Vol. 165, Issue 3 | Feb. 21– Mar. 6, 2018 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE
College lacks clear policies on emotional support animals By Rachael Nguyen rachaelnguyenxx@gmail.com
City College’s lack of clear guidelines for emotional support animals has recently created confusion among faculty and staff. “An instructor had a question about emotional support animals that sparked an ongoing conversation,” said Anne Cassia, an English instructor at City College, who is often accompanied by her emotional support dog Lanie. Service animals have a wellknown, strict definition under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Because emotional support animals are not considered service animals by ADA, they are not protected by the same federal laws and can vary state to state. “Emotional support animals are more of a gray zone, whereas service animals have a specific purpose, and those have been very protected,” Cassia said. “Some instructors are not happy about it, and it does seem like the type of animal makes a difference.” The Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) student handbook defines a service animal as “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability,” and describes the process through which they can be registered with DSPS for use on campus. The handbook does not define a policy for emotional support animals, but does list them as an accommodation that can be
approved by DSPS as a Classroom and Testing Accommodation. “I don’t actually know what the official policies for that would be,” Cassia said. “I don’t always bring her. I let my students know in advance that I have a dog and I ask students to let me know if they have any allergies or are afraid of dogs.” Cassia is not the only instructor on campus that brings her support animal with her to class. Math instructor Cindy Moody has a 3-year-old husky, Ruby, that accompanies her. “I teach a block class, so we normally take a break in the middle and I’ll just leave Ruby in the class,” Moody said. “By the time I get back there will be four people on the floor with Ruby getting a belly rub.” Moody says her support dog has also helped relieve some of her students’ math anxieties. “A student talked to me after class to let me know Ruby has helped with her anxiety in class, and I didn’t even know she was having that problem,” Moody said. According to an overview of service and support animals issued by the Mayor’s Office on Disability, support animals are welcome in any building, program or agency in San Francisco. When asked to clarify the protocol for students bringing support animals to class, Muriel Parenteau, the DSPS department chair, declined to be interviewed but provided a statement via email. “If the definition of a service
Prop. W funds have yet to reach City College School owed $4.1M By Michael Toren michael.toren@gmail.com
Anne Cassia, an English teacher at City College Ocean campus, walks her dog Lanie outside Cloud Hall before heading to class on Feb. 15, 2018. Photo by Janeth R. Sanchez/ The Guardsman
animal is not met, then the use of the animal may be allowed as a reasonable accommodation through established DSPS procedures. Students requesting the use of an assist animal/emotional
support animal as a disability related reasonable accommodation are required to meet with a DSPS counselor each semester,” she wrote.
UP IN SMOKE?
Board of Trustees considers smoking ban By Abraham Davis abrahamdfrankfurter@gmail.com
Joseph Howarth, a physics major, takes a smoking break in the designated smoking area outside Batmale Hall on Feb. 15, 2018. Photo by Janeth R. Sanchez/The Guardsman
FREE CITY
On Feb. 22, the board of trustees will hear first reading of a proposed policy to ban all smoking at City College. The ban would include cigarettes, cigars, marijuana and vaping, and remove the existing designated smoking areas. If adopted, the policy would take affect Aug. 21. Campus police would be responsible for enforcing the ban. Trustee John Rizzo said the policy has been in the works for five years and he “absolutely” supports the ban. It was prompted by similar bans at UC and CSU campuses, including San Francisco State and University of California San Francisco. “The problem with smoking on campus is that students and workers have respiratory problems, and second-hand smoke affects
those issues,” Rizzo said. Ankita Sethi, a member of the Student Union, said she supports the ban. “I have asthma, so I would like a smoke-free campus,” she said. “The sole purpose behind the policy is to provide the healthiest environment we can. The health of the students will benefit from a smoke-free campus,” said George Martiniano, a health worker at Student Health Services and a member of the Breathe Healthy Task Force. Becky Perelli, a former director of Student Health Services, now retired, was on the task force when it was created. She said the intention is not to punish smokers. “We don’t want to make it punitive. We want to help smokers and support smokers to delay smoking, or help them quit.” She said Student Health Services provides
More than two months after the end of the Fall ’17 semester, City College has yet to be paid the $4.1 million it says it is owed by San Francisco to subsidize the cost of Free City students. At issue is language in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by City College and approved by the Board of Supervisors, which says Free City funds will only cover enrollment fees for San Francisco residents “who are not eligible for other grants or financial aid.” To comply with the MOU, when Free City was offered for the first time last semester, City College initially required students to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to qualify for the program. However, at the board of trustees meeting on Dec. 14, Chancellor Mark Rocha said the computer registration system at the time “wasn’t up to the task,” so he decided to drop the requirement. “The college was in technical violation of the MOU,” he told the trustees in December. Improvements to the computer system were made and when registration for Spring ’18 opened, it required students to complete a financial aid application. But when the board of trustees realized at the December meeting that students were being required to complete a lengthy FAFSA form, they were visibly upset. The form, which runs 10 pages with instructions, requires applicants to list detailed financial information such as household income, amount of savings, and investments. “This stops lifelong learning,” Trustee Alex Randolph said at the meeting. “That was definitely not the understanding of this board when we approved the MOU,” Trustee Rafael Mandelman said. “We are not happy campers.” Several trustees said the FAFSA form was viewed as invasive, especially for students who already know they don’t qualify for financial aid. “There are people who would rather pay $150 for the class” than fill out the form, Mandelman said. “My biggest concern is that people are not going to enroll,” said Trustee Thea Selby. “This is not the spirit of Free City.” Rocha instructed his staff at the December meeting to remove the FAFSA requirement for the Spring ’18 semester, changing the F registration system to grant Free City Free City continued on page 2