Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 12-24-20 E-edition

Thursday, December 24, 2020 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
Serving the Readers of the Reedley Exponent, Dimuba Sentinel and Sanger Herald.
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
Fred Hall — Publisher
In my OPINION It's tough job 'Makin' the
Best of a Bad Situation'
Realizing that it may be extremely
difficult, especially this year, to re-
member exactly why we celebrate
Christmas, please take time and rec-
ognize whose birthday we celebrate.
Let's face it. Much of this year's mess
has been manmade, and everything
was politicized to such an extent —
including the COVID-19 pandemic —
as to be beyond the pale of common
sense. That's a pretty sorry testament to mankind in general and certainly our leadership.
It has struck me before that sometimes songwriters, who also are traditionally poets, have a truly succinct way of summing up a situation. My recommendation, if you're so inclined, check out a song by Ray Stevens which was released in 2007. It's a cut on an album titled "Hurricane" and is a cover of a 1970s song titled "Makin' The Best of a Bad Situation." There is no direct refer- ence to the year we've struggled through, but it sure seems to wrap up rather succinctly the year 2020 in 3 minutes, 37 seconds.
There's an old saying among poker players that “you have to play the cards you're dealt.” Living in California, that seems to be our only option as a taxpaying resident. One would think that eventually — while we're experi- encing the great exodus — that there is something seri- ously wrong to cause so many businesses and citizens to exit the "Golden State” and it would dawn on the silly little people we elected to perhaps take another course.
Far too much of this year's “gifting” will be done on- line with none of the personal touch that is traditionally involved in shopping special for your loved ones. There's something a little cold about pushing a button to order as opposed to actually touching and feeling the item which creates personal involvement. Suffering in that equa- tion is the family who owns the local brick and mortar store and employs your friends and neighbors. Those are jobs which will probably be gone forever, with the superstore on the internet being the winner while all those local businesses — through no fault of their own — getting the short straw! A virus of dubious origin and it's politicization will have destroyed uncountable lives.
With everything that is happening all around us, per- haps it would be the ideal time and setting to worry less about gift giving and receiving and reflect on the true meaning of the season. Small favors for someone less privileged is a sure way to never go wrong. Even the least time spent in fellowship or even the least of nice- ties can bring joy to the heart of the poor or elderly.
If ever there were a year when the sentiment of mak- ing the best of a bad situation it would be 2020! Truthful- ly there is very little that can be done about the pandem- ic, the politicians and the media which have capitalized on the plight of this nation. Media has used it for ratings points and politicians have turned it into votes. We do wish that a substantial portion of the country would get over its hatred for Donald Trump and his entire family. Hate is really ugly and counterintuitive during this sea- son when all of mankind was so blessed.
Nursing homes and the elderly who are home-bound deserve special attention with something as simple of reaching out that lets them know that they are loved and appreciated and someone cares about their well-being.
I fear that much of the damage being done to this country by politicians, in the name of science, may be impossible to undo at least in the shortrun. Literally thousands of businesses will be shuttered along with un- told numbers of people being without work and income. Sadly, we are forced to concede that we get the govern- ment we deserve. Truth is, we voted for and elected each and every one of these little wannabe kings and queens who feel they can make all the rules.
Indeed, it is the best time to “make the best of a bad situation.”
Building dreams, again, at Reedley College
Rick Curiel — Sanger Editor Jon Earnest — Reedley Editor Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
Fred Hall
Reedley College responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by shifting the majority of classes online in spring 2020. What ma- ny folks may not have known was that Reedley already had a variety of classes available over the internet, with 80 per- cent of our faculty trained to deliver a high-quality learning experience.
By fall 2020 we began safely offering 10 percent of our class- es on campus again, from agri- culture classes to aviation main- tenance, allowing students in a number of disciplines to connect face-to-face with faculty, staff and other students. As we pre- pare to offer classes for spring 2021, we also look forward to gradually re-launching athletics and increasing the availability of on-campus classes, as vaccines are distributed and our class- rooms become safe for tradi- tional class meetings again.
