October is Filipino American History Month
2025 commemorates the 90th Anniversary of the 1935 Filipino Repatriation Act and the 60th Anniversary of the 1965 Immigration & Naturalization Act.
1935 Filipino Repatriation Act - In 1935, the U.S. Congress passed the Filipino Repatriation Act. This law offered free, one-way passage for Filipinos residing in the United States to return to the Philippines, but only if they agreed to permanently forfeit their right to re-enter the U.S.
At the time, the Philippines was a U.S. commonwealth, yet Filipinos were deemed "aliens" and barred from becoming U.S. citizens. This meant they were unable to vote, own property, or enjoy the same rights as other Americans. Furthermore, a strict annual quota allowed only 50 Filipinos to immigrate to the country.
While framed as an opportunity for Filipino nationals to return home, the law's true intent was to decrease the Filipino population in the U.S., stemming from deep anti-Asian sentiment and exclusionist policies. Out of an estimated 100,000 Filipinos living in the U.S. at the time, only 2,190 accepted the offer and left. This low number cemented the act's reputation as one of the most unsuccessful xenophobic immigration laws in American history.
1965 Immigration & Naturalization Act - Thirty years later, the landscape of immigration policy was drastically reshaped by the 1965 Immigration & Naturalization Act, also known as the Hart–Celler Act. This landmark legislation was the first federal immigration law to abolish national origin quotas that had historically favored European immigrants while severely restricting or banning Asian immigration.
The Hart–Celler Act effectively opened the doors to thousands of Filipino immigrants, facilitating family reunification and the establishment of vibrant, multigenerational Filipino American communities across the nation.
Professionals such as nurses, engineers, physicians, teachers, and domestic workers migrated, bringing a profound legacy of labor, resilience, and cultural heritage to their new home. Following this new law, the Filipino American population dramatically increased from 176,000 in 1960 to 775,000 in 1980.
Today, there are over 4 million Filipino Americans in the U.S., making them one of the nation's largest Asian American and immigrant groups. (Source: Filipino American National History Society)
My identity as a Filipina American is deeply personal, stemming from my parents' move from Plaridel, Bulacan to San Francisco in 1967. While I'm grateful for my parents' journey, I'm particularly inspired by my Aunt Estella Perlas-Bernabe. A respected, former Supreme Court Justice in the Philippines, she is a well-known judicial activist. I find her ethical integrity and sense of humor to be truly admirable.
It’s my pleasure to share with you the family portrait, which was taken in Plaridel, Bulacan in front of my Grandparents home (circa 1968). Pictured from Left to Right bottom row: Crisanta Perlas (Mom), Alice Andan (Aunt), Maxima Perlas (Grandmother), Zoilo Perlas (Grandfather), Estella Perlas-Bernabe (Aunt), Tita San Juan (Aunt). Pictured from Left to Right top row: Eduardo Perlas (Dad), Renee Perlas (Uncle), Joy Perlas (Uncle), Oscar Perlas (Uncle).
Stay Connected
Signs of winter are here. Be prepared and 'stay in the know.' Sign up today for COS Connect. This is a free system used to notify students and staff of emergency-situations, campus closures, or general information. To sign up click on the COS Connect button located on the COS homepage in the footer and follow the directions to sign up. Need help, send an email, call the office, or stop by for a chat.
Groundbreaking Event Held for New Student Housing Facility
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility was held on October 10, bringing together local, state, and federal representatives, along with many local business owners and community members. The event marked a significant milestone in the college's continued efforts to serve as a hub for growth, education, and recovery in Siskiyou County.
The new 36,000-square-foot housing unit will include 83 rooms (6 Single Capacity, 77 Double Capacity), along with one ARD apartment, three community kitchens, laundry facilities, study and game rooms, and shared community spaces designed to foster a supportive and engaging environment for students. The project is 100% state-funded, with a total investment of approximately $30 million. In compliance with state law, the housing will be classified as affordable, ensuring access for students in need. The student housing development marks a significant milestone in the college's mission to provide accessible education and support services while playing an active role in regional development.
