Funeral processions and pepper spray mark budget cut protests on

COMMUNITY COLLEGE ASSOCIATION
The Official Newspaper of The Community College Association/CTA-NEA
Volume 47, Number 3 • May/June 2012
Funeral processions and pepper spray
mark budget cut protests on campus
Sounding the death knell for higher education
AC TI V I SM
Elimination of classes. Cancellation of
summer school programs. Long lines to get into
required courses. Rising student fees. Rationing
of education. Reduction of faculty.
Welcome to the state of California’s Community Colleges, circa 2012.
And if voters turn down Gov. Jerry Brown’s
pending revenue initiative this November, the
state’s already beleaguered community colleges
could see an effective funding reduction of
about $613 million in the coming year, according to the Community College Chancellor’s
Office. Chancellor Jack Scott noted that the
community college system would gain about
$300 million in new revenues if the governor’s
tax initiative is approved, but it would lose
those revenues and suffer another $300 million in additional cuts should the measure fail.
California’s community colleges have been cut $809
million since 2008.
“It is absolutely crucial
that the funding initiative
be passed,” said CCA President Ron Norton Reel. “Our
community colleges and our
entire education system cannot sustain any more cuts.
Enough is enough.”
For students and faculty,
it’s already been enough,
and many are fighting back
against the defunding of
education. Students have
joined in activities in the
Capitol at Sacramento and
on college campuses includLynn Shaw, president of the CTA Long Beach College faculty association, leads a procession
ing Santa Monica College, Long Beach City College and Gavilan College in Gilroy.
At Santa Monica College, dozens of students
were pepper sprayed by police in April when
they turned out at a board of trustees meeting
to protest a pilot program that would have provided high-demand core courses at about four
times the regular price.
Margaret Quinones-Perez, vice chair of the
board of trustees at Santa Monica College
as well as a CCA member who teaches at El
Our community colleges and
our entire education system
cannot sustain any more cuts.
Enough is enough.
Camino College, was the only board member
to dissent. Following the protests, however, the
board agreed to postpone the plan “for-thetime-being.” Addressing a lunchtime audience
at the CCA Spring Conference, Quinones-Perez
was still upset by what had taken place. Her
remarks regarding her support for real student
success was received with a standing ovation
from the CCA delegates.
Please see Budget, page 5
to mark the death of education at the campus. (Photo by CC Sadler)
CCA continues to fight for student
access to community colleges
Advocates working to change proposed legislation
The Community College Association
continues to work with state legislators to curtail
two bills that could drastically alter access to the
state’s community colleges.
The bills, SB 1062 and SB 1456, are based on
recommendations by the California Community
Colleges Task Force on Student Success for the
purpose of developing a plan to improve the success rate of our students. CCA has taken oppose
positions on both bills, SB 1062 by state Sen.
Carol Liu (D-Pasadena) and SB 1456 by state Sen.
Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) because of the
far-reaching and unintended consequences they
will have on our students.
“Now is the time we need faculty to talk to their
local legislators and tell them we oppose the bills
as written,” said CCA President Ron Norton Reel.
“We are focusing attention on the state Assembly
where we hope we can eliminate the detrimental
effects of the bills.”
CCA is concerned that the “Student Success”
recommendations will reduce the number of
students in community colleges for reasons other
than to transfer to four-year colleges.
“Students who want to upgrade their skills,
obtain certificates to advance their careers, go
part-time, learn English, and take classes for the
joy of learning may find the once-open doors of
community college slammed shut,” Reel said.
In addition to providing testimony to the
Community College Board of Governors and
the Legislature, Reel has been working closely
with CCA/CTA’s legislative advocates to amend
the bills. CCA has also developed a number of
resources that can be found on its website at
www.cca4me.org. Resources include a cost analysis of the bills, resolutions for local trustees to
sign, talking points and fliers.
Local CCA activists have taken the message
to heart and have worked to organize mem-
bers and students to take action. Faculty from
Gavilan College in Gilroy, for example, have been
collecting signatures on petitions, posting on
Facebook, and writing letters and opinion pieces
in area newspapers. They provide resources on
their website and have launched a YouTube video
called “Real Student Success: Keep the ‘Community’ in Community College.”
In the video, history professor and Gavilan
College Faculty Association President Leah
Halper observes that in their 100-year-old history,
“community colleges have developed into wonderful places that offer something for everybody,”
from music classes for her 75-year-old father to
AP classes for her 16-year-old niece. “We need
community colleges to keep serving everybody…
Let’s not start picking and choosing which people
and which goals get addressed.”
