Student Government Association (SGA) members held the second annual Diversity Festival, an April event which was well-attended by TMCC's student body and staff.
PTK Regional Award-Winning Projects
Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is an international honor society for two-year colleges, and the chapter at Truckee Meadows Community College is Alpha Pi Gamma.
Chapter President Cheril Gabbidon coordinated efforts that resulted in the Alpha Pi Gamma chapter being awarded second place for Distinguished College Project in the PTK 2016 California/Nevada Regional Conference. The project was entitled College Completion Pledge Drive.
“The point of this drive is to support college completion, and to make students more aware of the many student services we have at this campus,” Gabbidon said.
Kraig Mickey, Vice President of Leadership, spearheaded the first place regional award in the Honors in Action category with the concept for an Innovation Fair. The unique concept embraces a wide spectrum of academic disciplines in conjunction with ways students may apply projects toward their subject.
“The Innovation Fair architecture was meticulously laid out by Kraig Mickey and this project should be orchestrated during the upcoming Fall and Spring semesters,” PTK Advisor Neil Siegel said.
The Innovation Fair will encompass entries in social science, education, business entrepreneurship and physical and biological sciences.
“These awards are about two outstanding individuals who have truly made a difference for our academic community and who will I predict make a lasting difference in our local, national and perhaps international communities,” Siegel said.
Gabriela Brochu Receives QM Awards for Exemplary Spanish Courses
In May, Gabriela Brochu, PhD, Foreign Languages Coordinator was awarded certification by Quality Matters (QM) for the Web-based class Spanish 112.
This new certification adds to her previous award for Spanish 111. QM is a national nonprofit organization that provides a peer review process to honor excellence in online education.
"Gabriela's hard work is very evident as she created these high quality online Spanish courses," said Brandy Scarnati, Program Director for WebCollege and the Academic Support Center. "Dr. Brochu connects with the students not only through discussions but by using web-conferencing tools to increase the verbal presentation skills of her students."
Student Government Association Highlights Key Accomplishments
“It has been an eventful academic year, with many highlights,” said Spencer Schultz, 2015-2016 Student Government Association (SGA) President. “Students at TMCC are increasingly engaged and directed toward serving the community.”
The SGA documented 2,330 volunteer hours contributed by TMCC students. The senate assisted Rotary Club of Reno in passing out school supplies for their “Let’s Go to College” event at Virginia Palmer Elementary School. Students collaborated with Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (KTMB), the Truckee River Fund, students from the University of Nevada, Reno and local residents in the community “Clean Up!” event.
This year, student clubs and organizations increased to 24, and a Canvas Web page was established for clubs and events so that students can spread awareness for their organizations.
- Outstanding New Club of the Year: Power in Culture Club
- Outstanding Club of the Year: Disabled Student Union
- Outstanding Event of the Year: Compass Club’s “Take Back the Night”
- Outstanding Club Leader of the Year: Kraig Mickey (Executive member in PTK, Christian Outreach Club and Entrepreneurship Club)
- Outstanding Advisor of the Year: Haley Orthel-Clark, Psychology Club
Students also contributed to health-related causes. SGA hosted five blood drives in partnership with United Blood Services. The SGA partnered with the Washoe County Health District to bring health services to students, including free sexually transmitted disease testing.
Organizationally, SGA campaigned for Open Educational Resource (OER) implementation, re-established the high school liaison position in partnership with TMCC High School, served on the presidential search committee, held the second annual Diversity Festival, participated in the forums about police consolidation of UNR, TMCC and DRI, and formed the office of SGA Senator at Large.
The SGA distributed 3000 free student planners and increased SGA election participation to record numbers, along with completing a survey of student opinions as part of the ballot. Total participating voters numbered 339, up more than 50 from the 2015 election.
IT’s Bill Garand Helps with Regional Firefighting Efforts
William Garand, Program Director for TMCC's Information Technology (IT) Enterprise Services, has been helping a local fire agency for more than seven years. He volunteers with Red Rock Volunteer Fire Department which is sponsored by the Washoe County Fire Suppression program and administered by Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District.
“I’m a Nevada state licensed EMT, and an all-risk firefighter,” he said. “I received my EMT training and national certification at Truckee Meadows Community College.”
Garand describes volunteer work as both a fulfilling experience and a sincere obligation.
“It’s meaningful to be the help that someone needs on the day things are so bad they call 9-1-1 and someone comes to help them,” he said. “I volunteer my time to train for and respond to emergency incidents in my rural district. I believe community service is both an obligation and a privilege, and I'm proud to be associated with the volunteers in my valley.”
For more information about the Fire Technology Program at TMCC, please call 775-336-4271.
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