Journalism Department www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Departments/Journalism
Spring 2011
City College journalism students win big
RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN
The Guardsman staff brings home 18 awards from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges NorCal confernce at San Jose State University on Nov. 6.
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he journalism department at City College dates back to 1935. For more than, 70 years, hundreds of our students have pursued successful careers in the media. Many of them got their start on our award-winning campus publications. Some of the journalism department’s recent successes include: • The Journalism Association of Community College
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FAQs, awards
General Excellence award for The Guardsman, The Guardsman Online, and Etc. Magazine. The California Newspaper Publishers Association second place statewide award in General Excellence for a community college newspaper. Our students have consistently done well in statewide journalism competitions. The Guardsman has won JACC first place awards for page design, news photography and advertising design.
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Faculty, mentoring
Press Club,
spring courses
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Journalism Department
CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO
SPRING 2011
Frequently asked questions What is so special about City College’s journalism program? Our program offers a state-ofthe-art computer lab, two awardwinning publications, instructors who are working journalists on local publications, a coaching program for students, internship opportunities because of our close ties with publishing community in the Bay Area, and a curriculm that keeps pace with the changing needs of today’s newsroom.
Does the department offer any scholarships? Yes, the department has a $100 scholarship for continuing students. The application deadline is April 1. The department also makes avaialble information on journalism scholarships offered by local and statewide organizations. Are internships available to students in the program? Yes, the department has working relations wiht numerous neighborhood newspapers and some alternative publications in the area. Instructors in our department also have connections with the two dailies: the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner.
Does the journalism offer transferable courses? Yes. Three courses in our program are transferable to four-year institutions. The three courses are Journalism 19 (Contemporary News Media), Journalism 21 (News Writing and Reporting) Journalism 37 (Introduction to Photojournalism). Do any of the courses in the department fulfill general education requirements? Yes. Journalism 19 (Contemporary News Media) meets the GE requirement in humanities. Can I get a degree or certificate in your program? The department offers an AA degree in journalism that takes about two years to complete and leads to transferring to a four-year college. A Certificate of Award in Journalism is also
RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN
The Guardsman Op Ed editor Nick Palm listens attentively to Journalism Association of Community Colleges Norcal conference keynote speaker Dan Gillmor.
available for those students wishing to gain journalistic skills for possible employment within an 18-month period.
Berkeley, San Jose State University, Humboldt State University, and UC Santa Cruz, to name a few.
If I complete two years of study in your program and want to transfer to a four-year college, is that possible? Yes, it is possible to transfer to a four-year institution. Students in our program have enrolled at San Francisco State University, UC
Will I encounter any problems when it comes to enrolling in one of your courses? No. You should not encounter any problems enrolling in our courses. Enrollment is our deparment is moderate. Class size is about 30 students per
Award-winning publications continue amazing success City College journalism students won 18 awards in various categories at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges’ regional convention held Nov. 6 at San Jose State University. City College was joined by 22 Northern California community colleges at the regional conference. The Spring 2011 state conference for JACC will be held April 7-9 in Sacramento. Nearly 60 California community colleges are expcected to attend. Award-winning journalism students included the following: Mail-in Contests: Honorable Mention Critical Review - Jessica Luthi, Honorable Mention Editorial Writing - The Guardsman Staff, Enterprise Story/ Series - Fleur Bailey, Alex Emslie and Hannah Weiner, Honorable
Mention Feature Photo - Chloe Ashcroft,Front Page Layout Tabloid - The Guardsman Staff, 4th place Informational Graphic - The Guardsman Staff, Honorable Mention Inside Page Layout
Tabloid - The Guardsman Staff, Honorable Mention News Story Greg Zeman, Honorable Mention Profile Feature Story - Bonta Hill, 1st place and Honorable Mention Sports Game Story - Bonta Hill, 2nd place Student Design Advertisement - The Guardsman Staff, Newspaper General Excellence - The Guardsman, and Online Journalism General Excellence The Guardsman Online. On-the-Spot Contests: 1st place Opinion Writing - Greg Zeman, and 1st place News Photo - Frank Ladra. Bring-in Contests: 1st place Bring-in Photo - Robert Romano and Honorable Mention Bring-in Copy Editing - Susan Boeckman Editor Recognition: Greg ZemanThe Guardsman and Susan Boeckman - Etc. Magazine.
class, which allows for plenty of opportunities to interact with faculty and fellow students. What kinds of jobs can I expect to qualify for once I complete your program? The program has been able to prepare students for entry-level positions in newspaper design and pagination, copy editing, news writing and photography for non-daily publications.
