Good morning Bakersfield.  It is Saturday, March 19, 2016….. A good day to be a Renegade.

And why not….this week BC had a lot to celebrate.

Let’s begin with Paula Parks being named Educator of the Year by NAACP at their annual gala event held Friday (March 18th) night.  What a beautiful smile Paula!

Paula Parks receiving the Educator of the Year award at NAACP

Thank you Karen Goh for these pictures.  Karen is one of Bakersfield’s true gems.  I first met Karen at an event shortly after I came back from Oregon, in January 2013.  I remember that first encounter, how genuine and caring she was. Since that time I can’t tell you how many college and community events Karen has supported – she gives the gift of time to many individuals and organizations.  We are lucky to have her in this community.

Earlier in the day on Friday, in Sacramento, BC was present in full force at the ASCCC Academic Academy with presentations by Janet Fulks as well as Nicky Damania and Grace Comisso.

Janet Fulks

Here is Janet’s program description:

Bakersfield College Addressing Equity by Making it Happen (MIH) and Guided Pathways Bakersfield College (BC) has been addressing StudentSuccess, Equity and Student Support by transforming basic skills and carefully designing student pathways to address our 84% underprepared student population. BC began by addressing high school transition and placement through multiple measures, an intervention resulting in remarkable equity outcomes and course success. High School to College transition was recreated through onsite outreach to high school students and staff as well as extended summer orientation. BC equity and SSSP dollars scaled up supplemental instruction and the Writing Center with outstanding results addressing achievement gaps. But this transformation is complete only when the outcomes lead to clearly designed program pathways with completion coaches guiding the students along the way. This interactive breakout will provide an opportunity to examine your college¹s ability to redesign placement, basic skills, program pathways and academic support services to help maximize student success.

Nicky Damania and Grace Comisso

Program description for the talk by Dr. Nicky Damania and Grace Comisso:

Each faculty and staff member has a different tolerance for the variety of behaviors they encounter in the classroom or on campus. Whether it is dealing with academic integrity, social anxiety, classroom disruption, or potential threat, with the aid of the right team, we can help support these students to a positive academic success.

In this session, the co-chairs of Bakersfield College Students of Concern Team will share reporting structures, case management methodologies, and methods of addressing various students of concern. They will define behaviors and review the importance of implementing an early alert process, discussing reported students at SOC meeting, follow up services, and behavioral interventions. At Bakersfield College, the SOC Team is a collaboration with Student Life, Counseling, Student Health & Wellness, Financial Aid, DSPS, Human Resources, and Public Safety.

President Sonya Christian Assemblyman Rudy Salas

Earlier in the week as part of the Women’s Legislative Caucus annual recognition event,  Assembly member Rudy Salas recognized the good work at Bakersfield College and named me “Woman of the Year” for the 32nd Assembly District.

Rudy Salas quietly moves mountains for this community, in so many ways.  He has been a champion for issues related to disabilities. On Wednesday, he testified at the Assembly Subcommittee on Health and Human Services to request needed state funding for Independent Living Centers.

Earlier this year, Salas played an integral role in securing increased statewide funding for the Department of Developmental Services Regional Centers, and the programs and services they provide such as the Bakersfield ARC (BARC). Those efforts ultimately secured $307 million for developmental disability services. In addition to the ILC funding budget request, Salas has introduced AB 2565, which will amend an outdated code section of the law to allow each of the state’s ILCs to receive state base funding.

Assembly member Salas, thank you for all that you do for our community!

Btw, did you know that Trustee Kay Meek was named Woman of the Year 25 years ago by Assemblyman Trice Harvey? I tried to find an image of this historic moment but alas, social media was not discovered then.  So here is a picture of Trice Harvey when he was recognized as the donor of the year by Houchin Blood Bank and then enjoy the two pictures of Kay Meek — Kay then and Kay now.

Picture from the web of the late Trice Harvey

Kay Meek then.  Picture found on the web

Kay Meek now.  BC’s Vet Fest 2015

The Navajo Creation Story:

Dr. Jack Hernandez, Dr. Paul Zolbrod, Rae Ann Kumelos. Photo by Karla Young

Midweek, on Wednesday, March 16th the Levan Center hosted a captivating discussion on the book Diné bahane’, The Navajo Creation Story by Dr. Paul Zolbrod. Dr. Zolbrod went on a twelve-year ethnopoetic quest to translate the Diné bahane’, the Navajo Creation Story, into English.

He explained his journey by reciting inserts from his book, and showing a documentary video clip. He described the theme as – “Men and Women Must Get Along Harmoniously”. The audience was truly fascinated by Dr. Zolbrod’s excellent description of his experience, and knowledge of oral tradition.

Special thank you to Dr. Paul Zolbrod for sharing his wisdom and love of Navajo culture, and to Dr. Jack Hernandez of the Levan Center and Dr. Rae Ann Kumelos of the English Department.

