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Lean on BC

Uncategorized April 11, 2020 Leave a comment

BC Students, lean on BC.

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there’s always tomorrow.
Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on (Bill Withers)

Good morning, Bakersfield. Happy Easter
It is Saturday, April 11, 2020… A great day to be a Renegade.

Bill Withers

I was saddened to hear that the legendary soul singer Bill Withers, passed away at the age of 81 last week. Withers is a three-time Grammy Award winner best known for the songs “Lean On Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine”, which are both on Rolling Stone’s List of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, and John Legend perform “Lean on Me”.

Bill Withers performs “Ain’t No Sunshine”.

Jon Pareles wrote a moving piece in the New York Times about how Bill Withers used his music as a tool to express his compassion and selflessness. Withers was in his early 30s when his recording career started, and his real-life experiences serving in the Navy and working in factories brought an authenticity to his songs about people and their everyday lives. A 2009 documentary about Withers’ life titled “Still Bill” traces the influential singer’s life from his childhood in West Virginia to his retirement from the music industry in 1985.

Enjoying spring with national poetry month

Jack Hernandez emailed me about April being National Poetry Month. His email triggered me dusting off an old book of poems that was part of my high school curriculum. Here are a few verses from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s The Cloud

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,
From the seas and the streams;
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid
In their noonday dreams.

From my wings are shaken the dews that waken
The sweet buds every one,
When rocked to rest on their mother’s breast,
As she dances about the sun.

I wield the flail of the lashing hail,
And whiten the green plains under,
And then again I dissolve it in rain,
And laugh as I pass in thunder.

Here is another lovely poem by Jack Hearnandez

Rain hits a budding flower on the Panorama Campus. — Photos by Earl Parsons

Waiting
By Jack Hernandez

When dawn brings
the darkness,
and light confounds
the day,
we are given
the gift of waiting,
which must be opened
to show the way
of breathing

Rain hits a blooming tree on the Panorama Campus

without a calendar
whose hours
are trained to run,
We must hold silence
like a bowl
receiving rain,
a leaf shining
in the sun,
We must feel
in stillness
the caress of hope.

Thank you Jack!

============================

Thank you Greg and Mary Bynum

Of Bakersfield College’s 40,000 students, 80% are First Generation, approximately 80% are low income, and many rely on campus WiFi and computer labs to access the internet in order to complete their assignments. Students’ responses to a March 20 survey revealed that about one in 10 students do not have adequate off-campus internet access while nearly a quarter of students use their cell phones as their primary device to access their courses. In response to student high student need for technology as Bakersfield College moved instruction online, BC developed a laptop loan program with a generous donation from Greg and Mary Bynum.

Ema Sasic covered this story in the April 10th issue of The Bakersfield Californian. https://tinyurl.com/r4jskk8

Joseph Luiz covered it on KGET https://tinyurl.com/sqpcsx7

Back to College

In my virtual forums, I have been sharing an article from Politico on April 2 highlighting the 10 million workers nationwide who filed jobless claims over the previous 2 weeks. Yet another surge has brought the total of new jobless claims during this pandemic to over 17 million. I have also been sharing this chart showing how the current unemployment claims compare with unemployment data from the Great Recession. One key difference is how quickly the jobless claims have spiked.

I have previously mentioned the Back to College program our team has created to help combat rising unemployment in Kern County. It is my hope that our community can continue to Lean on BC in this time of need and difficulty.

Our team held four sessions last week and two additional sessions this week to answer student questions and get students registered for these courses. Thank you to Victor Diaz, Erineo Garcia, Jo Ann Acosta, Heather Skibinski, Ashlea Ward and Armando Trujillo for leading these sessions and getting our students registered.

Outreach and Financial Aid work together on Back to College. — The Back to College Team meets on Zoom.

I also want to thank Joseph Tipay, David Moton, Oliver Rosales, Isaias Hernandez, Sylvia Reyes, Beenne Anglin and Jonathan Ward for agreeing to take on this important work and teach these courses to our students. This 5-week program will help jumpstart students’ educational journeys and put them on a path that can lead to new associates degrees or transfer options. Online classes begin on Monday.

Levan Institute Moves Online

The Levan Institute is offering 7 classes to help our community #NeverStopLearning.

On Monday, the Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning announced seven online classes starting the week of April 20. Enroll in these fun classes as you shelter in place.

Visit the Levan Institute Registration page to apply now! If you have any questions about the online classes hosted by the BC Levan Institute, please email Miriam Valenzuela at mvalenzu@bakersfieldcollege.edu.To follow the Levan Institute’s posts regarding online classes, please follow them on Facebook. A full list of classes includes:

What’s Streaming?: Find out everything you need to know about popular streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and more.
Self Massage for Stress and Tension Relief – Learn massage techniques that you can apply to your whole body and understand the benefits and precautions of massage.
Massage for Headache Relief – In this course, you will learn about the causes of headaches and practice massage, acupressure and Reflexology techniques for headache relief.
Tai Chi – Tai Chi is a form of martial arts in which slow, gentle movements are made in the air to improve balance, coordination, joint mobility, and blood circulation.
Gentle Mat Pilates – In this class, you will learn about Pilates, a blend of exercises to increase core strength, flexibility, breath control, and alignment correction to improve balance and posture.
Creative Writing: Creating Characters and Their Stories – In this course, you can expect to learn the elements of fictional writing, such as creating memorable characters, descriptive scenes, and realistic dialogue.
Gentle Yoga – This class is designed to promote increased mobility, flexibility, and balance. Yoga is practiced by people of all ages. Each class is an hour of relaxation and gentle movement.

Thank you to Norma Rojas-Mora, Susan Pinza, Miriam Valenzuela, and the BC Levan Institute staff for leading this online classes initiative.

Community Voices: Jeff Newby

Jeff Newby wrote a piece for the Community Voices section. — Jeff Newby

History Professor Jeff Newby wrote a great Community Voices piece for the Californian on Tuesday with tips to help our neighbors and ourselves in small ways.

Jeff’s tips include donating food or money to food banks, donating blood, writing letters to people in isolation, supporting local businesses, and daily neighborhood cleanups. Thank you, Jeff!

All-Campus Forum with Community Leaders

Our All-Campus Virtual Forum last Monday focused on community and political leaders sharing their passion for higher education, as well as their plans to improve the job market during the COVID-19 crisis. I will have their videos for you next week.

On Monday, April 13th, we have another great line up of speakers — Rudy Salas, Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, and David Bynum. Tune in at 3:00 p.m.

Thank you to Nicky Damania and Todd Coston for moderating the virtual forum, Shannon Musser and Lesley Bonds for facilitating the forum behind the scenes, and all of our participants for keeping the valley strong during these uncertain times.

Virtual Forums from the previous week

You can find the videos on the COVID-19 website at https://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/covid19

Here are a few short videos of some of our presenters

Abel Guzman on Rural BC.

Diane Allen — Faculty Counselor supporting DSPS

Jackie Lau — Assistant Director, Enrollment Services

Matt Jones — Faculty, Academic Technology

Fun Photos: IT Provides Laptops Before Physical Campus Closure

Before we shut down the physical campus, Manny De Los Santos got some great photos of the Technology Support Team getting laptops ready for Renegades to move online. Thank you to our whole Information Technology Department for helping us manage this transition.

left: William Velazquez helps students provide laptops to Renegades before closure.
right: Rony Recinos and Martin Perez receive tech support assistance.

left: William Velazquez helps students provide laptops to Renegades before closure.
right: Rony Recinos and Martin Perez receive tech support assistance.

left: Eddie Ledbetter works with a faculty member to get their virtual workstation ready.
right: Todd Coston helps a faculty member with accessing Zoom from their phone.

left: Eddie Ledbetter works with a faculty member to get their virtual workstation ready.
right: Todd Coston helps a faculty member with accessing Zoom from their phone.

Renegade Nurses Help Fight COVID-19

Graduating Registered Nursing speak at BC’s 100 th Nursing Ceremony in 2017.

Bakersfield College nursing students have stepped up to meet the need for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only eight weeks from graduation, our Level 4 nursing students were thrown into uncertainty as we shifted to a virtual learning environment. But our Associate Dean of Nursing, Carla Gard, playing to “where the puck was going to be,” coordinated externship opportunities with our community health partners: Kern Medical, Dignity Health Systems and Bakersfield Heart Hospital.

Working in paid positions at these facilities, these 69 senior students will be paired with nurses so they can complete their education by providing hands-on patient care.

Nursing student Shantelle Rubio and Cindy Collier were interviewed by Valley Public Radio last week, and Fresno Univision affiliate KFTV-21 featured our nursing students in a piece for Spanish-language media.

Here’s a salute and prayer for all healthcare workers who are on the front lines of this epidemic.

Renegades on the Front Lines

English faculty member Kaitlin Hulsy wrote a beautiful piece about the importance of nursing and her late mother’s 35-year career in nursing, which started right here at Bakersfield College. Thank you, Kaitlin!

Before I existed in this world, my mother was a student in the nursing program at Bakersfield College. At the time, she was a single mother who was working multiple jobs to raise two young boys and pay her way through college. My mother was always glamorous, but during her days hitting the books, she had a little more grit as opposed to glitter.

Bonny Lou Hulsy walked across the stage at graduation with a smile on her face. She had done it! She went on to have a 35-year career in nursing. This started with cleaning bedpans, and eventually morphed into assisting doctors in diagnosing kiddos with autism at Kern Regional Center. She eventually co-founded one of the top schools in the nation for children with autism and autistic spectrum disorders. Her sons are now grown, one of them the CAO of Kern County.

Bonnie Hulsy’s photo from her Nursing graduation at BC.

