Category Archives

“It is really nice to see people on campus again, even if from a distance!”

Submitted by Linda Compton

WCC has opened the Learning Commons for students this Spring quarter. Students can call the Student Help Desk to make an appointment to visit the beautiful new facility, must wear a face covering, and follow the social distancing protocol.  Since almost all classes are still online, WCC has not experienced a high number of students so far, but those needing computers, printers, tech support, or simply a quiet study space now have this option on campus. Faculty and staff are also able to return to their offices provided an appointment is made prior to arriving. This is primarily to track who is coming and going here on campus should there be any COVID-19 cases to trace. It is really nice to see people on campus again, even if from a distance! 

Submitted by Linda Compton, Whatcom Community College Contact

Whatcom Community College

Greetings from WCC!  I hope everyone is healthy and managing as well as possible during this pandemic. It certainly has changed the way we work and live!  I would like to share some of the ways we are staying connected while working toward the common goal of creating a place of learning where everyone feels welcome. I’ve mentioned The Equity Project before, and this year’s theme is “Anti-Racism: Our Call to Action” You’ve heard of TED Talk, now The Equity Project Team offers

TEP Talk! Dreaming Big with Dr. X the most recent episode of “TEP Talk,” The Equity Project podcast. In this episode we heard from several members of our campus community and then settled in for a conversation with Dr. Xyan Neider about her work (and ours) toward equity and antiracism.  I introduced Xyan Neider previously as WCC’s first Director for Teaching and Learning.  Dr. Neider began her college education at Skagit Valley College and is happy to return close to home!

Cynthia Hoskins and Marisa Ellis with the help of Sarah Jenkins have created a radio show (via Compass, our staff intranet) which airs every Wednesday from 8:30 to 9am. 

What’s up Whatcom – A Compass Morning Show By Marisa Ellis-September 23, 2020

This “radio show” is intended to provide opportunities for employees to engage with others, similar to how we were able to engage during All College Day. We will share campus news and virtual events, where you can find information online, highlight the What’s up Whatcom section on Compass and features that help us stay connected, and invite guests to join the show to share their expertise and College initiatives.

WCC’s College Equity Officer, Terri Thayer reminded us that November is Native American Heritage Month! It is a time of celebration and remembrance. It is a celebration of culture with language, dance, music, food and traditions. It is a celebration of the resistance and existence of Native people’s today.  It also a remembrance of history, ancestors, challenges and loss. Native American Heritage Month is a time of healing and understanding. It is a time of reclaiming. These are just a few of the subject links Terri shared with our staff.  Thanks, Terri!Native American Heritage MonthStand with Standing RockNative LandsRock Your Mocs

Co-leads of Jewish Employees and Friends at Whatcom, Todd Waters and Darcie Doneganare hosting Hanukkah Meaning and Rituals.  This is a zoom event for staff to share and learn about one of the most well-known Jewish holidays, Hanukkah. This year, Hanukkah begins on Thursday, December 10, and ends on Friday, December 18. We will listen to a recording about Hanukkah, learn about the menorah’s symbolism and significance (and see some live ones!), and more.

WAP Weekly

The Intercultural Center welcomes the campus of Whatcom Community College to join the IC’s new weekly event opening a fluid and respectful in-depth conversation about politics ranging from voting to climate change. The event, Workshop About Politics (WAP), is hosted by student/peer navigators from the Intercultural Center every Friday at 2:00pm – 3:00pm.  Our goal as active members on campus is to make Whatcom Community College put the power and definition back into democracy by educating our peers and leaders.

This week we’ll go over with WCC PoliSci professors:

• 2020 Election debrief
• What we can expect from the Election results
• What’s next?
• Q and A

So many new Acronyms!  Thanks for reading this far! The final thing I would like to add is that the Library has moved into our new building the Phyllis and Charles Self Learning Commons. Despite COVID-19, the project was completed on schedule and we are more than thrilled with our new space! Our students are going to love it, and we truly look forward to the day college life and learning can resume on campus.

Kudos to Sara Schutt, Student Activities Program Assistant at BBCC. She is educated, talented, skilled, and always has a smile on her face to welcome weary first responders. She owns a business with her sister that provides fresh water to fire fighters every year. Read the complete story here. 

Although campus closure to most daily activity prevents us from large gatherings, we still try to celebrate milestone events with our BBCC extended family.  Nancy Leach received the 2020 classified staff Exemplary Award for Region D at the annual conference. We were able to arrange a surprise celebration for her with the TRiO department and few other employees. 

We will miss Nancy; she is retiring at the end of the year. Check out the post here. 

By Nancy Harris, Region B Coordinator

Region B consists of Bellevue College, Cascadia College, Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Renton Technical College, North Seattle, South Seattle, Seattle Central, & Seattle College District

Bellevue College:

In August, September & October Bellevue College doubled their faculty, staff, and student trainings!

The eLearning department has been training on Zoom and answering community questions. They provided the training for all the new software rolling out for faculty, had 5 new tools since March – Honorlock, Lockdown Browser, Lockdown Monitor, Gradecsope – and they shifted to SimCheck. Updates include both Zoom & Canvas, and Microsoft Teams was rolled out. A new cohort of faculty were trained on Zoom, Panopto and Canvas. It’s been busy!

In short, training and the use of multiple tools as well as taking the extra precautionary steps needed for those working on campus, and balancing working at home with family at home has been an adjustment for everyone at Bellevue College. 

We have had several professional development courses, well-being sessions and opportunities to be involved on campus offered to classified employees. Prioritizing and doing more with less is a constant element to our work now.

Renton Technical College

Like colleges, RTC classified staff are working from home and observing the state-mandated furlough leave program. We are learning lots of new technology, and adapting to weekly (and sometimes, daily) Zoom check-in meetings. About 2 weeks ago, some of us learned how to design a Zoom meeting with breakout rooms. Every day includes something new. On-boarding new employees virtually presents its own challenges. Overall, most classified staff are adapting and thriving working in the electronic environment. 

Suggested future trainings: Zoom Meetings, MS Teams Meetings, Canvas meeting spaces, Adobe Sign for electronic signatures. 

Seattle Central College

ctcLink training is nearing completion (by November 20th). Work on our upcoming application process for one of our programs and ensuring the students have proper credentials so they are eligible to attend their clinical portions of their program has been a major portion of Classified work in certain departments.

South Seattle

Learning new technologies and resources was expected during this uncertain work environment, but some Classified Staff also have many expectations for work, having difficulty assessing the outcomes because the virtual work space is not always conducive for clear communications or direction from others. We are learning not to take things personally, because we are all under such a tremendous pressure.

We all need to pay attention to our emotional and mental health so when this is over, we can hug and celebrate the reunion with our friends and colleagues.