The Sandbox @ Coastline: Volume 72 - March 28, 2021

From the Coastline Blog:
How to Have a Safe 'Safecation' During Spring Break

By Saul Rubin

Spring Break is nearly upon us. And while vaccinations are up across the U.S. It’s still important to stay safe. Here’s how.

Do you hear that sound? It’s calling out to you, from beyond. An indistinct noise, but becoming more discernible by the minute, by the day, by the week. Perhaps you hear the rousing cheers from your favorite sports bar. Perhaps the rollicking clap-trap of a passing rollercoaster and the unrestrained yelps of its passengers. Perhaps you hear something simpler: the quiet, yet buoyant conversation of a mid-sized dinner party among friends, sipping wine, playing games, having fun. All this and more is promised to come at some point in the future, but we’re not quite there yet.

We have arrived at one year later, one year of the pandemic, and thus back to Spring Break. As vaccinations rise, people may feel the urge to leap back to ‘normalcy,’ but, as I said, we’re not quite there yet. We have to remain cautious, wary of coronavirus variants, each distinguished by their place of origin: the UK Variant, the Brazil Variant, the South African Variant, etc. etc.

So Spring Break can’t yet be beaches and parties and raucous good times. But it doesn’t have to be entirely locked down, as it was last year, either. Here at Coastline, we’re calling it a ‘Safecation.’ It’s more than a staycation, but less than a vacation, all handled with social distancing and safety in mind. Here are some ways you can do it too…

Happy Spring Break, Coastliners! No classes will be in session Monday, March 29th - Sunday, April 4th. 16-week classes will resume (and second 8-week classes will start) Monday, April 5th.

It's finally time - Spring Break is here! Although we are itching to go out and relax, we must understand that COVID infection cases are still on the rise and there are still risks in going out and traveling. This can certainly alter the way we celebrate, gather, and relax.

On behalf of Coastline College’s Title IX office, we have outlined some resources and a few tips you can follow for a safe Spring Break. No matter how you spend your break, be mindful that you and those around you are being safe!

Going for a night out?

Be sure to wear your mask and even if you bring hand sanitizer with you, still wash your hands frequently.
Stay in groups. Try to avoid venturing off solo. If you do, be sure to share your location with others through the use of an app like Google Maps.
Avoid open container drinks, open beverages sources (bowls and pitchers) and mixed drinks. Best practice is if you don’t know the ingredients, avoid it as you don’t know how much alcohol it contains.
Always keep an eye on your drink. If you leave it unattended at any point, it is safer to dispose of the drink and get a new one.
Come with your friends, leave with your friends. Make sure to watch out for your friends too.

Traveling?

Whether it is local or international, always inform someone of your travel plans. This includes passing along to someone your hotel and contact information.
If traveling internationally, make sure to have a copy of your passport in case yours is lost or stolen – best practice is to leave one at your place of travel and with someone back home. This makes it easier to get a replacement at your embassy.
Stay alert! During any taxi, Uber, Lyft or third party rides, always stay alert. Try to follow along on Google Maps or a navigation service to ensure you are heading to the correct destination.
Need to run to the ATM? Go in groups as there is always safety in numbers.
Take a printed map. Sometimes service is unreliable in certain locations or in case of emergencies when phones have been stolen.
Don’t bring flashy valuables like expensive jewelry or watches.

Staying In?

Make sure to be active for the week for at least three hours. Whether it's dancing during commercial breaks or taking a walk around your neighborhood, the goal is to keep your muscles moving.
Try to keep your brain engaged too. Whether visiting a museum, painting, photography or solving puzzles, try to keep your mind active too.
Get up! Try something new and fun at home.

Student Design Contest Winning Designs Now Available on The Pier!

Show your Coastline pride in these winning designs from Coastline's first ever Student Design Contest! Thank you to all the students who participated and sent in their submissions, and congratulations to our winners!

1st Place:
Arvia Glass

Runner-Up:
Sarah Kwok

Pick up their winning designs now available in The Pier! Don't forget to use your exclusive promo code for being a Sandbox reader! Enter the code SANDBOX15 for 15% off your order!

Want to see YOUR design(s) on The Pier? Start brainstorming and stay tuned to The Sandbox and Coastline social media for our next Student Design Contest, coming in April 2021!

Building Safe Spaces Online for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

During April each year, Coastline observes Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We aim to educate and prevent sexual misconduct on our campuses as we stand in solidarity with survivors. This year our theme is "We Can Build Safe Online Spaces". Coastline's Title IX Office is committed to providing opportunities for awareness and prevention, not just in April, but all year long.

Clothesline Project Online Event
The Clothesline Project brings awareness to interpersonal violence and sexual assault. Color coded t-shirts, which represent different forms of violence, are decorated to honor survivors and share messages, stories, and reactions.

Celebrating Deaf History Month

National Deaf History Month is celebrated from March 13th through April 15th to commemorate the achievements of people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The time frame is spread across March and April in recognition of three turning points in deaf education history dating back to the early 1800s:

April 15, 1817 - America’s first public school for the deaf was opened.
April 8, 1864 - Gallaudet University, the world’s first institution dedicated to advanced education for the deaf and hard of hearing, was officially founded.
March 13, 1988 - More than 100 years later, Gallaudet hired its first deaf president in response to its students’ Deaf President Now movement.

