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LOVE for SRJC Petaluma is in the air
One of the best things about working at SRJC Petaluma is the incredible amount of love and support we receive from our students and the community. Our end-of-year fundraising continues to provide support for the incredibly innovative programs that assist students through their college career.
Planning for the beginning of the end?
As we prepare for an end to the omicron wave and a return to in-person services, you will see our preparations continue (see p.6 & p.16). And despite Covid, our Outreach team continues to work directly in our Petaluma and south county high schools to create a smooth transition for students, along with other services (p.3, 4, 7). Further, we continue to make improvements on campus, and we are excited to share them with students (see Ellis upgrades p.12, Museum exhibit p14). We are still planning what we hope to be the last of our major Zoom events. Keep an eye out for our Student Film Festival (p.13), and the We The Future Social Justice Conference coming in April.
IN THIS UPDATE
2: New Staff Introductions
3: Petaluma Tutorial
3: New FLIP Clubs
4: Petaluma Outreach
5: EOPS & Winter Soul-Stice
6: In-Person Services
7-11: Student Success
10: Dual Enrollment
12: Sweet Starts & Ellis Upgrades
13: Student Film Festival
14. Museum Exhibit & Office Moves
15. Dual Enrollment
16-17: Herold Mahoney Library
18: HeartSafe Event
WELCOME NEW A&R STAFF
Introducing two new additions to the Petaluma Admissions & Records Team!
Lorena Ramirez de Hernandez started as a student taking ESL classes at SRJC in 1998. In August 2015, she was hired as an Associate Teacher at the SRJC Child Development Center. In May 2021, she graduated with a BA from SSU, majoring in Early Childhood Studies and Early Childhood Education, having already earned her AA in Child Development at the SRJC, with high honors, back in May 2015. In June 2021, she joined the Petaluma Admissions & Records team as a temporary Bilingual Specialist, serving and supporting students primarily with college enrollment. Lorena is a wife, and mother of four children, and was the first in her family to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree, alongside her three daughters who also graduated from universities.
With humble beginnings, Lorena arrived in the United States as a young adult and has personally known the hardships of navigating the higher education system. She is passionate about ensuring that educational opportunities are accessible to all students and families that seek them. She believes in the power of education and feels tremendous happiness when being of service to others, while sharing what she has learned along the way. She is committed to being a lifelong learner and is excited to be a part of Admission & Records on the Petaluma campus. Lorena started as an Admissions & Records Specialist on December 1st and can be reached at (707)778-3907 or lramirezdehernandez@santarosa.edu
Brian Reyes Villa is a proud Sonoma County native and SRJC alumnus. He is the son of Mexican immigrants and the first in his family to attend a post-secondary institution. He earned his BA in English with a Minor in Creative Writing at UC Berkeley, where he worked closely with former U.S. poet laureate Robert Hass. Afterward, his love for academia led him to return to the SRJC, where he worked as an Administrative Assistant for the Rising Scholars Program and as a Student Success Technician at the SRJC Southwest Center. His passions include environmentalism, the pursuit of knowledge, and enjoying a good read at one of the many beaches lining the California coast.
Brian started as an Admissions & Records Specialist on January 10th and can be reached at (707)778-3911 or breyesvilla@santarosa.edu.
Petaluma Tutorial Center in temporary digs
Petaluma Tutorial Center has a temporary home in the Mahoney Library Reading Room! This new location affords a central, easy-to-find spot on campus and to welcome students back when the Center reopens for in-person services. The Center will be open Monday - Thursday from 10am-2pm.
FLIP Clubs help first-gen students finish college
Identifying as a first-gen-college student is a huge source of pride, and FLIP Clubs help first-gen students finish college. A FLIP Club means First-gen and/or Low-Income student Partnership Club—and SRJC does not have one…YET! A few weeks ago an SRJC colleague told Felicia Darling, “You have been talking about supporting a FLIP Club for over a year. Just do it!” Felicia Darling is a first-generation-college student who lived in poverty. Therefore she has a soft spot in her heart for students starting college for the first time. Also, she teaches in the College Skills and Tutorial Center Department and is author of Teachin’ It: Breakout Moves that Break Down Barriers for Community College Students.
Felicia would like your help building membership for a bi-campus FLIP Club. SRJC students and Programs are already involved in recruiting members. However, Petaluma students are under-represented. Please help recruit FLIP Club student members from Petaluma. Two Fall 2022 events will help build FLIP Club membership; serve first-gen and low-income students; and get the word out about first-gen and low-income students to Faculty and Staff.
