President/CEO Message

November 16, 2020

Campus Community,

Over the next week, all full-time faculty, Classified Staff, and managers/supervisors will receive a special gift from Compton Community College District and Compton College. Please accept this token of our gratitude. We truly appreciate you and the work you are doing in support of student success. This has been an interesting year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this will be an abnormal holiday season due to COVID-19. However, I hope you spend time with your family and friends, even if it is virtually.

In spring 2020, Compton CCD and Compton College entered into an agreement with Edquity to provide emergency grants to our students. On November 13, 2020, I was informed about a $100,000 donation to Edquity to support emergency grants for our dual enrollment students from Compton and Lynwood unified school districts. Our goal is to disburse the entire $100,000 to students who are participating in our dual enrollment programs from those districts. More information on this donation and the disbursement of these funds will be included in a future President/CEO Message. The President/CEO Message - November 16, 2020, 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 November 15, 2020, there were 3,061 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County. The county now has a total of 339,560 reported cases (including cases reported by Long Beach and Pasadena Health Departments). For more information, go to publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/index. According to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan, Compton College continues to operate at Level Four - Severe Infection Rate.

Winter 2021 and Spring 2021 Class Cancellation Policy: November 16, 2020

Below are the dates and criteria used for canceling winter 2021 and spring 2021 classes.

Winter 2021 classes with an enrollment of nine or fewer students will be canceled on Tuesday, December 22, 2020.
Spring 2021 full-semester classes with an enrollment of three or fewer students will be canceled on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.
Spring 2021 full-semester classes with an enrollment of nine or fewer students will be canceled on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.

Department chairs may request an exception, which the corresponding academic dean will review and approve, or deny on a case-by-case basis using the following criteria:

The course is a first-time-offer for the term/semester or academic year
The course is required to complete a pathway, degree, or certificate

The policy complies with the Agreement Between Compton Community College District and the Compton Community College Federation of Employees (Certificated Unit), Article XIV: Workload. Consistent with Article XIV: Workload, the District will continue to monitor and cancel low enrolled classes after the winter 2021 session and spring 2021 semester have begun. If you have any questions, concerns, or recommendations regarding the winter 2021 and spring 2021 class cancellation policy, please contact your academic dean.

Compton Community College District and Compton College Response to the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Call to Action

In June 2020, California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley issued the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office "Call to Action" to actively strategize against structural racism, poverty, and social injustice. In August 2020, Tina Kuperman, Director of Diversity, Compliance, and Title IX, and Dr. Kendahl Radcliffe, Division Chair of Social Sciences, were appointed to develop our Response. From this, the Compton CCD and Compton College Response to California Community Colleges Chancellor's "Call to Action" was born.

Our Response is a living and working document. As such, it has undergone numerous drafts, revisions, and updates. On October 1, 2020, the document was reviewed, and we received input from a committee of managers/supervisors. On October 8, 2020, the document was presented to the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Advisory Committee for feedback. On October 12, 2020, the Response was shared with Consultative Council. On October 15, 2020, it was presented to the Academic Senate for first reading. The President/CEO Message - November 2, 2020, asked for final feedback on the document from the campus community. On November 9, 2020, for second reading, the Consultative Council reviewed the document. The Academic Senate approved the Response to the Call to Action on November 12, 2020. The Response is scheduled to be presented for approval to the Compton CCD Board of Trustees at their November 17, 2020 meeting. The Compton CCD and Compton College Response to the Call to Action is available here. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be developing an action plan to monitor the implementation of the activities and recommendations included in our Response.

Free Groceries Available for Students and Employees via Curbside Pickup

On Thursday, November 19, 2020, 1,200 30-pound grocery boxes will be available for curbside pickup at the east Greenleaf Boulevard entrance between noon and 5:00 p.m. Students must show their Compton College student ID or a copy of their fall 2020 class schedule and access a vehicle with a trunk or backseat - no walk-ups or motorcycles allowed. The Sunrise Produce Grocery Boxes are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Compton College employees are also invited to pickup a box at the Greenleaf entrance.

An email was sent to all current Fall 2020 students via their @compton.edu email. All student communications are also available on the Student Communications and Information webpage.

