Education

Lane College president delivers State of the College address: ‘I count it all joy’

NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER — Lane College President Logan Hampton detailed the State of the College while addressing the Lane College National Alumni Association Annual Meeting in Memphis on July 19. Here are excerpts from his talk.

Published

4 years ago

July 29, 2019

Oakland Post

By Logan Hampton

(Lane College President Logan Hampton detailed the State of the College while addressing the Lane College National Alumni Association Annual Meeting in Memphis on July 19. Here are excerpts from his talk.)

…Today, I am delighted to update you on the happenings of Lane College. …Time does not permit a full accounting of blessings this afternoon.

I count it all joy to have received the official letter from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) dated, July 2, 2019.… Lane College is accredited with all the rights and privileges afforded to a SACSCOC regionally accredited institution.

I count it all joy when I think of our women’s basketball team. … During my tenure, these women had never won one tournament game. We never had to think about budget because they would go to the SIAC Basketball Tournament, play a game and return home. This year, they won their first game, then beat the undefeated regular season champions, and went on to win their first SIAC Conference Championship in the history of the College. We have been celebrating since March.

It has just been fun to see our students enjoy success. One graduate started his future at BET – Hollywood. Another will begin the PhD program in neuroscience this fall at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Yes, another is moving on to Syracuse. Our volleyball team was recognized for the highest GPA among other SIAC member institutions. They will spike the ball in your face and look better than you.

Our 2019 Miss Lane, Shannel DeFoe, is a member of the volleyball team, competed in the state Miss Tennessee Volunteer Scholarship Pageant, won talent and made the top 15, the first in the history of Lane College since 1985. The baseball and softball teams each won 20 plus games and competed well in their tournaments. Additionally, the baseball team had four players to make SIAC All-Conference, yes, from Lane, SIAC All-Conference in baseball.

I count it all joy when I consider that the College finally completed and submitted its proposal to establish a teacher preparation program to the State of Tennessee. My colleagues have done the work, so we pray now that the proposal finds favor with the Tennessee Department of Education and is approved.

Frankie Grice (right) had plenty of support as she received an award for “your tireless hard work and dedication to The Lane College Memphis Alumni Chapter.” Photo: Tyrone P. Easley)

I count it all joy when I think of the $649,801 S-STEM National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to our science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty this year. The grant provides scholarships to science, STEM majors. We want to scholarship the next generation of high achieving STEM scholars to earn their degree. Tell your seniors, apply now, it’s not too late.

A couple of weeks back, the College received notification that the Lane College Chemistry Department has been awarded a grant in the amount of $398,786 by NSF Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP).

I count it all joy when I think of the community garden or urban farm that we are currently developing on our 2.5 acres lot on Lane Avenue. We will soon have sweet potatoes, herbs, flowers growing in East Jackson as we grow scholars, grow our community and grow hope.

This year, we piloted several institutional innovations. We created the Student Textbook Exchange Program (STEP), a collaboration of academic affairs, student affairs and auxiliary services that provided each student their course materials. We reasoned that we could provide the materials at a more affordable price than our students could purchase on the Internet. We observed that students who participated in STEP had a higher average GPA compared to those who did not.

Also, we adjusted our fall calendar to end the semester prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Since I arrived, I observed how difficult it is for our students to go home for a week at Thanksgiving and then return to campus for a week of finals. So, we ended the semester early and then hosted a Decembermester.

I count it all joy that Dr. Willie Mae Willett brought CVS to the College to explore a partnership to establish internship and CVS training center on campus.

Lane’s slogan, The Power of Potential®, not only describes our students; it also describes how we view current and future students. While it may be all that some see, an underfunded and underprepared student who hails from underserved and under-resourced schools and communities, at Lane College, we see grit, resiliency, hopefulness, gifts, talent and the power of potential. We employ intrusive, high-touch policies, practices, and processes to cultivate and develop each student’s potential. We do it more affordably than our sister institutions. …

Dr. Anna Cooke described our founder, Bishop Lane, with these words, “Regarded by some as a crank on the subject of education, by others as a beggar, he was often rejected but continued to pray and work for the educational uplift of the young people of his race” (Lane College: It’s Heritage and Outreach 1882-1982, p. 18).

