I am greatly saddened by the events of this week. The pictures and videos of violence with lives lost, have been difficult – though important – to see.
The days, weeks, and months ahead will be difficult as we move on from the deep divisiveness we are experiencing in our beloved country . But I am confident that we will get through this. As a nation we have gotten through previous times of turmoil – by joining together with our heads held high.
I wanted to share this post from our faculty librarian Mindy Wilmot:
And this photo of the sunrise over the US Capitol on January 7, from NBC News correspondent Leigh Ann Caldwell:
Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, January 9, 2021 … a great day to be a Renegade.
BC Website Survey
The Bakersfield College web team and the Marketing and Public Relations department are looking for student and faculty feedback about the Bakersfield College website. Your input will help the team make the right decisions as they look to improve the needs of students, faculty, staff and our community.
Fill out the BC website survey page by Wednesday, January 13, 2021 to let the team know your thoughts about Bakersfield College’s online presence, and please join us for our series of Opening Week videos to kick off the Spring 2021 semester.
Non-Tuition Certificate Courses Offered Through LaunchPad Program
We established the Bakersfield College Launchpad a few years ago to give local entrepreneurs the tools they need to successfully launch and market their business. In Spring 2021, BC is offering three courses that teach essential information to survive in the modern workforce, starting with Basic Internet Skills in February, Customer Relations in March, and Digital Marketing for Small Business in April. For more information, visit the BC Launchpad website or talk to a representative at the Student Information Desk to get started with enrollment at the Home of the Renegades.
Reflections from Outside
“In order to facilitate correspondence, we make packets of instructional material, and grade homework packets. It ends up being an organizational mess. I am now working from home, so my office is my bedroom, and I have to make piles on my bed to figure out what goes where.” – Sara Wallace
Sara Wallace, English Professor at Bakersfield College, has published another entry on her blog about teaching English in prison facilities.
The blog is published on Medium and has been retitled from “Reflections on the Inside” to “Reflections on the Outside” for all entries related to teaching incarcerated students while being physically outside of the prison facilities. She has been working as a full-time instructor at a total of five different prisons since Fall 2019. This blog is her reflections about doing this important work.
This program is only a few years old, but it has expanded to include ten prisons and a thousand students. It is expected to grow more in the future.
John’s career in higher education and public service highlights his innovative spirit and devotion to the important causes he has championed, including dual enrollment and serving children with developmental disabilities.
I especially enjoyed this quote from KCCD Chancellor Tom Burke:
“He has a way of bringing people together for a common goal, and getting it done. He has a way of cutting through angst and conflict, and bringing it to constructive resolution.”
Dr. Bhambi on the vaccine
I appreciated Dr. Bhambi’s piece in the Californian about vaccines and vaccination. Here is an excerpt
The thrust of vaccination has to be vaccination. Algorithms drawn to vaccinate people based on age, preexisting conditions, nursing home residency, socioeconomic issues, front-line and health care work, etc. are useful guidelines. These guidelines should be adhered to. But the thrust of vaccination has to be vaccination!
On Monday, January 4, Emma Gallegos of the Bakersfield Californian published a piece looking at the success of the Inmate Scholars program. The article highlights the story of Roberto Luca, who is being given a second chance at life through his experience with Bryan Hirayama during the pilot program at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano.
In Spring 2021, we’re offering 134 courses across the county’s five state prisons in a correspondence format. For more information about our Inmate Scholars program, which is now in its 7th year, visit the Inmate Scholars website.
Spotted on Social Media
Talita Pruett shared this photo of her kids celebrating New Year’s Eve:
Cheryl Scott shared this beautiful photo from a recent trip to the beach:
The Jones Art Gallery shared this untitled piece created by Ramon Cruz for Art B2:
BCSGA shared this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
And former BCSGA President Alex Dominguez shared some exciting news:
Congratulations, Alex!
Athletics
Marcos Austin Named New Renegade Head Wrestling Coach
This week Renegade Athletics announced the promotion of Marcos Austin to Head Wrestling Coach following the recent departure of former head coach Brett Clark. In addition to wrestling at BC as a student, Coach Austin had served as the Co-Head Coach of the wrestling program since 2010. In the last ten years he has coached, mentored and helped hundreds of Renegade wrestlers and has received numerous conference ‘Coach of the Year’ awards. We are excited for Coach Austin and want to congratulate him on the promotion!
====================
That’s all for now. Until next time. With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality. sonya – the luckiest and happiest college president ever
I am dedicating this first blog post of 2021 as a “Year in Review” of 2020 … certainly, a year for the history books. The title of each blog links to the post, so don’t forget to click the links and check it out.
Before we begin, here is a photo of the first light of 2021:
Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, January 2, 2021 … a great day to be a Renegade.
Spring 2020 officially kicked off with Opening Day. We gathered in the Indoor Auditorium for a day of updates about the college and a look at where we (thought we) were headed in 2020.
Here are my closing remarks from Spring 2020 Opening Day:
We started February with the news that BC had received the CIQG Quality Award. I was thrilled that our college was recognized for the transformational work our faculty & staff embarked upon years ago.
We kicked off Black History Month with representatives from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) converging on the Renegade Crossroads to provide an awesome transfer opportunity for our students.
Our Assessment team traveled to the Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Symposium at Monterey Peninsula College. I was the keynote speaker, and Bill Moseley presented during a panel discussion.
BC held a meet-and-greet luncheon event for students in Project HireUp to meet potential future employers. Project HireUp is a collaboration between Bakersfield College, the Mission at Kern County, Bakersfield Homeless Center, the faith-based local non-profit City Serve, and industry partner Adventist Health. The program supports homeless students so they can continue their education, and provides opportunities for internships and employment after successful completion of the program.
February 2020 was a leap year, so we had an extra day. I looked back at our beautiful Sterling Silver reception, where we recognized the great support we have received from our Bakersfield community. Honorees included the Greater Bakersfield New Car Dealers Association, Bill Kelly, Dr. William Baker Jr., and Rick Kreiser.
