Student Affairs

To Affirm and value all differences

To recruit, retain and graduate underserved student populations

To educate and enrich the campus and surrounding communities.

To strengthen community partnerships with Green River Community College

To honor, celebrate and embrace different groups and their unique contributions to the American Mosaic.

To act as a resource for multicultural issues.

To facilitate activities, programs, and dialogue campus-wide to promote diversity throughout the college community.

To provide leadership and guidance to advisors and student clubs:

• Black Student Union
• Asian Student Union
• Queer and Allies (Q&A)
• First Nations Club
• Latino Student Union (LSU)

The mission of the Commencement Achievement Program (CAP) at Green River Community College is to prepare students to navigate the college system. CAP works specifically to ensure the academic and social success of historically underserved and underrepresented students.

What are Peer Navigators? First and foremost, they provide peer navigation. Our Peer Navigators are students, just like you, who had to learn how to navigate college themselves-many were the first in their families to attend college. Peer Navigators can provide assistance with transitioning into college - locating financial resources, registering for classes, and getting involved on campus - to ensure your success at Green River.

Started through a grant from the College Success Foundation (CSF), the Commencement Achievement Program (CAP) supports students in CSF scholarship programs, including:

• Washington Achievers Program
• Governor's Scholars Program

The Passport to College Promise Scholarship program is for former foster youth to attend college in Washington State.

The scholarship is funded through the State of Washington and is administered in collaboration with the College Success Foundation (CSF).

If you are a Green River student receiving this scholarship, or believe you might be eligible, contact Michael Tuncap.

For information on the Diversity Course Requirement go to the website

by Michael Tuncap, PH.D.C.

Green River Community College has emerged in 2012 as one of King County’s most impressive diversity programs. In May of 2012, Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Deborah Casey & President Eileen Eily selected Michael Tuncap, a former researcher & teacher from the University of California Berkeley, to lead the college’s new vision & leadership for Diversity & Multicultural Affairs. Tuncap is native Chamoru & has roots in the Western Pacific Island of Guam. He grew up in South Tacoma’s public schools & graduated from Clover Park High School in 1997. Tuncap is a product of the TRiO Summer Bridge program & Educational Opportunity Program of the University of Washington, where he earned Bachelor’s degrees in American Ethnic Studies, Communications & Political Science in 2002. Tuncap’s experiences as a first generation, low income Pacific Islander student have profoundly shaped his vision for diversity & equity in education. Tuncap has worked in collegiate student affairs & diversity programs since 1998 & brings to the college a new strategic mission with success models & best practices from UW, UC Berkeley, City College of San Francisco, South Puget Sound Community College & the Evergreen State College.

For the past eight months, Tuncap has worked with the dedicated staff in Student Affairs & partnered with oustanding faculty like Dr. Vik Bah to develop a new mission & a college wide series of programs and services that would improve the recruitment, retention & graduation of under-represented students of color, first generation college students, Veterans, students with disabilities & low income people at GRCC. Tuncap has worked closely with the Director of the Student Life, Dani Chang, to identify and select the college’s top student leaders for the Peer Navigator & Office Assistant team for the college’s diversity mission & multicultural leadership. Student Affairs also leads the college's diversity efforts with the expertise of another outstanding Pacific Islander professional, Shirley Quenga, Administrative Services Manager. Vice President Casey & President Eily have assembled this team of indigenous staff & their leadership has made Green River home of the largest representation of Pacific Islander directors and managers in Washington's community college system.

Student Affairs has a dedicated team of 17 amazing student & professional employees in the Office of Diversity that have diverse cultural roots in Afghanistan, Guatemala, Indonesia, New York, India, Peru, Samoa, Texas, Kenya, Puerto Rico, Guam & our home state of Washington. The Commencement Achievement Program has a very special team with some of the richest cultural knowledge & leadership that we have at Green River. Tuncap has worked with this team to ensure that the college evolves into a more welcoming, inclusive and supportive environment for the growing diversity of Auburn, Kent & Enumclaw. Eily, Casey & Tuncap’s vision is based on multicultural knowledge, acceptance and a sincere respect for all people at Green River Community College. The college works to promote intellectual discourse, leadership and social justice among students, staff, faculty and our surrounding communities. The most recent efforts began this Fall 2012 with new services to provide Spanish to students, staff, faculty and community members at GRCC. Tuncap selected Jimena Mascaro, Mayra Rodriguez & Alexandro Maldonado to join the office of Diversity to assist individuals that need assistance, referral or translation services in Spanish for GRCCC growing diversity. The Office of Diversity’s bi-lingual services include, peer navigation of GRCC campus and peer mentoring, academic and personal advising quarterly support workshops, community service opportunities and resource referrals for on and off-campus services. Tuncap, Ely & Casey have worked collaboratively to reimagine a future that ensures that Green River represents the model of best practices in campus diversity, equity & multicultural inclusion for the state of Washington.

Download Application (PDF). Peer Navigator application, supporting information, transcript (unofficial transcript is acceptable), and three letters of recommendation should be completed and turned into the CAP office LC 262 by 4 pm on Friday, May 4th, 2012.

The GRCC President's Commission on Diversity is a representative, cross-campus group. The commission builds on our shared desire that all of our students be successful.

The Charge of the President's Commission on Diversity is: To oversee, lead and ensure the implementation of the Washington State Community and Technical Colleges Framework for Diversity at Green River Community College.

Learn more about the framework for diversity.