. So make sure if you need a supplemental support information, general information, get support on your financial aid especially. I know that's a big topic among people. You know, college is super important, but affording colleges is even more important. So make sure to get those questions answered in the meantime and we'll help you out as best as we can.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: I think the bookstore will be, they'll be accepting financial aid charges. I believe they began August 19 and they will continue to September 9. So you can go exercise your, get your financial aid at the bookstore up until September 9. And of course you can still register all the way up to the first day of classes on the 26th. We do late registration up until then. So if you'd even if you need to drop an ad, just jump on my northeast and get that schedule arranged the way you need it.
[00:12:57] Speaker B: Absolutely. That's crucial. And speaking of adding classes, dropping classes, tuitions are all a part of this. I know for a lot of us, myself included, a, you know, couple thousand dollar bill is a lot to look at at this current time. So if you need to make tuition payments. And what I mean by that is break down your tuition cost into monthly payments where it's a lot more manageable. You can make a payment plan through your my northeast account. So all you have to do is go to our main website, northeaststate.edu, and click on the Payments tab at the top of the page. So once you click payments and after you log into the student account suite button on your my apps page, simply click enroll in payment plan. Select the term from the drop down menu, click either the details button or the select button. That's a seamless way for you to be able to afford tuition this fall and make it much more manageable for your budget.
[00:14:04] Speaker A: Well, enough of all that, all that official talk. Let's start to talk about what people really want to hear. Hobbits.
[00:14:10] Speaker B: There we go.
[00:14:10] Speaker A: Dwarves, a dragon guarding gold. Speaking of financial aid, dragons guarding gold. What does that have to do with northeast state this semester? Because Northeast State Theater is putting on, brace yourself for it.
The Hobbit.
[00:14:25] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:14:26] Speaker A: Yes. They are going to stage the Hobbit here at the Ballad Health center for the Performing Arts from November 21 to November 24. How are they going to pull that off? Well, Northeast State Theater can do it because they won enough awards to fill, seriously, two theaters, quite literally. So you don't want to miss this show.
So. But yeah. Has everybody read the Hobbit? We all like? No, we all know we've seen the movies or read the books, right?
[00:14:51] Speaker C: Oh, I remember going to the movie theater with the creative writing club when I was in high school to go see the Hobbit. It was a huge, it was a big deal. So, so I'm very excited to see, I'm excited to see this rendition of it. It's gonna be amazing.
[00:15:09] Speaker A: We're pumped for it. Yeah. Yeah. I think Brad McKenzie, our director of theater, is directing it. And I know TJ Kent, who's also theater faculty. They're gonna have the kids fired up for it. And Richard Curtis, who also does so many, has done so many incredible creations on stage for us over the years. I'm sure he'll be involved in it as well to make this one one to remember.
[00:15:32] Speaker C: I know. I'm definitely excited to see the set. I'll be in and out, probably of the theater ahead of the show just to see where the set's at, because I know they just put together these elaborate just, I mean, I would call them art masterpieces.
I mean, you almost can't recognize the stage from, you know, any other day. And then when they're putting on, like, the week of the shows, it's a. It's another world. They create other worlds in there.
[00:16:00] Speaker B: So it's truly mesmerizing. So if you're interested in seeing the hobbit here at Northeast State, the performance dates are November 21 through November 24. So ticket information is at northeaststate.edu box office. And that will be available later this fall.
[00:16:21] Speaker C: And, you know, that's not even just for students.
This is open to the public. I mean, you know, you want to take your partner for a night out on the town, take them out to a show, come on over. Come on down to northeast state, because, you know, these shows are amazing productions that they put on, and, you know, it's surely something the public can enjoy as well. We're just excited to welcome all these people on campus to, you know, just see the amazing works from our theater, from our theater department.
[00:16:49] Speaker B: Yeah, they are always mesmerizing. They always do a great job. Free for students and alumni still, I'm assuming.
[00:16:56] Speaker A: I believe that. I believe it's like a $5 for students and alumni with current id.
[00:17:03] Speaker B: Right.
[00:17:03] Speaker C: And that is $10 for the public.
[00:17:06] Speaker A: Yes. Admission, $10 per ticket. Wow.
[00:17:08] Speaker B: That's an amazing price for a full production. A night out with your partner, like.
[00:17:13] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:17:14] Speaker B: Just have a date night.
Sounds like a plan to me.
[00:17:18] Speaker C: I know. I'm excited. I'm gonna drag my husband along, too. I'm like, you're gonna be a J. R. R. Tolkien fan for the evening, and we are going to enjoy the hobbit.
I kind of just wanted to touch also, as we're going over new things on campus, the children's reading area in the library looks amazing. I am so. I'm so excited. I had to go in the other day to touch the dinosaur. They've got a big green sequins looking dinosaur in there, and I had to touch it, so.
