“They’re not celebrating at Disneyland quite yet, but you might have thought those at Bakersfield College on Sunday had already arrived at the happiest place on earth. Cars and trucks lined up to make their way into the parking lot abutting University Avenue for a poke in the arm in the form of one of 1,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses. The event was dubbed the first mass drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Kern County, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who wasn’t smiling.”
Beautiful writing….. beautiful words…..
We kicked off the clinic with a press conference with some wonderful speakers:
Norma Rojas-Mora, BC Director of Communication and Community Relations:
Assemblyman Rudy Salas:
KCCD Trustee Romeo Agbalog:
Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez:
David Torres, Centric Health Foundation Chairman:
Imelda Ceja-Butkiewicz, President of the Kern Inyo Mono Central Labor Council:
Jay Tamsi, Co-founder of Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force:
Joseph Lopez, on behalf of State Senator Melissa Hurtado:
The entire day had an air of celebration and collaboration as so many different people and groups worked together to get 1,000 vaccine shots-in-arms for the clinic. It is amazing what we can accomplish when we all work together toward a common goal.
Check out more photos from our first mass drive through clinic on BC’s SmugMug website.
Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, March 27, 2021, my dad’s b’day … a great day to be a Renegade.
Paul Christian, Sonya Christian
Photos & Poetry
This week, a friend sent me this amazing photo…the heavens have opened:
Arvin, CA
I thought of this photo – these gray skies broken up by a few rays of radiant sunshine – when I read this poem that Jack Hernandez sent to me:
Exit Road
The little yellow flowers along the freeway exit road smile as I wait for the light to give me permission to go.
Some sunless days though, eager winds sowing dust, they stay tightly closed, I drive on unsure and cold.
Another friend of mine, who lost her partner, shared this poem from Khalil Gibran:
Fear
It is said that before entering the sea a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled, from the peaks of the mountains, the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her, she sees an ocean so vast, that to enter there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way. The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back. To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk of entering the ocean because only then will fear disappear, because that’s where the river will know it’s not about disappearing into the ocean, but of becoming the ocean.
Magnificent sunset photos at BC taken by Janet Tarjan on March 25th
Morning walk celebration of dad’s birthday.
Jess Nieto Conference
The 3rd Annual Jess Nieto Memorial Conference was held this past week. Professor Jess Nieto established the Chicano Studies program and Chicano Cultural Center at Bakersfield College. He was an entrepreneur, civil rights activist, educational leader and mentor to countless students.
The conference this year included a wonderful mix of education, entertainment and celebration. Contributions from student organizations, professors, community leaders and partners make this a truly special event. Panels include “Unraveling Latina Stereotypes: Latinas Unidas in Conversation”, “Celebrating the Legacy of Cesar Chavez, the Farmworker Movement, and the Ongoing Work of the UFW and Cesar Chavez Foundation” and many more.
Check out this video from Abel Guzman, Executive Director of Rural Initiatives, which was part of the opening day programming:
Dolores Huerta spoke via Zoom with Dr. Taína Caragol, Curator of Latino Art & History at the Smithsonian Institution. The event was co-sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, the Dolores Huerta Foundation, the Wylie and May Louise Jones Art Gallery at Bakersfield College, and the Norman Levan Center for the Humanities at Bakersfield College.
Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields / Revolución en los Campos is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. See the virtual tour and get more information at the Jones Art Gallery.
Measure J – Thank You Nicole!
I love this photo of Nicole Parra and her dog, Bailey, sitting in front of our first Measure J Project – the Vernon Valenzuela Veterans Resource Center.
Thank you, Nicole, for managing our Measure J campaign. We could not have done it without you, and I’m so glad you were able to enjoy the fruits of your labor 5 years later!
Nicole Parra
Dual Enroll
Gone are the days of receiving thousands of paper application submissions! We are excited to announce the launch of our new online program, dualenroll.com, that has replaced the paper form submissions for Dual Enrollment and Concurrent Enrollment. Students from all high schools can now use Dual Enroll to register for Summer 2021 and Fall 2021. This transition will streamline services for students and will make these opportunities more accessible in distance and online learning environments.
Kara McDonald, program manager for Student Success & Equity, wrote this piece about the importance of embracing peace instead of conflict – and highlighting the new Peace Initiative that Bakersfield College will be embarking on over the next 18 months.
“This initiative includes the Peace Garden that will soon begin construction on BC’s campus, as well as a series of projects done in partnership with other community groups working toward peace. Finally, the Peace Initiative includes a seminar series designed to engage small groups of women, veterans, educators and police in conversations about what peace looks like here in Kern County and how we build it.”
On Tuesday, we will kick off the Peace Initiative with the first installment of the Peace Initiative Seminar Series, “Mothers for Peace.” For more information, or to register for the Zoom event, visit the Bakersfield College website.
Community Voices: Our lives, our stories
Jack Hernandez, retired director of the Norman Levan Center for the Humanities, wrote a piece about how our lives live on in the stories, minds and memories of those who know us.
“But we all have an afterlife on this earth. An afterlife of our stories remembered by those who have known us for many years. Many live on in my mind: the stories of dad working two jobs to send me to college, of mom sending me off every morning to school, filled with breakfast and secure in her love. My Bakersfield College students, friends and colleagues during my many years here after I drove to Bakersfield from Detroit, not knowing what to expect when I came down Edison Highway in my own “Grapes of Wrath.””
Bakersfield College Ranks 3rd in State
Check out this video & article on KGET – BC ranks 3rd in degrees awarded among California Hispanic serving institutions!
“Bakersfield College said in recent years they have worked on improving student outcomes, reducing achievement gaps and increasing access for students using a Guided Pathways approach. Since BC first started its Guided Pathways program in 2014, the college has seen growth and improvement across multiple student success metrics.”
Spotted on Social Media
Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh shared this post about our vaccination clinic:
Bill Moseley shared his delicious weekend plans:
Jessica Wojtysiak also had a delicious night, courtesy of BC’s culinary arts students:
And Kristin Rabe shared the daisies outside her porch:
Athletics
Alyson Dees Named CCCWVCA State Player of the Week
Women’s Volleyball are undefeated thus far in the abbreviated Spring I season and to top it off, sophomore Alyson Dees was named the California Community College Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association (CCCWVCA) State Player of the Week for her performance against Cerro Coso the week prior. Alyson embodies the spirit of the team and as her coach Carl Ferreira said “one of the most amazing things about Aly is how much selfless energy she gives to her teammates. If that’s not enough, she’s an even better person.” Congrats Alyson!
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That’s all for now. Until next time.
With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality. sonya – the luckiest and happiest college president ever
Follow our chancellor’s lead…. he dropped off his ballot today at the BC ballot box.
Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, October 24, 2020…a great day to be a Renegade.
Kern Shakespeare Festival: “The Comedy of Errors”
The 36th annual Shakespeare festival kicked off this week with the virtual premiere of “The Comedy of Errors”, directed by Bob Kempf. The performers have adapted the slapstick of the Bard’s original “Comedy of Errors” into a Chaplinesque silent film with masks. Performances of the play aired online Thursday, October 22 through Saturday, October 24.
