SF Unscripted - Karla Solis

Meet Santa Fe College's Ombudsperson and Senior Director of Student Affairs Karla Solis, Ed.D. 

Transcript

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Welcome to Santa Fe Unscripted, the podcast that brings you the behind the scenes stories of Santa Fe College.

00:00:12 Mark Barley

I'm your host, Mark Barley.

00:00:13 Mark Barley

Let's dive in.

00:00:14 Mark Barley

All right, welcome into Santa Fe Unscripted.

00:00:17 Mark Barley

Today's episode, I'm joined by Dr.

00:00:19 Mark Barley

Carla Solis, the college's ombuds person and senior director.

00:00:26 Mark Barley

I said ombuds person, but that's not even the title.

00:00:28 Mark Barley

It's ombuds.

00:00:29 Mark Barley

And Senior Director, Dr.

00:00:31 Mark Barley

Solis, welcome in.

00:00:32 Karla Solis

Thank you for having me.

00:00:33 Karla SolisI'm happy to be here.

00:00:34 Mark Barley

Yes.

00:00:36 Mark Barley

Before we dive in, just want to say welcome to Santa Fe.

00:00:40 Mark Barley

It's because you're relatively new here.

00:00:44 Mark Barley

And so we start out every episode.

00:00:47 Mark Barley

Tell us about you, your journey to Santa Fe, where you've been, kind of what you've done,

and then how you ended up here.

00:00:55 Karla Solis

Okay, so I actually started off in higher education at Hillsborough Community College, now

Hillsborough College.

00:01:01 Karla Solis

I spent about 19 1/2 years there in different roles, advising, recruitment, and then an

assistant dean over advising.

00:01:10 Karla Solis

I recently earned my doctorate degree about a year ago, and I transitioned over to

Greensboro, North Carolina.

00:01:18 Karla Solis

I was there for about 2 1/2 years at Guilford Tech as a director of advising.

00:01:23 Karla Solis

And then, it brought me back home to be closer to family.

00:01:27 Karla Solis

And so now I'm here at Santa Fe.00:01:28 Karla Solis

I'm very happy.

00:01:30 Mark Barley

All right.

00:01:31 Mark Barley

So

00:01:34 Mark Barley

You have a longer history than that, though.

00:01:36 Mark Barley

Like, tell me, where are you from?

00:01:38 Karla Solis

Where is, where I'm originally from, I was born in Colon, Panama, right by the Canal Zone.

00:01:44 Karla Solis

I moved to the US when I was about two years old, and my dad joined the military when I

was seven years old.

00:01:49 Karla Solis

And so he spent about 28 years in the military, lived in Tennessee, lived in California, lived

in Miami as a child.

00:01:58 Karla Solis

And then we were primarily raised in Clarksville, Tennessee, right by Fort Campbell,

Kentucky.

00:02:03 Karla Solis

And then

00:02:04 Karla Solis

We moved to Florida when I was a teenager and we've been here ever since for the most

part.

00:02:09 Mark BarleySo a military brat?

00:02:10 Karla Solis

Military brat.

00:02:11 Mark Barley

Yeah.

00:02:12 Mark Barley

And how was that growing up?

00:02:15 Mark Barley

Like how was that experience for you growing up and how has that impacted kind of who

you are today?

00:02:22 Karla Solis

Yeah, I felt like the experience was really eye-opening.

00:02:25 Karla Solis

I mean, we were exposed to a lot of diversity, believe it or not, in Clarksville, Tennessee of

all places.

00:02:32 Karla Solis

But I thought it was a really great experience.

00:02:34 Karla Solis

We were able to see different places.

00:02:35 Karla Solis

My mom, for the most part, kept us pretty stable here in the US.

00:02:39 Karla Solis

She didn't want to go away to another country, which was a little bit of a bummer now that I

think about it as an adult.

00:02:47 Karla Solis

But in terms of being able to just go to school and seeing different

00:02:53 Karla Solisstates and traveling, I think it was a really, really great option for us.

00:02:58 Karla Solis

So happy to be in Florida.

00:02:59 Karla Solis

I don't miss the north and the cold and the snow, but very, very good experiences.

00:03:06 Mark Barley

Yeah, it's been especially hot this summer.

00:03:10 Mark Barley

But I'm from Florida, so I love it.

00:03:13 Karla Solis

I'm from Panama, so Panama is extremely hot if you've ever been there.

00:03:17 Karla Solis

And I'm not talking about Panama City Beach, I'm talking about Panama like the country.

00:03:21 Karla Solis

So yeah.

00:03:21 Mark Barley

How long were you in Panama?

00:03:23 Karla Solis

I was there until I was two.

00:03:25 Karla Solis

We moved back when my father was deployed into Desert Storm and we stayed there for

about 6 to 8 months, came back to the States when he returned.

