Mt SAC art exhibit explores ‘Way of Flesh II’

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Richard Irwin

The Mt. San Antonio College Art Gallery begins a new season with “The Way of Flesh II,” which runs Sept. 18 through Oct. 16. This exhibit is free and open to the public.

“The Way of Flesh II” displays the legacy of figurative art through the eyes of three generations of contemporary artists. This exhibition offers inventive approaches to rendering the figure in the classical tradition.

“The Way of Flesh II” picks up 20 years after the original “The Way of Flesh” exhibit at the Mt. SAC gallery in 1994. A special opening reception will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 18 in the Art Gallery, building 1B.

Participating artists are Sigmund Abeles, Sharon Allicotti, Juliette Aristides, Steven Assael, Ron Brown, Dawn Butler, Thomas Butler,Wes Christensen, Domenic Cretara, Dirk Hagner, F. Scott Hess, Jared Linge, Pamela Diaz Martinez, Daina Mattis, John Nava, Odd Nerdrum, Ryan Schroeder, Robert Schultz, Luis E. Serrano, Betty Shelton, Richard Shelton, Cynthia Sitton, Thomas Stubbs, Ruth Weisberg, Jerome Witkin, and Peter Zokosky.

An artists’ panel for the exhibit will be held 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 28.

Gallery hours are Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Tuesday nights, 5 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, call the Art Gallery at (909) 274-4328.

Mt SAC VP Yamagata-Noji receives Rice Diversity and Equity Award

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Richard Irwin

Mt. San Antonio College Student Services Vice President Dr. Audrey Yamagata-Noji was honored recently with the Dr. John W. Rice Diversity and Equity Award in Sacramento. Yamagata-Noji was named for the award for establishing numerous programs that provide mentorship and tutoring services for underrepresented students.

She has been a champion of diversity and equity programs at Mt. SAC that support student success, including the college’s Bridge Program for first-time college students, the Arise Program for Asian and Pacific Islander students, and the Aspire Program for African-American students.

The award was established to honor community college staff, districts, colleges and programs that have made the greatest contribution toward diversity and equity at community colleges.

“Dr. John W. Rice wanted all community college students to be treated equally, fairly, and with respect. All he wanted was for everyone to have an equal chance at an education, and the winners of the award today want the same thing,” said California Community Colleges Board of Governors President and Mt. SAC Trustee Dr. Manuel Baca.

The award is named after the former California Community Colleges Board of Governors member and the father of former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“For my father, being a part of the community college system was not just a profession, but it was a passion and indeed a mission and a calling,” said former the U.S. Secretary of State, who delivered the keynote address at the 14^th annual awards ceremony. “He recognized that education is not a right, it’s a privilege and that someone stood up for him and that he must stand up for others.”

Yamagata-Noji has served as Student Services Vice President at Mt. SAC since 1996. A resident of Santa Ana, she has also served on the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education for over 30 years and is currently serving as board president.

Online registration for Mt SAC begins July 16

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Richard Irwin

Online registration for Mt. San Antonio College’s fall semester credit classes begins July 16. Classes begin on Monday, Aug. 25.

New and continuing credit students must register for classes online at my.mtsac.edu. New students must also submit an admission application online. For students who do not have computer access, computers and assistance are available in the Student Services Center during business hours. The Admissions Office is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Before registering, new students are required to activate their personal Mt. SAC portal account at the same website, which provides set-up instructions. Students will be able to view a registration date and time in their portal account and will not be allowed to register before their assigned time.

New students must also sign up for their assessment tests at the Assessment Center. Appointments can be made atwww.mtsac.edu/assessment, by calling 909-274-4265, or in person at the Assessment Center.

In addition, new students must also contact the Counseling Center to sign up for the required orientation session before registering for classes. For more information about required orientation sessions, call the Mt. SAC Counseling Department at (909) 274-4380.

The enrollment fee is $46 per unit for California residents, and all fees are due upon registration.

For more registration information, call the Mt. SAC Admissions & Records Office at (909) 274-4415, or visit www.mtsac.edu.

