Good morning, Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, September 7, 2019… A great day to be a Renegade.
Standing Upon The Seashore.
I heard this poem by Henry Van Dyke read at an interment a few weeks ago. I found it and have read it every day since then. Thought I would share it with you in the hope it gives some comfort.
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
– Henry Van Dyke
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says, “There, she is gone”
Gone where?
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me — not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone says, “There, she is gone,”
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”
Mento Buru and the BC Fight Song
What better way to get ready for football season than by listening to Mento Buru’s rendition of the BC fight song! These tracks were recorded with our very own Commercial Music Department students. Take a listen!
Punk Version (with Lyrics)
Listen to the Punk version on SoundCloud.
Latin Ska Version (Instrumental)
Listen to the Latin Ska version on SoundCloud.
Community College Roundtable
Bakersfield College hosted a community college roundtable this past Tuesday, September 3 for Congressman Kevin McCarthy’s office. Representatives from the Kern Community College District, Bakersfield College, Porterville College, Cerro Coso College, Antelope Valley College, Taft College, and Senator Dr. Jean Fuller were all in attendance to participate in the discussion.
Congressman Kevin McCarthy 
Ed Knudson, Jill Board, Sonya Christian, Kevin McCarthy 
Sonya Christian, Kevin McCarthy
The goal of this roundtable was to bring together chancellors and presidents from Antelope Valley College, the Kern Community College District, and the West Kern Community College District for an open discussion on community college issues. The conversation revolved around updates and recent happenings on the respective campuses, as well as student loan reform issues and the Higher Education Reauthorization Act. This was a wonderful opportunity for community colleges in Congressman McCarthy’s district to share thoughts with him, and have a collegial discussion with each other.
The guest list included:
- Thomas Burke, Chancellor, Kern Community College District
- John Means, Vice Chancellor, Kern Community College District
- Dr. Sonya Christian, President, Bakersfield College
- Jill Board, President, Cerro Coso College
- Dr. Corey Marvin, VP of Instruction, Cerro Coso College
- Dr. Claudia Habib, President, Porterville College
- Roger Perez, Marketing and Communications Manager, Porterville College
- Dr. Deb Daniels, President, Taft College
- Susan Groveman, Executive Director of Marketing and Community Relations, Taft College
- Ed Knudson, President, Antelope Valley College
- Dr. Jean Fuller, Senator Emeritus
It was also a joy to see Renegade alum and previous BCSGA President, Clayton Fowler, who is now Field Representative for Congressman McCarthy’s office, and was instrumental in organizing and planning this event. Clayton is one of many Renegades who have gone on to do great things in life.
Holiday Hiring Series
BC’s Student Employment (BCSE) welcomed all students to our Holiday Hiring Series event, which was a perfect outreach opportunity for students to meet with representatives from major companies and apply for jobs for the upcoming winter holiday break. Recruiters from companies such as Nike, Levi Strauss & CO., Jobspeaker, and BCSE encouraged students to apply and helped them with their job applications. BCSE offers great employment resources for both on- and off-campus career opportunities that may interest students.
Thank you to BCSE for organizing this great event helping students to unlock new career opportunities.
Visit TurnTo23.com for more about the Holiday Hiring Series.
Burritos with Prez Pulido
BCSGA President Samantha Pulido wanted to get the student body more involved in meetings, so she held a “Burritos with Prez Pulido” event in Levinson Hall on Tuesday.
The event featured free burritos and a chance to meet with student government leaders to discuss Bakersfield College’s future.
Pulido introduced herself to those attending the meeting, and Legislative Affairs Director Johnny Maddon held a Q&A session on Measure J construction and several initiatives from last year.
I’d like to thank Samantha Pulido, the BCSGA team, and the Office of Student Life for keeping student government at BC transparent.
Student Involvement Festival
Welcome Week at BC culminated with Wednesday’s Student Involvement Festival, which featured booths from departments and student organizations throughout the campus to teach students about all of the resources available to them at BC.
Some of the campus organizations represented on the CSS Lawn this year included Finish in 4, Adult Education, BCSGA, and Child Development, as well as representatives from the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Golden Empire Transit, and Cricket Wireless.
I’d like to thank everyone who supported this year’s Student Involvement Festival to help our students feel like they’re a part of the Renegade family.
Karaoke Knights
Karaoke Knights, hosted by BC’s Student Government Association (BCSGA), invited students to get together for a lot of fun, singing, and dancing. It was a great opportunity for students to let loose and belt out their favorite tunes.
Students showed off their singing skills and enjoyed some stand-up comedy in between songs. Many thanks to BCSGA for hosting the event.
Channel 17 Attends Class
Channel 17’s Olivia LaVoice visited Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Pat Smith’s Forensics Evidence class to discuss cold crime cases this week. The visit was covered on the news. Check out the YouTube video below for the story. Way to go, Pat!
Follow Rural HEAL on Twitter
Last week, the Rural HEAL Advisory Team launched our rural HEAL collaborative social media presence on Twitter.
I am excited about this eight-county collaboration addressing rural health in our community.
Follow the rural HEAL collaborative on Twitter at twitter.com/RuralHEAL and subscribe to receive rural HEAL collaborative updates.
I’d like to give a special thanks to Janalynn Castillo for all her hard work on this initiative.
Fun Photos: Renegade’s Men’s Chorus
The new Renegades Men’s Chorus will be singing the national anthem at the football game on Saturday night. I know they will do an amazing job!
Fun Photos:
Cookie Dough Monsters
Web Content Editor Aricia Leighton enjoys some delicious Bliss Cookie Dough at the Student Involvement Festival. Looks yummy!
Falafel Madness
Kylie Swanson shared this great photo of Ashlea Wagner’s birthday party in the Outreach Department on Friday. Ashlea is sure loving her surprise falafel lunch!
Athletics Updates
Football Ranked #16 in Preseason Poll
It was announced this week that our Renegade Football team has been ranked #16 in the JC Athletic Bureau Poll. We are eager to see the team play on the new turf this season. Make plans to be at Memorial Stadium this Saturday at 6pm when the them faces off against Mt. SAC to open the season!
Free Community Swim Lessons
For the 5th consecutive year the BC Swim Team is offering a free community swim clinic taught by members of the BC Swim Team. Lessons are available to children of all ages — young children must be potty-trained. The clinic is Saturday, Sept. 7th from 8am – 12pm at the BC Pool.
Volleyball Opens Season Going 3-0
Renegade Volleyball is on a run to open up their fall season. They swept Mt. SAC and Fullerton last Saturday and then swept Sequoias this last Wednesday night to start the season on a three-game win streak. The team started the season ranked #2 in the state and are looking dominant so far.
Make sure to come out to one of their game this season as they make their way back to the state playoffs. Check out the volleyball season schedule.
Kern Schools Federal Credit Union Renegades of the Week
Renegade Athletics is proud to announce this week’s (8/25-8/31) Kern School Federal Credit Union Renegades of the Week:
- Alyson Dees, Volleyball
- In her college debut, Alyson had 32 attack attempts, 17 kills and 0 attack errors helping the team go 2-0 in last Saturday’s Bakersfield Quad in the Gil Bishop Sports Center. The Renegades swept both Mt. SAC and Fullerton, 3-0.
- Bryan Gaxiola, Men’s Cross Country
- Took 3rd place in the men’s race on Friday at the Ventura Invitational with a time of 22:41 on the 4-mile course. He was the highest placing freshman out of all male runners.
Tagged: Bakersfield College, Kevin McCarthy, Sonya Christian
Thank you for the poem.
Thank you for your comment Leroy. I lot my mom on Feb 15th this year. The poem gives me great comfort.