ON CAMPUS AT OCC:OCC students shine in their endeavors

Orange Coast College’s fall semester begins Aug. 27.

Nearly 2,300 classes are being offered in more than 200 different transfer and career subject areas. The 16-week semester concludes Dec. 16.

OCC’s fall semester enrollment is up by 3.8% over last year, according to figures released Thursday by the college’s Enrollment Services Department. To date, OCC has enrolled 11,490 students for the fall. That compares to 11,072 for the same date last year, an increase of 418 students. The college’s fall 2007 enrollment is up by 7.1% over 2005.

By the time fall 2007 classes come to a close in December, it’s expected that the college’s enrollment will have surpassed 25,000.

Applications are being accepted — and registration appointments are available — in OCC’s Enrollment Center in Watson Hall. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays.

Applications are also available online at orangecoastcollege.edu.

Touch-tone telephone registration is available for all entering and continuing students.

The college’s fall printed class schedule is available for pick-up, free of charge, in the Enrollment Center. The fall 2007 schedule, winter intersession 2008 schedule and spring 2008 schedule are all posted on OCC’s website.

For registration information, call (714) 432-5072.

Culinary team finishes second in nation

The college’s culinary team finished second out of four finalists at the American Culinary Federation Student Team National Championships on July 23 in Orlando.

The national competition was staged at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort and Convention Center.

Orange Coast College, which grabbed its fifth West Region crown last April, earned a silver medal in Orlando. The Pirates captured the national title in 2005, and have now finished second in the nation on three occasions (1995, 2004 and 2007).

Members of OCC’s 2006-07 culinary squad include Brodie Curtis and Conrad Malaya of Newport Beach, Marissa Gerlach of Laguna Niguel, Chad Urata of Irvine, and Brent Omeste of Orange Hills.

OCC 65th in nation in awarding degrees

Orange Coast College ranks 65th in the nation in awarding associate degrees — out of 5,000 community colleges and other institutions that grant such degrees — according to a report published recently in the national newsletter, Community College Week.

Orange Coast graduated 1,415 students with associates in arts and associates in science degrees in 2005-06. The college ranked eighth in California in 2005-06 graduates and first in Orange County.

Auditions set for fall main stage production

Orange Coast College’s theater department will conduct auditions later this month for a fall production featuring Kitty Felde’s new drama, “The Man With No Shadow,” and Doug Rand’s comedy, “The Auditioners.”

The plays will be staged in tandem in October. Together, the short works explore the tragedy and comedy of an actor’s existence.

Auditions will be at 6 p.m. Aug. 27, and at 7 p.m. Aug. 28 and 30, in the Drama Lab Theatre on campus. No advance preparation is required, and the auditions will consist of cold readings from scripts.

Perusal scripts are available in OCC’s theater department office. For audition information, call (714) 432-5640, ext. 5.