We know that nurses can do anything. More importantly, we know how needed they are at this uncertain time. It is in the spirit that I have an ask for the sixty-nine nursing students who are about to be on the front lines in the time of COVID-19: What do you need? How may we help each and every one of you as you begin your journey?

It is my desire to put together a wish list of items for our 69 Renegade nurses to bring them comfort as they confront a still very much unknown dragon. Please email Endee Grijalva to request any items you need. We will do our best to accommodate you.

In the meantime, please know that my mother is looking down from Heaven on BC nursing and bubbling with pride. As a faculty number, I join countless others who are so incredibly proud of you. We Are BC!

Until next time,

Kaitlin Hulsy

Emails Worth Sharing: Castle In the Storm

Cover illustration for Castle in the Storm.

Kaitlin is also spearheading an important creative outlet for Renegades as they shelter in place. In Kaitlin’s most recent column on the website, she shares her thoughts about teaching being the best job in the world. Read her email below about Castle In the Storm.

Good Afternoon, Colleagues:

I wanted to humbly direct your attention to a project I’m working on, namely Castle In the Storm.

Castle in the Storm is a place for Renegade students who need a creative outlet in the time of Covid-19. The website functions both as a place to showcase student work, in addition to being a repository for professional advice and published pieces from established authors. Our logo was created by BC alumnus and local comedienne Margaret Haggard, and original student work is appearing daily. Submissions of flash fiction/poetry/nonfiction from any Bakersfield College students are always welcome. Students may email me directly, or submit to the website via the Contact page.

At this time, our featured author is acclaimed nonfiction writer Deanne Stillman. Her works include Mustang: the Saga of Wild Horses in the American West, among many others. Deanne has written for Rolling Stone Magazine, and her work Twenty Nine Palms: A True Story of Murder was referred to by the great Hunter S. Thompson as “a strange and brilliant story by an important American writer.” She is part of the core faculty at UC Riverside Palm-desert-MFA. Thank you very much for your time, and please enjoy your weekend.

Regards,
Kaitlin Hulsy

#BCGoesOnline

We got a ton of great content this week through the #BCGoesOnline hashtag on social media. Keep sharing your photos and posts with #BCGoesOnline on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and we’ll feature you in next week’s blog!

Carlos Medina tweeted about supporting CSUB with virtual career events, like the virtual career expo for Industrial Technology last week:

Kalina Hill shared about how inspired she felt after hearing our students speak at the All-Campus Virtual Forum on Tuesday:

Jaime Lopez shared a screenshot from Abel Guzman’s presentation at last week’s Virtual Forum:

Finally, Chris Glaser is staying engaged with all of our virtual forums on Twitter:

Virtual Vacations for Spring Break

Although Spring Break is happening at home this year, here are some tips from our marketing department….

Museums and Attractions

Visit the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
Admire the Sistine Chapel and its’ famous ceiling, painted by Michelangelo, in Vatican City.
Virtually walk through the world’s oldest national public museum, the British Museum, in London, United Kingdom.

Art Collections

Visit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s art collection in New York City.
Experience the art of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York City.
Visit the largest Van Goh collection in the world at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Admire the paintings and sculptures at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California.

Architecture

Virtually walk on the Great Wall of China in the Huairou District of China.
Explore the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Enter the historical Roman Colosseum in Rome, Italy.
Visit the exhibits of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

Nature

Virtually hike Yosemite National Park in Northern California
Admire nature virtually at the Yellowstone National Park in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
Gaze at one of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Pyramids of Giza, in Egypt.
Journey active volcanoes at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on the Hawaii Island (the Big Island).

Animals

Interact with the animals at the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California.
Visit exhibits at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Archives Throwback: Thomas Takes Over New Position

Our look at Bakersfield College in the mid-60s continues with this article from the 1967 Raconteur yearbook about Bill Thomas accepting a position as the student government advisor. Bill Thomas would continue to be a champion for Bakersfield College over the next half-century as a BC professor, KCCD Trustee, and US Congressman representing the Southern San Joaquin Valley. Check the article out below, and stay tuned for more glimpses at Renegade life in the 1960s.

“During the last meeting of the Board of Representatives, Fall Semester, a motion was made without proper parliamentary procedures; this mistake was corrected by a member of the Board with the supervision of an interested teacher who had come into the meeting for a few minutes. Noticing this teacher’s interest in student government, Mr. Ronald McMasters, Advisor, appointed him as the Spring Semester Advisor to student government, knowing there was a vacancy for that position.

“Mr. William Thomas has taught at Bakersfield College for the last two years. Previous to this he attended Santa Ana Junior College, where he received his A.A. degree, after which he transferred to San Francisco State College. After four years with a year of student teaching, he obtained his B.A. and M.A. degrees.

Bill Thomas is animated during a student government meeting.

“Besides being Advisor to Student Government, Mr. Thomas is a member of the Board of Publications. He teachers the Parliamentary Procedures Class, Political Science 1, and Social Science 53A and B. Previous to his new appointment, he was advisor to the Tutorial Project and the Young Republicans Club.

“Mr. Thomas enjoys many extra-curricular activities but is not interested in any special activity. He enjoys sports very much, such as handball and basketball, and he also rides a motorcycle occasionally. To pass the time, he reads and listens to music. Most of his weekends in the past two years have been spent chaperoning the college dances.

“Mr. Thomas is very active and is interested in helping the Bakersfield College students whenever he can through his active life in Student Government and campus life.”

More recent photos of Bill Thomas.

Athletics

Watch this week’s edition of the Renegade Report on the Bakersfield College Athletics Facebook page featuring our Renegade Men’s Tennis Coach Noel Dalton and Head Football Coach R. Todd Littlejohn. Both Coaches talked to Kenny Calvin, the radio host of the Renegade Report, about leading young student-athletes through this unprecedented time. The three also talked about how student-athletes and coaches are facing the stoppage of sports. Click the link to listen to the conversation on Facebook:

National Student-Athlete Day

Monday, April 6th, was National Student-Athlete Day! With all of our sports teams at a standstill, it’s a unique time for athletic staff and coaches, and in particular, for student-athletes. On top of going to class and studying hard, they put in many hours in practice and competition every week. Even now, as we are all sheltering in place, our athletes are hard at work at home, pushing themselves to stay in shape so that they are ready to compete once again. Happy National Student-Athlete Day Renegades, you’re doing fantastic training at home!

Brett Clark Named BVarsity Coach of the Year

Brett Clark, BC’s head wrestling coach and the head girls wrestling coach at Frontier High School, was named the BVarsity All-Area Girls Wrestling Coach of the Year this week. Congrats go out to Coach Clark for this accomplishment! We are lucky to have a coach who is so devoted to developing young talent within our community.

Special Edition: “I Miss Sports Because…”

We asked our student-athletes on social media this week to finish this sentence, “I miss sports because…” Here are a few of their responses

Blake Keesey, from Men’s Golf: “I miss the pressure of needing to hit the shot at the right moment. I miss the early morning drives with the team. I miss the nerves of the opening shot. I miss fighting for each other.”

Brooklyn Walsh, from Women’s Golf: “My team is my family.”

Caleb Jameson, from Men’s Golf: “I miss sports because I miss my team, I miss my brothers, and I miss the pressure and expectations that come with sports.”

Carlos Estrada, from the Football team: “The family environment.”

President Sonya Christian in front of a Bakersfield College wall.

That’s all for now.

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.

sonya-
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

It’s Still a Beautiful World

Uncategorized April 4, 2020 Comments: 3

We do live in a beautiful world.

The weather in Bakersfield has been perfect. The sound of the birds and the smell of the flowers intoxicating. My morning starts with a Neo walk as dawn is breaking but still relatively dark and the neighborhood quiet. Every morning, a sentinel owl who is perched high up on the cypress that fills our neighborhood calls out … who goes there.

Good morning, Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, April 4, 2020… A great day to be a Renegade.

Beauty

Here is Jack Hernandez on Beauty

Beauty
By Jack Hernandez
From my window
azaleas blush,
a white cloud
lingers above,
rain has come
and gone,
the dawn begins
a week of waiting
for another kiss
of passing beauty.

Jack also had a beautiful essay in the April 1, 2020 Californian. Poetry is felt, not analyzed. A poem is not an argument; it is an experience, a revelation. check it out https://tinyurl.com/tzye3ja

#JonesGalleryGoesOnline

Ronnie Wrest and Jeffrey Huston from the Jones Gallery created a virtual exhibition of student art projects. The 2020 Bakersfield College Student Exhibition went live on the web on Thursday afternoon, and features art projects in a variety of mediums. The annual student art exhibition usually takes place at the Jones Gallery inside the Grace Van Dyke Byrd Library, but our art students and staff #LettheTimesGuidetheirCreativity to move this year’s exhibition online.

Invitation with an image of a wild horse running.

See the fabulous art at one or all of the following:

Talking about the art faculty and their creativity, I spotted this wonderful tweet from their dean bragging about them.

Career Education’s First Virtual Career Expo

The Career Education Department hosted their first ever virtual career expo for the Industrial Technology & Transportation pathway on Wednesday April 1st. This innovative platform successfully connected employers with students giving them virtual facetime through Zoom. Our Employer participants included; Berry Petroleum Company, LLC, Sierra School Equipment, Crown Lift Trucks, US Army, AppleOne, JTI Electrical & Instrumentation, LLC, and Westec. As in the many things we do BC is setting the trend as our regional partners have reached out to see how they can duplicate and adapt the event to their campuses. Check out our video recapping the event.

Thank you Carlos Medina and the staff in CTE for thinking outside the box and finding another modality to bring this important event to our students and the community. #BCGoesOnline

Leslie Aldridge Making the World Beautiful

Professor of Performing, Leslie Aldridge is still finding incredible ways to serve our community even though we currently find ourselves in challenging times. Leslie is Mrs. Bakersfield 2020 pageant queen, led a senior donation drive to bring food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and gift cards to needy seniors, and she hosted Donate Life to increase the number of vital organs and tissues to save lives.

