October 22, 2012

In this issue…

• Current News
• Family Updates
• Personnel Updates

Current News

Nursing students minister to children during Skid Row event

Two busloads of California Baptist University nursing students and faculty pulled up to Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles Oct. 6 ready to represent Christ, the university and their profession at a back-to-school event for displaced and homeless children.

Six faculty members and 60 first-semester nursing students participated in Back to School Day, an annual event organized by Fred Jordan Missions. Throughout the day, the nursing students escorted children through tents and handed out clothes, food and school supplies while faculty members provided first aid.

“It may not be the hospital way of caring but it is right down our alley, especially as Christian nurses,” said Veletta Ogaz, assistant professor of nursing.

An estimated 7,500 children and family members were served during the event that also featured new shoes from Foot Locker, a meal from In-And-Out and a haircut compliments of a local cosmetology school.

For some of the CBU students, seeing the urban setting of Skid Row, historically known for its homeless population and displaced families, was an “eye-opening” experience, Ogaz said.

The CBU volunteers arrived at Skid Row, wearing clinical dress uniforms, to find children in pajamas, evidence that some had spent the night waiting in the 4-lane wide and 2-block long line for the event to begin at 9 a.m., Ogaz said.

“It shocked me how they were willing to sleep outside on the sidewalk all night long simply to get some clothes and a pair of new shoes,” said Carissa Townsend, junior nursing major. “It was so humbling and made me thankful for all that God has blessed me with.”

The faculty members found their first aid services needed after a baby stopped breathing and became unresponsive during the event.

Ogaz was amazed at the CBU students’ and faculty’s immediate response during the situation.

“This is (the students’) first semester,” Ogaz said. “I can’t even imagine what kind of nurses they’ll be at the end.”

Alongside handing out protein bars and bookmarks, CBU’s tent at the event featured small “Jesus Loves You” stickers. The stickers became a way for the students and faculty members to “spread the word and be a representative” of Christ, Ogaz said. “They were our way of saying, ‘Hey, we’re here and we represent CBU, but there is also a cross on our shoulders. We represent Jesus, too.’”

The School of Nursing hopes to participate in the event again in the coming years, Ogaz said.

“I never thought that we would be out doing something like this in nursing school, but I am so thankful that we did,” Townsend said. “This experience is just one of many examples of how the CBU nursing program is set apart from other programs, and it demonstrates how we can serve in the community through nursing with a Christian worldview.”

CBU cadet named number six nationally 

The 2012 Cadet Command list of top 10 ROTC seniors in the nation featured California Baptist University’s senior Kyle Feldman at number six.

The top 10 listing represents highest honors from the U.S. Army Cadet Command, which ranks all Army ROTC seniors across the nation. This year the list includes 1,119 Distinguished Military Graduates out of 5,579 cadets.

“It was an unexpected honor,” Feldman said. “I put a lot of hard work into everything I did, and I was glad that it showed in my ranking. But I never set out with points or ranking in mind, I just did my best in everything I attempted, and I followed the advice of the Cadre here at CBU.”

A cadet’s National Order of Merit standing is determined by a number of criteria, including grade point average, strong athletic performance in the Army Physical Fitness Test, ROTC training performances and leadership evaluations.

“It’s not easy waking up around 5 a.m. for physical training,” Feldman said. “It’s even harder going to class, doing homework and being involved in extracurricular activities all at the same time. But as a cadet, it’s expected. The greatest part is that you have fellow cadets and friends who are right beside you. This builds camaraderie and a shared experience that not everybody gets to experience in college.”

Feldman, a criminal justice major at CBU, considers his work in the Society of Pershing Rifles team a highlight of his time in the ROTC program.

“I have trained for and participated in drill and ceremony competitions throughout the country,” Feldman said. “The Pershing Rifles team is given the opportunity to demonstrate discipline to and compete against fellow cadets from around the nation.”

Upon graduation in May, Feldman will enter the U.S. Army Reserves as a second lieutenant. He has elected to be a military intelligence officer and one day hopes to transition into psychological operations.

