Cochise: bravo!

(520) 515-0500
(800) 966-7943

CC Home

bravologo300
PUBLISHED BY COCHISE COLLEGE MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

Employee, three others to receive tuition waivers

Linda Barker

Linda Barker, an employee in the Financial Aid Office, is one of four Cochise College students recently nominated to the All-USA Academic Teams. The students will receive tuition waivers to complete baccalaureate degrees at one of Arizona’s public universities.

Barker and fellow Cochise College nominees Amy Hansen, Douglas Hickey, and Jessica Hagerlin also will receive scholarships from the Cochise College Foundation. A luncheon recognizing All-USA

all-az

Jessica Hagerlin

nominees from around the state will be held in February at Mesa Community College.

“I’m still trying to digest it,” says Barker, who is active in the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

Barker previously received the Randy Burns Memorial Scholarship, the Wolslager Scholarship, the Barnes and Noble Scholarship, and the Literary Guild Scholarship. In a

all-az

Amy Hansen

recommendation letter, Dartle Atherton, director of financial aid, credited Barker for making meaningful connections with students by handling financial aid orientation, bringing a valuable student perspective to the department, and streamlining communication with academic counselors.

Students nominated to the All-USA teams are judged on academic performance and service to

all-az

Douglas Hickey

the College and the community. They are reviewed first by business, civic, education and government leaders and judged a second time by representatives of various federal agencies and education associations. The scores from the national competition are used to rank the students for the All-Arizona Academic Teams. Nominees are placed on first, second and third state teams, which will be announced at the recognition event in February. All-USA rankings are announced in April.

The national competition is co-sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa, the American Association of Community Colleges and USA Today.

TOP

Learning community unveils service project

Students create a mural at Prestige.

A desert landscape mural painted by Cochise College students is bringing happiness and healing to residents of Prestige Assisted Living in Sierra Vista.

Students enrolled in the Appreciation of the Visual Arts and Essentials of Communication learning community led by Macaela Cashman and Tanya Biami have spent six weeks of the semester turning a bare fence into a scenic vista. The project began with each student working on a different section of the mural. However, the class quickly recognized that unless everyone had the same vision, the sections would never blend smoothly together. So, they drew upon their individual strengths to complete the project, which depicts mountains and desert plant life at sunset.

“The mural gives everyone a chance to practice communication skills as we make decisions, negotiate, and persuade each other on how best to proceed,” says Cashman.

The mural was unveiled at an open house Nov. 30. It is a source of pride for those who created it and those who look at it every day. Evelin Miller, activities director at Prestige, says the staff talked about putting up a mural for two years and describes the finished product as “the answer to our prayers.”

“We’re proud to be able to do something for our community,” says student Jenifer Talbot. “It’s heartwarming to be able to leave something for the residents.”

TOP

Exciting season ahead for basketball teams

Carrillo runs intense practice.

Cochise College basketball fans packed the Cochise Stronghold Nov. 18 to see how the Apaches would measure up to Arizona Western College - last year’s men’s regional championship team. Both the men’s and women’s teams won that night, triggering excitement that the home opener was a sign of an exciting season to follow.

The men’s team ranked as high as third in the nation but, since a Nov. 30 loss to Eastern Arizona College, expects the ranking to drop. For the new year, Coach Jerry Carrillo predicts a tough game at Mesa Community College, as well as challenging follow-ups at Arizona Western and Eastern Arizona. He’s happy that the team is drawing fans from Sierra Vista, where stories about the team appear regularly in the Sierra Vista Herald. Carrillo also wrote a season preview column about the boys team at Buena High School, where he once coached.

The Cochise College women’s basketball team has defeated two of five Division I schools so far this season. The team heads to Las Vegas over the winter break to participate in the Dixie State College tournament. In October, players raised $1,400 through a carne asada fund-raiser in Douglas. South Mountain Community College, Yavapai College and Odessa (Texas) Community College will be tough games, but the team meets its toughest opponent – national champ Central Arizona College – January 25.

Click here to see game schedules.

TOP

Q&A: Helping students communicate effectively

Mary Pike

Mary Pike is in her second semester teaching communications at the Nogales Center. Next fall, she'll join forces with fellow Nogales instructor Lois Rodgers to offer an Elements of Intercultural Communication/Composition learning community. Semi-retired and living near Nogales, Mary’s background includes more than 20 years in training and development. She also holds a master’s degree in interpersonal communication with a focus on organizational behavior and management from Ohio University. She is a lecturer and tour guide for the University of Arizona Elderhostel Nogales. She has photographic work in Patagonia's Creative Spirit Gallery, and she occasionally gives professional development seminars. This semester, with lots of practice and encouragement, her students gave final presentations on subjects as varied as pizza and exorcism.

Bravo: Communications seems like a no-brainer kind of subject. What does it entail?
MP: I believe that most people think there's nothing to it; after all, don't we all communicate? Not really! The textbook definition of

Students prep presentations.

communication is "transfer of meaning." So, if I'm talking and you're not listening, have I communicated? If my body language is saying "get lost" but my words are saying "gee, it's nice to see you," then which message am I communicating? If I prepare a fantastic speech but stand up and read it to my audience until they are either bored to tears or falling asleep, have I communicated? You may find this amazing: more than half of the meaning of face-to-face communication is transmitted not at all by what we say, but by how we say it. Communication is the most amazing subject in the world. And, the greatest fun of all is having the opportunity to contribute to the "communication wake-up call" as students realize, well, it's NOT a no-brainer after all!

Bravo: How do you go about teaching it?
MP: Since group work and team building are included in the syllabus, we get involved in experiential learning. We don't just talk about what it's like to be in a group or on a team, we become members of a group and a team to accomplish objectives. We discuss the rules of brainstorming and then we brainstorm. We talk about effective delivery techniques, and then we get up and demonstrate the techniques. We talk about how difficult it is to transmit ideas and concepts through words and pictures, and then we do an exercise that proves the point. Seeing is believing! Another word for this kind of teaching is "collaborative learning." It is one thing to pass a test with the right answers and quite another to embrace the learning and demonstrate the principles.

Bravo: What are the biggest challenges your students must overcome to succeed in this class?
MP: From my perspective, one challenge is the relentless homework assignments. They are required to know, for instance, the difference between interpersonal and intrapersonal communication. They must be able to give examples of supportive and defensive behavior. They must understand the concept that you can resolve disagreements without being disagreeable. Not only must they learn all that, but then they must know their own learning style. They must learn how to organize, research and deliver a speech. It is a huge undertaking. The second challenge is being able to feel good about standing in front of a group and giving a speech. If we are to believe the statistics, most people are more afraid of speaking than of death itself. Of course, this would no longer apply to graduates of COM 102!

Bravo: What is your goal for your communications students?
MP: For them to truly understand the importance of effective communication in their lives. For them to say "yes" when asked to make a speech. For them to own the space from which they speak and speak with a powerful voice. And, of course, for them to get the best possible grade they are capable of achieving.

TOP

Bravo! is an electronic newsletter published by the Cochise College Marketing & Media Relations Department. Send your suggestions, submissions or comments to merkeld@cochise.edu or call 520.417.4138.