Grossmont College Library Exhibit Pays Tribute to Gordy Shields

                                         Top: Bicyclists assemble at Grossmont College for ride
                                         in memory of Gordy Shields.  Below: Shields, in portrait
                                         by Mona Mills, is remembered in Grossmont College
                                         library exhibit

EL CAJON -- The smiling senior citizen pictured in a new exhibit at the south entrance of the  Grossmont College Library is Gordy Shields, a former counselor who after retirement from the college became a local legend in the world of bicycling.  Besides winning numerous races as a senior citizen, Shields, who died earlier this year, was an effective advocate for the establishment of bike paths all over San Diego County.

Nadra Farina-Hess, interim associate dean for the library, said the painting of Shields was done by artist Mona Mills in connection with the San Diego County Library’s “Legends” exhibition which has been traveling from branch to branch.  One of several poses in which Mills had pictured Shields, the painting was loaned to Grossmont College Library by the San Diego County Library to be shown amid his bike jerseys and medals, and literature from the San Diego Bicycle Coalition.  The exhibit is expected to remain on view through the end of the Fall semester.

On Friday, October 25, Farina-Hess was among a contingent of bicyclists who rode about two miles from the Grossmont College campus to the Fletcher Hills branch of the San Diego County Library in a ride led by Dean Agustin Albarran of the English, Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, and Health Science technician Pat Murray.  

Grossmont College riders, whose ranks were swelled to 60 by neighbors and members of the cycling community, arrived at the library at time to hear remembrances of Shields from his daughter Valerie, and San Diego County Library Director Jose Aponte.  Albarran also spoke briefly.

Following the ceremony, Albarran and Murray, who both took Friday off as a vacation day, were joined by Aponte and others on a bike ride to the South Bay, to see the new Gordy Shields Memorial Bridge close to the Chula Vista Nature Interpretive Center.  The party then rode on to Coronado, where Murray boarded a ferry to return to San Diego.  The rest of the party retraced their ride.

-DHH-

Two Grossmont artists featured in new Central Library’s inaugural exhibit

                                                  Above: 'Ring of Still Water' by Suda House
                                                  Below: 'Win' by Jeff Irwin
                                                  Both now on display at the Hyde Art Gallery

EL CAJON – Ceramicist Jeff Irwin and photographer Suda House, both members of the Grossmont College faculty, are among eight San Diego County artists whose works are now on display through March 29 in the Ninth Floor Gallery of the new Central Library in downtown San Diego.

Their works were selected by Kathryn Kanjo, curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, for the exhibit which opened September 30, the same day the new Central Library at 330 Park Boulevard was opened to the public. Kanjo reviewed works from 125 exhibitions that had been displayed at the Central Library’s previous site since 1997.

“It’s quite an honor for Grossmont College that our faculty members comprise fully one-fourth of the exhibitors selected for this inaugural event at the Central Library,” commented Steve Baker, Dean of Arts, Languages and Communication.  “Suda and Jeff not only are widely admired artists but also are highly rated faculty members, who have inspired legions of students.”

House utilized the technique known in French as trompe l’oeil (fool the eye) to create an image on cloth of other fabrics.  She related in an interview that when she was in New York City on sabbatical leave, she went to various museums and galleries for research, “and we were coming back to the hotel and there were these three large dumpsters with sheets and towels and blankets just draping over them in the late afternoon light.  I photographed them, and printed them on poly-silk, which is coated with ink jet receptors, and so it looks like fabric.”

House’s titled her eight-photograph combination “Sanctuary,” explaining that people of her grandmother’s age would sometimes use such expressions as “I can’t handle it anymore; I am going to my bed.”  In the 19^th century, House added, “they ‘swooned,’ or they ‘succumbed to the vapors’” and so beds were construed as places of sanctuary from the troubles of the world.  “I saw this fabric that way,” she said.

Having not one, but eight, pieces in the exhibition allows viewers to see a body of work, “which I think is always a compliment because you can see vision and craft and progression,” House said.  “A single piece may not convey that, but in a series you can be pretty confident about the objective of the artist.”

For House, the objective is to take photography beyond the realm of being documents or memories or impressions and to create instead art works that “bypass your brain and go right to your heart.  So I am trying real hard to make looking at my work an experience.”

