L O S R I O S C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E D I S T R I C T FALL 2011

Sept 2 - Oct 30Sept 9Sept 10Sept 11

Sept 14Sept 16

Sept 23

Sept 25

Sept 30

Oct 1Oct 1Oct 3Oct 7 - 9

Oct 9

Oct 14Oct 15Oct 16

Oct 18Oct 20Oct 21Oct 22

Oct 28 - Nov 13

Oct 28 - Nov 13Oct 29

Nov 4 - Dec 18Nov 5 - 6Nov 5

Gallery: FLC Visual Arts Faculty Exhibition, 10:00-2:00pmFLC Music: Afro-Cuban Funk Band, 10:00pmXposed Dance, 7:00pmPlacer Pops Chorale: 9/11 Homeland Concert, 7:00pmStaff Benda Bilili, 7:30pmKeyboard Conversation w/Jeffrey Siegel: Beethoven, 7:30pmNational Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China, 8:00pmFolsom Lake Community Concert Assn: The Water-coolers, 3:00pmSacramento World Music & Dance Festival Kick-Off, 7:30pm

Slavic Chorale, 7:00pmSacramento Guitar Society: Jon Mendle, 8:00pmKris Kristofferson, 7:30pmSTOMP, Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2:00pm and 7:30pm, Sunday at 2:00pm and 7:00pmCalifornia Theatre Center: Emperor’s New Clothes, 1:00pm, 3:00pmBYU’s Ballroom Dance Company, 7:30pmFolsom Symphony: Light Out of Darkness, 7:30pmSacramento Philharmonic Orchestra: Olga Kern Plays Rachmaninoff, 2:00pmThe Miles Davis Experience, 7:30pmChamber Music Society: Jon Nakamatsu, 7:30pmLegendary Rhythm & Blues Revue, 7:30pmFolsom Lake Community Concert Assn: Spanish Brass, 7:30pmEl Dorado Musical Theatre: Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm, Thursdays at 7:00pmFLC Falcon’s Eye Theatre: Good Person of Szechwan, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 2:00pmFLC Music: Classical Ensembles, 7:00pm

Gallery: LRCCD Adjunct Visual Arts Faculty Invitational, 10:00-2:00pmDiana Murray-Tudsbury: Simply Chopin, 2:00pmSacramento Guitar Society: Benjamin Beirs, 8:00pm

For more information call the college Public Information Offices: ARC 484-8647 FLC 608-6993CRC 691-7199 SCC 558-2442

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Nov 17 - 19

Nov 18Nov 20

Nov 20

Dec 1Dec 2Dec 3Dec 4Dec 5Dec 8

Dec 10 - 11

Dec 10Dec 11

Dec 11Dec 14Dec 16, 18Dec 16Dec 17 - 18

Dec 23

Monty Python’s Spamalot, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 2:00pm, Thursdays at 7:30pmFLC Music: Afro-Cuban Funk Band, 10:00pmFolsom Lake Community Concert Assn: Christiane Noll, 3:00pmDana Carvey, 7:30pm

FLC Mosaic Dance Co: An Evening of Dance, 6:00pmAn Irish Christmas, 7:30pmCompañia Flamenca Jose Porcel, 8:00pm100 Years of Broadway, 7:00pmEddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra, 7:00pmFLC Music: Choir, 7:00pm

Folsom Symphony: Joyful Celebration, Saturday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 3:00pmFLC Music: Classical Ensembles, 7:00pmCalifornia Theatre Center: Elves & Shoemaker, 1:00pm and 3:00pmSacramento Korean Choral Society, 7:30pmFLC Music: Recitals, 7:00pmPamela Hayes Classical Ballet: The Nutcracker, 7:30pmFLC Music: Jazz Choir, 7:00pmPlacer Pops Chorale: A Home Town Christmas, Satur-day at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:00pmCompañia Mazatlán Bellas Artes: Posada Navideña, 7:30pm

V E N T U R EWARHOL IMAGES AT ARCIMAGINING OUR COLLEGESWHO’S ONLINE?

all things new and noteworthy

PLUS,

STOMP

venture

11inside FAL

L

2

EditorSusie WilliamsContributorsStephen Peithman, ARCKristie West, CRCScott Crow, FLCCorine Stofle, SCCProductionTeri GutierrezPrintingRafael Avelar