Mt SAC health career students win gold medals in Orlando

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Richard Irwin

Mt. San Antonio College health career students recently won eight gold medals at the Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) national competition in Orlando, FL. More than 6,000 secondary and post-secondary students competed in 56 different health-related events at the national leadership event held June 25-28.

Deborah Delgado (Norwalk), Felicia Dunn (Upland), Jessica Munoz (Riverside), and Cecily French (Pomona) all won gold medals in the biomedical debate competition.

Nichole Campos (Covina), James Nma Onwuka (Highland), Blanca Tovar-Garcia (Mira Loma), and Denise Workman (Diamond Bar) all won gold medals in the creative problem solving competition.

Mercedes Hamilton (Pomona), Darlene Cabrera (Rowland Heights) and Lori Osterman Fructuoso (La Verne) were finalists in the creative problem solving event.

“We had 11 competitors this year, and all 11 ranked nationally as finalists. That is quite an achievement,” said Mt. SAC psychiatric technician professor and HOSA advisor Mary Ellen Reyes. “Being involved in and competing in HOSA is a life-changing experience for students.”

HOSA, established in 1976 by the U.S. Department of Education, is the national organization for secondary and post-secondary health career students. The organization provides students in 40 states with skills, leadership development, and career development.

Laura Santos is promoting a deal between her two districts

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Richard Irwin

By Jason Henry, Staff Writer

Less than a week after her fellow Mt. San Antonio College trustees condemned her for holding two overlapping offices, Laura Santos appeared before a Baldwin Park committee to convince them to back a Mt. SAC satellite campus on a property owned by the second board she sits on.

The proposal removes all doubt about incompatibility between her dual elected positions on Bassett Unified and Mt. SAC boards, said Doug Johnson, a fellow at Claremont McKenna College’s Rose Institute of State and Local Government.

“It makes it very concrete that there is a shared interest in the decision,” Johnson said. “She’s actually convicted herself.”

In California, an official may not hold two elected positions if there exists even a potential for a “significant clash of duties.”

“By promoting that agreement between these two districts, she has removed any question,” Johnson said.

Santos previously received legal opinions from both of her districts telling her she must resign from Bassett, but has refused to resign before June 30. The former lawyer receives monthly stipends from both organizations.

At the meeting of Baldwin Park’s 2+2+2 Committee, Santos handed out bullet-pointed documents listing the benefits of the Florence Flanner School, an under-used property Santos want to use to generate revenue for the small Bassett school district. Santos also shared building diagrams with the public committee, which includes members of the Baldwin Park City Council, Baldwin Park Unified School District and the Valley County Water District.

Mt SAC Flying Team wins top community college trophy in Ohio

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Richard Irwin

The Mt. San Antonio College Flying Team won the Top Community College Trophy at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s national competition held May 12-17 at Ohio State University. The win marks the sixth time since 2000 that Mt. SAC has won the national award.

“It’s been a phenomenal run this year, and this is a great team that has put in a lot of hard work to achieve this,” said Mt. SAC Flying Team Advisor and Aeronautics Professor Robert Rogus.

With 76 points, Mt. SAC topped second-place Colorado Northwestern Community College with 27 points and third-place Central Texas College with 14 points to win the two-year college trophy. Mt. SAC’s Josh Spolar (West Covina) won second place in the instrumental flight event, and Evelyn Marquez (Pomona) and Spolar placed fifth in message drop event. Manutea Maurin (Diamond Bar) was Mt. SAC top scoring contestant with 32 points.

The airmeet included over 275 competitors from 27 teams that included Southern Illinois University, Ohio State, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. Overall, Mt. SAC placed 14^th overall against both university and two-year colleges.

Over the years, the Mt. SAC Flying Team has consistently earned top honors as one of the best collegiate flying teams in the country. The team has won the Top Community College trophy at the regional competition every year since 1991. Mt. SAC has won the Top U. S. Community College award at the national airmeet in 1984, 1985, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2007.

Mt SAC students of distinction honored on May 17

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Richard Irwin

Mt. San Antonio College will honor 20 Students of Distinction at its annual awards ceremony and luncheon on Saturday, May 17 at 11:30 a.m. at the Royal Vista Country Club, 20055 E. Colima Road, in Walnut.

