Davies Hall Processing Session &

College Community Healing Spaces

Processing Session

Friday, December 1

1:30 - 3:30pm

Zoom (RSVP required)



Facilitators: Rangineh Azimzadeh Tehrani (she/her), Principal and Founder, Solh Resolutions International, and Moira Delgado (she/her), Community Partner Liaison, UC Davis Public Scholarship and Engagement (See facilitator bios below.)

A series of cascading events, culminating in the recent closure of Davies Hall, have rendered the fall semester a challenging one for our campus community. The impact of these compounding events has created a need for spaces whereby faculty and staff can process together.

To this end, we invite you to join us for an online Processing Session that will serve as an opportunity to receive a brief recap of the closure, for remaining questions to be answered, to have your voices heard and held by ARC Leadership, and to name what is needed to move forward together as a campus community. The Processing Session will be a 2-hour online event held on Friday, December 1, 2023 from 1:30 – 3:30 pm facilitated by ARC Leadership with support from a moderator/facilitator, and will include a short presentation as well as a combination of small and large group reflection and interactive activities. 

Processing Session Objectives

• Address remaining questions regarding the closure;
• Process reflections and responses in a safe and intentional space;
• Share what is needed to move forward with ARC Leadership;
• Learn about offerings and next steps in the process.

Following the online Processing Session, there will be additional small in-person gatherings held to offer an intentional space for healing and deeper processing of the grief and uncertainty that campus community members may be experiencing (related to the closure of Davies Hall). These gatherings will use a combination of individual, small and large group activities to support participants in healing and deeper processing while in the presence of community. 

College Community Healing Spaces

Two healing spaces will be offered.

Healing Space 1

Tuesday, December 5

4:00 - 6:00 pm

Location: Oak Cafe

Healing Space 2

Thursday, December 14

9:00 - 11:00 am

Location: ITC Building

Support and Resources for ARC Students

The below message was sent to all students in the Friday, November 17 Beaver Bites. Please share the available resources with students.

The tragic events that continue to unfold in Israel and Gaza have caused feelings like grief, uncertainty, and loss in communities worldwide, including our own. Witnessing horrific violence and suffering, coupled with the significant stress many are carrying for loved ones in this region, is resulting in tensions in our daily lives. A sense of helplessness can create an environment where frustration is expressed as anger, but despite the complex feelings surrounding these tragedies, we must remember that our diversity is our strength. 

As a community, American River College rejects all forms of identity-based hate, including antisemitism and Islamophobia. We are committed to fostering an inclusive campus for students, staff, and faculty across all faiths and belief systems. As we face these challenging times, we must center our shared humanity in everything we do. 

It can be challenging to care for ourselves when our hearts and minds are elsewhere, but your well-being and the well-being of the ARC community is our priority. Below is a list of available support services and resources and a brief survey to help us identify where we can grow to meet your needs and better serve our community.

Peer-to-Peer Virtual Support

Looking to connect with peers in a safe and anonymous virtual space? Log into Togetherall and share your feelings and concerns with an understanding community of your peers. Available 24/7 when you need it and free – a whole community is ready to support you. The peer community is moderated and strives to create a space where people can support each other. You may create your own post or search using relevant terms to find a discussion.

Individual Mental Health Therapy Sessions

Do you prefer to talk individually in a safe space? Los Rios provides all students with up to 17 free mental health therapy sessions. You are not alone. 

• Make an in-person or virtual appointment online with a college therapist for up to 5 free one-to-one sessions. On-campus in-person and virtual appointments are available during college hours. 
• TimelyCare virtual teletherapy is also available for students during college hours, as well as evenings and weekends for up to 12 free sessions.  

Student Survey: Additional Support

In addition, we want to make sure what we are offering is meeting your needs. Please fill out the short survey below to give us insight on the best avenue of support.

SURVEY: Supporting Students Impacted by Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Reporting Harassment and Discrimination

Everyone has the right to feel safe on our campus, free from harassment and discrimination. If you or someone you know experiences discrimination or harassment at ARC, we urge you to send a report to the American River College Equity Officer at arc-equity@arc.losrios.edu. Our Equal Opportunity and Title IX Officers are responsible for receiving and responding to reports and concerns of discrimination, harassment, and gender-based violence involving students, faculty, staff, and third parties.

A Time to Be Thankful, Grateful, and Giving

American River College will be closed for Thanksgiving Recess on Thursday, November 23 through Sunday, November 26. Please take this time to recharge and reconnect with your loved ones. Looking for ways to give back to your Beaver community during this season of giving?