The two Fall 2022 events are: (1) The Speaker/Panel, First Gen and/or Low-Income (FGLI) College Students: The Power, Pride, and Promise and (2) the student workshop, Spin Your Stories into Gold: Scholarship Writing Workshop for FGLI Students.
Petaluma Outreach journeys on!
Happy New Year from the Outreach Team in Petaluma. The JumpStart program got off to a hot start in the Fall 2021 semester with our participating high schools such as Casa Grande High School, Petaluma High School, Rancho Cotate High School and Novato High School. JumpStart is also active in our continuation schools like El Camino Continuing High School (Cotati), and private schools like St. Vincent High School (Petaluma). The team conducted many workshops assisting students to complete the Spring 2022 application and the Dual Enrolment form for Counseling 270: Introduction to College. Students would also complete the Summer/Fall 2022 application.
Perhaps that sounds like a lot of work, and it was! However, at Petaluma it is a collective effort. Thus, a big shout-out to the academic counselors, the college & career counselors and all the staff who collaborated with JumpStart.
Now that the Spring 2022 semester has begun, we have shifted gears to “Lunchtime Presentations” to keep JumpStart students engaged. We cover topics such as Financial Aid, Student Support Services, Learning Communities, Assessment, Student Employment, etc. We also have the opportunity to expand outreach to our community, which has been limited due to the pandemic. Nonetheless, we are excited to continue our work with the JumpStart students and expand our reach into the community. More to come this semester!
Petaluma EOPS keeps up the pace!
Petaluma EOPS, CalWORKs & Foster Youth Program In-Person Appointments are coming to the Petaluma campus in March at two days a week. EOPS is looking forward to seeing our students in-person again! Exact
EOPS Counselor Workshops & Collaborations
EOPS Counselors continue to offer stimulating, beneficial workshops for students throughout the fall semester. With multiple collaborations there are approximately 20 workshops planned for spring 2022.
EOPS offer monthly workshops, "Transfer Tuesday," in collaboration with the Transfer Center and Lanzamiento. EOPS workshops with the Student Success Center have always proven successful and more are coming soon. Workshops provide valuable information to students for their future and give them an opportunity to meet EOPS Contact requirements. Here are the upcoming workshops during February and March:
Tuesday, 2/15/2022 – Scholarship Opportunities – How to Write a Scholarship Essay
Tuesday, 2/22/2022 – Transfer 101
Tuesday, 3/15/2022 – Creating Your College List
For more information on the workshops, please email eops@santarosa.edu
Winter Soul-Stice Semi-Formal gets their dance on
On December 16th, students gathered in the outdoor study space to let loose for the end of the semester. This event was a collaborative effort between the Black Student Union and Sawubona Center, with support from Petaluma Student Life and the Queer Student Union. There were beautiful winter decorations, refreshments, and a live DJ. Despite the chill, students came out in fantastic formal wear and danced their hearts out, a nice reminder of socializing!
Petaluma Student Success Team Keeps students on the path
The Petaluma Student Success Team of Peer Coaches are here to support students in reaching their academic, personal, and professional goals. This semester students can meet with a Peer Coach one-on-one through Zoom to receive help with time management, creating structure in an online environment, study skills, test taking methods, and getting connected to appropriate resources. The Team also holds monthly workshops designed to develop these same skills. Students can meet with a peer coach through the following methods:
Zoom: https://santarosa-edu.zoom.us/j/7077783616
Text: 833-419-0362
Call: 707-778-3616
Email: studentsuccess@santarosa.edu
February is Study Skills Month
February is Study Skills month for the Student Success Team. As we move into the second month of the semester, midterms are on the horizon. To prepare for these exams, the Student Success Coaches can meet with students to craft individual study plans and connect them to tutoring resources as well as other appropriate campus resources.
Additionally, the Team will be hosting a workshop entitled “How To Study For Success” on Tuesday, February 15th from 12:15-1pm. Workshops are held in the Student Success Team Zoom Room:
https://santarosa-edu.zoom.us/j/7077783616.
Come join the team!
Note the upcoming workshop: How to study for success
Tuesday, February 15th, 12:15-1pm
Zoom ID: 7077783616
What is studying? It’s more than memorizing the multiplication table. It’s about dedicating time to better understand your daily priorities to lead you to success. The Petaluma Student Success Team is here to help you create a plan and confidently execute it. Join us Tuesday, February 15th, 12:15-1:00pm to hear about our tips on note taking methods, improve your ability to focus, not procrastinate, and overall be more motivated while learning at home.
