The end of the semester approaches and students are on edge about their finals.
Students at Taft College are preparing for a week of trials and tribulations, for some it will be a sink or float situation. Emotions are running high as students scramble to beat the deadlines. Thankfully, the Taft College performing arts students and ASB student body worked together to create stress free activities one week prior to finals.
By Alberto Muro
The end of the semester approaches and students are on edge about their finals.
Students at Taft College are preparing for a week of trials and tribulations, for some it will be a sink or float situation. Emotions are running high as students scramble to beat the deadlines. Thankfully, the Taft College performing arts students and ASB student body worked together to create stress free activities one week prior to finals.
Participants of the first campus activity put their creativity to the test by wearing their ugly Christmas sweaters. Winning categories were listed as the following. The creative and clever award went to the sweater with a cat sticking out of both ends. The “ugly but classy” award went to the sweater with a green silhouette of a flower. Funniest design was awarded to the sweater modeled after Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista which reads “Merry Flippin Christmas.” The winner of the “sweater made by grandma” award went to the polar bear design. Lastly, the ugliest sweater award went to the snowman and gift ribbon design.
The next set of campus activities allowed students to express themselves by lip syncing Christmas songs. Taft College female athletes participated in the contest but had a different tune in mind. The song “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?” from the movie “Frozen” began playing, and a student dressed as a snowman began dancing along with the participants. The “Frozen” antics did not stop there, the song “Let It Go” played, and the snowman screamed hysterically at the top of her lungs.
Pup becoming the center of attention.
Taft College student showing her gratitude towards her new furry friend.
While the lip sync contest went on, the people from Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue brought therapy dogs to Taft College to help students relieve stress from the upcoming finals week. Smiles shot across the faces of students as they sat and played with the canines. The dogs were rescues and Marley’s Mutt Dog Rescue offered information to anyone that considers adopting. The worried souls of students diminished as they rubbed the bellies of the dogs and spoiled them with treats.
Lastly, the athleticism of students was put to the test as they participated in a winter themed obstacle course. The obstacle course consisted of the following: making snow angels, jumping rope, running a quick lap, reindeer antler ring toss, snowball sweeping, and the abominable snowman target. Despite a slippery start for some students after the snow angel challenge, every participant completed the course with a sense of humor.
Taft College students showing off their mad hop skills.
*Disclaimer* No grandmothers were used during the making of these ugly sweaters.
Alexandra Ortiz’s “Your Love Changes with the Moon” (Fabric and mixed media)
The Taft College Art Gallery held an artist reception event on Thursday, Dec. 1 for its show titled Craft as Fine Art: The Beauty of Function.READ MORE
By Veronica Renaker
Taft College zoology students had the pleasure of traveling to Morro Bay alongside Dr. Lytle in order to examine every nook and cranny that the tide pools had to offer during low tide.
Among the slippery slopes and wave exposed rocks, aggregating anemones, limpets, various crustaceans, and starfish could be seen coexisting. The students were unafraid of picking up specimen and getting “down and dirty” in the tide to exhaust every possible “creature hide-out.”
We’d like to thank Dr. Lytle for so fabulously coordinating this trip for all of us! We definitely all had a blast being able to explore Morro Bay under your instruction and putting our knowledge to the test! Thank you for being the wonderful vessel of knowledge that you are!
By Alberto Muro
An abundance of stuffed animals were seen flying all over Rabobank Arena during a match between the Bakersfield Condors and San Diego Seagulls.
On November 26, The Bakersfield Condors held their 18th annual Teddy Bear Toss. The Teddy Bear Toss is a charitable event in which the Condors organization encourages fans to bring a stuffed animal to throw onto the ice when the Condors score their first goal. The overall objective behind the event is to donate the stuffed animals to less fortunate children. As of now, it is estimated that a total of 100,000 stuffed animals have been donated since the event first began.