She has also used her creativity to bring joy to our community. Her art work at the “Chalk Your Walk” was breathtaking!

Laying next to chalk drawing of flowers.

BC “Do Good, Feel Good” Campaign

Now, for some more positive initiatives at BC! Endee Grijalva, the Program Manager of Rural Initiatives, and the BC Office of Student Life staff members came together to assist BC students through the “BC Do Good, Feel Good” campaign. On April 1, 2020 (no April Fools on this one), began a campaign that provides opportunities and encourages BC employees to continue to “do good and feel good” in continuing to serve and provide much-needed resources to students, all while social distancing. We are keeping our spirits up by continuing to support our students in this difficult time and feeling good about it.

Thank you, BC staff and faculty, for your generosity during this time, and thank you, Endee Grijalva and the BC Office of Student Life staff members, for leading this fantastic campaign.

Cesar Chavez Day

Did you know that Tuesday, March 31st, was César Chávez Day in the United States? In California, César Chávez Day is a state holiday that celebrates the birthday of César E. Chávez, paying tribute to his life as a labor leader and champion of civil rights.

Chávez’s life as a community organizer and activist began in 1952 when he joined the Community Service Organization (CSO), a Latino civil rights group. He coordinated voter registration drives and conducted campaigns against racial and ethnic discrimination. He eventually became CSO’s national director, but his dream was to create an organization that protected and served farmworkers. In the early 1960s, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America), along with Dolores Huerta (who spoke at BC just last year) and Philip Vera Cruz. Chávez remained president of the United Farm Workers of American until he passed away on April 23rd, 1993.

Today, his life motto, “sí se puede” (it can be done),” encourages organizers around the nation to come together and advance civil rights and different causes. Additionally, many schools, parks, streets, libraries, and other public buildings named or renamed after César Chávez to commemorate his work and commitment to social justice. In 1994, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor the U.S. president can grant an American. In 2006, he was inducted into the California Hall of Fame by Gov. Schwarzenegger. Here at BC, we hope Chávez’s legacy continues to inspire us to serve others and the greater good.

David Villarino has organized a large community celebration each year but could not do so this year because of COVID-19 stay-at-home executive order from the Governor. Here are links to the three previous years.

Third annual Cesar Chavez Breakfast. April 24, 2019. Corny Rodriguez was honored. https://sonyachristianblog.com/2019/04/27/spring-is-heating-up-at-bc/

Second annual Cesar Chavez Breakfast in March 2018. Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg was honored. https://sonyachristianblog.com/2018/03/24/a-beautiful-rainy-week-at-bc/

Inaugural Cesar Chavez Breakfast in March 2017. Sandra Serrano was honored. https://sonyachristianblog.com/2017/04/01/an-absolutely-uplifting-week-at-bc/

#BCGoesOnline

Thank you to everyone who continues to share their experiences sheltering in place using the hashtag #BCGoesOnline on social media. Here are some highlights from this week:

Librarian Mindy Wilmot hosted her first ConferZoom meeting and had a furry friend joining her, as well.

Isabel Castaneda joins a Zoom meeting to move the Summer Bridge to BC program online.

Lesley Bonds’ dog Luna was listening intently to the All-Campus Virtual Forum on Tuesday.

Finally, Kalina Hill from Testing and Placement responds to a message of hope from Manuel Rosas.

Screen shot of Nobody is Alone in this, We are here to help!

This Week at BC: Nursing and Allied Health

Marketing student workers Ramon Carreido and Juan Reyes made one last video before BC transitioned to a virtual environment, which happened to be about the important work of our Nursing and Allied Health Departments. Thank you, Juan and Ramon!

BC in the News: Back to College Program on KGET

https://www.kget.com/health/coronavirus/bakersfield-college-launching-five-week-back-to-college-program-to-help-displaced-workers/

Local station KGET covered BC’s five-week Back to College in a video piece last weekend, explaining to the community how our program will assist workers who are displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you, KGET

For more information about this program, visit the Back to College website.

Reflections From Inside

Caption from Sara Wallace’s blog: “This is my mobile office. I have office supplies for the students (left) and my clear backpack (right) to bring in supplies (office supplies, graded work, handouts, dry erase markers, etc). It makes it easier for security if I have a clear backpack, and one of the facilities we work in requires it.”

Sara Wallace, an English faculty at Bakersfield College, has published her second blog entry titled “Reflections from Inside: Teaching in the Inmate Scholars Program”. She has been working as a full-time instructor at a total of five different prisons since the Fall. This blog is her reflection 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. This was written before the recent CoronaVirus Outbreak, and some of the lessons and experiences with teaching inside have already changed dramatically.

Lessons Learned so far: I am teaching composition. There are some real differences between teaching on campus and teaching inside, so it has not been a seamless transition, which was not surprising.
Pro-tip: Do not put anything in the supply cabinet. It will be gone when you get back. The inmates do not have access to this cabinet, so it is probably not them. It is probably another educator. We are all office supply thieves at heart. I am a hardened pen thief myself. There is a real run on office supplies inside.
Something that I take for granted like having a pen or paper to do homework with is really valuable. Bring it in with you and take it with you when you leave. That is a pain, but in some facilities the inmates do not have paper, or they have to buy the paper on their own, which is hard when they are using some of their available time to take my class. I am trying to teach writing. Paper and pens are pretty necessary. I just threw bundles of papers into the recycler the other day because the printer messed up a little bit. It really makes you think about the things we take for granted.
In addition to supply issues, there are some differences in the way I run my class. For example, I have had to limit the amount of call and response kinds of questions I ask. The inmates are very excited to participate, so it can get a little loud. It requires a little bit more management partly because of their excitement for us to be there. It makes it harder to manage, but it also makes me feel more enthusiastic as well. I have only been working in this program for a month, so there is still plenty to learn and different techniques to try out.
A few months ago, the program had its first graduation. Since I am new, none of the new graduates were students of mine. I am looking forward to future graduations so that I get the chance to hear about what some of our students do with this opportunity as it will continue to inform my response to the question of why I am doing what I am doing.
Language of Power: One of my students asked me why I was making them write in this way. I have been asked this question on campus as well, though not as frequently. I had a more precise answer for my students on the inside. I am teaching you the language of power. People who have control over your lives write like this and speak like this. If you do not know how to communicate like them then you are at a disadvantage. Another student asked: like how the lawyers talk? Yes, and everyone else you talk with who has power. That seemed to motivate some of the students who were not as motivated before though I have less trouble with a lack of motivation inside than I do on the outside.
Lessons Learned: “It is all your fault” one of my students said as he stuck his head in the door during their break. They are not really supposed to come back into the classroom until the break is over. The private facility is more strict about this than the government facilities. I have a hard time saying no to students when they want or need help, so I end up spending our entire break answering questions most days. After all, they do not have the opportunity to come to my office hours. This time, my student did not have a question, but he did want to tell me something.
Me: “Oh? What is my fault?”
Student: “The conversation is still going on out there!”
Me: “Fantastic! That is so great!”
We had a discussion before break about the reading, and they were so engaged with the topic that they continued the discussion. We did have to move on to working on the research essay, so I am glad I gave them the break first. Sometimes they can get a little loud because everyone wants to say something. Last week one of the Correctional Officers came into the classroom to see what was going on because we were so loud. We do eventually have to get back to the writing, but it is nice to talk with students who have something to say, and lots of questions.
At first I was finding it hard to maintain control over the students with all of their questions and comments. It led to a conversation with the director of education, correctional officers, and with the class itself. The solution offered by employees of the prison was to just press the emergency button and have the guards come in and crack some heads.
Me: Because they were a little too loud and were a bit rude? That seems like an overreaction.
Them: They would not do it again.
True. If I pressed the emergency button, the students would not do it again, but they also would not say anything in class anymore, and it would hinder their learning. I am not an employee of the prison system, and my purpose in being there is not to control them or to punish them or even to rehabilitate them; it is to teach them. I have dealt with boisterous classes before, and I have never felt the need to call in a bruiser to deal with them. So I did what I usually do, I changed their seating arrangement every week. They could not form little groups of people chatting to themselves if they were not by their friends. Educators can find other ways to manage a class. We do not always have to drop the hammer.
The interactions with the students in the prison setting are really rewarding for the instructors and hopefully the students as well. The coronavirus outbreak has put a stop to all face-to-face teaching in the prison system. My next blog post will be about the effect it has had on our teaching. We are trying to make the best out of this situation, but all of us want to eventually go back inside. Having interactions with someone who is communicating with these students about something other than their behavior or the past mistakes they have made is really important and means a lot to them. I was evaluated by the students last semester as part of the normal evaluation process. I have not had a chance to read all my evaluations (which I cannot read until after the grades are submitted for the semester), but during my meeting with my committee, one of my committee members read a comment to me from one of my students. He said: she never looks at me like I am a level four criminal. She said there were a lot of comments like that and if I am ever feeling low, I should go and read through them. As soon as this is over, I will, and I hope we can go back in soon because besides teaching the Inmate Scholars the content of the course, personal interaction is important too.

Archives Throwback: Highlights from 1965-1967

Homecoming float with Bakersfield College wall.

