Earlier this year, the Board of Trustees asked the District to take a closer look at best practices in public safety with a goal of maintaining and enhancing safety on its campuses. Soon after, in March, the District formed a Public Safety Services Study Committee to conduct research and make recommendations. One of the most important things this Committee is doing is holding Campus Safety Open Forums so that everyone on our campus has the opportunity to offer opinions and concerns about this vital area.

The Open Forums, being conducted by national experts Margolis Healy, are a chance for you to ensure your voice is heard. While you’re welcome to attend any of the forums, being held Sept. 13 to Sept. 15, forums will be held right here at Skyline College on Thursday, Sept. 15, in Building 6, Rooms 6-202, 6-204 & 6-206, at the following times:

• 8:30am – Staff Forum

• 10:30am – Faculty Forum
• 12:30pm – All Employees: Faculty, Staff & Administrators
• 3:30pm – Student Forum
• 5:30pm – Everyone: All Employees, Students & Community

Please make arrangements with your supervisor to attend as it is vital that the entire campus community participate.

If you are unable to attend a forum on September 15th or would prefer to provide feedback in nonpublic venue, please complete a confidential survey which can be found at http://bit.ly/2bwpfF9.

To learn more about this effort and for schedule updates, please visit the study website. These conversations also will continue through the use of #SMCCCD #Forums16.

Thank you in advance for your active participation.

The President’s Council of Skyline College is bringing community leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors together to engage in participatory sessions focused on issues of importance to the economic vibrancy of the northern peninsula. The third annual half-day forum, Success Summit, will be held on Friday, September 23, 2016 at Skyline College from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The college and the general public are invited to register to participate at skylinesuccesssummit.com. The registration fee is $75 per participant.

Attendees will have the opportunity to add their voice to the conversation, contributing their perspective and sharing solutions to shape innovative forward movement. Breakout topics for the 2016 Summit include the following:

• Affordable Higher Education — How do we prepare people for the workforce without incurring mountains of debt?
• Housing & Transportation — Getting to “Yes” – Partnering together to address the barriers to housing.
• Economic Development in our Cities

Sponsorship opportunities are available for organizations who would like to partner in this cutting edge community event. Event sponsors include Skyline College, First National Bank, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Mateo Credit Union, YouTube, Recology of San Bruno, Duggan’s Serra Mortuary, Nibbi Brothers General Contracting, San Mateo County/Silicon Valley Convention & Visitor’s Bureau and San Mateo County Economic Development Association. To learn about sponsorship opportunities or to register for the Summit, please visit skylinesuccesssummit.com.

Article by Connor Fitzpatrick

Skyline College and the White House are working together to open up the dialogue about education and African Americans.

The college is gearing up to host the 2016 White House Initiative’s Summit on Educational Excellence for African Americans on Friday, September 30, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event will provide a platform for experts and black students to discuss the accomplishments they have made in higher education and the support that is needed to succeed both in school and in life. The event will help identify best practices and allow participants to learn from both the successes and failures of the past in order to influence the future.

The White House Initiative was created through an Executive Order by President Barack Obama in 2012. The Initiative works to restore the United States to its role as the global leader in education; strengthen the Nation by improving educational outcomes for African Americans of all ages; and help ensure that African Americans receive a complete and competitive education that prepares them for college, and productive citizenship. Among the things most important to the Initiative is centering the experiences of young people—those impacted by the decisions made by adults, educators, school leaders etc. The AfAmEdSummit is a way to accomplish this goal while supporting communities in responding to the needs of students.

Hosting the summit at Skyline College will provide a powerful forum to disrupt the status quo as well as negative stereotypes that surround Black students. The event will propel increased collaboration with high schools on the peninsula and surrounding areas. Additionally, Skyline College will partner with other colleges in the region to open the dialogue about the needs of Black students.

Article by Cherie Colin and Connor Fitzpatrick

The Associated Students of Skyline College (ASSC) hosted its annual Welcome Week festivities to start off the 2016-2017 academic school year. The ASSC kicked off its safari themed week the first day of school by handing out donuts and providing coffee in the quad to fuel students up for a day full of new classes, classmates, and teachers.  Catering to night students starting off the new school year, the ASSC additionally provided a pasta feed dinner.

The ASSC also tabled throughout the first weeks to help answer any questions new or returning students may have had about places they are looking for, where to find any resources, advertise the new Skyline College Shuttle, and to promote where to get their Fall 2016 Student Body Cards. Moving along in the week, the ASSC continued with free coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and Dole Whip.

