Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6 – Dec. 20, 2017 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE
City College and Laney both facing sale of college assets BAY AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGES WRESTLE PRIVATE INTERESTS FOR LAND By Otto Pippenger and Brian Howey Students and faculty at Laney College and San Francisco City College are both faced with the imminent sale of school assets as part of city initiatives. At Laney, the Oakland A’s are intent on moving next door onto Peralta Community College District land, while across the bay, City College’s parking seems doomed as the city of San Francisco finalizes the details of its partnership with the developer Avalon Bay for a piece of land next to City College to construct large-scale housing development.
Balboa Reservoir Members of City College’s Board of Trustees attempted to formally raise complaints on Oct. 30 against the 1,100 housing units planned by Mayor Lee’s Office of Planning and Workforce Development in the Balboa Reservoir, the college’s current parking lot, almost exactly one month after Avalon Bay was officially selected to head the multihundred-million dollar project. The resolution called for the school to assert ownership of the reservoir to ensure that the school’s interests are observed, and it was sponsored by John Rizzo and Brigitte Davila, who as the school’s representative of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the Balboa Reservoir development project, has been present throughout the majority of the process. The resolution failed to pass, and construction is expected to begin in early 2021. The reservoir is owned by the city through the San Francisco Power and Utilities Company, which will now be purchased by Avalon Bay for an unknown amount. Though many have complained
about the construction at every step of the way, many feel their complaints have gone unaddressed despite nominally democratic aspects of the process. As City College instructor Simon Hansen said in January 2015, “What if our input is that we don’t want development?” While over 50 percent of the units will technically be affordable, some 15 percent will be “moderately” priced to roughly 120 percent of the area median income, making only roughly 35 percent available for those earning less than $80,000 a year. Another question of long-term affordability arises from the 115 homes that will be for sale. While 48 of these will be offered below market rate, it is unclear whether or not resale of these units will be bound by the same strictures. According to Avalon Bay’s proposal for the project, actual construction is to begin no sooner than 2021. During the first phase of this process, the developers intend to make about 300 parking spaces available, while creating 500 new spots by the end of the construction process. Avalon Bay’s proposal describes the parking lot as “empty much of the time,” but data on the lot collected between 2015 and 2016 suggest usage has increased commensurately to the uptick in enrollment created by the Free City College program. The Guardsman revealed in October that during school hours the Balboa Reservoir has been almost entirely full of parked cars. Considering the college will build a Performing Arts Center in the school’s upper parking area in the next few years, along with the possible educator housing proposed by Avalon Bay, it is apparent to the naked eye that 300 spaces will not be nearly enough, as both the upper parking lot and the Balboa Reservoir are nearly completely full during school hours as of Oct. 2017. While the initial concept for the development suggested no more than 500 housing units, Avalon Bay intends to construct 1,100, the residents of which will also have to compete for parking. The future of City College’s parking is seemingly predicated on the school’s ability to reach an independent agreement with Avalon Bay. With the schedule moving forward rapidly, the time to prevent changes disadvantageous to City College may have already passed.
Illustration by Quip Johnson
Facing sale continued on page 3 The City College Journalism Department, in conjunction with Laney College’s Journalism Department, worked together for issue 8 of our newspapers to produce a unique collaborative issue. Inside this issue you will find articles written using cross reporting, where journalists from each department came together and developed their stories under a dual byline. If you would like to contact reporters about questions or comments in regards to collaborative articles, please email blee@theguardsman.com.
CULTURE L.A. Riot Documentary
Riot on page 6
OPINION Food critique between City College and Laney College
Critique on page 9
2 | NEWS
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6– Dec. 20, 2017
CALENDAR OF EVENTS CCSF Older Adults and Concert & Lecture Series Present: Part Two: T'ai Chi Chih Training: 19 Movements and One Pose with Sandy McAlister When: Saturday, December 2 10:00am-3:15pm Where: Chinatown Campus, Room 402 Free and open to the public. CCSF Creative Writing and Concert & Lecture Series present: Memoirist Saeeda Hafiz reads from her work of self-reflection, and yoga. When: Monday, December 4 1:00pm-2:30pm Where: Ocean Campus, Rosenberg Library, Room 301 Free and open to the public.
November 13, 2017 An open letter to the CCSF Board of Trustees and Chancellor Rocha: San Francisco and the City College community must resist the proposal to privatize public land and build mostly luxury housing in the lower City College parking lot (Balboa Reservoir). Instead we should focus on rebuilding our common treasure, City College. Ignoring community input and the needs of CCSF, Mayor Lee and developers have been ramming through plans for an enormous housing project of 1100 mostly luxury units on the lower Balboa Reservoir, used for parking at CCSF for over four decades. Please do not let this development go forward, as it would privatize an irreplaceable parcel of public land. Additionally, it would:
CCSF Mastertworks Chorale Winter Concert When: Thursday, December 7 at 7:00pm Where: Ocean Campus, Rosenberg Library Rachminoff All-Night Vigil and works by Rosephanye Powell, Robin Eschner, and others. Cinnabar Singers Winter Concert When: Sunday, December 10 at 2:00pm Where: Elim Lutheran Church, Petaluma, CA Rachminoff All-Night Vigil and works by Rosephanye Powell, Robin Eschner, and others. Cafeteria Closes For Dinner Last day to dine is Dec. 11
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Pose a major obstacle to rebuilding City College enrollment, just as Free City is gaining momentum.
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Take a giant step toward the gentrification of the last affordable neighborhoods on the south side of town, pushing out yet more African Americans, Pacific Islanders, Latinos, new immigrants and working class people in general.
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Create a new barrier to the completion of the Performing Arts Education Center, mandated by two citywide elections in 2001 and 2005, but stalled during the state takeover of City College.
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Add traffic congestion to an already badly impacted neighborhood in San Francisco.
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Remove access to education for thousands of people who depend on parking to fit City College into their hectic lives.
AvalonBay is the lead developer selected by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which owns the land. This is the national real estate corporation that built the unaffordable housing at 1200 Ocean, right over Whole Foods. You might remember that during construction, the Greenlining Institute ran picket lines at the construction site, protesting lack of local hiring. Market rate rents will bring in a lot of revenue ($3000 – $7000 a month per unit), as the corporation brags on its website, talking about delivering “outsized returns to investors.” AvalonBay also delivers outsized returns to corporate executives. The company’s CEO, Timothy Naughton, makes just shy of $7 million a year. The other executives make about $2.5 million a year. This development is not intended for long-time community residents, or for students, staff or faculty of CCSF. Like the existing AvalonBay building at 1200 Ocean, it is intended for Silicon Valley employees, and will deepen the ethnic cleansing of San Francisco. We all are deeply impacted by the affordable housing crisis in SF and the Bay Area. But no matter how many times the lie is repeated, building more unaffordable housing does exactly nothing to solve this problem. Luxury housing simply feeds a dynamic that forces more of us out of SF every day.
