The Guardsman, Vol. 150, Issue 2. City College of San Francisco by The Guardsman

OP&EDS: Obama declares end to major combat

Volume 150, Issue 2

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SPORTS: Rams gear up for new season

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C&T: Concert held to honor mural

www.theguardsman.com

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September 8, 2010

Smoking crack and spitting on babies The scare tactics behind Sit-Lie' page 6

News

THE GUARDSMAN

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Dispatch from the Editor’s desk

NEWS IN BRIEF

Zemanifesto

California loses grant

California lost its bid for as much as $700 million for K-12 education from the Race to the Top Fund on Aug. 25, just after changing its education standards to get more points in the application. The state, which received 423.6 points out of possible 500, finished 16th in the competition. The District of Columbia and nine other states won grants. San Francisco school officials will receive $45 million from the state’s Board of Education to spend on its lowest-performing schools.

I am urging all San Francisco voters to vote against the “sit-lie” law in November. Furthermore, I am encouraging all of you— voter or not—to break that law at every opportunity should it pass. Sit down on any sidewalk: play checkers, eat your lunch, read a book (or The Guardsman perhaps) and just generally enjoy your public space, because it belongs to you. And because, hopefully, if everyone constantly violates this idiotic law it will become unenforceable. Let the players play Some of the happiest hours of my childhood were spent drafting early versions of my (terrible) column from last semester. I didn’t write these drafts with pen and paper, I used green and blue chalk on the concrete of the sidewalk outside. Yeah, I was a very strange, very lonely child. Still, it strikes me as unfair and ridiculous to pass any law that inhibits the ability of children to enjoy the same opportunities for imaginative play that I enjoyed growing up. Then again, with California’s legislature wielding a hammer against the porcelain piggy bank of public education, the kids may have more pressing concerns. Drop a line, waste some time We have some videos and multi-media going up on www.theguardsman.com soon, and we’ll be updating the website with new content each issue. Make sure you visit us every so often to see what we’ve added and

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

what we’re up to. You can comment on your favorite (or least favorite) parts of The Guardsman and see every letter we receive, even those too long or obscene for print publication. Also, I’m seriously considering putting up some Flash games, but you won’t know when I do unless you check in once in a while. Besides, how many times a day do you really need to check your Facebook account? Drainage If I say I am a newspaper man, you will agree, I am a newspaper man. I am the editor-in-chief of a California, student newspaper, I have a staff of over 20 individuals working for me, I have city-wide distribution and I do my own drilling, er, editing.

You may have heard of Op/Ed Editor Nick Palm’s recent acquisition of an old gold mine in the Sierra foothills. You may also have heard that I am an avid quail hunter and that I have purchased a ranch on the plot of land directly next to Nick’s so that I can indulge in that pastime with my son and business partner P. H Zeman. What you may not know is that I have also acquired every acre between my ranch and the Pacific ocean. Let’s just say that Nick has a milkshake and I have a straw. I’m finished. — Greg Zeman Editor-in-Chief E-mail: gzeman@theguardsman.com

Alea Iacta Est

Sit-lie headed to ballot box in November By: Greg Zeman

going to enforce the law against day laborers?”

San Francisco voters will decide the future of the controversial Civil Sidewalks, or “sit-lie,” ordinance, which failed to pass the Board of Supervisors; Mayor Gavin Newsom is using his executive privilege to place the item on the November ballot. Some people, including District 9 Supervisor David Campos, feel the ordinance, which would criminalize sitting or lying on public sidewalks anywhere in the city between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., could be used to unfairly target day laborers. “The fact is, that at some point, as a day laborer, you will have to sit down during the day. It is humanly impossible to be standing all day as you’re waiting and looking for a job,” Campos said at the June 8 board meeting where the ordinance was voted down 8-3. “Are you telling me that you’re not

Sit-lie and S-Comm The recent absorption of San Francisco into the Department of Justice’s “Secure Communities” program - a federal program that will cross-check fingerprints of those arrested in SF against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement database - has raised concerns about police using the proposed law to target undocumented workers for deportation. Although the Mayor’s office and supporters of the ordinance have consistently claimed that the measure is not aimed at day laborers or undocumented workers, there is no language in the proposed law making this distinction. A group of men standing on Cesar Chavez Street, who identified themselves as day laborers, who asked their names not be published, said they fear that the

THE GUARSMAN

CORRECTIONS A production fiasco resulted in an unedited version of the story “Get out and eat something: Ocean campus” being printed. In it we inaccurately and inappropriately referred to the Crown Catering truck in front of the Visual Arts building—a staff favorite—by the affectionate, but misleading, nickname “roach coach.” We extend our sincerest apologies to Mike Franco and the staff of Crown Cater-

law could be used to sweep them off the street and out of the country just for trying to work. “I maybe can stand without sitting for four or five hours if I have to, but how can I stand all day?” asked Carlos, one of the men on Cesar Chavez whose name was changed for fear of reprisal. “What if I want to sit down to eat?” District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty said he couldn’t vote for a the ordinance on just a verbal promise that day laborers would not be targeted. “I’m not willing to support something that on its face is going to have to be selectively enforced,” he said. “To stand and listen to officers go, ‘oh no, we’re not going to focus on individuals who are day laborers, that’s not what our focus is,’ that’s not the way the law works.” Sidewalk Civility Proponents of the measure, including District 2 Supervisor

ing, who run an exceptionally clean and quality establishment, for any offense taken at our accidental omission of their restaurant’s official name. In addition, the article was riddled with basic structural and grammatical errors. Our copy chief is immensely competent and his edited version was cleansed of all errors. We regret that the final product did not reflect his abilities. The Photograph accompanying the story “Women’s soccer looks forward to new season” was inaccurately attributed to

Michela Alioto-Pier, say that the ordinance is a vital police tool. They insist it is not directed at any disadvantaged group. “The legislation is not intended to target homeless people or people with mental health issues. It’s intended to address concerns related to public safety and came about form the voices of residents and merchants throughout the city,” she said. “The police do not have a tool for dealing with people who are not breaking the law, but who act provocatively to passersby or merchants.” The proposed ordinance is heavily endorsed by Police Chief Goerge Gascón who argues that it is a necessary tool in neighborhoods like the Haight, which is receiving an increasing number of complaints about groups of “thugs” blocking sidewalks and bullying merchants, pedestrians and local residents. However, Campos doesn’t buy SIT-LIE: Page 10

“Robert Romero.” The photographer who took that picture is Guardsman staff photographer Robert Romano. The pull-quote in the article “Apples and Oranges or: How the Christian Legal Society spent their summer vacation” was incomplete and contained a major spelling error. As editor-in-chief of The Guardsman, I take full responsibility for all errors and inaccuracies that appear in the pages of this paper. Please feel free to contact me and bring them to my attention. —Greg Zeman, Editor in Chief

College heads resign from board

The University of California President and the California Community College Chancellor resigned from the Chamber of Commerce board of directors after the board decided to endorse Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman. UC President Mark Yudof resigned before the board made their decision, and CCC Chancellor Jack Scott shortly after on Sept. 3.

SFSU Student loses case

A San Francisco State University student lost her case against the university over a fee increase. Communications major Angela Yuen Uyeda had already paid for her full-time tuition when she received a notification from the school to pay an additional $336. In the hearing, she argued it was unfair for students to make two payments in the same semester and on such short notification. The court ruled the university had no obligation to refund the students. SFSU officials also contended the school notifies students that fees can change at anytime.

SFMTA restores service

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency restored 61 percent of the services it cut last May, despite efforts by operators to challenge the decision. Services on the K-Ingleside, M-Ocean View, 9-San Bruno and the 14-L in the Mission will be increased. Late-night lines, such the Owl, will run every 30 minutes rather than every hour. The agency plans to restore the rest of the services by December. Check out our website for more news and online exclusives www.theguardsman.com

News

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

Bus loop will serve new community By: Roberto Romano THE GUARDSMAN

Student equity process continues By Kwame Opoku-Duku THE GUARDSMAN

RACHEL VANZANDT / THE GUARDSMAN

Phelan Loop bus stop on Ocean Avenue will be the future site of a mix-use building that will include commercial space and 71 units of affordable housing.

The development project will have an open space and a mix-use building that includes 71 affordable housing units.

