Present: Veronica M., Veronica G. Vercila, Jan, Suzanne, Paul, Leslie, Lori, Karen, Leah
Next meetings: Nov. 25, 2 p.m. and Dec. 9, 2 p.m. Please plan to attend if possible, and block
2-3:30 for the entire meeting. Spring meetings to calendar now: second and fourth Mondays, i.e.,
Jan. 27, Feb. 10 and 24 , March 10 and 24, April 14 abd 28, May 12.
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Some discussion to debrief from Day of the Dead. Vercila and Vero felt it was done in a rush but
done appropriately for all that; collaboration was good; Arturo and the art students were very
helpful, almost magically so; they thanked helpers. Some things to work on: have more time to
plan an event; increase student involvement if possible to teach leadership skills; have a discussion
about what's a successful event vis a vis number of students who attend at Gavilan-so we can set
good goals. People commented on the beauty of altar, the lovely smells, the hearts that will be
kept next year, the good feeling Veronica and Vercila set.
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Dec. 10-the subgroup has met and will contribute in a few simple ways to Human Rights Day,
which is primarily being organized by the International Club. STG will hold a signpainting party on
Dec. 6 and students will be invited to write out and/or illustrate points that strike them from the
UN Declaration of Human Rights. These will then be posted around campus. This will be Friday,
Dec. 6 from 12-4 p.m. Teachers will be encouraged to bring classes for extra credit. Jesse
Sandow will take donations of literature for a table on human rights, and Leslie will offer UNICEF
cards so don't buy your holiday cards if you can wait til Dec. 10!. Robert will work on a display
about children and war, and EOPS Club will sponsor a noon speaker from the Immigrant Action
Network. Also, ASB is coordinating the timing of its canned food drive for Human Rights Day,
and the International Club will invite dancers, singers, and hold a fashion show.
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Discussion of staff development; Karen will call a meeting to discuss GLTB issues at Gavilan, and
Jan will call a group together to discuss a coordinated approach to STG staff training over the
coming years.
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CROG: Leah told about a group meeting to look into nonviolence/conflict resolution AA/certificate
programs at Gavilan. It calls itself Conflict Resolution Outreach Group, or CROG. Watch for
more!
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Black History Month: Leah and Vercila met and reported. Terrence Roberts is coming Feb. 5.
We have most of the money. He will speak at 10 a.m. and noon at Gavilan. He will then go to
GHS, the Methodist church, and the Gilroy library. All these groups, and TRIO, will help with
funding. We are hoping to tape the proceedings. We would like to show the video of TR and also
some of the ASB's donated Black History videos on Ch. 18 and 20. Both channels are willing, and
Leah will write for permissions. Vercila will check into Ujarani, a SJ cultural center that offers
African-American programs, storytelling, etc. It sounds wonderful, and we could probably easily
find a class or several to put people into. We will do a flier like the ones for November Native
American history month, but on African-American history month and why to celebrate it.
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Veronica G. will look into an exhibit on the Asian-American experience to see whether we might
want it at Gavilan in the spring. Leah will talk to Arturo about the process for scheduling the
gallery, as it may have changed with the change of teachers responsible. We also will ask Julie
Chui to the next meeting to discuss Chinese New Year plans.
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There was discussion about student participation both re: Black History Month and in general. It
was noted that Gavilan students do a lot, though some felt it would be good to get more doing
more with the STG. Vercila suggested that a one-page flier be developed to stuff into scholarship,
UC, CSU, and other applications that tells students about opportunities to get involved at Gavilan,
both to help the college and to increase their marketability as people involved in their community.
Vercila and Leslie will work on a draft. It could also be given out at orientations,a nd added to the
orientation powerpoint presentation. Other ideas: trying to involve students on academic probation
so they have a sense of belonging, involving the Guidance 1 and 200 students, asking social
science to offer extra credit, offering independent study, making the sign Monica Q.-R. requested
some time ago; expanding service learning options in more classes. It was also suggested that in
addition to recognizing staff each month, we recognize students and acknowledge winners with a
staff parking permit or other perk. These ideas need more discussion and volunteers to carry them
out, and the topic will be carried over to next meeting.
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Future of the STG: A group left at the end after various departures talked about the group's
future. Leah reported that Marty has asked the group to consider institutionalizing itself. Leah will
invite Marty to discuss pros and cons at the next meeting. Also discussed were ideas such as
throwing a pizza lunch for students to invite them to talk about institutional barriers to involvement
at the college, and having a formal or informal mentoring program for any student who comes to a
meeting. It was suggested we celebrate a good first year in early spring with a potluck or retreat
involviing all active STG members and subcommittee members and all original MOT attendees.
There was support for looking again at how responsibilities are handled, especially so Leah can
give some over to others and do less. We discussed the Sacramento CC center that exists-with
funding, staff, and a building-to do what we are doing with none of those resources, and agreed to
bring the group's mission statement as a priority to the next meeting.
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Below is a second draft of the mission statement to be discussed next time:
Draft Mission Statement for Stand Together Group
Everyone should feel safe, respected, and included at Gavilan. The Stand Together Group exists
to promote and celebrate diversity, inclusiveness, and mutual respect in our campus community.
Our priorities are:
--Special events planning for community involvement
We are committed to organizing a variety of events to inspire and educate a broad spectrum of
students, staff, and members of our communities. We will pay special attention to how we
organize and carry out special events, so we can involve many diverse people, build community,
share work, and break down barriers as we work together. Our events will help us gain the
confidence and respect of our communities so Gavilan College is seen as a treasured resource.
--Developing the Stand Together Group as a model of diversity, inclusiveness and mutual respect.
We are committed to making our group's work student-centered and student-friendly. We will
work to be a trusted advocacy group for relevant issues, and for people who are
under-represented or voiceless on campus. We will work with other campus groups to improve
inclusiveness, diversity, and mutual respect throughout the college community. We will endeavor
to make diversity, inclusiveness, and mutual respect hallowed college values that are
well-institutionalized in many ways.
--Making the curriculum more culturally diverse
We will help create an academic environment that teaches and models the practice of
inclusiveness and mutual respect. We will work to infuse curriculum and teaching methods with
cultural sensitivity. We will encourage the development of diverse new courses which examine
human experience in its many varieties, using a variety of teaching techniques which acknowledge
students as whole people. We will support the inclusion of nonviolence and peacemaking skills in
our curriculum.
--Working to improve the campus climate.
We will work to find better ways to welcome and serve our diverse college community. We will
work against hate, and will promote events and activities that challenger stereotypes and break
down barriers between people. We will help suggest and implement policies and procedures to
meet these goals.
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