House, Irwin, and other members of Grossmont College’s faculty and staff concurrently are exhibiting at the on-campus Hyde Art Gallery.  House has printed a scene from Hawaii on two pieces of silk, which are mounted one on top of the other.

“There was a sea pool that at high tide gets filled up with little organisms that a man scoops out.  I was standing on a precipice and there below was this still water, and beyond the pool were crashing waves.  That kind of reminded me of my life, with all that stuff going on and here is where we want to be with yoga and meditation.”  The two exposures together are called “Ring of Still Water,” and in them you can see the water rushing in from the ocean and then subsiding back.

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Jeff Irwin sculpts large animals from clay utilizing a process that makes the ceramic appear like wood.  Sometimes the animals look as if they are leaping through the wall on which they are mounted, and other times they resemble hunters’ trophies.  But when you look more closely, you realize that these animals also resemble the limbs and trunks of trees.  One form of nature has morphed into another.

In the inaugural exhibition at the new Central Library, Irwin’s work is represented by a large white bear and an elephant trophy.  He is concurrently exhibiting a winning race horse at the Hyde Art Gallery. At the Mingei Museum in Balboa Park, the front and hind quarters of his jumping deer can be seen on either side of an intervening wall.

Clearly Irwin loves animals, but the subtext of his art is that trees, too, are an important component of nature, and that, like animals, trees also should be conserved.  The ceramic sculptures are painted white because “I really love the subtlety of white, how it plays with light. It is very soft, quiet, and has just a little bit of a sheen.  It is like a skin or a hide, and the pieces are meant to look extremely realistic.”
 
Irwin sketches animals-cum-trees regularly and then tests his ideas by creating tiny finger-sized sculptures in modeling clay. If he likes the miniature, he then will spread over his table photographs of the animals culled from his own photography as well as from magazines and the Internet. Using such materials, he will create a larger piece, typically building it in sections for the very practical reason that his kiln measures only 29 by 32 inches. 

The sculptor likes to take impressions of knot holes and patterns he finds on bark.  He will slap clay onto a tree to take an impression, pull it off and let it dry, and then fire it to make a mold.  “Then all I have to do is press clay into that form and I get a perfect rendition of that image,” he said.  “When I place it, it is compositional.  A space here, a pattern there, it’s in the way I place them. It is all about composition.” 

He added that “I don’t want to destroy the sense of the animal, but I also want it to look like a tree, so I work back and forth between them.  I spend hours and hours on them.”

For Irwin, nature is “my place of solace.”  When he was growing up as a surfer in Southern California, the beach was his place.  Later he went to college in Arcata, near the California-Oregon border, and his major was art, his minor was environmental science. 

He used to like to run among the redwoods near the campus, “but if you ran far enough you would come to the clear-cut area where the redwoods had just been leveled.  I saw a space of solace being torn down, and I think it just stuck with me.  Preservation is something that I continue to want to speak about through my art.”

-DHH--

Zack Gianino sworn in as GCCCD student trustee

Zack Gianino

EL CAJON -- Zack Gianino, who was installed Tuesday evening, Oct. 15, as a student trustee on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Governing Board, describes himself as a man who is “strongly against apathy.”

“I do as much as I can to combat it,” said Gianino, 20, who also serves as vice president of the Associated Students of Grossmont College.

It was not always so. He said that he was an indifferent student at West Hills High School in Santee.  However, in the summer before he began attending Grossmont College in Fall 2011, Gianino purchased an iPad, and started “researching politics, what it is, what types of governments there are.” His research led him additionally to inquire into why people behave the way they do, what kind of variables may influence their behavior, and how different religions differ.

High school friends, who preferred to talk about upcoming concerts and gossip about celebrities, soon tired of his probing questions, Gianino said. No matter, he was on an intellectual self-improvement mission.

By the time he entered Grossmont College, Gianino had decided he wanted to major in political science to prepare himself as a career as an American diplomat.  He enrolled in one introductory political science class and another dealing with international relations. Excited by his studies, he participated in class discussions, prompting a fellow student—Esau Cortez—who was serving on the ASGC board to suggest to Gianino that he might want to serve on the board as well.  

Gianino accepted the invitation and spent a few months learning about the various aspects of ASGC by staffing booths, making posters, and manning the front desk of the ASGC offices. When  ASGC vice president Blake Davidson resigned because he was moving to Nevada. Gianino and Cortez both ran in a special election in December 2012 to fill the position, with Gianino just edging out Cortez.

