By Lee PostKBC adjunct biology instructor

Imagine being able to work on assem-bling the skeleton from a 2,400-pound Steller sea lion. Imagine being able to do that for college credit in a small, hands-on class in a place like Homer. That’s what the students in a class at KBC did this fall. Students reconstructed the skeleton of

Woody, the huge, iconic sea lion that lived at the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) in Seward, Alas-ka until his death in 2015 at the age of 22. ASLC officials asked Lee Post, also known as “the Boneman,” and Dr. Debbie Tobin, KBC pro-fessor of biol-

ogy if they were interested in articulating Woody’s skeleton as part of Post’s annual BIOL A124 Marine Skeleton Articulation course. Woody’s finished skeleton would go back to ASLC for public display. The idea sounded great, but problems early in the process almost prevented the reconstruction. When the bones arrived in Homer last spring, it was apparent that they needed further cleaning before they could be brought into class. It was a challenge to find a place to work on them, as they needed to macerate (soak) in water for the summer, and after several months 75 gallons of stinky water needed to be dis-posed. The campus had the perfect loca-tion to do this, but one of the contain-ers leaked over the summer. Fortunately, by the time the instructor returned from California, the water and the smell had

totally dissipated. Then the bones couldn’t be trans-ferred to the whitening/disinfecting so-lution because the only source of that solution within 500 miles had closed that summer due to the death of the owner after 40 years of being in business. The student intern who had signed up to help decided to focus alternatively on another intern-ship prior to the start of the semes-

ter, and the university and ASLC were at an impasse over the wording on a legal docu-ment concerning who was li-able for the bones. Thankfully, all problems eventually got resolved. Many students volunteered to help as needed. The class was full with 10 enthusiastic students, most of them from the Semes-ter by the Bay program, who learned more than they ever expected as they worked on articulating the big skeleton with Post. The class consisted of 16 three-hour sessions and one make-up, finish-up day on a weekend.

Woody’s reassembly was completed on schedule, looking a bit thinner than he used to be, but still appearing to have his larger-than-life personality and attitude.

Editor’s Note: Lee Post, aka The Boneman, is known across the country as one of the fore-most experts on articulating animal skel-etons. He is a 30-year veteran of professional skeleton building and has written a series of 10 manuals that make up “The Bone Build-ing Books” collection. More information about The Boneman and his books are at this web site: http://www.theboneman.com/index.html

Kenai Peninsula College, University of Alaska Anchorage March 2018 Volume XI, Issue 9

Photo by Clark Fair

Instructor Lee Post takes Woody’s measurements for final adjustments.All photos provided by KBC’s Semester by the Bay.

Krista Laforest glues a section of Woody’s man-dible into place.

Zobeida Rudkin and Nicole Webster position Woody’s cervical vertebra as they reset the head for display in the KBC commons.

Sarah Coble, a member of the flipper crew, con-centrates on the details of a joint attachment.

Woody the sea lion is reassembled in KBC class, but it wasn’t easy

March is National Women's History Month

325 S. Spruce St. Kenai, AK 99611 Office: 283-9479 CRISIS: 283-7257

One of the honorees is Alaska’s own Elizabeth Peratrovich (Kaaxal-gat) (1911-1958). Peratrovich was a civil rights activist on behalf of Alaska Natives. She was a leader in the Alaska Native Sisterhood and led the fight against the pervasive discrimination and segregation faced by her community. Ms. Peratrovich is credited as the leading force behind passage of the Alaska territory’s Anti-Discrimination Act in 1945, the first such law in the U.S. Find out more by visiting http://www.nwhp.org/ to find an event or to learn about the other 2018 honorees.

Proud to be a United Way Agency.

The 2018 theme is NEVERTHELESS SHE PERSISTED:

Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

The 2018 theme recognizes the intersect-ing forms of discrimination women have faced, and continue to face, throughout Amer-ican history and celebrates the diverse women who have fought, and continue to fight, dis-crimination at all level and in all forms.