We began holding daily Zoom updates about COVID-19, with Shelly Castaneda, Nicky Damania, and Cindy Collier taking the lead.
Senator Emeritus Jean Fuller presented to the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on the Early College success stories and strides we have made in assisting, among others, our Latinx population in obtaining a college education.
It was “Business Un-Usual” as #BCGoesOnline. Moving all of our courses, all of our student support, all of our employees into a virtual, distance environment was a massive undertaking. Our faculty and staff rose to the occasion – and we were able to shift all our work over the course of the week.
We started the week with a marathon session from our Academic Technology team to get our faculty ready to move all our courses online for the remainder of the spring semester.
By the end of the week – in fact, on Thursday, March 19, at 3 pm – we had physically closed our Panorama Campus. This closure came just hours before Governor Newsom declared a mandatory stay-at-home order for the entire state.
Here is my message to our campus community as we moved online:
As BC began to navigate uncharted waters and proceed with a 100% online environment, I continually was struck by how our team was able to anticipate and quickly adapt as the situation evolved. I began using a quote from Wayne Gretzky to describe how the BC community was reacting: “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays to where the puck is going to be.”
One of the first new initiatives that came out of Covid-19 was the Back to College program. Our team anticipated that rising unemployment would be a devastating effect of the pandemic, and created a 5-week program to help prepare students for new careers.
We also focused on how we could remain connected while we were physically apart.
Our faculty and staff put together this video message for our students to remind them they weren’t alone:
Rural Initiatives Program Manager Endee Grijalva and BC Office of Student Life staff members came together to assist our community through the “BC Do Good, Feel Good” campaign.
Last spring, history professor Oliver Rosales hosted a series about California history on Bakersfield’s CW. “Our California Story: Community Stories and Digital Preservation in the San Joaquin Valley,” is a community engagement forum connected to the California History course students will enroll in through Bakersfield College. You can find all the episodes at https://sites.google.com/view/ourcaliforniastory/media.
Disneyland’s annual Dapper Day was just one of the many events that were canceled in 2020, but our very own Dr. John Gerhold shared this song – which he recorded with his wife, Wendy, and his daughter, history adjunct professor Kelly Gerhold.
I was so proud when Bakersfield College helped with the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment PPE in Kern County. Darren Willis and our students at the Creative Design Center used our 3D printer makerspace to create face shields and other PPE. Cindy Collier presented Clinica Sierra Vista with 50 face shields on Wednesday, and we delivered another batch of face shields to the Bakersfield Family Medical Center.
Cindy Collier presents face shields to her daughter, Casey Wilkerson, a BC RN graduate & VP of clinical services at Bakersfield Family Medical Center.
And our Renegade community was busy with virtual events – Express Enrollment, Transfer Day, Industrial Automation Day, and a performance of the play “Metamorphoses.”
For Nurses Appreciation Week, I shared an email from Former BC student Melissa Prendiz praising professor Milena Lilles.
“I remember you would express to us students that your class was not an easy class but you wanted to not only prepare us for the nursing program but once we became a nurse – “people’s lives depended on us.” Little did you know you also prepared me for what we are facing now during this pandemic.“
Nursing Dean Carla Gard also shared this video for our 4th Semester RN students:
Check out this photo from 23ABC of jets flying over Memorial Stadium:
Closing Day 2020 looked different from any of our previous closing days. We shifted to an online program, and spread it out over several days. You can find all the videos on the Closing Week 2020 website.
Bakersfield College was awarded $5,000 for its project “Portraits in Their Own Words” through the California Humanities’ Humanities For All Quick Grant. This project is co-directed by BC faculty members Andrew Bond, Shawn Newsom, and Kristopher Stallworth.
Jenny Frank, manager of Veteran Services and Programs, sent out a Memorial Day message to our Renegade Community. A short excerpt is below:
“My friends, colleagues, fellow Renegades, as you lay your heads down tonight, remember these brave men and women, today and always. Tomorrow, as we rise, let us all strive to live our lives in a way that would honor their them. It is together that we will overcome any difficulties that face us. Together we will soon enjoy all the freedoms that have been gifted to us.”
Zav Dadabhoy, Armando Trujillo, Paul Beckworth, Sonya Christian and Jenny Frank at the VRC dedication
On the heels of the recent death of George Floyd and mass unrest across the country, Bakersfield College hosted a two week conversation and virtual celebration leading up to June 19 or “Juneteenth,” a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. You can find all the videos from our programming on the #LightACandle website.
BC also joined in the Bakersfield Prayer Walk, and began the #RealTalk series with Danny Morrison.
We continued our Juneteenth celebration and #RealTalk programming, and participated in the Bakersfield Unity Rally. Here’s my video message for the rally:
Our Juneteenth conversations culminated this week, as we aired our #LightACandle programming (please find all the videos on the #LightACandle website.) The #LightACandle programs aired on June 15, June 17, June 18, and June 19.
Here is Congressman and House Majority Whip, James Clyburn, who gave a brief history of Juneteenth and emphasized that communication is as much what we seek to understand as it is about what we are saying:
As we got ready for the July 11 broadcast of our 106th commencement, we invited the Bakersfield community to help Paint the Town Red to celebrate our graduates.
We celebrated our graduates with a special televised commencement – but even though we were unable to have our traditional Memorial Stadium celebration, we still started off with the National Anthem, performed by Dr. John Gerhold:
Check out all the photos and videos from our 106th Commencement on the BC website.
And of course, we joined the nation in mourning the passing of Congressman John Lewis, who passed on July 17.
BC again partnered with Danny Morrison – this time to present a program on John Lewis, the late civil rights leader and US Congressman, and his legacy of “good trouble”. The videos are all posted on the Bakersfield College website.
Here’s Julian West reciting John Lewis’ speech from the 1963 March on Washington:
I loved this photo celebrating our youngest Renegades – the graduates of our Child Development Center, who moved on to kindergarten. 27 families participated in a curbside graduation.
