May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May, designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, brings national focus to mental well-being. Established in 1949, it unites people to address challenges faced by those with mental health conditions.
Why is this important? Below are some statistics from National Council for Mental Wellbeing:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched the ‘Take the Moment’ campaign which urges individuals to prioritize their mental health. A number of resources, including a toolkit, are available on the NAMI website.
Siskiyous launches its 'See something, Say Something' Campaign
Let's break the silence. Together, we can create a safer community and prevent sexual violence. To learn more and to access resources, visit the Siskiyou Domestic Violence and Crisis Center. They have free and confidential services as well as a 24/7 hotline: 1-877-842-4068.
Celebrating all of our Classified Professionals! Classified Professionals Appreciation Week May 20 – 24, 2024!
A huge shoutout to our amazing, classified professionals! You keep our campus running smoothly. Whether it's registering students, managing labs, providing food or keeping the lights on, your contributions are invaluable. We appreciate your tireless efforts and positive attitudes! A resolution acknowledging classified professionals will be read at the May 21, 2024 regular Board Meeting.
Additionally, we will be acknowledging many of our classified professionals at the Employee Appreciation Event scheduled on June 13, 2024. The event includes a spoken word performance by Fong Tran.
Fall 2024 Convocation & Flex Day Draft Agendas
Fall Convocation and Flex Days are scheduled Thursday, August 15 and Friday, August 16, 2024. The draft agendas are now posted on our Flex Committee webpage.
Chico State and Seven North State Community Colleges Sign Transformational Agreement to Support Transfer Student Success
Chico State and seven community colleges came together April 29 in an incredible demonstration of solidarity to support the educational dreams of transfer students from across the North State region.
President Steve Perez and leadership from Butte College, College of the Siskiyous, Feather River College, Lassen Community College, Shasta College, Woodland Community College, and Yuba College signed Memoranda of Understanding to formalize dual admission and streamlined transfer for students interested in pursuing their bachelor’s degree at Chico State. This guaranteed admission and accompanying support mechanisms lay the groundwork to simplify and ease transfer students’ pathways to pursue four-year degrees, credentials, and further education within their region.
The benefits of the collaboration include that Chico State guarantees admission to students from those seven colleges as long as they meet minimum eligibility requirements and apply by published deadlines; Chico State will extend a dual admission program invitation through the Transfer Success Pathway (TSP) to eligible first-time, first-year applicants at the end of their high school career after being denied admission; that each college will establish a mechanism for early identification of students who are interested in transferring and schedule a Chico State campus tour for those students; and that Chico State educational opportunities will be promoted at the individual community college campuses.
Upcoming Activities & Events:
Event dates, times, and locations based on information available at the time of publication and are subject to change.
May 2024
June 2024
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We now have fresh food vending available in the vestibule between the Café and the Grill. Once we get the gates installed, we will open the vending for 24-hour access to all students, staff and faculty. More details to come this summer!
Thank You to Our Campus Gift & Book Shop Team!
As the school year comes to a close, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated student workers at the Campus Gift & Book Shop. Special thanks to Andre Estrada, Lani Jackson, Ashley Quizon, Je'Han King, Malik Jones, Wintu Nagle, and Marlena Magaña for their tireless efforts and enthusiasm throughout the year.
We are also incredibly grateful to our volunteer crew, Adrian Barnett, Serge Kamga, and Nitaya Jones, who brought fun and excitement to our games by stepping up and consistently lending a hand.
A big shoutout to the entire Softball team—thank you for the countless laughs and engaging conversations during our football concessions. Your spirit truly made those events special!
These wonderful students were not only the vibe creators at games and the artists behind our signs, but also our top candy sellers and all-around movers and shakers. It has been the greatest honor to spend these hours with each of you, celebrating your victories both on the field and in the classroom.
We hope everyone has a fantastic summer, and we look forward to seeing what you all will achieve next!
The Business Office will be resuming its regular hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (Summer Hours: same hours, closed on Fridays). The internal door will remain locked. If you need assistance with staff, please make an appointment.
We are finalizing the tentative budget for review by the constituent groups. There will be a joint IPB and College Council meeting on June 5 for review and recommendation prior to submission to the Board of Trustees at the June 18 meeting. Please be on the lookout for the document and submit any feedback through your representatives on IPB and College Council.
Vice President, Student Services
The end of the academic year is here and it has been a whirlwind this last month. COS hosted two large events this past month. Eighth (8th) Grade Inspiration Day was hosted on April 18 and Kinder Caminata was held on May 10. Both of these events were a tremendous success. Hundreds of eighth graders and Kindergarteners were able to come to COS and tour campus, learn from faculty and staff, have fun, and experience much of what we have to offer.
