Three students from Adjunct Instructor Joe O’Connell’s English Composition I class have work featured in the book “Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Plunges into Texas,” by the Bathroom Readers Hysterical Society (Pub Group West, 2004). O’Connell, who contributed a dozen entries to the book himself, was approached by book editors about making it a classroom assignment last fall. While many students participated, only a few made the final cut. They are:

• Sarah Thom, with pieces on both Roy Orbison and the late roadkill hatmaker/Austin musician Mambo John Treanor
• Geoffrey Myers, with an entry about Lance Armstrong
• Christi Young, writing about the Texas State Fair’s Big Tex

O’Connell’s students started off with a session on totally Texas library sources conducted by Rio Grande Reference Librarian Red Wassenich.

Photographic Technology Department Chair Lynn Jones and Professor Don Ourada accompanied 23 students to the Texas Professional Photographers Association summer seminar held in Kerrville in June. Of the 220 photographs selected for display, a record 40 images were from ACC students. Winning top awards were:

• Michael Abrego – “Self Portrait,” Distinguished Print Ribbon for Electronic Digital Imaging
• Damon Cowart – “Man in the Hat,” Judges’ Choice Ribbon, Best Illustration, Best Overall Commercial/Industrial, and “Overall First Time Entrance
• Brittany Lovelace – “Cosmetics,” Best Advertising Illustration and Fuji Masterpiece Award
• Blessing Quine – “Marionette,” Best Overall Electronic Imaging and the Fuji Masterpiece Award

Along with the students listed above, others in attendance were: Megan Baldwin, Molly Boyd, Daniel Brock, Jill Clampett, Amy Griffin, Oscar Hinojosa, Sherry Howell, Sharon Jenkins, Kellie Klotz, Sophie Knott, Shari Lane-Davis, Gina Lopez, Amelia Pardieu, Pete Perrault, Leah Polkowske, Casey Shortes, Sonia Villareal, Margaret Wikander, and Mark Wilson.

Rod Sellers, Cristina Sanchez, and Keisha Houston made a presentation on the college’s minority support programs during the Texas Higher Education Board’s 20 th annual Recruitment and Retention Conference held June 21 in Austin.

LlaNelle Coleman and Stephanie Moore are spending their summer on staff at the Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center, a Christian retreat area in Spicewood.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has awarded Arthur Vargas a $1,000 scholarship based on his record of academic success and community service. He is one of 350 recipients nationwide.

Dell Inc.’s in-house magazine Dellocity featured Austin Community College in its April/May/June issue. The magazine spotlighted ACC classes offered on-site at Dell’s Parmer location. About 30 Dell employees are taking advantage of the college-credit courses covering such subjects as business fundamentals and international business.

Austin resident Bob Kinney extends his appreciation to the Automotive Technology Department for recent repairs. “I brought my car in to have some air conditioning work done on it in Adjunct Instructor Robert Pelham’s auto air-conditioning class. ... The student who worked on it -- Jordan Knox -- was diligent, pleasant, and thorough. Instructor Pelham was readily available to provide guidance as needed and to answer any of his questions.” 

Thanks go to the following people for their tremendous support of the Velocity Prep Camp held June 14-18 at the Northridge and Riverside campuses: Mike Midgley, associate vice president of workforce education, Linda Smarzik, interim dean of computer studies and advanced technology, Tracy Miller, senior administrative assistant for computer studies and advanced technology, Bel Smith, Northridge campus manager, Frank Taylor, Riverside campus manager, and the Northridge and Riverside campus police. Velocity Prep Camp participants were a part of Austin ISD’s GEAR UP project, a cohort of 3,500 students receiving information and activities designed to prepare them for higher education.

The ACC/ENLACE mentor program, nominated for the Super Mentor Award by Baty Elementary School, was honored during the Del Valle Adopt-a-School Year-End Celebration. Kudos to Javier Olguin, 2003-2004 ACC/ENLACE assistant director, and the ACC students who served as mentors at Baty Elementary. They were Margaret Aulds, Christian Balderamos, Carla Cano, Julio Daal, Homero Gonzales, Monica Guzman, Ana Jimenez, Katy Long, Belinda Reyes, Francisco Salinas, and Luciana Ugaz.

A total of 70 Montopolis/Del Valle-area middle schoolers participated in the ACC Summer Youth Academy, directed by ACC/ENLACE Assistant Director Javier Olguin and held in two sessions lasting two weeks each at the Riverside Campus. This summer marked the ninth year of the academy’s providing academic enrichment and career exploration opportunities for at-risk students. The academy, which was begun by Dr. Tyra Duncan-Hall in 1995, has been funded since 1995 by AMD, and co-funded since 2001 by Austin ENLACE.

The Capital Area Training Foundation and the Austin Area Semiconductor Executive Council have extended their thanks to ACC’s Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Department for participation in the High School Summer Institute for Educators. Institute participants gave the SMT Department sessions, which featured automated manufacturing and industrial robots, the highest ratings of all sessions.