CAMPUS DIGEST. Future is Bright. President Merced College is more than just a place to work Page 2

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1 CAMPUS DIGEST A Merced College News Magazine Vol. VII Edition IX Published by the Office of Institutional Advancement April 2018 President Merced College is more than just a place to work Page 2 Dietitians Food & Nutrition students hosted annual luncheon Page 5 Promise The CC Promise program is set for Fall 2018 Page 6 Future is Bright Contributed photo by Bryan Tassey Hundreds of students from Merced County and abroad descended upon the Merced College campus in mid- March to compete in the 50th annual FFA Field Day. Page 8

2 CAMPUS DIGEST APRIL 2018 By Chris Vitelli Superintendent/President During a recent meeting with a colleague and friend, I was reminded of the importance of taking the time to humanize the workplace. When we, as coworkers and colleagues, take the time to understand each other as humans with real lives and better understand relationships on a personal level, then we are better able to empathize, manage conflict, and build trust among each other. In an era of increased accountability and data metrics, our focuses can easily become narrowed to the point where we are only discussing numbers and processing transactional tasks. However, I firmly believe for us to be transformational, we have to preserve and cultivate what makes Merced College so rich and dynamic: personal relationships and a family-like culture. As we approach the end of the academic year, we are busy, tired, and eager for a break. This month, I would like to encourage everyone on campus to take a moment to have a personal conversation with a colleague. Ask them something about their lives, their family, their childhood, or maybe even what they are dealing with in life. Page 2 Try to Humanize the Workplace To start the conversation, I, for one, am looking forward to spending some much needed time with my family this summer. Summer (my wife), Conner (our son), and I love camping, fishing, and spending time away from the day-to-day chores of life. Stepping into this role, I could not have predicted the immense amount of evening and weekend events that take me away from the home. Sometimes I joke that the only date nights Summer and I get are to local fundraisers and events. To be clear, I m not complaining, I love my job and spending time in this community, but I would be disingenuous if I told you my family time didn t suffer from time-to-time due to the pressures and time commitments of work. I recently got away from the office for an afternoon to go fishing with Conner. No cell phones, no technology, no phone calls just me, him, and a friend who took us to a great fishing hole. It is amazing how just a couple of hours can help re-center and re-energize you. The joy of watching your son catch a fish and to sit in the sun with nature. It does the soul wonders. As we near a very busy and hectic time, I hope you re finding time to invest in yourself and those important in your lives. I also hope you ll take a moment to visit with a colleague to invest in them. By humanizing the workplace, we become less of colleagues and more of friends and family. It transforms the culture of a workplace and helps organizations thrive. It s what makes Merced College such a special place to work and call a home away from home. Thank you for all you do to invest in each other as colleagues. Ultimately, our students and this community benefit from a strong and empathic workplace.

3 APRIL 2018 CAMPUS DIGEST April Events Tuesday, April 3 Spring Break (Campus Open) Wednesday, April 4 Spring Break (Campus Open) Thursday, April 5 Spring Break (Campus Open) 2 p.m. Sequoias at MC Baseball 5 p.m. Shasta at MC Swimming Friday, April 6 Spring Break (Campus Open) 9 a.m. Classified Professional Day at Lake Yosemite 10 a.m. Last Chance Swim Meet at Merced College Tuesday, April 10 1 p.m. West Hills at MC Softball (Doubleheader) Investing in Your Future 4 p.m. Board of Trustees Meeting (Los Banos) Wednesday, April 11 Summer/Fall Registration Opens Thursday, April 12 2 p.m. Taft at MC Baseball; Cerro Coso at MC Softball 4 p.m. Merced College Poetry Slam in the Merced LRC Monday, April 16 Time Management Hundreds of students braved the elements and long line during mid-march to get their Registered Nursing program applications in for the school year. Tuesday, April 17 How to Keep Your Computer Safe 2 p.m. Fresno City at MC Baseball Wednesday, April a.m. Merced College Career Fair in the Merced Campus Quad How to Land a State Job Thursday, April 19 2 p.m. Reedley at MC Softball Monday, April 23 9 a.m. Blue Devil Days on the Merced Campus Jobs in Demand in the Central Valley and Beyond Tuesday, April 24 9 a.m. Blue Devil Days on the Merced Campus 1 p.m. Sequoias at MC Softball (Doubleheader) 2 p.m. Porterville at MC Baseball Wednesday, April 25 9 a.m. Blue Devil Days on the Merced Campus How to Build a Resume Thursday, April 26 9:30 a.m. Ruben A. Sanchez Paintings and Prints Exhibition Closing at the MC Art Gallery Friday, April 27 9 a.m. Blue Devil Days on the Los Banos Campus 1 p.m. Porterville at MC Baseball 7:30 p.m. Community Performance: Concert Band at the MC Theater Saturday, April 28 7:30 p.m. Vijay Iyer Sextet Concert at the MC Theater Page 3