00:03:34 Mark Barley

Have you been back since?

00:03:35 Karla Solis

I have not been back.00:03:36 Karla Solis

Well, I have been back.

00:03:37 Karla Solis

I just have not been back in the last five years since COVID.

00:03:41 Karla Solis

And I really do need to get back.

00:03:43 Karla Solis

But yeah, it's been a little while since I've been back now.

00:03:46 Mark Barley

All right.

00:03:46 Mark Barley

Well, you know, there's time.

00:03:48 Mark Barley

There's time for you to go.

00:03:50 Mark Barley

So, all right, tell us

00:03:53 Mark Barley

And this is, you probably get this A lot.

00:03:55 Mark Barley

What is an ombuds person?

00:03:59 Karla Solis

Yeah, an ombuds person.

00:04:04 Mark Barley

It's such a weird title.

00:04:06 Karla Solis

It is a weird title.00:04:07 Karla Solis

You know, it's technically ombuds person, ombudsman, but I can call myself an ombuds

lady if you want.

00:04:14 Karla Solis

But I think of myself more like an advocate or a support for students, someone who can

really just help guide a student to

00:04:22 Karla Solis

whatever resources that we have, if they have an issue or a concern and maybe they're just

kind of questioning it and they're not really sure but they just wanted to kind of talk it

through.

00:04:33 Karla Solis

I'm really kind of that person to advocate and help them where I can.

00:04:38 Karla Solis

And that's just one aspect of my role.

00:04:41 Mark Barley

Yeah.

00:04:41 Mark Barley

So what are other aspects of that particular role?

00:04:44 Karla Solis

Yeah, so as an ombuds for Santa Fe, I am also the homeless liaison for the institution.

00:04:51 Karla Solis

So any student who finds themselves, you know, with some type of housing insecurity or

they are currently at risk of being homeless, they can come and speak with me and we can

discuss their options in terms of their tuition and waivers.

00:05:07 Karla Solis

I also meet with students who are looking to declare themselves as an independent for

financial aid purposes.

00:05:15 Karla SolisSo just kind of going through all of the regulations, the policies and procedures, and

making sure that they either qualify, they don't, but just kind of talk them through and make

sure that we have the right documentation on file for them.

00:05:27 Mark Barley

Okay.

00:05:28 Mark Barley

So is this position something that is

00:05:32 Mark Barley

consistent across the Florida college system?

00:05:34 Mark Barley

Do you know?

00:05:35 Mark Barley

Is this unique?

00:05:38 Karla Solis

I don't know that it's unique.

00:05:40 Karla Solis

I do believe that most state universities have an ombudsperson there or ombudsman.

00:05:46 Karla Solis

In terms of like the community college to your college system, I am finding that there's not

00:05:52 Karla Solis

that many people with that title across the state.

00:05:55 Karla Solis

So I would say it's not unique, but a little unique for an institution our size.

00:06:00 Mark Barley

Yeah, the title itself, like it makes me think that maybe, I don't know, it's such a weird title.

00:06:08 Mark BarleyOmsbuds, it's why not call it something else?

00:06:11 Mark Barley

Do you know why it's called Omsbuds?

00:06:14 Karla Solis

I actually was reading a book and they said that this started off back in the 1800s.

00:06:19 Karla Solis

And so it originally was designed to really be more from a legal aspect and then it just kind

of transitioned through different roles, whether it's in a corporation or now in higher

education.

00:06:31 Mark Barley

Yeah, mostly that's why you come to the podcast is to learn things.

00:06:35 Mark Barley

All right, so your role as, because half of your title is senior director, right?

00:06:42 Mark Barley

And so you oversee the Displaced Homemakers program and then the Disability Resource

Center.

00:06:49 Mark Barley

Can you tell us how similar those two programs are and how different they are?

00:06:56 Karla Solis

Yeah, so I'll start with, let's start with the differences.

00:06:59 Karla Solis

Well, for Disabilities Resource Center, that department, the DRC, these are for students

who are maybe needing some type of accommodation, whether it's test taking, extra test

taking time, a quiet space, an interpreter,

00:07:12 Karla Solis

And so a lot of times students often think, I just graduated from high school.

00:07:17 Karla SolisIn my high school, they automatically gave me these accommodations.

00:07:22 Karla Solis

And in college, you have to self-disclose.

00:07:24 Karla Solis

And so that department, the DRC, they can assist students in seeking those

accommodations and basically making sure that they have what they need to be

successful as a college student here at Santa Fe.

00:07:36 Karla Solis

And then on the displaced homemaker side,

00:07:39 Karla Solis

A lot of the students that they see is really students and community, people in their

community, really just helping them come back to school, providing them with resources,

guidance, whether it's employment or if they just need some assistance with resume

writing, kind of retooling and re-skilling themselves so that they can find themselves either

going back to school or going back into the workforce.