Some might consider it an insult to be called cranky and a beggar. But after, these five years as president, I have confirmed the Ecclesiastical writing, to everything there is a season, a time to be cranky and a time to beg.

When it comes to defending the educational mission of Lane College, I find it necessary sometimes to be cranky. One day, a fella stopped by my office and asked me, more or less, if we had too many black boys with all their testosterone. I got a little cranky.

I told him, “Pick up your newspaper and read it some time. Turn the nightly news on and watch it some time. You will find sufficient evidence that we need to provide all of the educational opportunities for African-American males that we possibly can.”

That’s why I’m happy to be here today representing the Lord and Lane College. At Lane, 52 percent of the student body is male with 48 percent female. I celebrate the number of African American males that we enroll.

For too long, our black boys have been marginalized and stigmatized and demonized and ostracized and denigrated. The media goes out of its way to portray them as scary thugs.

So I say bring us your black boys with all their testosterone because we ain’t scared. We are set to make leaders who know the Lord, their lesson, and life purpose. Bring us your testosterone because we are set to help them be good daddies and strong daddies, active and engaged in the lives of their children. Bring us your testosterone because we are set to make them scholars and intellectuals and preachers and doctors and lawyers. Bring us your testosterone. We are ready make men out of boys….

In equipping, educating and empowering our graduates, we make them ready to be lifelong learners, leaders and servants. The graduate leaves ready to compete in the marketplace, compete in the workforce and make their companies, communities and our country stronger.

Again, Lane College National Alumni, I ask you for the following: Pray for Fair Lane. Call us by name. Pray for me, a broken, frail leader…

Say good things about us… In particular, please write your United States congressional representatives and advocate for Lane by asking your senator and representatives to vote for legislation that supports the HBCU historic preservation, full funding of Title III programs, increase in Pell grants…

Send us your students. While our national recruiting is strong, we always have room for one more exceptional scholar.

Send us your gifts. Financial gifts sustain the College. We need you to make your best gift to the College today. The College has great deferred maintenance needs to sustain the historic buildings and unfortunately the new buildings as well. … Also, I remind you that 90 percent of our students are Pell eligible and need your help to make the institution affordable. … Put the College in your will.

Here is my shout today: We, Lane College, that is, sit on the highest point, the highest elevation, in Jackson-Madison County. Jesus spoke about us in the Bible. Read the Lane College translation of the Bible. Jesus said, ““You are the light of the world (Jackson-Madison County). A city (college) that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Let your light so shine before men (Jackson-Madison County, State of Tennessee), that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14,16)

This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender

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Activism

Oakland Teachers Strike Continues Over Wages, ‘Common Good’ Demands for Needs of Parents, Students

The OEA’s common good proposals are based on outreach with thousands of OUSD parents and community members. California districts that have bargained common good demands with teacher unions include Los Angeles Unified, Natomas Unified, Montebello Unified, San Diego Unified, West Contra Costa Unified, and Jurupa Unified.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 14, 2023

Ken Epstein

Teachers show their determination on picket lines at schools across the city. Photo courtesy of OEA.

By Ken Epstein

The strike of Oakland’s 3,000 teachers and other school staff is ending its first full week. Both sides are moving closer to a settlement, which could come soon, though observers close to the bargaining table say possibilities still exist for negotiations to break down.

Both sides appear to be near agreement on salary issues. The Oakland Unified School District is offering nearly $70 million in raises for teachers and other members of the Oakland Education Association, including nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, and substitutes.

A recent OUSD proposal offers an increase for first-year teacher salaries from $52,905 to about $63,000 and an increase for educators at the top of the salary scale from $98,980 to over $110,000.