The first puck drop of the night contributed to the eruption of fans cheering and anxiously awaiting for the Condors to score. Players from both teams fought for puck possession in the early minutes of the first period. The protective glass swung in motion with players as they slammed each other into the boards. Goaltenders from both teams wasted no time defending their nets from oncoming pucks. Goaltender Dustin Tokarski’s overcame the Condors offense which allowed the Seagulls to score during the first period.
At the end of the first period, San Diego had a point lead over Bakersfield. Both teams headed back to the locker rooms and worked on their next strategies while two Zambonis resurfaced the ice rink. Second period began with a highly anticipated scoring opportunity by the Condors as players raced towards the Seagulls goaltender. The Condors offense switched to passing plays during the 2nd period, and they managed to stay in the Seagulls’ zone. Bakersfield Condors goaltender Nick Ellis’ actions involved diving, extended his limbs, and absorbing impact to prevent the Seagulls from scoring during the 2nd period.
Neither teams could break the goaltenders defense as the 2nd period concluded. Ice crews began clean up again as players readied themselves for the 3rd period. Once the goaltender nets were put into place, the players came back onto the ice. Condors fans held onto their stuffed animals in anticipation as the 3rd period started.
The Condors won the puck drop at the start of the period and a fight to maintain puck possession behind the Seagulls net began. The moment every fan was waiting for occurred when Condors center Anton Lander tipped the puck into the net. The goal horn sounded and stuffed animals began flying from every direction. Condors players, ice crew members and the junior league players helped collect the stuffed animals from the ice. Due to safety regulations, players from San Diego had to sit in their locker room until the collection was over.
Once the collection was complete, players came back onto the ice and continued playing in the 3rd period. The Condors were able to net another goal which was met with cheers from fans. As the period came to an end, San Diego overcame the Bakersfield defense and tied the game. With their second goal of the game, San Diego sent the game into over time. Condors fans were anxious once again as they stood from their seats watching 5 minutes of close calls. Unfortunately, the Bakersfield Condors succumbed to a goal by San Diego ending the game 2-3.
Despite a loss, Bakersfield fans were still happy to partake in the yearly tradition of the Teddy Bear Toss.
For the month of November, the Taft College library’s theme has been Comic Con.
Terri Smith, the head librarian, suggested the idea as a way to recognize the Bakersfield Comic Con that took place the weekend of November 12-13 at the Kern County Fairgrounds to celebrate comic book and other culturally popular characters.
Superheroes/ trivia questions display
For decorations, library technicians Mary Decker and Miranda Tofte, along with the help of some of their student workers, spent a week creating several hand-traced and painted cardboard cutouts of well-liked characters. These are exhibited around the library and include a Spider-Man mounted on the brick wall behind the circulation desk, two standing minions from Despicable Me, and a Yoda yielding a lightsaber. Additionally, there is even a very realistic cardboard model of the TARDIS from the show Doctor Who on display. The unnamed pair of superheroes from the library’s Banned Books theme in September are also making a reappearance to go along with this month’s ambiance.
“Comic Con is for any TV, comic, or movie character—any that has a fan base,” Decker explained. She also stated that “a lot of libraries participate in this” whenever the event is happening in their cities or towns. Decker also put together an educational poster board about Comic Con, full of photos of comic book characters and costumed fans as well as facts regarding what the convention is, where it began, its evolution, and information about the Bakersfield event. The display is surrounded by several books that are available to be checked out, all of which relate to superheroes, comic books, cosplay, and Comic Con in general.
Poster board display
As a fun way to incorporate student and staff participation, the library also held a trivia contest each day from November 14-18. Every day, a new library-related question pertaining to a popular film or television show was both posted in the middle of the library and emailed to students along with three choices to choose from for the answer. Those who answered correctly were entered into a drawing for that day, from which four people were chosen as the winners, each to receive the prize of a free comic book. If patrons answered all of the daily questions right, they were also eligible to be entered into the grand-prize drawing at the end of the week for a single person to win the movie Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle. The activity consistently proved itself very popular as more than 50 people entered the contest each day.