00:08:07 Mark Barley

Similarities, yeah.

00:08:09 Karla Solis

So both are resources that are available to them as students here at Santa Fe.

00:08:15 Karla Solis

Both are really advocating for students or for people in our community.

00:08:20 Karla Solis

And ultimately, we're really just focusing on making sure that our students are successful

and having what they need so that while they're here, they're not lacking anything that

could be potentially considered a barrier or a challenge for them.

00:08:36 Mark Barley

Displaced Homemakers has been around for a while.

00:08:40 Mark BarleyIt's run by a rock star, Miss Joanne Wilkes.

00:08:44 Mark Barley

Talk about how that program goes beyond just the helping somebody get back into school.

00:08:56 Mark Barley

Because you, I probably know a little bit better than you because I've just been around

longer.

00:09:02 Mark Barley

Been around longer at Santa Fe.

00:09:05 Mark Barley

But

00:09:07 Mark Barley

Joanne and her crew do so much for women that are coming out of bad relationships,

right?

00:09:17 Mark Barley

that are looking for ways to start fresh, right?

00:09:22 Mark Barley

So how does the job that they do impact the job that you do?

00:09:28 Karla Solis

Well, first, the DHP, Displaced Homemakers Program, they're rock stars, as you

mentioned, and I can't say

00:09:36 Karla Solis

anything negative about them in terms of what they do and how they help people and not

just women either.

00:09:45 Karla Solis

They really are providing a full-fledged support system for everyone that walks in their

doors, whether it's safety, safe haven in terms of letting a person know that if you come

here, you know we're gonna help you, we're gonna guide you, we're gonna provide a safe

space for you that you can express yourself00:10:06 Karla Solis

And also just making sure that we encourage them.

00:10:09 Karla Solis

I think that that's probably one of their biggest positives is a lot of people, they don't know

what they don't know.

00:10:17 Karla Solis

And so if you're feeling like, I've been out of work for 30 years and I find myself divorced or

in a really bad domestic violence type of situation,

00:10:28 Karla Solis

what can I do to get back on my feet?

00:10:29 Karla Solis

How can I restart?

00:10:31 Karla Solis

And I think sometimes people just need someone to help and guide them and encourage

them.

00:10:35 Karla Solis

And definitely DHP does that.

00:10:37 Karla Solis

For my role, how it helps me in my role, I really believe it provides me other resources to

really refer our students to them, especially the students who may find themselves in very

similar situations.

00:10:52 Karla Solis

I mean, anything from taking an exam, getting books,

00:10:57 Karla Solis

and maybe you've just exhausted all of your other options, really just seeing what we can

do to help get them to where they need to be.

00:11:05 Karla SolisAnd so that's how they really helped me significantly, because without them, I don't know

what else I could do.

00:11:14 Karla Solis

Yeah.

00:11:15 Mark Barley

And I can tell you that if anybody has ever been into the DHP area, you're immediately met

by a

00:11:26 Mark Barley

group of ladies that are very fierce.

00:11:30 Mark Barley

And that's probably the best word I would use to describe them as fierce, is because they

each have their kind of different tendencies of how they assist, right?

00:11:40 Mark Barley

And I've known Joy in a long time.

00:11:44 Mark Barley

And to this day, she'll call me up and be like, I got this going on.

00:11:50 Mark Barley

How can you help?

00:11:51 Mark Barley

And she'll ask me, how can you help?

00:11:54 Mark Barley

And

00:11:56 Mark Barley

that encapsulates kind of what they do is that they have a problem.

00:12:01 Mark Barley

Somebody comes in and says, hey, I have these issues.

00:12:04 Mark BarleyHow can you help?

00:12:05 Mark Barley

They go out and they approach people and say, how can you help me?

00:12:11 Mark Barley

Right?

00:12:11 Mark Barley

They don't ask for help.

00:12:13 Mark Barley

They kind of demand it.

00:12:15 Mark Barley

And so it's such a unique program that's been around forever.

00:12:19 Mark Barley

And I got stats in front of me that says they've helped 4,500

00:12:24 Mark Barley

people since 1984.

00:12:27 Mark Barley

I imagine that's true.

00:12:28 Mark Barley

But it's probably more than that, right?

00:12:30 Karla Solis

It's probably a lot more than that.

00:12:33 Mark Barley

Yeah.

00:12:33 Mark Barley

Is this a unique program to Santa Fe?

00:12:36 Karla SolisI think it's a fairly unique program to the state.

00:12:38 Karla Solis

I think we're really the only program here that's really providing such amazing service.

00:12:45 Karla Solis

And so it's funny that you mentioned earlier about how they kind of demand, last week I

attended the Gone

00:12:52 Karla Solis

the Gainesville Area Women's Network.

