In 2017, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) started their work on a national report covering student food insecurity and the promising programs currently being offered to address this issue at the college level. The research team contacted SparkPoint at Skyline College and requested a full day of interviews with staff, faculty and administrators from across the campus, as well as a confidential student focus group. Data was collected for over a year and the report was released on January 9, 2019 (link below).

Highlights from the report:

• Researchers interviewed universities and colleges from six states. Skyline College was the only community college from California selected for an interview.
• As of September 2018, over 650 colleges reported having a food pantry on campus. This number has been growing steadily.
• Of the 3.3 million students who were potentially eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2016, less than half said they participated.
• The report starts with the following quote, which expresses the impact that student food insecurity can have on the national educational system and budget:

“In fiscal year 2017, the federal government spent over $122 billion in grants, loans and work-study funds through federal student aid programs to help make college accessible to students. This substantial federal investment in higher education is at risk if college students drop out because they cannot afford basic necessities like food.”

• Recommendation: Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) should clarify the rules and share information on how states help eligible students use SNAP.

This report will increase awareness about the national issue of student food insecurity and prompt more lawmakers, colleges and communities to take action. Please share this report with any colleagues and any other interested parties.

If you have any questions about the report or would like to get more involved with programs addressing student food insecurity at Skyline College, please contact Chad Thompson, Director for SparkPoint at Skyline College, thompsonc@smccd.edu.

You can access the full report here: https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-19-95.

 Article by Chad Thompson

SparkPoint at Skyline College is currently accepting scholarship applications for 25 Career and Technical Education (CTE) students in the Spring 2019 cohort. Grove Scholarship applications are available online at www.skylinecollege.edu/sparkpoint and are due by February 6, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.

Eligible students will be selected for the program based on three short personal statements that describe who they are, why they have chosen their career path and why financial literacy is important to them. Academic standing and GPA are not a factor in selection, as long as the student meets the minimum requirement of a 2.0 GPA and 75% completion rate. Once being selected for the Grove Scholars Program, students will receive individualized financial coaching and career counseling, as well as a $2,000 scholarship for the semester.

If you would like to refer a student to the Grove Scholars Program or if you would like a SparkPoint staff member to share scholarship information or other SparkPoint Services with your class or program, please call (650) 738-7035, or email our SparkPoint Coordinator, Flor Lopez, at lopezf@smccd.edu.

SparkPoint is located in Building. 1, Room 1-214.

Article and Photo by Chad Thompson

Student applications for the Summer 2019 Global Internship Program and other Summer and Fall 2019 Study Abroad Programs are open. As application deadlines approach, the SMCCCD Study Abroad Office is holding info sessions at Skyline College, Cañada College and the College of San Mateo for interested students and their families to learn more about the programs, courses, costs and scholarships.

Global Internship and Study Abroad Info Session Schedule:

Tuesday, January 29 | 12:30 – 1:30 PM | College of San Mateo | 10-401
Tuesday, February 5 | 1:30 – 2:30 PM | Cañada College | 3-104
Wednesday, February 6 | 1:30 – 2:30 PM | Skyline College | 6-203

Students may RSVP for an info session online.

Applications for the Summer 2019 Global Internship Program close February 11, 2019. Application deadlines for other 2019 Study Abroad Programs may be found at smccd.edu/studyabroad.

To make an appointment with a study abroad advisor, students can call (650) 738-7098, email studyabroad@smccd.edu or visit the Global Learning Programs and Services (GLPS) Division in Building 2, Room 352 at Skyline College.

SMCCCD Study Abroad is the district-wide study abroad program housed in the Global Learning Programs and Services Division at Skyline College.  For more information about studying or interning abroad, faculty teach abroad opportunities, community travel for lifelong learners, visiting international faculty presenters and student scholarship opportunities, please contact Zaid Ghori at (650) 738-7088 or ghoriz@smccd.edu. You can also learn more by visiting the SMCCCD Study Abroad Facebook page or Instagram page @smcccd_study_abroad.

Article by Stephanie Wells | Photo by Zaid Ghori

The San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) Study Abroad Program is currently accepting applications from SMCCCD faculty who wish to teach abroad during the Fall 2020 semester in London or Spring 2021 semester in Florence with the Northern California Study Abroad Consortium (NCSAC), as well as applications to develop Short-Term, Faculty-Led Programs in various locations around the world in Summer 2020:

Northern California Study Abroad Consortium (NCSAC)
Since 1986, SMCCCD Study Abroad has participated in the Northern California Study Abroad Consortium (NCSAC) to offer semester-long study abroad programs in various destinations in Europe. With this program, full-time SMCCCD faculty live and teach abroad for 12 weeks and are paid their usual salary for a 100% load. The NCSAC prefers disciplines that cover general education breadth requirements for the UC and CSU: English Communication, Arts and Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Physical and Biological Science (lecture only). Faculty in this program recruit at least 20 students, with the support of the SMCCCD Study Abroad office.

