WHEREAS, Many California Community College (CCC) campuses and districts mainly focus on increasing the statistics of students who complete their associate's degree and transfer to a 4-year university within a 2-year timeframe [1] and minimize their priority on other student educational goals such as completing certificates, discovering a major, continuing education, or going to college for personal development;
WHEREAS, The noncredit/continuing education student population, the adult learner student population, and the disabilities and special needs population have minimal focus and discussion [4]; there are community colleges and districts that have minimal noncredit classes that are geared towards college re-entry or recreational purposes; there are also minimal credit and noncredit classes that are geared towards individuals with disabilities, including life skills, academic, and recreational; and community colleges also minimize their focus on events, courses, and programs for the K-12 population; and
WHEREAS, There are community colleges and districts that do not prioritize creating initiatives to increase the sense of belonging and sense of community or to increase campus engagement; and community colleges and districts also do not host enough events and outreach initiatives to include the local community [2, 3]; however, there are many colleges within California community college system that are currently implementing or in the process of implementing the Caring Campus Initiative from IEBC (Institute for Evidence-Based Change) [5-7]; Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage community colleges and districts to increase their support and focus on adult learners, returning students, students with disabilities and special needs, and other nontraditional-learning student populations, including increased outreach for adult learners and students with disabilities, increasing and expanding continuing education programs, the increase in noncredit programs and certificates, and the increase in noncredit recreational classes, noncredit life skills classes, and other noncredit classes for nontraditional learners;
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage community colleges and districts to increase dual enrollment programs, K-12 noncredit classes and workshops, and family-friendly events;
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage community colleges and districts to increase their emphasis on increasing students’ sense of community and belonging, which includes increasing campus engagement that consists of events and activities that allow for students and the rest of the campus community to socialize and connect such as increasing extracurricular and co-curricular activities that promote campus engagement, community, and meaningful learning through experiences; SSCCC shall also encourage all community colleges and districts within CCC to implement the Caring Campus Initiative, and to increase opportunities for students to participate in collaborating and advocating for such initiatives and approaches; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage community colleges and districts to increase involvement, connection, and collaboration with the cities they serve, including increased outreach to the local community including high schools, adult schools, community centers, and resource events such as increasing events that are catered to the local community.
References:
https://iebcnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/big_data_chron_of_high_e…;
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11156233/
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/college-experience/…;
https://calmatters.org/education/higher-education/2023/06/community-col…;
https://iebcnow.org/caring-campus/
https://iebcnow.org/iebc-impact/caring-campus-impact/
https://iebcnow.org/new-california-community-colleges-embrace-caring-ca…;