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May 8, 2012
UC TAG program to end By Fernando Yates City Times
Professor Ruby Wilson, leads a conga line through Gorton Quad during the Student Project and Research Symposium May 4. Troy Orem, City Times
Expo celebrates learning
Research and projects fill Gorton Quad By Brian Lett City Times
A high-energy exhibition showcasing the variety, shared experiences and scholastic development at City College exploded in a barrage of song, dance and creativity. The event, the 8th Annual Student Project and Research Symposium, was held on May 2 in Gorton quad and orchestrated by a committee of City directors and professors. New to this year’s symposium was the inclusion of the cosmetology department, which presented a fashion showcase about the history of cosmetology. Also present were numerous student created posters and presentations depicting informative research projects with topics ranging from civil rights and liberties to the life cycle of water. The students who researched and created these projects were selected from the classroom in subjects such as economics, english, biology and many others. Whether presenting topics tied to their heritage, like communications and speech pathology student Marco Batani’s poster “Border Education,” or out of interest in the topic, such as economics student Barry Cabistan’s presentation “Smoke Signals: A Signal for Change for Natives in Film,” the myriad displays went a long way to exemplify the versatility and prowess of City’s curriculum. Also represented was the art department. Their corner of the
The program that guarantees admission to transferring community college students to UC San Diego will end 2014. The cancellation of the program is a result of increasingly high volumes of applicants through the program as well steep cuts in state funding to the University of California system, according to administrators. Starting in the early 1980’s, UCSD’s Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) ensured admission to students from six regional districts who took specific courses and earned a 3.0 grade-point-average. Later the program would form agreements with 33 colleges in the state. Last spring UCSD officials raised the minimum GPA for TAG students to 3.5 from 3.0 in an attempt to lower the number of TAG applicants. Since 2008 the number of TAG applicants has increased to 8,715 in 2011 from 408. See TAG, page 3
AFT suing district for back pay By Benny A McFadden City Times
Cosmetology students use themselves and mannequin heads to demonstrate the different combinations of hairstyles and makeup they can achieve in their classes. Troy Orem, City Times quad displayed student-created masks, pottery and drawings of all types. Center quad was the biggest draw to the exhibition. It was here where the many performances were conducted throughout the event. Included was a martial arts display helmed by professor Jim Colbert, a fully choreographed dance routine performed by professor Ruby Wilson and her Zumba class, the aforementioned cosmetology fashion show, and a poetryreading presentation entitled “Spoken Word.” Rafael Alvarez, the MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) program director and lead organizer for the event, highlighted the mission and
purpose of the symposium. “To bring the learning outside the classroom and share it with the community, and to provide the presenters the opportunity to engage the community and share what they learned,” said Alvarez. “To expose City College.” Heidi Bunkowske, public information officer and member of the organizing committee, concurred with Alavarez, referring to City as “a smorgasbord of things to learn about.” She and Alvarez were excited about the continued success of the event over the years and enjoyed the feedback they were receiving from the students in attendance, particularly from those who were acquainted with the variety of everything offered
at City through their time at the symposium. Such was the sentiment expressed by Nancy Rico, a cosmetology student and participant who said spends most of her time at City closeted away in the V-building’s cosmetology department. Rico said she was introduced to various groups and activities she didn’t know about before coming to the event. Bunkowske additionally commented on Alvarez’s commitment to the project, saying “he brings (the symposium) to life and it wouldn’t be possible without him.” She jokingly added that immediately following the close of this, the eighth event, he’ll likely get straight to work on the ninth.
Part-time district employees who have been working without a contract at San Diego Community College District may receive retroactive pay and be entitled to permanent status thanks to a lawsuit by American Federation of Teachers (AFT) against the district. Wording in the California Education Code section 88003 is what sparked the lawsuit that has been tied up in court since 2009. The code states, “part-time playground positions, apprentices and professional experts employed on a temporary basis for a specific project, regardless of length of employment, shall not be a part of the classified service.” Classified service is the category that defines all employees with permanent contracts. The AFT suit claims the district has used this section of the code to underpay tutors and others with specialized technical skills that are See Union, page 3