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Site of Phelan Loop Project

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E-mail: rromano@theguardsman.com

Phelan Loop Development Site

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health services. “Many of the youths are coming out of foster care, emancipated at 18 - usually without life skills,” Cory said. “This is a way to address youth becoming homeless. The city of San Francisco has made a huge commitment to provide supportive housing which is an affordable housing service.” Housing will be in walking distance from the Balboa Park BART Station and Muni bus lines. “The intention is to provide housing where you don’t need a car,” said David Liggett, director of City College’s facilities management. Phase one of the project requires the transit development to be completed before phase two, construction on the mix-use building, can begin. The whole project is scheduled for completion in May 2013.

Brighton Ave

The San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency approved the development of the Muni Phelan Loop transit circle, changing the direction of buses and allowing the construction of the affordable multi-family housing units as well as a mix-use building. Currently, buses must turn right into the loop going counter-clockwise and exit on Lee Street to return to Ocean Avenue. Upon completion of the transit circle, buses will enter the existing loop, but then encircle the nearby fire station and turn back on to Phelan Avenue at Ocean. This will allow for faster projected transit times. Bob Herman’s firm, Herman Coliver and Locus Architecture, was hired to design the mix-use building. “There has been some discussion of the retail shops,” Herman said. “Some suggestions have been a hardware store or a cafe on the corner over looking the new town plaza, but nothing is certain yet.” The City of San Francisco and the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center have joined forces with developers to build this “transit village.” The project will Include 71 affordable housing units, studios, one-, two- and threebedroom units. The prices will be determined by the capacity of low-income people to the pay the rent, Herman said. Affordable housing generally requires that rents be capped at 30 percent of the targeted income level’s gross monthly income, according to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Anne Cory, president of the Cooperation of Supportive Housing said that 24 of the 71 units above the retail are dedicated to “transition-age” housing for people between the ages of 18 to 25. The housing program includes job training, tutoring, mental health and physical

Ocean Ave

Av e

Bruce Ave

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GRAPHIC BY THE GUARDSMAN STAFF

Curriculum and administrative changes are being made at City College to address the student achievement gap following two student equity meetings held July 20 and July 22. The student hiring process, financial aid and priorities for incoming students are some areas where administrative changes will occur. City College Trustee Steve Ngo said the meetings were very constructive and noted several key points of progress. He said requirements for student employment would change. Previously, requirements such as tuberculosis shots sometimes delayed students from beginning work immediately. The new changes will allow students to start working sooner while finishing the necessary paperwork. “All student jobs will be required to be posted on the career services website,” Ngo said, but added that City College lost 10 percent of its $1.4 million to fund campus jobs.

EQUITY: Page 10

Bookstore helped by selling SF State books

Campus Safety

Task force created to prevent thief By Gayle Yglesias THE GUARDSMAN

Because of increased theft on campus, the City College Police Department is attempting to prevent crime and protect students by informing them of the issues. The numbers of burglaries and thefts have increased each year on the Ocean Campus, but not on any of the other City College campuses. This is in part because Ocean campus is the largest campus in both student population and property size. The Rosenberg Library and the Wellness Center on the Ocean campus have been primary targets for larceny. “People will go to the library to take a nap and put their head down, and they immediately become victims of theft,” CCPD Public Information Officer Rachel Hakes said. “They will leave their belongings spread out beside them, making it easy for anyone to walk by and steal their things.” In the Wellness Center students keep their belongings in lockers often unattended during class time, thinking they are safe and secure, but thieves have proven otherwise. “I never leave anything valuable in my car,” City College student Danielson Capuz said. “I know anything can happen with the parking lot being so far away from the actual campus and it seems pretty easy for theft to occur. I don’t see TASKFORCE: Page 10

By Kwame Opoku-Duku THE GUARDSMAN

Some San Francisco State University professors are supporting local book sellers, like Modern Times Bookstore, by ordering their course texts instead of using the campus bookstore. Modern Times, which is run by a cooperative, is desperately seeking funds to help keep its doors open. “We’ve been taking orders for textbooks here for a few years now,” Kermit Playfoot, a co-op member of Modern Times, said. “Some of the schools that do it don’t have bookstores, but we appreciate when anyone decides to do it.” This is not the first time the bookstore has found itself partnering with an outside source. With the growing amount of Internet book sales, which are often less expensive, Modern Times has had to come up with ways to remain a sustainable business. In 2005, the bookstore teamed up with New College of California, then a Valencia Street neighbor. As a part of their collaboration, Modern Times was able to gain extra technical support, while New College was able to utilize the back office space as a classroom. There was also a joint-advertising agreement between the institutions. New College ordered textbooks from Modern Times because it did not have its own bookstore. The SFSU bookstore, however, is in a different situation. Its bookstore a non-profit with sales that go directly

PATRICK MAKIRI / THE GUARDSMAN

Peter Burchard, a local fencing teacher, explores the paperback books assigned for various SFSU courses at Modern Times Bookstore.

to the university - is a member of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. “I’m glad they’re supporting Modern Times,” Executive Director of the NCIBA Hut Landon said. “But supporting their own bookstore is also supporting independent booksellers.” Wendy Johnson, textbook manager at the SFSU bookstore, has also expressed concern. She explained that often times students go to the campus bookstore looking for textbooks that were ordered not through them, but through another bookstore. “Just like City College, most of our students are commuters, and I know it can be challenging when, teachers are sending students to Ocean Avenue or Taraval Street or elsewhere when some of them are freshmen and don’t know how to get there,” she said. “They come to us expecting us to have the

books, and we don’t have them.” Johnson said that professors can order textbooks from any where they choose. While neither Landon or Johnson denied the financial crisis facing Modern Times or any independent bookstores, Landon hopes the parties involved will come up with a solution that works for everyone. “We’d like for the professors to explain to the students why to buy books from independent stores, in general, as opposed to Amazon,” Landon said. For Modern Times, the luxury of looking into the future is gone. “In these tough economic times, every bit helps,” Playfoot said. “And we’ll be happy to order books for anyone who needs them.” E-mail: tcervantes@theguardsman.com

Opinions&Editorials

THE GUARDSMAN

THE GUARDSMAN City College of San Francisco’s Newspaper Since 1935

There’s gold in them thar hills

Editor in Chief Greg Zeman News Editors Tania Cervantes Jessica Luthi Opinions & Editorials Editor Nick Palm Cultures & Trends Editor Estela Fuentes Sports Editor Ryan Kuhn Online Editor Dominick Delgadillo Multimedia Editor Angela Penny Photo Editor Ramsey El-Qare Chief Copy Editor Atticus Morris Copy Editors Don Clyde Alex Luthi Online Staff Alex Luthi Staff Writers Elizabeth Kessell Isaiah Kramer Catherine Lee Kwame Opuku-Doku Jose Torres Destiny Vaughn Gayle Yglesias Photographers Sabrina Bot-Le Stum Celeste Bogle Colt Ciancanelli Dishon Irving Donald Hamilton Frank Ladra Patrick Makiri Robert Romano Tim Taechotirote Roderick Tannehill Rachel VanZandt Multimedia Ian Mc Donald Contributing Writer Omri Petitte Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales

California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges

To advertise in our newspaper please contact our Advertising Manager Jessica Luthi at advertising@theguardsman.com How to contact us: Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Phone: (415) 239-3446 Fax: (415) 239-3884 E-mail: email@theguardsman.com Online: www.theguardsman. com

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

I’m giving up. Throwing in the towel. Releasing the hostages. Unwrapping the burrito, if you will. We’re only three weeks into the fall semester, and I already find myself questioning whether or not I can take 15 more weeks of this. The classes themselves are not the problem. It’s the metaphorical street-juggler persona I’ve taken on that gives me hell. Wearing the customary clown face paint and over-sized, floppy red shoes, I commence with my act: I juggle school, my job, my girlfriend, friends I like, friends I don’t like, and countless useless

hobbies. Needless to say, there are not enough hours in a day to fuel my attempt at a productive lifestyle. However, I think I might have found a solution. I literally had a “eureka!” moment this morning when I read the word “eureka” on a chalkboard in one of my classes. Why would anyone ever want to toil through hours of manual labor, just to receive a measly paycheck that barely covers the cost of living, let alone college? Then you pay for college with this hard earned money, all the while hoping to receive a piece of paper they call “diploma” that announces to all who read it, “I

