The 2nd Annual Cypress College Donate a Day of Service takes place on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. It will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on the Bridge by the Pond.

At the event, students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to donate their blood, donate their gently used shoes, and donate their cash to the American Cancer Society and Red Cross Disaster Relief.

"Join us for lunch and service  satisfy both your stomach and your heart!" said Kathryn Sonne, director of the Honors and Service Learning programs.

It is sponsored by Associated Students and the Honors and Service Learning programs.

The following Service Agency booths will also be available:

• Tiger Woods Learning Center
• Boys and Girls Club of Cypress
• Orange County Food Bank
• Working Wardrobes
• The Hanger
Giving Kids Hope
• Soles for Souls

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Cypress College has posted its 2011 Annual Safety and Security report to he campus website. The report is prepared annually by Shirley L. Smith, Director of Campus Safety, in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act with the intent of informing students and prospective students about campus crime and security policies.

If desired, paper copies of the report will be available through the Campus Safety Office.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, codified at 20 USC 1092 (f) as a part of the Higher Education Act of 1965, is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to disclose certain timely and annual information about campus crime and security policies. All public and private post secondary educational institutions participating in federal student aid programs are required to comply with it.

The law, originally enacted by Congress in 1990 as the Campus Security Act, was initiated by Howard and Connie Clery after their daughter Jeanne was tragically murdered at Lehigh University in 1986. Amendments to the Act in 1998 renamed it in memory of Jeanne Clery. The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to publish an annual report every year by October 1st that contains 3 years of crime statistics.

The statistics provided in the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime statistics Act, are compiled by the Director of Campus Safety. These statistics include all reports of offenses received by the Campus Safety Department, the Cypress Police Department and Cypress College Personnel with significant responsibility for students and campus activities.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Cypress College's annual flu shot clinic will be held Monday, October 10, through Wednesday, October 13, in the Health Center. The inoculations are free to students with a valid campus I.D. card; the cost is $10 for employees. Payment can be made by cash or check only.

No appointment is necessary. Those who wish to receive the flu shot should visit the Health Center from 9:30-11:30 a.m. or 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., between October 10 and 13, 2011.

The Health Center is located on the south side of Gym II, with an exterior, ground-level entrance highlighted by an awning. The center can be reached at (714) 484-7361.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

The Associated Students host this semester's blood drive on October 5 and 6 in conjunction with the American Red Cross. Be the Match — the National Marrow Donor Program — will also participate. The drive takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., both days, in the Student Activities Center and at a Bloodmobile, which will be stationed in Lot #7, between SEM and the L/LRC. Schedule an appointment by calling (714) 484-7199 or online using sponsor code "CypressCollege."

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Cypress College head women's basketball coach Margaret Mohr has been named to the 2011 Cal State Long Beach Hall of Fame Class for her memorable career as a 49er during the 1983-87 seasons. The induction ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 9 at 6 p.m. at the Hilton Long Beach Hotel & Executive Meeting Center.

Other inductees to this year's CSULB athletic department Hall of Fame Class include current Angels pitcher Jered Weaver.

Read more about Mohr and her fellow inductees in our athletics section.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Attention students: please keep an eye on your email inbox for a survey invitation from Cypress College seeking feedback on a variety of student support services. The survey will come from research@cypresscollege.edu with a subject line reading: "CC Student Services Survey."

To ensure delivery, you may want to add "@cypresscollege.edu" to your approved-sender list (while you're doing that, it's a good idea to also add "@nocccd.edu" and "@cccapply.org").

The confidential survey is an opportunity to provide valuable feedback about how well the college provides a variety of services. Results will be compiled by Cypress College's Institutional Research and Planning Office and shared in summary form with the various service areas.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

The Cypress College Foundation's annual Golf Classic tees off on October 3, 2011 at Sea Cliff Country Club in Huntington Beach.

The event opens at 8:30 a.m. with a putting contest. The shotgun start is at 10 a.m. The classic wraps up with the awards banquet at 3:45 p.m.

