Office of Student Services Update - February/March 2025

Good Afternoon,

Over the last month or so, I participated in the Strategic Planning Workshop, Employee Town Hall & Know Your Rights Training, Student Town Hall-Navigating Change, Soroptimist International of Clovis Live Your Dream scholarship reception, Accreditation core inquiry meetings, and began leading the District Common Catalog Workgroup. Below are updates from some of the Student Services areas.

Black & African American Student Engagement (BAASE)

Clovis Community College proudly celebrated Black History Month with a dynamic lineup of events honoring Black heritage, culture, and contributions.

  • The month began with an engaging Opening Ceremony featuring Brandon "Griot B" Brown, followed by a Black-Owned Vendor Fair.
  • Our Wednesday activities started with Cocoa and Culture, a creative session led by local artist James Graham.
  • Students and staff also had the opportunity to visit Colonel Allensworth, California’s first Black-found town, for a day of historical reflection.
  • Wellness and self-care were emphasized through a soothing Sound Bath Experience and a free massage session.
  • Culinary talents took center stage in the Sweet Potato Pie Contest, while literary appreciation was celebrated at the 7th Annual African American Read-In.
  • The festivities concluded with a special BAASE Movie Night featuring The Great Debaters, bringing the community together for inspiration and reflection.
    • A heartfelt thank you to the Black History Month planning committee: Caryss Johnson Franklin, Akyia Ervin, Sasha Fisher, Siena Flores, Maricarmen Figueroa, Clarke-Lauren Richard, and Dean of Students, Gurdeep Hebért, for organizing an unforgettable month of learning, connection, and celebration!

Financial Aid

  • February wraps up our FAFSA outreach workshops at local high schools.
  • The CCC Scholarship application closed March 2, and we had a record number of applicants!
  • The March 2 priority Cal Grant deadline was pushed to April 2.

Health & Wellness Services

  • Flex Day Training – January 10
    • Naomi taught “Health & Safety on Campus – What You Need to Know”
  • Get-Togethers with Other Student Services Departments
    • January 28: Zentangle Activity with Financial Aid
    • February 27: Brown Bag Lunch & Pictionary with the Tutorial Center
    • (March TBD)
    • April 1 and 2, 11am-1:00pm: Rock Painting in Collaboration with Outreach – (Open to All Staff and Students)
  • Grief & Loss Processing Group began on February 5
  • Monthly STI Testing through Fresno County EOC – (Open to All Staff and Students)
    • February 12
    • March 26
    • April 9
  • Narcan Training for Opioid Overdose Prevention – (Open to All Staff and Students)
    • March 7, 2:00-3:00pm: Hosted by the Med-Student Alliance Club
  • Tabling
    • January 28: Psych Services – Club Rush Event
    • February 6: Psych Services – LGBTQ Outreach Event
    • March 12: Psych & Health Services – Student Activities’ Women’s History Month Event

Outreach

Outreach staff, along with CCC counselors, have had a busy couple of months visiting all district high schools to provide seniors with college advising. Almost all CCC feeder schools have seen increases in Student Education Plan (SEP) completion numbers. This year Outreach worked with Clovis High School to change their session format, moving from after school to during the day, and saw a 22% increase in SEP completion for their senior class. In two days, 63% of the CHS senior class was advised by a community college counselor, a huge accomplishment!

Students who missed their school’s advising session will have the opportunity to attend a make-up session this month before the matriculation deadline on March 31. If you know of a current senior who still needs to speak to a counselor, please have them sign up for a time at www.scccd.edu/rtgmakeup.

Community and school outreach continues this month with events including the Latin Student Success Conference, Men of Color Summit, Adelante Mujer Conference Resource Fair, CUSD Native American Education Family Night, and more. Many local schools are also holding their annual career fairs in March, making it a very busy month for outreach and recruitment.

Outreach and Counseling will be providing a training for all CUSD High School counselors in the morning of Monday, March 10. They will be learning about the new Cal-GETC agreement, transfer information, student resources, and other important information. They will also be taking a tour of the campus and new building led by our student ambassadors. If you see a counselor from one of our feeder schools that morning, please give them a warm welcome!

Student Activities

  • March is Women’s History Month, and we are celebrating with the following activities:
    • March 11, 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM, Guest Speaker Bianca Mabute-Louie – our AANHPI group will be hosting this guest speaker who will be discussing her book.
    • March 12, 12-4 PM, Vendor & Resource Fair – featuring live performances!
  • March 14, 3-5 PM, Holi – Join ASG for Holi, the festival of colors, open to all!
  • March 17 – We are launching 2025-2026 ASG applications, and we encourage faculty and staff to nominate students—contact Maricarmen Figueroa-Mendez, maricarmen.figueroa@cloviscollege.edu, for details.
  • Lastly, we are collaborating with District EEO to welcome Dr. Buck, founder of the Black Panther Party Museum and Executive Director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. Stay tuned for more details on these exciting events!

TRIO Program

The TRIO Program has been busy with Spring Semester Orientations.
In February, we hosted our Paint Night Social Mixer, and we also collaborated with Financial Aid to host an online Scholarship Application Workshop.
We are still actively recruiting for the 2024-2025 cohort and are thankful for all referrals from our partners in Student Services.

Thanks,

Kira Tippins
Vice President of Student Services