00:12:54 Karla Solis

And so Joanne got up and she basically gave them some information and expressed how

much money that their donations provided to allow our students to take their GED test.

00:13:08 Karla Solis

And practically said, please, donate.

00:13:11 Karla Solis

This is for a great cause, can help students in different ways.

00:13:16 Karla Solis

And people were just

00:13:17 Karla Solis

please, what can I do to help?

00:13:19 Karla Solis

They were donating, thumb drives for resume writing and cash and money and

kitchenware.

00:13:28 Karla Solis

I mean, things that some of us may take for granted, I mean, $30 doesn't sound like a lot of

money, but for one person who doesn't have the means to provide for that so that they can

get their GED, and we're able to do so.

00:13:43 Karla SolisI mean,

00:13:45 Karla Solis

I think Joanne and her team, I mean, they've just done amazing work.

00:13:48 Mark Barley

Yeah, I mean, Joanne will sit in court with people, right?

00:13:54 Mark Barley

She'll go and sit with them while they file paperwork in the courts.

00:13:58 Mark Barley

And that's not her job.

00:14:01 Karla Solis

No.

00:14:01 Mark Barley

But it is her passion.

00:14:05 Mark Barley

And I, you know, when the idea for this episode came about,

00:14:13 Mark Barley

I was like, how do I get Joanne in here too?

00:14:17 Mark Barley

She's so busy.

00:14:19 Mark Barley

But also, she would take over the podcast.

00:14:23 Mark Barley

She would just, she'd be like, no, let me talk about these things.

00:14:28 Mark Barley

She's amazing.

00:14:28 Mark BarleyAnd I'm glad you're getting to work hand in hand with her because

00:14:33 Mark Barley

There's really not anybody else like her.

00:14:35 Karla Solis

There is no one like Joanne, and I'm sad to know that she's gonna retire in March.

00:14:39 Karla Solis

So, you know, I don't know what we're gonna do without her, but I know she'll always be a

part of, you know, the college and part of Displaced Homemakers.

00:14:52 Mark Barley

Wyatt is so successful, but she's got good people around her that I think are kind of ready

to step into that role too.

00:15:01 Mark Barley

So all right, so let's talk about the DRC, Disability Resource Center.

00:15:07 Mark Barley

You talked about accommodations and how the DRC helps students.

00:15:13 Mark Barley

Explain how important it is for a student to advocate

00:15:19 Mark Barley

for themselves, but to use that process of what DRC is to be successful.

00:15:26 Karla Solis

Yeah, it's very important for a student to advocate for themselves.

00:15:30 Karla Solis

If you don't ask a question, we won't know how to help you.

00:15:34 Karla Solis

And so for a student, I really would say,

00:15:39 Karla Solisask questions, make sure if it doesn't, if you don't understand something, you can always

ask and they can guide you.

00:15:46 Karla Solis

And if it's not their area, then they can go and refer you to another area and we can make

sure that we make those.

00:15:52 Karla Solis

a warm handoff, so to speak, an introduction and helping the student get to where they

need to be.

00:15:56 Karla Solis

Ultimately, I think the student needs to understand that they're here for a purpose.

00:16:00 Karla Solis

We want to make sure that they have what they need.

00:16:02 Karla Solis

It's all accessible to them as well.

00:16:04 Karla Solis

Accessibility is huge now.

00:16:06 Karla Solis

And so making sure that they really just

00:16:11 Karla Solis

take advantage of the resources that we can provide to them as best as possible.

00:16:18 Mark Barley

What has your experience been with the Disability Resource Center since you've gotten to

Santa Fe?

00:16:23 Karla Solis

Oh, they're just as amazing as DHP.

00:16:26 Karla Solis

I can't say enough for the two departments that I oversee.00:16:30 Karla Solis

Lindy Russell is the coordinator and he has an amazing team of folks in that area too.

00:16:36 Karla Solis

And they're regularly meeting with students to just

00:16:39 Karla Solis

check in with them and find out, how are your classes going?

00:16:44 Karla Solis

what other accommodations do you foresee might be needed in this course that maybe

you didn't think of in your original intake session?

00:16:54 Karla Solis

So I think it's important for students to really just continue keeping that line of

communication open and being responsive because sometimes, we reach out to our

students and maybe we don't hear back from them.

00:17:06 Karla Solis

And so part of that is really just

00:17:09 Karla Solis

when we talk about self-advocacy and whatnot, really just making sure that they are being

responsive as well.

00:17:16 Mark Barley

Yeah.

00:17:17 Mark Barley

How is the DRC and so like they're seeing students and some of them for the first time as

new college students.

00:17:27 Mark Barley

I know they meet with high school dual enrollment students if they need accommodations.

00:17:33 Mark Barley

How important is it to establish that connection right away?00:17:38 Mark Barley

Because then they're continuing that connection all throughout their career at Santa Fe.