Come Join Our Team
We are looking for new volunteers to join the Eagle's Nest team. Volunteers work as cashiers, screening items as they come in, price merchandise, repair items, research antiques, etc. There is never a dull moment at the Eagles Nest. We are also looking for student workers. If you know of anyone who may be interested in volunteering or working as a paid student worker, have them call (530) 938-4663 or stop by the Eagle’s Nest Shop to speak with Angel Keen, Shop Supervisor.
Website Redesign Update
Work on the new website continues. The design phase is complete, and the new content management system (CMS) has been developed. Anne-Marie and Michael (Weblinks) will now start to work on the conversion of the COS website. They will be reaching out across campus as there will be a need for meetings with departments to review content and how to structure new web pages. Everyone on campus should check that their web page content is current and updated if needed. Tentative "GO LIVE" with the new website is spring 2026. However, this timeline is dependent on work needed for the conversion. Thank you all for your help in preparing for the switchover to the new website.
Upcoming Activities & Events:
Event dates, times, and locations based on information available at the time of publication and are subject to change.
October 2025
November 2025
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A heartfelt thank you to our maintenance and custodial staff. Your hard work and dedication ensure that our facilities remain safe, clean, and welcoming every single day. Your contributions are truly invaluable.
Projects Update
Completed Projects.
Emergency Operations
The Great ShakeOut Drill will take place on October 16 at 10:16 am. Please be prepared to participate.
Safety Committee
All are welcome to attend and participate in the Safety Committee meetings. We maintain a standing agenda item to hear concerns regarding upcoming construction projects. Your input is important to us.
The Business Office is working hard to wrap up FY 2024-2025. Auditors will be on campus Tuesday, October 28 through Thursday, October 30 to finish the last part of the audit.
Nel Net payment plans are now up and running. Students are making monthly payments for both current and past-due balances, thanks to the teamwork of many departments over the past few months.
Budget planning for FY 2026-2027 is coming soon. Budget manager training will be scheduled in late October/early November as we are getting ready to start Zero-Based budgeting for Fund 11. Final budgets for FY 2025-2026 are now set in Banner.
We’re hoping to hire a full-time Account Clerk II/Cashier soon. In the meantime, Angela Bell from Personnel Preference has been a huge help and has done a great job supporting the office.
Food Services have been working hard to keep up with the growing demand for meals across campus. They are currently short-staffed, and we are actively recruiting three full-time (Supervisor/Cook, Cook, and Food Services Assistant) and two part-time (Food Services Assistants) team members. Once fully staffed, they hope to introduce some of the new menu items presented over the summer. In the meantime, please be patient with longer wait times and help support the team with a kind word or smile — they're doing their best to serve our students and campus community every day.
My favorite season, fall, is here. I have always enjoyed the colors, activities, sports, and weather during fall time more than any other time of the year. Fall also means one of the busiest times of the year within Student Services. I would like to make everyone aware of some recent changes in Student Services. We had a vacancy in the Outreach & Retention Department, and it was determined that the best way to ensure those services continue in support of students was to reassign 50% of Stephanie Wroten as the Director of Outreach & Retention and also reassign 50% of Julissa Gonzalez as Administrative Assistant II in Outreach & Retention. We are excited about what they will bring to the department. Thank you to both.
We sadly had to postpone Kinder Caminata due to low interest. We plan to reschedule it for spring semester. On Wednesday, October 8, we held a very successful Preview Day. We were just shy of 200 high school students, mainly seniors, in attendance. COS students were also able to attend. All participants were able to participate in the Transfer Fair held in the ESTC. Various colleges, universities, and branches of the military were in attendance to speak with students about applying and attending at their respective institutions. Thank you, Mary Ann Busby, for all your hard work organizing the Transfer Fair and making it a great success and for some of the Counseling and Advising team for staffing our own COS table at the fair. In addition to the Transfer Fair, attendees were able to attend presentations put on faculty, staff, and volunteers from a variety of campus programs. Some of these included Fire Science, ADJ, EMS, Athletics, Art, Scholarships and Siskiyou Promise, Lodges, Ford Family Foundation, and more. The presenters did a wonderful job. Thank you to all of them. The day went off without a hitch and that is due to the hard work of a dedicated team that made it happen. We had a baton hand-off midway through the planning of this event, but nobody would have ever known. Thank you to the many that helped pull this off including, Dawnie Slabaugh and the PIO team, Janice Porterfield, Meghan Witherell, Julissa Gonzalez, and the many student volunteers. Most importantly, thank you to two individuals… Sam Dean for starting it all and getting it going and then just as importantly thank you to Steph Wroten for finishing it off. It takes a whole village, but it doesn't happen without people leading the team.
