The Guardsman, Vol. 171, Issue 3, City College of San Francisco

STUDENT CENSORSHIP

LOWELL’S NEW LOTTERY

AN NFL LEGACY

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Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 – Mar 9, 2021 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE | www.theguardsman.com

By Annette Mullaney

annette.mullaney@gmail.com

Cuts to staff and classes may increase demands on City College’s counseling services and retention programs that largely serve underrepresented students, yet the programs themselves may not be fully spared.

Last week Vice Chancellor of Academic and Institutional Affairs Tom Boegel distributed the Academic Year (AY) 2021-22 instructional budgets. While the full budget by de‐ partment has not been publicly released, the overall schedule will be considerably lighter; 594 course sections and 156 fulltime equivalent faculty have been cut compared to AY 202021, reductions of 15.1% and 16.4% respectively.

These cuts are part of the Multi-Year Budget Plan passed by the Board of Trustees in Nov. 2020, which outlines a series of substantial cuts to faculty, classified staff, and administra‐ tors over the next five years in response to City College’s budget deficit.

While these cuts will affect all students, impacts will likely not be uniform. Political Science instructor Rick Baum ex‐ plained that any reduction in classes scheduled exacerbates existing inequalities. Larger classes, for example, mean less one-on-one contact between students and teachers. Fewer course offerings mean that it’s harder for working students to find classes that fit their tight schedules. He noted that many students are still able to succeed, but class cuts “add to the obstacles many face.”

In a statement to The Guardsman, Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration John al-Amin said, “Equity is a concern and an integral part of the data driven decision making used in this process. The structural deficit that the college faces is such that all areas of the college will be im‐ pacted; administration, student services, and instruction.”

City College currently has a number of programs to increase retention among underrepresented groups through services like counseling, tutoring, and scholarships, that may become even more crucial as students navigate the impact of

Illustration by Serena Sacharoff/The Guardsman

budget cuts. Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) works with just under 1,000 low-income students.

Guardian Scholars, for foster youth, currently works with 85 students, and HARTS, for homeless students, 150.

The Multicultural Retention Services Department con‐ sists of several programs aimed at increasing retention. The African American Scholar Program (AASP), Asian Pacific American Student Success Program (APASS), Latino

Services Network (LSN), Oceania Student Success Pro‐ gram (VASA), and Filipino American Student Success Program (TULAY) together provided over 2,500 coun‐ seling appointments in Fall 2020. While focused on pro‐ viding culturally specific counseling, the programs maintain an open door policy and are available to any student.

Budget continues on page 2

By Garrett Leahy garretteleahy@gmail.com

At City College's vaccination sites, which opened on Jan. 22, people over 65, healthcare work‐ ers, and workers in education have received the vaccine, but recent closures are limiting, or at least de‐ laying, access.

The San Francisco Depart‐ ment of Health (SFDPH) an‐ nounced in a press release on Feb. 14 that they would be shutting down two of the city’s three vacci‐ nation sites, and that the third at SF Market in the Bayview would be upholding their existing ap‐ pointments, but at reduced capacity.

"No existing appointments were canceled; spots are only re‐ leased for booking once the vac‐ cine supply is confirmed," the press release said.

The vaccine distribution delay comes as the federal government

is pushing to get more vaccines into the hands of state governments. San Francisco officials say the high vol‐ ume sites have the capacity to ad‐ minister up to 10,000 vaccines daily, but lack the necessary supply.

These high-volume sites, like the one at City College, have played a key role in the rollout; vaccinations in San Francisco jumped signifi‐ cantly to an average of 5,500 doses a week following the opening of the City College and Moscone sites -un‐ til Feb. 14, that is.

"High volume sites are our best tool to get as many vaccines into arms as quickly as possible. At the start of the week of Feb. 5, we had vaccinated 31% of the 65 and older population, and we ended the week at the halfway mark," said UCSF Se‐ nior Public Information Representa‐ tive Elizabeth Fernandez.

As of Feb 19, however, the City College vaccination site is offering second doses only, with first dose

vaccinations discontinued indefi‐ nitely, pending supply (still factchecking). Fernandez said that the City College site administered sec‐ ond doses to 550 people Feb. 19 and expects to provide 526 second doses on Feb. 20. (Will try and get the numbers for the day before printing when data is available).