Earl Parsons took a deep dive into the Bakersfield College Archives last weekend to find any information available about Lupe Hernandez, the Bakersfield nursing student rumored to have invented hand sanitizer in 1966. After digging through two Raconteur yearbooks and countless volumes of the Renegade Rip, however, nothing came up. If you have any information about a Bakersfield nursing student from the mid-60s named Lupe Hernandez, please email web@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

In his search, he managed to find all kinds of resources that paint a picture of life for Renegades in the mid-60s. We’ll be focusing on a few of those major highlights over the next coming weeks, but let’s just take a look at some of the best photos from those years, including this picture of donkey basketball in the gym:

Renegade Athletics were alive and well during this time, with diving, water polo and men’s soccer all being played on the Panorama Campus.

In 1966 just like now, construction projects were happening around the Panorama Campus.

4 images on a yearbook page of campus construction.

In the coming weeks, look forward to a glimpse of Bill Thomas during his time as a Renegade faculty member, Ray Gonzales founding the first Hispanic Cultural Club in BC history, and a closer look at the era of on-campus student housing.

Fun Photos Coffee Cup Collection

Every weekday morning at 7:30 (8 on Fridays) the Marketing team greets one another on Slack. Lori Ortiz also adds a photo of her coffee cup. She has quite the collection. It’s just one of the fun things the MPR team does to stay connected and have some fun in our work from home environment. Here are a few the team shared with me:

There's no place like home with red shoes coffee cup.

Chaos coordinator fueled by caffeine coffee cup.

Renegade Athletics

Upgrade Your Zoom Appeal With New Athletics Backgrounds!

We all have been using Zoom to its fullest this past few weeks and why not ‘Rep your Renegade pride while meeting with your colleagues and community. Feel free to use the background above or click this link to find more on GoGades.com: Renegade Custom Video Conference Backgrounds

National Athletic Training Month

This last month (March) was National Athletic Training Month and we don’t want to let the opportunity slip by without highlighting our awesome Renegade Athletic Trainers – Mike Medeiros, Tricia Gay and Lexi Pitcher. All three spend countless hours helping our student athletes (and visiting teams’ student athletes) stay in tip-top shape for competition. We are grateful to have such a great team of athletic trainers who keep our student athletes operating at peak physical condition!

Field House Demolition

The Dr. Romain Clerou Fieldhouse has been a fixture on campus since we moved up to here on the hill. This last week the historic structure was demolished to make way for the gymnasium. Countless Renegade student athletes used this facility to change for practice/games and we know there are hundreds of alumni with cherished memories of the building from their time spent as Renegades. While we are sad to see it go, we are excited for the new gymnasium that will take its place.

Construction site of field house where the building no longer exists.

Another angle of the site where the field house once stood.

That’s all for now.

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.

sonya-
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

Let the times guide our creativity

Uncategorized March 28, 2020 Comments: 2

Kris Tiner, in his presentation during the President’s Virtual Seminar Series talked about how he had to rethink the teaching of his face-to-face jazz music classes when we moved all our courses to be online and his key message to his students is to let the times guide our creativity.

He ended his remarks with a quote from Nina Simone in 1968 — how can you be an artist and not reflect the times?

My dear friends, we at BC have certainly let the times guide our creativity as we continue to serve our students from a distance.

Good morning, Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, March 28, 2020… A great day to be a Renegade.

As we complete our first full week away from on-campus activities, I am struck by the enormity of the situation we are facing. I am taking some time to reflect on the enormous amount of work that the faculty and staff at Bakersfield College have done to shift the entirety of our operations online. It has been a huge undertaking, and required much flexibility and speed. Our entire campus community’s ability to react to the rapidly changing situations has been nothing short of remarkable.

In my opening remarks at the daily 60-minute seminar series this past week, I have been using this quote from hockey legend Wayne Gretzy. (Btw, I came to know ice hockey and the great players when the Condors did the winterfest in December 2016 in the Memorial Stadium. History making….)

“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays to where the puck is going to be.”

In looking at how our response has been shaped over the past few months, I realize that the reason we have been able to adapt as quickly as we have is because our entire team has been playing to where the puck is going to be.

Back to College

One way that we have anticipated where the puck is going to be is with rising unemployment, another devastating effect of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Economic Policy Institute predicts the loss of over 600,000 jobs in California by Summer 2020, and unemployment claims in the state have already increased by 42% over last year as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Check out KGET’s coverage of this at: https://tinyurl.com/vbehtl3

At Bakersfield College, we know that we are an important resource in our community to combat unemployment and ensure that our workers have the skills needed to be competitive and successful. We knew we needed to act, and act quickly as many in our community faced the possibility of job loss.

The 5-week program will be entirely online, with options of 6, 7, or 13 units. The courses involved will start students on a pathway that will allow them to complete a degree at BC, or transfer to a 4-year institution. Our Financial Aid department will work on financial aid packets for these students.

I’m thankful for the work that Jessica Wojtysiak, Jennifer Achan and Marisa Marquez have done as they mobilized their teams to quickly find solutions and get this program off and running.

Recruitment for this program has begun, and registration begins on March 30th. The entire program – registration, coursework, student services, will take place online, allowing students to earn college credits while practicing social distancing.

For more information, please visit our website at https://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/backtocollege.

Video: We’re In This Together

Our faculty and staff put together a great message for our students reminding them they aren’t alone in their struggles during this time. We encourage students to lean on their Renegade faculty and staff with any support need or questions to be answered. Please take a moment to watch the uplifting video below:

Health and Wellness at BC

At BC, we understand that this transition to shelter in place is a challenge for everyone. Faculty, staff and students are worried about their loved ones who are on the front lines providing essential services at our grocery stores, hospitals, and utilities companies, and many of our students have lost their jobs or face reduced hours while struggling to adjust to fully-online instruction.

I encourage all of our Renegades to practice self-care, maintain a healthy work/life balance, and stay connected to your friends, family, coworkers and fellow students to stay positive and persevere.

Health and Wellness Panel

On Tuesday’s All-Campus Forum, we focused on health and wellness. The panel featured Cindy Collier, Sandi Taylor, Fabiola Johnson and David Riess sharing their advice on how to remain calm and healthy through these stressful times.

Cindy emphasized how important it is to exercise, eat a balanced diet, and get sunshine and air. She also suggested establishing a routine and sticking to it.

Sandi talked about how she stays connected to family, friends, and colleagues virtually, using the Marco Polo app to keep in touch with long-distance family throughout the day. She also pointed out that the BC Athletic Department has a “Resilience” in-home training program to help student athletes stay in shape.

Fabiola highlighted all of our resources to stay connected and maintain structure, including Starfish, Canvas, Conferzoom, emails, and phone calls. She also talked about the confidential and cost-free Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available for staff who need emotional support through this transition.

David closed the panel with a focus on staying grounded, committed to purpose and contextualizing what matters as we adjust to a new way of life. He ended his presentation with a reminder to turn off the news every once in a while and just breathe.

Thank you so much to Cindy Collier, Sandi Taylor, Fabioloa Johnson, and David Riess for helping BC students, staff, and faculty through this transition.

Health and Wellness Resources

For students, the BC Student Health and Wellness Center has mental health providers available by appointment. Thank you to Ronald J. Ostrom, Stella Poncé, Debra Strong, Rick Hobbs, Noe Lemus Ibarra, and Dave Seymour, and everyone on the BC Student Health and Wellness Center team for supporting students through this transition.

The Kern County Library is hosting online meditation and yoga sessions through Facebook Live and Zoom sessions. Meditation classes take place Tuesdays at 1 p.m., and yoga for kids and families is available on Fridays at 10 a.m. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has posted a PDF guide with helpful information to ease COVID-19 anxiety, support mental health and well-being, and financial resources if COVID-19 has impacted your economic situation.

Diana Winston of UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center, led a powerful webinar on how mindfulness – being in the present moment, not being anxious of the future or dwelling on the past) – can help us during challenging times.

And, remember to not worry about what cannot control, but instead focus on what you can control. This helpful guide was shared with me from Valerie Urso, from the BC Marketing and Public Relations team.

Thank you to Valerie Urso for providing such a supportive graphic.

Thank you to all BC students, staff, and faculty for assisting one another through this digital transition. We are BC!

Industrial Technology and Transportation Virtual Career Expo 2020

Career Education is hosting the Industrial Technology & Transportation Virtual Career Expo on Wednesday April 1st, 2020 at 10:00am-12:00pm.

Students will have the opportunity to network with employers and receive industry insight regarding internships or employment opportunities. Faculty from different programs in the Industrial Technology & Transportation pathway will also be available to answer questions about program specifics. Financial aid will be participating to help current and future students with any financial aid questions. This annual event has been modified a bit from a physical presence to a virtual format utilizing Jobspeaker and Zoom, a first for Bakersfield College.

“Our mission to get our students employed is still a top priority and it’s still in progress while we shift to this online platform” says Job Development Specialist Carlos Medina.

Our employer partners are still in need to fill their workforce needs, and our students are seeking employment now more than ever.

BC Job Developers Reach Out Through YouTube

When Bakersfield College proactively decided to move to a virtual platform in response to COVID-19, Student Employment Job Developer, Freddie Rodriguez began to brainstorm on how to stay connected with his pathway students and let them know about career readiness services. He wanted a way to reach out to all his current and future pathway students to let them know how to connect with them during this time. So, Freddie picked up my phone, took a deep breath, and started recording himself on a video to tell students the different ways they can connect with job developers to assist them with career readiness services.

Next, though nervous, Freddie sent his video to his superviser, Stephanie Baltazar, to pitch the idea. Stephanie texted back “LOVE it.” With that inspirational message, Freddie proceeded to plan the process, research video software and taught himself a new skill in video editing. With the inspiration of our “Bakersfield College leaders’ dedication and boldness to come up with creative ways to continue to move this institution forward;” and the support and help of of Hilda Rodriguez, Stephanie Baltazar and Tony Cordova, Freddie produced this excellent video to reach students and let them know Job Developers are here to assist them with achieving their career goals.

