NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS

Important Dates

The fall 2020 semester ends Dec. 16.

The winter 2021 term begins Jan. 4. Registration for the winter term is still open.

The spring 2021 semester begins Feb. 16. Registration for spring opens Dec. 7.

For more important deadlines, visit https:// www.rcc.edu/academics or information/dates-anddeadlines.html.

Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience

Members of the transgender community will host a virtual Q&A panel Dec. 4 from 2-4 p.m.

They will discuss issues, life and how campuses can better serve the transgender community.

To register, visit https:// bit.ly/3pyKKLH.

National Cyber League

A Riverside City College team finished in the top 7% of the National Cyber League Competition, a cybersecurity and ethical hacking contest that allows students to demonstrate their talents and prepares them for the workforce.

Selim Dogan, captain of the Cyber@Riverside City College team, placed 23rd out of over 6,000 contestants in the individual competition.

Dogan and his teammates, Shaun Collins, Victor Oliveros, Jordan Sorenson and Brad Cane, all placed in the top 5% individually.

CTE Handbook

The Riverside Community College District released this year‘s Career and Technical Education Handbook.

The new handbook offers information on a wide variety of CTE courses, certificates and apprenticeship programs available on all three campuses. Visit https://www. rccd.edu/admin/ed_services/ Documents/handbooks/CTE_ Handbook_2020-21.pdf for the handbook.

ERIK GALICIA | VIEWPOINTS Construction of Norco College’s new Veterans Resource Center is underway Nov. 30 across the street from the campus, next to the STEM Center.

Norco builds new veterans center Facility under construction will provide resources

ROLINDA ESPINOZA

STAFF REPORTER

Norco College’s new and expanded Veterans Resource Center will open in fall 2021.

The college shared its vision for a new center Nov. 10 to promote the project.

The new center will provide assistance to veteran students attending the college. This includes mental health services, degree audit assistance and college credit for previous military service.

The proposed 2,000 square foot facility will consist of a welcome center, an office, a lounge and restrooms.

State Sen. Rich Roth,DRiverside, a veteran, and Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside, headed the project and fought to secure necessary funding.

“I have seen the impact our veterans have had on our communities and our lives,” Cervantes said during a special video presentation for the center. “This is why I want to ensure that we provide the best opportunities possible to the men and women of our military once they’ve returned home.”

The state has distributed $4.3 million to Norco College for the funding of this center since 2017.

According to the center’s website, all veterans, active duty members and Veterans Affairs dependents will be welcome at the new resource center. The current center serves 500 students from the armed forces.

Norco College veterans are eligible for priority registration.

Active duty students are allowed to drop their courses using military withdrawal status if called to duty. Military withdrawals are not counted in a student’s overall GPA on transcripts.

“(The new center) is going to make things a lot easier for us veterans to transition out of the military, become a civilian, and then be really successful in being a student,” said Ruben Aguilar, a U.S. Army veteran and Norco College student.

Military Times has recognized Norco College as one of the top 20 “best for vets colleges” for five out of the last six years. “Norco College is committed to serving veterans and active service members in their transition from the classroom to career,” said Monica Green, Norco College president. “I share this excitement with our remarkable employees who work tirelessly to provide quality resources.”

Norco College has a 73% veteran retention rate and 67% of those students go on to graduate.

“This center and the plan to serve more veterans and to increase the services provided is both ambitious and badly needed,” said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood.

Director Lorenzo Harmon III, who served 21 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as a gunnery sergeant in 2006, will manage the center.

While in the service, he recruited and mentored over 200 Marines during and after their conscription. He has received four Navy and Marine Corps achievement medals throughout his career.

The Norco College Veterans Excellence Fund is still accepting donations through their payment site, which can be found below.

Donations to the fund will go toward veteran focused initiatives at Norco College. To donate, visit https:// www.norcocollege.edu/ services/enrollment/vrc/ Pages/future-vrc.aspx

To receive a bimonthly newsletter featuring stories chosen by our editors right in your email inbox, visit https:// viewpointsonline. org/2020/09/18/ subscribe-to-ournewsletter/.