Please see Student Success, page 8
MAKI NG A D I F F E R E N C E
Let’s act to prevent the death
of our community colleges
Here’s what you can do
SPEAKING OUT
By Ron Norton Reel, CCA President
I recently attended a “funeral” at Long
Beach City College that marked the death of
higher education as we know it in the California
Community Colleges. The CTA Long Beach City
College Faculty Association, the part-time CHI
Long Beach City College association, students and
staff gathered in funeral attire to mourn the death.
They enrich us all
For me, it was a time to reflect on how much
community colleges have enriched the people
of this state. Community colleges provide a path
for many students to enter four-year colleges and
universities. They train the police, nurses and
paramedics, who are
the first to respond
to emergencies.They
provide a way for
unemployed to get
job training, and
workers to gain
additional certification. They provide
English language
Ron Norton Reel
courses workers need
to advance. They
provide personal enrichment classes that benefit
members of the community. They provide many
students with an opportunity for a second chance.
The Community College system as a higher
education family member was born in the 1960s.
It was supposed to provide a free education for
anyone thinking they could benefit from going to
college. Community colleges began to flourish and
multiply because of the great number of people
enrolling, until today we have expanded to 112
campuses with 2.6 million students in attendance.
It was a sad day knowing the Long Beach City
College Board of Trustees had recently passed
a resolution to cut 35 percent of the staffing jobs
at the college. Does the board believe the college
can continue to exist with more than one-third
of its staff suddenly eliminated? LBCC is not the
only college to make drastic cuts. Various colleges have decided on lay-offs to help close projected budget shortfalls.
Funding initiative needed
Yet, these actions are premature, and based on
a projection of a worse-case-scenario. If Gov.
Brown’s initiative, the Schools and Local Public
Safety Protection Act of 2012, passes in November, there will be no need for such a reaction. The
initiative will go a long way in beginning to restore
the funding our schools and colleges need.
We have now cut over 4,000 part-time faculty
members from the teaching profession at the community college level. Without any explanation, our
full-time faculty members are being told they are
not going to be granted tenure.
With many of the faculty members facing
retirement during the next five years, colleges are
choosing not to replace full-time faculty. Instead,
part-time faculty are being used but in much fewer
numbers than before. This practice isn’t fair to
either full-time or part-time faculty, and it certainly isn’t fair to students.
Students harmed
Our students are being harmed. Every section
that is cut from the teaching catalog impacts our
students. These students are the reason the college exists. We are forcing class sizes to increase,
which hurts students because less class time is
spent with each student.
Instead of mourning the passing of our community colleges, we need to organize. I think the
students of the community college system should
file a class action lawsuit against all of the colleges
for not providing the same learning environment
to all students. Do our students agree to randomly
sign up for a class and simply hope the class offers
a full-time faculty member who has the office
hours to help them? The cost of such an education
is being pushed onto our students who must simply pay higher fees. Beginning this summer, our
students will be forced to pay $46 per unit. It is
not fair.
California is the 9th largest income economy of
the world, yet we are 48th in the nation in funding our schools. What should we do to find peace
within our hearts? We must:
Organize, and stop over-reacting to the
crisis we face.
Be willing to spend down reserves for
a couple of years.
Hold the boards of trustees accountable
for their actions.
Start a recall campaign for boards not
carrying out their duties to the community.
Demand that corporations and wealthy
people in California pay their fair share of
taxes to support the education system from
which they benefit.
Register to vote. Make sure our students are
registered to vote.
Support the Schools and Local Public Safety
Protection Act of 2012 in November.
Otherwise, there will only be more funerals for
higher education we will be attending.
CCA Calendar of Events
CTA Presidents Conference
July 23-27, 2012
Asilomar, Pacific Grove
CTA Summer Institute
Aug. 5-9, 2012
UCLA
CCA Advocate M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 2
It is an affiliate of the California
Teachers Association and the National
Education Association.
Community College Association
(916) 288-4921
EDITOR — Dina Martin
(650) 552-5491
CCA OFFICERS
Ron Norton Reel, President
Mt. San Antonio College
[email protected]
Lynette Nyaggah, Vice President
Rio Hondo College
[email protected]
DeWayne Sheaffer, Secretary
Long Beach City College
[email protected]
Jim Weir, Treasurer
Sierra College
[email protected]
CCA Staff
Robin Devitt (Santa Fe Springs)
Alan Frey (Sacramento)
Diana Lisi (Foster City)
Marianne Reynolds (Orange)
CCA Community College Consultants
Lindah Martin
Bonita Lovell
Associate Staff
Advocate Staff
Susan Sanz,
Publications Support Specialist
The CCA Advocate is published by the Community College Association and the Communications Department of the California
Teachers Association, 1705 Murchinson
Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010, (650) 697-1400.
