News Links | August 18, 2020
System News | Opinion
Equal Rights Amendment: Will women ever have equal rights under federal law?
... Christina Sciabarra, a political science professor at Bellevue College in Washington state, said day care and school closures hit working moms particularly
hard. Those women "could face punishment from employers who have grown frustrated
with accommodating family needs," Sciabarra said. Passing the ERA would offer them
some form of protection.
USA Today, Aug. 18, 2020
Governor announces COVID-19 state resources to address 'hot spot' of infections
Gov. Jay Inslee and local health officials announced Tuesday morning that the state
will set up a COVID-19 incident command team in Chelan and Douglas counties. The incident
command team was established due to the high infection rate in Chelan and Douglas
counties, Inslee said during a news conference Tuesday morning at Wenatchee Valley College.
Wenatchee World, Aug. 18, 2020
Big Bend celebrates TRiO Upward Bound program with drive thru parade
Big Bend Community College celebrated the conclusion of the 53rd annual summer academy, hosted by TRiO Upward
Bound, with a drive-thru parade Friday. The 46 students from Moses Lake, Othello,
Royal City, and Warden high schools that completed the program received certificates,
awards and a photo with their personal mentor at the end of the parade route.
560 KPQ, Aug. 17, 2020
Wenatchee Valley College Fall quarter primarily online, few exceptions
Wenatchee Valley College has transitioned all lecture classes to an online, remote format for the fall semester,
however a handful of classes will be offered in person. “Some classes will be offered
face to face and you can see that on the course schedule,” said Libby Siebens, Community
relations executive director. “There’s only a few and that’s typically the hands on
instruction classes.”
560 KPG, Aug. 17, 2020
Clark College Foundation has raised $2 million since start of pandemic
... Back in March, Clark College moved all of its classes and student services online. Although some in-person labs
began meeting with a limited number of students in July, most classes as well as the
Diversity Center, library, Counseling and Health Services and more will continue to
be held virtually through the end of the fall quarter.
The Reflector, Aug. 17, 2020
Colleges boost laptop loaner programs amid pandemic
... When Patricia Lopez signed up for classes back in March, her plan was to rely
on Everett Community College's library to use a computer and access the Internet. She imagined she'd spend time
there after class, studying and writing up assignments. Then the campus closed due
to the pandemic and her classes shifted to strictly virtual. Her library plans "went
out the window."
OPB, Aug. 15, 2020
Welders, HVAC techs and nurses (Oh, my!): SCC successfully managing in-person learning during pandemic
... Spokane Community College is still a magical place amidst the pandemic as they've managed to pull of what sounds
more improbably than flying monkeys: They've managed to successfully continue face-to-face,
in-person instruction during the shut down. Since May 5, certain programs have had
in-person instruction thanks to SCC's diligence in following stringent guidelines
set forth by the Governor's office and the Spokane Regional Health District.
KHQ, Aug. 14, 2020
EvCC dean, WWII vet, volunteer Bill Deller, 98, helped many
... “Bill loved this place, and he took advantage of every opportunity here — coaching,
teaching, running student activities, establishing the [Everett Community College] Foundation — quite a legacy,” said John Olson, EvCC’s vice president of college
advancement. “His success was rooted in how he treated people, and in his relentless
optimism even during difficult times.”
The Everett Herald, Aug. 14, 2020
Teacher and saxophonist David Larsen is driven to keep alive legacy of jazz great Gerry Mulligan
David Larsen sported an ear-to-ear grin when he jammed with the Gerry Mulligan All-Stars
in January at Spokane Falls Community College. The baritone saxophonist, who teaches jazz and is the instrumental music director
at Spokane Falls Community College, was living out a fantasy performing with grizzled
but gifted musicians such as pianist Bill Mays, drummer Ron Vincent and bassist Dean
Johnson.
The Spokesman-Review, Aug. 13, 2020
Clark County Council hears from residents about systemic racism
... Melissa Williams, director of student equity and inclusion at Clark College, said that while people may have good intentions and haven’t created racist policies,
people of color still suffer from racist outcomes as a result of those policies or
norms. “What’s most important is the outcomes and experiences of people of color,”
Williams said.