Not long afterwards, Cortez was elected as president of ASGC, and the two men have been serving together as the organization’s top officers. In his capacity as vice president, Gianino serves as the presiding officer of the Inter-Club Council (ICC), which coordinates the activities of on-campus student clubs. At least once a semester, the various clubs set up booths on the Main Quad at Grossmont College to tell passersby about their goals and events.

Gianino succeeded student trustee Peg Marcus in a close election in which he prevailed over his fellow ASGC board member Michael Zuniga.

“Zack is an excellent listener, who seeks out the opinions of his fellow students to learn how the ASGC can better serve them,” commented Sara Glasgow, Grossmont College’s interim associate dean of student affairs. “Through his service on a variety of campus and district committees, Zack has demonstrated a passion for advocating on behalf of the interests of the students of Grossmont College. His insight will be a wonderful addition to the board.”

Gianino said that as a trustee he hopes to be both an advocate for Grossmont students as well as a channel of communication between the trustees and the student body.

“Students have good ideas, but often they just don’t know how to vent them, or who will listen,” Gianino said. “I would like to show the students that their combined power is influential. I’d like them to be aware of legislation coming down the pike, and know about decisions that may affect them. I believe students should have input into major decisions, because without the students there would be no reason for this institution.”

The new trustee noted that state budget cuts had resulted in fewer classes being offered the past four years, forcing students to take longer to earn their associate’s degree or to transfer to four-year institutions. Given that students are spending more time at Grossmont College, he said, efforts should be made to make the campus seem more like a university. “There should be more fun times for students, more spirit,” he said. “I’d like to see more events.”

Gianino said Grossmont College has a diverse student population. Some students have just graduated from high school. Some have returned to college after being in the work force for a few years. Some are military veterans. Some are people with advanced degrees in other fields who want to try learning something new. 

As student trustee, he said, he wants to be in close touch with all of the constituencies to represent them effectively.

-DHH-

Panelists, urging preparation, tell of earthquake types and damage

EL CAJON -- With a statewide earthquake drill known as the "Great California Shakeout" planned for 10:17 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17, panelists in Grossmont College's Griffin Center told students last week, where to expect earthquakes to repeatedly happen, how to best be prepared for them, and what it is like to experience their devastation.

The panel was a precursor to the Oct. 17 drill in which students, faculty and staff will be advised that in the event that they are inside a building during a real earthquake, they should drop to the floor, get under and hold onto a desk or a table, and cover their heads to prevent materials shaken loose from falling on them.  The Oct. 17 drill will last approximately two minutes after which normal classroom activities will resume.

Earth Science Prof. Tim Cliffe, in a multi-media presentation on Oct. 10 , illustrated how earthquakes occur around the rim of the Pacific Basin because this is where tectonic plate boundaries are located.  In contrast, because the margins of the Atlantic Ocean do not correspond to plate boundaries (America’s East Coast is in the middle of a plate, not a boundary)--earthquakes are not as common on the East Coast as they are in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and in other countries bordering the Pacific Ocean, such as Japan, Chile and Mexico.

Cliffe said that in San Diego County there is a system of generally parallel faults that run north and south associated with the boundary between the Pacific and North American Plates.  These include the Rose Canyon Fault right through urban San Diego, which is responsible for producing Mt. Soledad, Pt. Loma and the bay in between. To the west is the San Clemente Island Fault, some 50 miles offshore, while farther East is the Elsinore Fault through Temecula and Julian.  Located farther east is the San Jacinto Fault through Borrego, then the Imperial Fault near El Centro, then finally the San Andreas Fault starting east of the Salton Sea at Bombay Beach.  Across these fault lines have been built Southern California’s major conduits for water, electricity, natural gas and

Interstate traffic, posing the possibility that in the event of a major quake, these life lines could be ruptured, causing California to be cut off temporarily from its usual supplies.

The Earth Sciences Professor said damage from earthquakes is caused by such phenomena as shaking, fault rupturing, mass wasting down steep slopes, liquefaction and possibly tsunamis from distant subduction-related quakes  All have the possibility of causing widespread death and destruction.  He also said that if there is a big earthquake, chances are high that on the same day there will be aftershocks of lesser magnitude.  He cautioned that if the initial quake is a big one, subsequent quakes, although smaller, still will be able to cause extensive damage to weakened structures.