To contact Venturecall 568-3041 or e-mail willias@losrios.edu

Venture is published once each semester by the Communications Office of the Los Rios Commu-nity College District

POLAROIDS FROM THE EDGE

48

11

CRCSept 24Sept 27Sept 29

Oct 11Oct 13Oct 19Oct 24Oct 25

Nov 3Nov 21Nov 22Nov 30Dec 2Dec 6Dec 6Dec 6Dec 7Dec 8Dec 9Dec 12

(All events held in Recital Hall unless otherwise noted)Chamber Singers Retreat, 9:00-4:00pmJazz Band, 7:30pmCommercial Music Ensemble, 2:00pm, TBA

CRC All Choirs Concert, 7:30pmAll Choirs Concert, 7:30pmConcert Band, 7:30pmConcert Band & Orchestra, 7:30pmJazz Band, 7:30pm

Commercial Music Ensemble, 2:00pm, TBAStudent Recital, 7:30pmJazz Band, 7:30pmConcert Band, 7:30pmChamber Singers: Capitol Rotunda, 12:00 noon, offsiteChamber Singers: EGACT, 1:00pm, offsiteCommercial Music Ensemble, 2:00pm, TBAJazz Band, 7:30pmConcert Band, 7:30pmChamber Singers & College Chorus, 7:30pmChamber Singers & College Chorus, 7:30pmOrchestra, 7:30pm

SCCOct 6Oct 11Oct 12

Commercial Music Ensemble, Quad, 12:00pmJazz Band, Quad, 12:00pmChoirs & Ensembles, Auditorium 27, 12:10pm

TheatreThe Full Monty by NcNally and Yazbeck, Directed by Pam Downs, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 2:00pm

Antigone by Jean Anouilh, Directed by Nancy Silva, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 2:00pm

ARCOct 7 - 23

Nov 18- Dec 4

CRCOct 5-6Oct 12-13

Nov 3 - 13

Nov 28, 30Dec 5, 7

Brown Bag: Time Flies, 12:00 noon, CVPA Quad

The Distance from Here by Neil Labute, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:00pm, Thursdays at 7:30pm, in the Black Box

Student Scenes Presentations, 7:30pm, in the Black Box

WHAT’S HAPPENING

5NEWSMAKER

A conversation with Los Rios’ new Vice Chancellor for Education & Technology

7RENOVATING AN ICON

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA SCC

Sept 24 - Oct 16

Oct - Nov

Snow White and Rose Red, by Doug Lawson, Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00pm, West Sacramento Community Center, 1075 West Capitol, West Sacramento

Robin Hood in the Forest of Frogwarts: A British Panto, Times and Dates TBA, please visit www.citytheatre.net

ARCDec 2

Dec 2Dec 5Dec 5Dec 6Dec 7Dec 7Dec 8Dec 9

Dec 11

Applied Music Student Recital #1, Room 547, 12:30pmJazz Combo Showcase, Room 547, 7:30pmApplied Music Student Recital #2, Room 547, 3:00pmConcert Band & Symphonic Band, 7:30pmConcert Choir & Chamber Singers, 7:30pmOrchestra, Gibbons Park, 7:00pmVocal Jazz Ensembles, 8:00pmApplied Music Student Recital #3, Room 547, 7:30pmFaculty Recital - Dr. Dyne Eifertsen, Trombone, Room 547, 7:00pmCapital Jazz Project, 7:00pm

Capital Jazz Project

Oct 13Oct 14

Oct 16

Oct 27

Nov 3Nov 4Nov 22

Dec 1Dec 2Dec 8Dec 8Dec 9

Dec 10Dec 11

Dec 13

Jazz Band, Student Center, 7:00pmChoir & Ensembles, Lutheran Church of the Master, 1900 Potrero Way, Sacramento, 8:00pmChoir & Ensembles, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 7595 Center Parkway, Sacramento, 8:00pmCommercial Music Ensemble, Quad, 12:00pm

Pops Concert, Auditorium 27, 12:10pmPops Concert, Auditorium 27, 8:00pmCommercial Music Ensemble, Quad, 12:00pm

