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LACCD Updated COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Information

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ANNOUNCEMENT

For the latest LACCD COVID-19 information for faculty & staff, visit the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Coronavirus website.

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Coronavirus Updates for Faculty & Staff

QUICK LINKS

LAVC Faculty & Staff Updates

LACCD Safety Advisories

​​Vehicle Curbside Pickup-Dropoff Protocol (Effective date: June 15, 2020; Last revised: June 12, 2020)

​Protocols for Reporting COVID-19 Exposure Incidents​ (Effective date: June 5, 2020; Last revised: June 5, 2020)

On-campus Activities & Events During the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic​ (Effective date: May 1, 2020; Last revised: April 28, 2020)

​Essential Worker Social Distancing  (Effective date: April 17, 2020; Last Revised April 17, 2020)

Use of Face Coverings in Public to Reduce COVID-19 Exposure (Effective date: April 10, 2020; Last revised: April 17, 2020)

Please check to the LACCD Coronavirus Safety Advisory webpage for the most current safety advisories. 

LACCD Recovery Policies

​Athletics (Effective date: June 15, 2020; Last revised: June 15, 2020)

Child Development & Family Resource Centers (Effective date: June 15, 2020; Last revised: June 15, 2020)

Community Services and Enterprise Activities​ (Effective date: June 15, 2020; Last revised: June 12, 2020)

Equipment Loan Policy (Effective date: June 15, 2020; Last revised: June 12, 2020)

Hard to Convert Classes​ (Effective date: July 7, 2020; Last revised: July 7, 2020)

​Middle College High Schools and High Schools​ (Effective date: June 15, 2020; Last revised: June 12, 2020)

Please check to the LACCD Coronavirus Safety Advisory webpage for the most current recovery policies. 

LACCD Forms

COVID-19 Leave of Absence Packet

Any questions related to the leaves, the request forms, or the submittal process should be addressed to the LAVC Payroll & Personnel Office.​

COVID-19 Related Leave of Absence Packet for Faculty & Staff (Updated: June 9, 2020)

Please check to the LACCD Coronavirus Info for Faculty & Staff webpage for the most up-to-date forms. 

LAVC Frequently Asked Questions

Additional Resources

LAVC Communication to Students

For a complete list of communication sent to the students, please visit the LAVC Coronavirus Updates for Students Webpage. 

LAVC Updates to Faculty/Staff

Posted: June 24, 2020

JUNE 24, 2020 CAMPUS UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Dear Monarchs,

Over the past month, I had the pleasure of joining the Black Graduation Celebration, Lavender Graduation Celebration, Respiratory Therapist Convocation, Nursing Virtual Pinning Ceremony, Hoodie Ceremony, and of course, Valley’s Virtual Recognition of Graduates. Following a couple of difficult months, these events were rewarding opportunities to celebrate our students, their accomplishments, and how you all have touched their lives having a profound impact. Thank you again for everything you do!

I also had the benefit of participating in the Call to Action on Racism on the 12th. This was exceptionally well done and I need to express my appreciation for everyone who worked to make it happen. It was a great beginning to some important work and I appreciate the efforts to develop an action plan to move us forward in addressing racism. Please keep an eye out for more information over the summer on these efforts.

I have a few updates to share with you as well.

EOC/ICC. The District Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the College’s Incident Command Center (ICC) have continued their work. Previously, I had mentioned that plans were developed by ICC and WEC for when classes are able to resume on campus. The first phase of these plans is done, and focuses on the six classes that were not able to complete this spring. Although not many classes still needed to complete, the plans are complex and thorough to ensure the safety of students and staff. These classes may be able to continue as early as July, though a specific date hasn’t been set. Next, we will work on plans for other classes that cannot be offered online. I would expect that the number of classes will remain relatively small. Even though there may only be a small number of classes in-person, the amount of activity that will need to go into the plans will be significant to ensure everyone’s safety.

The District EOC also developed policies for equipment loans to employees, Athletics, Child Development Centers, and Community Services. New safety advisories and protocols were also developed. You can access all of these at: https://www.lavc.edu/Coronavirus/Faculty-Updates.aspx. Please take a few minutes to review them. Another policy is in the works for Hard to Convert (HTC) classes. I expect this one to come out in a week or so.

Budget. Tuesday morning, very early, a budget bill was released following successful negotiations between the Assembly and Senate leadership and the Governor. Overall, the bill maintains our funding level, eliminating the major cuts that were in the May Revise and replacing them with significant deferrals. This is great news! We expect a vote on the bill this week and the Governor to sign it within a week or so. I should caution that there was an expectation created that an adjustment to the budget would be made in August once the tax receipts were finalized. Nonetheless, for now this is great news.

Federal Judicial News. Last week we received good news on two important fronts. A Federal judge approved the temporary injunction for the lawsuit we joined against the US Department of Education on restrictions that were placed on who can receive CARES Act funding. This injunction now allows us to move forward with important funding for some of our vulnerable students. Also, the Supreme Court ruled to block the Trump Administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) policy.  This is another important ruling for many members of our community. Neither of the issues are likely to be completely resolved, but the news is really important and welcome.

