AS COVID-19 CASES INCREASE, DR. RHINE SAYS COMMUNITY COLLEGE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM WILL MEET WEEKLY TO ASSESS THE SITUATION AND POSSIBLY MOVE FROM CURRENT ORANGE PHASE TO RED

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, November 19th, 2020

College notes that  results of positive tests in Yavapai County  for Covid have risen above ten percent threshold, which is point where the CDC recommends schools consider operating in full on-line capacity

Yavapai College  implemented a five-phase plan to deal with Covid-19 for the fall 2020 semester, which began  August 17. The plan has as its goal to protect  the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and the college community. Since its implementation, the plan has been at the second highest level, which is orange.

On Wednesday, November 18 Dr. Rhine reported that Yavapai County has risen above the ten percent threshold where the Center for Disease Control recommends that schools consider operating in a full on-line capacity.  She indicated that she had no plans to  immediately raise the Community College plan to red but would begin weekly reviews of the situation starting November 24.

You may view Dr. Rhine’s entire report below. It contains additional information. 

Categories : COVID 19

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020 AT 1:00 PM ON ZOOM

By R. Oliphant
Friday, November 13th, 2020

Members of the public may provide comments to the Board during Open Call to the Public via Zoom but must first register by 5 p.m. Monday, November 16  

Link to Tuesday meeting: https://www.youtube.com/user/YavapaiCollege

The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board will hold a general meeting on zoom on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 beginning at 1:00 p.m.   For the November Board Meeting, members of the public may provide comments to the Board during Open Call to the Public via Zoom. In order to participate, you will need to register in advance of the Board Meeting.

For those wishing to address the Governing Board, registration will close at Monday, November 16, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. As with in-person comments, each member of the public will be limited to three (3) minutes. You will also need to complete the Yavapai College District Governing Board Request to Speak – OPEN CALL electronic form.

The public may view the proceedings on zoom by going to https://www.youtube.com/user/YavapaiCollege. At the YouTube site, look around a bit and you should see a box on the left of the screen where  the meeting will appear at 1 p.m.   You must click in that box to see and hear the meeting.

You may view the full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting by clicking here.

 

Categories : Meeting Notice

COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO EXPAND SELECTION OF HYBRID CLASSES WITH WINTER 2021 SEMESTER

By R. Oliphant
Friday, November 13th, 2020

More than 50 “hybrid” classes, each of which combine remote study with carefully supervised in-person learning, added

Yavapai Community College has announced that it will add more than 50 hybrid classes in the Winter semester, which begins in January, that combine remote study with “carefully supervised in-person learning.”  Classes that will be added range from “Ceramics to Zumba, from Big Band Music and Ballroom Dance to Competitive Swimming to Pickleball.” There will also be a selection of “Art, Dance, Music and Physical Education” courses.

You may view Community College President Lisa Rhine’s recent comment made during her November 11 update about  the hybrid offerings in the short video clip below.

Sources:  Yavapai Community College story by Michael Grady dated November 9, 1920; Video update by Dr. Lisa Rhine dated November 11, 2020.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION

STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL CLOSES OPEN MEETING LAW COMPLAINT INVOLVING MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

By R. Oliphant
Wednesday, November 11th, 2020

Board member Kathleen Winn had alleged that the Governing Board’s  former president, Linda Thor, coordinated with other board members outside a public meeting to remove Winn as a board officer in January 2020

According to a story in the Arizona Republic of November 9, 2020 by Anne Ryman, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office has closed its open meeting law investigation involving Maricopa Community College.   It  concluded it could not  substantiate a violation of state law.

The investigation was launched when Governing Board member Kathleen Winn filed an Arizona Open Meetings Law complaint in August. Ms. Winn alleged  that the Maricopa Community College’s Governing Board  former president, Linda Thor, coordinated with other board members outside a public meeting to remove Winn as a board officer in January.

The complaint to the Attorney General claimed  board members engaged in serial or chain communication related to board leadership positions. It alleged that  Thor strategized in January to remove Winn as an officer through conversations with three other board members: Marie Sullivan, Laurin Hendrix and Tom Nerini. It also alleged that Hendrix then had conversations with board member Jean McGrath.