Are there any other resources offered through the department? Yes. The department sponsors a mentoring program, a student press club, a media career fair, and a “Brown Bag” lecture series. It also has an extensive library of media-related books and videos. If I need to talk to a journalism advister is there someone I should see? Yes, speak to Department Chair Juan Gonzales who has been with the program since 1985. Call (415) 239-3446.
Past JACC Awards THE GUARDSMAN
JACC Pacesetter Award 2009 2005 1998
JACC General Excellence 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997
NorCal General Excellence 2010 2008 2007 2006 2005
2004 2000 1998 1997 1996
ETC. MAGAZINE
JACC General Excellence 2010 2009
2007 2003
2001
THE GUARDSMAN ONLINE http://www.theguardsman.com
JACC General Excellence 2009 2005
2003 1999
NorCal General Excellence 2008 2004
2010
1998 1996
Journalism Department
SPRING 2011
CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO
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Working journalists share skills, experience with students W ith a career in journalism dating back to 1970 as a reporter and publisher, City College journalism department Chair Juan Gonzales draws upon his varied professional experiences to instruct his students. As the founder and editor of El Tecolote, a biweekly, bilingual newspaper published since 1970 in San Francisco’s Mission District, he continues to cover the issues that affect the neighborhood. Currently, Gonzales is project director of Voices for Justice: The Enduring Legacy of the Latino Press in the United States. The project documents 200 years Tom Graham, instructor, magazine adviser
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om Graham worked for 22 years as a feature copy editor at The San Francisco Chronicle, where he edited, designed and paginated the daily Datebook, Pink, Style and Review sections. A former City College student and editor of The Guardsman, Graham has taught journalism part-time here for 20 years. In addition to serving as student adviser for Etc. Magazine, Graham teaches courses in Feature Writing, Magazine Editing and Production, Contemporary News Media, News Writing, Public Relations and Newspaper Design. He wrote numerous stories for the Chronicle, including a popular series called “Walk-
Spring 2011 Advising Hours Meet with Juan Gonzales, journalism department chair, to discuss opportunities in the field of journalism. Ocean Campus 50 Phelan Ave. Bungalow 214 Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11 a.m. – noon Tuesday 1 – 2 p.m. Thursday 10 a.m. – noon For an appointment, call (415) 239-3446
Juan Gonzales, instructor, department chair
of Latino journalism through film, a companion book and an interactive Web site. In 2010, El Tecolote celebrated its 40th anniversary. For those years of service, Gonzales was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists with its “Distinguished Service Award.” ing Man” that documented his attempt to walk every street in San Francisco. Some of his stories appeared in the Outdoor section, including first person pieces about bungee jumping, backpacking the 212-mile-long John Muir Trail, skydiving out of a plane, and rock climbing in Yosemite. Before joining the Chronicle, Graham was editor for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Point Reyes Light newspaper in West Marin. He also worked as managing editor for the California Farm Bureau in Sacramento. Earlier in his career, he was editor of the Mountain Messenger newspaper in Sierra County and worked as a reporter for the Tahoe World in Tahoe City. In addition to City College, Graham has taught journalism at USF, SFSU, Solano Community College and College of Marin. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Jose State University.
