This year’s Flex Day included most of the faculty and staff at CSM. The day’s first session was opened by representatives of Escala (Spanish for “striving”), a consortium of higher education consultants who are committed personally and professionally to increasing the retention and graduation rates of underrepresented students in higher education.

Escala also held a workshop entitled “What’s My Role in our HSI?” later in the day, 5 which helped faculty and staff understand where CSM’s equity gaps are. They also held another workshop, “Applying Principles of Equity to Concrete and Visible Strategies in the Hispanic Serving Institution Classroom,” which focused on pedagogical strategies to equitably serve our Hispanic and Latinx students.

Another workshop, “Strategies for Reducing Textbook Costs,” was held to continue the discussion about textbooks, their costs, and faculty and student experiences with alternatives to traditional textbooks. The second “Campus Connections: An ongoing series designed to inform, engage, and inspire” also had an impressive attendance.

The session on CSM Student Experience was highly attended and helpful in highlighting areas for improvement and realizing obstacles, which will assist the inquiry stage of the Guided Pathways process.

Of particular note, the Educational Master Plan (EMP) presentation was well-attended and received by many staff and faculty who participated and were eager to provide feedback to the PRIE department. There was overwhelmingly positive feedback from the staff who felt enriched and appreciated by the opportunity to participate.

This flex day had the highest participation by classified staff by far in recent history, thanks to Vice President of Student Services’ Kim Lopez’s recommendation to close the campus for the day in order to allow classified staff to attend. (Ellen Young contributed)