January 23, 2023

Dear Peralta Community,

Welcome to the Spring 2023 semester. Today should be a day of celebration for students returning to our colleges’ to continue their educational goals and to avail themselves of our outstanding instruction and support services. Today should also be an opportunity for us to celebrate the Lunar New Year – the Year of the Rabbit. And we do celebrate these events!

But this week, we also fly our flags at half-staff at the campuses in solidarity with US President Joe Biden and our federal government, in memory of the lives lost and people injured at the tragic shooting yesterday at Monterey Park in southern California.

Laney Puente, Latinx Students/Colleagues Celebrate with Dia de Gracias, End of Semester Events

Tuesday, November 22 was a great day at Laney College, as the Puente Program gathered to have its own Dia de Gracias as an advance celebration of the coming holiday. The event was attended by around 30 students, alumni, family members, and Laney colleagues, giving it the richness of true Puente events. Special thanks to Counseling Faculty Member Laura Gomez-Contreras and Professor Maya Chinchilla, under the leadership of Associate Dean Gary Albury, for a great event and energizing this critical program. Thanks to their efforts, what was once a cohort with barely 5 students a few years ago is now becoming a program full of students.

Dear Peralta Community,

Per our policy to follow Alameda County Public Health Department guidelines, and based on discussions with union leaders, it is agreed that in January 2023 masks will become optional on Peralta Community College District (PCCD) property and will no longer be required. People may choose to mask at any time.

Hello Peralta Colleagues,

I don't know about you, but I am very much looking forward to the Thanksgiving break on November 24-25, 2022. Working at Peralta Community College District can often feel like stepping on a treadmill that’s already going 10 miles per hour. There’s always so much going on. We all need this break to recharge and reflect.

On November 1, Laney College honored our late colleague Rene Rivas with a ceremony that officially named the 6th floor Classified Employee Lounge after him. Family, friends, and colleagues gathered for a reception, lunch, and ceremony, first in the Tower lobby and culminating on the 6th floor with a ribbon cutting and sharing of mementos that will remain in a space that henceforth will carry his name.

The Laney Theater Arts Department put on four performances of “Art is Useless When Being Mauled by a Bear” in November. The play was directed by Laney Professor Michael Torres and written by Alisa Tangredi, who was present for all the productions and praised all involved at Laney. Also, following the performance, cast member and first-semester student Jackson Nguyen was subsequently cast in another production off campus.

Biology faculty member Emily Quach represented the College in grand fashion with her presentation at the recent National Science Foundation Advanced Technical Education (NSF-ATE) conference in Washington DC.

The first-ever Peralta Charrette was a huge success. We really appreciate the approximately 200 community members who participated for taking the time to register, attend, and share their thoughts and concerns as the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) works on our five-year strategic plan and the Peralta Colleges – Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College – work on their educational master plans.

OAKLAND, Calif., November 16, 2022 – Course registration fees are being waived for the Spring 2023 semester at all four of the colleges within the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) in the East Bay: Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College. The fee waiver is available to all California residents – documented and undocumented – who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There is no minimum course credit requirement.