CSUB Alum and Teacher of the Year to give talk and book signing on May 24

On the heels of being named Kern County Teacher of the Year earlier this month, California State University, Bakersfield adjunct lecturer and alumnus Jeremy Adams will give a talk and book signing featuring his new memoir at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 24 at CSUB.

Adams’ book, “Full Classrooms, Empty Selves,” is about his experiences teaching government and macroeconomics at Bakersfield High School over the past 14 years. During that time, he went from optimistic to realistic, as it became apparent he was not going to be “that one teacher that made a difference” for every student, he said.

“I had to get over myself and realize that sometimes the magic isn’t going to happen for every student,” Adams said. “Now I have much more patience with my students and more faith in my fellow teachers to be the one teacher I wanted to be.”

Adams graduated from BHS in 1994 and obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington and Lee University in Virginia in 1998. After returning to Bakersfield, he began teaching at BHS and earned his social science teaching credential in 1999 and Master’s in Education in Curriculum and Instruction in 2000 from CSUB. He also teaches political science courses as an adjunct professor at CSUB.

One of his well-known accomplishments at BHS is founding the Earl Warren Cup in 2006. The annual competition quizzes students on government and civics trivia. Some of the questions are recorded by national figures such as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and television news anchor Diane Sawyer.

As Kern County Teacher of the Year, Adams will represent Kern County in the California Teachers of the Year competition this year. He also is a recipient of the Jim Burke Rising Star Teaching Award and the Kern Reading Association Outstanding Student Teacher Award.

Through all of these accomplishments, Adams said he has experienced many frustrations, hopes and anxieties that he wants to share with other educators and teachers-in-training through his book.

“In this brilliant mid-career exposé, Jeremy Adams takes a brutally honest look at himself and the teaching profession as he guides his readers to a profound understanding of their place in the world of learning,” writes Kim Flachmann, an English professor at CSUB, in a review of the book. “The author fills our hearts with both hope and despair as he examines the future of education in this inspiring ‘teaching memoir.’”

The CSUB School of Social Sciences and Education and Department of Political Science present a reading, book signing, and dessert hour with author Jeremy Adams from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 24, in the CSUB Student Union Multipurpose Room. Books go on sale at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is free in Lots K and L. For more information, go to www.authorjeremyadams.com.

CSUB to host conference on community service May 11

The public is invited to join CSUB students, staff and faculty along with representatives from several community organizations for the inaugural CSUB Community Engagement Conference from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, May 11, in the Student Union Multipurpose Room. The event is free, as is parking in Lot L.

The conference is presented by CSUB’s Center for Community Engagement and Career Education (CECE) and will feature students, faculty and community leaders who will speak about service, the positive impact CSUB students have on our community, and the role of service in youth literacy development.

“Community service makes the academic content of students' courses come to life, as they apply what they've learned to real-world situations,” said Tanya Boone, faculty coordinator for CECE. “In addition, service provides students with professional development and networking opportunities that they can leverage in searching for a job upon graduation.”

During the 2011-12 academic year, 3,048 CSUB students have participated in 36,576 hours of service, which is an increase of 19 percent from 2010-11. They volunteer at such places as the Bakersfield Homeless Center, Police Activities League, American Red Cross, American Lung Association, and Alzheimer’s Disease Association of Kern County.

“Service allows students to experience the impact they can have, to make a difference in their community. Our community agency partners also benefit. In an environment of declining resources, student service helps community agencies to serve their clients and achieve their goals,” Boone said.

The program kicks off with opening remarks by CSUB President, Dr. Horace Mitchell. Keynote speakers include Della Hodson of the United Way of Kern County, Donna Hylton of Kern Adult Literacy Council, and Andrae Gonzales of Stewards, Inc. and a BCSD School Board member. Students and faculty will also give short presentations about the service projects they have completed. Awards will also be given to students recognized as service leaders on campus.

For more information, contact the Center for Community Engagement and Career Education at 661-654-3033.