December 3, 2020 3 College receives $1 million

LIV DROBNY

NEWS EDITOR

ERIK GALICIA | VIEWPOINTS Matthew Brashier, ASRCC director of the Resource Center Council, left, hands a student a Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 19. ASRCC gives away holiday dinners

Meals offer Thanksgiving help to students in need

NEYRA RODRIGUEZ

STAFF REPORTER

The Associated Students of Riverside City College hosted a free turkey dinner giveaway for RCC students who had paid their student services fees for the semester.

The turkey dinner intended to provide a meal for students in need on Thanksgiving Day. Students who received the aid expressed gratitude for the help.

“These days, a lot of people are going through financial hardship,” said Navae Kim, a nursing major. “Now I don’t have to worry about grocery shopping for this holiday.”

Jade Roldan, a mathematics major, was also appreciative of the help during these difficult times.

“The services they have at school help me a lot,” she said. “It’s very nice because for something you pay so little for, they help you with a lot.” core groups: Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina and Latino Americans.

In some ways, RCC is more prepared for the new requirement than other Community Colleges.

The college began the process prior to the new law being signed and before the media focus on Black Lives Matter that took place after George Floyd’s murder.

Brown and her colleagues had already been discussing the implementation of an ethnic

A sociology major, Stephanie Lopez, said she had not had groceries in a while and the food giveaway took a load off her back.

The students who handled the event, which ran from Nov. 17-19 behind the Ralph’s supermarket at the intersection of Magnolia and Jurupa avenues, were passionate about helping people in need, especially during the holidays and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matthew Brashier, director of the ASRCC Resource Center Council, explained that the giveaway was originally intended to be a Resource Center Council event.

The council offers all RCC students food items, hygiene items and school supplies.

They brought the idea to ASRCC in order to be able to give back to more students who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

“We know it’s hard,” Brashier said. “Everyone is struggling right now, so we wanted to feed about 200 students and give them studies discipline.

“This is about more than just having diverse and inclusive reading lists,” said Kelly Douglass, RCC Curriculum chair.

Jessica Hamilton, an RCC history and new ethnic studies instructor, described the subject as a focus on the resilience of historically marginalized people.

“Ethnic studies centers people of color, their knowledge, their experiences and also their engagements with the systems of oppression that they inevitably face,” she said.

Hamilton is a graduate of San Francisco State University, a turkey dinner that will feed four in hopes that it will help.”

Tom Baugher, an ASRCC Inter-Club Council representative, said the food giveaway team has witnessed the situations of struggling students firsthand.

“We have had students come up with rolling backpacks who come to fill up their bags with food,” he said. “A couple came on the bus last night and a pregnant lady was on a scooter. They came from Rialto and once they got here, they filled up a bag or two, then headed back onto the bus to go back home to Rialto. That’s how much people need this.”

Brashier said he relates to his fellow students, as he too has struggled as a result of COVID-19.

“I have not seen my grandmother in a year and I have not seen family in a year because I don’t want to get them sick,” he said. “I am struggling as a student leader and I am struggling in my classes. I wish we could do more, but for the time being this is all that we can do to help our fellow where the conversation for a more diverse educational system began over 50 years ago.

A strike that led to the creation of ethnic studies started as a standoff at the university in 1968, when students and administrators clashed over eurocentrism and a lack of diversity on campus.

Over 67% of California Community College students are people of diverse ethnic backgrounds.

RCC’s fall 2021 catalogue has been created, but the list of classes remains under deliberation and there will be an official board meeting to verify students.”

Guadalupe Cuadra Farfan, co-director of the ASRCC Multicultural Advisory Council, said that although keeping loved ones safe is of the utmost importance, students’ struggles have been exacerbated by the need to stay apart.

“People are struggling right now because they can’t be with those people who are more vulnerable,” she said.