I was also able to check out Measure J construction on our Panorama Campus with Bill Potter:
As we got ready for another online semester in Fall 2020, we restarted the President’s Virtual Forum series after taking a hiatus over the summer. For our first forum of Fall 2020, we heard from Bill Potter, Executive Director of Facilities & Planning; Cindy Collier, Interim Director – Health Center; Heather Baltis, Faculty – Agriculture; and Alisha Loken, Faculty – Nursing, as we discussed plans as Bakersfield College transitions into Fall 2020.
Opening Day 2020 turned into Opening Week 2020 – and actually, some technical difficulties had us spreading the programming over 2 weeks. Check out the Welcome & Photo Roll video from Day 1:
I shared an update on our Peace Garden project with this 9:31-minute video from Opening Week, where we unveiled the Peace Garden project. (Start at the 6:56 timestamp, to hear the message from Dr. Naina Patel and the Gandhi committee.
And did you see this photo of our original 1922 Renegade Football Team? Thank you the BC Archives team for finding this!
In partnership with the McFarland High School counseling team, the BC Early College staff held 13 virtual workshops for the upper classmen and 9 workshops for incoming freshman students. After these workshops, BC welcomed over 200 new Cougar Renegade students who will be on the path to complete 60 college units by the time they graduate from high school.
Bakersfield College has been awarded $1.3M to support the Education Pathway for future teachers as California continues to face a rising teacher shortage. Thank you to Dr. Kimberly Bligh, Education Department Chair, and everyone in the Education Department, for all the work you do!
Krista Moreland shared some information about International Peace Day with our Renegade community – especially poignant as we work on our Peace Garden project.
“Monday, September 21st the U.N. International Day of Peace will be observed around the world. This Peace Day was established unanimously by the U.N. in 1981 as a 24hr period for humanity to come together and commit to peace and compassion. Each year on this day, “The United Nations invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.”
I was also heartbroken to hear of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Outreach & Early College hosted the High School Counselor Conference over Zoom – and made sure to find time for some fun moments, including this virtual Cha Cha Slide:
I also announced the launch of a joint blog with Dr. Brijesh Bhambi of the Bakersfield Heart Hospital. Check it out at https://bhambiandchristian.com/.
The Project HireUp: A Community Collaborative to End Homelessness video premiered on YouTube and Facebook. Great partnership with CityServ, Mission for Kern County, The Homeless Shelter, and Adventist Health.
Our facutly, staff and students were busy with a few new exciting online projects.
The 36th annual Shakespeare festival kicked off with the virtual premiere of “The Comedy of Errors”, directed by Bob Kempf. The performers have adapted the slapstick of the Bard’s original “Comedy of Errors” into a Chaplinesque silent film with masks.
The BC Chamber Singers hosted their annual BC High School Chamber Singers Festival with a Zoom event featuring Grammy-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre.
Bakersfield College, BC’s Latinas Unidas student organization, and the Latina Leaders of Kern County came together to host their first webinar in a series on race and diversity relations.
We welcomed Chancellor Eloy Oakley, senior administrators from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, and members of the Board of Governors on a virtual visit to BC to meet with students, faculty, staff, and members of the community. Visit the CCCCO Virtual Listening Tour page for more details about the Chancellor’s Office meeting.
I also asked the Women’s History Month Faculty Leads and the BC Pre-Law Club to put together a tribute to the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Thank you Judges Robert Tafoya and Susan Gill, Commissioner Cynthia Loo, and District Attorney Cynthia Zimmerman.
On November 12, the construction crew on the new Science and Engineering building held their topping ceremony. The practice of “topping out” originated as a Scandinavian tradition of placing a tree to appease the spirits of the trees that had been displaced by construction. The practice spread across Europe and eventually the United States, where steel workers place a Christmas tree and an American flag on one of the last beams used in creating the structure of the building.
I was so proud when the Campaign for College Opportunity recognized Bakersfield College as a Champion of Higher Education. Over the last five years Bakersfield College has seen an 800% increase in ADT awards, quadrupled Black student completion, and achieved enrollment-completion parity among Latino/a students.
Seventy-five students participated in the CARE/CalWORKS Drive Thru Holiday Celebration, with a total of 166 children receiving gifts this holiday season thanks to the generosity of faculty, staff, and community members. Fifty-six BC employees participated in the “Adopt a Family” program. That does not include the amazing staff that donated to our Foundation’s account. CARE/CalWORKS also raised $1600 to support this program from generous direct donations to the BC Foundation and purchases made through Amazon Smile.
The second week of our ACCJC conference featuring leaders in education, civics and policy wrapped up on Dec. 7 and 8, with hundreds of participants from across the state tuning in to #OccupyLearning. The conference was spread out over four days, with two one-hour sessions each day.
Check out this clip featuring Deep Springs Students Sam Clark and Connie Jiang,
I was saddened to hear the news that former Renegade Cheer coach and Alumni Association President Becki Whitson passed away.
Becki Whitson
Thank you all for looking back on a truly remarkable year. We faced many challenges in 2020 – as individuals, as a college, as a community, and as a nation. And in many ways, we were able to join together in unity to support one another and work together to overcome the challenges we could, while showing compassion and comforting our friends and families through the ones we could not.
I am confident that in 2021, we will continue that spirit of unity and camaraderie.
Athletics
Renegade Athletics Team Store – Extended One Week!
BC Athletics Nike Team Store
We have seen great success with the Nike Renegade Athletics Team Store, so it will remain open for one more week! Click the link below now to get your own gear from their official team uniform supplier – Eastbay. Items available for purchase include T-shirts, Long-Sleeves, Polo’s, Hoodies, Sweatshirts and more in both men’s and women’s sizes.
Show your Renegade pride and get that piece of Nike BC Renegade team gear you’ve always wanted. Items will ship once the store closes. All proceeds from sales will directly benefit BC Athletics.