Publication of advertising in CCA Advocate
does not indicate CCA or CTA approval of the
advertised product or any of the companies
who purchase advertising.
The CCA Advocate is also available online
at the CCA Web site: www.cca4me.org
CCA Fall Conference
Oct. 12-14, 2012
Wyndham, San Jose
Contact 650/577-5184 CTA Regional Resource Center (CCA)
or register online at www.ccafca.org.
2
The Community College Association exists
to protect and promote the well-being of
its members through collective bargaining, lobbying and representation activities,
thereby advancing universal and quality
public education.
CCA I N AC TI O N
What’s your take-away
from the Spring Conference?
CCA members learn from trainings, presentations
CONFERENCES
Whether it was learning about CCA/CTA’s action plan for the upcoming elections or attending any one of several workshops on energizing members, using social media or “how not to become
a Wisconsin,” CCA members who attended the CCA Spring Conference came away with information
they need to strengthen their local chapters. Here’s a sample of what they learned:
Kathy Pudelko
Antoine Thomas
Rio Hondo College
Ed Gomez
Mt. San Antonio College
Building Strong Locals Academy
“We need to re-brand the union
and put it into terms that it’s not
the big bad union. People have to
know that every time nurses get a
contract, EMTs benefit. Every time
union workers get a raise, other
employees benefit.”
San Bernardino College
“I was pleased to hear that CTA
is thinking about reassessing
what a union does. I am proud
that CCA is following suit and is
focusing on what is our role, what
are we doing that is successful.
Change is overdue.”
“I’m finally learning the
foundations of union work
through the Building Strong Locals
Academy. I love the presentations
we had and it’s taught me that we
all have to do our part and get
involved. I’ve learned that I’ve got
to get more involved.”
Chris Vancil
Cindy Frye
College of the Siskiyous
“I learned about the 50 percent
law (the law requiring colleges
to spend 50 percent of their
revenues on the classroom), and
how to mitigate take-backs. A lot
of what we are trying to do right
now is to mitigate the cuts that are
taking place in this state. We’ve got
to fix funding.”
Curtis Williams
Long Beach Certificated Hourly
Instructors (Long Beach CHI)
Long Beach Certificate Hourly Instructors
(Long Beach-CHI)
“I learned that we should be
using Facebook to connect with
our members.”
“I learned that the numbers we are
being given by the administration
are not accurate and we have to
keep asking for them. The quality
of information is huge and it’s the
way to move us forward.”
San Joaquin Delta instructor
receives Part-time Faculty Award
IVC prof honored posthumously
Josie Malik, a part-time instructor at San
Joaquin Delta College for 19 years received the
second annual David B. Milroy Part-Time Faculty Award during CCA’s spring conference.
Also honored posthumously with the Presidential Award was Armando Mendez, who was an
instructor at Imperial Valley College.
A learning disability specialist, Malik teaches
reading and works diligently to serve students
with disabilities on campus. As a union activist,
she has held the position of 3rd vice presidentadjunct of the San Joaquin Delta faculty association and has been an integral part of the
chapter, organizing the Part-time Appreciation
Month activities and working to promote and
increase the number of part-time instructors at
the local level. She serves as a member of the
Faculty Equity and Diversity Committee and on
the CTA State Council, where she’s a member of
the special education committee. Malik is also
a CTA liaison to the California Association of
School Psychologists.
The Milroy award was named for another
longtime retired faculty activist, David Milroy,
who has served in leadership roles within CCA
and in other faculty organizations.
Armando Mendez, who worked for years to
organize part-time faculty at the IVC campus
was recognized as a warrior for justice by his
campus colleagues. The campus community was
saddened by his untimely death on August 18,
2011, the same evening that the newly recognized IVC PT Faculty Association was officially
accepting membership applications on campus.
His family members were on hand to accept the
special award.
Josie Malik, winner of the David B. Milroy Award for Part-Time Faculty is flanked by CCA Board member Luisa Howell and David Milroy.
