CWI Compass Connect - November 1, 2016
In the Spotlight
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is continuing its efforts to help make higher education more accessible by waiving the College’s $25 application fee, Oct. 31 – Nov. 7. CWI has hosted its Free Application Week initiative since 2012 in an effort to encourage people to take the first step in starting college. For more information, read the full story.
News Highlights
Patriotic Tradition Continues at CWI
A College of Western Idaho (CWI) tradition returns to campus in November as part of the College’s annual Veterans Day activities. The CWI Patriot Range, which is a display of 300 American flags, will stand at CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building for the fourth consecutive year starting Friday (Nov. 4) evening. The Patriot Range is presented by CWI’s Veteran’s Association and Student Enrichment Department.
The community is encouraged to visit the Patriot Range, which provides an incredible visual display of three by five foot flags, precisely constructed to ensure equal distance between each flag and row. The field is lit at night and will be open Nov. 4-12. The flags are generously donated by the Eagle Field of Honor.
"Every day is a perfect day to thank a veteran for his or her service,” says Eagle Field of Honor Project Chair, Kathy Coburn. “As organizers and volunteers of the Eagle Field of Honor and the CWI Patriot Range, our hope is that these events not only give everyone a chance to recognize our veterans, but encourage each of us to pause a moment and reflect on the dedication and sacrifices our military makes on our behalf."
The Patriot Range will also provide a moving backdrop for CWI’s Veterans Day ceremony on Friday, Nov. 11. Student Enrichment will be presenting activities at 1 p.m. at the Academic Building, which will feature a guest speaker, color guard, pipers, refreshments, and more.
Vote on Nov. 8
The November 2016 general election is approaching, which will place a number of ballot items related to College of Western Idaho (CWI) in front of voters from Ada and Canyon counties. CWI would like to remind eligible voters to participate in the election process on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
CWI’s Board of Trustees has proposed a bond measure to facilitate campus development in both Boise and Nampa. The College also has three Board of Trustee seats up for election. Information on CWI’s ballot items can be found at:
- Bond: cwi.edu/bond
- Trustees: cwi.edu/info/board-trustees
For more information on voting, please visit www.idahovotes.gov.
Tanked, Tagged, and Ready to Take Off
B-3912. Male. Tagged and ready for flight. Now a Monarch Butterfly, B-3912 was brought to College of Western Idaho (CWI) as a caterpillar from Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. Left to grow and transform into a brightly-colored butterfly, he has been literally hanging out—with several of his friends—in a tank at the Nampa Campus Academic Building Tutoring Center. Under Biology program student Vance McFarland’s watchful eye, B-3912 is finally ready for the long journey to his winter home in Southern California.
“This guy has a long way to go,” McFarland said. “He is about to fly hundreds of miles away. If someone sees or finds this sticker out in the wild, it will lead back to me. And I sure hope it does.”
McFarland has been working closely with CWI’s Monarch Research Project for the past two years. The U.S. Army combat veteran, who once trained bomb-sniffing dogs as an infantryman, is taking a break between classes to tend to his friends in the tank. He, and a few fellow students, have been tracking and logging the butterflies’ progress since early July. On this October day, they are tagging them and determining whether they are male or female. A few days from now, they will be released.
“When I started going to school, I knew I wanted to be in biology,” McFarland said. “I got involved with this project last year helping Dusty Perkins map the milkweed distribution around (Lake Lowell) and that’s where I first really started falling in love with monarch butterflies.”
After spending this past summer chasing butterflies around Lake Lowell and in spots along the Boise River, McFarland continued his work by bringing eggs and/or caterpillars back to the campus. So far, more than 50 have fully evolved into migration-worthy Monarchs.
“Some of them may make it as far as Mexico. Others will stop in California along the coast,” he said. “When they get to where they are going, they will hang upside down in trees. The hope is that whoever may see them—will see our (tracking) stickers and report the information so we know what happened to them.”
The butterflies that make it through migration—and the winter—will begin making their way back to the north this coming spring and start the cycle all over again. McFarland, who completes his studies at CWI at the end of the year, plans to continue his Monarch research when he transfers to Boise State University.