Thank you Freddie for thinking out of the box and finding a creative way with a to reach our student through virtual modalities. Check out the Student Employment page for more information.

Bakersfield Nursing Student Invented Hand Sanitizer

Gel hand sanitizer is saving lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight, but did you know that it was invented in 1966 by a Bakersfield nursing student named Lupe Hernandez? UK newspaper The Guardian first wrote about Lupe in 2012, and the story has recently gone viral after being reposted by the culture blog Remezcla. Lupe discovered that alcohol, delivered in gel form, could clean and disinfect hands when soap and water were not available. She called an invention hotline she heard about on television with her idea for a patent, as the story goes, and created a billion dollar industry that is saving lives every day during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not much is written about Lupe Hernandez, though she does receive a brief mention in the textbook “The Growth and Development of Nurse Leaders”. If you have any information about Lupe Hernandez, especially her time as a nursing student, please email web@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

This Week at BC: Construction

Several weeks before BC transitioned to a virtual learning environment, our Marketing student workers Ramon Carreido and Juan Reyes put together a video from the Campus Center construction project. Check out their footage and information about the project below.

Teaching in the Inmate Scholars Program

Sara Wallace, English Professor at Bakersfield College, has published her second entry on her blog titled: “Reflections from Inside: Teaching in the Inmate Scholars Program” on Medium. She has been working as a full-time instructor at a total of five different prisons since the Fall.

Wallace’s mobile office. She has office supplies for the students (left) and a clear backpack (right) to bring in supplies (office supplies, graded work, handouts, dry erase markers, etc). A clear backpack makes it easier for security check-in, and one of the facilities we work in requires it.

This blog is her reflection 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.

This was written before the recent CoronaVirus Outbreak, and some of the lessons and experiences with teaching inside have already changed dramatically. Those changes will be addressed and reflected on in the next installment.

For the entire blog entry, go to the following link: https://medium.com/@sarawallace_75158/reflections-from-the-inside-9f454187ae86

2020 Census

Although we are living in a challenging time, I want to briefly remind everyone how important it is to respond to the 2020 Census. This year, the census consists of nine questions, and it will allocate $1.5 trillion federal dollars to states and communities in need.

Responding to the 2020 Census is important for all Americans, but for those of us who live and work in, and especially care about the betterment of rural communities, participation in the census is critical. It can be completed by phone (in 13 languages), through the mail, and for the first time ever, you can fill out the census online!

Fun Photos: #BCGoesOnline

The Marketing and Public Relations team wished their director Norma Rojas-Mora a happy birthday with style during their Zoom meeting on Thursday.

Here is Lesley Bond’s remote work station.

We encourage all of our Renegades to share photos from their online transition using the hashtag #BCGoesOnline. Feel free to also email any fun photos you have to web@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

Archives Throwback – BC Celebrates the First Earth Day

The City of Los Angeles celebrated the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, almost 50 years ago. To raise awareness for the occasion, a group of 50 people from the Ecology Action group organized a “survival walk” over six weeks leading up to the festival, travelling on foot from Sacramento to the Santa Clarita Valley.

On its path through the heart of the Central Valley agriculture belt, the “survival walkers” stopped at the Panorama Campus on April 15. BC faculty and students organized a series of events and conversations about ecology in the weeks before and after the “survival walk”, including a National Ecology Teach-In on Earth Day itself.

The April 17, 1970 edition of the Renegade Rip gave prominent coverage to the Survival Walkers and the Teach-in. Check out the story and some photos below, and take a deep dive through our Renegade Rip archives to find more interesting stories from the history of BC. For more information about the “survival walk” and its path through the San Joaquin Valley, check out this passage from Adam Rome’s book “The Genius of Earth Day”.

National Ecology Teach-In set for April 22 by Barry McDonald

“With the survival walkers’ departure to Los Angeles yesterday, the BC students for a Better Environment began last minute preparations for the National Ecology Teach -In. April 22, Wednesday, has been designated National Ecology Teach-In. April 22, Wednesday, has been designated National Ecology Teach-In Day. Nearly all major cities and colleges will host guest speakers on that day. BC’s Teach-In will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the outdoor theater.
Bob Jennings, a graduate of East Bakersfield High, Bakersfield College, and Humboldt State will be the first speaker at 10:00 a.m. Mr. Jennings is the newly appointed administrative assistant to Bob Mathias. He has served with the Bureau of Land Management as a wildlife expert and will be speaking on the role of government agencies in environmental areas.
World renowned Dr. Leroy Smale will speak at 10:30 a.m. Dr. Smale, a practicing gynecologist at Kern General Hospital, in addition to speaking through-out the United States, has lectured in Europe. Considered an expert on population, Dr. Smale is expected to highlight the Teach-in. His speech will be Population: Problems and Solutions.
At ll:30 Leroy Jackson, Kern County Supervisor and Chairman of the Air Pollution Control District will follow Dr. Smale. Supervisor Jackson’s speech will tell what has been and will be done to solve the ecology crisis in Kern County. The effects of air pollution on living organisms will be discussed by Dr. George Lawrence at 12:00. Dr. Lawrence is head of the life science department at BC, a graduate of Berkeley, and is a Technical Advisory Committee member of Kern County Air Pollution Control District (TACKCAPCD).
A U.S. Forest Service District Ranger, John Marker from the Greenhom District will follow Dr. Lawrence at 12:30 p.m. His talk is entitled People, Pollution, and Public Lands.
Joe Fontaine, Physical Science teacher at Foothill High, Chairman of the Kern Kaweah Chapter of the Sierra Club, and active member of the Tejon Sub Chapter of the Nature Conservancy will speak at 1:00 p.m. on the state of the Natural Environment in Kern County.
Then, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. local candidates for state and national offices will be given five minutes each to tell “What I will do…”
Air Pollution in Kern County is the topic of Mr. Citron Tory, Air Controller Officer of the Kern County Air Control Board. Mr. Toy will speak at 2:30 p.m.
Following Mr. Toy at 3:00 will be William J. Mead. He will speak about water problems and lookout in Kern County. Mr. Mead is the Executive Secretary of the Water Association of Kern County.
The last speaker in the lecture segment of the Teach-In will be Dr. Frederic Lane. Dr. Lane is practicing anesthesiologist at Kern General Hospital, a member of the TRACKAPCD, and has been involved with environmental problems for many years. Dr. Lane will speak on the role of the individual.
At 4:00 p.m. the Teach-In wil continue with the Pollution Film Festival. The Festival will be shown in the Forum East Theatre on the BC campus. The first film will be “Wind On A Summer Day,” from the Kern County Health Department. Next will be “The River Must Live,” from the Shell Oil Company. Then, “The Last Frontier,” an international Film Festival prize winner from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. And ending the day “Too Little Time,” from the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Since the state of our environment is the concern of every human being, the faculty at BC has been asked to urge attendance at the Teach-In activities. The public is invited.”
Adam Rome’s book “The Genius of Earth Day”

Athletics

Renegade Report

In spite of the social distancing measures, the athletics department Renegade Report still moves forward. This week Kenny Calvin was joined by Athletic Director Sandi Taylor and Head Volleyball/Beach Volleyball Coach Carl Ferreira as they discussed the stoppage of sports competitions and how they keep moving forward. Click below to give it a watch.

Link to the video: https://www.facebook.com/BakersfieldCollegeAthletics/videos/678051462962587/

Former Renegade Basketball Coach Jeff Hughes Passes Away

We were very saddened to hear of the passing of former Renegade Men’s Basketball Coach Jeff Hughes this last week. Jeff is the older brother of current Men’s Basketball Coach Rich Hughes. Jeff started at BC as an assistant coach to Marc Arce before being the head coach from 1998-2002. Voice of the Renegades, Vance Palm, who was a teammate of Jeff’s at CSUB and also his assistant coach in 1998 at BC had this to say about his friend – “Jeff was an outstanding athlete, a basketball purist, who wasn’t keen on excuses but at the same time was compassionate to his players, very respectful of his colleagues and above all, loved his family deeply. His generosity and commitment to his friends was obvious in his actions and deeds. Jeff will be missed by the Palms and we send out our prayers to Patti, Lauren, Allison, Rich and their entire family at this time.”

We offer our condolences to the Hughes family at this time of loss. To read the story on Jeff on GoGades.com click here: http://gogades.com/general/2019-20/releases/20200323i7dv95.

To read the story written on Jeff by Clay Cunningham in the Californian, click here: https://www.bakersfield.com/sports/college/friends-family-mourn-the-death-of-former-bc-basketball-coach/article_dc6eb958-6d44-11ea-b61b-ab57e696d20a.html

Win By Staying In

As encouraged by our government officials and Surgeon General – we encourage everyone to ‘Win By Staying In’. This is a billboard we are running to help encourage everyone to stay at home at this time so we can continue to keep the curve from spiking.

RESILIENCE – Athletics releases new at-home workout program

During this period of social distancing, Renegade Athletics is proud to release ‘Resilience’, a new at-home training program to encourage student athletes and staff to workout at home. The program was developed by Strength and Conditioning coaches Zack Peters and Konrad Dahl in conjunction with Men’s and Women’s Swim Coach Matt Moon. The program is a three week at-home training program and can help you stay in-shape while staying in-doors. We are grateful to see our kinesiology faculty working hard to help keep us in-shape during this time.

Click this link to get started on the program: http://gogades.com/general/2019-20/releases/20200323j6mziq

Football’s Maui Headed to Lake Erie College

Congrats go out to Fano Maui from Renegade Football who has committed to continue his academic and football career at Lake Erie College. Maui, a defensive back from Taft High School, played just his freshman season at BC. He finished the 2019 season with 30 total solo tackles, three tackles for loss and two interceptions. Lake Erie College is located in Painesville, OH and is an NCAA Division II level school that competes in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

That’s all for now.