CSUB seeks college grads for “Camp to Campus” documentary

A survey for prospective participants in the upcoming documentary project “Camp to Campus” is now available online. The project by California State University, Bakersfield will result in a documentary about first-generation college graduates who come from a migrant labor background. The project is being funded by a grant from Cal Humanities’ Community Stories Fund along with matching funds from CSUB.

Potential interview subjects for “Camp to Campus” can complete the initial survey from which a smaller pool of subjects will be chosen. The survey is available online at www.csub.edu/camptocampus. The deadline to complete the survey is May 31.

For more information about the project, see the attached press release or contact Marit MacArthur at 661-654-6503 or mmacarthur@csub.edu, or Aaron Hegde at 661-654-2495 or shegde@csub.edu.

CSUB’s annual Party in the Park provides great lead in to Bakersfield Jazz Festival

The CSUB Alumni Association will once again pop the corks and caps for its annual Party in the Park on Friday, May 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at CSUB’s Alumni Park. The evening will feature samplings of some of the world’s finest wines, hand-selected by Imbibe, in addition to tasty micro-brews, great food, music and fun.

Party in the Park precedes the annual Bakersfield Jazz Festival every year, which takes place Friday and Saturday, May 11-12, at the adjacent CSUB Amphitheatre. Jennifer Patino, interim CSUB alumni association director, says the event is a great pre-party for those attending the Festival later in the evening.

“Party in the Park is a great way to catch up with old friends while giving back to the university by supporting student scholarships before heading over to the Jazz Festival,” she said. “The two events have become a Bakersfield tradition for many, many of our alumni and community members.”

Attendees will experience offerings by 40 labels such as Mumm Napa, Charles Krug Chardonnay Napa Valley, Alomas Melbec (Argentina), Sterling Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley, Beaulieu Vineyards, Santa Carlina Carmenere (Chile), Morgan Cotes du Crows, Mulderbosch Rose (South Africa), Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico, Marc Bredif Vouvray (France), and Duas Quintas (Portugal).

For those who fancy hops over grapes, Lengthwise Brewing Company and Stella Artois will offer beer tastings. Guests will receive two complimentary glasses, one for wine and one for beer.

Between sips, guests can delight their palates with a variety of hors d'oeuvres such as mini sopes, pita shawarma, and a gourmet burger station, among much more. Musical entertainment will be provided by local band Elevation 406.

Proceeds from Party in the Park go to the Alumni Scholarship Fund, which Patino said is of increasing importance these days as more and more students have difficulty affording a university education due to ongoing budget cuts that have resulted in tuition increases.

Tickets for Party in the Park are $45 in advance and $55 at the event. Package prices for Party in the Park and the Bakersfield Jazz Festival are $75 for Friday night and $95 for the full weekend. (Visit www.bakersfieldjazz.com for more on the music festival.) For more information and tickets for Party in the Park, visit www.csub.edu/alumni or call 661-654-3211.

Party in the Park sponsors include Eagle Mountain Casino, Elevation 406, Imbibe, KGET-TV 17, Lengthwise Brewery, Mercedes-Benz of Bakersfield and Stella Artois.

Gender Matters focus of CSUB symposium Friday, May 4

CSUB will hosts its fourth annual interdisciplinary symposium “Gender Matters” from noon to 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 4 in the Student Union Multipurpose Room.

This free event focuses on student research on diverse subjects including women and religion, gender in art, literature, and film, gender and ethics, and gender in the media. There will also be student poster presentations and artwork displayed.

This year’s keynote speaker is Andi Zeisler, co-founder and editorial/creative director of BITCH magazine. Her presentation, which begins at 5 p.m., is entitled “Beyond Bitches, Bimbos and Ballbreakers – Why Media is Key to Moving Conversations About Women and Gender Forward.” A longtime freelance writer and illustrator, Zeisler’s work has appeared in numerous periodicals and newspapers, including Ms., Mother Jones, Utne, BUST, The San Francisco Chronicle, the Women's Review of Books, and Hues. She is the coeditor of “BitchFest: 10 Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine” and recently finished a book about feminism and popular culture for Seal Press.