Cost is $225 per Golfer (includes dinner, lunch, cart, contest holes, gift, driving range, green fees, morning refreshments, drinks, snacks).

For information about the event and/or sponsorship opportunities, visit the Foundation Golf Classic website, view or print the brochure or call (714) 484-7126.

To register for the Golf Classic online, click here.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Obed Silva, a co-coordinator of Cypress College's Puente Program, was profiled in the Los Angeles Times on Friday, September 9, 2011. This photograph accompanied the column. The caption reads: Obed Silva, who was shot and paralyzed during a liquor store robbery, laughs with his mother, Marcela Mendoza. He now teaches writing at Cypress College. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times).

The Los Angeles Times on Friday published a piece highlighting Obed Silva, who is a co-coordinator of the college's Puente Program and team-teaches the English writing component of Puente.

Under the headline "Taking advantage of a second chance," the column by Hector Tobar covers Mr. Silva's transformation from gang member to teacher and author.

Mr. Tobar writes:

... Born in Mexico but raised in Orange County, Silva is a 32-year-old former gang member paralyzed from a gunshot injury who reinvented himself as a scholar.

...

He's teaching writing at Cypress College and tackling his own painful story in a book. Much of his manuscript is about another man born in Mexico, a heavy drinker who was deported many years ago, and who isn't missed on this side of the border:

Obed's father, the late Juan Silva.

Read the rest of the column by clicking here.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

"Unemployed and Looking for Answers" is the topic of a workshop scheduled at Cypress College for Monday, September 19, 2011.

The Career Planning Center workshop is open to everyone and is free of charge. It will take place in the Cypress College Complex, Room 419, from 1-2:30 p.m., and is presented by Kathleen High.

For further information, please contact the Career Planning Center at (714) 484-7120 or careercenter@cypresscollege.edu.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

The following is relayed on behalf of Cypress College President Michael Kasler. This document can also be viewed and shared as a pdf file.

Timely Warning

September 9, 2011

Dear Colleagues,

Three on-campus incidents in a one-week period prompted police response and have provided a stark reminder that safety is the responsibility of everyone on campus. None of the incidents resulted in injury.

The three incidents involved: an upset student suggesting a school shooting; a reportedly suicidal student with a knife; and a student who informed staff that he was going to return to campus with a bomb.

Because we take safety seriously, we are requesting that faculty discuss this information with students. Everyone should know that we will act to preserve safety.

Cypress College officials worked in conjunction with the Cypress Police Department, in each incident. One student was arrested. Investigation in the other case involving a threat is ongoing. Disciplinary procedures have also begun with both students who made threats.

In each instance where the College is informed of a threat, we treat the report with great seriousness in an effort to provide for the safety of our students, employees and visitors.

We ask that each member of the campus community do the same. That is, if you hear someone make a threat or observe something of a potentially threatening nature, you are asked to report this information to Campus Safety without hesitation.

None of us should individually make the determination that a threat is not credible and thus not worthy of being reported.

One of the threats only came to light because classmates took the initiative to inform campus officials. Responses to the two others were initiated by staff.

Campus Safety can be reached at (714) 484-7387. Every member of the campus community should program this number into their mobile phones so it is handy.

In the case of an immediate threat, you should dial 911 and ask someone nearby to simultaneously contact Campus Safety. This will greatly aid in establishing an efficient response.

Cypress College has a long-standing tradition of progressive incident-response training. This includes a regular series of drills and collaborative initiatives with local law enforcement and other response agencies.

Incidents such as these deepen our resolve to be fully prepared. As the college does after each drill, a debrief has been held, as has a tabletop exercise. Measures were also enacted to improve our communication, response and collaboration.

Thank you for reinforcing this message with our students.

Mike

Posted by Marc S. Posner

At the Fall 2011 census date, Cypress College enrolled 15,889 students. This is a decrease of 3% from last fall caused by a reduction in the number of courses offered of 5%, compared to a year ago.