Access to Campus. In previous updates, I provided some detailed information about procedures for accessing campus. I wanted to provide a reminder to contact your supervisor prior to coming to campus and wear facial coverings when in public areas or near other employees.

Construction. Progress continues on many construction projects on campus.

  • The Allied Health building is complete. LACCDBuild is now progressing with awarding bids for the lab portion of the building.
  • ADA work will be complete next week, including the South Gym.
  • Shelter in place door locks are being replaced for the first phase of classrooms and labs. This phase is expected to be completed in August.
  • Design for Academic Complex 1 and Academic Building 2 continues. These two buildings will further transform our campus. Thank you BUGs that continue to work on these projects.
  • Bungalow demolition is substantially complete.

Enrollments. My last update is related to enrollments. Demand remains very strong. Summer headcount and enrollments are both up double digits: headcount is up 11 percent and enrollments are up 17 percent! The numbers are up district-wide, though Valley’s numbers are especially strong. I remain convinced that this is the result of tireless efforts to ensure we progress on our goal of access. Thank you!

I want to close out this campus update with an expression of my thanks and appreciation again to everyone working hard in these challenging and heavy times. Please do you best to find some time for rest and recovery and let me know if there is anything I can do to provide more support.

Be safe and be well,

Barry

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: June 1, 2020

JUNE 1,  2020 CAMPUS UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Dear Monarchs,

In this week’s campus update, I would like to follow up on my message condemning the killing of George Floyd and the impact that it is having on our African American students, staff, faculty, and administrators. Several members of our community shared with me their experiences and perspectives and I am deeply appreciative of them and the opportunity to promote greater understanding.

It is important to acknowledge pain and trauma that the injustice of George Floyd’s killing and the cumulative effects of a history of racial inequities and systemic oppression are having on our African American students, staff, faculty, and administrators.

It should not have taken this tragedy to call our attention to these injustices. But let us not fail to act now. We need to be allies of our African American community members. We need to ensure that Valley College is a safe space, listening carefully to our African American students, staff, faculty, and administrators and ensuring that they know we stand with them.

Hereafter let us look for opportunities to promote understanding and further the cause of justice.

We already had several specific efforts planned with this specific focus. I will continue to ask for feedback to expand on these efforts.

Also, please be mindful of the impact of the compounding traumatic variables that our Black and African American students and campus community are feeling, especially now as we move into finals week. For our faculty members, we will be sending out a message soon with additional guidance on incompletes and EWs, and how to support students during this difficult time.

I also want to remind our community of resources available. The LACCD Employee Assistance Program is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (800) 327-0449, or visit the MHN webpage (company code: laccd). The LA County Department of Mental Health also has a 24/7 Access Line which you can reach by calling (800) 854-7771 or texting “LA” to 741741.

To the entire campus community, please join me in this expression of support to our African American students, staff, faculty, and administrators, and in our rejection of racism. Let us all look for ways of uniting as we move forward. Also, please join me during tomorrow’s campus briefing when I will ask that we begin with a moment of silence for the loss of George Floyd’s life and the pain and trauma that is reverberating from it.

Highest regards,

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: May 25, 2020

MAY 25, 2020 CAMPUS UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Dear Monarchs,

Thank you for your ongoing efforts providing instruction and support in service of our students!

This week, I have a few brief updates:

  • Recovery Planning. We continue working on plans for returning to face-to-face instruction and services. The first phase will focus on completing the handful of courses that couldn’t be completed this spring. We don’t have very many courses left to complete. As a result, the task may not be as complex as many colleges. We expect to have these plans completed by the end of May. We also are working on plans for the next phase, which could include a few more classes that cannot be offered online. In that phase, we should keep in mind that we will only be able to bring back a limited number of classes and all classes and services that can be offered online will need to continue online. For this phase, we also are working closely with the District in developing guidance related to athletics and a variety of services. My thanks and appreciation to the Incident Command workgroup that is putting together the plans and to WEC for their input helping to ensure that the plans are well developed.
  • Virtual Recognition of 2020 Graduates. The deadline for RSVPs for the Virtual Recognition of the Class of 2020 was last week, and hundreds responded. In fact, 510 students RSVP ’ed and 32 faculty videos were submitted prior to the deadline. It’s going to be a great celebration!
  • Electronic Forms. The District is working hard to put into place a solution for dual enrollment students to complete forms electronically. We are hopeful that the solution, using Dynamic Forms, will be in place for the start of the summer session.
  • CARES Act and SEAP. We continue to develop plans for the remainder of the first half of the CARES Act funding. While this only can be provided to students eligible for Federal financial aid, there are a few decisions still to be made related to the amounts to be given. In addition to the first half of the CARES Act funding, we are developing plans for the second half and possible using SEAP funding to support our students during the pandemic. I want to thank the workgroup developing these plans as well. Hopefully, we will have more details in next week’s update.

I would like to close this week’s update with thanks to our fallen heroes as we remember and celebrate them this Memorial Day.

Stay safe and be well!