October 10 was a big day for COS as we broke ground for our new student housing facility. We are so appreciative of the many individuals within administration, student housing, facilities, and more that had this vision many years ago and now we get to see it start to come to fruition. Thank you!
Basecamp is off to a strong start this semester! We kicked off the school year with a fantastic Pool Night held in the first week of the semester — over 100 students came out to swim, eat, and connect. It was a great way to welcome everyone back!
Our Connected Fair was another success, offering valuable campus and community resources to students. As always, Basecamp provided essential support services including book vouchers, gas cards, and grocery cards — the demand was incredible, and our gas cards were gone within just four hours!
In September, our ambassadors hosted the always popular Puppies & Pizza event. We were joined by Teddy and Kora, two adoptable dogs. The best news? Kora found her 'furever' home just a week later! Our team also launched a CalFresh outreach effort. Students Meadow, Claire, and CJ tabled in the LRC lobby to help raise awareness, and thanks to their hard work, nine students applied for CalFresh the following week.
Basecamp was excited to attend the Fire and Paramedic Program orientations — we're proud to support our CTE students and connect them with the resources they need to thrive.
Looking ahead to October:
The campus feels more vibrant than ever this fall. We're thrilled to see so many returning students and to welcome all the new faces. Basecamp is here for you — let's make it a great semester!
This fall, the NextUp and CalWORKs programs are continuing to make a difference for students at College of the Siskiyous. CalWORKs is currently supporting 21 students, providing over $2,000 in grants to help with academic expenses. Students have also received book vouchers, student kits, laptops, and monthly $100 gas cards or $80 in bus passes to help with transportation.
NextUp is supporting five students this semester, awarding more than $11,500 in grants to support both academic and basic needs. Students received laptops, starter kits, book vouchers, and monthly $100 gas cards or $80 bus passes. The program is also helping cover lodging and meal expenses for NextUp students living in the lodges.
Both programs remain focused on breaking down barriers and helping students reach their goals this semester and beyond.
We are excited to announce that it was time again to choose a recipient for the CCCEOPSA $1,000 Scholarship! We can do this every few years when our region is one of the regions hosting the annual conference. We could not be prouder of the student that we have chosen, Spencer Pouvifata! The following narrative and picture were shown at the 2025 CCCEOPSA Conference in Sacramento on October 1 during the Student Scholarship Award Ceremony.
"I am truly grateful and honored to receive this scholarship. It reminds me of how far I’ve come and how much further I can go. Growing up in Hawaii, it has taught me resilience, but after 12 years of hard labor I knew I wanted more for myself and my future, so with that being said, I knew I had to go back to school and finish what I had started.
In 2011, I attended college in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but back then, I truly wasn't ready. I was young, easily distracted, and not focused. Today, as a sophomore at College of the Siskiyous majoring in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting, I approach my education with purpose and determination. My goal is to transfer to Chico State, earn my bachelor's degree, and become a CPA. Most importantly, I want to use my journey to encourage others from my community to believe that we are not defined by where we start, but by the courage and willpower to keep moving forward." Spencer Pouvifata.
From EOPS staff - Spencer has truly been an exceptional participant in our EOPS program. He takes the initiative to be one of the first students to complete his Progress Check-ins and always meets with his EOPS Counselor for his counselor contacts right on time. We are happy to see his smiling face come into the office because he has such a positive attitude and shows gratitude for everything that EOPS has to offer him. With an impressive cumulative GPA of 3.86 and no signs of slowing down, we are truly excited to watch all the remarkable accomplishments Spencer will achieve.
Congratulations Spencer! We are proud to have you as a representative of Siskiyous EOPS!
