Office of Institutional Effectiveness
The Best Place To Start
Standing Committee Improvement Report For 2014-2015
In accordance with College Procedure 2.01.01.14, Committees, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, each May, requests the chairs of the College’s standing
committees to submit the Annual Standing Committee Chairs’ Year-End Improvement Report to inform the President of the College concerning the decisions and
effectiveness of the standing committees. The data are used to create this Standing Committee Improvement Report, which is available on the College web site:
http://www.epcc.edu/InstitutionalEffectiveness/Pages/StandingCommitteeImprovementReportbyCommittee.aspx .
RIO GRANDE IMPROVEMENT TEAM
CHARGE: To bring to the Institutional Effectiveness Committee ideas and concerns about the effectiveness of the College, and the Institutional Effectiveness Committee
shall forward to the President recommendations, based on these concerns, on improving various aspects of the College.
Academic
Year
2014-2015
2013-2014
I. Response to last Year’s Chair’s recommended Plan
of Action
II. Recommendations and Receiving Administrator(s)
III. Recommended Plan of Action (e.g. Objectives) for
the Committee during the next Academic Year
Small improvements around the campus are ongoing. Charging
stations were approved by the College Improvement Committee
and will be installed soon on all 4 floors in the B building. In
addition, magazine racks will be installed in the student seating
areas. Bathrooms are still a concern to many employees as well
as to students.
The chalkboard in B517 was removed and replaced with a
whiteboard.
Continue to urge Physical Plant to look into bathroom
conditions. Also, there are many broken blinds around campus
as well as stained and broken ceiling tiles.
Created additions to the available signage report with updates
pertaining to exterior signage. This report is available online and
archived by Secretary Charlotte Hollis.
The RGIE Committee donated $100.00 to the Student Resource
Fair (Argelia Duarte, Coordinator).
The committee continues to discuss implementing a TobaccoFree Campus.
The RGIE Committee Chair, Brian Kirby, created a Technology
Malfunctions Report as a means to better address the campus’s
technological shortcomings.
The signage needs continue to an issue.
The Rio Grande’s IE follow-up to the proposed Social Services
Fair was halted with the realization that any student in distress
can dial 211 (akin to the Emergency 911) and in either English or
Spanish, s/he can quickly access the type of Social Service s/he
requires. RGIE committee member Argelia Duarte was
instrumental in providing this useful information.
The increase-to-the-Library’s-budget conversation was paused
due to the water damage the Library sustained in the summer of
2013.
The historical photo exhibits labels remain unchanged. The
committee-members were not able to locate a faculty member
who could provide accurate information for each photo’s
corresponding label. The committee agreed to continue working
on this issue.
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Planters and plants will be purchased for the garden between the
parking garage and H building.
The bathrooms in the A and B buildings continue to be sources of
frustration. Shelves or hooks or some apparatus on which to hang
(or place) purses, book-bags, briefcases, coats, jackets, etc. have
been requested.
Additionally, the odors in the bathrooms remain bothersome.
Suggestions for air-fresheners are continually made in monthly
meetings.
The chalkboards in many classrooms, especially B-517, continue
to deteriorate. The WiFi and technological issues are sources of
frustration as well.
The Dia de Los Muertos Exhibit needs to be removed, but the key
to the glass case cannot be located.
H:RS/Reports2014-2015/2014-2015CmteChairsAnnualImprovementRptRioGrandeImprovementTeam
EPCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
8/19/15
Page 1 of 3
Academic
Year
I. Response to last Year’s Chair’s recommended Plan
of Action
II. Recommendations and Receiving Administrator(s)
III. Recommended Plan of Action (e.g. Objectives) for
the Committee during the next Academic Year
Benches now appear in the halls of the buildings.
2012-2013
Some roundhouse water fountains were repaired and replaced.
Elevators’ carpets were replaced. Year-end party was celebrated
with employees gathering for an Ice Cream Social.
The following concerns/recommendations were discussed and
reported: Facilities problems including Water in H building and A
building when it rained. Problem with Chiller on H building,
making a Dia de Muertos (Gone but not Forgotten) bulletin board
in memory of those of our faculty/staff who have passed. Labels
for historical photo exhibit at RG campus need to be changed.
Parking problem at RG campus during the first week of the
semester, selection and celebration of Employee of the Month
(EOM), gift and parking space for EOM. Campus beautification,
plants, flowers, sprinklers system. Supporting Student Resource
Fair at RG campus. Signage and Signage subcommittee,
Courtesy welcome committee
Follow up on: Signage for campus, buildings and room directory,
changing labels of historical photo exhibit, purchase of benches
for students’ lounge and hallways, follow up on cleaning
concerns, increase RG Library budget, Conversion of brick-look
on sidewalk to cement, follow up on social service affairs and
student counseling.
2011-2012
This term's committee has consolidated the `Employee of the
Month into a quarterly celebration which is more cost effective
and as meaningful. The badly needed pencil sharpeners in rooms
A126 and A127 have now been installed. One of the beautiful
flowers has survived in the window boxes on the B building facing
the Health building. Suggestions are being taken to replace the
summer social's agenda with a more efficient format. Coffee and
a donut at an indoor location is the most popular suggestion so
far.
None
It is in the works to replace the roundhouse water fountains in the
restrooms. A request has been made to replace the carpet in the
elevator to the basement. Repeated urination has left a
permanent odor that is very offensive to the ladies using same.
