Vol. 88 No. 4 - March 2, 2018

Page 1

3-On-3 at LMC

Drama takes Washington Softball falls short

The annual 3-On-3 basketball tournament will continue every Tuesday through March 20 — page 3

The LMC Drama Department traveled to the annual theater festival from Feb. 18- 24 — page 4

V O L .

8 8 ,

N O .

F.Y.I. Important Dates March is Women’s History Month March 26-31

Spring Recess

April 27

Last day with withdrawl from a full-term class

Food Drive makes way Los Medanos College Student Life is hosting the MLK/César Chávez Food Drive event in support of the LMC Food Pantry. through Friday, March 23. Students, faculty and staff can drop off canned goods or non-perishable items at the Office of Student Life or the Food Pantry. For more questions regarding the food drive, contact Student Life at studentlife@losmedanos.edu

4

F R I D A Y ,

M A R C H

2 ,

2 0 1 8

LMC softball loses both games in a double-header against Lassen College — page 5

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

District trustee resigns By ADRIA WATSON

awatson@lmcexperience.com

Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board President Timothy Farley, who represented Ward III, unexpectedly resigned as trustee Monday, Feb. 26. “It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter officially resigning as a member of the Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board,” said Farley in an official letter addressed to board Vice President John Márquez. “This resignation will take effect today due to a pressing personal family matter that requires my immediate attention.”

His term was due to end in December, but he had been expected to run for re-election. “I’m shocked,” said Ward IV Trustee Gary Walker-Roberts. “He only has 10 months, I thought he was running again and I just hope everything is OK with him.” Farley’s resignation was of ficially announced during Wednesday’s board meeting, where other members of the governing board and district Chancellor Fred Wood expressed sentiments of sadness at his departure and appreciation for his service as a trustee. “It was a surprise for me to receive Trustee Farley’s resignation earlier this

week,” said Wood during the meeting. “I can tell you he was very helpful to me during my first year.” An emotional Ward II Trustee Vicki Gordon said “a tearful, heartfelt goodbye to Trustee Farley” and spoke highly about his advocacy and support for DACA students in the district. “His heart was really doing what was best for our colleges,” said Gordon. District Director of Communications and Community Relations Tim Leong echoed similar sentiments about Farley, explaining that his “his commitment to students was never in doubt.” See TIM, page 6

Timothy Farley

Senate makes a vote Says no to web block By PERRY CONTINENTE Staff Writer

Blood Drive at Los Medanos Student Life and the Blood Centers of the Pacific will have a Blood Drive on campus Tuesday, March 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Bloodmobile in front of the library. To schedule your donation appointment visit www. bloodheroes.com, Click ‘locate a blood drive’ and enter sponsor code LosMC. For additional information, contact the Office of Student Life at studentlife@losmedanos. edu.

The Los Medanos College Academic Senate voted unanimously Monday, Feb. 26 to pass a resolution opposing the recent implementation of web filtering software, despite a request from administration to delay voting on the issue until a later date. Librarian Roseann Erwin and History Professor Joshua Bearden drafted the resolution, which calls the practice of URL filtering “censorship” and “contrary to academic freedom,” before recommending the suspension of the software. Administration requested that the Senate avoid voting until after Mojdeh Mehdizadeh, who is returning to the district office as Executive Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology, could speak to the campuses about the blocks. Contra Costa County College District Chancellor Fred Wood passed the request to College President Bob Kratochivil, who passed it along to the Academic Senate where it was not well received. “It is in my mind inappropriate for any administrator to interfere with our process,” said Bearden. “I think that Mojdeh should go to the council with this resolution in hand.” See RES, page 6

Experience • Adria Watson

Student Ambassador Alexander Chavez.

LMC recruits ambassadors Los Medanos College is now hiring Student Ambassadors to work at high schools. Students can gain leadership and networking skills, learn about LMC programs and support services, have a $10 an hour pay and more. If interested, students can pick up an application at the Welcome Desk.

Experience • Adria Watson

CCC President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh speaks during the Wednesday, Feb. 28 governing board meeting.

CCC president back to district Leader to guide education, tech By ADRIA WATSON

awatson@lmcexperience.com

Contra Costa Community College District Chancellor Fred Wood recently announced to the district that Contra Costa College President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh is returning to the district office as Executive Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology effective March 15. According to Wood and Mehdizadeh, there had been ongoing conversations over the past year between the two, and between Wood and other district community members, regarding the need for Mehdizadeh to return to her previous position, but the final decision

was made only a few weeks before it was announced. “Let me also say that in no point in any of these conversations was there anything about Mojdeh not doing a fabulous job at Contra Costa College,” Wood said adding, “Because I know that’s something people wonder. ‘Did she do something wrong?’ She is fabulous. She’d be fabulous as a president anywhere. She’s a fabulous person so that’s the circumstances.” Wood acknowledged that there has been a void in the area of education and technology since Mehdizadeh left the district office to become CCC’s president in 2016, before he assumed the district

as chancellor. He added that because many in the district spoke highly of Mehdizadeh’s skills in the area of education and technology, he reached out and, in the end, left the final decision up to her. “She is one of a kind as executive vice chancellor, and she sure is deeply missed,” said Wood. Mehdizadeh said she was torn about the decision to return to the district office in Martinez because she will miss having the opportunity for daily in-person interactions with students. “There is a real genuine caring between and among members [at CCC] and the students,” said Mehdizadeh. “When you are part of helping reinvigorate that culture, it becomes very difficult when

Office brings awareness

See EVC, page 6

Insite app provides access

FinAid helps in event

By ROBERT PIERCE

rpierce@lmcexperience.com

By BRENNA ENOS

benos@lmcexperience.com

Financial aid assistance and prizes were offered to Los Medanos College students via pop-up tents in the Outdoor Quad Tuesday, Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In conjunction with Financial Aid Awareness Day, this event, with the help from Financial Aid Office worker Penelope Murphy, helped students learn how to apply for free college money. Murphy explained that during the event, the financial aid office was “instructing [students] and guiding them on what they need to do and where they need to go.” Experience • Brenna Enos She added that students have had many questions and through visiting the event Financial Aid Office Student Worker Andrew Gonzalez and LMC See AID, page 6

student R.C. Kubota during the Financial Aid Awareness Day event.

The Contra Costa Community College District released a new InSite app for mobile phones, available on all app stores —with a companion desktop website available at m.4cd.edu/. The app includes access to Canvas, the Los Medanos College librar y, daily class cancellation lists, faculty director y, bus routes to and from campus and more. The InSite app’s user experience is presented through customizable “tiles” that the user can See INSITE, page 6


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Vol. 88 No. 4 - March 2, 2018 by The Experience Los Medanos College - Issuu