News Links | January 18, 2022
System News | Opinion
What does 'Brix' mean in wine?
... Once grapes are harvested, Brix measurements serve a different purpose. “It gives
us a pretty good reflection of how much sugar is present and, therefore, the potential
alcohol of the finished wine,” says Sabrina Lueck, interim director of winemaking
at the Institute for Enology and Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College.
Wine Enthusiast, Jan. 18, 2022
Recipient of 2022 CBC MLK Spirit Award honors Dr. King's dream with community service day
.. As a Black woman, activist, and CEO, who has dedicated her life to working with
juveniles and correction officers in detention centers, advocating for equity, diversity,
and inclusion in all public spaces, and creating community service events such as
today's food-drive, Chambers-Smith was awarded the 2022 MLK Spirit Award from Columbia Basin College.
NBC Right Now, Jan. 17, 2022
Lower Columbia College working to increase male enrollment and women in trade programs
As Lower Columbia College President Chris Bailey dug through the college’s enrollment data for the current
school year, he ran into a surprising number: only 28% of the college’s current students
are men. Lower Columbia College has had a majority of female students for more than
a decade. According to the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, women currently make up 54% of the state’s community college students.
Daily News, Jan. 16, 2022
‘Since I Been Down’ screened this week
Peninsula College will screen the documentary “Since I Been Down” today and Thursday during Studium
Generale’s Social Justice Week. The week honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. “and seeks to highlight the current challenges, issues and actions toward change
that reaffirm King’s wisdom and remind us of the multi-dimensional legacy of his teachings
and actions,” said Kari Desser, college spokesperson, in a press release.
Peninsula Daily News, Jan. 16, 2022
Local poet Janelle Cordero releases third poetry collection, ‘Impossible Years’
... Now an instructor at Spokane Community College, she teaches English composition and creative writing. Her own studies continue through
constant reading and daily journaling, be it jotting a few lines, an entire poem or
a piece of “flash fiction.” “One day,” she said, “I may be able to get rid of some
of my old journals.” But not just yet.
Spokesman-Review, Jan. 15, 2022
WVC shifts some student services to virtual meetings
Wenatchee Valley College will shift access to student services to virtual meetings, emails and phone through
the end of January. The move is due to rising COVID cases and the infectious omicron
variant, college officials said in a news release. Many classes will remain either
completely in-person or hybrid. Students should contact their professors with questions.
Wenatchee World, Jan. 14, 2022
Bill aims to help homeless community college students
Homeless students at community and technical colleges across the state would get assistance
if House Bill 1601 becomes law. ... Austin Herrera, a student at South Puget Sound Community College and a former marine who is now disabled, spoke with emotion as he recounted his experience
with homelessness.
Peninsula Daily News, Jan. 14, 2022
Trends | Horizons | Education
Revamping short-term credential pathways
An initiative to develop short-term credentials that better serve employers and learners
has published a brief that highlights key elements gleaned over its first year from
participating community colleges and their partners. In fall 2020, Education Design
Lab (EDL) announced the inaugural Community College Growth Engine Fund cohort, which
included six selected institutions.
Community College Daily, Jan. 18, 2022
Calling student innovators
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is accepting applications for
its annual Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC), which encourages student
innovation in STEM that can address real-world challenges. The competition, held in
partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF), seeks to foster the development
of students’ innovation, communication and entrepreneurial skills.
Community College Daily, Jan. 16, 2022
In WA and beyond, students question the value of college degrees
When the afternoon bell rang, Autumn Edwards, a high school senior in Washington state’s
Methow Valley, on the eastern slope of the Cascades, rushed out of class to her 1997
Ford F-150 pickup truck — and to her job at a ranch. She was tasked with slaughtering
a sheep and a goat, then gutting them. The day had begun with barn chores.
Crosscut, Jan. 12, 2022
Politics | Local, State, National
Appeals Court: Title IX liability extends to nonstudent guests
“The Supreme Court made clear in Davis that a funding recipient may be liable for
acts of sexual harassment by individuals other than students,” the Third Circuit found.
“Though Davis concerned only deliberate indifference to known student-on-student harassment,
the Court’s holding was not based upon the classification of the harasser as a student,
guest, or other type of third party ..."
Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 18, 2022
Washington AG: $45M settlement with student loan company
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson says a major student loan servicer
will provide about $45 million in debt relief and restitution to settle the state’s
lawsuit that alleged it deceived loan seekers and engaged in unfair practices. It’s
part of a national settlement in which Navient, which was spun off from Sallie Mae
in 2014, will cancel $1.7 billion in debt and pay $95 million in restitution.
The Seattle Times, Jan. 13, 2022