CAMPUS NEWS

Art & Multimedia Faculty Exhibit on Display Through Oct. 7

Exhibit features paintings, digital photography, and collages

Six Cañada College art and multimedia faculty members are displaying their latest works in the Main Theater Gallery through Oct. 7 as part of the Art and Multimedia Faculty Exhibit at the college.

Exhibits include acrylic and oil paintings, color digital photography, black and white digital photography, and collages. Here is a summary of the artists and the works they'll have on display:

Ginny Bowen: Ginny teaches Color and Drawing at Cañada and Painting at Foothill College . Her latest acrylic and oil paintings depict the intricate patterns of fan coral as a meditation on the world's threatened coral reefs due to global warming and pollution.

Jeannie Mecorney: Jeannie is a Multimedia Arts professor and is showing two large color digital photographs. The two images were shot with a low resolution camera and manipulated in Photoshop to allow for a higher resolution print without pixilation. The technique is one developed by Bill Atkinson, fine art photographer and educator and an early pioneer in Apple Computers.

Dani Castillo: Dani is a Multimedia Arts professor and is showing three sets of black and white digital photographs. The collection is called “Guardians” and it depicts statuary and the female nude.

Catie O'Leary: Catie teaches Drawing and Design. She creates collages using antique book illustrations and engravings. In this portfolio are reproductions of original paintings from the 1550's which O'Leary found in a thrift store. The originals are in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marcianna in Venice , Italy . She had the prints for years before adding some collage images using antique book engravings, small additions of nature and man.

Bill Morales: Bill is a Painting and Drawing instructor. He is showing oil paintings of the nude, focusing on color and light.

Jerry DeCamp: Jerry teaches black and white photography and is exhibiting two oil paintings of landscape and one ballpoint pen drawing.

Recycled Newspaper Takes Center Stage at Artistry in Fashion

The 15th Annual Artistry in Fashion Show Will be Held Oct. 21

Some of the Bay Area's top student designers will showcase garments made from recycled newspaper as part of this year's 15th annual Artistry in Fashion Designer Sale.

The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Activities Center. It is open to the public but a $8 donation is requested. The event raises money for scholarships and supplies for the school's fashion design students. In addition to the Newspaper Couture Student Design Competition, some of the Bay Area's top young professional designers will offer one-of-a-kind garments, accessories and jewelry for sale.

While the opportunity to purchase direct from top local designers draws crowds, it's the Newspaper Couture Student Design Competition that captures the imagination. Imagine that your morning newspaper was destined for a greater fate than the recycling bin. Newsprint pages which have had the good fortune to fall into the hands of Cañada College design students are being resurrected, literally, into the fabric of their dreams. Newspaper replaces textiles as the sole medium for garment and accessories design in Cañada College's Newspaper Couture Student Design Competition.

To qualify for entry into the competition garments must be fabricated of at least 80% newspaper and less than 20% of other types of paper, according to the rules.  Traditional (non-paper) garment fastenings like Velcro, zippers, hooks and eyes, snaps, grommets, lacing and buttons are allowed but decorative enhancements such as paint, glitter or sequins are not.

The use of such a disposable medium as newspaper allows designers to be able to give free rein to their creativity.  If a wild idea doesn't meet with their expectations they can simply wad it up and lob it into the nearest recycling receptacle with no harm done.  However, working with newspaper presents some significant design challenges as well.  It's an unforgiving medium in an art form where the fluidity, drape, stretch and movement potential of a fabric usually account for a great percentage of the design decisions being made.  “In learning design you learn to work with, and around, what a particular fabric will and won't do.  There's a lot that newspaper won't do,” one student mused, “but it forces you to do things you might not ordinarily try with fabric and that expands your ability to think creatively and increases your potential as a designer.”

The competition finalist's designs will be presented for display at Cañada College's “Artistry in Fashion” Designer Sale and Fashion Show at the College on Saturday October 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. along with other examples of student work.  The event, which benefits the Fashion Design Department, also features a Fashion Show, showcasing student construction and design.  For those looking to augment their wardrobe with the very latest in apparel and accessories, the work of local professional designers, some of whom are former Cañada College students, is offered for sale at the event.