have learned things. Hire me. But don’t pay me too much. Please, pay me less than I would be making as a bartender... which is what I was already doing before I received this diploma.” So I propose the question: Why make money when you can find money? Friends, I am taking on a new role. Sorry, Kurt Russel, you will be receiving no more royalties from me for my portrayal of your “Snake Plissken” character. I will now be known as “Jebediah Turdlebrock: grouchy old prospector.” I’m a leavin’ for these here foothills in the morrow-times of a fortnight hence! Sorry, no need to confuse anyone with prospector speak. Here’s my plan: There’s got to be tons of gold left in the Sierra Foothills that was not discovered during the days of the Barbary Coast. So I asked my editor-in-chief, Greg Zeman, if I could take a few weeks off from The Guardsman and try my shot at striking it rich. Not only did he say yes, but guess what? He’s coming with me! Although Greg will be searching for oil, apparently. I’ve read plenty of Jack London stories, so I know I’m prepared. We’ve got all our

equipment ready and are leaving tomorrow. Farewell, San Francisco. Set us free to become the disgustingly rich prospectors our destiny beholds. So I ask you, the reader, please don’t feel envious when we return from our great excursion with more money than you could ever imagine. I won’t forget all the little people when I’m living the life of a railroad tycoon in my mansion atop Russian Hill, where I live with my wife, Gisele Bundchen whom I “intercepted” from Tom Brady (sports reference!). There, our children will play in the fields of poppies and tulips I paid to have built for them - by purchasing the city of Livermore and leveling it. (It was bound to happen, people.) Greg Zeman, my partner in wealth, will live next door in a slightly smaller, slightly less impressive mansion with his wife, children and a pack of domesticated-cheetah butlers. (Any form of feline training is possible, given the time and resources. Trust me.) Wish us luck, friends. And please, keep sending me your funny, tragic, heroic, or just despicable tales of your extralong tenures at City College. E-mail: npalm@theguardsman.com

What did Operation Iraqi Freedom accomplish? and 31,700 wounded. “Wounded” in this war generally means limb loss and/or severe head trauma. And the U.S. has critically damaged its As Barack Obama announced the end of “major combat operations” in Iraq on Aug. credibility, both morally and as a nation with 31, congressional Republican leaders, John the capacity to achieve what it sets out to do. As for how the Iraqi’s have fared, conserBoehner and Mitch McConnell, expressed concern that the president would attempt to vative estimates put the death toll at more than 100,000. An estimated 1.8 million assume credit for the war’s success. Which begs the question: After 2,722 have become refugees, and an additional 2.6 million have been official days of displaced within combat, what exactly Iraq. has the U.S. accom- Was it worth the price we paid Violence has plished in Iraq? and how much better are the diminished signifiIn the president’s Iraqi people for it? cantly since 2007, speech, he explained but a wave of that the U.S. will bombings on Aug. maintain a continued 30 of this year presence of 50,000 troops in Iraq until at least the end of 2011 - suggests it’s far from eradicated. The relative stability means access to electricity is hardly a decisive victory. The confusion about what was achieved much more reliable, but London-based econstems in part from the disparity between omist and Iraq expert Ali al-Saffar estimates the original justification for conflict and the only 46 percent of the demand is currently being met. revised one. The much ballyhooed democracy that Congress authorized the Iraq war under the pretense of preventing an allegedly immi- took seven and a half years to install - after an endless procession of essentially cosmetic nent attack on the U.S. But the original objective of destroying elections - is just an assortment of bickerIraq’s “Weapons of Mass Destruction” was ing factions cobbled together with a flimsy in retrospect, unattainable, because there constitution. The power vacuum created in the wake of never were any to destroy. Once this was clearly demonstrated, the objective suddenly “Operation Iraqi Freedom” has significantly had "always" been the liberation of the Iraqi strengthened Iran’s influence in the region. So much so, that It’s really not that big of a people from Saddam Hussein. Well, we did depose Hussein, but was it stretch to say, as some already have, that the worth the price we paid and how much better victor in the Iraq War was Iran. As evidence, consider that the U.S. are the Iraqi people for it? According to the latest Congressional eliminated Iran’s secular nemesis Hussein, Budget Office report, the monetary cost for empowered the long-repressed Shiite majorIraq is in excess of $700 billion. The price ity (Iran is primarily Shiite) and is drawingtag in blood equals 4,400 Americans dead down its presence in the region, leaving an By Atticus Morris THE GUARDSMAN

Iraqi government that is now sympathetic to Tehran. And finally, the invasion and occupation of Iraq validated in the eyes of the Muslim world, much of the anti-west propaganda of organizations like al-Qaida. The United States has fallen neatly into the caricatured role of enemy to Islam. Obama made it clear that his speech, which focused mostly on the troops, Afghanistan and the U.S. economy, was not a “victory lap.” As the U.S. looks toward the future, it would do well to learn from mistakes made in Iraq. That the president declined to rehash the past is understandable, but the rhetorical tone characterizing the Afghanistan discourse is distressingly similar to that of Iraq, both in terms of its idealistic language and its illdefined objectives. In other words, “here we go again.” With the myriad problems the U.S. is now facing, we as citizens should not only be asking questions, but demanding specific answers. Is the U.S. trying to capture and kill all enemies in Afghanistan, or just disperse them into Pakistan? Who exactly is the enemy in this campaign? Al-Qaida? The Taliban? Both? How do we plan to accurately gauge progress? By the number of elections the Afghanis have held? Sure we control Kabul, but Kabul has been conquered by many invading armies, from the British in the eighteenth century to the Soviets in the twentieth. Does controlling Kabul mean anything? The Afghanis have historically always fought guerrilla wars of attrition. How long is the U.S. prepared to stay there? Another 10 years? Another 20? E-mail: amorris@theguardsman.com

Opinions&Editorials

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Nothing to show for lowered standards By Isaiah Kramer THE GUARDSMAN

California was not awarded a grant for Race to the Top, the federal program that motivates states to reform education. This means that potentially $700 million for use in helping our bankrupt education budget will now go to other states. Race to the Top pitted states against each other to compete for a portion of a $4.3 billion dangling carrot. The grant application was structured to ensure states would develop plans that adhered to a prescripted outline. The strict program is a framework for re-engineering school systems nationally. To entice applicants to adhere to its guidelines, the program offers generous compensation for “playing by the rules.” California’s education budget - as embittered students and teachers can verify - is as desperate and desiccated as a beaten, bloodied beggar clutching a Styrofoam cup. Our education system from K-12 and beyond, once celebrated, is now cause for condemnation. We’re in the hole and we desperately need any penny the federal government has to offer. But not if that means relinquishing sovereignty and compromising our ability to decide what is best for our students. Teachers’ unions are railing hard against the Race to the Top reforms, citing an intrusion into the classroom. California’s school districts are already fed up with the charter schools advocated by Race to the Top. The state’s standards for K-12 were lowered to less rigorous national benchmarks in an attempt to win points toward a grant. Race to the Top serves as a wellorchestrated game replete with points, judges, and prizes. The complex scoring system awards points from zero to 500 based on four

criteria: adopting the national standards of assessment; creating a database of student performance growth linked to teacher instruction; implementing a system that evaluates teachers and a willingness to close down chronically failing schools. Theoretically, this game promotes healthy competition for federal funding and institutes effective reforms. Unfortunately, in practice it presents a slew of constraints that inhibit creative change. This reform makes a mockery of our country’s education system, which tends to merit mocking anyway, by assuming that that it’s rudimentary and one dimensional. Another disturbing clause inherent in Race to the Top’s philosophy is that uniformity in education is a good thing. I’ve always prided myself on having esoteric knowledge. Now they want students to learn all the same material. How dull. The idea that learning can be standardized and improved, from sea to sea, at the hands of rigid bureaucracy is an insult to the students and teachers who comprise public education. No two students learn alike, and no two teachers teach alike, as anyone who has ever been in a classroom can attest. So what makes the Department of Education think a point-based game entailing 38 pages of guidelines will have the one-sizefits-all solution for our failing system? Radical reform is needed, but it can’t be effected through overarching requisites or judged using points in a pageant. The reform can’t be implemented from the top down. The reform will not be televised. It won’t be disseminated, or dictated either. And it certainly won’t come of test scores and game points. California is a prime example of why this brand of reform is flawed. California is the most populous state in the nation; roughly one-eighth of Americans reside here. It probably has the best and worst teachers in the nation, along with

THE GUARDSMAN

Race to the Top Winners and losers to date in the U.S. Department of Education’s competitive grant program to provide funds to states with innovative and achievable education reform programs. First round winners named in March, sharing $600 million

N.Y.

Calif.

Ill.

Colo.

Ohio

Pa.

Ky. Tenn.

Ariz. La.

R.I. Conn. Del. D.C.

N.C. S.C. Ga. Fla.

