In my first blogpost for VCSocial I wrote about the future of Ventura College’s New Media Gallery. It was my vantage point looking through the windows at a gallery that had weathered the global pandemic essentially by shutting down. In this post, I get the chance to share with you the insight of Cara Lasell Bonewitz, the artist whose work hung in the gallery, in the shadows, for over a year.
Cara speaking to Ventura College students about her process in creating Current in the Shadows. Photo by Gallery Director Jesse Groves.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to speak with Cara one on one in the gallery that has now opened its doors to the public. She was preparing to take down her exhibition after a brief but well-deserved re-opening of her collected works that embodied Current in the Shadows. Below is the audio recording of that conversation.
“(The shadows)…the most ephemeral part of this show…have ended up being the constant.” -Cara Lasell Bonewitz
As the art world grapples with the complications of a post pandemic future, the questions are many and difficult. The conversation you’re about to listen to shares Cara’s insights as an artist, reflecting on her work and her experience with an exhibition that opened as the world shut down, hung in the shadows in a closed gallery for over a year, and then reopened for a final viewing as the world reopened its doors to a reality we never expected to face.
Snapper Jacks Taco Shack is currently celebrating their 25th anniversary. They offer a mix of Mexican and seafood from three different locations. These locations are in Venture, Camarillo and Thousand Oaks. With a wide variety of items on their menu, and nine different savory salsas to spice up any item on the menu at their salsa bar. In this episode we dive right into the core of customer experience—from the ocean-themed ambiance to the enticing sound of fresh fish cooking on the grill to welcoming smiles, the relaxed beach-town vibe, or the ideal Baja-style taco, which embodies the Snapper Jack’s, accompanied by positive vibes.Jana SinsonVC Social: About MeInstagram: @_jxnxmxysnJazlyn PonceVC Social: About MeInstagram: @jazlyn_p
Saturday, the VC football team clinched the 2021 Northern Conference Title, defeating a past rival, Canyons. A key player in the success of our Pirates this year is Kicker/Punter, Alberto Arroyo.
A Carpinteria High School alum, Tito wasn’t raised playing football, but rather soccer. (It’s not uncommon for the Kicker/Punter to be a soccer player.) Originally, Arroyo had no interest in football, but before his sophomore year of high school, he was recruited by some friends who recognized his talent. He decided to play for fun! He played 4 years of soccer and 3 years of football with the Carpinteria High School Warriors.
When asked about adjusting his kicking technique as he switched from soccer to football, Tito explained, “The technique is way different, especially with the follow through. It took time for me to get used to it.” Arroyo attended training camps where he was able to work on his technique and strength as a kicker. His lifelong soccer training served as a great foundation for his kicking career.
In his senior year, Tito had friends already attending Ventura College who recruited him to continue his football journey and play for VC Pirates. In 2019, Tito joined Ventura College Football as a kicker. He played a lot during his first season and the Pirates went 8-3 that year.
In 2020 when the pandemic hit, Tito and his teammates were able to continue practicing despite not having a real season. They trained together and united as a team. The players grew closer to their coaches and respected each other on a whole new level. Arroyo mentioned in 2019 when he first started all the players didn’t play as a team as much as they all did for themselves. During Covid, they began to take their coaches advice more seriously and created a bond amongst the whole team and coaching staff.
With the lifting of the restrictions from the pandemic, the Pirates football team emerged united as a powerhouse team not to be reckoned with. After an undefeated season so far, last Saturday the Pirates defeated Canyons, a rival team who had beat them in 2019. Ventura College and Canyons were the top two teams in Southern California. Tito attributes that game as his favorite because so much was riding on it. It made their victory that much sweeter. Tito’s punts and field goals were essential to the success of the team.
Aside from football, Arroyo has already completed his AA in Communications at Ventura College. He hopes to continue his football career and transfer to Fresno State in the spring.
Tito will be playing on Saturday, November 13 at home against East Los Angeles. If they, the Pirates would clinch the top seed in the Southern California Football Association’s Final Four, securing home field advantage throughout the state playoffs. Kickoff at the Sportsplex is scheduled for 6:00 pm as VC Athletics celebrates Veteran Student Night and Military Appreciation Night.
Image of the Educational Assistance Center building
You may have heard of the DSP&S/EAC on Ventura College’s campus but not be familiar with what it is or what they do. I know I wasn’t familiar with this acronym. So, I did a little digging and found a wonderful program that is here to serve the students at Ventura College.
