Athletics programs adjust plans amid pandemic
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The Collegian ENTERTAINMENT, PAGE 6
SPORTS, PAGE 7
Issue 1 • Friday, Sept. 11, 2020 •
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Bookstore resumes operations after closures BY ROBYN JONES
Opinion/Entertainment Editor
The Delta College bookstore made big changes to operations in Spring 2020, responding to state and local regulations in order to meet the needs of students while being safe. Plans and procedures to socially distance while delivering materials, though, had to quickly shift again when wildfires burning near Stockton caused more than a week-long campus closure. SWITCHING GEARS By mid-March, COVID-19 had reached San Joaquin County. Many students within the county had to finish school online from home, where
for some it was difficult to accomplish. “Honestly, I hated finishing school online, because teachers aren’t adapted to technology today so it was frustrating,” said student Cierra Olvera. Adjusting was also hard for the bookstore staff. At the end of the spring semester, operations moved into a cottage in the L1 parking lot using a service window to allow students to return or buy back books. In the lot, six-foot makers were placed on the ground, along with portable handwashing and sanitizing stations. Keeping students safe and clean was the main priority for the staff at the moment so
in order to limit the possible exposure of COVID-19 to students, the staff made it a point to remind students to schedule an appointment for returns or buy backs, wear face masks, and to wait in their car to avoid having a line of people. “I appreciated the fact that they took time to think about the safety of everyone, the whole thing wasn’t chaotic,” said student Elyssa Walker. Auxiliary Services Operations Supervisor Michael Williams said staff stayed safe inside the cottage wearing N95 masks and gloves. Returned items were placed in plastic bags and quarantined for 72 hours. The Delta College bookstore has had to adapt to the COVID-19
See BOOKSTORE, page 8
NEED HELP? Communication a source of frustration for some students BY HANNAH WORKMAN Editor in Chief
Communication between Delta College and students in need of answers has been a source of frustration for students, even as the college looks for ways to offer more customer service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unreturned calls and emails to counselors and financial aid specialists have left some students, such as Sarah Saechao, considering transferring to another institution. “This is my first year going to college and it has been a horrible experience so far,” Saechao said. Saechao said she had sent emails to her financial aid specialist twice a week for more than a month and received no responses. She said she also tried reaching out for help regarding the processing of her financial aid multiple times through LiveChat. LiveChat is an online customer service software that Delta College has utilized to extend support services to students. Before the pandemic, LiveChat was only used by the IT department in order to answer students’ questions regarding the MyDelta system. After public health shelter-in-place orders were issued in March and it became clear that in-person classes would have to be suspended, other departments turned to LiveChat as a way to provide assistance to students transitioning to online instruction. Employees who work in the Admissions and Records department, as well as the Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Verteran Services department and the Welcome Center received training on how to use LiveChat, according to Account Services Manager Christopher Frymire. “We added more seats to the platform. Originally IT only had a couple since they
were the only ones on it,” Frymire said. “We now have up to 30 staff on it at any one time, with over 100 staff who have accounts and rotate through the tool.” According to data provided by Edward Aguilar, assistant dean for Outreach, Equity, and Student Services, there has been a total of 40,103 chats with an average satisfaction rate of 89 percent. Still, there are students who reported having difficulties receiving assistance through LiveChat. “LiveChat is not helpful as there is a long wait time,” student Samantha Jeter said. “You get kicked off and forced to wait longer, and half the time your questions aren’t able to be dealt with, just forwarded on to someone else who doesn’t help.” Student Nikki Carera-Farquhar has had similar issues when attempting to use LiveChat. “I sat on LiveChat for five hours before being disconnected,” Carera-Farquhar said. She said she doesn’t believe LiveChat is a useful platform for students who are seeking answers to their questions. “I never got a response,” she said. “There are insane wait times. Plus, you have to be near the computer all day to check in every few minutes so you don’t time out for inactivity.” Frymire said that he is actively exploring ways to improve the student experience on the platform.
See HELP, page 8
pandemic and poor air quality in order to serve the needs of students. PHOTO BY ROBYN JONES
From Surviving to Thriving: Dreamers Success Center equips students with skills BY DAVID VICTOR Senior Staff Writer
Delta College’s Dreamers Success Center held two virtual events on Aug. 25 and 26, during Mustang Week, to address how undocumented students can get help and find success in their educational and non-educational goals. Marketing and Outreach Specialist Angelica Flores and Resource Specialist Sergio Lara hosted these events and spoke on how the Dream Center is helping undocumented students, as well as what resources are available for students to use. “We now have a number of different programs and services for students to use in the center,” said Lara. Established in October 2019, the Dream Center is providing more resources in an effort to improve help for undocumented students than what was available when the center first opened. This help ranges from financial aid to discussions with advisors on what help students may need, whether in or out of class.
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
The Dream Center seeks to help undocumented students as much as they possibly can, and this includes interaction with students to discuss issues outside of class.
“I think one of the biggest things that any center can do is the relational piece,” said Lara. Other than just helping out students with their studies, the center encourages building interpersonal relationships to make them feel more comfortable about discussing issues not related to their education. “We create a sense of family and belonging to students, not only to them but also to their parents, especially when they’re high school seniors or college freshmen. There’s been a number of times where folks come in with their parents. We foster a place of community, which often times isn’t found in a classroom or even on campus.” The space on campus contains more than internet access and computers for the students to do their homework, it’s designed to make them feel at home. “They have a lounge area to be able to take breaks, a small food pantry and a lending library,” said Lara. Mental health is also considered essential by the staff for supporting undocumented students. “We do like to address the mental health portion, because you can be a student, but if your mental health isn’t addressed, then the student part becomes more difficult,” said Flores. “When undocumented
See DREAMERS, page 8
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