Hawaii NOTE: Alaska and Hawaii are not to scale

GRAPHIC BY MCT CAMPUS

some of the best and worst students, and some of the best and worst schools. How does one find the diamonds in the coal heap? In shoveling coal, one is sure to overlook the hidden treasures. Some foreign hand interfering with the process only increases the probability of error. If we were to blindly employ a spreadsheet of reforms across the board in accordance with the Race to the Top guidelines, the result would be the collapse of individualized learning. We may as well program computers to run the classroom. The problems of our school systems - many of which Race to the Top does address - must be solved with students in mind instead of test scores. Race to the Top is the same winnertakes-all game the DOE proposes we play with our school reform. This grant contest is an allegory for what their brand of education reform advocates—competition,

micro-organisms, all living things evolved and survived through adaptation or, over generations through a process called “natural selecA young boy looks up at his mother and tion.” Religious fanatics attack evolution by asks, “How does a bee fly?” The mother, not saying it’s just a theory. They believe that knowing the answer replies, “Because God since it can’t be proven, it must be wrong. wants it to.” While scientists could stick to the “speak The previous dialogue is based on true for yourself” argument, instead they acknowlevents that occurred at, of edge the possiall places, the Academy bility of error of Sciences, when I was Scientists think the intelligent while seeking 10 years old. The moment to find answers always stuck with me design folks are mistaken in with shockbecause even as a young calling what they do science being things like altar boy, I deemed her cause it lacks credibility. “evidence” and answer laughable. “tests.” I know, Religion and science gasp! have always been at odds When the bell rings, science and religion with each other. By that, I mean religion has tear off the gloves and go for each other’s consistently silenced or killed scientists, and throat. But a third contender, intelligent design, science has striven to usurp the stranglehold religion has on what is ultimately true. The enters the ring like some sort of “Battle Royal” fight drags on, it isn’t a single round K.O. In episode. Intelligent design proponents try square one corner creationists, and the other, evoluthe circular arena by marrying the two ideas tionists. Ding, ding! (as long as they aren’t the same sex), and they Creationists believe the world was thought butcher the job. up by God, created by God, and is currently Scientists think the intelligent design folks being ruled over by God. God God God, all are mistaken in calling what they do science things that were or ever will be are thanks to because it lacks credibility. Religious groups the big guy upstairs. dislike the design folks because of a scientific In the other corner is the theory of evolustigma. tion, made popular by Charles Darwin’s ‘On People pushing for intelligent design claim the Origins of Species’ published in 1859. to be scientists who are not religiously motiIt states that once life started on the level of THE GUARDSMAN

Finalists named for the second round but not chosen

Second round winners named Aug. 24, sharing $3.3 billion

rivalry and injustice. Students flunking? Fire the teacher. Teachers ineffective? Fire the principal. School is failing? Shut it down. Race to the Top’s guidelines lend themselves to this type of violent action. These sweeping deliberations take a toll on students, teachers and schools. Forcing our teachers and administrators to comply with dramatic reforms leaves no time for educating. Race to the Top’s comprehensive overtures harbor seeds of promise, but they infringe upon the autonomy of our schools with an agenda of provisos. Our reform needs to be unique, specified, tolerant, compassionate and well funded. All that Race to the Top offers is funding--one out of five isn’t good enough. E-mail: ikramer@theguardsman.com

Intelligent design not very scientific By Dominick Delgadillo

vated. They believe science doesn’t have an answer for how life was originally created. In lieu of rigorous experiments or calculated testing, they claim there is too much complexity in life to believe it simply developed on it’s own. Here’s a little recap: Creationist answer: God did it (p.s. he’s a cool guy). Scientific answer: Life has had to fight to continue. (Where it began? People are working on that one). Intelligent design’s answer: the structures for life may change over time, but it’s impossible that it began and thrived this long without some higher power or influence. (They aren’t calling it “God,” they’re just saying it’s something.) I’m not saying intelligent design is a completely whacked out idea - wait, yes I am. I’ve lived in a family where religion ruled my every move for the first fifteen or so years of my life. Where I had to sneak away under my Power Ranger sheets with my official Boy Scout flashlight to read science stuff. I’ve gone from reading the Bible for years to reading Darwin’s work. From going to Sunday school and then to science class saying my prayers, only to see atrocities happen all over the world. At a certain point, I had to realize there is no Intelligent Design. In fact, there probably isn’t any design at all. E-mail: ddelgadillo@theguardsman.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Guardsman encourages feedback from our readers. We will publish printable letters as soon as our publication schedule allows. Guidelines for letters: Letters must be signed with first and last name. The Guardsman reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity and content. Most letters should be less than 200 words, although longer letters are sometimes printed. All letters are available at www.theguardsman. com. Send Letters to: email@theguardsman.com 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Bungalow 214, Ocean Campus Call for more information: (415) 239-3446

Opinions&Editorials

THE GUARDSMAN

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Editorial

Who owns San Francisco’s sidewalks? The battle over public space in San Francisco

To hear the proponents of the so-called “sit-lie” ordinance tell it, San Francisco is teeming with crack-addled, homeless degenerates who would spit on your baby in a heartbeat. The outrageous actions of these outof-control vagrants are portrayed as a citywide epidemic by the pro-sit-lie crowd, and cited as justification for the revival of a misguided law, which criminalizes use of public space. Although Mayor Gavin Newsom was originally opposed to a sit-lie law, his concerns were almost certainly rooted in political calculation, not principle. After Newsom and his daughter observed an individual smoking crack-cocaine on the sidewalk, he began actively supporting the ordinance. Another famous horror story concerns an anonymous mother who, while pushing a stroller down Haight Street, attracted the ire of a particularly aggressive panhandler who proceeded to spit on her baby. Both of these incidents, and others like them, are being used by sit-lie proponents to create the illusion that law enforcement is not properly equipped to address public safety concerns under current laws. It is against the law to smoke crack— anywhere. It is against the law to panhandle, aggressively or otherwise, in many parts of the city, and we seriously hope there is a law that makes it illegal to spit on a baby. The Guardsman is in full support of any proposition that will create new laws—or strengthen existing ones—which criminalize the act of expectorating on, or at, any baby, for any reason. Whether the person spitting is sitting, lying or standing, it should be totally illegal to spit on babies at any time, in any setting. While we aren’t prepared to take an official stance on the ongoing prohibition of controlled substances at this time, we are aware of several laws currently on the books that prohibit the consumption of crack-cocaine. We cannot see how a sit-lie ordinance would mitigate the devastating impact of the illicit drug trade or otherwise aid in the prevention of public crack consumption.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR In Response to our issue one editorial: “List one Muslim that signed our Constitution. List one that believes in the separation of church and state. List one that believes in the education of all females, so that they have the same rights as all males. You cannot, because a Mosque is not the center of Islam, it is the local center of a totalitarian religious political philosophy that kills it’s opponents. This religion does not support the Constitution of this nation or state. These are the real facts.

The ill-fated 1968 Municipal Police ing visions of freedom: one unfettered by Code section 20 was a nearly identical law, anything apart from the constraints of the crafted specifically to deal with the pres- Constitution, and one limited by the whims ence of “hippies,” who were viewed as a of corporate custodians. detriment to business. That law was struck In a nation that fails to provide it’s citidown, and now there is hardly a business zens full Constitutional protection within on Upper Haight Street that doesn’t cash the boundaries of corporate property, in on the fascinathe distinction tion tourists have between public with all things In a city built on progressive values and private Haight-Ashbury space is a matter of free expression and community, hippie related. of liberty. Freewe cannot afford to let irrational We are dom-loving unconvinced that fear cloud our vision. citizens must a recycled antiembrace and hippie ordinance defend their that met it’s rightful demise in 1979—one public spaces, and sidewalks are included that unnecessarily criminalizes children at in that. play and working people at rest—is needed The people trying to claim sidewalks to address the illegal behavior being milked as an extension of corporate property are for shock value by those in favor of sit-lie. attempting to elevate the rights of consumThis isn’t about the homeless. We think ers over those of citizens. If we let them that any city with as many struggling, take away the sidewalks, we’re letting desperate people forced to sleep on the them take away one more community street as San Francisco, has a serious prob- space for political expression. lem, but it isn’t one that can be addressed In a city built on progressive values of by this law. free expression and community, we cannot This is about freedom of expression. afford to let irrational fear cloud our vision. In the Supreme Court’s 1972 decision, It makes sense for people to want a Lloyd Corp. LTD v. Tanner, First Amend- feeling of security in their own neighborment protections for privately owned shop- hood. It isn’t wrong for them to expect law ping malls were eliminated. enforcement to live This decision, and the continuing up to privatization it’s of formerly public spaces in the

