Bert's Alerts—Sept. 1, 2017

News Highlights

CollegeTREK a Huge Success!

As College of Western Idaho (CWI) freshman, Francois Garcia, walked across a beam, 25-feet- above the ground, she yelled, “Don’t stop singing!”, while CollegeTREK campers on the ground sang “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.

With a focus on team building, networking, college preparedness, and, of course, having fun, close to 20 students participated in College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) first-ever CollegeTREK program Aug. 25-27, at Paradise Point Camp in McCall, Idaho. Clear water from Payette Lake rolling onto the beach and Ponderosa pines towering over the cabins, created a beautiful setting for camp.

The three-day, interactive camp was a great opportunity for students to make new friends, learn about college life, become familiar with CWI’s network of resources, and interact with staff, faculty, and peer advisors.

Following a hearty breakfast of pancakes and sausage, students hit the ropes course on Saturday morning. As groups made their way from station to station they encountered walls, tight ropes, and a 28-foot-high pole called the “Leap of Faith”, which they jumped off of — relying on a harness to break their fall and fellow team members to give them the encouragement to leap.

Later in the day, camp goers descended on the water to swim or kayak, while others negotiated a Wibit water obstacle course and played beach volleyball.

Each day came to a close with a large bonfire next to the lake, giving participants a chance to make s’mores and reflect on the adventures experienced at camp.

Navigating college can be an awesome and challenging journey. CollegeTREK is designed to help students start their successful passage through college by building a strong foundation with faculty connections, personal assistance from advising, and a one-on-one introduction to Student Life.

Thanks to funding from Wells Fargo and hard work from CWI Student Life to organize this event, CollegeTREK provided a solid launching pad for student participants, like Francois Garcia.

Microbiology: Coming to Life with Mosquitoes

Microbiology teaches us about bacteria, viruses, vectors, environments, etc. Seeing them in a textbook is one thing but seeing the theory of microbiology come to life in a real situation is another. Recently, a company called Verily has come up with a plan to introduce bacteria into male mosquitoes to eliminate the type of mosquitoes that can carry the Zika virus. Zika is a virus that is spread from a mosquito bite and spreads from mother to her fetus, through blood contact and sex. It is most dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause birth defects, stillborns and even miscarriages.

Why male mosquitoes? Male mosquitoes do not bite humans. So when the population is increased you don’t have an increase in those pesky biting, itch-causing bugs. Mosquitoes that are capable of carrying the Zika virus have made their way north to as far as Fresno California. The concern is that these mosquitoes will encounter a person that has the Zika virus from either traveling or contracting from someone that has traveled and gotten the virus. The mosquitoes will then be able to pass the virus to another person. To get ahead of this potential epidemic, Verily has hatched a plan to kill off these mosquitoes by releasing other mosquitoes with a bacteria called Wolbachia bacteria. This bacteria is harmless to humans but when passed from mosquito to mosquito, this bacteria makes the eggs of the infected mosquitoes soft and unable to hatch. This will kill off the mosquitoes that can carry the Zika virus.

This is a perfect case of microbiology coming to life in a real-world situation. Mosquitoes are the vector and carry the bacteria to other mosquitoes making them unable to reproduce. Wolbachia is a bacteria that affects mosquitoes and is not harmful to humans. A great example of what is wanted when looking for a drug or vaccine. Next time you feel that annoying itch or see mosquitoes flying around, think of how they are being used to offset an epidemic.

References

https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/14/googles-life-sciences-unit-is-releasing-20-million-bacteria-infected-mosquitoes-in-fresno/

https://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/overview.html

BY CARLEY PICKETT
CWI STUDENT

CWI Partners with CSU-Global to Facilitate Bachelors Degree Completion for Student Success

College of Western Idaho (CWI) is excited to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Colorado State University-Global Campus (CSU-Global). This agreement affords CWI graduates an additional, guaranteed, seamless transfer pathway at the junior level into any online bachelor’s degree at CSU-Global.

