Berkeley City College President's Report – January 14, 2025

BCC Presents at the 2024 Real College Basic Needs Summit

Last month, the Basic Needs team and advocates from BCC made a strong impression at the 2024 Real College Basic Needs Summit at Lemoore College. The event brought together students, staff, and faculty from across California to share strategies and successes in addressing student basic needs, and BCC’s team was front and center. BCC was well represented, with three student ambassadors, two full-time staff, four Basic Needs Assistants, and Basic Needs Coordinator Izzie Villanueva at the summit.

Student Assistants Kei Napoli Dorantes and Ana Araujo joined Izzie in presenting a session titled “Peer-to-Peer Training: Creating and Sustaining Student-Led Internships,” spotlighting BCC’s innovative, student-driven model for operating the Basic Needs Center. The program emphasizes student empowerment by training interns to track student needs and analyze data, ensuring that goods and services reflect the community’s priorities. Interns are then able to be promoted to the student assistant position after one semester, leading to sustainable recruitment and development of student leadership at the Basic Needs Center.

“[The conference] was good exposure to networking and awareness of basic needs as a whole,” said Kei. “I want to work in education and it’s really good for anyone who wants to be in that field because basic needs is something that so many students are lacking.”

Student Assistant Ana Araujo was selected for a $500 scholarship during the summit’s student raffle.

Here are some key Basic Needs statistics from the Fall 2024 semester at BCC:

• 1,230 unique individuals served through Basic Needs services.
• 1,224 visits to the weekly Thursday Food Pantry.
• 1,605 visits to the Basic Needs Center in Room 15.
• 895 visits where students accessed health and hygiene items like toothpaste, laundry detergent, and clothing.
• 600 refrigerated meals distributed through Everytable.
• 156 emergency transportation grants provided, totaling $23,400.
• 35 emergency food grants distributed, totaling $3,500.
• Over 20 referrals to mental health services and housing support.

The summit was not just a celebration of achievements but also a call to action to continue building a campus community where all students can thrive. “Seeing how other campuses have developed their basic needs centers made us really want to put extra effort into our center to set it up for the next team to make it better.” said Kei Napoli “It was also really interesting seeing how everyone on the BNC team operates outside of school and bringing us closer as people.”

MESA Students Attend SACNAS Conference

MESA students attended the SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science ) Conference on the weekend of October 31 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. SACNAS offers a diverse conference experience to increase access to STEM for students from underrepresented backgrounds. BCC MESA students were able to meet with university representatives and government, non-profit, and private sector employers to network and learn about research opportunities. Students also had the opportunity to meet with other MESA students from across the State of California who were present at the conference.

STEM Departments and Clubs Collaborate at STEM Luncheon

On Wednesday, December 4th, BCC hosted a STEM lunch to bring together students, staff, and faculty to promote STEM courses and programs available at BCC. Students, faculty, student services, and clubs had the opportunity to network and learn about the opportunities available at BCC. Departments that participated included: CIS, Math, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Environmental Science, Biotechnology, MESA Center, LRC, Transfer Center, STEM Club, MESA Club, SACNAS Club, CS Club. This event was sponsored by BCC’s MESA Center and organized by MESA, BCC Biotech, and BCC’s STEM Club.

President’s Message: Supporting Our Undocumented Students

As we begin 2025, with a new federal administration on the horizon, we are becoming increasingly aware of potential changes that could impact the protections for our undocumented students. In early November, Chancellor Gilkerson shared a list of resources aimed at supporting our undocumented and mixed-status students (please see the attached document). As faculty, classified staff, and administrators, it is essential that we familiarize ourselves with these resources so we can effectively guide our students to the support they need.

It’s also important that we fully understand the obligations outlined in our PCCD Formal Resolution (PCCD Board Resolution #16/17-24) and PCCD Administrative Procedure 3415 (AP 3415). These policies ensure the following:

1. We treat all students equally, regardless of their actual or perceived immigration status.
2. We do not make unwarranted inquiries into the immigration status of our students.
3. We do not disclose personally identifiable student information unless required by law, court order, or student consent.
4. If we learn of immigration enforcement activity on campus, we are required to immediately notify the Office of the College President and/or the Chancellor’s Office.

In line with these commitments, we are hosting a presentation on Friday, January 13, 2025, during College Flex Day. This session will provide important information on California’s protections for undocumented students:

Supporting Students with Fragile Documentation Status

Presenter: Nancy Jodaitis, Founder & Principal Consultant, Institutional Solutions

This session will cover California laws protecting undocumented students and students with fragile documentation status. You’ll also learn about best practices and model policies that help ensure the safety and well-being of our students.

In addition to this session, I encourage you to explore the self-paced training module on supporting undocumented students, available through the Vision Resource Center/State Chancellor’s Office: Training to Support Undocumented Students. You may also find this California Attorney General’s guidance helpful: Attorney General’s Guide.

As part of the broader Berkeley community, Berkeley City College stands firm in our commitment to supporting undocumented members of our community. On January 21, 2025, the Berkeley City Council will vote on a Resolution Reaffirming Berkeley as a Sanctuary City. This resolution, crafted by Council Member Brent Blackaby in partnership with local organizations, will further protect immigrant communities in the face of threats such as ICE raids and deportation.

The proposed resolution outlines Berkeley’s legacy as a Sanctuary City and highlights updates to its policies in response to evolving challenges, including ICE raids, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and federal deportation threats.

The resolution:

1. Prohibits the use of city resources for immigration enforcement activities, such as sharing immigration status or collaborating with federal agents, and directs all city directors to inform their staff of these policies.
2. Refers to the City Attorney to explore the possibility of pledging the City’s legal support to help “sensitive sites” such as schools, hospitals, community organizations, public transportation, and places of worship to protect their community members and defend themselves against civil litigation.
3. Calls on the Mayor to create a task force of Council Members and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to continually assess threats to Berkeley’s immigrant communities and seek to codify Berkeley’s Sanctuary protections through a city ordinance.
4. Calls for the passage of SB 48 to Keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement Off of School Campuses, Protecting School Attendance and Funding Amid Deportation Threats.
5. Urges regional collaboration to ensure sanctuary protections and calls on other cities to reaffirm similar commitments.

Berkeley City College continues its strong partnership with the city of Berkeley on this critical issue and has formally pledged support for the resolution.

As we navigate this uncertain and challenging period for many of our students, we remain committed to providing them with the resources, training, and advocacy they need. Together, we will continue to be a strong and supportive community for all of our students.