Equity, Pathways, & Inclusion

To meet our commitments to reach SMC’s racial equity imperative and student success goals, the EPI division is driven by SMC’s equity mission and vision and strives to:

• Work with the various institutional bodies and key stakeholders to develop, align, support, and assess equity-focused decision-making, programming, education, training and activities to promote and advance equity, pathways and inclusion
• Foster greater collaboration, synergy, action, and change to build engaging, culturally-responsive, inclusive, and equity-centered experiences for all our college campus community (students, faculty, staff, administrators) who belong to historically racially minoritized and disenfranchised groups. 
• Identify and work towards removing policies, practices, and procedures that create inequitable barriers and experiences to the access and success of all our college campus community (students, faculty, staff, administrators) who belong to historically racially minoritized and disenfranchised groups. 
• Center a culture of care and belonging, both inside and outside the classroom, to improve the racial climate at SMC
• Draw from existing scholarship and evidence-based practices to provide leadership, support, education and accountability in advancing equity, pathways and inclusion.
• Work to cultivate an environment at SMC where equity and inclusion is inescapable because it’s infused in everything we do

The division of Equity, Pathways, and Inclusion is currently in our inaugural year of service and are diligently working to build an infrastructure to meet the commitments of the EPI division.  To date, the EPI division has been supporting and collaborating on the following programs, activities, and grants: 

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) STEM/Equity Grant
• California Trustee Fellowship Intersession Project grant with the Math Department
• California Guided Pathways (Redesigning the Student Experience)
• Equitizing Gateway Courses Program (EGC)
• Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI)
• Student Equity Plan 2.0 (2022 - 2025)
• SMC Campus-Wide Equity Audit with Hotep Consultants (2022-23)
• Caring Campus Initiative
• Student Equity and Achievement Program (SEAP)
• The EpiCenter (formerly The Center for Teaching Excellence)
• Program Maps
• Student Care Teams
• GPS
• Direct Connect

Next week, California will celebrate Black Student Success Week, which is a statewide initiative to highlight and show love to our amazing Black students who are part of the California Community Colleges. This initiative was started during the pandemic consisting of Zoom presentations coordinated by Dr. Keith Curry, President of Compton College.

This year, colleges are being asked to host our own events based on themes assigned for each day next week. Our SMC Black Student Success Committee is excited to offer a series of events and we hope you share these with your Black students!

• Monday, April 24^th from 11:15 am to 12:35 pm – Black Student Success Week Kick-off on the Quad! We will celebrate our Black students at SMC with student speakers, African-centered practices, food and fun!

• Tuesday, April 25^th from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm – Celebrating the Theme of Advocacy – Black Collegians Counseling Faculty will be present to help our Black students navigate the Spring 2023 SMC College Fair – asking the right questions and learning about the various colleges.

• Wednesday, April 26^th from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm via Zoom – Careers that have Opportunities for Increased Black Representation. SMC colleagues and other special guests will discuss their areas of expertise in the areas of STEM and Arts/Film/Media.
  Zoom Registration Link: https://smc-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArdOuhqTstHNOT7ZVK3oqxf552xS2Ua9qk

• Thursday, April 27^th from 11:15 am to 12:35 pm – Highlight on Umoja Programs – Black Collegians (which is part of the statewide Umoja Community) will have our BC Umoja students and Black Collegians Umoja representatives speaking about the program during Club Row!

• Friday, April 28^th from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm via Zoom – “Intersections of Higher Education: The Black Perspective”. SMC Black classified educators, faculty and administrators will share why they chose the path of education (some of our colleagues previously had careers outside of education). They will also share how they specifically work to support Black students and their hopes for our Black students at SMC. 
  Zoom Registration Link: https://smc-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrd-Gvpz0sG9dCcqBCQqaM17e1P-_TlLsF

Sincerely,
The Black Student Success Week Committee:

• Cameron Terry, Vice President, Black Collegians Club
• Dr. Tyffany Dowd, Counseling Faculty, Black Collegians Program Umoja Community
• Eartha Johnson, Project Manager, Division of Equity, Pathways and Inclusion
• Dr. Jermaine Junius, Faculty, Communication and Media Studies
• Kristin Ross, Faculty, Math Department
• Jocelyn Winn, Student Services Specialist, Black Collegians Program Umoja Community
• Sherri Bradford, Program Leader, Black Collegians Program Umoja Community
  
  

Community colleges across the U.S. have experienced significant enrollment declines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These declines were particularly concerning for men of color. For instance, community college enrollments for Black and Native American men dropped by 26% and 24%, respectively. However, many colleges have struggled to return enrollments and retention to their pre-pandemic levels.

This webinar will focus on recommendations for enrollment and student success efforts designed to support community college men of color. Our presenters will include Drs. Frank Harris III, Marissa Vasquez, and J. Luke Wood.

Register Now!