ACC E-News December 2012

Alvin Community College E-News

Issue 65

December 2012

A volunteer helps load food for needy families during Breakfast with Santa on December 1.

Dear ACC Alumni, Supporters and Friends,

So you can stay up-to-date on what's going on at ACC and with students and alumni quickly and accurately, ACC E-News was created. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our services to you. If you ever have any story ideas or suggestions, please send them to accnews@alvincollege.edu.

Great American Smokeout

Students, instructors learn about expensive habit

Respiratory Care instructor Marby McKinney, left, talks to ACC student Christian Macias, of Bellaire, during the Great American Smokeout on November 16.

While most people are aware of the health risks of smoking, The Alvin Community College Peer Educators, and partnership with Student Activities wanted students to learn about the costs of keeping up the habit.

During the Annual Great American Smokeout on November 16, Peer Educators and instructors used a jar of simulated phlegm, pig lungs and other educational materials to highlight the dangers and warn students about how expensive smoking can be.

"We decided that our message wasn't going to be about quitting, which would be ideal, but rather about cutting back," said ACC Instructor Dr. Jean Raniseski said. "One of the financial benefits of cutting back could be saving more money for college."

Some of the financial benefits could be saving more for college, she said.

The display also included quit kits to help those wanting to kick the habit. The bags contained gum to combat the oral habit, tooth brush and tooth paste to wipe out bad breath and a rubber band, to snap the wrist every time a smoker gets a craving.

The Peer Educators is funded by a grant from the ACC Foundation.

Read more about the event at ACC. To learn more about the Great American Smokeout, visit www.cancer.org.

College Offering Three-Week Courses

Classes give students a chance to finish a course during the holidays

Students can take care of a needed course during the holiday with a three-week mini semester.

Registration for the online classes is now open and will close on December 13. Late registration will begin on December 14 and close December 19.

Classes will be from December 19 to January 8.

The courses are online and include General Psychology, Fitness and Wellness, Sociology, Interpersonal Communication, Texas and U.S. Government, English Composition and Sociology.

Visit the ACC website to register or learn more about the three-week and eight-week mini semesters. You can also get more information by calling 281-756-3531.

Music Instructors Serve as Judges in Contest

ACC Band Director David Griffith directs the Jazz Ensemble and Community Band during the 2012 spring Jazz concert.

Alvin Community College instructors David Griffith and Pat Singletary helped judge the Texas Music Educators Association All-State Jazz auditions held at Clear Lake High School.

Griffith, Singletary and other judges had to select 20 All-State Band members that included musicians who play the trumpet, saxophone, trombone, piano, bass guitar, guitar and drums.

There were more than 150 high schools represented in the contest.

The select panel of judges chose the band members by listening to recordings of music by all-region high school band members.

There was one representative from UIL Region XVII: Brazoswood High School student, Michael Hertzing. The guitar player was named to the region team during the region competition held at ACC in September.

Hertzing recorded his music for the All-State competition at ACC.
The All-State High School Jazz band will perform in San Antonio during the TMEA Convention on February 13-16.

ACC Students Research Sleep Education

Students hope information will improve sleep habits

Polysomnography students Susana de la Torre, of Alvin, left and Amanda Moore, of Alvin, are working on a research project to determine if education about bed time habits can improve a person's sleep quality.

Students Susana de la Torre, of Alvin and Amanda Moore, of Alvin, are currently working on a research project on the effects of sleep education.

The two Polysomnography students are working with 26 subjects to determine whether sleep education will improve their habits when it's time to go to bed.

Subjects will get information on avoiding caffiene, electronic use and other stimulants before sleeping at night.

"The ultimate goal is to better their sleep and better their life," Moore said.

If the subjects achieve better sleeping habits, they can cut the risk of diseases including diabetes and hypertension to name a few.

"It is amazing what sleep can do for you," de la Torre said.

Polysomnography graduates help with the treatment and diagnosis of conditions like narcolepsy, sleep apnea and insomnia.

While Moore and de la Torre are currently running the project, they hope future Polysomnography students will take it over and expand the research.

Visit the Polysomnography program website to learn more.

Students Get a Look at Options on University Day

Texas A&M representative Jeanette Maxie, left, speaks with ACC student Zachary Davis, of Manvel during University Day on November 27.

Alvin Community College students visited with representatives from more than 20 colleges and universities on November 27.

University Day is an annual event aimed to help ACC students find the necessary information about transferring to four-year colleges.

Academic advisor Alpha Trevino said she was happy to see the number of schools and number of students at University Day.

"This is about bringing the representatives to the students," Trevino said.

One of the biggest advantages of University Day is that students can find out more about other colleges without having to travel.

Student Zachary Davis, of Manvel spent time with most of the different schools at the event.

"I got the information that I've been looking for," he said. "I'm better prepared now."

For more information contact ACC academic advisor and University Day coordinator Alpha Trevino at 281-756-3528. She can also be reached by e-mail atrevino@alvincollege.edu.

Honor Society Inducts New Members

Phi Theta Kappa admits 46 honors students

Phi Theta Kappa honors students awaiting induction during a ceremony on November 9.

The Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society inducted 26 new members during a ceremony on November 9.

Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society of two-year colleges. Members follow four hallmarks, including scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship.

To be eligible for Phi Theta Kappa, students must have completed at least 12 college credit hours at ACC and maintained a grade point average of 3.5 or above.

The new members include:

Maranda Adkins, Ciara Allcorn, Kelly Baker, Merri Bardwell, Kevin Barnes, Deborah Bembry, Brittany Bucklew, Kaylee Burch, Anne Burke,John Joe Camacho,Kim Campbell, Shelby Ciabattoni, Karen Cook, Dariane Evans, Michelle Ford, Gabrielle Gingrich, Heraclio Gomez, Haley Harris, Heather Hill, Courtney Holliday, Ginger Horton, Fallon Howley, Thomas Hughes, Emily Joeckel, Kenneth Kettler, Eruj Khan, Sally Litjen, Tracy Nguyen, Serena Ocanas, Ellida Ortega, Valerie Parnell, Melinda Peeples, Anne Peterson, Ahmad Shareef, Amanda Shehadeh, Irene Spradlin, Alex Tews, Katie Tews
Mary Valicek, Linda Vrazel, Brittany Williams and Kristal Wuensche.

Read a story about the November 9 ceremony.

Nursing Association Awards Annual Scholarships
Scholarships given to students with clinical excellence

The Alvin Nursing Student Association awarded two scholarships to Alvin Community College Associate Degree Nursing students on November 19.

The recipients of the $500 Dr. Dickie Lee Fox Scholarship for Clinical Excellence in Nursing are Brittany Bucklew, of Alvin and Trailaria Aikens.

Top: ACC Nursing student Trailaria Aikens is awarded a Dickie Lee Fox Scholarship by Nursing director Sally Durand.

Bottom: ACC Nursing student Brittany Bucklew receives a Dickie Lee Fox Scholarship from Nursing director Sally Durand.

ACC Health Care Programs Practice Emergency Preparedness

Students deal with emergency situations in Interprofessional Drill

ACC EMT student Alan Castillo, center, argues with nursing student Cynthia Mazique, left and Respiratory Care student Dominique Cohen, right, as they try to tend to a patient during a mock emergency drill on November 16.

Students from the Emergency Medical Technology, Associate Degree Nursing and Respiratory Care programs scurried around a mock emergency room on November 20 as part of a drill.

The Interprofessional Drill, which is done twice a year, shows students how to handle patients, relatives and other co-workers in a busy emergency room.

"I believe that the interprofessional drill was a 'wake-up' experience for the students," said Diane Flatland, ACC Allied Health division chair. "The drill focused on building communication and teamwork among the various professions."

Some of the staged scenarios included a shooting victim, a wreck victim and a patient under police custody. All of the situations are common in the medical field, allied health instructors said.

For more information about Health and Medical Programs at ACC visit www.alvincollege.edu or call 281-756-3500.

ACC Becomes Busiest Early Voting Location During Election

Pearland Center saw the most voters in Brazoria County

In the first election as an Early Voting Location, the Alvin Community College Pearland Center became the busiest poll operated in Brazoria County.

Officials turned to ACC looking for an additional Pearland location that could host more voters.

"We are so thankful for that location," said Janice Evans, Brazoria County Elections director. "It is more than double the size of what we were using before."

By the end of early voting, 15,144 voters had cast their ballots at the Pearland Center, more than any of the other nine early voting locations in the county.

The Pearland Campus had twice the space as the previous location and was able to accommodate the turnout for the area, Evans said. Elections officials said they plan to keep the location in the future.

Find out more about the Elections Division at the department's website.

Musicians Named to All-State Band

Band to perform during state convention in February

ACC Band students Bryan Rodriguez, of Pasadena, left and Joshua DeLeon, of Manvel, were named to the All-State Clinic/Concert by the Texas Community College Band Directors Association.

Music student Bryan Rodriguez, of Pasadena and Joshua DeLeon, of Manvel were placed on the All-State Clinic/Concert Band by the

Texas Community College Band Directors Association.

The association chose Rodriguez and DeLeon for the band after listening to recordings of the students' music.

They were selected from a group of 350 entrants among 28 Texas community colleges, said David Griffith, ACC Music instructor and band director.

Both students will perform in the All-State band during the Texas Music Educators Association convention in San Antonio on February 16.

Rodriguez, who plays the bassoon, said he was looking forward to the concert.

"It is kind of exciting," he said.

DeLeon said he put a lot of work into his music and hoped it would pay off.

"I tried really hard and it felt pretty good to get it," he said.

Learn more about the All-State Band.

Calendar of Events

Dec. 13: ACC Community Band concert, 7:30 p.m., ACC Theatre
Dec 14: End of Fall Semester
Dec. 14: New Student Orientation, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Texas Room
Dec. 19-Jan. 2: Winter Break (ACC offices closed)
Dec. 19-Jan. 8: 3-week Mini Semester
Jan. 9: Spring registration ends
Jan. 11-15: Late registration
Jan. 14: Spring semester begins
Jan. 21: Martin Luther King Day (campus closed)
Jan. 22-23: Blood drive, Texas Room
Feb. 2: Big Band Concert
Feb. 5: Community College Day
Feb. 23: SGA 5K Run

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