So far, the vaccination site at City College has provided 11,257 vaccinations, according to Kristen Bole, Clinical Public Affairs Direc‐ tor at UCSF, which is operating the site in conjunction with the SFDPH. In total, 132,145 San Francis‐ cans have received at least one dose and 41,358 San Franciscans have received both doses.

Illustration by Serena Sacharoff/The Guardsman

2 | NEWS

By Samya Brohmi sbrohmi@gmail.com

As City College celebrates Black History Month, faculty members’ and alumni efforts to provide accessibility to higher ed‐ ucation for students of color come to light.

In response to the civil rights movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s City College created diversity departments and initiatives. Fac‐ ulty in each academic department sought to close achievement and opportunity gaps within their own communities and work together to serve all underprivileged stu‐ dents through the Ethnic Studies and Social Justice Collaborative, formerly known as the Diversity Collaborative.

Their efforts provided the foundation for the issuance and ratification by the City College Academic Senate of a diversity res‐ olution in November 2020. The resolution aims to address the pressing needs of reach‐ ing racial equity and representation for City College’s students and faculty.

The campus community recently hon‐ ored and mourned the loss of a pioneer of diversity inclusion programs, Dr. Henry Au‐ gustine, an educator who served City Col‐ lege for over 30 years. He founded the pre‐ decessor of today’s Umoja/African Ameri‐ can Scholastic Programs, responsible for providing retention services for Black stu‐ dents — part of the comprehensive Multi‐ cultural Retention Services Department.

Umoja has been instrumental in helping students earn high school diplomas, transfer to Historically Black Colleges and Universi‐ ties, and access academic and career coun‐ seling. Umoja’s educators and alumni have been crucial advocates for intercultural communication and solidarity in and be‐ yond the classroom.

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

Former Chair of African American Stud‐ ies Department Dr. Ramona Coates has ded‐ icated her career to strengthening solidarity with Latin American and Latinx Studies. Her roles include developing LALS5, a statistics course exploring the intersection of data analysis and Latin American and Latinx Studies, and sitting on City College’s Affir‐ mative Action Task Force's Scholarship Committee.

City College’s Academic Senate has been responsible for campus policy development and implementation since 1997. As the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed substan‐ tial racial disparities in education, its mem‐ bers have recognized that students of color are more susceptible to academic barriers and health inequalities than ever.

On Nov. 11, 2020, its Executive Council approved the Resolution on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Resolution 2020.11.18.6D).

The document expresses the Academic Sen‐ ate’s continuing obligation to advancing eq‐ uity on campus through improving the role of social justice in the diversity framework for academic and professional settings, and hir‐ ing and retention of diverse faculty.

The resolution also addresses the admin‐ istration's need to tackle racism within the institution and update City College’s current mission statement to reflect a campus-wide commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

The body recently joined other commu‐ nity colleges to press for the dissolution of institutional discrimination and greater in‐ clusivity in higher education by signing the Academic Senate for California Community College’s Anti-Racism Pledge.

Illustration by Viana Goowin/ The Guardsman. Instagram: @vrayartistry

Budget Continued from page 1 Counselors in these programs are often bilingual, and currently offer services in Spanish, Tagalog, Can‐ tonese, Vietnamese, and Tongan. Moreover, according to Tulay’s coordinator Marlboro Aleonar, these pro‐ grams also provide a space for students from these un‐ derrepresented groups. He said Tulay was founded be‐ cause “we not only needed faculty and staff that re‐ flected the experiences of our students, but the space to call ‘home’ validates that their history, their present, and their future matters.”

Corwin Cooley, who participated in AASP in the 1990s and transferred to Clark Atlanta University, said

the experience was incredibly valuable. “Throughout my life and throughout most African American lives we don’t have people in the administration or in our classrooms that look like us,” Cooley said. “[In the program] every teacher that I re‐ member was African American. That starts to change your mind about what you could be in your life.”

However these programs may not be spared from budget cuts; in fact, they might be particularly vulnerable. Kim Wise, a counselor in AASP, said, “[The deficit] is going to impact these retention programs, because most of the counselors … have low seniority or are on category-funded funds.”

