The Guardsman, Vol. 165, Issue 1. City College of San Francisco by The Guardsman

Vol. 165, Issue 1 | Jan. 24– Feb. 6, 2018 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE

Trump resistance marches on City College community protests in second Annual Women’s March

By Patrick Cochran

pcochran.media@gmail.com

The sun was out and so were the marchers. Thousands of people packed into Civic Center Plaza on Jan. 20, and then marched down Market Street for the second annual Women’s March protest against the Trump administration. City College students and faculty were present to be sure their voices were heard. An issue at the forefront of everyone’s mind was the fate of the Dreamers, the nearly 800,000 people who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children and given legal protection by President Obama under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. President Trump has started the process of ending the program. A group of former City College instructors, including many who taught English as a Second Language (ESL), were worried about the Dreamers’ fate, funding cutbacks, and the administrators Trump has appointed to lead the Department of Education. “All of us of are experienced ESL teachers, and this has us extremely concerned,” said Mary Devereaux, a former City College instructor. “Trump creates such a negative atmosphere towards immigrants and education. They are not interested in the public being well educated. In order to have a democratic society you need a well educated society, and that is being attacked.” Other City College instructors marched under the banner of the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121 (AFT 2121) and were also worried about protecting their students. “The Dreamers—and immigrants in general—are really terrified of the ICE raids,” said

City College teachers protested in the Women's March in San Francisco on Jan. 20, 2018. Photo by Veronica Steiner/The Guardsman

Jessica Buchsbaum, an ESL instructor and AFT 2121 secretary, referring to raids conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. “Even people who are here legally feel threatened because there is an aura of violence and coercion in the air. We are super grateful that we are a sanctuary college. The administration, even the campus police, who fully supportive of making students feel safe and not cooperating with ICE raids. We are a college that primarily serves immigrants, students of color, and low income, all of the people that Trump is attacking, so we are absolutely out here in support.” The looming threat of possible ICE raids has prompted faculty to issue instructions to educators for how to safeguard vulnerable students. “Amongst ourselves as a faculty,” Buchsbaum said, “we’ve

Demonstrators gathering in Civic Center Plaza prepare to protest in the Women's March in San Francisco on Jan. 20, 2018. Photo by Veronica Steiner/The Guardsman

been specifically speaking about what rights do we have, what would we be compelled to do if ICE showed up, and it’s clear that we don’t have to allow anyone into our classrooms, and don’t have to give out any information unless they have a specific warrant.” City College student organizations were out in force, too, including the CCSF Solidarity Committee. Created during the accreditation crisis, the committee recently fought for Free City, which currently provides free City College tuition for San Francisco residents. They hope to replicate the idea for all of California. “We want to include all community colleges, California state universities and the University of California system—for everyone, including undocumented immigrants and formerly incarcerated students,” said Everardo Gonzalez, a student activist at City College. Gonzalez said he also wants non-tuition expenses such as textbooks, housing, food, and transportation to be covered, too. Despite living in an age of constant turmoil where one Tweet from Trump can have profound consequences, some protestors were able to see a silver lining amidst all of the craziness: that Trump has woken up millions of people. “I’ve definitely seen more people politically active,” said City College student Cayla Louis. “I’ve been inspired to see people more engaged. Last year, with the airport protests, a lot of people who are in my friend group who had never been to a protest before went.” “That was good to see,” she said.

Jessica Buchsbaum, a City College ESL instructor and AFT 2121 secretary, protesting in the Women's March in San Francisco on Jan. 20, 2018. Photo by Veronica Steiner/The Guardsman

Demonstrators protesting in the Women’s March in San Francisco on Jan. 20, 2018. Photo by Veronica Steiner/The Guardsman

Editor's Note The Guardsman welcomes your story ideas, tips, and calendar items! Email michael.toren@gmail.com, or call (415) 239-3446.

