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KV FocusPlus

June 30, 2022

Greetings!

Kalamazoo Valley Community College's community collaborations continue to expand and are evident across our campus locations and the region.

More than 300 students are participating in college summer athletic camps now through the end of summer. Also joining us this month are dozens and dozens of Early/Middle College summer campers. These middle school aged students are exploring careers and pathway options while visiting a number of our campus locations.

Kalamazoo Public Schools students are providing valuable input about the Kalamazoo Valley Museum "Wonder Media: Ask The Questions!" exhibit. Together with exhibit creator Western Michigan University Presidential Innovation Professor, Sue Ellen Christian, the museum plans to host student groups throughout the summer. The exhibit, a collaboration between Kalamazoo Valley and WMU, includes 14 unique interactive stations which challenge our understanding of and relationship to the digital media landscape. The exhibit runs through 2023.

At the Food Innovation Center, high school students are learning about sustainable, urban food practices through Youth Opportunities Unlimited summer placements. High school students interested in cooking and health are participating in the college's Learning Kitchen, a new, free virtual cooking program made possible through a partnership between Kalamazoo Valley and the Bronson Health Foundation. The project is funded in part by the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Fitness Foundation.

Also new this summer, the college is collaborating with the Kalamazoo's Douglass Community Association offering girl's and boy's basketball clinics at its Northside location. Our hope is that this pilot program grows and that even more students will have the opportunity to interact with college basketball coaches, college staff and players during these clincs.

These and other efforts support the college's new mission statement: Kalamazoo Valley Community College creates innovative and equitable opportunities that empower all to learn, grow and thrive. We are very pleased to be a part of the lives of learners of all ages and look forward to welcoming many of these young people and their families to the college as enrolled students in the future.

Thank you.
Signature: L. Marshall Washington
L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D.
President

COVID-19 At-Home Test Kit Distribution
On July 7 and 11, the college will be hosting two free COVID-19 at-home test kit distribution events. Current students and employees of the college are welcome to register for one of the pickup dates and receive one COVID-19 at-home test kit (containing two tests).

The events are scheduled at:
Arcadia Commons Campus on July 7 at the Center for New Media between 12 and 2 p.m.
Texas Township Campus on July 11 outside of the bookstore between noon and 2 p.m.

To register for your free kit please complete the registration form by 9 a.m. the day of the event.

As a reminder, the college has disposable masks available at all entry points for students and employees to use. Additionally, a limited number of N95 masks are available for employees to use during their work day. These masks are available while supplies last. Employees should contact their supervisor if they have an interest in N95 to use at work. Supervisors can request a supply of N95 masks for their department by emailing facilities@kvcc.edu

For questions, contact Facilities and Event Services at 269.488.4540.

Volunteers Needed!
Volunteers are needed to support college enrollment efforts at the 36^th Annual Black Arts Festival. The festival takes place July 9 on the South Kalamazoo Mall. Volunteers are needed between 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Click here to sign up!

Compensation and Classification Study Update
The steering committee for the Compensation and Classification Study* wish to thank the full-time staff and administrators who took part in the orientations, focus groups, employee JATs and first-line supervisor review of JATs. Here are a few of the college's statistics on participation:

More than 202 full-time staff and administrators attended orientations
Over 133 full-time staff and administrators attended focus groups
Over 83% of full-time staff and administrators completed JATs
99% of staff and administrator JATs were reviewed by first-line supervisors

The college's consulting partner, Evergreen Solutions LLC, has indicated that the college had excellent employee and supervisor review participation rates. Great job!

The contributions employees provided during all parts of the employee input process are very valuable and will be incorporated into the study going forward. For example, employee focus group suggestions helped inform the list of institutions that will be used in the market comparison phase of the study. We appreciate all of the feedback provided.

As a next step in the Compensation and Classification Study, Evergreen Solutions LLC will be working with Human Resources to analyze the employee input data as a component of proceeding with an assessment study, market study and other strategic positioning and report recommendations. There are a number of steps that need to be completed during this next phase, which will take place between July and October 2022. From an employee standpoint, this is a quiet time in the study, when direct feedback from employees is not requested. We look forward to providing a full update once the study in completed, and we will keep you posted regarding progress during this quiet period in the study.

Thank you once again for your excellent participation in the Compensation and Classification Study. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Human Resources HR@kvcc.edu.