Category funds are direct funding provided by the state for specific purposes, rather than coming out of the college’s gen‐ eral fund. The Student Equity and Achievement Program

By Andy Damián-Correa acorrea@theguardsman.com

Chancellor Mark Rocha resigned on March 31, 2020 due to pressure from the San Francisco City College stu‐ dent community and faculty, leaving the school in a finan‐ cial crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City College Board of Trustees still has not re‐ vealed to the press the reason for his resignation, nor explained to students and faculty why San Francisco Community College District then paid him a salary of $340,481 over the next year and benefits of $35,476

provides City College with almost $9 million each year for equity efforts.

Wise thinks one direction retention programs could go is consolidation. “There are too many retention programs,” Wise said. “With the deficit there’s no way you can keep what, 12 retention programs now? 10?” She added, “Any counselor should be able to service any student.”

Chris Wong is a case in point. When he entered City College in 2016, he accidentally became the “only Chinese kid” in AASP, after assuming AA stood for Asian American.

“I felt very welcomed,” he said, even working as a receptionist for the program.

including health care, vacations, and reimbursements for out-of-pocket expenses according to the San Fran‐ cisco Chronicle.

In 2013, over a year before Rocha announced his retirement from his presidency at Pasadena City Col‐ lege, their Academic Senate voted 23-0, in agreement with 92% of the faculty committee, that they had no confidence in then-President Rocha. The reason cited being his elimination of the Winter Term.

Their Board of Trustees, who approved the elimina‐ tion, defended Rocha and renewed his contract through 2017. In 2014 the board paid out retirement to Rocha

equalling more than $403,000. The next spring he was ordered by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to return it all and renegotiate the terms.

Students and faculty at City College of San Fran‐ cisco meanwhile paid the price for “Free City Col‐ lege.” Rocha cut over 600 classes according to City College’s faculty union, effectively slowing down stu‐ dent's plans and progress and creating anxiety in the community. In fact, City College funding is heavily dependent on enrollment.

During his tenure at City College, Rocha ap‐ pointed Connie Chan as director of media relations

Censorship continues on page 3 Staff Editors-in-Chief Eleni Balakrishnan Alexa Bautista News Editor John Tailor Wildfeuer

Culture Editor Hannah Asuncion Opinion Editor Tim Hill Sports Editor Kaiyo Funaki

Photo Editor Carmen Marin Copy Editors Tobin Jones Sadie Peckens Design Director Manon Cadenaule

Social Media Editor Annette Mullaney Staff Writers Colton Webster Ava Cohen Angela Greco Garrett Leahy

Shayna Gee Casey Michie Samya Brohmi Illustrators Daina Medveder Koziot Erin Blackwell

Serena Sacharoff Photographer Melvin Wong

NEWS | 3

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

Censorship continued from page 2 in 2018. Chan imposed restrictive proto‐ cols for student journalists, making it even more difficult to gain access to critical information.

New press protocols such as organiz‐ ing conversations and scheduling photo‐ shoots on campus forced students of jour‐ nalism to become more aggressive in their reporting, to hold college adminis‐ tration accountable.

In the fall of 2018, editor of Etc. Magazine Emily Hudson said, “Profes‐ sors and interview staff became full of middlemen, forcing writers to chase their sources in circles at the search for the facts.”

Many student journalists want to continue expanding the knowledge and training of journalism and transfer to programs in the California State System in reach of empowerment and continue the learning journey positive task of journalism.

Access to information matters more than ever in a time of relentless attacks on journalists worldwide, to keep the community college informed on changes and challenges.

Call to Action for Student Press Freedom Day: Journalism Against the Odds with a group of students' fists in the air. Join on February 26th with #StudentPressFreedom on all socials. Graphic Courtesy of Student Press Law Center.

BRIEF

BRIEF

BRIEF

Board of Trustees Back Bill to End Deadnaming

City College Begins Search for New Chancellor

Routine Delivery Turned Nightmare for Student Trustee

By Ava Cohen

By Colton Webster

By Maura Corkery

The City College Board of Trustees an‐ nounced they have commenced their search for a permanent chancellor, stating in a news release dated Feb. 12, that they’re planning to “complete the search process and an‐ nounce the new chancellor in April, with a start date of July 1, 2021.”

The search is being led by HSV Consult‐ ing’s Helen Benjamin. Benjamin is the re‐ tired chancellor of the Contra Costa Com‐ munity College District.