2 | NEWS

Vol. 165, Issue 1 | Jan 24 – Feb 6, 2018

TPS immigrants given an ultimatum Renew status or vacate By Janeth Sanchez jrsanchez444@gmail.com

On Jan. 8, the Department of Homeland Security ended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorans. The same happened to Nicaraguan and Haitian beneficiaries at the end of last year, while Hondurans were left waiting for a final decision that will be announced in the next few months. DHS provided final extensions of 12 to 18 months so they could arrange their departure or legal status adjustments. As of October, the Congressional Research Service estimated there are approximately 254,550 Central American immigrants on TPS living across the United States. Among them, 195,000 are from El Salvador, 57,000 from Honduras, 2,550 from Nicaragua and an additional 46,000 from Haiti. TPS designations for Salvadorans started in 1992 as a temporary relief from the 12-year civil war that engulfed the country. However, a new designation was granted in 2001 after the country underwent two deadly earthquakes. For Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals, designations started in January 1999 after they suffered the devastating effects of hurricane Mitch in October 1998. For Haitians, designations started after the catastrophic earthquake in January 2010. TPS has allowed these immigrants to have social security numbers and temporary work permits renewable on a case-bycase basis every six to 18 months. Both the Bush and Obama administrations approved TPS extensions. Retired City College professor Susan Lopez, who taught English as a Second Language students, witnessed the demographic change in her classrooms during the late ‘80s and ‘90s, when 60 percent of her ESL students were coming from Central America. “The grounds of this decision are mostly based in politics which unfortunately, hurts individuals,” Lopez said. She added that the U.S. government can’t disregard the

Jan. 5, 2018. immigration advisor & radio host Ramon Cardona speaks during a “Save TPS” rally held in front of the SF Federal Building. Photo: Alexis Terrazas

time that these people have been here, which allowed them to build their own lives. “There’s nothing temporary about 20 years. Now this is the place they call home. Sending them back just because it doesn’t suit our political interests… it’s inhumane, it doesn’t make any sense.” Lopez also affirmed that cancellation of TPS will negatively impact the future of City College enrollment, freeing up housing that will likely be gentrified for a new population. A 2017 TPS study conducted by the Center for Migration Research at University of Kansas found that “61 percent of TPS responders had all their children living in the United States.” A 2017 study by the Center for Migration Studies of New York showed there's roughly 273,000 U.S.-born children that will be in limbo if their mixed-status families are separated. According to Laura E. Enriquez, Ph.D. in Sociology and professor in Chicano/ Latino Studies from University of California Irvine, these children

would be suffering from what she coined as a Multigenerational Punishment: “A distinct form of legal violence wherein the sanctions intended for a specific population spill over to negatively affect individuals who are not targeted by laws.” Though her study focused on U.S. citizen children to undocumented parents, the same concept applies to children with TPS parents whose futures are being drastically changed. Many of these children are in college or about to finish high school, and won’t have housing, financial stability or emotional support if their parents have to leave the country. Consequently, these students could be forced to dropout of school. Additionally, younger children will have to move back with their parents to their native country where economic and living stability is uncertain, Lopez suggested. Fabricio Garcia Lemus, a San Francisco-based lawyer and public notary from El Salvador who frequently goes back and forth between the two countries,

said “El Salvador is not prepared to receive these people and their families; there's not enough infrastructure and the country is too small, already saturated with low paid professionals.” Uprooting TPS holders will also create a labor shortage that could very realistically lose 45.2 billion dollars in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the next decade, according to the report Economic Contributions by Salvadoran, Honduran, and Haitian TPS holders published by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Deporting TPS holders would cost taxpayers 3.1 billion dollars, and would reduce 6.9 billion dollars of contributions to Social Security and Medicare, according to the same report. Karl Kramer, a coordinator for the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) who organized the Rally to Save Temporary Protected Status for Immigrants last fall at Civic Center, said “We don’t expect the Trump administration to do anything about immigration.

We are demanding our congress representatives to take action and support the propositions that had been passed to save TPS like the American Promise Act HR4253.” Due to the sensitive nature of immigrant status, City College officials contend that they refrain from collecting such information. Likewise, Voices of Immigrants Demonstrating Achievement (VIDA) and the Latino Services Network (LSN) at City College do not keep record of students’ status to protect their identities and well-being. Students and their family members who lost their TPS can seek assistance from CARECEN SF (415) 642-4400, International Institute of the Bay Area (415) 538-8100 ext. 206, Catholic Charities Refugee and Immigrant Services (415) 972-1200, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant (510) 540-5296, La Raza Centro Legal (415) 575-3500, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (415) 255-9499, and CISPES (202) 521-2510.