Preview Day was successfully hosted on October 8. There was a little under 200 perspective students on our campus taking interests in what our campus has to offer. We are appreciative of our collaborative partners, Siskiyou County Office of Education and College OPTIONS along with the Siskiyous team for a successful event. Shortly after, our team headed to College Quest held at Shasta College in Redding, where we connected with prospective students from across Shasta County. Pictured in the photo is Devan Patel, a Siskiyous UB alumni who is now an Admissions Counselor at Oregon Technical University in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Next Stop: Catch us at any of the Siskiyou County Trunk or Treat events.
Siskiyous Upward Bound recently took a group of motivated high school students to Chico Preview Day, where they explored college life, academic programs, and campus resources. It was an inspiring experience that helped students envision their future in higher education.
What's Next? Our department has even more Preview Days and exciting trips planned—stay tuned as we continue to open doors and build pathways to success for our students!
Humboldt-Modoc-Siskiyou Consortium Golden State Pathways CS/Engineering Fall Conference
On October 6 and 7, Dean Val Roberts and Dr. Fields participated in the Golden State Pathways Fall Conference at Rain Rock in Yreka. This grant focuses on providing Computer Science and Engineering pathways in "high-wage, high-skill, high-growth fields." The mission is to create a seamless pathway with preference of matriculation for our students through College of the Siskiyous or College of the Redwoods to Math, Engineering, and/or Computer Science majors at Cal Poly Humboldt enabling more rural students to access postsecondary education, workforce training opportunities, and/or gain employment. COS faculty and administration will be participating in this initiative. Thank you to Erica Mitchell, Siskiyou County Office of Education and Regina Hanna, SiskiyouWorks for facilitating this convening. Progress will be shared with the college community through participatory governance committees.
CTE Business and Industry Gathering
On September 30, 2025, SiskiyouWorks hosted a CTE Business and Industry Gathering at Singing Rock Ranch in Mt. Shasta. The objective of this convening is to build regional collaboration, expand career pathways, and connect education to local industry. The evening also highlighted SiskiyouWorks' newest project - Environmental Stewardship. Presentations from James Crandall, Regional Director of Data Strategies, North State Together, and Tonya Dowse, Executive Director Siskiyou Economic Development Council informed the breakout discussions that included K-12 and college faculty, students, and industry partners. Dr. Sherice Bellamy, Dean Veronica Coots, and Dr. Mark C. Fields attended from College of the Siskiyous. Pictured are Dr. Bellamy, Dean Coots, Constance Duffle, EMS Instructor, and Erica Mitchell, Siskiyou County Office of Education (and SJCCD Board of Trustee member).
Cybersecurity Summit
The California Cybersecurity Education Summit was held on October 9. Dr. Fields attended several sessions at the summit, including the one listed below. A key takeaway was that employers are increasingly prioritizing industry certifications over college degrees, and students are actively seeking these credentials. This trend may present opportunities for Career Development and College Preparation (CDCP) or other course offerings. Dr. Fields will follow up with Jesse Cecil, Dean Coots, and Samantha Worthington to explore this further. He has known Dr. Clement—one of the panelists—for several years and considers him a valuable resource on these topics.
2025 Update: California's Cyber-AI Workforce & Education Pipeline and Roadmap
California is developing a statewide Cyber-AI career pipeline that spans all levels of education—from K–12 through doctoral programs—integrating industry certifications and workforce models such as apprenticeships and internships. This session highlighted recent initiatives from the California Cybersecurity Task Force, including the launch of C3EP3 (California Cybersecurity Education, Pathway, and Pipeline Project), a unified career education initiative led by Cal OES, CDT, CalCSIC, and CSU Fresno. C3EP3 aims to strengthen Cyber-AI-IT learning across classrooms, colleges/universities, and the public sector. Panelists discussed how these efforts align with AI and cybersecurity curricula and standards, address current hiring needs, and support the development of regional and local workforce hubs. The session offered valuable insight into how California is scaling a diverse and skilled Cyber-AI workforce to meet the evolving needs of the public sector by 2025. Panelists included: Keith Clement, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Criminology, California State University, Fresno and Crystal Holcomb, Deputy Director, Office of Professional Development, California Department of Technology
On Wednesday, October 1, the Library opened the traveling exhibit Wherever There's A Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California, about the many ways people have been fighting for our Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. The exhibit is available in person or online until November 20th. Many thanks to the COS Foundation Mini Grant program for making this exhibit possible! Another event the Library is hosting will be guest speaker Dylan Goldfine-Middleton who will explore the past, present, and future relationships between fungi, people, and the environment in our area. This event will be held in the ASC Fishbowl, the Library's mushroom books will be on hand to browse and check out, and there will be free coffee, tea, and treats. Standing library events include the monthly Board Game Night (October 27) and Chris Clother's Music Appreciation Hour most Friday afternoons from 2:30 - 3:30 pm, featuring music from our vinyl record collection (October 10, 24 & 31). Employees are welcome at all events!