CWI to Host Election Forum on Nov. 2
College of Western Idaho (CWI) will welcome a trio of guest speakers to campus on Wednesday, Nov. 2, for an hour-long discussion about the 2016 Presidential Election. The forum will feature Boise State University professors; Dr. Jacyln Kettler, Dr. Jeffrey Lyons, and Dr. Steve Utych. The event is open to the public and will run from 6-7 p.m. in the second floor atrium of the Nampa Campus Academic Building.
Each speaker will discuss different aspects of this election including political parties, the role of the media, and how voters are shaping the outcome on Nov. 8. Please contact Rob Harbaugh at 208.562.3406 or robharbaugh@cwi.edu with questions.
Visiting Artist Series Hosts Traci Molloy, Nov. 10-12
College of Western Idaho (CWI) invites the public to participate in a weekend exploration of the work of Brooklyn-based artist and social activist, Traci Molloy. CWI welcomes Molloy as part of the Art department’s Visiting Artist Series. Molloy will host a lecture and workshops, Nov. 10-12, in room 206 of CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building. The weekend schedule will include:
Nov. 10, 6 p.m.
Lecture, Reception, Q&A
Nov. 11-12, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Workshops: Portraiture, contour drawing, composition, symbolic color, pattern, typography, watercolor painting, contrast, basic color theory, and focal point.
Molloy’s work explores adolescent culture, loss, and violence through photography, digital arts, installation, painting, and printmaking. Her collaborations have been exhibited in Johannesburg, New York City, Tokyo, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Cleveland, and featured on Good Morning America and CBS Evening News. Visit www.tracimolloy.com to learn more.
The CWI Visiting Artist Series features both visual and performing artists. It is made possible thanks to a grant from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information or to reserve a spot in the workshops, contact Goran Fazil at goranfazil@cwi.edu.
Contest Announced for CWI Connections Project Logo
Submissions are now being accepted in a contest to create the logo for College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) second-annual Connections Project event. CWI Connections Project aims to connect, educate, and inspire by showcasing work and talents of CWI students and faculty, as well as community members and organizations.
All logo submissions must be received by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1. The logo contest is open to the public. The winner will be notified of their selection the first week of the Spring 2017 semester. The logo selected will be awarded $200 and used for all 2017 Connections Project marketing and information resources made available to the public.
To submit a logo or find more information on CWI Connections Project, visit cwi.edu/current-students/connections-project.
Connecting the Community Through Art
Just about everywhere you look, art can be found in some shape or form. A group of local artists, educators, and community leaders recently gathered at College of Western Idaho (CWI) to talk about the importance of art in public places. The panel-style discussion was open to the public and more than 60 people showed up to participate.
“Public art makes people feel connected,” Karen Bubb, the City of Boise’s public art manager and one of the six panelists, said. “Art has the ability to tell stories and it helps engage our community.”
From monuments and metal sculptures to public graffiti and traditional paintings, the panelists discussed art’s overall value to society. They all agree that art is more than just a gateway for artists to express themselves. It has the power to unite communities.
“Art should be inclusive, not exclusive,” Colby Akers, a panelist and local artist, said. “When people come to me, I never turn them away.”
Akers is the creator behind Boise’s Freak Alley. Located in the heart of downtown, Freak Alley got its start when Akers was painting in an alley behind a Boise business. He was asked to paint the business’s door. When he finished, the owner invited him to keep going, and that’s exactly what he did. He eventually moved from business to business—asking permission to continue his work. No one said no, so he kept on going. So far, more than 300 people have collaborated to make Freak Alley what it is today.
“This gives kids who get in trouble tagging an outlet to do it, and it becomes something positive for the community,” Akers said.
Two other panelists, local artists Mark Baltes and Alma Gomez, are also focused on collaborative efforts. Baltes, a graphic artist, works with local machinists and welders to bring his metal creations to life. Gomez was commissioned to create CWI’s first piece of public art last year, and she did it with CWI art students’ help. The mural they created, titled “Spirit of Collaboration,” was the inspiration for the panel discussion. Partially funded by the Idaho Humanities Council, the mural lives in the lobby at CWI’s Micron Center for Professional Technical Education.