United States, has created two compet-

I am a student here, so, print this letter, to prove First Amendment Rights.” -Emil Lawrence There are countless cultures, faiths and ethnic groups that were not represented at the signing of the U.S. Constitution —incidentally, many of those groups are represented on the staff of The Guardsman. Just because some of us do not have a direct racial or religious connection to the men who signed the Constitution (no women signed it, do women get rights?) doesn’t mean it is justified to deny us the protections promises to all citizens, and we refuse to acquiesce to any notion that it does. We are printing this letter, not to prove the existence of First Amendment rights—they

the security and sanity of our city. But it is wrong for us, as a city, to allow a few scared people to push ill-conceived, destructive laws—laws that have already failed in practice—on an issue that affects the lives and freedom of us all. Any law that makes it illegal for a child to shoot marbles, draw with chalk or otherwise play on the sidewalk is a bad law. The fact that sit-lie will do just that unless it is selectively enforced, points to the lack of thoughtful planning on the part of those who have revived this simplistic and overreaching law. This isn’t about public safety, this is about setting a precedent and taking a stand. The business and property owners who value their own prosperity over the freedom of the general public are digging in their heels, and claiming the sidewalks for themselves and their commercial endeavors. We as citizens, renters and average San Franciscans must also take a stand and defend our claim to the sidewalks and all other public spaces. The future of our freedom depends on it.

E-mail: email@theguardsman.com

name and enforce existing laws that protect

are undeniably real—but to invite our moderate, secular and otherwise non-terrorist Muslim readers to stand up and be counted, for the edification of Mr. Lawrence. So, if you are a Muslim of any kind, please contact The Guardsman and say hello. Maybe let us know if, and to what extent, you believe in the separation of church and state, equal rights, etc. We only need one response, but something tells me we’ll get a lot more than that. —Greg Zeman In Response to “Apples and Oranges or: How the Christian Legal Society spent their summer vacation”: “Most Christians believe that marriage is a sacrament, like Holy Communion. Copu-

lation is therefore sacramental, like taking the cup at Communion. So fornication is like dribbling in the cup, adultery is like pissing in it, and we won’t say what perversion (a.k.a. gross indecency) is like, because some people read The Guardsman over lunch. Most Christian student organizations would nevertheless admit gays, in the hope of eventually persuading them to embrace celibacy (as they are psychologically incapable of copulation), but the Christian Legal Society is not missionary in that way: it lives to concentrate those who already believe in Christian doctrines on the plan to transform the world, “seeking justice with the love of God,” something a gay is obviously not going to co-operate in, any more than an unrepentant

CELESTE BOGLE / THE GUARDSMAN

Bill and Monica would.” -John A. Wills Mr. Wills is a frequent contributor to our ‘Letters’ section, and we appreciate his continued feedback and readership. We have run an abridged version of his letter for our print issue because of space constraints, but the full text can be viewed online at www. theguardsman.com. We won’t take any public stance on his colorful rhetoric at this time, but I will say that hearing a “Bill and Monica” reference reminded me of this hilarious MC Hammer joke. I wanted to share it with you, but I can’t remember the punch-line to it because I haven’t heard it since 1998. —Greg Zeman

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Photostory

THE GUARDSMAN

BURNING MAN 2010

FRANK LADRA On Saturday, September 4, approximately 50,000 attendees gather in the center of Black Rock City to watch the torching and eventual collapse of the symbolic statue by which Burningman gets its name.

Counterclockwise: Top: In the exact center of the circular Black Rock City, the effigy of The Man to be burned sits high above a 4 story frame that is inspired by this year's theme, Metropolis, The gargoyles and griffins perched on the structure's corners are by artist Dana Albany. Above: Every day at sundown, thousands of Burningman participants gather at Distrikt, a dance camp devoted to daytime beats and heavy tribal bass. As the sun lowers itself behind the breathtaking mountain scape, chanting and cheering can be heard as several â&#x20AC;&#x153;burnersâ&#x20AC;? raise their hands toward its final rays of warmth. Right: In the open Nevada desert, away from the Black Rock City campsites, the 40 foot tall sculpture, known as Bliss Dance by artist Marco Cochrane, celebrates humanity, feminine beauty, and the power and strength that emerges when women are safe and free to be themselves.

Culture&Trends

THE GUARDSMAN

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Famed flutist honors Rivera mural By Catherine Lee THE GUARDSMAN

Internationally acclaimed flutist Elena Duran performed at the Diego Rivera theater on Aug. 28 at an event hosted by the Diego Rivera Mural Project. Diego Rivera’s "Pan American Unity" mural in the lobby of the theater was painted in 1940 for the Golden Gate International Exposition. It is considered a college treasure because it’s one of a handful of Rivera murals painted in America. The event, which celebrated multiple historic anniversaries - including the Mexican independence bicentennial, the 75th anniversary of the City College’s founding and the 70th anniversary of Rivera's mural - renewed efforts to preserve and restore the "Pan American Unity" mural. Supporters of the mural’s restoration in the audience included Pattie Gerrie and Magaly Fernandez. Gerrie and Fernandez dressed as Tehuanas, women From the Oaxacan Region. Wearing elaborately embroidered blouses called huipils, with flowers in their hair, they looked like Frida Kahlo did in her selfportraits. "I saw the Rivera mural when I was 18, when I went to school here, and it changed my life. I was fascinated by what Frida was wearing, and I found out more,” Gerrie said. “I'm 58 now. I have a large Tehuantepec huipil collection, and I'm photographing them for a book." Rivera's vision of Mexican and American unity was affirmed with movie clips on a large backdrop screen, accompanied by jazz arrangements and Duran's stories. With "Maestro" Luis Zepeda on piano, Duran performed an assortment of music from the

Aging actors cash in By Estela Fuentes SABRINA BOT / THE GUARDSMAN

Elena Duran performs in Diego Rivera theater Aug. 28 to comemorate 70th anniversary of Rivera ‘s “Pan American Unity” mural as well as the Mexican bicentennial and City College’s 75th anniversary.

golden age of Mexican Cinema. Her repertoire included pieces from movies by Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante and Javier Solis. Between each song, Duran reconnected the dots between Mexico City and Oakland. She emphasized the value of art and education, and the importance of family and social justice in California and Puebla, Mexico by telling stories of her life and work. Duran was so active during her performance, that she had to remove her necklaces because they were hitting the microphone on her neck. She stomped her foot periodically on the stage for percussive boom, and had plenty of breath in between songs to tell stories and engage with the audience. "We just came with our ESL teacher, Tina Martin, and didn't have any idea. I never even knew this music before, like on a flute, but I loved it.” City College student Fredy Navas said. Advance tickets sold out but many were able to attend with

same day ticket sales at the front, according to Karen Grant who sold tickets in the lobby. "Will did an excellent job of taking it to the community. Ticket sales were very good," Grant said. She thought the advance ticket sales could be attributed to the concert’s organization by Will Maynez, director of the Diego Rivera Mural Project. "We try and come to all the events that Will organizes and they're always this good," faculty member, Renato Larin said. Duran is a local musician who was born in the East Bay. She learned flute in the Oakland public school system and later studied at Mills College. Her talent has led her to stages around the world. She has repeatedly played for the Queen of England. And not only has she played with Paul McCartney, she calls him a friend. Duran is currently the musical ambassador of Mexico City. She cites great jazz masters as influences, but also gives credit to

E-mail: clee@theguardsman.com

90s hit-makers wow nostalgic audience

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the “East LA toughness” of Los Lobos. City College Chancellor Don Griffin thanked Rivera's daughter, Guadalupe Rivera Marin, for giving him a history lesson about the mural. Marin is also the Director of the Diego Rivera Foundation in Mexico City. Carlos Felix, Ambassador for the Consul General of Mexico and Henry Ramos, a member of the California Community College’s Board of Governors, thanked the musical performers and mural preservationists for their efforts on behalf of Mexican works of art. After the performance, the audience lined up to purchase CDs and speak to Duran and Zepeda. Navas, who’s from El Salvador, bought three CDs, saying the music had impressed him and he was now a fan.