Back to the Semester- Get Set Up For Success!
On January 25th Student Success Team got the semester started and held a workshop entitled, “Back to the Semester! Get Set Up For Success!” Topics covered included a detailed discussion on Canvas, including the accessibility feature with the software called Ally, the importance of referring to the syllabus the first week of the semester, and using a planner to chart out the semester's assignments. SRJC resources that are helpful for the beginning of the semester were also discussed to get the semester off to a good start.
Meet Lizbeth Jimenez Rangel: Kinesiology Major and Student Success Coach
This month the Student Success Team would like to highlight Student Success Peer Coach, Lizbeth Jimenez Rangel. Lizbeth is a Kinesiology major and has been working with the Student Success Team since the fall of 2021, and has been a student at SRJC since the fall of 2020. She has a long-term goal of becoming a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. She says that she decided on this major because she has always liked helping other people, especially children. Lizbeth says that the best part of being a coach is getting the opportunity to meet new students and having connections with students that are looking for support and resources. She says that a memorable experience as a coach was having the chance to help other students, especially those who are 1st Generation students, as she is a 1st Generation student herself.
In her time away from school and work Lizbeth likes to go out with friends or work out to get her mind off of things.
When asked what advice she would have given her freshman self, she said, “Reach out and take advantage of the resources that SRJC offers.” She said that it’s really important to reach out for help when feeling lost or confused about an assignment, and she said that she learned that going to her professor’s office hours can really help.
Lizbeth plans to graduate from SRJC with her Associates degree and transfer to a 4-year college to continue her education. She has not decided on where she wants to transfer, but is looking forward to seeing what programs are out there for her in the future.
Spring Back into Action Workshops are back!
Fall ‘21/Spring ‘22 Spring Back
Based on experience, the Welcome Center will now offer four workshops earlier in the Spring ‘22 registration cycle. This was done to allow more time to engage with students in the onboarding process, and scale up to include outreach to students who withdrew due to the pandemic (SP20 and recent), BIPOC and first-generation students, and those who have dropped, failed, or withdrawn. The workshop series brings a restorative justice lens, allowing students to discuss trauma, and receive support through the process. Additionally, it has been enhanced to provide more faculty participation, as well as engagement from the Student Success Peer Coach programs from the SRJC Intercultural Center and the Petaluma Campus.
Select staff and faculty committed to be a network of advocates, allies, and student support to students in attendance. This network aims to assist students when they experience difficulties navigating SRJC, whether explicit in the form of sexism, racism, transphobia, discrimination, etc. or less direct, such as micro-aggressions, dismissing, or students not being heard.
Before the start of the spring ’22 semester, a workshop session was offered specifically tailored to students who had dropped or did not receive a passing grade in a Math or English class in the Fall ’21 semester. For this session, Math and English faculty members were present to facilitate a conversation covering the same topics as the fall ’21 sessions, with a focus on strategies for success in future Math and English courses. Student Success Peer Coaches from both the Santa Rosa and Petaluma campuses were also in attendance and shared their experiences with accessing resources such as math and writing labs, mental health services, and tutorial services. Peer Coaches offered their peer-to-peer support, and shared ways that they can help students have a successful semester. At the end of the workshop students had the opportunity to meet with their coaching team or an SRJC Counselor to make changes to their spring ’22 schedule to include re-taking their English or Math course.
Background on Spring Back Into Action
SRJC Spring Back into Action started as a partnership with English faculty member Michael Hale, Director, Michelle Vidaurri and Coordinator, Kyle Wallstrum of the Welcome & Connect Center on the Santa Rosa Campus in the 2019/20 Academic Year. The intention was to offer a space in early January to bring together students who may have struggled passing transfer level math or English upon the implementation of AB705. Knowing students would eventually reattempt, and the value of doing so sooner rather than later, the timing of the intervention served appropriately and was intended to provide students with new tools, strategies and a support network before their second attempt. The supportive environment gave students an opportunity to discuss struggles, strengths, and institutional shortcomings, and discover resources, build a network of support, and find community among other students and encouraging SRJC faculty and staff. It was offered through the Welcome & Connect Center with select faculty, and student services partners. Presenters included Counseling, English and Math faculty, student services staff, & student success peer coaches. The original Spring Back into Action in 2019/20 was in person and transitioned to remote for 2020/21.