Monica Zech, a well-known former "eye in the sky" traffic reporter who now works as the City of El Cajon's public information officer and safety lecturer, said that one of the worst things people can do during an earthquake is to run.  She told of one recent quake in which two people were killed, one of whom ran outside in a panic and was hit by a car.

"Always be aware of your surroundings," she urged students during the hour-long seminar moderated by Michael Reese, Grossmont College's Dean of Math and Sciences.   "When you walk into any room, know where the exits are and how to get out of there quickly.  

"Otherwise, during an earthquake, grab ahold of something, look around you and see what could shake loose and come down on your head." 
Zech distributed a Red Cross tip sheet that offered these suggestions for what to do in an earthquake:
For those who are inside a building when shaking starts: 1.  Drop, cover and hold on.  Move as little as possible.  2. If you are in bed, stay there. Curl up and hold on.  Protect your head with a pillow. 3.  Stay away from windows to avoid being injured by shattered glass.  4. Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you are sure it is safe to exit.  If you must leave the building after the shaking stops, use stairs rather than an elevator in case there are aftershocks, power outages or other damage.  5.  Be aware that fire alarms and sprinkler systems frequently go off in buildings during an earthquake, even if there is no fire.

For those outside when the shaking occurs:  1. Find a clear spot and drop to the ground. Stay there until the shaking stops (away from buildings, power lines, trees, streetlights.  2.  If you are in a vehicle, pull over to a clear location and stop. Avoid bridges, overpasses and power lines if possible. Stay inside with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops.  Then, drive carefully, avoiding bridges and ramps that may have been damaged.  3. If a power line falls on your vehicle, do not get out. Wait for assistance.  4.  If you are in a mountainous area or near unstable slopes or cliffs, be alert for falling rocks and other debris.  Landslides are often triggered by earthquakes.

Zech suggested that the students go with pencil and notepad through their homes and write down what is not secure -- "what could fall on your head if something shook your house violently, the file cabinets, pictures ... " -- and then batten down the house and make a plan about what they will do in an emergency.

"It's the people who don't plan, who run around in circles, who do all the wrong things," she said.  "These are the people who die or get injured."

She suggested that everyone have quick access to "good sturdy shoes and a flashlight," and for people, who take medications, to have at least a week's supply available for quick transportation. She suggested that every San Diegan make arrangements for a place to go in another part of the city or county during an emergency -- whether a friend's or a relative's house--and be willing to make their homes available in case the emergency strikes friends who live elsewhere.

Zech said cabinets that might spill their contents during an earthquake should be locked, and special hooks should be used to prevent pictures from bouncing off walls.

After an earthquake, she said, people should check for damage.  If they smell gas from a ruptured line, they should turn off the gas, but not turn it back on without the help of the utility company.  Otherwise it might explode, she explained.

Reimo Saito, a Japanese student whose grandmother's neighborhood was destroyed by a recent earthquake and tsunami in her country, said luckily her grandmother was able to pack up her things and get to an emergency shelter up the hill.  As it turned out, however, the wave from the tsunami was so high that it tore the roof off the shelter, even while many people were standing on it.  Cars were floating in the town. From fires, embers were falling from the sky, and her grandmother "thought it was like hell, the end of the world."

Although her grandmother had a cell phone, all the lines to emergency services were busy, so it seemed that she and others at the shelter were stranded.  But one man had the foresight to Tweet a message about their dire situation, resulting in helicopters being dispatched to rescue them.

Saito said the situation did not abate after the first wave of the tsunami, although some people mistakenly thought that it would.  Some returned to their homes, and when large after waves struck their neighborhoods again, they were drowned. She said that a ball field where her own relatives regularly played was swept away by the water.

Atsuro Ueno, another Japanese student at Grossmont College, related that he had been away from home when the tsunami hit, and it took him two weeks to finally be able to get back.  A 200-mile

drive took 30 hours to compete, because of the damage along the way.  And where he lived, he said, where there once had been rows and rows of buildings, they all had fallen down, and "it was all flat.  It was a very terrible time for me!"

Yuta Takahashi volunteered as a rescue worker after one violent Japanese earthquake.  "Everything was destroyed," he said.  "It looked like war."  He added:  "We cannot stop an earthquake when it happens, but after it happens, we can make things better."

