Published on 1/5/2021.
Comments/Board Business
Land Acknowledgement: In his second act as President of the Board, Mr. Danny Kelley read a formal statement that recognizes and respects the Indigenous Peoples as the original stewards of the land that College of the Redwoods occupies. The statement is an expression of gratitude, appreciation, and honor to the Indigenous People who have been living and working on their traditional land. The statement will be included on all future board meeting agendas:
We acknowledge that the land on which we are gathered today is unceded territory of the Wiyot people who continue to live and thrive on this land today. It is surrounded by the traditional, ancestral, and present homeland of several indigenous nations including the Hupa, Karuk, Mattole, Tolowa, Wailaki, and Yurok that make up Humboldt County.
Member Comments: Clerk of the Board Mr. Dorn commented that he had viewed the ACCJC professional development series. Trustee Mrs. Biggin said that she participated in the DEI task force meetings. She also discussed the Celebrate Cultural Diversity in April initiative. President of the Board Mr. Kelley informed the Board that he had completed the Excellence in Trusteeship professional development certification process.
Board Appointments: President of the Board Mr. Kelley made appointments to several of the Board’s committees.
- Audit Committee—Vice President of the Board Mrs. Mathews, Clerk of the Board Mr. Dorn, and Trustee Mr. Coppini
- Ad Hoc President/Superintendent Evaluation Committee—Trustee Dr. Mullery, Vice President of the Board Mrs. Mathews, and Trustee Mr. Coppini
- Ad Hoc Board Self-Evaluation Committee—President of the Board Mr. Kelley, Vice President of the Board Mrs. Mathews, and Clerk of the Board Mr. Dorn
- Ad Hoc Committee on Advocacy—Trustee Mrs. Biggin, Clerk of the Board Mr. Dorn, and Trustee Dr. Robertson
- Ad Hoc Committee on Student Success—President of the Board Mr. Kelley, Trustee Dr. Mullery, Trustee Dr. Robertson, and Student Trustee Ms. Peters
- Board Representatives to the Foundation Board—Trustee Dr. Robertson and Trustee Mr. Coppini
- Trustee to the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission (RRDEC) Board—President of the Board Mr. Kelley
Trustee Participation in Community College League of California (CCLC) Effective Trustee and on January 20-22 and the CCLC Annual Conference on January 25-26, 2021:
We value the professional development of our trustees. To support this value, the Board approved the participation of President of the Board Kelley, Trustee Dr. Robertson, and Trustee Tracy Coppini in the upcoming Community College League of California (CCLC) Effective Trusteeship and Board Chair Workshops in January. The Board also approved President of the Board Kelley, Vice President of the Board Mathews, and Clerk of the Board Dorn’s participation in the CCLC Annual Legislative Conference.
President of the Board Danny Kelley's participation in the 2021 Virtual Community College National Legislative Summit on February 8-10, 2021: The Board approved President of the Board Kelley’s participation in the 2021 Virtual Community College National Legislative Summit in February.
Consent Calendar Action Items
Approve/Ratify Personnel Actions: I want to congratulate Montel Vanderhorck for his change of status to Interim Career Center Manager effective January 11, 2021.
Action/Discussion Items
Monthly Financial Status Report: The Board approved a monthly financial status report that continued to show what we intend to transfer $90,000 to the Child Development Center, $50,911 to the Shively Farm, and $645,000 to OPEB from the general fund. The report also showed a projected 2020-21 ending fund balance of 9.0%, or $2,816,676.
Although we still expect that the District will have to deal with $5,000,000 in state apportionment deferrals, we hope to have more specificity on the status of the deferrals when the Governor releases his January Budget Proposal within the next few weeks.
Informational Reports
Update on Education Master Plan Revision Process: Professor Chris Gaines discussed where we are in the Education Master Plan revision process with the trustees. I attached a pdf of the PowerPoint Chris used in his presentation to this summary.
Servitas Presentation: Mr. Thomas Guiterrez provided a summary of the work completed on the new resident halls project.
Administrative Reports
President/Superintendent's Report: My written report included a copy of the press release we sent to local media outlets related to work of the CR Police Academy Advisory Committee. I am pleased with the work of the advisory committee and look forward to what we can do together to make our police academy even better.
The College of the Redwoods Basic Law Enforcement Academy Advisory Committee has released its findings. The committee, comprised of local law enforcement leadership as well as representatives from Native Tribes and Black, LGBTQ, and Latinx interest groups, was convened in November to take a comprehensive look at the Law Enforcement Academy’s curriculum in order to address potential racial bias.
