City Times — Sept. 8, 2009

Page 1

Q STREET SCENE Hot music and scorching temps dominate downtown San Diego ARTS / PAGE 4

CityTimes www.sdcitytimes.com

Covering the San Diego City College community since 1945

Volume 64, Number 2

September 8, 2009

Students slapped with higher tuition fees By ERNESTO LOPEZ City Times

By the first day of school, 168 City College Students had been dropped from classes for not paying the tuition difference of $6 per unit. The notice sent out on July 28 informed students that California State Legislature had increased tuition from $20 to $26 per unit,

and if they had already paid their tuition they would have to pay the difference by Aug 20. Any student that didn’t pay the fee increase would be dropped from their registered classes. “I commend our students who did the right thing on time and for being responsible. The number of students dropped (from classes) districtwide is lower than presumed,” Denise Hollis, admis-

sions supervisor, said. “Only those students that ignored the notices (about the tuition fee increase) were affected.” Hollis and the admissions department were ready for those students coming in to speak to them, upset over being dropped from their classes. “We were biting our nails and nervous, thinking that students would go off on us, wanting to

be put back in their classes, but it’s been orderly and all students impacted have been remarkably calm,” said Hollis. Sgt. Jordan Mirakian mentioned that in an attempt to keep order and to watch out for possible students getting too upset, campus police were asked to be present during the first week of school around the admissions and financial aid area.

According to Financial Aid Supervisor Greg Sanchez, no one really got “out of control.” Although the majority of City College students paid the additional fees, some students are still not accepting the increase in tuition. “[I] had no other choice but to pay the tuition difference.

See Tuition, page 7

College cuts shuttle By ERNESTO LOPEZ City Times

Due to budget cuts, the City College daytime student shuttle stopped running on Sept 3. The shuttle transported students to campus that parked their vehicles at Inspiration Point parking lot, near Balboa Park. For the first two weeks of the semester, the shuttle did run from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. because the $1,250 needed per week to have the service was sponsored by the Administrative Services Department. Vice President Jerry Davis said he “wanted the shuttle to run the first two weeks of school” to give students time to plan accordingly. “Otherwise there would not have been a shuttle since the beginning of the semester,” Davis said. The shuttle service was previously paid by the San Diego Community College District office. In efforts to resume the shuttle service in the spring semester of 2010, Debra D. Picou, San Diego Community College Police Dept. supervisor, submitted a petition

See SHUTTLE, page 7

CARLOS MAIA City Times Oscar Torres, an Alcohol and Other Drug Studies student major, takes one of the last steps off the school shuttle at Inspiration Point parking lot. Sure Ride shuttle driver Guillermo Sedillo says that about 200 City College students ride during his daytime shift.

DSPS tech center gets update By JOHN BALCHAK

City Times

JOE LEONARD City Times Annette Caar, a psychology major student, is checking in for her appointment at the DSPS center.

Index

Take Note.................................2 News...................................... 3 Arts........................................ 4 Opinion................................... 6 Sports.................................... 8

A student selects a voice from the list on her computer screen and prepares to demonstrate. “I can choose male or female, high or low tone,” she says. “It can read the text on the screen and answer basic questions.” She clicks on an icon and a round microphone appears. She speaks into it. A disembodied man’s voice answers in a professional tone. “Tell me a joke,” she commands. “Knock, knock,” replies the voice. This speech recognition program is part of San Diego City College’s High Tech Center, the campus computer lab assembled to assist students with disabilities and special needs. Behind its push-button activated door are eye-opening examples of technology at its most useful, offering an array of learning opportunities for students. It was created as part of the college’s Disability Support Programs and Services, the department responsible for implementing the mandates of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Inside

Q FOR HUMANS ONLY

Sci-fi summer thriller does not disappoint ARTS / PAGE 5

The center’s two main rooms contain more than a dozen computer stations equipped with accessibility features and other accompanying hardware. A few additions to the standard computer set-up are obvious, such as the screen magnifier, colored keyboard and enlarged trackball mouse. Other less familiar equipment includes a closed circuit camera that enlarges any printed matter onto a monitor in real time and a high speed scanner that transfers an unbound book onto a data disc, which can then be read to a visually impaired student by a computer using optical character recognition. Jacobs has become an expert with these assisting tools as both a student and instructor. She graduated from City College in 1997 with a degree in computer information systems, and later became an instruction assistant at the High Tech Center. According to Jacobs, learning disabilities made mainstream academic structure difficult for her, but with the comprehensive help of the DSPS, she was able to achieve success. “Concentration was difficult. I would start things and not finish them. I needed to have several

projects going at once,” Jacobs said. Now she is using her experience to help disabled students in this, “most complex lab on campus.” One of the methods of customizing material for disabled students is kinesthetic learning, the concept of creating an experience more vivid than simple reading and lecture. “The more senses used, the higher the percentage of learning,” said Jacobs. Jacobs explained that two or more applications may be used to engage an alternative student. “We have students with multiple disabilities and have to accommodate everyone. They have different ways of processing information and we find ways to help them.” Student Marylou Valencia has utilized the High Tech Center to continue career. She is a grant writer who has lost much of the use of her right arm and leg. Her work station is adapted for her with extended table space and a footstool. “I used to type 90 words per minute, but now it’s more like 30,” Valencia said. She now uses speech-to-text software that transposes her spoken words

See DSPS, page 7

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