Call for Volunteers for the Free Groceries via Curbside Pickup

I am asking for staff and faculty volunteers to assist with distributing the boxes of groceries mentioned above. Please email Student Services Coordinator Oluwatosin Williams at owilliams@compton.edu if you can help us on either Thursday, November 19, 2020, or Wednesday, November 25, 2020, from noon to 5:00 p.m.

Achieving the Dream Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool

As noted in the President/CEO Message - November 5, 2020, Compton College faculty, staff, and managers/supervisors are invited to contribute to the Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool. The tool will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and guide the college to achieve the Dream over the next three years. You can access the survey here, and please complete the Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool by Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

For individuals who complete the Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool, you may enter your name in an opportunity drawing, where four employees will win $200 each. Please complete this form after you finish the Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool.

Compton Community College District Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTES) Hold Harmless Provision

Over the past couple of days, I have been thinking about the Compton CCD FTES hold harmless provision. I remember working with the Compton CCD Board of Trustees on the initial hold harmless during the 2016-2017 year, the revision to the hold harmless during the 2017-2018 year, and submitting the extension request in the 2019-2020 year. The Board of Trustees and I understood how important it was that Compton CCD receives the FTES hold harmless provision before the termination of the partnership with the El Camino Community College District. We asked several groups and organizations for support related to the extension of the FTES hold harmless provision, and many never responded. However, we continued to work aggressively with our California State Assembly and Senate representatives, and we were successful with our requests.

As I mentioned in the President/CEO Message - June 25, 2020, Compton CCD has FTES hold-harmless funding provision at 5,980 FTES during the 2020-2021 year and through the 2025-2026 year. I spend a considerable amount of time monitoring the fiscal environment of the state of California and Compton CCD. My concern as we move forward is our need to increase enrollment by recruiting new students and retaining our current students. We cannot rely solely on the FTES hold-harmless funding provision, as I still anticipate we will receive a budget reduction in the 2021-2022 year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, we cannot make some fiscal commitments knowing the Compton CCD FTES hold harmless provision ends during the 2025-2026 year. During the 2021 year, we will continue to advocate for the Compton CCD FTES hold-harmless provision to be extended through the 2028-2029 year.

In future President/CEO Message, I will update you on the Compton CCD FTES hold harmless provision extension request.

Compton Community College District Board of Trustees Meeting

The next meeting of the Compton CCD Board of Trustees is scheduled for tomorrow, November 17, 2020. The closed session begins at 4:00 p.m., with the open session commencing at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom Meeting. Information on how to access the Compton CCD Board of Trustees meeting is available here.

Compton College Virtual Tartar Talks

I will host our next virtual Tartar Talks on Tuesday, November 24, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. via Zoom Meeting. We will provide campuswide updates during the virtual Tartar Talks, including the 2020-2021 Compton CCD Final Budget, Guided Pathways, COVID-19, 2020-2021, and the Compton CCD Legislative Agenda. The virtual Tartar Talk Zoom Meeting information is available here.

African American Male Education Network Development (A²MEND) Anti-Racism National Dialogue

The next African American Male Education Network Development discussion is scheduled for Saturday, November 21, 2020, at 11:00 a.m., and is titled "Transitioning from AntiBlackness to ProBlack." The discussion will include Dr. Tommy Curry and Dr. William A. Smith. Compton CCD will provide financial support for employees (including faculty, Classified staff, managers/administrators) and students. If you are interested in participating in this national discussion, RSVP with Pilar Huffman, Professional Development Manager, at phuffman@compton.edu, by Wednesday, November 18, 2020.

Final Thoughts

In the President/CEO Message - October 12, 2020, in the Tartar Success Institute 2.0 item, I included some questions about the student experience and data use. This morning, I received the "Enhancing the Faculty Role in Fostering the Community College Completion Agenda," which is available here. I think this article might be useful for faculty as you have conversations regarding your data needs.

Please be safe, and hopefully, you don't have too many Zoom Meetings this week.

Keith Curry, Ed.D.
(preferred pronouns: he/him/his)
President/CEO
Compton College