ALEX HOBEN
editor-in-chief
alexandra.hoben@my.tccd.edu

The TCC board of trustees meeting this month was filled to the brim with students, most SGA representatives, to tell the board their stories and experiences regarding TCC.

The room was abuzz with activity before the meeting was called to order, as students from across the district gathered. The main group of students were SGA members who came to the board meeting to talk about Community College Day.

“I was just absolutely honored to have been invited and to experience the Community College Day trip to the capital,” Connect SGA vice president Anthony Guevara said.

Guevara said the Connect group met with Sen. Tan Parker, and discussed education and other matters regarding community colleges.

“We were able to touch subjects about student homelessness,” Guevara said. “As well as other services that colleges provide that may sometimes be underfunded and aren’t necessarily adequate enough to serve our student population.”

Along with the Community College Day presentation, there were also students and alumni spotlighted once again. They included NW alumnus Tomas Alejandro Silva-Cabrera, South alumna turned instructor Lela Anderson, SE student Van Hung Le, NE student Jade Scivally and Connect student Cynthia Jones.

“TCC has opened doors for me to become a better person and progress in this country,” Silver-Cabrera said. “It has also given me the opportunity to grow up in all aspects of my life.”

In other board news, each item on the consent agenda was passed. One of the items regarded the resolution and order for the election of districts four and five on May 6 of this year. These districts are currently represented by trustee Bill Greenhill and board assistant secretary trustee Leonard Hornsby respectively. The deadline for filing for candidacy was Feb. 17.

Board members were also  given a presentation about the grant office, with the Title V grant being highlighted after. Executive director of grants development and compliance Kim Moss-Linnear gave an overview of the grants, the grant priorities, the awards as well as the partnerships.

“Our priorities include, but are not limited to, STEM, healthcare and innovative ecosystems,” Moss-Linnear said.

After Moss-Linnear’s presentation was a presentation regarding the Title V grant given by Title V director of college access and readiness Demesia Razo. TCC has a Department of Education Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant in this program.

She said that while TRiO grants are very pointed, this program is more broad. Razo explained that the objectives of her and her team are getting students college ready, career ready, life ready and finally student ready.

“Our first two years of data indicate what we’re doing is working,” Razo said.

The grant is a five-year program with a total fund of $6 million. Trustee vice president Kenneth Barr remarked that it was impressive the amount Razo and her team was doing with the amount of money they were given. He said that grants like these are very important.

“TCC needs to be more aggressive in looking at federal grants,” Barr said. “There is a lot of money out there being pumped into education, and it’s going to go somewhere and we need to focus on what we can do to get those grants to come to TCC. This is having an impact on the lives of a lot of people.”