CCSF Creative Writing and the Music Department present: Winter Jazz Concert Enjoy an evening of jazz and refreshments. When: Tuesday, December 12 8:00pm-10:00pm Where: Ocean Campus, Diego Rivera Theater Free and open to the public. Hope for the Holidays Annual Toy/Gift Drive Drop off a toy, gift or monetary donation on or before Thursday, December 14. Online donations via the CCSF Amazon Wish List or in person at: Conlan Hall E106, Ocean Campus or the donation bins at the Gough Street, Mission, and Chinatown/North Beach centers. CCSF Creative Writing and the Music Department present: Forum Magazine’s Launch Party with music by CCSF Jazz Musician’s Club Experience an evening of poetry and jazz inspired by the beat era When: Wednesday, December 20 7:30pm-9:30pm Where: Bird & Beckett Books and Records, 653 Chenery St. San Francisco Free and open to the public. Island City Opera Mozart and Salieri, and Kashchey the Immortal by Rimsky-Korsakov When: January 17, 19, 21, 26, and 28 Where: Ekls Club Ballroom, Alameda, CA http://islandcityopera.org/kashchey-jan-2018/ Starfish Early Alert and Degree Planner Faculty Needed for Spring 2018 Pilot. CCSF is piloting a new software, Starfish, to help connect students to college resources including counseling, tutoring, EOPS, CalWORKs, HARTS, Guardian Scholars, resource centers, financial aid, and mentor programs. contact Michelle Simotas, CCSF Early Alert Coordinator, at msimotas@ccsf. edu. For more info.
How many of the Avalon units would be affordable by ordinary mortals? This is extremely unclear and subject to spin. Which definition of “affordable” do we use, the federal definition? Or the City Planning Department definition, which keeps moving higher and higher into the stratosphere? (The City just moved the definition up to $105,000 for renters and $121,000 a year for homebuyers.) Or do we use the definition put forward by the six Excelsior-based community organizations, the Communities United for Health and Justice: affordable to people who make up to $60,000 a year? Suddenly the number of “affordable” units drops down to 198, with 902 unaffordable units. Worse yet, some of the Avalon proposals are aspirational with no guarantees, for example “up to 17% additional affordable and moderate units.” Is this another bait and switch, like the City and the PUC discussing 500 units in the development for month after month, and then—surprise! —suddenly switching it up to 1100 units, now 1300 units? Since the definition of “affordable” is so subject to spin, we need to insist that the developers provide actual costs: for example, what would the various categories of rental units cost per month for what size? We are told that the only way to get some crumbs of affordable housing is to build more luxury housing. But as the article “Chasing Unicorns” states (link below), this gets things exactly reversed—in fact the proposal is for the public to subsidize luxury housing. It is delusional to take our irreplaceable public asset of land, turn it over to developers for their private profit, and call that a solution to the affordable housing crisis. Luxury housing is being built all over town, with construction cranes everywhere, and tent cities in their shadows. But now to take our PUBLIC land and feed this dynamic is unacceptable. We urge the entire community, the administration and the Board of Trustees to vigorously advocate that ownership of the lower parking lot be transferred from the PUC to CCSF for $1. This will serve the compelling public purpose of rebuilding and developing City College—our common treasure. This land has been in use by the college for nearly half a century. Adding a limited amount of 100% affordable housing for educators and some students could be discussed later, in a truly democratic manner. This development is NOT a done deal, unless we give up and look the other way, going along with the real estate lobbyists and the machine that serves them. Public land is our common heritage; it belongs to future generations, and must not be privatized. Board of Trustees and Chancellor Rocha, we need elected officials who can see what’s right, resist political pressure, and speak up for justice. Submitted by Allan Fisher on behalf of the Save CCSF Coalition info@saveccsf.org
Staff
Editor-in-Chief Bethaney Lee News Editor Quip Johnson
Culture Editor Adina Pernell Opinion Editor Otto Pippenger Sports Editor Patrick Cochran
Photo Editor Julia Fuller Lead Copy Editor Victor Tence Design Director Karen Sanchez
Online Editor Laurie Maemura Staff Writers Barbara Muniz Kyle Rogue Sarah Berjan Michael Toren
Advertising Manager Diane Carter Social Media Editor Liliana Sanchez
Staff Bran Elen Phot Otto Sara
NEWS | 3
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6 – Dec. 20, 2017
Facing continued from page 1
Laney College’s A’s Stadium On Sept. 12, the Oakland A’s announced their intention to build their new ballpark on what is now the Peralta Community College District’s offices. District Chancellor Jowel Laguerre has told Laney College’s campus newspaper, Laney Tower, and multiple other media outlets that “it would be dumb for Laney to sell its land,” but said the district was more likely to sign a long term lease with the team should the district enter negotiations with them. Sale or no, Laney Head Librarian Evelyn Lord isn’t a fan of the proposal. “It just doesn’t make sense to have a major league baseball stadium next to our small college,” she said. “That’s just wrong.” Lord is among a growing contingent of Laney faculty and students rallying against the stadium. They call themselves the Laney Land for Students Coalition. They and several other community organizations, together known as the Stay the Right Way Coalition, believe noise from the stadium will disrupt classes and scare native wildlife and that the rising cost of living as a result of the stadium will displace local residents. A recent Laney Tower poll found that 58.5 percent of faculty and 46.5 percent of students are opposed to the stadium, and another 32.1 percent of faculty and 40.1 percent of students are undecided. For now, the community seems split on the issue. But that hasn’t always been the case, as Laney College is no stranger to development proposals. In 1990, Kaiser Permanente offered to buy a piece of Laney’s campus, including its athletic fields and childcare center. Robert Scannell, chancellor at the time, favored selling the land to Kaiser, saying the deal could bolster the district’s cash-strapped coffers, but local media quickly discovered that Scannell had withheld essential information about the logistics of the sale from the Peralta Board of Trustees.
The sale with Kaiser fell through, and the scandal led to Scannell’s early retirement after increasing pressure from the board of trustees. In 2004, Oakland developer Alan Dones offered to convert Laney’s athletic fields into an ambitious complex of government administrative buildings and condominiums. After angry reactions from multiple school and community groups, the deal was abandoned. Lord looks to these past development follies for inspiration and says she remains hopeful that resistance to the stadium will scare off the A’s. Laguerre is also optimistic. In a September interview with the Laney Tower, he said that even if the A’s proposal falls through, “other [developers] may want to pursue us,” referring to Peralta Community College District’s land. Laguerre said a Chinatown developer that he wouldn’t name is also “very interested” in a devel-
“It just doesn’t make sense to have a major league baseball stadium next to our small college,” she said. “That’s just wrong.”
Raising part-time faculty wages a shared concern for Laney and City College
Brad Balukjian, Peralta Federation of Teachers part-time faculty representative holds an "Equal Pay Summit" to discuss the wage gap between part-time and full-time faculty at community colleges. He encouraged those interested to sign a letter originating from the California Federation of Teachers to California Department of Finance Director Michael Cohen asking for $100 million of the state budget to go towards part-time pay equity and the conversion of part-time faculty to full-time. Photo by Sarah Carpenter/Laney College
Evelyn Lord
opment deal with the district. The major difference between Laney and City College is that the Peralta District controls the land that the A’s are eyeing, while City College has little say in the fate of its city-owned parking lot. Between the schools, Peralta is in a much better position to oppose development, if it wants to. On Dec. 12, the Peralta board will decide whether to negotiate with the A’s. If they do, opponents of the stadium will have a lot of work to do. Chart by Melinda Walters
The major difference between Laney and City College is that the Peralta District controls the land that the A’s are eyeing, while City College has little say in the fate of its city-owned parking lot.