Another way the library staff commemorated Comic Con was by coming to work as their own favorite comic book characters one day. Tofte wore a Supergirl costume while Smith was dressed as Batgirl whose character is fittingly a librarian as her day job. Tina Erdei, a substitute in the library, was clad as a version of Catwoman.
“I enjoyed dressing up for work, and I used [my costume] again for the Bakersfield Comic Con,” Erdei, who made her own outfit, said. Her rendering of Catwoman was inspired by the Tim Burton directed film Batman Returns, and the intricate stitching tracing throughout the fabric of her costume was all done by hand.
(Left to right) Smith, Erdei, and Tofte
Though the entertainment and excitement of the Comic Con theme in the library will soon be coming to an end, Decker confirmed, “We will be doing this again next year” and reminded students to “stay tuned for next month’s theme” which will center on stress relief techniques to help manage the pressure of upcoming final exams.
–Ray Raygoza
It was difficult maneuvering through the packed hall of guests in OT’s Steakhouse.
A packed hall in the back of OT’s Steakhouse on November 13th around 6:20pm was decked from the reflective ceiling with cascading Christmas lights over a crowd of dapper attendees waited on by attentive student volunteers.
Attendees were rife with conversation echoing through the hall as dinner was being served. They enjoyed Chardonnay with a dinner of pork and potatoes as they awaited the commencement of the program honoring Taft College alumni and former staff–heroes of a tightly knit Taft community.
This year, Taft College celebrated its 95th year with a banquet honoring the hometown legends that have carried the legacy of Taft College into remarkable lives of success and significance.
Among the many inductees to be honored for the evening, Andy Baroncelli was the first to share his gratitude for the award and stories of the old days, setting the communal theme of the evening.
Kanoe Bandy embraces Baroncelli after introducing him.
“We always stood with good posture and we conducted ourselves in front of all representing this college with respect” says Baroncelli of the high-caliber conduct displayed by the athletes of his heyday at Taft College. He’s led an amazing life, playing football at USC and then briefly for the NFL. Most of his life he has been a civil engineer and a member of the US Naval Reserve. Having been awarded with an induction for Outstanding Male Athlete, he accredits much of his success to the “family” that he found at Taft College as did many other alumni in their acceptance speeches for the evening.
Cothrun is honored with a plaque for his induction in the Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Administrator
Dr. David Cothrun, who was honored with an Outstanding Administrator award, explains honestly to the crowd about how he and his wife ended up in Taft: “When my wife and I decided we’d retire somewhere, it wasn’t Taft, California,” he says. “It was New Mexico, where you can see through the air for about 90 miles straight.” The crowd laughs and cringes a bit in response to this comment about the polluted air for which Taft and Bakersfield are known. “But it’s the people here,” Cothrun goes on, “that make this place a great place to live and I’m glad to be here. Thank you.” Dr. Cothrun was honored as a Distinguished Administrator for his service as Taft College president from 1980-2001, and during his career, he established and helped establish several programs that have been instrumental to student success. Such programs include TC’s Dental Hygiene Program, the Westside Energy Services and Training Education Center (WESTEC), and the Transition to Independent Living Program.
Dr. Loretta Lipscomb presents her acceptance speech to the crowd.
He received this most prestigious award along with Dr. Garcia Loretta Lipscomb, who said that “Taft College was an extremely important part of my educational journey and I am very grateful.” Dr. Lipscomb was an instructor and librarian at Taft College for many years before she made history by becoming the first woman and the first Hispanic to achieve an upper level, academic administrative position when hired as the Vice President of Instruction. For 30 years she served as a leader, educator, and an innovator in the Taft College community, and this reporter has her to thank especially for introducing the Distance Learning Program which has been responsible for many crucial academic credits in my own ‘educational journey.’
Bob Hampton tells the crowd about how his success in life has always been related to his time at TC.
Another distinguished career educator, Bob Hampton, shares his gratitude with the audience: “It’s really an honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.” Hampton was a strong basketball player for Taft College for a year and was awarded a scholarship to play for USC where he played for 3 years while earning a Master’s Degree in education. He then enjoyed a long and successful career in public education, basketball coaching, and a new chapter of success in the sanitation business starting in 1979. He has many accolades from various schools and business organizations for his successes. He says, “Whatever success I’ve had, in my opinion, there’s some connection to TC.”
