September 12, 2022

Each year, we observe National Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. 

Deadline to participate is September 26! Let's help out our students!

From left to right: Stephanie Ugochukwu, Saif Suddozai, Michelle Smith, and Jaidy Mendez

SCC students Jaidy Mendez, Saif Suddozai, and Stephanie Ugochukwu presented their summer internship findings at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on August 7th. This experience included collecting, pinning, and identifying California native bees for an NSF-funded project: Campus as a Living Lab. The research objective was to determine the floral hosts of native bees as they are essential pollinators of flowering plants along with many crops. [Above Photo: Bumblebee (Bombus spp.) in California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)] But the ultimate goal of this project was to involve community college students in STEM research. 

Saif recognized the significance of the collected data, which was incorporated into a database that is publicly available through iNaturalist. Stephanie appreciated the opportunity to interact with her classmates as well as Biology Professor Michelle Smith, noting the difficulty of building connections while online. Jaidy found the experience both fun and rewarding, "I feel extremely lucky to have been given this opportunity." The students and their instructor gained valuable insights and skills from this unique chance to study these unsung pollinators.

Jaidy is transferring to UC Davis this fall while Saif already started classes at UC Santa Cruz. Stephanie has one more year at Solano while she considers where she would like to go from here. Meanwhile, Professor Smith continues to capture bees with her camera. They all hope this project will continue to be funded so more students can gain this experience.

As part of our ongoing efforts to promote diversity, equity inclusion, and anti-racism, this Fall the college will administer the student survey portion of the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates (NACCC), developed by the USC Race and Equity Center. A central goal of the survey is to help identify and deconstruct racist structures on campus. Survey content areas include:

·      Appraisal of our institution’s commitment to racial diversity and inclusion

·      Racial learning and literacy on campus

·      Mattering and affirmation on campus

·      Encounters with racial stress on campus

·      Cross-racial engagement on campus

·      Impact of external environments (surrounding community and online / social media) on sense of security

The NACCC survey will open the last week of September, and all students over age 18 will be encouraged to participate. The stronger the response rate, the more we can learn to improve our DEI efforts. Survey results, analysis and recommendations will be available in Summer 2023 and will be widely shared with the campus community next Fall. For more information, contact Interim Dean of Research and Planning, Melissa Reeve.

The Solano County positivity rate is 8.2% and has held steady for the past 3 weeks. We plan to offer a vaccination event in October to offer the newest vaccine that is designed to improve outcomes on the BA.5 strain of the virus.

You may have asked this question as you passed the open space where the library used to be (photo above). Many thanks to Lucky Lofton for the following summary and update:

Due to project scheduling issues related to Covid delays, the installation of new landscaping was pushed into the peak of the summer season, which is the worst time to install landscaping. Developing a new landscaping project in the coming months will allow the District to respond to the many requests for open student spaces, water conservation, outdoor classroom opportunities, and sustainable and maintainable open space.  

The purpose of the mulch is to manage erosion control and storm water runoff. The Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) require mitigation for erosion and runoff. The exposed earth has been covered with mulch, (which can be reused when removed), in order to satisfy requirements with SWPPP and the SWRCB. 

The mulch covering is temporary. A survey will be sent to faculty, staff, and students asking for input as we begin developing a new landscape plan for this area. Thanks for your patience. 

Photos: Above Left: Professor Kielwasser’s Cinema CINA 010 Course watching media during a presentation. Above Right: Professor Jones’ Political Science PLSC 001 Course engaged during lecture. Below: Professor St.Germain’s Chemistry 160 course. SCC Students concentrating while taking an Exam.

More than two years ago, the SCC Vallejo Center closed due to the pandemic. We are back open and operating full classrooms.

Thanks to our wonderful faculty and staff at the Center who made this possible and to Vallejo Center employees Marie Mayne and Brandon Carrera for the pictures!

Please encourage students to join the ASSC Senate or Student Government. All positions are open. Applications are due September 12 and elections will be held September 26-29. 

Students are loving the new space as much as we are!   Our study rooms and group hang-out spaces are already heavily used, and we’ve had multiple classes already in to tour, attend a workshop, and more.

Along with our beautiful new atmosphere, the library also has a new website which features streamlined access to our freshly augmented e-book and digital magazine collections, as well as an online study room reservation system and an event calendar. The usual library features (databases, citation help, librarian chat, etc.) are still present, but in a much more visually appealing and streamlined layout. 