Additional information regarding the Artistry in Fashion Designer Sale and Fashion Show, and the Newspaper Couture Student Design Competition, are available at www.artistryinfashion.com.

One-Man Play About Depression set for Oct. 5

Comedian Brian Wetzel's play details his personal struggles and survival

“Side by Side: A Journey With Depression,” a one-man play written and performed by Brian Wetzel, a stand-up comedian whose career and personal life were absorbed by his struggle with clinical depression and subsequent addiction will be held in the main theater on Thursday, Oct. 5.

Two performances will be held, the first at 9:45 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. It is presented by the Cañada College Health Center . Due to strong language and adult themes this show is not appropriate for children or young teens.

Bringing his sense of humor and experiences together, Wetzel takes his audience on a unique journey of laughter, painful truth, and, finally, hope. By walking side by side with the affliction, Wetzel finds a way to keep surviving, keep learning, and keep living. The play is directed by Lizann Bassham.

For more information about the Cañada performance, call Lesli Sachs at (650) 306-3309. For information about Wetzel and the play go to www.frontporchspirit.com.

Strategic Planning Takes Center Stage in October

Consultant will be on campus to meet with community

The consultant who will lead the campus community through the strategic planning process will be here in early October for a series of meetings designed to assess where the college is and where it is going.

Rick Voorhees of Voorhees Group Inc., will be at Cañada Oct. 3-5 to meet with different constituent groups. Voorhees Groups Inc., is the same firm hired by Skyline College for its Educational Planning. On Sept. 26, the District Board of Trustees approved hiring the company for Cañada's strategic planning process.

Voorhees will meet with officials at the District Office at 9 a.m. on Oct. 3 followed by a meeting with Associated Students of Cañada College at 1 p.m. At 2 p.m. on Oct. 3 Voorhees will meet with the Classified Senate followed by a 4 p.m. meeting with the Cañada College Cabinet. He will meet with members of the community in the evening.

On Oct. 4 Vorhees will meet with the Administrative Council at 9 a.m. followed by a meeting with the expanded Planning and Budget Committee at 1:30 p.m. This meeting is open to everyone on campus. Voorhees will meet with the College Researcher at 4 p.m. and the superintendents of local school districts at 6 p.m.

On Oct. 5 Vorhees will meet with the Athletic Department at 9 a.m. followed by a meeting with University Center staff and partners at 10:30 a.m. He will meet with the College Council at 12:30 p.m. and Academic Senate at 2:45 p.m.

Many of the meetings will be held in Building 3, Room 142.

“These initial meetings are important as the consultant begins to assess the college,” said Interim President Tom Mohr. “I want to emphasize that these meetings are open to everyone. I encourage anyone who wants to be part of this process and is not scheduled to meet with the consultant to attend either the meeting with the Planning and Budget Committee on Wednesday or the College Council on Thursday. It's crucial that everyone have an opportunity for input at this stage of the process.”

Mohr said he'll keep everyone up to date with the planning process through a weekly e-mail.

“My intent is to initiate dialogue with the e-mail but it is not a one-way conversation,” he said. “It's important that everyone on campus provide input. I hope people take the time to read the e-mail and respond with ideas or concerns.”

New Vision Emerging for Cañada College Theater Arts

Fundraiser set for Thursday, Oct. 19 in Redwood City

With renewed support from the Cañada College administration, the school's Theater Arts Department has a new vision that will connect the program to local high schools and the Bay Area's large theater community.

When Associate Professor Linda Hoy retired from the college last spring there were questions as to whether the only Theater Arts Department in the San Mateo County Community College District would continue. A series of meetings between Cañada College Interim President Tom Mohr and Katie Townsend-Merino, the newly hired dean of Humanities, resulted in a vision for not only continuing the program but building something that would engage both young actors and professionals.