The library creates new displays every month to promote curiosity, encourage book checkouts, and engage with students. This month features frequently challenged and banned books for Banned Books Week, and "Trick or Treat," an interactive display where all the books are hidden in wrapping paper with a few hints attached about the contents. Students (and staff!) have fun guessing which horror, mystery, or autumn-themed books are inside; whoever checks out the book gets to unwrap it!
The library has seen an uptick recently in research requests, both from students and community members. We especially enjoy helping our students! To assist student researchers, the library has integrated our database resources into Google Scholar. Students using Google Scholar can change their settings to have links to the COS databases show up next to the articles in their search results. We don't have a how-to video made yet, but feel free to ask Library staff if you want to see how this works! The library also recently assisted researchers who spent a day in the Mt. Shasta Collection looking for historical information about the Shasta River ecosystem before it was changed by mining, logging, and ranching, for a project to restore salmon habitat in the river.
College of the Siskiyous Partners with NACCE to Launch Everyday Entrepreneur Program
College of the Siskiyous (COS) is proud to announce its participation in the Everyday Entrepreneur (EE) Program, a national initiative led by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) that empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to start and grow small businesses in their local communities.
Funded through NACCE’s Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund and supported by national partners, the EE program at College of the Siskiyous provides participants with:
The program is designed to serve both students and community members with the ambition and passion to create or expand a small business. It places particular emphasis on increasing access to entrepreneurship for underserved populations and driving economic growth at the local level.
The first cohort at COS began this fall. Program participants are receiving hands-on training and can pitch for startup funding. COS joins a national network of community colleges in the NACCE Everyday Entrepreneur program, which has launched hundreds of businesses and awarded more than $200,000 in startup capital nationwide to date. For more information about the program, visit the Everyday Entrepreneur (EE) Program page or contact Dr. Sherice L. Bellamy by emailing sbellamy@siskiyous.edu.
Fire Technology Program Kicks Off a Busy Year
The College of the Siskiyous Fire Technology Program is off to a strong start this year! Academy 47 officially launched on October 6 with 32 cadets ready to begin their journey into the fire service. In addition to the academy, our core and stand-alone classes are ramping up and running at full speed, preparing students for success in a dynamic and essential field.
Fire Academy Reaccreditation Secured
We're proud to announce that the College of the Siskiyous ARTP-approved Fire Academy has successfully completed the reapplication process to maintain accreditation through the California Office of the State Fire Marshal. This reaccreditation, required every five years, ensures our program continues to meet the highest standards in fire service training and education. A big thank you to all the staff who contributed to this effort, especially JT and his team—for their hard work and dedication to make this possible.
Weed Fire Tower Prop Back in Action
After being out of service for five years due to unavailable replacement parts, the propane fire prop at the Weed Fire Tower has been successfully upgraded and is now operational once again. Two out of three planned upgrade phases have been completed, restoring this vital live-fire training tool. Even better, the project was completed without the use of any district funds-thanks to CTE resourceful planning and external support.
Strong Partnership with CAL FIRE Continues
Our partnership with CALFIRE's Siskiyou and Shasta Unit remains strong and productive. Most recently, College of the Siskiyous Fire Technology served as the lead agency for Firefighter I Capstone testing, certifying a group of CALFIRE firefighters with both IFSAC and Pro Board certifications through the California Office of the State Fire Marshal. This collaboration highlights our shared commitment to high-quality training and professional development in the fire service.
No other reports received.
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