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Author: tleonian
Good News BCC Students!!
Student Photo IDs are now officially available!
To get your Student Photo IDs, please come to the Welcome Desk on the first floor at Berkeley City College!
Hours of Operation:
Monday to Friday
From 9AM to 5PM
Return to Campus Policies and Procedures
Dear Berkeley City College student,
We hope this message finds you well. While Berkeley City College is excited for the resumption of in-person learning in the Spring, we acknowledge any reservations individuals may have considering the status of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It has changed nearly every aspect of the way we carry out our lives personally, professionally, and academically and has tragically impacted so many in our community.
We write to inform you of the modifications undertaken by the College and the District to ensure the return to campus is as safe as possible. With the support of the Peralta Community College District Interim Chancellor Dr. Jannette Jackson and the Board of Trustees, we are moving forward with returning to in-person learning on January 24th, 2022. These policies are designed to provide multiple layers of protection to mitigate the transmission of Covid-19. The district hosted a webinar on December 20th, 2021 to provide details of our policies. You may find it here.
Below is a list of policies in place:
- Vaccination Requirement: As a condition of, and, for permission to access all properties controlled by the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) all students must provide proof of “full” COVID-19 vaccination (as defined by the U.S. Center for Disease Control) or submit a request for exemption on medical, disability, religious grounds, or a deferral based on pregnancy. Full Covid-19 vaccination at this time is defined as two doses of an mRNA vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Currently, 94% of faculty and staff have provided proof of vaccination to the district. The remaining 6% were granted exceptions. Students are able to upload their proof of vaccination while registering for classes at Campus Solutions. Instructions are provided in written and video PCCD is accepting vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in our vaccine policy. You may find a list of WHO-approved vaccines here.
- Air purification: PCCD’s Department of General Services in partnership with Network Environmental Services, Inc. addressed all remediation recommendations at Berkeley City College and re-assessed the areas after recommendations were implemented during the Winter Break. We prioritized the placement of air purifiers in identified spaces and all spaces now meet the recommended air exchange rates and industry targets. The final report is available on Safe Peralta.
- Daily Health Screening: All Berkeley City College students and employees will undertake mandatory daily health screenings before entering campus. Students must register for Campus Shield and present a screening result Bright Star Care staff before entering campus. Bright Star Care will be on campus everyday beginning at 7:30 a.m. to verify compliance with the vaccination requirement for students and employees, as well as assisting Berkeley City College with other public health matters.
- Masking policy: PCCD is following the Cal/OSHA, Alameda County Department of Public Health, City of Berkeley COVID Protocols. Everyone is required to wear masks while indoors. Current information regarding the District’s efforts can be found at Safe Peralta: Peralta Secure.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): In preparation for the beginning of face-to-face instruction, “kits” with appropriate health and safety materials (e.g., masks, sanitizers, wipes, etc.) are in each classroom. If a student does not follow the college policy and process to wear a mask, or if they fail to follow an employee’s directive to wear the mask, they will be asked to leave the premises by Marina Security and will be subject to the Student Code of Conduct process. Each classroom or workspace will have a box of masks if replacement is necessary.
- Weekly Covid-19 Testing: PCCD is offering weekly testing at each of the colleges and district office. Weekly Covid-19 testing, administered by Virtual Health Solutions (VHS), is available at Berkeley City College in the atrium every Thursday from 8:00am to 12:00pm. VHS offers rapid tests (results produced within 15 minutes) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests (results produced within 72 to 96 hours). The weekly schedule is:
- MONDAYs 8:00 am – 12:00 noon at Laney College in the Forum Building
- TUESDAYs 8:00 am – 12:00 noon at College of Alameda in Building F (Student Center)
- WEDNESDAYs 8:00 am – 12:00 noon at Merritt College in Building R (Huey Newton Student Lounge)
- THURSDAYs 8:00 am – 12:00 noon at Berkeley City College in the Open Atrium
- FRIDAYs 9:00 am – 11:00 am at the District Office in the Atrium (by the Boardroom)
This decision was made with careful consideration by the District with the understanding that a last-minute shift to all-remote learning would be detrimental and counterproductive for our students and staff, who have been preparing to return to campus since November, 2021. We remind our students that PCCD is not an outlier in this decision. Many of our neighboring higher education districts are following their own similar frameworks to return to in-person learning in a safe and secure manner.