“CWI is continually working to develop its public art program with the goal of strengthening connections with the community and providing valuable learning experiences for students,” Brenda Fisher, CWI’s Art Program Chair, said.
The panel discussion was moderated by Kathleen Keys; the art department chair at Boise State University. CWI Art History instructor Karen Brown also participated, along with Antonia Wynn of the Nampa Art Collective.
Making Music With a Master Musician
CWI Impact - Making Music
Music lovers recently had the opportunity to jam with a master musician at College of Western Idaho (CWI). Local music educator and master percussionist David Gluck held a pair of workshops at CWI’s Nampa Campus Academic Building on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15. Open to the public, participants were able to engage in hands-on learning in a workshop-style setting.
“To me, this is more like an open living room jam session,” Gluck said to those in attendance. “Many of the songs we are playing today have never been performed in public.”
Gluck, who is a world-renowned musician, is a teaching artist. He currently teaches percussion and composition at the Idaho Arts Charter School in Nampa. He was invited to CWI as part of the College’s Visiting Artist Series.
“Our Global Beats workshop with David Gluck was a great experience,” Jeff Davis, workshop organizer and CWI music instructor, said. “Those who participated, which included students, faculty, and members of the community, were treated to some hands-on training in world music from one of the best percussionists in the valley. It was music making at its best—friends joining with friends to learn from and inspire each other.”
The weekend concluded with a public concert by workshop participants and several local musicians who regularly collaborate with Gluck. Fellow percussionist Grant Green and saxophonist Sandon Mayhew accompanied the group—along with Gluck’s students from Idaho Arts Charter School.
The CWI Visiting Artist Series features both visual and performing artists. It is made possible thanks to a grant from the Idaho Commission on the Arts; which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
STEM Out! Brings 140 Young Learners to CWI
College of Western Idaho (CWI) hosted its annual STEM Out! event on Saturday (Oct. 22) bringing 140 kids ages 10-15 to CWI’s Micron Center for Professional Technical Education in Nampa. The event, which is sponsored by CWI’s Center for New Directions and Career and Technical Education, featured 20 unique, hands-on workshops presented by CWI faculty and students. Each participant attended six workshops throughout the day.
Workshops included welding together parts of a take-home clock project, working with state-of-the-industry machine tool technology to create small metal tops, performing surgery on a synthetic surgical dummy, creating and manipulating electrical circuits in mechatronics and heavy equipment, and more.
The goal of the STEM Out! event is to expose young people to occupations in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and careers that are non-traditional by gender. Thank you to all the individuals, programs, and departments that volunteered to help make this event a success. After the event, one parent stated: “Thank you for a GREAT event! My two kiddos had a great time and learned a lot!”
Trimmer Named October Staff of the Month
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has announced Brittney Trimmer is Staff of the Month for October.
Trimmer started working at CWI as an Administrative Assistant for the School of Language and Arts in 2010. She then transitioned to Administrative Assistant to the Associate Vice President and is now a Project Manager III in Academic Affairs. She holds a degree in Graphic Design.
Her nomination states Trimmer displays the core values, “Serving all in an Atmosphere of Caring, Acting with Integrity and Respecting the Dignity of Opinions.” It notes, “Brittney Trimmer is an exceptional colleague and team player and is awesome at her job. She is one my co-worker ‘life-lines’. She has so many talents and is involved in so much here at the college that it seems impossible to recognize them all. She is always willing to help, answer questions, and is very responsive. She’s approachable, knowledgeable and fun, and everyone wants her on their team.”
Trimmer’s involvement at CWI goes way beyond her job. She has served as Staff Senate President, co-chaired the Culture and Employee Engagement Committee, sits on the Safety Committee, ATAC, and more. She is a one-stop shop of information and assistance for so many colleagues. She is known to help with questions about technology, policy and processes, scheduling, courses, curriculum development, and acts as a department trainer for incoming faculty and staff.
Trimmer and her husband have lived in Idaho most their lives. They’ve been together for 11 years and have two daughters and two dogs. When they are looking for some down time they enjoy camping, fishing, and spending time with friends and family. Trimmer is a Realtor in her spare time and also loves helping her husband remodel homes and build his custom sheds.
Please join in congratulating Brittney. Thank you for being such a valuable part of the CWI community.
