✱ ICED ART
Ceramics professor installs summer show at Gaslamp gallery ARTS / PAGE 2
CityTimes www.sdcitytimes.com
Covering the San Diego City College community since 1945
Volume 63, Number 1
August 26, 2008
Campus loses almost 200 parking spaces EVONNE ERMEY City Times Students may find parking more tedious than usual this semester due to the closure of temporary parking lot 11, located at C and 16th streets, which parking officials acknowledge is a loss of 171 parking spaces.
“We expect it to be hectic in the beginning. Construction workers and downtown workers take up a lot of the street parking,” a City College Police lieutenant said. “You have to understand our geographical situation. We have a high school and downtown. It’s difficult, but things will get better it just takes time.”
Construction on lot 11, which was never meant to be a permanent parking site, has already begun and is estimated for completion within 12-18 months. When finished, the site will house new cosmetology, photography, nursing and police facilities as well as a parking structure designed to hold 750 cars.
The new parking spaces will bring much needed relief to a campus that currently provides 656 stalls for student parking while selling an average of 3,500 City College parking permits per semester. Under those conditions, even those who pay for permits sometimes find themselves parking on the street.
“We have a grace period till Sept. 8 for free parking. Students can give themselves that time to decide if they want to buy a permit,” the lieutenant said. “Most of our students are responsible adults and understand that permit parking is not guaranteed.”
See PARKING, page 4
Newspaper wins summer accolades City Times, San Diego City College’s student newspaper, took top awards in two competitions during the summer. The paper won Best of Show in the San Diego County Fair’s Student Showcase college newspaper division, and second place Best College Newspaper from the Society of Professional Journalists’ San Diego Pro Chapter. City Times also won first-place and Best in Class ribbons at the fair for Focus on School and Editorial. “These awards are really significant for us because we beat larger, more prominent college journalism programs,” said faculty adviser Roman S. Koenig, who won an honorable mention from SPJ for his freelance writing work covering education for the Carmel Valley News/Del Mar Village Voice. “This recognition is great encouragement for my students in a small program like City’s. Their work really shines.” The SPJ awards were handed out July 16 during a banquet at the Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island. The event included a speech by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, author of the book “The Soloist,” which will be released in November as a major motion picture starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. Several former City Times student staff members won awards from SPJ, as well. ■ Lauren Ciallella, First Place review/criticism: ‘Tango’ steps on your toes ■ Luis Bahena, Second Place regular column: Live and Learn ■ Lauren Ciallella, Second Place feature story: Halley’s Comet’s got nothing on Bauer’s asteroid ■ Katie Dunn, Second Place arts/entertainment story: Art on track
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■ Scott Landheer, Second Place layout and design: Hi-tech, vo-tech ■ Rosemarie Davis, Honorable Mention regular column: Sports on the Edge ■ Rebecca Saffran, Honorable Mention photography: An evening of dance ■ Alissa Wisniewski, Honorable Mention review/criticism: ‘Beowulf’ is a step back for digitally animated films Judges had specific praise for Ciallella’s first-place review: “Excellent job of selling the experience — from high expectations to getting the bum’s rush. Makes us want to check it out.” Spring 2008 arts editor David McAtee won first-place and Best in Class ribbons for his two-page design highlighting City’s Language Day, and a second-place ribbon for his two-page design covering the renovation of the college’s L building. City College’s journalism program offers courses in beginning newswriting, newspaper production and mass communication, and often works in conjunction with the college’s radio/television, photography, graphic design and English programs. The program is scheduled to host a California Newspaper Publishers Association high school journalism day Sept. 20.
Photos by ANGELA ANG City Times
Bloom where you’re planted Above: Julia Dashe from the San Diego Sustainable Food Project, City student Kim Lopez, 25, and part-time engineer and volunteer Mark Bailey, 35, plant seeds and regulate rows on the first-ever urban farm in San Diego County on the City College campus. Left: Adam Taylor, 28, and Lopez place the seeds in the marked rows. See story, Page 2. To learn more about the farm, go to the project’s blog at: downtownonthefarm.typepad.com. To donate to the farm or to inquire about student internships, look up: www. sdcity.edu/esc/. For volunteer opportunities, visit: www. sandiegoroots.org/cc_farm.html.