PLEASE VISIT THE HEALTH CENTER IF YOU WOULD LIKE A FLU SHOT $15 FOR STUDENTS & $20 FOR STAFF

Staff

Editor-in-Chief Bethaney Lee News Editor Michael Toren

Culture Editor Adina Pernell Opinion Editor Otto Pippenger Sports Editor Peter J. Suter

Photo Editor Janeth R. Sanchez Lead Copy Editor Quip Johnson Design Director Mindy Walters

Online Editor Laurie Maemura Staff Writers Kulhe Buka Joshua Connelly Cory Holt David Horowitz

Sarah Lapidus Hope Miranda Rachael Nguyen Fia Swanson Victor Tence Michelle Xu

NEWS | 3

Vol. 165, Issue 1 | Jan 24 – Feb 6, 2018

City College struggles to handle food insecurity By Leslie Hicks City College launched a pilot program in November to make food available to the shockingly large number of hungry students who don’t always know where their next meal will come from. Now open at six locations across Ocean Campus, the On-Demand Food Shelves provide ready-to-go healthy snacks. The first location opened on Nov. 27 and was out of food within the week, said Patricia Baldwin, a member of the City College Food Pantry Work Group. “The need overwhelmed the supply,” she said. The work group aims to tackle the prevalent issue of food insecurity by creating programs that will provide food to hungry students on campus. Long term, they hope to partner with the SF-Marin Food Bank to create a once-a-week pop-up food pantry. Pop-up pantries would function similar to farmers markets, providing a variety of foods for low-income and food-insecure students. Unlike on-demand shelves, a pop-up pantry would provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Asked why City College has not been on the forefront of officially tackling student hunger, Baldwin said, “People have tried, but the efforts so far have been quashed or unsuccessful.” Academic performance is directly tied to food security, yet the problem of student hunger has been a dirty little secret on college campuses for years. According to a 2015 nationwide study conducted by the Urban Institute, 11 percent of households with a student in a four-year college suffered from food insecurity. While the numbers are alarming, the problem of student hunger at City College is much worse. As the cost of living has skyrocketed in the Bay Area, so has the number of students in need. English Professor Jen Levinson conducted a survey of 1,088 students in her department and found that 41 percent of students suffer from moderate food insecurity, and 20 percent are extremely food insecure. It comes as no surprise to many faculty members that some of their students suffer from hunger. There are individual teachers and students who shoulder the personal and financial burden of providing food to hungry students. Arnel Roca, a student at City College, shared his story of bringing extra food to class when he discovered his classmates were hungry and could not simply go to the cafeteria to buy food. Levinson said she also had been providing food to a student in need, not wanting their class performance to stuffer due to Staff Illustrators Quip Johnson Mindy Walters Photographers Eric Nomburg Franchon Smith

Veronica Steiner Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales

lack of nutrition. That’s why she, along with Baldwin, spearheaded the work group. “We wanted to create a program that would support the individuals already involved, already feeding students.” Levinson said. Levinson and Baldwin initially collaborated with Becky Perelli, former director of Health Services at City College, on the plan for the pop-up pantry model. But they became frustrated with the bureaucratic process required by administration officials whose approval is required but whose attention is hard to get. For a pop-up pantry program to launch, the group must first receive approval from Chancellor Mark Rocha, who would be responsible for facilitating a partnership with the SF-Marin Food Bank. According to Levinson and Baldwin, this has been the most challenging part. “I feel like the work group and the administration probably want the same thing, but somehow the communication is as such that the administration doesn’t seem to know we exist, even though I feel like I’m shouting,” Baldwin said. Frustrated but undeterred, the group came up with the On-Demand Food Shelves as a more immediate way to bring food to hungry students. They secured funds for the program with the help of Dean Andrew King. The group is still working toward the long-term goal of facilitating a pop-up food pantry on campus, and have gained the support of several groups on campus. “At a state level, a campus level, a grassroots level, a lot of interest is building around the issue of food insecurity on campus,” Baldwin said.

Support grows for renaming Phelan Ave to Frida Kahlo Way

By Melody Yan

On the heels of an ongoing national effort to dismantle statues of controversial historical figures, a name-change campaign to replace Phelan Avenue at Ocean Campus is gaining momentum. Faculty members Leslie Simon and Ann Wettrich are spearheading the effort to rename Phelan Avenue to Frida Kahlo Way. The campaign surfaced three years ago following disclosure that James Phelan, who served as mayor of San Francisco from 1897-1902, was anti-Japanese and antiChinese, and actively involved in the movement to restrict Japanese immigration. The initiative to rename Phelan Avenue to Frida Kahlo Way began in the Introduction to Museum Studies class co-instructed by Simon and Wettrich. The course included a field trip to see Diego Rivera’s Pan American Unity mural housed in the Diego Rivera Theatre. Kahlo, best known for her selfportrait paintings and long-time relationship with Rivera, is central to Rivera’s 10-panel fresco mural. “She’s an iconic representation of the mural itself,” said Simon. “In general, locally and nationally historical women are underrepresented when it comes to having monuments and buildings named after them. We thought it would be great to bring attention to a figure who was related to the Diego Rivera mural, and so it makes sense to call it Frida Kahlo