Barry

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: May 19, 2020

MAY 19, 2020 CAMPUS UPDATES FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Dear Monarchs,

I would like to begin the week with my thanks to you for your continued great work in service of our students. As we continue on this marathon of a response to the pandemic this Spring semester, we are now approaching the mile 20 marker.  It definitely feels like the mile 20 marker for many of us. While this has been challenging, I appreciate the opportunity to run this marathon with you all and know that running together not only made these last 20 miles easier, it will show the greatest benefits these last 6 miles. Thank you!

On Thursday, the Governor released his May Revise budget plan. As expected, it is a sobering look at the impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on the State’s economy. For perspective, the Governor’s January budget proposal called for $222 billion in spending. The May Revise estimates that there would be a $54 billion deficit before taking into account the changes proposed in the May Revise. The May Revise calls for withdrawing several proposed increases in the January budget proposal. The May Revise also lists several proposed reductions to be triggered if Federal support is not provided to help defray the reductions. These include a 10 percent reduction in Student Centered Funding Formula rates and reductions to COLA, Strong Workforce, Student Equity and Achievement, and some other areas. The May Revise also recognizes that given the extension for filing income taxes to July 15, better estimates to the state’s budget revenue won’t be available until at least the second half of July. As a result, not only will there be a significant amount of discussion between now and mid-June when a budget is required to be approved, but likely also through July as more tax revenue information is known.

While this news is not positive, together we will weather any storm we face. Valley College, more than most colleges, has the strength and conditioning for running marathons in these rainy conditions with lots of elevation change. Engaging in open, honest, and transparent discussions with a focus on preserving student access, equity, and achievement as much as possible will be more critical now than ever. With this guiding principle, look for additional information and discussion about the budget over the next two to three months.

Thank you again for all of your hard work in service of our students. I appreciate having the amazing professionals we have at Valley as we face any challenges that may come our way.

Be safe and be well,

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: May 9, 2020

MAY 9, 2020 CAMPUS UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Dear Monarchs,

I want to express my appreciation for all of your hard work in service for our students. Our response to the pandemic is clearly not a sprint, but a marathon and you are doing a great job!

As you will see from the following updates, we continue to progress forward despite the challenging times.

CARES Act Funding for Students. Yesterday approximately 5,400 LAVC students were awarded $300 in CARES funding, which will be applied to their Bank Mobile accounts.  Due to Federal limitations, these funds are being disbursed to Pell eligible students.  In addition, approximately 300 undocumented LAVC students will receive $300 each in Student Equity funding since the CARES Act funding is not available to them. A campus work group is determining how to disburse the remaining approximately $1.5 million in CARES funding and additional Student Equity grants.

Recovery Plans. The Incident Command team workgroup is continuing to develop a recovery plan, including when and how we will return to face-to-face instruction and services. WEC also is providing input into the plan. We expect a draft framework from the District early next week. Once we receive it, we will be able to begin applying the thoughts of the Incident Command team workgroup and WEC, fleshing out the details for Valley.

Virtual Recognition of 2020 Graduates. On Wednesday night, the Board approved the agreements for the virtual graduation. We will be getting more details out about it. In brief, the ceremony will begin with a district component, including short speeches and a great keynote speaker. Following the district-wide portion, Valley’s virtual recognition will begin. I’m also happy to announce that between the district and college portions three colleges have been selected to provide entertainment, including Glenn Carlos’ students. It’s going to be fun!

Outreach. Next week, we will be hosting two outreach events using a You Tube Town Hall format for local high school seniors. The first will be on Monday and the second on Friday. My thanks to Joel and the Outreach and Recruitment team for working on it and remaining committed to making college accessible to our local high school graduates.

Nursing. I have three nursing updates. First, Wednesday started National Nurses Week. Our thanks to all of the nurses helping to restore our health, especially during this pandemic. The second update is that our Nursing department let me know that our nursing students will be able to volunteer at COVID-19 testing locations and in so doing, satisfying clinical hours. While I understand that there is still work to be done to secure necessary clinical sites, this is an important step. Lastly, Raul was notified that the LAVC Foundation was awarded $4,500 from the Foundation for California Community Colleges in partnership with the CCC Chancellor’s Office from the First Response Healthcare Student Support Fund. This will provide ten nursing students with $450 each. Raul acknowledged and thanked the LAVC Nursing Department, particularly Preetha Puthiakunnel and Erik Reyes. I want to join Raul in our thanks and to also add my thanks to the LAVC Foundation!

Gene Haas Foundation. On Tuesday, we found out that the Gene Haas Foundation awarded seven of our graduates from the LAVC Manufacturing Academy $500 stipends. Our thanks to the Gene Haas Foundation!

EWs. There has been some mixed messages related to the due date for applying for EWs. The drop deadline for most classes is tomorrow. All drops will be automatically converted to Excused Withdrawals (EWs). However, students will be able to petition for an EW even after tomorrow throughout the semester and even past it. We are working with the District to clarify the information on various websites and to send out an updated clarifying message to students. I’ll also provide the update during Monday’s You Tube Town Hall for students.

National Speech Tournament. One of our students, Jessica Patterson, was named national champion in Dramatic Interpretation. Jessica also brought home finalist awards in both impromptu and poetry interpretation and ended the tournament in 5th place nationally. Congratulations, Jessica and thank you to Kevin Briancesco for your leadership with Forensics!

