Spring Semester Is Off to a Great Start with Welcome Week at CoA

College of Alameda kicked off Spring Semester 2023 with a series of informative and inviting Welcome Week activities. The series of events was a team effort with many departments pitching in to provide support and resources, including Financial Aid, Admissions and Records, Puente, Associated Students of CoA (ASCOA), UMOJA, SALAAM, ACCESO, Health Services, the Library, and Learning Resources.

Welcome Week CoA started on January 23, 2023, with a free coffee bar and a Rock EnRoll event designed to support new and continuting students registering for classes and financial aid. On Tuesday, January 24, 2023, participants were treated to free lunch, a free produce market, Cougar Closet for free personal items, and a fun and informative ASCOA Bingo game to help orient them to the campus environment. On Wednesday, students met with department representatives to learn more about the variety of free services available to them, including health, tutoring, and special programs like UMOJA or SALAAM among others.

On Thursday, January 26, 2023, students were invited by Acting College President Dr. Diana Bajrami to a special free pancake brunch. Welcome Week events were organized by Enrollment Services Dean Dr. Amy Lee, and the Office Student Activities and Campus Life under the Direction of Natalie Rodriquez.

CoA Celebrates Black History Month

College of Alameda is celebrating Black History Month (BHM) with a robust series of events focusing on Black Art, Black Love, Black Freedom, Science, Black History, and Black Food. Special thanks to Math Department Instructor and Co-Chair Dr. Khalilah Beal-Uribe and African Diaspora Studies Instructor Jody Campbell for their contributions to the series.

The celebrations started on February 2, 2023, with both in-person and virtual orientations to Black History Month at COA and on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2023, CoA offered a musical Celebration of Black Love, featuring the talented Black Excellence Band, and a free Soul Food Barbeque lunch.

Upcoming BHM events include:

• Thursday, February 16, 2023, noon-1 pm – Black Art showcasing professional and budding professional fashion and art showcases, a hands-on painting activity (Sip n' Paint) led by the artist Alana, and free snacks in the H Building Lobby.
• Tuesday, February 21, 2023, noon-1 pm – Panel Discussion: What is the State of the Black Freedom Struggle? Where are we in the Journey toward Equality?
  Room H154 & Virtual; Tasty Tuesday Soul Food Fried Chicken Lunch provided
• Thursday, February 23, 2023, noon-1 pm – Freedom, Resistance, and Equality Keynote Speaker: Faculty Emeritus Sherrone Smith, in Room H154 and also by Zoom, with free snacks.
• Monday, February 27, 2023, 1:30- 3 pm – Special science presentation about Henrietta Lacks and an exploration of medical ethics, race, and genetics that lie at the heart of her story, and the impact of the HeLa cell line.
Events take place in the Science Annex (ATLAN), with free lunch in the MESA Student Lounge, and follow-up discussion in Room 100.
• Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 12:30-2 pm – BHM events culminate in a long-standing CoA tradition of The Grand Finale Sunday Dinner, featuring hot soul food and a delicious dessert buffet in the H Building Lobby.

This article is an excerpt from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Diana Bajrami, College of Alameda Acting President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, February 14, 2023. To view it as a pdf, click here.