We hope these measures provide some peace of mind as we welcome students back to campus. We look forward to seeing you this Spring.
In Community,
Berkeley City College
Spring 2022 Registration and Vaccine Policy
Berkeley City College is excited to welcome students back on campus for the Spring 2022 Semester! We recognize how challenging the academic experience has been over the past couple years, so we’ve made some changes to our policy in order to safely welcome back students and staff to campus. Students are required to be vaccinated to attend classes at Peralta on-campus or submit a request for exemption. The deadline to submit proof of vaccination is Monday, January 17, 2022. A reminder that getting vaccinated protects the health and safety of our community and familia.
To ensure a smooth and safe return, students are encouraged to upload proof of vaccination as soon as possible. You will need to provide a scanned copy of a valid CDC card before registration. Students who upload their proof of completed COVID-19 vaccination between December 21, 2021 and January 17, 2022 will receive a $50 GIFT CARD! This is a limited-time offer, so submit today!
Students can access the vaccine tracker by logging on to Campus Solutions and selecting the Student Vaccine Tracker page. Click here for step by step instructions on the process for uploading proof of vaccination. We’ve created a video demonstrating the process. You can also scan the QR code in the image above to upload on your phone. Students who have already submitted proof of vaccination are automatically enrolled to receive a gift card.
Gift cards are limited and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Recipients will be notified via email of gift card award. Gift cards will be distributed within 30 days of award notification.
For more information on where to get your vaccination or to learn more on the vaccination policy at BCC go here. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to Veronica Montoya. BCC is here to support you through this process and look forward to being in community with you all this Spring despite all the challenges. Thank you for all your help in ensuring we are safe.
Berkeley City College President Angélica Garcia joins Excelencia in Education’s Presidents for Latino Student Success
Berkeley, CA (November 4, 2021) – Excelencia in Education, the nation’s premier authority in efforts accelerating Latino student success in higher education, announced today President Angélica Garcia has chosen to be part of Presidents for Latino Student Success (P4LSS) and the Excelencia in Action network.
This important national network is comprised of college and university presidents and chancellors who commit to making their institutions learning environments where Latino students thrive and excel. The institutions in Excelencia’s network are transforming higher education.
Of the thousands of colleges and universities across the country, the 135 leaders of the 170 institutions in the network enroll one in four of all Latino students in higher education. More importantly, these institutions account for one in three of all Latino graduates.
Excelencia professionals, the Presidents for Latino Student Success, and their campus teams actively collaborate to put evidence-based practices and strategic analysis of student data to use supporting and advancing the talents, skills, and contributions of Latino students and the institutions.
Sarita Brown, Co-founder and President of Excelencia, said, “Higher education leaders with skills and vision are fundamental to our country’s strong recovery. Those prepared to engage and intentionally serve Latino students, while serving all their students, will lead the way.”
Excelencia is honored to work with the trendsetting presidents and chancellors who have accepted this challenge. The leaders in the network have made common cause with Excelencia to accelerate Latino student success in higher education.
“I recognize the liberatory and transformational potential of higher education and am looking forward to working with Excelencia in Education and the P4LSS network to hone our ability to center on and serve our Latinx students.”
“I am looking forward to building partnerships within the Presidents for Latino Student Success network to propel and accelerate Latinx student success and completion for the East Bay and Bay Area,” shared President Garcia.