Farfan argued that although the pandemic has extensive downsides, there are still upsides and the focus should remain on controllable factors.

The three student leaders said seeing the smile on people’s faces when they receive some type of relief makes it all worthwhile.

They also assured services will continue to be available to students in need through the holidays.

“Personally, my family comes first,” Baugher said about giving and receiving aid. “Anything that I can do to help my family and be

RCC prepares ethnic studies curriculum

ETHNIC from page 1

with them, I would definitely do.” the index.

At this time, the district expects to offer about 23 ethnic studies sections next year to accommodate the law.

New classes, such as Introduction to Ethnic Studies and Interdisciplinary Research Methods in Ethnic Studies, have been created to fit the discipline.

Most of the classes in the catalogue are cross-listed or combined with existing courses.

The RCC Academic Senate advised that students graduating from CSUs in or after 2024 consult their counselors about General Education Area F, which now houses ethnic studies.

Bank of America announced an award of $1 million to Riverside City College on Nov. 18 with the goal of creating a jobs initiative meant to support students of color in their career development.

“Bank of America is a good friend of the college,” RCC President Gregory Anderson said. “They all have significant community engagement parts. They really do care about the community.”

The Riverside Community College District has previously received grant money from Bank of America. In the summer of 2019, the bank awarded $25,000 to the district to address economic inequalities.

Bank of America has also donated almost $500,000 to other Inland Empire nonprofits.

According to a joint press release, this year’s grant money comes from a $25 million Bank of America national fund that “supports programming, reskilling, and up-skilling for students of color.”

“(Guidelines for spending) are very much aligned with our mission to provide career opportunities in areas where they can make a living,” Anderson said. “We don’t have an interest in perpetuating poverty.”

He said that Bank of America trusts RCC to use the funds for the right things and attributed that trust to a positive relationship.

Anderson stressed that this grant is not just good for RCC students, but actually benefits the entire community. The grant will help students return to campus and improve their future job prospects, but will also create new local connections, he said.

“(The grant) will help with funding developing partnerships with employers,” Anderson said. “It is a step toward strengthening efforts for living-wage, antipoverty education.”

Al Argüello, Bank of America Inland Empire market president, called the initiative collaborative and emphasized the participatory role that Black and Latino students will play in positively affecting local communities.

Rusty Bailey, Riverside’s outgoing mayor, lauded the partnership as a recognition of the important role of Community Colleges and a revitalization of economic training.

The joint press release from RCC and Bank of America said the award will create programs resulting in new skill development, certificate programs and in-demand degrees, especially in the healthcare field.

They hope these initiatives will move students into careers that can support families.

December 3, 2020 5 College services continue

ERIK GALICIA | VIEWPOINTS The Emeritus Wall at Riverside City College recognizes 418 distinguished former faculty for their years of service at the college. RCC completes honorary wall

CHLOE HUNTER

STAFF REPORTER

A project 10 years in the making has finally come to fruition just inside the north entrance to the Riverside City College A.G. Paul Quadrangle.

In the short hallway leading to the courtyard stands the Emeritus Wall adorned with bronze plaques commemorating the service and dedication of RCC faculty. The “emeritus” status is awarded to applicants with years of outstanding service to the college. The project was initially planned as tiles on the ground rather than plaques on a wall.

Lee Nelson, a nursing instructor, said the need for an alternative plan came to be due to the tiles being in various states of disrepair. BOARD from page 1 successor, Gregory Gray.

Haghighat said a copy of the board’s book used to be left in each stakeholder representative’s mailbox days before committee meetings, allowing for open discussion and questioning during the actual meetings.

When Gray became chancellor, he eliminated the board book and implemented a top-down style of governance, according to Haghighat.

“One night, I get to the meeting and the whole meeting had changed,” Haghighat said, noting that previously, trustees would sit with the audience and participate like stakeholders during committee meetings. “Now, the board was behind

The tiles would have to be sectioned off during rainy days so people would not fall and get injured.

