November 2021
Nedra Brown

Nedra Brown is transforming lives through athletics. And for good reason.
 
“Athletics saved my life,” said Brown, who immersed herself in sports after trying out for the girls’ basketball team at her middle school in Memphis, Tennessee. “I wasn’t any good, but the coach would not cut anybody. If you didn’t quit, you were on the team. I was hooked from then on and I’ve been involved in athletics since. If not for the fact that she gave me an opportunity, that she stuck with me, that she did not cut me, I would not be sitting here talking to you today.

“Athletics kept me out of trouble and provided me an avenue to go to college,” she said.
 
Brown, the Grossmont College athletic director and associate dean of athletics since July 2019, went on to earn a scholarship in basketball and volleyball to LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, from where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology. She later earned a master’s degree in education from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee.
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Cuyamaca College to open
new OH facility
A ribbon-cutting ceremony set for 10-11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 3, marks the official opening of a $19.3 million facility that features modernized classrooms, well-equipped greenhouses, an outdoor instructional area, expanded retail space and much-needed storage space. About 10,000 square feet of usable space for one of the college's signature programs was added with the renovation funded by Proposition V. The $398 million construction bond measure passed by East County voters in 2012 is improving and adding facilities at Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be livestreamed on YouTube.
Help college students with a food donation!
Did you know that the most recent research indicates that 50% of local college students face food insecurities? During this season of giving, help Cal Coast Credit Union raise money and donate food to local San Diego County college students, including those at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges, who face food insecurities. Make a secure donation online at www.calcoastcu.org now through November 30, 2021. You can select Grossmont or Cuyamaca to donate to our colleges.
Grossmont College Breaking Boundaries
The Grossmont College Dance Department is presenting
“Breaking Boundaries 2021: A Student Choreographed Dance Concert" live at its new home in Grossmont College's Performing and Visual Arts Center.

Three performances will be offered: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 18-20.

Tickets are by presale/reservation only, $10 cash. COVID restrictions apply: proof of vaccination or negative test and mask are required.
 
Get your tickets today by calling or emailing Kristine Johanns in the Dance Department office at 619-644-7766 or at kristine.johanns@gcccd.edu.
Honoring Veterans

Both Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges are honoring our veterans, including the many student veterans at both colleges.

Grossmont College:

  • Wednesday, November 10: 1 p.m.: Veterans Day Celebration Honoring our Heroes.This public event will be held in the Main Quad and will feature veteran speakers and a moment of silence. Cake, an apple cider toast and academic supplies will also be available for student veterans. Masks and social distancing are required in keeping with campus COVID-19 protocols.

Cuyamaca College:

  • Tuesday, November 9: 9:30-10:30 a.m.: Wellness Workshop for Veterans. Join this workshop led by personal counselors and learn about mental health among veterans, the difficulties in reintegrating to civilian life, and ways to ease the transition.
ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 989 4746 0024
 
  • Tuesday, November 9: 2-3 p.m.: VA Disability Workshop Learn how to file a VA disability claim or to file an appeal, and to establish a service connection. The Student Specialist will guide you through the process and answer any questions.
ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 934 9205 2908
 
  • Wednesday, November 10: 11 a.m.-noon: Making the Most of VR&E (Ch31) This workshop is a comprehensive look at when and how to use VR&E (CH31) benefits for veterans to expand education benefits. We will have time for Q&A including detailed information on the application and how VA disability can affect this program.
ZOOM LINK:
 Meeting ID: 972 8001 3368
  
  • Wednesday, November 10: 2-3 p.m.: Vet Success Learn about the intersection of identities between service members and their families as veterans, civilians and students through a comprehensive exploration of all three. This workshop is geared toward anyone who is military-affiliated.
ZOOM LINK:
Meeting ID: 917 0996 0611
https://cccconfer.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqd-ChqDssG9XJA2Ywk0a5G9YxBWcG7AaF
 
  •  Friday, November 12: 10-11 a.m.: Veteranos & Valor: The Filipino Experience in the US Military The Filipino community is one of the largest ethnic groups in the San Diego region. A large reason why they are here is because of the U.S. Navy. Since the days of U.S. colonization of the Philippine Islands over a hundred years ago, Filipinos have been a highly visible presence in the U.S. military. This workshop and presentation will shed light on why and how Filipinos have been an integral part of the armed forces. Discussion will center on the role of the Philippines as a colonized territory in this phenomenon, as well as the economic factors driving this tradition.
ZOOM LINK:
Meeting ID: 937 1702 9788
Free COVID-19 and Flu vaccinations
In conjunction with Cuyamaca College, the community health nonprofit Champions for Health is offering free COVID-19 and flu vaccinations to the public. For all three brands of the COVID-19 vaccines, first, second and booster doses will be available. Children 5-11 years of age can now also be vaccinated.
 
The dates for the vaccinations are:
 
  • Monday, November 22, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. In front of B Building
  • Monday, December 6, 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Student Quad
  • Tuesday January 10, 9:30 am to 2 p.m. in front of B Building

Cuyamaca College is at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in El Cajon.
Registration starting soon for Spring 2022
Registration for spring 2022 and intersession classes begins Nov. 15, with many more classes to be offered in person or on a hybrid basis.

