2020

ASCCC Valuing Your Voice: Walking the Talk

Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) Bylaws Article VI states, “Academic Senate caucuses are intended to serve as groups of independently organized faculty to meet, network, and deliberate collegially in order to form a collective voice on issues of common concern that caucus members feel are of vital importance to faculty and the success of students as they relate to academic and professional matters.” The caucus structure is a conscious effort by the ASCCC to establish a means within the organization to ensure all voices are heard.

How to Start Anti-racism Work at a Colorblind Institution

As colleges celebrate the rise of diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness and programming across the California Community Colleges system, they must ask themselves why their diversity, equity, and inclusion work has done little to bridge the equity achievement gap. Diversity programming, which is largely the celebration and normalization of difference, does not address the root causes of the inequity embedded in the educational system (McNair, Bensimon, and Malcom-Piquex, 2020).

Affirming Our Voice: The 2020 ASCCC Part-Time Institute

The 2020 ASCCC Part-Time Institute was held between January 23 and 25 at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa. This institute was the fourth annual event, the last two being co-sponsored by the California Community Colleges’ Success Network (3CSN). Since its inaugural year, the institute has been paid in full for all attendees, the funds for the last two years having been provided by 3CSN. The theme of this year’s institute was “Affirming Our Voice.”

Best Practices for Student Involvement in the Student Equity and Achievement Plan and Implementation

An equitable system requires that students get what they need, when they need it. As Herbert Kohl stated, “Young people don’t care what you know until they know you care” (Easton-Brooks, 2019, p.45). Decades of research have shown that faculty, staff, and administrators must be armored with the practices to engage students in the classroom and outside of the classroom in meaningful ways. Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade (2020) articulates the three most effective practices:

Faculty Involvement in the Student Equity and Achievement Program

The ASCCC Equity and Diversity Action Committee hopes that “closing the gap” does not become cliché, yet the phrase is seen and heard much more often in recent years. While many people have been pointing at equity gaps for some time, common language did not always exist around what it meant to close equity gaps. In a short two years, local community colleges’ guided pathways initiatives and implementation plans to bring their redesigns to scale, will be integrated into the Student Equity and Achievement (SEA) Program.

Noncredit Instruction in Guided Pathways Efforts

With the implementation of the California Community Colleges Guided Pathways Grant Program and AB 705 (Irwin, 2017), faculty requests increased statewide, asking for direction on how to effectively incorporate noncredit instruction to meet the educational needs of diverse student populations. In response, the delegates to the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) Spring 2018 Plenary Session passed Resolution S18 17.01, Noncredit Instruction in Guided Pathways Efforts.

How Have Statewide Resources Been Invested in the Design and Implementation of Guided Pathways and What Does That Mean for Your College?

The California Community Colleges system is in its third year of implementing guided pathways, and the state has invested a significant amount of money to support the effort at both the college and state levels. Some people are wondering where the money has gone, if it has made a difference, and what happens when it runs out. These issues lead to two important questions that faculty should ask:

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