WEDNESDAY l 9.18.19 OUR 70TH YEAR CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE SAN PABLO, CALIF.
Mourning caring educator community remembers generous, guiding soul
By Cindy Pantoja editor-in-chief
cpantoja.theadvocate@gmail.com
The East Bay community mourns the unexpected loss of one of its greatest mentors who dedicated many years of his life to helping others. Psychologist Stephen F. Greer passed away at age 74. He was born on July 12, 1944, in Berkeley, California and he died on June 17, 2019. Greer was a professor at Contra Costa College and the clinical supervisor at Healthy Partnership in Fairfield, California. At the age of 20, he began working with Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall as a deputy probation officer. He started working at Contra Costa College in September 1970 as a counselor and instructor. Years later, he became the coach for the CCC track team. For almost 50 years, Greer served CCC, breeding a whole community of successful athletes, professors, therapists and counselors. Health and human services department Chairperson Aminta Mickles is a former psychology student and she is now chairperson of the department. She is also a therapist who provides her services to a larger community. “I knew I could go to community college, but I did not know how I would make it at a four year (institution), I knew that with professor Greer’s guidance I could be successful,” Mickles said. Fred Jackson was recruited for the Comet track team by Greer after he graduated from
Greer’s Time at CCC 1999: FOUNDED THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT 1964: GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF ARTS FROM SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY
1970: STARTED AS A COUNSELOR AND INSTRUCTOR AT CONTRA COSTA 1979: BECAME A LICENSED FAMILY COLLEGE THERAPIST
2019: CELEBRATED THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE HHS DEPARTMENT. HE PASSED AWAY A MONTH LATER.
CINDY PANTOJA \THE ADVOCATE
Professor Stephen Greer’s legacy was honored with pictures of him at different stages of his life during his memorial service held June 12 in Vallejo.
n “Professor Greer
encouraged me to pursue my dreams to be the best at what I chose.” — Aminta Mickles, HHS department chairperson
Richmond High in 1976. “He was a great role model who cared about my future. After losing a father at 11 years old, this is the kind of individual you want in your life. I’m rich because of the impact professor Steve Greer had in my life,” Jackson said.
Adjunct health and human services professor Shondra West met Greer as an academic advisor in 1992 when she was a student at CCC. He created a successful educational plan that helped her earn an associate degree as a medical assistant. “I graduated from Cal StateEast Bay and Argosy University, earning a master’s degree and teaching at CCC alongside his (Greer’s) prodigy and my mentor professor Aminta Mickles.” Over the years, he transformed many lives at CCC by introducing hypnosis in his curriculum
and by founding the health and human services department. Mickles described him as a generator of life and someone who cared about other people’s needs. “Professor Greer encouraged me to pursue my dreams, to be the best at what I choose to do and to give back to the community,” she said. The HHS program celebrated 20 years of service during its yearly Spring Conference on May 17. At the celebration, the HHS recognized Greer for his time and dedication to the pro-
gram. HHS Club President Kristin Lobos said the members of the club wanted to recognize him in life after they found out how many years he had been teaching at CCC. “We wanted people to know how amazing he was because he was very humble and would never toot his own horn — it wasn’t his style,” Lobos said. A memorial service was held to honor Greer’s life at Union Baptist Church in Vallejo on July SEE TUITION, PAGE 3
ENROLLMENT REMAINS STAGNANT By Xavier Johnson web editor
xjohnson.theadvocate@gmail.com
Enrollment at Contra Costa College is experiencing a drop coming off a 2018-19 academic year that saw significant growth in Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTES) numbers according to the fall 2019 enrollment report. As of Sept. 3, the current enrollment figure is 2,322 FTES, which is only 0.2 percent off the start of the fall 2018 figure
of 2,326 FTES. In the spring, FTES experienced a 6.3 percent increase making this semester a noticeable stagnation after two semesters of growth. The FTES is based on the total number of units students enrolled in, divided by 15 units. One student enrolling in 15 units represents one FTES. Despite the growth and minimal drop off this fall, the college is still less than halfway to its academic year enrollment goals.
5,631 is the target for the academic year including fall, spring and summer semesters, according to Dean of Students Dennis Franco. “We haven’t met our goal in a while. We haven’t met our goal in the four years I’ve been here,” he said. “We’re not even at half our goal and this is the biggest semester. It’s always good when we’re at least maintaining or going up. When 5,631 is your goal, we’d have liked to be at least
at half of that,” Franco said. Franco cited a variety of factors providing a possible explanation for the college failing to meet enrollment goals. The economy is doing well, which leads to more adults focusing on the workforce, contributes to the drop in adults age 35 and over enrolling at Contra Costa College. That combined with historic lows for high school
Auditions for ‘Frida Kahlo The Artist’
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Enrollment facts
Courses, degrees Students can graduate with a transferable associate degree in social justice: Latino + Chicano studies Introduction to LGBTQ studies has been added to the course list as part of La Raza major
The college is less than halfway to its 2019-20 enrollment goal with 2,322 enrolled students Taking 15 units or more is what the college considers a full-time equivalent student (FTES)
Brand new paramedic program takes 12-15 months to complete
Enrollment of students taking 15 units or more has increased 6 percent in the past semester
Classes offered reflect new times By Stacie Guevara staff writer
sguevara.theadvocate@gmail.com
In hopes of attracting students with a complexity of goals, CCC is offering a variety of exciting new courses and programs this semester, including classes in social justice, public safety, real estate and even a new guitar class. Students can now graduate with a transferable associate’s degree in Social Justice: Latino + Chicano Studies for the first time. FACEBOOK: /accentadvocate
Within the La Raza major is its newest class, La Raza 131 — Introduction to LGBTQ Studies, taught by professor Maya Chinchilla. “I saw that there was a need for it,” Chicano/La Raza studies department Chairperson Dr. Agustín Palacios said. “The La Raza program is interdisciplinary and I saw that there was not a class like that at CCC. I wanted to create it.” The Introduction to LGBTQ studies class will focus on the history of the LGBTQ social and INSTAGRAM: @cccadvocate
political movements in the U.S. It will also examine LGBTQ literature, film, theory and an LGBTQ look into biomedical and racial topics. The Introduction to LGBTQ studies course is still able to be added for students. It starts on Oct. 22 and takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:45-4:05 p.m. in GE-225. A brand-new paramedic program is also being offered, which started in June 2019. The entire program takes about 12-15 months to comTWITTER: @accentadvocate
plete and its current students are expected to graduate in summer 2020. “At the completion of the paramedic program, the students will receive a completion certification and be allowed to take the national registry exam — so they can get licensed,” public safety department chairperson Troy Hess said. Hess created the new paramedic program along with workforce and economic development SEE TUITION, PAGE 3
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RICHMOND BANS VAPING AMID SCARE PAGE 8
Iron Chef excites campus palate PAGE 4 SNAPCHAT: @cccadv0cate