Cuyamaca College will honor 695 students receiving associate degrees and certificates of achievement Wednesday, May 30, at the 34th annual commencement at the college’s student center quad. On Thursday, May 31, Grossmont College will laud 1,664 students receiving their degrees and certificates at the college’s 51st commencement at the main quad. The ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Both colleges in the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District have dealt with four years of state budget reductions that have  led to millions of dollars in state funding losses and the elimination of hundreds of classes, delaying the educational progress of many students.

“These have been the toughest budgetary times in the history of this district, so these graduates certainly deserve the heartiest of congratulations, “said Cindy L. Miles, chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. “I’m so proud that they persevered through these difficulties, and it will be my pleasure to congratulate them as they embark on their new educational and career ventures.”

Grossmont graduation

Diana Marie Pico, a health and wellness counselor and registered nurse who also operates a company specializing in ancient healing traditions, returns to Grossmont College to continue the tradition of a college alum giving the commencement speech.

After graduating from the college in 1986 with an associate degree in nursing, Pico launched a 24-year career as a traveling registered nurse, serving nearly every major hospital in the county and working in a variety of patient care settings.

“When I graduated from Grossmont, I was both excited and nervous on how I could best serve the world,” she said. “What I discovered was that my education at Grossmont turned out to be a profound stepping stone for me. Thanks to Grossmont College, I was given the opportunity to travel to different places, connect with the cycle of life and be part of the healing process.”

Pico has traveled extensively with her husband, Anthony Pico, the elected chairman of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, to explore the ancient healing traditions of indigenous people. She describes herself as a healer and mystic and uses the knowledge gained in both worlds – native and modern – to operate her company, Health Journeys.  “I believe we will create world peace by compassionate giving through global exchange,” Pico said.

The student speech will be given by honors graduate Danny McKay, who plans to share his story of redemption and triumph as a former addict and alcoholic who managed to veer from a path of self-destruction through a religious awakening and the epiphany of a new purpose in life discovered at Grossmont College.

He will continue his education at Stanford University, where he plans to pursue a degree in psychology.

“Here at Grossmont, our motto is Changing Lives Through Education, something I can humbly affirm and will represent for the rest of my life,” reads McKay’s speech.

Cheers to Cuyamaca

Cuyamaca College’s pick for this year’s keynote speaker is Greg Koch, CEO and co-founder of Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido. Koch is taking the podium because of his longstanding commitment to resource conservation, something he pursues with a near-religious conviction in operating the nation’s 11th largest craft brewery and its companion enterprise, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens.

Advocating environmental responsibility as well as high-quality food, the bistro is now the largest restaurant purchaser in San Diego County of local, organic produce. The brewery reduces its energy consumption with rooftop solar panels and waste oil from the bistro is converted to biofuel that powers one of the eatery’s delivery trucks.

These and other initiatives prompted Cuyamaca’s ornamental horticulture program to invite Koch as the keynote speaker at a Green Business Symposium that the college sponsored last year. His speech there led to the invitation for Cuyamaca’s commencement.

Koch said he plans to talk about how Stone became a local success story by making its own path in a world dominated by corporate interests.

“I hope to share a little bit of insight and offer encouragement to the graduates to make their own way in the world and at the same time, take personal responsibility to do their share to protect this place where we live,” Koch said.

Also speaking will be Cuyamaca College’s valedictorian Sahira Dawood, who arrived in the United States from Iraq in 2001 and began classes at the college in 2004. The civil engineering graduate recently passed a grueling certification exam and is looking for work in the engineering field to support her three young children and husband, who is unable to work for medical reasons.

Dawood, who started at Cuyamaca with limited English skills, credits the excellent instruction she received for being able to graduate with a 4.0 grade-point average.      “Education is as important as the air we breathe because it is beneficial in many aspects of life, especially, personal and social,” Dawood wrote in her commencement speech.  She said her classes helped her cope with the loss of two siblings back in Iraq. She plans to further her education once she finds a job.

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Preceding provided by the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

GROSSMONT COLLEGE –Dean of Students Agustin Albarran has announced procedures for the 51st Annual Grossmont College Commencement Ceremony, which will be held Thursday, May 31

“We have a new Check-In process for Commencement that requires participants to come prepared with a valid Grossmont College ID on the day of Commencement,” he said.