Page 2 KPC Connection March 2018

The KPC Connection is pro-duced by Kenai Peninsula Col-lege students, faculty and staff, and is intended to serve as an internal communication tool as well as a means to inform Pen-insula residents about what is happening at the college. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the of-ficial opinions or policy of KPC, the University of Alaska Anchorage or University of Alaska, nor of KPC employees or students. If our readers be-lieve there has been an error in a story, they should contact Gary Turner at 262-0315. We will make every effort to pub-lish corrections as necessary in the next edition.

The KPC Connection editorial team consists of:

-Gary J. Turner, KPC director-Suzie Kendrick, KPC advance-ment programs manager

-Clark Fair, KPC Connection coordinator

Questions about the KPC Con-nection or how to submit arti-cles for this newspaper can be directed to Suzie Kendrick at wskendrick@alaska.edu or by calling 262-0320.

UA is an AA/EO employer and ed-ucational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual:  www.alaska.edu/title-IXcompliance/nondiscrimination.

Produced in cooperation with the Peninsula Clarion, Kenai, Alaska.

www.peninsulaclarion.com

Campus Abbreviations KPC Kenai Peninsula College KRC Kenai River Campus KBC Kachemak bay Campus RBES Resurrection Bay

Extension Site AES Anchorage Extension Site UAA University of Alaska

Anchorage

By Gary J. TurnerKPC director

Spring semester is almost half over, and it seems like we just made it through the fall semester. KPC campuses and extension sites are busy with lots of great things happening as we meet our main goal of educating students and helping them be successful in college and in their lives. I often hear many faculty and staff say “We made a differ-ence” in that student’s life, and that’s our measure of success. With more than 2,500 students each semester I’m convinced that

we make a positive difference for most of them. But being able to do that takes great human resources and funding. While our legislature struggles with the state’s budget, UA President Johnsen is mak-ing countless presentations and having meetings with virtually all our legislators and others in power positions. Our Board of Regents and many others, including students, are doing the same. Why do they all do it? These are very busy peo-ple whose work plates and family obligations are great. We do it be-cause we are passionate about our

mission and know how important it is for Alaskan students to pur-sue postsecondary education. That education can range from just a course or two to certificates to four-year and graduate degrees. I hope you take the time to talk to your legislators about the importance of the university and KPC. After four-plus years of budget cuts, the budget knife needs to be put away. It will with your support. KPC and UA need your sup-port. A strong university makes for a strong state, and we need both right now.

We make a difference in students’ lives and need your continued support

Gary J. Turner, KPC directorPhoto by KPC advancement department

KPC’s 2018 paramedic program is open for application The application for the KPC’s 2018 associate’s degree program in paramedic technology is now available, and the dead-line to submit is May 15. Interested students must earn at least eight credits in college-level Anatomy & Physiology I and II and must have passed each class with at least a C. They must also have a State of Alaska EMT-1 or NREMT-Basic EMT certification (or higher), plus evidence of a current healthcare provider CPR Card (AHA or ARC) For further details, including other re-quirements, and a copy of the full applica-tion, check out the application announce-ment online through the KPC website at www.kpc.alaska.edu/.../2018-kpc-pmed-application-rev-2-12-2018.pdf KBC’s Semester by the Bay expecting student increase in Fall 2018 Following the November trip of Dr. Debbie Tobin, KBC professor of biology, to New Hampshire, Massachusetts and North Carolina, KBC has seen another in-crease in Semester by the Bay requests for information. As of early February, KBC had re-

ceived an all-time high of 29 applications of interest and was anticipating an SBB cohort of 16-22 students for Fall 2018. To accommodate the increase in demand on advising, group advising sessions were held using Google Hangouts. Also, Kim Frost, KBC Student and Enrollment Services coordinator, updated the SBB website to give it a more contem-porary look and feature two new sections, including “Student Stories.”

Daughter of KRC prof and coordinator honored for volunteerism Jessica Perry, daughter of Paul and Tiffani Perry (KRC’s assistant professor of paramedic technology and paramedic clinical coordinator, respectively), has been selected as one of only two Alaskan recipients of the 2018 Prudential Spirit of Community Award. The award honors Jessica’s volun-teerism with the Boys & Girls Club in Ni-kiski. She and her mom mother will travel (all expenses paid) to Washington, D.C., to represent Alaska for four days. She will also receive $1,000 and a silver medallion. During the trip 10 students will be named as America’s Top Youth Volunteers. While in Washington, the students will have dinner at the Smithsonian Mu-

seum of Natural History, a dinner cruise on the Potomac River, a meeting with con-gressional members on Capitol Hill, and other sightseeing events around town. All of the awardees will also participate in a youth service project.

