On February 28th, Peralta Community College District (PCCD) Student Trustees Natasha Masand and Naomi Vasquez hosted the first of what we hope will be ongoing gatherings of student leaders from across the district. The meeting, held at the Chancellor’s conference room, was attended by more than 16 leaders representing the Associated Students organizations across the Peralta Colleges. The meeting was also attended by the Chancellor, Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson, the Trustee for Area 4, Dr. Nicky Gonzalez-Yuen, and Berkeley City College Counselor Gabriel Martinez. Mark Johnson, the district head of marketing, also participated.
Student Trustees Masand and Vasquez called the meeting in order to hear from other student leaders on a wide range of issues including suggestions for improving student leadership in Peralta, and raising issues that would benefit from organized student voices including participation in district-wide participatory governance meetings, participating in Chancellor Listening Sessions, and working to change the language we use when we talk about “academic probation.”
Many thanks to the students who participated:
- Natay Myers (CoA)
- Camila Yurivilca (Laney)
- Abigail McMurry (Laney)
- Luis Soberanis Pacheco (Laney)
- Ayla Madrid (Laney)
- Frida Veliz (Laney)
- Neri S Duran (Laney)
- Pierce Byrne (BCC)
- Himali KC (BCC)
- Kristiyan Klichev (BCC)
- Kenneth Rice (BCC)
- Stefaniya Shevtsova (BCC)
- Tenzin Jugney (BCC)
- Derek Carver (BCC)
- Bibek Mainali (BCC)
There was agreement that the onboarding process for Associated Students leaders at each of the colleges could be smoother and more comprehensive. While some students received some training on running meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order, others received little or no training whatsoever. Natasha and Naomi will be working with Mark Johnson and the district Marketing staff to get some documentation for student leaders posted on the district website in the Planning and Budget Integration Model (PBIM) section, which includes Peralta’s Participatory Governance Committee information.
Gabriel Martinez from BCC presented to the leaders some recommendations to overhaul Title 5 language in the way we talk about “academic probation” in order to remove the negative and stigmatizing connotations of “probation.” Students were invited to work with faculty, classified professionals, and administration to rewrite an Administrative Procedure with improved and more equitable language.
Chancellor Gilkerson then addressed the group with a quick overview of the district's organizational structure and a brainstorming session on how to generate more student participation in participatory governance activities on each of the campuses.
The meeting adjourned in the Boardroom with group photos followed by loading up lots of take-out cartons. Many thanks to Tachetta Henry in the Chancellor’s Office for arranging the tasty dinner enjoyed by the students.
