Events sponsored by WACC during the 2011-2012 academic year:
16 de Septiembre: A Celebration of the Mexican Independence Thursday, September 15, 2011, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Main Quad
"What is the Historical Significance of the 16 de Septiembre?" Carlos Alberto Contreras, History Department; Music by El Mariachi Autlense, Latin American Entertainer.
The Henrietta Lacks Project: Miss Evers' Boys Tuesday, November 01, 6:30 p.m., Room 26-220
As part of a two-week celebration of Rebecca Skloot's award-winning book of nonfiction, The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, director Joe Sargent and cinematographer Donald M. Morgan will introduce the film, Miss Evers' Boys--about the Tuskegee syphilis experiments--and lead a discussion on the Ethics of Human Subject Research afterward.
Day Of the Dead: "Rites Of the Day of the Dead" Wednesday, November 02, Griffin Gate (Building 65), 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Enjoy a 20-minute film presentation, Rites Of the Day of the Dead, to celebrate The Day of the Dead, an ancient festivity intended in pre-Hispanic Mexico to celebrate children and the dead, and now a time when families honor and remember their dead and the continuity of life. Hosted by the Spanish Club. Preceded by a lecture from Virginia Young. Also available will be free distribution to students of “pan de muerto” (bread of the dead).
Theatre Arts Department welcomes artist and master teacher Don McLeod to our campus for a 2.5 hour workshop in the Japanese movement based theatrical art of Butoh. The history of our art begins with the Greek Culture and moves its way through the diverse European cultures far before it reached American shores. Many of our acting theories are based in the work of the famous Russian director Konstantin Stanislavski and our mime courses have their roots in Italy and France, while costume theory, design and construction has as diverse a reach as the amount of cultures that exist in the world. With a direct correlation to many of our already established courses of study, Butoh Theatre specifically addresses a component of movement, style and performance that we do not currently teach in our department.
The Fall Draw: Explore Identity Through Creativity Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Main Quad
Students, staff, faculty and surrounding community are invited to come out and create a drawing that acts as a cultural expression about their place in the diverse community that is Grossmont College. Organizer: Jennifer Bennett, Art Dept.
New Voices: A Student Reading Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 7:00 p.m., Room 26-220
The best and brightest writers from the Creative Writing Programs fall courses take the mic to showcase their work in performances of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and drama in this extremely popular bi-annual event. Refreshments and desserts made possible by a generous grant from WACC.
Lecture "Islam and China" Spring 2012 (Date, times, and location, TBA)
Educational lecture about the presence of the religion of Islam in China, a little known fact that addresses the belief the Chinese adhere to Buddhism, Confucianism and Christianity only. Dr. Alex Stewart is senior coordinator of education and exhibits at the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum. Organizer: June Yang, Religious Studies Program.
Black History Month February 01, 2012, days, times, and locations vary
February 01 - March 1, 2012. Saturday, February 4, 10-12 p.m.: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Thursday, February 9, 16 and 23: Jazz Kitchen with Soul Food Specials. Thursday, February 23, 7:00 p.m.: African Americana featuring the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Choir San Diego with the Grossmont College Master Chorale and Gospel Choir. Monday, February 27, 2 p.m.: Kadir Nelson presents "Heart & Soul: The Story of America and African Americans." Thursday, March 1, 7 p.m.: Documentary "Showing of Louder than A Bomb."
Celebration of Chinese New Year Monday, February 6, 2012, Main Quad from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
The event will start with a presentation by Dr. Yiran Zheng, adjunct Chinese language professor with a Ph.D. in Chinese Language and Culture, who will explain the significance of the celebration. Following Dr. Zheng, the audience will have the opportunity see and participate in the Dragon Dance, listen to traditional Chinese music and taste free tea, egg rolls and cookies.
50th Anniversary Spring Art Festival April 12, 2012, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Main Quad 4th Annual Spring Art Festival. Organizers: The Art and Design Club.
Cultural Influences on Healthcare April 12, 2012, Room 26-220
The California Student Nurses Association represents the Nursing Department in hosting four speakers from various cultures, including Asian, European, and African American, to speak to the Allied Health students and faculty, offer insights into these cultures regarding healthcare, and explore ways to take care of certain patients in specific cultural groups. The aim is to gain knowledge regarding verbal and non-verbal expression of healthcare values and beliefs from these cultures in order to develop a plan of care with an emphasis on patient safety. Organizer: Angelo Ngo, Nursing Program.
