KPC News: What's up

KPC founding director shares
the past and looks to the future
By Victoria Steik, KPC Media Group (KPCMG) Member

A formal portrait of a distinguished gentleman hangs in the hallway at KPC. Clayton Brockel is the name on the bronze plate beside it. The Brockel name is also emblazoned on the front of the building that houses the Library. Who is Clayton Brockel?

Forty years ago, in 1964, Clayton Brockel became the "founding director" of the Kenai Peninsula College. In those early days, Brockel was the embodiment of the college. There were no buildings, no campus. Brockel said, "In the early days, time and effort was spent all over the Peninsula building community relationships and visibility for the college."

According to The Kenai Peninsula College History-The First Thirty Years, "most of the time Clayton was on the road, going from school to school, community to community, talking to Chambers of Commerce, Elks Clubs, fishermen in restaurants, employers of all sorts. Around the Homer Boat Harbor, Brockel was a familiar sight. Anywhere on the Peninsula there was an educational need, a course offered or requested, Clayton Brockel involved the new college in setting it up, publicizing it, finding an instructor for it."

Brockel describes his vision of the new institution as "a college to meet the needs of the community, offering a diverse curriculum to meet the unique needs of the peninsula marine industries, petrochemical industry and business community which help form the economic base of the Peninsula."

With the discovery of oil and the accompanying natural gas at Swanson River in the 1950s and later in Cook Inlet, the college was motivated to focus on courses related to the petrochemical industry as well as associated courses in math and science. "Petrochemical industries had a great deal to do with the velocity with which the college grew. The petrochemical and associated science programs grew more rapidly because there was more money available for them than there was for the liberal arts areas..”, Brockel said.

"What was important to the beginning and development of the college," said Brockel, "was that the supporters, communities and advisory council were visionaries, as evidenced by the selection of the new college site which began as a little forested area and became the beautiful campus on the banks of the Kenai River."

In 1976 when Brockel stepped down from the directorship, there was a campus with three buildings, a staff of 13 full-time professionals, 29 part-time professionals and 8 classified employees. But, Brockel was visualizing even more, "hoping the curriculum would become better balanced with more emphasis on the liberal arts including the facilities the college would need to provide diversified course offerings in both arts and sciences . . . I saw the young college as a wonderful opportunity for continuing education and an opportunity for the community to show support through the contribution of their time and finances for the growth of their college." He foresaw, "not just moving walls, but a separate facility to house visual and performing arts, library, and sciences such as Anthropology."
~Today, as a casual visitor to the campus as well as a student, Brockel is pleased with the new and innovative additions to the curriculum, the renovations to the buildings and beautification of the grounds, but he is most proud of the relationship between campus and community that has developed over the past forty years. He said, "Now with the continued growth of the three campuses, Kenai River Campus, Kachemak Bay Campus with new and expanded facilities and Resurrection Bay Extension, it really is the Kenai Peninsula College."

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New exhibit in art gallery features wood sculpture
By Laura Faeo, KPCMG Member

Wood carving has long been a favorite medium of sculptors, and continuing that tradition is Sandy Stolle, whose works are currently featured in KPC's Gary Freeberg Gallery. Stolle, a resident of Seward, calls wood "a living medium" and carving it "a relationship and discourse between carver and plank." Her sculptures certainly bring new dimensions to this ancient art.

Stolle says she has always been drawn to wood. She has worked with drawing and ceramics, but wood is her true love in art. She originally learned to carve and fit wood by taking classes in furniture making - "no one taught wood sculpture, so that was the closest I could get." But those courses in woodworking showed her the basics, and she applied what she learned there toward the creation of sculpture. In this, she likes to let the wood determine the final outcome.

"The majority of my carvings do not start with a preset image before selecting the lumber but rather evolve from the character and demands of the particular piece of wood," she explained. This can be seen in pieces like "Garden of Possibilities" and "Arctic Tern" where the natural grain and texture of yellow cedar become incorporated into the designs of flowers, leaves, and the head of the tern with its dark cap.

Into the New Day,
By Sandy Stolle

Solstice Light
By Sandy Stolle

Stolle uses many different kinds of wood, including mahogany, yellow cedar, red oak, English walnut, maple, basswood, and spruce. Each has its own distinctive color and texture. Most pieces are left to their natural color, but she uses colored stains on some. For example the shape of an exclamation point, is given emphatic highlights with blue and pink stains, and "Begonia Dreams" evokes the rich color of those flowers with a pink stain over golden maple. To find exotic wood for carving, Stolle says she purchases teak and mahogany which is sold commercially for boat-building, but "when people know you carve wood, they will find special pieces when they travel, and pass them on to you." Many species of tropical hardwood are endangered, and she is conscious of this. Most of the mahogany she buys is grown on plantations; it used to be cut from old-growth forests.

