President's Office

March 5, 2025

(1) Building Community to Support Continued Calm

The first Town Hall entitled Diversity, Equity, Inclusion​ &​ Immigration: Reaffirming District Values - Upholding Our Principles and Interests Within Legal Frameworks took place Monday at De Anza College.

As a reminder, the Foothill College Town Hall will take place on March 17 at 9 a.m. in room 8338.

If you attended Monday’s event you know that we are fully engaged with and aware of the broad guidance coming from the State Chancellor’s Office, educational organizations, as well our own local legal counsel. Recapping the last few days and weeks:

• The California Community College Chancellor's Office is "encouraging college leaders to continue their critical work in alignment with state and federal laws, regulations, and our shared goal of expanding educational opportunities, strengthening student pathways, and supporting workforce development to meet California's economic needs.” As you likely know, several legal injunctions are now in place.
• The Chancellor's Office is also encouraging colleges to consult legal counsel regarding potential impacts of the Dear Colleague letter, which we have done and will continue to do. A FAQ from the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights on the “Dear Colleague” letter is reported by many as a softening better tied to common legal understandings. A recent memo from the CCCCO writes of the FAQ, “Of particular interest are FAQs 8 & 9, which clarify the Department’s position regarding efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. In FAQ 8, for example, the Department states that “[w]hether a policy or program violates Title VI does not depend on the use of specific terminology such as ‘diversity,’ ‘equity,’ or ‘inclusion.’”
• Organizations like ACCJC are encouraging institutions to provide feedback to the Department of Education.
• Of course, the Department of Education is now headed by Linda McMahon, On March 3, she issued a letter outlining the Department of Education's "final mission". In this communication, McMahon aligned her vision with Trump's goal to return educational authority to the states. While not explicitly mentioning the department's abolition, she repeatedly used the phrase "final mission," hinting at a potential dismantling or major overhaul of the agency. But we don’t yet know exactly what this means.
• Many organizations and educational leaders are explicitly urging institutions not to overreact or engage in "anticipatory compliance," emphasizing the point made last week that Executive Orders do not have the force of law. This is advice for which our heads continue to nod.

Our single most valuable act of resistance is to continue skillful, calm, and unapologetic service to students within our framework of equity and inclusion.

(2) 4th annual Ethnic Studies Summit today from noon – 3 p.m.

If you need to connect to colleagues engaged in acts of radical hope, head over to the Ethnic Studies Summit in 5015 TODAY. Yosimar Reyes, a poet and performer from East San Jose with roots in Guerrero, Mexico, is the headliner.

(3) Tenure Awardees

The Ethnic Studies Summit reminds me how fortunate we are to have Ulysses Acevedo as our colleague. Ulysses along with three other stellar faculty members–Ben Kaupp, Lisa Chesser-Nielson, and Mona Rawal–are being celebrated just ahead of the official awarding of tenure in the March 10th Board of Trustees meeting. Congrats Ulysses, Lisa, Ben, and Mona.

(4) MIPC this Friday, March 7 at 1 p.m.

The next meeting of the Mission Informed Planning Council is this Friday from 1-3 in 1901 and online. The agenda may be found here. The Foothill College Values come back to MIPC after feedback from the Classified, Academic, and Student Senates. Also, a large portion of the agenda is devoted to a discussion of the integration of equity plans into our Educational Master Plan.

(5) Celebrate Women’s History Month

Happy Women’s History Month and happy early International Women’s Day. As a former women’s studies instructor, I’d like to join the celebration of Women’s History Month with my postmodern feminist lens. Postmodern feminism is critical of essentialism and binary thinking. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of social context and power relationships in understanding gender. I think that it is such an important lens to foreground the day after it was shouted (and cheered) in Congress that only two genders exist. I’m sending my love to my trans sisters, and to all my non-binary and queer colleagues and students. I see you. I celebrate you. You are glorious!

Yours in service,
Kristina

Dr. Kristina Whalen
President, Foothill College
@prezfoothill on IG