The afternoon event also includes a community resource session featuring agencies that meet the diverse needs of women and men. These include the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, Bakersfield LGBTQ, Bakersfield PFLAG, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Democratic Women of Kern, and the Dolores Huerta Foundation, as well as various campus organizations such as CSUB Club GEN (Gender Equality Now!), CSUB Counseling Center, CSUB Safe Zone, and CSUB UNIR (United Now for Immigrant Rights).

“This event is an exciting opportunity for CSUB and the community to see what our students are learning about and how gender matters in various disciplines,” said chair of CSUB’s Women and Gender Studies Committee Debra Jackson.

Refreshments will be available throughout the symposium.

The event is free and open to the public. Parking is free in Lots K and L. For more information, call Debra Jackson at 661-654-6829.

RISK & SAFETY MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

On Saturday, April 14, 2012, the Autism Society Chapter-Kern Autism Network presented a “Risk & Safety Management Workshop” in recognition of World Autism Awareness Day. Our speaker was Officer Brian Herritt, a sworn police officer with over ten years experience.

“People with disabilities are seven times more likely to have contact with law enforcement,” said Herritt. “The study says 1 in 88 now. I want to prepare you for that if it happens.”

Officer Herritt became involved in training police officers about autism and how to interact with individuals on the autism spectrum after his own son was diagnosed with autism. He shared his insight and experience with parents of autistic children during the morning session.

“I’ve worked with my son for seven years and I can’t control my son. How can I expect a cop with no training to deal with that?”

Police officers receive only 6 hours of training for all disabilities in the Academy and that’s the only training they get in their entire career. Officers that have been on the force more than 10 years have 4 hours.

“99.9% of cops don’t want to hurt your loved ones,” said Herritt. “They want to help them. They’re just not informed on how to do it.”

He encouraged parents to contact the police department and sheriff’s department and ask what programs are available to put their name in the system so officers know their loved one has autism. He urged parents to complete information sheets and have them easily available for first responders in the event of an emergency.

Crimes that are more frequently connected with autism cases include harassment, theft, and child endangerment. Issues of concern in the home include chemical storage; weapon storage; secure exterior fencing; locks and alarms on the house.

Methods of protecting your loved one include programs like GPS tracking, where law enforcement can activate a device to find your child; stickers in your home; temporary tattoos; laces of shoes; and medic alert jewelry.

Herritt said it’s vital to know what predators live in your area because your children are more vulnerable than most. Walk your community with your loved one to see what things might attract your child, such as a neighbor’s pool or a nearby lake.

He discussed working with schools on safety issues. Does the school have a de-escalation plan? Does the school have a restraint plan? Does the plan affect bus drivers? What training do aides have? Are restrooms integrated? Is the playground integrated? When do police get involved? Parents have a right to know these things about their child’s school environment.

He also emphasized the importance of having a disaster plan for emergencies such as fire, earthquake, or a parent going to the hospital. Who will take care of your child if you are not available? What will keep your child calm?

The afternoon session was designed for law enforcement and first responders.

Officer Herritt discussed effective communication. “You communicate with how your uniform looks. What you say. Your communication skills can be the difference between life and death. It’s the only job [where] communication is that important. Whether or not you are incarcerated or you are free.

“What is autism? Autism is a communication disorder. Autism affects communication skills.

“A good cop will drive a beat and look for things that don’t look right. Socially awkward behavior means being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Society calls the police when they see someone acting that way.”

Individuals with autism may display socially inappropriate body language or actions. Stemming is how people with autism deal with their surroundings or cope with what is going on around them. It’s not somebody being under the influence.