Voice Recital, Auditorium 27, 12:10pmVoice Recital, Auditorium 27, 8:00pmCommercial Music Ensemble, Quad, 12:00pmJazz Band, Student Center, 7:00pmChoir & Ensembles, Lutheran Church of the Master, 1900 Potrero Way, Sacramento, 8:00pmChoir & Ensembles, Capitol Rotunda, 12:00pmChoir & Ensembles, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1430 J Street, Sacramento, 8:00pmChoir & Ensembles, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 7595 Center Parkway, Sacramento, 8:00pm

This and cover photos © 2011 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

3 10

Art

SCC

Aug 29 -Sept 23

Oct 5 - 28

(Kondos Gallery Hours M-F, 12:00-4:00pm)

The Faculty Show, An Exhibition of Paintings and Sculp-tures by Faculty of SCC Art Department

Don Meyer & Gerald Walburg, Opening Reception October 6, 5:00-7:00pm

Lectures/Other

CRCNov 30 - Dec 1

Student Art Sale, 11:00-2:00pm

CRCDec 9 TV and Film Student Video Showcase, L-111 (The

Forum), 6:00-9:00pm

FLCSept 28Oct 6Oct 12Oct 24

Health and Wellness Day, 10:00-2:00pmFall Festival, 10:00-1:00pm, El Dorado CenterTransfer Day, 10:00-1:00pmNational Food Day, 10:00-2:00pm, Falcon’s Roost

WHAT’S HAPPENING

ARCSept 29

Oct 18

Farthest Outpost: The Unknown Story of Russian Cali-fornia, Presented by John Allen, Fort Ross Interpretive Association, Raef Hall 160, 12:15-1:15pm

How Can You Live Forever? The Immortal Life of Henri-etta Lacks, Presented by Professor Rick Topinka, Raef Hall 160, 12:15-1:15pm

“I have noticed that poetry can be very boring.”

Those are not words you would expect from a poet, but

yes, Josh Fernandez, poet and writer by trade, said them

in a recent interview. Of course, Fernandez, 36, is not your

average poet — think leather jacket and tattoos (a fair

amount of them, too) instead of quills and brooding airs.

He does, however, share with his counterparts the uncanny

ability to turn angst and pain into beauty. But a lot had to

happen before Fernandez could write the final stanza of

Spare Parts and Dismemberment, his first published and

already widely praised book of poems. One might actually

say that his first step toward this impressive achievement

looked more like a stumble… or even a tumble.

“I was basically a wanderer,” Fernandez admitted.

“All I knew was that I didn’t want to go to college, so

I went to New York, Boston, San Diego and then San

Francisco. I fell in love with alcohol and drugs, which

probably could have been the end of me.”

Luckily, his girlfriend at the time had something

else in mind for him. One day, she dropped him off in

front of Sacramento City College, informed him that

she had enrolled him in a few classes, and that she was

leaving him for good. Fernandez didn’t have anything

else to do, so before the cloud of dust and exhaust fumes

behind his ex-girlfriend’s car dissipated, he was sitting in

a classroom, penning down a writing sample for English

Professor Jan Lee.

“I wrote mine about a little kid kicking a cardboard

box around the street,” Fernandez recalled. “[I thought]

my writing didn’t make any sense, but Professor Lee saw

something in there.”

Lee, who has been teaching at SCC for more than 11

years, said that Fernandez stood out right away, and it was

not because he was from a rough background.

“It was his first essay that really captured my

attention,” Lee recounted, explaining that for the

assignment, Fernandez wrote a strikingly earnest profile

of SCC music instructor Rob Knable. “When I finished

reading the essay, I felt as if I knew Rob. The writing

certainly needed polishing, but it was

clear that Josh was a gifted writer. He had

a voice, and it was unique.”

Lee encouraged him to write and

eventually hired him to tutor students in

the Reading Lab. Before long, his days

were filled with less trouble and more

school. Fernandez hardly noticed it in the moment, but

he was becoming a scholar, and for the first time in his

academic career and life, he felt positively challenged.

“Some of my professors were painfully difficult,”

he said, “but I understood why they were difficult. And

I liked that they cared enough to break a sweat in the

classroom.”

It all paid off for Fernandez, who soon gathered the

necessary units to transfer into the English program at UC

Davis, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree with honors.

Fast forward to today, saying that Fernandez is a

busy man is a serious understatement. The newlywed

— and now avid marathon runner — is still a scholar,

completing a master’s degree in creative writing at

Sacramento State University. In addition to the rigors of a

grad student’s lifestyle, he is also actively promoting Spare

Parts and Dismemberment, and putting the finishing

touches on his first novel, Stick up Kid, due out next year.