I hope you are all staying safe and enjoying a wonderful holiday – even though it likely looks very different from other years. It is a holiday season of pain and suffering for many as our nation continues battling the Coronavirus pandemic. But it is also, I think, a season of hope and unity.
David French
On Christmas Eve, a friend sent me this article from David French in Time Magazine. In it, he describes how difficult it can be to get into the Christmas Spirit when there is so much going wrong around us.
“But times of great suffering are also times that can reveal deep truths,” he wrote.
He then discussed the Christmas hymn “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” which is based on the poem “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
It ends with the line:
The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.
It shows us that even in the darkest moments, we must face the world together and find those glimmers of hope.
The bells of Christmas this year bring a reminder of the difficulties of this past year – but they also bring hope.
Jack Hernandez
Check out this piece by Jack Hernandezin the Bakersfield Californian, where he looked at John Donne’s poem “For whom the bell tolls.”
The poem begins:
No man is an island Entire of itself.
Jack talked about how we are all connected – and we must recognize this connection both now, during the pandemic; and later, when we are past this difficult time.
“If this pandemic has taught us anything, it should be that we are all connected, all one with each other, our family, our friends, our neighbors, strangers and those of other nations. Yet, we too often stress our islands of individuality, forget that we are all linked as a community. In a philosophy class I taught years ago at Bakersfield College, a student from Africa, who later transferred to Stanford University, mentioned that when he first came to our country, he was struck by our emphasis on individuality in contrast to his home’s emphasis on community. The lesson for that day. The lesson for us now.”
After this year of pandemic and turmoil, I hope that we all come out with one positive idea – the idea of unity. I hope that everything we have experienced together over the past 12 months will in fact bring us together to face our new world and create a better tomorrow through unity.
The Christmas bells are tolling for each of us, to find our strength in unity and push through the end of a tumultuous year.
This week, we saw a sign how everyone and everything is connected on a cosmic level when we witnessed a truly once-in-a-lifetime event. In fact, it was once in many lifetimes. The Great Conjunction of Jupiter & Saturn is something that hasn’t been seen in our night sky for nearly 800 years. A conjunction occurs when planets appear very close to one another due to the way they line up with Earth in their orbits. Jupiter and Saturn align about once every 20 years, but haven’t appeared this close since 1623. And it hasn’t been viewable at night in nearly 800 years.
Our resident astronomer, Nick Strobel, shared these photos he took of the event:
And check out this webcast of the winter solstice “Great Conjunction,” provided by the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California. You can read more at space.com.
Good morning, Bakersfield. It is Saturday, December 26, 2020…My last blog entry for 2020. A great day to be a Renegade.
Becki Whitson — A Renegade Legend
Bakersfield College lost one of our greatest cheerleaders last week. Our hearts are heavy with the news that Becki Whitson passed away.
Becki Whitson
Becki was a BC alum, and she also was a faculty member in the Behavioral Sciences department for many years – and served as department chair for 7 years. She is perhaps best known as the former head cheerleading coach. I remember when she retired in 2017, KCCD Trustee Kyle Carter said, “Becki Whitson is Bakersfield College.”
Kay Meek, Becki Whitson
Sonya Christian, Peter Reyes, becki Whitson
Becki was always an ardent supporter of Bakersfield College, serving as president of the Bakersfield College Alumni Association for over 25 years. At Opening Day this year, she helped me announce the Renegade Alumni Council. Becki’s Renegade pride is evident in the way she speaks about Bakersfield College:
There will be a celebration of life on July 26, 2021, and I will share that information at a later date.
“BC’s tutoring program is vibrant, boasting nearly 100 thoroughly trained tutors to serve all BC students, even while running virtually. The tutors are all students themselves, so a student reaching out for help need not feel intimidated as might happen during a professor’s Zoom office hours. The staff is extremely involved in the entire appointment-making process and will carefully match a student with the best tutor. Drop-in and recurring appointments are available. Staff, several faculty and tutors are in the Zoom lobby over 40 hours a week, ready to greet potential tutees warmly and direct them to a breakout room with their tutor.”
Community Voices: Kayla Moore
Kayla Moore BC Alum
Critical care nurse & BC RN program graduate Kayla Moore also wrote in the Californian about the importance of education.
“We hear a lot of talk about “gifts” during the holidays. This seems like the perfect time for me to thank our generous community — and the BC nursing team — for their gift to me: the gift of education. Their kindness has made a lasting impact on my life, and without it I would not have had the opportunity to complete my education and begin my career as a critical care nurse. I will never forget the generosity that was extended to me and I plan to pay it forward by contributing to scholarships in the future.”
Umoja Community Celebrates Kwanzaa
Umoja Community held a pre-Kwanzaa Celebration and acknowledged both students and mentors.
Kwanzaa is celebrated December 26 through January 1. It is a non-religious celebration focused on African values. Created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1965, each day of the seven-day holiday has a theme.
Umoja students explained each of the Nguzo Saba (seven principles). Zariyah noted that “each principle is to reinforce a basic value of African culture that contributes to building the family, the community, and the culture.”
Then, all participants played a Kohoot game to test their knowledge of the seven-day celebration. It got competitive, with some faculty trying to win against some of the students, or a particular faculty member.
The winners were Hortense (first place), Mercedez (second place), and Umoja Librarian Ms. Faith (third place). While all three got all the questions right, it came down to speed in answering.
Mentors were also shown some love. In this virtual environment, the Umoja mentors were even more needed. Hortense appreciated the “uplifting emails every week to get me through the day to make sure that I stayed on track” from her mentor Ms. Kathleen Hicks.
The caring Umoja team that also includes Michael Little, Mychael Phillips, Gilbert Ayuk, Steve Agard, Melissa Gonzalez, and Coordinator Dr. Paula Parks is truly dedicated to students.
Steve Watkin, AAI lead, expressed appreciation from and offered the continued support of the administration. The administrative team, including the deans, are an invaluable support and much appreciated partner in the success of Umoja.