These annual awards recognize students for competitive, academic, and personal achievement as well as outstanding service to the college. Recipients of this year’s Academic Achievement award, who earned a minimum 3.75 GPA, are Aldo Hadiwijaya of Corona, Sijin Yan of Covina, Veronica Chavez of Baldwin Park, andEunice Briët.

Recipients of the Service Achievement award, who earned a minimum 3.0 GPA and provided notable volunteer service to the college and community, are Cinthia Rios of Hacienda Heights, Cynthia Nunes Robinson of Rancho Cucamonga, Edgar Morelos of Pomona, and Melissa E. Candell of Pomona.

Recipients of Personal Achievement award, who were selected based on a minimum 2.75 GPA and overcame personal hardship, are Alexandra Nina Latorre of Pomona,Chloekae B. Nepomuceno of West Covina, Heather Dawn Melendez of Upland,Jayson Amrit Heyer of La Verne, Jazmin Salgado of Baldwin Park, Nicholas Ryan Lazzareschi of Brea, and Rhonda S. Walker of Chino Hills.

Recipients of the Competitive Achievement award, who earned a minimum 3.0 GPA and earned distinction as part of a competitive student group or team, are Adrian Ramirez of Ontario, Brody Goens of Chino Hills, Edward Isao Sanchez of Covina,Nathan Kenji Pike of West Covina, Tiziana Ruiz Dominguez of Murrieta.

Tickets for the awards luncheon are $15 and must be purchased by May 6 through the Student Life Office: (909) 274-4525.

New FAA rules stop Mt SAC students from getting jobs

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Richard Irwin

Veteran Chris Schneider worked as an air traffic controller in the Air Force. He went back to school and earned a degree in aviation science from Mt. San Antonio College, carrying a 3.48 GPA. He passed the government’s aptitude exam.

But even though he can guide an F-16 onto a dusty landing strip, he is not a good candidate for air traffic controller and his application was rejected, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and his teachers.

He will have to re-apply in 2015, they said.

Schneider is one of thousands of college students in the U.S. spending hours staring into airplane-control simulators who are being turned away from jobs as air traffic controllers because they can’t pass a biographical questionnaire.

Mt SAC holds Cash for College Fair on Saturday in Walnut

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Richard Irwin

With more than 1,000 attendees registered, Mt. San Antonio College will offer free financial aid assistance to area high school seniors and their parents during its annual “Cash for College” fair on Saturday, Feb. 8.

The event kicks off with opening co-sponsor presentations by Congresswoman Gloria Negrete McLeod, Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez, and Senators Ed Hernandez, Norma Torres, and Bob Huff, starting at 9 a.m. in Mt. SAC’s Sophia B. Clarke Theater.

“This event is all about helping students fill out the necessary financial aid forms by the March 2 deadline so that they don’t miss out on thousands of dollars that may be available to them,” said Mt. SAC Financial Aid Director Chau Dao.

Cash for College provides hands-on assistance to college-bound students and their parents in completing and filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms for the 2014-15 academic year.

The event also helps students maximize their financial aid prospects by meeting the March 2 priority financial aid filing deadline. Assistance with the California Dream Act application will also be available. Filing applications early is recommended.

Parents and students must bring a copy of students’ Social Security cards or permanent resident cards, and a 2013 federal 1040 tax return and W-2. If 2013 information is not available, a 2012 tax return may be used along with 2012 W-2 forms. The workshop information and assistance can be used to apply to any college, not just Mt. SAC.

Information and application forms will also be available for Admissions, Extended Opportunity and Programs Services, and other Mt. SAC student support services.

Online registration begins Jan. 15 for Mt. SAC

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Richard Irwin

Online registration for Mt. San Antonio College’s spring semester credit classes begins Jan. 15. Classes begin on Monday, Feb. 24, in Walnut.

New and continuing credit students must register for classes online atmy.mtsac.edu. New students must also submit an admission application online.

For students who do not have computer access, computers and assistance are available in the Student Services Center during business hours. The Admissions Office is open Monday throughThursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

New students must also contact the Counseling Department to sign up for the required orientation session before registering for classes. For more information about required orientation sessions, call the Mt. SAC Counseling Department at (909) 274-4380.