As if that wasn’t enough, Fernandez, who served as the

associate editor of the Sacramento News & Review before

starting at Sac State, is now an active freelance writer, who

has been published in various press outlets, including the

famed music magazine Spin.

“Those are pretty ideal positions for English majors

because you get to write and get paid,” Fernandez said.

“You get to hang out with musicians like Marilyn Manson

or Snoop Dogg and write about things that are important

to people.”

Fernandez jokingly says that hanging out with

big-time celebrities is not all that it’s cracked up to be.

For him, connecting with younger students and being a

positive role model is what really counts.

DISCLAIMER: Spare Parts and Dismemberment is not for the faint of heart! It is a visceral and unabashed autobiography, in which author Josh Fernandez bares it all — the drugs and the heartbreak. Yes. All of it. But it is also a profound social commentary, in which the poet confronts issues of race and class struggles, and discusses the strange and beautiful feeling of belonging to two different worlds, with a mixed Mexican and Caucasian heritage. As Fernandez puts it, “the book is angry — sometimes horrifying,” but the journey through some of the most painful strophes is well worth it, and before they know it, readers will find increasingly tender and fragile verses at the turn of the page. In the end, Spare Parts is a sincerely human manifesto, one that most people can relate to: “The book is also a confession,” Fernandez said, adding, “I am not a very good person at times, but I’m trying.”

From Street-Brat to ScholarACCLAIMED LOCAL POET JOSH FERNANDEZ DISCUSSES HOW HIS LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY BEGAN AT SCC

WHAT THEY SAY

FLC

Oct 31 Day of the Dead Displays, Libraries, Folsom and El Dorado campuses

continued on page 6

by Corine Stofle

ARCOct 6Oct 19Oct 19Oct 26Oct 27Oct 28

Oct 29

Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6Nov 19

Nov 19

Nov 30

Dec 1

(All events held in ARC Theatre unless otherwise noted)Jazz Guitar Clinic - Jim Hershman, Room 548, 1:30pmPiano Concert - Theresa Keene, Room 547, 12:20pmOrchestra, Gibbons Park, 7:00pmOrchestra, 7:30pmConcert Band & Symphonic Band, 7:30pmFrom Sand to Pearls: A Choral Tribute to Perla Warren, 7:30pmFrom Sand to Pearls: A Choral Tribute to Perla Warren, 7:30pm

Concert Choir & Chamber Singers Invitational, 7:30pmVocal Jazz Ensembles, 8:00pmInstrumental Jazz Ensembles, 7:30pmJazz Combo Showcase, Room 547, 7:30pmNada Brahma Music Ensemble, 7:30pmCapital Jazz Project, 7:00pmStudio Drumming Clinic - Kenwood Dennard, Room 548, 1:00pmARC/UOP Chamber Music Ensemble, Room 547, 7:30pmOrchestra, 7:30pm

Instrumental Jazz Ensembles, 7:30pm

Music

Oct 20

Oct 27

The New Middle East and Women’s Issues, Presented by Dr. Soheir Stolba, Raef Hall 160, 12:15-1:15pm

Scary Stories, Read by National Book Award Winner Joyce Carol Thomas, Raef Hall 160, 12:15-1:15pm

WHO’S ONLINE?Surprising findings from new research

25% enrolledare age18-20 57% enrolled

18-20are age

with a

56% coursesuccessrate

with a

74% coursesuccessrate

9% enrolledare African-American

with a

41% coursesuccessrate

7% enrolledare African-American

with a

62% coursesuccessrate

16% enrolledareHispanic

with a

50% coursesuccessrate

19% enrolledareHispanic

with a

66% coursesuccessrate

24% withdrawalrate 15% withdrawal

rate

Iconic images of an

era will be donated

to American River

College by the Andy

Warhol Photographic

Legacy Program.

ARC will receive 150

polaroid originals

and gelatin silver

photographs that include portraits, celebrity snapshots,

nudes, party photos, and still-lifes. The program is

donating thousands of images to universities, museums,

and private galleries across the nation but ARC is the

only California community college recipient.

The mystery genre gene is strong at SCC. Another SCC staffer, Gloria Galloway, has written a mystery novel, Dead by my Side, and if reviews and recent sales are any indication, she’s got a hit.