By Sarah Carpenter and Victor Tence Part-time community college instructors are asking the California Department of Finance for $100 million of the state budget. Of this amount, $75 million would be to further the conversion of part-time faculty to full-time, and $25 million would be to bolster part-time pay
equity. Part-time temporary instructors make up the majority of the faculty at California community colleges. Brad Balukjian, the Peralta Federation of Teachers part-time faculty representative, said they have the same credentials as full-time instructors, teach the same courses and are paid much less.
“You have to be a little more dedicated than maybe is fair,” Gary Hasbrouck, a part-time geography instructor at College of Alameda said, adding that he doesn’t get paid for the field trips he arranges for his class. State law was written in 1988 to address the exploitation of parttime faculty in community colleges. The law recognized that it was less expensive to fill part-time positions than the full-time positions and stated that “the maintenance of a fully staffed, full-time faculty is an essential element of a coherent program.” Assembly Bill 1725 set a standard that 75 percent of the hours of credit instruction at community colleges be taught by full-time instructors. “The law is not enforced; the law is more of a goal,” said Tim Killikelly, president of the American Federation of Teachers 2121 Union. This goal has yet to be reached in California, although City College of San Francisco is one of the closest to meeting this standard each year. Part-time temporary instructors currently make up the majority of the faculty at California community colleges, according to the California Federation of Teachers. In the Peralta Community College District, it’s 67 percent of faculty, and at City College of San Francisco, it’s about 60 percent. Balukjian drafted a grid displaying the wage gaps between Wages continued on page 4
Staff Illustrators Brandon Whiting Elena Stuart Photographers Otto Pippenger Sarah Berjan
Peter Wong Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales Designers Melinda Walters Zaruhi Avagyan
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Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6 – Dec. 20, 2017
Wages continued from page 3 part-time and full-time instructors in the Peralta District. His idea of equity is part-timers and full-timers of the same experience level being paid the same wage for the instructional hours they perform. The state law deems parttime instruction “appropriate and necessary,” especially in vocational schools where instructors may already have a job in the field and are teaching on the side.
Zev Kvitky, California Federation of Teachers field representative, said that the heavy reliance on part-time instruction is part of the “casualization of teaching.” He worries that teaching is now part of the gig economy, wherein people stitch together multiple jobs to be the equivalent of a full-time job. For Balukjian, this is all too true. He teaches in multiple districts
throughout the Bay Area, making him essentially a full-time teacher. But since he doesn’t teach full-time in a single district, he doesn’t get all the benefits. The health insurance he qualifies for in the Peralta District is three times as expensive as the Obamacare he qualifies for. “It hurts students to have this problem,” Balukjian said. “Now two thirds of our faculty are demoralized and stressed out and
having a hard time making a living which makes it harder for them to teach.” The letters to the California Finance Department Director Michael Cohen are being circulated by the California Federation of Teachers. Balukjian has been asking faculty and students to sign copies of the letter and hopes to have an electronic version available soon. He plans to deliver the
letters Dec. 15. Governor Jerry Brown will present his 2018-2019 budget proposal on Jan. 10. Getting the budget to reflect the requested allotment toward part-time faculty wage equity “will be an uphill battle,” Bryan Ha, California Federation of Teachers legislative advocate, said.
Management vacuum further jeopardizes building repairs By Michael Toren michael.toren@gmail.com
The existing leadership vacuum in the Building and Grounds department, long criticized for its failure to respond to repair requests in a timely manner, grew worse recently with the departure of two high profile administrators. David Martin, acting vice chancellor of Finance and Administration, announced he is leaving City College for a job in another district. Martin declined to comment for this story, but Dianna Gonzales, vice chancellor of Human Resources, said Martin tendered his resignation the day before Thanksgiving and is leaving on Dec. 8. Linda da Silva, associate vice chancellor of Facilities and Planning—who reported to Martin—has been on administrative leave since September, according to employees in her office. One employee said Martin sent a text message on Sept. 26 informing them that da Silva was “no longer with the college.”
“We have a number of vacancies throughout the district— administrative, faculty, and classified,”
— Dianna Gonzales, Vice Chancellor of Human Resources
The monthly Human Resources report presented to the board of trustees on Oct. 26 said da Silva is resigning effective at the end of the year. But da Silva has not returned to work, and her staff does not expect her back. Her entry in the online employee directory was removed over the Thanksgiving break. The slow response to requests for building repairs has been an ongoing issue at City College with elevators and bathrooms out of commission across Ocean Campus for months at a time, and mold and rodent infestation
eating away at several buildings. If both Martin and da Silva are absent, Building and Grounds employees would be left with no managerial oversight. Those employees typically report to a superintendent, who reports to a director, who finally reports to the position da Silva is vacating. But the superintendent role has not been filled in recent memory, and the director position has remained vacant since the last director retired eight months ago. If all four levels of management are empty, on paper, at least, there would be no supervisors or managers between rank-and-file employees at the very bottom of the organizational chart and Chancellor Mark Rocha at the very top. The reason for da Silva’s administrative leave has not been made public. City College Spokesperson Jeff Hamilton said Chancellor Rocha was unavailable for comment, and as a matter of policy they do not discuss personnel matters. When asked for a copy of da Silva’s resignation letter, Hamilton said he didn’t know if there was one, and indicated da Silva may have resigned verbally. Da Silva declined to comment for this story. Gonzales would not comment on specific employees, but said administrative leave is a generic term. “We use it for any number of circumstances,” she said. “In the most general sense, the person is not here, but they are continuing in paid status.” The Guardsman learned of da Silva’s absence last month when seeking her comment about broken water pipes and flooding in Batmale Hall. Facilities employees at the time could not say why she was gone or who was acting in her place. Tom Temprano, member of the board of trustees, said he had not heard about da Silva being placed on administrative leave, but would not have expected to. “We have only one employee that reports to us: Chancellor Rocha,” he said. “One of the reasons we hired Chancellor Rocha was his experience building out a large administrative team...I remain confident in his ability to bring in a strong team.”
“Often with a new chancellor there’s a natural attrition, which is what I think we’re seeing here,” said Thea Selby, present of the board of trustees. “Dr. Rocha and I, as well as the search firm, began actively recruiting a replacement for [Acting Vice Chancellor] David Martin when he tendered his resignation,” Gonzales said. “We are confident that the position will be filled no later than the beginning of the year, January.” Replacing Martin requires hiring not just one, but two people. Before July, Martin was associate vice chancellor of Finance, reporting to Ron Gerhard, vice chancellor of Finance and Administration. When Gerhard resigned over the
“Since July, [Martin] has been doing at least those two jobs— his original job, plus [Gerhard]’s job,”
— Dianna Gonzales, Vice Chancellor of Human Resources
summer, Martin was named acting vice chancellor. “Since July, [Martin] has been doing at least those two jobs—his original job, plus [Gerhard]’s job,” Gonzales said. Combined with finding a replacement for da Silva, that makes three vice chancellor or associate vice chancellor positions that need to be filled. “Being fully staffed will be a key factor in our goal to reach 32,000 FTES,” Gonzales said, referring to Chancellor Rocha’s vision to increase the number of full-time equivalent students at City College, following the drastic enrollment drop-off during the accreditation crisis in 2012. “We have a number of vacancies throughout the district— administrative, faculty, and classified,” Gonzales said. “Filling those positions as quickly as possible with quality candidates is our top priority.”
