3 Reasons I'm Seeking Re-Election
1Increase Access to Higher Education
Free Tuition for All CV High School Seniors Graduating:
One of the main barriers students face to a college education is cost. During my tenure, College of the Desert started a new program that provides free tuition for all high school students who recently graduated from a Coachella Valley high school. Whether you live in Indian Wells, Indio, or Desert Hot Springs, you can go to College of the Desert tuition free.
Free Public Transportation for COD Students:
Another barrier to access is transportation. During my tenure, the Haul Pass was created that allows COD students to ride any Sunline bus not only from home to school, but also to work and back home – absolutely free. In addition, we just implemented Roadrunner Express. It provides free shuttle service between COD’s campuses Monday through Thursdays. There are two routes that allow you to hop on the Roadrunner Express shuttle at the Indio campus and ride to the Main Campus in Palm Desert or hop on the shuttle in Palm Springs and ride to the Main Campus and vice versa. Again, absolutely free.
Classrooms in Close Proximity to Students:
Access can also mean the close proximity of where our students live or work and where they take classes. During my tenure, COD passed two voter approved educational bond measures and expanded its footprint across the Coachella Valley. We established the Mecca/Thermal Campus, built and then doubled the size of the East Valley Campus in Indio, and provided classrooms in Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, and Palm Springs. One of the biggest projects underway right now is the building of the West Valley Campus in Palm Springs. This state-of-the-art facility will be the epicenter for workforce development for those seeking careers in architecture, hospitality and culinary arts, film and media arts, healthcare and services, gaming management, and sustainable technologies.
2 Offer a High-Quality Education
Our community employers rely on COD to train workers in a wide range of occupations including nurses, firefighters, peace officers, accountants, business leaders, and so much more. We must continue to develop curriculum that meets these needs of these careers and provide our students with the skills to be successful. As a board member, I pledge to you that I will do everything in my power to keep COD moving in the right direction, as we have done so during my tenure, by winning national and state awards for academic excellence.
3 Support Our Diverse Student Body
The third reason for running for re-election is support our diverse student body so they can thrive. The best part about being a community college is that our students represent the community. Of course, you may already know that high school graduates are the main sector of our student body going to College of the Desert, but did you know that 28% are non-traditional students? We have students of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and veteran status who seek learning for a variety of reasons. Maybe you want to change careers at 40, but you need special training, or maybe you’re 65 and you want to cook like a celebrity chef. College of the Desert is the place for lifelong learning and 28% of our student body reflects this.
It is also important to provide the affirmative resources for our diverse student body. During my tenure COD has established and enhanced the COD Food Bank for food insecure students, the Veterans Resource Center, the Dreamers Resource Center, Gender and Sexual Diversity Pride Center, Black Student Success Center, Foster Youth Center and the Berger Faculty Innovation Center at COD. We also worked with the California Indian Nations College to begin its process of full accreditation through a collaboration with COD.