“This will take place in the Lower Gym (Building 42 north entrance) beginning at 3:30PM. We will have Admissions and Records staff checking ID’s from a database on laptop computers. Students will then receive a wristband (similar to those issued at sporting/competitive venues) and then proceed into the Lower Gym to prepare.”

Albarran cautioned that “students without a valid Grossmont College Student I.D. will be ineligible to participate in the Graduation Ceremony.   However, he said, student Identification Cards and replacement cards are free and available in the Admissions and Records office located in Building 10.

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Preceding provided by Dean of Students Albarran

GROSSMONT COLLEGE — As we review Governor Brown’s revised May budget, we’re forecasting what this will mean for California’s community colleges and our District. We can’t simply look at the short term and declare sunny skies; we’ve got to look ahead for storm systems that could darken the skies of our District’s financial future.

Overall, our state’s financial climate remains tumultuous. California’s predicted budget shortfall for 2012-13, which was $9 billion in January, has now increased to nearly $16 billion. This is the result of (1) revenues that were $4.3 billion short of January estimates; (2) Proposition 98 funding guarantees that have grown by $2.4 billion; and (3) federal government and court decisions that removed $1.7 billion in planned budget savings.

Our predictions about the future of the state’s finances remain fogged in by opposing political forces. The governor’s plan calls for a two-pronged solution to California’s long-standing structural deficit—cuts plus taxes—neither of which prompt public cheers. The plan makes our state’s community colleges dependent on three main revenue sources for 2012-13, each with unpredictable elements: (1) revenues from Facebook’s initial public offering, which just launched this week; (2) recaptured funds from city and county redevelopment agencies; and (3) funding from the governor’s proposed November tax measure, “The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012.”

When Governor Brown’s budget was announced on Monday, a quick read might lead to the conclusion that community colleges actually fared well. The revised May budget calls for increased funding to buy down deferrals for community colleges—those nasty funding delays that cost us in cash flow and borrowing expenses—from $218 million in January to $313 million. Plus, our mid-year “February surprise” cut of $2.8 million is projected to be reduced to around $2 million, but we won’t know for sure until we get year-end numbers. These could soften the massive cuts we’re taking this year, but only by a little. Still, any savings we capture help us prepare for gloomy days ahead.

Governor Brown’s budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is staked on the bet that voters will approve his tax initiative in November. Considering that most polls show only slightly more than half of voters favor the tax at this time, that’s an incredibly risky wager. If the governor’s tax initiative fails in November, 90% of the cuts in the state budget—$5.5 billion—will come from K-12 schools and community colleges.

The governor’s revised budget (the “May Revise”) we received this week paints a bleaker forecast than previously estimated for community colleges if the tax measure does not pass. Here’s what it will mean to our 2012-13 District budget if the tax measure fails:

·         An additional base cut of $4.9 million (up from $4.3 million estimated in January)

·         A workload reduction of 6.4% (up from 5.6% estimated in January)

·         Loss of $5 million in deferral repayments

What this translates to is another 450 course section cuts, more hiring delays, deeper cuts in operations, and even darker prospects for 2013-14, since our rainy day funds would be all but depleted.

Even if the tax measure passes, it will only mean our skies are a little less gray. Community colleges have been cut by more than $800 million in the last four years, and the tax measure would only take us back to 2007-08 Proposition 98 funding levels. That wouldn’t account for four years of fixed cost increases (about $2 million annually for GCCCD) or today’s increased demands.   In this best-case scenario, we would see about $5 million in increased revenues (we took more than $8 million in midyear cuts this year alone), but it would also help us restore some much-needed classes and take some pressure off our system. It would still be a long way back to fiscal stability for California, but this would be a giant step in the right direction.

Given all this fiscal haziness, we can’t take risks with our District budget forecasts for next year. The midyear cuts we weathered this year halved our year-end savings, leaving us more exposed to future budget tsunamis. Our 2012-13 budget is built on the rainy day assumption that the November tax measure won’t pass.

We have stepped up our austerity measures to push all the savings we can find from this year into next year’s budget to fill our “worst case scenario” budget hole. Our Board of Trustees and I recognize how hard this is on everyone. Plus, we know the Early Retirement Initiative is adding stress to our system. We thank you for taking these hard steps with us. These are what make it possible for us to remain financially sound and avoid even more negative impacts on our contract employees, while doing all we can to serve our students.