The official name is Disabled Students Programs & Services / Educational Assistance Center (DSP&S/EAC). For short, known as the EAC. The EAC promotes the educational and vocational potential of students with disabilities by supporting each student’s integration into the mainstream of college life.
Recently, I spoke with Patty Wendt, the EAC coordinator, who has been with EAC for 26 years, and has a wealth of information on what the EAC offers Ventura college students.
Goals in serving the student
The EAC serves on average, over 1,200 Ventura College students each year. Their primary goals are:
To provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in the educational activities at Ventura College.
To provide qualified students with disabilities the required services and accommodations to meet their educational needs.
To provide qualified students with disabilities the special classes needed to prepare them for success in the general college classes.
EAC provides services to students with:
Physical disabilities
Deaf and hard of hearing
Blind or have low vision
Learning disabilities
Acquired brain injuries
ADHD
Intellectual disability
Autism Spectrum
Mental health disability
So, what services do they offer?
Priority Registration to students who qualify for services through EAC. This ensures students get access to the classes they need; with the accommodations they need.
Classroom accommodations, such as sitting at the front of the class.
Note taking assistance, if a student doesn’t have the ability to take notes during a class lecture, due to their disability.
Extended test time if a student’s disability may prohibit them from completing a test during the allowed class time.
1:1 tutoring is available if needed, beyond general tutoring assistance
Alternate media formats are available to students, if they need instructional materials in Braille, large print, or auditory formats.
Learning Abilities Program, offering classes such as LS V02 (Reading Comprehension and Problem Solving), LS V07 (Techniques of Problem Solving – Math), and LS V25 (Improving Grammar and Writing Skills), allowing students to gain skills that they can apply in their approach to other college classes.
Assistive Computer Technology (ACT) provides alternatives to interacting with computers. Students who are blind or have low vision can use software tools which verbalize the text content of the screen. There are software tools which magnify the content of the screen. Students also have access to Braille printers with optical character recognition and speech synthesizers.
Innovation Cognitive Achievement network (ICAN)/Journey Overcoming Barriers (JOB) helps studentsbuild essential employment skills, including the “soft skills” that employers desire and value most. It’s not a specific career pathway, but students learn appropriate social skills and optimal workplace behavior, appropriate communication skills for the workplace, as well as computer, personal finance, and technological skills to succeed in the workplace.
Learning Disability (LD) assessments can be arranged to support students who may have an undiagnosed Learning Disability. Current Ventura students with no other qualifying disability can meet with the Learning Disability Specialist for a thorough Intake screening to decide if assessment is appropriate. This will allow you to discover your cognitive and academic strengths and weaknesses while also determining eligibility for services. You’ll receive an individual recommendation on how to improve learning, study strategies, and utilize accommodations.
How to apply for Services
You must complete an application to qualify for requested services. In addition to the application, you must also complete the disability verification form. Then you can make an appointment with an EAC counselor either in-person or online. The counselor will complete the Academic Accommodation plan with you which will authorize learning accommodations based on the educational limitations caused by your disability. There is no fee for the services received through EAC. If you don’t have documentation for the disability through a doctor, EAC can provide you with an assessment to see if you qualify for assistance.
There’s a team working with you
The EAC has two counselors, one person managing alternate media formats, one person managing disability testing, and two instructional teachers for EAC Learning Skills courses. You will get the support you need, based on your individual circumstances.
The team is on campus:
M/W/TH from 8am – 5pm
T from 8am – 7pm
F from 8am – 3pm
The EAC office is in the Administration Building (ADM).
If you feel you may benefit from Educational Assistance, you should reach out to the EAC office to see if you qualify for assistance. There is no cost for these services, but you must currently be enrolled and taking classes at Ventura College. You can reach them at 805-289-6300 or email at vecac@vcccd.edu.
For the past 30 years William “Bill” Hendricks has been teaching photography to Ventura College students, helping them hone their skills and learn to see the world through their artist eye. His work has taken him on many adventures around the world, including Cuba, Northern India, and South Korea. His work has been published in titles such as the Cosmopolitan and People Magazine and most recently he completed PROOF, a 15 year project with Cuban writer Orlando Hernandez, set to be released in 2021.
The Mysterious Case of Edwin Drood is coming to Ventura College this December. Brought to you by the VC music department, this musical is one you won’t want to miss!
