Glendale Community College
Home MenuOctober 2020 • glendale.edu/StayingConnected
Center for Assistance, Resources and Educational Success (CARES)
Glendale Community College has launched the Center for Assistance, Resources and Educational Success (CARES) to support the basic needs of our students. Basic needs insecurities greatly impact a student’s mental health, physical health, productivity, academic performance and overall educational achievement. The goal of GCC CARES is to provide direct assistance to students, connect them with critical on- and off-campus resources, and offer holistic educational opportunities that retain our students and lead them to complete their educational goals at GCC.
This fall, GCC CARES will oversee the drive-through food bank, the reopening of the food pantry for contactless service, and the distribution of emergency grants. In the first week of launching the emergency grant program, over 1,300 students applied for emergency financial support related to their basic needs. Over the fall semester, GCC CARES will also offer a financial literacy series for students and provide case management services to connect students to on- and off-campus resources.
GCC CARES is also actively pursuing local, state and federal grants to expand basic needs services in the coming semesters. The long term goal of the program is to serve as a single point of contact for all basic needs services in the district. If you have questions about the program, or to make a student referral, please contact the interim program manager, Andre Manukyan, at amanukyan@glendale.edu or the general program email address at cares@glendale.edu
Dual Enrollment's iDual Hub keeps high school students connected
The new iDual Hub has created a space for all high school students who are enrolled in college to come together. Hosted by Martha Cuevas, Dual Enrollment Counselor, the program has been able to serve more than 330 students over the last four months. This has helped students become better informed and able to navigate onboarding as a high school student. Additionally, it has enabled students to be successful in their classes by exposing them to campus-wide support services. Meg Chil-Gevorkyan, Program Manager of Student Outreach Services, Welcome Center and Dual Enrollment, said “our favorite part of iDual Hub is that high school students get to virtually see each other and have created connections!”
Students can join every Wednesday 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. to hear updates and ask questions. www.glendale.edu/iDualHub
Mental health resources available for employees
While the majority of employees are working remotely, there are several online resources available for mental health through the Health Center and Human Resources.
Crescent Orpelli, Mental Health Counselor at the GCC Health Center, gives the following tips for managing stress:
- Find and practice a breathing technique such as: inhale to count of four, retain for count of four, exhale count of four, exhale and pause for four.
- Count your blessings: Make a list of five things you are grateful for and state why.
- Refer to the Health Center site for Tools for Unusual Times which has neuroscience studies to support the interactive processes designed to regulate the nervous system and alter your mood state at www.glendale.edu/healthcenter
She also recommends Health and Wellness 2020: Building Emotional Resilience in Challenging Times, an hour-long Zoom presentation with relevant content about dealing with setbacks, losses, emotional reactions and uncertainty related to life during the pandemic. The video can be found here.
Human Resources provides links to two mental health webinars from Keenan Safe Colleges
- COVID-19: One Month Mental Health Check-in with School Staff
- COVID-19: Helping Parents and Children Prepare for K-12 Fall Semester, a recorded webinar and slide deck
Remember to fill out the AQMD survey!
There is still time to fill out GCC’s annual employee commute survey to report on how employees travel to work. The college is required by law to adhere to South Coast Air Quality Management District's (SCAQMD) Rule 2202, even while employees are working remotely.
The study is tracking employee commuting habits for the week of Monday, September 21 through Friday, September 25, 2020.
All employees (including student employees) are obligated to complete the quick questionnaire.
Take the survey!
While you are away...
Advanced photography students from Amy Oliver’s fall 2019 Photo 140: Fine Art Photography class currently have their work showcased on the second floor of the San Rafael Building in the exhibition, “Dedication.” Each student developed a series with a unique thematic focus. Photo 140 is one of three capstone courses offered through the Photography Department. The original full exhibition was displayed in the Art Gallery @ GCC during the winter session.
“In the class, the students meet with visiting artists and critique one another’s work to develop their images to convey a cohesive idea. The personal growth that happens with each student is really amazing. The best work was then selected by David Yamamoto and myself for the show that was originally at the Gallery,” said Amy Oliver, Assistant Professor of Photography.
"The collection of works showcase our very own GCC artists. These Advanced Photography students produced museum quality work. We have a diverse and dedicated student body that continue to exceed expectations. We are very proud of every one of them," said Clare Little, Instructor of Studio Arts, who installed the exhibition.
VIDEO CORNER
Tour of San Rafael 2nd Floor Remodeled Space