Your monthly update for November 2022 | |
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Dear Pirate Crew,
The holidays are quickly approaching with less than five weeks remaining before the semester ends. November is an excellent time to slow down, reflect, and be thankful. This is also a time to recognize and celebrate indigenous people during Native American Heritage Month and our Veterans, who bravely and honorably protect our country.
Ventura College and surrounding areas are situated on the (Barbareño/Ventureño) Chumash peoples land where a village remains near Figueroa Street and the Ventura County Fairgrounds. The coastal Chumash peoples were seamen, farmers, and hunters.
Below are a few references for your information related to the Chumash:
HISTORY
VIDEO
VC LIBRARY ProQuest ebooks
November 11 is a national holiday and day of observance for Americans to pay tribute and thank our military veterans. Through their sacrifices, Ventura College students are able to pursue their education in a free society. I personally want to thank all veterans who have protected this country and acknowledge the hefty price you paid to keep us safe. Ventura College appreciates and honors you!
November 22, Ventura College will host a Friendsgiving meal for employees. The “Fun Group” (Ned Mircetic, Mike Pallotto, Phil Briggs, Chez Harper, Jessie Llamas, Olivia Long, and Angelica Gonzales) is working to bring more fun and camaraderie to VC. I want to thank them for helping to organize this time together to enjoy each other. Be on the lookout for more information!
I am very thankful to serve our Flagship, Ventura College, in an environment that focuses on providing excellent educational opportunities for our students. Also, I am Very THANKFUL that Ventura College has extremely dedicated, knowledgeable, and talented employees that passionately strive to achieve our mission. People are the greatest resource of Ventura College, and I am very grateful to work alongside each and every one of you.
Have a restful and safe Thanksgiving,
Kim
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Koffee with Kim
- Wednesday, January 25 at 9 a.m.
- Tuesday, March 21 at 3 p.m.
- Thursday, April 20 at 9 a.m.
Captain’s Chat
- Wednesday, November 30 at 3 p.m.
- Wednesday, February 8 at 2 p.m.
- Thursday, April 6 at 2 p.m.
Open Executive Team Meeting
- Monday, November 21 at 2:30 p.m.
- Monday, March 13 at 2:30 p.m.
Celebration of Successes
- Holiday Gathering – Thursday, December 8 at 11:30 a.m.
- End of Year Celebration & Retiree Recognition – Thursday, May 4 at 11:30 a.m.
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Highlighting the amazing Administration, Faculty, Classified Professionals, and Students that make up our pirate family. This month's highlights include: Matthew Cortez (Student), Samuel Martinez (Plumber), Steve Turner (Instructor, EAC), and Jennifer Kalfsbeek-Goetz (VP of Academic Affairs and Student Learning) | |
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Matthew Xavier Cortez
VC Associated Students - Director of Finance
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Steve Turner
Instructor, EAC
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Jennifer Kalfsbeek-Goetz
VP of Academic Affairs and Student Learning
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Susana Espinosa, Office Assistant, Library, Modern Languages, Visual Arts,
American Ethnic Studies, and Social/Behavioral Sciences
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LinkedIn - Our Largest Social Media Account
Are you following our Ventura College LinkedIn account?
If not, you should! We have close to 21,000 followers on our account.
Did you attend Ventura College?
We are collecting stories about our fantastic alumni to share on our LinkedIn account. If you would like to be featured or if you have a suggestion on a person to feature, please send an email to vcmarketing@vcccd.edu
What's happening in your department?
If you'd like us to share news on LinkedIn about something incredible happening in your department, please send an email to vcmarketing@vcccd.edu
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Ventura College Receives $3 Million in ARPA Funds
On October 11, 2022, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors reviewed and approved their plan to spend $164 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated to the County of Ventura. As part of the Supervisors efforts to address housing and homelessness needs in our County, they approved $3 million to assist Ventura College with our low-income student housing project. The funds will be used for planning costs, such as site analysis, architect and engineering fees, plan check costs and project management. We are very grateful the Supervisors recognized the housing needs faced by our students and their support in providing low cost housing.
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ASVC CCCSAA Conference 2022
Our Associated Students of Ventura College had the amazing opportunity to engage in an annual California Community College Student Affairs Association 2022 Conference on October 21-23 in San Diego. ASVC students engaged in participatory governance workshops, networked with fellow associated student members from 116 California community colleges, and focused their roles on advocacy for the Ventura College campus as a whole.
