The Associated Students of Skyline College is proud to present Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a series of celebrations to honor the accomplishments and contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made throughout history. This year instead of holding a one day celebration, The Associated Students of Skyline College will host multiple events from Monday, April 27 to Wednesday, May 13.  This year our theme focuses on educating our community about the artistic contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. We are excited to showcase renowned artists and performers, and are elated to have Skyline College’s faculty members and student clubs play a part in the creation and facilitation of several of the activities.

Calendar of Events:

Monday, April 27th

• Origami Art Booth with ASSC and a Taste of Japan; 12PM – 2PM
• Taiko Performance by GenRyu Arts; 12:15PM – 1:15PM
• Location: Quad

Tuesday, April 28th

• Tai Chi Workshop taught by Skyline’s own Ronda Wimmer; 10AM – 11AM
• Chinese Tea Tasting Ceremony and sounds of YanQin Zhao from Melody of China; 12PM – 1PM
• Meditation Workshop taught by Ugyen Dolma of Tibet Stars; 1PM – 2PM
• Location: Building 6, Rm6-202/ 6-204/ 6-206

Monday, May 4th

• A Taste of the Islands; Hula Performance by Kalani Viloria and Anjelica Gacutan; 12PM – 1PM
• Lei Making Workshop taught by Leah of Aloha Warehouse; 12PM – 1PM
• A Sweet treat from the Island of Hawai’i; 1PM
• Pilipino Culture Night sneak peak presented by Skyline’s PCN class; 1PM – 2PM
• Location: Quad

Wednesday, May 6th

• Chinese Paint Workshop taught by ShiPei Zhang and JiaFa Zhou of Art 365; 6PM – 8PM
• Location: Building 1, Rm1-303

Wednesday, May 13th

• Bhangra Dancing provided by Rhythms of Punjab; 12PM – 1PM
• Location: Quad

For more information please visit the Center for Student Life and Leadership Development or email Dzheng4@my.smccd.edu.

Article by Dennis Zheng

Skyline College’s Omicron Theta Beta Chapter was named Fifth Finalist for Most Distinguished Chapter at the 2015 Phi Theta Kappa Conference in San Antonio on April 18. The Most Distinguished Chapter is an international award and the highest honor given to a Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Skyline College ranks sixth out of 1,280 chapters. Nearly 4,000 community college students participated in the three-day conference that was filled with scholarship and leadership forums. Keynote speakers included physicist Michio Kaku and songwriter John Legend.

“I’m proud of our students and chapter officers for their dedication to excellence and service,” said Christine Case, Phi Theta Kappa Advisor. “This recognizes their outstanding service to our college and the community and makes our chapter one of the top ten chapters in the world.”

Skyline College’s chapter also received the 2015 Distinguished Honors in Action Project and 2015 Distinguished College Project Award. The chapter has consistently earned national recognition since it’s chartering in 1999. And has earned the Nevada/California Regional Distinguished Chapter award five times.

The awards were the result of competitive essays documenting the chapter’s multiple projects this year, including a year-long service project that taught computer literacy to local senior citizens called Together We Thrive and a project that brought science labs to middle schools.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1,280 chapters at two-year and community college campuses in all 50 of the United States, and Canada, Germany, Peru, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions. There are 94 chapters in California and more than 3 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 135,000 students inducted annually.

Photo from left: Jaimelynn Alvarez, Sam Reveles, Livius Darmawan (front), Oladipo Toriola, Susan Wu, Donway Sy

Article and Photo by Christine Case

On Thursday, April 16, over 80 guests attended Skyline College’s inaugural Paralegal/Legal Career Night.  The event, held on the second floor of Building 6, featured three discussion panels on legal employment and education: Pathways to Law School, Getting Started as a Paralegal, and Career Options for Paralegals.

The panelists—practicing lawyers and paralegals, legal recruiters, hiring managers, and legal educators—offered inspiring stories, key insights, and hard won professional advice, all with the goal of helping students achieve their goals of entering the legal profession.  The response from students in attendance was positive.

“The truth is that I’ve been questioning my decision in my career choice lately… Attending the career night and talking to one of the panelists help me to keep pushing myself.  So, I just wanted to say thank you!” ~Minh

“I feel much more comfortable with the opportunities that lie ahead … I felt encouraged in my interest in law, motivated by the smart words of so many professionals, and happy to see all of the program’s students gathered in one place together.” ~Bryan

This event was made possible by Skyline College’s support for innovative events and programming and by the hard work and dedication of Jesse Raskin, Soledad McCarthy, Alina Varona, Lavinia Zanassi, and Lezra Chenportillo, and others who helped plan, organize, and staff the event.

The event received generous support from The Career Center and The Center for Workforce Development’s Career Advancement Academy. To learn more about careers in the legal field and the Legal Careers Career Advancement Academy please visit: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/caa/legalcareers.php or email skycaa@smccd.edu.