Similarly, he received a “Heroes of Excellence” award from KGO-TV. In 2009, Gonzales was inducted into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Hall of Fame. He was also honored by KQED-TV as an “Unsung Hero” in the Latino community. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom also recognized Gonzales as a Latino media leader during Hispanic Heritage Month in September. Gonzales teaches three classes per semester and serves as adviser to the campus newspaper, The Guardsman. He is a member of the Jour-
Jon Rochmis, instructor
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on Rochmis has been teaching at City College since 2000. Among the courses he has taught are News Writing and Reporting, Advanced Reporting, Feature Writing, Copy Editing and Internet Journalism. In addition, he has been a lecturer at San Francisco State and at Skyline College, where he taught News Writing and Mass Communications. With more than 25 years of experience in Bay Area journalism, Rochmis has been an editor and reporter in sports, news, business, technology and feature departments. After graduating with a degree in journalism from UC Berkeley, Rochmis began his
nalism Association of Community Colleges, the San Francisco Newspaper Association and the New American Media. From 1998 to 2000, Gonzales served as JACC NorCal faculty president. Gonzales possesses an associate degree in journalism from San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and a master’s degree in mass communications from Stanford University. He worked as a reporter for the San Francisco bureaus of the United Press International and the Associated Press. career at the Berkeley Gazette/ Richmond Independent. He then covered sports, news and business at the Oakland Tribune for nine years, with six years as the beat writer for the San Francisco 49ers. Following his 15-year stint in newspapers, Rochmis was a book/magazine editor for a small publishing house in downtown San Francisco. In 1995, he jumped online as the first editor at SF Gate.com, where he helped conceive and administer the tone and presentation of one of the first news sites on the World Wide Web. Rochmis also helped launch BayInsider.com as senior content producer, and then worked for three years as content editor and then executive editor at Wired News. Currently, Rochmis is a marketing writer with a marketing/communications agency that specializes in high technology.
Jessica Lifland, instructor
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essica Lifland is the founder and director of San Francisco Photonite, a monthly community photography group sponsored by the Bay Area Press Photographers Association and the SF Exposure Gallery. Lifland has worked as a staff photographer for the Contra Costa Newspaper Group and the Evansville Indiana Courier and Press. Since returning to the Bay Area in 2002, she has been involved in a variety of projects as both an editor and photographer. She was a project organizer and photographer for the America 24/7 project. She has edited and photographed for several book projects, including Extreme Digital Photography and We Do. As a photo journalist, Lifland has shot a variety of assignments for magazines like Newsweek, Fortune, Forbes, Stern and Le Monde. She works on assignment for newspapers such as the New York Times, USA Today and the San Francisco Chronicle. Lifland has a BFA in photography and a BA in art history from Cornell University. She has a Master’s Degree from OhioUniversity’s School of Visual Communication. While at Ohio she completed internships at the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colo., The Denver Post and Long Island’s Newsday.
Mentoring program links students with professional Bay Area journalists The journalism department’s mentoring program has helped many students network with professional journalists and photographers. “You look at these mentors and they are top-flight. They’re names in the business,” said journalism instructor and writer Jon Rochmis, who helps coordinate mentors for the program. Department Chair Juan Gonzales attributes the succes of the program to the support it receives from the Bay Area’s media. Dan Verel, a journalism major and former mentor program coordinator, found new mentors and paired them with students
for the seven-to-eight-week program. The mentor program encourages students to take advantage of the Bay Area’s large population of professional journalists. Students learm how to pitch story ideas like a pro and have an opportunity to talk oneon-one with writers, editors, photographers and designers. “Students sometimes get a chance to shadow a reporter or photographer, or sit down with a designer or editor,” Verel said. Gonzales believes being mentored can improve a student’s ability to get a job. KGO TV news anchor Cheryl Jennings knows just how hard it is to break into journalism. She was rejected by 19 of the 20
television stations she originally applied to. “I think the program is an outstanding way to learn about the business from the inside,” Jennings said. “I would highly recommend it. I wish it had been in place when I attended City College. It makes me re-evaluate what I do every time I explain the business to a student.” Laura Impellizzeri, an assistant metro editor at the Chronicle and a new mentor, said the program is a positive experience for both students and mentors. “It’s always beneficial for us to have a wide variety of people walking through our offices, bringing in new ideas and challenging old ones,” said Impellizzeri.
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Journalism Department
CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO
SPRING 2011
City College Press Club sets up media-related events
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he City College Press Club, sponsored by the journalism department, is affiliated with the campus Inter-Club Council and the Associated Students. It serves as a resource for our journalism students by providing them with opportunities to participate in club sponsored career days, guest lectures by media
professional, journalism conferences and social events. Recent activities have included film screenings and forums on the future of print journalism. This student-run organization is a great way to network. A faculty adviser helps students plan community volunteer programs.