Plans are in the offing to come up with a better year-end party.
Last year's ran out of hot dogs too soon.
2010-2011
In response to last year’s request and suggestions the cafeteria
was painted, the no smoking signs were put up, and most of the
requests were completed. The cement boxes were fixed, and
plants were put in order to make our campus more beautiful but
due to the snow and freeze of February the plants died and some
pipes froze, but our campus was back and running after one
week. There are some classrooms that still need pencil
sharpeners, but for the most part the majority of them are in good
condition. The security of our students is still a major concern
during the evening hours since we still have classes until 10 P.M.
The work on the ramp of the cafeteria was finished but it has been
brought to my attention that the door is still not 100% handicap
accessible. The parking lot on the side of the library was
resurfaced and painted. Finally, Oregon Street has been
reopened, and we have gained some parking spaces on Rio
Grande Street.
During this year, the committee was able to work hard and make
suggestions and recommendations to the Rio Grande IE and
District IE. The committee was able to continue working on the
Employee of the Month and on the beautification of our campus.
The committee has also been working hard on the construction of
Oregon Street and all of the challenges that this has brought us.
The committee also made recommendations to restripe the stairs
in order to make them safer for our students, faculty, and staff.
The following recommendations that I have are that the security of
our students, faculty, and staff must be a priority for the evening
classes. The other priority is the accessibility into to our campus
and buildings around us. The parking on the west side of our
library is another thing that I would recommend for our new chair
to focus and hopefully achieve. It was also brought to my
attention that an intercampus bus system would also be very
helpful for our students, faculty, and staff. Lastly I would also like
to recommend her to try to sort the problems with the computers
in the H building and finally fixing this issue for the better cause of
our student’s education.
2009-2010
[Not requested]
Beautification included painting the cafeteria, putting up no
smoking signs, responding to unacceptable behavior
outside the clinic and classrooms, replanting in the cement boxes
outside the West entrance and putting pencil sharpeners in every
class room. Other objectives included purchasing an umbrella to
use with events such as outside bar-b-queing. It has also been
suggested that there be better police protection for those leaving
class as late as 10:00 P.M. Clean-up day will take place on April
21.
The preparation of the Rio Grande St. entrance for handicapped
continues and will likely continue into the summer. The cafeteria
entrance has been completed as far as the ramp goes but still
needs another type of door to accommodate the handicapped.
This is not scheduled until summer. The handicapped parking on
the West side of the library has begun and continues at a modest
pace. All other suggestions are severely limited by budget
considerations.
So far, only the painting in the cafeteria and the umbrella for
outside barbequing has happened. The recommendation is to
continue to pursue these objectives with vigor. The suggested
improvements and many more should be voiced in an effort to get
a larger share of the budget pie.
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH AND ACCOUNTABILITY
H:RS/Reports2014-2015/2014-2015CmteChairsAnnualImprovementRptRioGrandeImprovementTeam
EPCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
8/19/15
Page 2 of 3
Academic
Year
2008-2009
I. Response to last Year’s Chair’s recommended Plan
of Action
II. Recommendations and Receiving Administrator(s)
III. Recommended Plan of Action (e.g. Objectives) for
the Committee during the next Academic Year
[Not requested]
We want to see more repairs and improvements made to our
physical grounds. (Mr. Rick Lobato)
We want to continue to press for repairs and improvements to our
physical plant and grounds. This includes a new parking lot for
visitors and the handicapped in the empty lot next to the B
building.
This includes a new parking lot for visitors and handicapped in the
empty lot next to the B building. Our administrative building
needs serious renovation.
Our B building and library need an updated security
system. (Chief Ramirez)
We want to continue recommending that security in our B building
and our library be updated and improved. He have had trouble
with transients messing up our facilities and harassing our
staff. Many of the faculty and staff will not come into the building
on weekends when the building is partially empty.
We would like to see our administrative building on Oregon street
renovated. There are many structural problem with the building
particularly for people working on its third floor. In addition, the
building is partially empty and unused.
New visitor signs in the parking garage need to be made
exclusively for the patients that visit our medical clinics.
We need to continue to improve and develop our Constitution Day
celebrations.
We would like to have parking spaces set aside for Employee of
the Month recipients.
2007-2008
[Not requested]
None
 The Faculty Senate has mandated in its February 25, 2008
meeting that all campuses have faculty and staff parking
spaces. The Rio Grande campus has none at this time. We
need to look into this and parking matters in general. The April
17, 2008 Tejano Tribune has a front page article claiming, "Rio
Grande parking causes outcry." Apparently some Sunset
Heights residents are complaining about our students parking
around their homes at peak times. We also do not have
enough practical handicapped parking.
 The issue of a desk and a chair in every classroom for
pregnant and overweight people has been presented to Tim
Nugent. But it still needs to become a reality.
 We are hoping to put vending machines in the Nursing building
for our students’ and staff’s convenience.
 Our website needs to be fully installed and our approved
minutes need to be posted every month.
2006-2007
[Not requested]
No Change [sic].
No Change [sic].
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH AND ACCOUNTABILITY
H:RS/Reports2014-2015/2014-2015CmteChairsAnnualImprovementRptRioGrandeImprovementTeam
EPCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
8/19/15
Page 3 of 3