Jan. 19, 2018. Phelan Ave. named after former city major James Phelan in front of San Francisco Ocean campus may change its name to Kahlo Ave. after faculty members pushed the initiative to remove the current name. Photo: Janeth R. Sanchez

Way,” said Wettrich. To date, the name-change campaign has received unanimous support from the Associated Students, the Academic Senate, AFT 2121, and the Department Chair’s Council. “I feel like it is time for a change,” said Tameem Tutakhil, Associated Student Council president. “There haven’t been many streets that I know that are named after women. [Kahlo] was a revolutionary who has contributed a lot to history.” In order for the name-change to occur, the college, Riordan High School and the surrounding neighborhood must all be in support of the initiative. Once this is achieved, Supervisor Norman Yee said he would introduce a resolution before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

STRESS LESS

Dina Redman, MPH. PhD, LCSW Weds.12:00 pm-1:00 pm, Feb. 7th — Mar. 14th

FREE Support Groups – Spring 2018 Support groups for credit students start the week of February 5, 2018. Groups are held the same time each week for approximately twelve weeks with the exception of Stress Reduction and Communication in Relationships, which will be 2 shorter groups.

theguardsman.com ccsfjournalism.com Twitter and Instagram @theguardsman #CCSFjournalism

THE TEA GROUP: Transformation through Empowerment & Affirming Action Cecilia Nepomuceno, PhD Mon. 2:00-3:30pm, starts Feb..5th

PROCRASTINATION – STOP WAITING AROUND! Sam Edwards, LCSW Wed. 3:00-4:00 pm, starts Feb. 7th

To pre-register come to Student Health, HC-100 or call 415.239.3110, or come to the first session.(*Intake required ahead of time for the TEA group, see below).

OVERCOME ANXIETY AND SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS

Groups accept new members the first two sessions. For more information and group descriptions, please visit the CCSF Student Health Services website.

COMMUNICATION IN RELATIONSHIPS FOR LGBTQQI STUDENTS

Jan. 18, 2018. The Food Shelf at the Queer resource center office located in the Bungalow 201 at the Ocean Campus provides students who sign in with a maximum of two snacks per day. Photo by Janeth R. Sanchez

The cost to City College and Riordan High School would be minimal, as the city would pay for the new street signs. In recent years, people have questioned maintaining statues and monuments of historical figures who held racist ideals. “Some people will say that you’re erasing history, but we’re trying to make history more honest,” Simon said. “Those who are removing confederate statues want to put them in museums and study them.” “I’ve taught about women in the arts for 25 years, and when I introduced Frida Kahlo to students they really embraced her,” Simon said. “Chicano artists are reclaiming her. She suffered from disability, experiencing polio and infertility. She had a lot of obstacles in her life and yet she was resilient.”

Sam Edwards, LCSW Thurs. 2:00-3:00 pm, starts Feb. 8th

Held at the QRC-Queer Resource Center Bayla Travis, PsyD & Anna Bartko, MA Tues. 2:00-3:00 pm, starts Feb. 6th

HARM REDUCTION

Clare Willis, PsyD & Alonzo Lamas, MA Thur. 12:00-1:00 pm, starts Feb. 8th Facebook /theguardsman YouTube theguardsmanonline

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Mailing Address

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4 | CULTURE

Vol. 164, Issue 6 | Nov. 8 – Nov. 22, 2017

Hammering out the details Advanced carpentry student may become the department’s next instructor

By Bethaney Lee Sawdust wafted through the air and settled inside Classroom 257. The carpentry department located at City College’s Evans Campus has seen a few changes last year and has another round of changes in full swing. Carpentry instructor for advanced craftsmen, Raymond Cash, was hired in 2015 and currently teaches a student who he said may become the next

instructor for the beginning City College carpentry class. Currently, John McNees, teaches the beginning carpentry class, but come Fall of 2018 City College student and carpentry professional, Tim O’Mahoney, may be the one handing out the safety glasses. McNees is retiring in June leaving the job available, a position that Cash said must be given to someone who is good with their hands- someone like O’Mahoney.

