Chaparral 2021-2022: 30.4 Reaching Across: Building Bridges with Colleagues

How long have you been at GCC, and what do you do here?

David

My journey at Glendale Community College (GCC) began on January 2nd, 2020, two and a half months before we closed our doors to in-person services, which means I've spent more time working remotely than physically being on campus.

I work as a Student Services Technician (SST) at the Multicultural & Community Engagement Center (MCEC), and over the last two years, I have progressively taken on other roles. I currently co-advise the Black Student Union alongside Student Equity Counselor Alexandra Evans and chair the Glendale Regional Community Action Partnership (RCAP).

For those unfamiliar with the Glendale Regional Community Action Partnership, RCAP meetings are where service providers can network, learn about each other's programs and services, build partnerships, and develop collaborations to assist formerly incarcerated students and community members.

What do you wish people knew about your department or division that you think they might not totally understand?

David

The MCEC is a small, close-knit, student-centric group of professionals with over forty years of experience in higher education. We enjoy working with and strive to create a safe and inclusive space for all students, and we don't take it lightly that many students view our office as a place of refuge. Our team is committed to developing pipelines that facilitate access to higher education and foster educational success.

When you think about our movement toward a more student-centered campus, how can the rest of the campus be more supportive of your department/division? 

David

At the MCEC, we enjoy partnering with other departments. Many of our most successful programs, events, and workshops result from these partnerships: MLK Breakfast, Pride week, Safezone, and Undocu-Ally. It would be nice to see more collaboration amongst departments and divisions on campus where students take what they learn and apply it outside the classroom.

Bonus Question: What are you passionate about outside of Higher Education?

David

I am passionate about being a great husband and father and impacting my community as a leader and volunteer. I enjoy mentoring young men and creating positive change through my writing. Much of my writing deals with race relations, uncomfortable conversations, and the pursuit of the American dream.

How long have you been at GCC, and what do you do here?

Aisha

I love being paired with David as he is one of the first folks I "met" outside of my department as a completely virtual hire. We share that strange feeling of being a part of a community we have never met in person! I came to Glendale Community College (GCC) in Fall 2020, just a bit after David, smack in the middle of the pandemic. I'm an Instruction Librarian by title but my specialty in the Library is Distance Education (DE). Librarians have a unique faculty role on campus as we have core responsibilities in specific areas, but we also teach information competency, supervise, support the Research Help Desk and chat services, participate in governance, and perform other duties as assigned. This can include creating library displays, facilitating research help on Zoom and in person, developing library workshops, training folks, making banners and flyers, developing library policy and guidelines, among so many other things. It's one of the reasons why I like what I do; the work is never the same everyday but pedagogy and people are always at the center of what we do. Another perk of the job is being able to get creative with media and the tools we have to reach students at GCC. I’ve even been thinking about getting into some animation so if you see a bunny or a panda with my voice talking on the Library’s YouTube channel about library services, you got the inside scoop from the Chaparral!

What do you wish people knew about your department or division that you think they might not totally understand?

Aisha

Aww, I love that! Small but mighty is my favorite combination. Like the MCEC, the library is also a smaller crew with lots of experience in the CCs and at Glendale specifically. So this is such a loaded question for folks in Library and Information Science (LIS). As a discipline, I’m not sure most folks understand how much of our work is key to the very act and process of learning. The word “librarian” always evokes that old trope of the white woman with a glasses chain, cardigan, and some dusty old books (Thanks a lot, Hollywood). My colleagues and I know that what we do goes way beyond the text. In LIS, and in Library and Learning Support Services, we are teaching and supporting multiple literacies through active engagement. Our area at GCC includes the Library, Learning Center, the Learning Commons, Learning Support in terms of Instructional Design and Support, and organizationally, the Visual and Performing Arts. That means we have a diversity of folks and experiences all focusing on the various ways students and community members learn, engage, and successfully complete their goals at GCC. As part of the Library, yes, we have resources like books and databases that enable our students to become scholars and critical thinkers as they look at the world. However, we also collaborate and develop pedagogy around information competency to inform our civically minded students in every discipline. I just submitted an online professional development that shows a little bit of how LIS is entangled with so many other issues we address: the digital divide, media literacy, information inequity, and just good old-fashioned research. Not to be that girl, but what we contribute is critical to folks in every part of their lives. Being properly informed with relevant and current information and being able to use that information effectively (information competency, anyone!) is how we excel as students, scholars, and as human beings. *Brushes away tear*

When you think about our movement toward a more student-centered campus, how can the rest of the campus be more supportive of your department/division?

Aisha

Exactly, David. As a faculty member and personally as an extrovert, I thrive on collaboration! I would like to see more folks collaborate with the library on not only their class assignments but integrating information competency concepts in all their work. Again, when we talk about information competency, we are just noting that how we find, use, and understand information affects our ability to achieve and support ourselves in society. It also empowers us as faculty to recognize the privilege we have to teach access and eliminate inequity for our students at GCC. This is applicable in so many scenarios! As a Librarian and faculty member, I see my role as a bridge to these concepts; whether it is building tutorials to evaluate news or showing folks how to find peer-reviewed articles, I’m here to simplify or eliminate barriers to information for our community. Come see me about it!

Bonus Question: What are you passionate about outside of Higher Education?

Aisha

Congratulations again to David and his wife on their lovely baby! It was so cool hearing from David about mentoring and social justice as it's another thing we share in addition to a love of the theatre and Chicago. I engage with a lot of mentorships in my discipline and my personal life. Never underestimate the power or peer mentorship! However, unlike David, I consider myself somewhat of an amateur hobbyist. I haven’t figured out that “thing” that brings me that immense joy that he experiences in his writing. In the meantime, I’m playing tennis, digging around in my tiny yard, going to music fests, and eating my way across Los Angeles with reckless abandon. If you have food recommendations, you know where to find me!