A Holiday Message from the Chancellor

As 2005 comes to a close, I would like to thank everyone for another year of providing innovative and effective educational services to our students. At the Coast Community College District, 2005 has been a year full of change. Change can be difficult—we’ve experienced the passing of long-time Trustee Paul Berger. Change can also be wonderful—like project Voyager, but change is inevitable.

I would like to wish you all a safe and joyful holiday vacation with your family and friends and look forward to seeing each of you return happy and healthy in 2006!

Project Voyager! Navigating the New Frontier

ERP? Luminis? Banner? Whatever you may have called it, the District is happy to announce this project is now called Voyager – Navigating the New Frontier. Come and see how this new system will enable our faculty, staff and students to access information such as employee records, class rosters, purchasing, class schedules and registration in an efficient and effective manner.

Presentations from Sungard will be set up at two to three stations at each specified campus location listed below.  Representatives from Sungard and the Voyager team will be demonstrating the various products that will appeal to students, faculty and staff as well as answer any questions.

There will also be food and prizes, including 100 Voyager t-shirts per campus for the first 100 people at the open house presentation!

December 12    Coastline 9–11 a.m.
Location: College Center, 4th Floor Conference Room                       

December 12    GWC 2–4 p.m.
Location: Student Center                        

December 13    District 9–11 a.m.
Location:  District Board Room               

December 13    OCC 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Location:  Student Center Lounge

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Holiday Safety
by Deepak Chauhan

Holiday Safety

Having a Christmas tree with holiday decorations adds a special touch to any home or business and is a common household activity. Unfortunately, according to statistics from the National Safety Council, hospital emergency rooms treat about 8,700 people for injuries related to holiday lights, decorations, and Christmas trees each year. In addition, Christmas trees are involved in about 400 fires annually, resulting in 20 deaths and averaging $15 million in property loss and damage. Here are a few tips to ensure a safe and happy holiday.

Christmas Trees:

• Select a fresh tree : The needles of pines and spruces should bend and not break, and it should be hard to pull off the branches.
• Give the tree a drink. Cut off about two inches of the trunk and put the tree in a sturdy, water-holding stand.
• Keep the tree away from heat sources. Heat can be an ignition source for dry trees.
• Use a certified artificial tree. If you use an artificial tree, use one that is tested and labeled as fire resistant. Artificial trees with electrical systems should have the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) label.

Lights:

• Only use indoor lights indoors, and outdoor lights outdoors . Before putting up lights, be sure to inspect for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires and loose connections. Replace or repair any damaged light sets before putting them up.
• Use no more than three light sets on any one extension cord . This includes not linking more than three strands of lights together on any one outlet.
• Turn off the lights on trees and decorations when you leave the house or office.

Home Safety :

• Install a smoke detector or install new batteries in the one(s) you have and TEST!
• Dispose of fireplace ashes in a metal container.
• After parties, check around and under sofa and chair cushions for smoldering cigarettes.
• Install at least one carbon monoxide detector in your home.
• Have an operable fire extinguisher readily available.
• Read labels before you use materials that comes in jars, cans, and aerosol cans. Follow instructions for usage, storage, and handling.
• Avoid placing breakable tree ornaments on lower branches where children can reach them.

We would like to wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy holiday and New Year!

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Ornamental Horticulture Department Sells Christmas Poinsettias Dec. 9

Repertory Company Stages Annual Christmas Show Dec. 9-11 and 16-18 in Drama Lab Theatre

Ornamental Horticulture Department Sells Christmas Poinsettias Dec. 9

Orange Coast College’s Ornamental Horticulture Department will conduct its annual public poinsettia plant sale on Friday, Dec. 9, on campus.

Approximately 12,000 plants have been grown by OCC’s horticulture students this fall in the campus’ five greenhouses. Plants will be sold in the Horticulture Garden, located just off Adams Avenue, adjacent to the college’s Technology Center. All proceeds from the sale are earmarked to fund future student projects.

The sale runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A live video cam that shows plants growing in one of the college’s greenhouses can be accessed on OCC’s website at http://greenhousecam.occ.cccd.edu/view/view.shtml.