Stashed inside the third segment of Cem Turhal’s half-finished project is a stack of sandpaper. Other students in Turhal’s class made much smaller, detailed pieces but Turhal’s class project will have to leave the campus in a truck. Photo taken on Nov. 13, 2017

Raymond Cash leads the class in instruction before students disburse throughout the woodshop to work on their individual projects. Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2017.

Pursuing carpentry as a passion, Cem Turhal is working with his teacher, Raymond Cash, to measure and mark a piece of pine wood for his project. Cash has over 30 years of experience that he offers to City College students. Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2017.

The carpentry classroom is unique to City College. It becomes evident in a wall comprised full of photographs of past projects students have worked on. Everything from chess sets and baby cradles have been crafted inside the campus walls at 1400 Evans Avenue. Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2017.

Tim O’Mahoney is the potential candidate for instructing the beginning carpentry class when instructor, John McNees, hangs up his tool belt and retires. O’Mahoney is still enrolled as an advanced carpentry student under Raymond Cash, but Cash said O’Mahoney has been in the industry for a long time and has just as much experience as himself. Photo taken on Nov. 13, 2017

CULTURE | 5

Vol. 164, Issue 6 | Nov. 8 – Nov. 22, 2017

Two college newspapers share singular vision Guardsman and Laney College Tower publish dual edition in the future,” said Carpenter. She went on to add that “this [joint issue] was a test-run, and although it was pretty successful, I know that if we do it again it'll be even more awesome!” The success of this joint effort between the two school newspaper publications leaves room for future collaborations. “I think we created a really awesome bridge –something that wasn't there before, and we forged it. Everyone involved should be proud of that,” said Carpenter. That bridge may have joined two cities, two colleges and at least for one daring edition, two newspapers.

W al te r

Illustration by Quip Johnson

from San Francisco to Oakland. As community colleges we can share and highlight campus plight more effectively if we do it together,” Lee said. "We're all busy people working very hard on something that isn't earning us a living yet, and that is an ongoing challenge in and out of the collaboration,” said Carpenter. She insisted that “the biggest challenge was also the biggest benefit,” which she felt were the two campus’ “different systems of operating.” Those differences enriched Carpenter’s experience overall: “We were able to play on each other’s strengths which was nice.” Carpenter felt that both the Laney and City College’s journalism departments “benefited [from the collaboration] and therefore the quality of the paper and the effectiveness in its reporting went up.” Lee agreed with Carpenter’s assessment: “I have not seen rival papers (we compete against each other in several journalism competitions) share complete access to each other’s networks, images, info, designers and manpower.” Carpenter added, “I haven't heard of any such collaboration before, and that's part of why it felt like the right thing to do.” Regarding the possibility of the two newspapers coalescing in the future, Lee was optimistic and expressed that “as far as collaborative efforts, it takes vision and a team committed longer than a semester to successfully produce each issue.” She also admitted, “I can see more dual bylines and cross-reporting in the future of The Guardsman.” “I sincerely hope we collaborate

that “it wasn't until a month later I got a text from Brian introducing me to Sarah Carpenter, [and] from there we got to work.” She and Carpenter spent several hours hammering out ideas for story pitches that overlapped their common interests such as homelessness on campus, the privatization of public land and the issue of raising the wages of part-time faculty. “Once we had a couple of article ideas for each section of the paper, we drafted assignment sheets and sent them out to reporters from which they developed articles,” said Lee. The finished product features a strong lead story that effectively parallels the struggles both junior colleges experience in the face of big-time corporate entities. CCSF Board of Trustees was opposing the AvalonBay development company that wants to obtain their parking lot from the city of San Francisco to build housing for Silicon Valley workers. Meanwhile, Laney College recently squared off against the Oakland A’s, who were seeking to build their new baseballonly stadium adjacent to the Laney campus. Lee went on to point out that “each campus’ illustrators and designers also [had] a big hand in the process,” conceptualizing a compelling front page which was nearly identical at each campus, and that took “two reporters, three editors, copy-editors, illustrators and designers to complete.” For Lee, the biggest benefit of the collaboration was the connections that were made. “Our reporters now cross information

st r

On December 6th, 2017, the last issue of CCSF’s The Guardsman reached peak innovation in collegiate journalism via its first ever journalistic collaboration and joint publication with Laney Tower, the Oakland Community College newspaper. While other college papers have united in the past for individual reports or specific stories, this collaboration on an entire issue by two separate educational institutions’ journalism departments was an unprecedented undertaking. Editors in Chief, Bethany Lee of The Guardsman and Sarah Carpenter of Laney Tower, merged their minds, will and skill to produce the groundbreaking issue together. The signifi-