KRC art professor’s works on display locally this spring Cam Choy, KRC associate professor of art, is exhibiting work at two venues in the Kenai-Soldotna area. Metal Masters will be on display at the Kenai Visitor Center (KVC) until April 30. This three-person exhibit was organized by the KVC and also includes the works of Scott Ha-mann and Dave Emery. Choy said his works are “examples of cast metal imagery that are the result of the foundry process. The imagery is a combination of figurative references combined with tools such as hammers, wrenches and tin snips.” The Asanas is on display at YogaSol (yoga studio in Soldotna) for the duration of the spring. This is an ongoing series which describes traditional yoga poses in sculptural relief. According to Choy, the poses also the result of the foundry pro-cess and were cast at KRC.

see BRIEFS, page 3

KPC Connection March 2018 Page 3

We have the job that is just right for you.

Now choose the life you want to live!

BBy Suzie KendrickKPC advancement manager

After several years of striving to consistent-ly reach as many KPC students and friends of the college as possible, the KPC Facebook page hit 2,000 likes last month. Students use the page to receive canceled-class notifications, notices of upcoming events, policy and procedure reminders and important deadlines. Because of the symbolism of the mile-stone, KRC Student Services provided a three-credit tuition waiver to the 2,000th person to like the page, and the winner was Caity Marang. Marang, a lifelong Alaskan and a proud single mother, is currently working toward her bachelor of arts degree in elementary education at KRC. Marang says she decided to become a teacher because society can be a brutal, confus-ing place. “The more open kids are to learning, the better off they will be throughout their lives. They need people to show them that learning and social interactions shouldn’t be things to have anxieties about. We should encourage healthy learning environments. Hopefully I will find a teaching position here on the peninsula.”

Marang says that a KRC business class project took her to the Kenai Boys and Girls Club as a volunteer. “They hired me because they needed another worker, and they saw the kids liked me and how well I interacted with them. It made college harder, even though it’s just part time. I still work there, and through all this I have seen that I enjoy working with kids; it’s my passion. “Thank you for the amazing surprise!” she said about her prize for being number 2,000. “I was totally caught off guard by winning the three-credit tuition waiver. I was just looking through Facebook, and I just glanced at the post in my feed, and I thought, ‘I’ve been mean-ing to like their page for a while now,’ so I did. I had no idea about the reward for being the 2,000th like! I’ve been having a hard time with school; I’ve lost funding for classes and lost eli-gibility for scholarships. I really needed to take some classes this summer, and now I can. I am so grateful; it took a lot of pressure off of me. “KPC has been good to me. This is the place I feel like I really shine, and it’s helped me integrate that feeling into my every area of my life.”

...BRIEFS Continued from page 2

“They are presented on painted aluminum panels with wood frames,” said Choy. “Everything about these reliefs, from modeling to casting to painting and building the frames, were created here at the KPC 3-D/Sculpture studio.”

KRC anthropology professor to speak on cultural value of wild salmon Alan Boraas, KRC professor of anthropology, will be the keynote speaker at the March 21-24 Alaska Anthropological Association annual confer-ence in Anchorage. The title of Boraas’s address is “Fish, Family, Freedom and Sacred Water.” In the abstract Boraas prepared for his presen-tation, he briefly outlined his premise: “Many rural Alaskan villages have successfully made the transi-tion from prehistory to the present relying on wild salmon as the key species in their diet. The technol-ogy has changed but reliance on salmon remains significant. Accompanying the transition are social and spiritual practices, the latter raising salmon harvesting and the water they spawn in to the level of the sacred. Now, potential and real oceanic and terrestrial habitat impacts threaten the survival of Alaska’s wild salmon cul-tures.”

KPC social media milestone: 2,000 KPC Facebook page likes!

see BRIEFS, page 4

Caity Marang proudly pictured with her 3-credit tuition waiver presented to recog-nize the student who was the 2,000th person to like the KPC Facebook page.Photo by KPC advancement.