For the first time at this year’s Kern Shakespeare Festival, alongside the Shakespeare plays, the theater department will begin premiering a production created by playwrights of color. Premiering Thursday, October 29 is a performance of “Bootycandy”, a semi-autobiographical play written by Robert O’Hara that premiered in 2015. The festival close-out production is Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Check the Kern Shakespeare Festival Facebook page for ticket information for upcoming shows.
BC High School Chamber Singers Festival Moves Online
On Monday, the BC Chamber Singers hosted their annual BC High School Chamber Singers Festival. In past years, 14 high school chamber choirs would have come to the BC campus for the event.
This year, the format changed to a Zoom event with Grammy-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre.
Performing Arts Department Chair Jennifer Garrett shared that 15 high school choirs, plus CSUB choirs and more were scheduled to attend the virtual event – including a Q&A session with Eric.
Jennifer shared the piece that Eric discussed at the event:
Latina Leaders of Kern
Bakersfield College, BC’s Latinas Unidas student organization, and the Latina Leaders of Kern County came together to host their first webinar in a series on race and diversity relations. Norma Rojas-Mora, BC’s Director of Community Relations who serves on the Board of Directors for the Latina Leaders of Kern County, was the moderator for the panel on Wednesday, October 21: “A Dialogue on the Intricacies of Race and Relationships”. Maria Wright was a featured panelist, along with HelloBakersfield podcast host Carla Barrientos and Sandy Woo-Cater, the Co-Director of the Kern Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
I will be sharing videos from this webinar in my blog. Today, I’m sharing Carla Barrientos’ introduction. In this 2:12 video, she shares a little about her background and her experiences being in a biracial relationship.
Next week, I will continue to share short video clips from the webinar, as well as a link to the video of the full webinar.
Art, Architecture and Archetypes
The Levan Center focused its “Art, Architecture and Archetypes” discussion on Wednesday around art and lockdowns, examining the different ways that disease and isolation have impacted art over time.
Professor Rae Ann Kumelos opened her remarks with an mythological exploration of hubris, showing stories from the Greek canon where the gods have punished mankind for its failures to reckon with reason and science. Apollo, the god of reason and science, was also the god who could cast plagues with his arrows.
Art professor Ronnie Wrest showed several art pieces inspired by pandemics and disease, highlighting paintings from Edvard Munch alongside an 1890 print depicting Japanese folklore. He also showed some street art made during the 2020 pandemic to celebrate health workers.
Ronnie Wrest shows Edvard Munch’s “The Sick Child” during Art, Architecture, and Archetypes
Kimberly Chin shared about the impact of the pandemic on Broadway theater. The New York theater district, which is the biggest in the world, had only closed 14 times before the pandemic, mostly related to strikes or natural disasters. In fact, the theater stayed open during the Spanish flu. The current pandemic is the longest time that Broadway has been closed in its history, and it looks to continue closure well into next year.
Krista Moreland gave a presentation on the way art about pandemics reflected different cultural values and needs that evolved over time. Pandemics were initially perceived as “punishment” for sinners, and woodcut illustrations were used to communicate the dangers about plagues for a primarily illiterate population . Eventually, as culture evolved to perceive plague victims with more empathy, artists depicted their struggles with more humanity. Pandemics changed the urban landscape as we began to understand disease, and images from newspapers, drawings and video recordings could directly depict disease in HD.
Thank you to Levan Center director Reggie Williams and all of the panelists for their participation in this virtual forum about art and pandemics.
Latino Inspire Awards Recognize Norma Rojas-Mora
Norma Rojas-Mora
TJ Cox
BC’s Norma Rojas-Mora was recognized by Rep. TJ Cox during this year’s Latino Inspire Award celebration. Rep. Cox first hosted the Latino Inspire Awards in 2019 in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated since 1988 from September 15th to October 15th.
Rep. Cox recognized Norma for all her years of service and her work to inspire positive change throughout the Bakersfield Community. Congratulations to Norma and the full list of deserving recipients.
Kern County: Rosalinda Chairez, Magda Menendez, Ana Vigil, Matthew Cauthron, Norma Rojas-Mora
Organizations: Centro la Familia and the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Student Success Lab offers Standardized Test Prep Course
All of us at one time or another have had to take a make-or-break sort of test, such as TEAS (Nursing), CBEST, CSET, ASVVAB (Military), GED, SAT, ACT, and WorkKeys. But did you know that you can prepare for these by signing up for practice exercises that are free, ungraded, online (PLATO software), and at your own pace?!
Our very own Student Success Lab is now offering EDUC B80 Test Prep for Careers. Signing up couldn’t be easier: register any time this semester for CRN 75692, which is EDUC B80NC. Then send an email to our Director, Kim Nickell (knickell@bakersfieldcollege.edu) with your student ID# and birth date. Professor Nickell and her staff will then set up your account and test prep activities in PLATO and email the login information to you. You can also access the course through Canvas, which will contain further resources on test taking tips and strategies.
Early College at the #SSSC20 Virtual Conference
Early College was asked to present on the Online Collaborative Model of course delivery at the Strengthening Student Success 2020 Virtual Conference. Program Directors Kylie Campbell & Nicole Alvarez were joined by BC faculty member Teresa Mcallister and her online collaborative teaching partner, McFarland High School faculty, Angela Quinn. The four of them detailed the evolution of BC’s online collaborative module and the adapting they have had to do in light of the COVID pandemic.
Bakersfield Young Professionals Diversity Panel
Abel Guzman represented BC and the EODAC committee at the 2020 Bakersfield Young Professionals Summit, speaking as part of a panel on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
At the panel on October 14, Abel helped answer questions about recruiting and hiring diverse talent, diversification in the workplace, and more, along with Claudia Catota, Chief Diversity Officer at CSUB; Jane Myneni, Inclusion, Diversity and Engagement Lead at Aera; and moderator Carla Barrientos, host of the HelloBakersfield Podcast.
Thank you, Abel, for representing BC on this esteemed panel, and thank you to the Chamber and the Bakersfield Young Professionals for inviting BC to participate.
#LightACandle: A Juneteenth Conversation
Today, I am sharing the final videos from this summer’s #LightACandle: A Juneteenth Conversation programming.
Commitment from Rural Communities & Rural Initiatives:
Commitment from HEAL:
I would once again like to thank everyone for the time, effort, thought and care that went into this programming. It truly was a community conversation.
Please join me in celebrating the life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg on Thursday, October 29, live at 5:30 p.m on BC’s YouTube channel and Facebook live. This very special tribute, organized by the Pre-Law Club and the Women’s History and More committee, has been in the making for a few weeks, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.
Talita Pruett shared this picture of her beautiful family, and found the positives in these unprecedented times:
“One of the upsides of distance learning and working remotely is that we can work from the beach. So, we’ve been working/ studying from Morro Bay as much as we can. It is a blessing to be able to go on walks early in the morning before we start work/school and late in the afternoon after we are all done with work…Being safely outdoors, when we’ve been isolated/ at home for seven months now, is divine. It is a balm for the body and the soul.”
Cindy Collier shared this photo from getting takeout at the Renegade Room:
“BC Renegade Room and Culinary students continuing their education with take out food services. Chef Suzannne and Logan were so hospitable and the food is wonderful. BC faculty and students are innovative and flexible.“
Athletics
Baseball’s Caggienelli Headed to CSUB
Renegade Baseball pitcher Benji Caggienelli announced this week his commitment to play at the next level across town at Cal State Bakersfield. The right-handed pitcher played just this shortened spring season at BC after a stellar high school career at Ridgeview High School. He is the third baseball player this year to move on to the four-year level. Congrats Benji! We’ll be rooting for you!