CULTURE | 5
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6 – Dec. 20, 2017
Book Review
Former City College professor publishes biography of writer By Otto Pippenger opippenger@theguardsman.com
“Grover Lewis: The Uncommon Insight and Grace of an Ordinary Man” is the title of a biographical memoir of the late Grover Lewis who was a poet and writer for Rolling Stone magazine. The book is recollected over the course of a nearly 50 year friendship with City College’s own Roger Scott the representative of Transitional Studies on the Executive Board of AFT Local 2121. Scott claims that one of his foremost intentions in authoring the book was to reintroduce Grover Lewis’ work to younger Americans, both as a poet and one of the voices that helped transform the culture of mid-century America. As one of the “new journalists” who championed first person journalism, Lewis used the new writing style to cover the thinkers, actors and artists that exemplified the era. “Rolling Stone did him an immense disservice by sweeping him under the rug after their professional relationship ended” Scott said, also stating that “he was doing most of the same things Hunter (S.) Thompson had been doing independently and at the same time.”
Lewis home with him on a university break, writing “Grover liked my mother’s descriptions of a girl or woman as ‘pretty as a speckled pup’ or ‘ugly as a mud fence.’” The volume is a slim 150 pages beginning with an account by Lewis’ widow Rae Lewis, about the day Hustler Publisher Larry Flynt was shot outside his obscenity trial -- an incident Lewis saw firsthand while covering the trial for Rolling Stone, before jumping back to 1960 where the author met and befriended his subject at Texas Technological College. It covered both their youthful friendship and Lewis’ career as a journalist, dedicating a lengthy chapter to the shooting of Larry Flynt and the execution of his killer. Scott wrote several famous interviews, covering luminaries such as Lee Marvin and Kell Robertson The work is largely characterized by Scott’s sympathy for and intellectual admiration of Lewis. Scott expressed repeated wonderment that Lewis had survived his early childhood, having been orphaned at eight when his father tracked his fleeing mother to a Texas hotel and murdered her before being killed himself by another guest. Lewis comes across throughout
“Rolling Stone did him an immense disservice by sweeping him under the rug after their professional relationship ended” Scott said, also stating that “he was doing most of the same things Hunter (S.) Thompson had been doing independently and at the same time.”
In keeping with Lewis’ nature and literary affiliation, the work concentrates fairly little on his career and life events. Instead Lewis is revealed through drifting, wistful re-livings of shared road trips and personal triumphs. Lewis’ graduate thesis, a screenplay adaptation of “The Scarlet Letter” is given more attention in the text than “Splendor In the Short Grass,” the article that would be chosen as the title for the Texas University Press’ posthumous collection of his work. “...we pass the M-B corral, a notorious hillbilly dive where, fourteen or fifteen years ago, Larry Mcmurtry and I stood among a circle of spectators in the parking lot one drizzly winter night and watched a nameless oilfield roughneck batter and kick Elvis Presley half to death…” reads the excerpt Scott provides from that Lewis essay, one of the few verbatim reproductions of his work. Scott instead gives us a personal account of a man he admired, perhaps more than any other in his life. We can glean details of Lewis’s aesthetic and moral convictions through recollections. For example, early in the book Scott recounts the time he brought
as a kind man sometimes forced against his nature to use his literary gifts to write invective against falsehood and cruelty. In one instance, his college newspaper campaigned against the radio and later television evangelist Billy James Hargis. Scott connected Lewis’s career crusading for his own version of freedom from charlatans and bullies of conventionality- with his upbringing after his parent’s deaths by an uncle who despised Lewis’s love of reading. “Grover understood that truth does make us free because it separates fear from reason and helps us to confront the inevitable with grace... In a world of pain, misery, and absurdity” reads the final page. The memoir elicits a desire to read Lewis’ works, and see the films and bands he covered. The work is primarily a tribute to Scott’s friendship with Lewis. It reads as though Scott is trying to repay a lifetime of kindness by Lewis through sharing that with the reader. It succeeds more at this than at comprehensively addressing Lewis’ work but it will leave you with the desire to find that work for yourself. The work is available on Amazon.com and at aspermontpress.com.
Cover of Grover Lewis: The Uncommon Insight and Grace of an Ordinary Man by Roger Scott. Photo courtesy of Roger Scott, May 17 2017.
Spring 2018 semester begins January 16. Have a safe and happy holiday!
6 | CULTURE
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6 – Dec. 20, 2017
Filmmakers share inspiration for groundbreaking L.A. riots documentary By Adina J. Pernell apernell@theguardsman.com
A quarter of a century has passed since the events that transpired after a not guilty verdict was delivered for the officers who savagely beat Rodney King on March 3, 1991, turned LA’s city streets into a swarm of looters, rioters and raging fires. Long before the world entered the digital age, George Holliday, in what was arguably one of history’s first broadly televised incidents of citizen journalism, captured the heinous act on his camcorder from the vantage point of his apartment balcony. Holliday later released the tape to a Los Angeles news station and the rest was history. The now culturally iconic footage of King’s beating, marked an early step toward a world of visual accountability and served as a picture of the racial state that America couldn’t look away from. It’s hard not to compare Holliday’s actions to those of other modern day, citizen journalists like Saint Louis Alderman, Antonio French. French gave blow by blow coverage of the events of the protests in Ferguson, after the shooting of Michael Brown. Oscar-winning, filmmakers T.J. Martin and Daniel Lindsay teamed up with Award and Emmy winning producers Jonathan and Simon Chinn and National Geographic to create a gripping cinematic narrative about the aftermath of one of the 20th century’s most racially telling occurrences of civil unrest in America. The ground-breaking documentary, entitled “LA92” was told using mainly archival footage to chronicle not only the events that led up to the outbreak of violence, but also using newsreels of the infamous Watts race riots of 1965. “LA92’” is Martin and Lindsay’s second documentary of note since their film “Undefeated”, snagged the Oscar for the Best Documentary Feature in 2012. This was quite a feat, considering
Car burning in Los Angeles in 1992 Photo Credits National Geographic
that they never went to film school and have relatively few films under their belt to date. After a special Screening at The Landmark Embarcadero Cinema in San Francisco on November 8, 2017, T.J. Martin, the other half of the directing duo, sat down with the audience and with Marc Philpart, Senior Director at PolicyLink. PolicyLink, a national research and action institute for racial equality, to ask why Martin and Lindsay “embarked upon the journey for [the]film?” Martin said that he was approached by Jonathan and Simon Chinn after they had pitched the idea for the film. “They had known the 25th anniversary that was coming up regarding the civil unrest in 92’” said Martin. The Chinn’s had shown Martin and
A Police officer in South Central LA, 1992 Photo Credits National Geographic
Lindsay a teaser of film archives that made them decide to take on the project. He remembered one snippet in the teaser that particularly affected him was of an African American man whose store had been looted. “[He was wielding a hammer at the beginning of the sequence and he’s saying ‘I come from the ghetto too. Why steal from me? You call this Black power!’” In “92’ I was 12 years old,” revealed Martin, “so, watching the material, I think I was surprised by the amount of raw emotion that was captured on camera.” Later in the discussion, He related to the audience that background was bi-racial. “My mom is Black and my dad is White so when this project came to me, I did remember being in Seattle and seeing [the] footage, and the media telling me
Destroyed phone booth at Parker Center, Los Angeles, 1992 Photo Credits National Geographic
