February 21, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
I want to unequivocally affirm Santa Rosa Junior College’s commitment to building inclusivity and belonging among our students and employees.
Over the past few weeks, there have been several incidents of macro and micro aggressions that perpetuate harm and trauma among our employees and students. In light of these incidents, I refocused yesterday’s Cafecito wth the College to address Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Accessibility (IDEAA) centered work and practices. IDEAA is a fundamental value that underpins everything we do as an institution of higher education. While this session was not intended to make right what has been wrong for a long time, we must engage in a real dialogue with respect and honesty to take actionable steps forward.
Our dialogue cannot occur over email. This work is very important and warrants face-to-face conversations so we can set up the conditions to create space for understanding and hold ourselves and our community accountable. I want to thank the colleagues who attended Cafecito with the College either in person or remotely and invite those unable to participate to contact your constituent group leader, supervisor, or me to join the conversation. This communication summarizes what was discussed at the session for those who were not able to attend and provides the next steps the District leadership is taking as we move forward in this work.
During the Cafecito, I shared that I unapologetically center students in our work. I acknowledged the harm that had occurred to our colleagues and students. I am committed to open and transparent dialogue through communication that is at least two dimensional. I recognized that the format of the Cafecito was less of a dialogue and more of an interactive experience via an online tool.
I asked those in attendance in person and on Zoom to answer a series of questions about their experiences and understanding of SRJC’s IDEAA practices through a tool called Menti. You can find the anonymous responses to the Menti survey here. I believe we must harness the expertise and community cultural wealth that colleagues and students bring to further our IDEAA work and culture.
I am committed to taking the following actionable steps to center and advance our IDEAA work including:
- Organizing additional SRJC Voices sessions to further this conversation during the remainder of the Spring 2024 semester.
- Addressing communication norms and usage of email with critical partners. Our current Board Policy and Procedure 2.13 and 2.13P Computer and Communications Technology Use governs email use. Policy review is important work College Council is undertaking through our shared governance structure and I plan to bring this policy forward with revisions and updates by May 2024. We must preserve the integrity of an open exchange of ideas and information while also ensuring we have appropriate means for holding one another accountable when communication norms are violated and tools are misused.
- Conducting a campus climate assessment with an anticipated launch date of Fall 2024. This assessment is designed to evaluate the campus culture as well as provide an opportunity for members of the campus community to voice their perspectives about what we need to do as a District to cultivate and create a college community that honors IDEAA in our practices, policies, and procedures. The results will help the District find new ways and enhance existing approaches to be more inclusive, committed to IDEAA, and centered on student success.
- Delivering EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) Training to the Board of Trustees by June 2024.
- Evaluating and determining the need to create a District IDEAA body by May 2024.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of the work the District is undertaking in support of IDEAA, but rather specific outcomes from the Cafecito with the College session. I will continue to provide updates on this work throughout the semester and encourage you to engage with your constituent leaders on any of these steps.
I call on each of us to continue engaging in intentional and focused efforts centering equity and the student experience. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable college community.
In community,
Dr. Angélica Garcia, Ed.D.
Superintendent/President
707-527-4431, angelicagarcia@santarosa.edu