Kim Frost, KBC Student and Enrollment Services coordinator, recently selected for the UAA Staff Recognition Award. The anonymous nominator wrote: “Every day Kim brings her knowledge of how the UAA system works and explains it well to in-coming students. She is an original thinker and hard worker and is one of the reasons for the success of our Semester by the Bay program in Homer. Kim is also on the Recruitment Committee that Director Gary Turner has said is the best that we have ever had at KPC. She absolutely understands how important customer service is to incoming and registered students, their families, and all other people who call her on a daily basis. She helps faculty create innovative curriculum to make classrooms new and improved learning environments. Kim puts in lots of work with the Recruitment Team and helping KPC in reaching out to as many students as we possibly can while making sure that the students we do have get the help they need.”Photo provided by KBC.

Page 4 KPC Connection March 2018

...BRIEFSContinued from page 3

Compiled by Suzie KendrickKPC advancement manager

Students “find their place” at KPC for different reasons. For Dagmar Mayer, it was a place to start her professional journey. “If I recall correctly, my first KRC class was basic psy-chology taught by Lynn Dusek in 2002. I was working for the school district as an itinerant English as a Second Language tutor (for which I was qualified as I was an English Language learner myself, my first language being German). After that, I took a sociology class from Bill Galic, who sparked my inter-est in social work. “I applied for and was accepted to UAA’s 2004 Raven’s Quest Summer Institute, a two-month intensive in Anchorage which provided classroom and hands-on instruction geared toward behavioral health in rural areas. When I returned from the institute, I resigned from my job with the school district and embarked on full-time education with the goal of working for the Kenai Office of Children’s Service (OCS), specifically for Bill Galic, who was then supervisor of the In-vestigation Unit, and he also taught a number of classes at KRC. “I received my AA in 2006 and my Bachelor’s of Social Work in 2007 and had been accepted into the advanced place-ment program for my Master’s of Social Work (MSW) at UAA that fall. Family circumstances had prompted me to put

my MSW on hold in the fall of 2007 and I concentrated on my family and work and returned to UAA for my MSW, finishing in 2014. “I accepted a position as a behavioral health consultant in Primary Care at the Dena’ina Wellness Center, where I provided Brief Intervention Therapy. I am a certified Living-Works trainer and facilitate safeTALK workshops (suicide awareness for everyone) and (with a co-trainer) facilitate ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) work-shops in addition to supervising three behavioral health aides as they move through their certification process. “I currently serve as vice chair of the Alaska Behavioral Health Academic Review Committee. I became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in May 2017 and am a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). “What has kept me going on this long and sometimes very difficult journey? The support and encouragement of my chil-dren, financial assistance in the form of scholarships and fru-gal living. And patience with myself and others; people don’t care about what you know until they know you care. “I’ve chosen to get into this line of work because I’ve ex-perienced others caring for me, and now that I’ve reached my educational goals, it’s time for me to give back. “Personally, I am a wife, mother of two adult children, member of Kenai Performers and the Heartbeat of Mother Earth Drum Group, long-time member of this community and proud alumnus of KPC and UAA!”

Student success: Spotlighting Dagmar Mayer,behavioral health consultant at Dena’ina Wellness Center

The KRC Library can order this through the UAA Consortium Library as an audio book, an electronic book and as an actual book.

By Dr. Casey J RudkinKRC assistant professor of English

The Best Thing about Zora Neale Hurston’s Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica is her determination to document the truth. The United States occupied Haiti from 1915-1934. It seemed every serviceman returning from duty published stories about the dark magic of the island, influenced by racism and the desire to profit from lurid tales. Zora Neale Hurston corrected that. Hurston wanted to earn a doctorate in an-thropology but was prevented from doing so because she was an African-American woman. With support from the Guggenheim Founda-tion, she traveled to the Caribbean to document the folklore of the region, which became Tell My Horse, a dissertation for the PhD she could never get. Her work has everything from fantastical stories about duppies, the vicious spirits in Ja-maica, and zombiis, the feared outcome of a life lived wrong in Haiti, to terrifying cults and every-day misogyny. Hurston’s insights into the cultures of these islands also reflects on the culture of the United States in the 1930s, giving the reader a historic lens with which to view our current world af-fairs.