That’s all for now. Until next time. With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality. sonya – the luckiest and happiest college president ever
The eastern sky, friday morning, was unusually soft given that it was bringing in a scorching hot day of triple digit temperatures. Here is a photo gallery from 5:00 a.m. friday morning to 5:40 a.m.
Softness is what I seem to be seeking these days in every context of my life. So, I enjoyed getting this Dalai Lama quote in a text from a colleague. Yes, we need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers.
Good morning Bakersfield It is Saturday, July 11, 2020 … a great day to be a Renegade
I finally watched the musical Hamilton on Disney Plus yesterday. Whoa! Lin-Manuel Miranda… what a genius! I read Ron Chernow’s Hamilton in preparation to watch the show on stage. Then COVID happened and what a delight it was to be able to watch the original cast with Miranda himself playing Hamilton. Check out this one-minute youtube clip from Hamilton with Aaron Burr performing Room Where it Happens.
A Message About International Students
As someone who came to the United States as an international student, I wanted to take a moment and talk about how important the F1 Student Visa program is for our country’s economic strength and the holistic wellbeing of our world.
Important political leaders from around the world came here to study. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, two former UN secretaries-general, and many world leaders have studied at our universities. This is the best way to build global understanding and fellowship and also to inspire communities around the world on the value of democracy and a free society.
Within the next few weeks, I hope that we can find some common ground to keep our international students in the US while safely preventing the spread of COVID-19.
This issue has really gotten to me so much it has put me in the space of the Hamilton inspired phrase #ImmigrantsWegettheJobDone.
Check out Lin-Manuel Miranda at the White House in 2009 (yes, several years prior to the play premiering off-Broadway) while he was working on the lyrics and music for Hamilton based on Ron Chernow’s book. A key line for me was “Another immigrant coming up from the bottom.” Check it out.
Commencement & Paint the Town Red
Marketing Director Norma Rojas delivers BC swag to help Paint the Town Red
Our 106th Commencement will be broadcast tonight, July 11, at 6 p.m. on KGET Channel 17, or at 7 p.m. on Telemundo Valle Central Channel 13 (with antennae, 17.3). This event will also be live-streamed on social media as well.
I look forward to sharing snippets from this broadcast with you in future blog posts – our team has done a phenomenal job putting together a great show to celebrate our amazing graduates! Thank you Norma Rojas-Mora for leading this work along with Nicky Damania.
This week, we celebrated our Early College graduates from Wasco High School and the Wonderful College Prep Academy. I will be sharing videos from that celebration starting in next week’s blog as well.
Also this week we were very busy delivering yard signs and flags to Paint the Town Red in support of our graduating class of 2020.
On Memorial Hospital Facebook: The sun is shining on the graduating class of 2020! We’re excited to congratulate this year’s Bakersfield College graduates! We wish you the best and know your futures will be bright!
Ken Keller, Robin Mangarin-Scott
And here is Adventist Health celebrating the class of 2020
“I want to thank each and every person from BC — from the department assistantwho answered all my questions, to each faculty member, each counselor and all the individuals who made sure I was set up for success and on the path to achieving my goals. While I am going to miss my BC family, I know I have been equipped with the skills and educational foundation I will need to succeed on the next step in my journey. Why? Because BC is the best college.”
Thank you for your kind words, Samantha. And I want to wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors at Cal State Berkeley – I look forward to seeing what amazing things you will do during your time there and beyond.
Juneteenth
This week, I am sharing three videos from strong women that were part of our June 15 program.
Jennifer Achan, BC Financial Aid Director:
Kimberly Mallory, Medical Administrator:
And this video of Maya Angelou‘s poem “Still I Rise.” Thank you, Valerie Urso, for your work in putting together this wonderful video:
Please visit our Juneteenth website for all the videos from each day of programming, as well as additional information and resources, and testimonials from Bakersfield community members and BC faculty, staff and administration.
Celebrating Corny & Sandi
I wanted to share a few more videos from our retirement celebration for Corny Rodriguez and Sandi Taylor.
Here is my introduction from the event:
And photo roll for Corny Rodriguez:
Photo roll for Sandi Taylor
You can see all the videos from this celebration on the President’s Events website. (Click on “Staff and Faculty Events.”)
Express Enrollment
The Office of Outreach helped approximately 300 students with registering in classes at BC during our express enrollment event on Wednesday. Thank you to Ashlea Ward for helping organize the event, the Marketing team for helping promote the express enrollment on social, and all of the counselors and ed advisors who got our students ready for classes in the fall.
Be Red Cross Ready
The Levan Institute’s series of lectures with the American Red Cross was a huge success this week. The American Red Cross spent three days teaching people in the community some survival essentials for COVID-19, earthquakes, wildfires and extreme heat.
The Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning provides essential courses for all members in the community to enrich their understanding of the world. The Levan Institute course offerings for Fall 2020 will be announced on Sunday, July 19th. For more information, visit the Levan Institute website.
Thank you to the Red Cross and Suzan Pinza of the Levan Institute for putting together these important workshops.
Measure J Update
This week, I was elated to find out that one of the interns working with AECOM on Measure J construction projects is a former BC student.
Bryson Zuspan, a senior at San Jose State studying civil engineering, will be one of two interns helping AECOM on the new Campus Center, Science and Engineering building and other renovation projects. Diana Johnson, a Vice President with AECOM, shared this message from Bryson:
“Before transferring to SJSU, I spent a great deal of time at Bakersfield College figuring the right path for my career. As luck would have it, I have the opportunity to work at AECOM and be a part of a project for my old community college. It feels great to give back to the institution that taught me so much and gave me the resources to become successful in university.”
Thank you to Bryson and AECOM for giving back to the Home of the Renegades!
I also wanted to share these photos that our Astronomy faculty Dr. Nick Strobel took of some of the construction on campus:
Renegade Student Experience
Ramon Carreido, a student worker in the BC Marketing Department, has launched a new podcast offering a student perspective on everything that’s going on at BC. For the first episode of the Renegade Student Experience, Ramon talked to his swim coach Matthew Moon about the swim team’s recruitment process and how they reacted to the season being shortened by COVID-19.
Thank you Ramon and Coach Moon for sitting down to have this conversation. I look forward to more conversations between Ramon and other BC faculty and staff in the future.
Fun Social Media
Our Director of Rural Initiatives and the Delano Center, Abel Guzman, had a nice July 4th holiday with his family:
Dean of Instruction Billie Jo Rice walked the Golden Gate Bridge with her mom. Good job, ladies!
Closing Week
On Monday of Closing Week, we looked back at all of our past Presidential Leadership Award winners:
On Tuesday, we heard from Academic Senate President Steven Holmes:
Also on Tuesday, we shared a message for our students from BC Faculty and Staff:
Please see our Closing Week website for all of the videos from this year’s celebration. You can also see videos from previous year’s closing and opening days on the President’s Events website.