These events are essential to the long-term viability and success of COS. They encourage our local students to attend, strengthen K-12 relationships, focus on our local community, and change the lives of students as they start their higher education journeys. I want to thank the many staff, faculty, administrators, students, and board members that helped with these events. These events only happen if all help out. Each time, I am amazed and humbled by just how awesome our campus community is and how everyone rallies together to make it all happen. Thank you, all, for your support, time, and contributions. Thank you to Steph Wroten, Regina Weston, and Janice Porterfield for organizing, planning, and facilitating both events.
As the semester ends and graduation nears, I think back on this last year and think of all that we have accomplished. We never stop working in Student Services. There is always another student to serve, a different problem to solve, another meeting to be had, or a new success to be shared. Student Services professionals work with smiles on their faces, passion in their hearts, and dedication for our students. I want to thank all of them and acknowledge them for the heroes they are. They make a difference in the lives of so many. Please know that on the day of graduation, that each of you played a part in the hundreds that will receive degrees, certificates, or walk across the stage. You meaningfully contributed and rightfully deserve to be acknowledged for it. Thank you!
Hello all. It’s been another whirlwind of a semester here in the TRiO Office and we wouldn’t want it any other way! We kicked off our semester with a sweet pal-entines day event in which students were able to make candles, cards, and enjoy lots of sweet treats. Within that week TRiO joined preview day events at Southern Oregon University (SOU) and Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) as well as the Black College Expo highlighting HBCU’s across the country.
TRiO hosted transfer Tuesday EdTalks explaining transfer basics and the UC/CSU application process in addition to a brief discussion about the newly updated and released FAFSA. In March we hosted Pi Day (3.14) and passed out slices of delicious pie. Our spring day event offered students a time to decompress with a nacho bar with all the fixings and board games galore. TRiO provided students with pancakes and French toast every other Thursday — French toast was a huge hit! Thank you, Basecamp, for helping provide meals across campus, y’all are the best!
April was jam packed with a bowling night, a showing of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and a six-day trip to Washington DC. Our trip to DC consisted of monuments, memorials, museums, awesome plays, and delicious flavors everywhere.
TRiO will be ending the semester just at it started, with a bang! On the docket we have an SSS Success Banquet on May 8 in which we will honor graduating SSS students as well as those with high GPA’s. We are looking forward to assisting with K-Day on May 10 and Graduation on May 17. On May 13 we will be hosting a &bonfire& and BBQ at the lodges to round out the semester.
Finally, we will be taking ten students to NCORE in Hawaii at the end of May. We are looking forward to all the information we will be bringing back to campus from this conference. Our Upward Bound residential summer camp will begin on June 16 and we are looking forward to a busy summer with all of our high school students.
Thank you to everyone that assists us in making it possible to provide students with excellent activities on and off campus, we couldn’t do without our team! Eenjoy a few photos from our adventures.
Educator of the Year
Congratulations again to Dr. Andrea Craddock on being named Educator of the Year! The award was presented at an event hosted by Siskiyou County Gamma Nu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma and held at the Mt Shasta Resort. Dr. Craddock was unable to attend as she was representing our faculty at the Academic Senate Plenary. Accepting on her behalf were Trustees Debbie Derby and Kathy Koon, Dr. Mark C. Fields, and Alice Bennett representing Assembly member Megan Dahle's office.
Important Dates:
Siskiyou Future Fest Business Pitch Competition - High school students showcase their inner entrepreneur
(L-R) ChicoStart Executive Director Eva Shepherd, 2nd place winner Wiley Carver (Func), 1st place winners Audrey Mayberry and Marianne Tafoya (Bitz), 3rd place winner Matthew Mayberry (SkillSharper) and People’s Choice winner Nathina Chattin (To Put It Simply) not pictured.
The SiskiyouWorks Entrepreneurship Collaborative hosted its inaugural Siskiyou Future Fest business pitch competition at Mt. Shasta High School, Monday, May 6, 2024. Sponsored by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate iHUB2, ChicoStart, College of the Siskiyous Foundation, JEDI, Manx Business Solutions, SiskiyouWorks, and Siskiyou Media Council, Siskiyou County high school students pitched business ideas to compete for cash prizes and bragging rights. Prior to the competition Mt. Shasta High School and Weed High School students brainstormed ideas and decided on the name Siskiyou Future Fest, designed the logo, and created t-shirts to support the project.
Pitch ideas ranged from technology apps to business, creative art, and special needs services to designing and manufacturing consumer products. Mt. Shasta High School business math instructor Ben Stern and Weed High School business instructor Joshua Oates prepared students to participate. Participants were judged on their ability to 1) describe the product or service and its unique selling proposition, 2) explain the initial investment required, 3) identify the target customer, and 4) demonstrate the proposed opportunity convincingly and professionally.