Author Sandra Cisneros: Reading and Book-Signing April 26, 2012, 7 – 9 p.m., Griffin Gate
An American novelist, short-story writer, essayist and poet, Sandra Cisneros is celebrated by literary scholars and critics for works that help bring the perspective of women, particularly those of Mexican-American descent, into the mainstream of American literature. One of the first Latina writers to achieve commercial success in this country, Cisneros is best known for her novel House on Mango Street in which she chronicles the adolescence of Esperanza, a poor Latina growing up in a working-class Chicago neighborhood who longs for a room of her own and a house of which she can be proud. Her novels, innovative for crossing borders of genre and form, also include the internationally acclaimed Caramelo, awarded the Premio Napoli, nominated for the Orange Prize, and shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Additionally, Cisneros is the founder of the Macondo Foundation, a collective of writers who view their work and talents as part of a larger task of community-building and promoting non-violent social change.
Author Tim O'Brien: Reading and Book-Signing May 03, 2012, 2 – 3:15 p.m. Griffin Gate
O'Brien, considered one of the greatest living American authors and inspirational speakers, has garnered international acclaim for his work. He is most well known for his novel, The Things They Carried, a National Book Award Winner and Pulitzer Prize Finalist, considered one of the most—if not the most—powerful books about the Vietnam War and war in general. An excerpt from the book of the same title is published in The Best American Short of the Century. As a young man, O’Brien was against the war, but reported for service and was sent to Vietnam with what has been called the “unlucky” American division due to its involvement in the My Lai massacre in 1968. This experience is chronicled in the book, In the Lake of the Woods, which was named novel of the year by Time magazine. After Vietnam, O’Brien became a graduate student at Harvard, and he was one of very few Vietnam veterans at the time, much less a Combat Infantry Badge holder. After an internship at the Washington Post, he eventually became a newspaper reporter. O’Brien’s career as a reporter gave way to his fiction writing after the publication of his memoir If I Die In a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Send Me Home. Alix Wilber asserts that O’Brien’s memoir “is more than just a memoir of a disastrous war; it is also a meditation on heroism and cowardice, on the mutability of truth and morality in a war zone and, most of all, the simple, human capacity to endure the unendurable.”
Cinco de Mayo Celebration May 03, 2012, Main Quad
Presentation by Dr. Carlos Contreras, History Professor, an expert in Latin American History, who will explain the significance of the celebration and will highlight the events that took place before and after the battle. Following Dr. Contreras, the audience will have the opportunity to hear Hugo Vega sing Latin American songs that are part of the rich genre that people sing in Mexico and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. Following Mr. Vega, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy Mariachis who will sing authentic Mexican songs. The Mariachi musicians wear the authentic “charro” costume typical of this music genre. Students will be able to follow the songs with handouts and will be able to request songs of their choice. Dancing will be encouraged with the many Latin American students that are part of the GC student population. This event will also help to clarify the misconception that 5 de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. The students will also have the opportunity to sample authentic Mexican food that will be sold by Sodexho and taste Mexican sweet bread courtesy of WACC.
16 de Septiembre: A Celebration of the Mexican Independence
Thursday, September 15, 2011, Main Quad, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. "What is the Historical Significance of the 16 de Septiembre?" Carlos Alberto Contreras, History Department; Music by El Mariachi Autlense, Latin American Entertainer
The Henrietta Lacks Project presents "Miss Evers' Boys"
Tuesday, November 01, Room 220 (Building 26), 6:30 p.m. As part of a two-week celebration of Rebecca Skloot's award-winning book of nonfiction, The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, director Joe Sargent and cinematographer Donald M. Morgan will introduce the film, Miss Evers' Boys--about the Tuskegee syphilis experiments--and lead a discussion on the Ethics of Human Subject Research afterward.
Rites Of the Day of the Dead
Day Of the Dead: A Short Film, "Rites Of the Day of the Dead." Wednesday, November 02, Griffin Gate (Building 65), 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Enjoy a 20-minute film presentation to celebrate The Day of the Dead, an ancient festivity intended in pre-Hispanic Mexico to celebrate children and the dead, and now a time when families honor and remember their dead and the continuity of life. Hosted by the Spanish Club.
Butoh Theatre Workshop
Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - 8:50 p.m., Room 220 (Building 26)
Theatre Arts Department welcomes artist and master teacher Don McLeod to our campus for a 2.5 hour workshop in the Japanese movement based theatrical art of Butoh.
