Spring 2019 Issue 3

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THE STUDENT VOICE OF SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1927

TUESDAY, FEB.12, 2019

FIRE

GAS LINE EXPLOSION DISPLACES RESIDENTS Construction company error sparks fire, destroys businesses and homes in Richmond district SAHAR SWALEH, CELINE HERRERA, AND NATALIA POURAZAR Xpress Reporters staff@goldengatexpress.org

An SF State student lost his home and most of his belongings in the three-alarm blaze triggered by a gas leak near the intersection of Parker Avenue and Geary Boulevard on Wednesday. Firefighters contained the blaze more than two hours after it ignited when PG&E was able to shut off the gas line, but not before Associated Students freshman representative Derwin Deon Brown II lost his home and the majority of his possessions. Luckily, no lives were lost in the inferno. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce my home has been destroyed by a large fire, losing all of my clothes, my home and majority of my belongings,” Deon Brown II said on his GoFundMe page. “I am extremely hopeful in God and the universe’s plan for me.” Deon Brown II was not available for comment as of

“I am extremely hopeful in God and the universe’s plan for me." -Derwin Deon Brown II, AS freshman representative, fire victim

press time Monday. According to PG&E spokesperson Teresa Jimenez, the fire engulfed Hong Kong Lounge II, a popular dim sum restaurant in San Francisco’s Richmond district, at about 1:20 p.m. Wednesday. The Michelin-rated restaurant was under construction when a gas line got clipped, spewing gas and soon after 30 foot flames into the sky. The fire spread to five buildings, including residential units — one of which was home to Deon Brown II. Everything in a one-block radius had to be shut down for the investigation. Jimenez said the fire started when a third-party construction crew struck a 4-inch plastic distribution line that

CHRIS ROBLEDO/Golden Gate Xpress

Flames engulf a building after a gas explosion near the intersection of Geary Boulevard and Parker Avenue in the Inner Richmond district of San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019.

was already marked by PG&E workers on Jan. 28. Verizon has been identified as the third party whose contractor was directly involved with the accident. “The Feb. 6 fire in San Fran-

cisco’s Jordan Park neighborhood is tragic for the people impacted by the incident and resulting power outage,” Verizon spokesperson Heidi Flato said. “Verizon is grateful for the brave efforts of all the

first responders who ran to the crisis.” The Verizon vendor MasTec is the contractor that was working on the site during

FIRE Turn to page 3

CALENDAR POLICY

Academic Senate to vote on finals week requirements JULIE PARKER Campus News Editor jparker1@mail.sfsu.edu

The Academic Senate proposed a new draft to the university’s Academic Calendar Policy in their Feb. 5 meeting that would ameliorate some of the concerns of California Faculty Association representatives with regard to finals week scheduling. The CFA took issue with the Academic Senate’s most recent Academic

Calendar Policy F17-242 for its requirement that instructors hold classes during finals week regardless of whether they intended to proctor exams, but S19-242, which would supersede the previous policy if approved, eliminates this requirement. “For now, the optional final exam week is a significant and more palatable difference [in policy],” said CFA representative professor Larry Hanley. “Let's wait and see what the final, approved policy looks like, but so far things are moving in the right direction.”

The union says they were not consulted on F17-242 before the Academic Senate approved it Oct. 31, 2017, and when they were alerted to it by confused faculty members last July just over a month before it was set to go into effect, they sent a request to the Chancellor’s Office invoking their collectively bargained right to meet and confer on policy changes that affect their working conditions.

POLICY Turn to page 3

INFO • The Academic Calendar Policy draft proposal will be brought back to the floor of the Academic Senate's next meeting, Tuesday Feb. 19. • Language from draft proposal S19-242: "The fall and spring semesters are 17 weeks. This includes 15 weeks of direct instruction, one week of fall or spring recess and an optional final exams week."


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Spring 2019 Issue 3 by Golden Gate Xpress - Issuu