“It’s long been a tradition at Orange Coast College for ornamental horticulture students to produce beautiful poinsettias during the holiday season as part of their studies,” says ornamental horticulture professor, John Lenanton. “Our students planted these poinsettias the first two weeks in September, and have been nurturing them ever since.

“Customers will purchase the poinsettias directly out of the greenhouses where the plants were grown. They’re completely fresh, with no shipping injury or damage.”

For information about the sale, phone Ext. 25748.

Repertory Company Stages Annual Christmas Show Dec. 9-11 and 16-18 in Drama Lab Theatre

Orange Coast College’s Repertory Theatre Company will stage its annual holiday show for kids – and parents and grandparents this season.

Titled “An Old-Fashioned Christmas Melodrama and Ice Cream Social,” the holiday treat runs Fridays through Sundays, Dec. 9-11 and 16-18, in OCC’s Drama Lab Theatre. Curtain is set for 7 p.m. Dec. 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17, and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 10, 11, 17 and 18.

The show, under the direction of OCC theatre arts professor, Rick Golson, will feature an evening of music, vaudeville acts, a holiday sing-along, and the college’s traditional holiday melodrama, titled “Bootsie and the Christmas Pirates.” The melodrama was written by OCC Theatre Department faculty member, David Scaglione.

The production is geared for the entire family.

Everyone in attendance will be treated to a free ice cream favor. There will also be a visit by Santa, so parents are advised to bring their cameras.

Advance tickets, priced at $7 for adults and $5 for children, are on sale in the Bursar’s Office, located adjacent to OCC’s Student Center. The office is open Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Tickets are also available online (www.occtickets.com) or by phone (Ext. 25880).

Tickets will be sold at the door for $8.

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Coastline Launches Awareness Campaign of "Endless Possibilities"

Coastline Launches Awareness Campaign of "Endless Possibilities"

Coastline is embarking on an effort to inspire members of the local community and motivate them towards education. The “My possibilities are endless” awareness campaign launched December 1 and features stories that illustrate how Coastline appeals to several different groups of people seeking out an education; from high school students looking for a head start on college, to older adults who are focused on succeeding as life-long learners. The goal of the campaign is to spread the message that, with education, your possibilities are endless.

The print ads will be featured in local newspapers distributed throughout the District, including the Garden Grove Journal, the Westminster Herald, the Seal Beach Sun, the OC News, and the Huntington Beach Independent. In addition, Coastline will be running Spanish-language versions of the ads in The Pennysaver publication delivered directly to homes in select zip codes, including the Westminster and Garden Grove areas.

The ads also include a promotional element that extends the impact of the headline, “My possibilities are endless.” Readers are invited to bring in a copy of any ad to one of Coastline’s main learning centers, located in Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Westminster and Fountain Valley, and exchange it for a free “My possibilities are endless” wristband. These wristbands are similar to the very popular “Live strong” wristbands made famous by cyclist Lance Armstrong.

“While developing a slogan for our wristbands, we wanted something that people could really take to heart—something that was tied to education,” stated Michelle Sutliff, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the College. “Our team decided upon ‘My possibilities are endless’ and the ad campaign was built around that inspirational message.”

The campaign will run through June 2006.

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101 Christmases, Thanksgivings, New Year's Eves Ago

What a difference a century makes!  This holiday season, enjoy the pleasures and horrors of shopping and over indulging. Life as we know it today is really quite remarkable when you compare our standard of living to what our country was like 101 years ago.  Here are some of the U.S. statistics for 1904:

* The average life expectancy was 47
* Only 14% of the homes had a bathtub
* Only 8% of the homes had a telephone
* A three minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11
* There were only 8,000 cars in the entire country, and only 144 miles of paved road
* The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph
* Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.  With a    mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the union
* The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower
* The average wage was 22 cents an hour
* The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year
* A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year; a dentist $2500 per year
* A veterinarian earned between $1500 and $4000 per year
* More than 95 percent of all births took place at home
* Ninety percent of all physicians had no college education.  Instead, they attended medical schools, many    of which were condemned in the press and by the government as “substandard.”

When you sit down this holiday season with family or friends over a nice meal, take a second to think about these statistics. Our life expectancy now is radically higher, we have cell phones with unlimited minutes, the 1904 average worker’s annual income is now someone’s hourly salary, and cars idle at 10 m.p.h.

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