I know that my updates, while highlighting some amazing work, only barely scratches the surface with the wonderful work being done by you all. Know that I continue to be deeply appreciative of your efforts and share your commitment to our students. Thank you!

Have a great weekend and Be Safe and Be Well!

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: May 2, 2020

MAY 2, 2020 CAMPUS UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Dear Monarchs,

Thank you for your continued hard work in service of our students. Every week I continue to be amazed at your transformation of the college. Keep up the extraordinary work!

I have a few updates to share:

Recovery Plans. Recovery planning, including the planning for returning to in-person instruction and services, is underway. As mentioned in last week’s update, this includes a district effort in developing guidelines for colleges. We also will be identifying specific plans for Valley College. I want to express my appreciation for the Incident Command team and WEC for their work on LAVC recovery planning. Both the Incident Command team and WEC met on Thursday to begin conversations. On Monday, I expect that we will receive a draft of the District guidelines. There is a possibility of changes to the Safer at Home Orders in the upcoming weeks. I wouldn’t expect these changes to be drastic. Rather, it could include some changes to restrictions and there has certainly been quite a bit of discussion about moving to what the Governor has referred to as Phase 2. Given this, It will be as important as ever to be thoughtful in our planning process to ensure we meet our priorities, first and foremost being the safety of our students, faculty, and staff. I hope to have a more specific update on this in the next week or two. In the meantime, please continue to send ideas and questions to Meredith Stoops to help ensure that our efforts are as well developed as possible.

LAVC Scholarships. Thank you for encouraging students to apply for LAVC Scholarships. The applications have now closed. As Raul mentioned in his email Thursday night, the deadline for Letters of Recommendations is May 7th.

Weingart Foundation Grant. Congratulations to the Family Resource Center on the $25,000 grant from the Weingart Foundation! And, our gratitude to the Weingart Foundation! The grant will be used for emergency stipends for our student parents. It complements $5,000 received from Believe in Students and $3,000 from the Good+ Foundation.

Academic Complex 1 and Academic Building 2. NAC has been selected as the architect for Academic Building 2. We look forward to working with them on both the Academic Complex 1 and Academic Building 2. Planning for both projects is continuing and I want to express my appreciation for both BUGs for their efforts, especially in these times when everyone has limited bandwidth.

Accessing Campus. As a reminder, please contact you department chair to arrange for coming to campus. Also, check with the cleaning schedule to confirm that the building isn’t closed for cleaning. Chairs will double check that people aren’t accessing the same space within a few days of each other and then let their deans know when their department members will be on campus. Deans will then let the LAVC Sheriff’s Department know what the plans are. Lastly, when coming to campus, please let the LAVC Sheriff’s Department know as you arrive and when you leave.

Follow up regarding the LAVC All User Message. On Tuesday night I sent a note that one of our colleagues had symptoms of COVID-19. I’m delighted to update you that our colleague does not have COVID-19 and is doing better.

Cleaning Schedule. Our custodians, and custodians district-wide, are modifying their work schedules to engage in professional development remotely for part of their workweek. This will be a great opportunity for them. It also will require the cleaning schedule to be changed. Mike is working with our Facilities team to modify the cleaning schedule and will send out an updated schedule next week.

CARES Act. We have received the initial $3 million of CARES Act funding for students. I expect that about half of it will be used to provided $300 per eligible student. This hasn’t been finalized yet and the District is still finding out who is eligible for funding. I’ll keep you updated as we find out more details.   

Virtual Recognition of Graduates. On the Board agenda for Wednesday are items for a Virtual Recognition of graduates. Many thanks to Liz and the district-wide committee for working on this. I know that we would all prefer to celebrate in person. However, given the circumstance, I think that they are developing a good plan. Also, there can still be an opportunity for an in-person graduation when permitted to do so, possibly next year. We will be able to get more information out next week after the Board meeting.

Student Survey. We participated in a student survey, assessing how students are doing in the transition. Overall, I think the survey results point to the incredible amount of work that has gone into the transition. There also are actionable results that will help inform our efforts moving forward. Michelle Fowles and her team are working on the LAVC specific results and an infographic. Keep an eye out for it. Great information! (I’m trying not to steal her thunder with specific results.)

You Tube Town Halls. We have been doing weekly You Tube Town Halls for students. I appreciate Tanya’s and Brian Mellblom’s efforts supporting them. It has been working out well helping to keep our students informed. This last week Sorangel Hernandez, Margaret Sarkisyan, Michael Gold, and Clive Gordan also showed how to live chat through Cranium Café and other ways for our students to stay connected. This worked out so well, next week Scott Weigand will be showing students how to access Tutoring resources. This is turning out to be a great communication tool and I’m sure that we will want to continue using it even after the pandemic is over. Let me know if you have additional ideas for You Tube Town Halls in the upcoming weeks.

I want to close out the weekly update with an expression of my appreciation again. You are doing amazing work! I couldn’t be more impressed with what you’ve done the last six weeks and I know you are having a huge impact. Please do your best to make the time to take care of yourselves and continue to let me know how I can support you.

Have a great weekend!

