Bookmaking and More at the Library Makerspace! 1LAC Supports Student Success at ESCC 1

Allen Driven 2Voto Latino Power Summit 2016 2

Star Wars Under the Stars 2Professor Robison Retires After 25 Years 3Maikai Now Alternative Media Specialist 3

Meet New HR Assistant Tankersley 3Students Present at Research Conference 4

New Staff Engagement Committee 4Literary Awards Ceremony 5

Scholarships Help Students Realize Their Dreams 5

AUGUST 2016 CERRO COSO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Inside this Issue

LAC Supports Student Success at ESCCThe Learning Assistance Centers at Cerro Coso’s Eastern Sierra campuses were bursting with activity during the fall and spring semesters, a result of increased hours (now daily 12:30-6:30 pm at each site) and services. Adjunct faculty members, Jason Abplanalp and Leigh Duggan, worked hard to inspire and support college students in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes. During the first half of the spring semester, they served over 85 students in 25 different courses. Both Jason and Leigh have expertise across many curricular areas and disciplines. Jason has a Ph.D. in geology and a technical writing background and previously taught at the University of Idaho. Leigh, a retired K-12 bilingual teacher and administrator, has extensive expertise in working with second language learners in all subject areas. In addition to working directly with students, Jason and Leigh coordinate with Julie Cornett and the Cerro Coso Library staff to provide referrals and basic support in textbook reserves, citations, formatting, and research. And, they monitor and support concurrently enrolled high school students to achieve a high level of success. Jason and Leigh have scheduled several events in the LAC to support students in the remediation of basic skills and in learning new concepts. Workshops in Science Writing, Incorporating Quotes in Writing, and GED Math & Writing Brush-Ups were held in the LAC at both campuses. New this past spring were Writing and Math Labs hosted by Christine Abbott, Julie Metz, and Joe Slovacek every day prior to English and math classes at each site, and ESCC’s LAC student tutor Michael Walecke, offered Math 50 study groups twice a week in Bishop. Jason and Leigh have been working to build community at the campuses by hosting Midterm Potlucks, Coffee Breaks, and Exam Slams, that provide opportunities for the college community to come together and relax. The greatest success we’ll know is helping OTHERS succeed and grow.

Bookmaking and More at the Library Makerspace!

The main campus library now has a dedicated space where students can gather to create, invent, and learn! The makerspace is equipped with all types of craft supplies for DIY projects such as chapbooks, bookmarks, duct-tape wallets, posters, and more. There is a color printer/scanner for student use and the plan is to add even more tools to nurture hands-on exploration and participatory learning. The makerspace is open to students on a walk-in basis and the library staff will offer workshops soon. Faculty are encouraged to bring their classes in to use the makerspace for class projects. Last spring, Melanie Jeffrey’s Creative Writing class used the makerspace to create chapbooks of their poetry in a session led by skilled bookmaker Ruth Anna Lulofs! Creativity is contagious passion – Einstein.

Students studying in the Learning Assistance Center at the Bishop Campus.

Allen Driven

They may not hear it enough, but at Cerro Coso we respect those who understand the value of well-running vehicles in people’s livelihoods, and the support our auto technician dedicates to keeping our cars in good working order. New Automotive Technician Kyle Allen has what it takes to keep our fleet of cars humming. With every vehicle he fixes, he’s allowing us to arrive on time, protect our treasured staff, conduct college business, and return to our families safely. Originally from South Orange County, Allen joined Cerro Coso last fall as an Assistant Baseball Coach for the Coyotes. He started his baseball career at Trabuco Hills High School in southern California and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians. He attended Orange Coast Community College for 2 years, and was drafted by the Colorado Rockies. Allen still holds the single game strikeout record (18). He finished his college career at Lewis & Clark College in Idaho before being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. He played for the Phillies for three years and played for a stint with the Independent League Amarillo Dillas, before retiring in 2007. After baseball, Allen worked for 8 years as a welder on the railroad and then moved on to freeway construction. The pay was good but the long hours traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco everyday took its toll. Excited to get back into the game of baseball, Allen joined the Coyotes as a pitching coach last season and the team did well, with the 2nd best turnaround for a team in the nation and even ranked in the top 20 at one point. Allen says he is really looking forward to working with the team this year to build a better work ethic and push them past their comfort zones to build confidence. When asked about his favorite teams Allen said, “I love everything Pittsburgh…Penguins, Pirates, and Steelers all the way.” Passion. Performance. Speed. Welcome Kyle!