Ron Coomer is a Fox Network sports broadcaster and former professional baseball player for the Chicago Cubs that has TC roots.
Ron Coomer’s speech was particularly funny. In regards to a photo projected of him on the screen of himself when he was much younger, he said, “I’m heavy now. I don’t know what the hell happened to that guy in the picture.” The audience roared with laughter. Toward the end of his lengthy speech about his remarkable career as a professional baseball player that led to his current position as a Fox Network sports broadcaster, he became very emotional when he shared the sentiment, broken by tears: “My father would be very proud.” He humbly accepted his induction.
The crowd applauses Dr. Cothrun as he makes his way to the stage.
Every person who grabbed the mic for the evening had entertaining, hilarious, and/or deeply moving stories to share with the audience about the honorary guests themselves and the familial culture of the Taft College they grew up with. Kanoe Bandy reports that her favorite part of the evening’s banquet was also “to hear the stories of how Taft College has affected the lives of so many young people. For them to come back and share their stories with us is awesome.” Bandy, the athletic director at Taft College, was in charge of the event and stayed busy for the evening. When asked about how difficult it was to organize the event, she said, “It’s a lot of work and it takes work from everybody involved. It’s a long process.”
Bandy was busy all night, emceeing and facilitating the event with the help of athletes from TC.
The last honorees of the night were the collective powerhouse 1984 Taft College Football Team. This group demonstrated some of the highest appreciation for the late, great Coach Al Baldock. Baldock was inducted last year. Doug Wells worked alongside him to lead the Cougars to victory in the renowned 1984 Potato Bowl against LA Pierce–a victory that solidified their number one ranking among college community football teams.
A few members of the 1984 Taft College football team that were honored at the end of the night.
By Veronica Renaker
According to the CDC breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, and additionally, one in a thousand men will be diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
What is breast cancer?
“Breast cancer starts when cells in the breast begin to grow out of control. These cells usually form a tumor that can often be seen on an x-ray or felt as a lump. The tumor is malignant (cancerous) if the cells can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. Breast cancer occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too.”
Things you may not have known about breast cancer:
Though the exact cause of breast cancer remains unclear, there have been many studies that have shown that women who eat red meat are more at risk for developing breast cancer later in life.
A Harvard study reference: “We found that women who ate the most red meat in adolescence or early adulthood had an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life. One serving a day increment in red meat intake during adolescence was associated with a 22% higher risk of premenopausal breast cancer and each serving per day increment during early adulthood was associated with a 13% higher risk of breast cancer overall. Those who ate more poultry during the same period had a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Of course, red meat is not the only risk factor for breast cancer. And this is an observational study, so we could not say that eating red meat was the only reason these women got cancer. But our analysis took into account most of the known breast cancer risk factors, and we adjusted for smoking, alcohol intake, age, hormone therapy, and oral contraceptive use. Still, red meat was one of the important breast cancer risk factors.”
Other studies have also linked breast cancer with alcohol consumption according to Cancer.org.
“Drinking alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. Compared with non-drinkers, women who have one alcoholic drink a day have a very small increase in risk.”
When picking your methods of birth control you may want to take into account the amount of hormones used in said contraception. “Women have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer while they’re taking birth control pills that contain both estrogen and progestin and during the 10 years after they stop taking the pills. Progestin-only pills also increased risk, but not as much Aug 5, 2014 Breastcancer.org.”
The CDC’s fast facts:
Each year in the United States, more than 200,000 women get breast cancer and more than 40,000 women die from the disease.
Men also get breast cancer, but it is not very common. Less than 1% of breast cancers occur in men.
Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women.
About 10% of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age.
Breast cancer symptoms:
Often many do not have any symptoms at all. However, if you notice a change of the shape of your breast or any abnormal lumps or bumps that have developed over time, pain, or discharge from the nipple- See your doctor as soon as possible!
