Each year for the past three years, NOVA has teamed up with Home Instead Senior Care to bring warmth and joy to financially challenged and lonely seniors in the Prince William County area. Students, faculty and staff participate by stopping by the Christmas tree at the Howsman Building or the wreath at Innovation Park at the Manassas campus, picking up an ornament with a preferred gift listed by a senior, purchase the gift, and then returning it to the Provost’s office of the campus.
This year so far 75 gifts …

After initial practices, NOVA’s team competed in four scrimmages in late August before officially opening its season at the Howard Community College tournament in Columbia, Md., in which it played four matches in two days.

The Northern Virginia Community College annual sports banquet took place on the evening of April 29 at the Springfield Hilton Hotel. It was organized by NOVA’s collegewide Student Activities Coordinator Brian Anweiler.

The event began with remarks by Dr. Peter Maphumulo, provost of the Alexandria campus. He discussed the importance of sports within the overall NOVA experience, and mentioned that NOVA would soon be considering whether or not to strengthen its sports program.

Last December’s shooting at the Woodbridge campus opened many concerns on safety issues at NOVA. To address those questions and provide ideas for a safer environment for students, faculty and staff, NOVA president Robert Templin created the Presidential Commission on Safety and Security. The commission was charged with creating a report on the state of safety and security.

Despite a special web page detailing the creation of the commission, neither the final report nor a summary of its findings, are publicly available on NOVA’s web site. However, the NOVA Fortnightly was able to obtain the report through a Freedom of Information Act request.

A standing-room only crowd at the Manassas campus of Northern Virginia Community College got schooled about the ins and outs of international money laundering Jan. 20. It wasn’t a class for credit but a lecture given by FBI Special Agent Debra LaPrevotte and organized by the Lifelong Learning Institute.

NOVA’s Manassas campus celebrated National Chemistry Week with a student-friendly display in Colgan Hall from Oct. 19 through Oct. 23. Colorful-molecular models and an Erlenmeyer flask with a lime-green solution sat underneath posters about the use of chemistry in detecting counterfeit bills and preventing sunburns. At the edge of the table, a small glass display showed differences in atomic size and ionic size for several elements. Other displays showed differences in color in various lead compounds and the molecular makeup of a variety of crystals.
Students celebrated Halloween along with Chemistry Week by taking a Tootsie Roll from the plastic jack-o-lantern on the table. Then they could select a beginner-level quiz from a folder on the table and submit it for a chance at a prize.

The Manassas Campus proved itself worthy during its Nova Day on Sept. 16. Students were interested in activities and events, but till this day it seemed they had not been yet been coaxed out of the woodwork. the odd table here and there, but most importantly there were signs of motion in the students of Manassas.