City College’s Director of Media Rosie Zepeda said that the search for the college’s new chancellor is being outsourced to HSV Consulting to ensure “we truly have a trans‐ parent process.”

The previous chancellor, Mark Rocha, resigned on March 31, 2020, and was re‐ placed July 1 by Interim Chancellor Rajen Vurdien. Just days prior to his resignation, Rocha had been placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons.

When asked what qualities he would like to see in his successor, Vurdien said, “It is not appropriate for the interim chancellor to comment on the hiring process of the per‐ manent chancellor,” adding, “this process is entirely the prerogative of the Board of Trustees.”

The position will be closed for applica‐ tions on March 12. For more information, visit https://www.ccsf.edu/ccsf-chancellorsearch.

Jeffrey Fang’s Saturday routine working as a Door‐ Dash driver was horribly in‐ terrupted on the evening of Feb. 6 when, while complet‐ ing one of many deliveries, a strange man climbed into Fang’s unlocked minivan and drove away with Fang’s two young children in the back.

At approximately 8:45 p.m., Fang, a San Francisco resident and City College stu‐ dent trustee, parked his Honda Odyssey in a drive‐ way on the 2100 block of Jackson St. in Pacific Heights, but left the motor running; his 4-year-old daughter Win‐ nifred and 1-year-old son Sean waited in the back seat.

In the minute or so that he was gone, Fang said, a stranger jumped into the car.

“I approached him and opened my car … I yelled at him and told him to get out and two of my kids are in the car,” Fang told ABC. His chil‐ dren, who “only speak Man‐ darin,” had no idea what was happening as the driver sped off.

avaocohen@gmail.com

cwebster1963@gmail.com

The City College Board of Trustees recently voted unani‐ mously to back Assembly Bill 245, which will end deadnam‐ ing (using students’ birth names they no longer identify with) of trans and nonbinary students on official school documents, such as transcripts and diplomas.

City College is a lead‐ ing school in the development of queer studies and was the first school to have a depart‐ ment of Gay and Lesbian Stud‐ ies in 1989. Over 200 students, faculty, and administrators at CCSF are openly LGBTQIA. In January 2020, the board passed Policy 2.34: Gender Di‐ versity and Inclusion, which stated that “the San Francisco Community College District shall treat all students, employ‐ ees, applicants, contractors, vendors, and visitors with dig‐ nity and respect, regardless of gender, gender identity and/or gender expression.” It also al‐ lowed for any applicant, em‐ ployee, vendor, contractor, or visitor at City College to have their chosen name and pro‐ nouns on District-issued public

Faculty Advisor Juan Gonzales

documents, including but not limited to; name badges, class rosters, and student identifica‐ tion cards.

Bill 245 would take an additional step, allowing trans‐ gender and nonbinary students to choose what name they would like on their diploma, rather than simply using their deadname. Furthermore, this bill would establish a standard‐ ized procedure for public col‐ leges to follow when former stu‐ dents pursue having their edu‐ cational records updated and reissued. It would also clarify the types of identification a for‐ mer student may provide to have their name updated.

"Because we live in a patri‐ archal, heteronormative society, transgender and nonbinary in‐ dividuals face compounding systemic barriers at educational institutions,” the bill states, not‐ ing that "students should not be 'deadnamed' on their diploma, which is the ceremonial docu‐ ment commemorating years of hard work and achievement."

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The police response was immediate and extensive.

The California Highway Pa‐ trol issued an Amber Alert in San Francisco and four addi‐ tional Bay Area counties, and the SFPD motorcycle unit conducted a city-wide blockby-block sweep. In addition, the department’s entire swing shift of 100 personnel was put on overtime to assist the investigation, according to San Francisco Chief of Po‐ lice Chief Bill Scott.

Fang’s van was found at 1 a.m. on Feb. 7, with the chil‐ dren still inside, parked on the 2400 block of Fitzgerald Ave. in the Bayview District.

After a reportedly uneventful medical evaluation at SF General Hospital, Fang and his wife were able to take their children home.

At the time of this arti‐ cle’s publication, police had yet to identify a suspect in the theft.

4 | CULTURE

By Casey Michie

caseymichie94@gmail.com

A new exhibit titled “We Are Bruce Lee” slated to debut this fall at the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) mu‐ seum will offer guests an immersive look into the life and legacy of Bruce Lee. The CHSA Museum, located in San Francisco’s Chinatown where Bruce Lee was born, was founded in 1963 and serves as the oldest organization in the United States dedicated to the “interpretation, promotion, and preservation of the social, cul‐ tural and political history and contributions of the Chinese in America,” according to their website.

