Moreno Valley College’s Fire Academy Class of 43 has raised the bar on the tradition of a class gift.
 
It isn’t known where the tradition began, or even why. But the gifts appear to be getting grander.
 
Classes raise monies to leave their "mark" on the Academy. Past classes have made or purchased items to display inside the classroom, showing class pride, and appreciation to the Academy and the instructors. Classes have also been known to provide funding for Academy scholarships. Each academy class is registered as a Fire Technology Club and cadets vote for a president, vice president and treasurer to oversee club business.

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Gabriela Florido, assistant professor of Mathematics, was highlighted in the
STEMconnector eBook, Saving the Planet is STEM. Moreno Valley College was also highlighted for “building a STEM community that connects STEM leaders and practitioners across the global network, enabling them to share insights and innovations, best practices and sustainable solutions.”
 
The eBook explored the future through the lens of STEM. The global challenges are in need of attention, opportunities for innovation, and the STEM pathways to making the world a better place.

The eBook was developed to engage and inspire the next generation of STEM talent to consider the pathways and opportunities that will truly make a difference in the world, because pathways to STEM education and careers are available to all people, and saving the planet is the responsibility of humans.
 
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Edward Rice, Ed.D., professor of Journalism, was featured on the Listening Post Collective in September. Over the last year, the Listening Post Collective has worked with community members throughout the Inland Empire to identify ways residents get and share information. The Collective believes that strong localized community media contributes to greater civic power.

As part of this ongoing effort, Listening Post Collective has been using Instagram Live (@ielisteningpostcollective) to connect with residents who want to help build civic power in the Inland Empire and surrounding communities by using access to quality information. The Collective welcomes the community to attend, especially individuals interested in access to community-led journalism.
 

On October 5, at 3 pm, Moreno Valley College will celebrate with a groundbreaking for the Ben Clark Training Center’s Education Building. This will be the final building constructed under Riverside Community College District’s Measure C bond.
 
The single-story, 17,000-plus square-foot building will house student services, such as counseling, enrollment, and tutoring as well as classrooms and labs, a conference room, and offices for professors who teach in the EMT, paramedic, administration of justice, and fire programs.
 
“Building this facility will enhance the learning experience for future students in several ways,” Phillip Rawlings, dean of Instruction for the School of Public Safety, said. “First, removing educational teaching from the module setting into a more robust learning environment will benefit learning capabilities. Plus, committing to the construction of this facility illustrates MVC’s continual commitment to facilitating an infrastructure built for student success. This building will do just that for our future first responders.”
 
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TRIO believes that one of the ways to excite and engage students in STEM is to provide opportunities to participate in competitions. Therefore, from October 22 to 24, TRIO is ramping up for the regional CyberPatriot competition. Some team members had the opportunity to participate in the Cyber Security camp hosted at Moreno Valley College this past summer. One student successfully completed a college course in computer science.
 
The CyberPatriot program was created by the Air Force Association to encourage students to pursue careers in cybersecurity or other computer, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. The competition is open to middle school and high school students. Students are challenged to find and fix cybersecurity vulnerabilities in virtual operating systems. Teams are scored on how well they navigate tasks and the process taken to secure the system. Winning teams from the regional competition advance to national finals.

 

L’ETS Do This – College And Career Week

Moreno Valley Unified School District is hosting its College and Career Week, October 1 to 8. As part of the week’s activities, TRIO’s Educational Talent Program will join its partner middle schools (Badger Springs MS, Landmark MS, Mountain View MS, and Palm MS) to host the L’ETS DO THIS (Leadership Educational Talent Search) series. TRIO staff will visit each school and conduct classroom presentations and mini assemblies to engage students in interactive activities to teach them about college and career options. Each year, the Office of Federal Student Aid provides more than $120 billion in grants, work-study, and loan funds to help pay for college or career training programs. Although billions of dollars are available each year, over $2 billion goes unclaimed due to students simply not applying.
 
To help increase the number of students who can access those funds to help pay for postsecondary programs, Upward Bound Math and Science and Educational Talent Search are partnering with Vista del Lago to host a Ca$h 4 College workshop on October 5 from 2:30 to 5:30 pm at Vista del Lago High School. Seniors and families will receive information about federal, state and private financial aid programs. Students also will receive information about Moreno Valley College’s Promise Scholars program and how they can get costs for their first year of college covered, a computer, and stipends for books. Students will get assistance completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Workshops and assistance will be offered in English and Spanish.

When I arrived for my first day of work on April 1, 2015, the first thing I noticed was the beauty of the college. While many people talked about the PSCs as “way up there,” I truly had the best views on campus. My first few months were spent meeting with faculty and classified professionals to hear about their challenges and how I could support. Much of what I learned in these meetings demonstrated what was special about this college; our students, our faculty, our classified professionals and our administration were like a family​. We were all working together to support our students and community.
 