cance of this duo-newspaper produced edition lies in its reflection of the corresponding concerns affecting both papers and their respective educational institutions. The logistic, economic and cultural differences between San Francisco and Oakland can seem as divisive as the waters of the Bay; yet in its own way, City College may have more in common with the blue-collar, underdog atmosphere and general culture of Oakland than it does with many of the cosmopolitan pretensions of “The City.” So perhaps this alliance of the two papers was somehow as inevitable as it was unexpected. “The collaboration between our schools was very natural. Community college students often are underdogs by nature, especially in an area with such a competitive job market,” said Carpenter who, like Lee, serves a multi-tasking role as reporter, photographer, and Editor-in-Chief. “When we started talking about a collaboration, I felt this great sense of camaraderie – like we should have been working together the whole time,” she said about Lee’s input in the conjoint effort. According to Lee, the seed of this collaborative effort grew from a spark of idealism: “I was part of an internship with The Pacific Media Guild where I met Laney college reporter Brian Howey. We spoke about how cool it would be to get the papers together. We dreamt up [the concept of] a new generation of reporters who could share information instead of holding on to scoops,” she said, emphasizing

Il lu

By Mark Miller

6 | OPINION

Vol. 165, Issue 1 | Jan 24 – Feb 6, 2018

Making the Leap

Critical analysis of feminism in popular television Bethaney Lee

blee@theguardsman.com

The first crackle of static from a television was in 1927 and came from a 21-year-old named Philo Farnsworth. In his youth, Farnsworth was able to invent something that now sits in most American households. Inspired by his age, I decided to look at how the media transcends the generational gap and has threaded feminism ideology in many television shows marketed towards my generation today. The feminism ideology is not new but first started being written about in 1794. Currently the media has made this a prominent theme in many of their available outlets, but its popularity can be measured through three television shows that boast the need to define, establish and achieve equality of the sexes. These three television shows all include strong women as lead characters who are not dependent on men and thus struggle to make a living on their own. The shows Broad City, SMILF and Girl Boss all have strong undertones of feminism that highlight severe deficiencies within our society as it pertains to the access of help and resources for single women. The three shows all come from entirely different producers and networks demonstrating the Critical/Cultural Theory in action, as all three shows share a purpose to enforce their own values and encourage viewers not to necessarily just accept the social quo of gender rights but question it. Does having a man make you more financially stable? Why do women bear the brunt of child raising? And are we a generation of millennial women who will remain broke, undereducated and single moms because we live in a society that rejected the idea of gender equality? All these questions are raised by

the plots of these three television shows who have used feminism ideology to show independent, but unsuccessful, female figures. Broad City is a show that fictitiously takes place in New York City and is distributed by Viacom Media Networks and aired first on the network Comedy Central. The two leads are played by women who go about their lives in New York trying to be as successful as possible in the gentrified, modernday American city.

While at first the characters seem to be politically aware and independent women not in need of a relationship to sustain them, it quickly becomes notable that the message being delivered is that without a man you can’t be successful. While at first the characters seem to be politically aware and independent women not in need of a relationship to sustain them, it quickly becomes notable that the message being delivered is that without a man you can’t be successful. The show chronicles the lives of these two as they struggle to find employment, come up with references and figure out how to pay rent. It depicts them as average millennial women, and it is unfortunate that this show has

equated independence to a lack of achievement. Feminist ideology has recognized the need for fair working wages since conception, and highlighted within this show is the grave consequences of what our generation is accustomed to enduring because women have yet to see an equal dollar. I would much prefer to watch a show that demonstrates what women could achieve if given the same fair working wages, versus watching the lead actress collect cans to recycle in a means to pay her electric bill. SMILF depicts the plight of the American single mom. The lead character is shown as an independent woman who has full custody of her child and no backbone, as if without a man in your life the world becomes crippling. Jobless because of the demand of her child, she is desperate to find work. The show narrates a story in which the secondary lead female gives advice for her to create a sexy webcam for money. The show largely depicts the lead female getting sexually violated for work and even shows a “pussy grab” by a complete stranger, the very same action our current president stands accused of. Feminism ideology runs deep in this show as it gives a visual representation for the suffering women face in the work environment, so strong a suffering that the lead female even convinces her friend they should pretend to be white, privileged males for the day. As if paying homage to old school Freudian theory, the girls walk around with faux hard-ons and emote feelings of penis envy. The overall messaging that resonates with the audience is that women who have children before marriage are likely to be homeless and without support, their decisions disrespected and taken advantage of. It hammers into the viewers’ heads that a woman’s dreams will die and be put on the back burner after a separation, while her ex will thrive and not be required to raise the child they made together.