As a girl who remembers walking through high school to the sweet melodies of “Dizzy Up the Girl,” it was a dream come true to attend the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Something for the Rest of Us” concert. The Aug. 26 concert at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord saw the band playing a combination to old favorites and songs from their new album. The musical performance was impeccable and the accompanying light show quite impressive. As the night wore on and the beer and wine continued to flow, a few people broke out lighters for the traditional ‘slow song’ salute. It became increasingly clear that I wasn’t the only long-time fan when the crowd began to sing “Iris” and “Slide” in near-perfect unison. Some may recall the Goo Goo Dolls with vague memories

8/2/10 11:27:08 AM

dredged from the ‘90s. Back then, no one could decide if the Goo Goo Dolls were “pop” or “alternative,” and in a way, the debate was understandable given their wild hair and an inordinate fondness for minor-chord progressions; juxtaposed with the 18 straight weeks “Iris” spent as the Billboard’s number 1 single. Regardless of what you label them, they seem to have a staying power nearly unmatched in contemporary American popular music, as demonstrated by nine studio albums and the ability to appear out of nowhere after nearly ten years. The 24 years front man and song writer Johnny Rzeznik’s spent in rock ‘n’ roll haven’t diminished his stage presence at all. Band members hardly seem to have aged in the nearly 15 years since they released their first album. E-mail: ekessell@theguardsman.com

THE GUARDSMAN

In an age when movies rely upon computer generated scenes and digital enhancement to fabricate action, “The Expendables” throws technology out the window and goes back to the basics. All scenes were filmed on set, not using a green screen. The actors did their own stunts. The movie hit theaters Aug. 13 and has made over $82 million in box office revenues. The Expendables, or the retirees as they’ve been dubbed, still hold a strong onscreen presence. The movie revolves around Sylvester Stallone’s character, Barney Ross, who is offered $5 million for his crew of mercenaries to carry out a mission. Ross and his partner Lee Christmas - played by Jason Statham - begin surveillance and realize it’s a suicide mission. Even for $5 million, it isn’t worth it. But Ross ends up falling for a girl and decides he will risk it. And, as the saying goes, “once a team always a team,” so his trusty crew comes along for the ride. The film gives an opportunity to see some old favorites in action. It features Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and more. If you like David and Goliath analogies, then Li and Lundgren will make your day. The film’s plot is slow and redundant, which makes for a few dull moments. But the onscreen relationship among the actors, plus all the action, keeps you on the edge of your seat. The film could be a good compromise for individuals debating between action or drama. “The Expendables” is a grab-bag of movie genres with some corny jokes and punch lines thrown in for good measure. Email: efuentes@theguardsman.com

Culture&Trends

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

3rd Annual Napa Valley Aloha Festival

THE GUARDSMAN

Students dance for Haiti

Saturday, Sept. 18 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Napa Valley Expo 575 Third St. Napa, CA

ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

Free parking and admission Good family fun, live music, food, crafts and local vendors

Zeke Nealy percusionist sets the rythym for the Alafia Dance Ensemble’s Jennifer Baron, Juan DeDios Soto, Sharon Lau, Silvia Mwihaki, Mariella Morales, Rita Pantaleon, Sarazeta Ragazzi, Aimee Zawitz at the “Lovin’ Haiti Gala” on Aug. 24 at City College’s Wellness Center.

SF theater companies take stage By Catherine Lee THE GUARDSMAN

Over 40 theater companies will entertain, enlighten, surprise and startle audiences during the San Francisco Fringe Festival, hosted by The Exit Theater from Sept. 8 to Sept. 19. Most of the performances will be held at a theater complex, with three stages and a budget cafe clustered in one building on Eddy Street, and at The Exit Theater around the corner on Taylor Street. There will also be two outdoor stages. "The site-specific stages are great, but sometimes get really cold," City College theater arts professor Susan Jackson said. Both outdoor performances integrate their San Francisco locations and are free to the public. “Paper Angels" gives the audiences a glimpse of Chinese immigration through Angel Island. It will be performed three nights at Portsmouth Square, right in the middle of San Francisco’s China-

town. The other outdoor location is the Castro Plaza at Market and 17th Streets. At this location “The Gay Poetry of Walt Whitman” will ring out for five days. The festival is organized with the universal Fringe Festival principle of easy audience access. While time and money are always in short supply, the SFFF is an accessible bonanza of unique performances with each usually lasting less than an hour. And all shows are $10 or less. With 43 short programs and affordable tickets, audiences can indulge in taking risks over the course of the festival. People will have the opportunity to see some of the best upcoming performers and writers do drama, puppetry, improv, soliloquy, dance or some things that combine all that. Jackson, who performed "Blessing Her Heart" in the 2009 SFFF, thinks accessibility is one of the best features for City College students.

"A lot of my students came to see our show last year,” she said. “It's a great way to access theater because it's cheap and funky." While Fringe Festivals exist all over the world, entries from local performers mean each location has a unique flavor reflecting its host city. "A lot of my students do the Fringe,” City College acting professor John Wilk said. “Some are production managers and I know some students are performing as well." Wilk appreciates that San Francisco hosts its own Fringe Festival because it gives local artists a chance to perform without the expense of travelling to the biggest Fringe Festival which is held in Edinburgh Scotland. "They get their feet wet and they really know what it takes," he said. For a full list of shows, times and ticket prices visit www. sffringe.org. Email: clee@theguardsman.com

Simulated terrorism as entertainment? By Omri Petitte

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When industry giant Electronic Arts announced it would reboot the venerable “Medal of Honor” franchise last December, gamers rejoiced at the prospect of a new chapter in this timeless staple of first-person shooters, but news of its release has also ignited controversy. The rumored inclusion of al-Qaida as a playable faction in the game, which EA's official press release failed to mention, is at the heart of the issue. Predictably, the gaming community is equally divided on the topic. Hamza Aziz, community manager of the gaming review website Destructoid, took issue with the virtual portrayal of al-Qaida in “Medal of Honor.” “It just hits too close to home. This is an organization that's terrorized Afghanistan, America, and numerous other parts of the world for decades now. To me,

COURTESY OF EA GAMES playing as al-Qaida means I'm helping the bad guys win,” Aziz wrote. He went on to state that his Afghan heritage precludes any feasible enjoyment that might be garnered from the game, which takes its setting from war-torn Afghanistan. For many others, the ongoing outcry ignores the importance of

the “Medal of Honor” franchise’s adherence to realism and contemporary events. “I think it is a fair point,” said Patrick Liu, one the game’s producers during an interview with PSM3 magazine. “We do stir up some feelings, although it's not about the war, it's about the soldiers. We can't get away from what the setting is and who the factions are, but in the end it's a game, so we're not pushing or provoking too hard.” The “it's a game” argument has precedence with developer Infinity Ward's defense of the similarly themed “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” and its infamous “No Russian” level, where players assume the role of a Russian terrorist and gun down unarmed civilians in an airport. “Medal of Honor” is scheduled for release Oct. 12 on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 platforms. Email: email@theguardsman.com

10 |

THE GUARDSMAN

News

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Voters will decide fate of sit-lie law SIT-LIE: From page 2

the civility angle on sit-lie. “By it’s very definition, it doesn’t actually address the issue of civility, because it allows for incivility so long as the person is standing,” he said, adding that he viewed a new law as unnecessary. “On the record, the assistant Chief of Police acknowledged that the police department already has the legal tools they need to be proactive around these issues. The Office of Criminal Justice did not provide any information to actually dispute that specific assertion.” Pier still maintains that police currently lack the ability to “proactively engage” the individuals that advocates of the ordinance are concerned with. Wedge issue for November At the first of two Public Safety Committee hearings where the Mayor’s Department of Justice and the SFPD were given the opportunity to explain the need for the new ordinance, District 6 Supervisor Chris Daly voiced his critical view of the law. He sees the ordinance as a politically motivated distraction from “draconian cuts” to homeless services. “It would be great to see those who have gotten whipped up about supporting this come out and speak about basic services which have been cut,” Daly said. “You can move the problem around, chief, but you can’t solve the problem with this. You say it’s not a fix all? It’s not a fix anything.” At that same meeting, Campos persistently questioned SFPD Deputy Chief Kevin Cashman about what criminal behaviors the new ordinance was attempting to address that could not be addressed under current law. He and others on the board were unsatisfied with the response they got. “The case for this legislation simply has not been made. We had a hearing where very specific and clear questions were asked of the Mayor’s office, of Criminal Justice and the department of police and no answers were provided,” Campos said. “If they cannot provide that justification to this body, then what is the justification that’s going to be provided to the public?” District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi,

TASKFORCE: From page 3

COLT CIANCANELLI / THE GUARDSMAN

Bill Rupel, member of the band Tie, plays his guitar Sept. 4 on Haight Street.