“We are pleased to finalize this articulation agreement with CSU-Global, which provides tremendous value for our students and employees,” said David Shellberg, CWI’s Executive Vice President of Instruction and Student Services. “We couldn’t be happier to provide transfer opportunities to CSU-Global and the high quality online bachelor’s degree programs they offer.”

CSU-Global Campus accepts up to 90 transfer credits, including up to 64 semester hours from junior, community, or career colleges, towards its bachelor’s degree programs. Students who have completed their associate’s degree from CWI are guaranteed admission.

Through this agreement, CSU-Global will establish additional program-specific articulation agreements with CWI. These articulations provide a clear transfer pathway for students who have career and education aspirations beyond the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees they have earned.

Additionally, graduates of CWI will be eligible for CSU-Global’s Affiliate Two-Year Discount through this agreement. This discount is awarded to any student from a two-year affiliate school who enrolls at CSU-Global within one year of graduating from their associate’s degree with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher. These students receive a 10% tuition discount, which is locked for the duration of their bachelor’s degree program through CSU-Global’s Tuition Guarantee.

“This relationship recognizes CSU-Global’s commitment to providing students with greater educational opportunities,” says Colorado State University-Global Campus Provost and Vice President, Dr. Jon Bellum. “As an online state university dedicated to student support, this MOU helps us become an active educational partner with CWI alumni who have completed a two-year degree and are looking to take their education to the next level by earning their bachelor’s degree.”

Volunteers Needed for 2017 Semana Cultural

In 2016, College of Western Idaho (CWI) hosted the very first Fiesta Cultural. This year, CWI has partnered with Radio Rancho to celebrate the conclusion of Hispanic Heritage Month with a bigger, and better, Semana Cultural! Semana Cultural will kick-off with Fiesta Cultural on Saturday, Oct. 7, which will include dancers, boxing, martial arts demonstrations, and activities for kids. Lectures and presentations on various topics pertinent to the Hispanic community will take place the following week on the second floor atrium of the Nampa Campus Academic Building.

Semana Cultural needs your help! We are looking for employees to help staff the Fiesta Cultural event, on Oct. 7, in two-hour shifts between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Those wishing to volunteer must obtain permission from their supervisor.

Visit semanacultural.signupsheet.com to sign up. Volunteers will receive a confirmation email and additional details will be provided as the date approaches.

Employees unable to volunteer that day are encouraged to support the event in other ways including:

Attending the event and encouraging others to attend
Offering extra credit to students for participating in lectures throughout the week
Encouraging students to participate in Fiesta Cultural via a group project or assignment (for example, Anthropology Club hosting a booth to discuss Mayan Culture)

Please contact Luis Caloca at luiscaloca@cwi.edu for additional questions or concerns.

Food Truck Schedule—September 2017

Southern Idaho Food Truck Association at CWI

Food trucks have proven to be quite popular with College of Western Idaho (CWI) students, staff, and faculty on campus! Thank you to those who have chosen to frequent the variety of food trucks visiting campus. Sales have been steady, and food truck partners are hopeful sales will continue to increase as the CWI community becomes more aware of this option.

Food trucks are on campus Monday-Thursday, from approximately 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Nampa Campus Academic Building and Ada County Campus Pintail Building. Community members are also welcome to enjoy the food truck service.

September’s schedule is now available! Follow @CollegeofWesternIdaho on Facebook for details and updates on when your favorite food truck will be here!

food_truck_schedule_sept.pdf

Fall 2017 Transfer Fair

The College of Western Idaho (CWI) invites you to the Fall 2017 Transfer Fair! College and university representatives will be on campus Tuesday, Oct. 3, to discuss programs, majors, and transfer requirements. Times and locations are listed below.

Tuesday, Oct. 3

9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Ada County Campus Pintail Center (APIN)
Student Commons
1360 S. Eagle Flight Way
Boise, ID 83709

12:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Nampa Campus Academic Building
1^st floor lobby
5500 E. Opportunity Drive
Nampa, ID 83697

For questions, please contact Brittney Hernandez, brittneyhernandez@cwi.edu, or Erica Compton, ericacompton@cwi.edu, in Student Advising and Success.