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality

sonya-
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

#BCGoesOnline

Uncategorized March 22, 2020 Leave a comment

#BCGoesOnline. The last of our 3 physical campuses shuts down. March 20, 2020

Novel coronavirus, COVID-19, social distancing, shelter in place, stay at home, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Sanjay Gupta,….. all names, words and phrases that have become part of our day-to-day conversations.

Good morning, Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, March 21, 2020… A great day to be a Renegade.

“Business Un-usual” as #BCGoesOnline

The Academic Technology team helps BC faculty move their courses online. — Pamela Rivers and the Academic Technology Team help BC faculty move their courses online. Photo courtesy of John Harte.

In this time of uncertainty and crisis, I am amazed at how swiftly and robustly BC moved to continue supporting our students. We have been ahead of the curve with our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, sending out emails to our faculty and staff as early as January 30 with resources to keep themselves safe.

From the moment the incident command team was activated in late February , we cancelled events as we systematically ramped up our actions to ensure the health and safety of our campus community. Over the next three weeks we systematically moved all of our instruction, student services, and academic support online while preparing 40,000 students and 1,000 employees with resources for using Canvas, ConferZoom, Starfish and accessing their desktops remotely.

None of this would have been possible without the support of our staff in the Academic Technology and Technology Support Services departments, who made themselves available at every possible moment to ensure the continuation of our operations in a virtual environment. They worked three weeks and three weekends in a row to get the campus transitioned to an online environment.

This 2:15-min video message is from March 16th when BC was 100% online …. #BCGoesOnline.

On Thursday, March 19 at 3 p.m., we decided to announce physical closures at the Panorama Campus. The Delano Campus and BC SouthWest closed early this week, and we had already begun physically closing buildings on Panorama as their services were shifted to a virtual environment.

Johns Hopkins Dashboard snap shot as of March 21, 2020 7:00 p.m.

All access points to the Panorama campus are now barricaded with the exception of the Haley Street entrance, which is only accessible to essential personnel. All faculty and staff must call the Office of Campus Safety before and after leaving campus to be escorted by one of our officers. Bill Potter and the Maintenance and Operations team have deep cleaned and sanitized every building as it was locked so that they will be ready for students, faculty and staff when we are able to reopen the campus.

The three smiling toward the camera to the side. — Shelly Castaneda, Nicky Damania, and Cindy Collier.

Our announcement of physical closure of the main campus came just hours before California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a mandatory stay at home order for the entire state….. BC again staying ahead of the curve as the situation evolves. We wouldn’t have been able to manage this transition as smoothly as we have without the hard work of everyone coming together to address this unprecedented crisis. A big thank you to my COVID advisory team led by Nicky Damania, Cindy Collier, and Shelly Castaneda.

VP of Student Affairs Leadership Team meetings go Online March 20 2020

The Renegade family is staying connected with all-campus virtual forums on Zoom every afternoon during the week. We’ve hosted ten of these virtual seminars so far, with faculty and staff sharing their approach to the monumental work of moving our college completely online. They are also great opportunities to have some fun and share laughs with each other. I encourage everyone to join in as we continue our all-campus virtual forums on Monday, March 23 at 3 p.m. We have a lineup of students who will be on the panel.

Academic Tech Goes Online March 20, 2020

Now is still, and always, a great time to be a Renegade. It is our Renegade spirit and pride that have allowed us to face this adversity with efficiency and positivity. I know that our campus community will continue to band together to get through this latest obstacle, because We Are BC!

For now, keep checking our COVID-19 response website for updates, resources, and frequently asked questions.

Carlos Barbaran shows us how to make a paper mask

Academic Technology Weekend Open House

You could feel the energy and excitement in the library at the Academic Technology team’s open house event last weekend. Faculty and staff came together to provide each other with the resources and knowledge they needed to navigate our new normal online, and I was more grateful than ever for the opportunity to work with such talented, dedicated people every day.

Faculty work together to move classes online.

Thank you to Bill Moseley, Pamela Rivers, Matt Jones, Tracy Lovelace, David Greenfield and Anita Karr for all of their hard work throughout this transition.
Check out some photos from the Open House, which were graciously provided to us by photography professor John Harte.

Matt Jones leads the Academic Technology open house.

Faculty participate in the Academic Tech Open House.

#BCGoesOnline – Marketing and Public Relations

Despite our difficult circumstances, Renegades have attempted to build camaraderie and keep a sense of humor. We have been sharing our workstations and study areas with each other and on social media. I would like to start collecting fun photos of people’s workstations as part of new regular feature on the blog every week, so please share your workstation photos using the hashtag #BCGoesOnline when you post to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or simply email them to earl.parsons@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

For the first edition, we’ll share photos from the Marketing and Public Relations team, who moved fully online by Tuesday afternoon.

Earl Parsons virtual workstation. — **Earl Parsons** mixes new and old technology for his home office space.

**Earl Parsons** mixes new and old technology for his home office space.

Marbella Avalos-Corona's virtual workstation — Left: **Marbella Avalos-Corona** has a furry friend to keep her company.
Right: **Shannon Musser** works from the kitchen table.

Shannon Musser's virtual workstation. — Left: **Marbella Avalos-Corona** has a furry friend to keep her company.
Right: **Shannon Musser** works from the kitchen table.

Valerie Urso's virtual workstation — Left: Web Content Editor **Valerie Urso** transitioned to working remotely less than a week after starting at BC.
Right: Graphic Designer **Dylan Wang** keeps up with the team on Slack.

Dylan Wang's virtual workstation. — Left: Web Content Editor **Valerie Urso** transitioned to working remotely less than a week after starting at BC.
Right: Graphic Designer **Dylan Wang** keeps up with the team on Slack.

Lori Ortiz' virtual workstation. — Left: **Lori Ortiz** uses a tablet side-by-side with her laptop.
Right: **Aricia Leighton** arranges her space vertically to create more room.

Aricia Leighton's virtual workstation. — Left: **Lori Ortiz** uses a tablet side-by-side with her laptop.
Right: **Aricia Leighton** arranges her space vertically to create more room.

Community Colleges Across California Respond to COVID-19

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, institutions of higher education play a vital role in preventing the spread of the disease. Colleges and universities like BC are working with local health departments to share important information with their communities about the symptoms of COVID-19 and how to prevent its exponential spread.

Chancellor Eloy Oakley at the Intersegmental Pathways Symposium. — Chancellor Eloy Oakley

Chancellor Eloy Oakley took an important first step to support social distancing when he eliminated the standard approval process for transitioning community colleges online on March 11.

I’m so proud of how our leadership in the community college system is supporting us as we move more than 2 million enrolled students across the state to online instruction. Thank you to Chancellor Oakley and the leadership at all of the colleges.

Creative Approaches to Social Distancing Around the World

While people throughout the world practice social distancing and shelter-in-place, they’re finding creative ways to express themselves, share hobbies and entertain each other at the same time. For instance, musicians in Italy are playing their instruments from on top of balconies.

To help people stay fit while social distancing, a fitness instructor in Seville, Spain lead a workout from a rooftop. Some people have even figured out how to play tic-tac-toe with their pets.

People play Tic Tac Toe with pets. — Did you know turtles and cats could play tic-tac-toe?

Livestreaming is being used in more creative ways than it ever has right now, with people hosting their birthday parties, DJ sets, game nights and happy hour hangouts through Zoom, Twitch and other virtual platforms. Check out this great article from the New York Times about coronavirus socializing for more ideas to lighten up your social life.

Some of the world’s biggest pop stars are livestreaming their concerts for fans, including Miley Cyrus and Cheryl Crow. Visit the Billboard website and NPR Music for an updated list of live-streamed concerts and performances.

If you’re looking for some great entertainment to stream during all this downtime, Netflix has added some classic films to their service this month, including “GoodFellas”, “The Shawshank Redemption”, “There Will Be Blood”, and “Space Jam”. The first season of the critically-acclaimed FX show “Devs” is streaming on Hulu, HBO started the third season of its mind-bending series “Westworld”, and the long-awaited final season of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is available on Disney+.

Grandpa Arthur, this one is for you.

Archives Throwback: Renegades React to 9/11

Letters to the Editor - We will stand united — Illustration from the Renegade Rip.

In my search for inspiration to lead the campus during this important moment in world history, I looked to the past to see how Renegades throughout the decades have weathered the storm during moments of crisis.

As you would expect, the Renegade Rip newspaper from September 14, 2001 focused on the World Trade Center attacks that had just happened 3 days before publication. Rip staff writer Ryan Knaggs and photographers Neil Kitchen and Alyssa D. Stumbo covered the emotional front page story about how the campus community mourned the tragedy while coming together to make sure everyone was safe. The entire staff of the paper sourced quotes for the piece, coming together on the day of the tragedy to file a story before the deadline to print.

Opinions editor Daniel F. Hunt wrote about city officials’ reactions to the attacks, two op-ed contributors debated how the United States should respond to the attacks, and there were a collection of motivational quotes from students who had family members in New York on 9/11, as well faculty members such as Jack Brigham, David Rosales, and David Besst.

Check out the main article from this edition below, and view an archive of all previous Renegade Rips on the Bakersfield College website.

Front page of the Renegade Rip from September 14, 2001 — The front page of the Renegade Rip on September 14, 2001.

‘This is too big to be real’

Campus responds with sadness, anger following national tragedy

By Ryan Knaggs

Rip Staff Writer

Reactions on campus from the tragic terrorist attack Tuesday on the United Slates ranged horn disbelief and sorrow to feelings of anger and retaliation. The tragedy felt close to home even though it happened across the country.

Ken Smith, a 24-year-old student majoring in computer science, has four family members who worked in the World Trade Center.

