Area Report for Board of Trustees

The division of Student Services operates on 3 Core Functions: Access, Supporting Student Success, and Engagement with a focus on equity.  

The goals of student services for the 2020-2021:

• Goal 1: Strategic Enrollment
• Goal 2: Service Delivery Excellence
• Goal 3: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Student Access, Retention, and Success

Advising, Career and Student Employment (CASE), High School Programs and Running Start

• Academic Standards: Advising and Student Success hosted Keys to Highline workshops on April 13, 17 and 20. While this workshop is aimed at students on Academic Standards (below 2.0 GPA), all students are welcome. Conversations surrounded recognizing strengths, building confidence, understanding campus resources, and strategies for making the most of the college experience. Library, Tutoring, Healthcare, CLS, Umoja, Transfer and other staff participated as well.
• Transfer Center: in partnership with TRIO, the Transfer Center helped host a UW-T transfer drop in event on April 15. Another session will be offered on Thursday, May 13th, 1 – 3 PM. The Transfer center will attend the PTK meeting to facilitate a transfer workshop with Q&A on April 23 (approximately 15-20 students expected). Most application deadlines have passed and 13 students have notified the Transfer Center that they were admitted to their transfer schools.  
• CASE: There are currently 220 student employees as of April 21

Campus View

• Spring Quarter brings an increase in student resident occupancy, at 32%. With COVID-19 safety measures in place, Campus View Student Housing continues to adapt to the guidance provided for higher education while providing robust programming and engagement. The staff are preparing for a slow return to normalcy with a hybrid approach due to the anticipated changes in restrictions for lounge, common area spaces, and current occupancy density recommendations. 

Counseling

• The weekly Tuesday evening Mindfulness, Relaxation, and Reflection Practices zoom series continues to grow in popularity and will continue weekly during Spring quarter.
• The Annual Day of Wellness events will take place on May 4th. Using exercise psychology to boost motivation and increase adherence with Darin Smith at 12pm, May the force pause you with Joshua Magallanes at 1pm, and Indulge yourself with color with Gloria Koepping at 7pm.

Enrollment and Registration

• Advising, Transfer, Career Services participated in the Spring Enrollment Support Campaign. The Advising zoom lobby has supported 60-70 students per day (including evenings and weekends) with additional staff and faculty volunteers helping to serve students through navigating ctcLink.
• Since the beginning of Spring registration, Feb. 25th the Advising Center (with help from volunteers)  met with  807 students prior to the first day of Spring term on April 5th!!!! 
• Enrollment Services: Admissions and Registration continue to provide a combined Enrollment Services Zoom Lobby to assist students in getting enrolled.
  • Admissions has processed 1627 admissions applications between February 2021 – April 2021 in the new online admission application system, and 580 program/plan changes in ctcLink. 
• Running Start
  • Spring enrollment
    • Running Start advisors held 143 advising appointments with Running Start students April 1 – 26; advising was also provided to students through Zoom drop-in sessions, phone,  and email.
  • Fall enrollment
    • Running Start informational webinars were held during April with approximately 60 participants total.
    • Received 393 applications for admissions from RS students as of 4/26.

International Student Programs

• ISP created a new online programming series to connect both new and current international students together. Students are able to engage with other students as well as designated ISP staff to talk or to ask questions. 
• International students now have a new insurance plan through Lewermark insurance. Students still will receive the same coverage with some enhancements while saving some money on insurance. 

Student Support and Funding Services

• We would like to thank all of the staff and faculty who have supported the Highline College COVID-19 Financial Relief Fund effort. Over fifty members of our campus have recently come together to plan and develop the structure of the funding effort and assist students in completing the funding request application. For the Spring quarter funding effort, over 1,900 students applied. Members of the committee and representing departments will begin processing those eligible for the funds and provide additional supports and resources throughout the quarter. The COVID-19 Financial Relief Fund includes the following funding resources: Washington State Undocumented Student Relief Funds, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, and Highline College Foundation Funds. The total amount projected to be disbursed this quarter is approximately 1.1 million. The total amount of students projected to receive funding is projected to be approximately 1,800.
• It is grant season for WES! Worker Retraining and Early Achievers Grant was submitted in April.
• New SBCTC grants which will be under Mariela Barriga’s purview that we are applying for: Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness (SSEH) and Student Emergency Assistance Grant (SEAG). We looked into the Corrections Education funds and found out that legislation awards institutions who currently operate existing correctional education programs in Washington state prisons. SBCTC rep is aware that Highline is interested in receiving funds to grow reentry services/correctional programming.
• Financial aid, cashier and finance continue to address errors they encounter with aid disbursements.
• TRiO is excited to invite Trần Minh to host a workshop on “Decolonizing Professionalism”. The workshop is part of the TRiO Professionalism Course and all students are welcome to attend. Navigating “professionalism” as a first-generation college student and future professional is complicated! Join us in this incredible workshop with Trần Minh Cảnh/Canh Minh Tran (He/Him). He will share with us how to navigate the professional world successfully in a way where we can center ourselves, our communities and our stories. Wednesday, April 28 | 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM Virtual 
• April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct is working in collaboration with Women’s Programs/WorkFirst and the Title IX office to educate campus on “Sexual Assault Awareness Month”. A list of resources and programs was sent to the all campus staff and faculty list.