CWI to Host Public Job Fair on Sept. 22

College of Western Idaho will help students and community members connect with job opportunities with a job fair on Friday, Sept. 22.

College of Western Idaho (CWI) will help students and community members connect with job opportunities during a job fair on Friday, Sept. 22. The event is open to the public and will focus on seasonal employment and jobs ideal for students working their way through school. The fair, presented in partnership with the Idaho Department of Labor, will take place:

Friday, Sept. 22
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
CWI’s Nampa Campus Aspen Classroom Building
6002 Birch Lane, Nampa

Over 50 employers have registered for the job fair, including organizations in the following industries:

Health care
Caregiving
Food Service
Manufacturing
Law Enforcement

Job seekers at the event will also have the opportunity to learn about resources such as resume writing, networking, educational opportunities and more from CWI and Idaho Department of Labor. Attendees are encouraged to take their resume and be prepared to interview with employers.

June 2017 Faculty of the Month—Stephanie Ritchie Breach

The June 2017 Faculty of the Month recognition goes to Stephanie Ritchie Breach. Breach has taught at CWI since 2009 and was also recently recognized as the 2016-17 Faculty of the Year. Beginning her time as adjunct faculty, she then became the very first, full-time faculty member for Criminal Justice. Breach started the Criminal Justice Club and Criminal Justice internship program at the College, both of which have given students countless opportunities for hands-on experience. Her areas of interest include prisons, the court system, juvenile justice, and outlaw biker gangs. Prior to her work at CWI, Breach worked in the juvenile justice system for 12 years as a juvenile probation officer and the director of a youth court program. She also spent time teaching new probation officers at the POST academy.

Breach is the mother of two amazing kids, ages 12 and 9, and can often be found at football, soccer, baseball, and softball fields cheering them on. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys riding motorcycles with her husband, watching Wonder Woman, crafting, and having lunch with her girlfriends.

July 2017 Faculty of Distinction – Andy Jensen

Andy Jensen was named as the July 2017 Faculty of Distinction. Jensen earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology with an emphasis in Industrial Hygiene and a minor in Chemistry from Utah State University, as well as a doctorate of Chiropractic from Parker University. Jensen was a primary care chiropractic physician for nine years. After closing his practice for medical reasons, he began teaching full-time. Jensen loves teaching and gets really excited about biology, anatomy, and physiology. He has been teaching Anatomy and Physiology for over 16 years at various institutions across the Treasure Valley. Jensen enjoys archery, disc golf, playing the bass guitar, road biking with his wife, spending time with his adult children, and cooking. He has two cats and two dogs, all rescue animals, and a ball python named Loki.

2017 Wishing Well Applications

The College of Western Idaho (CWI) Foundation began accepting Wishing Well applications Wednesday, Aug. 16! The Wishing Well was created to encourage the development, enhancement, and improvement of the educational environment and learning opportunities provided at the College. Wishing Well funds are intended for small items, resources, or activities not typically funded through department and program budgets.

Thanks to the generosity of CWI employees and the support of community partners, nine 2016 Wishing Well applicants were awarded a total of over $6,000. Awards were utilized to produce student posters for the 2017 Connections Project, purchase signs for the Native Plant Garden at the Nampa Campus Academic Building, support CWI’s Visiting Artist Series and more!

"We have been able to give our students unique and dynamic experiences," said Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair, Brenda Fisher, "by bringing in professional artists to present lectures, exhibitions, and performances."

Do not miss out on this exciting opportunity! Applications for this year’s Wishing Well funds will be accepted through Friday, Sept. 8. Visit the Wishing Well Grants page on myCWI to learn more and to find the 2017 Wishing Well application. For questions, please contact the CWI Foundation at foundation@cwi.edu or 208.562.3100.

Staff of the Month Nominations

Staff Senate Recognition Committee would like to remind everyone that we are accepting nominations for Staff of the Month. Please use the following link: Staff of the Month Nomination Form and let us know how the staff member you are nominating is demonstrating our core values.

Core Values: