Empowering Students: Constitution Day and the Importance of Voting with Kelly Rivera Episode 204
The Mt. San Antonio College Podcast
Release Date: 10/29/2024
The Mt. San Antonio College Podcast
Since the 1980s, Father Greg Boyle has embraced his parish community with the radical approach of love, compassion, and humanity. He founded Homeboy Industries’ gang rehabilitation and re-entry programs to engage former gang members and others in need, in their own healing through building kinship and connection. At Mt. SAC, the Rising Scholar’s program fosters the potential and promise of formerly incarcerated or system-impacted students by providing wrap-around support through pathways at Mt. SAC. In today’s episode we are featuring a talk by Fr. Greg Boyle that was sponsored by...
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Ensuring equity of access is core to the mission of Librarians- whether that is access to information, physical access to materials, digital access, or access to technology. So it is a natural fit for Librarians to provide leadership in creative methods to support student access to textbooks. In today’s episode we’ll talk about the many ways that faculty can impact student access to textbooks and instructional materials–including Open Educational Resources (or OER), zero textbook cost (ZTC) courses and pathways, as well as the long-standing library reserves textbook lending program...
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In this episode we'll hear from Michelle Newhart, Instructional Designer, that features a Spring Flex Day Session that she originally presented with Hugo Aguilera, Applications Training Specialist called Accessibility By Design-Preparing Accessible Courses to Meet ADA Title II Deadline. The session focuses on why accessibility matters, what the April 2026 deadline means for Mt. SAC, and how accessibility in Canvas is crucial to meeting this deadline. Some of the themes that are explored are the difference between accessibility and accommodations, how meeting the deadline can be...
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If you’re like many faculty, you’ve probably noticed the sharp increase in courses being offered online. This shift into the online learning space, especially after the pandemic, has made it possible for students to learn in more ways than just sitting in a classroom. It opens the door for students balancing work, family, and other responsibilities, but it has also brought new challenges for faculty as we think about how to design engaging and effective courses. Thankfully, here at Mt. SAC we have a small but dedicated team called the Faculty Center for Learning Technology, or FCLT. In...
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In our ever-evolving work to increase access to college education, Mt. SAC is one of seven California Community Colleges to pilot a new learning modality, Direct Assessment Competency-Based Education, or CBE. Through Mt. SAC’s Chancellor’s office approved and ACCJC accredited CBE program students will be able to earn an AA in Kinesiology at their own pace. CBE is outcomes-based so students learn and then demonstrate their knowledge and abilities through direct assessment. Although the modality and assessments are different, the classes and the rigor are the same. In today’s episode...
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As Educators, we know that cultivating a sense of belonging and a supportive environment contribute significantly to student success. As you’ll hear, Women of Color have high graduation rates in STEM fields, but lower retention in employment - mentorship is one way to ensure support for women of color STEM students as they enter into STEM careers. In today’s episode, three women of color in STEM share their experiences, challenges, successes, and advice with the Mt SAC community. We will hear from Dr. Reegan F. Patterson, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental engineering at...
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Today’s episode comes from a campus film screening and panel focused on Nurses Unseen, a documentary about the courageous efforts of Filipino American nurses who played a key role during the Covid 19 pandemic as they faced a resurgence of Asian hate and cultural invisibility. Following the screening, Mt SAC’s Equity Center hosted a panel discussion with the film’s director, Michele Josue, alongside Mt SAC’s nursing faculty Sophie Boquiren, Victoria Abatay Motoyer, as well as sociologist Dr. Anthony Ocampo from Cal Poly Pomona, who also appears in the film. The film is a...
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Today we are taking on a topic that sits at the intersection of high school and college education: Dual Enrollment. With the increase of dual enrollment courses at Mt SAC and across the state, we wanted to explore the lived realities of the instructors who are teaching these courses and leading the way for high school student success at the college level. I had the privilege of sitting down with two seasoned instructors, Felix Jollevet and Sonya Masl as well as Mt SAC’s new Dual Enrollment Faculty Liaison, Candace Leuthold. We had a chance to explore what dual enrollment actually is,...
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How do political ideologies like fascism take shape, spread, and gain power over the way we think and act? Justin Freebourn, Ph.D. tackles this big question in this episode. He holds his ph.D. in Political Science from UC Riverside and has published work in the journals of Party Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and Legislative Studies Quarterly. As Freebourn shares in his talk from Fall Flex Day 2025 called “Teaching Under Fascism: Ideological Framing for Learning and Science”, he examinates how social sciences can shed light on how political shifts can lead to erosion of...
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We appreciate your support and hope you’ve enjoyed and learned from this season’s episodes so far! We will be taking a short break from releasing episodes over the coming holiday season. You can expect new episode releases when we return in the New Year, in January 2026. The best way to not miss our return is to make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast on your favorite listening app - if you’re not already subscribed. From everyone here at the Mt. SAC podcast - we are wishing you a safe and happy holiday season! Run Time: 2:00 min To Find the full transcript for...
info_outlineEach September 17th the Geography and Political Science Department hosts a campus-wide event to highlight Constitution Day.
This year, a student and alumna of the Mt. SAC Forensic program debated on forced choice voting, and a panel of faculty presented on election-related topics including the current issues motivating the political party bases, political communication, the psychology of polarization, how state election laws vary, and the California proposition process, as well as how to become a more informed voter.
In this episode we hear from students who attended the Constitution Day event and you’ll join me for a sit down with Kelly Rivera, Constitution Day organizer, Chair of the Geography and Political Science Department, and a friend of the POD, (that is, a friend of the Mt. SAC Podcast), to discuss Constitution Day. Kelly will share with us how the Constitution (and Constitution Day) connects to voting and elections in our democracy, and will suggest ways to encourage political engagement and voting.
Resources:
Celebrating Constitution Day from the National Archives https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/constitution-day
Not sure if you are registered? Check your status and register online https://registertovote.ca.gov/
California Same Day Voter Registration https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/same-day-reg
VOTE.org (nonprofit, nonpartisan voting registration and get-out-the-vote platform).
CAL Matters (nonprofit and nonpartisan) 2024 Voter Guide https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/
Run time: 20:25 min
To find the full transcript for this episode, click HERE