Dear Colleague,

Thank you to those of you who were able to attend the Special Campus Conversation on Tuesday, as we continue to grapple with the current dialog around racism in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. I want to thank Dr. Herrera for her help in providing context to our conversation and to those who came alongside her to help facilitate conversations in the breakout sessions.

We had over 100 employees take time out of their day to share, listen, and support one another, and I am so grateful for your participation. Your vulnerability, thoughtfulness, and willingness to share different perspectives provided a much-needed space for us to begin reflecting and healing.

This conversation also helps set the stage for the next academic year, in which we recommit as a College to addressing the ways in which race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, English proficiency, community wealth, familial situations, ability or other factors contribute to or perpetuate lower educational aspirations, achievement, and attainment for certain groups of students. Moving forward, our hope is to build new competencies together in order to ensure our students have an equitable educational experience filled with care and support.

This is not the last time we will talk and I encourage you to find ways to continue connecting with colleagues during this emotionally tumultuous time so that we can continue to be available to support our students who depend on us.

Respectfully,

Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D.
President

Dear Colleague,

I wanted to share a stance, I wholeheartedly endorse, that was taken by the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges (WACTC) — the organization of community and technical college presidents on June 5^th. It speaks to the leadership and resolve of presidents throughout the state who unanimously passed two resolutions denouncing violence against Blacks and Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander harassment.

The Resolution Denouncing Violence against Blacks in America In support of Black Students, Faculty, Staff, and Communities 

• Excerpt: “The Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges stands against the structural racism that has emboldened and enabled killings of Black people by citizens and police throughout America. We commit our system to the development of an action plan to dismantle systemic injustices against Black Americans and other historically marginalized groups. We commit our campuses to working collectively with allies to combat and disrupt the hate and violence against Black people in our communities.”

The Resolution Denouncing Anti-Asian Discrimination Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic in support of Asian American and Pacific Islander Students, Faculty, Staff, and Communities

• Excerpt: “The Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges denounces racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in any form; joins communities, cities, counties, and states across the country in affirming its commitment to the safety and well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and in combating acts of aggression and hate crimes targeting these communities. We commit our system to the development of an action plan to dismantle systematic injustices against historically marginalized groups. We commit our campuses to working collectively with allies to combat and disrupt instances of racism and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders people in our communities.”

In solidarity,

Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D.
President
Office of the President

Faculty and Staff,

Our annual Commencement ceremony is a significant milestone not only for our students, but also for us as employees to celebrate the collective achievements of our students.

To make this year’s virtual ceremony just as special as the in-person event, we are asking all employees to consider participating in a scripted video message that will be shown during the ceremony. 

This is the most important way you can participate in this year’s ceremony and we especially want to make sure the Class of 2020 knows how proud we all are of their hard work. However, time is short. We need your recorded video clip by Wednesday, June 10. 

Please take a few moments out of your busy schedule before June 10 to follow these three easy steps: 

1.       Video-record yourself reading the entire script.  

a.       To record in Zoom, open a new meeting, position yourself facing your light source in the frame, similar to this example photo:. Eliminate background noises or distractions. Press “Record – on this computer”. You can record to the cloud if you prefer and know how to get the video file afterward. After reading the poem, press “End” then “End Meeting for All”. Zoom will convert your video file, saving it to the location you set in preferences. 

2.       Name the file with your first and last name and “Congrats” (e.g. “Rob Berg Congrats.mp4”). 

3.       Upload the file and notify Rob Berg (rberg@shoreline.edu) that you’ve uploaded a video. 

a.       Rob is also available to answer any technical questions you may encounter. 

A few helpful tips: 

1.       There are a few lines that call for cheering. Please embellish here and show lots of animation. The video may show many of you cheering at once, so pretend you’re in a crowd cheering.  

2.       Place the script high on your computer screen as close to your camera as possible.   

3.       Make eye contact with your camera lens when possible and read at a measured pace with heart.  

4.       If you flub up, don’t start over, just pick up where you left off and keep moving. You are welcome to do multiple takes on a single line as you go; Rob will work his editing magic to make you look good.  

We hope you will take the time to record this video and help make June 20^th a very special day for our graduates.

Thank you! 

Click on this video link to find out with winners of Employee Engagement/Shoreline Bingo!