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Covering the San Diego City College community since 1945
Volume 65, Number 8
February 1, 2011
Consumed by construction
A view of campus construction from the C Building on Jan. 26. Crews are working on infrastructure projects and new buildings. Troy Bryant Orem, City Times
With several major renovation projects underway, campus navigation gets tricky By Shane Finneran City Times In 2011, the City College campus will be experiencing some significant growing pains. “This is going to be really the year of construction disruption,” President Terrence Burgess told attendees at a Jan. 19 question-and-answer session about projects on campus. Construction teams are building a new central plant, which will heat and cool
campus buildings, and are doing major work on campus telecommunications systems, storm drains and sewers. Work also has started on new Arts & Humanities, Business Technology, and Math & Social Sciences buildings, which are slated to be finished in 2013. Members of the City College community should prepare themselves for construction-related inconvenience. A mass email sent by the District on Jan. 24 said “be sure to allow extra time to
park and get to class.” Campus Project Manager Tom Fine said City College faculty and staff members have lost about 100 parking spaces since the end of last semester, while the number of parking spots for students has stayed about the same. Since last semester, most of the parking lot west of 16th Street between B Street and Russ Boulevard has been closed. A small portion will remain open to provide parking spots for the disabled and to allow
delivery vehicles to access campus. Street lights surrounding the lot on 16th and on Russ were not functioning on Monday, Jan. 24, the first night of classes. According to Jerry Davis, vice president of Administrative Services, the lights are the responsibility of the city of San Diego, and construction managers have asked the city to inspect the lights. Davis also said the construction team expects to activate lighting within the
Suspect in campus murder still at large Victim’s family grateful for ongoing support from City College community By Ryan Johnson City Times It’s been nearly four months of grief and reflection for City College students and faculty since 19-year-old Diana Gonzalez was slain in a campus bathroom, presumably at the hands of her estranged husband, Armando Gabriel Perez.
Diana’s on-campus murder, arguably the most tragic event in the District’s history, not Diana Gonzalez rocked only those attending City College but residents all over the city. Many people, hearing of Gonzalez’s untimely death, found it hard to not feel sadness or anger over the senseless loss of a young mother who, through education, was trying to make better lives for herself and her family. Students and faculty came together to work through the
healing process, and also took the opportunity, through seminars and open forums, to talk about important issues like campus safety and domestic violence. According to witnesses and reports, Perez — who remains at large — stalked and harassed Diana on campus where he had a documented history of domestic violence against her and his previous wife. Steve Walker, a representative from the district attorney’s office, said the office continues “to work with law enforcement to bring Diana’s killer to justice.” Walker See Suspect, page 2
T Building parking lot by the end of the first week of classes. In the meantime, people on campus should be extra cautious in poorly lighted areas. “Bring a flashlight or call Campus Police to be escorted,” suggested Kim Palek, a staffer in the Disability Support Programs and Services department. Fine noted that the loss of heating in the M Building during the first week of classes was not constructionrelated but was due to a leaky
water line that the District’s maintenance team would be repairing. The District posts construction information in the Building Updates section of the City College website. Fine said anyone with questions or concerns about construction “can notify their professors, deans or any City College administrators, or they can call or email me directly.” His email address is tfine@sdccd.edu.
Access denied? Construction creates new challenges for disabled students By Ricky Soltero City Times While San Diego City College is getting a well-deserved face-lift, students and others on campus — including people with disabilities — must deal with the lack of parking and pedestrian access. The campus area with the most problems is Parking Lot 1, which is located behind the T building. Fourteen spaces in the lot are now reserved for disabled students, and all the spots are often occupied by 8 a.m. The ongoing situation has grown tiring for people who need those parking spaces. Juanita Lopez, a student, expressed her frustration as she was
being dropped off on campus. “It sucks,” Lopez said. “They need more spaces and need to facilitate access.” Although there are other parking areas available, Parking Lot 1 is most convenient for people who use wheelchairs and is a short distance from an elevator that provides access to upper levels of campus. The lot is subject to bottleneck problems because of minimal space available due to the prevalence of construction fences. “In the afternoon, it See Access, page 2