The Story of the Survivor (My Mom)
How do you keep the fear of it coming back under control?
Jean Renaker: “First and foremost, my Christian belief helps a great deal. I also take a lot of comfort from the fact that I take every precaution to be responsible with my health. I don’t drink or smoke- I exercise. I am careful with my red meat intake, and I stay informed. Other than that I don’t waste time worrying about something that I cannot control.”
How long ago were you diagnosed?
Jean Renaker: “Almost 14 years ago. I had been scratched by a rabbit and thought that that was the source of my discomfort. -As did my physician and all the rest of my health care providers because I was young, very healthy, and had no family history of any kind of cancer. I was wrong and so were they.”
What was the hardest part about hearing that diagnosis?
Jean Renaker: “Hearing the diagnosis wasn’t really the hard part, you’re just in shock. The hardest part for me was having very young children that I might not get to see grow up.”
How often do you think about cancer in your daily life?
Jean Renaker: “I think about it as it pertains to other people and their risk. I don’t think about it in personal terms any more, and I have not for a long time. It’s an illness I had. It’s not my identity. The exception to this would be having you tested to see if you have the BRCA1 gene.”
What was your support system?
Jean Renaker: “I read a crazy statistic somewhere that said that 70 percent of husbands leave their wives when they’re diagnosed with breast cancer. I don’t know if that’s true. I hope that it’s not. It makes me very sad. I was very blessed that your dad was a great source of strength and my oncologist Rabi Patel (Founding Physician of CBCC).”
How were you treated?
“I had a radical mastectomy. My lymph nodes were clear of cancer and my margins were clean- so I optioned not to do chemotherapy because I had two young children and I did not want to compromise my immune system and be laid out flat for six months unless there was still cancer in my body.”
Anything you’d like to add?
“It’s always hard. But it’s not always negative. By that I mean that the sky is bluer for me than it is for many other people. Stupid things don’t seem so earth shattering. To be honest with you, most days I forget that I ever overcame cancer. I’m glad I did.”
By Veronica Renaker
My Experience
It all began after zoology class when I felt as though something had bitten my hand. Nothing drastic, perhaps just a small ant. Much like any other time I had been bitten, over the course of a couple of hours, a minuscule bump had began to surface. A day went by, and the “bite” felt more sensitive than painful. Taking a closer look at the little, red, angry, mark, I started thinking that perhaps a small hair on my hand was ingrown and irritated. I didn’t pay much attention to it following that thought until my hand started having sharp pains.
Again, I assumed that it would all blow over.
I had a history of bug bites being larger than life in the past, so when the bump on my hand became the size of a dime, I wasn’t too concerned at that point. I had rescued feral kittens from underneath a bush the same day that I had Lytle’s science lab, so I started questioning whether or not this “ant bite” was truly an ant bite.
In Bakersfield, not many spiders are poisonous enough to cause the symptoms that I was having. My mom immediately began giving me antibiotics as a precaution, along with the basic care of Neosporin.
The bump, now a boil, was tomato red and so painful that I was unable to rest my hand without a rush of what I’d describe as nerve pain and throbbing. Things didn’t seem to be getting any better, and actually, were getting quite worse. My family and I started questioning whether or not I had a staph infection.
My mom rushed me to the doctor, and the nurse let out a gasp when I exposed my hand from underneath the bandages. Lincy Maliyekkal, FNP said that without a doubt, it was a pretty nasty staph infection and perhaps even MRSA.
At this point I was a little too familiar with what MRSA was and how significant it could be. I must admit that I spent a little too much time internet surfing on WebMD and reading personal testimonies (all of which were horrifying). I practically was under the impression that I was going to lose my hand which was sounding as though it was a possibility.
Using a scalpel, she took a culture which was a whole ordeal in itself due to the fact that I am absolutely terrified of needles or the thought of anything cutting into me while I’m conscious. I was told that I had to wait a number of days to hear the results.
She gave me a prescription of Bactrim in order to treat MRSA in the mean time and a heavy duty prescription of pain medication. Aside from the two shots that I unwillingly received in my buttocks (definitely not winning the best patient award).