Although 65 fewer sections were offered this fall, each section served the same average number of students — approximately 35. Thus, even with a slight decline in enrollment the College has maintained its efficiency in instruction. To achieve this efficiency, the College was operating with a triple-digit fill rate at census.

Fill rate, which compares the total number of students in classes to the scheduled number of available seats, provided a standard way to measure the efficiency of the College's course scheduling.

This semester, almost 70% of Cypress College students are from traditionally under-represented ethnic groups. The percentages of African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics at Cypress College continue to be higher than the percentages of Orange County residents when compared to 2009 U.S. Census Population Estimates.

Already designated as a federally recognized Hispanic Serving Institution, and a two-time Title V grant recipient, Cypress College's Hispanic student population continues to grow, as well. In Fall 2007, 27% of enrolled students were Hispanic, while 36% of Cypress College students are Hispanic in this fall.

Hispanics comprise the College's single-largest ethnic group, followed by Caucasian, at 27%, and Asian/Pacific Islander at 19%.

A large proportion of students (41%) indicated that they are among the first generation of their family to attend college. Almost a quarter of Cypress College students had a parent attend college, but never receive a diploma. Another quarter came from a family in which a parent had at least a Bachelor degree.

The number of "reverse transfers" and students concurrently enrolled at other colleges and universities is also reported in the latest demographics:

• Almost 800 students previously attended a California State University, such as: Fullerton, Long Beach, Pomona, Los Angeles, and Dominguez Hills;
• Over 230 Cypress students have attended UC campuses, including: Irvine, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara;
• In all, almost 230 colleges/universities were identified as the last college of attendance for our students. This indicates that they are concurrently enrolled at several community colleges, are degree holders who are seeking re-training for new careers, upgrading of skills, or seeking life-long learning opportunities; and
• These "colleges of last attendance" include many California Community College campuses, with Fullerton, Cerritos, Long Beach, Golden West, and Orange Coast accounting for over 2,177 Cypress students.

Cypress College students are studying more than 365 different majors; the top majors this fall are: General Studies (2,065); Registered Nursing (1,443); Liberal Arts/Studies (1,082); Business Administration (878); and Psychology (564).

In addition to these student demographic and enrollment trends, the Institutional Research and Planning website provides reports on staff demographic trends, campus climate, student satisfaction, planning documents, and information from the most-recent accreditation.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

The semester's first gallery exhibit is "Master Class" — a collection of work from the college's professional artist-faculty whose pieces have been exhibited world-wide.

This special installation gathers the talents of Cypress College's diverse faculty in an exhibition highlighting their talent outside of the classroom.

"Master Class" seeks to showcase the expertise and personal expression of the college's faculty members to engage a dialog about how teaching might intersect with professional, individual style.

Artists in the exhibition are: John Bilotta, Thomas Butler, Carleton Christy, Matthew Driggs, Daniel DuPlessis, Finishing School, Frank Foster, Ian Holmes, Michael Johnson, May Jong, Jeffrey Netzer, Paul Paiement, Joyce Patti, Molly Schulps, and Devon Tsuno.

The exhibit opens on Thursday, September 15, with a reception from 6-8 p.m. It runs through October 27. Gallery hours are: Monday-Thursday, 12-4 p.m. The Gallery is located adjacent to the Theater.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Cypress College has planned a broadcast of the debate between Peter Mathews and oil-industry representative Anita Mangel. The broadcast will begin at about 2:30 p.m.

Political Science Professor Peter Mathews has spent the summer advocating for an Oil Extraction Initiative that he authored in an effort to "rescue education." On Thursday, he will participate in an on-campus debate with a representative of the oil industry.

Mathews, who has appeared in a number of news articles and broadcasts in support of Prop 1481, the Oil Extraction Tax to Fund Education Initiative, will be debating Anita Mangel from the Western States Petroleum Association. It will take place on Thursday, September 8, from 2:30-4:30 p.m., in the Humanities Lecture Hall H-131.

In a press release issued in support of the proposed legislation, Mathews says the initiative will raise $350 million for UC, $350 million for CSU, $1.09 billion for K-12, and $1.5 billion for community colleges annually.

