Campus Connection - December 2020
New Office Suite and Classrooms Built in North Quad, Student Centre Improvements Planned
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The North Quad Building on the Lowry campus is getting a new look, larger classrooms, and some familiar tenants.
The Lowry North Quad renovation is part of the Community College of Aurora’s ongoing improvement plan for instructional and staff spaces and will create more space for students in the Student Centre.
Contractors renovated about 6,500 square feet of interior space in the North Quad Building on the first and second floors. The primary focus was to ensure larger classrooms while simultaneously providing an office suite to accommodate the Communications and Marketing and Institutional Research departments. Moving the Communications and Marketing and Institutional Research departments from the Student Centre will create more room for student space and growth in that building.
“The North Quad project is a necessary step to updating the North Quad building, but is also continuing our efforts to upgrade classrooms, offices, and to work towards redistributing square footage in the Student Center as our next important project,” said John Bottelberghe, Facilities Director.
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The project began in summer and was completed recently. Six classrooms and one small office suite were remodeled to accommodate the need for space. Classrooms NQ220 and NQ223 on the east side of the North Quad building were remodeled to become the office suite for Communications and Marketing and Institutional Research including a break room and conference room. Three first floor classrooms were combined to create two 940 square feet classrooms with exterior windows. A small classroom and a small office suite were combined on the second floor to create a third 940 square foot classroom. All classrooms feature new carpet and paint, technology, and large exterior windows.
Moving Institutional Research and Communications and Marketing to North Quad will allow CCA to design a Student Centre to better support students with the services they need and the space they need to remain on campus between classes, said Angela Marquez, Vice President of Student Affairs.
“Central in designing the space for students is to create areas through the building that encourages community, and allows for students to interact with their peers, grab some coffee, unwind with friends or find some quiet study space,” Marquez said.
Additional infrastructure improvements to the Student Centre will include: the creation of all gender bathrooms on both floors and improving existing IT infrastructure to provide students access to the internet through a strong, fast signal that can handle many students accessing it all at once.
Student support area will be included in the Student Centre as well. Currently the building houses the Office of Disability and Equity (ODE) on the second floor and this office will be moved to the first floor. This move will allow for better access for students who need these services with varying physical abilities. The vacated ODE space will be used to create a Care Center where students can utilize the new Single Stop system. This system will create a database system where students can identify community resources to assist them with things like housing, food insecurity, and healthcare. Students will also be able to meet with someone to connect them with resources and mental health counseling in this confidential space. Additionally, the Institutional Research space that was vacated will become the home for a new Scholarship Hub which will allow for the all scholarship sources from Foundation Scholarships, Grant Scholarships and Institutional Scholarships to be housed in one area.
- Top Left Photo Caption: The offices and break area for the new office suite.
- Top Right Photo Caption: The entranceway to the office suite.
- Bottom Left Photo Caption: One of the Institutional Research offices.
- Bottom Right Photo Caption: Another view of the break area in the office suite.
Seen on Campus
Poet and Rapper Tyson Amir Speaks to CCA Staff and Students
Poet and rapper Tyson Amir spoke to CCA staff and students during a virtual event on November 18. English Faculty Carla Campbell arranged for Amir to speak to her Survey of African American Literature class. Amir, an educator and activist in San Jose, CA, is the author of “Black Boy Poems: An Account of Black Survival in America.” Tyson’s work is inspired by Richard Wright, the author of “Native Son” and “Black Boy.” During his appearance, Amir spoke about race in America, answered questions, and read a number of his original poems.
CCA Opens Time Capsule Buried in 1991
More than 100 former and current CCA employees watched on October 6 as former CCA Facilities Director Larry Steele opened a time capsule buried at the CCA CentreTech campus in July 1991. Before the capsule’s opening, CCA History Faculty Dr. Paul Langston and CCA Social Sciences Chair Dr. Brandon Williams talked about what the world was like in 1991 and how different and similar the world is nearly 30 years later. When Steele opened the capsule, he pulled out, among other items, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy, a VHS tape with information about CCA, and many old CCA documents, including class schedules. CCA will bury a new time capsule that will be opened in 30 years. This new capsule will include items that reflect this era, including hand sanitizer, cell phones, and a baby Yoda.
Caption: Former CCA Facilities Director Larry Steele holds up a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle found in the time capsule.
TRIO Program Celebrates First-Generation Students
The TRIO Student Support Services program hosted an “I Am First (Generation)” virtual celebration on November 10 in honor of the annual National First-Generation College Celebration.
The program invited several former CCA students who were the first in their family to attend college to share their experiences and offer suggestions on how to navigate higher education.
Caption: Former CCA student Henry Reyes speaks during the First Generation Celebration.
Free App Day
The Transfer Success Office hosted a Free App Day on October 13 that encouraged students to apply and transfer to four-year colleges. CCA students could speak virtually with representatives and ask questions about attending Colorado Mesa University, University of Colorado - Denver, Fort Lewis College, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs, and Grand Canyon University.