Star Wars Under the StarsThe Student Government of Cerro Coso (SGCC) held a FREE showing of Star Wars the Force Awakens under the stars on Thursday, July 14. In this unique viewing experience, an estimated 125 students, family, and friends brought their blankets and lawn

chairs to the Luis Miro Sculpture Garden to enjoy an evening under the stars and to watch the movie against the beautiful backdrop of the city. The seventh installment in the main Star Wars film series, starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, and many more, the movie was fun for the whole family. Snacks and sodas were available for sale by student clubs. The event was funded by the Student Development Fund at Cerro Coso. The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power, too. – Luke Skywalker!

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Voto Latino Power Summit 2016Five Cerro Coso students attended the Voto Latino Power Summit 2016 In Las Vegas, Nevada, with Blaine Simmons, the Program Director for Student Equity. The conference brings together emerging leaders from across the country for two days of high-impact learning and one-on-one access to business executives, elected officials, and community leaders. “Voto Latino inspired me to get involved with the community and the school to create a diverse environment,” said student Vanessa Romero. The Power Summit is all about fast-tracking student careers and helping them to build their own community, and provides participants with access to those who have been in their shoes. Student Henry Arebaldo said of the experience, “the Power Summit opened my eyes to a new world of people, connections, and ideas.” Using their model of leveraging youth, media, celebrity voices, and technology to empower communities, the summit is a platform for participants to become catalysts for positive change, and affords a pipeline to leadership positions across private, public, and nonprofit sectors. The interactive experience fosters the new age of digital influencers to maximize their impact in their careers and communities. The one-on-one interaction with industry experts is what creates the Power Summit difference. “I believe I benefited a lot out of this experience,” said student Teddy Valdez. “I gained a strong insight on a completely different culture and the inspiration of the keynote speakers who worked only to give back to their community. I was able to learn more information on multiples ways to increase voter turnout in my community and getting people registered to vote for this upcoming election.” What you do today can improve all your tomorrows!

CCCC students attended the VL Power Summit 2015 in Las Vegas (l to r): Blaine Simmons, Program Director for Student Equity; Students – Vanessa Romero, Deandre Mitchell, Henry Arebalo, Destinee Garcia, and Theodore Valdez.

Meet New HR Assistant TankersleyAfter graduating from Burroughs High School in 2006, career possibilities abounded for new Human Resource Assistant Katie Tankersley. She moved to Chico to attend Beauty College

to become an esthetician, manicurist, and certified massage therapist. She returned to Ridgecrest with her licenses to work for a local salon. After a hand injury, which put an end to her massage therapy career, she moved back to Chico to pursue a different path. While in Chico, Tankersley took a job in Human Resources

at SunGard. Yes, for those of you still around to remember, that is the same SunGard that brought KCCD Banner, our student and administrative software system. After three years at SunGard, Tankersley, the daughter of a Navy pilot, thought a job as an Air Traffic Controller for the Air Force would be a more exciting career. After completing Basic Military Training with honors in San Antonio, Texas, Tankersley was unfortunately separated from the Air Force. So she returned to Ridgecrest, to be close to family and friends, and applied for the Human Resource position at Cerro Coso where her experience in the areas of recruitment, examination, and personnel matters were a good match. One of four children in her family, Tankersley says she loves working with people and helping an organization find the best employees. A licensed California Notary, Tankersley is also a certified deep water scuba diver. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, home improvement projects, and crafts. Cerro Coso WELCOMES Katie to the team.

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Maikai Now Alternative Media SpecialistFormer Learning Assistance Center Technician Juli Maikai has taken a new position at the Ridgecrest campus as the Alternative Media Specialist. Maikai joined Cerro Coso in 2012 and will now be located in the college’s High Tech Center, designed to train individuals with disabilities to use assistive technologies. She will make sure instructional materials are provided in various accessible formats, coordinate institutional brailling and captioning, and network with regional and state agencies to ensure appropriate services are made available in alternative formats. The High Tech Center is open to all students, with priority given to Access Program students, and provides learning strategies and computers along with a quiet place to study and do homework. Equipped with assistive software programs to help students with disabilities read, write papers, and more, the High Tech Center is currently located in the Learning Assistance Center. Maikai replaces Valerie Lane who retired in 2015. Congratulations Juli!