"By providing this badly needed money annually for California education, Prop 1481 will help retain jobs and create thousands of new jobs in California and make California competitive in the new global economy, by fully educating our students who will create new technologies, products and services," the release from Rescue Education California says.

Mathews and Rescue Education California intend this month to file petitions to place Prop 1481 on the California ballot.

According to Mathews, many organizations and individuals have endorsed the initiative officially. Those endorsements include the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, the United Faculty of the North Orange County Community College District, State Chancellor Jack Scott, and a number of others.

More information is available at http://www.rescueeducationcalifornia.org.

[UPDATE] We apologize, because of a technical issue, the live feed is not available during the debate. The debate is being taped and will be broadcast later.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Bruno Serato, owner to The Anaheim White House Restaurant, has been selected as the 2012 Americana Man of the Year by the Cypress College Foundation Board of Directors. Serato was previously honored at Americana in 2003 as the Citizen of the Year from Anaheim. In addition to his successful restaurant, Serato is well known for his philanthropy, work for which he was named a CNN Hero earlier this year.

When Bruno Serato came to America three decades ago, he had $200 in his pocket, virtually no knowledge of the English language, and made a living by washing dishes in a restaurant. His is the quintessential American success story — not simply for his success in owning one of Orange County's most highly regarded restaurants, but for his inspiring dedication to serving the community.

Because of his efforts, Serato has been selected as the 2012 Americana Man of the Year by the Cypress College Foundation. He will be honored at the Americana Awards on February 25, 2012 — the latest in a string of accolades that includes being named as a CNN Hero earlier this year.

Serato purchased the famous Anaheim White House Restaurant in 1987, which he has used to serve award-winning cuisine and utilize as a platform to serve the community, both literally and figuratively.

A decade ago, he became an American citizen; two years later, he was an Americana Citizen of the Year from Anaheim.

"I want to help as much as possible, I want to do more. My mother always told me, 'never forget where you came from,' " he said when he was honored by Cypress College in 2003. "I have everything I want - I don't need anything else. Now, it is my turn to help others."

Serato's philanthropy has gone to new heights since his earlier Americana Award.

The honor was one he was clearly proud of, as is evidenced by this inclusion in his biography:

His philanthropic efforts have raised nearly $1 million for various endeavors and earned him a regional distinction of which he is particularly proud, "Citizen of the Year" by the Cypress College Foundation and presented by the City of Anaheim.

Among the organizations that he supports are: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Anaheim; Paint Your Heart Out, an organization that renovates the homes of the elderly and infirmed; and Caterina's Girls Club, which Serato founded in honor of his mother to benefit underprivileged girls in Anaheim.

As recently as last week, Serato's philanthropy continued to make headlines:

ANAHEIM — White House Restaurant owner Bruno Serato held a contest this summer to give away 12 luncheons — each valued at $4,000 — to charities to help them raise money.

But Serato was so touched by the applications that he announced Wednesday night to a restaurant full of applicants that virtually every nonprofit organization that applied was a winner.

In the end, he gave away 200 luncheons, valued at a total of at least $800,000.

In addition to being named a hero by the cable news giant, his work was also profiled on the CBS Evening News.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

The following is relayed on behalf of Cypress College President Michael Kasler. This document can also be viewed and shared as a pdf file.

Timely Warning

September 6, 2011

On a recurring basis, the college receives information about threats of various degrees to the campus. Thankfully, these threats are generally intended to evoke a reaction from the college, but have no credibility. This type of incident is not unique to Cypress College.

In each instance where the College is informed of a threat, we treat the report with great seriousness in an effort to provide for the safety of our students, employees and visitors.

We ask that each member of the campus community do the same. That is, if you hear someone make a threat or observe something of a potentially threatening nature, you are asked to report this information to Campus Safety without hesitation.

A threat late last week only came to light because classmates took the initiative to inform campus officials.

We remind our students, employees and any others who are on campus that reporting any threat is important. None of us should individually make the determination that a threat is not credible and thus not worthy of being reported.