SMILF offers a sentiment similar to Broad City but provided by an entirely different network, Showtime, and has an entirely different distributor, Disney and ABC Domestic Television. Because of the distributor, who is largely recognized in conjunction with family values, it was of no surprise to me that the show portrayed a take on feminism in which the female is victimized without a male counterpart, a modern damsel in distress. This is different than the approach Girl Boss takes on feminism but ultimately results in the same messaging as the other two television shows. Girl Boss is set in San Francisco and narrates the life of a young women who can’t hold down a job because she is coined as late and lazy. Because she is too disobedient and can’t hold down work, the woman opens her own online business entitled Nasty Girl where she curates clothing. Here we have a woman who has taken charge of her life but has done it in the most stereotypical way media could conjure and through great sacrifice. Her dream is a fashion empire and once gaining success she has no idea what to do with it.

The show is based on a true story, it is a comedy and that is my problem with all three shows. Distributed by Netflix, even Girl Boss depicts their lead actress in horrific life conditions that the audience is meant to find humor in and laugh. The show is based on a true story, it is a comedy and that is my problem with all three shows. Distributed by Netflix, even Girl Boss depicts their lead actress in horrific life conditions that the audience is meant to find humor in and laugh. It wasn’t until the 1920s that we the people amended the Constitution to include the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Less than 100

years later we see the effects of that prolonged limitation daily in our culture, society and media.

It wasn’t until the 1920s that we the people amended the Constitution to include the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Less than 100 years later we see the effects of that prolonged limitation daily in our culture, society and media. Culturally represented in all three shows is the fight for equality women still champion for today. While generations of women were able gain us the right to vote, millennial woman in these shows can be seen fighting for equal working wages, maternity leave, child support and education, as well as freedom from sexual harassment, theft and homelessness. The media has branded feminists as weak and has gotten the public in a place where it is socially acceptable to laugh at women when sexually harassed. These shows are marketed to the millennial generation and are popular. They are shows that are discussed frequently for their hilarious scenes and quippy writing, but when analyzing the three the content becomes stomach churning. The shows have made themselves so relatable to our generation that we took comfort in laughing at others’ similar misfortunes. Feminism is something I feel media has adopted within their ideology agendas, but the messaging being sent to the audience is not one of empowerment. It’s easy to fall in love with the female characters portrayed by media in these three shows, but one day I hope to fall in love with characters that provide a more encompassing vision of what independent women can do if given equal opportunity.

SPORTS | 7

Vol. 165, Issue 1 | Jan 24 – Feb 6, 2018

Football Feat Rams are Division I football bound By Patrick Cochran

pcochran.media@gmail.com

City College continued its proud tradition of grooming football players when 11 players recently signed with Division I collegiate football teams. The most notable signing is standout defensive end Jordan Allen who was ranked the No. 2 junior college defensive end in his class by 247sports.com. Allen signed with the University of Tennessee and will get to play in the highly competitive Southeastern Conference. Allen will be coached by Jeremy Pruitt, who was just was just hired after serving as defensive coordinator at the University of Alabama. Besides Allen, the Rams are sending nearly a dozen other players to Division I squads. Star safety Joey Banks decided to go the University of Buffalo, while cornerback Bejour Wilson and wide receiver Kevin Shaa signed with Liberty University in Virginia. Defensive tackle PJ Johnson enrolled with the University of Arizona, fellow lineman Kohl Levao is now at the University of Hawaii, and linebacker Kobie Beltram has chosen Eastern Michigan. Cornerback Terin Adams signed with Arizona State,

linebacker Dallas Martin is going to Marshall University in West Virginia, punter Corey Dunn is heading to Iowa State, and wide receiver Tyrek Allen is going to Alabama State. There are other Rams players who will sign before football begins next August. Because of high school academics, freshman star running back Isaiah Floyd couldn’t talk to coaches until recently. Head Defensive End Jordan Allen (#23) takes on block during the regular season. Photo by Eric Sun/ Special to The Guardsman. coach Jimmy Collins said another six to last minute offers, like Terin great pride in getting the players Collins said schools like Arizona eight players will likely be head- Adams who got his offer from academically prepared and making State, Washington State, and ing to Division I schools before the Arizona State only three days sure they have good grades. University of Colorado have school year ends, while other play- before signing day in December. “All of our guys are excited to already approached Floyd. ers will sign on with non-Division Besides helping the players go to college for free,” Collins said. “Isaiah will get the ball wher- I programs. improve on the field, Collins and “That is all you can really ask for.” ever he goes,” Collins said. “That Some of the players received the rest of the Rams’ staff take guy is just a freak.”