4 CAMPUS DIGEST APRIL 2018 The Merced College women s basketball team was honored by the Merced College Board of Trustees before their March meeting, after making a run to the state title game for the first time in program history. Women s Basketball Dream Run Falls Short VENTURA -- With just under two minutes to play in Sunday afternoon s CCCAA Women s Basketball Championship game, Trinity Washington jumped in front of a lazy inbounds pass under the Mt. San Jacinto basket, just missing a steal as she deflected the ball out of bounds. The outcome of Merced College s defeat at the hands of Eagles had long been decided after a three-point third quarter all but brought the Blue Devils championship hopes to an end. It didn t prevent Washington and company from hustling and grinding until the very end. That unrelenting effort was Page 4 Merced College s defining characteristic as the Devils became the darlings of the state tournament, winning over Southern California fans and the SoCal College Sports announcers that streamed every game. Merced wasn t at its best against a very good Mt. San Jacinto team and ultimately fell short of its state-title goal, but the ugly loss in no way diminishes the greatest season in school history. Of the 114 California Community Colleges, 93 field women s basketball teams. The Devils advanced further than 91 of them, making the first title game in program history. Washington closed out her record-setting career (single-season steals and assist leader) with 15 points while fellow sophomore Tahajeray Mc- Mahan added a team-high 16. Both were named to the all-tournament team. Devils coach Allen Huddleston joined in on the accolades, getting named the CCCWBCA North Coach of the Year. Merced College finished up the season 28-6 overall with a co-central Valley Conference championship, the No. 1 ranking in Northern California and the No. 2 ranking in the state.

5 APRIL 2018 CAMPUS DIGEST Future Dietitians Dial Up Deliciousness As the guests gathered their plates and headed towards the buffet set up at the back of the staff dining room, Mayra Vega and her fellow students finally appeared to relax. A couple weeks worth of planning and prepping culminated on March 14 as the guests at the fifth annual Food and Nutrition Registered Dietitian Luncheon sat down to eat. The guest list included a number of registered dietitians from the Merced area, Merced College administrators and faculty, Mayor Mike Murphy and his wife Heather, who is a former Food and Nutrition student and helped host the 2017 version of the event. Vega and her fellow leads, Julia Johnson and Gabriella Aguilar, were responsible for hosting and preparing the food for the luncheon as part of their Nutrition 42 class, which focuses on quantity food preparation. We prepared a menu and tested it out in class, Vega said. We wanted to go with a From left: Food & Nutrition Director Michelle Pecchenino, Mayor Mike Murphy, Heather Murphy and Professor Jennifer Hobbs pose for a photo during the Registered Dietitian Luncheon. Mexican theme, so we made a menu of fajitas and rice. The class really liked it, so we went with it. There was a lot of prep work done the night before, so today we could just cook and set up. I think it turned out really nice. The 30-plus in attendance appeared to agree as they devoured the delicious-smelling fare. I was very proud of how the students worked as a team to create the menu, test recipes and problem solve, Food and Nutrition professor and coordinator Michelle Pecchenino said. They planned the logistics of serving, including the theme, decorations and assigning tasks to their classmates. In addition to giving the students real-world experience with which to practice their skills, the luncheon also serves as a networking opportunity. Pecchenino intentionally divides the group so that administrators, registered dietitians and students are dispersed at every table. I know the registered dietitians enjoy interacting with the future dietitians, Pecchenino said. Overall, I believe it is great networking for our students, administrators and the food and nutrition professionals in the community. Page 5