Article by Alina Varona | Photos by Lezra Chenportillo and Alice Kuo

With more than 100 clients served and $1,000 in donations collected, the Salon & Spa at Skyline College was proud to host a Relay for Life “Day of Beauty” fundraiser on April 15. Cosmetology, Wellness and Esthetics students offered a wide range of services including chair massage, makeup application, manicures and blowouts in exchange for a donation of $5 each. The salon buzzed with excited and energetic students who were happy to donate services for a cause.

Instructional aide Candace Dombkowski, a  Relay for Life participant since 2012, organized the event to support a dear friend battling cancer. “Thanks to the amazing support of our department, the fundraiser was a great success,” said  Candace about the event.

With students and staff alike in purple commemorative t-shirts, the department was thrilled at the generosity of friends and family. Cosmetology & Wellness plans to host another fundraising event in fall for a women’s shelter or other local organization. Thank you to staff, faculty and clients for support, donations and a fun day!

Candace will participate in Relay for Life this Friday and Saturday April 24 and 25. Donations to the Life is Good team of Relay for Life Cambrian can be made here.

Article by Lynsey Hemstreet

The Skyline College Health Center along with Psychological Services welcomed presenter Robert Hackenson to campus on Thursday, April 16, 2015.  Mr. Hackenson’s presentation is part of a collaborative effort by the Health Services at all three of the colleges in the San Mateo County Community College District to educate our community members on sexual assault prevention.

Mr. Hackenson is a published author and speaker, who travels across the US and Canada giving dynamic and inspirational lectures to college students and professionals alike. His lecture was poignant and unique. The presentation focused on understanding sexual assault and teaching how to avoid it. He was able create a safe environment were the audience felt comfortable participating and sharing their personal experiences.

Mr. Hackenson started the conversation by exploring how we can begin to change the way we think about and approach education regarding sexual assault. He addressed ways in which people can prevent sexual assault, discussed risk management and encouraged bystanders to take action to stop sexual assault. His presentation was captivating and personal and he included illusion and humor into this very serious topic. Those who participated in the presentation left with tools to enhance their personal safety as well as ways to stand up and prevent assaults by ending the derogatory commentary.

Article by Emily Risk

The Disabilities Resource Center was proud to unveil Sun Fire a painting by renowned artist George Mendoza on April 22 at a coffee and cake reception. George Mendoza is a legally blind artist who participated in the DRC’s Disability Awareness Month Colors of the Wind event in October 2014. At the Colors of the Wind event, George began the painting while he talked about his experience of going blind and what it was like to be a blind painter. Earlier in his visit, George accompanied author JL Powers to Skyline College’s overlook and was inspired by his vision of the Pacific Ocean. This vision of the Pacific as viewed from Skyline College inspired the work that now hangs in the DRC’s front lobby.

DRC partnered with Poetry Month and the Language Arts Division for the Sun Fire reception. Two poems were read at the event, one was an original composition by a Skyline College student.

DRC welcomes the campus community to stop by our front lobby in 5-132 to view this wonderful new addition to artwork on campus!

Article by Melissa Matthews

Understanding the technological tools that can be used to enhance educational experiences is the first step in integrating them into classrooms. This technology spotlight is designed to shine a light on one tool in particular. The Echo Smartpen was originally developed for executives to use in board meetings. However, with its ability to record lectures while simultaneously linking the audio recordings to what is written, students have embraced this technology at the community college level.

With this mainstream technology, students can relive the lecture as many times as needed to learn and understand the material covered. Imagine the impact that one faculty member would make by using the Smartpen to record and demonstrate how to solve a difficult math problem and then posting it on WebAccess for all of their students’ benefit!

Currently the Spartpen is available through a loan program for DRC and TRiO students. For more information, contact Judy Lariviere.

Stay tuned for more exciting information about this universal learning tool!

Article by Judy Lariviere and Carol Newkirk

Skyline College faculty are advised that positions are open on the 2015-2016 Academic Senate Governing Council.  The Skyline College Academic by-laws and constitution are available here: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/academicsenate/bylawsconstitution.php

The Skyline College Academic Senate handbook, detailing duties of the senate, is available here: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/academicsenate/about.php

The position of president is a two-year position held by Kate Williams Browne for 2014-2016.  All remaining open positions include:

• Vice President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Curriculum Committee Chair
• Educational Policy Chair
• Professional Personnel Chair
• Research Chair

Interested faculty may fill out a statement of candidacy, located at http://www.skylinecollege.edu/academicsenate/minutesagendas.php, and send it to Leigh Anne Shaw, chair of the nominations committee, at shawl@smccd.edu by May 6, 2015.  The nominations will be made at the May 7 Senate meeting, and additional nominations may be made from the floor on that day.  The election will take place via online balloting from May 8 until May 14.  The results will be announced on May 15 at the end of year celebration.

Article by Leigh Anne Shaw on behalf of Kate Williams Browne