Tuesday, August 23 and Wednesday, August 24 served as the conclusion to the ASSC’s Welcome Week festivities with a Program Services & Club Fair and the annual Pancake Breakfast, respectively. The Program Services and Club Fair hosted 32 campus groups in the Fireside Dining Hall to make visible all of the involvement, academic, and resource opportunities here at Skyline College. During the Fair students could get partake in a scavenger hunt to be entered into a free drawing. The annual Pancake Breakfast officially concluded Welcome Week with faculty, staff, and administration coming together to serve breakfast to the student body in the Quad.

Article by ASSC President Dylan O’Shea

EOPS is still accepting students into the program for the Fall 2016 semester. Please encourage students to apply as soon as possible as space is limited!

What Services Does EOPS Offer?

• Academic, Career, and Personal Counseling
• Priority registration
• Book grant or Book voucher service
• Academic planning and transfer assistance
• UC and CSU application fee waiver
• University visits
• School supplies,
• Calculator, Chromebook and SMART Pen loan programs

Who Is Eligible?

To be eligible for EOPS, students must:

• Be a California resident (AB 540/California Dream Act students are welcome to apply!),
• Be enrolled full-time (12 units or more),
• Have completed fewer than 40 degree applicable units,
• Apply for FAFSA, federal financial aid and/or qualify for BOGFW A or B
• Be ‘educationally disadvantaged,’ including, but not limited to, placement in basic skills Math/English

Contact Us for Class Presentations!

We’re happy to come in to your class to do a short presentation on EOPS.  Please contact Jorge Murillo, Program Services Coordinator, at murilloj@smccd.edu to schedule a class presentation.

The EOPS Program is located in Building 2, Second floor.  Applications are available in the EOPS office and on our website at http://www.skylinecollege.edu/eops/index.php.

Article by Jessica Lopez | Photograph by MCPR

On August 26, 2016, the International Student Program (ISP) and the International Affairs Student Club (IASC) hosted a bon fire event to welcome new international students. The event took place in Ocean Beach in San Francisco and it attracted more than 40 new and continuing international students.

The new IASC President, Soriannys Mosquera, took the initiative to plan and implement this kick-off event for the fall semester. Soriannys says, “I’ve wanted to try something new for the club and this was never done before. I’m really glad that so many students came, made new friends and enjoyed the event.”

While sitting around the bon fire, students shared songs from their home countries, talked about their cultural backgrounds and enjoyed eating marshmallows. For some students, this was the very first bon fire they have experienced!

ISP and IASC will host more cultural events during the semester. Please check our Facebook page or contact ISP office at skyinternational@smccd.edu for more information.

Article by Chikako Walker | Photo by Zaw Min Khant

Beta Theta Omicron member, Akayi Thein, went to China with the International Scholar Laureate Program (ISLP) in the early summer. ISLP programs provide students a chance to further their career development and strengthen their leadership skills while engaging in culturally enriching experiences that increase their knowledge and preparation for a specific career while providing a global understanding of the career field. Akayi received a scholarship from Phi Theta Kappa to participate in Medicine and Science delegation in 2016 China Program.

The Akayi and the other ISLP scholars visited Peking Union Medical College, Xian Jiaotong University Medical School, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Beijing, Shanghai General Hospital, and Xian public medical center, where they got a chance to study the Chinese public healthcare system. The program provided lectures and clinical visits led by local healthcare coordinators at each visited site.

China, being the most populated country and tackling the problem of unequal distribution of healthcare access, is a good model to study for Akayi, who aspires to work as a public healthcare professional in developing countries.

Akayi said that her “ISLP experience definitely reaffirmed my aspirations to practice medicine on a more global level. The trip broadened my vision and gave me new perspectives on the global healthcare system, particularly by exchanging ideas with scholars from different countries. It encouraged me to work in WHO expanding my goal of being a public health coordinator in my country, Myanmar.”

Article by Dr. Christine Case

 

 

Next week Skyline College Art Gallery will present CHAN doing nothing, an exhibition of paintings and poetry by Buddhist Chan Master Chi Chern from Malaysia. The exhibition will be on view in the Gallery from September 6 through October 7.

The gallery is open daily, and is located on the ground floor of Building 1.

For more information, including hours, please visit the gallery website or our Facebook page.

Master Chi Chern will be visiting our campus from his home in Malaysia next week when his exhibition at the art gallery opens. Master Chi Chern has written over 60 books, and teaches all over the world.

