Vol. 85, No. 12-Dec. 2, 2016

Page 1

Rowling film ‘fantastic’

Jazz hits its note

Stangs play for charity

The box-office hit “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” debuted Friday, Nov. 18 — page 4

LMC’s Jazz Studio Band performed alsongside the Brentwood Big Band Wednesday, Nov. 30 — page 5

The LMC football team went up against Monterey in the bowl game and lost 28-21 — page 7

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F.Y.I. Important Dates December is AIDS Awareness Month Dec. 9

Last day of full-term regular classes prior to finals

Dec. 16

Last day of classes: Winter break begins

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L M C E X P E R I E N C E . C O M

Almuni gets board seat Walker-Roberts appointed By TYLER MORTIMORE

tmortimore@lmcexperience.com

Former Los Medanos student body president and district student trustee Gary Walker-Roberts has been selected as the replacement for recently deceased district trustee John Nejedly. Walker-Roberts was one of five applicants for the role and was approved with a unanimous vote by the board’s four members during a special meeting Nov. 29. He will be the first openly LGBTQ person to serve on the board. “His service as the student trustee for one year means that he knows what the board does. The other four applicants have

not been on our board,” said trustee Greg Enholm. “Given what’s happening with our new chancellor arriving, I think the board feels more comfortable adding someone who knows what happens at the board.” Along with Dr. Fred Wood, the incoming replacement for outgoing chancellor Helen Benjamin, Walker-Roberts is a district success story, having received two associates degrees from Los Medanos College before earning a BA in Ethnic Studies: Gender & Sexuality from Cal State East Bay and a Masters in Experience archive • Cathie Lawrence English from Arizona State. He served as the LMC student body president during Gary Walker-Roberts was sworn in July 2015 as the See GARY, page 5 student trustee by the late John Nejedly.

‘Boeing’ set to take off Finals week upcoming

Enholm plans for next term

Dec. 12 marks the start of finals week for the fall semester. A reminder: classes that start at 4 p.m. and into the evening will hold finals at normal time. Confirm with your instructor as to the specific times for your finals.

Kennedy-King spots open The Kennedy-King Memorial Scholarship application is now available. The deadline to apply is Feb. 3, 2017. The scholarship gives awards to members of underrepresented minority groups in California. For more information and to apply contact the Scholarship Office at 473-7520 or visit kennedyking.org.

CSUEB offers free summit There’s a free education summit sponsored by Cal State East Bay taking place for first generation, African-American, Native American and Pacific Islanders and their families Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information or to register go to http://www. csueastbay.edu/events/ education-summit/

Trustee talks victory By ADRIA WATSON

awatson@lmcexperience.com

Experience • Beatriz Hernandez

Los Medanos College students Jimmy Darling and Austin Trenholm act in a scene as Robert and Bernard in the Drama department’s lastest production “Boeing Boeing.” The show is set to open at the California Theatre in downtown Pittsburg Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. (See story and photos on Page 4).

College district says goodbye Longtime leader retires

By CASSIE DICKMAN

cdickman@lmcexperience.com

“I’ve tried to do every job I have with passion and commitment and to be an example to people.”

— Chancellor Helen Benjamin

After almost 27 years of working in the district and a lifetime spent dedicated to education, retiring Contra Costa Community College Chancellor Helen Benjamin is looking forward to not getting up for that first day of school after Christmas vacation for the first time since she was 6 years old. “I’ve been going to school for 60 years,” said Benjamin, but starting in January she won’t be. “I am excited about that feeling.” Benjamin, who will leave her post at the end of this year, said she was grateful for the time she’s spent in

the three-college district and has enjoyed her work because she never felt the need to be somebody else. “I’ve been comfor table here, the majority of the time,” said Benjamin, but that is something she has experienced at ever y job. Laughingly she said it might because she adapts well or is foolish. But although she ended up making the district her home for almost three decades, Benjamin’s beginning was rocky and it took her awhile to settle in. “I was trying to get out,” she said, because working at a California community

See HELEN, page 6

Former president, chancellor dies at 86 By TERESA GAINES

tgaines@lmcexperience.com

John “Jack” Carhart, 86, of Walnut Creek passed away Friday, Nov. 4. He was the first president of Los Medanos College from 1970 until 1984 and the fourth Contra Costa district chancellor from 1984 until 1991. Although born in New York, his mother, a lifetime resident of Martinez, decided to raise him in her hometown. Carhart was a skilled high school football player at Alhambra High School and attended the University of Southern California with a full-ride scholarship until a series of injuries

caused him to quit the football team. He then attended San Jose State University to focus on his studies, eventually graduating in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree. While at San Jose, he met his wife Barbara and together they had three children. In 1970, three and one-half years before the opening of LMC’s campus, Carhart was appointed to head up the construction and education plan for the third Contra Costa Experience archive community college. Through the process and responsibility of opening a new community Founding LMC President college, he developed an enthusiastic sense and former District See JACK, page 8 Chancellor Jack Carhart.

Ward 5 voters have spoken and re-elected incumbent Greg Enholm to his trustee seat on the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board. As of Nov. 23, with a 100 percent precinct reporting, 60.55 percent of Ward 5 voters selected Enholm who had been challenged by Fernando Sandoval. Although it was a competitive campaign, there was no surprise for Enholm once the votes started coming in. “This is my sixth public election so I’ve had that experience six times,” he said adding, “I know from my prior election in 2012 that the vote-by-mail margin was much bigger than the poll’s mar gin. So when I saw the voteby-mail being, basically, 2 0 - p e r - GREG ENHOLM centage points –– I do teach mathematics and statistics –– I knew that I won, typically incumbents to our board win.” Throughout the election, Enholm’s campaign focused around improving facilities for students at Los Medanos College, raising awareness of the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) program and ensuring successful planning of the new Brentwood Center campus so that it meets far East Contra Costa students’ needs. He emphasized that he is an advocate for is the CCAP program because of his firm belief that the best preparation for college is by taking college courses while in high school. “You have a 70 percent chance when you come prepared and a 30 percent chance when you come unprepared, we as an institution should try to switch as many of those students who would’ve been unprepared in that prepared category,” said Enholm, adding that this would be the easiest way for them to increase student success at the college. “I’m hopeful that we can actually partner with the high schools so that we shift the percentages.” But having adequate facilities at the main Pittsburg campus and the Brentwood Center is

See WARD, page 8


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