Barry

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: April 28, 2020

APRIL 28, 2020 CAMPUS UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Good Morning Monarchs,

I have additional updates to provide related to online and in-person classes. While at this moment in time we may only be able to commit to offering classes and services online, at some point moving forward we will be able to add back in-person classes and services. Currently, it is too early to determine if that will be in the fall, which classes can safely return, how many classes, and under what conditions. It will be essential that we are thoughtful and intentional in our recovery planning process in determining these and many other issues. Just to emphasize again, our first priority will always be life and safety.

Over the weekend, I noted that we are beginning recovery planning, especially related to determining how and under what conditions we will return to in-person classes and services. Our incident command team is beginning to work on recovery plans in collaboration with the District. Later this week, WEC will be meeting to begin providing input as well.

I also want to invite you to share any questions or ideas you have on recovery planning with your deans. We are certainly all in this together and I want to make sure that we include everyone’s concerns and ideas in the planning process. Deans, please send the ideas and questions to Meredith Stoops who can compile them into one list.

We are not alone in recovery planning. Later today, the Governor is expected to share more information about the State’s plans. Also, the Daily News had an interesting article this morning about LAUSD’s plans for online and in-person instruction, signally some of the changes that LAUSD is considering. We will continue to monitor these and other sources as they have important implications for our planning.

Thank you again for everything you are doing to support students and for sharing your questions and ideas.

Stay safe and be well,

Barry

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: April 25, 2020

APRIL 25, 2020 CAMPUS UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Dear Monarchs,

First and foremost, I want to express my appreciation for your continued flexibility, innovation, and commitment to serving our students. Together, we continue to have a great impact.

I have some good news to share. One of our students, Harutyan Rehanyan, has been selected for the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship. This is arguably the most prestigious scholarship for a community college student. About 1,500 students applied nationally with only 50 people selected to be recipients of scholarship, which provides $40,000 per year for three years towards their baccalaureate program when they transfer plus an additional $75,000 for graduate school. LACCD is well represented too, with winners also at Pierce College and LA City College. Congratulations to Harutyan and to the winners at City and Pierce!

More good news: Our Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) chapter participated in the Honors in Action (HIA) program. Out of 2,500 projects nationally, ours was in the top 3! And, we placed first in California and Nevada. Congratulations to Michelle Lewis and Cynthia Cohen for their support of our PTK students in achieving this award. Also, for the third year in a row, our chapter placed in the top 100 nationally. Way to go, Michelle!

Now for some updates.

The summer schedule is up. Thank you for everyone working on it. As you know, we are still only scheduling classes online for the summer.

Recovery planning is beginning as we transition from the initial response phase to recovery. I expect that this will include creating guidelines districtwide as well as creating plans for specific classes and services at Valley. While we may not be able to pin down a date for the return to in-person classes and services right now, it is important for us to begin considering how we would transition, likely a phased approach. Our priorities will need to remain the same: life and safety first and continuity of instruction and services second. We will need to consider closely the criteria for moving between phases, such as the six factors recently discussed by the Governor and their implications for Valley. We also have the benefit of learning from strategies that we have bene using, including physical distancing, time, personal protective equipment (PPE), hygiene, and cleaning. The County Department of Public Health is also beginning to issue guidance to colleges and universities about phases of recovery. Look for more announcements about recovery planning over the next week or two. I also will be asking some participatory governance committees to provide input into the plans and may need some special meetings depending on the timing.

CARES Act funding has been approved for Valley. We will be receiving an initial $3 million followed by a second payment of $3 million. We expect the first within the next few days. This money will be allocated to students, either through direct awards or emergency grants. Guidance for how to spend the money seems to have changed in the last few days. The District is clarifying the details, specifically who is eligible. Of course, there is some urgency in getting the money out to students in need. While it is allowable to use the second $3 million for college expenses, I expect that we will be using a good portion of the second $3 million for students. More conversation is needed on how we will want to allocate this money, and clarification on what is allowed under the CARES Act.

Lastly, Happy (belated) Earth Day! Sustainability remains one of our goals, especially being known as the tree campus. If you are interested in getting more involved in campus sustainability efforts, I know that Virginia Requa would welcome you participation in the Environment and Sustainability Committee.

Thank you again for all of your efforts! Please remember to take care of yourself during these challenging times and let me know how I can support you.

Have a great weekend!

Barry

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: April 18, 2020

APRIL 18, 2020 CAMPUS UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Dear Monarchs,

I have a few updates for you. First, let me begin by expressing my appreciation for all of your hard work. The transformation of Valley in just over a month is remarkable. Thank you for your ingenuity, flexibility, teamwork, and dedication. You have beautifully demonstrated that together we can achieve anything, even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.

Now for the updates on accessing campus, CARES Act, graduation plans, Kabwe Chanda, cleaning schedule, and website changes.

Accessing Campus. Our number one priority during the pandemic is safety. With this in mind, we worked to have people telecommute quickly. There are still a small number of people on campus performing essential functions and only on campus when necessary. We recognize that while performing remote services there could be an occasion when some people need to come onto campus. As a reminder, anyone who needs to come onto campus needs to follow this process:

  1. Let your department chair or supervisor know in advance. Your chair or supervisor will let their dean know. The deans will in turn let Marisol in the Sheriff’s Office know.
  2. Call the Sheriff’s Office just before coming to campus and let them know when they are leaving. Even if you have a key to the space you need to access, you still need to call in advance.
  3. Enter at the Fulton circle and park near the entrance. If you have any additional logistical needs, the Sheriff’s department can help with arrangements to meet your needs.