M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 2
CCA Advocate
3
PART-TI ME FAC UL T Y N E W S
Adjunct instructors honored on campus
during Part-time Appreciation Month
CCA gets the event rolling
REACHING OUT
Judging from the success of the first
Part-time Faculty Appreciation Month, the event
may be headed toward an annual event on the
CCA’s calendar.
“We are trying to get the message out that parttime faculty are important and they are valued,”
said John Sullivan, CCA board member representing part-time faculty.
A number of CCA chapters got into the spirit and
honored part-time instructors on their campuses
with special lunches, receptions and resolutions.
In a resolution passed by the board of trustees
at Imperial Valley College, part-time instructors were recognized for the essential services
they provide “which enhance the ability of our
students to successfully achieve their academic
goals” and were publicly thanked for their vital
contribution to students. Part-time faculty at
IVC were only recently recognized as a chapter
of the Community College Association.
At Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana,
nearly 70 part-time instructors were treated to
a special lunch sponsored by the Continuing
Education Faculty Association (CEFA). Attending the lunch was a board of trustee member and
a local school board candidate. In addition, CCA
staff Marianne Reynolds led an interactive workshop on unemployment benefits. The CEFA event
was funded by a grant from CCA to support parttime membership development.
“This was the first time in many years that
we had so many participants. We’re on two different campuses and a lot of us don’t see each
other,” said CEFA Jose Lopez Mercedes, who
obtained a CCA grant for the event from the
Membership Committee.
The San Joaquin Delta Faculty Association
sponsored a lunch for more than 30 part-time
instructors in addition to a CTA presentation on
the California State Teachers Retirement System.
Other events during the month included a presentation before the college trustees by San Joaquin
Delta CTA President Elizabeth Maloney and
a workshop on unemployment.
After discussions with association representatives, Riverside Community College District
Chancellor Gregory Grey also thanked part-time
faculty for their valuable service to the community in an unexpected district-wide e-mail. Riverside City College, one of the campuses, was to
have hosted a reception in late April as well.
Part-time instructors at Merced College were
honored for the third year in a row with a lunch,
a recognition by the district board of trustees
and with an award ceremony by the college’s Academic Senate. The event even received coverage
in the local newspaper.
“We turned our part-time faculty from invisible to visible,” said Merced College Faculty
This was the first time in many
years that we had so many
participants. We’re on two different
campuses and a lot of us don’t see
each other.
Association President Keith Law, a full-time
philosophy instructor.
The effort by Merced’s chapter is resulting in
even more tangible rewards. Part-time instructors there have won parity in negotiations and
Law said the next fight will be over office hours.
CCA’s Part-time Issues Committee is already
looking to next year to make the event even more
successful. Materials and information as well as
applications for a CCA grant can be found on the
website at www.CCA4me.org.
The Continuing Education Faculty Association of Rancho Santiago College turned out 70 part-time faculty to their celebration. Shown
left to right, from the top are President Jose Lopez Mercedes and CCA consultant Marianne Reynolds; Vice President Evelyn Elmore and
Barbara Luther; Norma Olivares and Patricia Armendariz; Mina Esfandiari and Stephen Mirande, and Carlos Diaz.
CCA reaches out to part-time faculty
to share benefits of the union
There’s strength in numbers
No faculty feels more vulnerable
them about the benefits of the union and to urge
these days than part-time instructors. From the
them to join. Early reports are that the ranks of
loss of income from having their classes cut to
part-time CCA members at Long Beach, Riverhaving their jobs totally eliminated, part timside, San Joaquin Delta and Shasta College as
ers are the first to feel the impact of budget cuts
a result.
to schools and colleges – which is why CCA is
“If part-time faculty want to change things and
making a concerted effort to make sure part-time improve their situation on campus, they need to
instructors become membecome members,” said John
bers of the union.
Sullivan.
“Only by being memOnce we have enough part
“Once we have enough
bers can they make contractual
timers join the union, our
part timers join the
changes and influence legislaneeds can’t be ignored.
union, our needs can’t
tion. We need part-time membe ignored,” said Kristie
bers to vote.”
Iwamoto, who recently helped recruit 40 new
Although part-time instructors are currently
part-time members to the Solano College CTA
considered “at-will employees” who can be termichapter herself.
nated at any time, Sullivan says that could change
Iwamoto was part of a team of faculty who
if their numbers are strengthened by the union.
called 400 instructors on five campuses to tell
The benefits of membership for part timers
4
CCA Advocate M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 2
more than pays for their dues. Those benefits
include liability insurance, professional development training and conferences, credit union services, life insurance, financial services, health
information and a Well Baby Program, home
and renter insurance and a first-time home buyers program.
