Poet Lee Herrick talks at Hartnell

Poet Lee Herrick talks to students after his Thursday readings.

“Honor what you’re doing at the time. . . . .There’s too much beauty in the world not to notice things,” poet Lee Herrick told a packed house on September 24, when asked where some of his inspiration comes from.

Herrick, a Fresno City College instructor and the author of the critically acclaimed collection of poetry called This Many Miles From Desire, gave two poetry readings at Steinbeck Hall on Thursday morning.

“Sometimes powerful images just stay with me, even when I don’t use them in my poetry right away,” he told students.

In addition to his poetry, Herrick has a textbook on creative writing due to be published in 2010. His advice to aspiring artists: Read everything you can get your hands on; ask questions and take the advice of instructors—it’s a blessing to be at a college; remember the stories you want to tell and tell them, making them real with your own voice; and work at your writing—rarely does a poem come out, fully formed and done in one sitting.

Herrick read poems from his extensive travels throughout Latin America, and also from his Korea writing. Herrick was born in Korea and adopted as an infant to a family living in the East Bay area. Many of his poems touch on the adoption experience.

H1N1 - Information and Additional Resources

Hartnell College and the Monterey County Health Department are partnering to help distribute information regarding the H1N1 virus and how it affects you.

The latest H1N1 Update from the Monterey County Health Department:
Latest Update

California Community Coleges Pandemic Education and Prevention Video
A Pandemic Awareness Video explaining what to do to help prevent the spread of H1N1 flu virus.

General FAQs can be found at: www.cdc.gov/swineflu

Prevention Techniques are found at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

Prevention & Treatment

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against 2009 H1N1 virus. However, a 2009 H1N1 vaccine is currently in production and may be ready for the public in the fall. As always, a vaccine will be available to protect against seasonal influenza
There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza.

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners* are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.

Other important actions that you can take are:

Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home for a week or so; a supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand rubs,* tissues and other related items might could be useful and help avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick and contagious
What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?
If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
Keep away from others as much as possible. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

Hartnell College Allows you to take Classes from Home!

Learn Dreamweaver while still in Bed! Study Biology from your kitchen table! Earn your degree from the convenience of your home and computer.

Hartnell College currently has over 35 courses available online, ranging from Administration of Justice Programs, Anthropology, Biology, Business, English, History, Math and Political Science! Here's a list of current offerings!

ADJ-1 Intro to Admin of Justice

ADJ-11 Law Enforcement Report Writing

ADJ-3 Concepts of Criminal Law

ADJ-4 Criminal Evidence

ADJ-5 Criminal Procedures

ADJ-21A Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs

ADJ-51 Criminology

ANT-1 Physical Anthropology

ANT-2 Intro to Cultural Anthropology

ANT-10 California Indians

BIO-12 Introduction to Genetics

BIO-42 Human Biology

BUS-18 Legal Environment of Business

BUS-32 Introduction to Business

BUS-194 Human Relations in Business

COU-21 SSS: Orientation

CSS-126 Dreamweaver

CSS-29 Programming for Multimedia

CSS-43 Comp Systems & Info Literacy

CSS-90 Internet Literacy

ENG-1A College Composition & Reading

ENG-1B College Literature and Comp.

ENG-2 Critical Thinking and Writing

ENG-31 Beg Creative Writing/Intro

ENG-32 Interm Creative Writing

ENG-33 Adv Creative Writing/Mag Pub

HES-10 Intro to Clinic Lab Profession

HIS-17A United States History A

HIS-17B United States History B

LIB-5 Inf Comp in the Sci & App Tech

LIB-6 Inf Comp in the Soc Sciences

LIB-7 Inf Comp in Lit and Fine Arts

LIB-90 Internet Literacy

MAT-123 Intermediate Algebra

MAT-13 Elementary Statistics

POL-1 American Political Institution

PSY-2 General Psychology

Online learning allows you to learn whenever and wherever it is convenient for you. You have the flexibility of taking Hartnell College courses without coming to campus on a regular basis.

You can participate in our online classes anywhere you have access to a computer and the Internet. Our online courses provide the same quality of instruction and cover the same material as Hartnell’s on-campus courses while allowing you flexibility in your schedule.

Visit www.hartnell.edu/ecampus/ to learn more!

Why did you enroll this semester?

In an April 30th, 2009 article from the California Community Colleges an article was published titled, "Community College Enrollments Surge, Outpace Available Resources".

SACRAMENTO – Newly tabulated attendance data indicate that student enrollments at California’s 110 community colleges are surging at a dramatic rate. Reports submitted by the community colleges to the State Chancellor’s Office show that enrollments are up at 103 of the state’s 110 community colleges. Statewide, enrollments have increased by 6.4 percent, or over 150,000 students, compared to last year.

“These enrollment reports are confirming what college leaders have been saying from the beginning of the academic year—the demand for community college education and training is surging,” said State Chancellor Jack Scott. “With statewide unemployment at 11.2 percent, California’s displaced workers are pursuing the training they need to get back in the workforce. The colleges are also seeing more demand from students who were not able to enter the University of California or California State University due to restricted admissions.”
(read the full article here)

So our question is what are your goals and why did you choose to enroll at Hartnell this semester? Are you trying to acheive a certificate? Transfer to a four year college? Are you looking for workforce training? Tell us!

Wolfram! Good or Bad?

Jeffrey R. Young recently published an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education titled: "A Calculating Web Site Could Ignite a New Campus 'Math War'" here's an excerpt:

The long-running debate over whether students should be allowed to wield calculators during mathematics examinations may soon seem quaint.

The latest dilemma facing professors is whether to let students turn to a Web site called WolframAlpha, which not only solves complex math problems, but also can spell out the steps leading to those solutions. In other words, it can instantly do most of the homework and test questions found in many calculus textbooks.

The new tool will be a bane to teaching, some professors say—but others see a blessing.

(click here to read the entire article)

I was intrigued and checked out Wolfram and was amazed!! If you have 13 minutes and 23 seconds please watch this incredible video. And if you think that was intriguing then try it for yourself and let us know what you think. Is this a great resource or a bane to teaching?