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Fall 2022 Part-time/Seasonal Job Fair
On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, Ventura College students swarmed the main bookstore quad to engage with employers for the Fall 2022 Part-time/Seasonal Job Fair hosted by the Career Center. Over forty employers arrived to speak with interested applicants. Employers from all over Ventura County presented exciting jobs ranging from caregiving to tutoring. Dressed to impress with their résumés in tow, students were eager to find their next potential job. Students who signed up early via the Career Center’s job search platform, HandShake, claimed a set of their own personalized business cards and a free lunch! If you missed out or were unable to attend the Fall 2022 Part-time/Seasonal Job Fair, look out for the Career Center’s next job fair coming Spring 2023!
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Corporate Games Final Standings
VC dominated the competition and finished 21st overall in the City of Ventura’s Corporate Games!
Gold Medalists
Spades: Alex Kolesnik and Sharon Beynon shuffled and dealt their way to a gold medal!
Silver Medalists
Kickball: The Pirate Kickball Team stormed through the bracket, and took home the silver medal! Our all-star roster: Andrea Horigan, Bea Zizumbo, Corey Wendt, Jeff Erskine, Maria Reyes-Sanchez, Nick Norris, Olivia Long, Phillip Briggs, Rudy Gonzalez, Sheehan Casey, Tatiana Lawler, and Yia Vang.
Bronze Medalist
5K Run: Amy Jamieson ran past the competition and earned a bronze medal in the 5K run! The full list of 5K runners: Adrienne Arguijo-Morgan, Alejandra Ildefonso, Alireza Fazelpour, Amy Jamieson, Andrea Horigan, April Montes, Gigi Fiumerodo, Kenya Galdamez Ramirez, Noel Coupart, Olivia Long, Sheehan Casey and Yesika Hernandez.
Semi-Finalists
Basketball: The VC Men’s Basketball coaches, Joey Ramirez, Alonzo McCain, and Isaac Ramirez, led the Pirates to the final four! The full roster: Alejandro Hernandez, Alonzo McCain, Brandon D’Amico, Gerry Pantoja, Isaac Ramirez, Jeff Erskine, Joey Ramirez, Marcelino De Cierdo, Nick Norris, Phillip Briggs, Rudy Gonzalez, and Ryan Babcock.
All-Star Competitors
Billiards: Felicia Torres and Raquel De Los Santos made a valiant run through the 8-ball bracket, but fell just short against billiards powerhouse, Capsida Biotherapeutics. VC's 9-ball pool shark, Jesse Sluder made a strong run as well, but was edged out by the eventual champion from the City of Port Hueneme.
Bowling: the Pirates bowled over the competition to finish in the top 25 in the division. The VC pin pals were Sheehan Casey, Tisa Medrano, Felicia Torres, Jessica Perez, and America Juan Mercado.
Cornhole: Kim Hoffmans and Patty Wendt defeated Clinicas Healthcare in the first round, but lost a heartbreaker to Parker Bioscience in the second round. Rudy Gonzalez and Corey Wendt breezed through their side of the bracket to the quarterfinals.
Pickleball - Mea Brink and Jeff Erskine took their talents to Harry Lyon Park, where they lost a heartbreaker to the eventual silver medalists from Mission Produce.
Scrabble - Nan Duangpun stormed into the quarterfinals, but lost to an opponent who was asking passersby for help during their turn. Future events will need much stronger rule enforcement.
Table Tennis: Debbie Battey and Vincent Jimenez brought the heat in women's and men's singles.
Texas Hold ‘Em: Jesse Sluder, Francisco Fuentes, and Nan Duangpun upped the ante for the Pirates.
Volleyball: a short-handed Pirates team lost a heartbreaker to Eaton Manufacturing. The Pirate spikers were Jennifer Kalfsbeek-Goetz, Rudy Gonzalez, Jeff Erskine, Bea Zizumbo, Gerry Pantoja, and Phillip Briggs.
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Student Ceramics/Art Sale
Join us for a student Ceramics Art Sale on Tuesday, November 15 and Wednesday, November 16 at Ventura College Main Campus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Art Gallery 2. Check out the beautiful ceramics being created by our students!
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We're so proud to have been voted as a Top 3 Finalist in the Best College category in the 2022 VC Star Readers’ Choice contest. Last month our team gathered to collect our award and celebrate this honor. Thanks to each and every one of you for making this happen. | |
Dual Enrollment Workshops
During the month of October, Admissions & Records held in-person dual enrollment workshops at the following high schools: Ventura, Pacific Continuing, El Camino, Foothill, Buena, Nordhoff, and Oxnard. We had the privilege of helping almost 60 high school students and 16 high school counselors with the application process, registration dates, and any updates to the system they may encounter for Spring 2023 registration.