The Fall Draw
Explore Identity Through Creativity. Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Main Quad. Students, staff, faculty and surrounding community are invited to come out and create a drawing that acts as a cultural expression about their place in the diverse community that is Grossmont College.
New Voices: A Student Reading
Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 7:00 p.m., Room 220 (Building 26). The best and brightest writers from the Creative Writing Programs fall courses take the mic to showcase their work in performances of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and drama in this extremely popular bi-annual event. Refreshments and desserts, made possible by a generous grant from WACC.
Lecture on "Islam and China" by Alex Steward
Spring 2012. Dr. Alex Stewart, senior coordinator of education and exhibits at the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum.
Black History Month
February 01 - March 1, 2012. Saturday, February 4, 10-12 p.m.: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Thursday, February 9, 16 and 23: Jazz Kitchen with Soul Food Specials. Thursday, February 23, 7:00 p.m.: African Americana featuring the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Choir San Diego with the Grossmont College Master Chorale and Gospel Choir. Monday, February 27, 2 p.m.: Kadir Nelson presents "Heart & Soul: The Story of America and African Americans." Thursday, March 1, 7 p.m.: Documentary "Showing of Louder than A Bomb."
Celebration of Chinese New Year
[Photo: Dylan Burke] Monday, February 6, 2012, Main Quad from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The event will start with a presentation by Dr. Yiran Zheng, adjunct Chinese language professor with a Ph.D. in Chinese Language and Culture, who will explain the significance of the celebration. Following Dr. Zheng, the audience will have the opportunity see and participate in the Dragon Dance, listen to traditional Chinese music and taste free tea, egg rolls and cookies.
50th Anniversary Spring Art Festival
April 12, 2012
The Art and Design Club hosts the 4th Annual Spring Art Festival in the Main Quad, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cultural Influences on Healthcare
April 12, 2012
Literary Arts Festival: Sandra Cisneros
Thursday, April 26, 7:00 - 9 p.m., Griffin Gate (Building 60). Reading and Book Signing. An American novelist, short-story writer, essayist and poet, Sandra Cisneros is celebrated by literary scholars and critics for works that help bring the perspective of women, particularly those of Mexican-American descent, into the mainstream of American literature. One of the first Latina writers to achieve commercial success in this country, Cisneros is best known for her novel House on Mango Street in which she chronicles the adolescence of Esperanza, a poor Latina growing up in a working-class Chicago neighborhood who longs for a room of her own and a house of which she can be proud. Her novels, innovative for crossing borders of genre and form, also include the internationally acclaimed Caramelo, awarded the Premio Napoli, nominated for the Orange Prize, and shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Additionally, Cisneros is the founder of the Macondo Foundation, a collective of writers who view their work and talents as part of a larger task of community-building and promoting non-violent social change.
Literary Arts Festival: Tim O'Brien
Thursday, May 03, 2:00 - 3:15 p.m., Griffin Gate (Building 60). Reading and Book Signing. O'Brien, considered one of the greatest living American authors and inspirational speakers, has garnered international acclaim for his work. He is most well known for his novel, The Things They Carried, a National Book Award Winner and Pulitzer Prize Finalist, considered one of the most—if not the most—powerful books about the Vietnam War and war in general. An excerpt from the book of the same title is published in The Best American Short of the Century. As a young man, O’Brien was against the war, but reported for service and was sent to Vietnam with what has been called the “unlucky” American division due to its involvement in the My Lai massacre in 1968. This experience is chronicled in the book, In the Lake of the Woods, which was named novel of the year by Time magazine. After Vietnam, O’Brien became a graduate student at Harvard, and he was one of very few Vietnam veterans at the time, much less a Combat Infantry Badge holder. After an internship at the Washington Post, he eventually became a newspaper reporter. O’Brien’s career as a reporter gave way to his fiction writing after the publication of his memoir If I Die In a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Send Me Home. Alix Wilber asserts that O’Brien’s memoir “is more than just a memoir of a disastrous war; it is also a meditation on heroism and cowardice, on the mutability of truth and morality in a war zone and, most of all, the simple, human capacity to endure the unendurable.”
Cinco de Mayo Film Event: "Juarez"
Thursday May 3rd 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.. Room 220 - Come learn about the history behind Cinco de Mayo and how the world might have looked quite different had Benito Juarez and his armies been unsuccessful in defeating the French and anti-democratic forces! Also sponsored by the Members of the Grossmont College Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee.
