Traditions & Activities

Knight Life

When the sun goes down, Knight Life heats up. Starting at 5:00 PM or later, these larger, high-energy events capture the classic, traditional college experience right here on campus. Whether you are bringing the energy to athletic fan events like “Pack the Stands” tailgates, testing your luck at Casino Night, hitting the stage for Lip Sync Battles, or heading out on off-campus trips, Knight Life is your hub for late-night fun, major campus traditions, and making memories with friends after classes end.

Weeks of Welcome

Weeks of Welcome is a series of events designed to help students feel connected, supported, and celebrated at the start of the academic year. From free coffee and giveaways, movie nights, the UKnighted Fair, and other campus activities, Weeks of Welcome offers opportunities to meet new friends, explore student organizations, and discover the many resources available at NECC. Join us as we kick off the semester with community, connection, and fun!

Welcome Week Tabling

At the start of each semester, look for welcome tables at academic building entrances during peak class hours. Stop by to get directions, grab some fun giveaways, and connect with staff who can answer your questions and share resources to help you succeed as a Knight.

There will be tables at the following locations on both Haverhill and Lawrence campuses:

• Haverhill Campus
  • C Building – Spurk 1st Floor Lobby
  • TC Building – Technology Center 1st Floor Lobby
  • SC Building – Student Center 1st Floor Lobby
• Lawrence Campus
  • L Building – Dimitry 1st Floor Lobby
  • LC Building – El Hefni 1st Floor Lobby
  • LA Building – Amesbury 1st Floor Lobby

Other WOW Events

See the Student Life Events Calendar for other special giveaways, engagement opportunities, and campus-wide activities during Weeks of Welcome and beyond!

UKnighted Fair

A cornerstone campus tradition, the fall UKnighted Fair is your ultimate chance to discover all the ways to get involved at NECC! Held on both campuses within the first few weeks of the semester, this vibrant, Renaissance-themed festival is where you can meet student clubs and organizations, learn about upcoming events, and connect with fellow Knights who share your interests.

Whether you’re looking to explore new hobbies, build your resume, or just make friends, there’s something for everyone. Stop by to ask questions and find your place on campus while enjoying a mix of delicious food, hands-on crafts, memorable photo ops, and live performances. Step back in time and celebrate our community at this can’t-miss event, with specific activities and layouts specially tailored to the space of each campus!

In the spring, join us for the Re-UKnighted Fair for a smaller celebration packed with all the same great resources!

WinterFest – Lawrence

Beat the winter blues at WinterFest, the signature seasonal celebration for the Lawrence Campus! Designed to help you hit pause and destress ahead of finals, this high-energy festival brings the ultimate campus community vibe indoors. Warm up at the hot chocolate station, dive into winter-themed activities, challenge friends to interactive games, and make sure to stop by early for our incredibly popular “stuff-a-plush” activity to create your own custom stuffed animal to take home.

Spring Jam – Haverhill

Celebrate the end of the academic year at Spring Jam, NECC’s annual outdoor spring festival on the Haverhill Campus. Take a break from finals prep and head out to the quad for an afternoon packed with free food, massive inflatables, lawn games, and giveaways. The heart of the festival is our homegrown talent—stop by to catch live performances and check out the Student Music Expo, showcasing a vibrant mix of live tracks and covers from our very own campus musicians.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Celebrate NECC’s rich cultural diversity and our legacy as the first Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in Massachusetts. From September 15 to October 15, Student Life and departments across the college host a vibrant lineup of events honoring Hispanic heritage. Dive into the celebration with engaging workshops, author visits, movie nights, and a variety of campus activities, all culminating in our signature Fiesta finale.

Community College Student Leadership Association (CCSLA) Conference And Events

Annual Conference

Every year the Massachusetts Community College Student Leadership Association invites students from the 15 MA community colleges to attend their annual student leadership conference. Conference attendees have the opportunity to attend sessions to strengthen their leadership skills. This is an overnight conference and the students selected to attend must get permission from their professors to miss classes. The Office of Student Life selects the students that will attend and pays for their conference fees, hotel room, food, and travel.

Events 

Each semester the 15 community colleges in Massachusetts plan events for students who attend a community college in MA can attend. These events are a great way to get to know students statewide. Events that were held in the past include monthly trivia, leadership speakers, Zuzu African Acrobats, Hip- Hop And Mental Health, Kevin D. Richardson-When They See Us: The Story of the Central Park Five, and The Year-End Virtual Festival. 

National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Opportunities

NISOD WEBSITE

NISOD provides budget-friendly, high-quality, and faculty-focused programs and resources for community and technical colleges that want to make the most of their professional development dollars. For over 40 years, NISOD has aligned a wide array of benefits with the needs of our members, which explains why the American Association of Community Colleges named NISOD, “The country’s leading provider of professional development for community college faculty, staff, and administrators.”