that these are race riots.” The decision to keep an archive-based format in the film was a conscious one on the filmmaker’s part.“We try to tell the story [in] archive only [format], so there’s not a filter between you and the material, for the narrative to feel like it’s unfolding in front of the camera, and you are there experiencing it in real-time,” said Martin. Martin and Lindsay wanted to create a 360-degree experience for the viewer as well as one that would help the audience empathize with several different viewpoints. “We consistently shift [points of views] so that you feel like you’re getting not just the experience of the entire city, but also what happened according to local law enforcement, local government, the point of view of Korean merchants, or the point of view of community members in South LA.” “It operates in our minds like it’s five movements,” said Martin of him and Lindsay’s vision. “And the intent is that [as] you go through [the] experience,” Martin continued, “[you] explore the different
themes, the cyclical nature of these things, the parallels of 65’ and 92’ and what’s happening now.” This structure of the film played a large part in the music which was symphonic in nature that drove its climactic moments. Martin and Lindsey didn’t want to do what had already been done musically for similar documentaries. “It’s always, you go to South LA and all of a sudden cue up hip hop. And I just had no interest in doing that - and this is coming from a hip hop fan.” For “LA92” the directors used awardwinning composers Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans. “They composed the entire thing within a matter of two months,” Martin said. “It was pretty incredible! After one of the audience members and Philpart inquired why the film didn’t focus on current examples of police brutality that have been captured on camera in cases like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Philando Castile, he conceded that he and Lindsay had originally considered incorporating contemporary footage. In the end they decided that “It was too obvious. In a practical Riots continued on page 7
CULTURE | 7
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6 – Dec. 20, 2017
Riots continued from page 6
A Resident and a business owner in Los Angeles, 1992 Photo Credits National Geographic
sense. We didn’t’ want to dumb down the audience,” said Martin. “And the audience from our experience, even just doing test screenings, was already there emotionally. There was no reason for us to beat it over your head.”
Martin and Lindsay also decided not to focus on the international and national riots that were occurring outside of LA because they didn’t want to blur the film’s clarity. “The intention for us was always, can we make a film that was distinctly about
LA, but is really holding up a mirror to America?” Martin said. Philpart said the documentary “just seem[ed] like an immense research project,” and asked about “the number of hours that went into creating” the film.
Martin said that “pre-production and post-[production] got squeezed into nine months, “and the “200 [to] 300 hours of footage” they originally compiled, quickly expanded to about 2000 hours of footage and [that he] was still incorporating and changing scenes up to the last two weeks before we (him and Lindsay) had to deliver the film. A staggering amount of footage was gathered from both aired and unaired broadcast footage, radio, and citizen journalism. One of the audience members was a commissioner for San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, Julie D. Soo, who sits on several San Francisco Boards, including the California Democratic Party Executive Board as a co-chair of the Platform Committee. Soo was pleased that the film showed the way that Korean Americans were impacted by the riots. “As an Asian American, I feel that sometimes Asian Americans are left out in the dialogue.” She went on to comment on the state of race relations in America in general, and said that “things seemed quiet for a while, but everything was
simmering underground, and now it’s just explosive.” Martin believed that incidents of police brutality have “always existed” and felt that as a nation “we’re just more privy to it, because we have our devices and we can access it easier.” The film’s intention has essentially been “to further explore the conversation as it relates to race and class in this country,” and to allow the “audience to experience [the film] in such a visceral way, that you come out having empathetic dialogue.” For Martin and Lindsay, being a part of something that was timeless and had a real impact was very important. They wanted the film to make a real statement.
“Hopefully, like any great piece of work or art, we were exploring something deeper,” Martin said.
City College Beating HARTS
Campus program works to minimize challenges of homeless students By Sarah Berjan and Argel Brown City College Ocean Campus An advisory group within the City College of San Francisco came together to make the Homeless At Risk Transitional Students (HARTS) program, addressing the issue of homelessness. Professor Chris Schaeffer managed the program for 30 years and was a faculty member who dedicated 30 to 50 hours a week to the program. After his retirement, Maraea Natua Master took over as the current HARTS program coordinator. The HARTS program was established in 1992, and is dedicated to creating paths out of poverty and homelessness by providing access, advocacy, resources and support for homeless, formerly homeless, and at-risk students within the college. Emphasizing on building partnerships designed to directly impact homelessness by linking the resources of City College to the broader community agencies and those of the agencies to City College. “The program has done a little bit of shifting since then. It’s sort of been this entity that lives in the Student Union and no one really knows who or what it was under. We’re a part of student services but the program is still developing. Not only in the demographics for students who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness but as far as capacity. The program is ever changing,” Master said. Students from the eight City College campuses are eligible to qualify for the HARTS program. However, the Ocean Phelan
campus houses program and the services available for students. The remaining seven campuses do not obtain HARTS services due to restrictive funding. “Our goal is really to close the achievement gap and make things more equitable for students who are experiencing homelessness or at risk,” Master said. “I would love to expand. That is what makes it so difficult with being understaffed. My relationship with students is equally as important because one thing that is really key is a sense of belonging, inclusivity and just a place that they feel like they can be a part of.” It’s location in the Martin Luther King Center in Room B within the Student Union Basement allows HARTS to provide food card services, discounted transportation, academic counseling and a safe place for students. They also offer a computer lab with four computers within their office. Students are also able to acquire information on different housing resources through this program. “We try our best to provide students information about different housing resources. Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot out there. We help students navigate the shelter system and that is a very traumatic experience for most students and the shelter system isn’t desired. However, we will help them navigate it or if they are in the shelter system and having trouble, we will help them at least receive the least amount of trauma while they’re there. The housing services are something that isn’t a staple because we really don’t have access to it,” Master said. Student workers help HARTS ease the student experience and with distributing resources to
students. Juan Duran, the student worker for HARTS was recommended to the program by his academic counselor at the beginning of the year due to his major being Public Health Education. “A lot of times, students are frustrated so I try to calm them down. I’ve learned that a homeless person can be anyone and being homeless is typically something you don’t expect...there’s an assumption among people that they’re on drugs, or are people who don’t work but I’ve learned that it can be everyone.I do want to continue working here. There is a lot to learn here and a lot of people to help who are in need,” Duran said. Students who are experiencing homelessness can shower and receive meals on campus. A clothing closet and a food bank is also available within the HARTS office for students in need. According to Master, the student’s academic records will be monitored throughout the semester in order to push for academic success. “I didn’t realize this was going to be my passion but I feel like this is an issue that needs to be addressed. It’s not just the empathy but the compassion that it comes with that gives the best services The harts demographic is across the board. I cannot tell you that there is only one kind of student. The housing crisis has affected so many people and by looking at them, you would never think of their situation,” Master said.
