Policies Updated

GRCC has updated policies

September 2021
Policy Meeting

12.10 Furniture Policy

VII. Related Documents – added 3.2 Non-Discrimination on Basis of Disability Policy and 6.8 Remote Work Policy

 X.B. Procedures

• Existing Language:

Departments can purchase furniture with department funds, but all purchases must be processed through Facilities to insure uniform standard and quality.  Departments and individuals should not contact third party vendors without Facilities and Purchasing endorsement.

• Revised Language:

Departments may request furniture be purchased with their department funds, but all purchases must be prepared and processed through the Facilities and/or Purchasing Offices to ensure uniform standard and quality.  Departments should not contact third-party vendors without Facilities and Purchasing endorsement.

15.2 Web Accessibility

Minor grammatical changes & updated contacts

14.16 Health & Safety

VII. Related Documents – added “Communicable Diseases Policy” and “Face Covering (Mask) Policy”

12.9 Facility & Grounds Use

IV. Reason for Policy – Changed “GRCC also makes its physical facilities available to responsible groups and organizations on a rental basis, after meeting college needs “when not in use for college activities.”

IV. Reason for Policy – Added “All events must comply with College Policies.”

V. Entities Affected by this Policy – Added “students”

VII. Related Documents – added “Health and Safety Policy”

X.B.4 Procedures – added “Certificates of insurance will be required”.

For more information, see the policy website.

GRCC’s Arie Jackman, Annie Holesinger, Elizabeth Meyering, and Coleman Clark earn MCCAA Player of the Week honors

Grand Rapids Community College student-athletes Arie Jackman, Annie Holesinger, Elizabeth Meyering and Coleman Clark earned Player of the Week honors from the Michigan Community College Athletic Association.

For Holesinger and Clark, it’s the second time this season they have earned the honor.

Jackman, a freshman from Caledonia, shot 223 for the 54-hole Bill Bockwitz Classic at Spring University. He finished tied for third at the tournament, and GRCC’s golf team finished fourth in a field of 10 teams.

Holesigner, a sophomore middle blocker for the volleyball team, totaled 36 kills in two matches, including a career-high 24 at Muskegon Community College on Sept. 20.  She followed that performance up with 12 kills against Kalamazoo Valley that helped her team to a 3-0 sweep and take sole possession of first place in the conference.

Holesinger earned MCCAA Western Conference Player of the Week honors in August, followed by teammate Ola Nowak.

Meyering, a freshman, helped the women’s cross country team to a second-place finish at the Firebird Invitational last weekend. She finished the five-kilometer course in 22:12, good for 17th place.

Clark, a freshman on the men’s cross country team, won his first ever collegiate race with an 8K time of 26:30 at the Firebird Invitational.  The former Michigan state high school champion took over the lead at the 4-mile mark and edged out Lansing Community College’s Zach Wright by three seconds.  

The honor is the second earned by Clark, who was named MCCAA Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week on Sept. 7. GRCC’s Kaylee Scott earned Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week honors that week.

College Channel programming through Sept. 30

The College Channel schedule, through Sept. 30, includes the 09/07/21 GRCC Austin Channing Brown Interfaith Literacy @ the Diversity Lecture Series video

GRCC Austin Channing Brown 09/07/21

Want more? Check out videos from your local Colleges and Universities.

New Event in the CTE: Gen Ed Course Review & Curriculog

Gen Ed Course Review & Curriculog ~ Virtual and In-Person

• Tuesday, 10/5 ~ 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. 
• Friday, 10/15 ~ 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

This one-hour session provides an overview of how to use the Curriculog system to revise courses based on the recent AGC General Education Decision. The topics covered are, how to:

1. Launch a general education course revision or a new course you want to be considered for inclusion in our general education/MTA offerings.
2. Align your courses to the new General Education Learning Outcomes (GELOs), and
3. Prepare for a meeting with the General Education Review Team.

Click here for registration instructions.

Retirement celebration for Kathy Keating today

Everyone is invited to wish Kathy Keating “Happy Retirement” as we CELEBRATE her years of service.  Kathy retired last week and has been with GRCC since 2003.

The retirement party runs 2 -3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 30, in Room 226 of the Admin Building, Sneden Campus.

GRCC In the News, 09/30/2021

Le Dîner en Blanc Comes To Grand Rapids

September 24, 2021; The Grand Rapids Times

With international travel on hold for most of 2021, Le Dîner en Blanc sent participants on an uplifting holiday in our own city, thus making them feel like they were on vacation in the south of France! The festive and community feel of this long-standing French picnic tradition will not change even though, the number of guests attending was limited. And as always, the location remained secret until the last minute.