00:17:43 Mark Barley

So talk a little bit about how that.

00:17:45 Mark Barley

that connection is so important both in the short term and in the long term.

00:17:52 Karla Solis

So it's very important for a student to reach out to the DRC early on.

00:17:57 Karla Solis

What we don't want to happen is that the student gets into a class and then they realize

there might be a challenge or an obstacle.

00:18:07 Karla Solis

And then they figure out that there is this department that could have helped them and now

they're trying to undo what maybe could have been resolved or easily put into place for

them at the beginning of the semester.

00:18:22 Karla Solis

So one thing students do need to know about the DRC is once you have established your

00:18:29 Karla Solis

your intake session with your access specialist and you've basically received your

accommodations, it's up to you to use those accommodations.

00:18:37 Karla Solis

It's better to have it than not have it and then find yourself in a situation where you can say

to the instructor, yes, I would like to take my exam in the testing center with extra test

taking time versus

00:18:47 Karla Solis

can I take my exam with extra time and you don't have the accommodation and then you

have to start this process in the middle of a semester, which we don't want a student to do.

00:18:58 Karla SolisSo just making sure that everything is done on time.

00:19:02 Karla Solis

It's kind of like registration.

00:19:03 Karla Solis

The earlier you do it, you get your best set of classes.

00:19:07 Karla Solis

And we also want to make sure that you have the appropriate accommodations early on so

you don't have those challenges.

00:19:13 Mark Barley

Yeah, and it's such an important piece is that like

00:19:17 Mark Barley

There's so many college resources and that's kind of the purpose of this podcast is to

highlight some of the resources that maybe people know exist, but they don't know the

depth of what they offer.

00:19:28 Mark Barley

Can you highlight any kind of the depth of the DRC, like lesser known things that the DRC

offers to students?

00:19:37 Mark Barley

that maybe they wouldn't even think about.

00:19:39 Karla Solis

So some of the things that the DRC offers, they have, a student can take their exam in the

DRC.

00:19:47 Karla Solis

They have their own special room where the students can go in for quiet test taking time,

extended time.

00:19:53 Karla Solis

I don't think a lot of students know that.

00:19:56 Karla SolisI think most people would think the testing center would be the obvious place, but if you're

working with the DRC, they can accommodate you right there in that area where you're

familiar and you have a little bit more

00:20:07 Karla Solis

a quiet space and less interaction or distractions to distract you when you're taking those

exams.

00:20:13 Mark Barley

Yeah, absolutely.

00:20:16 Mark Barley

So your job is Ombuds, right?

00:20:21 Mark Barley

Ombuds.

00:20:23 Mark Barley

So you also, like it's kind of, you do some, like you kind of do a lot of everything.

00:20:30 Mark Barley

It's because, you know, you stepped into a role that,

00:20:36 Mark Barley

Dr.

00:20:36 Mark Barley

Biawani held for a long time.

00:20:40 Mark Barley

And she kind of did a lot.

00:20:42 Mark Barley

And one of the things that you do is you are also kind of the first face that somebody would

talk to if they have an issue, right?

00:20:55 Mark Barley

Or if something catastrophic happens.00:20:59 Mark Barley

You're also the college's, you're kind of the college's voice

00:21:02 Mark Barley

to a family member or you're that you're that first person that kind of reaches out from the

college in cases of the baddest thing happening, the worst thing.

00:21:15 Mark Barley

Talk about the responsibility that having that having that responsibility translates into

00:21:26 Mark Barley

how people view the college, right?

00:21:30 Mark Barley

because there's a responsibility for you to be sympathetic, to be empathetic, but also hold

somebody accountable too, right?

00:21:44 Mark Barley

There's a lot of hats you wear.

00:21:46 Karla Solis

Absolutely.

00:21:46 Mark Barley

Talk a little bit about that and how difficult that can be, but also why, I guess,

00:21:51 Mark Barley

you chose this job.

00:21:52 Karla Solis

Yeah, so when you're dealing with people, sometimes people will come in and they have an

issue, right?

00:21:59 Karla Solis

And their issue is, well, this is my perspective and I believe that this is what it should be.

00:22:05 Karla Solis

But I am an honest person, so you're going to receive honesty from me, right?00:22:09 Karla Solis

If it's a policy or procedure, we will explain it.

00:22:12 Karla Solis

We would also make sure that we talk about accountability because sometimes it's not

necessarily

00:22:19 Karla Solis

the student or the institution, it could just be a process and that's just what it is, right?

00:22:24 Karla Solis

So sometimes while it may not be the best answer or the most favorable answer, it's the

honest answer.

00:22:32 Karla Solis

And then when you mentioned the worst case scenario when we're talking about the death

of a student, for example,

00:22:39 Karla Solis

the face of the institution in that situation, you really have to represent the college in the

most positive way, letting the family know like we are really here to support you, provide

support to them so that we can help them to resolve any issues that might be lingering here

in the name of the student.