Athletics
Blake van Uden Headed to New Mexico Highlands University
Blake van Uden from Renegade Men’s Basketball announced this week that he is headed to play basketball and continue his academic career at New Mexico Highlands University located in Las Vegas, NM. Blake played the last two seasons for Coach Rich Hughes, coming all the way from New Zealand to become a Renegade. Blake’s father also played basketball at BC, making the van Uden’s a multi-generational Renegade family. We are excited for Blake and thank him for his contributions to Renegade basketball and our campus this last few years.
Keep Your Zoom Game Updated with New Backgrounds
Elevate your Zoom game on your next video conference call with these official Renegade themed backgrounds! You may also click here to save them to your desktop.
Click Here to learn how to use custom backgrounds on Zoom.
That’s all for now. Until next time. With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality. sonya – the luckiest and happiest college president ever
History buffs celebrate June 12th as the “Day of Loving” commemorating the landmark 1967 Loving v. Virginia case under Chief Justice Earl Warren. In a unanimous decision, the Court held that distinctions based on race were generally “odious to a free people” and were subject to “the most rigid scrutiny” under the Equal Protection Clause.” https://www.oyez.org/cases/1966/395
“LIFE photographer Grey Villet met the Lovings (Mildred and Richard) in 1965, before the landmark case went to trial, when he was sent on assignment to document the day-to-day world of the couple. He captured a simple story, a love story. He took photos of the Lovings watching TV together, playing with their kids and kissing. The photos ran in a 1966 issue, providing a rare look into the private lives of a couple that would have such a lasting impact on the laws of the United States.” Read more … https://www.history.com/news/mildred-and-richard-the-love-story-that-changed-america
Good morning Bakersfield It is Saturday, June 13, 2020…A great day to be a Renegade
On Wednesday, Bakersfield College invited the Bakersfield Police Department to sit down for a live conversation with Danny Morrison. As the national dialogue on police training is more prominent than ever, BPD spoke about their partnership with Bakersfield College and commitment to high quality training for Kern’s first responders. Chief Greg Terry and Assistant Chief Joe Mullins referenced our current “Principled Policing” training and the value of the Transformational Policing Model in advancing trust between the police department and public.
Thank you to Dr. Tommy Tunson, BC’s Director of Public Safety Training, for bringing the Transformational Policing Model to BC and working to scale it across the state. Check out his introduction to the panel discussion below.
On Thursday evening, the Bakersfield Unity Rally was held at St. Peter Ministries in East Bakersfield. Dozens gathered to hear from political leaders, community activists, and students on the power of listening.
The theme of the evening was “if you see something, say something.”
This important community dialogue is just one of the many that have taken place over the last two weeks. The diversity of speakers reflected the diversity of our community. It also highlighted the unity that exists and the willingness to continue to engage in dialogue and find solutions to various issues we can no longer be silent about, including law enforcement reform, implicit bias, and racism within Kern County.
As Traco Matthews reminded us, “This shouldn’t just be the burden of black people (to work towards equality),” he said. “It should be a mandate for every citizen of the United States of America.”
T-
Bakersfield is so lucky to have NaTesha “T” Johnson, Michael Bowers, Traco Matthews, and other visionary leaders who are leading the way toward healing in our community.
I was at an all-day accreditation commission meeting and therefore was not able to attend in person — here is a video message that I did for the event.
Message from President Sonya Christian for the Unity in Community Peace Rally
The message of listening as a form of healing and showing respect for one another to promote building a better community is part of the call to action Bakersfield College is engaging in through its Juneteenth Conversations and Celebrations.
Next week, Bakersfield College has a full slate of virtual activities planned to commemorate Juneteenth, marking the end of slavery in the United States. Mark your calendars and tune in each evening at 6:00 p.m. to join us live as we hear from local, statewide, and national leaders, as well as our own brothers and sisters right here in Kern County as we honor the moment and #LightACandle to illuminate the pathforward.
Thank you NaTesha T Johnson for always being a friend to BC!
NaTesha T Johnson is a community leader who embodies unity and community. When called to serve on Boards, T is at the table. When asked to support a community event, T is at the table. When asked to help inspire and grow the next generation of community leaders, T is at the table. When BC calls to ask for support and engagement, T is at the table. A former Renegade cheerleader, T continues to be committed to Bakersfield College. (T, thank you for your support of BC’s#LightACandle A Juneteenth Conversation. Your enthusiasm, bright spirit, and honest insights will help open the dialogue on what it means to be black in the workplace. )
Join us June 15-19 to hear her testimonial.
Monday, June 15, 6pm: Tune in to Danny Morrison Media’s Facebook for a livestream presentation. Among others you can expect to hear from: Congressman and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Congressman TJ Cox, Congressman and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.
Tuesday, June 16, 6pm: Bakersfield College hosts a third #RealTalk on Race in America Discussion with moderator Danny Morrison. This week, you’ll hear from the youth leading the movement right here in Kern County. The panelists include: Caleb Warren, 13; Ja’Nell Gore, 20; and Amaya Williams, 19. Ja’Nell is a BC student who writes for South Kern Sol, and Amaya is a BC student athlete in track & field. I am so proud of our BC students who will be speaking up, and I hope you will tune in to support them.
Wednesday, June 17, 6pm: Tune in to Danny Morrison Media’s Facebook for a livestream presentation. Among others, you can expect to hear from: Supervisor Leticia Perez, Assemblymember Vince Fong, and Kern County Chief District Attorney InvestigatorLyle Martin.
Thursday, June 18, 6pm: Tune in to Danny Morrison Media’s Facebook for a livestream presentation. Among others, you’ll hear from Assemblymember Rudy Salas, and African American Network of Kern County Director Dee Slade.
Friday, June 19, 7-9pm: Tune in to Danny Morrison Media and KBAK’s social media for a live celebration of Juneteenth with local artists and musicians.
7-7:30pm: Welcome from emcee Danny Morrison with live music
7:30pm: Tune in for our formal program to hear from Bakersfield College, the Bakersfield Police Department, the Kern County District Attorney, and more.
8-9pm: End your week with live music and a celebration of Black liberation
Sunday, June 28, 4-5pm: Save the date and plan to tune in to KBAK for our final program to wrap up Bakersfield College’s #LightACandle: A Juneteenth Conversation program.
BC faculty on the world stage
Prof. Jeff Newby was invited to address a Global Awareness class at Kansai University in Osaka, Japan. Elvita Sensei, a faculty member at Kansai, asked Jeff to speak on his experiences with COVID-19 in the US/California/Bakersfield and the history of pandemics in general. After a brief introduction, he explained how COVID-19 follows very similar patterns to pandemics of the past, and briefly talked about some of the world’s most disastrous diseases – Bubonic Plague, Influenza, and the Pandemic Spanish Flu of 1918. The focus of his lecture (which went from 10:50 pm – 12:00 am due to the time difference lol), however, was on why COVID is affecting the U.S. so much worse than Japan. Her students seemed particularly interested in this.
The discussion covered a variety of factors, but the conversation steered toward culture as a huge contributing factor. There were many giggles when he explained that his preferred method of greeting family and friends was a big hug – an obvious no-no in the time of COVID. It was a good, important reminder that no matter where one might be on the planet, we are truly all in this together: one global community in desperate need of empathy and understanding.