Caption: CCA student Brisa Mejia holds up the peace sign to the camera during Free App Day.
Life's Happenings
Accounting Technician Lily Ryan welcomed her son, Lotus Lee Sweetalla. He was born on October 26. Lotus weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 21 inches long.
Communications and Marketing Director Alex Schultz welcomed his daughter, Avery Genevieve Schultz. She was born on November 18. Avery weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 20 inches long.
Behavioral Sciences Chair Jenn Dale snapped this pic of her daughter, Harper, watching Kamala Harris speak after being elected vice president on November 7.
Huzzah
Galata Completes Google IT Certificate
Campus Security Technician Sintayehu Galata completed the Google IT Professional Certificate. Offered in partnership with Google, the certificate is a program designed to prepare students for work as an entry-level information technology support specialist, doing in-person or remote work at a small company or a large enterprise organization.
Karabushin Receives Colorado Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Award
The Colorado Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CoTESOL) Board has awarded CCA Instructor Lena Karabushin the 2020 Virginia French Allen Award for Excellence in Teaching.
The award honors a teacher who has excelled in classroom instruction and/or has demonstrated creativity in developing materials or a program of instruction. She was nominated by Daniel Schweissing, CCA English as Second Language Faculty.
Communications and Marketing Department Wins Bronze Award for Newsletter
CCA’s Communications and Marketing Department won a bronze award at the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations District 4 Medallion Awards virtual ceremony on October 23. The May 14 biweekly employee newsletter was selected for the bronze over others in the District 4 region, which includes colleges in Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
Ray Elected as State Discipline Chair in Mathematics
Dr. Shelly Ray, Mathematics Department Chair, was elected as the State Discipline Chair in Mathematics for the Colorado Community College System. She will hold this role for two years. The election of the State Discipline Chair occurs at the Statewide Faculty 2:2 Conference by a majority vote of the attending discipline members.
Vargas Invited to Serve on Fulbright U.S. Student English Language Teaching Assistantships
Dr. Edgar Vargas, Spanish Faculty, was invited to serve on the committee for Fulbright U.S. Student English Language Teaching Assistantships for a term of three years. He will participate in the binational selection of U.S. citizens looking to study, teach, or conduct research abroad. In this new role, Vargas will read and rate approximately 50 to 60 applications prior to a one-day virtual meeting with fellow committee members and recommend a limited number of candidates for consideration. Vargas participated in a Fulbright grant in Central Asia in 2018
Shoutouts
We would like to recognize our most recent graduates of the IE Champions series. These staff members engaged in more than 18 hours of Inclusive Excellence professional development while adapting to the changing virtual landscape. The series began in spring 2020 and finished in November. This cohort of 11 now joins more than 165 CCA employees who have completed this important and powerful training. Congratulations to our graduates!
2020 IE Champions: Brett Baker, Renee Bedard, Katie Black, Mike Carter, Robert Costello, Michaela King, Stephanie Lee, Amalie Lester, Mikki Miskoviak, Ben Wolfe, and Catherine Zoerb
- Submitted by Adriana Cordova, Project Director for Transfer Success Initiatives and Mike Roderique, Training Coordinator for Inclusive Excellence
I want to recognize Rebecca Pickett for all of her tireless work helping the Center for Adult Education with our Community English as a Second Language and High School Equivalency registrations. Since July, the two programs have not been on the same schedule, and their registrations have been at different times. Since Becky does a lot of the registration for both programs, she has been continuously registering up until this week! Remote registration is much more work and is exhausting, but she is patient and kind with all of the students. She is a great asset to our program, and we appreciate everything she does for us!
- Submitted by Jackie Zvejnieks, Interim Director, Center for Adult Education
The instructors and staff of the Center for Adult Education get a big shoutout for the remarkable work they have done over the last eight months in moving non-credit courses for Community English as a Second Language, High School Equivalency preparation, and Citizenship preparation to remote instruction and completely remote registration, assessment, class placement, and orientation.
- Submitted by Dr. Chris Ward, Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness
CCA in the News
Recent news stories that highlight CCA:
Community College of Aurora hopes Biden Administration will usher in more welcoming environment for community colleges - Aurora Sentinel and Chalkbeat Colorado - December 3, 2020
Aurora TV Interview with Angela Marquez and college enrollment - November 25, 2020
New Faces
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Dani Diaz, COSI Coordinator 
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Binta Gassama, Accounting Technician 
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Efren Herrera Hurtado , TRIO Academic Coach 
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Courtney Knauff, Pathways Advisor 
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James Koerner, Pathways Advisor 
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Parastoo Malakouti, Financial Aid Advisor 
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Wendy Muench, Information Technology Director 
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Colleen Munoz-Barron, Accounting Technician 
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Ernie Navarette, Pathways Advisor 
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Dr. Brittney Rodgers, NSF S-STEM Project Coordinator 
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Carina Solis-Roman, Pathways Advisor 
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