Throughout the organization’s tenure, they have promoted Chinese legacy and culture in America through publications, museum exhibitions and public programs. While currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CHSA has maintained a large online presence, and “We Are Bruce Lee” is scheduled to mark a return to in-person exhibits.

Jane Chin, project lead of the exhibit, notes that she hopes the opening of the exhibit will be a celebration, “We want to share the spirit of Bruce Lee as well as revitalize Chinatown by welcoming people back into the community. It’s an upbeat idea, where people can get out of their cocoon, where people can come together and celebrate the end of a hard year.”

The exhibit itself will offer guests a glimpse into the life of Bruce Lee, with “rarely displayed artifacts including drawings and handwritten letters, historic photos, memorabilia, video and film, artwork, and technology designed to create interactive, graphically stunning displays.” Through these rare artifacts, guests can learn and appreciate the incredible impact Bruce Lee

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

had on the Bay Area community.

“It is so fitting to tell the story about a man born here in Chinatown,” Chin notes. “[Lee] was born two blocks from the museum, and in many ways it’s like bringing a native home.”

Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco in 1940 to parents on tour with the Chinese Opera. He spent his childhood and early working life in Hong Kong, where he was first introduced to martial arts and played multi‐ ple roles as a child actor. Upon his return to the United States, he began teaching martial arts and opened his first studio in Seattle. In 1964, Lee moved to Oakland, where he would establish another school at 4175 Broad‐ way in the north of the city.

It was here in the Bay Area that Bruce Lee would hone his unique style of martial arts, a practice which broke from the rigid traditional form and instead em‐ phasized improvisation. His style became known as Jeet Kune Do, or “The Way of the Intercepting Fist.” His studio in the Bay Area became known locally as a wel‐ coming center for students of all cultural backgrounds interested in learning Lee’s brand of martial arts.

It was his unique style that caught the attention of Hollywood executives, eventually leading to multiple movie productions including titles such as “The Big Boss,” “Way of the Dragon,” and “Fist of Fury.” Lee not only played leading roles in the films, but also pro‐ duced and choreographed for works such as “Enter the Dragon,” a film that turned an $800,000 production budget into a $300 million international hit.

Catastrophically, Lee’s life was cut short at the age

Illustration by Daina Medveder Koziot/The Guardsman. Instagram: @dmkoziot

of 32, when he experienced an adverse reaction to as‐ pirin in the summer of 1973. His legacy, however, lives on as a beacon of perseverance and community both in the Bay Area and abroad.

“During these troubling times of economic and so‐ cial strife, this exhibit will educate, inspire, and unite people of all backgrounds to embrace the very best qualities of themselves, just as Bruce Lee did throughout his tragically short life,” organizers of the exhibit said.

It is here that the exhibit gets its full name: “We Are Bruce Lee: Under the Sky, One Family.” The line is an homage to a quote of Bruce Lee, where he espouses a philosophy of a shared human experience.

Chin hopes these philosophies and teachings of Bruce Lee will inspire those who attend the exhibit, and that people can witness the Bruce Lee which lives within us all. Like Bruce Lee, we can internalize the idea that, “we all have power within us, and there is a lot we can tap into we don’t even realize,” Chin said.

The exhibit will be located at the CHSA Museum, which is housed in the landmark Chinatown YWCA building at 965 Clay St. Adult tickets are currently $15 for entry into the museum, and City College students can enjoy a discounted student day rate as well as a discounted membership rate.

Please visit the CHSA website for up-to-date infor‐ mation and scheduling regarding the exhibit.

CULTURE | 5

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

By Shayna Gee

sgee23@mail.ccsf.edu

Free City! The Fight for San Francisco’s City College and Education for All is a part-analysis, part-narrative book co-authored by Marcy Rein, Mickey Ellinger, and Vicki Legion. Pub‐ lished in early February, Free City! follows five years of organizing that eventually resulted in the implementation of free tuition for San Francisco residents.

Legion, a long time faculty and a core ac‐ tivist at Save City College Coalition, began this work with a student research committee, exam‐ ining the administrators and those in power who had particular interests in “safeguarding” the educational quality of City College.