We also have some follow up workshops in November & December to assist with dual enrollment form submission at El Camino and Oxnard High Schools, as well as a zoom session with El Camino Counselors for an open Q&A session on the Dual Enrollment process for any particular questions they may have.
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HSI Summit Part 2
On Friday, October 21, 2022, Ventura College hosted the Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Summit Part 2. Building upon the outcomes of the first part of Inaugural Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Summit, participants continued to build upon the strategies, best practices, and asset-based approaches to the development of VC’s capacity to serve Latine and historically marginalized students. Thank you to everyone who came out to join us as we work to embody our VC Hispanic Serving Institution identity.
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Undocumented Student Action Week and Dreamers Resource Grand Opening
The Ventura College UndocuAlly Taskforce and ASVC hosted the 6th annual Undocumented Student Action Week from October 17-October 21, 2022. This included the grand opening of the Dreamers Resource Center and ribbon cutting at Ventura College. The week was filled with events hosted by the three colleges districtwide, Ventura College, Moorpark College, and Oxnard College and webinars by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and Immigrants Rising. Students had the opportunity to paint butterflies on canvases, learn about health and wellness resources, hear Latina and women of color testimonies and receive FAFSA and California Dream Act Application assistance, as well as help with admission applications. Students, faculty, classified staff and administrators had the opportunity to attend an HSI Summit and workshop with ImmPower to become an ally to our undocumented students.
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Mike Ketaily, Sarah Ayala, Sara Frazier, Bruce McFadden, Fritz Paarmann, Kaylen Socia, and Tamishiah Allen sitting together during the All Campus Retreat. | |
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Emergency Preparedness Update
Ventura College is making great progress in campus emergency preparedness improvements.
• Facilities, Maintenance & Operations are inspecting spaces for window coverings, effective door locks, and are addressing all safety concerns submitted through the Onuma workorder system
• We are also working to update the Emergency Procedures webpage on the VC site. We will tailor the webpage to be a more complete source for campus-specific safety and preparedness information
• The Districtwide Emergency Preparedness Committee agreed to limit the ability to initiate the active shooter alert from a cell phone to a smaller group of employees. For those who will continue to have that capability through the app, a passcode is being enabled to limit accidental alerts and retraining will be scheduled.
In addition to the above steps, Ventura College (as part of a districtwide contract) is working with Ketaily Technical Consulting (KTC) to improve our emergency preparedness and a number of projects are already underway. Mike Ketaily has over 30 years of experience, including as a Fire Captain and an instructor at Oxnard College Fire Academy. We look forward to the improvements we can make in our preparedness under KTC’s expert guidance. Some of the projects KTC are helping us with are below.
• Emergency preparedness presentation at the All Campus Retreat in September
• Monthly Incident Management Team (IMT) training and education which began in October
• Bi-monthly tabletop exercises for the IMT starting in October
• Student worker emergency preparedness training in October
• Safety audit of Ventura College facilities beginning in November
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Ventura College graduated its first-ever part-time cohort on November 4, 2022. These 15 students have been part of a two-day-a-week cohort meeting Fridays and Saturdays since August 2021. The class schedule allowed students to remain employed full-time as they attended the paramedic program. This allowed the students the opportunity to retain financial security and for their employers to retain hard-working EMTs as they looked to upgrade their professional skill set. Local EMS employers are eager to have the students join their workforce as paramedics in the coming weeks as they complete their national certification and state licensure as a paramedic. | |
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Basic Needs Center and Drive Thru events
The VC Basic Needs Center continues to host two monthly Food Pantry Drive Thru events at both the VC Campus and VC East Campus in Santa Paula. We have partnered with multiple Student Services Departments including ASVC (Associated Students of Ventura College) and Career Education to help aid all new and returning VC students. We continue to see a great turnout at each of our events. Our November 8 drive thru had an emphasis on veterans' services and resources and we'll host one more this month on November 22.
Students who prefer to come by in-person can always stop by the Basic Needs Center during regular office hours and receive free groceries and other essential supplies. We also help with CalFresh applications, shower services, housing referrals, transportation assistance, and more! For office hours and workshop links, please visit our website.
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Connecting VC Students with Industry to Launch STEM Careers
Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) has a 52-year history of changing the face of science, technology and engineering by developing a new generation of STEM leaders. This October, fourteen brilliant students were selected by the MESA Project Coordinator to attend conferences. Ten students attended the National Diversity in STEM Conference (SACNAS) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The other four students attend the MESA’s Student Leadership Conference in San Diego. Special acknowledgement to Dean Dr. Jesus Vega, campus leadership, VC Faculty, and the Board of Trustee for supporting our program and the professional development of our STEM students.