A major sticking point has been the union’s “common good” demands, especially the demand for shared decision-making at community schools, which would mean that parents and teachers would have the right to vote on how money is spent at their schools.

In an interview with the Oakland Post, Ismael “Ish” Armendariz, OEA’s interim president, said, the district and some board members do not want to give up some of their authority to shared decision making. “They want to control,” he said.

“Under shared governance, people get to vote collectively on how the money at school sites is spent, not just advise the district, which is free to disregard the advice. That’s where the big disconnect is (in negotiations),” he said.

Other common good proposals include mental health services for students, support for unhoused students, implementation of OUSD’s Reparations for Black Students policy, limit or halt the closing of schools in flatland communities and protection and expansion of programs for students with disabilities.

Approved by the board in 2021, the Reparations for Black Students policy is designed to improve academic achievement and enrollment for Black students. The union’s proposal would give OEA the authority to select teacher members of the task force the resolution created.

The district has wanted to limit negotiations to traditional wage and hours issues. But the union says though wages are crucial to provide stability and a living wage for educators, these other issues also directly impact parents, students, and teachers.

“Our schools face safety concerns ranging from gun violence to asbestos and lead to mice and rat infestations to raw sewage to leaky roofs,” according to a union statement.

Teachers’ union President Ismael “Ish” Armendariz speaks to press at school picket line. Photo courtesy of OEA.

Speaking at an OUSD press conference Monday, Board President Mike Hutchinson opposed the common good proposals.

“While we agree on the principles of the (common good) proposals, they simply do not belong in the contract language,” he said.

Three school board members who are sympathetic to the union’s demands, VanCedric Williams, Valarie Bachelor and Jennifer Brouhard, held their own press conference Monday to clarify their position to the public and to push Hutchinson and Boardmembers Sam Davis and Dr. Clifford Thompson to negotiate on the union’s common good proposals.

Bachelor told the Oakland Post that the common good proposals have grown in importance since the pandemic.

“The pandemic has made it really clear about the inequities in the community and what happens when we don’t address them. The bread-and-butter issues are important, but I’m glad the OEA has brought these common good demands to the community attention, to the state’s attention,” she said.

Bay Area

LPS-Richmond Seniors Network with Adult Professionals at Inaugural Event

Leadership Public Schools in Richmond (LPS-Richmond) recently took a new step to prepare its students for adult life by holding its inaugural Senior Networking Brunch, during which seniors networked with more than 30 professionals and LPS Richmond alumni at the school.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 12, 2023

Oakland Post

All photos courtesy of LPS Richmond.

The Richmond Standard

The event was held at the campus at 880 Bissell Ave. Friday, April 21, at the culmination of College and Career Week, when seniors participate in a week of community service throughout Richmond, along with interactive adulting workshops and college campus tours.

At the Senior Networking Brunch, LPS seniors participated in group discussions and rotations in which they were encouraged to meet different adults in the room and ask questions about their career, education, life after high school, etc., according to LaTonya Pye, LPS career and community leadership coordinator.

Afterward, students transitioned into smaller panels in classrooms, where professionals were grouped together based on having similar fields and backgrounds. Students opted in to the specific space that piqued their interest, such as education, law or business/technology, said Pye.

The adult professionals who participated were impressed by the young people, who were professional, mature, and curious, added Pye.

“We are very proud of our seniors for taking advantage of the opportunity and really taking the time to engage with so many new people,” she said, adding, “We are so proud of our soon to be graduates and their commitment to bringing their best selves to our event.”

Pye said she hopes the event will become a tradition at LPS Richmond.

Community

Students, Families Celebrate at West Contra Costa Unified’s First Prom for Students With Special Needs

Students with special needs at West Contra Costa Unified were full of smiles and laughter Saturday as they danced and partied at a prom event specifically tailored for them. Saturday’s event, the first of its kind at West Contra Costa Unified, was planned for students with extensive support needs such as autism and moderate to severe intellectual abilities for whom the traditional prom — with loud music and extensive light displays — might be overstimulating.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 12, 2023

Oakland Post

Dozens of students and their families attended the event, which featured a sensory room, soft lights and support staff in order to comfort students experiencing sensory overload, which people with disabilities that cause hypersensitivity are prone to.

