Vision in Action No. 2

System Guidance/News

The 20th annual Dr. John W. Rice Awards ceremony on Wednesday awarded two colleges for achievements in advancing diversity, equity and student success. The 2020 Dr. John W. Rice Award for Diversity and Equity was awarded to College of Marin for working to close equity gaps in completion and transfer rates for traditionally underrepresented students, and for reducing equity gaps between the college’s proportion of students of color and faculty of color. Pasadena City College received the 2020 Dr. John W. Rice Award for Student Success for advancements in overall student completion rates, transfers to a UC or a CSU and the reduction in the number of units earned by associate degree recipients. We congratulate College of Marin, Pasadena City College and honorable mentions Hartnell College and Moreno Valley College for all they’ve done to improve student outcomes.

The Chancellor’s Office is committed to keeping everyone informed during this uncertain time. We encourage administrators, faculty, staff and students to regularly check the Chancellor’s Office COVID-19 resource page and the Chancellor’s Office Communications to Colleges section for ongoing executive orders, guidance memos and announcements. Current and prospective students can also get connected with their local college to find out specific resources and support services available as well as enroll in their local community college.

Cuesta College is relaunching the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge. The challenge provides participants with an opportunity to learn and understand racial equity and social justice issues and build new and positive habits through daily activities for 21 days. The goal of the challenge is to inspire meaningful conversations and dialogue that can lead to efforts in identifying and addressing instances of racism and injustice. Sign up here or reach out to que_dang@cuesta.edu with additional questions.

California State University Guidance/News

Beginning today, all 23 California State University campuses will accept applications for admission to the fall 2021 term. Students interested in attending any CSU campus can apply online at the university's application portal: Cal State Apply. Please encourage your students to apply early, as impacted campuses can’t accept applications after December 4.

Online Instruction/Webinars

We invite you to join us for the biweekly webinars as the Chancellor’s Office provides tools and resources to make progress on the Vision for Success. Our webinars will continue to feature campus leaders and best practices from colleges and districts. The next webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14 from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. and will serve in part as the kick-off to Undocumented Student Action Week.

The California Counseling Network, a community of practice sponsored by the Career Ladders Project, is hosting a series of Counselor Roundtable zoom sessions. Each session is an opportunity to gather with fellow practitioners from colleges and high schools and engage in conversations that matter and support our work with students and colleagues. The next session is Friday, October 16 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. and the focus is Counseling Underrepresented Students: Creating safe and supportive virtual spaces for Black and brown students. Register at this link.

SAVE THE DATE: The LaunchBoard webinar series will begin on October 16. The LaunchBoard, a statewide data system supported by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and hosted by Cal-PASS Plus, provides data on progress, success, employment and earnings outcomes for California community college students. LaunchBoard webinar series dates:

• October 16, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. | Community College Pipeline (CCP)
• October 22, 2020 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. | Student Success Metrics (SSM)
•  October 27, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Guided Pathways (GP)
• November 9, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Strong Workforce Program  and 17% (Rd 5) - (SWP)

Note: Specific webinar information, including registration links, to come.

Student Supports

The fourth annual Undocumented Student Action Week is October 19-23. Undocumented Student Action week is a systemwide campaign to advocate and provide support resources for our undocumented student population. During the week, California’s community colleges are encouraged to engage in advocacy and support efforts in solidarity with undocumented students throughout the state. Find a marketing toolkit, advocacy and resource materials at this site. Don't forget to register for the kick-off event on Wednesday, October 14th, where you will hear from Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley and other state leaders.

The California Youth Crisis line runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week: 800-843-5200. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides confidential assistance to anyone in crisis and their loved ones through a live chat and free 24-hour hotline at 800-273-8255. You can also text COURAGE to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Items of Interest

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed into law a handful of accountability measures that will ban officers from using chokeholds, increase independent investigations into officer-involved shootings and establish sheriff oversight boards. He also took action on bills to reform juvenile justice and to aid in rehabilitation and reentry.

New state equity requirement: California’s larger counties will not be permitted to reopen their economies further unless they reduce coronavirus infections in the hardest hit places where the poor, Black people, Latinos and Pacific Islanders live.

The White House is backing a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and is dangling the possibility of a COVID-19 relief bill of $1.6 trillion as last-ditch, pre-election negotiations hit a critical phase Thursday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the new offer fell short.