Dr. Parks added that the students are always part of the Umoja Community and should consider the whole amazing team part of their forever support system. She added, “I was so impressed last semester with how engaged, inquisitive, and kind the students were.” She gave a shout out to peer mentor Alexis, who went above and beyond to tutor and encourage students and to help them form a community.
Sha’ron said, “I would like to say a big thank to Dr. Parks. There have been times when I’ve been at my lowest. . . and I really appreciate you.” Dr. Parks is like “your second mom that you can just go to for anything. I want to say thank to her and Ms. Faith because I’ve cried in her office too.”
Kaleb’s ending comment reminds us of the importance of the program and its values. He said he remembered having a 1.3 gpa. “Now its almost a 3.0, and I only have one more semester until I graduate. I wouldn’t be where I am without the Umoja program.”
The Umoja Community program includes courses with an African-American focus, mentoring, counseling support to stay on track and graduate, and academic and cultural trips. Available classes for spring are the following: English b1b, Comm b1/Lib b1, Astron b2, Music b23, Math b22, and Psych b5.
Happy Kwanzaa!
Spotted on Social Media
Mary Jo Pasek shared this story & photo:
“Months before the picture with Santa my only sibling died in a tragic accident. My Mother and Dad did the best they could to hold it together. This was taken in early December at Dayton’s in St Paul. I was NOT having any part of this man. Nothing my Aunt or Mother could say made me smile. He simply looked so suspicious and all I wanted was my brother back with me. Along with this cute hat and fur piece I had a muff. Always decked out for the cold weather. A precious keepsake for me!“
Maria Wright shared this photo of her husband, Dr. Jamal Wright, receiving his degree on his birthday:
Matt Jones continued his Daily Discern & Draw project with a measuring tape hockey player:
Craig Hayward shared this cozy Christmas scene:
Shannon Musser made holiday craft treats with her kids:
Bill Moseley and his wife Dominique celebrated their anniversary by taking their kids on a Christmas lights drive:
Athletics
Athletics Opts-In to Compete This Spring
In order to maximize options for Renegade Athletics, this last week we opted-in to compete in the abbreviated Spring I and Spring II sports seasons under the framework of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Contingency plan. We know our student athletes are eager to get back in action and we hope they will have the opportunity to do so. As the Spring I and Spring II seasons of competition approach, the decision to compete will also come in accordance with the state of California and Kern County Public Health COVID-19 guidelines. Ron Stapp from the Bakersfield Californian wrote and excellent article on the situation this week. To read the article click here: https://www.bakersfield.com/sports/college/if-health-restrictions-allow-bc-taft-choosing-to-play-this-season/article_9069cd1a-44c4-11eb-b829-df1466691494.html
Renegade Athletics Team Store
BC Athletics Nike Team Store
There is still time to order your Nike Renegade Athletics gear from their official team uniform supplier – Eastbay. Items available for purchase include T-shirts, Long-Sleeves, Polo’s, Hoodies, Sweatshirts and more in both men’s and women’s sizes.
Show your Renegade pride and get that piece of Nike BC Renegade team gear you’ve always wanted. The store is open from now until Jan. 1, 2021. Items will ship once the store closes. All proceeds from sales will directly benefit BC Athletics.
A big week for America. Vaccines roll out across our country
Dr. Eisha Christian, receives her vaccine.
Definitely a tear-filled moment when I received this photo from my daughter … pretty special young woman.
On Monday, Dec 14th, Gavin Newsom traveled to LA to be present when the first Californian, Helen Cordova, a nurse at Kaiser Pemanente received the vaccine.
Dr. Brijesh Bhambi was among the first to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Bakersfield.
But it is still important that we remain vigilant in maintaining our pandemic safety. While the vaccine has arrived and those at highest risk have begun receiving it, there is still a long road before everyone will be able to be vaccinated. Do you want to know when your turn will be up…. check out the graphic below.
So please – know that hope is here and the end is in sight, but continue to wear your mask and maintain social distancing to keep us all protected until we all are able to be vaccinated.
Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, December 19, 2020 … a great day to be a Renegade.
Let me help you start this holiday season with music from our choir from the last several years when they did the Culinary and Caroling dinner event. Plus I loved that Jack and Eileen Pierce did a family caroling program this year to spread some good Christmas cheer. Relax with some hot chocolate and sink into this glorious music.
The Pierce family spreading Christmas cheer:
CARE/CalWORKs Holiday Celebration
Thanks to the generosity of BC staff, faculty and community members, over seventy-five CARE/CalWORKs students received gifts for their children in the mail this past week. All donors received the following thank you video.
Outreach and Early College Get Into the Holiday Spirit
The Outreach and Early College team got into the holiday spirit at their virtual holiday party! The team played games, exchanged white elephant gifts, and even had an ugly Christmas sweater competition. The highlight of the party was a game in which each person had 5 minutes to prepare a holiday themed snack. The team member then presented their holiday snack and 3 judges assigned scores. You can check out the winner of the holiday snack challenge in the picture below! The team also took a holiday photo opportunity to show off their festive holiday attire.
The Outreach and Early College team want to wish the entire BC family a joyous and happy holiday season!
Executive Office Holiday Fun
Our Executive Office team also got into the holiday spirit this week during our Zoom meeting.
I especially loved Catherine Rangel‘s background, where she made our Vice President of Student Affairs, Zav Dadabhoy (and huge Green Bay Packers fan), into a Raiders-supporting Elf on the Shelf.
Winter Campus Closure & Spring 2021
Bakersfield College’s operational winter closure will begin Monday, December 21, 2020, and offices will remain closed through Friday, January 1, 2021. Services will resume regular operating hours on Monday, January 4, 2021.
But don’t worry, our Student Information Desk will be open for limited hours on select dates to continue to assist students during the closure. Staff will be available December 21-23 and 28-30 from 10AM to 2PM.
Returning and new students are encouraged to connect for assistance with enrolling for the spring 2021 semester. Enrollment is now open and courses begin the week of January 16, 2021.
