President's Office
Welcome to summer session
July 3, 2023
Welcome to the first day of summer session. This weekly message is a playful take on our unique address. Each week I highlight 5 messages: initiatives and events where I hope we can partner鈥搃n thought, spirit, or location鈥搕o advance connection and community.
(1) Graduation kudos.
Graduation celebrations were a triumph. Not only was Friday鈥檚 Commencement a joy filled,
high energy rite of passage, the many bespoke graduations over the last two weeks
communicated to students that student success is our heartbeat. The 鈥淕rad Cam鈥 and
pre-ceremony stage show stoked a festive atmosphere. If you missed it, check out the
video on . Speaking of missing out, I try not to contribute to anyone鈥檚 FOMO, but if you did
not stay for the graduation after party at the Smithwick courtyard, I encourage you
to seize the next opportunity. I was dead on my feet until Music Technology professor鈥檚
Eric Kuehnl鈥檚 80s Cover band, Retrospekt, had me singing all the words to the soundtrack of my high school years. Kudos to
the Graduation Planning Committee, anchored by Catalina Rodriquez. The effort was so great that I need to acknowledge the whole (and considerable)
powerhouse team:
Core Planning Team
Jessica Natarajan
Victoria Strelnikova
Daphne Small
Antoinette Chavez
Christopher Custer
Laurie Scolari
Marketing Team
Simon Pennington
Jerry Robredo
Julie Ceballos
Grounds Team
Joel Cortez
Manny Dasilva
Joel Cadiz
Campus PD
Chief Danny Acosta
Jeff Mcoy
and Team
Marshalls
Simon Pennington
Josh Pelletier
Olga Strelnikova
Mona Rawal
Patricia Mendoza
Sonia Sanchez
Paloma Macias
Volunteers
Kamara Tramble
Adiel Velasquez
Melia Arken
Alex Collins
Holly Hawkinson
Victor Li
Chris Yang
Benjamin Kaupp
Ana Maravilla
Frederik Thio
Kate Jordahl
Nina Haywood
Amit Freikorn
Khang Nguyen
Leigh Howell
Dennis Cima
Pauline Brown
Julie Brown
Jackie Lauese
Daniel Velazquez
Michael Valles
The whole grounds crew!
Deans/Name Readers: Chris Allen, Nancy Cheung, Ron Herman, Valerie Fong, Zachary Cembellin, Aaron Korngiebel, and Mike Teijeiro
ASFC Design Team: Alejandra Mendez, Jenna Jang
EMT Students: Erina, Yasmine, Annie, Andrew D., Ayaka, Gabe, Trevor, William
ETS: Erik La Grange and Team
(2) Summer Hours.
With the July 4th Holiday tomorrow and the beginning of the 4-10 work week, my calendar is quite livable. I am only taking a few days of vacation next week (half day on the 12th and all day on the 13th). If you are on campus this summer, swing by 1900 to say hello and if you want to walk and talk, I welcome 鈥済etting to know you鈥 while 鈥済etting my steps.鈥
(3) Vaccination Requirement.
In response to Board of Trustee action, the suspension of the COVID 19 vaccination requirement begins today. Please remember that all students are still required to report a positive COVID test. This will be required until February 3, 2025 due to requirements from Cal/OSHA. Bookmark our COVID-19 Health & Safety page for resources and information.
(4) Food Trucks.
Our first food truck of the summer will be here next Wednesday. Leave your lunch box at home and meet me at the Library Quad fountain on July 12th to patron .
(5) Supreme Court Decisions.
The last week has been a time for the educational leaders across the nation to wrestle with the court鈥檚 action and assess the impact to our students. Out of the anguish of the ruling on race in college admissions a renewed energy around ending the affirmative action for affluence鈥搇egacy admissions鈥搃s manifesting. Our as well as our capture the import of this moment. I鈥檒l end by amplifying another powerful voice鈥搕hat of Justice Sotomayer, 鈥 [the decision] cements a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle in an endemically segregated society where race has always mattered and continues to matter.鈥 She adds, 鈥淭he majority鈥檚 vision of race neutrality will entrench racial segregation in higher education because racial inequality will persist so long as it is ignored.鈥
Yours in Service,
Kristina