00:23:00 Karla Solis

And then just making sure that we are showing sensitivity and being empathetic and being

respectful

00:23:06 Karla Solis

making sure we're maintaining their privacy, and then just letting them know that we're

really here to provide that support for them.

00:23:13 Karla Solis

It's not easy in all cases.

00:23:16 Karla Solis

You know, you have to really just put yourself in a mindset of what would I want if I were put

in that situation or if I'm in that situation.00:23:26 Karla Solis

my VP, Dr.

00:23:28 Karla Solis

Brown, she said, well, how do you maintain a smile on your face after having to have such a

heavy conversation?

00:23:35 Karla Solis

And you just have to remind yourself of all the good that you have in your life.

00:23:40 Karla Solis

the people that are around you and lean on the supports that we have here as employees,

as colleagues here at the institution.

00:23:47 Karla Solis

So fortunately for me, working with the counseling office, I check in with my fellow

counselor and they were just like, how are you doing?

00:23:54 Karla Solis

And so that is very appreciated as well.

00:23:58 Karla Solis

Just a little interaction like that can just make, you know, reframe and make you feel a lot

better.

00:24:05 Mark Barley

Yeah.

00:24:05 Mark Barley

I mean, it's important to know

00:24:10 Mark Barley

And the perspective, like you just described, how it's important to take that step back and

say, okay, hey, this is my job, but I also have all this stuff going on.

00:24:22 Mark Barley

And I think that's a lesson for everybody is just to take a step back sometimes is because

we often wear our responsibilities, right?00:24:32 Mark Barley

So how's it been, I guess, acclimating to student affairs, right?

00:24:37 Mark Barley

And the team

00:24:39 Mark Barley

the various teams around you is because everybody kind of works together because one

process plays into another process and then it's oftentimes these two processes have to

kind of simultaneously exist.

00:24:55 Mark Barley

So how's life been

00:24:57 Mark Barley

I guess acclimating, what, you started in June.

00:24:59 Karla Solis

I started on June the 16th.

00:25:01 Mark Barley

June 16th.

00:25:02 Mark Barley

So how's life been since June 16th?

00:25:04 Karla Solis

It's been busy, very, very busy, but in a good way.

00:25:08 Karla Solis

I would say I've been trying to make the connections within the institution, but also with our

educational partners.

00:25:15 Karla Solis

There's so many moving parts.

00:25:17 Karla Solis

And anyone who's ever worked in higher education knows this, right?00:25:20 Karla Solis

And so while, yes, I am the ombuds and senior director, you know, you still wear other

hats.

00:25:25 Karla Solis

You know, if you're walking by and you see a

00:25:27 Karla Solis

student that's lost, sometimes you might be the person that helps and direct them and

walk them to a classroom, But ultimately it's been busy, but a very, very good experience

so far.

00:25:40 Karla Solis

I can't say enough about my colleagues, just learning more about Santa Fe.

00:25:46 Karla Solis

Every school, every institution is different.

00:25:49 Karla Solis

And so just making sure that I understand the culture.

00:25:52 Karla Solis

And I have to say that this has been a pretty, pretty good experience.

00:25:55 Karla Solis

So I can't say anything negative at all.

00:26:00 Mark Barley

Santa Fe has that effect.

00:26:03 Mark Barley

We'll talk about it here in just a second.

00:26:07 Mark Barley

So talk a little bit about you working with Saints Care.

00:26:12 Mark Barley

We had JB Brown on the podcast and00:26:18 Mark Barley

they handle a lot of kind of what, maybe you're intaking and then filtering that to Saints

Care.

00:26:26 Mark Barley

So talk about, working with Saints Care and JB's team and how they play a part into what

you do.

00:26:33 Karla Solis

Yeah, so another part of my responsibility is I also manage the Life Happens emergency aid

grant.

00:26:40 Karla Solis

And so this is really for something that is not chronic.

00:26:44 Karla Solis

that is not habitual.

00:26:46 Karla Solis

And so it's allowing students to basically say, I had some car issues, some troubles.

00:26:53 Karla Solis

And so you can only use it once as a student while you're here at Santa Fe, but just really

making sure that we are trying to remove as many barriers from a student's education in

current moment.

00:27:08 Karla Solis

And so

00:27:10 Karla Solis

when we are reviewing the applications, we're just making sure that we're just trying to

remove those barriers for the students.

00:27:16 Karla Solis

So Saints Care comes really, into play for me because oftentimes, while we would love to

share and help everyone, it's not always possible.

00:27:28 Karla SolisSome things may fall outside the guidelines of, you know, what the Life Happens grant can

offer.

00:27:35 Karla Solis

Saints Care can provide maybe

00:27:38 Karla Solis

financial wellness or security deposit assistance or helping students who have food

insecurities.