Our college community is so incredibly innovative as demonstrated by the iMAKE Innovation Center and iMAKE Mobile Innovation Center, English and math faculty work to support AB705, the Cyber Security pathway designed in partnership with our K-12 partners, MoVaLearns in partnership with the city of Moreno Valley, and so much more.
 
I am proud to have served at Moreno Valley College, and I have been blessed to know and work with each of you. I wish you all the best and know you will continue the important work being done by this team. It is my hope you remember what an amazing place we work at and — most importantly — remember we do all of this for our students.
 
As I say goodbye, I share what we would say in the Navy: I wish you fair winds and following seas.
 
Sincerely,
 
Melody Graveen, Ed.D.
Dean of Instruction
Career & Tech Education

As part of the College’s Giving Week festivities, sponsors can receive a tour and enjoy a first responder simulation experience at the Ben Clark Training Center or a grand opening reception and special tour of the new Welcome Center and a make and sip experience in the iMake Innovation Center.
 
Last year, the College raised nearly $20,000 for scholarships during its inaugural Giving Week. This year, College leadership, in conjunction with the Riverside Community College District Foundation office, is looking to exceed the $30,000 mark in celebration of the campus turning 30 years old this past March. Monies from this year’s Giving Week, November 1-5, will provide funding  to purchase equipment for the paramedic and fire programs, , and increase the student scholarship/emergency fund. 

The Foundation is soliciting sponsors. The first responder experience is available as part of the Diamond sponsorship ($5,000); and the opening reception, tour and iMake Innovation Center experience is in the Gold sponsorship ($2,000). For more information, contact the Foundation office at (951) 222-8626 or by email. 
 
Also, as part of Giving Week, the College will unveil its newest building, the Welcome Center. The $14 million single-story building houses enrollment services, the common ground center, and other student support services. The Welcome Center is located next to Student Activities and behind the Science and Technology buildings.
 
“The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted many community activities however, I hope the community and local businesses understand that we remain dedicated to advancing knowledge and transforming lives of Valley residents,” Robin Steinback, Ph.D., president, said. “The more support we can provide the further we can advance learning for Valley residents.
 
“With the help of our communities we can ensure residents achieve their dreams.”

The College’s Introduction to Organismal and Population Biology course (BIO-61) took in some sunshine during the first week of the semester to begin its ecosystem survey. Joanna Werner-Fraczek, Ph.D., professor of Biology, said, “The abundance of open space surrounding and adjacent to the College provides an opportunity for students to survey local flora and fauna. Exploration of nature in the local environment promotes students bonding to the College and broadens their understanding of the effects of climate.”
 
In the photo students are investigating the spatial pattern of plants found in the College’s lawn, leading to population studies involving a correlation between plant propagation and distribution.
 

Moreno Valley College’s Facilities Department continues to take COVID-19 precautions, ensuring the safety of the campus community, with implementation of the College’s COVID-19 Prevention Plan.
 
MVC’s management team returned to campus on June 1, while classified professionals returned on June 16 and then 2,700 fall enrolled students (of the 7,500) return to on-site instruction in science labs, general education courses, and professional programs such as dental hygiene, registered dental assisting, medical assisting, emergency medical services, fire, administration of justice, and fire technology.
 
To date, the College has experienced an extremely low positivity rate as tracked by the District’s COVID-19 Dashboard.
 
The College’s COVID-19 Prevention Plan called for installing 600 plexiglass trays that hold hand sanitizer and facemasks; installing 1,000 COVID-19 informational signage and floor stickers; installing touchless paper towel and soap dispensers; fabricating and ordering pre-fabricated sneeze guards for on-demand usage; ordering 30 air purifiers for on-demand usage; purchasing and installing cleaning and disinfecting schedule frames; replacing 24/7 air filters to each of the air handlers; ordering filter replacements to improve air filtration with MERV-13; purchasing three Protexus backpack UV light disinfectant applicators; and installing touchless hand sanitizing stations throughout the campus and Ben Clark Training Center.
 
“We want students to feel comfortable in returning to campus,” Tony Ruiz, coordinator of Safety and Emergency Planning for the College, said. “It goes beyond regular testing, vaccination and wearing a mask.”
 
The RCCD Board of Trustees passed a resolution mandating vaccination for individuals who access District properties and contracted with Cleared4 to ensure compliance with vaccination mandate. The College is also holding COVIOD-19 testing four days a week and offering vaccination one to two days a week. Schedule is available on the College’s website.
 
“The safety of the staff and students remain our number one priority,” Robin Steinback, Ph.D., president, said. “The campus Facility and Risk Management have done a tremendous job in identifying areas that needed safety measures and continue to regularly monitor facilities to ensure a safe learning environment.”  
 

City of Moreno Valley Conducting Broadband Survey

The city of Moreno Valley is conducting a broadband survey to understand the experience of internet users in the city of Moreno Valley. The survey is open to Moreno Valley residents, businesses and organizations. The broadband survey will be available for a limited time and should be taken by the party responsible for the selection and payment of internet services. Residents, business leaders, and member of a community organizations are encouraged to complete the survey at  www.moval.org/broadband.