And check out these great new offerings at BC – don’t forget, you can connect with the Student Information Desk to sign up!
Spring Back To College
Project HireUp has added a couple more no-cost skills certificates for this Spring! Basic Internet Skills, Customer Relations, and Digital Marketing for Small Business will be offered this spring. All courses are offered online and run 2-4 weeks, 4-5 hours per day.
This week, we had the last President’s Virtual Forum of the semester. On Wednesday, we heard about a new non-credit course offering, PSYC B61NC: Psychological Resilience Skills Training. This new course will help all employees have the mental capacity tools needed when confronted with traumatic and stressful events.
We heard from Helen Acosta, Rich McCrow, David Riess, and Isaias Hernandez. You can see all their videos on the COVID-19 Resources page on the BC website.
Here’s a clip from Isaias Hernandez:
3 Renegades Picked for Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Internmatch Program
This semester, the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center selected three Bakersfield College Renegades to join a group of students currently enrolled at various Central Valley California Community Colleges to participate in the Internmatch program. Congratulations to Isabel Alcocer, Grisel Martinez, and Felipe Nebesyj!
The opportunity is organized by Alese Campbell, Central Valley and Mother Lode Regional Director of Employer Engagement Business and Entrepreneurship. In collaboration with Campbell, several Bakersfield College students have already participated in this internship for two consecutive semesters.
Norma Rojas-Mora Featured in COVID-19 Task Force Videos
BC Community Relations Director Norma Rojas-Mora has been featured in several videos encouraging Bakersfield residents to practice social distancing. The campaign is part of the Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force, a partnership between Kern County Public Health and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The task force also launched a health and wellness hotline this week to help individuals dealing with COVID-related stress. Proud of the work you are doing Jay Tamsi.
In addition to being featured in the 30-second ad spot, Norma also made a testimonial in Spanish for the partnership.
A Better BC: Photos from Measure J
On Thursday, December 10, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Mike Giacomini and Food Service Manager Fidel Cabuena went through a socially-distanced tour of the new Campus Center, Science and Engineering building, and the second phase of renovations to Memorial Stadium. Earl Parsons collected photos of the tour, and the full gallery is available to view on Smugmug.
A painter puts the first layers of coating on the BC sign
Fidel Cabuena and Mike Giacomini pose at the third floor of the new Campus Center
The construction crew is busy at work putting the finishing touches on the third floor convention hall, which will have a full catering kitchen built in.
An exterior view of the Campus Center coming from the Library.
Spotted on Social Media
Matt Jones shared a new art project he’s working on called Daily Discern & Draw using everyday objects:
Sondra Keckley has a cozy view of her fireplace:
The Student Success & Equity Team, Kara McDonald, Abraham Castillo, Isabel Castaneda, Maria Wright and Stephanie Vega had some fun with Lesley Bonds:
The Jones Art Gallery also shared some great art this week. This piece is from the Panorama Invitational. It was created by Savannah Rosas of Foothill High:
Athletics
BC Athletics Nike Team Store
BC Athletics Nike Team Store
BC Athletics has launched the Nike Renegade Team Store in conjunction with Eastbay, their team uniform supplier.
To access the store click the image or the link below. Items available for purchase include T-shirts, Long-Sleeves, Polo’s, Hoodies, Sweatshirts and more in both men’s and women’s sizes.
Now is the time to show your Renegade pride and get that piece of Nike BC Renegade team gear you’ve always wanted. The store is open from now until Jan. 1, 2021. Items will ship once the store closes.
All proceeds from sales will directly benefit BC Athletics.
This last week our Head Wrestling Coach, Brett Clark announced that he is stepping down from his position leading the program to pursue opportunities to teach and coach out-of-state. Coach Clark has been a constant strength for the program the last seven years as his teams have won three conference titles and he was named conference coach of the year each of those three seasons as well.
After being a BC student athlete in the 90’s, Coach Clark returned to campus as both an assistant and then head wrestling coach to guide and mentor countless Renegade student athletes, with many of them going on to win individual conference and state championships.
We are sad to see such a good coach leave the Renegade family, but we wish Coach Clark and his family all the best in their new endeavors.
Last night, the FDA approved the first Covid-19 vaccine for the United States. The US is now the 6th country to approve this vaccine, and millions of our most vulnerable Americans could start receiving it within days. It is a bright spot in this holiday season that has been completely changed by the pandemic.
And so, I wanted to share another bright spot with all of you:
Astronomy professor and planetarium director Nick Strobel recorded this masterpiece, with words by R.G. Huff, updating a timeless Christmas carol for the time of Covid:
But even as this vaccine promises to begin putting us on a path back to another new normal, we must remain vigilant. There is still a long, hard road before the vaccine is widely available, and we must continue to maintain our social distancing and wear masks to do our part during this pandemic.
Dr. Brijesh Bhambi
Dr. Brij Bhambi wrote this piece for the Bakersfield Californian focusing on the Covid-19 vaccine and what we all must do to stay safe until enough of us are vaccinated.
“As we close 2020, the holiday season and family festivities invite. Pandemic fatigue peaks. Virus spreads relentlessly. The vaccine promises to bridge the troubled waters, but restlessness refuses to walk the bridge to safety on the other side. Science can’t triumph with failed adoption.
“Sacred lives can be saved by compliance to common sense. We won’t discuss masks on the other side of COVID-19. What’s a few more weeks among friends we know and undiscovered friendships that await the random walk of life. Health care workers, law enforcement, firefighters, grocery workers, elderly and sick are begging for your cooperation during this homestretch.”
I invite you all to visit the blog that Dr. Bhambi and I are collaborating on: https://bhambiandchristian.com/ where we are discussing issues of importance to our community.
Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, December 12, 2020 … a great day to be a Renegade.
As we move deeper into this holiday season, I thought I would share videos from BC’s performing arts program over the last several years. Here is a piece from the July 2019 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This song has been in my head for over a week now.