Editor-in-Chief Greg Zeman celebrates his epic first place win for on the spot opinion writing at Journalism Association Community Colleges NorCal conference at San Jose State University Nov. 6.
Journalism Schedule for Spring 2011
The spring semester begins January 18. For more information, please call Juan Gonzales at (415) 239-3446 Jour 19: Contemporary News Media 3.0 30423 001 Lec. M W F 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. ARTX 185 Gonzales 38559 551 Lec. T 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. 1125 Valencia St. Rm. 217 Graham Introduction to modern mass communication, with an emphasis on development of news media, analysis of the credibility of the media and its impact on daily life. CSU/UC/CAN Jour 21: News Writing and Reporting 3.0 36563 001 Lec. M W F 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. HC 213 Gonzales 35449 534 Lec. T 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. 1125 Valencia St. Rm. 218 Rochmis Techniques of newspaper reporting, developing and writing and a news story, training in information gathering and interviewing sources. PREREQ: ENGL 94. CSU/CAN Jour 22: Feature Writing 3.0 37191 552 Lec. W 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. 1125 Valencia St. Rm. 217 Graham 38971 551 Lec. R 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. 1125 Valencia St. Rm. 218 Rochmis Fundamentals in feature writing for magazines and newspapers with special empahsis on profile and interpretive news features. Practical experience in interview and in-depth research techniques. Training in how to write a freelance story for publication. PREREQ: ENGL 93 or 94 or PLACEMENT IN ENGL 96. CSU Jour 23: Electronic Copy Editing 3.0 35189 551 Lec. W 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. 1125 Valencia St. Rm. 218 Rochmis Learn to edit newspapers, magazines and Web site stories for accuracy, style and organization. The writer-editor relationship is emphasized throughout the course. PREREQ: JOUR 21, 22 and GRPH 25. CSU Jour 24: Newspaper Laboratory 3.0 30427 001 L/L MWF 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. BNGL 214 Gonzales Advanced newspaper laboratory course focused on the publication of the college paper, The Guardsman. Plus four lab hours TBA. PREREQ: JOUR 21, JOUR 22, AND GRPH 25. CSU Jour 25: Editorial Management 3.0 39460 001 L/L M W F 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. BNGL 214 Gonzales An advanced journalism course that trains prospective print editors on all aspects of operating a publication, including developing a publishing schedule and story assignments, coordinating a writing staff, designing a page, writing headlines and cutlines, sizing photographs, understanding the business side of print journalism, and working with other editors and printers. COREQ: JOUR 24. CSU Jour 29: Magazine Editing & Production 3.0 34984 551 L/L M 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. 1125 Valencia St. Rm. 217 Graham Students will study the editorial, business, graphic, and production skills required for publishing a campus magazine. Course is appropriate for students interested in creative writing, graphic and fine arts, photography, business, and journalism. PREREQ: JOUR 21 AND JOUR 22. CSU Jour 31: Internship Experience 3.0 38374 001 Exp Hours Arr BNGL 214 Gonzales Supervised on-campus or off-campus employment in a branch of journalism or a closely allied field to which the student shows him/her self to be best adapted. PREREQ: JOUR 24. CSU Jour 37: Intro to Photojournalism 3.0 37192 551 Lec. W 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. 1125 Valencia St. Rm. 211 Lifland 39729 552 Lec. R 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. 1125 Valencia St. Rm. 217 Lifland Emphasis on concepts of news and feature photography. Must have experience in photography and must have a camera. Digital SLR preferred. Most assignments involve taking pictures of people, telling stories and conveying information. CSU
Where have all our graduates gone? Jennifer Balderama Copy Editor New York Times Johnny Brannan News Writer Honolulu Advertiser Time Brown Reporter New York Times Alex K. Fong Page Designer San Jose Mercury News Mario Fortson Page Designer San Francisco Examiner Cheryl Jennings News Anchor KGO-7 News Paul Kozakizwic Publisher Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon Orlando Molina Sports Writer Contra Costa Times Rob Nagle Page Designer San Francisco Examiner Jim Powell Copy Editor Los Angeles Times Lubna Takruri Copy Editor Associated Press Pedro Tuyub Editor Mission Dispatch Colleen Cummins Photographer The Appeal Democrat Alex Mullaney Publisher The Ingleside Light