By Michael Callahan, Staff Writer and Bostyon Johnson, Managing Editor
In November, San Quentin’s Mount Tamalpais College held two town hall-style meetings to strengthen their communication with correctional staff and incarcerated students.
Never before at San Quentin had college students, staff, and CDCR administration all come together for a discussion across all levels.
“We are a student-centered college and we want to mean that,” MTC’s Coordinating Director Amy Jamgochian said. “We ask ourselves what our purpose is and how it serves our students.”
MTC aimed to update students about new policies, transfer-pathways to outside colleges, and new extracurricular courses that will be offered in the spring semester. Students had an opportunity to express their thoughts, concerns, or questions.
Resident John Levin shared his appreciation for Mt. Tam’s transparency, communication, and willingness to foster a sense of community for its current and former students. “As Mount Tam continues to grow and evolve, I feel these town meetings offer me an opportunity to stay actively engaged with the college, and to have a voice,” Levin said.
“We are reviewing policies while talking to other colleges about transfer-pathways,” Jamgochian said. As of right now, MTC students cannot seamlessly transfer to a state university system.
Currently, MTC offers a two-year liberal arts AA degree, and seeks to add majors in law, and in public policy and other subjects.
MTC also wants to distinguish itself by offering an AA degree for transfer. It is creating a program to work with public community colleges so that the work accomplished at MTC would guarantee a spot for students at state schools.
Another positive change for the future would let incarcerated residents take advanced placement assessments for Math and English, thus allowing them to test out of prerequisites.
Nandita Dinesh, Dean of Academic Administration for MTC, encouraged forward-thinking students to join a one-credit elective workshop in the spring. The courses aim to teach students how to design and facilitate classes themselves.
“We want an equitable way to address alumni feedback and support and to see the students’ vision,” Dinesh said.
In 2022, MTC received full accreditation as an independent college, which invited new opportunities. Dinesh talked about student support services and the need to hire more staff. She also noted that the faculty does not receive pay and that MTC receives its funding fully from philanthropy.
“There isn’t just this rigorous academic race, but collaboration for other knowledgeable aspects like leadership,” Jamgochian said.
During a September meeting in the MTC education building, 15 residents brainstormed with CDCR personnel and MTC staffers about ways to bridge the lines of communication. Jamgochian posed a question of what MTC could look like if it brought San Quentin custody staff more closely into the picture.
“Not everyone believes in this model, so we need to have staff that is going to believe and back you all up,” said San Quentin resident and MTC alumnus Rodney Baylis.
For Levin, this meeting signified an important step in fostering mutually respectful relationships between incarcerated persons and corrections officers. He said he hoped to see more meetings of this type as San Quentin transforms into the California Model.
“While there were certainly some reservations among those in attendance, I felt the dialogue that resulted was open and honest,” Levin said. “[It] represented a forward-thinking approach in which all of us here at San Quentin, whether in green or blue, have a vested interest in building a more unified community.”
Jamgochian asked each group to come up with four solutions that include staff and incarcerated persons coming together under one umbrella.
Some solutions originated from joint participation of staff and students and included holding collective training, fostering collaborations, and opening classes to correctional staff.
One group said that staff brings new life experiences and should participate as guests in classes with incarcerated students. Another group cautioned that staff members often do not know anything about MTC.
Other discussions concerned unlock times that affect students’ ability to arrive at classes punctually. One participant talked about the Spanish community and the need for more availability of classes conducted in Spanish.
Captain Torres attended the meeting and noted the outcome of attendees and ideas generated.
“It was nice to see the collaboration between the staff and residents,” said Captain Torres.