Defensive End Jordan Allen (#23) signs with University of Tennessee, Linebacker Kobie Beltram (#10) signs with Eastern Michigan, Wide Receiver Kevin Shaa (#7) and Defensive Back Bejour Wilson (#17) both sign with Liberty University, Defensive Tackle Pintess Johnson (#99) signs with University of Arizona, Defensive Back Terin Adams (#21) signs with Arizona State, Punter Corey Dunn (#48) signs with Iowa State. Photos courtesy of CCSF Athletics Department.

CORRECTION

In a Dec. 6, 2017 story, The Guardsman misspelled the name of City Colleges strength and conditioning coach John Balano. We regret the error.

SPORTS | 8

Vol. 165, Issue 1 | Jan 24 – Feb 6, 2018

On the last lap

New track finished soon By: Peter J. Suter suterjpeter@gmail.com

Over the winter break construction to resurface damaged areas of the 1-kilometer track, located around the George M. Rush football field, has begun and is due to be complete within the next few week, according to City College Athletic Director Daniel Hayes. Hayes helped decide when construction was set to begin. He scheduled for the revamping to take place over the break to shorten the time of construction while City College was in session. “The renovations should be done as soon as possible, though, due to weather this may have

prolonged the finish date, but I believe it will be complete in the next week or so,” Hayes said. The $482 thousand New Synthetic Track Resurfacing contract was awarded to Beynon Sports Surfacing, Inc., which was approved by the Board of Trustees on June 22, 2017, records show. However, no exact start and finish dates were ever established when Board of Trustee members first authorized the contract. The existing synthetic track at the Ocean Campus was installed around 1992. It is a 10mm thick poured liquid polyurethane with black mesh rubber, topped with a 4mm thick poured liquid polyurethane with embedded

EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber. This is the same type of surface that can be found at UC Berkeley, Stanford University, University of Oregon and University of Southern California. The surface has aged extremely well over the past 25 years, which greatly exceeds the expected service life of similar installations elsewhere. This is due primarily to the Ocean Campus microclimate. The track’s surface is showing signs of wear and tear, along with areas of damage from subsurface irregularities. Tripping and falling hazards, along with accelerated ageing, are what prompted City College administrators to act.

Resurfacing of the track aligns with Accreditation Standards, which says an institution must assure safe and sufficient physical resources at all locations where it offers courses, programs and learning support services. Meanwhile, the track and field team practices and physical education classes, which use the track extensively, have been moved to inside the gymnasium until the track is completed.

When asked if future track and field meets could be hosted at George M. Rush Stadium, Hayes said, “We have held them in the past and we intend to do so in the future, but as of now there are no plans for this spring….Because so many people within the City College community use the track for so many different reasons, it’s been imperative that we get these much needed repairs done.”

Jan. 26 ............2:00PM ............................................... @ Hartnell Jan. 30 ...........12:00PM .................................................@ Laney Feb. 1 .............2:00PM ............................. @ Monterey Peninsula Feb. 3 .............12:00PM ............................................. vs. Gavilan Feb. 4 .............1:30PM ............................................ vs. Redwood

Jan. 27 ............12:00PM ................................... vs. Alumni Game Jan. 30 ............1:00PM ...........................................@ Santa Rosa Feb. 6 .............2:00PM ................................................ vs. Solano

Jan. 31 ............ 5:00PM................................................vs. Chabot Feb. 2 .............7:00PM ............................................... @ San Jose Feb. 7..............5:00PM................................................. ................

Jan. 31 ....................................................................... vs. Chabot Feb. 7 ........................................................................ vs. Canada

Feb. 2 .............2pm .................vs. (CCSF/Chabot/CSM/Foothill)

Ocean Campus track during the process of being resurfaced. Jan. 9, 2018. Photo by Franchon Smith/The Guardsman