whose district encompasses the HaightAshbury where the ordinance first started building steam, agreed that the law would not effectively address the concerns being voiced by its advocates. “To say that if somebody is acting in a harassing manner, if somebody is being uncivil towards somebody else and they’re doing so simply standing up, and they’re not sitting and they’re not lying, that all of a sudden you’re to tell me that the police do not have the tools in order to remedy the situation? That’s untrue,” Mirkarimi said. “When somebody spits on a baby, when somebody threatens somebody else with physical harm, when someone, like the mayor, sees someone smoking crack, that is not necessarily a new application that is covered by the sit-or-lie law. That is already a violation of law.” New life for an old idea This is not the first time that San Francisco business owners and residents have tried to deal with individuals “encamping” on their neighborhood’s sidewalks with a sit-lie ordinance. In 1968, the Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted Section 20 of the

Municipal Police Code, which criminalized sitting or lying on the sidewalk. One of the law’s biggest proponents was the HaightAshbury Merchants and Improvement Association, which felt the presence of “hippies” on the sidewalk in the Upper Haight was hurting their businesses. In 1979, the ACLU challenged MPC 20 by filing a suit against the Chief of Police and the Sheriff, alleging that the law was being used to target Gay men in Eureka Valley which would eventually become The Castro. The case was resolved through a partial settlement, which resulted in the repeal of MPC 20 by the Board of Supervisors. The defunct law was replaced by the set of laws against sidewalk obstruction that are still on the books. The proposed ordinance is modeled after a similar law in Seattle that was passed in 1994 and later upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Court of Appeals. Now cities like Berkeley, Palo Alto and Portland, Ore., are considering following suit.

E-mail: gzeman@theguardsman.com

Discussion of student equity continues at City College every voice on campus.” Ngo encourages undocumented students Ngo said financial aid was another issue tackled at the meeting. Several suggestions who qualify as AB 540 to apply for non-resiwere made that are being considered to help dent exemption forms, allowing them to avoid students make the most of their experience, costly out-of-state tuition costs. To be eligible for an AB 540 extenincluding using student ambassadors to assist sion, a student must students caught attend a California in long lines to high school for three help expedite years, have obtained the process and “It’s an ongoing struggle and I am a high school diplodigitizing forms strongly supportive of the work toma or the equivalent, to reduce paper and write a written waste. There ward equity among the students.” promise to the school was also talk of — Elizabeth Weinberg that he or she has an English class Ocean campus Associated Student President filed an application to using a semesadjust their immigrater to complete tion status, or will do FAFSA. so when eligible. Ngo and “Statistically we know the number one Student Trustee Jeffrey Fang agreed to set up an equity hearing to discuss the needs of predictor of a student graduating is whether incoming students who are international or or not he or she is full time,” Ngo said. “So it AB 540 (undocumented students who gradu- is very important we make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure students don’t ated from high school in the U.S.). “They are the last in line to get classes,” need other jobs while attending.” The changes in the curriculum are also Ngo said. “This could delay them from transferring or even graduating. There will now be being made to save students’ time. Starting next spring, some introductory courses will 1,000 seats reserved for incoming students.” Associated Students President Elizabeth be merged so that a student will be able to finish in one semester what he or she would Weinberg agreed. “We have a lot of populations on campus normally complete in two, mainly in algebra who need their voices heard,” Weinberg said. and English. Students will have the option to “We want to make sure we’re representing take these classes “pass/not pass.”

STUDENT EQUITY: From page 3

Campus police combat wave of theft on campus

These changes are just the beginning. An equity task force, convened by the chancellor, will be meeting continually to work on finding ways to improve this process. “There is a huge gap that needs to be bridged,” Weinberg said. “It’s an ongoing struggle and I am strongly supportive of the work toward equity among the students. This is a place where foundations can really be set.” “We’ll be working methodically and consistently,” Ngo said. “We’ve made some significant progress already.” Fang said, “We need to keep a laser focus on narrowing the achievement gap by doing what’s practical with our lack of budget and manpower.” Fang also noted a statement Chancellor Don Griffin made at the meeting. Griffin said the people at the meeting were a part of the solution, which Fang noted was a change in rhetoric from past meetings. Fang stressed that the ultimate burden lies on the students’ shoulders. “I may take some flak for this, but the faculty and the administration have both stepped up their game,” Fang said. “It is now up to the students to do the work for their own benefit. Each student needs to take the next step on their own.” E-mail: gzeman@theguardsman.com

anyone patrolling the parking lot for suspicious activity, so it’s a red flag for students and teachers.” The CCPD advises all students and faculty not to leave personal belongings unattended or within visibility inside their vehicles and classrooms. They are also pushing for faculty to remind students to be mindful of their surroundings. City College has implemented a task force whose main goal is to educate the community. Fliers, letters and emails to students and faculty have been used to inform the public about what’s going on. For example, fliers are given out as bookmarks in the library each time a student checks out and borrows a book. Although the CCPD has been affected by budget cuts, it’s trying its best to make things work with the resources available. A program called CompStat, short for computer statistics, was developed to monitor crime rates and is “a well-established and proven track record in reducing crimes and improving the overall operating systems of several major metropolitan police departments,” according to the San Francisco Police Department’s website. Last year, the SFPD stepped up to help City College prevent crimes from occurring on campus. “City College is part of the Ingleside District,” said Officer Hakes. “The crime statistics of City College reflect those of SFPD, so the Ingleside Police Department came and asked what they could do to help lower our numbers.” For those who don’t know, the main police station is located in Cloud Hall, Room 119 at Ocean Campus, 50 Phelan Ave. Information on crime alerts, statistics, prevention and other frequently asked questions can be accessed on the CCPD’s website. www.City College.edu/ Departments/Public_Safety/index.html. E-mail: gyglesias@theguardsman.com

Calendar

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Calendar for September 8 - September 21

THUR

FRI

Dolores Park Movie Night “Chinatown(1974)” Free 7 p.m.

9/11 Truth Film Festival Begins Viz Cinema, 1746 Post St. $10 7 p.m.

2010 Architecture & the City Film Series SF Main Library 100 Larkin St. Free (Pre Registration Required) 6 p.m.

11th Annual San Francisco Electronic Music Festival Brava Theatre 2781 24th St $16 or $10 (with student ID) 8 p.m.

Leftism with DJs J-Boogie and Sake One Eve Lounge 575 Howard St Free 10 p.m.

200 Anniversary of the Independence of Mexico, Civic Center Plaza Free 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Stand-up Comedy Showcase Bazaar Cafe, 5927 California St. Free 7 p.m. Los Compas, Union Square Summer Salsa Concert Free 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

THUR

Maria Volonte performs Jazz Yerba Buena Gardens Free 12:30 -1:30 p.m. Books Inc. presents Julia Glass 3515 California St. Free 7 p.m. Live at The Onion: Chicano Comedy All-Stars 140 Columbus Ave. $15 9 p.m.

SAT

Beak performs at Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight St. Free 6 p.m.

WED

Film Night at the Park: Amelie Washington Square Park, Columbus and Union Streets 8 p.m./dusk Brews on the Bay Beer Festival Day 1 Pier 45 21+ $45-$55 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Big City Improv The Shelton Theater 533 Sutter St. $15-20 10 p.m. Frenchie Friday Dolores Park, play with French Bulldogs Church Street side of the park Free, 4 p.m.

Opera in the Park, Golden Gate Park Sharon Meadow Free 1pm Yelpin La Vida Loca, Club Cocomo 650 Indiana St 21+ Free 1-4:30pm Brews on the Bay Beer Festival Day 2 Pier 45 21+ $45-55 1-5pm

SAT

SUN

Monday Night Foreplays “The LaughtHerFactory” Off-Market Theater 965 Market St $20 8pm Funny But Mean: Law and Order San Francisco Unit! The Musical (sort of)! Metreon 101 4th St $10 8pm

Comission on the Environment Meeting City Hall Rm214 6pm

We’ve Got Your Back 4.5-mile run and 2-mile Fun walk Lake Merced 1 Harding Road 9 a.m.

2010 Autumn Moon Festival Grant Avenue and Bush Street Free 11am-6pm

The Great Typo Hunt Book Tour Borders, Stonestown Galleria, 233 Winston Dr. Free 7pm

The Marriage of Figaro

Celebrate Haight Ashbury’s History! The Booksmith 1644 Haight St Free 7:30pm Climate Action Workshop Green Zebra 50 Post St Free 12-1:30pm

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Hella Smart: Tuesday night trivia Mercury Lounge 1582 Folsom St Free 7-10pm

TUES

30th Annual Laughfest Golden Gate Park Sharon Meadow Free 12-5pm

| 11

MON

J-Pop Summit Festival Japan town Peace Plaza Free 11a.m. - 6 p.m.