“You would literally slip and fall,” Nelson said. “As a nurse, safety is a huge thing. It’s not a good thing to honor our emeritus with something that is going to cause harm and possible injury to our students. So it’s sending the wrong message, if you will.”

The ironic and macabre nature of emeritus tiles that posed risk to students led to the push for an Emeritus Wall that would solve the issue of safety and be reflective of the respect that was meant for honored faculty.

Nelson and mathematics instructor Mary Legner expressed that they look forward to the day they get their own plaque on the wall.

Legner shared that the wall’s recognition plans are still in the beginning stages. the podium. I said, ‘Is this a committee or a regular meeting?’”

Haghighat said that the role of stakeholders was substantially reduced at that point and management took over.

“Now they’re competing with each other,” he said. “Administrators are justifying their own existence with long reports.”

The association’s RCC vice president emphasized that he is in favor of reports and knows current Chancellor Wolde-Ab Isaac is welcoming of open dialogue, but called for data presented during committee meetings to be more of a summary highlighting the most important aspects of reports. He added that reports should be followed by an engaging conversation with stakeholders.

“We need to be able to

The plan was to hold an event near the end of the spring 2021 semester, but the Academic Senate decided to honor the emeriti with an in-person celebration. They will continue discussing a possible fall 2021 in-person event.

“It all depends on if we’re open,” Legner said. “But we will be having teasers here getting ready for the fall probably in May. The community hasn’t formed yet, so it’s up to the work group. ”

Nelson was pleased with the Emeritus Wall, calling the final product outstanding.

“It really does the intention of what we wanted to do with the tiles,” Nelson said.

Mark Sellick, RCC Academic Senate president, said he is looking forward to seeing the plaque for Ron Pardee due to the profound impact he had on RCC. Pardee was a business persuade and educate each other,” Haghighat said. “If this doesn’t happen, we’re not going anywhere.”

Isaac argued the presentations are of the utmost importance because they detail the work and progress being made in the implementation of policy.

“We need data-driven, decision-making processes,” he said. “If we say we are going to improve student success, we need data to show where we are at. We can’t just say we are doing OK. We need to provide evidence.”

Isaac also said the district is looking at rotating committee meetings between the three colleges when the campuses reopen.

Because Norco and Moreno Valley Colleges are further away from the district headquarters administration and management instructor who died in September of 2019.

“But I would rather not single out particular faculty because so many of my colleagues have worked in ways, large and small, noticed and not, that have contributed to our college and our community,” Sellick said. “Anyone who has served RCC with distinction should have a place of honor on the wall. We are all fortunate that they provided us with the institution that we currently enjoy.”

Nelson expressed how important the Emeritus Wall is to honor people who have given a life of service in the realm of academia.

Faculty members had the option to pursue their field in different ways but chose to serve students seeking to make something of themselves, Nelson

Instructors call for change in committee meetings

said. than the Riverside campus, holding meetings at the campuses would allow for higher attendance from Norco and Moreno Valley stakeholders.

Mary Figueroa, board president, said she will likely implement a roll call for possible questions from committee members after presentations.

Board vice president Bill Hedrick also said he is in favor of anything that will streamline the important aspects of reports, as faculty are recommending.

The chancellor said he understands the faculty’s concerns. The membership of committees should be increased and reports must be provided in advance to enrich discussion, Isaac agreed.

“Changes are on their way,” he said.

ANIELA RUSSO

STAFF REPORTER

As we come to the end of another pandemic semester, Riverside City College resource availability continues to grow online and offer more help.

Counseling

Counseling sessions are now available on Mondays at 9 a.m. and Wednesdays at 3 p.m. If you are interested in joining this group, please email Natalie. Colon@rccd.edu to have a Zoom link for the group sessions sent to you. Individual personal counseling is also available.