Sensory issues can influence an individual with autism’s behavior. For example, lights and sirens can trigger meltdowns and escalate to violence as officers attempt to restrain the individual. Knowing how to talk with someone with autism can de-escalate a situation and keep everyone safe.

Training in developmental disabilities enhances the ability of law enforcement, EMS and first responders to help individuals with autism and their families. The Autism Society Chapter-Kern Autism Network was pleased to offer this free workshop as part of our commitment to the autism community and families.

Autism Society Chapter-Kern Autism Network
www.kernautism.org
kernautism@gmail.com
661-588-4235
FACEBOOK: Kern Autism Network

CSUB welcomes entire community to sixth annual open campus event

California State University, Bakersfield offers more than a top-notch education for tomorrow's leaders. It is a resource for community members of all ages – from children to senior citizens.

The entire community is invited to learn more about all of CSUB's offerings at its annual open campus event, Celebrate CSUB! The sixth annual event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 28. Parking and admission are free.

Families are especially encouraged to attend, as there will be art projects and games for children and a multitude of activities for prospective students and their parents. Local band Thee Majestics will provide musical entertainment. Educational components include science demonstrations, student research presentations, and tours of the campus labs. It is also freshman orientation day for incoming CSUB students for Fall 2012.

"Celebrate CSUB! has become a great tradition at the university. It allows us to highlight our academic programs and co-curricular offerings. In an environment of declining state support for higher education when it is so easy to focus on what’s wrong, the university continues to march forward, celebrating what’s right in higher education,” said Evelyn Young, coordinator of Celebrate CSUB!

The Chemistry Circus is back with chemistry students capturing interest in science by performing experiments that transform bananas into hammers, make pickles glow or otherwise make things go "boom!"

Family friendly events also include:

• 5K Fun Run and Pancake Breakfast (8 a.m. start time; entry fee $20)

• Spring Carnival and food booths by student leadership groups

• Circle Painting community art project

• Sierra Middle School Kids for Solar Energy

• Project Clean Air with Kern County’s Blue Sky Partners

• Judo Demonstrations

KGET, City of Bakersfield Recreation & Parks, Pepsi, and Walker-Lewis Rents are event co-sponsors.

"It’s an affordable family outing on a great spring morning,” Young said. “It’s academics wrapped in fun with something for everyone.”

For a full list of events, Fun Run registration form and more information about Celebrate CSUB!, visit www.csub.edu/celebrate or call 661-654-2175.

CSUB seeks college grads for “Camp to Campus” documentary

California State University, Bakersfield is embarking on an ambitious project to create a documentary about first-generation college graduates who come from a migrant labor background. The project, called “Camp to Campus,” is being funded by a $10,000 grant from Cal Humanities’ Community Stories Fund, along with $15,000 in matching funds from CSUB.

After the documentary is completed, the film will be shown in schools and other locations in and beyond Kern County in January, February and March of 2013. Local high school and community college students who view the video will have the chance to compete for scholarship money at CSUB in a corresponding essay and video-essay contest.

The project committee is currently seeking participants to share their personal stories and appear in the documentary. The goal is to interview a diverse group of subjects of varying ages who were the first in their families to attend college and who grew up partly in Central Valley migrant labor camps because their parents worked as migrant laborers. Stories will span as far back as the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s, to the Mexican Bracero Program of the 1940s to ‘60s, to more contemporary migrant labor trends.

“By gathering and sharing these stories, the documentary will offer insights about how people chose to leave the fields behind and attain higher education — and, more broadly, how first-generation college students negotiate different worlds,” said Marit MacArthur, project director and Associate Professor of English at CSUB. “What struggles have they faced? What were their motivations? And how have they succeeded?”

CSUB is enlisting multiple partners to reach out to potential participants and audiences, including the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which supports migrant farmworkers or their children during their first year of college, as well as the CAMP Alumni Association. The interdisciplinary project committee involves CSUB faculty in English, digital media and art, history, economics, and library science. CSUB students will also participate in the project’s filming, editing and website production.

