MARC APRIL 30, 2020 H 26, 2020

Colleges leveraging laptop funding to maximize help to students

The leadership at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges is determining the best way to maximize a $90,000 grant from The San Diego Foundation for student laptops and to ensure that the grant benefits as many students in need as possible. Because the spring semester is in its final weeks, the needed equipment will be provided to students for the 2020-2021

academic year. The San Diego Foundation grant will be distributed through the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges to expedite purchase of the equipment. Both colleges are planning to augment The San Diego Foundation grant with other funds to leverage the purchase of more computers.  The college equity and financial aid programs are working to identify students with the greatest need to receive the technological support. This includes undocumented and international students, who are not eligible for federal stimulus funds. Cuyamaca College is working with an organization that provides refurbished laptops, along with a year of internet service and technical support, to purchase more than 100 laptops. Grossmont College is planning to purchase between 200 to 250 inexpensive new Chromebooks. Students who receive the laptops will not be expected to return them to the colleges. The San Diego Foundation grant to the district was part of a $500,000 grant awarded to community colleges in San Diego County to purchase laptops and internet services for students in need.

MCOM class video helps promote colleges

Call it 60 Minutes, Griffin style. Students in Grossmont College’s Media Communications 217, Television and Video Producing and Directing, recently completed the first edition of the Griffin Report, a three-segment news video promoting the colleges and

Red Cross blood drives, a common occurrence at the campuses. The Grossmont segment reported on Gizmo’s Kitchen, the college’s food pantry for students, and included interviews of students and staff addressing the issue of food insecurity. A segment shot at Cuyamaca College featured the Rancho San Diego campus’ Center of Water Studies and included instructors and students talking about careers in the water industry. The final segment featured television journalist Kyle Kraska’s 2 nd annual Celebration of Heroes, an event that Kraska sponsors each spring as a show of gratitude for the care he received and the more than a dozen pints of donated blood he needed after being shot outside of his home five years ago. More

My home office: Miriam Simpson

Today’s home office:  Miriam Simpson, Cuyamaca College Chair of Engineering and Physical Sciences

1. Describe your home office:   I converted a small desk in my bedroom by adding a big monitor, ring light, and a microphone. This is where I record videos for my class and use Zoom to attend meetings and hold office hours. I have three kids (7, 3, and 1) so the bedroom is nice because it's the quietest place in the house with a locking door and a bathroom. 2. What is a typical day for you working from home? I get up around 6:30 a.m. and get the kids' breakfast ready, drink a huge cup of coffee, and set up the school schedule for my first grader. Then, it’s breakfast time, walking the dog and an attempt at a workout by 8 a.m. when my aunt arrives to help with the kids. My husband is a doctor, so he is working at UCSD most days. I work till 4:30, then make dinner. After we eat, we usually play outside, take a walk, read books, maybe watch a movie together before the kids’ bedtime around 7:30-8:30. That’s when I edit the videos I

recorded earlier and clear any remaining tasks. Then it's Yahtzee or TV time with my husband (or folding copious piles of laundry and picking up the toys before the dog buries them in the yard.)  3. What tip would you pass on to other GCCCD employees?    I recommend not being quarantined with three kids while still working, but if you are at home with your kids, make sure that you set aside special time just for them. Even a couple hours of undivided attention will make everyone much happier and healthier. Also, a glass of wine helps. For me, not the kids.

Share your new working conditions with your fellow employees and we'll feature them in the Remote Report. Take a photo of you in your home office and answer the three questions above. Send them to Anne Krueger . Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.

In the Remote Report, you’ll see important updates, get your questions answered, and learn ways to help us all navigate this new world of mass telecommuting. Issues of the Remote Report will be archived on the District Remote Report page If you have news to share or discovered a tip that helps you work better remotely, pass it on. Please send your items to Anne Krueger , Christianne Penunuri (Cuyamaca College) or Lorena Ruggero (Grossmont College).