Day at a Glance

Dear Colleague,

Our Day of Learning is almost here! I am looking forward to our time together on Friday, April 27.

In advance of Friday, please review these three linked readings to become familiar with the key concepts we will be covering throughout the day: Inclusive Excellence, Disciplined Excellence, and Ecological Integrity. This preparation will help prepare you to engage in dialogue with each other. (Supervisors, please ensure that your classified staff are provided with time during their regular work schedule to review these documents.)

If you have not already done so, please also fill out the attendance form to help us better plan the day. And remember, the Day of Learning will take place Friday, April 27, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Classes will be canceled and campus services will be closed to facilitate all staff and faculty attendance at this event. If you have any questions in advance of this training, please contact Brigid Nulty, Associate Dean of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at any time.

Warm regards,
Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D.
President

The staff at the Counseling Center are here to provide support and consultation to campus employees, students, parents, friends or others when there is concern about a student’s well-being.

Consultations may focus on concerns about a specific student; behavioral problems which occur in the classroom or other setting, or other issues that may have important psychological dimensions.

Some of the ways the Counseling Center may help employees and others assist students:
-Assessing the seriousness of the situation
-Suggesting potential resources
-Finding the best way to make a referral
-Scheduling an appointment for the student to meet with a counselor (if the situation constitutes a crisis, the student may be seen immediately)
-Reaching out to a student of concern

For consultation or support, please contact Sheryl Copeland, Counselor and Interim Director, at 206-533-6712, scopeland@shoreline.edu, or the Counseling Center front desk at 206-546-4594.

Any time you perceive imminent physical danger to yourself or any other individual;
call 911 (9-911 on campus) immediately AND Campus Security at 206-235-5860. If in the classroom, you can use LYNX Emergency Alert.

When to Refer

Consider referring a student to the Counseling Center if you notice any signs or reports of the following:
-You find yourself doing what feels like counseling with a student
-Expressing thoughts of suicide, hurting self or others, self-injury
-A student seems excessively tired, anxious, depressed, irritable, angry, or sad
-You notice marked changes in a student’s appearance or habits (e.g., deterioration in grooming, hygiene, weight loss, interpersonal withdrawal, acceleration in activity or speech, or change in academic performance)
-A student seems hopeless or helpless
-A student’s use of alcohol or other substances interferes with her/his relationships or work
-A student’s thoughts or actions appear bizarre or unusual
-Sexual harassment to include domestic violence and sexual assault (Please see Title IX reporting requirements).

How to Refer
When you have determined a student might benefit from professional counseling, it is usually best to speak to the student in a direct manner that will show your concern for their welfare. Be specific regarding the behaviors that have raised your concerns, and avoid generalizing about the individual.

Except in life-threatening emergencies, the option must be left open for the student to accept or refuse counseling. If the student is skeptical or reluctant for whatever reason, simply express your acceptance of those feelings so that your own relationship with the student is not jeopardized. Give the student an opportunity to consider other alternatives by suggesting that he or she might need some time to think it over. If the student emphatically says “no,” then respect that decision, and again leave the situation open for possible reconsideration later.

If the student agrees to the referral, you or the student may call or visit the Counseling Center to make an appointment. Students often appreciate a campus employee walking them to the Center for a warm handoff. The student’s first meeting at the Counseling Center will typically be an intake interview in which the student and the counselor make decisions about the type of help needed.

In cases where the student refuses an attempted referral and you continue to be concerned about their welfare, feel free to call the Counseling Center for a consultation.

Confidentiality
Once a referral is made, it is normal to want to find out what happened and how you can continue to help the student. However, the staff at the Counseling Center are bound by ethics and laws to maintain confidentiality. This means:

• We cannot give information about the student without written permission from the student.
• We cannot say whether the student has come for an appointment; however, you can ask the student about whether they attended counseling.
• We cannot discuss any specifics of the situation; however, if we feel the person is an imminent risk of harming themselves or others we will take the appropriate measures to provide for their safety.
• We can answer your general questions about making referrals to the Counseling Center.
• We can provide other referral ideas.
• We can take information from YOU regarding specific behaviors of the student.

We encourage you to print our Referral Guide.

Learn more about the Shoreline Community College Counseling Center: www.shoreline.edu/counseling-center | 206-546-4594 | FOSS 5245

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to email scopeland@shoreline.edu.

Sheryl, Gwyn, Diana, and Satoko
Shoreline Community College Counselors

For the second year in a row, Shoreline Community College has received Tree Campus USA recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Tree Campus USA recognizes college and university campuses that effectively manage their campus trees, develop community connections to foster urban forests, and strive to engage their student population in forestry efforts. The College met all of five of the Tree Campus USA standards and is active in fostering healthy native plant life on its 80 acres of land.

“We are proud to be recognized as a Tree Campus USA as part of our efforts to create a campus that benefits the environment, as well as our students and community members,” said President Cheryl Roberts, Ed.D. “The land the campus sits on was at one time an important place for gathering and growing traditional foods for the Duwamish people of this area. We are called to continue that stewardship and ensure that our campus is a place where native plants thrive and help create a living laboratory for our students,” she added.

As part of Shoreline’s Earth Week festivities this month, the College will honor Arbor Day on Friday, April 20 with a celebration of native trees and plants in the courtyard. On Saturday, April 21, the public is invited to take part in a native plant habitat restoration project on the campus from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Volunteers will remove invasive species, clean up litter, and plant native trees and shrubs. All are welcome; some refreshments will be provided. Learn more at http://www.shoreline.edu/calendars.

If you are planning on participating in Commencement 2018, please note the deadline for ordering caps and gowns is Tuesday, May 14. For more information and ordering instructions, Commencement 2018 Faculty Procedures.

Over the past two years, a workgroup in the Student Learning Experience Coordinating Committee (SLECC) has been focusing on adopting better ways for new students to figure out the level of math and English courses that will best support their success. This group has moved forward with recommendations from faculty and peer colleges across the state to adopt multiple measures for placement, as well as research-based, effective placement tools.

As of April 19th, 2018, Shoreline will no longer be offering Accuplacer for placement;  instead, Shoreline will support the following processes to help students select the appropriate math and English courses.

Multiple measures for both math and English
Students can use high school transcripts and/or existing test scores to guide their course placement and selection. One recent significant change is that students who received a 2.5 cumulative GPA in high school within the past five years can enroll in English 101.  See shoreline.edu/placement for details about multiple measures.

ALEKS for math
ALEKS is a computer-based assessment tool that also provides students an opportunity to practice and brush up on key competencies that will be used for placement into math classes. One practice test and up to four proctored placement tests are provided. ALEKS will use the results of students’ test attempts to identify topics and create an individualized learning module to help them review. The cost for ALEKS is $20 (payable on the ALEKS website via credit/debit card or at the cashier).

Directed Self-Placement for English
Directed Self-Placement (or DSP) is not a test, but a series of questions and tasks in which students reflect on their own skills and confidence related to reading and writing. Based on their responses, a recommendation is provided about the English course that would be best for them. Research has demonstrated that outcomes for students taking part in DSP are as good as or better than traditional testing methods. DSP is offered free of charge.

Look for more information on DAAG and on shoreline.edu/testingcenter and shoreline.edu/placement in the coming weeks.

If you have questions about changes in placement, please contact Bayta Maring (bmaring@shoreline.edu) or Derek Levy (dlevy@shoreline.edu).