The effort represents the first-time nonmember (or “agency fee payers”) part time
instructors have been the focus of a concerted
membership campaign.
More information can be found on the CCA
website at www.cca4me.org or by contacting
John Sullivan at [email protected] or
John Martin, Northern California CCA board
member representing part-time faculty at
[email protected].
CCA A RO U ND T H E STAT E
Tahoe College classified joins CCA/CTA
New chapter has big plans
CHAPTER PROFILE
Diane Lewis didn’t start out as a union organizer. She didn’t come from a union family and
she wasn’t part of a union in her previous job in
broadcast journalism. But the Lake Tahoe Community College library technician has undergone
a transformation. Even her email address uses
“Norma Rae” after the factory worker-turnedlabor organizer immortalized on film by actress
Sally Field.
It’s served her well over the past year as she
helped to organize the Lake Tahoe Community
College Classified Employees Union into a chapter
of CCA/CTA’s Education Support Professionals.
“I’ve never been a union member, but I understood pretty quickly when I got here that we
needed to organize. Right now we are among the
poorest paid classified groups in the state, and
that’s something we’d like to change.”
see the advantage for everyone.
A visit by CTA President Dean
Vogel earlier this month only
confirmed their opinion.
In a community event at
the college sponsored by the
new classified staff and faculty
unions, Vogel provided the
educator’s perspective on the
problems that K-12 schools and
community colleges face in California. In the face of top-down
policy decisions and crippling
In a show of unity, Faculty association president Scott Lukas (from left) and retired
budget cuts (which will only get
faculty Sal Lopez join members of the CCA-affiliated Lake Tahoe Community College
Classified Employees Bob Roseblade, Diane Lewis and chapter President Paul Neves.
worse if a funding initiative is
not passed by voters in Novemto have a decent classroom environment for our
ber), Vogel discussed the need for educators to
students and faculty and classified staff provides
reach out to friends, neighbors, students and the
that support. I think that with our faculty and
community to talk about what is going on in their
Seeking improvements
staff represented by CTA, our whole school will
schools and colleges.
There are a few other things the new union would
be stronger.”
Standing together
like to change as well, including improved health
Lewis recognized that the past few months have
Vogel’s remarks prompted lively discussion and
and welfare benefits, the development of a grievbeen an adjustment period for the board and for
exchange of contact information among the Lake
ance process that works, and binding arbitration.
the new union, but she agreed with Vogel.
“This ‘meet and confer’ business we had in place Tahoe college classified staff, faculty, K-12 educa“He speaks my language. We need to be talktors, and college administrators during a reception ing to each other. This room shows me that we’re
had no teeth,” Lewis said. “We just couldn’t get
that concluded the event.
anything done.”
together,” she said.
“This just tells me that we all need to band
While Lewis and her union colleagues acknowledge that conditions under a previous college pres- together to make things better,” said Paul Neves,
president of the Tahoe ESP chapter. “We have
ident are what ignited them to organize, they can
Budget
It took the students to tell the board, “You are not right. You are
wrong,” she said. “That’s not how we are going to educate our kids
in California.”
At Long Beach College, students joined faculty early in May at
a funeral marking the “Death of Education” on their campus. The board
of trustees recently approved a plan to cut 55 nonteaching jobs and
reduce contracts for 96 positions.
“While our Superintendent- President gets a 4 percent raise every year,
classes are being slashed and staff are losing their jobs,” said Lynn Shaw,
president of the CTA Long Beach City College faculty association.
Gavilan College students have joined their instructors in organizing
against the Student Success plan that would “ration” education by making it more difficult for students who attend college part-time.
“This is why it is important for our members get involved in the campaign. We need to do this for our students,” Reel said.
CCA/CTA members can find out more information about the funding
initiative and other election issues on the CTA website at www.cta.org/
campaign2012.
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CCA President Ron Norton Reel stands beside California’s First Lady Anne Gust Brown
as the governor turns in the first boxes of signed petitions aimed at putting his revenue
initiative on the November ballot. (Photo by Len Feldman)
M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 2
CCA Advocate
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IN T H E LI ME L I G H T
Sierra College faculty explore unconscious
bias in effort to improve campus climate
CTA workshop brings instructors, students and staff together
ACTION ON CAMPUS
Exploring our own biases is something many of us would probably prefer to
avoid. For an intrepid Sierra College group,
however, the process might be key to boosting
student success on campus.