The different types of wood give each piece its own personality, often complimented by other materials. "Solstice Light" makes a spiritual statement with its upright column topped by a candle, and the figure of a child reaching for the light. "Nice Day Foreseen" features a large rock in a meditative, Zen-like setting, on a mahogany base with its peak rising up through a "cloud" of basswood. In "Ribbon of Reflection," panels of red oak frame sections of textured blue mirror with a sand-blasted design along their edges; seeing reflections in them as you walk by gives a feeling of glimpses into another dimension, filled with soft blue light.

Stolle has carved wood for two decades. Her first big sale was a 1%-for-art commission for the Kotzebue courthouse in 1980. Since then, she has had shows of her sculptures at Alaska Pacific University and the Decker-Morris Gallery in Anchorage, as well as Fairbanks, Seward, and Portland, Oregon. She has lived in Seward since 1990, and previous to that, spent 12 years in Selawik, where her husband was a teacher. The Native people there were an inspiration to her, giving her "a continuing respect of the natural world as well as an openness to and directness with the world of the spirit." Her sculptures will be on display at KPC through the end of October.

Busy summer for maintenance department
By Laura Faeo, KPCMG Member

 KPC may have seemed like a quiet place this past summer but the Maintenance department was hard at work.

Phillip Miller and his crew, Dave Stang, Jane Dullum, and Sarah Shearer got a lot accomplished in those three months. The walls in the Ward Lobby received a fresh coat of paint, which took two weeks of work by Dullum and Shearer, and has made a big difference. Everyone helped spread wood chips on the river trail and part of the Boyd Shaffer trail, involving many loads hauled in by wheelbarrow.

The storage yard and warehouse got cleaned out, getting rid of "old stuff that nobody used anymore and was just in the way," according to Miller. Not to say that all of it was junk. Many items went to a surplus auction which earned the college $25,000. Among these, says Miller, were a bulldozer which sold for $18,000, a tractor, old desks and chairs, six hospital beds, and a refrigerator.

The department also helped facilitate several summer programs - the Arts Institute, Denaina Language program, and the Fishing Academy.

Another major project over the summer was the replacement of all lighting fixtures in the building. Most of this work was done by electricians from Veco. The new lighting, says Miller, will save a lot of money over the long term. The new bulbs use less electricity and do not contain mercury, making them not only more efficient but non-toxic as well.

New gates for the gravel pit and an old burn site on college property were built by Dave Stang. Trespassers had broken down the old gates, and people had been driving into these areas to party and dump garbage. The new gates will help put a stop to these activities.

"It will at least make it look like we care," says Miller. "It didn't look like anyone cared before." The gates are not completely finished yet, but have been painted an eye-catching yellow, and will have signs on them.

The summer went by fast, but "we actually had time to put fertilizer on the lawn," says Stang. "Of course that'll just make more work for us. Maybe we're getting too organized.”

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New bookstore manager at KRC
By: Summer N. Shier, KPC Journalism Studen

There is a new face at the campus bookstore. Gwen Gere has assumed the role of bookstore manager.

Gere, a twenty-year Peninsula resident, has lived in Alaska most of her life. She's had a life-long involvement in the book industry; she grew up in a world of books. Her parents operated a Book Cache, distributing books to remote areas of Alaska. She notes her family stressed the value of literacy, and this value has remained with her over the course of her life.

Gere has some innovative plans in relation to the bookstore. One of her goals is to integrate the bookstore into the campus community. She believes that a "participatory campus" is necessary for students of small schools to receive a dynamic educational experience.

Furthermore, she plans to expand the store's inventory by offering UAA/KPC clothing items.

Finally, Ms. Gere would like the members of the Kenai Peninsula College community to know that she made a conscious career move, transferring out of retail sales, in seeking and accepting the role of book store manager. She enjoys the campus atmosphere, looks forward to meeting those who utilize the college, and plans to make the most of her time here.

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Learning Center in need of tutors
By Meghan Thibodeau, KPC Journalism Student

The KPC Learning Center provides academic aid for all students, but needs volunteers willing to work as part-time tutors. At this time, the Learning Center employs six full-time tutors and a few part-time student tutors, but the demand continues to grow as the year progresses.

Caitlin Zimpelmann, a student tutor, says that it has become so busy that students needing help in English, Math, Anatomy, Physiology, and Chemistry often must study in groups instead of having individualized attention. She also adds that more specialized fields such as Process Technology, Computers, and Electronics are the most frequently requested for help.