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City Times
ARTS / LIFE
August 26, 2008
Urban farm on City campus first ever in San Diego ANGELA ANG City Times
Icy reception Ceramics professor installs show at downtown gallery DAVID McATEE City Times Dancers and ice shared the CJ Gallery in the Gaslamp Quarter on July 18, where more than 80 artists, students and even the City College president came for City College’ s ceramics professor Yoonchung Kim’s art exhibit. Six dancers dressed in white from the City College Dance Department, choreographed by adjunct faculty member and choreographer Terri Shipman, danced around and between large blue, glittering coneshaped sculptures made to represent ice. “It’s nice to have that moment where live energy is crashing with each other,” said dancer Hiriomi Yoshita, a former City College student. “Our group focuses on organic stuff, dancing being an organic matter too,” she said. “I think the ice is a good theme for us.” A collaborative effort between Korean-American ceramics artist Kim and the Dance Department, choreographers first chose the pieces to go with the dance from Kim’s collection, said Shipman. Then the artist had to find a way to produce something light and translucent that the dancers could move around easily, Kim said, as the original ceramic pieces weigh as much as 80 pounds each. The exhibit ended Aug. 18. The combination of ice and dance was definitely a challenge and source of stimulation for the choreographers, Shipman said. She said it is challenging to work with an artist
and to have to choreograph to that artwork. “For me, to choreograph that ice, when I am a fluid dancer that likes to move around, and to become ice?” she said. “Wow, that’s different and that’s difficult, and it’s interesting and it’s fun. The work looks very different than the work I would normally do.“ Kim’s artwork is about the melting of ice, Shipman said. Among Kim’s sculptures was “365 For One,” a large circular sculpture of clay and glass on the floor, and “Rising Sun,” three orange and blue ceramic boxes symmetrically lined on the wall. The cost for the pieces averaged $3,000 each, with “365 for One” going for $16,000 and “Rising Sun” going for $1,800. Kim, whom all her friends call “YC,” started working in Korea, where she was born and raised. She did undergrad and some post-grad work in her native country before pursuing more international studies at UC Berkeley from 1967 to 1969. From there, Kim moved to Tennessee, where she taught for five years, and eventually left the state for the West Coast. She began teaching at Grossmont, then Mesa where she settled into a teaching position for another six years. In 1990, she took a position teaching ceramics at City College which she holds to this day, as well as a position teaching 3-D design. Kim’s work has been shown all over the world including installation pieces in her native Korea, the first of which she installed in 1999, returning in
2006 and 2007. In 2001, she also installed pieces in a gallery in Hong Kong. These international installations have all been one-person shows, yet until CJ Gallery opened four and a half years ago downtown after residing in La Mesa for over 30 years, Kim had never been able to secure a one person show here in San Diego. The Korean-owned gallery contacted Kim three and a half years ago and asked that she participate in a twoperson show to take place in their barely-year-old location at 343 Fourth Ave. Excited to finally be able to show in a gallery close enough to campus to allow her students to encounter her work, Kim was now allowed an accessibility that was impossible with most of her work being shown overseas. Kim had only had two shows in the Southern California region until CJ Gallery had offered her the show, one in Solana Beach, and another at Boehm Gallery at Palomar College in 2006. Yoonchung Park Kim’s art is inspired by the shifting permanence of nature. When asked how her work has changed over the years, Kim explained that while working in Korea her work was more vessel-like, but when she arrived in Berkeley her work became more sculptural. But don’t think of her as a sculptor. “I’d rather be known as an artist using ceramic clay as a medium, because using ceramic was thought of as making vessel mediums,” Kim said in an interview. “My work
See ICY, page 3
