ECCTYC BOARD MEETING, OCTOBER 15-17, 2008

REPORT FROM TOM HURLEY, IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Since our last Board meeting, I have been engaged in a number of professional activities related to our work at Diablo Valley College:

1) I’ve just finished serving on the College’s Basic Skills Initiative Task Force; I was co-chair from August to October 2008. During its year of operation, the Task Force completed a self-study for the college related to basic skills practices and developed recommendations for continued activities in support of effective basic skills and developmental education. In Spring 2008, the Task Force created a mission statement for DVC’s basic skills efforts, and launched the Foundations for College Success (FCS) program, which will carry forward the Basic Skills Initiative at DVC. FCS will support the college community as it addresses one of the key components...

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Construction and Renovation: Taft College is still undergoing construction and renovation. The administration building and library are now complete with only library landscaping to be finished. The math/science building is also nearing completion. After it is completed, the renovation project will then focus on the tech arts building. The construction has been hard on staff, faculty, and students, but results are now being seen.

New Co-Chair: The Liberal Arts Division has a new co-chair—Dr. Chris Chung-wee. He will be overseeing all things English. The division also has a new full-time English instructor—Jessica Grimes. She replaces an instructor who has taken on other duties.

Comp Exchange: TC English faculty has been invited to the Fall Comp Exchange, which includes Bakersfield College and California State University Bakerfield. The event will be held October 24 at CSUB. The Liberal Arts Division is sponsoring a visit by author Lu Chi Fa. He will...

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SLO Revisions: The English Department at Cerro Coso Community College covers the largest geographical service area (18,000 square miles) of any community college in California and can sometimes find it difficult to get together for anything other than a virtual email meeting. But this last September the Cerro Coso English department rallied faculty members together at the Indian Wells Valley Campus for the important task of SLO revision. Using an agreed upon set of composition course skills, the department broke up into teams of two and over the course of one morning updated its entire line of composition course offerings.

New Reading/Basic Skills Specialist: The department hired Laura Vasquez as the new Reading/Basic Skills faculty member at the IWV campus in Ridgecrest.

35th Anniversary: The college celebrated its 35th anniversary September 8. As its anniversary theme, the college chose “Educate, Innovate, Inspire, Serve … The Tradition Continues.” The...

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The ESL Department: ESL at Bakersfield College has split into its own department and has recently hired new ESL faculty to cover a growing number of classes.

Moton and Dumler Release New Text: McGraw Hill plans a spring 2009 release for the new composition textbook “Navigating America: Information Competency and Research for the 21st Century” written by BC faculty members David Moton and Gloria Dumler.

Wayland Cycles America: BC English professor Scott Wayland cycled across fifteen states, from Maine to California. Some writing about his experience may be in the works.

Works Consulted

Moton, David. “Re: BC English Updates.” Email to the director. 13 Oct 2008.

Meeks, Elizabeth. “The Ride of a Lifetime: BC professor Scott Wayland takes on the challenge of a lifetime and cycles across 15 states.” The Renegade Rip. 7 Feb 2008. Section: News. 13 Oct 2008. http://www.therip.com.

Wayland, Scott. Finding Home: A Journey into...

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by Heidi Ramirez, President
Hartnell College

As I write this column for the ECCTYC Newsletter, Hartnell College is planning its first faculty in-service dedicated to the legacy of Cesar Chavez. The in-service will feature sessions on the issues and events surrounding the life of Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers, and their struggle for social justice. As Cesar Chavez watched momentum for the labor movement increase, he realized a purpose of enormous potential—the power of individual recognition to enact change and correct society’s inequities. I mention Cesar Chavez here to acknowledge the similar work that we do as educators in the field of English: we empower students by helping them find their voices and encourage the use of writing to promote positive change within their own communities.

ECCTYC’s mission is to represent “community college English departments and faculty by promoting excellence in teaching English and by articulating the concerns of...

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