I was fortunate enough to avoid the ER which originally had brought me to tears because they had really wanted to send me there.
After a few days, the boil on my hand was not getting any better, so they had to lance and pack it.
Again, an almost comedic visit to the doctor’s office, full of crying, panicking, and vomiting (my mom due to the great amount of distress I had caused her- as I was crying out for everyone to stop continuing on with the procedure).
Unfortunately and to my dismay, I was unable to be numbed for this occasion as I had nerve damage- apart from my nerves being “so inflamed that no amount of anesthesia would make it so that I wouldn’t be able to feel what was going on.” Translation: this was going to hurt BADLY. Oh, and boy, did it!
The final results came back some time after, and it turns out that I was positive for MRSA.
Mrs. Maliyekkal went on to inform us that she believed I had been bitten by a black widow that carried MRSA and thus this all transpired.
She also said something very interesting that I’d love to pass on: “Bakersfield/Kern County is number one for community MRSA. It’s not uncommon that I see patients that come with it.”
So what is MRSA? How do you know if you have MRSA? Is it life threatening? How can you prevent MRSA? Who is prone to getting MRSA?
MRSA AND ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body. It’s tougher to treat than most strains of staphylococcus aureus — or staph — because it’s resistant many used antibiotics.
MRSA was first discovered in 1961. It’s now resistant to methicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin, oxacillin, and many other common antibiotics. While some antibiotics still work, MRSA is constantly adapting. Researchers developing new antibiotics are having a tough time keeping up.
“MRSA can cause a variety of problems ranging from are skin infections and sepsis to pneumonia to bloodstream infections” (CDC).
Community-associated MRSA infections (CA-MRSA) are MRSA infections in healthy people who have not been hospitalized or had a medical procedure (such as dialysis or surgery) within the past year.
“Anyone can get MRSA on their body from contact with an infected wound or by sharing personal items, such as towels or razors, that have touched infected skin. MRSA infection risk can be increased when a person is in activities or places that involve crowding, skin-to-skin contact, and shared equipment or supplies. People including athletes, daycare and school students, military personnel in barracks, and those who recently received inpatient medical care are at higher risk” (CDC).
Sometimes, people with MRSA skin infections first think they have a spider bite. However, unless a spider is actually seen, the irritation is likely not a spider bite. Most staph skin infections, including MRSA, appear as a bump or infected area on the skin that might be:
Red
Swollen
Painful
Warm to the touch
Full of pus or other drainage
Accompanied by a fever
What Should I Do If I See These Symptoms?
If you or someone in your family experiences these signs and symptoms, cover the area with a bandage, wash your hands, and contact your doctor. It is especially important to contact your doctor if signs and symptoms of an MRSA skin infection are accompanied by a fever.
What Should I do if I Think I Have a Skin Infection?
You can’t tell by looking at the skin if it is a staph infection (including MRSA).
Contact your doctor if you think you have an infection. Finding infections early and getting care make it less likely that the infection will become severe.
Do not try to treat the infection yourself by picking or popping the sore.
Cover possible infections with clean, dry bandages until you can be seen by a doctor, nurse, or other health care provider.
How To Prevent Spreading MRSA
Cover your wounds. Keep wounds covered with clean, dry bandages until healed. Follow your doctor’s instructions about proper care of the wound. Pus from infected wounds can contain MRSA so keeping the infection covered will help prevent the spread to others. Bandages and tape can be thrown away with the regular trash. Do not try to treat the infection yourself by picking or popping the sore.
Clean your hands often. You, your family, and others in close contact should wash their hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub, especially after changing the bandage or touching the infected wound.
Do not share personal items. Personal items include towels, washcloths, razors and clothing, including uniforms.
Wash used sheets, towels, and clothes with water and laundry detergent. Use a dryer to dry them completely.
Wash clothes according to manufacturer’s instructions on the label. Clean your hands after touching dirty clothes.
All information verified by the CDC: Https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/
