Good morning, Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, October 12, 2019… A great day to be a Renegade.

I am definitely enjoying this change in seasons, particularly when I walk Neo early in the morning. The light is softer, the air cooler, and there are scattered calls of the Canadian geese migrating south.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take….but by the moments that take our breath away.

With the documentary of Linda Ronstadt out in the theaters, I found myself youtubing her songs. Linda Ronstadt is a legendary singer who is known for performing in a wide variety of musical genres, including rock, country, and Latin.  She has earned 10 Grammy Awards, released more than 30 studio albums, and earned a number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “You’re No Good” in 1975.  With a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Ronstadt has broken down many barriers for women in rock and roll, and her legacy will continue to inspire singers for years to come.

My all time favorite is Blue Bayou….

There is the Mariachi music that she performed….songs that she grew up with.

And then there is the beautiful piece with Aaron Neville… I don’t know much. But I know I love you. And that maybe all I need to know.

35th Annual Kern Shakespeare Festival

The 35th Annual Kern Shakespeare kicked off this week with performances of “Henry V” and “Twelfth Night” in the Indoor Theater throughout the week. If you’re reading this on Saturday, October 12, you can still catch one last performance of “Twelfth Night” at 7:30 p.m. tonight, or you can catch the last performance of “Henry V” on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Bakersfield Californian’s Stefani Dias wrote a preview for this year’s Shakespeare Festival last week. “Henry V” is the first historical Shakespeare play that BC theater arts professor Brian J. Sivesind has directed in all his years of putting together this annual celebration of “The Bard” and his influential work. Cristina Goyeneche portrays the titular king who motivates his soldiers to fight France with rousing speeches, and Shakespeare Festival founder Randy Messick returns to portray the French king, Henry’s primary rival.

Director Bob Kempf is taking some creative liberties with his rendition of “Twelfth Night”, a romantic comedy about a woman who pretends to be her deceased brother to work in the courtyard of a duke. Kempf’s version is set during the New Deal era of 1930s America with song arrangements by Scott Deaton, who portrays Feste in the play.

To celebrate the 35th year of the Shakespeare Festival, the Theater Arts is hosting a “$35 for 35 years” donation campaign to raise money for costumes and props. To donate, go to BC Foundation.

Thank you to Brian Sivesind, Bob Kempf, and everyone who came out to support this important tradition in the history of BC Performing Arts.

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ESIP Task Force

Intersegmental data sharing is making great strides in increasing student learning, degree attainment, and transfers. The Educational Systems and Intersegmental Pathways Task Force met on September 26th to discuss current projects and advances as well as formulate solutions in that area.

Barney Gomez, Vice Chancellor of Digital Innovation and Infrastructure, shared progress on statewide longitudinal data sharing initiatives. Bill Moseley, Dean of Academic Technology explained how Badges could enhance transparency and provide momentum points for students on their learning and career paths.

With the goal of making the transition from High School to Community College to CSU smoother and more accessible for all students, three groups share their contributions to the effort. John Dunn from the California Labor and Workforce Department Agency highlighted expanding resources in onboarding High School students onto their career paths: Youth Apprenticeship and CTE Online. Amy Kaufman and Steven Glyer demonstrated the functionality and practicality of the Program Finder for High School and Community College stakeholders. Ben Perlado and Vikash Lakhani from CSU Bakersfield collaborated with Jennifer Johnson and Craig Hayward from Bakersfield College to share current updates for the Program Pathways Mapper and the pilot for the CSU – CCC connection. During the next year, the group will work to enhance its Finish in Four model and framework for others.

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The group will have its final meeting in Spring 2020. 

Citizenship at Art, Architecture and Archetypes

I enjoyed the Levan Center panel presentation with Kim Chin, Krista Moreland, Nan Gómez-Heitzeberg, Ronnie Wrest. Using historical and contemporary examples from art, theatre, architecture and poetry, this year’s Levan Center Humanities Panel tackled the theme of ‘‘Citizenship, Belonging and the Other”.  

Ronnie Wrest ended his talk with a video of our student Jose Bello, who was in ICE custody, reading a poem to the Kern County Board of Supervisors. It was a powerful poem. I liked how Krista Moreland brought in the concept of identify while discussing citizenship. Kim Chin illustrated how the ‘Other’ was defined in classic Greek plays and Professor Emeritus Nan Gómez-Heitzeberg showed the art of Huchivi Edgar Heaps of Crows to illustrate how the ‘Other’ of indigenous cultures views historical events.  Seeing and reflecting on how we define ‘us and them’ seems so relevant today, especially in light of the many events celebrating Gandhi.

November 6, the Humanities Panel will explore the theme of ‘Death/Life’ through the lens of the art, theater, and anthropology.  

Power Lunch with Vince Fong

On October, 9th the Bakersfield College Student Government Association (BCSGA) invited Assembly Member Vince Fong to speak to our students and faculty at their second power lunch of the fall semester. 

