News Links | Sept. 13, 2022

September 13, 2022 by Leave a Comment
SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS
Bob Mohrbacher commentary: Real solution to student debt is making college affordable
Student debt has been in the news a lot lately. … Centralia College does not participate in any federal student loan programs. We actively counsel students against taking out risky, high-interest private loans for their education.
Centralia Chronicle, Sept. 12, 2022

Funding roundup: Washington
Highline College will use a $1.38 million TRIO Talent Search grant to ensure low-income, first-generation students can enroll and succeed in college. …  Peninsula College secured a $201,278 Job Skills Program (JSP) grant to help McKinley Paper upskill entry-level employees at its Port Angeles mill. … More Spokane Community College (SCC) students will have access to emergency aid thanks to a $400,000 grant from the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.
Community College Daily, Sept. 12, 2022

Ribbon cutting ceremony held for new Early Learning Center playground
On September 6, Bellevue College celebrated the renovation of Bellevue’s Early Learning Center (ELC) playground with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The renovation was made possible through a decades-long partnership with Costco.
Bellevue Reporter, Sept. 9, 2022

Big Bend receives $1.16 million EOC grant
Big Bend Community College will make use of a $1.16 million grant to open a TRIO Educational Opportunity Center, according to a press release from the college. Funds from the EOC grant will pay for outreach personnel in communities within the BBCC service district …
Columbia-Basin Herald, Sept. 8, 2022

Edmonds College to offer certification in data analytics starting in October
Edmonds College launched an affordable data analytics certification program that will start in October. No programming experience is necessary, and students can complete the program in as little as nine months.
My Edmonds News, Sept. 8, 2022
TRENDS | HORIZONS | EDUCATION
Report reveals pandemic caused continued transfer drops
… All transfer pathways experienced declines, but transfers into two-year institutions were particularly affected. Lateral transfers (two-year to two-year) declined by over 21% and reverse transfers (four-year to two-year) declined by 18%.
Diverse Education, Sept. 8, 2022
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Fall Quarter 2022- COVID UPDATES

September 13, 2022 by Leave a Comment

As Shoreline Community College prepares to return to campus for Fall 2022, here are some reminders on how the College is responding to COVID-19. Up-to-date information can be found at Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates | Shoreline Community College. 

We are aware Governor Inslee has recently announced he will lift the state’s emergency declaration on October 31, 2022.  The college will send out another message shortly afterward to update you on any changes to our COVID-19 response plan relative to the governor’s order. Consistent with past practice, we will keep the college community up to date on local, state, and national conditions, and of changes within the College’s response.   

Monitoring COVID-19 Community Level 

Currently (September 12th, 2022) King County is in the low (green) level, reflecting a trend of falling case counts over the last few weeks. The College will continue to monitor public health guidance from King County Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). King County Public Health updates the community level dashboard with current indicators every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Additional information can be found on King County’s data dashboards page. Should the community level rise to high (red) level, the Communicable Disease Team (CDT) will examine the situation and make recommendations to the Executive Team regarding masking, social distancing, and cleaning procedures.  

Masks are voluntary on campus except in the Counseling Center and in clinical sites. Masks are available to employees and students at the ASK ME stations throughout campus: Admin/1000 Building, Library/4000 Building, and the FOSS/5000 Building, 2nd floor.  

Campus Cleaning 

Returning to pre-COVID 19 cleaning standards in Fall 2022 means the College will provide the same level of reliable custodial services currently delivered but without the additional measures previously required by local, state, and federal offices following the pandemic-driven closure two years ago.  However, the College will retain a number of public health practices that were put into place in response to COVID-19, including the availability of hand sanitizers, masks, and wipe dispensers throughout all our buildings, which can be requested from the Facilities department. 

Vaccination 

Getting vaccinated is still the best way to fight COVID-19.  Vaccinations and boosters are available at no cost, and King County Health recommends everyone aged 5 and older should get a booster dose. The Getting vaccinated in King County – King County page provides guidance on where to find vaccines in King County. 

Vaccination Attestation | Shoreline Community College.  

Students attending Shoreline Community College, strictly in online classes only, will not be required to attest their COVID vaccination. This is a continuation of the process from previous quarters. If an online student needs to come to campus, they will need to attest their vaccination status before they will be allowed to visit. If conditions change, online students may be asked to attest in the future.  

Report Exposure, Symptoms, or a Positive Test 

If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, if you have symptoms (sore throat, fever, cough, fatigue), or if you have tested positive, fill out the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Exposure Report Form – Formstack as soon as possible. This will help the College provide you with guidance and will help in contact tracing. 

Testing 

If you have symptoms, you should test immediately. You can get PCR tests through a health care provider or test site. King County Health provides guidance on testing and where to get tested at COVID-19 testing – King County.  

You can also use an antigen test at home. If you have symptoms, the FDA recommends testing three times to avoid a false negative: once when you suspect you may have COVID-19, once 48 hours later, and again 48 hours after the second negative test. 

Free antigen tests can be requested from the following site:  

Home – Say Yes! To Covid Test (sayyescovidhometest.org) 

If you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 

If you have been exposed to COVID-19 and: 

  • have been boosted, or 
  • completed Pfizer or Moderna in the last 5 months, or 
  • completed J&J vaccine within the last 2 months, 

then you do not need to isolate unless you develop symptoms. Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 10 days from the date of exposure. 