Short-Term, Faculty-Led Program (Summers, locations vary)
A Faculty-Led Program (FLP) is a credit-bearing course where the faculty member and the registered students travel abroad for a portion of a course or for the entire course (FLP’s average between 2-3 weeks). Typically, a faculty member will propose a location with which they have extensive experience and/or knowledge, and to which they can connect their course curriculum. Faculty Leaders work with the SMCCCD Study Abroad office, along with an approved third-party provider, to coordinate program logistics. All full-time and part-time SMCCCD faculty are welcome to apply and are paid their regular summer session rate. Faculty Leaders recruit at least 15 students.

All faculty proposals to teach abroad must be reviewed by the SMCCCD Study Abroad Advisory Committee, with prior approval by the faculty member’s Dean, Vice President of Instruction, College President, Dean of Global Learning Programs and Services at Skyline College, and Director of Special International Programs. Any study or travel tour must go through District approval as part of an educational program of the District and in collaboration with an approved study abroad program provider. Faculty may contact the Study Abroad office for a list of approved providers or for assistance in developing a study abroad program. Faculty may not promote any travel program to students without first receiving District approval. Please refer to District Board Policy No. 8.47 Study/Travel Tours for more information.

Applications to teach abroad in 2020 or 2021 are due March 1, 2019. Interested faculty may schedule a consultation with Zaid Ghori, Director of Special International Programs at (650) 738-7088 or ghoriz@smccd.edu.

Teach Abroad Applications:

NSAC Semester Abroad Application
Faculty-Led Program Application

SMCCCD Study Abroad is the district-wide study abroad program housed in the Global Learning Programs and Services Division at Skyline College.  For more information about studying or interning abroad, faculty teach abroad opportunities, community travel for lifelong learners, visiting international faculty presenters and student scholarship opportunities, please contact Zaid Ghori at (650) 738-7088 or ghoriz@smccd.edu. You can also learn more by visiting the SMCCD Study Abroad Facebook page or Instagram page @smcccd_study_abroad.

Article by Stephanie Wells

Hello Skyline College Community,

After the generous donation of several high-end telescopes of math instructor Tadashi Tsuchida’s father Roy Tsuchida, we have revived the Astronomy Club. The lead was taken by STEM student, Rod Regado, who accepted the position as club president and gathered students who were interested in astronomy. An interesting fact about the members is that they do not exclusively have a STEM background. The members come from different fields but have the common interest of astronomy.

The most recent activity the Astronomy Club had was outside watching the sky last Tuesday. After the Lunar Eclipse on Sunday night, January 20, 2019, there is still a Supermoon. This means the Moon’s orbit brings it very close to Earth and allows excellent observation. At 7:00 p.m., the students took some of our new telescopes to the Skyline College Parking Lot R, next to the sports fields. This was a good position to observe the Moon as it was rising over the horizon. Everyone has seen the Moon many times, but it is exciting to take a closer look on its surface with its numerous craters and planes, also called mares, through a telescope. We had several different telescopes with us, which allowed us to see the difference in the make and image quality.

We are planning on doing various observation nights and if you are interested and want to learn more about the club or participate in some of the activities, we meet every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the Fab Lab, Building 7, Room 7-310.

Article and Photo by Marco Wehrfritz

Please join the Art Department in welcoming visual artist Christopher Burch to Skyline College next week. Coming from St. Louis Missouri, Christopher will be working on installing a solo exhibition of his artwork in the gallery during the next two weeks, with the show opening on February 11, 2019. Maroon Melodies (Soliloquies of a Slick Sound) will feature an installation of drawings, paintings, sculpture and mixed media works. The exhibit will be on view in the Skyline College Art Gallery from February 11th – March 15th. Keep an eye out for upcoming events and workshops with the artist. You can learn more about Christopher Burch’s artwork at: www.facebook.com/ChristopherBurch.ART

Article by Paul Bridenbaugh

Over the winter break, members of Skyline College’s computer science club, Bits N’ Bytes, traveled together to Japan to immerse themselves in innovative tech culture. Vice President of the club, Yuichi Okuhama is an Okinawa native and toured the club members in Tokyo.

Japan is a nation that is not afraid of innovation and progress, yet is passionately protective and proud of its culture. Temples, shrines, peaceful gardens and traditional customs co-exist with towering skyscrapers, futuristic architecture, speeding bullet trains and a quirky pop-culture. Beyond experiencing the amazing food and culture, the club members absorbed Japan’s vigor in technological advancements which propelled ideas for new projects this semester.

If you are interested in learning or practicing programming languages or computer science, Bits N’ Bytes would like to welcome new members to join and become a part of their club. They invite proactive STEM learners to participate in volunteer activities and career development opportunities. Your involvement will help continue to provide quality experiences for the campus and community.

For more information about Bits N’ Bytes, contact President Valentina Carreno at valentinacarreno@my.smccd.edu or Faculty Advisor Nick Langhoff at langhoffn@smccd.edu.

Article and Photo by Valentina Carreno