The authors wanted answers to questions such as how the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), a small committee, could say they were going to close the large and well respected City College.

Legion and the Save City College Coalition began collaborating with Rein, a writer, organizer, and community journalist. Together, they co-wrote articles in the magazine, Race, Poverty, & the Envi‐ ronment (Vol. 21-1) examining the coexisting crises and the fights led by the people.

“There is so little that is actually written to celebrate this kind of community work,” said Rein, “much less explaining how it happened.”

Recognizing the importance of documenting these stories, Free City! was born.

Writer and self proclaimed “footnote queen” of this book, Ellinger, explained, “As austerity and budget cuts narrowed what were the resources for community college … it left administrative posi‐ tions vacant, the faculty volunteered for pay cuts, people did what they needed to do to keep the college a community serving college.”

She credits the words of scholar Henry Giroux, “The attack on public education is not because the schools are failing — but because they are public.”

Mickey Ellinger, co-author of Free City!: The Fight for San Francisco’s City College and Education for All, sits in her front patio. Ellinger said the Free City program “represented the original commitment to open education” and is for “anyone who can benefit from instruction.” Oakland, CA. Feb. 13, 2021. (Photo by Melvin Wong/The Guardsman)

Vicki Legion, co-author of Free City!: The Fight for San Francisco’s City College and Education for All, leaves a tribute poster at the humble memorial for Alex Nieto at Bernal Heights Park. Legion stresses that “the same communities that are being pushed out of San Francisco by gentrification and police violence are the same communities that are being pushed out of City College by downsizing student pushout policies.” San Francisco, CA. Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo by Melvin Wong/ The Guardsman)

interest in the control of City College and some administrators were glad to hand it over, but the community refused to let go of the place they loved.

In 2012, The Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistant Team (FCMAT) insisted on an austerity program for the college that essentially threatened state takeover if the school did not make massive budget cuts.

Fear and uncertainty ran through City College.

Rein noted that the local teachers union, AFT 2121, had “institutional re‐ sources.” They were able to reach a wide audience by organizing through state and federal networks. However, the unions also had “institutional restraints” because they were legally restricted from initiating demonstrations like the students had.

As the book shows, the challenges and fight weren’t barricaded within City Col‐ lege. With the elections nearing, the com‐ munity mobilized San Franciscians to vote for Proposition A parcel tax which won unanimously. “They gave people some‐ thing to fight for,” the authors wrote.

Free City! encapsulates the entrenched social, economic, and political issues that marginalized communities continue to

bear the brunt of. Across San Francisco, the tech boom, coupled with at the time Mayor Lee and his interest in real estate, doubled rent prices from 2010 to 2015, with evictions and displacements at simi‐ lar rates.

City College predominantly serves communities of color and working class communities, the same people who were being pushed out by rapid gentrification.

“This book is about education, but also CCSF is so rooted in the place,” Rein said.

With over 80 interviews, Free City! is a treasure packed with a wide range of voices from students, teachers, labor unions, and community members. This book doesn’t only spotlight those who fought for City College, it tells readers about the struggles that existed to the ex‐ tent that “strong faculty unionists were scared to publicly criticize the ACCJC.” But the engagement and resistance of students continued to power the move‐ ment. “Students called the first sit-in in City College history,” Legion said. “They sat in Conlan Hall all night with decorated banners and placards and there were four TV trucks lined up … beaming news about City College.”

The book highlights that in 2012, City College served over 90,000 stu‐ dents, in which “nearly three-quar‐ ters'' were low-income students of color and that English as a Second

“Everyone has a City College story,” Ellinger said. Free City! gives space to the people who voiced their tears and rage, to those who didn’t understand the complex‐ ities but asked, “What can I do?”, and to many whose actions weren’t publicized, but nonetheless contributed to the win for City College.

The lessons along the five year fight to save City College was also a fight for a public education system free from corpo‐ rations. As the school is once again, under‐ going the accreditation process and bat‐ tling multiple crises heightened by the pandemic, Rein, Ellinger, and Legion pro‐ vide this book as a guide for envisioning our futures. Enriched with history and strategies of community resistance, Free City! asks the necessary questions that lie ahead: “What are we for? What do we want to build?”

You can view documents, chapter notes, and more by visiting their website at freecitythebook.org and purchase the book at pmpress.org.

