Cosumnes River College was designated a Black-Serving Institution in January following Senate Bill 1348, which recognizes California colleges and universities that show an outstanding commitment in supporting the success of Black students.

College President Edward Bush said the designation is important to have and highlights the commitment to student success on campus.

“Hopefully being a BSI will give us the motivation to do the work and make sure Black students are achieving equitable outcomes when they come in and when they leave our college,” Bush said.

Tadael Emiru, vice president of student services, helped put the application together for the designation. Emiru said CRC has been making changes to the system for 10 years and saw that the work fit into the requirements of being a BSI.

“We have made many changes in how we onboard students, how we serve students in various areas like counseling and financial aid,” Emiru said. “We’ve tried to be intentional about improving the experiences of our Black students in many different areas, outside and inside of the classroom.”

Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Planning Sabrina Sencil said that in order to have a BSI designation, a college has to meet the requirements of having 10% of its population identifying as Black or African American, showing support to these students and closing equity gaps.

Sencil said that because California does not have Historically Black Colleges and Universities, having a BSI designation shows the campus is challenging the “status quo.”

“What we’re doing actively is challenging norms, hoping to change the status quo, being intentional, being aware, being informed, and then actively pushing back,” Sencil said. “I want our students to feel seen, valued and empowered in the same way that a student who goes to Howard or any HBCU does.”

Once a school has the designation, it is valid for five years, according to the California Legislative Information website.

CRC provides resources for Black students to have the support they need including spaces like the Black Empowerment Center, UMOJA, A2MEND and the Black Student Union.

Brianna James, a student support specialist for the BEC, said the center is a place where students can feel at home and get access to the information they need.

“We acknowledge that we value them and that we’re like a bridge between the student and their resources,” James said. “Connecting them to financial aid, connecting them to different resources on campus, and making sure we have a pipeline, so that they feel safe coming through the BEC to expand their presence and their confidence on campus.”

Dean of Student Engagement and Equity Brianna Ellis said that, with the physical Black spaces having only opened after the pandemic, the journey of inclusion has a long way to go.

“We really get to root ourselves and grow in a way that really centers our Black students,” Ellis said. “It’s not just the beginning, but it’s a renewed focus for the work that we do.”

Bush said while having these designated spaces and programs for Black students, they alone will not achieve full equity. He said it needs to happen all over campus.

“Black students exist in all aspects of our college that have different types of educational goals,” Bush said. “We need to make sure that all of those spaces that Black students interface with are spaces in which they can thrive.”

Bush said the Zero Textbook Cost program and improving course success rates can help with this. He said that these programs are to not only help one group of students, but the whole campus.

“That work is going to benefit all students, but we know perhaps the greatest beneficiaries are going to be, again, students who are most vulnerable – it’s going to be Black and brown students,” Bush said.

Bush said that there is still work to do, but with the designation, he wishes to see this campus and its students thrive.

“I hope, as we continue to grow into this designation, that we will continue to double down our effort to make sure that every student, regardless of what they look like, will each have the same equitable opportunity to reach their educational goals and remove those systemic barriers,” Bush said.