But it's just such a bright and colorful space for the little ones is like you're studying or doing homework. I'm just so glad that, you know, our library staff worked really hard at putting that together over the summer. So if you ever have your little ones on campus and, like, you need to study, complete assignment, it's just. It offers a great area for them to, you know, draw color, just imagine and dream. There's a lot of books in there. There's a lot of very hands on activities. So check that out this semester, you know, if you're new or returning to campus, and it's just a great area on the third floor of the library on our main campus in Bloemville.
[00:18:32] Speaker B: I love that we're always looking for ways at northeast to support our students, and it's just the resources here are, I feel like, unmatched. If you need supplemental support or resources, we probably have an outlet for you. So never hesitate to ask a staff member. We're all here to help you make sure you succeed and get on the right track for your career with a degree.
So never hesitate to reach out to us. We're happy to help you guys.
[00:19:00] Speaker A: Also, if you need extra income, say you want to do a little bit of work study here on campus, you can always go into the financial aid office and try the work, the federal work study program, because that just might be for you. It's kind of an on campus student employment benefit where you can earn some money and you work about well, up to 20 hours a week, I believe that's right. But you can stop by our financial aid office and see 1102, learn more about that. It doesn't sound you probably get a lot going on as a student, but if you want to, if you're on campus, why not get a part time job and earn a little money while you're here? Can't hurt at all, can it? No, I didn't think so. Check out work study.
[00:19:42] Speaker B: The statistics show that the more involved you are on campus and it because we don't have dormitories or student housing, the statistics are high for those individuals as well. So it just goes to show the more you're involved, the more you're engaged on campus. You're not just getting leadership skills that you can take with you for the rest of your life, but you're getting a group of friends that will span the test of time. People that, friends that I've made at Northeast State, I still am friends with to this day. We have a great friendship all around the board and it's just, it's just a great opportunity for you all to put stuff on your resume, too, whenever you transfer to your future institution. If you go to a four year school, schools love that as far as scholarship opportunities. So it's not just beneficial. You may not get compensated for it financially in the short term, but long term it could turn into that through scholarships at your four year school.
[00:20:40] Speaker C: Exactly, exactly. Way to. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, right on the dot there. I mean, is that, is that an idiom or did I get that idiom wrong? I'm awful with idioms. By the way fun fact about me is that right on the. Right on the money, actually.
[00:20:58] Speaker B: Anyway, it's too good. Well, we've covered a lot today so far. I think I would like to end this if you all are cool with it, by tips from a teacher.
[00:21:08] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:21:08] Speaker B: I love this.
[00:21:09] Speaker C: Inspire us, Matthew.
[00:21:10] Speaker B: There we go. Well, this is an exciting time for you guys. So my name is, of course, Matthew Poole, and I teach psychology here. I do dual enrollment at the high schools, and I'll teach here on campus as well as online. So I'm well versed in all demographics of student. So I've got three tips for you as you begin your school year. Firstly, the first day of school, your teacher will let you know about book information. If you've already bought your book, that's okay. I would hang on to the receipt because your teacher may get in there the first day and say, hey, guys, our textbook is actually free. That is especially true with introduction to psychology. Our textbook is completely free. You do not need to buy the physical textbook unless you're, you know, enjoy having the physical textbook. Some people are like that, and that is perfectly fine with you. It is your preference. But if you have not bought your books by the first day, do not freak out. They will let you know all of that information on day one. Number two, if you are absent, please let your instructor know as fast as possible because this is important for financial aid. As instructors, we're required to report your attendance on a day to day basis. So if you are receiving things like the Tennessee promise, if you're receiving things like the Pell grant, which the Pell Grant has increased in its amount. So that may mean that you get a check back just for coming to northeast state and being a student. So you do not want to miss out on that. Make sure to be present, especially on those first couple weeks of class. And if you can't, for whatever reason, please let your teacher know so they are aware of the situation. And lastly, number three, enjoy your time. Enjoy your time as a northeast state student. There's so many things going on. As we have mentioned, the professors that you will have throughout your academic career here at Northeast are the professors that I've had not too long ago. And I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, these are some of the most welcoming, some of the most engaging people that you will meet in your time in academia. So never hesitate to go to their office hours, ask questions early and often, because, no question, we do not have any stupid question when it comes to a student's experience here or going through some of the classes that they're engaging in. Reach out to us. We're happy to help you. Okay, so those are my tips from.
[00:23:35] Speaker A: A teacher valuable across the board.
[00:23:39] Speaker B: There we go. Truly awesome. Well, guys, I think that will do it for our back to school episode of the Sound Barrier podcast.
We've got a whole list of individuals we're going to be introducing you to, so make sure to subscribe wherever podcasts are delivered or all over the place. Again, we are the Sound Barrier podcast here at Northeast State Community College. If you're interested in taking classes, go to northeaststate.edu. you can find a whole host of information there. Thank you to the library staff for helping us out, especially Chris Themis, if you know, you know as well. I hope you all enjoy this semester. We'll talk at you next time as we continue to break the barrier.
