The Student Government Association at Bakersfield College had planned a Community Week for Feb. 22 to Feb 26. According to Bethany Rice, member of SGA and organizer of the event, the event was meant to show students the opportunities for "community [service] in the community.
California Senate majority leader Dean Florez and co-author Senator Curren Price introduced Senate Bill 969, to be called The California College and University Fee Stabilization Act of 2010, to the State Senate Feb. 5, which would put a cap on the increasing tuition and fees that have faced California college and university students in recent years.
With around 100 in attendance, actor Wayne Cook, accompanied by bassist Glen Fong, brought to life the poetry of Langston Hughes on Feb. 19 at the Beale Library, in celebration of Black History Month. Various poems from the years of Langston Hughes, including "Crosses," "Dream Differed" and Hughes' first published work, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," were sung at this profound performance.
The Norman Levan Center for the Humanities, at Bakersfield College, broke ground in late 2008 with a donation from Dr. Norman Levan, Bakersfield dermatologist, of $5.7 million. Dr. Levan's dream was realized when friends, BC staff, district and state representatives and media arrived for the ribbon-cutting ceremony March 4.
A Bakersfield College student was arrested March 9 after making threats in the cafeteria with a BB handgun. Detective Blaine Craig of the Bakersfield Police Department said that the suspect was 19, wearing a gray-hooded sweatshirt, and a black do-rag. He also indicated that the suspect is part of a gang in Bakersfield.
Friends of Al Nealan remember his time and commitment made to the community and to Bakersfield College. Nealan was a long-time Renegade public address announcer and radio host who passed away on Feb. 15 at the age of 76. Several friends and fellow announcers had much to say about Nealan and what he has meant to BC and the community as a whole.
March 15 was supposed to have been the date when instructors would possibly receive layoff notices informing them that, depending on the new budget numbers, their services may no longer be needed at Bakersfield College. However, according to the Community College Association's chief negotiator, instructors will not be receiving any layoff notices this year.
At 2:49 p.m. on Feb. 25, a Caucasian male, wearing a light tan hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, was subdued by campus public safety at the GET bus terminal on the Bakersfield College campus. The subject was handcuffed and held to the ground until officers from the Bakersfield Police Department arrived to take control of the individual from public safety personnel.