Delta has drafted a 2025-28 Student Equity Plan (SEP) that centers student communities affected by inequity as it seeks to align itself with the equity goals of the California Community College’s (CCC) Vision 2030 roadmap.
Vision 2030, updated in July, outlines three broad goals of “Equity in Access, Equity in Success, and Equity in Support,” with the aim of “reintroducing the importance of access by proactively taking college to Californians wherever they are: we are not waiting for students to come to us.”
According to Delta’s Student Equity and Achievement data dashboard, which only includes data of Delta’s previous equity progress as recent as 2017-2018, many students have been disproportionately impacted in past years.
In 2017-2018, for example, of the total enrolled Black or African American students, only 3.6 percent met the “Vision Completion Goal” and hence were disproportionately impacted.
By the Vision 2030 standards used to interpret the data, completion of the goal was defined as “students who earned one or more of the following: a Chancellor’s office approved certificate, associate degree, and/or a CCC baccalaureate degree.”
In contrast, 6.3 percent of white students met that goal in the same timeframe and were not disproportionately impacted.
In Delta’s proposed plan, submitted by the Dean of Student Services Dr. Ricardo Marmolejo on Oct. 7, a multifaceted plan is outlined with several avenues being pursued to improve equitable outcomes for impacted groups while acknowledging previous shortcomings.
“…Delta College has identified multiple root causes of equity gaps impacting disproportionately impacted student populations … structural barriers such as limited academic and financial support, underrepresentation in decision-making processes, and campus climate have significantly contributed to persistent gaps for Black African American, Latinx, foster youth, LGBTQ, and low income students. One key institutional realization is that systemic inequities, not student deficits, are at the core of these disparities,” the plan reads.
Among the solutions proposed, fostering an affirming campus climate to impacted students through community groups like “the Dreamer Success Center, Puente, NASA, Umoja, A2MEND, EPIC, Pride Scholars, and others,”tracking progress through further data collection, and professional development for faculty.
Significant among these is the practice of “Leverag[ing] student voices to advance institutional equity goals,” according to the Oct. 7 minutes of the Student Success and Equity Committee, citing a presentation by Marmolejo.
“Student participation will be prioritized by expanding the Student Success and Equity Committee, and the Equity Action Task Force (EATF) by embedding equity questions in class discussions, and leveraging student clubs, identity-based affinity groups, and Student Government to provide feedback on proposed strategies. Students will also be invited co-present [sic] equity priorities at Academic Senate and Classified Senate meetings, ensuring their perspectives shape institutional decision-making,” the plan reads.
This is influenced by a CCC-recommended document for designing and implementing student equity plans, and recommends improving race-conscious planning in part through making “symbolic commitments visible” and “amplify[ing] student voices as a symbolic commitment to involving racially minoritized students.”
According to a 2024 climate report that surveyed students, 83 percent of students said “Delta is welcoming and supportive of students from all backgrounds while only 62 percent said they felt a sense of belonging to the campus community.
“We know we have much more work to do as a College. This report is merely a snapshot in time of the progress made in recent years; the key is how to sustain and enhance these efforts. Creating a more equitable college experience is one of Delta College’s top strategic goals, as we are located in one of the most diverse regions in the country and we want to ensure that every student has a fair opportunity to thrive, complete their goals, and succeed,” says Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler.
At the time of publication, no comment was given by the Associated Students of Delta College (ASDC), Marmolejo, or Assistant Superintendent Lonita Cordova on the plan.
