November – Veronica (Ronnie) Rivera, Director of Maintenance & Facilities
Ronnie has been with the College since 2015. She was originally hired as a Maintenance Lead Licensed Electrician and in 2018, became the permanent Director of Maintenance & Facilities. Ronnie has been instrumental in campus operations ranging from managing capital outlay projects to campus safety. She recently completed a six (6) session Facilities Leadership Program and, in addition to leading efforts related to the Theater Building, new Student Housing Project, Emergency Operations Plan and Safety Committee, she is the primary contact for the Facilities Master Plan.
Here is what a colleague at Siskiyous had to share about Ronnie regarding a recent campus safety incident.
"Ronnie went above and beyond in the lockdown. She got word out to the building stewards right away and she continued to walk and monitor the campus for the rest of the day in the pouring rain once the lockdown was lifted to ensure the safety of students and staff. She's a ROCKSTAR!"
Congratulations Ronnie on this well-deserved recognition. We are so very lucky to have you! Monthly colleague nominations can be submitted in the Virtual Suggestion Box.
Inclement Weather Information and Tips for Safety and Preparation
Winter weather is upon us! Here are some reminders, tips, and resources to help you prepare:
The Office of Research has been hard at work orchestrating instructional and non-instructional program reviews, but we wanted to take some time to share some interesting points with you. Regarding enrollments, we have observed a healthy increase over the last three Fall terms.
The chart above shows enrollments across three different fall terms, disaggregated by full-time and part-time students. We've seen a 19.76% increase in full-time students from Fall 2022 to Fall 2024, which may continue to change until the semester concludes. For part-time students, there has been a 24.63% increase during the same period.
The graph below also highlights enrollment trends, but instead shows it over that last two academic years and the beginning of the current one.
Notably, there has been a significant increase in both the Summer and Fall terms of 2024-2025 compared to 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. This is encouraging, as it provides valuable insights into how this academic year is progressing, especially in comparison to the previous years after the initial impact of the pandemic.
Additionally, we have identified eight classes across campus that have experienced a notable increase in enrollments from Fall 2022 to Fall 2024:
This is promising, as we are witnessing a continued recovery and growth in enrollments following the significant drop during the pandemic. This positive trend is also evident in some CTE (Career and Technical Education) courses. Below are some CTE courses that have seen substantial increases over the last few fall terms.
These three CTE courses have shown a consistent uptick in enrollments, especially this year. We'd also like to highlight the Nursing program, which has gained significant traction this term with a total of 72 enrollments as it continues to grow.
Overall, this term has seen substantial increases in enrollments compared to Fall 2022 and Fall 2023, and we hope to see this positive trend continue in the coming terms and academic years.
Reminder… Siskiyous Publicity (Creating Flyers, Programs, Digital Ads, and more): Please remember that all publicity, promotional, and marketing materials must be submitted to the Public Relations Office (email pio@siskiyous.edu) before being posted, printed, or distributed on campus and in the community. This includes images used in social media posts and other print publications. This process ensures that all materials meet branding and accessibility standards. Questions – send an email, call the office, or stop by for a chat. We are happy to meet and discuss.
Sign up for COS Connect (powered by Everbridge): This is a free system we use to send out emergency notifications, updates, general news, reminders, etc. Users can choose to receive text message and/or email. To sign up, go to homepage and scroll down to bottom of the page where the button is found and follow directions. Need help, send an email, call the office, or stop by for a chat.
Come Join Our Team: We are looking for new volunteers to join the Eagle’s Nest team. Volunteers work as cashiers, screen items as they come in, price merchandise, repair items, research antiques, etc. There is never a dull moment at the Eagles Nest. We are also looking for student workers. If you know of anyone who may be interested in volunteering or working as a paid student worker, have them call (530) 938-4663 or stop by the Eagle’s Nest Shop to speak with Angel Keen, Shop Supervisor.
Holiday Craft Fair: The 27th Annual COS Holiday Craft Fair will be Friday evening, December 6 (5:00 to 8:00 pm) and Saturday, December 7 (9:00 am to 3:00 pm) at the COS Weed Campus in the Gym. This Craft Fair celebrates the finest of handcrafted products produced by local and regional artisans and crafters. Admission is $3.
Upcoming Activities & Events:
Event dates, times, and locations based on information available at the time of publication and are subject to change.
November 2024
December 2024
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Basecamp was very busy during the month of October; holding several events and offering new services to our students.
First, we are excited to announce a new partnership with the Lodges to provide a weekly shuttle for students to Grocery Outlet so they are able to shop for essentials. A once per month trip to Walmart in Yreka is also planned. Students can find out more information and sign up for the shuttle right outside of Basecamp.