… “Due to the pandemic and only having about five months to plan instead of the usual year to plan the event, people were not quite comfortable with being on busses and being close to each other so some of the guidelines changed,” said Tyrona. “We followed the template from start to finish, but people were allowed to have their tables separate and we didn’t do buses so it was all walking to a pedestrian location. Grand Rapids Community College was very gracious in allowing us to use their parking structures at both campuses. We used parking structures throughout downtown, so we had five departure locations and everyone met at the same time and they were shocked because no one has really held anything like this at Veterans Park. Everyone thought that it would be held on the Blue Bridge or at the Calder. We surrounded the Library and East Park Street and we surrounded the park along with VIF (Very Important Friends). We had Brown’s Funeral Home and R 3 Stations as sponsors and we also collaborated with The House of Detroit for the VIF media lounge event. We also hired vendors to do food and alcohol and partnered with Baxter Community Center’s employee Sandra who was very gracious and really helped us to be able to pull this off.”

Vaccine clinics for GRCC, Kentwood communities focus on accessibility

September 29, 2021; schoolnewsnetwork.org (Kent  Intermediate School District)

Leaders at Grand Rapids Community College believe vaccines are an effective tool in slowing the spread of COVID-19, so they are working to make the vaccine process accessible for everyone. 

GRCC hosted two vaccination clinics on their Grand Rapids and Lakeshore campuses this month and offered a $200 incentive to encourage students to get “an effective COVID-fighting tool.”

“We wanted to create an incentive that could apply to all students, whether they are taking classes on campus or virtually,” GRCC Communications Director Dave Murray said. “Adding $200 to their RaiderCards allows students to use the money at the bookstore for textbooks, electronics or anything else sold in the store, as well as parking, food service and printing.” 

Ongoing development at James Street and U.S.-31 includes urgent care center, roundabout and more

September 29, 2021; The Holland Sentinel

HOLLAND TWP. — Drivers along the U.S.-31 corridor in Holland Township have noticed an increase in construction projects near James Street.

… Following the completion of Grand Rapids Community College’s Lakeshore Campus in The Shops at Westshore, the complex is renovating its James Street entrance.

Tech Tip: Bookmarks bar

The bookmarks bar is at the top of your Chrome menu. The bookmark bar allows you to save important websites for later and will allow easier navigation to sites so you don’t have to search for websites on Google or grcc.edu. 

To bookmark a page:

• Navigate to the website you would like to bookmark 
• Press the Star on the top of the browser, next to the address bar.  

• Name the bookmark. For additional organization, you can save the bookmark into a folder.

To create a bookmark folder:

• Select the More option on the bottom of the Bookmark Added menu

• Select the Bookmark bar folder
  • Select New Folder at the bottom
  • Name the folder
  • Select Save

For more information and helpful tips, please visit the IT Customer Support Portal or contact the IT Customer Support Desk at x4357.

If you have a suggestion or a Technology Tip you think can be useful, you can submit them by emailing techtips@grcc.edu 

Kylie Oberlin, Annie Holesinger star as GRCC volleyball sweeps Lansing, winning seventh match in a row

Sophomores Kylie Oberlin and Annie Holesinger starred as the Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team won its seventh-straight match after a three-set sweep over Lansing Community College on Tuesday.

The No. 10-ranked Raiders handled the Stars 25-18, 25-16, 27-25. The win improved GRCC’s record to 10-5 overall and 7-0 in the MCCAA Western Conference. Lansing falls to 8-10 and 3-4 in the conference.

Oberlin and Holesinger, both middle blockers in their third year at GRCC, combined for 64 percent of the Raiders’ scoring on the night while also hitting .500 or better. Oberlin was 14 of 24 with just two hitting errors and had a team-high three blocks.

Holesinger, the latest MCCAA Western Conference player of the week, totaled 16 kills with no hitting errors, and had a team high two aces.

Oberlin couldn’t have been happier about her team’s performance after it bested Lansing in kills, 46-30; hitting percentage, .362-.176; assists, 45-30; service aces, 5-4; digs, 46-37; and blocks, 7-3.

“We showed how dynamic our team is between blocking, serving, defense, and hitting — not only front row, but incorporating some back-row swings and setter attacks,” Oberlin said. “We found ways to adjust each play to make the next one better. So shots they were making initially we were able to adjust and shut down or pick up on defense.”

See Full Article

Next week is Adjunct Appreciation Week!

Adjunct faculty, make sure to stop by one of these locations to pick up some grab-and-go refreshments throughout your day, Monday, 10/4 – Friday, 10/8/2021.