Fall 2020 Finals Week
It took a lot of hard work and innovative thinking, but we’ve all managed to work together and finish a full semester online. Our faculty and staff, and especially our students who persevered to have a successful Fall 2020, should all be applauded for what they’ve managed to accomplish. I hope you have a well-rested and well-deserved winter break and return reinvigorated and full of fresh new ideas about how to serve our students online during Spring 2021.
The Future of Learning: ACCJC Conversations Among Thought Leaders
Panelists from Day 3 of the ACCJC Future of Learning Seminar Series on Dec. 7. Row 1: Stephanie Droker and Sonya Christian; row 2: Marty Alvarado and Aisha Lowe; row 3: Deb Bushway.
The second week of our ACCJC conference featuring leaders in education, civics and policy wrapped up on Dec. 7 and 8, with hundreds of participants from across the state tuning in to #OccupyLearning. The conference was spread out over four days, with two one-hour sessions each day.
For the first session on Day 3, December 7, we had Deb Bushway, President and CEO of Northwestern Health Sciences University, to talk about competency-based education with Vice Chancellor Aisha Lowe and our BC facilitator Erica Menchaca. For the second session of Day 3, Concentric Sky CEO Wayne Skipper engaged in a discussion with Bill Moseley about Badgr, micro-credentialing, and its implementation within guided pathways.
We closed out the seminar series on Day 4, starting with Arizona State University president Michael Crow, who answered questions from Southwestern College professor Randy Beach about the ambitious plan for research universities that Crow describes in The Fifth Wave: The Evolution of American Higher Education. After Michael Crow, we heard an important student perspective from Sam Clarke and Connie Jiang of Deep Springs College, a school based on a remote cattle ranch and farm where students take on a direct, multi-year responsibility for a self-sustaining community, including roles in the administration and shared governance of the college, all while earning an Associate of Arts degree. One of the most unique colleges in the ACCJC system, Deep Springs College’s mission is to “prepare young people for a life of service to humanity”. Nick Strobel was the facilitator for both sessions.
Here’s a taste of the conversations we had over the past few weeks, from Deb Bushway on Day 3:
And a clip from the conversation with students Sam Clarke and Connie Jiang on Day 4:
The California Community College Women’s Caucus started as the system’s youngest caucus this summer before becoming the caucus with the most members in the Community College League of California. The Women’s Caucus hosted its second webinar on Monday, December 7, encouraging women in higher education to harness their agency and leadership in supporting students, many of whom are mothers, with housing and food insecurities during the pandemic. All of this thanks to the leadership of KCCD Trustee Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, who is already making her mark statewide.
The first keynote speaker of the event was Dee Dee Myers, a political analyst who was the first woman in history to serve as the White House Press Secretary under Bill Clinton’s first term in 1992. From a young age, Myers developed an appreciation for community colleges through her family’s connection with College of the Canyons, and she encouraged women to recognize their value and accomplishments within their organizations.
The second keynote speaker was Lande Ajose, a senior policy advisor of higher education for the office of Governor Newsom. Ajose spoke about how important it is for people in under-represented spaces to use their voice and make sure their diverse perspective is heard and valued.
For more information about the Women’s Caucus, including how to join the caucus before our members-only meeting in January where we’ll be approving our bylaws, visit the CCC Womens’ Caucus website.
You can also find more videos from all the webinars we’ve held so far.
BC Now Offering Physical Therapy Assistant Course in Spring 2021
Registration is now open for a brand-new course, PHTA B50: Introduction to PTA (Physical Therapy Assistant), designed to teach students about the role of a physical therapist in a healthcare team or a variety of clinical settings. The course will also include history, ethics, and values of the American Physical Therapy Association.
Students who take this course will learn basic concepts of physical therapy interventions and the evidence-based practice model along with the role and duties required to become a physical therapist assistant to determine if they are good match to apply for the program. The course will include examining areas of diversity, patient privacy and HIPAA, cultural competency as it pertains to physical therapy.
Suzanne Oesch
“There is an immediate demand for Physical Therapist Assistants currently in Kern County,” says Suzanne Oesch, PT, DPT Professor of Health and Physical Education and Director of BC’s Physical Therapist Assistant Program.
“I’m so excited that BC has started the process to offer a program for students who want to stay local and get an affordable degree that allows them the opportunity to become a licensed physical therapist assistant and provide physical therapy services under the supervision of a physical therapist. I’m so eager to share not only my knowledge from 21 years of experience in the field at various clinics throughout Kern County, but also my experience as a BC alumnus who went on to fulfill her dreams and have a successful local career.”
According to the Employment Development Department State of California, (EDD), the demand for Physical Therapist Assistants is expected to grow much faster than the average growth across all occupations. Jobs for Physical Therapist Assistants are expected to increase by 30.8% or 1600 jobs projected between 2016 and 2026, for the state of California. Specifically in Kern County demand for Physical Therapist Assistants is expected to increase 37.5 percent between 2016 and 2026 in Kern County.
BC Presents for CLP’s “Problem Solving: Moving Dual Enrollment Online” Webinar Series
This last Thursday, Bakersfield College was invited to close out Career Ladders Project’s (CLP) “Problem Solving: Moving Dual Enrollment Online” Webinar Series with a presentation on the work BC has done to connect dual enrollment to Guided Pathways through our Early College initiative.
Our Program Director for Early College, Kylie Campbell, and our Executive Director of Outreach and Early College, Steven Watkin, presented together to over 115 attendees on BC’s strategic scale-up from “random acts of dual enrollment” to intentional pathways offered to high school students starting as early as the 9th grade, and how we included our partners in this work. Kylie and Steve were able to answer questions from dual enrollment personnel from throughout California on how Early College has been implemented into both our academic departments and our student services on campus.
It is amazing to share how Early College helps us achieve the Chancellor’s Vision for Success, and how continued support and growth of this program will help us reach more students in our community–bringing them to BC and to setting them up for sfuture degree completion and success.
Thank you, CLP for including us in this amazing opportunity to share and collaborate with our community college and high school colleagues from throughout the state!
