Public

Low-income student-parents who depend on child care while attending OCC received much needed support from Washington earlier this year when Congress increased the amount of funding to the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program by more than 230 percent, from approximately $15 million to $50 million. CCAMPIS provides additional assistance to student-parents pursuing college degrees. The sole federal program dedicated to assisting student-parents had not seen an increase in funding in a decade-and-a-half.

Professor Gerardo Tonatiuh Cummings Rendon, Ph.D. loves to share his full name with students and inspire them to think about their names. In his case, Gerardo is of European origin and it means "the man with the sword." Tonatiuh comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, and it means "God of the sun." Cummings is his father's last name and Rendon is his mother's last name. "Chapter 3 in the Spanish 101 textbook deals with family. It's very interesting to ask students where their last name comes from and make them realize their identity reflects their dad but not their mom.

Members of the OCC campus community came together to give back as part of the annual "Onondaga Day of Service." Students, faculty, and staff took advantage of opportunities to assist through both on-campus and off-campus projects. A total of 161 students and 35 employee volunteers participated! The list of accomplishments included:

Nicholas Roberts is an Alumni Face honoree for his professional achievements and contributions to the college and the community.

If you see one of the Casey triplets, the other two are probably nearby. They commute to OCC together, work identical hours at their part-time jobs, and always seem to be on the same page mentally. "If we didn't say anything to each other for an entire day we would know what the other was thinking. There's an unspoken bond," said Greg Casey. "We're different from each other physically, mentally and in our interests," added Eric Casey. "But we have each others back," said Greg Casey.

Members of the 2019 OCC Men's Lacrosse team received their National Championship rings during a ceremony Saturday, September 28 on Chuck Wilbur Field at Lazer Stadium.

Dawn Penson was sworn-in as the new Student Trustee during the Board of Trustees first meeting of the academic year. The meeting was held Tuesday, October 1 in the Whitney Applied Technology Center. Penson is a 41-year-old mother of three who is blind. She owns a perfect 4.0 grade point average and will be inducted into the College's chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa later this semester. Penson is a Human Services major and will earn her degree next May.

Jennifer Belcher is an Alumni Face honoree for her professional achievements and contributions to the college and the community.

Jennifer Belcher graduated from West Genesee High School in 1985 and enrolled at OCC that fall as a Humanities major. Her father was a long-time faculty member in Chemistry. "OCC was the logical choice for me. My professors had a profound impact on me and I remember them fondly to this day."

• Major: Humanities
• High School: Corcoran, class of 2002

Kiki Horton is experiencing a personal renaissance. She has a second chance at life and her education and she's taking advantage of both opportunities. "I'm looking at school as a steppingstone to being great. If I want something no one is going to give it to me. I have to go and get it. I have to be great."