As a reminder, buildings are not accessible on the days that they are being cleaned. Check the cleaning schedule for those days.  Thank you in advance for following these steps helping us ensure that everyone is kept safe.

CARES Act. Valley is receiving a little more than $6 million in CARES Act funding. We initially will receive about $3 million. We also have a requirement to give $3 million directly to students. Plans aren’t yet finalized for the funding. However, the following are some of the ideas being discussed. We can use most of the initial $3 million for awards directly to all students with College Promise Fee Waivers (previously called BOG Fee Waivers). Any additional money from the initial $3 million can be used for Emergency Grants to students. For the remaining $3 million, we can provide additional support for students. We also will likely use a portion of the money of college expenses related to COVID-19. As we have additional information related to the CARES Act funding, we will send it out to the campus community.

Graduation Plans. A district-wide committee has been formed to discuss graduation plans. Initially, there was quite a bit of discussion about a virtual graduation. However, additional ideas are now being actively discussed, such as a virtual recognition (but not a virtual graduation) and inviting graduates back for an in-person ceremony next year or when permitted. As the ideas continue to be developed, we will keep you updated.

Kabwe Chanda. The loss of Kabwe was tragic and he had a wonderful impact on the campus community. In the upcoming week, Jennifer Borucki will be reaching out to the campus community to collect stories about Kabwe that can be preserved for our campus community and shared with his family. We are still working out the specifics, including possibly coordinating with our colleagues at City College and Southwest College, but please keep an eye out for an email from Jennifer with more details.

Cleaning Schedule. As you know, Facilities has developed a cleaning schedule for each building. The schedule will be regularly updated as progress is made and based on changes to staff being available to work on cleaning from week to week. Administrative Services will email out the updated cleaning schedule regularly.

Website Changes. Matt Jordan is continuing to facilitate the committee to develop details for our new website, beginning with the first two or three levels of the website. In the meantime, Jennifer is also working with the District Web Team on some changes to the homepage and some remote services webpages. These changes are the result of many people working hard to make are services accessible to students. Thank you!

Please continue to let me know how I can support you and know that I’m deeply appreciative of everyone’s efforts!

Stay safe and Be well,

Barry

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: April 14, 2020

VALLEY'S BELOVED KABWE CHANDA

Dear Monarchs,

Last week, Chancellor Rodriguez sent a note that we have lost a member of the LACCD family. At the time, we were unable to share the name of the person. We can now share that the person who passed away was Kabwe Chanda, who also was a member of the LAVC IT team.

Kabwe’s long career at the District spanned more than 25 years. He began at West LA College as a student tutor. Kabwe was then selected for a permanent assignment as an Instructional Assistant and then an Assistant Computer & Network Specialist. He also was an adjunct instructor in Computer Science at West LA for more than a decade. He worked at LA Southwest College as a Computer & Network Specialist before being promoted to a Senior Computer & Network Specialist at Valley from 2012-2018. He left Valley to serve as College IT Manager at LA Southwest College and later at LA City College. Most recently, he was promoted as Regional IT Manager.

Kabwe left an indelible mark during his time at Valley College and was a beloved member of our Monarch family. He is fondly remembered for his positive personality, warm smile, laughter, and willingness to help the people around him.

Details about a virtual celebration of Kabwe’s life are pending and will be shared as soon as they are available.

As we all work through our grief especially in these challenging times, please continue to support one another and seek help if you need it. Grief counseling is available through the LACCD Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at (800) 327-0449.

Highest regards,

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: April 7, 2020

APRIL 7, 2020 CAMPUS UPDATE FROM PRESIDENT GRIBBONS

Dear Monarchs,

Thank you for your extraordinary efforts this past month as we transitioned to remote instruction and services. Your focus, commitment, and tireless efforts are having an incredible impact on our students!

Here are a few updates on Campus Access Procedures, Emergency Stipends from the LAVC Foundation, call for Campus Briefing Educational Moments and What’s Working, Donating Blood, Face Masks, and future Campus Briefing times:

Campus Access Procedures

You can continue to access campus for purposes of remote instruction and services, though we are doing everything we can to minimize time on campus and keep everyone safe. The following three steps will help ensure that the campus is safe and secure while permitting necessary access:

  1. Please coordinate with your department chair or supervisor the times that you need to be on campus for the remainder of the semester. For department chairs and supervisors, please check to make sure the same classroom or lab isn’t going to be accessed by more than one person in a three-day time period. Then, forward the requests to your dean. Deans, please send the requests to Marisol Lozano in the Sheriff’s Office.
  2. Call the LAVC Sheriff’s Station at (818) 947-2911 prior to coming to campus each time, even if you already have keys to your building.
  3. When finished, call the LAVC Sheriff’s Station to let them know you have left.

Also, check the attached draft cleaning schedule for buildings for the next couple months. During the scheduled times, there will be no access to allow for safe and thorough cleaning. If you know that you will need access during these times, please let your department chair or supervisor know by Friday, April 10th and we will do our best to adjust the schedule. Note that even if the schedule is adjusted our custodial staff will need several days blocked out to thoroughly clean each building.