Canvas Student Support Hub

The RCC Student Support Hub on Canvas now has critical online resources available to students. This new support system includes academic assistance such as tutoring, library help, counseling services, access to the engagement center, student services and COVID-19 relief services.

Cashier’s Office

Appointments must be made to access the Cashier’s Office in the Charles A. Kane Building. There are no walk-ins available. Doors are locked and students will not be allowed into the building without an appointment.

The Cashier’s Office will be providing in-person services on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To make an appointment, email studentaccounts@rcc.edu or call 951-222-8604.

Admissions and Records

Admissions and Records have a limited staff on campus for daily activities, but the department is not open to students. Staff are currently operating through email and by telephone.

Veterans

Veterans Club meetings are being held virtually on a normal schedule, the first and third Thursdays of each month from 12:50-1:50 p.m.

To schedule a counseling appointment with the Veterans Resource Center counselor, visit https://esars.rccd.edu/Riverside/ VRC/esars.asp.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is offering individual student appointments. Virtual workshops are also available. Students can email Financial Aid outreach specialist Manny Gray at Manuel.Gray@ rcc.edu or call at 951-222-8756 to set an appointment.

Living Desert Zoo raises conservation awareness

JOYCE NUGENT

STAFF REPORTER

Eleven international conservationists who partner with The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens shared their wildlife conservation programs’ success at the International Desert Conservation Summit.

On Nov. 14, attendees from 12 different countries celebrated each organization’s dedication to preserving the planet. “Although we had originally planned to host this event ongrounds at The Living Desert, we are thrilled to welcome even more attendees from all over the world with its new virtual format,” said Allen Monroe, president and CEO of The Living Desert. Since desert plants and animals have to survive drought, high winds and intense heat or cold, they have evolved strategies for thriving in a harsh environment. Succulents, for example, begin photosynthesis at night to avoid water loss, and desert tortoises can store enough water to go years without drinking.

As the Center for Biological Diversity points out, this kind of specialization makes for extreme diversity, closely intertwining desert flora and fauna in a complex and close-knit web of survival. This web is dangerously close to breaking. Desert animals depend on fragile ecosystems and any slight imbalance can cause entire populations to be easily wiped out. Human impacts on deserts are increasing exponentially, especially in the American Southwest, which contains some of the country's fastest-growing cities.

The Center for Biological Diversity expressed that wildlife that has lived there for thousands of years is in danger of becoming extinct due to threats of urban sprawl, cattle grazing, mining, dam building and off-road vehicle use.

According to The Living Desert, habitats are being ruined by the destruction of wetlands to build houses and stores. Rivers, streams and lakes are being polluted by human encroachment and invasive species. Climate change makes it too hot and too dry in many places for native species to survive.

The 25 million acres of California desert may seem empty, but they host an amazing array of biological diversity.

This huge area is home to numerous at-risk species, including the threatened desert tortoise, the endangered bighorn sheep, the cushenberry buckwheat, and many other rare plants and animals that have adapted to live in harsh desert environments.

According to The Living Planet Report 2020 published by the World Wildlife Fund, human activities have caused the world's wildlife populations to plummet by more than two-thirds in the last 50 years.

The decline is happening at an unprecedented rate, the report warns, and it threatens human life as well. "The findings are clear," the report states. "Our relationship with nature is broken." The United Nations published a report last year stating that 1 million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species on the planet are at risk of extinction because of human activities. "Protecting biodiversity amounts to protecting humanity," Audrey Azoulay, United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization director-general, said at the time of the report's release. For 50 years, The Living Desert has concentrated on saving desert species and the ecosystems that support them locally, nationally and globally. They have partnered with 57 organizations to support 35 projects in 10 countries. Projects include efforts to protect local species such as the desert bighorn sheep and desert tortoise, as well as African species including rhino, giraffe, cheetah and African wild dogs.

“We focus on community based conservation,” James Danoff-Burg, director of Conservation Engagement and Learning at The Living Desert, said. “Much of what we do is work with our partners to address the root causes of the problems in their regions by giving them the tools and expertise to change perceptions.”