Tutoring at the Learning Center is a valuable resource that many KPC students have found beneficial. Students' needs are assessed, and tutoring is tailored as needed. Many students continue to return throughout the year.

If you are interested in finding a tutor or study group, there is a Tutor "sign-up" notebook in the Learning Center (located in Room 131) in which you can find times for Anatomy, Chemistry, English as a Second Language, Math, Physics, Biology, Psychology, and Computers.

If you would like to be a tutor, contact Diane Taylor at the Learning Center (262-0328 or ifdtt@uaa.alaska.edu.) Possible benefits include payment or college credit. The Learning Center offers four sections of tutor training for one credit each. It is preferred, but not required.

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Veggin' out?
By Jennifer Luckman, KPC Journalism Student

Are you a vegetarian or like the occasional meat free meal? Well you are in luck. KPC's very own eatery, Joe's Café, has recently enlarged its menu to include vegetarian options. According to owner and chef, Jose Pons, there has been a recent demand for meatless food. Joe's Café has added a veggie tray and veggie burger to its complement of tossed salads and egg salad sandwiches. If none of these vegetarian dishes is to your liking, Jose says that he is always willing to try to adjust his other offerings.

Jose said that the previous lack of vegetarian foods was because keeping a large variety of fruits and veggies on hand for a small demographic isn't economical. Pam Musgrove, who works with Jose, stated that the sales of the newly added vegetarian goods have been "less than fantastic". Jose estimates that vegetarian sales equal 1% of his sales. Jose says he wishes to cater to the needs of his patrons to the extent he can.

So if you are feeling like trying out a new food lifestyle, swing by Joe's and sample his veggie delights

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KPC service learning commitment:
A win/win proposition
By KPC Professor Janice High

You may start noticing that for certain classes, some of the course work is being conducted out in the community. That's because KPC is becoming more fully engaged with service learning, thanks in part, to being awarded a three-year national service learning grant. Faculty and community organization leaders have already met once this semester for training, and more interactions are planned. The idea is to relate academics, civic engagement, and reflection.

Local businesses and non-profit organizations, as well as the students engaged in service learning, will benefit from the program.


Beverly Perry, of the Phoenix-based CCNCCE,
conducted a half-day service learning training
session for interested KPC faculty
and community members.

 

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KPC Media Group (KPCMG) is formed
By Brett A. Encelewski, KPCMG Member

Members of the KPC community have formed a new organization, the Kenai Peninsula College Media Group (KPCMG) to foster campus involvement with local media organizations.

Elected offers are: Brian Keith, President; Sarah Shearer, Vice President; Cara Steadman, Treasurer, and Z Durham, Secretary. Professor Janice High (who instructs JPC 101-Introduction to Mass Communication) was chosen as the group's faculty advisor.

The group is seeking to become an official college organization. As noted by Keith, "We got [most of] the paperwork done-all we have to do is send it through all the administrative hoops."

In addition to contributing to the KPC Connection, KPCMG members are also involved in radio. Currently, several members can be heard Saturday nights on KDLL (91.9 FM) "College Vibes 101" music program. Members alternate hosting the live show. Laura Faeo works solo, while Kelsey Remson and Chris DesOrmeaux work as a team, as do Vicki Steik and Sarah Shearer.

Members plan to extend their areas of involvement beyond print and radio. They're looking at exploring digital photo and video. For the KPC Connection, Keith says he envisions autonomy and a clear presence on campus. Suzie Kendrick, KPC Community Relations Coordinator, was the force behind the KPC Connection two years ago. She's been a mentor for students and aspiring journalists. "From the first day that I started the newsletter it was always my hope that it would be student-run," she notes. She says that it will take time, commitment, and members with a proactive attitude for that to happen.

KPCMG welcomes new members. The group meets the second Friday of the month at noon in the Commons.

Vicki Steik and Sarah Shearer host the "Then & Now" show of the College Vibes 101 program.

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The KPC Connection is an unofficial monthly publication of the Kenai Peninsula College. Viewpoints and opinions expressed by writers and contributors do not necessarily reflect those of Kenai Peninsula College, the University of Alaska Anchorage, or University of Alaska. All materials and items submitted for publication are subject to editing and not all submitted articles will necessarily be published. To be considered for publication, articles should be submitted to Suzie Kendrick (insk@uaa.alaska.edu) in the Marketing and Community Relations office no later than the 21st of each month. Electronic Word documents submitted via email are preferred. The Connection is not published in December or during the summer. Questions regarding this publication can be directed to Kendrick or KPC Driector Gary Turner at 262-0317

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