October 24, 2022

{View as Webpage}

Los Rios Board Votes to End Vaccine Mandate

At their Wednesday night meeting, the Los Rios Board of Trustees voted to end our district’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for employees and students as soon as practicable. District and college staff have already begun the process of operationalizing this decision, and will provide more information about specific implications in the days and weeks ahead. In the meantime, the current vaccine requirement remains in place.

In their decision, the Board was careful to note that the public health crisis surrounding COVID-19 is far from over, and Los Rios will continue to heed the relevant guidance from state and local public health experts relating to measures to mitigate the spread of infection. We will also continue to strongly encourage that all students and employees get vaccinated and stay up to date with the most current booster regimens, though it will no longer be a condition of enrollment in on-ground classes or of employment.

This was not an easy decision for our Board, and one that they made only after significant thought and discussion. We are incredibly proud of our Board and our entire Los Rios community for handling such a complicated issue -- one that has divided communities all around the country for the past 2 years -- with grace, collegiality and professionalism.

As more information is available about the operational impacts of this decision, as well as next steps regarding our campaigns to continue keeping our community healthy and safe, we will share it with you all.

LGBT History Month

October is LGBT History Month, an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history, which includes the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements and celebrates the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. To commemorate LGBT History Month, learn more about 31 LGBT icons including youth activist Jazz Jennings, WNBA all-star Sue Bird, CNN news anchor Victor Blackwell, Jeopardy champion Amy Schneider, and author Hans Christian Andersen.

Infusing Assessment Practice into Your Work   

Student Services professionals are invited to a Tuesday, November 1 Zoom workshop centered on effective program evaluation, assessment, and implementation. This is the second workshop in a series and will be from 9:00 to 11:00 am. The facilitator is Dr. Jill Dunlap, Senior Director Research & Practice, NASPA, a national association for Student Affairs administrators in higher education. Register now.

Accreditation Update

We welcomed our Institutional Self Evaluation Report (ISER) Review Team for a focused site visit October 10-12. The team held an open forum, met with folks from across the college and district, and then closed with an exit report event. Watch a video of the exit report event at youtu.be/N6r_HDWykyo The team had good things to say about the great work you are doing to help our students succeed. The review team’s findings will next be reviewed by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) to direct the decision on the college’s reaffirmation. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard on the accreditation process.

In Memoriam

ARC President Melanie Dixon recently shared the sad news about the passing of longtime ARC employee Ed Bartholome. A Celebration of Life (Open House) for Ed will be held Saturday, November 5, 12:00 to 4:00 pm, at 6881 Kettering Circle in Fair Oaks. Click here to RSVP. In lieu of flowers the family is asking that you consider a donation to the ARC Ed Bartholome Memorial. Donations will be used to provide a commemorative plaque on the computer tech office space, Room 302, in the Diane Bryant STEM Innovation Center in honor of Ed. This area is the tech support area for the STEM building and home for the IT support staff. Ed served in this capacity for over 18 years as well as used this space to manage his many leadership duties for the district. Click here to access the Ed Bartholome ARC Memorial Gift Page.

We are saddened to report the recent passing of retired ARC Business and Computer Science professor Robert Irvine, AKA “Professor Bob.” Bob served at ARC from 1997 to 2017. A Celebration of Life was recently held for friends and family.

Tour of New Printing Services Sign Shop 

Did you know there is now a sign shop here at American River College? There is! Prepare to be impressed by the latest capabilities of your Printing Services Department which, in addition to printing on paper, can now produce printed stickers and fabrics, and also rigids like aluminum, wood, and even doors! Learn more at a guided tour on Friday, November 4, 9:00 to 10:00 am in the Print Services Sign Shop, located along College Oak Drive, just south of the Operations Department office, near the stadium parking lot. Stop in, check out their newest offerings, and get useful tips on how to navigate their awesome new website during this hour-long tour. Note: this event will be repeated during Flex Days in January 2023.

Internship Info Month Wraps Up

This is the final week of Internship Info Month events hosted by the Los Rios Work Experience and Internship Program from each Los Rios campus. Students should not miss out on this opportunity to learn about available, quality, local internships and the organizations that are offering them! The final events include:

Accounting Internships with Frank, Rimerman + Co.

Monday, October 24, 12:00 to 1:00 pm

Register in Advance

Paid Internship With 3Fold Communications

Tuesday, October 25, 12:00 to 1:00 pm

Register in Advance

Kaiser Permanente’s KP LAUNCH Internship Program

Thursday, October 27, 12:00 to 1:00 pm

Register in Advance

Summer 2023 Internships with SMUD

Friday, October 28, 12:00 to 1:00 pm

Register in Advance

So Fresh!

Did you know that two out of five students qualify for CalFresh? CalFresh can help students buy food and eat healthier. An eligible student will get $234 each month and it won’t affect their financial aid, and they don’t need their parent's tax return information to apply! To find out more and apply, please direct students to the Students CalFresh website.

Immigrant Stories Storytelling Event at Sac State

All are invited to Immigrant Stories, a free storytelling event on Friday, October 28, at 6:00 pm in the Hinde Auditorium on the Sacramento State campus. This event will amplify the lived experiences of our immigrant community members. Six storytellers - including a former Los Rios student - will take the stage to share their true personal stories of navigating life as an immigrant in Sacramento. This event is hosted in partnership with the Sacramento State Dreamer Resource Center and sponsored by Capital Public Radio. Learn more at capitalstorytelling.com/event/immigrant-stories/. 

Want to know what's happening?

Check out the calendars below!

Public Website Calendar

Insider Calendar