Chancellor's News Brief | April 7, 2023

Blue waves behind the words Coast Colleges in dark blue

Weekly News Brief | April 7, 2023
From the Office of Chancellor Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.

Chancellor Yamamura in front of the District Office

This week, we welcomed back students and faculty from Spring Break. This is the homestretch. Commencement will be here before we know it. I'm looking forward to celebrating with all our graduates. With the pandemic and disruptions of the past few years, we should be – and I am – extremely proud of this cohort for finishing their degrees, certificates, and transfer coursework. And I know that our faculty and staff make every success story possible.

I also want to acknowledge the leadership change happening at Golden West College with the resignation of President Tim McGrath. While Golden West and the Coast District are strongly rooted in decades of success, there may be moments that feel unsteady. This will mostly affect those working, teaching, or learning at Golden West, still it may also manifest from time to time within Coastline College and Orange Coast College.

Please know that we are all here for a common mission, to better the lives of our students and to strengthen our communities. Maintaining that focus is key whenever our footing feels a bit unsure.

With gratitude,

Whitney

Whitney Yamamura, Ed.D.
Chancellor

Note: Dr. Serban is acting chancellor today, April 7, while Chancellor Yamamura is out of the district.

Report from the Board of Trustees

During the regular meeting of Tuesday, April 4, the Board of Trustees announced the resignation of Golden West College President Tim McGrath.

Additionally, the Trustees recognized the retirement of Thomas Selzer, the General Manager of Instructional Food Service at Orange Coast College – acknowledging his greater than 23 years of service to Orange Coast College and the Coast District.

Selzer with the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Yamamura, and President Suarez.

Trustees considered board policies and administrative procedures for first reading. In review of BP 6750 and AP 6750 (Parking and Traffic), the Board discussed the availability and incentive structure options around sharing spaces necessary for electric vehicle charging.

Chancellor Whitney Yamamura acknowledged the Classified Professionals who worked through the Spring Break, with specific praise to those working to advance safety measures on the campuses.

Golden West College reported campus activity focused on improved safety and communication measures, with well-attended active shooter and de-escalation trainings. Further, Goldchella, a popular outreach event for Golden West College held April 6, was expected to host 1200 local high school students.

Coastline College reported their Cyber Defense team earned seventh place in the Western Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, as one of only two community colleges competing with major universities.

Orange Coast College congratulated the Women's Basketball Team, the Speech, Debate, and Theatre Team, and the Coast Report, the student paper at Orange Coast College, for various state, conference, and national awards.

The Board adjourned in memory of El Camino College District Trustee Kenneth A. Brown and former Coast District Chancellor Al Fernandez.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month and LGBTQIA+ Celebration

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. Coastline College, Golden West College, and Orange Coast College will be hosting events throughout the month of April. Registration for events can be found here.

College News

Program of Special Note: Disrupting Racism through the Lens of The Arts In support of diversity, equity and inclusion, Coastline College is hosting a series of collaborative events for faculty, staff and students running through June 15, 2023, the Friday before Juneteenth. All are invited to attend the remaining sessions.
COASTLINE COLLEGE
Coastline's Associated Student Government (ASG) leaders used their hard-earned spring break to make an impact at not one, but two statewide advocacy events. ASG Officers first flew to Sacramento as part of the CCCD Advocacy Day and then attended Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) General Assembly held in Long Beach. Officers advocated for community college inclusion in local high school college and career fairs and for flexibility with Brown Act requirements for community college student governments. At SSCCC, ASG President Jessica Lopez presented and successfully passed a resolution she authored, Developing Actionable Disability Inclusion, which urges community colleges to advocate and strengthen support provided to students with disabilities.

GOLDEN WEST COLLEGE
Golden West College awarded Herman Singh (Economics) and Tasha Chambliss (Cosmetology) the Faculty Excellence in Innovation Award for the month of March. Herman and Tasha's colleagues said, "Herman and Tasha have worked tirelessly to plan events and provide support to Black students on campus through the Umoja program. Both have gone above and beyond to provide support and resources to Black students on our campus and do so with compassion, commitment, and grace. They are both incredibly deserving of further recognition for their efforts and dedication to students overall, both within the Umoja program and in their classrooms." Thank you, Herman and Tasha, for all that you do for GWC!

ORANGE COAST COLLEGE
Orange Coast College's student paper, Coast Report, won 11 awards on March 11 at the Associated Collegiate Press/Journalism Association of Community Colleges (ACP) Spring National Student Media Conference in San Francisco, including a top 10 ACP Best in Show News Website honor. Coast Report received a 10th place win for its website in the ACP's two-year schools Best in Show News Website category. Among nine California schools, Coast Report finished in the top ten out of over 30 nationwide. Including an overall General Excellence Award for news websites, Coast Report won 10 additional awards in the JACC state competition.

Orange Coast College's Speech, Debate, and Theatre Team won the California Community College Forensics Association's 2023 State Championship on March 12. The team won by 70 points over the other 19 competitors from schools across the state. The Pirates scored 232.5 points, followed by Mt. Sac's 162.5 and Pasadena City College's 110 points. This is the team's 5th state title in the past six in-person tournaments. Before winning the 2023 State Champions, the team had previously won the honor in 2015-2018. The team placed well across many events and took gold medals in debate, theater, limited preparation, oral interpretation, and platform speaking.