Imagine a beautiful, lush “food forest” of fruit trees and vegetables, a little paradise on the edge of campus; broccoli, snow peas, beans, squash, cabbage, potatoes, herbs and fruiting vines of passion fruit, grapes and berries growing happily on rich brown soil; a thriving farm growing food and selling food; and an educational and community resource for people learning to grow their own food and live healthier lives. Such is the vision of Julia Dashe and Paul Maschka, urban farmers with the San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project, and Karon Klipple, chair of City College’s Environmental Stewardship Committee, for Seeds at City, an urban farm located on campus at the corner of Park and C. Seeds at City is the first-ever college or university urban farm program in San Diego County. “There are no schools in San Diego County that teach agriculture, especially sustainable agriculture,” Maschka said. Klipple said that other colleges are following suit now like Mesa College and San Diego State University. The farm will teach students and the community about sustainable permaculture, agriculture, nutrition and leadership. Reflecting Roots’ broad vision, the farm will become a sustainable food system in San Diego, a resource for people starting gardens of their own, and an educational center and farm that will be a place to grow food but also train farmers, Dashe said. Plans are in the works to offer a City College sustainable agriculture certificate program in a few years. “Most of the students and the community don’t know much
How to turn a lawn into an urban farm (according to Paul Maschka): 1. Don’t rip out the grass because it is labor-intensive then goes to landfill which is a waste of space. We’re converting grass into good soil by leaving it in place. Grass is nitrogen. Soil is nutrient-rich. 2. Cut the grass really short (scalping). Leave the clippings in place. Scalping shocks the grass and sunburns it which helps kill it. 3. Put compost on top. Uses clippings as food. Gets really hot. Suffocates and cooks the grass. 4. Put mulch on top of compost. Mulch holds the water in. 5. Water well. Keep watered so microorganisms keep killing the grass. 6. In 2-4 weeks, ready to turn over the soil and start to plant. about organic means and benefits of good food,” said Klipple. “The mission is to educate people about what’s possible in terms of urban food production and give them opportunities to make a tangible difference to the environment.” Farmers, students, staff and volunteers began work on the farm on June 7 by hauling in compost and mulch to turn the 1/3 acre of grassy lawn into good soil. “We’re really going to grow soil then the soil is going to grow plants,” Maschka said. One of the major challenges facing the farm is the poor soil
See FARM, page 3
ANGELA ANG City Times
The now iconic foot bridge through the urban farm, which resides between the Learning Resource Center and the C Building.
August 26, 2008
City Times
ARTS / LIFE
ANGELA ANG City Times
Adam Taylor, 28, poses with the compost bin built in the urban farm, which is located on campus between the C building and Learning Resource Center.
Farm Continued from page 2 quality. It takes three years to build good soil. Another challenge is working in areas that need to be fenced in. Unfortunately, because of the high risk of theft and vandalism, the farm will need a perimeter fence. The farm also faces a short supply of tools and still needs to build a watering system, a greenhouse, and a potting shed while availing of grants, donations, and fundraisers. However, in the past two months, farmers, students and volunteers have been busy clearing brush, loosening and aerating the soil, building compost bins, constructing
a bridge, planting herbs and salad greens, making a path and designing artwork for the fence. “I’m really glad we’re doing it from the ground up,” said Adam Taylor, 28, a junior in environmental science. “We’re the first group of students in here this semester. We’ve been doing everything from just getting the land ready to work with, to building small sheds, and compost heaps, and getting everything just going.” Kim Lopez, 25, a sophomore of food and nutrition, said she feels really happy to be a part of the program. “Every day is amazing because you learn something new,” she said. “Your thumb gets greener every day.” Marc Bailey, 35, a part-time engineer and volunteer, agrees.
