Friday evening with The Birds at BC

Manny Mourtzanos, Janet Fulks, Kate Pluta

Friday evening April 19th at BC was a great ending to a very hectic week. I went to see the delightful opening production of the play The Birds, a modern adaptation of a comedy by Aristophanes first performed in 414 BCE Greece that was brought to life by the students in Kim Chin’s class. The play was staged in front of the Gym, outside and in the round – true to its ancient Greek origins. It was well attended with three sets of bleacher-style seating faced the gym and formed a ring around the curtained entrance to the gym where the actors entered and exited.

The plot revolves around two disillusioned Athenians who set off in search of a Thracian king who has metamorphosed into a bird. They end up joining with a whole flock of birds to depose the Olympian in favor of the establishing the kingdom of the birds. If this sounds a bit crazy, well, it is – an raucous Mel Brooks style farce with word play, racy language, dancing and singing, and produced with lots of connections to modern day celebrities and music.

The costumes are great, and the birds act, move, dance and sing in character, from Rock Dove to Flamingo. If I tried to do them all justice this would be far too long a post and, well, you just need to go see the play to appreciate their full glory, from kestrel to pigeon to owl and peacock and many more.

The humans do a great job as well, and the modern music lends itself to some very funny and well-done numbers. The dancing is at times wild and overstated as you’d expect in a farce, and at times subtly executed in an understated way. Let me just say: Prometheus – OMZ (oh my zeus), who knew?

High School Leadership at Breakfast in the Renegade Room

Registration desk at the High School Leadership Breakfast at the Renegade Room. April 18, 2013

On Thursday, April 18, 2013, more than 25 educational institutions were represented at the first ever Renegade Round Up.

Seventy local high school principals, assistant principals, and guidance counselors were invited to breakfast with me and key BC personnel that began with a question:  How can Bakersfield College better serve you?

Our signature event was a 5-minute presentation made by a transfer student Jose Gurrola who came to BC from Arvin High School. We have posted the video on our YouTube site to share with you.

Here are just a few of the comments gleaned from the session evaluations:

• This was a great opportunity to collaborate with other high schools as well as BC staff.  This was superb!!  Thank you for soliciting our ideas for improvements and listening to our needs.
• This was a great start in exploring partnerships and looking at innovative ways to meet the needs of BC & HS students.  Exploring and having frank discussions on obstacles is great.  Use data, share data.
• It would be nice if BC would take the lead in seeking out dual enrollment offerings in the KHSD.  Many schools are willing to begin this partnership, but do not know how to get started.  This event was fantastic!
• Thank you for providing an opportunity to meet the new President and to dialogue.
• This was primarily a one-way flow of information from us to BC on what BC can do better.  What can WE as HS educators do to better prepare our students for success @ BC?
• I appreciate the time spent on organizing this event.  It was great to listen to what BC has coming down the pike, and being able to share our concerns from a high school standpoint.

The atmosphere in the room was high energy and fast paced, fueled by a terrific breakfast prepared and served by Bakersfield College Culinary Arts students.

One hundred percent of the participants answered “Yes” when asked if this event should be repeated!  More information will be available in weeks to come regarding some of the ideas that were generated for improving the registration process, assessments,  and creating an atmosphere of engagement for our newest enrollees.

A special shout out to all the members of the planning group that made this happen.  A special thanks to Debbie Spohn for coordinating the logistics.  And mostly a huge thanks to the fabulous Leah Carter who carried the bulk of the work on her shoulders.

This was the first event of its kind and based on the enthusiastic endorsement by the attendees, it certainly won’t be the last.

Research and Reporting Study Session on March 1, 2013

We have been wrestling with the questions like (1) What is the primary purpose of Research and Reporting in a college (2) Where does leadership come from and (3) What is the most suitable structure to promote this function?  As those conversations continue, we held our first study series at Bakersfield College on Research and Reporting on March 1, 2013.  It was very well attended.  Over 60 individuals, department chairs, deans, faculty and staff from key committees and councils.  This was the first of the focused discussions sponsored by College Council, http://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/collegecouncil/, as part of our 18-month work plan.

The 90-minute study session (presentation posted at http://tinyurl.com/c98b8jc) was organized under three categories:

(1)   Big picture facilitated by Lisa Fitzgerald (Director of Institutional Research) and myself

Research and Reporting Study Session. March 1, 2013
Panelist: Sonya Christian

Research and Reporting Study Session. March 1, 2013
Panelist: Lisa Fitzgerald

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2)   Program Review facilitated by Manny Mourtzanos (Program Review co-chair), Mike Carley (Institutional Researcher), and Liz Rozell (Dean of STEM).