The BCSGA Power Lunches give students and community an opportunity to meet, ask questions, and become familiar with elected representatives from the Kern County area. Vince Fong represents the 34th Assembly District of California.

Fong spoke on his early years in politics and issues that affect California. Born in Bakersfield, he is passionate about issues around homelessness. “80% of my time is devoted to dealing with our homeless issue,” Fong said. He spoke in detail about reasons people are homeless and the kinds of issues they face. Fong and his team are working on solutions to long-term homelessness, such as, providing better health care and expanding homeless shelters. 

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I would like to thank BCSGA for putting together another successful event, Office of Student Life, BC’s Food Services for a delicious lunch, and a big thank you to Vince Fong for taking the time to speak with our students and community about such an important issue. Next BCSGA Power Lunch speaker is Assembly Member Rudy Salas on October 21st.

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LUPE Open House & Welcome Back Events

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Part of the activities included a college student panel, team bonding activities, BC swag giveaways, and BC department presentations from Job Speaker, SGA/Student Life, Writing Center, EOPS, the Renegade Pantry, and many others. In addition to campus resources, several community-based organizations spoke about their services, such as ACLU SoCal, UFW Foundation, Kern Sol News, CSUB’s UNIR StudOrg, and the Youth 2 Leaders Foundation. Read more about this in the SouthKern Sol article about the Open House: Commentary: L.U.P.E. isn’t just a club, it’s a safe haven for undocumented students.

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Students participated in a college panel/Q&A session: Jovana Espinoza, Yuri Martinez, Marivel Servin, Carlos Avendano, and Jesus Arias

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These events would not be possible without the support and coordination of Student Equity and Achievement Program, EOPS, CalSOAP, AB540 Project, and BC’s M&O Department. Thank You All.

Summer Fun Photos:

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BC at the Power of Equity in Education Symposium

Last week, BC attended the inaugural Power of Equity in Education Symposium, hosted by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools.  Our Renegade attendees went to breakout sessions, and listened to some amazing and inspiring Keynote speakers, including 2014 Texas Teacher of the Year Monica Washington, and Superintendent of the Riverside County Office of Education Dr. Judy D. White.  The symposium itself also presented strategies, current trends, research and best practices to ensure that all students are provided with the best opportunity to succeed.

Our very own Kylie Swanson and Steve Watkin presented in a breakout session called, “Early College: An Equitable Strategy for Connecting High School Students from Rural Areas to College Completion Pathways.”  This presentation highlighted the work that BC is doing to make college accessible to high school students in rural areas of Kern County. Dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment courses break down the geographical and financial barriers that prevent many of the students from these areas from pursuing college degrees. With high success rates among students of color, Early College was presented to attendees as an equity strategy that can change the cycle and send all students on to college with the confidence and skills necessary to succeed.

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Thank you to Kylie and Steve for presenting and sharing with attendees the work we are doing here at BC!

Javier Llamas: Mexican Pioneers and the Use of Celebrations – 1880s to 1950s

On Thursday, October 3^rd, BC’s Social Science Department held an evening presentation at the Levan Center celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. BC History Assistant Professor Javier Llamas presented “Mexican Pioneers And The Use Of Celebrations From 1880’s To The 1950’s” to a group of eager students. 

National Hispanic Heritage Month, held between September 15 and October 15 every year, is a celebration of the anniversary of independence of Latin-American countries and commemorates the influential contributions on the history, heritage, and culture of US citizens who descended from people of Hispanic countries. National Hispanic Heritage Month was originally enacted by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week before  National Hispanic Heritage Month was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. For more information on National Hispanic Heritage month and celebratory events for 2019, visit National Hispanic Heritage Month website. 

Llamas examined historic events and the significance of Mexican communities and their celebrations. During the presentation, Llamas proposed that the celebrations can be categorized as nostalgic, economic, political, historical, or social.

Thank you to the BC Social Science Department and to Javier Llamas!

CTE Health Science Pathway Fair (10/09/19)

On Wednesday, October 9^th, the BC Career and Technical Education department, CTE, hosted the annual CTE Health Science Pathway Fair.

Vicky Coffee, BC CTE Job Development Specialist and Career Expert of the Health Sciences Pathway, led the CTE Health Science Pathway Fair featuring local and on-campus organizations. Organizations such as Kern Medical, Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, Dignity Health, North Kern South Tulare Hospital District, Encompass Health, and various other various organizations and employers were on hand to provide information about career opportunities to our students. BC organizations included the BC Nursing Programs, BC Student Employment, and Athletics.

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BC’s CTE programs have information and advice available on the  Career and Technical Education website.

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Thank you Vicky Coffee and the CTE team for the amazing opportunities the CTE Health Science Pathway Fair afforded our students. Thanks also to the Nursing Program and Athletics, and to the many community partners that were present. 