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-DHH-

Program to examine life of music writer Lester Bangs

EL CAJON -- A Box Full of Rocks: The El Cajon Years of Lester Bangs is a new documentary film about legendary music journalist and former San Diegan Lester Bangs. Grossmont College's Creative Writing Program will sponsor a special screening of the film at its annual Lester Bangs Memorial Reading, on Tuesday October 22, 2013 in Room 220 (Building 26).  This event will be free and open to the public.

Lester Bangs (1948-1982) is considered one of the greatest music writers of his generation. Best known for his writings in Rolling Stone, Creem Magazine, and Village Voice, Bangs is also remembered for his numerous contributions to films and anthologies between 1969 and 1982, two posthumously released collections of his reviews and essays, and a biography, Let It Blurt, authored by Jim DeRogatis.

Bangs is best known because of Cameron Crowe’s Academy Award-winning movie Almost Famous. Bangs was an early mentor to Crowe, who also grew up in San Diego. In turn, Crowe wrote Bangs’ character into Almost Famous. And, Bangs is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

But, before Bangs found international renown, he grew up in El Cajon, CA, a suburb 15 freeway miles east of San Diego. A Box Full of Rocks captures these formative years.

Born in nearby Escondido, Bangs moved to El Cajon in 1960 at age 11 with his mother. His father had already burned to death in a house fire. From 1960 to 1971, Bangs became an avid music fan and writer. In 1969, he published his first freelance music reviews in Rolling Stone, which he wrote from his mom’s apartment in El Cajon. In 1971, he finally left El Cajon to accept a full-time job writing for Creem in Detroit, MI.

A Box Full of Rocks runs 100 minutes and features interviews with Bangs’s childhood and high school friends Jack Butler, Rob Houghton, Gary Rachac, Jerry Raney, and Milt Wyatt. Biographer Jim Derogatis is also featured along with various music critics and historians, who analyze Bangs’s ultimate role in post-60s American counter-culture.

A Box Full of Rocks is produced by Grossmont English instructor Raul Sandelin. The film received grant monies and stipends from the college. The film also features an original soundtrack with contributions by Thee Dark Ages, the band Bangs played with in high school. Thee Dark Ages later evolved into such local legends as Glory, Private Domain, and the Beat Farmers.

-RS-

Looking for a job? Career week is Oct. 14-17 at Grossmont College

EL CAJON -- It will be Career Week Oct. 14-17 on the Grossmont College campus with activities each day aimed at helping students find the right jobs.

On Monday, Oct. 14, in the Main Quad, four "clinics" in a row will be conducted.  At 9 a.m., the first will cover "How to navigate the job fair" and "Resume tips and interview skills.”  At 10 a.m., it will be "Dress for success" and "Interview dynamics."  At 11 a.m., "How to navigate a job fair" will be coupled with "Resume and Cover Letter." Finally, at noon, there will be repeat presentations of "Dress for success" and "Interview dynamics."

Simultaneously, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 14,  in the Career Center (Building 60, Room 140), the Chula Vista Police Department will be offering a continuous, walk-in clinic on "How to apply to be a police officer."

On Tuesday, Oct. 15, in the Career Center a workshop on "The telephone interview" will be conducted by Pamela Benge, a student service specialist, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.  Another workshop, presented by Master Career Counselor Nancy Davis, will cover "Unexpected career success" or "How to make the most out of Happenstance" from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, Oct. 16, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Main Quad, the 35th annual job fair will be conducted, with some businesses able to hire right on the spot.  Meanwhile, Grossmont College's Media Communications Department will offer attendees an opportunity to see if they could be disk jockeys

Finally, on Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Career Center (Building 60, Room 140) Prof. Kathleen Aylward will present a workshop on "Career Options in Your Future." In particular she will discuss such fields as nursing, disabilities management, kinesiology, physical therapy, teaching, occupational therapy and athletic training.

Public invited to Accreditation Forums

Members of the public and the campus community are invited to attend a pair of open forums with members of the accreditation team who will be visiting the Grossmont College campus Oct. 14-17.

The accreditation team, including representatives from community colleges throughout the State of California, is seeking input on how well Grossmont College is fulfilling its educational mission.

Both forums will be conducted in Building 36, Room 325, at the following dates and times:

•    Tuesday, October 15, 2013 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm
•    Wednesday, October 16, 2013 from 5:30-6:30 pm