Reconnecting: GRCC Athletic Department looking to share decades of trophies, awards with former student-athletes

Grand Rapids Community College baseball player Troy Moratti earned a golden bat as the 2004 NJCAA Player of the Year. It’s pretty neat, and athletic director Lauren Ferullo thinks he should have it to remember that special season.

The bat is among 120 athletic awards that have been stored at the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse, and Ferullo would like to present them to former Raiders.

“We’re proud of our GRCC student-athletes and what they’ve accomplished in our college’s 107-year history,” Ferullo said. “These awards represent a special time in these students’ lives. Rather than keep them here, I think it is appropriate to share them with the athletes and their families so they can enjoy them.”

The Athletic Department proudly shows off dozens of awards earned by GRCC teams in the fieldhouse’s display cases, including national and state championship trophies and plaques. But others have been in storage for years.

Most of the awards are certificates saluting student-athletes for earning All-American honors. Many are from the 1960s and 1970s. Others, like the golden bats earned by Moratti in 2004 and Braden Staranchuk in 2001, are from the past 20 years.

The college also celebrates its athletic legacy through a mural created for the 2018 renovation, linking Raiders of today with historic photos, including sports that are no longer offered like swimming and wrestling.

Fieldhouse director Whitney Marsh has cataloged all the awards and is working with Jenna VandeKamp, who coordinates GRCC’s alumni relations efforts, to contact former athletes and their families.

“We’re excited because this is a chance to reconnect with some of our students,” VandeKamp said. “We want to share a piece of their past, but we also want to hear about what they’re doing now and keep in touch.”

Former Grand Rapids Junior College and GRCC student-athletes who believe they earned an award that might be in storage should contact the Athletic Department at grccathletics@grcc.edu or call (616) 234-3883.

Recap of October Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) Meeting

GRCC’s Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) met on Friday, October 15, from 9 a.m.-noon.  Here is a recap of the meeting:

• As part of SLT’s work this year to support the development of a revised GRCC Strategic Plan, the team reviewed two of our current Strategic Goals and related College Action Projects (CAPs): Teaching & Learning (Goal 1) and Completion & Transfer (Goal 2).
• The team participated in two breakout discussions about the goal definitions, indicators, and CAPs, as well as relevant resources and reports from a national perspective.
• Revised 2018-2022 GRCC Strategic Plan brochures are available!  Please contact LaKenya Gissendanner at lgissend@grcc.edu to request copies.  You can also download the electronic version.
• SLT’s next meeting is Friday, November 19.  In November, SLT will review Strategic Goal 3: Equity and Strategic Goal 4: Community Impact.
• Please contact Sheila Jones, sheilajones@grcc.edu, if you have any questions about SLT meetings.

About the Strategic Leadership Team: The purpose of the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) is to provide a forum that enables a wide variety of college constituency groups the opportunity to provide input into the present and future direction of the College.  This team will guide the development and on-going implementation of our strategic plan, review benchmarking data, study budget realities and offer recommendations for budget priorities.  SLT’s membership includes over 90 representatives of the college community.  Please visit this page to learn more about SLT.  

Tech Tip: See all your open windows at once

Have you opened a ton of Windows throughout your day, but can’t find a specific Window through the clutter? Windows has a special shortcut that can help you find that window easily.

On your keyboard select the Windows Key and Tab, all your open windows will show for you on one screen, and simply clicking on the window you are looking for will open it directly for you.

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 

Vacation bank carry over guidelines

Vacation hours are available for use from July 1 of the current fiscal year through December 31 of the following fiscal year.

As of December 31, employees are allowed to have their current fiscal year accrual plus the following in carry over hours:

• An automatic 10 day carry over (requires no action from the employee or supervisor) Employees can request to have these 10 days transferred from their vacation bank, to their sick bank by sending an email to the Director of Payroll.
• APSS, CEBA and Meet & Confer employees only – An additional 5 day carry over on an exception basis due to workload with supervisor approval and email to the Director of Payroll.

Vacation hours above the allowed limits will be forfeited according to the contracts/handbook. Use the following to determine if you will lose vacation hours as of December 31:

• Using the Leave Bank Summary on your most recent pay stub:
• End balance hours, minus (-) hours earned, minus (-) hours carry over allowed (according to contract/handbook) = potential hours lost

1. Example 1 – End balance hours of 294 hours – 240 hours earned – 80 hours carry over = <26.0> hours (Employee is not at risk of losing any vacation hours)
2. Example 2 – End balance hours of 360 hours – 240 hours earned -80 hours carry over = 40.0 hours (Employee needs to use by December 31 to avoid losing)

Ten Digit Dialing Reminder

Ten digit dialing for local numbers goes into effect on Saturday, October 23. To make a local call from campus, dial 9 + 616 + Phone Number.

This change makes way for 988 as the National Suicide Prevention Number which will be available starting July 16, 2022.

Our phone system already supports ten digit dialing, so you can get in the habit before it becomes mandatory this weekend.

GRCC In the News 10/19/2021

EPA to build water workforce with $3.8M in grants

October 18, 2021; WaterWorld

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that ten organizations were selected to receive a total of $3.8 million in funding under a new grant program to help develop the water workforce.

… The selected recipients for the 2020 and 2021 Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Grant Program include:

… Grand Rapids Community College (Michigan)

Now, Knighthood can start even earlier

October 18, 2021; schoolnewsnetwork.org (Kent Intermediate School District)

Kenowa Hills — On a Thursday morning at the Kenowa Hills Day Care and Learning Center, teachers in the Willow room watched baby Levi with admiration. 

… “Jen (Beke) met with infant and toddler consultants and toured GRCC’s infant room. Our team’s collective feedback helped decide what we needed for the babies,” she (Cali Lipscomb) said. 

Research, Opportunity Lead International Transfer Student to UToledo 

October 18, 2021; University of Toledo

How does a student who lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 7,000 miles from Ohio, end up in pharmacy school at The University of Toledo?

… During COVID, while (Isaac) Kaba was on hiatus from his college studies in pharmacy in Kinshasa, he started planning with a friend in Vermont how to pursue his education in the United States. His brother, who studies at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Mich., had urged his younger sibling to consider joining him in the U.S.