ways the community college supports its students. Employment Services Center can help with résumé writing, interviewing strategies, and employment connections. There are two Wellness Centers on campus that provide behavioral and mental health counseling, health consultations and referrals. Further employment assistance can be found for welfare recipient students at the Workforce Development/CalWORKS program. The ASLC offers a food bank on campus every first and third Tuesday of every month from 2 p.m. until supplies run out, till 4 p.m. Any student with a current student ID can walk away with groceries. Showers are available in the gymnasium locker rooms for students enrolled in at least three units. If someone is in the traumatic
circumstance of homelessness, then they are probably eligible for financial aid and student loans. This isn’t a life hack, gaining the system, or a panacea to the student a housing crisis. But, it’s the most direct resource, while exploring higher education and career options. Students should also check their eligibility at the Extended Opportunity & Services which can offer more aid like buying textbooks and counseling. A document can be found on the Laney College website, titled “Emergency Resources for Students”. This document ‘lists information on housing for the homeless, food banks, domestic violence, and other information.’ All resources listed are not connected to the community college. The document was last updated Spring 2016.
Laney College Laney College has no direct services for homeless students or students at risk of homelessness. There is no center like HARTs at City College–yet there are many
HARTS student worker Juan Duran, Harts Coordinator Maraea Nauta Master and visiting CCSF student Max Cohan pose the couch within the Harts Office.
8 | OPINION
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6 – Dec. 20, 2017
$17 goes a long way toward student health By Diane Carter and John Marshall City College Health Services GOALS AND COVERAGE Each semester, the City College Health Service Program delivers significant health services to students through on campus appointments. The goal of the City College health service program is “to uphold the physical, social, and emotional well-being of students registered for credit classes.” The program also serves eight satellite campuses. While they are are culturally responsive to every ethnic and gender community, due to budget constraints, services are provided only to registered credit students at $17 per semester (state mandated fee). Foreign students on F-1 Visas enrolled in credit classes must also enroll in the City College Health Service program, by purchasing an international student basic policy, mandated by the federal government. City College international students must belong to Ascension Benefits and Insurance Solutions with Blue Cross Blue Shield at $87 per semester. These students benefit greatly, because by gaining coverage in one large insurance pool, international students get the best possible insurance at the lowest cost.
ADMINISTRATIVE CONSIDERATIONS County wide political advocacy helps City College Student Health Services maintain and expand student services. Active community doctors and specialists cooperate and reinforce the efforts of nurse practitioners and mental health professionals at the student clinic on campus. Student Health Services, while separate by design and location, belongs to a widely connected political health network within the city and county of San Francisco. The network also covers classified and certified employee health plans, including City College teachers in Local 2121. The network benefits everyone in different ways and provides more options for health services to our students. The main City College student health center is located on our Ocean Campus and is staffed by six classified employees, seven nurse practitioners and eight psychotherapists. Our student health services are the result of cooperative community planning and development. City health service programs can be utilized to augment campus clinic services, creating a synergy of health services. HEALTH SERVICES BY CAMPUS, A COMPARISON Here is a comparative table of the services provided by health service fees paid by City
The front exterior entrance of the Student Health Services Center on Nov. 22, 2017. Photo by Diane Carter/ The Guardsman.
College students in comparison with services provided by Laney College’s Health Program. “Yes, most of the student health fee goes toward free clinic visits on campus. However, we are lucky to be in San Francisco where the community really wants to be helpful to all of its residents,” Brodie says. “All visits at the student health center are free and covered by our student health fee but there may be a small fee for certain blood tests. However, our health center prioritizes certain blood tests related to reproductive processes and can usually get the cost of those test covered by a third party agency,” Brodie says. Some fees apply to certain laboratory tests and immunizations. Other lab tests and immunizations are free when administered to a student by appointment in the health center. The health center is open five days a week with variable hours during which students book appointments. Total hours in which appointments can be made weekly are thirty-five hours and forty five minutes. Chris states that there is a likelihood of the student health fee at City College being increased next semester. California currently permits community colleges to charge students up to $20 per semester. Various campus town hall meetings concerning the proposal to increase the City College student health fee to $20 have been held, and a request for fee increases have gone before our Board of
Participatory Governance. As far as the current status of the proposal is concerned, it is very likely that the student health fee at City College will be raised soon, especially when compared to other California community college student health fees, says Brodie.
The waiting room at the Student Health Services Center at City College Ocean Campus has a machine where students can come and check their blood pressure on Nov. 22, 2017. Photo by Diane Carter/ The Guardsman
Laney Health Services The Peralta Community College District provides a variety of health services that students use daily. The goal of the Health Services program is “to support access and care for all Peralta students,” and according to the all of the services provided, the district is meeting that goal. Laney College, one of the community colleges in the district, usually handicapped by budgetary
concerns, has a financially sound health services program. The $18 health fee that every student must pay, implemented in 2010, has been able to sustain existing programs and produce new ones. The fee provides services from mental health counseling to popular acupuncture and massage sessions. “Luckily we have a good reserve, we never overspend and are able to create some creative programs,” said Indra Thadani, director of both Peralta’s and Laney’s health services. Thadani, who has been with Laney for 18 years, has used the financially flexibility to produce events. On Oct. 18 students were able to participate in exercises, meditation, and student feedback led by an educational psychologist. A similar event is due to take place in during the spring semester. In order to address the most pressing health concerns the district conducted a health assessment survey in 2016 that included 1,403 students across all four of Peralta’s colleges. Among the top concerns was stress at 19 percent, weight at 18 percent and depression at 11 percent. With stress being a huge factor in the lives of students, mental health services are often backed up. Students are able to see a mental health counselor between 8 to10 times a semester. “With the mental health we do have a waiting list and this year with the political environment and all the horrendous things have
made mental health creep up,” said Thadani. What sets the Peralta District’s health services apart from the others is the acupuncture and massage therapy that came to fruition under Thadani in 2002, with grants from UC Berkeley. The program has grown to all four campuses and is offered on different days for each campus.
“We are the premiere pioneers to begin acupuncture and massage"
— Indra Thadani
“We are the premiere pioneers to begin acupuncture and massage,” said Thadani. Laney student Sophie Camara is happy about the services, “I use it when I have cold symptoms, need supplies or want to get a massage,” she says. LGBTQ students should also feel comfortable, with faculty that are involved with the community and provide support for those students who might be struggling. Counselors are also given a refresher on LGBTQ concerns annually. Where Peralta does fall short of the mark is immunizations. While City College provides immunizations for an extra payment, Peralta gives flu vaccines and tuberculosis tests.