At least, that’s what several faculty reported
after emerging from CTA’s breakthrough training on Unconscious Bias. Led by CTA staff,
the training allowed some 50 Sierra College
instructors, staff, students, and officials to
spend two days in April delving into their own
biases in order to strengthening learning and
working conditions on campus. It also marked
the first time the CTA-developed training had
been offered at a California community college
as well as the first time it included students.
Making strides
The Sierra College community has galvanized
around the issue of making the campus more
inclusive, welcoming and respectful of differences. Most recently, the campus has made
strides in reaching out to LGBTQ (Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning)
students. The Unconscious Bias training was
deemed important enough that Sierra College
Trustee Dave Ferrari, offered his motel in Tahoe
as the venue for the off-campus conference.
“I’d have to say it was probably the most
meaningful and important workshop I’ve ever
been to,” said Vernon Martin, a philosophy
instructor and member of the Sierra College
Faculty Association. “This was a conference
that explores the way hidden preferences affect
us. As a professor, it affects the way I interact
with co-workers and students.”
Martin says students are aware and sensitive
to bias, particularly students who have experienced it, or who have been bullied.
“I want to make my students feel welcomed
and valued, and not marginalized or alienated.
How can that happen if I’m not aware of these
biases?” he asked.
Attendees participated in several activities,
from taking the Harvard Implicit Association
Test online to discussing their assumptions
about age, race, sexuality and gender.
“It’s pretty disturbing to become aware of our
biases. Everyone imagines that you treat everyone equally, but it’s pretty unlikely that’s the
case,” Martin said.
Surprised by training
As a psychology professor Stephanie Coday is
familiar with the concept and theory of unconscious bias. She knows about how our brains
take advantage of certain shortcuts in perceptions so they don’t get overwhelmed with stimuli. Nevertheless, she was surprised by how the
training affected her.
Just a few days following the training, Coday
said, “I’m still processing. I’ve become hypervigilant about everything in class. I’m looking
at what I say and what I do with a new lens.
But I do think there will be long-term positive
consequences for students and faculty.”
Coday has been involved with the Spectrum
Committee, a standing committee appointed by
the Academic Senate, to help ensure the success and retention of LGBTQ students. Along
with the student Rainbow Alliance, the committee has promoted a number of activities on
campus, ranging from a three-day Pride festival
to the recent Second Chance Prom for LGBTQ
students that drew 400 participants. She is one
of 116 faculty and staff who have gone through
Safe Space training to provide support to students. The Spectrum Committee has also spearheaded a proposal for a Pride Center which will
serve as a learning center for students.
Student suicide
Despite all that, however, there was still a gay
student who committed suicide this year.
“LGBTQ students continue to have higher
rates of depression, anxiety and suicide. This
gets tied into student success. The minute you
are bullied, you are excluded, and when you are
excluded, you are likely to skip class, to skip
days and to skip school entirely,” Coday said.
Perhaps even more importantly, faculty who
attended the training are eager to build on
what they have learned.
“There’s a hesitation to let the information
go,” said Johnnie Terry, the philosophy professor who helped organize the training. “We’ve
already had a discussion to create a critical
thinking course that would integrate unconscious bias. It would be an interdisciplinary
approach with elements of sociology, psychology, philosophy and English.”
Although the CTA training is geared toward
educators, the dozen or so Sierra College students also found the two days to be meaningful.
As psychology student Ryan Parino notes, “It
was amazing to see the diversity in the room
and to know that we were all there for the same
goal. That was powerful.”
Sierra College faculty, staff and students participate in an activity
to explore their unconscious bias.
Student Success
continued from page 1
Clockwise, from left, student Ryan Parino, and faculty Megan Seely, Johnnie Terry and Stephanie Coday.
As written, SB 1456 provides no strategy
for measuring the success of community
college students and creates a two-tiered
system of students – those with educational
experiences and those who lack the language,
computer and math skills necessary for college success. It also offers no mechanism to
ensure that colleges hire more counselors to
help first-generation college students navigate an often-complicated system.
SB 1062 by state Sen. Carol Liu (D-Pasadena) authorizes the Board of Governors
to appoint persons without permanent civil
service status to vice chancellor and assistant vice chancellor positions.
“The Chancellor’s office would be given
sweeping new powers to make ‘cabinet’
appointments that do nothing to improve
student success,” Reel said.
For more information on the bills and on
the Student Success recommendations, go to
www.cca4me.org.
M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 2
CCA Advocate
California Teachers Association
1705 Murchison Drive
Burlingame, CA 94010
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