Manufacturing Day

Bakersfield College recently hosted Manufacturing Day. High school students from across Kern County came to the Panorama campus to learn about the job offerings and programs at BC.

The day started with a presentations from faculty before a tour of facilities. Faculty from our manufacturing program demonstrated machinery while highlighting the classes that BC offers.

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Welding professor Victor Huerta urged the students to find a career doing something they love, adding that students involved in welding programs at their local high schools are likely to turn their love and passion into a high paying career.

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I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the Manufacturing Day. 

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Porterville College Board Meeting

Enjoyed visiting Porterville College for the recent Board meeting. President Claudia Habib was excited sharing the wonderful things happening on campus. Loved the presentation by a PC student Steven Bivins who talked about how the college has helped him on his educational journey. He specifically talked about how the faculty helped him develop his critical thinking skills.

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BCSGA Prez Pulido Meets with students

On Thursday, October 9^th, BC Student Government Association, BCSGA, held a student community meeting in Levinson Hall. The BCSGA welcomed all students to voice any concerns, issues, and ideas for the improvement of our BC campus and community. BCSGA President, Samantha Pulido, led the community meeting and discussed the importance of the student voice and encouraged BC students to express concerning issues as well as initiating new ideas for new campus resources. 

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Pulido highlighted the importance of student involvement with campus resources, clubs, organizations, and community events that are integral to student success. 

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She encouraged students to attend upcoming events for the 2019 Homecoming “Renegades Around The World” occurring next week, to celebrate Renegade Pride. For more information on upcoming events, visit the 2019 Homecoming Events and the BC Events Calendar websites. Thank you to BCSGA for all their dedication for the improvement of our BC campus and for their commitment to our BC students. 

CSU Transfer Workshop: A student’s perspective

It’s that time of year again – applications to CSU are due. BC held workshops on Monday through Wednesday to help students file their applications before the deadline.

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Ramon Carreido, a Marketing and Public Relations Student Intern getting ready to transfer, took advantage of the opportunity to get advice and information. He said that Abraham Castillo, the facilitator for the CSU application event, ”went through every part of the application step-by-step to make it easy for students like myself to start the next chapter of their educational journey.”

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I’m so proud of Ramon and wish him luck in his transfer to one of the CSU’s (he’s applying to CSUB, Northridge and Long Beach). Thank you Abraham Castillo for helping students along their path to the CSU system.

Community Voices

Brynn Schock

Brynn Schock’s piece about BC-SW. https://tinyurl.com/yxo6cgte

Fun Photos

Isabel Castaneda, Brynn Shock and Jeff La Force represented the Bakersfield College Education pathway at the annual High School Counselor outreach event at BC, greeting high school counselors and telling them about our amazing pathways at BC.

BC Athletics Golf Tournament 

SALT

Renegades Family Photo

Janet Thomas and her family went to the Marine Corps Boot Camp graduation of her Grandson and Renegade Pvt. Cody Lopardo Oct. 4th.  Cody will go for his Diesel Mechanics Training in Camp North Carolina then be on Reserves while attending Bakersfield College’s Firefighter Academy.

At Renegade Football

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Athletic Updates

Renegades of the Week

Congratulations go out to this week’s (9/29-10/5) Kern Schools Federal Credit Union Renegades of the Week:

Aurora Fernandez, Women’s Soccer – Aurora posted a shut out in Friday’s 0-0 draw against Canyon’s for well earned team rankings points against a very good team. She was credited with five saves on the day.

Adrian Gonzalez, Wrestling – Adrian went 2-0 in duals against Cuesta and East LA on Friday and on Saturday he took 1st place in the 149 lb. class to lead the team to a second place finish at the Santa Ana Tournament.

Renegade Athletics scores from this past week:

• Cross Country Runs at WSC Preview
• Wrestling goes 2-0 against Cuesta and East LA
• Mhango leads men’s soccer over Santa Monica
• Women’s Soccer ends in draw with Canyons
• Volleyball Sweeps Santa Monica
• Wrestling takes second at Santa Ana Tournament
• Football Powers Over Orange Coast
• Women’s Soccer falls to Citrus
• Women’s Golf Hosts Bakersfield Tournament

Athletic events ‘On the Hill’ this coming week

Be sure to put on your Renegade Red and cheer on our student athletes as they compete this coming week. If you can’t make it in person, check GoGades.com to catch the livestream. Events include:

• Wed. 10/16 at 6pm, Volleyball vs. Antelope Valley
• Fri. 10/18 at 2pm, Men’s Soccer vs. Antelope Valley
• Fri. 10/18 at 4pm, Women’s Soccer vs. Santa Monica
• Sat. 10/19 at 6pm, Football vs. Ventura

Tagged: Bakersfield College, Sonya Christian