I am heartily impressed by our employees’ willingness to “keep on keeping on” in service to our students and community. In this season of celebrations and commencements, we can hold our heads high and celebrate many successes despite our budget storms. At our Board meeting this week, we were proud to see that our Accountability Reporting for Community Colleges (ARCC) data show improvements in almost every measure of student and institutional achievement for both Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges. And we are most pleased to celebrate the more than 2,300 students who earned degrees and certificates at our colleges this year!

In the face of continuing fiscal climate change, “plan for the worst and work for the best” remains our mantra. You may be wondering how you can help. The most important thing we all can do is talk to our friends, neighbors, and relatives about what the November tax measure will mean for community colleges and California’s future. Talk about the direct impact on students whose dreams are being deferred, about families whose economic stability is threatened because breadwinners can’t get the training they need to get jobs, and about our great Golden State that is tarnished by not making the smartest investment a society can make in its future: education!

In the meantime, I am proud of all of your extraordinary efforts on behalf of our students to ensure they get the highest quality education possible. Your dedication and hard work always bring a little sunshine into my life.

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Miles is chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District

Police yellow tape blocks off Tech Mall during evacuation (Photo: Jenn Sanders)

By Jenn Sanders

GROSSMONT COLLEGE — It’s the last week before finals; 1:30 in the afternoon on Thursday May 17, 2012. Everyone is studying. The Tech Mall and Library are as filled as they will be right before the end of the semester. Suddenly the entire building was evacuated. No one knew what was going on. The instructors did as they would in any emergency situation; they followed standard procedure with no information as to what was going on.

It wasn’t until the evacuation that I realized how many people the Tech Mall and library can hold. It seemed to me that half of the student body was interrupted while studying for finals, many were unhappy that they were prevented from doing all of their last minute work, yet everyone filed out in an orderly manner. People milled about wondering why they had been evacuated. It was 2:30 p.m. before anyone was allowed back into the tech mall and library.

While waiting for the time when everyone could re-enter the building I walked around asking students and staff if anyone knew what the emergency was. There were many speculations: A couple of students stated that they thought that someone got too stressed out and started taking it out on other students and staff, another person thought that there might have been an electrical fire. An instructor told me that the emergency couldn’t have been too serious since there were many people standing in front of the building preventing students and staff from entering while it was being secured by campus safety. Once the staff and students were allowed back into the building I discovered the reason for the evacuation. It seems that there was a suspicious package in the ladies room at the entrance to the Tech Mall.

KNSD was on campus interviewing District Police Officer Frank Laveago. I had the opportunity to speak with him once the video interview was completed. He informed me that everything went smoothly, all proper procedures were followed by district police and that he was glad that the suspicious package was nothing more than food. He also went on to say that any and all reports of suspicious looking packages are taken very seriously, and that the students’ safety is the most important thing in any kind of emergency situation.

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Sanders, commentary editor of the GC Summit, may be contacted at jenn.sanders@gcsummit.com

Nicholas Zizzo measures a pizza

GROSSMONT COLLEGE — Students lined up recently to try their hand at making pizzas, with Nicholas Zizzo of Griffin Center Food Services giving prizes for the largest-diameter pizza made from the same amount of dough and for the highest distance a pizza could be tossed and caught.

First place went to William Higuera, who won a mini fridge and $50 gift card.  Aldo Gonzalo, in second place, earned Dragon sunglasses by Rockstar and a $25 gift card.  Skylar Cunningham, in third, won some golfing privileges and a $25 gift card.

To determine how high the pizza was tossed, tape was placed on a tree near the event. No tears or holes wewre permitted when the pizzas were rolled out in diameter.

It was fun to watch the contestants toss dough in the air; waiting to see if it would land on their face, or perhaps fall on some other person, or land on the roof. It was also nerve racking watching them stretch the pizza dough waiting for any signs of a tear in the pizza.

It was very smart to hold the event in front of the Griffin Center because it drew many spectators who took photos on their cell phones as well as some videos.   Zizzo’s event ws another example of activities at Grossmont that are inviting and fun.

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Asuncion and Boyd are members of the GC Summit staff. Contact them at sean.asuncion@gcsummit.com or barbara.boyd@gcsummit.com

GROSSMONT COLLEGE — A 10-day art exhibit at the  Hyde Art Gallery, featuring 257 works by students, ends on Thursday, May 17.  Three pieces of art, each in a different medium, caught my eye.

“Piano Room,” is a photograph by Cat Corle who is currently enrolled in Photography 1, taught by Judith Preston.  It shows the keys of a piano and only the hands of the musician playing the piano. It gave me a vibe as if I were performing.  The lights were off in the vicinity of the audience and the spotlight shone only on the performer.