Scott Wright Student Essay Contest

NISOD invites students at NISOD-member colleges to participate in the Scott Wright Student Essay Contest!
Students* describe in a 500-word (or less) essay a faculty member, staff member, or administrator who encouraged them to complete a course, finish a semester, or graduate from college and how that encouragement helped them reach their goal(s)
The Prize
Three (3) winning student authors and the faculty members, staff members, or administrators featured in the winning essays will each receive:

• $1,000 USD
• Travel to the International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence (May 27-30 in Austin, Texas), which includes: Up to $400 USD toward travel to Austin, Texas;
• Up to three (3) nights lodging (Saturday, Sunday, Monday nights only);
• One (1) complimentary conference registration.
  (Note: Winning authors will read their essays on stage during the conference’s Excellence Awards Dinner and Celebration on Sunday, May 28.)

In addition, each winning student author’s college will receive a complimentary one-year NISOD membership.

Evaluation Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Content, originality, clarity, organization, conciseness, and grammar.

Submission

Visit the NISOD Website Student Contest Page to review the Criteria and Terms and to submit your essay. 

Student Graphic Design Contest 

NISOD invites students at NISOD-member colleges to participate in the Student Graphic Design Contest and design the official Conference Program for NISOD’s 2024 International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, the definitive gathering of community and technical college faculty, administrators, and staff seeking best and promising practices designed to improve student achievement.

The Prize
The winning student artist will receive:

• $1,000 USD
• Travel to the International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence (May 27-30, 2023 in Austin, Texas), which includes: Up to $400 USD toward travel to Austin, Texas;
• Up to three (3) nights lodging (Saturday, Sunday, Monday nights only);
• One (1) complimentary conference registration.
• In addition, each winning student’s college will receive a complimentary one-year NISOD membership.

Suggested Theme and Style Guidelines
We are looking for artwork with interesting, fun, bold, fresh, colorful, original, and modern images, yet which honors the legacy of NISOD’s International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence. Keep in mind that the winning artwork will become the 2024 Conference Program front cover, and must also be easily applicable to advertising, brochures, and other applications. If you choose to use community and technical college educators in an illustrated format, our preferences are faculty members in classroom settings. No recognizable students, faculty, administrators, and staff are permitted.

Elements That Must Be Included in the Design

• NISOD’s name and logo (download various formats on the NISOD website)
• “International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence” (Note: “Teaching and Leadership Excellence” should be more prominent than “International
• Conference on” if using different font sizes.)
• “May 25-May 28, 2024”
• “Austin, Texas”

What NOT to Include

• Do not use images such as armadillos, cacti, longhorns.
• No recognizable images of community and technical college students, faculty, administrators, and staff.
• No stock images or clip art, except the NISOD logo.
• No copyrighted work.
• No photos.

Artwork Specifications

• All submissions must be original art/illustrations, except the NISOD logo.
• Burnt orange and white are the official colors and the primary palette used by NISOD and The University of Texas at Austin. Although not required, student graphic artists are strongly encouraged to employ the following distinctive burnt orange color in their artwork:
  • PANTONE: 159
  • CMYK: 0, 65, 100, 9 | RGB: 191, 87, 0 | HEX: #BF5700
• All submissions must be minimum 8.5″ W x 11″ H and in PDF format.
• If chosen as the winner, your original file must be produced in vector format for ease of duplication (layered Illustrator .eps or .ai file)

 NISOD Logo

Visit the NISOD Contest Webpage to Download the NISOD Logo in various formats. 

Preparing Art for Submission
Reduce to max file size of 60 MB.

How to Enter Your Submission
Interested students are strongly encouraged to contact the NECC NISOD liaison, Michelle Carter, regarding how to participate in this contest. Once your artwork is completed, your college’s NISOD liaison, Michelle Carter may submit it using the form on the NISOD Contest Webpage. 

Questions & More Information

NECC students please direct all questions for the Student Graphic Design Contest to Art Faculty, Michelle Carter. 

Constitution Day

Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787, recognizing all who are born in the U.S.or by naturalization, have become citizens. Every year on September 17th we provide programming for our campus community to celebrate constitution day.

Advocacy Day

Advocacy day occurs in the month of October, annually. Massachusetts community college students, faculty, staff, and presidents gather at the State House once a year for Community College Student Advocacy

Day to meet with members of the Legislature and urge that they support the state’s community college system in providing a better-funded, more accessible, high-quality education for its students. All NECC students are welcome to attend the MA Community College Advocacy Day with the Office of Student Life.

International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equity. International Women’s Day (IWD) has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific. 

Student Life at NECC partners with other areas of the college to provide an IWD celebration annually. 

Learn more about IWD.