OPINION | 9
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6 – Dec. 20, 2017
Food critique between Ocean Campus and Laney College By Barbara Muniz and Jasmine Howell Laney College and City College anf San Francisco Ocean Campus have students on campus at many times of day, and it can be a struggle to find healthy or complete meal options. The meal options available at college campuses can make or break the student experience, because students need food. In and attempt to prove such endeavor, two students, one from City college Ocean campus and Jasmine Howell from Laney college decided to critique the food from each other's college cafeteria. Food supply available in both campus Laney College has three different food venues on campus, which include: the student center cafeteria, The Bistro and the bookstore. At Laney College, the main cafeteria is opened from 8:00 a.m., until 12:45 p.m. Breakfast burrito, scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes and even vegetarian patties are part of the menu. From closing time until 2:00 p.m., hot drinks, snacks, yogurt and energy bars are for sale. After 5:30 pm, students like Santiago M., a biology major, goes downstairs, where the bookstore is located, for a bite to eat, ‘food not so healthy’, as he claims about this second food option. However, Laney College just extended its hours of operation to serve students whose classes are later in the day, including some catered options like burgers. Michael Payette, a machine technology major, grabbed his grilled burger after 5:30 p.m., taking advantage of the new cafeteria late opening hours. In this regard, Howell noted about the dynamic of having something healthy to eat in a timely manner, “if you are on a time constraint in between lectures, the colleges large-windy facility seems to pose a problem in sourcing food in a reasonable amount of time, and more importantly, the campus lacks adequate access to quick healthy selections.” For those willing to indulge themselves in a more home cooked style meal, Laney bistro, facing a lake and an organic garden (that provides produce for the diner), offers items such as salads, and burgers, to pan seared salmon filet. Its prices are pretty similar to the main cafeteria - from 6 dollars for a salad to 11 dollars for a salmon dish. Its doors are opened from Monday through Friday from 11:45 a.m., until 1:00 p.m. The Laney bookstore and Ocean campus bookstore As aforementioned, at the bottom floor of the Laney cafeteria mingles snacks, soups and other quick bites with school materials. Cherine J, a nursing major, told The Guardsman, “I eat in the cafeteria but it’s cheaper to get a bite to eat in the bookstore.” It’s open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., except on Friday, when it closes at 2:00 p.m. The Ocean campus bookstore has assorted salads, sandwiches and packed foods (Monday – Thursday
7:45 a.m. – 7 pm and on Friday until 4pm). During the beginning of the semester, the store opens on some Saturdays too. Despite the constant claims that both schools don’t offer health alternatives, Ron, a team member at the bookstore, said: “They [students] buy the food from here because it’s cheaper and no one complains about it.” City College has four main food facilities: City Slice, Lunch box, and the Swell food cart along with vending machines installed at different buildings around the campus. Access to food areas Through a broad, well-paved cemented surface, students can source food at Laney College within a 3 to 5 minutes walk. At City College, however, it takes much longer. “When I was a student here, it was more efficient both cost-wise and logistically to bring your own food,” Jose Zimmirano, former student, said. The student lounges on campuses exhibited a fair amount of students doing just that. “Stacked microwaves and a health food vending machine adorned the room. The food container accepted both cash and card, and spewed out options such as fruit juices, fresh salads, yogurt, and meat jerky strips - to name a few- all at an affordable price.” And added to her conclusion that “Plastic tarps replaced the entrance of the City Cafe that was also in the student lounge. The facility seemed to be closed for renovation; however, I am unaware of how long it had been closed or will remain out of operation; yet, the smell of ramen replaced the Cafes absence, which seemed to be the typical choice of cuisine as the aroma plagued the walls.” Howell continued with her perception, “Onward, the stairs, and pavement overlapped like noodles in endless streams, and seemed to taunt my tummy, as the incline built my hunger and put me on a mission for food of my own, but nothing seemed to quite appeal to my appetite.” Hours when food is available “Food may be hard to come across if you have midday or evening classes at City College Ocean Campus, because the main facility known as City Slice closes its doors at 1:15 pm and the cafeteria closes at 1:30 pm to open again for a short period of time with dinner options available from 5-6:30pm.” Howell said. At Laney College, the main cafeteria is opened from 8:00 a.m., until 12:45 p.m. Breakfast burrito, scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes and even vegetarian patties are part of the menu. From closing time until 2:00 p.m., hot drinks, snacks, yogurt and energy bars are for sale. After 5:30 pm, students like Santiago M., a biology major, goes downstairs where the bookstore is located, for a bite to eat, ‘food not so healthy’, as he claims. However, Laney College just extended its hours of operation to serve students whose classes are later in the day, including some catered options like burgers. Michael Payette, a
Hernandez and culinary student Jabari Shaw under the attentive eyes of another Laney college student Monique Miles. Photo by Barbara Muniz/ The Guardsman
machine technology major, grabbed his grilled burger after 5:30 p.m., taking advantage of the new later opening hours. In this regard, Howell noted about the dynamic of having something healthy to eat in a timely manner, ‘if you are on a time constraint in between lectures, the colleges largewindy facility seems to pose a problem in sourcing food in a reason- Darren Owen, a computer science major, seems able amount of ready to enjoy his Laney College main cafeteria time, and more grilled burger on Nov 29. Photo by Barbara Muniz/ The Guardsman importantly, the campus lacks such length of time may increase. adequate access to quick healthy Its closes at 7pm. selections.” An augmented service More acres, more food with style option at Ocean campus For those willing to indulge A second option a few minute themselves in a more home cooked walk outside the student lounge style meal, Laney bistro, facing a is the Lunch Box, located close lake and an organic garden (that to Batmale Hall, which offered a provides produce for the diner), diverse selection, from breakfast offers items such as salads, and items, to Asian inspired dishes, burgers, to pan seared salmon filet. pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches and Its prices are pretty similar to the pastries.“The price range for food main cafeteria - from 6 dollars for items – from packaged snacks and a salad to 11 dollars for a salmon bottled beverages – was between dish. Its doors are opened from $2.50 and $12.00, which seemed Monday through Friday from reasonable; although this establish11:45 a.m., until 1:00 p.m. City ment closed for service at 7 pm, College Pierre Coste Chef ’s Table making options yet again difficult offers salads, hot meals with prices for night students.” Howell said. varying within $6 to $15. With a To comply with the vast area tight opening hour from 11:15 a.m. of Ocean campus, Swell food cart until 12:30 during the week – this is also on campus and opens from establishment is run by the culinary 8am-1pm, and there were quite a few department where students who students lined up for food compared cook, also maintain service as the to some of the other vendors, yet servers at the restaurant. they only offered coffee and baked goods; however, the 5-minute walk Extra food but not to another coffee shop that seemed officially connected to to appeal to the student body more school schedule effervescently was Philz coffee, as Apart from the three food Howell observed. However, if your venues in the East Bay College, classes are deeper into the campus, there are three different food trucks
surrounding the boundaries of the school premises: A purple mexican food truck, a small truck with fruits, muffin and packaged snacks, and a third one in the journey from Lake Merritt BART station and Fallon Street complement the alternative options. Going a bit further from the school premises, a nice lake invites comers, as John Reager, music instructor said: “I went all the way to Lake Merritt for a bite to eat as I love tacos.” While it seems a great option to walk a few yards to enjoy some nice treats, the food trucks can bring some surprises as it has no commitment with the school. For instance, last Wednesday, Nov. 22, the Laney college purple food truck wasn’t there. Possibly, due to Thanksgiving Day approaching but whichever the reason, it creates a gap in the food service feasibility. The same inconsistency was noticed in regards to City College, as the food truck D’Maize by the MUB parking lot was closed on Wednesday, 11/29, and there was no sign updating clients if it would open. Well established food premises not so far away from school But not all is lost and walking is great exercise. So, thanks to immigrant heritage, a multiethnic gastronomic pool surrounds Ocean campus, as it was reported, the restaurants circling Phelan Street, which is adjacent to Ocean Campus, included McDonald’s, Beep’s Burgers (10am – 10pm), Quan Pho Viet (10am-9pm)-a Vietnamese noodle house Pokihub (10:30am-9pm)-a Japanese seafood operation, and Pakwan (10:3010pm)-a Halal Indian and Pakistani joint, and lastly, Wholefoods, a 5 to 10 minute walk from Ocean Campus. As per Laney College, if one feels depleted from a variety of ethnic food, on Fridays, a line of food trucks by 10th Street invites those arriving or leaving school premises for a taco or some popular Asian treat. We shouldn’t forget the nice scenery of Lake Merritt with other food options too.