Concerned environmentalists listened worldwide as the summit’s presenters explained how they are making lasting, demonstrable differences and, out of gratitude, publicly recognized The Living Desert for its contribution to their success.

The Black Mamba’s AntiPoaching Unit of South Africa, a group affiliated with The Living Desert, explained how they search their area for poachers and illegal hunters, eradicating traps and destroying bush-meat kitchens.

Between 2013 and 2015, they identified and destroyed 12 poachers’ camps and reduced snaring and poisoning activities by 76%. They thanked the Living Desert for helping with research and the financial support to hire more personnel.

“If you really want to protect the animals, you must have the people to do the hard work,” Ranger Felicia Mogakane said.

Danoff-Burg said he wanted people to understand the importance of desert conservation.

“I want them to know they can make a difference by getting involved,” he said. “It is not going to get better without their help. The stories we heard presented at the summit are proof community involvement works. But you have to get off the couch.”

The Living Desert offers ideas on how to get involved in the preservation of the Earth. Volunteer hours and money donations are essential in supporting education and research at organizations like The Living Desert.

Learning how to take responsibility for protecting all life on the planet, as well as the reduction, reuse and recycling of products is also essential. The organization also recommends becoming aware of how the chemicals used every day affect the world’s environment. For example, consumers can switch to “green” detergents and fertilizers that don’t pollute.

“Challenges lie ahead but we are up to the task at hand,” The Living Desert Annual Impact Report 2019-2020 states. “Eager, smiling faces walk through our gates daily with curiosity and wonder. Our guests are excited to learn, open to explore, and long to build a better world. The future looks bright as we step into the next 50 years.”

RIGHT: Shellie is safe from extinction Nov. 24 at The Living Desert. But giraffe populations in Africa continue to decline due to habitat loss, poaching and disease. The Living Desert supports conservation and education programs in Tanzania and surveys of the desert-dwelling giraffe in Namibia.

LEFT: The cheetah, posing here at The Living Desert on Nov. 24, is the world’s fastest land animal and Africa’s most endangered cat. At the International Desert Conservation Summit on Nov. 14, the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a partner of The Living Desert, presented the ways they fight cheetah extinction from human-wildlife conflict, loss of habitat, loss of prey, poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking.

Visitors at The Living Desert eagerly pay for the opportunity to hand feed the giraffes Nov. 24 in Palm Desert. The money raised will help support giraffe conservation projects, such as the Wild Nature Institute’s environmental education programs, which works with teachers and schools to inspire the next generation of Tanzanian conservationists through educational materials, storytelling, activities and workshops.

While tortoises can completely withdraw their head and limbs into their shell, this desert tortoise lets it all hang out at The Living Desert. Desert tortoise populations are threatened by raven predation, urbanization, illegal collection for the pet trade, off-highway vehicles, and upper-respiratory tract infections. The Living Desert’s Healthy Desert Education Project features the Time to Talk Trash campaign, which educates people about how the dramatic rise in raven populations has led to a decrease in tortoise hatchling survival rates.

Shortly after breakfast, the greater kudu at The Living Desert stops to check out the visitors. In the northern region of their range in Africa, the greater kudu is threatened by over-hunting and habitat loss. The Living Desert participates in the education of Tanzanian school children in support of the conservation of the kudu and other large herbivores in Africa. Every visit to the Living Desert supports the efforts to help the kudu keep its habitat and spiraled horns that can grow up to 4 feet. LEFT: A young visitor to The Living Desert is nose-tonose with the young giraffe, Vicki Lou, when she offers her lettuce during the zoo’s Feed A Giraffe program. Vicki Lou was born March 20, 2019 at The Living Desert. Giraffe populations have declined up to 40% over the last 30 years in the wild. The Living Desert supports conservation and education programs in Tanzania and surveys of the desertdwelling giraffe in Namibia.

Photos by Joyce Nugent