The Best ThingTell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and JamaicaBy Zora Neale HurstonNew Peer Ambassador named for KBC

KBC’s new Peer Ambassador is Chelsea Marsh, a Homer High School graduate. She has been taking classes for a couple of years while working full-time at South Peninsula Hospital and volunteering as an EMT. Marsh becomes KBC’s first Peer Ambassador Scholar. It was decided at the end of Spring 2017 to transfer one of the KRC positions to KBC. Emily Knight continues to be the KRC Peer Am-bassadors coordinator, while the KBC efforts will be run by Kim Frost, KBC Student and Enrollment Ser-vices coordinator.

KBC’s staff member Kim Frost awarded for sterling work performance Kim Frost, KBC Student and Enrollment Services coordinator, has received the UAA Staff Recognition Award for February. She was officially presented the award by Carol Swartz, KBC director. Given by the UAA Staff Council, the award is a recognition of UAA-system employees “who go the extra mile,” according a Governance Office webpage. Full- or part-time employees can be nominated by any staff, faculty, student or administrator on any UAA campus. A member of the KPC Recruitment Committee, Frost was nominated, according to the nominating form, for her “exceptional customer service” and skill as a problem solver: “Every day Kim brings her knowledge of how the UAA system works and ex-plains it well to incoming students. She is an original thinker and hard worker and is one of the reasons for the success of our Semester by the Bay program. … She absolutely understands how important cus-tomer service is to incoming and registered students, their families, and all other people who call her on a daily basis.”

Dagmar Mayer at her office in the Dena’ina Wellness Center.Image provided by Dagmar Mayer

KPC Connection March 2018 Page 5

Word on Campus:“What is your most effective studying technique, and why is it helpful for you?”

Compiled by KPC advancement department

Deva Frasier, KBC, bachelor of science, nursing“Planning and organizing is a very effective studying technique for me. I use a personally-made week-long planner with hourly slots that I fill in with my class or work times, and weekly places that I have to be. Once I have all those times filled in with different colors, I have a visual image of where my free time is and where I can plug in hourly study times; then I stick to those study hours – no excuses. This is a technique I learned here at KPC in a college survival skills class. I also have a homework to-do planner that I re-write each week so no assignments get left behind. Sticking to my weekly schedule and assignments decreases my stress and helps me stay on track each semester.”

Brent Ensign, KBC, bachelor of science, aviation“It depends on what I’m studying for. As a rule of thumb, I try to study for around 30 minutes with a 10-minute break in between each block. For math classes I try to do as many of the problems as possible while the teacher is lecturing, so that I can compare answers. For reading a textbook, I’ll read the chapter summary before and after reading the chapter in whole. I’ll also copy down all the key terms in my own vernacular.”

Bridget Doran, KBC, associate of arts“The way I study most effectively is by being at KBC. I am a person of association, so being in an environment that’s conducive to scholarly work and conversations is super-supportive for me. Taking breaks to go on a beach walk, get some fresh air and move my body is imperative for information to soak into my brain.”

Abby Peters, KRC, bachelor of elementary education“It helps when I read and write the information. When I teach, I also learn new things about the information and learn new ways that people use to remember it.”

Ethan Dunn, KRC, undeclared“I plan everything out and segment it. Then I systematically work through it until it’s done.”

Mandy Jahanbin, KBC, certified nurse’s aide program“My most effective way to study is to utilize the student resource center in the Bayview Hall at KBC. Homer life can be busy and disruptive. The student resource center offers a clean, quiet place to get studying done.”

Mary Murphy, KBC, associate of arts“Finding a study space that provides unlimited coffee, putting my headphones on, and making a to-do list of homework and things to study and go off of that.”

Nathaniel Yannikos, KRC, associate of arts“Always take notes. Always read the book. And while reading the book, I take more notes. Homework is extra incentive to study. It helps me memorize the materials.”

Editorial note: Special thanks to both the KBC Student Association and the KRC Student Union for their assistance in compiling this feature.