Through the network, President Garcia will collaborate with Excelencia to leverage collective expertise and resources, foster partnerships, and amplify current efforts at the national level. To learn more about Presidents for Latino Student Success network and the other institutional leaders across the country affiliated with Excelencia, visit : https://www.edexcelencia.org/leadership/presidents-latino-student-success
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About Berkeley City College
Berkeley City College’s mission is to promote student success, to provide our diverse community with educational opportunities, and to transform lives. Just two blocks for the University of California, Berkeley, the energetic campus of the Berkeley City College stands on the cutting edge of community college education. University preparation and occupational training classes form the core of Berkeley City’s curriculum also features model programs in fields as diverse as American sign language, biotechnology, and multimedia. To learn more about Berkeley City College, visit www.berkeleycitycollege.edu
About Excelencia in Education
Excelencia in Education accelerates Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, conducting analysis to inform educational policies, and advancing institutional practices while collaborating with those committed and ready to meet the mission. Launched in 2004 in the nation’s capital, Excelencia has established a network of results-oriented educators and policymakers to address the U.S. economy’s needs for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leaders. For more information, visit: https://www.edexcelencia.org/
BCC President Dr. Angélica Garcia Selected for Aspen Institute’s New Presidents Fellowship
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program today announced that Dr. Angélica Garcia, President of Berkeley City College, is one of 25 leaders selected for the 2021-22 class of the Aspen New Presidents Fellowship. This program supports community college presidents in the early years of their tenure as they aim to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success. The Fellowship’s philanthropic partner is JPMorgan Chase.
“I’m honored to receive such a prestigious fellowship,” said President Garcia. “I believe pursuing higher education is an act of liberation, especially for historically minoritized communities. Berkeley City College students are part of a thriving community which mirrors the Bay Area’s ethnic, cultural and socio-economic diversity. I am energized by the prospect that this fellowship will support the advancement of student success, completion, and building an equitable and racially just community at Berkeley City College.”
The 25 Aspen Fellows, who lead colleges that collectively serve more than 280,000 students, were selected through a highly competitive process. Starting later this year, the Fellows will engage over nine months in residential sessions and virtual learning to develop strategies to meet their goals for student success and equity with data to assess challenges and progress.
“We continue to learn how the best community colleges improve outcomes for students and close persistent race- and income-based equity gaps,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. “This year’s fellows have demonstrated their commitment to achieving excellent and equitable student outcomes, and we are eager to work with them as they join Aspen’s network of more than 100 fellows who serve as community college presidents.”
“Congratulations to Dr. Garcia for her selection to this prestigious Fellowship. Her leadership at Berkeley City College here in the Bay Area’s diverse Peralta Community College District as well as her unique lived experiences that are representative of many of the students we serve will undoubtedly contribute a great deal to the Aspen New Presidents program. We are proud of her. Her peers in the program are lucky to have her,” said interim Chancellor Dr. Jannett N. Jackson.
As community colleges grapple with the impact of COVID and enrollment declines, turnover among presidents remains high. Aspen is committed to helping prepare the next generation of exceptionally capable and highly diverse leaders through its fellowship programs for new and rising presidents. This new class of Aspen Presidential Fellows is 52 percent female, and 64 percent are people of color. Located in 17 states, their institutions too are diverse, from a tribal college with fewer than 500 students to an urban college that educates more than 35,000 each year.
“Community colleges play a critical role in helping to prepare young adults and incumbent workers for in-demand jobs of the future,” said Monique Baptiste, Vice President and Head of Jobs & Skills for Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase. “Ensuring that the leaders of these institutions are equipped with the support and training they need to develop equitable student success is an integral part of building capacity over the long-run. JPMorgan Chase is proud to partner with the Aspen Institute to build the next generation of exceptional college leaders as they work to advance the prosperity of the diverse communities and students they serve.”
JPMorgan Chase’s philanthropic support for the Aspen Presidential Fellowship is part of the firm’s New Skills at Work initiative to prepare young people for the future of work and meet the growing demand for skilled workers, and the $30 billion commitment to advance racial equity and drive an inclusive economy.
“SPECIALTY IN STEM CELL BIOLOGY” GRANT AWARDED TO BERKELEY CITY COLLEGE
CIRM AWARDS BRIDGE GRANT “SPECIALTY IN STEM CELL BIOLOGY” TO BERKELEY CITY COLLEGE
Image by Leticia Luna, Managing Editor
September 4, 2021
by Ivan Chairez
Berkeley City College recently got awarded a little over 2.8 million dollars for Stem Cell Biology from CIRM. CIRM or California Institute for Regenerative Medicine is a company which was founded in 2004 after proposition 71 passed in California. Proposition 71 granted three billion dollars in stem cell research in California. CIRM mission is to fund institutions and companies that involve themselves in stem cell research in hopes to further and improve medicine for diagnosing and treating diseases more accurately.
