Starbrick Bistro at The Inn at Hocking College will open its doors again on Tuesday, September 9, 2014.

The bistro will feature a variety of lunch dishes made by culinary arts students. The menu includes soups and salads, sandwiches, a build your own burger option and select entrees all for affordable prices. Additionally, daily featured dessert items will be available. See the menu here.

Bistro hours are Tuesday through Friday 12 - 2 p.m. The full menu is available Tuesday through Thursday, while each Friday will feature a buffet for $8.00.

With the start of the new academic year it is time to think about password security. When was the last time you changed your Hocking College password? Did you know that it is Hocking College policy that you update your password every 180 days - roughly every six months?

Now is a great time to reset your password. Start your academic year off right by resetting your Hocking College password now. See the step-by-step guide explaining how to change your password, and to reset your password now, go to http://www.hocking.edu/passwordreset.

Please note that your WebAdvisor password will not be affected by changing your email password. At this time, these passwords are separate.

"I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety and fear." - Steve Maraboli

 

As the new academic year begins, it may be easy to give in to stress. This September, dedicate some time to the four A's of stress management. We'll cover one each week.   

 

Avoid: When faced with chronic stress ask yourself, "How can this be avoided?" If you're always late for work, try waking up 15 minutes earlier. Instead of planning dinner on the drive home from work, devote 30 minutes of your weekend to meal planning. Avoid stress and reap the benefits of a lighter load.

All aboard the Stuart's Wine Express! On Friday, October 3 at 7 p.m., join Stuart's Opera House for a ride through the Hocking Valley on a historic train and enjoy some wine, all while supporting a great cause.

First Class Car tickets are $35, while Coach Car tickets are $25. The First Class car has modern airline-style seats, air conditioning and a bathroom. The Coach Car has vintage padded bench seats and windows that open. 

All proceeds will go to Stuart's Opera House, a non-profit theater that places its roots in Nelsonville's Public Square Historic District.

To learn more about Stuarts, or to purchase tickets, visit Stuart's Opera House website at stuartsoperahouse.org  or check out their Facebook page.

Hocktoberfest is looking for volunteers for the event on October 4 as well as help on October 3 and 5 for set up and tear down. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and a meal for their hard work!

Some of the duties include:

• Set up
• Information booth
• Merchandise tent
• Beverage ticket sales & non-alcoholic beverage sales
• Grounds management
• Assistance with the 5K trail run
• Pumpkin decorating
• Tear down

If you would like to volunteer, please contact Michael Whittemore, Student Affairs Coordinator, at whittemorem@hocking.edu. Your help is greatly appreciated.

The Hocking College Physical Plant Department has been restructured to increase efficiency and to better serve students, faculty and the entire campus community.

Congratulations to Jeff Eing, formerly Campus Greens Crew Leader, who has been internally promoted to Physical Plant Manager, a non-bargaining position. Eing will have direct supervision over all Physical Plant employees. Under the leadership of Eing and Myriah Davis, Vice President of Administrative Services, the department will be making positive strides for time management and efficiencies, along with safe production within the Physical Plant Department.

Andy Freeman, Director of Physical Plant Operations, will continue to work closely with the Maintenance crew and ongoing projects. He will also be assisting in the capital improvement projects.

Libby Villavicencio, director of the Hocking College Foundation, shares a recent article by Paul Heaton in the Community College Journal about fundraising at a community college.

According to Heaton, community colleges are increasingly completing success major giving campaigns. He says for a successful campaign, everyone should see themselves as part of the fundraising process, that community relationships offer a great area of opportunity and that it makes sense for a community college to be as inclusive as possible when defining "alumni."

View full article here.

Hocking College will be offering optional insurance coverage plans including additional life insurance, short term disability, accident insurance, critical illness insurance and cancer insurance. Detailed information will be distributed and reviewed during informational meetings on Tuesday, September 9, 2014.

The informational meetings will be held in room JL 344 and are scheduled as follows:

• 9 - 10:30 a.m.
• 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• 2 - 3:30 p.m.
• 4 - 5:30 p.m.

