February 2017
College has mass email procedures for both internal and external audiences

Both the college and the district have received several complaints regarding individuals sending unsolicited, mass emails using district email addresses. As a reminder, Foothill has the following mass email procedures in place:

Internal
In order to be approved for distribution, a mass e-mail message must meet one of the criteria below.
  • Be of an urgent nature and affect most members of the campus community
  • Be related to the operation of the Foothill College e-mail/internet systems (outages, changes, etc)
  • Be related to campus physical plant conditions or activities for which short notice is required and most members of the campus community are affected
  • Be related to notices of special events or training sessions open to all account holders in a specific group, and for which other avenues of communication are not available or appropriate
  • Announcements of scheduled events that are advertised to the campus via the normal channels should NOT be distributed through mass e-mail facilities
Those wishing to send an all staff email must send the content to the Director of Marketing & Public Relations, who reserves the right to edit. Employees are encouraged to coordinate with the Marketing & Public Relations Office to determine the best method of communication for announcements that do not meet the preceding criteria, such as campus events, advertising, or other promotional activities.  Many options for communication are available and include:
  • Fusion, monthly internal staff newsletter
  • The Hoot, monthly student newsletter
  • Website home page
  • Events calendar
External
Separate stand-alone mass e-mails should only be sent to students for the purpose of making significant announcements regarding registration, important deadlines, fee payment and other need-to-know information. Such e-mail should be compelling, brief, and to the point.
 
Routine information about campus events, activities, programs, etc should instead be included in the monthly Hoot student newsletter. For more information, please contact the Marketing and Public Relations Office.

ASFC seeking budget proposals from interested students

ASFC is beginning to develop its budget for the 2017-2018 academic year. This year, ASFC is seeking requests from students and programs based on their Mission-Based Budgeting Guidelines. Overall, the group is hoping to support programs and services that have seen a reduction in finances and that directly support students. 

While faculty and staff may encourage budget proposals, requests must be submitted by a student, who will also be required to present it during the official ASFC hearing process. All requests are due no later than Tuesday, February 7. Forms are available online or in the Students Account Office (room 2005).
  
Planning and Resource Council (PaRC) Update

Below is a summary of the action and information items from the most recent Planning and Resource Council (PaRC) meetings. For complete minutes and first-reads, please visit the PaRC website.

FOOTHILL COLLEGE TECHNOLOGY PLAN
The Foothill College Technology Plan was originally presented to PaRC in November 2016. Judy Baker noted that the Technology Committee has been meeting and going through the timeline, item by item. Implementation is underway for several of the projects. PaRC approved the Foothill College Technology Plan by consensus, with the understanding that this is a dynamic plan consistently being reviewed/discussed. It was also suggested that the PaRC tri-chairs determine how often an update of the plan should be solicited. 

PROGRAM CREATION PROPOSALS
The following program creation proposals were approved by consensus - no revisions or additional suggestions/questions:
  • Non-Credit Certificate - Language Arts Foundations
  • Non-Credit Certificate - ESL Beginning
  • Non-Credit Certificate - ESL Intermediate
  • Non-Credit Certificate - Bridge to College ESL Pathway
All potential hiring committee members required to attend EEO training

The Office of Equity, in conjunction with Human Resources, is offering a number of equal employment opportunity trainings. Participants will learn the legal requirements of equal employment opportunity, the benefits of workforce diversity; the potential for personal bias to influence decision-making, the roles of each serving member; and equitable best practices for search and selection committees. Training is mandatory for all hiring committees members.

Thursday, February 16; 9 a.m. - 12 noon; room 5702; RSVP
Friday, March 10; 9 a.m. - 12 noon; Toyon Room; RSVP 
Monday, March 13; 2 p.m. -5 p.m.; room 5702; RSVP 

Understanding cybersecurity threats: criminals want your information!

With the proliferation of all sorts of technology from smartphones to Snapchat, cybercriminals are actively working to steal information from each and every one of us. Learn about some of the most pressing threats faced by college students and ways everyone can protect themselves from cybercrime at a free seminar on Thursday, February 9 at 12 noon in the Hearthside Lounge. This seminar is part of the Teaching Moments from the US Presidential Election series and presenters include Ron Levine, FHDA Chief of Police, and Joe Moreau, FHDA Vice Chancellor of Technology and Chief Technology Officer. 
  
Beyond: Our Future in Space lecture by University of Arizona science dean
   
As part of the 17th annual Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series, Dr. Chris Impey, associate dean of the University of Arizona College of Science, will discuss Our Future in Space on Wednesday, February 15 at 7 p.m. in the Smithwick Theatre. Admission is free and seating is first come, first served. 

March 1: deadline to petition for winter graduation

Please remind students that the deadline to petition for winter graduation is Wednesday, March 1. Students who intend to graduate are responsible for scheduling a required 30-minute petition consultation with a Foothill counselor. Appointments may be scheduled online or via phone.
 
Photography instructor Ron Herman awarded Fulbright to study religious diversity in West Africa

Last spring, photography instructor and department chair Ron Herman was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to research religious diversity in West Africa. Herman and 15 other scholars traveled to Senegal, a country that is 95 percent Muslim, to study how Islam is practiced there and how the Muslim majority peacefully coexists with the Christian minority. 

"Because of what's going on in our country and with the rise of Islamophobia, I felt a strong need to address this sooner rather than later," he said. "The peaceful doctrine of the Muridyya and particularly the Baye Fall was something I felt my students should learn about to broaden their perspective of Islam and Muslims."

Herman's photo exhibit, Messengers of Peace, will be on display in the Krause Center for Innovation (KCI) Gallery from Thursday, February 23 to Thursday, March 30, including an artist talk on Thursday, February 23 at 6 p.m. in room 1501. 

"These kind of images shatter the preconceptions a lot of people have about Muslims," Herman said. "What we're learning about Islam is really only a small slice of this massive and diverse religion." 

February is Black History Month at Foothill

February is Black History Month and Foothill College is celebrating with a series of events. Join ASFC on Wednesday, February 1 at 12 noon in the Dining Room for a kick-off event celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The first 100 students to show their Owl Card will receive complimentary lunch. 

Students, faculty, and staff are invited to a free film screening of the documentary 13th on Thursday, February 23 at 12 noon in the Hearthside Lounge. 13th filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.

For a full listing of this month's events, visit the ASFC website
Counseling Division offers Quick Questions service for students

The Counseling Division is again offering Quick Questions this quarter. Students who have a quick question may meet with a counselor without an appointment. Counselors will be on-hand the first week of the quarter (Monday, January 9 - Thursday, January 12) from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. in the Student Council Chambers (room 2018) and all subsequent Wednesdays through the end of the quarter.  

General scholarship deadline: February 16

Please remind students that the deadline to apply for a scholarship is Thursday, February 16. Financial Aid is hosting a free scholarship workshop on Tuesday, January 19 at 2 p.m. in room 8401. A full list of scholarships is available online.
  
Foothill College Good News Corner!
 
Fine Arts instructor Elizabeth Barkley presented on "Creating a More Compelling Portrait" at the American Association of Colleges and Universities' 2017 Annual Meeting: Building Public Trust in the Promise of Liberal Education and Inclusive Excellence. Her session was designed to demonstrate techniques college teachers can use to promote and document student learning of the skills they need in order to contribute effectively to constructive democratic discourse and action. 

President Thuy Nguyen was featured in the January 2017 of The California Bar eJournal.    

Contact:
The Foothill College Fusion staff newsletter is published the first Thursday of each month. Have something you would like to share with the Foothill College community? Email Andrea Hanstein, Director of Marketing and Public Relations.


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