By Ali Tadayon
EdSource

Students with special needs at West Contra Costa Unified were full of smiles and laughter Saturday as they danced and partied at a prom event specifically tailored for them.

Saturday’s event, the first of its kind at West Contra Costa Unified, was planned for students with extensive support needs such as autism and moderate to severe intellectual abilities for whom the traditional prom — with loud music and extensive light displays — might be overstimulating.

For Sonja Neely-Johnson, the district’s special education local plan area director, the prom was a milestone event. Apart from being one of the event’s organizers, she’s also the mother of a 21-year-old with special needs. When she saw him walk into the event Saturday, she said she was flooded with memories of doctors saying he would never be able to walk at all and other grim prognoses.

“Just being able to see my son walk into a dance, yeah, he has to have his little device with him because he needs that; it just warms my heart. I’ve actually been emotional all day,” Neely-Johnson said.

Students dressed up in tuxedos and prom dresses, danced, played games like limbo and posed for pictures in the high school cafeteria, which was selected because the building is smaller and slightly darker than a gym, in order to not overstimulate the students, said Guthrie Fleischman, director of secondary special education programs at West Contra Costa Unified.

According to the advocacy group Autism Speaks, many people on the autism spectrum experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths, such as LED or fluorescent lights. The dance floor also featured fewer lights than that of a typical prom. Still, the music was loud enough to fill the room, and the DJ played popular hit songs.

Student Bianca Rios said her favorite part of the prom was being with all of her friends. Another student, Corinn Phillips, said she enjoyed dancing, especially to her favorite songs by Katy Perry.

One of the rooms in the cafeteria building was designated as a “sensory room” and staffed with an occupational therapist for students who felt overwhelmed. The room had beanbag chairs and soft lighting to comfort students, as well as sensory toys that students could spin, squish and stretch, to engage and regulate sensory needs.

The district’s special education department also made personal communication boards with pictures of phrases such as “It’s too loud,” “I like the decorations” and “I need a break” that nonverbal students could use to communicate.

In addition to the occupational therapists at the event, the prom also had about a 1:1 ratio of paraprofessionals to students, he said.

“It’s a different level of support that would be difficult to present in a traditional prom setting,” Fleischman said.

The idea for the prom came because families of students with special needs at West Contra Costa Unified organized a prom of their own last year, held at a charter school within the district. Though the event was small, the families who attended told the district’s special education department they had a great time, and department officials decided to throw an official West Contra Costa Unified one, inviting students in the transition program serving students aged 18 to 22.

Neely-Johnson said the goal is to eventually make traditional proms inclusive enough that all students and their families are comfortable attending — a prospect that worries some parents who fear their children with special needs would feel ostracized.

“I think until we get to a point as a society, we’re going to have both (proms for special needs students and traditional proms),” Neely-Johnson said.

Dozens of families attended Saturday’s event. Denise Miles, whose son Devin Phillips is 22 and in his last year of the transition program, said many of the families have known each other for years as their children grew up in classes together. Miles said she felt differently when Devin went to his high school’s traditional prom a few years earlier.

“When he went to the prom, I didn’t know a lot of those parents in general ed because we don’t really mix and mingle like that,” she said. “I hope (the district) continues to have something special for our kids.”

The biggest difference between this prom and a traditional one, Miles said, was that everyone was accepting of each other, and though her son is oftentimes “hollering and spinning,” people weren’t looking at him.

“They could just be themselves, whatever that is, and no one’s looking at them crazy and judging,” Miles said. “As a SPED (special education) parent, it’s a really good feeling to see because you always want your child to be accepted, and we have that here.”

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