Another exciting new service we are offering our students is vouchers to local thrift stores. Students can receive one $50 voucher per semester that can be used to purchase clothing and household items at either The Eagles Nest Resale Shop or Thrift-Tiques, both located on Main Street in Weed. We have already had quite a few students utilize these vouchers to purchase winter clothing as the weather becomes cooler.
Basecamp has also been partnering with other departments and community organizations on several events. We held our monthly 'Puppies & Pizza' event, where we partner with the Siskiyou Humane Society to bring some of their dogs that are up for adoption to campus. As always, students love the opportunity to 'get some puppy cuddles' on their way to class or to grab a slice of pizza. We also partnered with Emkay Sikora, ASC staff member, to host a wonderful homecooked lunch for our students. Emkay made her Noni's mouthwatering meat sauce, as well as some yummy marinara, noodles, garlic bread, and fresh salad. This event was so well attended, we went through two large crock pots of meat sauce within 30 minutes. With the checkered tablecloths and Italian music playing in the background, it felt like we were in our own little Italian Café.
As the month of October came to an end, we were excited to celebrate Halloween with our students. For the third year in a row, Maggie Crowder went above and beyond on our costumes and we dressed as one of Basecamp's most popular snacks… Mott’s Fruit Snacks. Maggie was the box; Regina Weston was the individual package, and Basecamp Student Ambassadors were fruit snacks. We cannot wait to see what she will come up with next year!
Finally, we are very excited to share with the campus community that Siskiyous Basecamp has been chosen to present at the Real College Basic Needs Summit to be held at Lemoore College in December where we will be part of a 'Spotlight Session' for all conference attendees. We will be presenting alongside our colleagues from West Hills College and Allan Hancock. Our presentation will highlight the challenges and rewards of offering basic needs services at a rural community college. We are so excited to be able to share our knowledge and highlight the work that we are doing at College of the Siskiyous.
Chico Preview Day - TRiO staff kicked off the month by taking a handful of students to Chico where they toured the beautiful campus of CSU, Chico. Students engaged in conversations with major department personnel and the 100's of clubs offered on campus. Chico State goes all out for their preview days with live music, cotton candy machines, photo booths, balloons, and more. After the event, students and staff enjoyed a walk around the famous Chico Farmers Market and a delicious meal at Madison Bear Garden aka "The Bear," a local favorite and restaurant known for their burgers and wild décor.
Shakespeare Play - On a brisk October evening, TRiO staff and students enjoyed exploring beautiful downtown Ashland, OR and all of its beautiful fall foliage. As the sun began to set, the crew made their way to the Allen Elizabethan Theatre where we tucked into our cozy seats and enjoyed Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The phenomenal cast of this play delivered the hilarious story of Beatrice (a confirmed spinster) and Benedict (an eternal bachelor) duped into believing the other is in love with them. This romantic comedy had everyone laughing and cheering!
College Quest - Our own TRiO department 'showed up and showed out' for College of the Siskiyous at the annual College Quest event hosted by Shasta College. Staff enjoyed engaging with students from all over northern California to tell them about all of the amazing things College of the Siskiyous has to offer.
Game Night The Outreach Office held a very successful Game Night on October 28 in collaboration with the library. The event was well attended by many students (who live both on and off campus). Library staff hosted the event in the loft and students enjoyed various snacks and a 'hot' drink bar featuring coffees, teas, and cocoas. The highlight of the evening were two very intense games of UNO and Chess. Plans are in the works for this to become a monthly event.
Trunk-or-Treats Events in Siskiyou County - TRiO staff along with Samantha Dean – Director of Outreach and Visa Graves – Director of Financial Aid, divided and conquered the numerous Trunk-or-Treat events held throughout Siskiyou County representing the College. From Weed to Scott Valley to Yreka, trick-or-treaters across the County and beyond were elated to received their pumpkin backpacks and candies.
Pumpkin Carving - During the week leading up to Halloween, Outreach planned and TRiO hosted pumpkin carving/painting in the TRiO Center. Several departments on campus contributed to the fun… Outreach provided the pumpkins; the Lodges provided carving utensils; and, TRiO provided the space, snacks (pudding "mud cups") and spooky vibes. It was a relaxing time for students to decompress and tap into their creative side. It was great fun conversating with students about holiday family traditions and checking in on their academic journey.
"Walking Fed" Halloween Event - Halloween in the TRiO Center never disappoints! The morning began with 'waking the quad' up with spooky tunes and the smell of tasty meat made by our very own Julissa Gonzalez. Students began to pour in as the word about delicious walking tacos began to spread across campus. Staff and students stopped by to fill their bellies, decorate cookies, and enjoy the spooky ambiance.
The Business Office has been working hard to finish the 2023-2024 audit with anticipation of presenting to the Board of Trustees during the December 10 board meeting. We are happy to announce the district has met the 50% law for the closing fiscal year at an unaudited figure of 53.4%.