Homicide detectives Tony and Julia were partners for more than twelve years. Julia is not just a long-legged, Jimmy Choo

wearing sleuth, she’s also a ghost and a great foil for her rugged, quick-triggered partner. You’ll have to read the book to learn how all this paranormal stuff happened.

One reviewer notes, “The book is gripping with dialog that reads like a script.” An interesting comment as Gloria has been contacted about turning the book into a television series.

Oh, the story is set in Sacramento and dead bodies abound at local landmarks.

4 9

WHAT’S NEW

Photo: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

GOVERNOR’S OFFICE, CROCKER EXHIBIT STUDENT WORKS

Photo: Kim Rotchford, ARC

Eat well, eat locally are two messages the sponsors of Folsom Lake College’s Food Day want to promote. The October 24 event is part of a national celebration designed to publicize the need to improve our diets and increase sustainability and humanity in the production of our food. FLC nutrition professor Jessica Hodge and Aramark chef Steve Sims are spearheading the campus event which will be held from 10 am to 2 pm. Putting Food Day ideas into practice, FLC’s food services has added a wide variety of new healthy snacks and meals to its Fall 2011 menu.

º

Los Rios photography students have 70 of their works on display in the Governor’s Offices and hallways. Christine Korling-Torres, a liason from Governor Brown’s office, worked with ARC, CRC and SCC photography professors to curate the show which focuses on California landmarks. “This is a great opportunity for our students and programs to collaborate,” said

POLAROIDS FROM THE EDGE

M O R E M Y S T E R Y F R O M S C C

endpaper

CRC photography professor Patty Felkner. “The Governor wants to use the space in the Capitol to showcase regional artists and our exhibit is the first.”

Meanwhile, CRC photography and art students have their work on display at the Crocker Art Museum. The show opened in July and will run through mid-October.

Early this fall the Los Rios District Office of Institutional Research released a new report, Who’s Online and How are They Doing? A Comparison of Online and On-Campus Courses in Writing, Math and Business.

The report looked at students enrolled in online and on-campus classes in English 300 and 302, Math 100 and 120, and Business 300, from fall 2006 through fall 2010. The English and math courses were selected as they are offered in both online and face-to-face formats and are critically important to student completion as they fulfill requirements for graduation and transfer. The Business 300 class was selected because it is offered in both formats and is fairly highly enrolled.

MAJOR FINDINGS

• Younger students, those under 24, prefer face-to-face English and math classes over online classes. Nearly 79% of total en-rollment in on-campus English 300 and 302 classes is made up of students under the age of 24.

• Higher proportions of older students, those over 24, are enrolled in online English and math classes.

• Course success rates for younger students are significantly higher in face-to-face English and math classes than in the same online classes.

• Students over age 40 have the highest online course success rates in English and math.

• Hispanic and African-American students have significantly lower course success rates in online classes than in face-to-face classes.

• Withdrawal rates are significantly higher for online classes than for face-to-face.

• Course success rates for students enrolled in Business 300 were nearly the same for both modes.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that most students are not doing as well in online courses as they do in face-to-face courses in the critical areas of English and math. For English 300, students in face-to-face classes have an overall course success rate of 71% compared to 58% in online classes. For Math 100, the course success rate for face-to-face classes is 53% compared to 41% for online. In contrast, course success rates for online and on-campus Business 300 classes are fairly equal. This disparity could suggest that not all subject areas are suited for online delivery or that modifications need to be made to online English and math courses to better support student success. The findings further suggest that young students age 18-20 might be best served by being placed in on-campus English and math classes.

To read the full report call 568-3131 or go to http://irweb.losrios.edu/do_esearch/DistanceED_MathENGL_2011study/OnlineReptWrMathBus2011.pdf.

E N G L I S H 3 0 0 E N G L I S H 3 0 0O N - C A M P U SO N L I N E

Tani Cantil-Sakauye

Lisa Lawrenson

A S I N G U L A R S E N S A T I O N

WITHOUT A ROPE

National Geographic A BIG JOB

Sue Lorimer, the new

Vice Chancellor for

Education and Technology

really has . . .