If you completed Pfizer or Moderna more than 5 months ago or J&J more than 2 months ago, and are not boosted, you should isolate for 5 days. Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 5 more days. 

If you test positive for or have symptoms of COVID-19 

You should isolate for five days from the day your symptoms began or you tested positive, whichever is later. After five days, you can end isolation if you are fever-free for 24 hours with no medication, and other symptoms are improving. Wear a well-fitting mask around others for 5 more days. 

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Shoreline CC: Opening week is almost here!

September 12, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Opening week is almost here! 

We are planning a complete return-to-campus with predominantly in-person classes, services, and activities available to our students for Fall Quarter 2022.  We are committed to providing an active on-campus experience for students that will foster a sense of belonging in the classes, services, resources, and activities that we offer.  Part of this return to campus initiative will be the return to an in-person Opening Week.  

The theme of the year’s Opening week is “Centering Students and Creating Community”. We need you all here to do that.  

Join us on-campus starting Thursday at 9am on September 22nd with the president’s welcome, service awards, and new employee recognition, followed by a free lunch sponsored by the College foundation, and more. 

  • Friday 9/23 Concurrent learning sessions centered on the Pillars of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Students and Enrollment; Community Building. Start with Coffee with the president in the library, attend some of the planned sessions, then join colleagues for lawn games and activities in the courtyard while you eat your lunch – watch for flying giveaways! Follow lunch with even more wonderful sessions. 
  • Monday 9/26 The president will be hosting another coffee connection before you have division and department meetings. Lunch and connect this day will feature an open house tour of campus services such as the Gender Equity Center, Career Center, Student Learning Centers, and more. Turn in a passport to be entered into a prize drawing for some Shoreline swag. 

You’ll then finish opening week on Tuesday 9/27 with additional training opportunities and faculty specific meetings. 

You can see these and other events on the opening week SharePoint site: Opening Week 2022 – Centering Students & Creating Community. Build your schedule now to take advantage of this event. 

Please be aware that opening week is a mandatory attendance event. Employees who need to request an alternate way to attend opening week activities because of a medical need can do so by contacting HR @ hr@shoreline.edu no later than Wednesday, September 20, 2022. 

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Financial Aid Processing Delays

September 12, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Dear Campus Community,

I am writing to update you about the delays in processing financial aid by our Financial Aid Office (FAO) at Shoreline. When the College first converted from the old HP system to the new ctcLink system in March, the FAO team continued to navigate many of its familiar processes (specifically during the Spring Quarter) in HP.  And they did so as they simultaneously trained and prepared their staff on cTcLink. Their goal was to fully train their staff by the start of the Summer Quarter. 

It has been a steep learning curve for the FAO team (which many of you across campus have also navigated). They have done a tremendous job in managing this transition, onboarding new staff, and offering continuous training. Since the start of the Spring Quarter, the FAO team has also experienced many other unforeseen issues, including limited staffing, fraudulent enrollment activity, delays in communication and error-resolution from the SBCTC, as well as the structure and format of the training required to gain confidence in using cTcLink. 

The College has taken the issues above seriously, and has undertaken the following steps to provide support to the FAO team and for our students:

·         Develop an immediate connection to the SBCTC to gain support – and immediate response – when staff at Shoreline need assistance with processing financial aid.  Our new Dean, Chippi Bello, has been communicating with SBCTC to ensure regular feedback and training are occurring.

·         Identify additional outside staff to assist in daily financial aid processing.  Chippi Bello identified two individuals currently supporting the college in contract service that can assist in file review processing. We are seeking additional support for the team by adding two more part-time staff (for a total of 4 additional temporary staff).

·         The FAO team is reviewing and prioritizing their workload accordingly and making file review a top priority.

Although navigating these new processes around application review and packaging of financial aid for students in cTcLink is more cumbersome than in the previous system, the FAO team continues to learn and improve its capabilities. Additionally, they have been communicating and explaining these delays to students in the interest of transparency. Notably, any student who has applied for aid currently in the processing pipeline will have a hold placed on their account to prevent them from being dropped while the FAO team reviews and processes their application.  We ask that you please share this information with any concerned student you may interact with. 

If there are additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Chippi Bello or me. 

Sincerely,

Dean Bello (cbello@shoreline.edu) and VP King.

Shoreline Community College

pking@shoreline.edu

206.546.4651

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5000 Roof Repair Project

September 9, 2022 by Leave a Comment

College community,

Starting on Monday, September 12, work will begin on a roof repair project at the 5000 building.  This is one of our minor capital projects for the 2021-23 biennium. 

The contractor has a tentative close-out date of October 21.  The roof will be removed in sections, and there will be noise (primarily from power tools and a forklift) associated with this work for five to six weeks.  Those on the third floor are likely to hear the most noise.

In addition, the contractor will be applying adhesive to the roof, which will emit an odor similar to asphalt.  Most of the work will take place between 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., but if the noise or the odor becomes bothersome, faculty and staff should work with their supervisor and Human Resources on temporary options, such as remote work if feasible.

The contractor will do its best to get the job done quickly with as little inconvenience to the college as possible.  Your patience is appreciated as we complete this important facility improvement project.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you.   

Bob Williamson

Acting Vice President for Business and Administrative Services

rwilliamson@shoreline.edu

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