10 | SPORTS
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6– Dec. 20, 2017
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SPORTS | 11
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6 – Dec. 20, 2017
BELOVED RAM
City College mourns loss of Coach John Bolano By Patrick Cochran pcochran@theguardsman.com
Over the past weekend the City College community learned of the devastating passing of John Bolano, who was 62 years old. Bolano served as the strength and conditioning coach for the men’s and women’s intercollegiate teams for the past 17 years. “John’s impact on the college was just tremendous,” City College Athletic Director Dan Hayes said. “Since the time he came here we have won a lot of championships and he helped play a role in every single one of them.” Bolano also spent time as an assistant football coach and helped guide the Rams to four national championships in the year 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2011. A close companion of former football coach George Rush, Bolano often drove around Rush in a cart during practice ferrying the coach from drill to drill. During his tenure as strength and conditioning coach, Bolano was responsible for the training of thousands of student athletes at City College. He helped them with injury prevention, rehab from injuries and nutritional guidance. Bolano’s impact reached far beyond the athletic department and even may help to save lives. Five years ago, Bolano was approached by the CCSF Administration of Justice and Fire Science
“John’s impact on the college was just tremendous. Since the time he came here we have won a lot of championships and he helped play a role in every single one of them.”
— Dan Hayes
Department to help them develop a physically rigorous class for public safety students. Bolano came up with Physical Education 29 (Firefighting/Public Safety Conditioning) to train he future firefighters. His assistance helped prepare hundreds of public safety students to pass the physical exam needed to enter police and fire departments throughout California. Besides PE 29, Bolano helped develop numerous other PE classes that help students stay in shape. Outside of
City College, Bolano had a lucrative side job as a one-on-one trainer for professional athletes. Bolano helped train notable athletes such as former Dallas Cowboy safety, Roy Williams, and former San Francisco Giant, Shawon Dunston. Bolano will be sorely missed by his former colleagues. “He had just such a great spirit,” Hayes said. “One day he was around here, and the next day he’s gone. That’s just how life is sometimes, but it just happened so sudden. He will be missed by everyone here.”
His assistance helped prepare hundreds of public safety students to pass the physical exam needed to enter police and fire departments throughout California.
12 | SPORTS
Vol. 164, Issue 8 | Dec. 6– Dec. 20, 2017
Floyd bursts past Ram’s single season rushing record
Isaiah Floyd splits between two College of San Mateo defenders. Photo by Peter Wong/ Special to The Guardsman
By Patrick Cochran pcochran@theguardsman.com
Ram’s star running back, Isaiah Floyd, broke the school’s single season rushing yardage record during the Ram’s bowl game against Sacramento City College. Floyd finished the season with 1797 rushing yards, surpassing the previous record of 1762 yards set in 1997 by running back, Kevin Brown. Rushing for 136 yards in the 55-21 win over Sacramento City to break the record, Floyd’s
performance left his teammates and coaches awestruck all season. “There is no question he is one of the best we have ever seen,” offensive coordinator Dan Hayes said. “City College has had some great running backs over the years, like OJ Simpson, guys who were tremendous so for Isaiah to break the record with the guys who have come before him is a huge achievement.” “I feel like I am in special company,” Floyd said. “All those guys on the list have gone on to do great things and I hope I can join them.”
Before Floyd broke the record head coach Jimmy Collins noted how big of an achievement it would be, especially considering the amount of time Floyd sat out during games when the Rams winning by multiple touchdowns. “He has sat out four halves because we had significant leads,” Collins said. “That is two full games that he didn’t get to play. The guys on the all-time list number five through one played twelves games. He is getting eleven, and really only nine when you take the four halves away. So it is just amazing.” “His performance has been
Isaiah Floyd rushes upfield against Diablo Valley College as his teammates help block. Photo by Peter Wong/ Special to The Guardsman
everything we have dreamed about in a running back,” Collins said. “He works so hard in every area.” Floyd is a player with multiple skill sets. Although small, Floyd is listed at 5’7"/185 lb., he packs a considerable amount of strength into his smaller build. An exceptional runner, Floyd is able to stop on a dime and reverse directions, leaving defenders grabbing air when they go in for the tackle. In addition to running the ball, Floyd also excels at catching the ball and pass blocking; two skill sets needed in modern day running backs. “His pass blocking skills w e re just tremendous,” coach Hayes said. “It shows a lot of heart and desire for a star like Isaiah to block the way he does. He was great at picking up the blitz, and helps the offensive line. It’s his special way of paying those guys back for the blocking they do for him.” F loyd is extremely grateful for the help he received from his offensive line. “I have to thank my
O-line. Those guys are some dogs,” Floyd said. “I wouldn’t be here without them. They are a big part of me breaking the record. It’s we, not me, breaking the record. They helped so much.” In addition to his 1797 rushing yards on 235 attempts for 7.6 yards per carry, Floyd ran for 21 rushing touchdowns. In the passing game Floyd caught 13 passes for 133 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Before coming to City, Floyd played high school football at Foothill in Pleasanton. Having greyshirted his first year at City College, Floyd will be able to play three years of Division-1 football. Although coaches can’t offer Floyd an athletic scholarship yet, they are still talking to his coaches about his potential. Coach Hayes mentions that staff from Colorado, Utah and Washington State have all inquired about Floyd playing for them. “Greyshirting the first year really helped me,” Floyd said. “I want to be one-and-done here so I can still have three years of eligibility left when I transfer. That will really help me because it will give me more time to get stronger and develop at my new school.” Floyd’s coaches believe he will be able to succeed at the next level. “He has everything coaches want now days: he can run, catch and block. He is a great teammate and works hard every day,” Hayes said. “You look at the players he has surpassed on that list and all of them went on to do great things. There is no reason why he won’t join them.”