Q and A: Dorothy Jean McGargill
This Board of Trustees candidate interview was conducted by TALON Co-Editor, Mahak Tiwari with Candidate Dorothy Jean McGargill on October 14th, 2020.
Dorothy Jean McGargill is the current representative for Area 2 and is running for Area 2 this year.
Q: This past June, MSJC released the new Equity Pledge committing to support the diversity of its students and communities. What has MSJC done since then to support the pledge’s commitment and what can we expect in the near future?
A: Since the Equity Pledge was passed in June, the MSJC college administration, along with all of their shared governance committees have come together to address all the facets of the Equity Pledge and will continue to meet regularly to fine tune this Pledge. As a matter of fact, The Board of Trustees receive a Student Equity & Achievement update at every monthly meeting that takes place. For more information, please be sure to watch our Board of Trustees’ meetings on Youtube and to access our agenda, please visit MSJC Board Docs.
Q: Are there plans to represent and support other minority groups such as Native Americans, Asian and South Asian groups, and American Samoans?
A: The Board of Trustees and all of our MSJC college administration strive to represent and support all of our MSJC students.
Q: What can students expect from MSJC in 2021 in regard to online learning and the pandemic?
A: We had an emergency Board of Trustees meeting on September 24, 2020 to discuss the Spring 2021 Semester. Dr. Roger Schultz who is the superintendent/president of the college hoped to delay this decision. Feedback from faculty, students and staff encouraged a sooner rather than later decision. The whole college has worked tirelessly on this transition to provide online distance education learning content to keep you progressing despite the pandemic.
So online is what is in store for Spring 2021 semester and we hope we won’t be extending it for Summer. The safety for everyone is our first priority. A close look at what is going on all over California has influenced this decision. Always remember that the majority of the people we talk to would prefer to be in person on campus.
Q: Will we see more technological integration and training with Canvas and other software used by the school? Will there be more physical equipment and supplies provided to students such as Chemistry lab kits?
A: The college will provide all the technological integration, supplies, and physical equipment that is available, feasible and within our budget.
Q: What can MSJC do for students and teachers struggling to balance life and school at home because of distractions they cannot avoid? How can the Board of Trustees improve on this to make sure students and teachers have the motivation and support needed to achieve success?
A: Your last question made me smile. I wish I had an answer for you. I think all of us are trying to balance life, work, family and school now that the pandemic has been going on for a few months now. MSJC has quite an online presence to keep you informed and engaged. I spent four days last week on the Association of Community College Trustees National Conference which were 14 seminar sessions lasting about a one-hour on zoom. It would have been much more exciting to be in person in Washington D.C, representing Mt San Jacinto College as a Board of Trustee. The Board of Trustees are always working with your best interest in mind. There is really no method for us to connect with you on a more personal level. So, please be sure to keep your sense of humor – we will be back to normal one of these days whenever that may be.