BC Hosting Amazon Day
Amazon will be hiring full-time/part-time associates in Bakersfield. They plan to fill upwards of three thousand positions by August 2020 in Bakersfield!
Bakersfield College’s Student Employment Office has partnered with Amazon to host a virtual series promoting Amazons upcoming hiring recruitment. Representatives from Amazon will provide step-by-step information regarding the application, requirements, expectations and benefits for our students and the community.
Pre-registration is required and seats are limited to 500 per session. There will be 4 sessions in June on the 17th and 24th. Links to the webinar will be sent via email to all registered attendees only. To register, please fill out the Amazon Day Pre-registration form.
You can also learn more about this event through KGET and 23ABC‘s coverage.
The program starts with the first course EDUC B30 – introduction to online learning environments. This course is intended for current and future educators as well as anyone interested in online teaching and instruction.
Join Bakersfield College for Parent Info Night! A time for parents of potential Renegades to learn more about Bakersfield College, resources, financial aid, and ways to support your students as they embark on their next educational chapters.
Sessions will be held on June 16 (English) and June 18 (Spanish). Both sessions are from 6-7 pm.
The Project HireUP team received one of the President’s Leadership Awards:
We took a break on Thursday to stretch and enjoy some photos from the past year:
We shared this video message from the Kern Promise team:
Athletics
CCCAA Board of Directors Adopts Athletics Plan for 2020-21
Last Friday, the California Community College Athletics Association (CCCAA) Board of Directors unanimously approved a three-part plan to allow the state’s community colleges a return to intercollegiate athletics for the 2020-21 academic year while being directed by health guidelines from the state of California.
Check out this shot of Memorial Stadium on a clear evening this last week at dusk taken by Brandon Urry. We are all eagerly waiting for a return of all sports – including Renegade Football!
That’s all for now. Until next time. With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality. sonya – the luckiest and happiest college president ever
Good morning, Bakersfield.
It is Saturday, April 27, 2019… A great day to be a Renegade.
Thinking of Sri Lanka
While the rest of the world was celebrating Easter Sunday with their families, the people of Sri Lanka were fighting a senseless tragedy.
As of Tuesday, more than 300 Sri Lankans were reported dead and 500 more were injured in a series of eight coordinated attacks on churches and hotels, according to an article by Vox. Six of the eight attacks happened in the capital city of Colombo, and attacks also occurred during Easter Sunday church services in Negombo and Batticaloa. The Guardian published a timeline and visual guide to the bombings, which are being blamed on terrorist groups seeking retaliation for the attack on Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand in March.
Sri Lanka is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located southeast of the Tamil Nadu province on the Indian subcontinent and close to Kerala, the area where I grew up. I last visited Sri Lanka in 2011, and my heart goes out to all the people who have lost loved ones in the attacks.
Moments like this remind me of Mahatma Gandhi, whose 150th anniversary is being celebrated around the world in 2019. He elevated human consciousness by recognizing our infinite capacity for kindness and dignity to counter our species’ infinite potential for violence and devastation.
At BC, wellness and community are part of our core values, and our faculty and staff inspire thousands of students every day to be beacons of light out in their families and communities, spreading love, knowledge and kindness.
In the wake of senseless tragedies such as these, it’s important to consider ways that we can come together to build bridges even in our differences. The battle against hostility and divisiveness starts in our hearts, with our family and friends, in the classroom, outside the classroom — and education is the tool that can help us understand our differences and yet unify us as a people.
My mom and I spent Christmas 2011 in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and split our time between Batticaloa and Columbo, Here is the 200-word piece featured in the 2018 Christmas Edition of The Bakersfield Californian.
Christmas 2011 with my mom Pam Christian in Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
Notre Dame Cathedral Catches Fire
Last week, the world mourned the partial destruction of a historical landmark, as Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral went up in flames.
The Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral is a French Gothic style church built to honor the Virgin Mary. Construction on the cathedral started in 1160 AD, and it’s considered one of the greatest architectural achievements in world history.
The roof of Notre Dame caught fire on the evening of April 15 and continued for 15 hours, causing significant damage. However, a lot of the core structure of the building was saved, and there were no deaths or injuries in the fire.
Thanks to approximately $1 billion in donations, the cathedral will be restored to most of its previous glory, but this historic building that has existed for more than eight centuries will never be the same.
Bakersfield Women’s Business Conference
Bakersfield College was extremely proud to be a part of this year’s annual Bakersfield Women’s Business Conference, which was chaired by our very own Director of Communications Norma Rojas-Mora! Norma put her heart and soul into this event, and it was easy to see her touch in so many different areas.
The Women’s Business Conference was celebrating its 30th anniversay and Norma asked me to introduce the video. Here it is.
The year was 1989.
Imagine a group of women, twenty-something
and thirty-something, coming together at the Home of the Renegades, talking about
what it was like to be a women working in our community….. talking about work
environments that may or may not have been supportive of women and
mothers, talking about gaps in opportunities for women, about behaviors that
were considered unacceptable only because you were a woman….talking about general
societal issues of the time.
Imagine these women…exceptional
professionals, wanting to transform our community by empowering all
women, but particularly those who were young and just getting started in their
professional career…..unleashing the power that is a woman – helping women Believe in the Power of You.
Phyllis Hullett of Bakersfield College came
up with the idea of a conference for women.
She was known to move with conviction, and once she started on a path no
obstacle, however large, however daunting could deter her from reaching her
destination. But Phyllis was certainly not alone. She recruited co-conspirators, Lynn
Hall, Kay Meek, Cindy Pollard, Sheryl Barbich, Cynthia Icardo, Judy Salamacha,
and Mary Jo Pasek. These women became the co-leaders, the Mothers of the first
Women’s Business Conference here in Bakersfield.
The title – “Options Unlimited.”
To honor this 30-year anniversary and the
founding mothers, we have a short video. Let’s quiet our minds, breathe in and
out, and immerse ourselves in our history as told by some of the 7 visionary women
leaders from our community, who first made it happen.
Thank you Manny de Los Santos and Monika Scott for putting together this video.
I was also asked to introduce this year’s Keynote speaker, Shannen Doherty. Here are excerpts…
I am here to introduce to you a
woman who has grown up in the public eye….. no easy task. A woman who has engaged with life fully,
exuberantly, fearlessly, passionately, ….. and yet with a quintessential sense
of openness and vulnerability.
In 1991 young America fell in
love with Brenda Walsh, the young woman who moved with her family from
Minnesota to Beverly Hills where she tries to fit into the lifestyle of the
rich and famous.
In 1998 America was Charmed by
Prudence “Prue” Halliwell, a powerful and responsible witch who
protected the innocent and defeated the forces of evil.
In the past week, as the Shannen Doherty story unveiled itself to me through third party narratives, I discovered the sheer power and boldness in this “petite” 5 ft 4” person who appeared to mesmerize the world around her ….whatever world that might be at that time.
In the
most recent chapter of her life, Shannen Doherty teaches us about overcoming
severe adversity.
Falling down is an inevitable part
of life. But getting up and engaging with
life with a ferociousness when it appears that you don’t have a drop of life
remaining in you….. now that is the story of our keynote speaker.