While our custodial staff will do their best to follow the cleaning schedule, we anticipate that the schedule might need to be adjusted from time to time. For this reason, a revised schedule will be emailed to the entire campus community every Monday.

Thank you for your help in following these procedures to ensure that our campus is safe.

Emergency Stipends

Thank you to everyone who has donated to the LAVC Emergency Stipend Fund. Raul has now received more than $15,000! The need however, also is great. The Foundation has now received over 1,900 applications for the stipends. If you are interested in contributing, I know that Raul would gratefully receive additional donations. You can donate by going to: www.lavcfoundation.org.

Campus Briefing Education Moments and What’s Working

I received a great suggestion yesterday to add a component to our Campus Briefings using Zoom. I would love to hear your Educational Moments and What’s Working during the briefing. The Educational Moments are stories from the last few weeks of an experience that inspired you. Maybe it was a comment from a student, a conversation in your class via Zoom, or an exchange between colleagues. There are a few that I’ve shared and I look forward to hearing your stories. Also, I would love to hear your feedback on what’s working, maybe even working better than you expected. Just after a short update during each Campus Briefing I’ll invite you to share your stories and wrap up with questions and additional comments.

Donating Blood

I believe that it was Wendy that commented on the critical shortage of blood. As she mentioned, you can go to https://www.redcrossblood.org to find out more about donating blood.

Face Masks

Yes, face masks are now part of our daily lives. As Ellie mentioned on the Campus Briefing, if you are interested in ideas on how to make face masks for people of any age, go to: https://youtu.be/2zV6CAZWVYg.

Future Campus Briefings

Lastly, I’m going to try to adjust some of our Campus Briefing meeting times to accommodate people teaching until 1:00pm. Most briefings will still be M/W/F at noon, though Tanya will send out meeting reminders changing the time of a few of the briefings per requests.

Thank you again for all of your tireless efforts and the profound impact that you are having! I know that these times are stressful and challenging. Please reach out to me if there is anything I can do to support you!

Stay safe and be well,

Barry

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: March 31, 2020

CESAR CHAVEZ DAY

Dear Monarchs,

I want to express my appreciation for all of your efforts in support of our students during this time of immense transformation to remote services. Today, we celebrate our great civil rights activist, Cesar Chavez. One of his quotes especially reminds me of all of your tireless efforts of the past two weeks:

We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community…Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.

I think that this quote beautifully captures the intention and purpose that has driven us all to support and serve our students.

There is on more quote of Cesar Chavez that I would like to share with you:

Together, all things are possible.

Indeed, over the past two weeks you have demonstrated the power of coming together with unity of purpose and in support of each other.

While we will be skipping today’s Campus Briefing, I look forward to seeing you via Zoom tomorrow!

Stay well,

Barry

Barry Gribbons
President
Los Angeles Valley College
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA  91401
818-947-2321
Email:  gribbobc@lavc.edu

Posted: March 24, 2020

LAVC PRESIDENT GRIBBONS LETTER TO CAMPUS COMMUNITY ON THE FIRST CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASE AT VALLEY COLLEGE

Read the LAVC President Gribbons Letter to Campus Community on COVID-19 (PDF)

 

LACCD Updates for Faculty & Staff

Faculty and staff who want the latest employee-related COVID information from the Los Angeles Community College District, visit the LACCD Coronvirus Webpage for Faculty and Staff.

Posted: 05/15/2020

LACCD CHAT WITH THE CHANCELLOR VIDEO RECORDING

The Los Angeles Community College District has posted a video recording of the LACCD virtual Chat with the Chancellor that took place on Tuesday, May 12 on YouTube. 

Posted: 03/27/20

CLOSED CAPTIONED VERSION FOR THE FB LIVESTREAM OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AD-HOC COMMITTEE ON INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY (ITS) 

Greetings to All Faculty and Staff,

Chancellor Rodriguez wanted to make sure you had this link https://youtu.be/JhlU_l0qGVo  regarding a closed captioned version for the FB livestream of the Board of Trustee’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Innovation, Technology and Sustainability (ITS) that took place on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.  It was completed via Zoom and the FB livestream. This version is on our YouTube page.  

Chancellor Rodriguez also wanted to share please that during his meeting, several important topics concerning our District’s COVID-19 response were discussed, including:

  • Use of Information Technology in Remote Learning and Remote Work
  • Use of Social Media and Communications Moving Forward
  • Overview of District’s Emergency Operations Center
  • Conversion to an Online Teaching and Learning Environment
  • Federal, State and Local Advocacy
  • Commencement/Graduation Ceremony

It may answer several of the questions you may have concerning our COVID-19 response and plans moving forward.  This posted version is closed-captioned and is the official LACCD transmission.  Please share with others who may be interested.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Chancellor, College Presidents and Executive Staff, THANK YOU for your flexibility and support.