“The program is important for not only our college but also the district,” said Mohr. “It's the only community college acting program in the county. I felt it was important to continue the program and to partner with the entire community. I also felt that we needed a blueprint for how it would move forward.”

Townsend-Merino hired adjunct faculty member Kathleen Woods to teach classes. Woods, a veteran of high school, community college, and community theater, also agreed to develop a comprehensive theater arts program for the college. She has taught at San Jose State University , Evergreen College , West Valley College , San Jose City College and, for the past nine years, has taught at Saratoga High School . She has also worked with the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and TheatreWorks.

Woods' plan includes producing a one weekend, small production this fall that will be the culminating project for the college's Dynamics of Acting class. She is also planning a “Competition of the Arts” for spring, 2007. Area high schools, community colleges and undergraduates at four-year institutions will be invited to compete in monologue, interpretive speech, scenes and more. Next summer, Cañada will provide an intensive theater arts opportunity culminating in a larger scale, large cast production. High school and college students will be able to earn academic credits in both acting and technical theater as part of the month-long program that will begin as soon as area high schools begin summer recess.

“Kathleen's vision goes well beyond producing plays with community college actors,” Townsend-Merino said. “She wants to make the college a destination for young people that want to be involved in theater. Kathleen can offer these young actors exposure to established, semi-professional actors who can explain acting techniques, technical aspects and the business side of theater.”

Lourdes Carini, a Redwood City businesswoman who has supported the program in the past by organizing an annual fundraiser, said she's excited about the direction of the program.

“I am very excited with the plans that Kathleen Woods has for the program, such as reaching out to the community and the local high schools,” she said. “I am also very pleased to see the support that Katie Townsend-Merino and Tom Mohr have shown the program during the transition. Their commitment to the program encouraged me to go on with the annual fundraiser.”

This year's fundraiser, which is being sponsored by Steve Penna and Spectrum Magazine and Capital Mortgage Lending, will be held on Thursday, Oct. 19 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Redwood City Women's Club, 149 Clinton Street. Tickets are $20 and include wine, hors d'oeuvres, and entertainment by the theater art students. For more information, contact Carini at 650-823-1463.

“The college has been very supportive of the new direction for the program,” Woods said. “It's very exciting because I believe the program will benefit young actors and students that want to participate in theater.”

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FACES OF CAÑADA

From Cañada College to Mongolia

Former Student Charles Cianos Spends Summer on archaeological dig

It was anything but a routine summer for former Cañada College student Charles Cianos. Unless, of course, your idea of routine is working with world-class scientists from the Smithsonian Institute on an archaeological dig in a remote section of Mongolia.

“The overall research was looking at how and why nomadic cultures formed confederacies in that part of the world during the Bronze and Early Iron ages,” said Cianos, who is now studying biological anthropology and archaeology at San Jose State while working part-time at the Cañada College Bookstore.

Cianos was one of eight U.S. undergraduates working with a team of scientists led by William Honeychurch of the Smithsonian Institute, Josh Wright, an anthropologist from Harvard, and Chunag Amartuvshin of the Mongolian Institute of Archaology along with several other Mongolian archaeologists and students. They worked on the Baga Gazaryn Chuluu survey in the Middle Gobi region of Mongolia. Cianos spent a month on the expedition and another month exploring the temples and museums of Ulaanbator, the capital Mongolia.

“We spent a lot of time looking for artifacts to determine how the nomadic groups formed larger political units,” Cianos said. “Historically, the region was not a center for large centralized political organization. It was an area where the Mongolian nomads often clashed with the Chinese.”

Cianos said the expedition found a lot of pottery, some stone tools, arrow heads, and burial mounds for both people and animals that were important ritually for the nomads.