'Piano Room' by Cat Corle

Musicians tend to focus on themselves, not on their audiences when they are performing so as not to be nervous. If “Piano Room” were on sale I would have bought it immediately as a reminder that music is more for myself then it is for others. Sharing the joy of music with others is great too but music feeds the soul of the musician first, and then the audience gets the leftovers.

The second piece I liked was “Your Welcome,” an oil painting by Matthew Aglicol who is currently enrolled in William Mosley’s course, Painting II. One person is  punching another in this painting. The detail is amazing and the techniques used gave “Your Welcome”  a 3-D effect. The painting seemed to freeze two people in time with Aglicol rendering the scene exactly how it looked. The technique Aglicol used in “Your Welcome,”  made the cheeks pop out.  It seemed like I could touch each part of the face separately. “Your Welcome” was unusually humorous; its  use of colors made it seem a funny fight between families.

'Your Welcome' by Matthew Aglicol

The third artwork that captured my interest was sculpted by Angela Gardner, a student in Jeff Irwin’s Ceramic II course.  It seemed as if Gardner cut the head off of the creature the Faun in Pan’s Labyrinth ,created a mold out of it and sculpted “Guardian 3.”  It felt like at any moment the sculpture would magically come to life and grant me a wish. It was hard to believe that a college student was able to sculpt such a beautiful piece of work. I believe just by looking at “Guardian 3″ that Gardner has a lot of potential and can do really well with art in the future.

'Guardian 3' by Angela Gardner

Being able to showcase artwork is an honor for many students and I hope more students next year will be able to display their works of art. I’ll be looking forward to looking and viewing their artworks and maybe even buying a few.

Asuncion is arts editor of the GC Summit.  He may be contacted at sean.asuncion@gcsummit.com

SAN DIEGO — Don’t be misled, as I was, by the previews.  The Five Year Engagement, directed by Nicholas Stoller,  has been promoted as a comedy, but it’s in reality a pretty unhappy drama.

It  is about a couple who lives in San Francisco, Tom Solomon (Jason Segal, ) an aspiring sous chef and Violet Barnes (Emily Blunt)a soon-to-be professor at the University of Michigan, who decide  after knowing each other for a year to get married. However, fate intervenes and the engagement lasts five years.

Soon after the proposal,  Violet gets her dream job in Michigan. Tom sacrifices his career to accompany her there, but eventually he becomes depressed in his new situation.  Despite themselves, the couple grows apart.

At times I felt I was watching a documentary. Many couples face problems in their relationship like cheating, arguments, and having one person being happier than the other.  Jason Segal displayed  a variety of emotions in his portrayal of Tom giving up everything for the sake of his lover. Emily Blunt also acted the part well, presenting a character who made herself believe taking the job was a good decision for them both.

However, the reason I paid $9.25 to watch this movie was because I believed it was going to be as funny as the previews.  When I watched the movie,  I felt that the previews lied to me.  While there were a few comedic moments in the movie, what the previews should have shown were the struggles of having a prolonged engagement.

If you’re looking for a comedy,  go pay to see another movie.

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Asuncion is arts editor of the GC Summit.  He may be contacted at sean.asuncion@gcsummit.com

SAN DIEGO -Think Like a Man is one of the funniest movies I have seen in quite a while. Every scene had a comedic moment that made the whole audience laugh.

Directed by Tim Story, the movie is about the love lives of five guys:  Dominic (Michael Ealy), Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara), Cedric (Kevin Hart), Michael (Terrence J.), Zeke (Romany Malco), and Bennett (Gary Owen), and five girls Mya (Meagan Good), Candace (Regina Hall), Lauren (Taranji P. Henson), Kristen (Gabrielle Union) and Gail (Wendy Williams).

All of the characters (besides Bennett who is already married) has a major love problem.  One guy, for example, can’t have a sustained relationship with a girl because of his mom. One woman can’t find a guy because she’s a single mom.

The highlight of Think Like a Man was Kevin Hart’s role as Cedric, an odd-ball, short-tempered, short-statured male, married to Gail, who is incredibly big.  She is the dominant one in their relationship.  Cedric becomes tired of being pushed around and decides to divorce. Without Gail he turns to strippers and to random women. The way he tried to approach them was funny and his attempt to make himself feel better was hilarious!

Think Like a Man had many humorous moments, some coming from the unexpected things some of the extras would say.