Francisco C. Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District

Posted: March 27, 2020

MESSAGE FROM LACCD CHANCELLOR RODRIGUEZ

March 27, 2020

To Our Amazing Faculty, Staff and Administrators:

I hope this message finds you and your families well, as we prepare on Monday, March 30, to execute the largest transformation to online education in our state and District’s history.  I recognize and thank each of you for your amazing personal resiliency, uncommon dedication to our students, and your innovative spirit over the last several weeks.  The pace of decision-making has been unprecedented and the most fluid in my 35 years as a college professional and administrator.

LACCD PROUD
The many challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted every part of our daily lives.  I am proud of the people who are leading by example during this strenuous and demanding period– people like you ­–persisting with grit, intelligence and grace, as you shoulder the critical responsibility of sustaining this academic year and beyond.  The rapid transition to remote teaching and remote work required a great deal of flexibility, resilience and patience.  Our teams have been working tirelessly to help our organization successfully adapt to our new and unpredictable realities.  We are working around the clock to secure additional funding, and provide policy recommendations and additional solutions in support of community colleges.

Thank you for doing your best to deal with the difficulties and uncertainties we are facing. Together, we will keep the academic year on course and fulfill our mission and promise to provide an affordable, high quality and accessible education to our students.  It has not been easy and we will continue to face many challenges, but together we will weather this storm.  We are all in this together.

COMMUNICATION IN REAL TIME
The Los Angeles Community College District and our Board of Trustees are committed to providing up-to-date information, resources and support to keep you and our students safe.  We are posting timely information to the District’s website at www.laccd.edu/coronavirus. The resource includes Frequently Asked Questions and a page bearing useful information for staff and faculty. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.  

STAY THE COURSE
Our colleges now play an even more important role to the communities we proudly serve.  For so many of our students, our colleges represent “home,” a safe place, and many rely on us for basic needs beyond education – food and shelter, financial assistance, internet access and more.  Our students are feeling the severe impact of this social and economic upheaval caused by COVID-19, and some are frightened about their future.  LACCD endeavors to be a beacon of light and fountain of hope for our students.

Together, we’ll do our part to protect the health of our communities by providing much-needed access to and success in higher education, and by forging a more prosperous tomorrow. 

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, college presidents and executive staff, THANK YOU for your flexibility and support, as we navigate through these unprecedented times.

Salud, fuerza y corazón.  Health, strength and heart.

Francisco C. Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District

Posted: March 26, 2020

From the LACCD - New Protocol for Staff Regarding COVID-19 Exposure Incidents

Any staff that has positive for COVID-19 OR is experiencing the symptoms of COVID-19 exposure must report the incident immediately to their supervisor. Any staff that has a co-worker who contacts them about testing positive for COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should also reported to their supervisor.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the current symptoms include: 

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath

The CDC’s “emergency warning signs” of coronavirus includes:

  • Trouble breathing
  • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
  • New confusion or inability to arouse
  • Bluish lips or face

Initial Supervisor Response to Report from a Co-Worker Related to COVID-19

If an employee reports to you that they have tested positive for COVID-19, or a coworker informs you that one of their co-worker tested positive for COVID-19 give the affected employee the following information:

  • Immediately home isolate
  • Call your doctor or healthcare provider for further direction
  • Continue to monitor your symptoms closely and seek medical care as soon as possible if symptoms get worse
  • Keep in contact with their immediate supervisor with updates on your condition
  • Encourage them to make arrangements with their supervisor for any special needs or help
  • Remind them to contact with, and remain in contact with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
  • If they are having difficulty breathing or keeping fluids down, go to an emergency room, urgent care, or call 911

Further Guidance to Supervisor

If an employee reports to you that they have not tested for COVID-19, but are experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus, including fever, cough and/or difficulty breathing, the instructor will give the following instructions to the student:

  • Immediately home isolate
  • Call your doctor or healthcare provider for direction
  • Monitor your symptoms closely and seek medical care as soon as possible if symptoms get worse · Keep in contact with your supervisor with updates on your condition
  • Encourage them to make arrangements with their supervisor for any special needs or help
  • Call your doctor if you have had close contact with a person who has a confirmed case of COVID-19
  • Stay informed with official information from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
  • If you are having difficulty breathing or keeping fluids down, go to an emergency room, urgent care, or call 911

Supervisor’s Steps To Informing Other Employees

If an employee has been in the office or workplace environment within 14 days of reporting to you of experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or has tested positive, you should tell other co-workers who may also be impacted:

“A co-worker in our (INSERT NAME OF Department/division, workplace environment, NOT co-worker’s name) is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (OR INSERT “has tested positive for COVID-19”) and you may have been exposed to the virus. Please monitor yourself for symptoms of respiratory illness, such as fever and dry cough. In an abundance of caution, it is recommended that you voluntarily self-quarantine and make arrangements with your supervisor for any work projects or assignments to be done remotely. If you experience any symptoms, please call your doctor before going in to seek care. Additional information is available at: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/.”

Any staff member who has a co-worker reporting a positive test for, or experiencing symptoms of, COVID-19 should follow the same instructions given to employee if they have been in contact with the employee within the past 14 days. Namely, they should home isolate for 14 days and carefully self-monitor for symptoms, and call their doctor for direction. The staff member should also immediately inform their direct supervisor so that any additional notifications can be sent as needed.