Professor Robison Retires After 25 Years

Faculty Marshal for the forty-third Commencement Ceremony for 2016

was retiring Education and Personal Development Professor Bonita Robison’s final act of service to Cerro Coso Community College. Professor Robison served the college with distinction since 1991. Prior to joining the faculty as a testing technician with Special Services (now Access Programs), Bonita had many years of experience teaching pre-school, elementary, and high school physical and biological sciences, and homeschooled her dyslexic son. These experiences created her passion for students who learn differently, invest many more hours than their peers to learn, and need a variety of intensive interventions for success. Professor Robison taught basic math as an intern, received adaptive technology training, and was state certified as a Learning Disability Specialist. She provided learning disabled testing to define

individual student needs for success, taught learning disability awareness, study skills, and adaptive technology courses and oversaw the Learning Skills Program for Special Services at all campuses. She taught Master Student courses, coordinated the Learning Assistance Center and Tutor Training, basic skills, and faculty professional development, and says she will miss the eager students and helpful staff of Cerro Coso. In retirement, Professor Robison and her husband, Dale, plan to explore the possibilities of serving with Mercy Ships that provide free surgical and health services in third world countries. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Humboldt State University, and a Master of Arts from California State University, Bakersfield. Best wishes for an awesome retirement Professor Robison. Thank you!

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Students Present at Research Conference

Once again, Cerro Coso Community College was strongly represented at the annual Honors Transfer Council of California (HTCC) Student Research Conference held at the University of California, Irvine, in March. This multidisciplinary conference sponsored by UC Irvine and the HTCC, showcases outstanding faculty-mentored research by students from California community colleges with a focus on honors students. Three Cerro Coso students, all members of Phi Theta Kappa and the Honors Program, presented their research at this year’s conference.

Nancybeth Schultz’s project, titled “Using BLUPs to Estimate Quality Traits in Processing Tomatoes,” argues that although genetic marker-assist technology opened the door to crop breeding programs, it unfortunately does not take environmental inputs into consideration. Mentored by Chemistry Professor Dr. John Stenger-Smith, Schultz’s paper used processing tomato quality data to determine if BLUPs can be used to evaluate horticultural progeny data in modern breeding programs. Mentored by Anthropology Professor Dr. Sarah King, Nolan Havig’s project, “The Validity of Race Classification: Classification through Perception,” argues that using race as a classification system is an ineffective and flawed concept because this form of socially constructed natural selection requires categorization of individuals by superficial characteristics and feature through subjective prejudice, while no genetic markers define race. Enrique Carrillo-Sulub’s presentation, titled “A Paradigm Shift in Medicine: The Black Death and its Contribution to Modern Medicine,” explains the initial aftermath and reoccurring incidents of the plague. The ineffectiveness of contemporary modern medicine caused physicians and other medical practitioners to look for innovative ways to combat the deadly pestilence. As a result, Enrique argues, the Black Death sparked an evolution in medicine by causing a paradigm shift from superstitious, speculative medicine to pragmatic, empirical medicine during the Middle Ages. Enrique was mentored by History Professor Ben Beshwate. Presenting their work at the HTCC Student Research Council makes these students eligible not only for monetary awards but also to submit their work for publication in the HTCC anthology Building Bridges, published through the University of California, Irvine. All three students received a Cerro Coso Faculty Honors Research Scholarship.

Students L to r: Nancybeth Schultz, Nolan Havig, and Enrique Carrillo-Sulub.

New Staff Engagement CommitteeEmployee interactions that promote a healthy environment for all are important to the success of any organization. A new Staff Engagement Committee was recently established at Cerro Coso to enhance communication, promote interaction and trust between supervisors and employees, encourage collaborative relationships, seek to understand and appreciate different perspectives, encourage, celebrate, and recognize employees, and to actively solicit employee feedback that results in strategies for improvement. The charge of the group is to develop and implement a yearlong schedule of events that will provide a venue to foster relationships between management and staff, provide a monthly opportunity to show appreciation, and give input where appropriate. Composed of a resourceful group of dedicated leaders, membership in the inaugural committee includes President Jill Board, Crystal Leffler, Rebecca Rock, Paul Kuttig, Jennifer Marshall, Ashlin Mattos, Jessica Humble, Deborah Gregory, Terri White, Tammy Kinnan, Mark Lathrop, Juli Maikai, Nikki Gardepe, and Jamie Wycoff. It didn’t take long for the amazing team of creative thinkers to hold their first event…a breakfast potluck in the Sculpture Garden on a beautiful Friday morning before the long 4th of July holiday. Special thanks to the new committee for their dedication and willingness to always improve the culture of Cerro Coso Community College. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

Members of the new Staff Engagement Committee at Cerro Coso (l to r): Mark Lathrop, Jill Board, Becky Rock, Jamie Wycoff, Jessica Humble, Tammy Kinnan, Deborah Gregory, and Paul Kuttig pose for a quick picture during their first engagement event.