Giving Tuesday

November 28th is #GivingTuesday, the global celebration that focuses on giving back, and as employees, we hope you will consider joining us in giving back to our students this holiday season with a gift to Beaver Cares. Your gift will help us reach an ambitious districtwide goal of raising $15,000 on Giving Tuesday that will make a difference to struggling students at all four Los Rios campuses.

As you know, students are most vulnerable to hunger and homelessness this time of year, so that's why this #GivingTuesday we are asking you to help us sustain the Beaver Cares Program. This program provides a safety net for students like Gillian struggling with housing and food insecurity so they can focus on accomplishing their dreams through education.

“I was immediately supported with kindness. I was able to get food from the pantry. … I just felt like I had such a huge support system through Beaver Cares.” – Gillian

Because of the Beaver Cares Basic Needs Center, Gillian was able to concentrate on her academics and is working on a bachelor’s degree in psychology while also working to become a student support specialist for the Arts HomeBase program at American River College.

This Giving Tuesday, please consider making a gift today so that we can continue to provide these life-changing services to our students. Your support is critical to the Beaver Cares programs and helping other struggling students meet their basic needs.

River Tales with Angela Milano

Have cookies and conversation on Wednesday, November 29 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm in the UNITE Center with Angela Milano, the Associate Vice President of Instruction and Guided Pathways, as we honor American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage Month. Watch the latest River Tales to hear Angela share her story!

New Equity Reports in Data on Demand

Which students are disproportionately impacted in my program or department? Which students are disproportionately impacted in my classes? ARC Data on Demand offers two new sets of equity reports that answer these questions.

Useful for Annual Unit Planning, Program Review, and department discussion, The Program Review and Equity Reports provide course-level data on which students are disproportionately impacted (DI) along six student characteristics (race/ethnicity, gender, veteran, foster youth, disability, and income/poverty level status).

Select Program Review and Equity on ARC Data on Demand. Choose a report from the list [e.g., Course Success DI (Course Level Data)] and navigate to your department’s data using the organizational tree.

Instructor Equity Reports provide DI data filtered to the courses and sections that you teach (for instructional faculty only). These reports are tied to a faculty member’s SSO login and are only accessible to that faculty member. These reports, useful for individual reflection, also provide course-level DI data.

State legislation including AB705 and AB1705 as well as recent and upcoming system-wide changes to GE patterns—along with critical events like the COVID-19 pandemic—affect the stories behind the data in these reports. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Innovation encourages discussion of such context when making meaning of the data. For support and thought partnership in viewing and discussing your data, contact Faculty Research Coordinator Yuj Shimizu at shimizy@arc.losrios.edu, or make a Collaborate for Change appointment with Center for Teaching and Learning faculty Jeff Sacha. For general information about using Data on Demand, make an appointment with IT Analyst Jonathan Newnam.

Healing and Generative Spaces for BIPOC: Yin Yoga

Friday, December 8, 12:30 - 1:45 pm

Facilitators: Viola Allo and Marianne Harris, ARC Librarians

Location: TBD

Registration: Please register for the in-person workshop

How do we create healing spaces for BIPOC? And beyond that, how do we know that a space is healing for BIPOC? Creating healing spaces for BIPOC is possible through awareness, kindness, and respect. The practice of mindfulness provides us with tools for creating healing spaces. The practice of mindfulness also allows BIPOC individuals to determine if a space is healing, and it empowers them to create the healing spaces that sustain their academic and professional work. In this workshop, we will experience several guided mindfulness techniques including breathing exercises, gentle yoga stretches, body scans, creative visualization, and affirmations. These are powerful techniques that you can adapt for the workplace and classroom to support yourself and to support your BIPOC coworkers and students.

Viola Allo is a librarian, anthropologist, published poet, equity facilitator, and yoga teacher. Viola holds a 200-hour yoga teaching certificate and a 100-hour certificate in Yoga and Ayurveda Wellness Counseling and has completed a 20-hour training in Yin Yoga. Viola is an adjunct librarian for the Los Rios Community Colleges.

Note: Participants can use a chair or the floor for this workshop. Participants are welcome to bring a yoga mat, a large towel or a blanket, a pillow or cushion, a bottle of water, and any other helpful items to support them during this workshop.

Time-Saving Canvas Tips

Get ready to take our Canvas skills to the next level by attending our free online workshop via Zoom on Tuesday, November 28, 12:00 to 1:00 pm. Following the success of last month’s Canvas workshop, we’re thrilled to present another opportunity to further enhance your proficiency in navigating and utilizing Canvas for an even more streamlined teaching experience. Workshop highlights include: Customizing course navigation to eliminate unnecessary menu items, using the comment library in SpeedGrader, and creating extra credit assignments.

