CAMPUS DIGEST March 2018 President Carnival Festival Page 2 Page 4 Page 7 Finishing Strong

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1 CAMPUS DIGEST A Merced College News Magazine Vol. VII Edition VIII Published by the Office of Institutional Advancement March 2018 President Safety is a top priority at the College Page 2 Carnival ASMC helped provide the love on Valentine s Day Page 4 Festival Merced College Theatre students make history Page 7 Finishing Strong The Merced College women s basketball team has consistently been one of the best in the state this season. Page 8

2 CAMPUS DIGEST MARCH 2018 Focus on Keeping Campus Safe By Chris Vitelli Superintendent/President I often walk around our campuses. For me, it is a time to clear my mind, get some fresh air, and stay active. Probably more importantly, it is a great opportunity for me to experience campus. I see many of you walking to and from buildings and get the chance to say hello, learn something new about you, hear about your programs, and/or share a good laugh. I also enjoy seeing and talking with our students observing the campus through their eyes and even answering their questions are enlightening experiences. Most recently, however, I walk throughout our District thinking of our responsibility to protect our students, employees, and property by providing a safe and secure college and workplace. In light of recent campus safety concerns and national events, I have had several ask me how we are addressing security vulnerabilities on our campuses. I want to start by assuring each of you this has been, is, and will continue to be a top of mind issue and concern. Our District has been assessing safety vulnerabilities for the past two years and implementing precautionary and best practice measures to Page 2 strengthen our overall security. Some changes have occurred and many are in-progress or pending, but all are taken seriously and monitored carefully. We are currently working with our partners at the City of Merced to schedule a series of Active Shooter trainings on all campus locations and will communicate specific dates as soon as possible. We are also assessing the number of doors at each location that need inside door locks, and expect the actual lock replacement process to begin within the next few weeks. I know this has been an ongoing concern and, I assure you, it will be properly addressed among other security priorities. Our Merced College Campus Police Department work hard to ensure the campus climate is non-threatening and conducive to learning. Everyone is encouraged to be alert regarding their surroundings. If you notice something unusual, please do not hesitate to contact Campus Police at (209) or the Merced Police Dispatch at (209) Merced College also offers the 911Shield App to download on cellular phone. This app will link you directly to Campus Police and is available both at the App Store or on Google Play. The link can be found on the Merced College website at: There will be a forum on Thursday, March 8 dedicated to security. The discussion will include an update on our ongoing security efforts and a sufficient amount of time will be set aside for questions. I hope you will attend and ask your pressing questions and/or share your thoughts and concerns. Thank you to all of you who help make this a safe and secure learning environment for our students. Please know our District will remain vigilant in addressing security and safety concerns.

3 MARCH 2018 CAMPUS DIGEST March Events Thursday, March 1 2 p.m. Taft at MC Softball; Student Workshop: MLA Formatting Guidelines Saturday, March 3 1 p.m. Los Medanos at MC Monday, March 5 Strategies for Winning Scholarships and Grant Money Tuesday, March 6 1 p.m. Fresno City at MC Softball (DH) 2 p.m. Cerro Coso at MC Wednesday, March 7 Allied Health Program Requirements Thursday, March 8 How to Write Winning Scholarship Essays 3 p.m. Merced College Forum Tuesday, March 13 Dealing with College Stress 4 p.m. MCCD Board Meeting 6 p.m. Reedley at MC Thursday, March 15 2 p.m. Porterville at MC Softball; Student Workshop: Understanding Credit Friday, March 16 First baseman Ryan Frakes and the Merced College baseball team will start their Central Valley Conference title defense as league play gets going in March. Saturday, March 17 8 a.m. FFA Field Day 1 p.m. Reedley at MC Monday, March 19 Preparing for Midterms: Test Taking Strategies Tuesday, March 20 2 p.m. West Hills at MC Wednesday, March 21 Gender Inequality in the Media Thursday, March 22 Friday, March 23 Saturday, March 24 1 p.m. West Hills at MC Sunday, March 25 2 p.m. Community Performance: The School of Lies at the MC Theater Monday, March 26 9 a.m. Exhibition Opening: Len Davis Collages at the MC Art Gallery Difference in Teaching K-5 vs. Middle/High School Wednesday, March 28 Four Ways to Boost Your GPA 6 p.m. Artist Reception: Len Davis Collages at the MC Art Gallery Thursday, March 29 Study Smarter with Retrieval Practice Friday, March 30 Good Friday, Campus Closed Saturday, March 31 9 a.m. Merced College Plant Sale March 31-April 8 Spring Break, Campus Open Page 3

4 CAMPUS DIGEST MARCH 2018 Hundreds of students, faculty and staff gathered around the Merced College Quad to participate in the Associated Students of Merced College s second Carnival of Love on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Those who attended were treated to bright colors, music, games, food and just about every culinary confection under the sun. More than 10 clubs and campus organizations had booths selling holiday goodies. The Carnival of Love gives clubs a chance to fundraise as well as trying to give something to the students on our campus to brighten their day on the day of love, ASMC s Alexis Lemus said. The Quad area was filled with Page 4 ASMC Spread the Love on Valentine s Day an assortment of reds, pinks and whites to commemorate Valentine s Day. Balloon arches offered entrance on both sides of the festivities, while a lovesong playlist set the ambiance in the background. Campus clubs sold a wide range of food including tacos, hot dogs, cupcakes, brownies and cookies. There were also an abundance of games for students to participate in. Some of the most popular included ring toss, water pong and the dart toss. No celebration would be complete without a prop-filled photo booth that many students used to create permanent memories of the afternoon. Top left: The Merced College cheerleaders sold baked goods during the Carnival of Love. Above: Associated Students of Merced College members sold raffle tickets and gave away Valentine s Day goodies at their booth. Below: Located on each side of the Quad, a pair of balloon archways gave entrance into the Carnival of Love.