Campus Safety can be reached at (714) 484-7387. Every member of the campus community should program this number into their mobile phones so it is handy.

In the case of an immediate threat, you should dial 911 and ask someone nearby to simultaneously contact Campus Safety. This will greatly aid in establishing an efficient response.

Working in conjunction with the Cypress Police Department, Cypress College officials responded to a threat reported late last week.

While police determined there was no cause for arrest or further investigation, College officials have begun disciplinary procedures with the student involved, and have increased campus security presence for the immediate future.

Cypress College has a long-standing tradition of progressive incident-response training. This includes a regular series of drills and collaborative initiatives with local law enforcement and other response agencies.

Incidents such as the one in the past week deepen our resolve to be fully prepared. As the college does after each drill, a debrief has been held and a tabletop exercise scheduled. Measures are also being enacted to improve our communication, response and collaboration.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

The September 2, 2011 edition of the @Cypress newsletter is now online.

This week's stories include:

• Tips to Help Reduce Theft of Personal and College Belongings
• Debate Set for Peter Mathews' Oil Initiative
• Dates Set for 'Coffee with Trustees and Chancellor' and Strategic Conversation
• Alumnus Taylor Green Becomes 17th Charger to Make Major League Baseball Debut
• "This Week," "They Said It," "Chargers," and "Briefly" Features

We also introduce a new feature by Patti Kishel, Cypress College Management and Marketing Professor. This is the first installment of her series of "Spotlight Articles" profiling members of the Cypress College campus community.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Taylor Green bats for the Cypress College Chargers. The 24-year-old top prospect of the Milwaukee Brewers made his Major League Baseball debut with the first-place Brewers on Wednesday, August 31, 2011, becoming the seventeenth Charger to play in at least one MLB game.

Taylor Green last night became the seventeenth Cypress College alumnus to play in a Major League Baseball game. Green joins his former Chargers teammate, Brandon Laird, who made his MLB debut earlier this summer.

Both players began their Big League careers in pinch hitting roles, and both singled in their first official at bats.

On Wednesday night, Green [Cypress College page | Milwaukee Brewers page] was called upon by Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke to hit for pitcher Randy Wolf in the bottom of the fifth inning. Green hit a line-drive single to right field in his first big league at-bat, and currently stands with a perfect 1.000 batting average, having not seen an additional plate appearance.

Despite Green's success, the first-place Brewers fell to the St. Louis, Cardinals 8-3.

After battling back from left wrist surgery, the 24-year-old top-prospect of the Brewers, was called up on Saturday. At Triple-A Nashville, Green was tearing it up with a .336 batting average, 22 homers and 88 RBIs in 120 games.

As a Charger during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Green was a standout middle infielder for Cypress baseball head coach Scott Pickler.

"I always thought Taylor had the tools to make it," Pickler said. "He could hit, play defense and do the little things you need to do to make it to the next level."

Green — who came to Cypress College from the Vancouver Island city of Courtenay, in the Canadian province of British Columbia — was a member of the college's International Students Program from fall 2004 through spring 2006, according to the program's manager, Yongmi Han.

As a sophomore at Cypress, Green played in all 54 games at shortstop, where he racked up 190 assists. For his Charger career, Green played in 95 total games over two years, where he batted a combined .353, scored 90 runs, drove in 77 RBI, and hit 34 doubles which still has him ranked 6th in the all-time record book.

Also in the Chargers' infield that season was Laird, who debuted with the New York Yankees on July 22 by pinch hitting for star Derek Jeter.

Other Chargers alumni to reach the Major Leagues are: Brian Downing; Trevor Hoffman; Jeff Patterson; Jason Bates; Augie Ojeda; Charles Gipson; David Newhan; Keith McDonald; Steve Smyth; Keith Ginter; Gerald Laird; Cory Sullivan; Jason Vargas; Ben Francisco; and David Huff.

Posted by Marc S. Posner
Updated September 2, 2011 at 1:37 p.m.