Scholarships Help Students Realize Their DreamsIt is the mission of the Cerro Coso Community College Foundation to make a difference in the lives of Cerro Coso students by providing them with resources that increase their access to higher education and serve as a foundation for their future success. The CCCC Foundation’s Scholarship Program is designed to provide assistance to students demonstrating financial need or academic performance. Without a doubt, a quality education is an investment, one that pays dividends through a lifetime. In 2015 the Foundation awarded more than $65,000 in scholarships to Cerro Coso students, and has more than $30,000 available to be awarded to students majoring in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math) programs of study. The CCCC Foundation encourages all students to apply for scholarships at Cerro Coso. Complete the online application at https://kccd.academicworks.com/ and be automatically matched with scholarship opportunities for consideration based on criteria. Some tips to keep in mind throughout the process include: seek recommendations from those who really know you, share YOUR story and what is important to you, choose a major even if your goal at Cerro Coso is to transfer and further your education, and don’t wait until the last minute to apply. The CCCC Foundation encourages ALL students to apply for scholarships. Special thanks go out to all of the donors and community members who invest in the future of Cerro Coso’s hard-working students. “As a young adult with no parents I am pleased to have the opportunity to continue my education with funding from great companies like yours. Thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to continue my educational goals,” said student Jbea. Jump start your future and apply for scholarships at CCCC.

Literary Awards Ceremony

Metamorphoses, in cooperation with the English Department at Cerro Coso, hosted the 2016 Met Awards for Creative Writing on Friday, April 29th, in the Learning Resource Center. Family and friends were invited to attend the celebration and readings in honor of this year’s fiction and poetry award recipients. 2016 MET awardees included: College Fiction, First Place – Jessica

Surgett for “No More”; Second Place – Ray David Morales for “Rot”; and Honorable Mentions – Baily J. Crocoll for “Backfire”, Joshua Gleason for “A Cloud of Ash”, John L. Hunger for “Bottled Betrayal”, Anthony McFarland for “The Longest Day”, Ragen Shallock for “A Night to End All Nights”, and Alas Tarin for “The Human Garden”. High School Fiction, First Place – Erin Brown for “Late”. College Poetry, First Place – Alex Tellez for “Snapshots”; Second Place – Jennifer Jones for “Yes”; and Honorable Mentions – Jenna Daugherty for “Between the Pages”, Devanne Fredette for “Time After Time, Toys Break”, Nolan Havig for “Banana Leaves”, John L. Hunger for “Tattoo Tears”, and Alas Tarin for “The Gravity of Gold”. High School Poetry, First Place – E.K. Heflin for “I have known loss”; Second Place – Izabella R. Carter for “Like You Said You Would”. College Creative Non-Fiction, First Place – Alex Tellez for “Musical Musings of a Midnight Bosnian”; and Second Place – Kaitlin Pearson for “Trust”. All 1st and 2nd place authors received a $50 or $25 gift card courtesy of the CCCC Foundation. Recipients of honorable mentions received award certificates. Published annually by Cerro Coso Community College, Met features both established and emerging twenty-first century voices and visions from a variety of perspectives. View the latest short stories, poems, essays, and artwork in the current issue at metamorphosesonline.blogspot.com. Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.

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CCCC student Alex Tellez received his first place awards for College Poetry and in Creative Non-Fiction from College Associate Professor of English Melanie Jeffrey during the Literary Awards Ceremony.

Student Blake Stewart is the proud recipient of four CCCC Foundation Scholarships last fall. Pictured here with CCCC President Jill Board.

The Coyote Howler is a publication ofCerro Coso Community College.

For more information about the stories in this publication, or to include information in this publication, contact Natalie Dorrell,

Public Information Manager, at 760-384-6260 oremail ndorrell@cerrocoso.edu.

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