“I feel nothing but pain right now, along with utter disbelief. This is too big to be real.” Smith said Tuesday. “Goddamn. I wish I could wake up. My emotions are beyond chaotic. No word has been given to me about the status of my family.”

Smith said it may be several days before he hears anything about his relatives. While obviously upset, he does not want an unilateral response from the United States.

“These people, if caught, they should be given due process and trial. Only then we should take action. We should not let this event rob us of our ideas” he said.

Judy Romanini, who works as a counseling technician at BC, has a daughter who was on vacation in New York.

“I was panicked. My first thought was, ‘Oh, my God, are the kids OK?’ I saw it on the news this morning, it was about 6:15. So I was able to get through to her then – and it was what, 9:30 their time, I guess – and she was OK. And then for several hours, and then of course that was after just the first plane. after that we couldn’t get through for several hours, and she finally just called me about 10 minutes ago and said that they were fine,” she said.

“She said they were 10 blocks from the tower, but they saw the second tower go down. She said it was an awful sight.”

“People were in 1he streets just hysterical, people were crying. She said the worst part was when they actually saw the tower go down. She said people were jumping out of windows from the towers.”

Students around campus reacted with disbelief.

“This is a wake-up call, not only for the federal government, but also for society. It’s beyond belief,” said journalism major Katie Swank.

Nichole Ferullo, 18, said, “All you can do right now is pray for everyone that was in that building, and the families. I don’t think an attack like this should be taken lightly. and I think it will be met with extreme measures.”

Some students said that terrorists will continue to plague America. Forty-six year-old Diane Baker who served in the U.S. Air Force said, “I’m scared. I know this is not over.”

The total collapse of the World Trade Center seemed surreal to Sarah Espinoza.

“‘It was horrible,” she said. “lt’s scary to imagine something like that happening. It’s something you would see in the movies.”

The idea or a possible war was on the minds of many students.

Tyrone Pickens, 19, said. “I feel nervous that a state on the West Coast could be hit next. I just hope we don’t have to go to war.”
Joseph McDonald, 18, said, “‘Man, that scares the hell out of me. I don’t want to fight.”

On the other hand. Victor Martinez, 19, said, “I’ll be ready if I have to be called.”

Faculty and staff also voiced opinion on Tuesday’s tragedy.

Dr. David Rosales, history professor, discussed how the U.S. may react.

“It certainly is a tragedy,” he said, “However, l think, quite frankly, terrorism is maybe the curse of the 21st Century. Certainly, it is going to be incumbent upon President Bush to have a response to this, unfortunate as it may be. It will be and would have to be a retaliatory response.”

English professor David Besst wasn’t focusing on teaching Tuesday, but on the victims and families of the attack.

“I just let class out early because the mood wasn’t right to teach,” he said.

Denise Pandol, a political science teacher who studied international relations, said, “I thikn we need not be fearful. We need to wake up. There’s tremendous support of groups against the US. It was unprovoked and deliberate. I hope the [Bush] administration will have the courage to tell us who’s responsible.”

Jack Brigham, a political science and history professor, said, “My greatest sadness is to my Islamic students on campus today, because so many people do not understand their religion and they actually associate this violence with that religion.

Dr. Randall Beeman, a history professor, urged caution.

“This is a really important event in our history,” he said. “We need not react with hatred even though we feel anger. We shouldn’t act irrationally. We need to pray for people and hold our anger in until we know who we are to be angry with.”

-Journalism students Daniel F. Hunt, Jarrod M. Graham, Elizabeth Gregory, Tami Olivares, Cody Slaton, William Henry, Alicia Zuniga, Megan Bell, Zachary Smith, Linda Sanchez, Audrey Ednaliao, Daniel Ruiz, Anna Bliss, Anthony Lewis, Yvonne Pereida, Claudia Cazares and Selena Cooper contributed to this story.

Renegade Athletics

CCCAA Decides to suspend all Athletics Competitions

In what was a domino effect starting on Wednesday (3/11) with the suspension of the NBA season, the entire sports world from the professional level to the high school level decided to stop all spring competitions effective Thursday. Word came from the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) that all spring sports would be suspended effective immediately on Thursday (3/12) evening. That meant a premature end to the season for all 10 of our spring sports. Athletic Director Sandi Taylor put it best “The health and welfare of our student athletes and campus community are at the forefront of this decision. We are saddened for what this means for our sophomore student athletes and the heartbreak they are experiencing of not being able to play. We know the CCCAA will be working in conjunction with the NCAA and NAIA to navigate eligibility issues going forward.” We are all working through this challenging time and pray and hope for the best for our student athletes as they are all in their prime and working towards record-breaking seasons.

Towns and Robles Earn Honors at Cuesta Sprint

Daran Towns - Queen of the Pool at the 2020 Cuesta Sprint.

Esteban Robles, Runner-Up, 2020 Cuesta Sprint.

In what ended up being the final competition for Renegade Swimming this spring, sophomores Daran Towns and Esteban Robles took home honors at last Friday’s Cuesta Sprint. Towns was named Queen of the Pool for taking first in all of her races and Robles was named Male Runner-Up. Congrats to these two, even as it was a bittersweet moment to end their season.

The final round of Renegade Athletics updates for this spring semester:

Sonya Christian speaks at the Intersegmental Pathways symposium.

That’s all for now.

Until next time.

With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.

sonya-
the luckiest and happiest college president ever

BC faculty & staff — always ahead of the curve

Uncategorized March 14, 2020 Comments: 2

These past two weeks, I have been awestruck at the caliber of our faculty and staff. I have always been impressed by the talent, dedication, tireless work ethic, and commitment to students that BC employees exhibit every day. Even so, I have been overwhelmed with the swiftness with which our faculty, classified staff, and administrators, have responded to the coronavirus epidemic doing deep work to redesign instructional practices, counseling practices, writing center practices, ….. so that students feel nurtured, respected and loved with this dramatic shift in their learning environment. The camaraderie, the kindness, the humor, and the grace in the face of what are very anxious times for our community, our nation and the world. Thank you faculty, staff, and students for having me as your president. Here is taste of the BC community on a saturday.

A whole campus effort. We are BC!

Good morning, Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, March 14, 2020… A great day to be a Renegade.

Emeriti and Retirees at Board of Trustees Meeting

Trustee hands the box to Bill. — Bill Thomas with Trustee Agbalog

At this week’s Board of Trustees meeting on the Panorama Campus, Trustee Romeo Agbalog, Chancellor Tom Burke and BC Vice President of Instruction Billie Jo Rice took a moment to honor our retiring and Emeritus faculty and staff. In total, these retirees represent several centuries of experience in making an important impact for the lives of our students.

Tom Burke began with a brief history of the word “emeritus”, a Latin term that referred to veteran soldiers who had finished their tour of duty. By the end of the 18th Century, American academics were using “emeritus” to commemorate professors who served their institutions with distinction. BC faculty and administration who came forward to accept their emeritus recognition included Corny Rodriguez, Gayle Richardson, Jeannie Parent, Phil Feldman, Bill Kelly, and Bill Thomas.

Angela Craft

Angela Craft started as a Department Assistant for Athletics in 1998 and retired as the Executive Secretary over Humanities. She served 13 Deans during her tenure at the Home of the Renegades and will be remembered for her remarkable problem-solving skills and calming demeanor.

Cornelio Rodriguez

Corny smiles with box — Corny Rodriguez with Trustee Agbalog

Corny Rodriguez is an icon at BC, serving as the first director of the BC Chicano Cultural Center and starting the first Chicano/Latino Pre-Commencement Ceremony more than 20 years ago. He was a champion for equity who masterfully kept our community invested in the college throughout his tenure, culminating in his work as Dean of Instruction.

Gayle Richardson

Standing by a lecturne. — Gayle Richardson with Trustee Agbalog

Gayle taught business management for decades and graciously served on a number of committees, including the Academic Senate and the Archives Committee. She was also renowned for being the “dining diva” for the BC bowling league, planning dinners and events for the group every semester.

Jeannie Parent

Jeannie holds a box. — Jeannie Parent with Trustee Agbalog

The EMLS Department would not exist in the form it does today without the work of Jeannie Parent, who spearheaded the move to create a separate academic department. She was a dedicated servant and passionate supporter of our students, and in 2010, she organized a Study Abroad program in Vietnam.

Mitchell Barter

Mitchel holds box. — Mitchel Barter with Trustee Agbalog

For almost 30 years, Mitchell beautifully painted our athletics fields, making sure our student athletes had a clean, welcoming space to express themselves. He is remembered for his meticulous precision and thoroughness, as well as a wealth of amazing stories about the history of BC.

Phil Feldman

Phil holds box. — Phil Feldman with Trustee Agbalog

Phil served a number of roles during his BC career, starting as a resident advisor before becoming the first department chair of Academic Development and a former Director of the Delano Campus. He ended his time at BC as a professor in the Education Department, and he will be sorely missed by many.

Valerie Robinson

Valerie holding a box. — Valerie Robinson with Trustee Agbalog

Valerie taught human resources management courses in the Business Department and was a valuable mentor to many of our students through African-American Initiatives, Umoja, Bridge to BC, and the Academic Senate. She also worked closely with the Entrepreneurship Black Chamber of Commerce. She’ll be remembered for her humility, integrity, work ethic, and altruism.

Congratulations to all of the retirees and thank you for your service to our community and students at Bakersfield College.

Daily Zoom Updates on the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

3 people sit behind a table with computer monitor and speakers.

This week, Nicky Damania, Director of Office of Student Life, Cindy Collier, Acting Health Center Director, and Shelly Castaneda, Executive Director of Campus Safety, hosted Zoom sessions to update students and our community on the latest developments of the COVID-19.