Members of the Kachemak Bay Campus Student Association (KBCSA) participated in the Homer Winter Carnival Parade on Feb. 10 with their mascot, Harmony the Humpback Whale. They won $75 Homer Bucks as first prize in their category.

Photo provided by the KBCSA.

Christine GodfreyKBC administrative assistant

1. What are your duties?As an administrative assis-tant I try to keep Bayview Hall running smoothly and efficiently. Much of my day consists of scheduling and proctoring exams for students and answering the phone. I am available to assist fac-ulty with various tasks and projects. I also put togeth-er the weekly newsletter for faculty and staff.

2. What was your last position? Where?Previous to this position, I was the office manager for a title company in Homer. After graduating college, I taught in Kuwait two years, then moved to a small community in western Alaska where I taught three years. For 10 years, I was the public relations coordi-nator at AVTEC in Seward. After a move to Homer in the early 1990s I began doing graphic design for the Homer News.

3. Where did you go to school?I grew up in Michigan and attended Alma College there, where I studied education and English. I’ve taken some graduate classes at Michigan State Uni-versity and several more at UAA and UAF. I loved col-lege life, and it is great to be back in this environment.

4. What brought you to Alaska?I followed my sister and her husband to Alaska in 1981 to teach in Mekoryuk on Nunivak Island. I hunted musk ox, learned to sew beaver hats and at-tempted to weave a basket. Homer has been my home for almost 25 years. Because I have the luxury that comes with having my three sons living and working in the state, I have no plans to leave.

5. What are your long-term goals at KPC?Looking ahead, I hope to continue to be a part of the KPC team, helping the campus thrive and watching our students learn and succeed.our students.

RobertLewisKPC senior accountant

1. What are your duties?I am responsible for handling KPC’s grants and contracts, performing monthly bank reconciliations, general ledger reconciliations, purchasing and procurement and Pro-Card reconciliations.

2. What was your last position? Where? was the manager of the Sales Tax Division at the Ke-nai Peninsula Borough.

3. Where did you go to school?I spent 1.5 years at Brigham Young University in Pro-vo, Utah, before transferring to UAA and completing my degree. I received a bachelor’s of business admin-istration with an emphasis in accounting from UAA in 1997.

4. What brought you to Alaska?I was born and raised in Anchorage, and have lived in Alaska for most of my life. After graduating from UAA, my wife and I moved our family out to Bethel for a real Alaskan adventure. We planned on being there for three to five years, but ended up staying for six. We came to the Kenai Peninsula in 2003, and have loved being here ever since.

5. What are your long-term goals at KPC?I hope to be able to help things move along smooth-ly in the administrative services department. I will gladly work behind the scenes to help students, fac-ulty and staff in any way I can so that we all have a successful time at KPC together.

CherylBrockKRC Administrative Services technician

1. What are your duties?As a member of the KPC Ad-ministrative Services team, my main duties are to oversee the payroll processing for all of KRC, KBC, RBES and AES. I manage the KRC Mail services, and assist my Ad-ministrative Services team.

2. What was your last position? Where?In my last position I worked for a broadcast and cel-lular tower engineering company as their business manager. I worked out of their corporate office lo-cated in Columbia, S.C. My duties included all human resources, payroll, finance, accounting, safety and of-fice administration.

3. Where did you go to school?I am currently a student here at KPC. I decided sev-eral years ago to change my career and go back to school to get a bachelor’s of nursing science degree. I have been a student here at KPC since the fall of 2016. My previous college education was in California and South Carolina.

4. What brought you to Alaska?After my parents retired over 15 years ago they started traveling up to Alaska from California and spending their summers here. They loved the Kenai Peninsula area so much that they eventually bought land and planned to move up someday and make it their home. When I decided to go for a career change and go back to school, I started looking at areas and schools and decided that UA was where I wanted to continue my education. So I moved here and my parents followed, fulfilling one of their lifelong dreams.

5. What are your long-term goals at KPC?Make sure everyone gets paid on time and keep learn-ing in my current position. Also, to complete my de-gree and become a Registered Nurse.