*The Compensation and Classification Steering Committee - Dannie Alexander, Nkenge Bergan, Aaron Hilliard, Brian Lueth, Amy Reynolds, Tim Welsh, Kathy Johnson

Jump In - The Pool Is Open
The pool at the college's Texas Township Campus opens July 5 for students, employees and retirees! Summer swim hours are Monday - Thursday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Pool users must check in with their Kalamazoo Valley ID at the "cage" window in the lower level.

To accommodate Early/Middle College campers, the pool will close at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, July 13, July 27 and Aug. 3.

Styrofoam Recycling Event Planned for July 23
Do you have Styrofoam plates and cups to recycle? Join the college for the Styrofoam recycling event July 23. The event is organized by the college's Sustainability Committee. Watch for more details in the next KV Focus Plus.

The official Kalamazoo Valley Community College Cougar Bookstore

Bookstore Closed June 29 - July 10
The Kalamazoo Valley Community College Bookstore and the Bookstore website are closed through July 10. Both will reopen on Monday, July 11.

Register Now for Charity Walk
Current and former PTK members are invited to participate in the inaugural PTK Charity Walk. Bring your friends and family and help us raise money for Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes on Aug. 11 at 6:30 p.m. on the Texas Township Campus. Register for just $20 at www.kvcc.edu/ptk. Registration (before June 30) includes a commemorative t-shirt. All money raised will be donated.

Call for Proposals
The Fall 2022 Summit is set for Wednesday, Aug. 31 and Thursday, Sept. 1. Please consider sharing your expertise and talents with the greater Kalamazoo Valley team. The theme "Compassionate Community" will be continued into the 2022-23 academic year.

Submit your proposal for a 50-minute in-person breakout session by Aug. 1. Simply fill out this survey to submit your idea.

How can you take advantage of this opportunity?

Promote your program to an audience of staff, faculty and administrators
Engage employees in a discussion on a topic that matters to you and to the college
Bring people together through a team-building exercise

College Hosts Basketball Clinics at the Douglass
Do you know any 5^th through 8^th graders interested in basketball? Kalamazoo Valley Community College's men's and women's basketball coaches and players will be hosting free one-day clinics for boys and girls this summer at the Douglass Community Association in Kalamazoo. See the flyer below for details.

Free Youth Basketball Clinics. Run by Kalamazoo Valley Community College mens and womens basketball coaches and players for fifth and eighth graders. Girls: July 30, 10 AM to 1 PM. Boys: August 6, 10 AM to 1 PM. Douglass community association 1000 west paterson street, kalamazoo. Must bring basketball shoes, proper clothing, a ball with your name on it. For questions call the bouglass at 269-343-6185

Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Tours College

Representatives from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), formerly the Department of Agriculture, visited Kalamazoo Valley's Food Innovation Center and Culinary and Allied Health Building to learn about the creative ways the college is working to make healthy foods accessible.

Director for Sustainable Food Systems Rachel Bair led the tour at the Food Innovation Center and explained that the food hub concept brings into focus the intersection between food, education and mental health.

"The idea has morphed as we have had different partners come on board or we look at community needs," explained Kalamazoo Valley President L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D.

MDARD Director Gary McDowell said field trips to local communities were more frequent prior to the pandemic. "We're here learning and asking questions," he said. "Great ideas are coming from people across the state who have the same goals and we're really impressed. We want to be a part of it, too."

He said he's hopeful that food insecurity can be tackled by organizations that band together across the state. "Food brings people together," McDowell said. "If we can solve the food crisis, it will go a long way toward solving other social ills."

ValleyHUB, a social enterprise food hub run by the college, connects local growers with buyers like restaurants and institutional kitchens in schools and hospitals. "We have to look more at local so we're not depending on the rest of the world for our food supply," McDowell said. "I just appreciate what's going on in Kalamazoo. It's a great example of what can be done when we work together."

See photos from the tour here. See video from the visit here.

August 2022 Latino Artist Exhibit
Entries for the Latino Artists Exhibit, an Art Hop and community art exhibit, showcasing the fine artwork of local Latino artists are due by July 29, 2022.

The show opens on Aug. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the Center for New Media. This is a collaborative show between the Center for New Media and El Concilio, which is the Hispanic American Council of Kalamazoo. The event will premiere from 5:30 - 8 p.m. during the Aug. 5 Art Hop and will be open on Aug. 6 to coincide with the Latino Summer festival in Bronson Park in downtown Kalamazoo. Physical submissions will be accepted Monday - Thursday between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the center doors of the Center for New Media. Contact Cindy Parks at 269.373.7881 to schedule a time for delivery.