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6 CAMPUS DIGEST MARCH 2018 Skills, Promise Shown at Welding Competition Merced College hosted their third annual FFA Ag Welding Competition on Feb. 10, opening its doors to 98 students from 25 schools across California. Teams of four competed in select welding processes, a written test on theory, review of portfolio and application, inspection and the ability to problem solve. The final problem-solving aspect involves cost analysis for materials used in the project. The idea is to place students in scenarios they are likely to encounter on a job site. These are skill sets for making a living, former Dean of Career Technical Education Jim Anderson said. Hosted by Professor of Welding Technology Chad Russell, the event hosts schools ranging from San Inez to Bakersfield. Liberty Ranch High went home with the High Team Award, earning a place in the state finals, which will be held in San Luis Obispo this May. While there can only be one winner, Russell said the spirit of competition grows each year. They already have a love, Russell said. It s promising, seeing the growth. Russell hopes that the program continues to grow, and will Ninety eight students from 25 different FFA programs competed in Merced College s annual FFA Ag Welding Competition in early February. ultimately lead to job opportunities for the participants. Merced College offers a variety of welding courses in the Agriculture and Career Technical Education programs throughout the year. Full course descriptions can be found in the Merced College catalog. -- Alessandria Pedretti The bit of late February weather brought snow to the foothills near the Los Banos campus. Photo submitted by Brenda Latham Page 6

7 MARCH 2018 Pablo Gutierrez has almost finished his first year as a Transfer Center Assistant with Merced College. Six Questions With Pablo Gutierrez What s your position here? Gutierrez: Transfer Center Assistant How long have you worked at the College? Gutierrez: One year What s your favorite part about the College? Gutierrez: I like that it empowers students to achieve their academic goals and it changes people s lives for the positive, which has a good impact on our community. What s your favorite part about Merced? Gutierrez: I grew up here. This is what I call home. I also like the cultural diversity. It s kind of nice to see and be exposed to that. What s your favorite Merced College memory? Gutierrez: I would say graduation. I graduted from here last year with my associate degree and it was a really nice ceremony. I like that they take the time to put everything together and it was a really great event. What s something you re passionate about outside the world of academia? Gutierrez: I m passionate about playing soccer. I actually do it often. It s one of my favorite things to do. I ve been playing soccer for over 25 years now, so I love the game. CAMPUS DIGEST Merced College Theater Students Make History LOS ANGELES Merced College theatre students G.B Blackmon III and Teddy Snyder made Merced College history by each advancing to the semifinals of the pres-tigious Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition. The pair, along with their partners Walter Hoppe and Seska Gimlin, traveled to Los Angeles during the middle of February to compete in the four-day, Region Eight Festi-val. The Irene Ryan Foundation bestows 19 regional awards and two fellowships annually. Representatives from colleges and universities in Central and Southern California, Arizona, Hawaii, Utah, Southern Nevada and Guam all turned out to compete for $500 scholarships and a chance to qualify for the national competition in the Washington D.C., where $2,500 scholarships will be up for grabs. Professor of Theatre Arts Carin Heidelbach said the two pairings outlasted 220 other competitors to be among the 40 that advanced to the semifinal round. All Merced College Theatre Arts Department acting nominees did amazing work at the festival today, Heidelbach said. I am extremely proud of every one of our students. This is pretty special for a community college, and the very first time for Merced. Getting one into the semis is difficult, and two is kind of amazing. Blackmon III and Snyder s runs came to an end in the semifinals, but Heidelbach said the expe-rience was one to be remembered by all involved. Page 7

8 CAMPUS DIGEST MARCH 2018 Women s Basketball Looks to Cap Already Special Season Like a boxer that s consistently worked the body of their opponent, the damage inflicted by the pace and conditioning of the Merced College women s basketball team wasn t evident until the fourth quarter. Tenth-seeded Cabrillo, which hadn t seen the kind of unrelenting defensive pressure and transition game this Blue Devils squad is known for this season, suddenly had no legs. Passes that had been crisp and precise just 20 minutes earlier started to become lazy and predictable. And Merced feasted on them with a flurry of steals and easy layups, turning a competitive game into an rout in the first round of the NorCal Regional Tournament. It s that kind of relentless tenacity that has coach Allen Huddleston contemplating the program s first trip to the State Elite Eight since the campaign. I feel like our speed has been able to wear teams down this season, Huddleston said after the game. (Cabrillo) hung in there. I was starting to wonder if they were ever going to get tired, because they d keep battling back every time we d go on a run. But I was really pleased with how hard our kids played. I felt like we really hung in there and Page 8 fought. Merced remains one victory away from its goal of reaching the state tournament, needing a win over the City College of San Francisco this Saturday. It s already been a special season with the Devils earning a share of the Central Valley Conference title and sophomore guard Trinity Washington earning the league MVP and a nod on the All-State team. A run in the state tourney would be the perfect way to end it. The women s basketball team has a chance to reach the State Elite Eight for the first time in a decade.