The judging panel included Chico Start Executive Director Eva Shepherd, College and Career Options Director Dan Haskins, College of the Siskiyous Business Professor Sherice L. Bellamy, JEDI Executive Director Nancy Swift, Mt. Shasta City Councilmember Tessa Clure and Mt. Shasta High School student Meski Chandler.
The SiskiyouWorks Entrepreneurship Collaborative is led by SiskiyouWorks Executive Director and new Superintendent of Siskiyou Union High School District (SISUHSD) Marie Caldwell. Members include representatives of SISUHSD, ChicoStart, College and Career Options, College of the Siskiyous, and the Siskiyou County Office of Education.
Fire Academy Class 45
Congratulations to the 32 graduates of Fire Academy Class 45! Check out the multiple photos and videos of the event on our Facebook and Instagram sites.
The 45th Fire Academy Graduation commenced in the Ford Theater on May 3, 2024 in front of a packed house. The College of the Siskiyous Fire Technology Program would like to thank all those who attended and have supported our program this year. A special Thank You to Anne Marie Acord, Monique Gonsalez, Dean Klever, all else who facilitated this graduation, Sawyer who coordinated all of the Audio/Visual, and especially Riley Witherell who was incredible singing the National Anthem.
The Fire Technology Program also recognized Captain Dan Ballard (ret) for 20 years of dedicated service to the College of the Siskiyous Fire Technology Program. Captain Ballard has been instrumental in the growth of this program and he will be missed.
Stop by the Fire Technology Building TTC 32 and come check out all of the new additions to the building. Thank you to Signarama.
Hi Everyone.
Well, the spring semester is wrapping up and graduation is around the corner. For Academic Senate, we’ve had a busy academic year and managed to accomplish some things. One thing I'm particularly excited about is the number of new faculty who will be joining us next year. We are in the process of hiring Instructors in the following disciplines: math, physics, English, communication, art, and nursing. We will also be hiring a permanent baseball coach and assistant football coach, as well as a faculty athletic trainer for the fall semester.
We also worked on amending our local GE pattern to incorporate Ethnic Studies and to align more with the singular transfer pattern, Cal-GETC. We added Area 6 for Ethnic Studies courses, which are a requirement for graduation. We changed Area 5 of our COSGE pattern to "Lifelong Learning and Self-Development" (instead of "Multicultural/Living Skills") and created a new outcome for this category. With the assistance of the counselors, we identified the courses that should populate Area 5. We also established the criteria for courses to be included in a GE category. In the next academic year (24 – 25), we’ll determine if the courses listed under each GE category fits the necessary criteria or need to be reexamined.
Other achievements included approving the DL Handbook with more specific language on how to complete ongoing professional requirements with Flex activities, presenting a resolution to the Board of Trustees urging them to consider hiring an Accessibility Specialist to assist faculty in remediation to increase student success and meet equity goals, and providing substitute courses (ones that have critical/analytical thinking) as alternative for math courses to meet SAS (DSPS) requirements for students identified with a math disability. Under the leadership of the SLO co-chairs, Ann Womack and Liz Carlyle, we approved a SLO philosophy and assessment plan, as well as collected and entered assessment data in e-Lumen for the fall and spring semesters. Michelle Knudsen and Josh Collins put forward an Advanced Placement (AP) grid that aligns each AP exam with a COS course. We approved the Academic and Career Pathways for Guided Pathways and produced an artificial intelligence (AI) policy to be implemented for academic purposes. With the help of the Bookstore and VPAS, Christina Van Alfen, we improved the textbook submission process.
I would like to recognize the members of the Senate Exec who have been with me for the last two years: VP - Patrice Thatcher-Stephens, Secretary – Ann Womack, At-Large – Tyler Knudsen, At-Large - Jayne Turk, and the Past President - Ron Slabbinck. These individuals have helped me immensely in getting things done and navigating issues. I'm excited that some of these folks are sticking with me as I stay on as President another year. Next year’s Senate Exec composition includes VP - Tyler Knudsen, Secretary – Ann Womack, At-Large – Carly Zeller, At-Large – Sarah Kirby, and Past President – Ron Slabbinck. I’m happy to have some familiar faces in Senate Exec next year, along with a couple of new members. I know we will have a productive (and dare I say fun) Academic Senate next year.
Finally, I want to thank Dr. Char Perlas. Being Academic Senate President can be hard occasionally, but I appreciate that Char always makes me feel valued and heard. She meets with me regularly and lets me be brutally honest with her at times. She never holds it against me if I passionately disagree with her. She is great about taking notes during our meetings and following up on items. She is respectful and kind. She embodies the most important traits needed in a leader and I’m glad she is our President.
Thanks for listening.
Andrea Craddock, Ph.D.
Academic Senate President
No other reports received.
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