From
becoming a child actress and financially supporting her family to building a
booming television career, to receiving a devastating cancer diagnosis, and later
slaying the disease and entering remission, Shannen Doherty is living proof that
she is not defined by her lowest moments but by the absolute drive to lift up,
take off and soar high.
Norma Rojas-Mora, Shannen Doherty
Lilly Agbalog, Shannen Doherty
I am also struck by her spirit of
hope and gratitude…. Her propensity for creativity, her fearlessness in trying
new things, and her bravery in sharing her journey. America fell in love with Brenda
and Prue decades ago, but I find myself in awe of the woman Shannen Doherty is
today: Survivor, animal rights activist….. inspirational and fearless.
And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire – and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears. [Post theshando, March 8, 2019..quote attributed to Mark Anthony]
Bakersfield, I give you the
indomitable Shannen Doherty!
In her honor, the conference focused on encouraging women to be proactive about their health and get mammogram screenings. It is so easy for us to focus on others, our jobs, our families and forget about our own self-care. I was extremely honored to be a part of an event with this message, and also very proud of all of the hard work Norma put in! It was a wonderful event!
Andrea Thorson was a rock star with her presentation. I had a young woman who rushed up to me and said that I had a great dean at BC and that she was just coming from Andrea’s presentation. We are BC!
Andrea Thorson
Early College Initiative Award Presented at SGA Student Leadership Dinner
For the first time, dual enrollment students were included in our annual SGA Student Leadership Awards Dinner. The Early College Initiative Award was created in a collaboration between our Dual Enrollment and Student Life departments to recognize high school students who have shown early initiative in taking college courses and starting on their college pathway. Out of many nominations that came in from across all high school districts, five finalists were selected to attend the awards dinner with their families, nominating instructor, and principal.
Kathy Rowland and Osvaldo Casillas
The first recipient of the award was Osvaldo Casillas from Mira Monte High School. He was nominated by dual enrollment instructor and BC English Adjunct instructor Kathy Rowland who wrote, “Osvaldo continuously demonstrates a keen dedication to attendance, thorough completion of assignments, and thoughtful contribution to class discussion/analysis. For almost 4 years, he has strategized a plan for post-secondary education knowing that he will make strides in engineering to broaden opportunities both for himself, family, and his mother who has been detained in Mexico for an extensive timeframe. Nonetheless, he has found a method, a coping mechanism that harnesses all his personal struggles and heartaches into the surety of an academic pathway to success. He is one of the finest young men I have ever met in my 20 years of teaching.”
Left to right: Mariano Balbueno, Mario Nunez, and Susana Salazar (Counselor)
The second recipient was Mariano Balbueno from Delano High School. Mariano was nominated by his dual enrollment instructor Mario Nunez who wrote, “Mariano has completed a total of 10 dual/concurrent enrollment courses, and is currently working on four more during this second semester of his Senior year. He has earned a total of 32 general education credits towards an associate degree, all while he has been in high school. At the end of his senior year, Mariano will have earned a total of 44 college units.”
Early College Initiative Award finalists and the Early College team.
Both students received BCSGA student leadership medals that they will be able to wear with pride at their high school graduations this spring. As we continue to embrace our early college students into our campus culture, events such as this are such an amazing way to welcome our high school students into our Renegade family, and to show everyone on our campus just how much our students and our communities benefit from early college opportunities.
Second Annual Jess Nieto Memorial Conference
The 2nd Annual Jess Nieto Memorial Conference took over the Panorama campus this week to honor the history of Chicano Studies programs and the 50th anniversary of the founding of MEChA.
This year’s conference was expanded to three days, packed with panels, speakers, art, music, and film celebrating Chicano culture. Octavio Barajas brilliantly organized all of the programming that happened between Tuesday and Thursday.
Jess Nieto was an activist, philanthropist, and instructor who founded the Chicano Studies program at BC in the 1970s. He also founded Heritage for America, a non-profit organization that helps immigrants with achieving citizenship.
When Nieto passed away just before his 70th birthday in 2017, a team of educators who were inspired by his contributions to BC and the Chicano community founded this conference in his name. The theme for this year’s conference was based on the MEChA motto of “Self-Determination for the Liberation of Our People.”
Corny Rodriguez speaks passionately about MEChA.Project Conexiones students Edith Mata, Jovana Espinoza, Jennifer Lule, and Erick Plata give a presentation in the Levan Center.
Students from the newly-created BC organization Project Conexiones talked about the founding of their group, which seeks to create a bridge between MEChA, LUPE, and other campus organizations that support Chicano and undocumented students through their education.
Left to right: Dr. Mark Martinez, Steve Barber and Emily Gonzales host a panel on the life of Ray Gonzales, the first Chicano elected to state office in Kern County.
CSUB political science professor Mark Martinez spoke of Gonzales’ gregarious personality and told stories from his time as a CSUB social studies teacher toward the end of his life. Steve Barber, Gonzales’ campaign manager from 1972, talked about Gonzales’ important work in petitioning to redrawing the district lines in Kern County to maximize Latino representation, as well as conducting demographic research that would lead to the creation of Cal State Monterey Bay. Gonzales’ daughter Emily ended the panel with a tearful discussion of his passion and discipline for learning.
Artist Jorge Guillen and Oliver Rosales pose with Guillen’s painting of Ray Gonzales.
After the Ray Gonzales panel, local artists Jorge Guillen and Juan X shared their poetry about the Chicano struggle. Guillen made a portrait of Ray Gonzales in honor of the conference and shared some of his murals in Rexland Acres Park. He also talked the influence that BC professors such as Jack Brigham had on his development as an artist.
The BC Jazz Ensemble performs in the Administration Courtyard.Kris Tiner performs with BC jazz students.Louie Cruz Beltran performs with the BC Jazz ensemble.Louie Cruz Beltran and Dolores Huerta
The first day of the conference moved to the Administration Courtyard, where attendees ate a delicious spread of enchiladas and tacos provided by Food Services. During dinner, the BC Jazz Ensemble performed in the courtyard with Louie Cruz Beltran, a percussionist, singer and BC alum who has played alongside Tito Puente, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Macy Gray, and some of the most famous entertainers in the world. Paintings of historic Chicano figures by Guillen, BC students and professor Diego Monterrubio were also displayed in the courtyard.
BC professor Diego Monterrubio’s painting is displayed in the Administration Courtyard on April 23.
Day one of the conference concluded with a keynote presentation by Sean Arce, a teacher who revolutionized Chicano Studies instruction at the elementary and high school levels. He also represented Tucson high school students in challenging Arizona’s ban on ethnic studies instruction, which was overturned by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Arce v. Douglas.
Sean Arce calls in the four directions in a Mesoamerican ceremony that uses a conch shell.Sean Arce talks about the importance of Chicano Studies.
Arce shared some demographic information about educational attainment rates broken down by race, and explained how Ethnic Studies programs can help to increase educational attainment rates by allowing students of color to see their experiences reflected in the curriculum.
On Wednesday night in the BC Forum, the Jess Nieto Memorial Conference screened the PBS documentary “The Rise of the Brown Buffalo,” about Chicano lawyer and activist Oscar Zeta Acosta.
“The Rise of the Brown Buffalo” was directed by veteran PBS filmmaker Philip Rodriguez, using actors to portray Acosta and the major figures in his life. The film juxtaposes talking head testimonials from the actors with actual photos and footage of Acosta. In the film, Acosta is portrayed by Bakersfield native Jesse Celedon.