“Psychological operations is a field that requires officers to be culturally aware and provides our military an opportunity to interact with civilians from around the world,” he explained. “The goal is to foster and improve relationships between Americans and the rest of the world, shaping how they see us and hopefully allowing a better environment for our soldiers and civilians.”

As a senior, Feldman says his final goal in the ROTC program is the development of underclassmen into confident, competent leaders.

“We explain to them that the Army needs quality officers, not quantity,” he said. “We push them to be the best because the country deserves the best.”

At CBU, Feldman serves as Army ROTC cadet battalion commander. He is considered a distinguished military graduate, a designation maintained on his military records. A high ranking makes a ROTC student more competitive for occupations, duty stations and specialty schools in the military.

Talk show hosts debate national issues on CBU stage

Nationally syndicated radio talk show hosts Hugh Hewitt and Leslie Marshall verbally clashed Oct. 10 at CBU, debating the 2012 presidential election, the economy, foreign policy and domestic policy.

Regarding the economy, Marshall, a liberal, spoke of President Obama’s attempts of “working from the middle class out.” She went on to say that people would vote as a result of how they “feel” about the nation’s deficit rather than based on specific numbers.

Standing for conservatives, Hewitt addressed Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s private sector experience and the 50 percent unemployment or underemployment rate college graduates have faced under the current administration.

“President Obama does not trust the private sector,” Hewitt said. “Romney does because he is from the private sector.”

During a discussion of foreign policy, Marshall, whose son was adopted from Pakistan, said she favored withdrawing U.S. troops from the Middle East.

“Are (Middle Easterners) hating us more because we are there?” Marshall asked.

However, Hewitt criticized President Obama’s self-proclaimed foreign policy attempts to “lead from behind,” preferring Romney’s plans to be a “quiet but determined strength.”

When talks turned to social issues such as abortion, Marshall attacked Romney for switching views after deciding to run for president as a Republican.

“As a Democrat, I consider choice of what I do with my body something the federal government shouldn’t be involved in,” Marshall said.

Hewitt countered Marshall’s position, taking the side of the nation’s Roman Catholic population.

“It’s the wrong thing to do in America to tell Catholics they have to sterilize patients in their hospitals and provide the morning-after pill,” Hewitt concluded.

The discussion ended with a question and answer session for audience members.

The day also featured a live broadcast of the Hugh Hewitt Show during which CBU students had the opportunity to participate.

Family Updates

Dr. William Flores, associate professor of Spanish and coordinator of the Spanish program, authored a book review in the September 2012 edition of Hispania. The review is titled, Kanellos, Nicolás. Hispanic Immigrant Literature: El sueño del retorno. Dr. Flores also presented a paper titled Ecocritical Approaches to the Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa at the 94th Annual Conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 7-10, 2012. To view the review published in Hispania, click on the following link: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/hispania/v095/95.3.flores.html

Dr. Charles Sands, dean of the College of Allied Health, will begin serving on the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association (http://www.apha.org/about/gov/) this month. The APHA is the largest public health organization in the world.

Dr. Margaret Barth, professor in the department of health sciences and program director for nutrition and dietetics, is serving on the advisory panel for the Wellness13 Conference, scheduled to take place Feb. 27-28, 2013 in Chicago. The conference is the leading event for professionals in research and development, brand management, regulatory compliance, sales, and government who are committed to learning what it takes to successfully develop and market healthful foods that resonate with consumers.

Frances Dunniway, assistant professor of nursing, recently completed her doctor of nursing practice degree from Western University of Health Sciences. Her dissertation was titled “An Exploratory Study to Shape a Disaster Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice.”

The KIN 332 Life Long Motor Development class is looking for infants (birth -1 year olds, who aren’t walking yet) for an Infant Lab on Nov. 2, 2012 from 10 to 10:50 a.m. in the CBU gym. The class needs parents to interact with their children so that they will be able to observe various reflexes and skills. Participants would be able to play with their children, with the class observing the reflexes taught in class. To express interest, e-mail Lauri Hauck, lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology at lhauck@calbaptist.edu so that she can create groups for her class. Parents should also bring a blanket, pacifier, and several toys that the infant can grab.

Personnel Updates