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Taft College Never Looked so Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink Fashion Show

Contestant for the Cure

http://youtu.be/PRA2R82G2Dw

As the month of October creeps in, the weather begins to drop and the awareness level goes up. The month of October is national breast cancer awareness month and Taft College students and faculty know how to show their support. The most common way to express awareness is to wear pink and from October sixth to the tenth, there will be waves of pink support flowing around campus.

As in the past, the Taft College volleyball team is selling t-shirts to help spread awareness. But selling t-shirts isn’t the only thing the volleyball team is doing to support the cause. On Friday, October 10th, there are three athletic home games. All admissions monies collected from these sporting events will be donated to breast cancer research.

But the awareness isn’t all brought upon by the athletes at Taft College. Students, teachers, and all staff members are encouraged to join the annual “Pretty in Pink” fashion show on Thursday, October 9th.The main prospects for the fashion show are tough, strong men of Taft College willing to dress like pretty pink princesses in order to show their support.

ASB Advisor Myisha Cutrona says that ASB Vice President Rebecca Vasquez has “great ideas to make the event even more lively than the past.” There will be fun, music, and plenty of laughs going on. As for the brave male souls who choose to be apart of the fun, a prize shall be awarded to the top student, as well as the top TC employee of the contest.

Granted, there are a lot less embarrassing ways to show support for breast cancer, but this can help bring smiles to the faces of those who are victims to, or know a victim of breast cancer. But it isn’t just about this one week or the one fashion show, it’s about the whole month of October and the millions of women who have been effected by this terrible disease. So throughout the month be sure to wear pink and maybe even donate money to breast cancer research by attending the home athletic games at Taft College.

Fashion for the Cure

Pink Cure Fashionista

Artist, Bill Lydecker

Lydecker setting up for showing

By Jessica Guillen

Artist, Bill Lydecker has a great talent for drawing and painting. He has been using is extraordinary talent since he was a child and continued through college. His paintings are made quite uniquely, using buckets of industrial paint and geometric shapes. Lydecker mentioned that he likes to “not be consciously in control,” when he is working on a painting. This October and November,  you can find Bill Lydecker’s exceptional work on display in the Art Gallery, Monday through Friday 9-4.

G Buildings Increase Security with Lock Blok

Officer Altenhofel

With school security becoming more and more important, Taft College has been looking for ways to make sure that students can feel safe while on campus. Most buildings at Taft College have electronic locks that can be locked with one button in case of an emergency. The only buildings that do not are the G buildings which are portable classrooms near the edge of campus.

According to Officer Altenhofel of the Taft Police Department, a recent lock down drill raised awareness to the fact that teachers in these buildings had to step completely outside to lock the classroom door. Since the G buildings are unable to have electronic locks installed, the Lock Blok was the best solution. The Lock Blok is a device that allows doors to remain locked at all times while allowing students to enter and exit without causing a distraction. The device is a piece of rubber that keeps the door open just a fraction of an inch which in case of emergency can be slid out of the way, closing the already locked door.

Altenhofel hopes that this will help students feel safer while attending classes in the G buildings this semester.

Lock Blok

ConnExpo 3D Printing

By Jessica Guillen

We recently had an exciting event held at the cafeteria’s banquet room known a, 3D Printing. STEM Coordinator Rachel Belden, and the science faculty had a wonderful idea to introduce 3D printing to the people of Taft College. They hoped to open the students to different areas and learn design skills as well. This event was rather enticing and definitely taught people a few things such as a new way to design and introduce them to what the future holds.

“Investing in The Future”

TC Before & After Pictures 

By Gloria Saldivar

In 2004 Taft College was granted District A Measure of $39,800,000. The District A Measure is a general obligation bond intended to enhance and create new facilities that will benefit our campus. When all the construction is completed, Taft College will have a new “Master Plan.”

The following “Measure A” projects have been completed as of June 30, 2013:

· Campus Landscape/courtyard

· Campus Parking maintenance phase 1

· Child Development center phase 2

· Community Technical center (RFE)

· Land Acquisition phase 1&2

· Main plan development

· Maintenance & Operations facility

· Science modernization

· Swing Space phase 1 &2

· Utility Infrastructure Phase 1&2

· Center of Independent Living.