Page 6 KPC Connection March 2018

KPC introduces new staffCompiled by Clark FairKPC Connection coordinator

By Suzie KendrickKPC advancement programs manager

More than 250 students have al-ready registered for at least one class in the upcoming summer semester at KPC. Students have come to realize that taking general education requirements (GERs) in the summer can really get them ahead of the curve as they pursue their degrees or certificates at KPC. This also applies to students who choose to go outside or to other UA campuses: Grab a KPC sum-mer class and cut down the time it takes to earn a degree. Public registration for the summer is open now. Students currently enrolled were given a one-week priority period to register to ensure they got into the courses they needed to complete their programs.

Of the 81 course sections offered this summer, only a handful are face-to-face offerings, and they are generally lab courses associated with online lectures. Online courses are accessible to students with jobs and family obligations they need to work around. More than 50 of the sections offered are General Education Requirement (GER) courses required for most all college degree programs. Often students have trouble completing GERs because classes fill up quickly every se-mester, so KPC always offers multiple GER sections. Fundamentals of Oral Communica-tion (COMM A111), Writing Across Con-texts (WRTG A111), Western Civilization I (HIST A101) and II (HIST A102), Col-lege Algebra for Calculus (MATH A151), Calculus I (MATH A251) and II (MATH

A252) and Elementary Statistics (STAT A252) are some of the most popular GERs offered in multiple sections this summer. The summer semester is divided into two five-week sessions. Some classes run through both sessions while others are accelerated and are held during one five-week session. The first session begins May 21 and ends June 25. Grades will be entered online by faculty for this session June 28. The second session begins June 27 and ends Aug. 4. Grades will be en-tered online by faculty Aug. 8. The deadline to apply for the summer semester is May 29. The summer course schedule is available on the KPC website (click on Academics, then Searchable Schedule), and registration is completed at UAOnline, also accessible from the website homepage.

For more information, contact KRC Stu-dent Services at 262-0330 or email uaa_kpcinfo@alaska.edu or KBC Student and Enrollment Services at 235-7743 or email kbcinfo@alask.edu.

Summer semester: Get required classes done online

Wildflowers growing at KRC last summer.Photo by KPC advancement.

KPC Connection March 2018 Page 7

Process technology industry partners spending time at KRC

with nature and the freedom to make our own deci-sions is intoxicating. Besides providing an income for our family, fish-ing puts food on our table. We eat salmon all win-ter. We smoke it, can it and freeze it. The smell of the smoker permeates the air, and the sound of the weight rattling on the top of the canner is constant. When the fishing slows down, the fast pace be-comes easy, end-of-season work. The boat gets pulled out of the water, cleaned and winterized. Most fish-ermen head home once all of their post-season work is done, but we stick around. We spend time with family and stay for as long as we can. We spend our days hiking, camping and berry picking. When it is time to leave, fishing is never far from our minds. As the snow comes, we scheme and dream of the next season. We laugh over funny mis-haps, lament mistakes, and we breathe in the smell of summer in every can of smoked salmon.We are grateful for the precious resource that nour-ishes our bodies and our souls.

...TRAVELOGUEContinued from page 8

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By Jeffrey LaubeKRC associate professor of process technology

Despite some tough times in the oil and gas indus-try, things are looking up, and KPC continues to train new students in process technology and instrumenta-tion. Here are some of the recent highlights: Operator’s Club: The Operator’s Club, which began in Fall 2017, is a KRC organization that meets four times a year, twice in the fall semester and twice in the spring semester. The group consists of process technology and instrumentation faculty, employers and students. This club allows KRC to showcase new and interesting things happening on campus. Employ-ers can explain what their companies have going on, and students can network with industry partners. During the Dec. 6 meeting, students ran the two-and-a-half-story process simulator “Big Silver” for the industry partners. In February, Fred Werth from Nutrien (formerly Agrium) explained that he was op-timistic about restarting the Nutrien-Kenai Nitrogen Operations. Some of the companies that have attended the Operator’s Club meeting include Andeavor (formerly Tesoro), BP, ConocoPhillips, Homer Electric Associa-tion, IISCO, McKinley Service Company and Peak Oil Field Service Company.