• Cook – 209 & 411
• Sneden – 202 & 316
• RJF – 303 & 511
• Calkins – 320
• ATC – 221
• Lakeshore – 105
• College Park Plaza – 233 & 400

Using They, Them, Their Pronouns session on Oct. 5

Still struggling with singular ‘they/them’ pronouns? Let us help you. Whether you know it or not, we guarantee you interact with non-binary people who use these pronouns.

 Come learn some best practices, share your concerns, ask questions, and get some hands-on practice with us in a brave space. It’s not about ideology; it’s about creating a supportive and safe environment for our students and peers. We hope to see you there!  

Register via the Professional Development tile in your Online Center account.

GRCC In the News, 09/29/2021

Some silver linings in fall enrollments

September 28, 2021; Community College Daily (American Association of Community Colleges)

Fall enrollments at community colleges appear to be fairly flat so far, with a few colleges seeing some upticks and a few seeing small drops.

… “We understand there are great pressures on people’s time,” said Tina Hoxie, associate provost and dean of student affairs at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) in Michigan. “We now have a number of programs that remove cost as a barrier to education, but finding time can still be an obstacle for many students who want to start or come back to finish their education. We’re scheduling classes that are more convenient and allow people to keep moving forward, even if it is through two classes a semester.”

City: Public will weigh in on GRPD chief search in October

September 28, 2021; WOOD TV

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — For the second time in less than three years, the process is underway to find a new police chief for Grand Rapids.

… During the Grand Rapids Public Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday, a regional public safety training center presentation presented by Grand Rapids Community College also took place.

Big-screen stories

September 28, 2021; Grand Rapids Magazine

Grand Stand Pictures co-owners Victor Williams, Rodney Brown and Jazmyne Fuentes are looking to bring opportunities to Grand Rapids like what can be found in Atlanta and Hollywood. Williams, who has a music and entertainment background, Brown, a lifelong educator and Fuentes, who has accumulated over a decade of television production experience, joined together in 2019 under a common goal: Tell Grand Rapids’ stories and support the people who uplift them.

… While the production team still is curating expert voices to feature in the documentary, the film is set to feature two academic powerhouses: T.A. El-Amin and Dr. Randal Jelks. El-Amin is a local historian who has taught at Grand Valley State University, Davenport University, Grand Rapids Community College and won the 2011 Phyllis Scott Activist Award. Jelks is a professor at the University of Kansas and has written two award-winning books, one of which focuses on local history, “African Americans in the Furniture City: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Grand Rapids.”

MCC participating in first-ever #RealCollege cohort to retain students with additional needs

September 29, 2021; MLive

FLINT, MI — Mott Community College is one of only 27 higher education institutions across the country participating in the first-ever #RealCollege Institutional Capacity-Building Cohort.

… Mott Community College is one of three institutions from Michigan that is participating. Grand Rapids Community College and University of Michigan-Dearborn are also involved in the cohort.

IIPD Grant Applications due October 22

The GRCC Grants Department is accepting applications for the Instructional Improvement & Professional Development (IIPD) Program. The purpose of the award is to support faculty professional development to ensure continued growth, develop new avenues of instruction and curriculum, and to enhance the professional lives of faculty for increased student learning, achievement and success.

Awards are for amounts up to $5,000 and the deadline is October 22 at 4:30 p.m. The IIPD application packet and guidelines are available on the Grants Department webpage at www.grcc.edu/iipdgrants. 

Please note that applications must include a signed Dean’s Approval Form and Department Head Approval Form, Budget Form, and budget documentation. If you have any questions about IIPD grants, please contact Lisa Dopke (ldopke@grcc.edu). Good luck!

Congratulations to new GRCC retirees

Bruce Walski – Facilities

Kathy Keating – General Counsel

Tom Hornak – Maintenance

“Operation United” back for second year

Last Friday a team of 14 faculty and staff members from GRCC participated in “Operation United” through Heart of West Michigan United Way, an initiative that pairs teams of volunteers with veterans who could use some assistance around their homes.

This is the 2nd year we’ve been a part of this event which involved splitting wood, trimming trees, planting grass, cleaning up overgrown landscaping, and general yard tidying.

Thanks to all who took part in this great event!

You can still join employee exercise classes this Fall

We’ve been going strong for a few weeks now and we’re missing something….YOU!!

Join us to get your body moving, destress your mind, sweat out stress, breathe fresher air outside, and uplift your energy.

See the complete schedule with days, times, etc.

Three of the five weekly classes have the option to join virtually!

To participate and receive the calendar appointment, please complete the Fall 2021 employee exercise registration form.

Hope to see you soon!