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During the past fve years, 76 Yakima Valley College faculty and staf have completed projects through ESCALA, a professional learning initiative focused on improving learning experiences for students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Following an in-depth workshop focused on understanding the needs and strengths of students, especially those from Hispanic cultures, each faculty or staf member works on an inquiry project implementing a meaningful change in their classes and studying the impact on the student Students in Sociology Class (February 2020). experience and their success. Mathematics Instructor Matt Lewis said YVC’s commitment to ESCALA has been essential to the college’s growth. “ESCALA provides self-refection tools for uncovering equity gaps in our service to students, and instills a systematic and ongoing process by which change is made and studied,” he said. “It has also equipped us with a common vocabulary to work together in order to directly address service gaps and issues of equity at our college in a broader sense.” With COVID forcing most classes to be taught virtually during the 2020-21 academic year, projects largely focused on what it means to be a culturally responsive teacher in a strictly online environment. “Faculty are fnding creative ways to engage with students online and to measure the efects of that engagement on the students’ experiences in their classes,” Lewis said. “Their public presentations have been particularly valuable this year, when so many of us are trying to fgure out how we can best serve students under the current circumstances.”
YVC launches #YaksVaxUp campaign to encourage vaccination against COVID-19 This spring Yakima Valley College collaborated with the Yakima Health District to ofer mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics on the Yakima Campus. The clinics ofered a convenient opportunity for students and staf to receive their vaccination in a comfortable and familiar environment. ASYVC Yakima Student Council President Penny Tahmalwash shared why it was important for her to get vaccinated: “I got the COVID vaccine Participant gets COVID-19 vaccination during YVC's to protect myself and my children, it is important for their future that I May clinic. stay healthy and safe for their sake." ASYVC Yakima Student Council Vice President Miguel Blancas also shared his thoughts on why receiving the vaccine was essential: “I got my vaccine because I want to help move my family and community forward so we can all celebrate together safely.” In total 74 of people were vaccinated during YVC’s clinics.
First look at the Grandview Campus renovation project Pictured are the newly renovated labs for biology, chemistry and geology courses in Grandview Main. The lab spaces are part of a $3 million project that also included renovations to a distance learning classroom, fnancial aid ofce and computer lab for the Grandview Campus.
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CAMPUS NEWS
ESCALA projects aim to improve student engagement
