Former ASWN President Andrea Sanchez De Loza leads an arts and crafts project in the new Diversity Center in the Student Center at Western Nevada College’s Carson City campus.
Western Nevada College’s new Diversity Center (also known as Wildcat Commons) opened during Wildcat Life’s Welcome Back Week on Sept. 12.
The center will help Western encourage diversity, equity and inclusion of all people within the college community. The space will host speakers and events in the months to come.
A donation from NV Energy Foundation helped create the Diversity Center.
The center in Dini Room 100 is available for use during regular Student Center hours, unless it is reserved.
“If someone wants to book the space for an event or meeting, they can call or email me directly or they can contact the Student Life desk,” said Student Life Coordinator Heather Rikalo.
Rikalo can be contacted at 775-445-3241 or heather.rikalo@wnc.edu.
From left, Student Life Coordinator Heather Rikalo, ASWN President Suzanna Stankute, Interim President J. Kyle Dalpe and Foundation Executive Director Niki Gladys enjoy Western Nevada College’s new Diversity Center.
Thomas’ JCDO lectures start earlier in October
Where else in the world can you learn about the great Leonardo da Vinci and the universe above you in one night?
At Western Nevada College’s Jack C. Davis Observatory on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Northern Nevada lecturer Mike Thomas will provide a presentation on the master of many disciplines from Science to the Arts — Leonardo da Vinci — at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday nights are also reserved for Star Parties at the observatory, giving attendees the opportunity to look through high-powered telescopes and enjoy the stars.
Attendees should note that the observatory will begin following a fall and winter schedule when events start at 6:30 p.m. and doors to JCDO open at 6 p.m.
Thomas will also deliver a talk on Friday, Oct. 14. He is scheduled to lecture on “Cops” at 6:30 p.m. He will address the reality of service in law enforcement in America.
Both of these lectures are free to the public.
Astronomy lovers and others who want to learn more about the stars are invited to the observatory each Saturday night for Star Parties from dusk until 11 p.m. Members of the Western Nevada Astronomical Society will be on hand to facilitate this interest in astronomy and answer questions.
The observatory is located at 2269 Vanpatten Ave. in Carson City.
Aluminum cans, cardboard transformed into art
The old saying goes that “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
If you take a peek inside Western Nevada College’s Main Gallery, that’s obviously what is going on with artist Kyle Karrasch. The 2018 University of Nevada graduate has transformed aluminum cans and other discarded items into his “Waste Aeon” exhibit.
Karrasch told the Capital City Arts Initiative, which is presenting the three-month exhibit, that “I like to describe my art practice like that of a naturalist and a taxidermist. I collect discarded specimens from their resting place and carve into their carcasses, flaying their skins out into recognizable forms.”
Regular art gallery visitors may recall his “Metallum Terrae” exhibit several years ago in which he used aluminum cans and plastics to create landscapes and sculptures.
Karrasch told the CCAI that he enjoys the different phases of creating his exhibits: the collecting items of consumption, transforming them beyond initial recognition and composing them into three-dimensional forms.
“(They are) intended to convey my commentary on the current state of consumerism and our environment,” he said. “Through symbolism and allegory, I use these materials to comment on the impact they have on our environment as well as to highlight the value these objects still have.”
WNC’s Main Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. “Waste Aeon” will be displayed through Dec. 20.
Visit the Main Gallery in Western Nevada College’s Bristlecone Building to see the ‘Waste Aeon’ exhibit. The CCAI exhibit will show through Dec. 20.
30 days left to apply for Nevada Promise Scholarship
Nevada high school students graduating in spring 2023 must apply for the Nevada Promise Scholarship no later than Oct. 31.
To apply or to learn more about the Nevada Promise Scholarship, go to wnc.edu/promise/ and "Click to Apply!".
Nevada’s Legislature has provided scholarship funding to cover tuition and other mandatory fees not met by federal or state, amounting to a savings of more than $3,000 per year. The scholarship provides aid for up to three years for students who apply and follow through with the requirements for receiving the scholarship.
Nevada Promise is open to Nevada high school students graduating between Aug. 1 and June 15 who begin classes at WNC in the fall immediately following graduation. Applicants must be classified as a Nevada resident for tuition purposes and must have earned a high school diploma from a private or public high school located in Nevada, or a public high school that is located in a county that borders the state and accepts pupils who are residents of this state. Students may also qualify if they earn their general equivalency diploma (GED or HSE) prior to the age of 20.
There are no income or high school GPA requirements.
For information about the scholarship, contact nvpromise@wnc.edu.
Western welcomes new employees
New employees hired since the start of last school year include Adrian Barrera, Joseph Bell, Patrick Bell, Stefanie Bischoff, Michael Boreham, John Duerk, Edie Dunkelberg, Jeffrey Erickson, Linda Gasaway, Aaron Glass, Tyler Golden, Jorgen Jeppesen, Michel Kekerovic, Natasha Kephart, Ariel Kleidosty, Curtis Kupferschmid, Melissa Leist, Kristen Lindner, Austin Long, Carrie Manley, Tracy Mendibles, Hallie Murphy, Evan O’Brien, Nickcole Paine, Paula Pence, Franceska Quintana, Sylvia Rondeaux, Dr. Dana Ryan, Irene Jen Schiller, Rachael Schneider, Brent Smith, Joseph Terry, April Torok, Susan Ward and Asyah Williams.