The Columbian, Aug. 12, 2020
Online forum held by Sustainable Wenatchee offers sustainable solutions to the new normal
... The forum was led by Wenatchee Valley College geography instructor Dr. Joan Qazi, whose research focuses on the social aspect of
climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic “exacerbate[d] the stark inequalities of our
status quo,” according to Qazi. Both the global pandemic and ongoing climate change
issues are “racist and classist,” argued Qazi, in which those most disadvantaged groups
in society are the most affected.
Wenatchee World, Aug. 12, 2020
Local Black leaders: Harris is blazing new trail in politics
... “Sen. Kamala D. Harris is standing on the shoulders of the thousands of phenomenal
women that came before her,” said Daria Willis, president of Everett Community College. Willis, the school’s first African-American president, holds a Ph.D. in history
with a focus on 19th and 20th century African Americans, women, and the South.
Everett Herald, Aug. 11, 2020
Grays Harbor College receives $2.68 million in grant funds to continue TRiO student support services
Grays Harbor College (GHC) is excited to announce that its TRiO programs have received funding for the next
five years through the United States Department of Education. The grants are for two
Student Support Services (SSS) programs, a regular SSS program and a science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) program.
KBKW, Aug. 11, 2020
CBC offers new associate in Computer Science Direct Transfer degree to Washington colleges
Beginning fall 2020, Columbia Basin College’s School of Computer Science will begin offering students the opportunity to earn an
Associate in Computer Science Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) degree. This pathway
will provide students with a solid foundation, preparing them for competitive computer
science programs at universities in Washington state.
NBC Right Now, Aug. 10, 2020
Trends | Horizons | Education
Displaced workers and public college enrollment
Amid mass layoffs, some workers are pursuing further education -- but not many. A
new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that for every
100 displaced workers, only one ends up enrolling at a public college. "That just
seems, objectively, quite small," said Judith Scott-Clayton, an associate professor
of economics and education at Columbia University's Teachers College. "At the very
least, there’s a lot of room for improvement here."
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 18, 2020
Pandemic increasing suicidal ideation
One in four people aged 18 to 24 seriously contemplated suicide in June, according
to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data are
the latest in a series of reports highlighting increases in anxiety, depression and
suicidal ideation since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 17, 2020
Window of opportunity for OER
Initiatives to raise awareness of open educational resources -- free and openly licensed
teaching and learning materials -- are having a measurable impact on the number of
faculty members using OER in their classrooms.
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 13, 2020
Politics | Local, State, National
Community Colleges seek more parity in COVID aid
A coalition of community colleges, dubbed Rebuilding America's Middle Class, has called
on the U.S. Congress to reconsider how federal COVID-19 relief aid is distributed
to postsecondary institutions. The current process is skewed against two-year colleges,
which enroll relatively high percentages of underserved student groups, the group
said.
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 18, 2020
Washington watch: With no injunction, Title IX regs go into effect today
In the past week, two federal judges have declined to delay the effective date of
the Trump administration’s controversial regulations governing how Title IX applies
to sexual harassment and violence. That means that the regulations go into effect
today, August 14, as scheduled.
Community College Daily, Aug. 14, 2020
Dems seek flexibility for new international students
Seventy-five Democratic lawmakers sent a letter Thursday to Acting Secretary of the
Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf calling on him to revise guidance that would
bar international students who are taking online courses from entering the U.S. this
fall.
Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 14, 2020
Washington watch: Community colleges emphasize need for new stimulus
In response to a breakdown in negotiations over spending legislation related to the
pandemic, national and state community college leaders are urging expeditious enactment
of a supplemental appropriations bill. A letter encouraging action, signed by American
Association of Community Colleges (AACC) President Walter Bumphus and 46 community
college state systems and organizations, was sent Wednesday to Senate and House leaders
and members of key congressional committees.
Community College Daily, Aug. 12, 2020