President/CEO Message
February 22, 2021
Campus Community,
I tried to limit my emails this weekend, however, I spent a lot of time reading about community college enrollment trends, faculty professional development, and COVID-19. I read the Los Angeles Times article "New map shows deep inequities in L.A.'s COVID-19 vaccine rollout." and it got me thinking about how we need to communicate to the community about the ways Compton College is providing a safe and healthy environment, from ongoing COVID-19 testing for employees and students, and the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine for community members. Next month, we will be sending postcards to all in-District residents about the second 8-week spring session, which begins on Monday, April 19, 2021. The postcard will include a St. John's Well Child and Family Center phone number for COVID-19 vaccine information. Furthermore, I will be asking St. John's to partner with Compton College to provide bi-weekly COVID-19 vaccine education workshops for our employees, students, and the community. We must find effective ways to provide information about the COVID-19 vaccine to our community and hopefully, we can address the inequities in Los Angeles County as it relates to the vaccine. The President/CEO Message - February 22, 2021, includes COVID-19 information and other campus-related updates.
Compton College COVID-19 Update
Los Angeles County's current risk level is Tier 1 (widespread), according to California's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy." On February 21, 2021, there were 1,465 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 1,180,485 reported cases (including cases reported by Long Beach and Pasadena Health Departments). For more information, go to http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/index.htm. According to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan, Compton College continues to operate at Level Four - Severe Infection Rate.
St. John's Well Child & Family Center Community Vaccination
Over the past couple of days, working with St. John's Well Child & Family Center, we finalized their plan to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to our community members. Beginning today, February 22, 2021, St. John's Well Child & Family Center will provide 1,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine each week. St. John'sWell Child & Family Center is using our on-campus health center as a vaccination pod. The COVID-19 vaccine will only be available to health care workers and adults 65 and older this week by registered appointments. Please note that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and St. John's Well Child & Family Center will promote the availability of the vaccines. As we receive more information on the vaccination pod, we will share it with the campus community.
Spring 2021 Enrollment Update
As of today, February 22, 2021, Compton College has generated 1,272 FTES for the Spring 2021 semester; the fill rate is currently 56%, and our seats filled is 8,387. The Spring 2021 Enrollment Report is available here. Census for the Main Term is March 1. A list of open sections, including late-start classes, is available here. Please encourage interested students to enroll as soon as possible.
Compton College's Black History Month Celebration Ends This Week
This year's celebration is taking place virtually, with a variety of events being offered via Zoom. Members of the community are invited to attend any or all of Compton College's virtual events celebrating Black History Month free of charge. For more information, click here.
Spring 2021 Tutoring Available
Spring 2021 Student Success Center (SSC) tutoring began today! In March 2020, the SSC transitioned its drop-in tutoring services to the Zoom conference platform, allowing currently enrolled Compton College students to join Zoom group tutoring sessions by clicking on a tutor'a Zoom link. Since then, SSC staff and faculty have been working diligently with the Distance Education Department to consolidate SSC service access points, minimize virtual clicks, minimize text scrolling, increase online tutoring visibility, and provide immediate access to SSC tutoring schedules via Canvas. Starting this month, Compton College students have direct access to SSC tutoring schedules in Canvas via the "Tutoring Servicees" link located in their Canvas main navigation bar. Faculty are now able to embed the newly created Virtual Student Success Center module directly into their course(s) to promote and incentivize SSC tutoring usage. The SSC provides virtual drop-in tutoring for the following subjects: math, science, English, ESL, and Spanish.
In addition to SSC drop-in tutoring via Zoom, Compton College students have access to NetTutor tutoring. The California Community Colleges' California Virtual Campus-Online Education Initiative (CVC-OEI) partnered with Link-Systems International Inc. to offer tutoring resources that augment local college tutoring services. NetTutor allows the SSC to extend its tutoring services beyond what is currently available; specifically, for high-demand subjects such as statistics, chemistry, anatomy, and English. NetTutor is available year-round, 24/7, on-demand for live tutoring, question drop-off, and writing feedback. Like Compton College SSC tutors, NetTutor tutors are highly qualified and trained to College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) standards. Students have single sign-on access to NetTutor via the MyCompton Learning Resources tile. Students also have access to NetTutor via the Canvas Student Support Hub. For a full list of NetTutor subjects available to Compton College students, click here.
If you have questions or suggestions concerning SSC resources, please contact Syria Purdom, SSC Coordinator, at spurdom@compton.edu.
FREE Student Resources Available for Spring 2021
It's not too late to apply for free resources for the spring semester. Laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, food, housing referrals, headphones, and financial assistance are available to currently enrolled students via the Student Resources Form, available here. CARES Act emergency grants are available to those students who have experienced financial hardship and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information and to apply for a grant, visit the CARES Act Grant Program webpage www.compton.edu/studentservices/financialaid/ComptonCollegeCARESActProgram.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Racial Equity 2030
In the President/CEO Message - January 28, 2021, I provided information on the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Racial Equity 2030 challenge - a global call for bold and actionable solutions to drive an equitable future for all children, families, and communities. Up to ten finalists will be identified and receive $1 million planning grants along with nine months of capacity-building support to further develop their project and strengthen their applications. At least three awardees will receive a $20 million grant, and at least two awardees will receive grants of $10 million each from the pool of finalists.
Compton College has submitted our application for the grant. We propose creating a first of its kind Community College Center for Educational Justice and Transformation with a mission to promote racial equity and racial healing through affordable, accessible, and relatable education rooted in the community. During the next EEO Advisory Committee meeting, this proposal, along with updates to the Compton College Response to the Chancellor's Call to Action, shall be reviewed. In a future President/CEO Message, I will provide additional information on the status of our grant proposal and the proposed Community College Center for Educational Justice and Transformation.
Compton Tartars Athletics Program
As noted in the President/CEO Message - December 7, 2020, on December 2, 2020, I informed the South Coast Conference presidents and the California Community College Athletics Association (CCCAA) that Compton College would be opting out of offering athletics for the spring sports I season. As it relates to spring sports II, I have already notified the South Coast Conference presidents, and we will be notifying the CCCAA this week, that Compton College would be opting out of offering athletics for the spring sports II season as well. Spring sports II includes badminton, baseball, softball, and track & field. This was a difficult decision, however, my number one priority for 2020-2021 regarding COVID-19 is to ensure faculty, staff, and students are provided a safe and healthy environment. I meet with the Athletics Program today regarding this decision and in the coming weeks will have a forum for student-athletes. I look forward to working with the campus community and the Compton College Tartars Athletics Program to begin planning for the 2021-2022 intercollegiate athletic season. More information on the Tartars Athletics Program will be provided in the future President/CEO Messages.
Compton College Virtual Tartar Talks
I will host a virtual Tartar Talks tomorrow, February 23, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. via Zoom. During the virtual Tartar Talks, we will provide campuswide updates, including an update on Accreditation, COVID-19 and enrollment. I emailed the virtual Tartar Talk Zoom meeting information to all employees today at 10 a.m.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - August 6, 2020 and the President/CEO Message - January 7, 2021, please send me your recommendations for my spring 2021 reading list to kcurry@compton.edu. I will be announcing my spring reading list in the March 4, 2021 President/CEO Message.
I want to thank everyone for your continued support and for supporting our students during these times. As a campus community, we might not agree on everything, but I know one thing we can all agree on is that we want to assist our students in completing their educational goals.
It is truly an honor to serve as your President/CEO. Please have a wonderful week.
Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College
