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Week of September 5, 2022 Update

Posted on by Star Rivera-Lacey

Campus Engagement 

  • Attended our monthly Regular Governing Board meeting. Please note, the Open Session start time has changed to 4:00p.m. (versus 5:00p.m.) and the meeting can be accessed via zoom. I encourage all to attend to learn more about the governance of the District.
  • Attended a Special Governing Board meeting.
  • Facilitated a Special Projects meeting with Executive Cabinet members that focused on Position Control and hiring priorities.
  • Facilitated our first College Council meeting of the semester with new District leadership.
  • Attended the Associated Student Government’s Fall Leadership Retreat. A very special thank you to Director, Sherry Titus and Supervisor, Pippa Pierce for organizing the two-day training that included a full day on Saturday.
  • Attended our Club Rush event at the Student Union. Despite the inclement weather, the two-day event was well attended.
  • Attended the DRC’s Access & Equity Hour (HyFlex format) entitled, “Let’s Talk About the D Word: Disability-Friendly Language.”
  • Attended a portion of the White Allies for Antiracism meeting.
  • Met with Administrative Association’s (AA) new President, Joe Ledesma.
  • Met with Palomar Faculty Federation (PFF) leadership.

Community Engagement

  • Provided welcoming remarks for the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) “Back-to-School” visit with Palomar faculty and classified employees. I was impressed by the turnout, and I am appreciative of the comments and feedback our employees expressed during the meeting.
  • Attended the National Community College Hispanic Council’s (NCCHC) New Board Member Orientation. I will share more about this project next week when I return from the NCCHC conference.
  • Attended A Step Beyond, “Creating Brighter Futures” fundraising event. I currently serve on the board of this youth development organization (based out of Escondido) and work is underway in creating a more streamlined process for students to choose Palomar College for their educational needs. Other educational partners in attendance at the event included Vista Unified School District and CSUSM representatives.
  • Attended the North County African American Women’s Association’s (NCAAWA) Annual Gentlemen’s Gourmet Scholarship Fundraiser event. The NCAAWA is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a support network through education, health, awareness, and life skills programs for women and girls in San Diego North County to increase their self-sufficiency. MiraCosta College, CSUSM, and numerous elected officials were also in attendance at the event.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Updates and News
In collaboration with Faculty Senate, Palomar College submitted four different instructional areas to be considered to participate in the statewide Open for AntiRacism (OFAR) program scheduled to run from September 2022 through June 2023. 

Every Friday, from 12:00p.m. to 1:00p.m. in H-105 and on Zoom (Zoom ID: 849 9512 3146) the DRC hosts Access and Equity Hour. Please consider supporting these efforts. These workshops offer a great opportunity for all of us to learn how to become Disability Allies.

Educational and Facilities Vision Plan 2035
Last Thursday, the Educational and Facilities Vision Plan Coordinating Committee met with our architects and educational planners to discuss this upcoming week’s kick-off meeting with the Educational and Facilities Planning Task Force. We are excited about starting our listening sessions, and we are doing our best to ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate in this important planning process. While we recognize that face-to-face meetings are preferred for maximum engagement, we also value accessibility and need our campus community’s expertise and vision. To this end, we are adding ZOOM options to the listening sessions as needed.

Please note, most of the listening sessions this upcoming week are focused on our instructional programs. All faculty and department chairs should have received an email with instructions on how to sign up. If you are interested in participating in one of the instructional program’s listening sessions, please click the link below. https://www.palomar.edu/irp/education-and-facilities-plan-2035/. Once at the site, scroll down to the section on Listening Sessions: Instructional Programs. The listening sessions are organized by our Palomar Pathways. Select the session you would like to attend by simply clicking on the signup link.

Please note, for all other listening sessions (e.g., constituent-based groups, students, support services, etc.), we will be sending out meeting invites, which can be forwarded to others who would like to contribute to the dialog.

Comet of the Week
The Comet of the Week is DRC’s Counselor Alyssa Vafaei. Alyssa established the Disability Resource Center’s Access and Equity Hour and currently organizes the weekly event. Alyssa puts forth a lot of effort into these events, and they are always eye-opening. Thank you, Alyssa, for going above and beyond for the benefit of our students and our institution.

Have a great upcoming week. Go Comets!

For pictures of the various events, follow:
Twitter: @palomardrstar
Instagram: @palomardrstar