Intersession classes are from Jan. 4-29. The spring 2022 semester begins Jan. 31.
For more information on applying and enrolling, as well as financial aid, go to www.gcccd.edu/now/.
What's up with Proposition V
Here is a quick update on construction projects funded by Proposition V, a $398 million bond measure approved by East County voters in 2012 to modernize existing facilities or to build new ones to meet expanding student needs:

Phase 2 of Grossmont College's Science, Math and Career Tech Complex, also known as Building 36, includes the construction of a new $49 million two-story building of approximately 59,000 square feet. Update: Basement footing and retaining wall footings are complete. Underground site utilities are near completion.

At Cuyamaca College, construction continues on a $38.2 million Student Services Building that will house Counseling, Admissions, Financial Aid, DSPS, EOPS, CalWORKS and other student services programs. Project status: Steel erection and floor/ floor curb pours are complete. Framing of the first-floor walls, roof parapet and building utility services are ongoing. Site work and site utilities including switch back walkway, chiller lines, and data conduits continue.  

Also at Cuyamaca College, work continues on the Track & Field Improvements Phase II-Scoreboard. Update: Structural steel installation is underway. Trenching is ongoing for underground electrical. The scoreboard has been ordered and is being manufactured.  
More virtual workshops at Cuyamaca College
Cuyamaca College's Culture and Community Circle virtual workshops for November cover a variety of important political and cultural issues.

  • Tuesday, November 16: 11 a.m.-noon: Safe Zones LGBTQIA+ Ally Training
The Safe Zones training program is an ally training that brings awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues and provides insight on improving campus climate.
ZOOM LINK:
Meeting ID: 915 4975 2332
 
  • Wednesday, November 17: 1-2 p.m.: Open Mic
Share your voice by taking the mic or just drop in to listen or make new friends.
ZOOM LINK:
Meeting ID: 983 9258 1206

  •  Wednesday, November 17: 4-5 p.m.: College Hour – Native American Heritage
Join us for presentations that will focus on the history, culture, and knowledge of the Kumeyaay. ZOOM LINK:
Meeting ID: 941 1208 4314
 
  • Thursday, November 18: 10-11 a.m.: Personal Counselors: Fall Semester Check-in
This workshop will provide a space for students to process their emotions regarding school-related stressors. Students will be connected to campus resources and have a space to share their experiences this semester at Cuyamaca.
ZOOM LINK:
Meeting ID: 923 4654 0819
 
  •  Friday, November 19: 11 a.m.-noon: Voices from the Transgender Community
In this workshop, Evan Johnson from TransFamily Support Services will present an introduction to Trans Day of Awareness and some of the 101 of supporting and affirming the trans and nonbinary community. After this, they will introduce a panel of transgender and nonbinary folks to share their own experiences to answer your questions in order to provide more in-depth knowledge
ZOOM LINK:
Meeting ID: 981 0963 8402
ECHO Chamber performances
return to Cuyamaca College
The East County Harmonics Organization (ECHO) Chamber Music series returns to Cuyamaca College. Beginning Thursday, Nov. 11, an abbreviated season will be offered in the Samuel M. Ciccati Performing Arts Center.

Concerts will include a mask requirement and social distancing, as well as proof of vaccination.

The fall concert schedule includes:
Thursday, Nov. 11 – Modigliani String Quartet
Sunday; Nov. 21 – Orion Weiss and Reiko Uchida;
Thursday, Dec. 2 – Rolston String Quartet
Tuesday, Dec. 14 – Valentin Martchev and Friends

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited, due to social distancing requirements.

Tickets and details about all Cuyamaca College concerts are available at https://bit.ly/CuyamacaMusic
'By the Way, Meet Vera Stark' at Grossmont College's Stagehouse Theatre
This Grossmont College Theatre Arts production draws upon the screwball films of the 1930s to take a funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood.

"By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" is a 70-year journey through the life of Vera Stark, a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star desperately grasping to hold on to her career. When circumstances collide and both women land roles in the same Southern epic, the story behind the cameras leaves Vera with a surprising and controversial legacy scholars will debate for years to come.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2-4 and Dec. 8-11, with 2 p.m. matinees Dec. 4 and 11.

Tickets for fall 2021 productions can be purchased by calling the box office at 619-644-7234 or emailing alexis.popko@gcccd.edu
Grossmont College continues
Fall Readings Series

The Grossmont College English and Creative Writing program presents the 2021 Fall Reading Series, a host of virtual, public events celebrating literature, showcasing award-winning authors, and honoring the inspiration to write. November events include:

Thursday, Nov. 4: 7 p.m.: Poet & Memoirist Ross Gay: Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. His new poem, Be Holding, was released by the University of Pittsburgh Press in September of 2020. His collection of essays, The Book of Delights, was released by Algonquin Books in 2019. He teaches at Indiana University.

The events are free and open to the public. Registration is required.
Political Economy Week wraps up

Friday, Nov. 5, is the final day of virtual workshops marking Brian Jennings Political Economy Week at Grossmont College. The event explores economics and politics by tapping into the expertise of Grossmont's faculty, entrepreneurs and others. It is named in honor of Brian Jennings, a popular Grossmont College political science professor who died in 2018 when his bicycle was struck by a driver who fell asleep behind the wheel.

The final events are:

  • Friday, Nov. 5: 1-2 p.m.: The Knowledge Problem and Political Economy with Professor James Harrigan
  • Friday, Nov. 5: 2-3 p.m.: Human Flourishing with Professor James Harrigan