Outcomes
- There were a total of four workshops offered over 1 week in mid-October in the afternoon, at 12:30 and 3:30pm, and one final spring 2022 workshop offered January 13th.
- Hundreds of students attended. Students were connected with resources, faculty, student support staff, peer coaches, and other students experiencing similar difficult situations navigating college and personal life, etc.
- It was a great opportunity to hear directly from students about the challenges due to COVID-19, dropping /withdrawing or failing courses; shared successes about asking for help, and connecting with supportive faculty and staff.
- Students also shared honest shortcomings from SRJC so we can learn what is needed to improve. Themes that emerged from the student discussions included lots of student resilience, a need for empathy, understanding and flexibility from faculty and staff, as well as a desire for a sense of community inside and outside of the classroom.
Student Success Teams Provide Specialized Services to Career Education Students
Career Education students have a team! Funded through Strong Workforce funding, The Career Education (CE) Student Success Team is ready to support CE students in reaching their academic, personal, and professional goals. Much like the Petaluma Student Success Team, CE students can meet with a peer success coach one-on-one to get help with time management, creating structure in an online environment, study skills, test taking methods, and getting connected with SRJC Career Hub services. We are also holding monthly workshops designed to develop workplace soft skills. CE students can meet with a peer coach through our zoom link: https://santarosa-edu.zoom.us/j/7077783616, text us at 833-419-0362, call us at 707-778-3616, or email studentsuccess@santarosa.edu.
Upcoming Career Education Student Success Team Workshops
Search & Prepare for Internships
Wednesday, February 9th
12-1pm
On Wednesday, February 9th the Career Education Student Success Team hosted a workshop titled, "Search and Prepare for Internships". This is the first of 3 Skills Success Workshops that the team will be holding this semester. Four students joined us to learn about topics including what students need to look for in an internship, where to find an internship, and what resources the Career Hub and SRJC have to help find an internship in their field of study.
A Sweet Start to the new year
Big THANK YOU to Board of Trustees member Maggie Fishman who baked cookies for Safety Monitors and Administration on the first day of Spring semester classes. Yum!
Ellis Auditorium receives an upgrade
Media installed 2 new moving, multi-colored LED lights in Ellis.
They are operated electronically using the light board. Fancy!
Student Film Festival- our virtual extravaganza
On behalf of Petaluma Student Engagement and Communications Studies faculty, we invite you to help spread the word about Sonoma County’s 14th annual Student Film Festival, the annual event where students across the county get to showcase their skills acting, directing, script writing and more! We’re excited for another year of great films from our students.
Getting into a film festival is a great way for students to boost their resume and/or college applications. Watch this short video about our festival and program at SRJC to learn more. There are no fees to apply (you don’t find that in many film festivals!) and accepted films are also considered to screen at the prestigious Film Fest Petaluma at the Mystic Theater in May.
Films submitted must have been made within the last two years, be less than 15 minutes in length and had a Sonoma County student involved in the production. Anyone in the production may submit the film (not just the director) and both fiction and non-fiction works are eligible. The window for submission for the Sonoma County Student Film Festival closes on March 1st.
The deadline for entries is March 1st and is open to all Sonoma County students.
The event is to take place April 1st 6-9:30 P.M. via Zoom.
Multicultural Museum comes to Petaluma
The SRJC Multicultural Museum just finished installing an exhibit of pottery in Call Hall! While it was nerve-wracking watching our staff lower the top down over the base with all that pottery on it- gulp! Now, promise me there will be no earthquakes for the whole semester, ha ha!
Remember the office moves?
Just a reminder to check out the new locations of offices on campus!
dual enrollment pathways and partnerships
This month's highlight:
dual enrollment as an equity strategy:
black student success
Historically underrepresented students see higher gains in dual enrollment
Course completion
- Black dual enrollment students had 91% course success rate compared to a 52% rate of adult Black students at Bakersfield College
- Latinx dual enrollment students had a 92% course success rate compared to a 67% rate of adult Latinx students at Bakersfield College
Dual Enrollment and Guided Pathways Converge for Equity - CLP (2019)
College graduation
- Recent Maine study showed higher college graduation rates for students of color w/ some dual enrollment (76% in 6 years) compared to 43% for students of color w/ no dual enrollment, and 64% for White students w/ some dual enrollment and 52% for White students w/ no dual enrollment.
Early College Credit Report, Maine University System (2021)
- Male students, low income students especially see higher gains.
Summary of research on dual enrollment as an equity strategy
Library
Library updates: https://libguides.santarosa.edu/updates.