The CIRM Bridges to Stem Cell Research Award for Berkeley City College will help minority students who are underrepresented in health sciences, enrolled in biotechnology by funding hands-on research, hands-on training in laboratories and internships programs at BCC. In an interview with Berkeley City College President Dr. Angélica Garcia said “From now on moving forward the deans, the instructional leadership team, and the faculty know that my focus is that the students who are getting access to these high quality programs are representative of the students that are in the community.” This grant award also includes training at the UCSF shared laboratory, as well as a nine month research internship in stem cell laboratories around the Bay Area. CIRM hopes that this grant will encourage students to pursue their occupation in stem cell research. Some students will have the opportunity to work with scientists and bio technicians in the field. Students will also have the opportunity to involve themselves in industry seminars and workshops.
Dr. Angélica Garcia explained that Berkeley City’s College’s new building will focus on expanding their science lab floor, with plans to make space for a STEM center. Garcia says “We’re looking at expanding the possibility of taking almost an entire floor and getting a significant chunk of it to extend to biotechnology and broader sciences, such as programs like computer science, computer Information Systems, and also mathematics”
Companies such as CIRM are teaming up with Colleges such as BCC to help diversify and attract more students into STEM programs in hopes of improving medicine. Dr. Angélica Garcia goes on to say “Our communities have been our best teachers, often diverse communities have higher rates of medical conditions because the system doesn’t give us access to the preventative health care, and the preventative medicine, and the preventative medical studies to become informed to be better about it I would tell students who are interested in something like biotechnology to look at yourself, observe yourself, study yourself and then ask yourself what are the stories that need to be told what is the research that needs to be done, what are the social problems that need to be solved here.
Berkeley City College continues to pave the way for its students to pursue their dream careers.
Read the complete article here.
BCC 2021 SUMMER SESSION Writing Center Drop-In Tutoring
Drop-in Tutoring for essay writing in all disciplines will be
available for the 2021 Summer Session semester held virtually through Zoom. Please use the following link information to receive one-on-one support with your writing.
Drop-In Tutoring Sessions will begin Wed. 6/16
Monday through Thursday 12-2pm:
https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/93958564671
Monday Evening 5-7pm:
https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/93958564671
Need Legal Immigration Help? Make an appointment
Need Legal help? Make an appointment:
Click here to schedule an appointment
This service is made available to Community College students to provide Legal Service help to Immigrant and Undocumented students.
Immigration Services
Free immigration legal services are available to students, staff and faculty affiliated with the Community Colleges. Priority for services is given to undocumented students, staff and faculty. The immigration legal service providers offering services at the 65 campuses have developed scheduling, intake, and reporting processes that ensure student information remains confidential and protected. While all legal providers offer legal consultations and basic immigration benefit application assistance, some providers may offer additional services.
Basic immigration legal assistance includes:
- Legal Consultations to Screen for Immigration Relief
- Deferred Action fro Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Renewals
- Family-based petitions
- Naturalization/Citizenship applications
Education and Outreach activities (e.g. webinars) cover topics such as:
- Avoiding fraudulent legal services
- Know Your Rights Presentations (KYR)
- Family Preparedness/Childcare Safety Plans
- Public Charge information
Services not currently funded (referrals may be provided):
- Removal Defense
- Asylum Applications
Please refer to the website for a list of Immigration Legal Service Providers
Berkeley City College Stands against Hate, Racism, Discrimination, and Violence
We stand in solidarity with our AAPI colleagues and community to strongly condemn such acts.
STOP ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HATE
BUILD COMMUNITY & SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
OPEN TO THE BERKELEY CITY COLLEGE COMMUNITY
MARCH 19, 2021
12:00 – 1:00 PM