With the closing of our local US Bank branch in Weed, the District has successfully opened accounts with Tri Counties Bank in Weed. Staff are working to update Banner in order to utilize these accounts completely and has begun the process of transitioning all deposits to the new accounts. All checks written by the College of the Siskiyous for various staff reimbursements and cash advances will be honored by Tri Counties Bank. We are very excited for this new partnership with a community-based bank committed to supporting our college for many years to come!
Business Office staff have been engaged in trainings with Ellucian as a result of an approved Resource Allocation Request (RAR). Since July, staff have been meeting regularly on a weekly basis with a designated team to review set-ups, test changes and revise processes in Banner. We are eager to continue this engagement throughout the year and provide assistance to our department as we transition to SSB 9 very soon.
Nel-Net student payment plans a scheduled to begin with the spring semester. This project has taken many months to complete with a coordinated effort between the Business Office, Admissions and Records, and Technology departments and is near the final stages of implementation. Students will be able to set-up affordable payment plans throughout the semester. More information will be coming very soon from Nel-Net to help promote this new program.
Client Services Team: The Client Services team is currently implementing the workstation refresh for the Career & Technical Education Department.
Enterprise Application Team: The Enterprise Application team has deployed Banner Document Management in the TEST environment so that departments can begin testing business processes that will use this feature. Other projects include: implementing Ellucians' Intelligent Learning Platform (ILP) to automate integration between Banner and Canvas; working with both the Business Office and Admissions & Records departments to implement the Nelnet application, which will give students the ability to establish payment plans; and, working with several departments to resolve some minor issues that have been identified with the Self-Service Banner 9. We anticipate having these resolved so that the upgrade can be deployed in production in December. Finally, the Financial Aid department is currently testing a process implemented by the Enterprise Application team that will automate data exchange between CalGrant and the College's ERP system and several departments in the College are working with consultants engaged by the Chancellor's Office to perform a business process analysis in support of the CCCERP (i.e., common ERP system) project.
Infrastructure Services Team: The Infrastructure Services team has implemented a security operations center (SOC) with a company called Forsyte to provide 24\7\365 monitoring and security incident response. Recently, the team completed the Network Infrastructure Refresh project, which included replaced approximately 70 network switches and 60 wireless access points across both campuses. Next up, the Network Infrastructure Hardening Project, which will upgrade the College's firewall, implement a new VPN, and make changes to network routing to enhance cybersecurity.
We received a letter from the Chancellor's Office confirming completion of Office of Civil Rights findings. The initial visit to the college was in June of 2022, and the team has been slowly chipping away at the list of corrections since then. We are happy to report that they're officially complete, and the college is in compliance.
Good News from the ASC: Academic Success Center staff recently received notification their proposal for an upcoming national conference has been accepted! At the March 2025 Academic Coaching and Tutoring Profession annual conference to be held in Orlando, Florida, the ASC team will present "Small School Story Time: How Playing to Our Strengths Helped Us Overcome Limited Resources and Launch a Successful Academic Coaching Program." The session will detail how we leveraged existing resources, fostered cross-department collaboration, integrated coaching into existing services, and prioritized professional development and data collection to start an academic coaching program that has exceeded expectations.
Curious About Academic Coaching? Academic coaching helps students boost their academic performance and well-being. The service is offered through a series of one-on-one meetings in which our coaches listen to and learn about their students, so they can offer meaningful support focused on identifying values and setting goals, learning how to study smarter, managing school-work-life balance, and increasing motivation and confidence. COS Academic Coaching Accomplishments.
College of the Siskiyous launched academic coaching in Fall 2023. In that first semester, the ASC held 283 academic coaching sessions. While that was a big win for the first semester of any new initiative, we are thrilled that the service continues to grow. Thus far, with roughly a month remaining in the semester, our Fall 2024 numbers already exceed the total Fall 2023 participations; we are currently sitting at 398 student participations! What we love the most is that students feel the service is beneficial. At the end of the third session, students complete an exit survey. Here's a little sampling of what students are saying:
Tutoring and EdTALKS: While our newest service has received the most attention over the last year, it's not the only ASC service that continues to grow. Both tutoring and EdTALKS participation are on the rise. Between Fall 2019 and Fall 2023, tutoring experienced a 147.5% increase, up from 210 tutoring hours to 520 tutoring hours! Those hours are again on the rise this semester. Emkay has done an incredible job growing this program both in terms of student participation and the numbers of student tutors (which was a feat in the wake of COVID). Emkay also leads ASC efforts to provide a welcoming and supportive learning environment; an important piece of that is cultivating student workers who reflect the diversity of our student body. Thank you, Emkay!
EdTALKS participation is also increasing; it's up by 133% since Fall 2022. Thus far this semester, 472 students have participated in 96 EdTALKS, and that does not even include Library Micro-Course completions. The growth is due to a variety of factors: 1) the support of our participating instructors who incentivize EdTALKS participation through their courses and 2) our incredible EdTALKS facilitators for being wonderful humans who care about students and who offer talks that are relevant, engaging, and supportive. Thank you!