CKP
the campus kitchens project teach • reach • feed • lead
welcome to the newest classroom on campus: the kitchen. Fight hunger in your community! Email: info@ campuskitchens.org
“It’s great. Paul and Julia are so knowledgeable and have so much experience that everyday it’s learning hands-on, which is so different from learning from books,” Bailey said. “Seeing how it’s actually done and just having that wisdom there … allows me to … be confident in trying things (in my own garden) since we’ve already done it here. I can do it on my own.” “It’s a lot of fun. Julia is a fun character. She likes to hula hoop, and get things going, and singing songs,” Taylor added. “And Paul is basically an encyclopedia of knowledge. We haven’t stumped him yet. He’s great to work with.” Klipple said that graphic design students will also be working on branding, logo design and literature for the farm. Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) will eventually
be involved in farmers markets and other entrepreneurships, such as green-collar job training, biodiesel and recycling buyback on campus. Biology students will also be involved as part of an honors course in service learning. The cafeteria is already giving food-prep waste to the farm for compost. There are ideas from the cafeteria manager for a “harvest festival” when the first crop comes in and an idea from the district food services manager to introduce vegan and vegetable options in the fall, as well as eco-friendly and biodegradable products. Maschka predicts that the farm will be productive in two to five years and will need at least three ways to market its produce: through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), farmers markets and local restaurants. Formerly the City College Urban Farm, Seeds at City is a collaborative effort between San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project and the Environmental Stewardship Committee. The idea for the farm began when Klipple read a newspaper article about a similar program at Morse High School and met with Dashe, the gardening coordinator. Together, they made a plan and raised the money. The San Diego Foundation contributed a $22,000 grant, Klipple said, which helps to fund student scholarships and farmer salaries. “I think it says a lot about City College to have the vision and courage to start this program when no other junior colleges were doing this in San Diego,” Klipple said. “It takes a lot of leadership. Times are really changing with peak oil and global warming. All those things put a big stress on our food systems so people really have to find a way to grow food in their communities. That’s why City College is providing leadership and starting this program now to create community resilience and empowerment.” To learn more, go to their blog: downtownonthefarm.typepad.com. To donate to the farm or for student internships: www.sdcity.edu/esc/. For volunteer opportunities: www.sandiegoroots.org/ cc_farm.html.
Ice Continued from page 2 is less like a vessel or container. I am inspired by nature, as it is more permanent than human life. I tend to look at nature really close up and see the cycling back of things.” Which is clear in her work for this installation, entitled simply “Cyclical.” “Ice in particular tends to interest me, as in the freezing and refreezing of glaciers, as well as their enormity. Looking at that, I move on to the cycles of life, breaking up, reforming, and to the temporary nature of human life,” she said. Her pieces resemble glacial fracturing and oceanic drift, specifically a ninepanel hanging piece entitled “Pushing Away.” While similar pieces resemble ice floes breaking up viewed from overhead, the tactile gratification of ceramic clay is maximized with the size and shape of her pieces. Working with ceramic clay also allows Kim to produce in a three-dimensional form as well, as with a three-part piece called “Ice Canyon.” The texture in Kim’s work comes out most in the three-dimensional pieces, with cracks and crags on the topmost surface resembling desert clay
DAVID McATEE City Times
A detail of “Ice Floes breaking up” by YC Kim. The piece was part of a show over the summer at the CJ Gallery downtown in the Gaslamp District. dried and cracked by the sun, while the sides bear tight striations that Kim created by beating the sides of each of the three pieces with a 2-by-4 plank of wood over and over, and lightly glazing the surface before it went into the kiln. In working nature into her pieces, Kim tends to try to free herself. “When you live in this world, little things are so important. But in the big spans of the universe, you’re not so important. Thinking about nature frees me to not put so much weight on the little things in life.”