Hiring: Hiring in the process technology industry seems to be picking up. Companies such as BP and ConocoPhillips have made trips to KRC in the past month to explain their com-panies’ 2018 PTEC (process technology) hiring plans. Both companies explained that the num-ber of internships and entry-level operators for each company will be greater in 2018 than in 2017. With the stock market high and the pos-sibility of an interest rate hike, older workers are deciding to retire, therefore creating vacan-cies. For students who have been considering an operator or instrumentation career path, now is the time to enroll as hiring is forecasted to increase over the next few years. PTEC Email: The KPC PTEC email list of more than 2,100 alumni and students is used to alert participants about process technology and instrumentation job openings. Requests from industry partners to send out job postings via the PTEC Email list have also accelerated in the past few months. Companies that have a process technology- or instrumentation-related job posting should forward the information to jlaube@alaska.edu.

Scott Fahrney, field-wide operations superintendent for ConocoPhillips, explains his company’s internship program to a packed room of KRC process technology and instrumentation students.Photo provided by Jeff Laube

Boats anchored on the grounds waiting to set the gear for the next opener.Photos provided by Zebulon White

Crewmember Zebulon White beams with pride as he poses with a beautiful Bristol Bay king salmon.

Page 8 KPC Connection March 2018

Kenai Peninsula

College System

Kenai River Campus (KRC)156 College Road

Soldotna, Alaska 99669(907) 262-0300

toll free (1-877) 262-0330www.kpc.alaska.edu

Kachemak Bay Campus (KBC)533 E. Pioneer Ave.

Homer, Alaska 99603(907) 235-7743

www.homer.alaska.edu

Resurrection Bay Extension Site (RBES)

P.O. Box 1049Seward, Alaska 99664

(907) 224-2285www.kpc.alaska.edu

photo by Carol Griswold

Anchorage Extension Site (AES)University Center

3901 Old Seward Hwy #117B Anchorage, Alaska 99503

(907) 786-6421www.kpc.alaska.edu

By Alasha BritoKPC peer ambassador and advancement office student assistant

People often ask what commercial fish-ing is like. My husband, Dustin Brito—a lifelong fisherman—answers with “It’s the best time of the year and the most dif-ficult.” For me, the essence of fishing is in the quiet moments, like sitting on the bridge of the Sundowner—our well-worn alumi-num fishing boat—clutching mugs of thick black coffee. The wind is blowing and a light rain is falling. We stare out at the ho-rizon as we make our way to the tender, a larger vessel that transports our fish to a processing facility. We haven’t slept more than an hour in the last 72, we haven’t had showers in days, and our fingers and backs ache, but the fish holds are full and we are happy. The journey of a commercial fishing family is circular, much like the journey of the salmon that we target. Every summer the fish return to spawn, and we return to catch them. I began commercial fishing 13 years ago when I married into a fishing

family. My husband is a third-generation fisherman, and we are raising our son to be a fourth. For us, commercial fishing is life.

Each year after the winter holidays, we begin planning. We have discussions about boat upgrades, hiring crew, and what the season might hold. By spring, our discussions turn into actions. We buy and ship supplies, then travel to Dillingham, the Southwestern Alaska city where Dustin was born and raised. Pre-season days are long. The engine must be clean, oiled and thoroughly checked, nets must be hung, and the boat must be moved to the harbor. Even with all the work, we still find time to be together as a family. All Dustin’s family are fishermen, and we all get ready

at the same time. Long days of working to-gether, family dinners, and talks around the campfire are typical. When the fish come, the boats head out to work. The salmon run changes ev-ery year. The fish might come early, trickle in, or hit all at once. Our days are spent setting the nets, picking fish, delivering our catch, and fixing the inevitable break-downs. The season is fast and hard and our boats have few amenities, but there is no other job that offers an “office” like Bristol Bay. The view of the water, the connection

Exploring Portal Point.All photos courtesy of Beth Graber

Travelogue:Fishing in Bristol Bay: More than a job

see TRAVELOGUE, page 7

A good day, by anyone’s standard, in the Bay; the look on crewmember Zebulon White’s face says it all.Photo provided by Zebulon White

Captain Dustin Brito grabs a 15-minute rest before they get in the thick of the fish again.