Cianos said the region was very remote. “It was a great experience,” he said. “It's difficult to describe how removed the region is from urban civilization. The nomads live in felt tents similar to yurts and herd animals which they've done for thousands of years. The major cities of Mongolia are a hub of development, with lots of building. I stayed with a Mongolian friend and his family and I continue to keep in touch with them. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Editor's Note: If you have ideas for the Faces of Cañada section of the online newsletter, please contact Robert Hood at ext. 3340 or by e-mail at hoodr@smccd.edu.

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SPOTLIGHT ON STUDENTS

ASCC President Looks to Energize Campus

Kevin Chappell works to create signature events for Cañada

As president of Associated Students of Cañada College, Kevin Chappell has one goal this year – to bring the campus together around events that will promote student life at the college.

“There is a belief that a lot of our students focus on family and jobs when they leave school but we have a sizeable number of students that want to participate in clubs and events held on campus,” Chappell said. “When I ran for election last year that was the one issue I talked about, increasing the number of student activities.”

Chappell said major clubs like Young Latino Leaders, the Political Awareness Club, and the United Nations Club work on issues and events but do so independently. “I would like to bring them together on a couple of large events,” he said. “I think we can accomplish more working together.”

Chappell, who graduated from Helix High School in San Diego and lives in Menlo Park, is a political science major who is looking to a future in politics. He is applying to schools on the East Coast – Georgetown, Amherst, William & Mary, and Harvard to name a few – to finish his education.

“I've lived in California all of my life and I'm looking for something different,” he said. “The California way of life is one way, but I want to experience more. I would like to study for a semester overseas and eventually work on the East Coast for a while.”

For this year, Chappell said he will be happy to work with other student leaders to develop opportunities to enrich student life. “Whether its political debates, barbecues, registering students to vote, attending athletic events, I hope we can get student leaders together to support student life.”

Cañada College to Host Info Session for Nursing Students

Students Can Learn About the Sequoia Hospital/SFSU Baccalaureate Nursing Program

Students interested in earning a baccalaureate degree in nursing are invited to a general information session to be held Tuesday, Oct. 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. in Building 3, Room 148.

Students can learn how to earn their bachelor's degree in five semesters from San Francisco State University through the Cañada College University Center. Cañada College is the only community college in the Bay Area hosting a university bachelor's degree program in nursing.

Representatives from SFSU's School of Nursing will be available to answer questions about admission requirements, application deadlines, and tuition and fees. Cañada College representatives will discuss the range of lower division courses available at Cañada and how to prepare to enter the program. Graduates are prepared for staff nurse positions in maternity, pediatrics, medical-surgical nursing, gerontology, psychiatric/mental health, community health, and home care nursing.

The Sequoia Hospital/SFSU Baccalaureate in Nursing at Cañada College is made possible through a partnership between Sequoia Hospital, Sequoia Healthcare District, SFSU, and Cañada College. Sequoia Healthcare District is underwriting the operational and faculty costs to sustain the program with $1million in annual funding. This covers the $25,000 cost per student for up to 40 enrollees each year.

For more information, contact Ileana Gadea at 650-306-3141 or e-mail gadeai@smccd.edu.

College Night Scheduled for Oct. 26

Cañada College in partnership with the Sequoia Union High School District will host its annual College Night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 26. The event will be held in the gymnasium.

The event brings together universities and community colleges from across the Bay Area and the nation to help area high school students as they consider which college or university is best for them. Students will be informed on a wide variety of topics including freshman and transfer admission requirements, academic programs, cost of attendance, living expenses, distance, size and nature of the student body, and activities.

In addition, Cañada College, San Francisco State University, UC-Davis, and Menlo College will provide workshops on topics such as financial aid and navigation of the different college and university systems.

Parents and students are encouraged to attend. Admission and parking are free. For more information, contact Soraya Sohrabi at (650) 306-3493.

 

Editor's Note: If you have an idea for a student feature, contact Robert Hood at ext. 3340.

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Please see the EVENTS CALENDAR on inside Cañada for the latest event listings.

Editor's Note: If you would like to submit an event to the Cañada Calendar of Events please contact Debbie Joy at ext. 3318, or use the link at the bottom of the Calendar.

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