The Fog Blog: Week 15

When life is foggy, path is unclear and mind is dull, remember your breath. It has the power to give you the peace.

Amit Ray

Alcatraz Indigenous Peoples’ Sunrise

Each year, on Thanksgiving morning, Alcatraz is closed for the day for regular visitors, but from 4:15 AM till 6:00 AM the ferries run every 15 minutes and bring people to the island to celebrate the Alcatraz Indigenous People’s Sunrise Gathering. It’s also known locally as Unthanksgiving Day.

Alvin Gubatina shared highlights from our students’ perspectives:

• We listened to various indigenous leaders from different cultures sharing the common theme of liberation for their different communities.
• We experienced being in space with the indigenous leaders and learned a different way of leading the gathering and being with each other.
• We observed Palestinian leaders calling for international solidarity for all indigenous people; from the reservations to Palestine. They shared the same struggle of existing in a system that seeks to destroy them.
• It was a space for everyone to be welcomed and feel belonging.
• There was a sense of calm and peace while we were in circle. Story telling was allowed for natural learning, and gave it a feel of participating in a one-on-one interaction rather than being a large gathering of people.
• There was a palpable feeling of interconnectedness while being in circle. Students learned ways to resist colonialism and ways to support indigenous people in their struggle.
• Chanting and dancing in front of the fire providing a memorable sensory experience.
• Next generation indigenous children dancing and learning alongside the older generation.
• Being there so early in the morning allowed us to see the sunrise and experience being on a ferry for the first time.
• Youth and elders were present and were respected. Space was reserved in the inner circle for youth and elders while everyone sat behind them.

SMCCCD Chancellor Search is Under Way

As part of the hiring process, the District invited the finalist candidates to participate in virtual forums on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 as listed below. While the virtual forums were conducted live on Zoom, the questions for the candidates were collected from the District and the community at large in advance to include a wide range of representation/cross-section of the questions posed. Your feedback is important to this process. Please take some time to view the forums if you haven’t yet, and provide feedback on the forms provided. Hiring our new Chancellor is a significant decision that will shape the future of our District! The deadline to submit feedback forms is Monday, December 9 at 5 p.m. Thank you for your participation and input in this important process.

Date	Time	Finalist	Zoom Recording	Feedback Form
November 30	1:30pm – 2:30pm	Santanu Bandyopadhyay (Bio)	Zoom Recording	Feedback Form
November 30	2:45pm – 3:45pm	Rowena M. Tomaneng (Bio)	Zoom Recording	Feedback Form
November 30	4:00pm – 5:00pm	Bradley Davis (Bio)	Zoom Recording	Feedback Form

Skyline College Student Voice Survey

Student voices matter! As part of the People’s College initiative, we have declared the importance of regular climate reviews and engaging in iterative changes to continuously improve based on feedback from the voices on our campus. As such, Skyline College is currently administering the Skyline College Student Voice Survey now through December 10, 2022. This survey is an opportunity for students (age 18 and older) to reflect on their experiences at Skyline College in terms of diversity, equity, and campus climate. The results will help Skyline College better understand campus climate from the student perspective and help us identify ways to take action in order to better serve all students.

Students who complete the survey many opt in for a chance to win one of ten (10) Amazon gift cards, with a $200 Amazon gift card grand prize! Students who have not yet taken the survey may use the following link to participate: bit.ly/skyvoice22

Out in the Community: Rotary Club of San Bruno

Equity Institute Master Class Focused on Classified Professionals

Look Who Came to Free Form Friday!