Our BC community is actively engaged in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, advising students, faculty, and the community members to remain safe and informed; arranging and using the hand sanitizer stations around our campus; and, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces. Students and staff are urged to follow these COVID-19 updates as we continue to monitor the situation and take precautions.

COVID-19 Updates

Thank you, Nicky Damania, Cindy Collier, and Shelly Castaneda for your commitment to keep our students and community members informed on the latest COVID-19 updates.

BC Blood Drive

One of the buses where they take the blood.

While we postponed college events out of an abundance of caution, we decided to continue with the BCSGA blood drive for Houchin Blood Bank. In a conversation with Houchin’s CEO, Brad Bryan, and realizing that while the Coronavirus (COVID-19) does affect our community, cancer patients, mothers with delivery complications, surgery patients, and trauma victims still need blood. Houchin provides approximately 1500-2000 blood products to hospitals in Kern County monthly. Bakersfield College blood drives provide a much needed resource, especially with concerns of some donors at this time. Brad shared that:

Houchin Community Blood Bank is in continuous communication with the FDA and the AABB Inter-organizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism. Together we are monitoring this evolving public health situation and have enacted recommended measures to ensure the continued safety and availability of the blood supply as well as the safety of our donors.
These precautions defined by the AABB Task Force and implemented at Houchin include:
– Enhanced blood donor screening measures which include travel deferrals for countries listed by the World Health Organization as sources of Corona Virus. The deferral is a 28 day deferral which allows for the 2 week incubation period for Corona Virus.
– Enhanced measures to prevent individuals with clinical respiratory infections from donating blood. Immediate deferral of any donor who exhibits signs of sickness will occur.
–We additionally are measuring vital signs to ensure that any patient exhibiting signs of sickness is deferred.
We have had these precautions implemented since the first news of Corona Virus entering the US in order to protect both the donors and the blood supply. I ask that you please continue to allow us to hold this drive so that we can maintain the current blood supply for our county and the patients that so desperately need this blood to survive.

With these assurances and with a desire to help our community, we continued with the blood drive. Did you know when an individual donates one pint of blood, they are able to save up to three lives with that one pint?

Aricia, one of our Web Content Editors in Marketing, told me that as she was donating blood she asked the nurse how the donations were going. The nurse responded that it has been a very successful event and they are very thankful for the high turnout. I am proud of our students, staff and faculty that came out to donate to help our community when we may most need this important resource. Thank you Nicky Damania and the BCSGA for organizing this blood drive for our community.

Women and the Vote 2020 Library Display

This month the Grace Van Dyke Bird Library is celebrating Women’s History Month and honoring women’s often-overlooked contributions to history, culture, and society with a book display by Librarian Faith Bradham. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8th as National Women’s history week, and in 1986, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand this recognition to be the entire month of March. This year’s Women’s History Month is special because 2020 marks the 100^th anniversary of the ratification of the 19^th Amendment, which granted women in the United States the right to vote — women’s suffrage. Books featured in the library’s display include:

Book display in the library against a wall.

For more information on the display and books for Women’s History Month visit: Resources for WHAM 2020. Thank you Faith and the Library staff for offering supplemental educational materials that broaden our students’ education.

Sara Wallace’s New Blog: “Reflections from Inside: Teaching in the Inmate Scholars Program”

Sara Wallace, English Professor at Bakersfield College, has published her first entry on her blog titled: “Reflections from Inside: Teaching in the Inmate Scholars Program” on Medium. She has been working as a full-time instructor at a total of five different prisons since the Fall. This blog is her reflection 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. Check out her blog:

Reflections from the Inside

Central Valley Higher Ed Consortium: Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley Conference

Nacian Munoz, Nicole Alvarez, Nerin Delgado, Raul Espinoza, and Brian Bell

Our Cougar Renegades were out showing their BC pride and sharing their experiences being part of the Early College program at the Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley conference! McFarland High School seniors and dual enrollment students Nerin Delgado and Raul Espinoza were part of a student panel. On the panel of 6, Nerin and Raul were the only first generation college students.

Sitting at a table, Nicole gives a thumbs up. — Nein Delgado, Raul Espinoza, and Nicole Alvarez

Both Raul and Nerin said that the best parts of their dual enrollment experience were being introduced to a syllabus and all the support they received from BC staff and their high school counselors. Nicole Alvarez, Program Manager for Early College; Nancian Munoz, Assistant Principal McFarland High School; and Brian Bell Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services McFarland Unified School District were all on hand to cheer on our Cougar Renegades. We made such an impact that we were asked to present at the next conference!

Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: The Success of Latino Completion and Early College at Bakersfield College

Jean speaking to the audience. — Senator Fuller discussing Early College Opportunities with the Chamber members

Nicole introducing Jean. — Nicole Alvarez answering questions from the Chamber Members

Senator Emeritus Jean Fuller presented to the chamber on the Early College success stories and strides we have made in assisting, among others, our Latinx population in obtaining a college education. Senator Fuller and Nicole Alvarez, Program Manager Early College, also discussed our revamped Early College website and encouraged all chamber members to check it out for offerings at the high schools within their districts. One member even looked at his child’s high school right there on the spot and made plans to get them enrolled for fall 2020 dual enrollment classes!

Jean Fuller next to a Hispanic sign and powerpoint. — Senator Fuller presenting

The presentation ended with a very productive Q&A session and many of the members vowing to help spread the word around Kern County about the early college program.

Archives Throwback: The Atomic Age

In 1946, an air of optimism swept the nation as Americans celebrated the end of World War II. Students at what was then called Bakersfield Junior College were coming back home, starting the next chapter of their lives as Renegades. In this spirit of optimism and excitement about the future, the editors of BC’s yearbook The Raconteur made an entire issue themed around “The Atomic Age.” There were beautiful poems, quotes and illustrations about the infinite potential of science and atomic energy to transform humanity. The dedication at the beginning, in particular, struck me as profound:

“To the scientist, who holds within his powers the future of the world, the 1946 issue of the Bakersfield Junior College Raconteur is dedicated. It is left to science to determine the right road. Such challenges have been met before. Today we turn again to the scientist; in his unimpassioned search for truth he is the potential source of wisdom to build the age of the atom.”

There was also this lovely quote from Grace Bird:

“What is life made of? Earth, air, water? ‘Hammers and nails and puppy dog tails’? Electrons, neutrons, protons? Hearts, brains, digestion?
“One of our men, writing from Okinawa during the bitterest days there, gave HIS answer: ‘Memories. Experiences. Dreams.’ It is this kind of answer which the Raconteur accepts and honors so admirably as it tells the story of your college life together during the year which is closing. And it is this kind of answer by which we ask you to appraise the days you spent here. Save the memories, use the experiences, aspire to the dreams.”

Finally, I had to include this poem from students Tam and Ivah Deering, which resonates especially now as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve every day:

“Confused, perplexed, and baffled,
Men face ‘peace’ with fear;
Yet man, if he equip himself
With this day’s information,
Fails only because he fears;
His bad becomes impossible
When he accepts discouragement.
“What man has dreamed, that he can do;
What man has mined, discovered, or produced,
That he can use to make man adequate,
Displace his outworn concepts,
Enlarge his vision
In this small world
For this atomic age.
Will he, then, meet the challenge?”

A wealth of amazing content from Renegades in the past can be found on the Bakersfield College website at the Raconteur archive.

Welcome two new Institutional Research Analysts to BC

Patsy Garcia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and comes to us from KBA Engineering where she worked as a Project Controller, using her SQL skills to pull data and optimize maintenance schedules for oil rigs. She started at BC on February 3rd.

Maricela Orozco holds an Education Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership and comes to us from CSUB where she worked as a Research Technician in the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment. Maricela started at BC on March 2nd.

Patsy and Maricela fill in positions that opened when Alma Livingston left to go work for YouTube last May and when David Buitron went to work for Riverside Community College District in November so he could spend more time with his wife and new baby boy.

Athletics

Renegade Report

Watch this week’s edition of the Renegade Report on the Bakersfield College Athletics Facebook page featuring our Renegade Swimming Team out at the BC Pool Deck. Head Coach Matt Moon and student athletes Daran Towns, Reily Pike, Esteban Robles and Harrison Sherill sat down with host Kenny Calvin to discuss how the season is going. This weekend the team head to compete at the Cuesta Sprint and the Cuesta Invite. We wish them all the best!

Next Level Gades

Gilberto Guevara and Israel Jimenez from Renegade Men’s Soccer have committed to continue their academic and soccer careers at Mount Marty College. Guevara, from Golden Valley High School, played the last two seasons as a forward for the Renegades. In the 2018, season he collected one goal with one assist. In 2019, he had three goals with three assists, and he was named to the WSC South 1st-Team All-Conference. Jimenez, from Arvin High School, also played the last two seasons, but as a defender for the Renegades. In the 2018 season, he collected one goal with one assist. In 2019, he had two assists.

Damaris Herron from Renegade Football has committed to continue his academic and football career at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. Herron, a defensive back from Independence High School, played the last two seasons at BC. He finished the 2019 season with 34 total solo tackles, including 3 tackles for a loss. Southwestern Assemblies of God University is an NAIA level school that competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).

Brianna Mendez and Victoria Trevino Named to Academic All-State Team

Renegade Athletics is proud to announce that Brianna Mendez and Victoria Trevino, from Renegade Women’s Basketball, were named to the 2019-20 California Community College Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Academic All-State Team. To qualify for Academic All-State recognition, student-athletes had to complete a year of play on their teams, earn at least 24 units of credit, and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5. This last spring, Mendez graduated with a GPA of 3.91, and Trevino graduated with a GPA of 3.76. Congrats, Ladies!

Renegade Athletics updates from this past week:

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: