Good morning Bakersfield. It is Saturday, June 2, 2018 …a great day to be a Renegade.
On Monday, we spent the day reflecting on the men and women who gave their lives fighting to protect the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that our nation was founded on. Every year on Memorial Day, we honor the US soldiers who died in military service with the greatest sacrifice an individual can make for their country. Originally known as Decoration Day, Americans started commemorating loved ones who died fighting the Civil War during the second half of the 18th Century, but it wasn’t recognized as an official holiday until a declaration by an act of Congress in 1971. It’s important to note that Memorial Day is intended to honor soldiers who have died in military service—Veterans’ Day in November honors the contributions of all current and former armed service members, while Armed Forces Day celebrated all currently-serving military personnel on May 19 this year.
In honor of Memorial Day, Bakersfield College Veteran Services helped out this past Saturday making care packages for deployed service personnel with Good Samaritots, directed by Brooke Whitehead-Tolles. This organization fosters compassion and social responsibility through tot-friendly community service projects.
Brooke reading from “H is for Honor”.
In this picture, we all stopped working while Brooke read to the children a book called H is for Honor. This book explores the branches of the armed forces and speaks from the heart about the honor, privileges and sacrifices of military families everywhere.
Many of us were at the 1000 Flags event at Riverwalk. Thank you Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary for hosting and sponsoring this event.
Sonya Christian at Thousand Flags
And here is Carlos Barbaran
And Paul Beckworth with his dogs, Toccoa and Clemson, at the very beautiful and poignant Thousand Flags at River Walk, on Memorial Day.
Paul Beckworth at Thousand Flags
Paul Beckworth’s Message: Remember.
Paul Beckworth did some research in the archives with Jerry Ludeke and VA work-study Chris Yrena and found some incredible documents. I received an email this week where he shared them with me and included this message:
“I have put out rather intense Memorial Day messages the past few years but did not this year. However, when I saw the World War II list of BC dead I realized I did have a rather intense Memorial Day message.
That message is:
Remember
Wow… Let us take a moment and reflect on these handwritten lists of BC students killed or MIA in action from World War II. Paul mentioned one of them died in a POW camp after being captured and these lists may or may not be comprehensive. But regardless, these lists are very telling — they are our history.
Celebrating Veterans on Campus
Paul also updated the list of faculty who have served in any branch of the military. If you are not listed here, but should be added, please contact Paul Beckworth or leave me a comment.
| United States Marine Corps
Armando Trujillo
|
United States Navy
David Whalen, 5 years of service |
| United States Army
Charlie Fivecoat, 3 years of service
|
United States Air Force
Bernadette Martinez, 4 years of service United States Coast Guard Glen Gustafson, 6 years of service |
Continuing to highlight the 104th Commencement
I want to highlight each of the seven graduates who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Bakersfield College
Back Row: Chancellor Tom Burke, Trustee Romeo Agbalog, Trustee Kyle Carter, Trustee Bill Thomas, President Sandra Serrano, President Sonya Christian, President Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, President Greg Chamberlain, President Bob Allison, Vice President Zav Dadabhoy, and Vice President Liz Rozell
Front Row: Richard Van Horne, Miguel Ceja, Kori Masilon, Griselda Flores, Dawn Mosley, Timonthy Carrillo, and Armando Gutierrez
This history setting group was part of many firsts on May 11th, you can read about in my in-depth commencement coverage in the blog piece from Saturday, May 12th titled “A Commencement of Firsts.”
I wanted to take a time to recognize each of these incredible graduates.
Richard Van Horne
Miguel Ceja
Kori Masilon
Griselda Flores
Dawn Mosley
Timothy Carrillo
Armando Gutierrez
Our community will celebrate the accomplishments of these 7 graduates for many years to come as I know they will continue to give back to the communities in which they live, giving of their knowledge, skills, and talents. Congratulations to these men and women for their accomplishment. 
Chamber Singers will perform on June 30th before heading to Australia
Let’s get together in the Indoor Theater on June 30th to bid farewell to our Chamber Singers as they start their Australian performance tour ending with the Sydney Opera House. And I heard that both Monty Byrom and Lydia Ranger will be joining the performance on June 30th.
Bridge Over Troubled Waters with Monty Byrom and Lydia Ranger
BC’s Public Safety
I wanted to take a moment to recognize our Public Safety Department for all they do to keep this campus safe 24 hours a day. Here is a comparison of Public Safety’s responsibilities in 2018 compared to 2013 given BC’s explosive growth in students across our service area.
| 2013 | 2018 |
| Panorama Campus
Delano Timmons Campus |
Panorama Campus Delano Timmons Campus Weill Institute Campus SouthWest Campus RFK High School Campus |
| Sites where BC has evening classes: Shafter High School Arvin High School McFarland High School Wasco High School Delano High School Olive Drive Training Facility (Bakersfield) West Tec Campus (Shafter) |
On top of patrolling the campus with a watchful eye, and escorting students, faculty and staff to their cars at night, Public Safety also hosts informational seminars about proper emergency response, rape aggression defense, and what to do in the event of an active shooter situation on campus. The next seminar is open to the public and free of charge. This 3-part RAD class (Rape Aggression Defense) will take place beginning June 1st at 8AM. If you plan to attend, please wear comfortable gym clothes and tennis shoes. This program is part of BCs Public Safety Department’s commitment to enhancing safety through education and prevention.
Our campus officers do an incredible job creating a safe and welcoming atmosphere for everyone who comes to our campus. They are visible, approachable, and helpful. If you see anything you wish to report, please do. As Chief Counts teaches us, “If you see something, say something, and let’s do something about it!”
Here is the newest group photo that shows 31 of the 50 employees within the department. Thank you – all of you, for what you do!
First National Telecast of the CCCAA Track and Field Championship
A national telecast of the 2018 California Community College Athletic Association Track & Field Championships debuted on ELEVEN SPORTS USA on Wednesday evening. The 2-hour edited show from the 68th state meet at Bakersfield College is scheduled to re-air June 5th from 7:00AM – 9:00AM (P.T.).
The show opens with a ceremony involving Jim Ryun that commemorates his world record 3:51.1 mile set on the Bakersfield Stadium track just over a half century ago. Featured in conjunction with that ceremony is a message from another mile world record breaker, Sebastian Coe, now the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations. He emphasized the importance of running and pointed to the twenty-four mile races which will be run in each time zone around the world on Global Running Day, June 6.
The telecast was sponsored by the California Community College Cross Country and Track Coaches Association, with underwriting by Wall2Wall Sport. It was produced by Fred Baer, College of San Mateo Sports Information Director. Host announcer was George Devine, Jr., with interviews by Gary Dilley (retired CSM athletic director) and commentary by Mark Covert (retired Antelope Valley Coach) and Baer. The edited program can be viewed, on demand, on that Silicon Valley network’s website.
This event was truly spectacular. Thank you Jim Coggins, Bill Potter, Antero and others who made it happen in beautiful Memorial Stadium! Special Thanks to Mary Jo Pasek for all her dedicated work facilitating the attendance of Jim Ryun and his wife Ann. Of course, it would not have been possible if not for the hard work from the Athletics staff and student workers! Thank you, Coach Kelley, Coach Courtney, Coach Sanchez, Keith Ford, Todd Hansen, Darrell Ballard, Fred Smith, Mike Medeiros & Tricia Gay.
Renegade Volleyball
Alex Paris of BC gets the dig in the match against El Camino, photo from Felix Adamo of The Bakersfield Californian
Outside hitter Alexis Paris got accepted to play NCAA Division I volleyball for Niagara University in New York, while libero Haley Sanchez will be a Sooner for the University of Oklahoma in the NCAA’s Big 12 Conference. Middle blocker Brooke Horack also got accepted to Marymount California University in Ranchos Palos Verdes.
BC volleyball coach Carl Ferreira is quoted in the article expressing pride in his players’ accomplishments.
“These three kids are gonna walk into their schools mature, experienced and really ready to contribute because of the ability to know how to control their minds on a day-to-day basis,” Ferreira said.
The article includes two stunning photos by by Felix Adamo, one of our towns best photo journalists.
Fun Retreat Day Photos
EAC met for a special retreat day at BC SouthWest on Tuesday. The morning included many operational training activities and even time for a power walk at Riverwalk park, across the street, along with structured time for sharing and discussion.
Academic Technology visited an Escape Room to develop team building and shared the following photo with me after their great escape! This amazing crew does so much for so many students who use academic technology for online courses.
Tracy Lovelace, Bill Moseley, Pam Rivers, Anita Karr, and Matt Jones
Dual Enrollment Workshop
Campus came together on Thursday in Levan Center to celebrate successes so far, issues to tackle, and create a plan of action for 2018-2019.
Abel Guzman and Corny Rodriguez shared some data and I could not believe the growth we have had in dual and concurrent enrollment with students in High School. We are BC!
Here is a graph that captures student enrollment divided by BC’s 10 meta major pathways.
