Welcome: New Classified Professionals

Inside this issue

Professional Development……………2

Book Review .…….……….……………….3

Learning Resource Center…………...4

Classified Senate Information

Merced College Classified Senate

Officers

President: Andrea Hall-Cuccia

Vice President: Gabriela Garcia

Secretary: Delia Esquivel

Treasurer: Maria Soto

News Letter:

Web Site:

Denise Dupree

Jeanette Martin

Meetings

Third Thursday of every month from

August-May 2-3 pm in the Administra-

tive Conference Room unless otherwise

specified. Video Conferencing for Los

Banos available upon request. Website: https://mc4me.mccd.edu/organizations/class-senate/

Greetings!

February marks two significant events: Black History Month

and Valentine’s Day. Exciting events are planned at Merced Col-

lege for both. The Board of Trustees passed a resolution recog-

nizing Black History Month. ASMC is hosting their second an-

nual Carnival of Love on Valentine’s Day. Watch your campus

email, MC4Me portal, and social media for more events!

Events of all kinds are constantly happening at Merced College. Campus email,

MC4Me, and social media are great sources for keeping up with events. You can learn about art gallery exhibits, performances, fundraisers, club activities, and much more! Most are open to the entire campus community, and many are

open to the community at large. Take advantage of these great opportunities!

February, 2018 Volume 2, Issue 7

Monica Mendiola, SSSP Technician

President’s Message

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Kognito, an on-line training module, is available to all employ-

ees. The Kognito modules offer three separate online courses:

At-Risk for Faculty & Staff The first of these modules educates our staff in identifying signs of distress, ap-proaching students they are worried about, and referring them to support ser-vices if necessary. In this course, titled At-Risk for Faculty & Staff, you will also learn effective listening skills, which has a more positive impact on students than longer office hours.

LGBTQ for Faculty & Staff In only 30 minutes, you will learn how to address discriminatory language, talk to a

student that chooses to discuss their LGBTQ identity, and identify when a stu-dent may be distressed.

Veterans for Faculty & Staff Veterans on Campus for Faculty & Staff is aimed at helping us better support and understand our student veterans. In this 30-minute course, you will learn the skills that will equip you to understand common challenges faced by veter-ans, manage classroom discussions around sensitive issues, and identify at-risk veterans. You will also learn how to approach the veterans you are worried about and refer them to support services.

To get started:

New Users: Go to:ccc.kognito.com Create a New Account Follow the on-screen instructions Choose your course and click ”LAUNCH”

Existing Users: log-in on to ccc.kognito.com and click your name at the top right hand corner to ac-

cess your Account Menu. Within the Account Menu, click on “Add Training POV” and select "Faculty/Staff”

and click “LAUNCH”

Professional Development: Kognito

Book Review: Halfway Home

by Paul Monette World AIDS Day was in December. As a society, we can’t afford to forget what the first stricken

generation went through – when there was a test but no treatments. When you got the bad

news, tried to live while you could, and saw your future in the skeletal, hospitalized faces

around you. That story has been told by Randy Shilts and others, far better than I could tell it.

When talking about AIDS novels, there are several viewpoints to take. Should these be judged

“purely as literature” or as sociological documents? Is that question even necessary? Most

enduring novels bear a stamp of time and place while saying something to posterity. The Fare-

well Symphony by Edmund White (discussed in a previous review) is the best example I know.

But I’ve read several books of this type, and some are deeply moving regardless of occasional

literary naivete . I’m thinking of Mountain Climbing in Sheridan Square by Stan Leventhal. Le-

venthal was no White, but like the miners’ canary, he sang loudly and well while the big dark

closed in.

Monette, as a writer, lay somewhere between the two. Halfway Home is an AIDS story, ines-

capably, but is also a love story crossed with a crime drama. I’m not one for spoiler alerts, but

it’s about two brothers, one lover, a kid and a crook. Intrigued yet? So was I.

Monette’s work survives, as art and social document, and so do his good works. He joined

groups like the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and Act Up. He lived, worked and protested through

the epidemic, was arrested for civil disobedience several times and knew hundreds of men

who died of AIDS. He once had to choose between three memorials the same day.

In 1995, 51,373 Americans died of AIDS, the epidemic’s high point, according to the federal

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monette was among them. He kept writing until

the end. He wrote his last book, Last Watch of the Night, hooked up to three IVs and on dozens

of medications. In January 1996, protease inhibitors were approved by the Food and Drug Ad-

ministration and hope revived. May he rest in peace; may none of us rest in complacency.

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Resource: Learning Resource Center The Merced College Library provides service to faculty, staff, management and students. We

want to encourage all college stakeholders to use the many resources that are available.

Did you know that we have novels for you to read? These range from the Harry Potter series,

the Twilight series and other young adult novels to novels like A is for Alibi and the Jack

Reacher series by Lee Child, and we include lots of current novels and biographies. There are al-

most 10,000 titles to choose from. Our graphic novel collection is also growing.

On the main floor we have an extensive collection of almost 4,300 music CD’s that can be

checked out and taken home. We have movies on DVD that can be checked out but we also

have two online collections of streaming videos. Films on Demand and the Ambrose Video

Collections both provide a wide variety of streaming video from history to geography to busi-

ness. Some of the videos available are Alastair Cooke’s America and the America’s National

Monuments services. There are lots of videos about music and science as well. Some videos are

designed to be used in the classroom but others are just plain good viewing.

And you have access to the New York Times! You can read the newspaper, search for stories

and research the past all in one place. Just go to our library home page, choose your database

from the list of databases that we have, log in and enjoy exploring.

Of course, if you are a student here as well as a classified employee, we are here to help you

with research, computers, paper and citation formatting, study rooms, meeting rooms, a

group study room with computers, and a quiet computer area in which to study. And guess

what, you are welcome to use all these resources even if you are not a student!

And, of course, the biggest resource available to you are the staff and faculty in the library. We are here to help you find whatever you are interested in and make sure you can take it home

with you. If you have a type of book you really like, let us help you find more like it. If you like music, check out what we have and let us help you find new types that will thrill your soul!

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