Contact Loretta Whaley at whaleyl@hocking.edu with which meeting you plan to attend.

The STARS (Student Team and Academic Recognition System) Ceremony for this semester will be held October 17 at 7 p.m. in the Student Center Multiplex and will honor achievements from spring and summer semesters. Nominations are now being accepted for the following:

"Green Award"
This will be given to recognize outstanding efforts from last semester in the area of education of sustainable, renewable and environmental issues or the implementation thereof.

"We are One Hocking" Award
This award will be given to recognize outstanding efforts from last semester in the area of cross-cultural education and/or community unification.

Most Outstanding Contribution to Campus or Community Life
This award will be given to recognize a project which made a
positive impact on campus or community life last semester.

Please send nominations by e-mail to leeg@hocking.edu.
Nominations should include the name of the group or person nominated and a description of the project which includes the date that the project took place. Nominations should be sent to Giles Lee by the end of September. Feel fee to include photos, video, evaluations and references in the nomination email.

Saturday, October 11, is Hocking College Day at Ohio University. 

Show your support of the Ohio University Bobcats against Bowling Green by attending Hocking College Day. Students and alumni are welcome!  It is also OU Homecoming.

The Hocking College Foundation will host a tailgate in Pepsi Tail-Great Park before the game. Food and beverages will be provided.

Tickets are $12 per person. Email Jessie McDonald at mcdonaldj21@hocking.edu or call 740.753.7010 for tickets, or purchase your tickets online here.

In August, five members of the Hocking College class of 1981 met in Alaska for an epic adventure.

Tony Widmer, Al Gerhart, Bruce Carpenter, Mark Link and Tom Cervenak all graduated with degrees in Recreation and Wildlife Management. The group has remained great friends since their days at Hocking, along with others from that graduating class. The trip, planned by Tom, included eight other friends. The group went hiking and exploring Denali National Park and the surrounding area for two days, followed by seven days in the Soldotna area fishing for halibut and salmon. They brought home more than 600 pounds of fish and some awesome memories.

Each of the five Hocking College graduates went on to a great career after leaving school:

• Tony Widmer is the Park Manager at Shenandoah River State Park, and has been with the Virginia State Park system for nearly 29 years.
• Al Gerhart recently retired from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife and resides in Butler County, Ohio.
• Bruce Carpenter recently retired from ODNR, Division of Parks and resides in Portage County, Ohio. 
• Mark Link is the Operations Supervisor of Stormwater Utilities in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Tom Cervenak worked for Ohio State Parks for three years, Virginia State Parks for 24 years and recently left to become the owner of the Butte KOA Campground in Montana.

The U.S. Forest Service's Wayne National Forest, the Athens-Hocking Solid  Waste Management District and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is hosting a free Scrap Tire Drop-off event for Athens County residents only. The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 4, 2014 from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Wayne National Forest Headquarters, located off US Hwy 33 between The Plains and Nelsonville.

Funding for the event comes from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste Management District.

The event has the capacity to collect up to 1200 scrap tires, which will be later recycled. Once we have filled the trailer, we will close the collection site. No tires will be received after hours. No tires will be accepted from tire shops, dealers, or repair shops. No tires exceeding 54 in. in height and/or 16 in. in width will be collected.

"The Wayne National Forest is happy to partner with the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste Management District to collect scrap tires from Athens County residents. Unfortunately, hundreds of scrap tires are dumped on the Wayne National Forest. By hosting events like this, we hope we'll see a reduction in those numbers," said Forest Spokesman Gary C. Chancey.

The public is reminded violators of scrap tire laws could be prosecuted as a felony offense in Ohio with a fine of at least $10,000 but not more than $25,000, or imprisonment for at least two years, but not more than four years, or both.

The event is also being held in support of the mission of Keep Southeast Ohio Beautiful, a regional affiliate of Keep America Beautiful that's helping create a healthier and safer place to live, work and play. For more information, visit our website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/wayne.