Women’s History and More

The Levan Center hosted a panel and discussion for Women’s History Month as part of the “Women’s History And More” (WHAM) initiative.

Professor of History & WHAM Committee Chairwoman, Ann Wiederrecht, organized and moderated the event,  “BC, Violence and Women: Policies, Perspectives, and Issues.”
The event presented an opportunity to educate staff, students, and the public more generally, working to reduce acts of violence against women. Bakersfield College faculty and staff participated in a presentation and discussion about issues, policies, procedures and perspectives facing women on BC’s Campus.

BC Professor of Criminology, Patricia Smith, explained criminal aspects, beginning with an explanation of the Clery Act, so those attending had an understanding of the legal definitions of domestic violence, stalking, and other terms.

Director of Student Life, Dr. Nicky Damania, localized the discussion by illustrating key points concerning safety for women on our campus, providing an overview of Title IX, how to access information, and protecting oneself from voyeurism.

Chief of Public Safety, Christopher Counts, provided detailed information about Bakersfield College for the more than seventy attendees, including the history of violence on our campus, and how to report crimes. Chief Counts  also addressed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)  and Title IX. He informed attendees about counselors are available, and what responsibilities he and his team have on campus, their training as well as the services they offer — including the ways in which “women’s voices” inform the Public Safety perspective.

Grace Commiso, counselor, emphasized the ideas behind Rape Aggression Defense (RAD), as well as the importance of self-defense in general, concluding with a demonstration of RAD.

The event culminated with questions and answers, moderated by Professor Wiederrect. Professor Wiederrect has lead the WHAM committee for more than ten years, and we are grateful for her leadership.

1Day Stand

On Wednesday, March 16, Bakersfield College took part in a 1DAY Stand Against Tobacco to encourage students who use tobacco to quit for the day.  Thank you Cindy Collier! BC’s Student Health and Wellness Center has been extremely active this year.  You can find them on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bcshwc/?pnref=story

Mary Jo Pasek

Speaking of Facebook, I must do a shout out to Mary Jo Pasek who tirelessly connects with our community.  She is everywhere…in person, on social media….always promoting goodwill and fellowship…promoting collaboration and partnerships.  MJ, you rock!

Allied Health

The Nursing and Allied Health Department hosted their second Health Careers Connection Fair.

There were 23 healthcare vendors who participated to give Bakersfield College Nursing and Allied Health Students an opportunity to explore careers and higher education opportunities.

The event was held from 9am-1pm, on a beautiful day outside of the Huddle. Over 150 students took advantage of the opportunities presented to them.

Special thanks to Stephanie Baltazar (Job Developer), Dominica Rivera (CTE Advisor), Antonio Alfaro (CTE Advisor), Anita Karr (Department Assistant III), Dinorah Castro (Allied Health Advisor), Pam Gomez (CTE Advisor) and Manny De Los Santos (Media Services) for their help in putting on a great event for our students!

Bob Hawks, Director of Workforce Development, provided the funding for the event.

And check out the amazing video Manny De Los Santos took with Bakersfield College’s drone!

Blood Bank

And then on March 15th I received this great email from Stephanie Gibbons, Accounting Manager of Houchin Blood Bank.

Stephanie Gibbons

Hello Everyone,

…..

The results are life saving with 304 registered donors and 199 actual units collected.  For the two day event we had 135 donors who made this blood drive their first donation.  Yeah!!  All students were asked to sign in and 203, identified themselves as Hispanic descent . This information was gathered at the SGA desk, for the purpose of the Cesar Chavez Blood Drive Challenge.  Thank you to everyone who signed in.

Thank you to the SGA team ( Nicky, Clayton, Arisve and Danyel) for all your marketing efforts and help with organizing the blood drive. Everyone did a stellar job.   It was a team effort and I enjoyed being a part of it.

Mary Jo, thank you for your guidance and help with the logistics of this drive, I really appreciated everything you did behind the scenes to help make these two days a success.

Each of our donors received a pizza coupon from Rusty’s Pizza, fresh apple slices, donated by McDonald’s and a vintage t-shirt. SGA group made sure all the donors had plenty of food.  Each donor was offered a freshly prepared hot dog to start the donation process. No one left hungry. Thank you to Cindy Hicks, Jim Darling and SGA for making the students feel special with your very generous donations.

Our mission is a simple one.  Maintain a healthy blood supply for our Community.  This annual event remains a key part of this mission and we thank you for your continued support.  We truly value this partnership and what it represents to Houchin and Kern County.

See you in 2017!!!

It is a good time to be at BC!

Tagged: Ann Wiederrecht, Assembly Member Rudy Salas, Bakersfield College, Chris Counts, Grace Comisso, Houchin Blood Bank, Jack Hernandez, Janet Fulks, Levan Center, NAACP, Nicky Damania, Patricia Smith, Paul Zolbrod, Paula Parks, Rudy Salas, Sonya Christian, Stephanie Gibbons, The Navajo Story, Women's History Month