Smart Holiday Shopping

Unleash the savings this holiday season! As we gear up for another festive holiday season, we invite you to master the art of smart holiday shopping! Discover the satisfaction of thoughtful gift giving without breaking the bank. 

Top Tips: 

• Make a budget and stick to it!
• Before you hit that check out button, compare prices on various platforms. 
• Take advantage of exclusive educator discounts and special academic offers.
• Timing is everything - keep an eye on holiday sales, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.
• Subscribe to newsletters and loyalty programs.
• Shop online and stress less.

This year, let’s make our budgets work smarter, not harder.

Movember

This November, let's make a statement that goes beyond style – let's make it about men's health. Movember is here, and it's more than just growing a moustache; it's a growing movement aiming to raise awareness about men's health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.

Movember is an annual event that challenges men to embrace their facial hair for a cause. It's not just about growing a mustache, it's about changing the face of men's health. The Movember Foundation hosts this annual charity event with a mission to increase early cancer detection, improve diagnosis and treatments, and ultimately reduce preventable deaths.

Career Preparedness Workshops

All students are invited to series of virtual workshops this December that can help with their job and career search! Click on the workshop title below for more information and to register in advance via Handshake. 

Upcoming workshops include:

• How to Write a Winning Resume - Friday, December 1, 12:00 to 1:00 pm
• Introduction to Work Experience and Internship Program - Tuesday, December 5, 12:00 to 1:00 pm
• Sharpen Your Interview Skills - Friday, December 15, 12:00 to 1:00 pm

Upcoming Music Events

Beethoven Symphony No. 6 Pastoral

Wednesday, November 29 at 7:30 pm, Main Campus Theater

Buy tickets

Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite

Thursday, November 30 at 7:30 pm, Main Campus Theater

With special guest Cordova High School Jazz Ensemble

Buy tickets

ARC Jazz Combos Showcase

Friday, December 1 at 7:30 pm, Music Building Rm 547

Buy tickets

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Monday, December 4 at 7:30 pm, Main Campus Theater

Buy tickets

Music from the Nordic Nations of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland

Tuesday, December 5 at 7:30 pm, Main Campus Theater

Buy tickets

Series 2 Vocal Jazz Ensemble Performance

Wednesday, December 6 at 7:30 pm, Main Campus Theater

Buy tickets

If you haven't met Vera Stark yet, you're missing something very special. She's smart, talented, funny, and gorgeous—but Classic Hollywood only sees her color. In Lynn Nottage's brilliant, sharp-edged comedy "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark," audiences finally get to see Vera's talent—and also what she faced for decades due to Hollywood's infamous color barrier. The play runs November 24 through December 3. Tickets sell quickly in this intimate space, so advance purchase is recommended.

Directed by Nancy Silva and Corey Winfield, and starring award-winning actress Alexandria Wilson, "Vera Stark" is based on the lives of the black women who truly paid the price for Hollywood's color barrier: women like Hattie MacDaniel, Fredi Washington, Alice B. Russell, and, in particular Theresa Harris. Despite their talent, these women were only offered roles as maids, nannies and other subservient, background characters. In "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark," Pulitzer Prize-winner Nottage honors the work of these women by showing their struggles through the irrepressible Vera. Vera is a maid to Hollywood's darling, Gloria Mitchell... but she is also her confidant, scene coach, friend, and equal in talent. Gloria is afforded all the opportunities Vera is denied, yet their relationship onscreen and off spans decades. Infused with biting satire, stark honesty, and slapstick situations, The New York Post writes that "This show...is so informed and incisive while being wildly entertaining [it] may be Nottage's biggest achievement here: In a way she's beaten Hollywood at its own game." From the 1930s to the 1970s, Vera's journey is something everyone should see and no one will forget.

All performances of By the Way, Meet Vera Stark will be at American River College's Stage Two Theatre, 4700 College Oak Drive, Sacramento. Parking is $2 next to the theatre at the corner of College Oak and Myrtle. For tickets and more information, go to ARCTheatre.org, or call (916) 484-8234.

Production Dates and Details

Location: American River College's Stage Two Theatre

Performances:

Thurs/Fri/Sat November 24, 25, 30 & December 1, 2 at 7:30 pm

Sundays November 26 & December 3 at 2:00 pm

Tickets: General $18, Seniors $15, Students $15

Beaver Bites Newsletter

Note: There will be no newsletter on Monday, November 27. We will return to our weekly newsletter distribution on Monday, December 4.