58

newsmaker interviewWHAT’S NEW

FLC’s Three Stages was recently recognized as “Project of the Year” by the Region Builders Association which lauded the facility for its exceptional design and innovative elements. Three Stages also received the “Community Impact” award as part of the Sacramento Business Journal’s 2010-11 Real Estate Projects awards. The journal noted, “The successful collaboration of campus and

community has resulted in a regional educational and economic powerhouse that provides a world-class teaching laboratory for students and faculty. The project will generate as much as $3.5 million in revenue for the city of Folsom, boost local hotel and restaurant business, and provide a much needed venue for regional and performing arts groups.”

º

H O N O R E E SThe Community College League of California has named Sacramento City College graduate and California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye Distinguished Alumna of the Year. The award will be presented at the League’s statewide conference in November. Also, Lisa Lawrenson, Associate Vice President of Instruction at American River College is this year’s recipient of the John W. Rice Diversity Award presented by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. The award has been in existence for 11 years and this is the fifth time a Los Rios employee has been honored.

The young man braced against the side of Yosemite’s Half Dome on the cover of National Geographic’s May 2011 issue is former ARC student Alex Honnold. Alex made history when he became the first person ever to scale Half Dome without any gear. National Geographic has made a film about his exploits, “Alone on the Wall” and Alex has been busy this year with speaking engagements in New York City, at Harvard, and Ohio State University. His mother is ARC Professor Dierdre Wolownick (French/Spanish); his father was the late Professor Charles Honnold (ESL).

So, what is your job really about?

In my mind, what it is about is providing an administrative leadership that helps the colleges get work done in the areas of instruction and student services and provide the technology support to do that. There is also a piece of the job that is really important in terms of coordinating district wide efforts in supporting the colleges in accreditation.

You have a lot of responsibility to get things done but not any direct authority. How do you see that relationship working?

It’s a relationship of influence and being able to provide assistance. But I think also what’s really important in Los Rios is the fact that we have a strategic plan, we have shared values, we have a direction in which we are going that we have all worked and contributed to, it’s not just the district office

strategic plan but it’s a district wide strategic plan that all of us have worked on. So there is already some agreement that this is what we want to do. And then we have long-standing working relationships that I think makes Los Rios very unique in California, our ability to work together toward common goals that help our students.

What is your agenda for the coming year or coming few years?

The first place I’m taking my agenda from really is the strategic plan. I think we’re very fortunate that it was done very recently. I see us really focusing on student goal achievement and that we have some things in place that will help us do that. For example, we now have the new statewide transfer degrees and one of the things that I see is working with the colleges and CSU to make those degrees actually work for our students. We have real concerns about the achievement gaps that we have. They ►

Not quite two months

into her new job, Dr.

Sue Lorimer carved an

hour out of a busy day

to talk with venture’s

Susie Williams.

V I T A VP Instruction, FLC 2004-2011

Dean, Planning, Research andDevelopment, ARC1997-2003

Counselor, ARC1987-June 1997

Q

A

Cosumnes River College emergency medical technician professor Matthew McHugh spent part of his summer volunteering in Haiti where many are still suffering from cholera as spring rains brought a resurgence of the disease that was introduced to the region after the 2010 earthquakes. McHugh was among many international volunteers who spent most of their day inserting IVs into very sick children. They also dug fresh water wells as clean water is the solution to ending cholera.

One young girl who really touched the professor was five-month-old baby Rose. “She came to the clinic very sick,” McHugh said. “I kept her in triage for 3 hours before I sent her back to the nurses. I usually only keep patients for 30 minutes, but she was too sick and too adorable.”

McHugh said the clinic, located in the largest slum in the Northern Hemisphere, was enclosed by barbed wire and guarded by armed men.

The number of emaciated patients was shocking, “There were not enough cots for them. There was no sanitation except bleach water and no gloves, masks or quarantine areas.” McHugh volunteered 11 to 12 hours each day. “It was a good trip and I helped a lot of sick people. I saw what a third world country is truly like. We are all really blessed.”

76

WHAT’S NEW

JOYCE CAROL THOMAS TO SPEAK AT ARCºSCARY STORIES: Author and National Book Award winner, Joyce Carol Thomas, will read from her novels The Skull Talks Back and Other Haunting Tales and Marked by Fire at American River College on Thursday, October 27 from 12:15 to 1:15 pm in Raef Hall 160. Thomas’ other numerous honors and awards include the American Book Award, and the New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year Award. Admission is free.