Some of the recommendations from the advisory committee have already been implemented for the next Academy class, starting January 11, 2021. They include a grappling component in the defensive tactics curriculum in an effort to reduce lethal force, more de-escalation training, the inclusion of Crisis Intervention Training, and an emphasis on critical thinking. Additionally, Explicit and Implicit Bias tests will be used as a source for discussion on how these biases influence the role of the officer and their effect on interactions with the public.
In future cohorts, discussions on power dynamics in the field will explore the ethics of power and authority, and examine structural and institutional racism and how it contributes to a power imbalance. Trauma Informed Policing will be incorporated in an effort to aid in understanding intergenerational trauma and on-going oppression of communities typically labeled as “dysfunctional.” This will address stigma by educating students on the prevalence of substance use disorders and mental illness, and encourage discussions about connections between historical trauma and addiction, mental illness, and co-occurring disorders among communities that have been historically disempowered and oppressed.
The Academy will seek to create a culture where it is ok to ask for help, and will help officers work with members of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially transgender identities.
“I am extremely thankful for everything our police officers do and am proud that CR’s police academy produces officers who are honest, intelligent, kind, and determined,” said CR President Keith Flamer. “The recommendations the Committee sent to me will only make an excellent police academy even better. I want to thank all of the community members who participated in the curriculum review process. Their input was invaluable. I look forward to the ongoing conversations.”
CR’s new Administration of Justice Director Michael Perkins also embraces the findings, saying “I see the recommendations put forth by the advisory committee as a great road map to further develop our program. We are very proud that many of the concepts for development are already in place and we have great ideas on where we can further build on these successes.”
“The Basic Law Enforcement Academy of College of the Redwoods has been a vital training program for our communities,” said incoming CR Board president Danny Kelley. “The Board of Trustees stand behind President Dr. Flamer and Director Perkins as they seek to enhance officer training with the excellent and timely recommendations of the Advisory Committee. Law enforcement is a difficult and thankless job. CR is committed to supporting the Academy and to providing future officers with the best training possible for the protection and benefit of all members of our community.”
The Committee will meet again early next year with Mr. Perkins and coordinator Greg Allen and further recommendations will be forthcoming.
In my verbal comments, I mentioned that I signed a MOU with the County that gives the County permission to use the Eureka Campus gymnasium as a vaccination clinic site through July 31, 2021. I also mentioned that the Planning Commission and the Humboldt County Supervisors are discussing an exemption to the hemp moratorium for CR to pursue hemp research in the future. I want to thank Humboldt County Supervisor Rex Bohn and Agricultural Commissioner Jeffery Dolf for their support.
Vice President of Instruction Report: Angelina’s written report focused her work with faculty to include virtual reality software in curriculum. Over the holiday break, she and several staff and faculty met with Mr. Cory Heizenrader, the Chief Executive Officer of Heizenrader, a medical education company (https://heizenrader.com). The Heizenrader company assists users in creating educational content in mixed reality education platforms.
Biology Professor Maria Morrow, is leading the content-development front. Professor Morrow is working on modules for her BIOL-1 course and if all goes well will develop content for her botany course. The next step is for Professor Morrow to report to CR administration about the effectiveness/ease of content development, and if she believes virtual reality (VR) software can be worthwhile in curriculum delivery. The CR police academy and faculty from our Art, Mathematics, Manufacturing Technology, Biology, and Nursing are also looking into whether VR could enhance their curriculum.
Angelina commented on the possible impact that HSU’s polytechnic initiative may have on CR. She also talked about the January FLEX professional development activities.
Vice President of Administrative Services Report: Julia’s written report spoke to the work of the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC). If you do not know, the role of the BAC is to provide budget priority recommendations to the Administration that will help inform the District's annual budget and multi-year forecast budget assumptions. The BAC also ensures that we align our budget and multi-year forecast to our integrated-planning process.
At the December 14th, 2020 meeting, members of the BAC discussed the 2020-21 Annual Budget Outlook Statement, a document that analyzes the Annual Plan, the Educational Master Plan, the previous year's Program Review Executive Summary, and the recent 4020/4021 summaries for possible budget implications. These documents help formulate the BAC's budget priority recommendations.
Julia talked about how important the BAC is to ongoing operations of the District and to our continued adherence to accreditation standards.
Executive Director of Foundation Report: Marty’s report noted that he has been working with the Humboldt Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) launch committee and finalized CR as the host agency for the COAD Coordinator. The CR Foundation will receive $7,000 in compensation as a host agency. He was also given a grant from the Humboldt County CARES ACT Small Business Recovery Program for $3,600 to reimburse the Foundation for expenses due to COVID.