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 Mt. SAC Equity Center and Rising Scholars.

Our host, Chisa Uyeki, also had the opportunity to sit down with Father Boyle before he spoke to the campus audience while he was signing posters and copies of his book, The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness.

As you listen, consider where you see applications for Father Boyle's approach to our work at Mt. SAC - Enjoy.

(Please note: You may also notice some distortion and feedback from the mic Father Boyle was using that we were not able to fix in the production of this episode - but we felt that the conversation was valuable to share with you.)

Resources:

The Rising Scholars Program at Mt. San Antonio College seeks to assist students directly impacted by the criminal justice system through education. Students can choose between four educational pathways that would best fit their strengths, desires, & educational/ career goals: High School Diploma/GED Completion Pathway, Career & Technology Pathway, Associates Degrees Pathway, and Four-Year College Transfer Pathway.

Homeboy Industries is the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. For over 30 years, we have stood as a beacon of hope in Los Angeles to provide training and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community. You also can learn more about Father Greg.

At Mt. SAC Library:

Boyle, Gregory. The Whole Language : The Power of Extravagant Tenderness. Avid Reader Press, 2021. Print. General Collection; 259.5 B6971w

Fremon, Celeste. G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles. University of New Mexico Press, 2004. Print. General Collection; 259.5 F886f 2004

Lester, Terence, and Gregory Boyle. When We Stand : The Power of Seeking Justice Together. InterVarsity Press, 2021. Ebook. [requires Mt. SAC sign-in]

Boyle, Gregory J. "The Voice of those Who Sing." Spiritus, vol. 5, no. 1, 2005, pp. 79-87. ProQuest [requires Mt. SAC sign-in]

https://login.mtsac.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/abidateline?accountid=12611

Run Time: 42 min, 12 sec

To Find the full transcript for this episode click HERE

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 for students to use textbooks in the library.

You'll hear from:

• Esteban Aguilar, Electronic Resources Librarian, and Mt. SAC Liaison for the Statewide Open Educational Resources (commonly referred to as OER) Initiative, and Zero Textbook Cost (or ZTC) Library Coordinator, and Co-lead for the Library Initiative for Equitable & Affordable Learning, or LIEAL

• Monika Chavez, Mt. SAC's Career and Tech Ed Librarian, also a LIEAL leader, Co-chair of the Textbook, Instructional Materials, & Digital Equity Committee, and LIbrary Department Chair.

Resources:

• Library Initiative for Equitable & Affordable Learning: Empowering Faculty. Supporting Students. Advancing Equity. Learn more about OER and ZTC, ZTC Pathways, related professional development and funding opportunities, and how to get support exploring our options.

• Faculty Resources at the Library including Course Reserves (textbook collection), OER, and Class Sets Explore the many ways the Library and Librarians can help students in your classes access materials, improve student research experiences and outcomes, and that you can partner with the Library. https://www.mtsac.edu/governance/committees/tide/

• Mt. SAC Textbook, Instructional Materials, & Digital Equity (TIDE) Committee purpose, function, and additional support materials.

• Zero Cost and Low Cost Designations in the Schedule FAQ

• Recommendations for Adoption of Required Instructional Materials by TIDE

• California Community Colleges Open Educational Resources provides links to searchable OERs by discipline, transfer curriculum, C-ID, and identified gaps in OER availability

• Research:

• • Jenkins, J. Jacob, et al. "Textbook broke: Textbook affordability as a social justice issue." Journal of Interactive Media in Education 1.3 (2020):1.

  • Swain, B.K., Pathak, R.K. Benefits and challenges of using oer in higher education: a pragmatic review. Discov Educ 3, 81 (2024).

  • Hughes, Jennifer, and Joseph Taylor. "Textbooks 101: What You Really Need to Know about Textbook Access Codes, Inclusive Access, Open Access, and More!." Association Supporting Computer Users in Education (2022).

Run Time: 44 min, 24 sec

To Find the full transcript for this episode click HERE

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 approached in a manageable way, and how the main priority is to make actively used digital content more accessible.

The ADA Title II deadline is not just a legal requirement but related to our commitment to DEISA+ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Social Justice, and Access Plus). This work is important in creating an equitable and just learning environment for all students, and not just for those without disabilities.

We hope the session helps you get a clearer sense of the deadline, as well as what compliance involves, and helpful pointers on how to take small steps towards accessibility in your Canvas course shells. Enjoy!

Resources:

ADA Title II 2026 Regulation Changes: Documentation, Training and Other Resources, Collected by Members of the California Community Colleges Council of Chief Librarians

https://www.mtsac.edu/accessibility/ Mt SAC's accessibility website

https://mtsac.instructure.com/courses/96251 Canvas Hub called "Faculty Accessibility Center" available to Mt SAC Faculty only (requires log-in).

https://mtsac.instructure.com/enroll/9R7PTJ Canvas Course called "Accessibility Challenge" again only accessible by Mt SAC Faculty. Meant to help us meet the deadline.

Run Time: 52 min, 25 sec

To Find the full transcript for this episode click HERE