We are hosting two receptions, the first is on Wednesday, September 7 from 12-2 pm., and the second on Friday, September 9 from 7-9 p.m.  Master Chi Chern will be giving a talk and painting demonstration at both receptions. Live music will be performed by cellist Yawen Hsu, who is a student of Master Chi Chern. Ms. Hsu will be flying in from Detroit to perform at both receptions. All events are free and open to the public

About the Artist

Born in 1955 in Taiping, Malaysia, Master Chi Chern was ordained as a Buddhist monk under Venerable Master Zhu Mo and graduated from the Chinese Buddhism Research Institute of Fo Guang Shan (Taiwan). He is the first Dharma heir of Chan Master Sheng Yen in the Linji lineage of Chinese Chan and a fourth generation Dharma descendent of Master Xu Yun. He has authored more than sixty books on Buddhism and meditation, including The Map to Nowthere – Chan Practice Guide to Mind Cultivation. In addition to teaching in formal retreats, he also teaches through his artwork in Chinese calligraphy, Chan paintings, poetry, Buddhist lyrics, and tea. Currently the Principal of the Malaysian Buddhist Institute, Vice President of the Malaysian Buddhist Association, and Abbot of Puzhao Buddhist Vihara, Master Chi Chern resides in Malaysia and teaches extensively in Chan retreats throughout the world.

Article by Paul Bridenbaugh

The Districtwide Classified Staff Professional Development Retreat was held on June 2, 2016 at the beautiful Thomas Fogarty Winery Conference Center, with a theme of “Tag, You’re It!”  The goal was understanding our work roles, our personal value, and our impact on our campus communities.  Recently, the Districtwide Classified Staff Professional Development Retreat was reimagined as a one-day retreat with the goal of bringing together Classified Staff Districtwide for a day of learning, growing, and getting to know our colleagues from other campuses and the District Office.

The District Classified Staff Professional Development Retreat Committee was made up of Classified Senate Leadership from Skyline College and Cañada College, and staff leaders from CSM and the District Office.   Many hours of diligent work went in to making sure that the event hosted engaging professional development sessions, while reflecting the essence of a retreat outside of our respective daily work areas.

Our day started off with the keynote speaker, one of Skyline College’s own, Biology Professor Shari Bookstaff.  Professor Bookstaff shared her story of survival and determination after surviving a major brain injury.  She motivated attendees to work hard to achieve their goals no matter what obstacles may be in the way, and shared her wisdom about unexpected, life-altering bumps in the road.

After lunch, attendees were split up into three rotating groups made-up of individuals from all over SMCCCD.  Former Skyline College students Sonya Pope and Leo Rosales shared first-hand experiences of what the support from classified professionals meant to them as students, and how that support directly benefited their families and their futures.

Susie Lunardi from the San Mateo Athletic Club presented a workshop on Office Wellness, teaching us all techniques not only for stretching and breathing while at our desks, but also managing stress and relieving anxiety in our everyday situations.

Finally, Misha Maggi, Student Life and Leadership Manager at Canada College, presented the “True Colors” workshop, utilizing a research-based approach to understanding human behavior and motivation.  Staff discovered their own colors and learned about tools to recognize their own unique strengths, needs, and causes for frustration while gaining a better understanding in improving collaboration and increasing productivity working as teams.  This awesome day was wrapped up with an hors d’oeuvres mixer and live entertainment by the Blue Flamingo Quartet before heading back for the evening.

The committee is thankful for the great attendance and the success of the event in bringing a sense of comradery amongst the campuses and District Office staff.  Our thanks especially go to the Leadership and Administration of SMCCCD and our respective campus Presidents and supervisors for their support.

Article submitted by the District Classified Staff Professional Development Retreat Committee: Roxanne Brewer (District Office), Juanita Celaya (KCSM), Michele Haggar (Skyline), Fauzi Hamadeh (CSM), Maria Huning (Cañada), Debbie Joy (Cañada), Annette Perot (District/ITS), Jo’an Rosario Tanaka (Cañada), Jeanne Stalker (Cañada), and Alana Utsumi (Skyline)

The Learning Center is happy to announce the hiring of Raymon Gutierrez to a full-time Retention Specialist position with a focus on the retention and success of students enrolled in pre-college level courses in Math, English and ESOL. Raymon holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley where he served as the Transfer Retention Coordinator for the Raza Recruitment and Retention Center.

This fall Raymon will join adjunct Counselor Adela Ramos to provide enhanced support for a target group of pre-college level courses in Math, English and ESOL using the Early Alert system to provide referrals and access to support services in a timely manner. This partnership between the Counseling Department and the Learning Center is aligned with the goals of the Skyline College Promise and utilizes a “Success Team” approach to support new students by identifying challenges and pressing needs as early as possible in order to improve student retention and success.

Raymon is also actively involved in building our wider support structure for students needing timely referrals to student support services and community-building opportunities, and he is always ready to meet with students and faculty. Raymon’s office is 5-110 inside the Learning Center.

For more information about Skyline College Learning Center programs and services, please refer to the Learning Center website.

Article by David Reed