The Citizens Oversight Committee is in charge of overseeing the entire construction project. They “review the budget and construction project performance analysis reports presented by AP Architects.” The committee also takes tours of the ongoing construction to observe the progression of the construction.

The construction on campus has not been troubling of any kind. The campus has truly come a long way since it was first established in August 30, 1922. Believe it or not but our campus is only of few other community colleges to have on-campus housing. Speaking of on-campus housing; the dorms on campus are to go under modernization. That right, Taft College has set aside $1,950,350.00 for dorm modernization.

Students can also look forward to a new Student Union which Taft College has set aside $11,038,319.00 to build it. The new student union will have everything a student desires on campus. Well, everything a student needs on campus. The student union will have one of the most important things on campus to a student; the cafeteria. Students will no longer have to make the decision of staying in the cafeteria to eat, or walking the long journey to the student union to eat and relax in a student filled environment.

Student also won’t have to travel the long journey across the street to the bookstore anymore because it will be located in the student union. The student union will definitely be the place to be on campus.

Taft College is only expanding at this point. It will continue to grow and thrive on good education for the benefit of students.

Original Writing Needed for A Sharp Piece of Awesome

Taft College’s student-edited, annual literary publication A Sharp Piece of Awesome is still accepting submissions for its fifth issue. Although Taft College students edit and produce the publication, anyone can submit. Please share the flyer below for submissions with any interested students, colleagues, or friends who are writers and would like the chance to see their works in print. In past years, not only have student submissions been chosen for inclusion, but also work by alumni and other writers within our community and beyond, including noted poets Robert Duncan, Julia Bloch, James Meetze, and Garrett Caples. Professors Chris Chung-Wee, Danielle Harris, and Bill Devine have been published in previous issues as well. Copies of issue four, created by last year’s Literary Magazine Club, are still available for sale at the Taft College Bookstore and on Amazon.com. The submission deadline is November 30.

Drama Club

Drama Club

By Jessica Guillen
Drama Club is a fun and fantastic activity to enjoy  and really embrace your theatrical side. With Shoshanna Kukuliev as the president and Alexander Victoria as the secretary, there will be many exciting events to come; for example, they hope to put on more powerful and exciting plays. They meet every Wednesday in the Art Gallery at noon so come join today and get involved in the art of acting!

CSU Application Workshops

By Lisa Ybarra

Students who are planning to transfer to a CSU next fall are invited to attend CSU application workshops. You can start applying to CSU’s on Wednesday, October, 1. If you need help or have any questions about applying, these workshops will help! The workshops will be held October 2nd and 23rd from 11am-1pm in room T-14. To sign up call the counseling center at 763-7748 or sign up at the front desk in the student services building!

One Book, One Bakersfield, One Kern Revisits Taft!

This year’s book, Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario, is the true account of Enrique, a 17-year-old boy from Honduras who makes a perilous journey to the United States in 2000, after eight failed attempts, in order to be re-united with his mother. The 2006 book is based on journalist Nazario’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times articles on children migrating to the U.S. atop trains from Central America.

Here at Taft College, we are holding a community symposium exploring ethical issues in Taft and surrounding communities to give students a chance to interact and hear informed and varying opinions, from respected community members, on the many ethical issues discussed in Enrique’s Journey. To accompany the debate, Central American cuisine will be served, which is generously donated by The Foundation.

Please join us on October 14 at 6pm in the Cougar Room for this exciting community discussion. Seating is limited. Copies of Enrique’s Journey are available for purchase at the Taft College Bookstore.

Breast Cancer Awareness Week

By Lisa Ybarra

Breast Cancer Awareness Week is being held October 6 through October 10. The Taft College volleyball team is selling t-shirts to help spread awareness. Below is a schedule for Breast Cancer Awareness Week and also the t-shirt order form. You can save it to your computer and print it out. Turn in your order form with check or cash into the athletic mail box. Orders must be turned in by 9am on Friday, October 3. The shirts will arrive before Friday, October 10 so that you can wear them to the matches. Admission money from the three home games will be donated to breast cancer research.