ASC Growth Through Collaboration: Learning assistance offerings cannot exist in a vacuum. The ASC is thriving thanks to collaboration with faculty and staff across campus. From all of us, thank you for your ongoing support, for encouraging students to take advantage of our offerings, and for helping to squash negative stigmas surrounding learning assistance. The ASC is for all students, whether they are looking to build academic confidence, get an edge on their academics, or build community. Thank you for spreading that word!
Academy 46 is officially in session. These dedicated men and women are diving headfirst into the fundamentals of fire service, laying the groundwork for the critical skills they will need to protect and serve their communities.
The cadets are learning the core principles of the fire service as well as how to put their gear on rapidly and use their Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus. They will be entering more advanced training this month as they move deeper into Module 1A.
Law in Action this Semester: Students from our Introduction to Criminal Justice (ADJ 1001) class will have a chance to see the process of law in action, in mid-November and early December! One of our Siskiyou County Superior Court judges, also a College of the Siskiyous Alum, will be presiding over a Mock Trial in our ADJ 1001 class! The trial involves a defendant charged with Robbery and Residential Burglary. Students have been working very hard in preparation and anticipation of the trial. Students will actively participate in a variety of roles: including as investigating officers, the victim, the defendant, a witness, as well as prosecution and defense teams. Students will also be serving on the jury. This trial was scheduled after students expressed excitement following a Mock Preliminary Hearing earlier in the semester. Many thanks to our partners at the Superior Court of California, County of Siskiyou! This is an amazing opportunity, thanks to the Court!
Changes in State Law Requires College Degree of Law Enforcement: In November, the Board of Trustees will hear information about AB 89, passed in 2021, imposing educational requirements and other changes, effective November of 2025, for those employed as peace officers in California, and certified under California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST). Officers seeking POST certification will be required to earn an Associate's Degree in Modern Policing, within two years of hire. This multidisciplinary degree requires extensive coursework in communications, psychology, sociology, ethnic studies, and other disciplines, in addition to some required coursework in Administration of Justice (beyond academy coursework).
The intent of this new requirement is to develop officers' critical thinking and decision-making skills. Some limited research has shown that officers with more education are less likely to be subject to excessive use of force complaints, as well as some indication that officers are less likely to be involved in shootings when they possess advanced degrees. It should be noted that this research is limited and does not factor in several variables. However, in light of social justice reform, the California Legislature passed this bill, which also makes the minimum qualifying age for officers (from 18 to 21 years of age). Review of AB 89.
College of the Siskiyous is poised to offer this degree in the Fall of 2025, thanks to a team effort with many involved, including college administration, several faculty, and committee review. Special thanks to the Sociology Department and Art Department for each creating a course which is currently under review. Courses included in the Modern Policing Degree will be fully available through College of the Siskiyous and will prepare our next generation of officers for this honorable profession!
Hi everyone,
Many of the faculty, students, and staff were unnerved by the lockdown that occurred in mid-October. Although it is still unclear if there was a real threat at the time, our response to a potential "active shooter" was abysmal.
Communication was poor during and following the event. Many employees were unsure of what to do because of lack of training. Even those employees who are on the Emergency Operations Taskforce seemed uncertain about their roles and what sequence of steps need to be taken during an emergency. I feel like our poor response was a wake-up call that we need to become better trained and prepared for possible adverse events.
I’ve had several conversations with Dr. Char Perlas about our need for additional training. In response, she has arranged for a table-top "Active Shooter" training during Convocation in January. Although this is geared towards faculty, it will be open to all employees. She is also exploring additional options for training in the Spring semester for faculty/employees who would like more extensive preparation. Specifically, she has been in discussions with the Central California Intelligence Center (CCIC) / Sacramento Regional Threat Assessment Center (SacRTAC). Although they are scheduled to come on Thursday Dec. 12th to work with the Building Stewards, we are trying to have them come again in the Spring semester to provide more specialized training for faculty.
There have also been discussions about California Highway Patrol (CHP) and other local law enforcement doing on-site security assessments, along with full-scale training and simulations on our campus. This will have the additional advantage of law enforcement knowing the layout of our campus so they can better tackle an emergency if it arises later. I appreciate these efforts because I think the more the college is trained, the better we will do handling urgent situations
Finally, Dr. Ron Slabbinck and I attended the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) Fall Plenary earlier this month. There was a lot of good information about Common Course Numbering (CCN), incorporating DEI practices in faculty evaluations, and using artificial intelligence with our students and teaching resources. We'll try to share out this information at our next Academic Senate meeting in December.
Thanks for listening,
Andrea Craddock, Ph.D.
Academic Senate President
No other reports received.
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