R E N O V A T I N G A N I C O N

L E N D I N G A H E L P I N G H A N D I N H A I T I

New York Times

just don’t exist once they get to community college, but they’re in our K-12 system too. So I think working with better partnerships with our K-12 folks to coordinate and align curriculum particularly in math and English areas is going to be critical. Also, we know that we have a desperate need for people to find jobs in this area and that they need to be trained for these jobs, so again, partnerships with business and industry. We have a good track record of that but I think we need to be doing more of that and aligning our programs there. We’re taking a look at how many degrees and certificates we give in a given area and where there are fewer than we’d like. Is there a reason? Is it a curriculum issue? Is it what’s really available in the community in terms of jobs? So those are the kinds of things that we can look at and I think really make a difference over the next few years.

All of this is happening against a backdrop of dramatic changes in accountability, funding and regulation. How do you see these outside factors affecting what you’re trying to accomplish?

The focus for me has shifted somewhat from access, we still need to be those open-door institutions and that’s still valued, but what is really valued is what the outcomes are. Certainly resources are a big issue right now. We can’t continue to spend money the way we used to because we’re not given that money. So how can we streamline things? I think that’s a place where technology comes in, in terms of how we work together. It also brings up the issue of standardization. We really like and value the uniqueness of each of our colleges, but yet in many ways our students come to our colleges and expect the same level and type of service, they expect to be able to go from one college to the other and find some standardized processes and services.

Now, repeatability in terms of how many times students can repeat a class is changing. This needs to be communicated; we need to change our reporting mechanisms – a big IT issue.

Changes in financial aid, how withdrawals are counted, is going to have an impact.

I think it’s going to have a tremendous impact. There is a lot more focus right now on student academic progress and that they maintain that progress in order to get financial aid. Some students hate to leave us. They like to stay here, in such a friendly place, when they really need to be finishing up and moving on, either into the workplace or to transfer. The new rules are going to make them do that when they’re dependent on financial aid. That’s again, another piece from the outside that is starting to channel how we do our work and direct it by how they give us resources.

If you could wave a magic wand, what two or three things would be different?

I think that collectively we’d have taken the opportunity to look at the degrees and certificates and the transfer paths that our students are on and we would have focused our resources around helping students achieve those goals. Along with that, we would have adapted student support services so they assist students in achieving those goals. We would also have better relationships with our feeder schools and we would have influenced K-12 students’ preparation. That pipeline piece, I think, is critically important for us.

Sounds like a big job.

It is.

newsmaker interview - continued from page 5

From Street-Brat to Scholar - continued from page 3

“I think my story is unique in that I’m not

a typical academic,” said Fernandez, who is

frequently invited to local youth events as a guest

speaker. “I never intended on going to college,

and I lived for a long time in a very low place. One

time, many years ago, I was sitting down on the

sidewalk trying to tie my shoe and a tourist gave

me a sympathetic smile and handed me a dollar

bill. I took it, of course, but I realized then that I

didn’t want to be at the lowest rung of society. So I

like to talk with students to show them that you can

bounce back from anything.”

Having the strength to effect a life-saving

change is not easy, but the now healthy, clean and

sober Fernandez made it. His long and arduous

metamorphosis began at Sacramento City College,

and today, the campus still holds a special place for

him.

“There was a time when I couldn’t even fathom

the idea of someone publishing one of my stories,”

Since it was first opened in 1928, Sacramento City College’s 23,000-seat Hughes Stadium has hosted every type of event including Sacramento Solons’ baseball games, motor sport competitions, boxing, rock concerts, Pig Bowls, Causeway Classics, NCAA track & field competitions and Olympic Games qualifying trials. Now, the slightly faded icon is finally getting a much needed facelift

that will bring it back to its former glory as a venue of choice for major events. When completed, Hughes will boast a new track with synthetic turf, new bleacher seating, energy efficient lighting, new locker and weight rooms, improved press box and concession stands, and elevators as part of making the facility ADA compliant. New paint including a red stripe around the top will add the finishing touch.

▪

▪

he said. “I remember sitting in [SCC instructor]

Tom Miner’s poetry class, thinking, ‘How would I

feel if I ever saw my name in print?’ It turns out, it

feels pretty good. But the really fun part is learning

how to write… getting published is an afterthought.

If I could do it over again, I would savor my time at

SCC — the place that sparked my writing career.”

We can’t continue to spend money the way we used to because we’re not given that money. So how can we streamline things?