The Campus Climate team is pleased to welcome newly elected and reelected members:
- Classified: Kathi Frieden, new
- Professional: Debbie Bell, returning
- Administrative: Leigh Giles-Brown, new
Category Archives: Campus Climate Team
Submit IDI Grant applications yet today
Be the change
Applications are currently being accepted through today, Nov. 30, for LLCC’s IDI Grant program for 2023-24! The goal of the grant is to prompt, identify and support innovative proposals that incorporate inclusivity and enhance diversity at LLCC.
IDI Grant spotlight: BSU event for D186 seniors
BSU event for D186 seniors
submitted by Kim Wilson and written by Dr. David Leitner on behalf of BSU
Members of the LLCC Black Student Union (BSU) welcomed approximately 60 District 186 seniors to BSU Fest Friday, April 21, 2023, on the Springfield campus.
The event was held to help students explore educational options and enhance community connection and inclusion among Black students.
Participants toured campus; participated in sonography, poetry or natural hair care workshops; and heard from BSU alumni, faculty and staff.
The recruitment event covered two needs: to recruit more minority students to attend LLCC and to recruit students to join LLCC’s Black Student Union while attending the college. The overall event was geared toward helping students make sound financial decisions when deciding where to attend college. Students also learned that by attending LLCC their first two years, they can have a sense of belonging by joining BSU, a quality education at little or no out-of-pocket expense and still transfer to an HBCU as a junior to fulfill their educational dream. Community vendors, faculty and staff were invited to engage with the students and show the diverse environment that LLCC can build for its students to succeed.
Be the change
Applications are currently being accepted through Nov. 30, 2023, for LLCC’s IDI Grant program for 2023-24! The goal of the grant is to prompt, identify and support innovative proposals that incorporate inclusivity and enhance diversity at LLCC.
IDI Grant spotlight: Healthy Minds, Hearts and Hands
Healthy Minds, Hearts and Hands
Yvonne Cosentino, OTA program director
This community-based service learning project was selected for LLCC Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion (IDI) Grant funding in 2022-23 and enabled a partnership between the LLCC Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Illinois to increase diversity of OTA student applications by increasing community awareness of the occupational therapy profession. The project, “Healthy Minds, Hearts and Hands,” brought engaging activities promoting fitness, emotional well-being and social language development for building student confidence and success at school. Additionally, the program offered traditional school-based occupational therapy strategies to help students who struggle with homework to build skills that will carry over into the classroom.
As a result of the project, the college gained two interested candidates for the OTA program cohort beginning in January 2024. Additionally, pre- and
post-testsof third, fourth and fifth graders identified that 54% of students reported an improvement in executive function skills, 50% of students reported improved sensory-motor performances and 36% of students reported improved success with academic subjects.
Boys & Girls Clubs staff members overwhelmingly “strongly agreed” that the program was beneficial, and they would recommend it to other after-school sites. The LLCC first-semester OTA student reflections identified the strengths and challenges of working with such a large group of children and are looking forward to continuing to grow the program with additional strategies for organization, management and activity development.
Be the change
Applications are currently being accepted through Nov. 30, 2023, for LLCC’s IDI Grant program for 2023-24! The goal of the grant is to prompt, identify and support innovative proposals that incorporate inclusivity and enhance diversity at LLCC.
IDI Grant Spotlight: Diversity and Equity Fellowship Initiative
Diversity and Equity Fellowship Initiative (DEFI)
Leigh Giles-Brown, DMS program director
Leigh Giles-Brown and Tracey Benn-Cockayne
The Diversity and Equity Fellowship Initiative (DEFI) was selected for LLCC Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion (IDI) Grant funding in 2022-23 and enabled LLCC to pay a highly qualified sonographer who is a member of a minoritized group to help lead and develop curriculum for a new cardiovascular sonography (CVS) degree program.
The DEFI program successfully met all project goals. A minority echocardiographer was recruited to serve as co-chair of the CVS planning team. She was instrumental in organizing meeting participants and the timely completion of the ICCB Form 20 proposal. The DEFI program proved to be an effective recruitment tool for minority faculty as the 2023 DEFI fellow has indicated her desire to become an instructor at LLCC. The DEFI fellowship served to increase program exposure to potential students through two events that the 2023 DEFI fellow arranged. One was a speaking event at a local high school, and the other was an informational opportunity at a minority health fair. Both events were well-received by participants who expressed interest in sonography and other health program offerings at LLCC.
Be the change
Applications are currently being accepted through Nov. 30, 2023, for LLCC’s IDI Grant program for 2023-24! The goal of the grant is to prompt, identify and support innovative proposals that incorporate inclusivity and enhance diversity at LLCC.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity and Justice statement
At Lincoln Land Community College, we value diversity as an asset and strength in our student body, faculty, staff and the communities we serve. Open to all, we create an equitable, inclusive and just environment inside and beyond the classroom. We drive innovation in our learning and working spaces by dismantling systemic, academic, financial and geographic barriers to individual success.
You belong at Lincoln Land Community College.
Diversity acknowledges and celebrates the different identities, perspectives and backgrounds that make up our institution. We are intentional in our support of, and outreach to, those who are marginalized and minoritized to ensure our student body and workforce reflect the diversity of those we serve.
