Office of Student Services Update - September 2025

On Behalf of Kira Tippins, Vice President of Student Services

Happy September!

This semester seems to be off to a busy start with lots of great things happening in addition to all of the typical meetings.  In the month of August, I had the opportunity to attend the Leon S. Peters Honors Orientation, New Adjunct Orientation, Crush Days, and transitioned from my own summer school schedule right into the fall term.  I also worked with Kimra Garcia on submitting our new TRiO SSS and STEM grant budgets to the Department of Education.  We were very excited to learn that both of our five-year grants were renewed for the new cycle; however, the funding is only approved for one year at this time.  Kimra and Tuyet are doing a phenomenal job delivering services to students despite all the continued uncertainty around these programs.

The Student Services division also held a “Donut Forget Us” appreciation celebration for Alicia at the end of the first week of the semester.  Alicia served as Interim Dean of Students for a year and a half and did so with such distinction and grace.  If you see her walking around campus, you’ll notice she has a new glow to her and smiles a lot more now that she’s back in the Library.

Below are some updates from several of our areas.  We are excited to have everyone back on campus and look forward to a great semester.  

Admissions & Records

• A&R’s Evaluations team posted 1,080 degrees and 704 certificates to 762 student records for Spring 2025, and diplomas and certificates were dropped off at the post office today. 
• Students can declare the pass/no pass option for eligible courses online.  Please see the Pass/No Pass tile available on the Clovis Community College website located on the Admissions & Aid tab!

Black African American Student Engagement (BAASE)

• BAASE will host Welcome BLACK on September 17 from 3-5:00pm.

Counseling

• September is a busy month for the Counseling Department.  Events for this month include:
  • The SEP Campaign takes place all month, as Counselors outreach to students who do not have SEP's on file.  The deadline for students to receive a SEP is September 26.
  • September is also TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) month.  Counselors will be reviewing the TAG applications all month, with the deadline submission date of September 30.  
  • The annual “Transfer Day Festival" will take place on September 30 from 10:00am to 12:30pm at the main campus.
  • Conferences taking place in September are the annual California State University Community College Counselor Conference on September 11, and the UC Ensuring Transfer Success Conference on September 5; both conferences will be held virtually. 

DSP&S

• The audio notetaking software previously known as GLEAN has been renamed Genio.  Genio provides audio recording, text note support, and AI-powered quiz features.  Visit the Genio Resource Page to learn more. 
• DSP&S hosted three notetaking workshops focusing on notetaking strategies and confidence in notetaking skills.  Students who are interested in additional information or follow-up support after the workshop can contact a DSP&S Counselor. 
• Our DSP&S Director Kellie Greiner will be representing the department on the City of Fresno Disability Advisory Commission.

EOPS, CARE, NextUp, & CalWORKs

• Staff Update: Over the summer, Maria Escobar joined our team as a Provisional Program Assistant!
• The EOPS application for Fall 2025 is closed; the Spring 2026 application will be opening in November.
• We had our first Fall CARE workshop last week, presented by Basic Needs.  Our students learned about Basic Needs and Retention Services, and they were very engaged!
• Book and Supply Vouchers have been available for eligible students at the Bookstore, and gift cards are also available for students to pick up at the Business Office in AC3.  Eligible students have received an email regarding details of their gift cards and instructions on how to pick them up. 

Health & Wellness Services

• Crushin’ It: Health Fair 2025 on October 1 from 8:00am-12:00pm – Sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and CalViva
  • This event is designed to promote health and wellness amongst our students, staff, and faculty, featuring campus departments and community organizations that will provide valuable health-related resources, services, and information.  Please join us for this first annual health fair.
• Fresno EOC Health Services will be providing free STI Testing for students and staff on September 24, October 22, November 12, and December 10 from 9:00am-12:00pm.  Location:  Locker Room (Same location as last year).
• Flu Vaccines will begin September 15 for currently enrolled students.

Title IX and The Pride Center

• Title IX Coordinator Renee Garcia has been busy with trainings for our students and classrooms, as well as making sure our Pride Center is operating smoothly.  Renee is grateful to be able to provide training in the classrooms, as there are a lot of students that do not know what Title IX is and are unaware of California Bill AB 2683, which requires all students to take TIX training annually.  
  • Title IX has been busy with trainings for our Athletes, Crush Days, Student Ambassadors, Psych Services Interns, Coaches and classrooms.
  • The Pride Center is up and running!  We finally received all the furniture and the décor for the Center, and there is a lot of foot traffic.  If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Pride Center, stop by AC1-260, the President’s Suite.   
  • A lot of students visited Renee’s table during Crush Days.  It’s great to know students appreciate having a resource/safe space on campus that they can go to.

TRIO Programs, SSS and STEM

• In June, the TRIO Program was able to take a group of students to tour CSU Fullerton and spend a day at Disneyland.  This provided many of our students the opportunity to visit a CSU campus outside of the Central Valley, and most of the students who participated had never been to Disneyland before.  It was truly a trip to remember!