Vintage Fashion Expo SF Concourse 635 8th St $10-20 10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

TUES

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War Memorial Opera House/Cesar Rubio; Production photo /Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera.

MON

Pretty Pretty Collective Gallery/ Salon Grand Opening Free 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

FRI Singapore 60’s Happy Hour, The Knockout 3223 Mission St. Free 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

SUN

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“Boy In the Bubble” Acoustic Concert Yoshi’s Lounge 1330 Fillmore St Free 7-10pm Lightning Swords of Death, Pathology, Deafheaven, Cyanic and DJ Rob Metal Thee Parkside 1600 17th St 21+ $8-10 8pm

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THE GUARDSMAN Celebrating 75 years of journalistic excellence City College of San Francisco’s Newspaper Since 1935

12 |

Sports

THE GUARDSMAN

SEPTEMBER 8, 2010

Preview

Football team prepares for season opener day and game by game,” Horne said. “I’ve been trying to be vocal during practices and try and help out the new guys who are still learning the system.” On the defensive side, the secondary that last season was comprised primarily of freshman starting defensive backs, now has sophomore experience. Sophomore defensive lineman Je’Marcus Williams, who started every game last year, will now be part of a mostly inexperienced front line. “We’ve kind of flipped our defense,” Williams said. “I’ve been trying to balance helping out the freshmen and just getting my work in during practice. I think if anything, we’re going to be even better this season.” City College‘s schedule includes nonconference games against Mendocino, San Jose City and DeAnza colleges, and conference matchups against San Mateo, Santa Rosa and Butte. The Rams had to come from behind to beat Butte on a last minute field goal in 2009 and only beat Santa Rosa by two points in 2008. “Every team we play this year is going to bring a challenge,” Rush said. “We always try to schedule as tough of a preseason as we can, in order to get our guys ready for the Coast Conference.”

By Ryan Kuhn THE GUARDSMAN

For City College football, every season is a new beginning. Coming back strong in 2009 after a disappointing 2008 season, the Rams are looking forward to getting back on the field when their first test starts Sept. 11 against the College of the Sequoias. Finishing 10-1 (4-1 in conference play) last season, with their only loss coming to College of San Mateo, head coach George Rush knows what the team needs to do. “We can’t focus too much on last season, or what is in the future,” Rush said before a Wednesday afternoon practice. “For us, it’s all about getting our guys ready for the task at hand.” The Rams will not have their star quarterback and NorCal Conference Offensive MVP, Darius Bell, who finished second in the conference with 11 rushing touchdowns, is now playing for UCLA. With the loss of Bell, sophomore widereceiver Aaron Horne knows he is going to be relied on heavily as a mentor and as an offensive threat on the field. Although Horne played in only six games last season, he was part of a receiving unit that was fourth in the NorCal Conference, averaging 217 yards per game. “Every year is new for us, and Coach is always telling us to just take it day by

E-mail: rkuhn@theguardsman.com

PHOTOS BY ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

Rams linemen, Guard Jerred Newbery (L) Leo Rubi (R) face up at City College of San Francisco practice on Sept. 4th.

RAMS 2010 SCHEDULE* 9/11 vs. College of the Sequioas 9/18 at Mendocino College 9/25 at San Jose City College 10/2 at De Anza College 10/9 vs. San Joaquin Delta College *White denotes home games

THE WATER COOLER BY BONTÃ HILL

TIM TAECHOTIROTE / THE GUARDSMAN

Midfield Yevette Flores sets up for a shot against Foothill on Sept. 1 at Crocker Amazon Park.

FOOTHILL- 2 VS. RAMS- 0

Rams shut out by Owls By Ryan Kuhn THE GUARDSMAN

As the final whistle blew, members of City College’s women’s soccer team walked back to their coach, Gabe Saucedo. They had just lost their first game of the season. On Sept. 1, the Rams were shut out by Foothill College, 2-0, to start their 2010 season. It was the fifth straight year that City lost their opening game. Despite the loss, Saucedo was pleased with his team’s performance. “We accomplished one of our goals today,” he said. “I believe we got better, even though we didn’t win.” The Owls, who finished last year with only four losses, came out right away, with freshman Kimberly Denne scoring on a header from a corner kick by Katrina Cavanna in the first couple minutes. Later in the first half, Foothill was on a breakaway, but freshmen midfielder Moira Pulido made a sliding save, knocking the ball into the corner.

The Rams defense tightened up throughout the game; goalkeeper Alvarenga Jhosslyn finished with eight saves. With the first half winding down, City College had a chance to tie the score when freshman Tera Pisericho’s shot hit the top of the goal post. Gelila Mengistu came up with the rebound, but it was no good. “We had a really good first half,” said Saucedo. “We really passed the ball well.” Even though the Rams became more aggressive, with seven of their 11 shots on goal coming in the second half, it just wasn’t enough, as Foothill forward Kelsey Burke scored her team’s second goal of the game. “Foothill is a really good team and they really know how to play,” said forward Alex Montago. “We have to work harder on communication.” City’s next game is on Friday, Sept. 10, when they travel to play College of Marin at 2 p.m. E-mail: rkuhn@theguardsman.com

10/16 vs. Butte College 10/22 at Laney College 10/30 vs. College of San Mateo 11/6 at Foothill College 11/13 vs. Santa Rosa Jr. College

As we zoom through Labor Day weekend with the dog days of August in the rear view mirror, anticipation and excitement for this year’s San Francisco 49ers has the city buzzing with hopes of becoming relevant again in the NFL. Maybe that’s a little far-fetched, especially given the gentrification this liberal city has endured, but with explosive offensive playmakers Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree, it feels like the ‘80s and ‘90s all over again. With Patrick Willis anchoring the defense and looking like the best linebacker in the NFL, it’s hard not to be giddy about their prospects for making a playoff run. Yes, the San Francisco Giants are still hanging around in hopes for a chance to play baseball in October, and I’ll give them some airtime at the end of the month, but right now I’m drinking the red and gold Kool-Aid. The jury is still out on the 49ers and we’ll see if this talented bunch can make some noise when they play their rivals up north, the Seattle Seahawks Sept. 12. In most experts’ eyes, the 49ers’ season lies on the shoulders of quarterback Alex Smith. I agree, Smith has a lot of pressure on his back to get the 49ers back in the playoffs. The way the roster is set up, the 49ers organization has given Smith the keys to a brand new Mercedes Benz. With a top-ten defense and some very skilled position players, all Smith has to do is not wreck it. An extra incentive - or motivation, depending on how you look at it - is that this is the last year of Smith’s contract. After restructuring his initial contract coming when he was drafted in number one overall in 2005, a sixyear, 49.5 million dollar deal with 24 million guaranteed, this is a make it or break it year

for Smith. Can he be a starter in this league? Can he a be a productive quarterback on this level? Those are just some of the questions Smith will have to answer as the year progresses. Not only does he have to deal with the pressure of living up to 49er greats Steve Young and Joe Montana, he has to deal with being the first quarterback taken in the 2005 NFL draft - ahead of local boy Aaron Rodgers. What Rodgers has done in Green Bay has made it easy to slap the “bust” label on Smith. However, go back and watch film of Smith’s second season in the league, when he had Norv Turner as his offensive coordinator, and you would see things were starting to look promising. He led the 49ers to a 7-9 record that had the 49er empire feeling good about the future. We all know how the next two years played out for him. In his public spat with former coach Mike Nolan, Nolan questioned whether his franchise quarterback really even had a shoulder problem. However, Smith came on in week seven against Houston, leading the 49ers out of a 21-0 hole and almost to a comeback victory. He finished the season with 18 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. Last season Smith showed some promise, and has been through a lot. You also have to admire the fact that he took a pay cut and stayed with the organization. Yes, the secondary is a concern as safety Michael Lewis is a liability in pass coverage, plus his reoccurring problem with concussions. Also, the guy with the fat contract, cornerback Nate Clements, has to prove his worth after a rough 2009, which ended with him on injured reserve. We all know, in this league, success ultimately lies on the shoulders of the quarterback. I believe Smith can get it done. He has the smarts, the maturity, and respect from his teammates. With the talent, including newly signed running-back Brian Westbrook, all Smith has to do is not wreck the Mercedes Benz. If he doesn’t, the 49er faithful will have that excitement and exuberance fulfilled.

E-mail: bhill@theguardsman.com