Manny was not able to attend in person so he participated via this 5:08-minute video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aifcgx5pKTs

Research and Reporting Study Session. March 1, 2013
Panelist: Manny Mourtzanos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Student Learning Outcomes Assessment facilitated by Bonnie Suderrman (Dean of Instruction). For more on assessment follow the blog at http://bc-outcomes.tumblr.com/

Research and Reporting Study Session. March 1, 2013
Panelist: Bonnie Suderman

Another feature to highlight is the infusion of wellness by having Brent Damron (Chair of Health and Physical Education) lead us through a serious of exercised during the stretch breaks.  Brent in his usual humorous style, led us through these exercises while providing us snippets of information on why it is critical to have a healthy body in order to have a healthy mind and to build healthy communities.

Brent Damron. Chair, Health and PE.
http://www2.bakersfieldcollege.edu/bdamron/brent2surf.jpeg

Below are some pictures from the event.

College Council sponsored study series on Research and Reporting
Sonya Christian presenting to the group

College Council sponsored study series on Research and Reporting. March 1, 2013
Lisa Fitzgerald presenting to the group

College Council sponsored study series on Research and Reporting. March 1, 2013

College Council sponsored Study Series. March 1, 2013
Manny Mourtzanos presenting to the group via video

Staying Safe at BC

Our team of safety presenters!

Yesterday, April 24, 2013, I participated in a workshop led by three of our staff members on how to stay safe in an emergency on campus – particularly an active shooter incident. It is a sad reality that we must train for these sort of realities.

Bakersfield College Public Safety Sergeant Chris Counts, Bakersfield College Public Safety Officer Richard Cox and Bakersfield College Director of Marketing and Public Relations Amber Chiang led the presentation which began with important statistics on violent crimes on college campuses, and then the recommended actions for staff and students in an emergency. After their presentation, the audience viewed “Shots Fired: When Lightning Strikes,” a training video on shooter scenarios. Chris, Amber, and Ric then led a question and answer session, where they responded to many questions about safety on Bakersfield College’s campus.

I was quite happy to see several students in the room and they were vocal about the importance of making the session available to students. We will be working to show the “Shots Fired” video during new student orientation, and making future emergency preparedness trainings open to the entire campus, students and staff alike.

One of the things I remember most is “If you see something, say something.” This line has become Bakersfield College Public Safety’s informal motto. Sergeant Counts and Officer Cox reinforced for everyone that no call is too small. They will respond to, and investigate, all calls which come in from concerned students and staff.

The presentation is on the Public Safety department’s website at presentation online.

Thanks Chris, Amber, and Ric.

Being part of Bakersfield College

Kate Pluta forward to me an email she sent the faculty in her department.  This was relevant since we (Jennifer Marden, Kate and I) had just met to work on section 2 of the Recommendation #1 assignment.  Much of our conversation was about the intentional engagement of faculty and staff on campus through work on institutional initiatives and governance councils.  The last question Kate poses at the end of the email spoke to me.  What does being part of Bakersfield College mean to you?

So, let’s hear from Kate Pluta:

Dear Colleagues,

At the Senate meeting yesterday, Corny and Nan led a discussion of college values, posing the question:  Who are we (BC)?  Since the senate had just discussed the dearth of new folks stepping up to serve on the CCA board, I was moved to say that I felt service to the college was a core value, something I believed in. I have been thinking along those lines ever since.  When I was a new faculty member, my chair told me to represent the department on the Curriculum Committee–we needed the representation and it would be a good way for me to meet people and learn about the college and its programs.  She was right.  I haven’t been much of a mentor to new faculty, but I would advise you now, don’t wait til someone asks you personally to participate.  For those who haven’t yet, take the initiative to get involved outside the department to learn more about the college.  Play a role.  Be an active part of BC life.

Being part of Bakersfield College—what it means to me.

Teaching our classes and doing it well.

Working within the department to plan, implement, and evaluate the work the department does.

• We evaluate our students.
• Our peers,administration, and students evaluate us in the classroom.
• We need to evaluate what we provide to the college, our students, the community, and each other.
• Working within the college to help make it an invigorating place to be, for our students and for us.
• Working in the community to represent the college—reaching out to high school faculty and students; developing programs, lectures, or activities for the community.
• Using our expertise in every way we can.

What does being part of Bakersfield College mean to you?

Kate Pluta
Professor of English
Bakersfield College
661 395 4531

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~ Benjamin Franklin