* Correction: Vela said, “Every year, this is for the last three years, we keep saying we’re not gonna hit this. There’s just no way. And we hit it. I couldn’t make the argument that it was too high, or whatever, because we’ve been hitting our WIG for the last three years.”
Part of the quote attributed to Vela in the article came from an audience member’s comment.
President Robert Vela discusses the importance of graduation rates at this college during College Council Oct. 10 in visual arts. He discussed the positive impact Employee Development Day Oct. 27 will have on faculty morale and commended the chairs for recent improvements to departments. Randle Hemmitt
Upcoming holds may keep students from enrolling.
By Austin P. Taylor
ataylor160@student.alamo.edu
President Robert Vela outlined a new “wildly important goal” for this college Oct. 10 in the visual arts center. This college’s new WIG is to award 6,253 degrees/certificates to students upon completion of their programs in this academic year.
* “It seems like every year the goals get more ridiculous,” Vela said. “But every year, we keep hitting the goals set for us. I’m confident we’ll get it done.”
This WIG was set by the Alamo Colleges district.
College Council met to discuss account holds, the new director of Sinkin Eco Centro and other activities of this college.
The enrollment period for the spring semester will begin in November, but before it opens, many students may find they have two new registration holds on their accounts.
The two holds students are likely to encounter are the Haven hold and a personal identification number hold.
The Haven hold was established in accordance with Title IX.
Students must take a 30-minute online training course that supplies them with information on Title IX. Students will see this hold on their accounts Nov. 1.
The PIN hold is harder to notice because it doesn’t appear on students’ accounts until they’ve started registering for classes.
The only warning students will receive before this hold activates is an email from the advising department, so students should be on the lookout for that email.
“The PIN hold is set up to get students into advising once they’ve reached a certain number of credit hours,” said Christi Horton, director of advising.
Horton said the hold only takes effect for students when they reach completion of 15, 30 and 45 credit hours. This is to ensure students go to advising to make sure they’re on track for graduation.
“Once you’ve crossed these benchmarks, you should speak with an adviser,” Horton said. “These three benchmarks are critical points in a student’s career.”
Unless these holds are taken care of, students cannot register for classes. The Title IX training is on the ACES website. and the PIN hold can be taken care of by scheduling a meeting with an adviser.
Meredith Miller, former program coordinator for the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, has been hired as the new director of Sinkin Eco Centro.
Miller worked at Texas State for 10 years, where she managed research, community outreach and education programs focused on environmental restoration and mitigation.
As director of Sinkin Eco Centro, Miller hopes to enhance the program’s community involvement and get students involved with projects that will educate them on resources and sustainability.
“Eco Centro has a unique place within the community,” Miller said. “It has the ability to tie the college and the district to the community and students.”