Black ASL vs. ASL

Many have heard of American Sign Language (ASL), but may not be familiar with the differences between it and Black American Sign Language (BASL). Words in ASL and BASL may have different signs, which highlights the unique identity of users of ASL and BASL. Check out this short documentary about BASL and it's rich history and and place within the deaf/HOH community.

Remembering César Chávez

César Chávez was born in Yuma, Arizona on March 31, 1927. Chávez became known for his efforts to improve farmworkers' living and workplace conditions through organizing and negotiating contracts with their employers. He founded the National Farm Workers Association (later known as The United Farm Workers of America) also became a grassroots organizer for the Community Service Organization (CSO), a Latino civil rights group.

César Chávez Day became a United States federal commemorative holiday only recently in 2014, however, the state of California has been honoring March 31st as César Chávez Day since 2000.

César Chávez Fast Facts

In 1942, César Chávez had to drop out of school after the 8th grade to work full-time in the fields.
In 1946, he enlisted in the Navy and served for 2 years in a segregated unit. After his service was over, he returned to farm work and married Helen Fabela. They had eight children and thirty-one grandchildren.
In 1968, he headed up the La Causa Boycott against U.S table grape growers in California.
In 1968, he went on a 25-day hunger strike.
In 1970, the UFW signed a contract with grape growers and ended their strike.
In 1972, he went on a second hunger strike that lasted 24-days.
In 1988, he went on a third hunger strike that lasted 36 days, at the age of 61.
In 1993, at the age of 66, Cesar Chavez passed away in his sleep.
In 1994, President Clinton awarded him a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

Coastline College will host once again the Western Regional Collegiate Cybersecurity Defense Competition (WRCCDC).

The competition will take place March 26 -27 and the award ceremony will be held on March 28. Due to Covid-19, the competition this year will be held completely virtual, connecting through VPN and using cloud technology leveraged by Amazon web services (AWS). The event will be live streamed on Twitch. Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ The awards ceremony will be live streamed via YouTube. The links will be made available the day of the event via wrccdc.org and its associated social media (Twitter/Facebook).

This annual event is the Western Regional part of the nation’s largest college-level cyber defense competition, the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC). The competition is divided into ten area regions which hold qualifying round team competitions from each of the colleges and universities within each region. This three-day regional championship event helps to train the next generation of cybersecurity experts by testing their skills in defending against cyber-attacks.

During Women’s History Month, let’s take some time to celebrate some of the many women in higher education and their tremendous impact on learning.

Harriette Cooke was the first woman in the United States to teach college as a full professor, with equal salary to that of her male peers. This was in 1871, nearly 50 years before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, which prohibited denying someone the right to vote on the basis of sex. Harriette Cooke had a hand in molding the habits, minds, and morals of her likely White male students, perhaps teaching them lessons and ideas that would shape the way they themselves voted. But she could not participate fully in the U.S.’s supposed democratic society. Harriette Cooke died in 1914. She would never vote in a presidential election. Still, she lent her voice to democracy in the way she could.

To celebrate Women’s History Month we’re going to feature a few of the female staff and faculty of Coastline who lead, inspire, and teach. These professors guide students into the future, which by definition is an uncertain, unruly place. And these professors do it with aplomb, insight, and hope, as well as experience too.

Gaming is where it's at!

As a college student, there couldn't be a better time to be involved with esports, and at Coastline everyone is welcome to join in the fun! You don't have to be a big-time gamer to participate.

The mission of the esports club is to build a supportive community for students interested in esports and gaming, and to provide members opportunities for improving their gaming skills, networking, and team building.

Interested? Attend a club meeting! No need to be a member already - come on by to see what it's all about! As an added bonus, all new members get entered into a monthly New Member Nitro Classic Giveaway!

Stay tuned to coastline.edu/esports for all upcoming esports events and meetings!

From the Coastline Blog:
Toxicity in Online Gaming: Part 1

By Noah Nelson

What is toxicity in gaming? Who does it target? Who is the problem? What is the gaming industry doing to stop it?

Defining and understanding toxicity can be a bit complex. To me, toxicity is intentionally harming someone emotionally, mentally, spiritually, intellectually, socially, racially, or on any other basis of prejudice. Toxicity in online gaming is no different. Although because the anonymous nature of online gaming (and the culture of anonymity in our digital age in general) feeds into an unhealthy environment and culture through the lack of any serious consequences for toxic behavior, online gaming needn’t and shouldn’t be a place of insecurity, fearful nervousness, or uncomfortability.

In this two-part blog, I will attempt to provide basic answers to big questions to hopefully spark meaningful change and progression towards a safer, more virtuous online environment and culture. With the help of Coastline’s Title IX Representative Leighia Fleming, for starters, this part one blog will tackle what toxicity in online gaming is, what it looks like, who it targets, who and/or what the problem is, and what the gaming industry at large is doing to inverse this toxic spell.