Community Stories is a competitive grant program of Cal Humanities, an independent nonprofit state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Grants are awarded to projects that give expression to the extraordinary variety of histories and experiences of California’s places and people to ensure that the stories can be shared widely.

“With our state’s incredible diversity, fostering communication and connecting people to a range of ideas is vital for our general welfare,” said Ralph Lewin, president and CEO of Cal Humanities. “Our grant award enables awardees to pursue the important work of engaging new audiences in conversations around stories of significance to Californians.”

Since 2003, Cal Humanities has supported approximately 400 story projects and granted over $2.6 million to enable communities to voice, record, and share histories — many previously untold or little known. For more information on Cal Humanities, visit www.calhum.org.

Potential interview subjects for CSUB’s “Camp to Campus” will be asked to complete an initial survey from which a smaller pool of subjects will be chosen. To become involved in this project, contact Aaron Hegde at 661-654-2495 or shegde@csub.edu, or Marit MacArthur at 661-654-6503 or mmacarthur@csub.edu.

Visiting Sculptor project underway at CSUB; public lecture to be held April 19

During the next two weeks, international sculptor Jems Robert Koko Bi will be working with art students at California State University, Bakersfield to create a larger-than-life sculpture of Martin Luther King, Jr. Thanks to donors who contributed more than $4,000 to an online fundraising campaign, the project will take shape at full scale.

As part of Koko Bi’s visit to CSUB, he will give a public lecture about his artwork on Thursday, April 19. Details will soon be announced for a public unveiling of the sculpture to be held at the end of April.

Koki Bi is the 27th annual artist to come to CSUB through the Visiting Sculptor Program. His sculpture will be a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the form of a giant head constructed of wood. The piece is the second giant head sculpture in a series of four that the artist says he wants to construct around the world. The first, of Nelson Mandela, is on display in Germany.

“It’s great to finally meet Jems in person after all of the email correspondence,” said CSUB Art Department Chair Joyce Kohl. “He is from the Ivory Coast where there are 64 different languages and almost everybody has to speak French so they can communicate. Jems told me he thinks in French, dreams in German and listens in English. He also speaks fluent Spanish, which has been great for some of the students.”

The project would not have been possible to execute on this scale if it weren’t for the successful Kickstarter.com campaign. The visiting sculptor project has an annual budget of $2,000, which was not enough to cover the costs associated with this year’s project. The Art Department reached its goal before the end of the campaign and the leftover funds will be carried over for next year’s visiting sculptor project.

Over the years, the Visiting Sculptor Program has grown from bringing artists from around the United States to be an international affair. Koko Bi is the second artist from Africa; two previous artists have come from Korea and four artists have been from Germany.

“We’ve been very lucky to have artists coming from all over the world which gives our students an experience that’s really vital. They are able to work with somebody from another country and learn about the other country and culture. They also learn about the perspective of that artist as an international artist,” Kohl said.

The public is invited to attend Koko Bi’s free lecture at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 19, in the Albertson Room at CSUB. The presentation will include photos of the artist’s previous projects, more information about the current project and a chance to meet with the artist. Parking is $5. For more information contact Joyce Kohl at (661) 654-3095 or jkohl@csub.edu.

Jon Van Boening to be named CSUB’s John Brock Community Service Award Recipient

The prestigious John Brock Community Service Award will be presented to Jon Van Boening on Sept. 6, 2012 at Seven Oaks County Club. Van Boening is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, and also serves as the Senior Vice President, Operations for the California central valley service area of Dignity Health.

Van Boening’s career at Bakersfield Memorial began in 1993, and since that time he has led the growth of the hospital in all general, professional and support services, including the successful affiliation with Catholic Healthcare West, prior to the recent evolution to Dignity Health.