Check out the growth from one year to the next
And then this year we graduated the first cohort of students from Wonderful Academy with an Associates Degree at the same time they graduated from high school. Here is the timeline:
Calling all Homeschoolers!
Bakersfield College will be hosting our first ever Express Enrollment with a special homeschool/concurrent enrollment track. On June 19, starting at 8:00AM at the Panorama Campus, any high-school homeschool students who are ready to begin tackling college-level work can complete all the steps needed to become a Renegade in just one day.
Concurrent enrollment is free (not including books / materials), and allows students to complete classes for high school and college credit simultaneously, while getting a taste of what college classes are like. Interested students should bring their parents (this is required for concurrent enrollment paperwork), and plan on spending most of the day at BC. If you have any sort of transcript or record of the work you have completed, it wouldn’t hurt to bring that with you so counselors can help you choose the best classes.
The homeschool track also includes a special parent session, to help you find answers to your questions and provide you with some ways you can support your student as they begin college classes. If you would like to join us for this Homeschool Concurrent Enrollment Event, we would appreciate it if you can fill out the following form, so we know you are coming!
Parking Lot Renovation Project is Moving Along
Bill Potter, BC’s Director of Maintenance and Operations, has told me in a recent update that the Parking Lot Renovation project is ahead of schedule. Check out this collage of photos as together, we build A Better BC!
Celebration at Nick Strobel’s on completing BC’s Institutional Self Evaluation for Accreditation
Sonya Christian, Jessica Wojtysiak (son John), Jason Stratton, Sarah Baron, Sondra Keckley, Liz Rozell, Nick Strobel
The families who supported their loved ones who worked late nights to get the ISER completed.
Loved seeing this opinion piece by Reggie Williams in Friday’s Bakersfield Californian
That’s all for now.
Until next time.
With much Renegade Pride and Collegiality.
sonya —
the luckiest and happiest college president ever
The Bakersfield College Social Justice Institute hosted a wonderful screening and panel discussion of the new award-winning documentary “Real Boy” on March 16th. The film, funded in part by a documentary grant from California Humanities, follows the story of a young transgender youth, Bennett Wallace, as he transitions gender to a “real boy.” Over 100 people attended the screening and engaged in a community dialogue with California Humanities Program Officer 
Student Success and Equity Manager, 
It was great to see representatives from 
Inspiration was just the theme of the day. I’m told the film even moved several students enough to make them misty-eyed. After lunch, the group was off to explore the Ecosystems Exhibit and the Air and Space Exhibit, which included the space shuttle, Endeavor! The bus, tickets, and even lunch were all provided courtesy of the 
My week began with an email from David Koeth sharing that he and his wife spent Presidents Day in Los Angeles. He said:
Not too far from campus is a little treasure in our community – you’ve been there. It’s Luigi’s and writing this I’m reminded of the times I’ve enjoyed great food and great company there. Last weekend, Timothy Lemucchi and the Lemucchi family held a book signing for their new book, “Luigi’s 100 Years Then and Now” which showcases the story of how the Lemucchi family came to Bakersfield and the early beginnings of the restaurant. 
I saw a post on Facebook by 
It was a great night to be surrounded by Purple Heart recipients, and Vietnam War veterans, who were spotlighted on this evening. The keynote speaker of the evening was Vietnam War veteran, Lt. Col. (Retired) 
You may know of Mother Teresa as simply a well-known Catholic nun who dedicated her life to humanitarian work, but last Sunday, September 4th, Pope Francis declared this amazing and beloved woman Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Here are two articles in case you missed the news, from
We had a great turnout from the community. Here are some names I remember after my first cup of coffee this Saturday morning: Richard Chapman, Bob Meadows, Vince Fong, Kristen Barnes, ….. Thank you community for coming out. Thank you faculty, staff and students for coming out.
The big news that hit on Wednesday was that Bill Thomas was being recommended to be the next KCCD trustee. An article detailed this news in the Bakersfield Californian. 
Mr. Thomas secured $1 million for the remodeling of the planetarium thru bill HR3061. Here is a picture of Bill at the Planetarium unveiling in November 2006 when it was named in his honor along with his two grandsons. I was here at BC at the time as a Dean of the STEM area when Nick Strobel and I and many others worked on the proposal for this major Planetarium upgrade. However, I was in Oregon at the completion of the work in 2006. Also, Nov 2006 was three months after my dad Paul Christian passed away. It is definitely a time in my life that I have vivid memories.
There’s a new baby Renegade in Bakersfield
Catching up on my inbox this week brought a few more pictures from last week’s Renegade Signing events.