Student Life

• Center for Cultural and Inclusive Excellence – CCIE hosted the 24th Annual Unity Through Diversity Week (Unity Week), Theme: Abolition as Healing: Liberating Our CommUNITY, April 26- 30 chaired by Edwina Fui, Inter-Cultural Center Leadership Advisor. Unity Week is an educational programming series that focuses on exploring and celebrating the rich intersections of identities within our global community through workshops, lectures, and performances. 2021 brought 6 nuanced programs reflecting the current complexities experienced by our community and provided by the deep commitment of the planning committee: Shon Meckfessel, Betty Vera, Geomarc Panelo, Dr. Darryl Brice, Hara Brook, Nicole Filler, Mya Leonhard (student), Malaelupe Samifua, Doris Martinez.
• Center for Leadership and Service and Center for Cultural and Inclusive Excellence are recruiting 25 student leaders for the 2021-2022 Core Services Student Leadership Team. This core group of student leaders facilitates general support and inclusion of meaningful and purposeful co-curricular and extra-curricular events and activities.
• Highline College resumed our participation with 40 students participating in the virtual experience in the 31st Annual Students of Color Conference after the 2020 cancelation due to the pandemic restraints. Co-chaired by Doris Martinez, CCIE Director and the Multicultural Student Services Directors’ Council (MSSDC) President. This year’s theme was Hear Our Voices: Resilience Empowered Change that took place on April 15-16, 2021. The Students of Color Conference (SOCC) was established in 1990 by MSSDC, SOCC supports students from the 34 Washington State community and technical colleges to become more active proponents of their own education, life choices, and to expand the opportunities and possibilities for students to become agents of change.
• The Leadership Programming Team, led by Amy Bergstrom, CLS Programming & Marketing Leadership Advisor, hosted the Annual ThunderWeek Spring Welcome for new and returning students. Spring quarter featured programs that invited students into club opportunities, Thunderbird Thursday leadership workshop series, and a first-time virtual service fair led by our Service and Mentorship Engagement Consultants (student leaders).

Veterans Services

• Veterans Services is currently working with the Advising Center to better assist students using veteran related funding meet the requirements set forth by the Veterans Administration. As the VA attempts to implement the improvements to the post 9/11 the rules change to how the benefits can be used. By identifying a point of contact in the Advising Center we believe we can better the overall outcome of fulfilling the promise of an education for those who have served in the armed forces and their family members. 

Professional development

Advising, Career and Student Employment (CASE), High School Programs and Running Start

• Advising, Transfer, Career Services Team participated in the 33rd Annual UW & Community College Advising Conference. Patrick Fernandez is a part of the planning committee. 

• Running Start: Elisa Tran (RS Advisor) attended UW’s virtual community college advisor conference on 4/16.
• Veterans Services: Certifying Official for Highline College Kendall Evans will be attending the Isakson & Roe: Sections 1102-1105 (billing changes) webinar provided by the Veterans Administration on the 28th of April.

Counseling

• Nicole Hoyes Wilson provided a second 3-hour online Mental Health and Social Justice training for CTC Navigators across the state in partnership with the SBCTC on May 28.  
• The HC Counseling Center will be hosting the Washington Community and Technical College Counselor Spring Networking and Business meeting on May 7. 

Staff

Advising, Career and Student Employment (CASE), High School Programs and Running Start

• Fernando Yanez Martinez began his role as the Program Coordinator for Running Start, replacing Michelle Johnson. Michelle recently accepted a position as Running Start advisor with Tacoma Community College.

Student Life

• Please save the date for our virtual 3rd Annual Equity Development Institute Day, May 14th, 2021. Highline’s EDI Committee is proud to present: Revolution Within:[Mis]Education of Our Minds. This year’s institute marks the beginning of a new programming model from the Equity Task Force as the primary planning committee to a campus wide committee with ETF representation. This year’s co-chairs are Geomarc Panelo (Mentorship Programs Leadership Advisor, Center for Cultural & Inclusive Excellence) and Mary Willoughby (Instruction). 
• The Commencement 2021 Planning Committee invites Highline College to Save the Date for June 17, 2021. This year the graduating class of 2021 will be celebrated with a hybrid day of festivities which will involve the ability for graduates to schedule an appointment to arrive on campus to the Highline Student Union, receive a diploma cover, and take a commemorative graduate photo in their cap and gown. The Highline community is invited to watch the live streaming of the pre-recorded virtual ceremony during the evening from the location of your choice following Gov. Jay Inslee’s four-phased approach for reopening businesses and modifying physical distancing. For questions regarding graduation applications, email graduation@highline.edu. For questions regarding commencement, email commencement@highline.edu. This year’s commencement core planning team: Thomas Bui, Feney Perez, Kim Southerland, and Iesha Valencia.

Report submitted April 28, 2021, by Vice President Aaron Reader