Van Boening originally joined Bakersfield Memorial as Vice President, Operations and led several strategic and restructuring programs that have allowed Memorial to become and remain a cutting edge leader in healthcare services in its market. While in his role as Vice President, Operations, Van Boening also served as the Administrator for the Central California Heart Institute at Bakersfield Memorial. In this capacity, he developed the Catholic Healthcare West Central California Cardiac Center of Excellence, and directed the program to achieving national recognition by HCIA/Sachs as a “Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospital” nationwide for three consecutive years in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Prior to joining Bakersfield Memorial, Van Boening was Chief Executive Officer and Partner of Bakersfield Drug Company, Inc., a retail pharmacy chain with nine stores, and also worked as a pharmacist in Wyoming for several years.

Van Boening graduated from the University of the Pacific with a Bachelor of Science, Pharmacy. He also earned a Master of Science in Administration - Healthcare Management from California State University, Bakersfield. He has held pharmacy licenses in California and Wyoming, and is a Certified Healthcare Executive (CHE) with the American College of Healthcare Executives. In addition, Van Boening maintains many professional and community affiliations, including but not limited to Diplomat of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Pi Alpha Alpha (Honorary Society of Public Administrators), Healthcare Roundtable (Chief Executive Officers), Member of the National Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society, past President of the United Way of Kern County Governing Board, 25-year concurrent member of Bakersfield Downtown Rotary, and a member of the Board of Directors and past president of Bakersfield Country Club.

Van Boening lives in Bakersfield with his wife Phillis. He has four grown children, and has been blessed with seven grandchildren.

The sponsoring organization of this event is the Executive Advisory Council of CSUB’s School of Business and Public Administration. The Council is composed of approximately 25 business and community leaders who provide advice and support to the School.

Proceeds from the event help to fund the John Brock Endowment, which funds scholarships for students in CSUB’s School of Business and Public Administration. Scholarships will be presented at the dinner to this year’s four recipients.

Award recipients in the dinner’s 25-year history are Lou and Sheryl Barbich, Gregory Bynum, Jim Burke, Morgan Clayton, Joan Dezember, Ray Dezember, Dr. John Forney, Harvey Hall, Don Hart, Susan Hersberger, Bernard Herman, Jimmie Icardo, Bob Karpe, George Martin, David Parker, Robert Price, John Pryor, Rev. Glenn Puder, Vincent Rojas, Jr., Mary K. Shell, Jerry Stanners, Joe D.Stevenson, Gene Voiland, Ray Watson Sr. and the inspiration for the award, John Brock Sr.

Tickets for the event are $150 per person. Corporate table sponsorships are also available. For further information and ticket purchases, call the CSUB School of Business and Public Administration at 661-654-2157.

Student of Gandhi to give public lecture at CSUB on April 14

A man who spent his first 23 years of life in the presence of Mahatma Gandhi will give a public lecture at California State University, Bakersfield about his experiences growing up with the father of Indian independence and the non-violence movement.

CSUB welcomes Shri Nayaran Mahadev Desai for a lecture, “The Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi: A Personal Memoir,” from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 14, in the Student Union Multipurpose Room. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is free in Lots K and L.

Desai’s father was Gandhi’s personal secretary, and brought Desai to live at Gandhi’s ashram in India when he was a baby. Gandhi himself would sometimes teach the boy his homeschooling lessons.

After Gandhi’s death, Desai continued living the principles of Gandhi. Desai was awarded the UNESCO prize for International Peace, has been the recipient of the Murtidevi Award, is an accomplished author and is the Chancellor of the university Gujarat Vidyapith Ahmedabad. He speaks to audiences of all ages around the world.

The event is sponsored by the India Association of San Joaquin Valley and the Institute for Religion, Education and Public Policy at CSUB. In addition to the CSUB event, Desai will also give three “Gandhi Katha” traditional storytelling presentations in Hindi at Chinmaya Mission of Bakersfield April 14, 15 and 16.

For more information about Desai’s appearances in Bakersfield, contact Naina Patel at (661) 333-7818.

