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Skyline View
@TheSkylineView
The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, California
Volume XXXII - Issue 2
www.theskylineview.com
February 14, 2013
Award given to Skyline professor
Greenstein wins an award for his efforts in making Skyline green by Will Nacouzi TSV Online Editor
Creative Commons
The front of building 6 at Skyline College
Gov’s bold new proposal
A new proposal could lead to more student success
by Vincent Biancalana and Renee Abu-Zaghibra TSV Chief Copy Editor and News Editor
A budget was proposed by Governor Brown to fund colleges depending on how committed students are to their classes. It is proposed that California Community Colleges (CCC) could begin having a second census at the end of the semester seeing how many students have remained in their classes. The colleges would receive funding based on this information. This would go on for 5 years before the funding will rely more on the second census. This is to help keep students in classes and to not take the same classes over again. Some of the legislators seem to be in favor of this proposal as evidenced by bills such as AB 2542 in 2009-10, which would have modeled 5 schools to be funded this way. They believe it may help increase
students’ success and the amount of money that is spent by colleges. The worry that some have is that fees will increase to make up for the smaller amount of funding that colleges will receive if many students continue to drop their classes. The current program that is being used by the colleges focuses on getting more students rather than their success. This is because colleges receive funding depending on how many students are enrolled rather how many students stay in those classes. With the second census in place, it will promote student success. If this proposal passes, CCC’s would receive funding based on course completion by 2017-18. This would allow schools time to strategize how to keep students from dropping, possibly by increasing tuition rates (California’s community college tuition costs shared by students are some of the lowest in the country).
There is no question of CCCs’ accessibility, however efficacy is another matter. Less dropped classes mean less retakes, which can only stand to help students and schools. It remains to be seen how colleges would impress these values onto students. Jessica Holemin, a student of Skyline College, feels like the real reason students are dropping their classes is because of the costs. “I think that students have been dropping because they can’t afford to pay for the units because they are so expensive now,” said Holemin. The proposed changes could have the positive effect of guiding students into better habits of college learning, which could better ready students for UC and CSU learning. Course completion is actually quite high at CCC’s--around 85 percent. However, program completion such as transfer degrees and Associate’s degrees hovers at around one-third of students with these goals.
Skyline College assistant professor has won the 14th Annual Sustainability and Green Building Award on Jan. 11. Bruce Greenstein, recipient of the award, is an assistant professor in the Environmental Science & Technology Building program at Skyline College. “The Awards Committee was very impressed by the nominator’s enthusiasm for Professor Greenstein,” said Adrienne Etherton SSMC Executive Director. “We are proud to honor Bruce Greenstein for helping create the next generation of building scientists.” The award was part of Sustainable San Mateo County’s (SSMC) drive to ensure long-term health of the county’s economy, environment, and social equity. SSMC was established in 1992 by a group of San Mateo County citizens who wanted to create a broader awareness of the environment. Currently SSMC is an independent public benefit corporation dedicated to educating the community about sustainability. “I nominated Bruce Greenstein for the SSMC Green and Sustainability Award for 2013 because of his commitment to helping educate the future building scientists, and to leaving the environment a more sustainable…place for all,” Chris Wolken a Skyline student wrote in an email. “His dedication is evident by his building of the Building Performance Test House at Skyline which has created a place for the continued learning, testing, sharing, and expansion of knowledge to occur. I am very pleased and a well-deserved award.”
“He’s a frantic teacher” said Aaron Wilcher, Faculty Project Coordinator, Green & Sustainable Program, and Environmental Science and Technology. Greenstein was given the award in recognition in creating the Solar & Building Science Learning Center in the Pacific Height Building at Skyline College, where students receive training and education allowing them to increase the numbers of greeneconomy workforce, improving the community quality of life. The creation of the Solar & Building Science Learning Center and the Building Performance Test House within the Pacifica Height Building, also lead to the development of the Energy Systems Technology Management (ESTM) (it was formally called the Environmental Science and Technology Department) which is aimed at providing courses for students to obtain a better understanding of the environment issues that are affecting the world around them. “The clubs fully supports the effects of Professor Greenstein and are proud of his receiving the award,” wrote new club president of the Skyline Go Green Environmental Club Deanna Badong in an email, in support of Assistant Professor Greenstein. The 14th Annual Sustainability and Green Building Award was held in memory of former board chair Ruth Peterson and longtime supporter of the organization, who passed away last June. The SSMC recognizes businesses, community groups, city programs, and individuals, within the country, that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to improving sustainable practices. Greenstein wasn’t the only winner Award continued on Page 2
Local Artists Come to Skyline to Showcase Their Work
“Body Language: Figures in Clay” art exhibition shows off Bay Area talent by Nick Major TSV Special Projects Mananager
Skyline college’s art gallery is holding a new event, “Body Language: Figures in Clay”, showcasing numerous hand-molded clay sculptures by famous Bay Area artists. This particular exhibit focuses on the portrayal of the human form and figure in different styles and perspectives through the medium of clay. This exhibition, curated by Sky-
line’s own art instructor Tiffany Schmierer, features a selection of different pieces chosen from many famous artists from around the San Francisco Bay area. Artists such as Lauren Ari, Lorraine Banner and Tomoko Nakazato are all showcasing samples of their work, all capturing some unique element of the human body. It’s surprising that the first piece greeting patrons to this show is a clay bear mounted like an usher into the exhibit room. Each piece, whether big or small, evoked comments and
discussion from any onlooker. Indeed, the official reception boasted a good grouping of art connoisseurs; their murmurs lending to the evocative atmosphere that the exhibit strove to create. Paul Bridenbaugh, the owner of the gallery, had much to say not only about this exhibit but also Skyline’s continued effort to showcase the newest trends and current events of the art world. He went on to say that each show is “educational in nature”, to be admired and to teach students and citizens alike about the different
forms of artwork; in this case, the use of clay to capture the human condition. One exhibit, Ari’s “Making Beds” seems to literally reach out from the walls to try and touch you. A patterned section of twenty sculptures arranged like a quilt against the wall, each showing a different scene of the moments between sleep and waking. The artist wanted to convey a different story with each tile, while also allowing viewers to come up with their own interpretations. Some beds tell very
obvious stories, while some take a moment to fully absorb. The flow of each artist’s section threads through to the next no matter how you wander the room, thanks to Schmierer’s successful first time curating at Skyline. As Schmierer said, “A lot of figurative work threads a narrative,” which weaves itself slowly together with each step around the room. In one exhibit, “Wild Things: White”, the characters of the classic children’s book are cast in Art Gallery continued on Page 2