By Jamil Oakford/ editor-in-chief
TCC’s board of trustees heard the district police department’s racial profiling report from Chief Shaun Williams, a report the state requires they compile.
It found that the TCC police department was in compliance with the racial profiling law.
“We do an excellent job. Our supervisors do an excellent job,” Williams said.
He explained how body cameras and dash cams have helped and that all supervisors are required to review the footage.
“So if anything looks improper, we’re on it pretty quick,” Williams said.
While the report does not give a campus breakdown, Williams said the law doesn’t specify how the police department presented those numbers.
During a presentation on TR’s Sign Language interpreting program, speech instructor and arts department chair Irene Thrower presented updated data on the completion rate of the program.
“Using the most recent data, our passing rate for licensure is 90 percent,” she said. “So nine out of 10 students that attempt the BEI [Board for Evaluation of Interpreters] pass it.”
The state average is 39 percent.
The board attended to other items of business that included an update on the development of the NE arts complex.
For the Northeast Center of Excellence in Visual, Technical and Performing Arts Center, a request will be completed by the end of April to start a bidding process for services.
Also, the board discussed possible alternative financing plans for some of the college’s projects after board member Bill Greenhill expressed some worry about financing them.
“I’m concerned about state funding going down,” he said. “We need to do something long term, maybe not this budget, but down the road.”
The college’s pay-as-you-go plan isn’t sustainable, he said.
Board member O.K. Carter suggested folding a few of those projects into a debt package over seven years.
The board also approved a new classroom furniture assessment on NE Campus. Real estate and facilities vice chancellor Nina Petty said this would keep to the five-year plan in place with the college to re-evaluate and replace as needed.