Equity creates conditions that allow all to reach their full potential, even though we each arrive at this institution with different circumstances and experiences. Success may look different to each member of our community. We foster a culture that recognizes and addresses each person’s unique needs by implementing practices that eliminate structural disparities.
Inclusion affirms and amplifies the many voices that make up all areas of our institution. Recognizing our individual and collective power to foster a sense of belonging for all, we create safe, welcoming and courageous spaces where all can feel valued, respected and empowered to reach their full potential.
Justice strives to make our institutional systems and practices effective, accountable and transparent at all levels. This requires continual dialogue, clear goals and action to eliminate disparities and achieve full belonging, especially for those who face disadvantages. In doing so, we move our institution forward and lead by example.
About
Last Academic Year LLCC established a group to develop a new diversity, equity and inclusion statement as well as define what these terms mean to LLCC. This statement and definitions tie back to multiple priorities identified in the college’s current strategic plan. The new diversity, equity, inclusion and justice statement is intended to serve as a foundational vision in our efforts to ensure we are embracing the diversity and different backgrounds of each individual that makes up our LLCC community. The group spent many hours conducting research on this topic and developing and refining many iterations of the statement itself. We would like to thank the members of this group for their commitment and diligent work throughout this process. The group members were:
Kim Alexander, accessibility specialist
Natasha Casey, assistant professor, communication
Nichole Coffey, student accounts manager
John Freml, instructional designer
Teresa Liberati, professor, biology
Preston Siewert, student representative
Candace Silas, director, WEI & PATH
Brent Todd, dean, natural & agricultural sciences
Kayla Weitzel, employment specialist
There will be a session on Professional Development Day that will be hosted by various members of this group to discuss the new statement, the process and next steps. Additionally, LLCC Institutional Research & Effectiveness will be hosting a session to discuss the most recent PACE survey findings on this topic.
BSU hosts event for D186 seniors
Members of the LLCC Black Student Union (BSU) welcomed approximately 60 District 186 seniors to BSU Fest Friday, April 21, on the Springfield campus.
The event was held to help students explore educational options and enhance community connection and inclusion among Black students.
Participants toured campus; participated in sonography, poetry or natural hair care workshops; and heard from BSU alumni, faculty and staff.
April 6 Salsa event
Come see Julio Barrenzuela, the “Salsa Ambassador,” and learn how to dance the Salsa on April 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons.
Barrenzuela has been teaching Salsa for over 10 years in any place that he can, including nursing homes, facilities for those with disabilities and youth organizations. He says, “Music brings people together, and that’s what I want to do through my efforts. The hope is to make a difference by giving the community’s most unlikely people, be it from their wheelchair or jail cell, the opportunity to see themselves as salsa dancers and therefore members of a much larger ‘salsa community.’”
He is a veteran of the Navy and has a doctorate in cultural studies from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. He is currently president of CIELO, a culturally integrated organization dedicated to promoting the education, employment and culture of Latino Americans in communities that are within about a 60-mile radius of Springfield.
LLCC DEFI Grant
The IDI-funded LLCC Diversity & Equity Fellowship Initiative (DEFI) is making great progress this spring. The grant was awarded to the diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) program as a faculty recruitment tool with the goal of increasing the diversity of the health professions faculty pool.
A DEFI fellow, Tracey Benn-Cockayne, was selected to assist with a curriculum proposal for a new cardiovascular sonography (CVS) AAS degree program. Tracey is a registered echocardiographer who is from a minoritized group. She serves as the co-chair for the CVS Planning Committee along with current DMS Program Director Leigh Giles-Brown.
During her short time as a DEFI fellow, Tracey has developed and administered a workforce needs analysis survey which identified staffing shortages and the crucial need for a CVS program to be established in central Illinois. Tracey serves on all subcommittees for the CVS program planning process and presented progress notes during recent DMS Program Advisory Committee and CVS Planning Committee meetings. “Her expertise is invaluable to crafting the many sections of the required ICCB Form-20. Tracey’s details and insights are helping us design a quality CVS program that will benefit students and the workforce,” said Leigh Giles-Brown. Currently, Tracey is contributing to the review of all CVS curriculum components for alignment with accreditation and industry standards. The target completion date for submission to the LLCC curriculum approval process is this May.
In addition, Tracey has gone above and beyond the expectations of the fellowship by identifying two prospective student recruitment opportunities taking place in April. These events will give the DMS program an opportunity to present the current sonography program to more interested students.
April 6 Salsa event
Come see Julio Barrenzuela, the “Salsa Ambassador,” and learn how to dance the Salsa on April 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons.
Barrenzuela has been teaching Salsa for over 10 years in any place that he can, including nursing homes, facilities for those with disabilities and youth organizations. He says, “Music brings people together, and that’s what I want to do through my efforts. The hope is to make a difference by giving the community’s most unlikely people, be it from their wheelchair or jail cell, the opportunity to see themselves as salsa dancers and therefore members of a much larger ‘salsa community.’”
He is a veteran of the Navy and has a doctorate in cultural studies from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. He is currently president of CIELO, a culturally integrated organization dedicated to promoting the education, employment and culture of Latino Americans in communities that are within about a 60-mile radius of Springfield.