Award-winning journalist to speak on the ethical implications of the Great Recession

How did it happen? Who is to blame? Why aren’t more people being thrown in jail? What lessons can we learn from it? These are the kinds of questions many of us have about the Great Recession, and there may be no one more qualified to answer them than award-winning journalist, James B. Stewart.

Stewart will discuss “Back from the Brink: The Causes and Ethical Implications of the Great Recession” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19, in the Doré Theatre at California State University, Bakersfield. Stewart’s talk is the 26th Annual Charles W. Kegley Memorial Lecture, presented by the Kegley Institute of Ethics at CSUB. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is free in Lots A, B, C, D, K and L.

“While we are seeing signs of economic recovery, there are still many people hurting and fearful about the future,” said Dr. Christopher Meyers, director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics and professor of philosophy at CSUB. “That so many people have suffered, while others were enriched, is a profoundly important moral question, one that gets at the ethical foundations of our economic system. Stewart’s reporting is incredibly first-hand; it is like he was in the room with the nation’s key decision-makers.”

Stewart has reported extensively on the financial crisis that hit the nation in 2008 and 2009, when the housing bubble burst, banks collapsed, and the government stepped in to stop the Great Recession from reaching the severity of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Ethical questions range from who was at fault for the collapse to who benefited most from the bailouts.

Government intervention “made a mockery of the notion of ‘moral hazard,’ a guiding principle of economics which posits that unless actors bear the consequences of their actions they will act recklessly,” Stewart wrote in the New Yorker article “Eight Days,” in which he detailed the economic collapse of 2008.

Stewart contributes to both the New York Times and New Yorker magazine and is the Bloomberg Professor of Business and Economic Journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for his Wall Street Journal series on insider trading that led to his nonfiction novel “Den of Thieves.” He has authored several other books, including “Bloodsport,” about the Whitewater scandal, and “DisneyWar,” about Michael Eisner’s role as CEO of Disney. His most recent book, which he will sign at the event, is “Tangled Webs: How False Statements are Undermining America.”

The Kegley Memorial Lecture is sponsored by Mercy Healthcare Bakersfield, Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, San Joaquin Community Hospital and Kern Schools Federal Credit Union, with additional support from Peter Wollesen of Wells Fargo Advisors, Mestmaker & Petry Wealth Advisors, and Valley Public Radio.

For more information about the Kegley Institute of Ethics, call 661-654-2555 or visit www.csub.edu/kie.

Geologist to discuss potential of large Pacific Northwest earthquake

As the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate of the Pacific Ocean pushes under the North American continent in the Pacific Northwest, the potential grows for a large earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Washington, Oregon and Northern California. Geological Society of America Fellow Dr. Scott Burns will talk about how the region prepares and what it can expect after a large quake during a lecture at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, at California State University, Bakersfield.

Burns’ lecture will focus on the hazards of and preparedness for ground shaking, liquefaction, landslides and tsunamis along the area between the Juan de Fuca and North American plates at the Cascadia subduction zone. He will also discuss how the chance of earthquakes affects building codes, emergency preparedness, siting of critical facilities, bridge construction, and transportation corridors in the region.

“His talk is very timely as we just marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan,” said Dr. Dirk Baron, professor of geological sciences at CSUB. “The Cascadia subduction zone is very similar to the situation in Japan and also has the potential to produce a magnitude 9.0 or greater earthquake. There is now overwhelming evidence that the last one struck in 1700, and it is only a matter of time before the next one happens. An earthquake that size could cause significant damage and loss of life in the Pacific Northwest which is not nearly as well prepared as Japan in terms of building codes and emergency preparedness.”

Dr. Burns is a professor of geology at Portland State University and the 2011-12 Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturer of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists. He has written or co-written two books, more than 80 articles and more than 200 published abstracts. He has researched such topics as landslides, debris flow, radon and earthquake hazard mapping, slope stability, soil development, and terroir – the relationship of geology, soil, climate and wine.