A screenshot from the PBS documentary “The Life of the Brown Buffalo” screened in the BC Forum.
Acosta was an influential part of the Chicano movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s as a bold and boisterous lawyer representing activists and Chicano militants in Los Angeles during a time of rioting and intense racial strife. He was known for his wild and unorthodox methods of practicing law, and he cross-examined 100 judges, an unprecedented act that demonstrated how the jury selection process for his cases was biased against Chicanos. He also ran for Sheriff of Los Angeles County in 1970.
Acosta’s books didn’t do well commercially despite critical acclaim, and in 1974, he hand-wrote a last will and testament and disappeared in the deserts of Mexico. He was never seen again and is presumed dead.
Director Philip Rodriguez and local actor Jesse Celedon speak in the Forum.
The last day of the conference focused on student presentations. Current members of BC’s MEChA gave a current update on everything they’ve done this year and testimonials about how the club helped them connect with their Chicano heritage. Graduate students Randy Villegas from UC Santa Cruz and Francisco Beltran from UC Santa Barbara gave presentations of their research. BC students Jose Bello and Tania Bernal moderated a panel on immigration, and Levan Student Award recipients gave presentations as well. The conference ended with a special baile by Project Conexiones students.
I’d like to thank Octavio Barajas for organizing all of the programming, as well as all of the students, staff and panelists who came out to support such an amazing, legendary man.
Third Annual Cesar Chavez Legacy Breakfast
On Wednesday, April 24, BC attended the 3rd Annual Cesar Chavez Legacy Breakfast at Hodel’s Country Dining. The Cesar Chavez Legacy Breakfast is one place where community champions who quietly work behind the scenes are illuminated for their phenomenal dedication.
This year’s honoree and recipient of the Cesar Chavez Legacy Award was Dolores Huerta, who was born on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, but spent most of her childhood and early adult life in Stockton, California. Dolores found her calling while serving in the leadership of the Stockton Community Service Organization (CSO), when she founded the Agricultural Workers Association (AWA). In 1955, she met CSO Executive Director Cesar E. Chavez. The two shared a common vision of organizing farm workers, which was an idea that did not necessarily follow the CSO’s mission.
In 1962, Cesar and Dolores launched the National Farm Workers Association, where Dolores’s skills were vital to the growth of this organization. In addition, she was instrumental in the enactment of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, as well as working as a lobbyist to improve workers’ legislative representation. Later, she fought to elect more Latinos and women to political office.
Sonya Christian, Brenda Valdez
Marcus Duarte Smith
Dolores has received many honors and accolades over the years, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. As of 2015, she was a board member of the Feminist Majority Foundation, Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America, and President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
Danny Morrison did an amazing job as host.
The breakfast was hosted by Danny Morrison, who is a social and community activist, motivational speaker, and multimedia personality and host of The Danny Morrison Radio Show with the NEW 103.9 The Beat in Bakersfield and the NEW Forge 92.5 in Fresno. Born and raised in Bakersfield, Danny spends his time mentoring children, performing motivational speeches, and giving back to the community.
Sonya Christian, Norma Rojas-Mora
Sonya Christian, Kathy Murphy
It was wonderful to see several members of our BC leadership come out to celebrate Huerta’s accomplishments, including Abel Guzman, Brenda Valdez, Corny Rodriguez, Olivia Garcia, Victor Diaz, and Lisa Robles. We are BC! Si, se puede!
Project Conexiones Students Participate in Leadership Conference
Participants attended various workshop topics ranging from career development, political consciousness, social and community activism, supporting undocumented students, systems of higher education, cultural resiliency, unity among students, and learned from many powerful keynote speakers, authors, and influential community organizers.
Students began their morning at MacArthur Park with an appreciation of their indigenous cultural roots as they were greeted by a traditional Aztec danza.
After the final day of the conference, Conexiones students enjoyed a relaxing and fun day at Malibu Beach.
Special thanks to the EOPS and CalSOAP staff who contributed greatly to the planning process. Big shout out to Octavio Barajas (History), Francisco Llamas (History), and Marcela Gamino (EOPS) for serving as advocates and mentors to the Conexiones students.
Business Pathway Career Expo
On Wednesday, Bakersfield College held its Business Pathway Career Expo in front of the library for students to interact with professionals regarding the careers they would like to pursue.
Students talked to people in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, and Law Enforcement. These days, employers are looking for more than an education. They are looking for skilled workers with job experience, so the Business Pathway Career Expo gave students a chance to learn about job prospects and internships before they finish college so they can get a head start on their career. The expo also allowed students to interact with several local business owners and industry partners.
Cool t-shirt. Thank you.
Pre-Law Student Celebration
The Bakersfield College Pre-Law Program is pleased to report that we have 11 students who completed the Pre-Law program this year. We have students transferring to CSU Bakersfield, CSU East Bay, UC Davis, and Washington State. Best of luck to our Pre-Law graduates!
Graduates present at the celebration (left to right): Leodegario Aguilar, Stephiny Winslow, Linda Eaves, Karla Alvarez, Kiley Thompson, David Arredondo, Robert Bankowski, and Denise Ruiz.
David Arredondo (with guest) and Advisory Council Member Yinka Glover.David Arredondo, Leslie Cunningham (Director of Cal Law Inc.), Linda Eaves, Karla Alvarez, Robert Bankowski, Pearl Urena, and Leodegario Aguilar.
EOP&S Student Celebration
Last Tuesday, April 23, the EOP&S Student Celebration took place at Hodel’s Country Dining. Check out these great photos!
Community Voices: Tom Burke
Check out this piece by Chancellor Tom Burke in The Bakersfield Californian about celebrating community colleges. Like the chancellor, I’m very proud of the work we have done to serve our community college students.
Last month, Jack Hernandez wrote a touching piece in The Bakersfield Californian on the topic of suicide. His words touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes as he wrote about his personal experience dealing with suicide. As he states in the first paragraph, suicide is a “terrifying, endlessly sad word.”
This weekend, a plaque will be dedicated on campus in memory of Dr. William Harland Boyd, who was a history professor and department chair at Bakersfield College.
In addition to his BC duties, Dr. Boyd was a co-founder and editor of the local historical society in Kern County, being affiliated with this group for more than fifty years. This wonderful plaque will be displayed inside our Humanities area, so be sure to stop by and take a look! We are BC proud!
Geology Club Rocks the Sequoias
Francis Benavente, who recently joined the Bakersfield College Geology Club, sent over these great photos of a wonderful field trip they took to see rocks in Sequoia National Park. Under the direction of geology professor Chris Benker, they hiked up the river to Brush Creek, and got a lot of really awesome pictures. I’d like to give a special thanks to Chris for providing these amazing opportunities for our students!
BC Drumline Beats the Competition at WGI World Championship
Last week, I wrote about our amazing BC Drumline winning the gold medal at the WGI World Championship Competition in Dayton, Ohio. Director of Marching Arts Ensembles Tim Heasley and Drumline Media Manager Jimmie Taliaferro sent over these videos of the students warming up for the competition. The actual performance couldn’t be recorded because of copyright reasons, but as Tim puts it, “You had to be there!” Congrats, again!
