Q ‘MAD’ MOVIE
Critics differ on Tim Burton’s version of ‘Alice In Wonderland’ ARTS / PAGE 6
CityTimes www.sdcitytimes.com
Covering the San Diego City College community since 1945
Volume 64, Number 10
March 16, 2010
DSPS slashes services By ERNESTO LOPEZ
WALKOUT
Classrooms are left empty as City College faculty and students protest budget cuts By SANDY CORONILLA Correspondent
About 200 City College students walked out of class midday on March 4 to participate in the Education for All rally held in Gorton Quad which was in connection with the statewide California Day of Action, an effort to speak out against severe budget cuts to public education. Associated Student Council Senator Patrick n The march Namwembe helped organize the rally which fea- continues to tured many student speakers and displayed mes- Sacramento. sages from students written on long stretches of News, page 3 butcher paper. “I feel like the students are not actually aware of the funding being cut and how it affects the quality of education,” Namwembe said. “We need to stand up and act right now. It might be too late down the line; we are the only force that can create the change we need it right now.” Sara O’Dell, a speech communication student who participated in the walkout, reacted to City canceling winter intersession
See WALKOUT, page 3
City Times
Having lost 45.5 percent of its annual budget, City’s Disability Support Programs and Services (DSPS) canceled all specialized classes, reduced test proctoring and high tech center hours, and asked three counselors to seek early retirement, according to Program Activity Manager Debra Wright-Howard. Compared to the 2008-s09 school year, the program has gone from offering 10 specialized classes to none this year. Test proctoring and access to the high tech center is now only available three days a week, compared to five days a week this past spring.
“We want to be successful (in school) just like everybody else.”
Lisa Mallord, DSPS student
Wright-Howard estimated DSPS has lost about $200,000 of its budget in the last three years. She added that even though the program’s enrollment increased seven percent this school year, DSPS is still being funded based on 2008-2009 school year numbers. With having to service 1,100 to 1,200 students per year and having only two counselors by next fall, Wright-Howard said she fears students will not have sufficient access to adaptive equipment and there will be longer waits for services students need in a timely manner.
See DSPS, page 3 Photos By CARLOS MAIA City Times Left: Ethnic Studies major Marcus Perez motivates students as one of many speakers at Gorton Quad to prepare for the march following the campus-wide walkout. Above: Students walk up a City College ramp with signs on their way to Balboa Park March 4.
College police make arrest in bike thefts By ERNESTO LOPEZ City Times
City College police arrested a man on Feb. 25 as he attempted to steal a student’s bicycle from a bike rack in front of the T building, reported College Police Sgt. Louis M. Zizzo. Police identified the thief as Genearo Berber, 39, a nonCity student. Zizzo said Berber has a criminal history and he is believed to be one of the main players in the thefts of bikes around campus. Berber was seen by police wondering around the bike rack, but it was when he cut the lock cable and tried to flee that he was apprehended. After campus police read him his Miranda Rights, Berber decided not to give any information about him working with other thieves or not, said Zizzo. “We were so happy to find him,” Zizzo expressed. “We were getting frustrated with all the
Index
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bicycle thefts on campus. Knock on wood, there’s been no other bike thefts reported after his arrest.” Berber is currently incarcerated in a Downtown San Diego jail awaiting trial. The student whose bike was saved from being stolen said she is grateful campus police were able to stop the suspect as her bicycle is her main mode of transportation, according to Zizzo. No contact was made with the victim due to a privacy act. City Student Jason Crane, who rides his bicycle to school everyday, said finding out about the thefts is “a cause for concern” because he doesn’t own a car. “Although I don’t wish for anybody’s bike to be stolen, I would tell people not to bring an $800 bike to school,” Crane said. “It’s like asking for the bike to be stolen.” During the first two weeks of school, campus police reported that eight bicycles were lifted
City gets federal honors By ERNESTO LOPEZ City Times
ERNESTO LOPEZ City Times CIty College student Jason Crane unlocks his bike from the rack after his school day. from racks and other areas around campus. Four more bicycles were stolen since those initial reports; only two have been recovered as of March 11. Campus police said they have increased patrolling where bicycles are parked and locked. “Students should remain
Inside
Q BOTTOMS UP
Check out how SD does St. Patty’s Day LIFE / PAGE 7
vigilant of their property,” Zizzo advised. He also urges students to “report suspicious people loitering around bicycle areas or if their bicycle has been stolen.” To report a bicycle theft contact College Police Dispatch at 619-388-6405 or go to the police station located in room T-211.
On Feb. 25, City College was named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, a federal recognition given to colleges and universities for their commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual honor roll award, recognized more than 700 colleges and universities around the country for their involvement in issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice. Honorees are chosen based on factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses. Among other San Diego educational institutions and 32 overall in California, City is the only community college in the area to
See FEDERAL, page 3
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