6 CAMPUS DIGEST APRIL 2018 Page 6 CC Promise Program Set to Begin The California College Promise Grant (formerly the Board of Governors Fee Waiver) was created with students like Parvinder Singh in mind. The grant has historically waived community college tuition fees for students from low-income households. Governor Jerry Brown s new Community College Promise expands upon that, eliminating the need criteria and making community college tuition free for any firstyear student who s carrying 12 units or more. Singh said such a program has made all the difference for him as some poor choices contributed to him living on his own following his graduation from high school. Despite wanting to go to college, the now Merced College sophomore s priorities became paying for rent and food as opposed to tuition. College was always in the picture for me, however, a lot of my life experiences could have easily prevented me from coming to college, Singh said. Primarily it was the people who I was surrounding myself The Community College Promise will make tuition free for any first-year, full-time student beginning in Fall with and my source of income. I didn t know where I was going to be after I turned 18, because my parents didn t want me at the house anymore. So getting that tuition waiver was a blessing, because it allows me to keep studying to my full potential instead of having to split my time working and figuring out how I m going to pay for school. Merced College Superintendent/President Chris Vitelli hopes stories like Singh s become commonplace as the College prepares for the new Community College Promise to go into effect for the school term. Brown signed the program into legislation as Assembly Bill 19 in October The governor has set aside $46 million for the Proposition 98 General Fund to pay for the program in his proposed budget. A revised version of the budget will be released in May and the official budget will come out this summer. This is an opportunity for families in and around Merced County to consider college in a new light, Vitelli said. The main difference between the new Community College Promise and the old Board of Governors Fee Waiver is it s no longer need based. Families that didn t meet the financial criteria, but still didn t have an abundance of money, had tough choices to make. This program opens the door for everyone and we hope the community takes full advantage. Sixty percent of Merced College s students for the school year used the California College Promise Grant to pay for tuition. The Community College Promise should see an increase in those numbers as well as appeal to prospective students from mid-level income households who were on the fence about giving college a try. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 68.6 percent of Merced County residents 25 years or older have at least a high school degree as of 2016, but only 13.7 percent of the county has at least a Bachelor s degree. The Community College Promise could be a big step towards bridging the gap between those numbers without requiring students to go into major debt. It could be even more advantageous for students who go the vocational rout, as they d have to pay just one year of tuition before embarking on a lucrative career.

7 APRIL 2018 CAMPUS DIGEST Classified Employee Week is May Since CSEA s founding in 1927, members have strived to make their communities aware of classified employees contributions to public education. Governor Ronald Reagan first proclaimed Classified School Employee Week in 1969, stating that The classified employee is proud of his status and the integral part he plays in the total field of education throughout the State of California. In 1984, CSEA members passed a resolution to establish an official recognition week, and a year later it was adopted as a state-sponsored resolution. Then, in 1986, Senate Bill 1552 (Campbell) permanently solidified Classified School Employee Week as an annual week of statewide recognition. Bill sponsor William Campbell said, I urge all citizens to work closely to take time out and to think about school days and recall the efforts of the bus drivers, secretaries, custodians and all the other classified staff they met and knew. As much as any other group of employees, the classified school staff is a valued and integral part of our public schools system and their work is vital to our children s success. In the modern age, school districts could not function without classified school employees. These essential staff members perform a wide range of vital services for students, parents, teachers and administrators. This extraordinary workforce keeps our campuses safe, clean and organized. Most importantly, they strive to improve the lives of our students every day. CSEA is proud to represent more than 215,000 dedicated classified employees in California public schools and community colleges who perform a variety of services that keep our schools and community colleges up and running, including school security, food services, office and clerical staff, school maintenance and operations, academic assistance, transportation, library and media assistance, computer services and more. Essential to our schools and colleges From the time students enter campus or board a school bus in the morning to the time they head home at the end of the day, every aspect of their education experience is impacted by a classified school employee. Whether it s the classroom or the playground, the school cafeteria or the college financial aid office, classified employees make a difference daily in the lives of students. Serving our communities Just as classified employees are on the front lines working to ensure the safety and care of students on campus, many are working to build better communities as well. The typical classified employee has worked in education for decades, building strong ties within the community. Classified employees know generations of the same families and are immersed in neighborhood culture. Whether they re working for local charities, campaigning for schools bonds, or volunteering in youth sports programs, classified employees serve their communities with pride. -- Contributed by Angelica Campos Page 7

8 CAMPUS DIGEST APRIL 2018 Submitted photo by Bryan Tassey Nearly 1,200 FFA students from all over the state competed in 10 different categories at the 50th annual FFA Field Day. Students Flock to FFA Field Day Close to 1,200 students from across the state descended upon the Merced College campus for the 50th regional Future Farmers of America Field Day on Saturday, March 17. Students from Northern California s various high schools compete against one another nearly every weekend, showcasing their skills ranging from agriculture mechanics to job interviews. The stakes were raised this particular weekend, however, as over 100 Page 8 teams squared off in an attempt to qualify for the state competition. While students participated in team events in many categories, individual awards were also presented to those with the best personal scores. Teams from more than 20 schools came together for a full day of competition with the morning kicking off at 8 a.m. and awards being presented at 4 p.m. The competition consisted of 10 major events that were scattered across the College s campus. The competition was so well attended that the award ceremonies were spilt between Don Reid Court and the Lesher building. It s a good source of healthy competition. said Golden Valley High student and long-time FFA participant Josh Huepel. You meet different people where there s a really strong outlook on careers into the future. The students who attended gained experience in the workforce as well as opportunities for Agriculture-related scholarships. The 10-event program tests a student s skills across various platforms, but contestant Shelby Stillman says one person doesn t have to do it all. You pick how involved you want to be. Stillman said, You find people with the same interests and build relationships beyond these single-weekend competitions. -- Contributed by Alessandria Pedretti