President/CEO Message

September 30, 2021

Tomorrow is October 1, 2021, and as mentioned in the President/CEO Message - August 23, 2021, I wanted to inform you of the most recent Safe Return to Campus decisions. We will continue with our phased approach to increase the number of classes scheduled in-person on-campus for the upcoming terms. The plan is for 40% of winter 2022 classes to be in person, 50% in spring 2022, and 60% in summer 2022. By fall 2022, we will be back to "regular" scheduling.

As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - June 17, 2021, I talked about the "new normal" and how we need to decide what we should keep as a new way of doing things as a part of the lessons we have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to have conversations about our online course offerings while considering the Compton College's Substantive Change Proposal that was approved by the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges. We will be asking the Academic Senate, deans, and division chairs for a recommendation regarding our long-term planning for our online course offerings.

I wanted to announce the upcoming increase in the number of days required for all full-time nonessential Classified employees and managers/supervisors.

Monday, November 1, 2021: Three days per week for all full-time nonessential Classified employees, increasing from two days per week.
Monday, January 10, 2022: Four days per week for all full-time nonessential Classified employees and managers/supervisors.

Our goal is to make these decisions now, allowing employees time to plan and make necessary arrangements. Finally, we will be conducting another survey of students regarding the course offerings (online vs. in-person) now that we have a vaccine requirement and the case rate numbers have changed. The President/CEO Message - September 30, 2021, includes COVID-19 information and other campus-related updates.

Compton College COVID-19 Update

Los Angeles County's Daily COVID-19 Data webpage reports 1,436 newly recorded confirmed cases in Los Angeles County as of 6:00 p.m. on September 29, 2021. For more information, go to publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/data/. As of September 27, 2021, 77.1% of Los Angeles County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; and 69% are fully vaccinated. For detailed vaccine information, including individual city data, go to publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/vaccine/vaccine-dashboard. Compton College is operating at Level 4 - Severe Infection Rate according to the Compton CCD Pandemic Outbreak - Emergency Operations Plan.

Fall 2021 Enrollment Update

As of today, September 30, 2021, Compton College has generated 1,265 FTES for the fall 2021 term. Our fill rate is currently 60%, and our seats filled is 8,882. Click here to view today's enrollment snapshot.

Once again, please encourage interested students to check the Searchable Class Schedule, which can be found online at http://www.compton.edu/studentservices/admissionandrecords/ClassSchedule.aspx, for the most up to date information on open sections. A variety of eight-week classes that offer the same credit as a full-semester section are scheduled to begin in mid-October.

Abel B. Sykes Jr. Child Development Center

Abel B. Sykes Jr. Child Development Center reopened its doors on April 19, 2021. The center continues to provide childcare services on campus to the children of Compton College students and employees. Compton College students can enroll their children at the Child Development Center to gain the time needed to focus on their education. The center provides childcare services Monday-Friday from 7:45 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Children 12-48 months are eligible for full/part-time childcare based on family income, family need, and the parent's school or work schedule. Tours of the center are available between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. Parent orientation for eligible parents will be conducted before the child's first day of school. Individuals interested in enrolling their children should contact Dr. Melita Ferguson, Child Development Center Director, at (310) 900-1600, ext. 2900 or 2902, mferguson@compton.edu.

Upcoming Community Meetings

Compton Community College District Board of Trustees member Dr. Deborah LeBlanc is hosting a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, October 20, 2021, via Zoom Meeting from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and will provide an update on facilities, enrollment, and the College's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emergency Broadband Benefit

The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband internet service and a one-time discount to purchase a laptop, desk computer, or tablet from participating providers. The EBB is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household. For more information and to apply online, go to https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit.

Many Compton College students meet eligibility requirements for the EBB program. Examples of people who meet eligibility criteria include but are not limited to: recipients of a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year and recipients of veteran's pension and survival benefits.

Thank you to Xochilt Arauz, Financial Aid Coordinator, for sharing this information.

Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - September 2, 2021, we had a follow-up meeting with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and have entered into a partnership to host their mobile food pantry on our campus beginning Tuesday, October 12, 2021, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. We are looking for volunteers to distribute food to our students and the surrounding community on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you have time to volunteer for this event, please fill out this FORM so we can contact you with additional information for the event. If you have any questions, please email tartarsupport@compton.edu.

Watch Us Grow

The Compton Community College District grounds continue to improve thanks to funds from Measure CC and Measure C supported by voters in 2002 and 2014, respectively. Current facilities projects in construction now include:

Instructional Building 2: This $25.6 million project included the removal of Row Buildings D, the remainder of Row E and F buildings, and the construction of a second state-of-the-art, 30,200 square-foot instructional building. Instructional Building 2 will house 15 instructional classrooms, two of which will be flexible classrooms that can be sized up or down with moveable partitions. Estimated Completion: December 2021
Student Services Building: This $25.2 million, 36,712 square-foot two-story building will become a one-stop hub for all student services. The project included the demolition of the former Library Building. Estimated Completion: February 2022

Click here to view photos of the current construction projects.

2022 Dymally Program Fellows Application

The partnership with California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), and Compton College develops the next generation of civic and policy leaders. Compton College will participate in the Dymally Fellows Program for the third year housed in the Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political & Economic Institute. The fellowship's mission is to foster community and institutional consciousness of the history and contributions of African American elected officials and business, academic, and community leaders who have influenced the progress of the State of California and the nation. The program's goal is to engage young scholars with cultural experiences, workshops, forums, lectures, and conferences throughout the academic year. Compton College intends to recruit six student participants who meet a grade point average criterion.

Contact Dr. Kendahl Radcliffe, Division Chair, Social Sciences, at kradcliffe@compton.edu for further information, and the application is available here.

Employee Mental Health Support

As we continue to shift through the pandemic, it is vital to address the importance of mental wellness. Purposefully engaging in activities that promote mental and emotional wellness is critical. As an employee of Compton College, you have access to virtual and on-site mental health support services provided by St. John's Well Child & Family Center. To schedule a confidential appointment, email ifernandez@wellchild.org. Additional mental health support is available through Employee Assistance Service for Education (EASE) at 1-800-882-1341. These services are free to all faculty, staff, and administrators.

To celebrate mental health week, all Compton College employees are welcomed to join the following workshops:

Navigating Your Mental Wellness During the Covid-19 Pandemic (Mental Wellness Workshop)
Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at noon
Zoom Meeting ID: 941 3719 3655

Investing in Your Self-Care (Mental Wellness Workshop)
Thursday, October 7, 2021, at 3:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting ID: 984 0261 3149

Closing the Loop

As mentioned in the President/CEO Message - May 20, 2021, regarding our Data Sharing to Increase CalFresh Participation, last week, I approved funding to hire an additional Student Services Advisor to support our CalFresh Outreach and the CalFresh Program participants at Compton College. This position will report to the Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships. Furthermore, this position will be funded from the California Budget Act of 2021 for outreach and retention purposes.

Final Thoughts

Yesterday, we were informed that Compton Unified School District, University of California, Irvine, and Compton College were awarded another Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Grant Proposal for $5.2 million over seven years. Special thanks to Dr. Nelly Alvarado, Director of Educational Partnerships, for her work with the University of California, Irvine, and Compton Unified School District on our second Compton GEAR UP Grant Proposal.

In closing, the Office of Student Development and Associated Student Government proudly present Latinx Heritage Month, and many activities are being held. The flyer for the list of activities is available here. Would you please share with your students and encourage them to participate?

Please be safe and have a fantastic Friday.

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