You can visit CLP’s website to view Kylie and Steve’s presentation and other great resources for student support and success.
Motivational Speaker Advises Umoja Students on how to PIVOT
Terrance Minnoy spoke to Umoja students on ways to adjust to and make the most of this COVID-induced virtual environment. Drawing on a basketball analogy, he themed the three-part series P.I.V.O.T. He explained that athletes do that “to improve their position, clarity, and vision to avoid roadblocks and barriers.”
During fall semester, the Umoja program offered weekly meetings for students. Called Indabas (a Swahili word for important meeting with important people), they ranged from workshops on adjusting to college, learning online, overcoming writer’s block, combating stress, to motivational interactive talks.
Over three sessions, Minnoy covered P – purpose, I – Intentionally invest in yourselves, V – vision clarification, O – opportunistic mindset, and T -take action.
Timothy, an Umoja student, appreciated how Minnoy shared his story of having suffered a stroke and having to learn to walk again, some of which he chronicled in Indifferent Strokes: Embracing Life’s Adversities.
With P – purpose, Minnoy encouraged students to think on what their assignment is. Students said that I – investing in oneself can vary from taking care of one’s mental health to physical health to getting an education to being involved in one’s community. In V- vison, Minnoy discussed the importance of visualizing one’s goals and strategizing to develop an O – opportunistic mindset.
Alexis commented: “I’m letting go of that victim mindset and being more opportunistic and open to new opportunities.”
Minnoy finished with discussing ways to T – take action, such as start small, take responsibility, and don’t focus on the “what if’s.”
When asked what she got out of the series, Hortense said, “I’m going to be more responsible for myself and hold myself accountable.”
Umoja Community is a program started by Dr. Paula L. Parks and connected to a state-wide organization umojacommunity.org. Umoja includes courses with an African-American focus, mentoring, counseling to keep students on track to graduate and transfer, college visits, and academic and cultural activities. The following courses are offered this spring: Psychology b5, Astronomy b2, English b1b, Communications b1/Lib b1, and Math b22. Contact Dr. Parks at pparks@bakersfieldcollege.edu about registration information.
Catching up with BC Alumni: T. Johnson
This week local Alumni and Renegade champion, T. Johnson shared what Bakersfield College means to her: LEGACY! Love you T.Johnson!
John Means, vice chancellor of educational services for the Kern Community College District, will be inducted into the CSUB Hall of Fame this February.
He is a son of Taft who went on to become an environmental justice advocate, leader in elected and party politics, and innovator of programs that expand educational opportunities for disadvantaged students.
Means is vice chancellor of educational services for the Kern Community College District, overseeing a wide range of programs to help its more than 30,000 pupils succeed.
Means got his start in community service alongside Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and when he was on the Bakersfield City Council he secured funds for the bike path, and made politics more inclusive.
Means spent his early educational career helping Kern High School District students grapple with emotional and behavioral problems and teaching part time at Bakersfield College and CSUB. In 1978 he began teaching full time at BC, where he also developed the Central Valley’s first center to mainstream infants and kids with disabilities.
Means pivoted to economic and workforce development programs. As dean of El Camino College in L.A.’s South Bay, he helped high schoolers transition to college, started a Project Lead the Way program and extended vocational programs to more female students.
He returned to Kern’s college district to become associate chancellor of economic and workforce development, where he pushed high school-to-college dual enrollment programs. Today, Means pays particular attention to helping Latinos, single mothers and students with disabilities succeed in higher ed.
Science Sundays features BC faculty
Did you catch Timothy Plett from the BC Physical Science department on 12ABC’s Science Sundays?
BC Foundation Director Cheryl Scottwrote this piece in the Bakersfield Californian asking our community to consider giving the gift of education this holiday season.
“A quick visit to the Foundation’s website shows some of the many avenues for supporting students’ dreams of achieving a college degree. One fund is the Renegade Pantry, which helps ensure students have access to food, even when their funds run short. Similarly, the BC Student Emergency fund was created to provide funding (through a referral process) to students finding themselves in a financial bind that may cause them to choose between education and another, competing, priority. Funds like these grow and make an impact even when the smallest of contributions are made. Every dollar makes a difference!”
Spotted on Social Media
Jennifer Garrett shared this video from the BC Choirs:
Communications faculty Helen Acosta shared this photo on Facebook, making the best of life with Zoom:
TheBC Library team – Kirk Russell, Faith Bradham, Elisabeth Sundby, Mindy Wilmot, Sondra Keckley, and Laura Luiz, signed off for the semester by joining together virtually:
The Jones Art Gallery shared another beautiful piece of artwork from a BC Student. This one is from Taylor Rodman, from the Art B46 Advanced Photo class with Kris Stallworth:
And Olivia Garcia shared this fun meme about the end of finals week:
Athletics
This Week in Renegade Athletics History
Eight years ago this week – December 8th, 2012 – Bakersfield College hosted City College of San Francisco in the CCCAA State Football Championship in Memorial Stadium. That is a day not soon forgotten in the minds of faithful Renegade fans. 17,000+ red and white clad fans waving towels and cheering ‘Go Gades!’ at the top of their lungs – it was a sight and experience not soon to be forgotten. I’m sure most of you were at that game and part of the crowd cheering on our ‘Gades as they routed CCSF 35-14. That crowd was by far the largest for any junior college football game in the last decade, maybe even the last two decades!
Our current Athletics Communications Director Brandon Urry, who was not a Renegade at the time, attended that game and took these pictures long before he became one of us. We can’t wait for our Renegades to be back out on the field and for the opportunity to make memories like these.
That’s all for now. Until next time. With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality. sonya – the luckiest and happiest college president ever
The Workforce & Economic Mobility Blog blog shares approaches to workforce and economic development, with a goal of supporting economic mobility for our community while staying committed to the health of our people and the health of our environment.
In the Bhambi & Christian blog, Dr. Brijesh Bhambi join together joined together with the goal of facilitating healing and conversation in our community.