Overall,  Think Like a Man was a wonderful movie; it was worth the money I paid to watch it in the theatre and I would not mind watching it again.

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Asuncion is arts editor of the GC Summit.  He may be contacted at sean.asuncion@gcsummit.com

By Sean Asuncion

GROSSMONT COLLEGE – What is a major obstacle to solving the homeless problem?  Russell Lindquist, a former GC Summit editor who experienced homelessness as a student, says one is most people’s inability to sustain their interest in solving problems.

He says there is similarity in society’s reactions to homelessness and to suicide.  When someone like Junior Seau commits suicide, people will talk about it, and want to do something to prevent other suicides from occurring. Inevitably, however, something  else will come along to command people’s attention.   The same is true even after people become aware of the human dimension of homelessness, Lindquist told me.

Lindquist is one of the most hardworking individuals I have ever met, yet he has experienced all the hardships of homelessness, including being stared at in a demeaning way and sleeping in  places where many wouldn’t.

Through Lindquist’s insights my view on homelessness has changed.  I think about why life can spiral downward for kind and hardworking people. Why do people who want to live have to try so hard, when the nation we live in promised us a good life?  When did life become a privilege rather than a right?

Due to the cost of living many have fallen victim to Social Darwinism. Without money or a job they suddenly find themselves struggling, when others are just happily living life. At Grossmont College, there are numerous less fortunate people working their hardest for a better future; a future in which happiness rather than struggle could be their daily companion.

Causes of becoming homeless could be losing a job, criminal activity, or damaging past experiences. Any of these can cause a drastic change in a person’s life. What they used to be able to buy they can’t;  the way others look at them has changed;  and their own views of life have also changed.

The homeless life may be the hardest life to live in this world especially in today’s society where people are categorized by their social class; background checks lead to damaging assumptions;  and economic standing determines what pieces of life we can enjoy.

Unless there is sustained interest in homelessness, there will always be a person in the middle section of the street waiting for the light to turn red so he/she can ask drivers for money.

Without sustained interest, homeless student counts well keep on increasing. Without sustained interest, dirty looks will continue to occur, the number of people having hard times will increase, and slowly the smiles of this generation will fade to the point where “every student will be as depressed as the person to his/her right or left,” Lindquist said.

As a result of our never-ending wish to be happy, those of us with homes to go to, remove from our thoughts the negativity of the homeless situation. While it’s okay to be happy and not always think about sad topics, eventually a person needs to take action to fix the sad problem so others also can be happy.

Homelessness is a nightmare that many of us do not want to experience. Having to sleep on the street, a bench, anywhere where there’s no comfy bed, fluffy pillow and warm blanket kills the body. Having no place to call home, no warm embrace to welcome you home and no infectious smile from your kids, spouse or any close person are parts of a nightmare.

The homeless are currently experiencing a nightmare, not in their dreams but, in real life. If homelessness became a sustained interest of society, the nightmares they experience might eventually be gone.

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Asuncion is arts editor of the GC Summit.  He may be contacted at sean.asuncion@gcsummit.com

SAN DIEGO — Safe, a movie starring Jason Statham, was good yet disappointing.  It is about a 12-year old Asian girl named Mei, who can memorize anything and remember it forever.  Taken from her home she soon finds herself within the ranks of Chinese gangsters. Being a child prodigy she becomes a human calculator for their business.

Jason Statham plays  Luke Wright who  runs afoul of the Russian mafia when he wins an MMA match that he was supposed to lose. The Russian mob hunts him down, kills his wife and makes life for him a living hell.

Whenever Luke draws close to anyone, that person is targeted by the Russian mob and soon is lying dead in a pool of blood.  The Russians want to take Mei away from the Chinese mob because she has memorized a long number that would make anybody incredibly rich.

Luke is so miserable he is about to commit suicide when out of the blue Mei comes and gives him a new view for the future. Luke is motivated  to rescue Mei .

Safe provided the actions scenes fans expect from Jason Statham, including power house striking techniques and powerful takedowns.  I felt breathless just watching the victim being pulverized.   However, there were not enough action scenes to suit my taste.  They should have added a few more.

In addition, they should have depicted memories of his  relationship with his wife instead of just making the audience find out she was dead.

Overall, Safe was a decent movie worthy of a rental fee, but not the expense of going to the theatre.

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Asuncion is arts editor of the GC Summit.  He may be contacted at sean.asuncion @gcsummit.com