The new URL to the library's main site is: https://libguides.solano.edu/home 

(but the old url solano.edu/library will redirect there as well).

Don't forget that the librarians can create a specialty library resources/research guide, tailored to your area or even a specific class, which can embed in your Canvas shells or be shared digitally with students. Librarians are also available for library tours and workshops with your class. Please get in touch with Erin for more information (erin.duane@solano.edu). And if you have any materials requests (digital or print), please let one of us know!

A²MEND’s student charter at Solano Community College is establishing a growing presence on campus these days. The student charter has hosted a series of events and workshops for the college’s students and faculty over the past year. The activities have sparked dialogue about the systemic challenges Black males endure in higher education.

For the first time ever, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) recognized 23 current and former college tennis players as well as coaches during the 2022 ITA Leadership Awards Weekend (August 27-28) which took place in New York.  

One of those recognized for a leadership award was SCC's very own Conner Ard, which we told you about last month.

The ITA Awards Weekend brought together some of the most noted players, alumni, and supporters from the world of collegiate tennis all in one place. 

With awards honoring the contributions of Arthur Ashe Jr, Sally Ride, Ann Lebedeff, and David A Benjamin to name a few, the ITA Awards Weekend showcased the college tennis experience and honored those who excel on the court as well off the court on college campuses and communities around America. 

Connor Ard was named the 2022 ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award winner.This season for the Falcons, Ard went 12-6 in singles competition and 14-9 in all doubles competition.

Academically, he has a 3.4 GPA and has been accepted to all eight 4-year schools he has applied to. Ard brings unparalleled energy and positivity on and off the court. He has helped create a culture at Solano Community College that propels his teammates and coaches to want to be out there with him because he is inclusive, respectful, and has a really good-natured soul.

Congratulations again, Conner! And thank you, Erik Visser for the photos from the event!

Congratulations to three of our current Solano College Women’s soccer transfer student-athletes who are excelling at the 4 year level and have seasons coming up! 

Brooke Molina – graduated in the Spring with a Psychology degree and is now starting her Masters in Psychology and playing her final season at Bushnell University.

Karla Cardinal – Finishing her last semester as an exercise science/pre-med bio major and playing her last soccer season at Bushnell University. She also made the all CCC Academic team with a 3.75 GPA.

Samarah Hendricks – Starting her Junior year and season at Mount Marty University in South Dakota. Was honorable mention all-conference and also made the dean’s list as a Nursing major that requires at least a 3.5 and above GPA.

Congratulations to Volleyball player, Sammy Brown who was named the Northern CA Player of the Week from the California Community College Athletic Association. 

She finished the week with 82 kills. Twice in one week she led with 27 kills in each match against Folsom Lake College and Modesto College.

The ATP 80 Men's Pro Championship hosted by Solano Community College is scheduled to take place October 9-16.

The $100,000 Men's Pro Championship brings the opportunity to watch ATP World Ranked Professionals, and see the power of their serve, the grace of their movement, the split-second decision making ability, the hard scrambling 'impossible shot' made possible in an up-and-close setting at the college.

The Fairfield tournament is the final leg of the men's worldwide ATP Challenger Tour's swing through Northern California. It continues to be a great opportunity for tennis fans to watch high-powered professional matches up close.

You may recognize several of the players including Frances Tiafoe who played in this event in 2016 and 2017. Last week, he beat Rafael Nadal at the US Open!

Enjoy a fun day on the golf course raising money for SCC! This premier golf tournament will celebrate its tenth year in 2022. The tournament is a primary annual fundraiser for the SCC Educational Foundation. The tournament is at Rancho Solano in Fairfield, CA on Friday, October 7, 2022. Revenue generated will provide direct support for Educational Foundation is our mission of supporting the College and scholarships for SCC students.

This tournament is open to anyone who wants to enjoy a day on a great course while supporting a good cause! Participants typically include SCC alumni, friends and supporters; construction industry representatives, contractors, and design firms; elected officials; and SCC service providers, faculty and staff. Sponsors include many great businesses in Solano County and Winters.

Solano Community College Department of Public Safety is now on Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/SolanoCollegeDPS/ .

Please follow us to receive timely and relevant information and also to see some fun posts about our college and our department. 

One of our recent posts about trying out a dog for our non-existent K9 program received many likes and some funny comments. Attached is a picture of that post.