An attorney representing the Governing Board wrote that Thor, Sullivan, Hendrix and Nerini said they did not discuss board positions before the January meeting. He also said  that  the topic of the board presidency came up in two unrelated, one-on-one conversations between two different pairs of board members. But neither exchange rose to the level of a “discussion” under state law, he said. “These conversations did not involve a quorum of board Members, and they were not part of a chain or serial communication.”

Source:  Anne Ryman, Arizona Republic, November 9, 2020 story.
Categories : Maricopa Community Colleges, Open Meeting Law, Politics

LINDA THOR AND JACQUELINE SMITH WIN SEATS ON MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD

By R. Oliphant
Tuesday, November 10th, 2020

Did negative tactics used by winners help cement a victory?

Incumbent Linda Thor and Jacqueline Smith won four-year seats on the Maricopa Community College Governing Board.  Thor won over Shelli Boggs and Smith defeated incumbent Laurin Hendrix. They will serve as at large members of the Governing Board. 

As reporter Anne Ryman wrote  in her article in the Arizona Republic of November 3, this was “the most unusual [Governing Board election] in recent memory as far as campaign tactics.”  The Blog agrees.

During the campaign, opponents of losing candidate Boggs sent out a  campaign mailer that showed a recent photo of her wearing a red tank top, mirrored sunglasses and holding an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. The mailer read: “Shelli Boggs couldn’t be trusted with children in a classroom. We can’t trust her on the Maricopa Community Colleges Board!” Boggs opponents also claimed she was “forced out” of her job as a cosmetology instructor over complaints she belittled and bullied students. Boggs denied the allegations.

The incumbent and loser, Laurin Hendrix, had his web site address taken over by Smith during the campaign.  Smith then  posted messages urging people to vote Hendrix out of office. Smith told the Arizona Republic that  she was curious about Hendrix’s platform so she looked up the internet domain name www.lowertuitionnow.com advertised on his campaign signs. She said she found the domain name was available,  took  ownership and began posting information about Hendrix.

Hendrix told the Arizona Republic he was unaware that Smith owned the domain name he had used in the 2016 board election. Hendrix said he reused campaign signs this year from the 2016 election and was unaware the website listed on his signs hadn’t been kept active.

Sources:  Anne Ryman, November 3, 2020 story in Arizona Republic; Anne Ryman, October 18, 2020    story  in Arizona Republic.
Categories : Maricopa Community Colleges, Politics

FUNDRAISER FOR SOUTHWEST WINE CENTER AT 71 PERCENT OF $15,000 GOAL

By R. Oliphant
Sunday, November 8th, 2020

On-line donations must be made by November 15, 2020; because of the pandemic  this   replaces annual fall Wine & Dine Gala that has been held the last eight years; funds will be used to purchase vineyard equipment

The on-line crowdfunding campaign for the Southwest Wine Center has raised 71 percent of its goal of $15,000.  Twenty-nine supporters have donated $10,780.  The campaign closes out November 15.

Recall that over the past eight years the Yavapai College Foundation and the Friends of the Southwest Wine Center have held the annual Wine & Dine Gala in October. However, because of the pandemic, the Gala could not be held this year.

 For this campaign, the College asked the Southwest Wine Center Director, Michael Pierce, for a list of equipment that “will assist the students and staff in the vineyard now and into the future.” He provided the list and the donations from this campaign will go to purchase the items on it.

You can make your donation to the campaign, if you have not already done so, by clicking here and you will be taken to the crowdfunding page. 

Categories : Southwest Wine Center

COMMUNITY COLLEGE CONTINUES UNDER CODE ORANGE BECAUSE OF PANDEMIC

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, November 7th, 2020

Most classes to remain on-line for the spring semester

Yavapai Community College continues in “Code Orange” status because of  the Covid-19 pandemic.   As a result, most classes, 75% or more, will be on-line in the spring semester.  It also means that all but its essential employees will work from home.