Although we helped the ma- jority of spring 2020 students succeed in their classes and earn awards in record num- bers, enrollment at the college has dropped as the pandemic has continued. Reedley experi- enced nearly a 10 percent drop off in enrollment during the fall semester, and we are currently about 16 percent below previous spring semester enrollments. Like our education partners, we have come to realize that our students are facing incred- ible challenges in this pandemic with such things as child care, employment, food and housing insecurity, and internet access, as well as COVID-19 itself.
Even with these challenges, many students have persisted and Reedley College has been recognized for excellence in teaching this year, with our Agriculture programs voted best in California for the sec- ond time within three years. While Kevin Woodard, in our Agriculture Business program, was selected as teacher of the year for the San Joaquin Val-
ley region. Reedley’s partner- ship in sponsoring the program “Valley Grown” highlighted the work of Dr. Tim Smith in irrigation technology, and how Reedley’s agriculture pro- grams integrate with Fresno State’s academic programs and research. Reedley also gradu- ated its first five pilots from our Flight Science program, hold the distinction of being our first “Reedley Flying Ti- gers.” Reedley College is the only public college or univer- sity in California offering both a ground school and flight school opportunity that leads to a commercial pilot’s license.
In addition to providing a safe and successful learning environment both online and on campus since March, Reedley has become a COVID testing site, hosting an entire health- care team in classrooms ad- jacent to our gym at the south end of campus, accessible from the Manning Avenue parking lots. Thanks to our faculty and staff, our college has not expe- rienced any on campus spread of the virus.
Procedures created by our COVID Response Taskforce, in consultation with the District and Fresno County Depart- ment of Health, have protected students and employees since the pandemic began, and will continue to inform our return to campus. Reedley College also hopes to serve as a vaccination clinic when supplies become available, and Fresno County completes its planning process for distributing vaccines.
As we look to the future, Reedley College is also de- veloping new educational op- portunities for those that are either need a job or need new job skills. Some courses will be free and others will require a fee, some will offer only an industry recognized certifi- cation while others will offer college credit. We will share these opportunities as they
become avail-
able, so check
our marquee
and our website
for more infor-
mation during
spring 2021.
Some of our in-
structors are al-
so self-promoting their courses on our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Insta- gram), which has been a very useful marketing tool.
Reedley is also partnering with our local school districts, Fresno State, UC Merced and private universities to create seamless educational pathways that lead to degrees in Engi- neering, Business and Educa- tion. This K16 Collaborative will concentrate on offering career exploration activities, counsel- ing and educational support for students, while increasing ac- cess to resources and people that can help our young people dream and succeed in careers that will help our communities and our local economy.
You will also notice new buildings on the Reedley cam- pus, starting next fall. Our new Math and Sciences building will be dedicated this summer and open for fall classes, serving as a new home to many programs. We also will break ground on the Center for Fine and Per- forming Arts, and would like to thank all those that have con- tributed to this project. Reed- ley also will break ground on a new Child Development Cen- ter, which will eventually serve more students and children, when it opens in two years.
Reedley College is here to serve our community, and we look forward to seeing you back on our campus, in any way that we are able to serve you.
Dr. Jerry Buckley is presi- dent of Reedley College.
Jerry Buckley
Letters from readers
But, that's only one man's opinion.
A special thank you
I think Ms. Fellows has for- gotten about "Common Sense" when she wrote her letter (Dec. 10).
First of all, Obama did his best trying to take our country down. Depleted the military,
sent huge amounts of money to Iran funding any rebel who wanted to destroy America. He was, without a doubt, the worse president we ever had.
Trump, on the other hand, built back our military to a strength that no one messes with us. Built the strongest
economy, brought back busi- nesses that employed more peo- ple than we've ever seen before.
As for the election, it was crooked all the way, and I'm ashamed of the Supreme Court for denying the people a fair vote.
Shirley Gonsalvez Reedley
Letters Policy
MID VALLEY TIMES invites letters from the public on any topic of local relevance. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or brevity, and we reserve the right to NOT publish them if they could be deemed libelous or profane. Letters should be 350 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed, submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Editor, Reedley Exponent, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
QUOTE
“Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success.”
— Oscar Wilde
(1854 - 1900),
The Soul of Man under Socialism (1881)
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