MESA fuels diversity by propelling historically underrepresented students toward STEM degrees and professional careers. National Diversity in STEM (SACNAS) Conference motivated ten talented Ventura College MESA students to connect and build relationships with industry professionals to secure summer internships. Companies recognize the importance of engaging and supporting our community college students. The companies students connected with include AMGEN, Johnson & Johnson, Amazon, National Security Agency, NASA, National Geographic, Ancestry, Caltech, and many more.
One of our MESA Veteran students, Roberto Cuestas, writes: “The SACNAS conference was an extraordinary experience. I was able to speak with NASA, NSA, Amazon, and multiple universities throughout the United States for internship opportunities. I was able to acquire direct emails from the representatives to better assist the chances of acceptance into their internship programs as well attend an invite-only breakfast with Amazon and acquired a deeper understanding of the roles of their work environment. In addition, the career fair and the meetings increased the amount of connections with graduate and undergraduate students from different countries. Overall, the SACNAS conference was a major benefit in building relationships, community, as well as a solid bridge, visually, between the life of an undergraduate student and their future professional self.”
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VC Outreach team attends 34 events in October!
The outreach team has been busy attending events in October, we were able to showcase our Pirate Pride at 34 events. We visited 14 high schools where we offered presentations, application workshops and help with portal set-up & online orientation assistance. We also had the opportunity to attend a few community events including visiting the UPS warehouse in Ventura. In the month of October, we have been able to help over 700 students apply to VCCCD! Our new pirates are getting excited to join us in the Fall.
We would like to thank everyone who has volunteered to help us at the various workshops that we have been able to host; Financial Aid, Welcome Center, A&R, FYE, East Campus and MESA!
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Financial Aid Office
The Ventura College Financial Aid Office is busy visiting high schools, Ventura College classes, and hosting Cash for College events throughout the county. During these events, we are helping students and their families complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or California Dream Act application. On October 8, we had over 230 students and parents attend Cash for College. On October 18, we collaborated with Ventura High School and Ventura Unified as part of Undocumented Student Action Week. During this event, we served an additional 73 students. On October 22 we held another Cash for College event at VC East Campus where we assisted over 142 students and parents.
We scheduled two additional Cash for College workshops in November. This time the workshops were held in the evenings - November 8 at the Main Campus and November 15 at VC East Campus. These workshops will be held from 5pm-7pm.
For more information about any of our financial aid programs or events, please visit our website.
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VC Foundation Holds President’s Circle Kick-Off Event
The VC Foundation hosted a President’s Circle Kick-Off Reception on Tuesday, September 20th, at the Ventura College Learning Resource Center's Third Floor Terrace. More than 25 guests attended the first President's Circle event of the 2022-23 academic year for some food, drinks, and mixing & mingling.
At the event, Dr. Kim Hoffmans, R.N., President of Ventura College, and the VC Foundation’s Executive Director, Anne Paul King, provided a snapshot of how President’s Circle Members (donors who give annual unrestricted support of $1,000 or more) provide maximum flexibility for the Foundation in applying them to current priorities and needs. VC Foundation donor, Mary Saputo shared with guests why she continues to support the President’s Circle and 2022 Student Scholarship Recipient, Xavier Terminello shared how this support has made an impact on his educational journey.
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Gerry Pantoja Named Ventura College Foundation’s Director of Philanthropy
Gerry Pantoja has been named Director of Philanthropy at the Ventura College Foundation. He had previously held the position of Director of Major and Planned Giving.
Pantoja was also recently named a Certified Fund Raising Executive by CFRE International. To receive the designation, he successfully passed a written examination testing his knowledge, skills, and abilities required of a fundraising executive and agreed to uphold CFRE Accountability Standards and its Donor Bill of Rights. READ MORE!
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Five New Members Join Ventura College Foundation Board
The Ventura College Foundation Board of Directors has added five new members. Joining the board are Debe Bylo, Mark Dufresne, Liz Kraus and Dr. Jill Muraoka Lim. All have a strong connection with Ventura College. As the current president of the Associated Students of Ventura College (ASVC), Jessica Flores Esquibel will also serve on the board during her term.
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VC Foundation Accepting Scholarship Applications for 2022-23
The Ventura College Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2022-23 school year. The deadline for application submissions is January 20, 2023.
Students currently enrolled at Ventura College in the 2022-2023 academic year, who have completed at least six credits by the end of Fall 2022 semester, are eligible to apply. Units earned in previous semesters at Ventura College count towards the unit requirement.
View Scholarship Information & Workshop Schedule
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