Refreshments will precede the lecture at 4 p.m., with the talk beginning at 4:15 p.m. in Science III, Room 104 at CSUB, 9001 Stockdale Highway. The talk is free and open to the public. Parking is $5. For more information, call the CSUB Department of Geological Sciences at 661-654-3027.

KIE and Downtown Rotary announce Ethics Award winner

The Kegley Institute of Ethics at California State University, Bakersfield and Downtown Rotary of Bakersfield are pleased to announce Colleen McGauley as the recipient of the first annual KIE-Downtown Rotary Community Ethics Award. McGauley is Executive Director of Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Kern County.

The award honors community members who exemplify ethical values either over a lifetime or in a specific situation during the previous year.

“These are people who, day by day, reveal their character in their actions, people who truly stand out as consistently doing the right thing, even when no one is looking," said Christopher Meyers, director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics at CSUB.

The selection committee voted unanimously to choose McGauley for her longtime role in giving a voice to abused children in Kern County. She was a member of the first class of volunteers when CASA was established in Kern County in 1994. She joined the staff in 1996 and became the executive director in 2001. CASA volunteers advocate for children who are dependents of the court, many of whom live in foster homes. Under McGauley’s leadership, CASA has doubled the number of volunteers and children served annually.

Jarrod McNaughton, a CASA board member and member of the Community Ethics Award nominating committee, said McGauley is one of the most passionate and ethical people he knows.

“Over a decade ago, Colleen was my case manager when I was a CASA volunteer. It is such a joy to see that her mission for what she does hasn't changed a bit. Today, Colleen is recognized as one of the powerhouse nonprofit executives, always willing to go the extra distance to be sure the children of Kern County are never forgotten. She is the perfect choice for this year's ethics award,” McNaughton said.

The Community Ethics Award is also sponsored by local accounting firm Barbich, Hooper, King, Dill, & Hoffman, along with Robert Tafoya and Sandra Serrano.

McGauley will be honored during the 26th Anniversary Charles W. Kegley Memorial Lecture presented at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19, in the Doré Theatre by the Kegley Institute of Ethics featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning business journalist James B. Stewart on “The Brink: The Causes and Ethical Implications of the Great Recession.” The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Kegley Institute of Ethics at 661-654-3149 or www.csub.edu/kie.

FACT to host Baby Bird Shower and Open House

The Facility for Animal Care and Treatment (FACT) will host a free open house from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 7, in the Environmental Studies Area at California State University, Bakersfield. The event also includes a baby bird shower with a registry of gift items.

Visitors to the open house can see a variety of local birds of prey including red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, great horned owls, barn owls, and golden eagles as well as songbirds, turtles and frogs. CSUB biology students will give visitors the opportunity to make a recycled journal, go on a scavenger/Easter egg hunt and take tours to learn about FACT’s animal rescue program.

Right now is baby bird season, and FACT has several rescued babies that have been brought into the facility. Under the direction of FACT Coordinator Marlene Henlsey-Benton, CSUB students help raise the birds for release back into the wild once they reach maturity. Visitors are invited to participate in a baby bird shower by donating items from the “shower registry” (see attached). Examples of items include pans for bird food, shredded cardboard bedding and heating pads.

“Having items donated provides an opportunity for the visitors to be involved with the baby birds’ care. The donations help free up funding to be used on more specialized items that are needed when caring for wildlife,” Hensley-Benton said.

Additionally during the open house, volunteers from CSUB’s 60+ Club will sell educational gifts and souvenirs including zoo books, coloring books, cards and other educational materials to support FACT.

FACT’s mission is to serve as a wildlife rescue, conservation and education project for CSUB. FACT hosts an open house on the first Saturday of each month October through May.

To get to FACT, enter campus on Roadrunner Drive from Camino Media Boulevard. Turn right into Parking Lot I and, at the softball field backdrop, follow the dirt road over the bike path to the parking area.

For more information about FACT, call (661) 654-3167 or visit www.csub.edu/fact.

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