00:27:45 Karla Solis

And so these are the types of things and resources that we offer as an institution, which is

awesome and amazing.

00:27:53 Karla Solis

And so they really do kind of complement my area in some ways.

00:27:58 Karla Solis

If not, I compliment them more than anything else because they're an amazing resource

and our students really do use them.

00:28:06 Karla Solis

And I think that that's just

00:28:07 Karla Solis

an amazing option because some schools may not have it at this level and St.

00:28:11 Karla Solis

Scare really does a wonderful job trying to help and reach out to those students.

00:28:16 Mark Barley

And Santa Fe has made it a commitment.

00:28:18 Mark Barley

They've made a commitment to the students in that aspect.

00:28:23 Mark Barley

What we were talking about the other day is00:28:26 Mark Barley

Bread Day is huge around the college.

00:28:29 Mark Barley

And it's existed, Bread Day, I'm air quoting, has existed since kind of COVID.

00:28:37 Mark Barley

And it used to be delivered to the police department during COVID.

00:28:42 Mark Barley

And the college put it out that you could go to the police department, even though the

college was closed at the time because of COVID.

00:28:50 Mark Barley

You can go to the police department because we were so open and you could get the

00:28:56 Mark Barley

the deli stuff, the bakery stuff.

00:28:59 Mark Barley

And the amount of students that just came, I mean, from all over, just to get a loaf of bread.

00:29:06 Mark Barley

We don't realize how insecure students are when it comes to food.

00:29:14 Mark Barley

And as somebody that has never

00:29:18 Mark Barley

dealt with food insecurity, I can tell you I take it for granted.

00:29:22 Mark Barley

I'm like, why are so many people coming for bread?

00:29:24 Mark Barley

And it's because they don't have it.

00:29:27 Mark BarleyThey feel like they either can't afford it or they just, they can't allocate money to it.

00:29:34 Mark Barley

And so briefly talk, just talk about the college's commitment to student wellness in that

aspect.

00:29:40 Karla Solis

Yeah, so when you think of basic needs, and you just mentioned it,

00:29:45 Karla Solis

the things that we may take for granted on a daily basis are the things that many of our

students need.

00:29:51 Karla Solis

And so I believe that the college's commitment is to just, again, when we talk about

support, when we talk about removing barriers, when we talk about encouraging a student,

like these are all of the things that we as an institution really value.

00:30:08 Karla Solis

And so I think that our commitment really is to making sure that our students are okay

00:30:14 Karla Solis

And so making sure that they have what they need so that they can go to school.

00:30:18 Karla Solis

Something as simple as bread for you and I may be a huge thing when someone's hungry

and they can't focus on their studies.

00:30:27 Karla Solis

So I think our commitment really speaks to just making sure that our students have the

wellness and the things that they need for them to continue.

00:30:37 Mark Barley

And I can tell you, I've talked to a lot of students around every day and

00:30:45 Mark Barley

the ones that I've spoken to are very thankful that the college prioritizes the wellness

aspect of their career here at Santa Fe.00:30:53 Mark Barley

All right, Dr.

00:30:54 Mark Barley

Solis, anything that you feel like people should know that we haven't touched on in this

episode?

00:31:01 Karla Solis

So when I think of like Saints Care, I also, and we just talked about wellness, but that also

includes, you know, mental health wellness.

00:31:09 Karla Solis

And so we have an amazing counseling center.

00:31:11 Karla Solis

I mean, we have resources

00:31:13 Karla Solis

at the college just all throughout.

00:31:15 Karla Solis

And so the one thing that I would say for our students is just ask questions.

00:31:20 Karla Solis

Don't be afraid.

00:31:22 Karla Solis

Don't feel embarrassed.

00:31:23 Karla Solis

Don't feel ashamed.

00:31:25 Karla Solis

We're here to help.

00:31:26 Karla Solis

And so whatever they need, if we don't have it, we most likely have someone in our

community who's willing to help.00:31:33 Karla Solis

And so we're there to provide that assistance to them.

00:31:35 Mark Barley

Absolutely.

00:31:36 Mark Barley

You're a seasoned podcaster because you just plugged another episode that we're going

to.

00:31:41 Mark Barley

So

00:31:42 Mark Barley

Appreciate that.

00:31:43 Mark Barley

So how we end every episode is 5, something called 5 quick questions.

00:31:48 Karla Solis

Okay.

00:31:48 Mark Barley

And it's, I'm gonna ask you questions and I don't want you to think about it.

00:31:51 Mark Barley

I just want you to give me the answer first thing that pops into your brain.

00:31:54 Mark Barley

All right.

00:31:55 Mark Barley

Are you ready?

00:31:56 Mark Barley

Yeah.

00:31:56 Mark BarleyI mean, you're in the hot seat.