word on the street is ... www.campuskitchens.org
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NEWS
Study: Suicidal thoughts high among students GINA AKERS Illinois State Daily Vidette NORMAL, Ill. (U-WIRE) — Feelings of hopelessness, loneliness and the idea that life cannot just go on reportedly fill the heads of more than half of the college student population. A study conducted by the National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education found that 55 percent of college undergraduates have thought about suicide. Fifteen percent seriously considered it and 6 percent made an attempt. Illinois State University was one of the 70 universities to participate in the study, with 287 student participants out of the total 26,000. According to the National College Health Assessment, in a more comprehensive study, nine percent of ISU students seriously considered attempting suicide in 2007. “We’ve talked to many students who have thought about killing themselves. Not many have gone through with it, and
Parking Continued from page 1 Students have come up with their own methods for dealing with the parking crunch at City College. Viviana Hernandez, liberal arts major, comes to school an hour early in order to get to class on time. English major Gigi Burnett has followed people to their cars when in a pinch, while Brooke Bower, a nursing major, schedules early morning classes to avoid the rush. “After 10 or 10:30, it’s impossible to park, but at 7:30 there’s no problem,” Bower said. All three students acknowledge that the overcrowding at City College is not exceptional. “It’s horrible, what can you say? But it’s
Services available at San Diego City College City College offers social and psychological support services free of charge to enrolled students. To access Mental Health Services, call (619) 388-3539 to schedule an appointment or for more information. Online: www. sdcity.edu/studentresources/healthservices/ mentalhealth.asp we want to keep it that way,” Sandy Colbs, director of Student Counseling Services at ISU, said. “Being in college provides some protection against suicide, most likely because of the environment we try to create.” According to Colbs, it is difficult to know the exact number of students who have killed themselves because the cause of death is not always easily found. Still, Colbs remembers at least four cases in the seven years she has been at SCS. She also said suicide rates have stayed
the same everywhere,” Hernandez said. “Carpooling would really help,” Burnett added as she pointed out a single-occupant car that had just pulled into the parking lot. “Almost all the cars are occupied by only one person, so that’s an issue.” While there is parking reserved for carpoolers at Mesa College, City College has not adopted the system and is not likely to anytime soon. “We have thought about it and we have carpooling at one campus, but we haven’t done it at City just because of a severe parking shortage,” said district parking program supervisor Debra Picou, who went on to explain that the educational code requires that student carpoolers have at least three people in a car to qualify for reserved parking. “We don’t want to see empty parking spaces. At Mesa, we have carpool spaces that sit empty.” Until construction of the new parking structure is complete, officials urge
consistent during her time at ISU and that nationally, suicide rates are lower among 18-24 year-olds in college compared to those who are not in college. “Even if it’s a small number of people (who) kill themselves, it’s hundreds of people’s lives they touch,” Colbs said. “Even one suicide is a serious problem.” Last year Colbs instituted a program called Question, Persuade and Refer on ISU’s campus. The program, known also as QPR, is designed to help people learn how to save someone from suicide. The hour and a half long seminar trains individuals on how to talk about suicide, persuade people to get help and give them a proper referral. It addresses clues and warning signs and then gives specific approaches on how to deal with someone who may be suicidal. So far, QPR has 20 people certified to teach the course and has trained 500 people at ISU. Andy Novinska, SCS counselor and QPR coordinator, said asking someone if he or she is considering suicide actually reduces pressure in most situations.
students to search for parking at Inspiration Point, a large lot on Park Avenue that, though farther away, is usually less crowded than on campus lots. There is a free shuttle from the campus to the parking lot for people who are concerned about the distance. “Ideally, students should go to the outskirts like Inspiration Point first to find parking. They all want to park close and it’s impossible cause everyone wants the same thing and it’s juts not gonna happen,” the City College Police lieutenant said, who also noted that between 12 and 6 p.m., officers don’t issue citations for parking in, what are usually, permit-only lots.
August 26, 2008
CityTimes Volume 63, Issue 1 August 26, 2008 Published as: The Jay Sees / 1945-1949 Fortknightly / 1949-1978 City Times / 1978Incorporating the newspapers Tecolote, Knight Owl and Flicks City Times is published twice monthly during the semester. Signed opinions are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily represent those of the entire newspaper staff, City College administration, faculty and staff or the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees. District policy statement This publication is produced as a learning experience under a San Diego Community College District instructional program. All materials, including opinions expressed herein, are the sole responsibility of the students and should not be interpreted to be those of the college district, its officers or employees. How to reach us: City Times San Diego City College 1313 Park Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101 Newsroom: T-316 Phone: (619) 388-3880 Fax: (619) 388-3814 E-mail: citytimes@gmail.com Member: Journalism Association of Community Colleges, Associated Collegiate Press and California Newspaper Publishers Association
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