WNC News & Notes: Interpreter ethics subject of show, workshop

Alan Abarbanell grew up with hearing in a family with a deaf adult. Now, the comedian and storyteller brings his highly acclaimed “World of Abababa” tour and sign language interpreting skills to Carson City. The event is at 6 p.m. Friday, April 11 at the Carson Nugget. Abarbanell is a veteran sign language interpreter who has lectured nationally on the issues of interpreter ethics and CODA family issues. The name for his tour stems from a friend who was unable to pronounce his last name.

Tickets cost $20, or $15 with a student ID, and are limited to 400. They are available at the door.

All proceeds will help fund WNC’s American Sign Language Club events, activities and scholarship awards.

“This is a huge event for our club, and tickets are expected to sell out,” said Joseph Baggs, who teaches in WNC’s American Sign Language department. “All are encouraged to attend.”

Abarbanell’s visit also includes an interpreting workshop hosted by the WNC ASL Club from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, in Cedar Building room 109. Cost is $50.

According to Baggs, it will be a highly interactive workshop designed to test interpreters’ knowledge of the Code of Professional Conduct, critical thinking skills, understanding and comprehension of cultural mediation issues, and ways all these disciplines intersect.

“Each scenario is based on actual experience of the presenter, and participants will be asked to examine the presenter’s response to each vs. their own likely response, and how to apply professional standards and practices in similar situations,” Baggs said.

Register for the Saturday workshop online at http://www.campusce.net/wnc/category/category.aspx. Seating is limited to 35 people, who will receive continuing education units for attending.

Nursing students raise funds at ‘Dancing With Stars’

When the swinging and shaking ceased, the spotlight was shining on Carson City Supervisor Jim Shirk and his dance partner, Robin Kato.

Shirk and Kato won the second annual Carson City version of the Dancing with the Stars last weekend at Carson High School. Besides bragging rights for the year, the partners received the highly coveted mirror ball trophy.

But the real winners were the students in the WNC nursing program. The event was a fundraiser to help them attend the National Student Nurses Association conference April 9-13 in Nashville, Tenn. Co-chairs Rebecca Cornell and Ila Bottoms, WNC’s NSNA club president, organized the event under the direction of Nursing Professor Deborah Ingraffia-Strong.

She said the students netted about $14,000 toward the cost of the nursing conference. In addition to ticket sales, the students raised money through a silent auction and a 50-50 prize raffle.

Other competition participants who impressed the judges were runners-up Jennifer Tartan Wells, a Carson High School math teacher, and partner Bob Truesdale. Placing third were Miss Nevada Diana Sweeney and Andrew Belbin.

Carson City Mayor Robert Crowell, Carson Nugget Casino General Manager Star Anderson, KOLO 8 TV News meteorologist Jeff Thompson, and Adele’s Restaurant & Lounge owner Charlie Abowd were among the other celebrity participants.

2014-15 scholarship deadline is Wednesday

The Western Nevada College Foundation is offering more than 100 scholarships totaling more than $150,000 for the 2014-15 academic year, so students should complete an online scholarship application now. The awards are made available through the generosity of individuals, businesses and organizations that sponsor scholarships and provide donations.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday. Scholarship requirements vary, and individual students may qualify for free money to help pay for college. Access the scholarship application form at wnc.edu/forms/financial/scholarship. For more information, contact the Scholarship Office at 775-445-4410 or wncscholarships@wnc.edu.