Veterans Resource Center (VRC)

• The VRC has had the following visits since the semester has begun:
  • Alyssa Talbot, our point of contact for Veteran students, has been visiting the VRC to assist students with financial aid.  She came on August 13, 19,  and August 25.  Going forward, she plans on visiting once a month.  Her next visit will be Thursday, September 11 from 10:00-11:00am.
  • Central California Legal Services visited the VRC on August 18. They provide free legal services to Veterans.
  • The Fresno County Veterans Service Office (FCVSO) will be in the VRC on September 25 at 10:00am.  The FCVSO assists Veterans with filing compensation claims and other Veteran benefits.
  • Our Veteran English Cohort is doing well according to the instructor.  We have a diverse group of Veterans with varying military experiences connecting both in class and in the VRC.  Feedback from the students is that they are enjoying the course and appreciate being in a cohort with other Veterans.

Basic Needs Team Attends Regional Convening

• On June 5, the Basic Needs and Retention Services team attended the Real College California Basic Needs Regional Convening for Region C, held at San Joaquin Delta College.  The event brought together colleges from across the Central Valley to share strategies, explore challenges, and build stronger support systems for students.
• The day included campus roundtable discussions, presentations from SJDC’s Basic Needs team, updates from statewide partners, and a tour of their Basic Needs Services.  We especially valued the opportunity to connect with other colleges addressing similar issues and to exchange ideas regarding housing, childcare, campus food pantries, and more.
• We left with fresh insights and renewed motivation to strengthen our basic needs work at Clovis Community College.

Central Valley Higher Education Basic Needs Collaborative Hosted by Clovis Community College

• On June 24, the Basic Needs team proudly hosted the Central Valley Basic Needs Collaborative at Clovis Community College.  This event brought together Basic Needs teams from across the Central Valley, including all SCCCD campuses, Fresno State, CSU Bakersfield, UC Merced, and Fresno Pacific.
• The meeting included updates on CalFresh and national policies, a workshop focused on building collaboration and partnerships, and two roundtable discussions addressing topics such as EBT on campus, farmers markets and Market Match, housing, and support for student parents.
• The Basic Needs team at Clovis also had the opportunity to showcase their entire program development.  They presented details about Student Success Coaches, the Equity Book Voucher program, their efforts to provide housing resources, the successful Crush Pantry and farmers markets, and how these initiatives connect to our equity programs on campus.  Clovis Community College was well represented, and the group expressed gratitude for how we hosted them.

California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP)

• This past summer marked the sixth successful year of the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP), which offered a dynamic and engaging summer experience for our Clovis East High School students.  The CAPP Summer Program collaborated with our PODER Summer at SEA Program, which serves students across the Clovis Unified School District, where over the course of six weeks, 37 dedicated students were enrolled in our college success course, participated in guest presentations, and experienced hands-on STEM Exploration Days hosted by our Physics, Biology, and Chemistry departments.  In addition, students participated in a professional interview skills workshop, where community recruiters provided real-world mock interviews and shared practical tips on navigating the hiring process.  Together, CAPP and PODER are opening doors—and minds—to what’s possible after high school.

Outreach

• Outreach had a busy summer helping students enroll for fall classes.  Between Extreme Registration, Crush Days, and Welcome Week, we were ready for a break!  However, just a week later, our feeder schools were also back in session, so it’s time for our team to head out and work with the Fall 2026 students!  In the next few weeks, this is what our team will be up to:
  • Fall applications opened on September 1, so our application workshops at the schools start on Monday.  Most schools require their entire senior class to apply, so we will be helping up to 700 students at each site.
  • Senior presentations and weekly site visits also begin soon for students who have questions about community colleges.
  • College Fair season begins with the Tulare, Fresno, and Kings County College Nights next week.  If you are interested in joining us to talk to students about your program, please contact emilee.slater@cloviscollege.edu.

Student Activities

• September is Hispanic Heritage Month, and we hope you can join us for the following events:
  • Opening Celebration featuring labor leader and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, Monday, September 8, 5-6:30pm, AC1-150
  • Dia de Cultura, Thursday, September 18, 11:00am-2:00pm, in front of the Bookstore/Café – learn how to make your very own piñata and discover the rich history behind this art form
  • Noche de Baile, Friday, September 26, 5-7:00pm, in front of the Bookstore/Café – a vibrant evening of music, food, dancing, and celebration!

Tutorial Center (TC)

• The Tutorial Center is busy with students already!  They’ve had almost 900 total visits in the past three weeks, and several instructors have been walking their classes through for tours of the center.
• P.A.C.E. (Peer Academic Collaboration Experience) is off to a great start with the Chem 3A classes and a new pilot for English C1000.
• The Tutorial Center is partnering with PODER to put on a Tower Building Competition on September 19 at 2:00pm in the AC3 lobby.  

Thank you,
Kira Tippins
Vice President of Student Services