Week of January 27, 2025

Good morning, all.

Thanks to those of you who have reached out expressing concerns or asking questions about impact to us of the Executive Orders signed by the President.

College and District Efforts

We are working quickly to gather information. Below is a list of efforts underway to provide information and resources.

Dr. Goldsmith has convened the Chancellor's Task Force on Protecting Vulnerable Students, a districtwide group on which Clovis will be represented by Diana Chandara, Erin Lane, and Carla Stoner. Efforts of this group will be shared out as soon as there is information to be shared.

District staff are continuing to monitor all communications carefully and are working diligently to share information and guidance with all.

I have been participating in Zoom calls hosted by the The Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Resources acquired through these calls will be shared via the SharePoint site described below.

I am also attending regular Zoom convenings of local educational leaders and organized by Dr. Goldsmith. Participants include all four SCCCD colleges, Fresno State, CUSD, FUSD, Central USD. These have been helpful in understanding local efforts and challenges and collaborating where we can.

Bonnie Boonthavongkham is coordinating with IT to set up a SharePoint where we will house all the resources that we have gathered thus far in support of those vulnerable communities so that all staff, faculty, and administrators will have easy access to up-to-date information. As soon as that is ready for use, we will share the link widely with all.

We will be hosting a Student Town Hall (Navigating Change Together) on February 13 at noon in AC1-150 with the Executive Administrative team, Psych Services, Financial Aid Services, Dreamers' Resource Services, and Title IX Servies. We will have flyers and emails out soon. Please encourage students to attend.

I am coordinating with Student Services deans on an email out to students. I hope you will share with them any resources that have been shared with you as well as additional resources which will be stored in the under-construction SharePoint site.

We are working on setting up a Town Hall for staff, faculty, and administrators. We will share out widely as details are confirmed.

I will be meeting on Thursday with Classified Professional leads and faculty leads of student initiatives, student clubs, and employee affinity groups for information sharing/gathering and a check-in.

Support for Employees

I recognize that you may be experiencing stress as you work to manage the changes and balance personal and professional workload. Your health and well-being are important to us, and I hope you will use the resources available to you. We will continue to share information.

SCCCD Health Benefits and Resources
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - Simple Therapy

In Closing …

I want to be sure our students know that their voices are important and are being heard, so please encourage them to remain engaged with the College through all means available to them: ASG, every college employee, the upcoming Student Town Hall, and other opportunities yet to come. They will provide perspective critical to this conversation, so their presence and engagement are of utmost importance. Thank you for encouraging them to remain engaged!

I thank you for your work for and with our students. You live up to our promise to our students and make our community proud! I appreciate your patience as we (at the College and at the District) do our best to keep pace with all the information coming our way and provide guidance in a timely manner for all of you. I am committed to providing you with as much information as possible as quickly as possible to help you in serving our community and in taking care of yourself.

Thank you,

Monica Chahal, Ed.D. (she/her)