In an interview with Verde Independent reporter  Vyto Starinskas in the November 2 paper, Verde Campus Dean Dr. Tina Redd said that “courses related to first-responder, medical, and workforce training will be allowed to do in-person labs supplemented by online lecture materials” during the Spring semester. She also said that Viticulture and Enology students will have in-person classes and “pre-engineering students enrolled in VACTE will be taking 3-D printing courses,”

Categories : ADMINISTRATION, COVID 19

COLLEGE SHOWS FIRST SKETCHES OF NEW GREENHOUSE ON VERDE CAMPUS

By R. Oliphant
Friday, November 6th, 2020

Facility in the fabrication process; will be installed in November

Yavapai Community College has provided the public with the first sketches of the new greenhouse to be constructed on the Verde Campus.  According to the November 2020 Facilities Management Newsletter, the facility is in the fabrication process. 

It is anticipated that the new greenhouse will be installed by the end of November.  Location of the facility, as previously reported by the Blog, will be between Buildings A and G on the Verde Campus.  It is anticipated that the facility will be 18” x 48’.

A sketch of the future facility, copied from the Yavapai Community College Facilities Management Newsletter of November 2020, appears below.

 

Categories : Career and Technical Education

VERDE CAMPUS SKILLED TRADES CENTER ENGINEERED BUILDING TO BE DELIVERED IN JANUARY

By R. Oliphant
Friday, November 6th, 2020

Interior design being put together by John Morgan, Dr. Tina Redd, Heather Mulcaire, and Bob Weir (representing Valley Academy for Career and Technical Education)

According to the November 2020 Yavapai College Facilities Management Newsletter, the Verde Valley Skilled Trades Center engineered building has been ordered and delivery is anticipated by January 2021. The building’s interior is in the design stage with input coming from Dean, Career & Technical Programs John Morgan, Dean of the Verde Valley Campus and Sedona Center, Dr. Tina Redd,  Associate Dean of Student Success, Heather Mulcaire, and Bob Weir (representing Valley Academy for Career and Technical Education).

The Verde Valley Skilled Trades Center is being designed to support Career and Technical Education  programs for Residential Construction, Residential Electrical, HVAC, and Plumbing. The building will be approximately 10,000 square feet of shop space with restrooms and faculty offices.

The College reports that there will also be covered exterior space for additional activities associated with these programs. It is anticipated that earthwork will begin in early December, and building erection beginning at the end of January. The goal is to have the building ready for students for the 2021 fall semester.

The most recent architectural sketch of the facility, copied from the Yavapai Community College November Facilities Management Newsletter, appears below.

Categories : Career and Technical Education

GOVERNING BOARD FAR-RANGING DISCUSSION ABOUT ATHLETIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS THAT GO MOSTLY TO OUTSIDE YAVAPAI COUNTY STUDENTS REVEALING

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, October 31st, 2020

College suggests it may be in violation of Title 9 and female soccer team may  correct a male/female inequity; 5-year plan in the works to use Foundation to support all athletic scholarships; lowering out-state tuition for athletes will allow wider national recruiting by coaches

The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board had a far-ranging discussion about student athletic scholarships at its October meeting.  The discussion was a part of the overall consideration of the tuition and scholarship proposal brought to it for approval by the Community College Administration.

It was revealed by Vice President Rodney Jenkins that the College may be operating in violation Title 9, a federal statute that says that Yavapai Community College is  legally required to provide girls and boys with equitable sports opportunities.

 When addressing the Governing Board, Vice President Rodney Jenkins explained that “we are adding women’s soccer and it’s a Title 9 add.  Fifty-eight percent of our underrepresented students are female.  Forty-two are men. We are at 62 percent of our athletes being men.  We have to bring that fifty-eight percent in line within three percentage points and adding a sport is probably the only way to do it . . ..”

He also said that the plan is to have 85 percent of those students on the [female] soccer team come from Yavapai County.

The reduction in out-state tuition for student athletes will allow Yavapai Coaches to recruit nationally rather than in the 6 state area.   At present the out-state tuition rate puts them at a recruiting disadvantage.

The College also made it clear that it is working on a five-year plan to remove all athletic scholarships from the College’s General Fund budget and rely on the Community College Foundation to raise that money.

An edited version of the long discussion is contained in the twelve minute video below.  You may view the entire discussion by going to the Governing Board Community College web site or by clicking here. 

 

Categories : Scholarships
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