Language (ESL) was the largest pro‐ gram. “The notion of what public meant was exactly defying the ‘go small, get a degree, business model,’” Ellinger said. The state had a vested

Marcy Rein, co-author of Free City!: The Fight for San Francisco’s City College and Education for All, notes in the book that the abrupt shutdown of the Civics Center campus in the Tenderloin was “a symbolic moment to what was happening to City College as a whole." Oakland, CA. Feb. 13, 2021. (Photo by Melvin Wong/The Guardsman)

6 | OPINION

By Angela Greco

angelgelly11@gmail.com

Governor Gavin Newsom’s latest state budget proposal of $227 billion is one of the largest California has ever seen. But when these proposal charts are broken down, environmental pro‐ tection agency expenditures are actually down 81.5% from the previous budget year.

These cuts could impact the fragility of our state’s climate and the future environmental issues California faces.

Just over a year ago, in Janu‐ ary of 2020, Newsom had given us high hopes on environmental initiatives. His optimistic proposal at the start of the year included spending $12.5 billion over five years to curb carbon emissions, build up the state’s resilience to wildfires, floods, and droughts, and even put $20 million towards a new state park.

According to a KQED article from May of last year, the park’s proposed location would likely be on a 50,000 acre plot of land in the East Bay. However, the article also states that conservation groups would likely need to raise more funds in order to properly preserve the land. That arrange‐ ment is still in limbo.

Of course, we now under‐ stand how drastically things can change in the course of just one year. Although the statewide stay-

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

at-home order helped slow the spread of the virus, it also resulted in significant hardship. Many busi‐ nesses shuttered while unemploy‐ ment peaked in April with over 300,000 residents rendered job‐ less, forcing the state to shift its budget priorities to address the sputtering economy.

By May of 2020, Newsom had eliminated new program ideas meant to battle climate change, including a $1 billion green loan fund meant to support charging stations for electric vehicles and other renewable energy projects.

Newsom's most recent pro‐ posed plans to designate $4.1 bil‐ lion for environmental issues still appear to be focused on the infra‐ structure of environmental regula‐ tions, but tax revenues are down and COVID-19 relief is still widely needed.

According to Governor New‐ som’s budget summary, “the bud‐ get includes significant new strate‐ gies to reduce the impacts of cli‐ mate change with focused invest‐ ments to support the state’s zero emission vehicle goals, and an ad‐ ditional $1 billion to address a comprehensive wildfire and forest resilience strategy.”

His aim for the 2021-22 bud‐ get still includes a number of envi‐ ronmentally conscious proposals aimed towards greener living for Californians, although not as much as initially projected. Some of the issues in consideration

include climate change, reduction of smog, relief against wildfires, and a large push for cleaner vehi‐ cles on the state’s roads. But when given the circumstances of the past year, the allocation of envi‐ ronmental funds appears that it may have taken a backseat.

But why? It is no surprise that climate change is real. Any San Franciscan will assure you that the typical number of ‘summer days’ we have usually been allotted has

been increasing. According to The Wall Street Journal 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record. Devastating wildfires have continued to rage into January, far past a typical fire season, alarm‐ ing both climatologists and Cali‐ fornians alike. We want change, but the challenges we face are not easy to overcome.

Although Newsom dealt with the backlash of not always practic‐ ing what he preaches, at the heart

of his proposal is unyielding sup‐ port to help the Golden State bounce back from the impacts of COVID-19. Yet, perhaps this is where the struggle lies. While the state continues to deal with the threats due to climate change, the reality is that we are still wading through the debris from the pan‐ demic. Maintaining funding to‐ wards COVID-19 relief is an on‐ going battle; A balance our future is dependent on.

Elimination of Merit Admissions at Lowell Advances Debate on Equity

By Loretta Bonifacio datubonifacio@gmail.com

History tends to repeat itself at the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). De‐ spite measures to desegregate schools, SFUSD admits that seg‐ regation rates have actually in‐ creased over the past 30 years.

In 1937, redlining maps were created for use in San Francisco and other cities in the Bay Area.