Math and Science Retirement Luau
Retirees from the Math and Science Departments were celebrated with a retirement luau on Wednesday, April 24, and I was happy to participate in the festivities. Patrick Fulks from the Biology Department is also retiring this semester, but was unavailable for the picture.
Left to right: Regina Hukill, Math Department; myself; Richard Darke, Physical Science Department; and Janet Fulks, Biology Department
Left to right: Richard Darke, Physical Science Department; Regina Hukill, Math Department; Janet Fulks, Biology Department; and Bernard Scanlon, Math Department
Thank you to Stephen Waller and Janet Thomas and the Office of Instruction Staff, as well as fellow faculty members of the math, biology, and physical science departments, for putting on the luau party. Aloha!
Celebrating Earth Day with ‘Eating Animals’
Last Monday night in the Levan Center, Professor Beth Rodacker and Professor Emily Wilson hosted a viewing and discussion of the film Eating Animals to celebrate Earth Day 2019.
The film, which was released in 2017, has received fine reviews and takes a close-up look at factory farming. Based on the bestselling book by Jonathan Safran Foer, narrated by co-producer Natalie Portman, and directed by Christopher Quinn, Eating Animals takes an eye-opening look at the environmental, economic, and public health consequences of factory farming.
Spotlighting farmers who adopt more humane practices, Eating Animals offers attainable, commonsense solutions to a growing crisis.
Thanks to Beth and Emily for giving our students a chance to view this great film.
At Bakersfield College, we take pride in our high-touch, high-tech approach to working with our students, and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness has been instrumental in the development and evolution of that approach since its inception in 2016.
Institutional Effectiveness conducts research, collects data, and provides reports on everything from accreditation, program review, and enrollment strategies to data coaching, grant funding, and student learning outcomes. This data is used by executive leadership and program managers to inform decisions, track outcomes and effectiveness of initiatives, and direct the daily activities of staff.
This year, the office has launched the Institutional Review Board and developed a process for faculty and staff to request research projects. The Institutional Review Board helps college personnel attain higher education credentials, facilitates applications for federal grants, and maintains ethical standards of research projects at BC. So far, the office has received 385 research requests through the Institutional Review Board during the 2018-19 academic year, Hayward said.
Karen Snow and David Buitron
After compiling the information for this year’s Scorecard, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness has noticed an increasing proportion of younger students in the BC student body over the past five years due to the growth of the Dual Enrollment and Early College programs. The shift in curriculum via metamajors and the establishment of Completion Coaching communities has resulted in a significant increase of Hispanic/Latinx students receiving Associate Degrees for Transfer, as well as increases in the number of students attempting 15 or more units in their first term and completing transfer-level math and English in their first year. These are important momentum points in both the guided pathways model and new state funding formula for community colleges.
Institutional researchers have shared BC’s high-tech, high-touch strategies across the nation, including the state Chancellor’s Office, EMSI, the Center for Urban Education, and the RP Group conference this month. In May, researcher Amber Hroch will be presenting at ACCJC’s Partners in Excellence conference about program review.
This year, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness developed Cognos reports that will help the EOP&S and Veterans’ Services departments streamline the work they do to support students. They’ve also launched the first phase of a project that will create a centralized data warehouse for all of the information collected across Banner, Starfish, eLumen, and other programs utilized by BC faculty and staff.
I’d like to thank all of the brilliant minds in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness for providing concrete data analysis that continues to drive innovation at BC.
Fun Photos: BC Entrepreneurship Team
Manny Mourtzanos shared a fun photo of the team after the Entrepreneurship Workshop that was offered to BC students following the Business Pathway Career Expo on Wednesday. They enjoyed two very successful events–it’s a good time to be a Renegade!
Left to right: Manny Mourtzanos, Heather Wight (Executive Assistant, Small Business Development Center), Goli Ameri (President and CEO, StartItUp), Professor Rudy Menjivar (BC Entrepreneurship & Business Law Faculty), and JP Lake (Managing Partner, Kern Venture Group)
Fun Photos: Power Luncheon
Check out these great photos from Wednesday’s Power Luncheon with Jean Fuller.
Fun Photos: College Budget Meeting
Our College Budget Meetings are always an exciting time, as you can see in these wonderful photos.
Members of the budget committee being asked to stand and be recognized.
Renegade Athletics
The annual Army All-Star football
game at Rabobank is a huge community event that we had the opportunity to
sponsor this year. Athletics Program Manager Darrell Ballard and student worker
Daniel Kraskey manned a table representing the college before the game and
Associate AD Keith Ford presented the Offensive Player of the Game Award at the
conclusion of the game. Over twenty of this year’s players are coming to BC
this fall to play football for Coach Chudy. We look forward to seeing them on
campus!
Keith Ford presenting the Award
Daniel Krasky, Darrell Ballard
Renegade Report
If you missed watching the Renegade Report live this last Thursday at 11:00 a.m., check out the segments from this week’s show from the links below. This week’s highlights include segments from BC Baseball and Softball, who are both Western State Conference Champions!
Segment with BC Baseball Coach Tim Painton
Segment with BC Baseball’s Kamron Willman and Alejandro Murillo
Segment with BC Assistant Softball Coach Aryka Chavez
Segment with BC Softball’s Natilee Parrish and Ashley Hernandez
Renegades of the Week
Renegade Athletics is proud to announce this week’s (4/14-4/20) Wells Fargo Renegades of the Week:
Daran Towns, Women’s Swimming
Was named WSC Co-Female Swimmer of the Year, winning all three of her individual races and breaking school records in all three. (500 Free, 200 Free, 100 Free) She was also on the winning 800 Free Relay along with 3 other top 4 relays.
Jacob Whitby, Men’s Track and Field
Placed first in the discus with a throw of 46.63m at the WSC Championships for back-to-back conference championships in that event.
Renegade Volleyball is Tearing it up on the Sand
The Renegade Women’s Beach Volleyball team hosted both Santa Barbara City College and Glendale College at the CSUB Beach Volleyball courts on Friday and came away with two dominant victories, 5-0 over SBCCC and 5-0 over GC. KCCD General Counsel Chris Hine was at the match to witness the dominating play by our student athletes. View a full album of the matches.
Women’s Soccer Student Athletes Moving On
Renegade Women’s Soccer student athletes Reagan King and Drew Hallum will be continuing their academic and athletic careers at the Division I level this coming season. King has signed with the University of Louisiana Monroe and Hallum, who originally committed to Emerson College, has signed with Appalachian State University. Congrats and good luck!
Jacob Whitby Grabs Back-to-Back WSC Discus Championships
Congrats to Renegade Student Athlete Jacob Whitby who won the Western State Conference Discuss Title that last weekend with a throw of 46.63m. This is now Jacob’s second title in as many years. Congrats, Jacob and good luck the rest of the season!
Roundup of Athletics Events This Week
As always, it was a full week of athletics events for our Renegades teams. Highlights from the week include:
The Workforce & Economic Mobility Blog blog shares approaches to workforce and economic development, with a goal of supporting economic mobility for our community while staying committed to the health of our people and the health of our environment.
In the Bhambi & Christian blog, Dr. Brijesh Bhambi join together joined together with the goal of facilitating healing and conversation in our community.
We’re excited to congratulate this year’s 