Essay Contest Winners for 2022
Essays from English 110
Narrative Essays
First Place: "Just One More Time" by Tawnee Bickford
Second Place: "On the Road to an Early Death" by Don Rabideau, Jr.
Second Place: "Turning a Corner" by Nadia Sbisa

Persuasive Essays
First Place: "The Rapid Growth in Entitled Shoppers" by Adam Kingsbury
Second Place: "Protecting Young Minds: Minor Safety on TikTok" by Kayla Bartell
Honorable Mention: "Conceptualize This:" by Myla Klomp
Honorable Mention: "Mental Illness and the Death Penalty" by Rachel Stouffer

Other Essays
First Place: "Walking into Progress" by Emilee Lawrence
Second Place: "Love the Way You Lie" by Makaelee Turco
Second Place: "The Indian in the Closet with Spiders: The (Almost) Hopelessness of There There by Tommy Orange" by Don Rabideau, Jr.
Honorable Mention: "The Strange Case of the Chili Tradition" by Emily Langford

Essays from English 111
Literary Criticism Essays
First Place: The Inner Critic and the Puritan by Emily Langford
Second Place: Looking Only upon the Surface by Jian Toy
Honorable Mention: Sleeping in the Forest by Lauren Pillars
Honorable Mention: Religious Motifs and Computerization in E. M. Forster's "The Machine Stops" by Nadia Sbisa

Personal Reflection Essays
First Place: The Turning Point by Anonymous
Second Place: Robots Have Feelings, Too by Vanessa Vang

Essays from English 160
Research Essays
First Place: "The Effects of the 2019 Pandemic on Education" by Morgan Taylor
Second Place: "What Affects the Mental Health of Emergency Healthcare Workers and Are the Training, Precautions and Treatments Provided Sufficient?" by Sarah N. Sward

Essays from 200-Level English Courses
First Place: "Taking Flight" by Candace Williams
Second Place: "The Art of Stream-of-Consciousness Narrative Writing" by Rene Gauthier
Second Place: "Memory Fragments" by Morgan Taylor
Honorable Mention: "Cathedral: A Lesson in Socialization" by Lyndsey Youga

Honors Thesis from English 260
First Place: "Secrets of China: The Truth about the Uyghur Humanitarian Crisis" by Adriana Perez Herrero

Ron Miazga Memorial Award for Descriptive Writing: Upwards and Downwards by Lyndsey Youga

New Exhibit Focuses on Zany Contraptions
Rube Goldberg's cartoons and zany contraptions come to life through 3D, life-size machines and more in a humorous investigation of classic engineering principles. The "Rube Goldberg, The World of Hilarious Invention Exhibit!" was created by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh in partnership with the Heirs of Rube Goldberg. It will be on display through Sept. 11.

NOW OPEN: Wonder Media Exhibit
Boost your skills in identifying misleading and inaccurate news and information at the "Wonder Media: Ask the Questions!" exhibit. Enjoy 14 highly interactive activity stations suitable for pre-teens, teens and adults. The free exhibit runs until December 2023.

SAVE THE DATE: 'Forgotten Fighters' Film on Sept. 10
Come celebrate the famed Kalamazoo Boxing Academy on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 1:30 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, with a reception, speakers and a documentary screening about the academy's history. Also check out the museum's "The Forgotten Fighters of the Kalamazoo Boxing Academy" exhibit before it closes on Sept. 18.

Admission is free to these events and to the museum. Hours are 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday - Friday; 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit kalamazoomuseum.org.

Partnership seeks to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency
Voices of Youth: How can Gen Z get reliable news?
MI Dep. of Agricultural and Rural Development Director McDowell visits Southwest MI
Trustees Approve Revised Kalamazoo Valley Community College Mission Statement
Wind Turbine Technician Academy Graduation Ceremony Commences June 17
A new documentary is shining a light on a once popular Kalamazoo boxing gym
Kalamazoo's Rich Boxing History Memorialized in Exhibit, Documentary
Exhibit, upcoming documentary honor Kzoo Boxing Academy
Voices of Youth marks second year of empowering youth

Kalamazoo Valley Community College
6767 West O Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49003-4070

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Kalamazoo Valley Community College · 6767 W O Ave · Kalamazoo, MI 49009-7402 · USA