Brian Hotchkin is co-directing the show along with Brent Wilson and said, “We’re so excited to do this really fun story. It actually got put up here at Ventura College 10 years ago and we had so much we’re bribing it back.”
Hotchkin gave us some insight and let us know the show is actually a play within a play:
“In real life Charles Dickens wrote this mystery novel with a murderer and then Charles Dickens unfortunately died before he could finish it and we never found out who the murderer is. So we’ve taken this unfinished play and in the musical version it’s set as a play within a play and we have a quite looney, wacky theatre company where everyone wants to be the diva star and they’re putting on this unfinished play.”
The show is coming to VC December 3-5 and will be taking place outdoors. Show times to be announced soon.
This episode has been published and can be heard everywhere your podcast is available.
In this episode of the VC Social podcast series we are discussing the American college experience, the options we have when it comes to school and what we think college should look like in 2021. This honest conversation amongst classmates will have you questioning… Is everything we’re doing really necessary in today’s professional landscape?
In this week’s episode, hosts Alexander Shaw, Jace McDonald, and Juan Lopez sit down to talk about the music genre known as “punk rock”. Alex and Jace have both listened to punk for a large part of their lives, while Juan is a relative newcomer to the genre, having been given a hand selected playlist of both their favorite songs. Together they sit down to talk about music, passion, and the human condition.
This episode is an informal conversation between four VC Social contributors who share their personal experiences and perspectives on the digital classroom. From Hawaii photoshoots and online yoga to virtual labs and digital pasta–we talk about why we love hybrid learning experiences. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a deeper dive into the future of education.
Vid. Gunnþra. Gjoll. Leiptr. Elivagar, Elivagar. A well-taught purveyor of norse mythology would recognize these terms as a handful of the eleven rivers associated with the Élivágar, or “ice waves” that existed in the primordial void at the beginning of the world. A connoisseur of the new and experimental, however, may recognize them as lyrics to the Heilung song also titled “Élivágar”, with text from both old norse texts and the poetic edda and set to music in a chant meant to be felt down to the bones. Heilung, meaning “healing” in German, is an experimental folk band founded in 2014 by Kai Uwe Faust, Christopher Juul, and Maria Franz, describing themselves as a music journey. When asked about the name, Faust states “The listener is supposed to be left at ease and in a relaxed state after a magical musical journey that is at times turbulent”. So why am I talking to you about this?
Music has always been a big part of my life. I have a music note tattooed behind my ear, have studied a variety of instruments throughout my life, and even my stories are meant to sound like the songs that are constantly going through my head. It was the first thing my mother introduced me to that I fell in love with, and the thing we have always bonded over. So in 2018, she sent me a video, believing that the music as well as heavy themes of nature, spiritualism, and culture older than almost any country around today would be right up my alley. It was by a band called Heilung, one I had never heard of before, and the song was called “Krigsgaldr”, roughly translating to “war chant”. The lyrics were pulled from the Eggja Runestone, sung in proto-norse, with a music video created from the Tanum Petroglyphs of Sweden. I was immediately in love. I found a full recording of a live concert on YouTube and watched the entire thing when I got off work, and as soon as tickets were announced for a show in Los Angeles we were in queue to buy them. I painted our faces, and that night we went to a show that began with a smudging ritual and ended feeling more like a ceremony than a concert. It was the last concert I went to before COVID started, and it is the best show I’ve been to.
Anaheim, CA – Jan. 2020
Heilung is a band that stems from spiritualism. The founding members have all embraced paganism and/or shamanism in some shape or form, and their instruments are made from bone, ash, and pelts. They wear elaborate outfits on stage, partially based on the traditions of the Eurasian circumpolar populations as well as reproductions of Nordic bronze age attire. Their beats are built to induce the same trances that would have been attained during these ceremonies. When performing in the US they invited representatives of local tribes to participate with them, beginning their shows with “Remember that we all are brothers. All people and leaves and trees, and stone and wind.” Their music gained immediate traction from their release of “Ofnir” in 2015, having tied for the World Tradition Award in the 18th Independent Music Award for their song “Norupo” and been selected to compose the soundtrack for “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II”. It is also a band that, in a few short years, has come to mean much more to me than ever thought it would. I’ve never been a person who says any song is “just music”. Music is powerful. It is meaningful. It is one of the things that connects us across time and space. In the case of Heilung, most of all, it is a healing.
VC Social 