2.06.15

Page 1

Archuleta engages

Dancers bust a move

Powelson in as trainer

Passionate political science professor uplifts while pushing the boundaries. Profile inside — page 3

Hip-hop musical audition excites performers on campus. Standalone inside — page 4

Former CCC trainer of 19 years takes over as Head Athletic Trainer. Profile inside — page 5

V O L .

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F.Y.I. Important Dates February is Black History Month Feb. 13-16

Campus closed in observance of Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays

Feb. 27

Last day to submit early Fall 2015 graduation application to receive early registration appointment for Fall 2015

Debate travels to first tourney

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F R I D A Y ,

F E B .

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

Down goes enrollment Better economy jilts attendance By JOSEPH DELANO

jdelano@lmcexperience.com

There’s good news and bad news at the Contra Costa Community College District. The good? The economy continues to rebound. The bad? As a partial result, student enrollment is down again for the third consecutive year. The estimated total number

of full-time equivalent students registered in the district for the 2014-15 fiscal year is 26,993.30. This number falls short of the 28,367 goal. Reasons for the decline vary, although one theory is that the economy is improving. Analysis of U.S. Department of Labor statistics and information provided by the district

chancellor’s office suggests a positive correlation can be drawn that shows that as the unemployment rate falls, as it has from 10.8 to 5.1 percent between the years 2009 and 2014, enrollment figures for the district having fallen as well (see accompanying). “Students that are working tend to take fewer units, and some choose not to take any classes,” said Los Medanos College Vice President Kevin Horan. “This is a good thing, but it does have an impact on our enrollments.”

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LMC enrollment vs. Contra Costa County unemployment 11.23 10.47 10.8%

10

10.6%

The Associated Students of Los Medanos College (LMCAS) is currently accepting applications for senators or representatives this spring 2015. Those who are interested in student government and leadership are encouraged to apply. Requirements include maintaing a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. Applicants must submit the completed packet by Feb. 17. If you have any questions, email adviser Lawrence at dlawrence@ losmedanos.edu. You can also contact Lawrence in the Student Life Center at 473-7552 if you have more questions or want more information.

8.96

9.3%

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LMC enrollment (in thousands)

8.68

8.66

88

8.0%

Contra Costa unemployment %

6

66

6.3% Sources: U.S. Department of Labor and Contra Costa Community College District

4

2009

2010

2011

See FTES, page 6

5.1%

YEARS

2012

2013

2014

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Experience • Damian Lewin

‘Tis surely a ‘Dream’

Swing space is now vacant Repurpose planned By SUZZANNE SPERRY

ssperry@lmcexperience.com

LMCAS holds open forums

Senator spots available

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9.68

The Los Medanos College Debate Team will travel to Point Loma Nazarene University for its first debate tournament of the semester. The Feb. 6-8 tourney will feature teams from various schools. The competition is designed to help prepare debaters for the 2015 nationals tournament in April. The team’s next tournament will be in March at San Louis Obispo. For more information about Debate, or if you are interested in joining the team, contact Faculty Adviser and Debate Coach Kasey Gardner at kgardner@losmedanos.edu or co-Faculty Adviser and Coach Marie Arcidiacono at marcidiacono@losmedanos.edu. The Debate Team meets Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. in Room CC1-115.

The Los Medanos College Associated Students hold weekly student government meetings from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Library, Room L-105. All are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Student Life at 473-7554.

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Experience • Cathie Lawrence

From left, Johnathan Shepard, Jarrelle Tramble, Zander Cameron, John Paul Castillo and Alex Desjardin rehearse for the upcoming Drama Department production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Feb. 3. The play is set for a mid-March premiere.

Blood and bone sought on campus By MARISSA PERRY and JOSEPH DELANO

jdelano@lmcexperience.com

The mission to help save lives continues at Los Medanos College. LMC’s Student Life Office is partnering with Blood Centers of the Pacific to host the “Be the Match” Bone Marrow donation event Feb. 9-12. There will be three Blood Drives associated with this week-long event. The first of which will take place Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. aboard the blood bus at the Brentwood Campus. Following, there will be two more drives in the Library, Room L-109 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 11 and April 16.

In addition, the LMC chapter of Alpha Gamma Sigma State Honors Society will be collecting bone marrow kits throughout the week at both the Pittsburg and Brentwood campuses. The kits consist of a cotton swap that collects the epithelial cells from the inside of your cheek. Simply swab the inside of your mouth and send the kit back, or turn it into the AGS group that is collecting kits on campus. People who wish to participate in the bone marrow drive can register online at www.join.marrow.org/agslosmedanos. Follow the instructions and enter promo code: agslosmedanos. A donor kit will be sent to you for completion.

The process of donating Bone Marrow is relatively simple. Blood is collected through a needle from your arm and is then passed through a machine that sorts out only your blood forming cells, while your remaining, unwanted blood cells are returned into your arm. For the blood drives, you can register online at www.bloodheroes.com, click the “donate blood” icon and then enter promo code: LosMC. You can contact the Student Life Office at 473-7554 regarding any questions about the Blood Drive and the Bone Marrow Drive. Register online and get ready to save some lives.

Ward signs to MSSU By JOSHUA WOOD

jwood@lmcexperience.com

Among a small group of family, coaches and teammates, free safety Keshawn Ward signed a letter of intent to play football at Southern Missouri State University. “I felt nervous at first, but all the hard work paid off,” said Ward. Ward wasn’t a star in high school, but he put in hard work as a student at LMC. “It was like climbing a mountain. I had to work hard to go up,”

he said. “I want to serve as an inspiration to others.” Shipe spoke about Ward to the small crowd, praising his effort and commitment to the team. “His hard work and dedication gave him the opportunity to move on to the next level,” said Shipe. “He was a huge asset to our team,” Shipe added later. “He lead by example, and it shows.” Ward continually gave 120 percent both on and off

Experience • Jazmine Gordon

Keshawn Ward signing his letter of intent to MSSU See WARD, page 6 during an event Wednesday in the Library.

Renovations of the College Complex at Los Medanos College are in their final stages of design. The swing space used for temporary placement of instructional classrooms and offices will be repurposed. The temporar y home on CC2 used for the Welcome Center, DSPS, EOPS and Assessment CC 252-268 are being repurposed for four instr uctional classrooms. According to Vice President Kevin Horan, demolition and construction will begin in April or May and is expected to finish in December 2015. Horan expects classrooms to reopen in the spring of 2016. The swing space used for counseling CC 272-279 will also be reconverted into instructional classrooms expected to reopen in the spring of 2016. Horan also noted the Business Department classrooms and offices CC2 232-240 were vacated due to noise during the Student Service Center Remodel project. The reconstructions of the spaces are in the final stages of design and will reopen three classrooms in the spring. On the third floor of the College Complex, the temporary space used for Admission and Records and Information Center will remain vacant for the spring 2015 term. According to Horan, “We have currently embarked on the design and construction of a new Student Union building. The new SU building will include new space for the Bookstore and Food Services.” Horan continues, “The new SU building is scheduled to be completed in August 2018.” Upon relocating the Bookstore and Food Service from its current location to the SU building, full renovation and remodeling will commence for the space used by Admission and Records. According to Horan, the future space will anticipate the accommodations for additional classrooms and a new professional development center for faculty and staff. The space will begin the first stage of construction that is expected See SPACE, page 6


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