00:31:59 Mark Barley

Favorite place you've ever lived?

00:32:01 Karla Solis

I would say Tampa, Florida.

00:32:04 Mark Barley

You've lived everywhere, and you picked Tampa.

00:32:06 Karla Solis

Yes, my family's there.

00:32:08 Karla Solis

You can't beat family.

00:32:10 Karla Solis

And I can't compete with the niece and nephew, so, you know, that's where everyone's at.

00:32:14 Mark Barley

Okay, follow up, favorite place in Tampa?

00:32:17 Karla Solis

Oh, I would probably say, well, it's kind of in the Tampa Bay area, Dunedin.

00:32:22 Mark Barley

Dunedin, okay.

00:32:22 Karla Solis

I love the Dunedin area.

00:32:24 Mark Barley

Okay, movies or TV shows?

00:32:26 Karla Solis

Movies.

00:32:27 Mark BarleyAll right, last movie you saw.

00:32:28 Karla Solis

Oh, oh, that's a, I've watched so many.

00:32:32 Karla Solis

Oh my gosh.

00:32:35 Karla Solis

I will have to get back on that one because one's not coming in my mind.

00:32:39 Mark Barley

Okay, how about this?

00:32:40 Mark Barley

Favorite movie of all time?

00:32:41 Karla Solis

Oh, Dirty Dancing.

00:32:42 Mark Barley

Dirty Dancing.

00:32:43 Mark Barley

Yeah.

00:32:45 Karla Solis

All right.

00:32:46 Karla Solis

Puts baby in the corner.

00:32:49 Mark Barley

All right.

00:32:50 Mark Barley

Favorite singer or band?

00:32:53 Karla SolisI would say Mark Anthony.

00:32:54 Karla Solis

I'm like my little salsa, you know?

00:32:58 Mark Barley

That's Mark with a C.

00:32:59 Mark Barley

With a C.

00:33:00 Mark Barley

All right.

00:33:01 Mark Barley

When you're not at work, what are you doing?

00:33:03 Karla Solis

I am most likely exercising or reading a book.

00:33:08 Karla Solis

I started getting back into my exercise groove because I kind of slipped off of that for a little

bit, but I'm definitely reading a book.

00:33:16 Mark Barley

What are you reading?

00:33:17 Karla Solis

I just finished Verity by Colleen Hoover.

00:33:19 Karla Solis

So, and I know that there's a movie coming out.

00:33:22 Karla Solis

So, you know, just having to prepare for that.

00:33:24 Mark Barley

Are you a big Colleen Hoover fan?00:33:27 Karla Solis

That was my first book that I've ever read, that she's written.

00:33:31 Karla Solis

But I do, oh goodness, McFadden.

00:33:35 Karla Solis

Last name is McFadden.

00:33:36 Karla Solis

Her first name's not coming to me right now, but that's been the one that I've just kind of

been following.

00:33:40 Mark Barley

All right, cool.

00:33:41 Mark Barley

All right, last one.

00:33:42 Mark Barley

Favorite thing about Santa Fe?

00:33:44 Karla Solis

So far, the people, my colleagues.

00:33:48 Karla Solis

Everyone's been very helpful.

00:33:50 Karla Solis

Everyone's been very friendly, welcoming.

00:33:54 Karla Solis

I think

00:33:55 Karla Solis

having been in another institution for the last 2 1/2 years, you may not always get that.

00:34:01 Karla SolisAnd so here I've not felt any one that was unwilling to assist.

00:34:06 Karla Solis

So I love the people here.

00:34:07 Mark Barley

That's kind of what we hear, right?

00:34:11 Mark Barley

Every episode, and I think we're like 10 in so far, everybody said the people.

00:34:15 Mark Barley

So Dr.

00:34:17 Mark Barley

Carlos Solis, thank you so much for joining us here on the podcast.

00:34:21 Mark Barley

Where can people find you and how can they get a hold of you?

00:34:24 Karla Solis

So you can find me in the R building in 211.

00:34:28 Karla Solis

Just think of, look for advising and they'll direct you to our little suite there.

00:34:33 Karla Solis

And you can get a hold of me through e-mail or by phone.

00:34:37 Karla Solis

So you can look me up and I'm on the Ombuds website.

00:34:41 Mark Barley

All right.

00:34:42 Mark Barley

Dr.

00:34:43 Mark BarleySolis, thank you so much.

00:34:45 Mark Barley

Welcome to Santa Fe and I hope we see you for a long time.

00:34:49 Karla Solis

Thank you very much.

00:34:57 Mark Barley

If you found this podcast informative, there's more to discover on our website,

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00:35:03 Mark Barley

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00:35:09 Mark Barley

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00:35:11 Mark Barley

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00:35:13 Mark Barley

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00:35:18 Mark Barley

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00:35:22 Mark Barley

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