This practice denied borrowers of credit, solely basing the deci‐ sion on where an owner lived and the socioeconomic classifica‐ tion of their neighborhood. Be‐ cause redlining was an inher‐ ently racist assessment of a neighborhood’s financial risk, this formally predicated the re‐ source disparities that would later emerge at SFUSD. Despite the 1954 federal rul‐ ing in Brown v. Board that de‐ fined school segregation as un‐ constitutional, San Francisco schools were mostly segregated during the 1960s. Growing re‐ sentment and hatred of Black, Asian, and Latinx students con‐ tributed to this deliberate

Illustration by Manon Cadenaule/ The Guardsman. Instagram: @cadenaulem

separation. One racial group of‐ ten comprised a school’s majority, until 1971.

Spanning 1971 to the present, SFUSD employed five different plans to desegregate San Francisco public schools: The Horseshoe Plan/Operation Inte‐ grate, Educational Redesign, Op‐ tional Enrollment Request (OER) Student Assignment Sys‐ tem, Diversity Index Lottery, and the current Student Assignment System.

What the five plans have in common was their ability to work for a limited time, until another set of unique social challenges dated them. For example, bus‐ ing’s attempt at racial balance be‐ came one-sided in the 1970s.

SFUSD Student Assignment Project Manager Henry O’Con‐ nell explained that while Black children from Bayview/Hunters Point would attend schools out‐ side their neighborhood, nonBlack children wouldn’t be bused into Bayview schools. Simultane‐ ously, families exploited the tem‐ porary attendance permit by finding loopholes to choose their

children’s school assignment. The freedom of choice was not always a good thing and allowed families to actively segregate.

What does this imply today?

This history enters a new chapter at Lowell High School. After the San Francisco Board of Education voted to permanently drop Low‐ ell’s long standing, merit-based ad‐ missions system on Feb. 9, concern over its impact remained a con‐ tentious talking point.

When anti-Black and antiSemitic messages were posted to Lowell’s Padlet website at the end of Jan. 2021, swift action was taken. Resolution No. 212-2A1 to amend Lowell’s policy was re‐ leased on Feb. 2, followed by a rally hosted by the Black Student Union (BSU) on Feb. 5.

BSU’s rally for cultural reform at Lowell mirrored the group’s 2016 walkout, which was called in response to microaggressions and full-blown acts of hatred on campus.

Initially, the lottery system was introduced only for the 2021-2022

year as a short-term solution to the logistical admission challenges im‐ posed by COVID-19. The board’s vote was met with dismay from some community members, who saw it as a threat to Lowell’s repu‐ tation and tradition.

The lottery admissions policy is scheduled to take effect at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. This means standard‐ ized test scores and middle school GPAs will no longer determine a student’s high school placement.

A student assignment system, referred to as a “lottery”, will take its place, effectively leaving the de‐ cision to chance. Families can also choose to reenter the lottery. Of the 15 public high schools in the district, Lowell was one of two schools left with selective admis‐ sions processes; the other is the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts (SOTA).

A minority within a minority, Lowell’s BSU is one of the few cul‐ tural clubs on campus. In 2016, the California Department of Ed‐ ucation reported that Black

students accounted for less than 1.9% of Lowell’s student body. For reference, Asians constitute 56.7%, Whites 15.2%, Hispanics 9.9%, Pacific Is‐ landers 0.9%, and American Indians 0.3%.

BSU Co-President Shavonne Hines-Foster was one of two SFUSD student delegates to vote on the resolu‐ tion. Hines-Foster has consistently pushed Lowell to denounce prevalent racism in the community, as demon‐ strated in the group’s demands for 2020-2021.

Hines-Foster and the BSU pub‐ lished a list of 23 demands, which pri‐ marily called for the passage of Resolu‐ tion No. 212-2A1. Other key demands included establishing an application day for current Black students to support prospective Black students, along with presenting a zero tolerance policy on racism and discrimination at freshmen orientation.

Change, while inevitable, takes some getting used to. Ask Lowell’s affil‐ iated organizations, which responded to the ruling in two different ways.

Lowell’s Parent Teacher Student

Elimination continues on page 7

OPINION | 7

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

A Chapter in Black History The Black Panthers founders Huey P. New‐ ton and Bobby Seale met at Merritt College in Oakland. This excerpt from the Panthers' TenPoint Program refers to their stance against American police and military violence, and their demand that Black people be exempt from military service.

Illustration by Erin Blackwell/The Guardsman. Instagram: @blackwelldrawingfool

Elimination continued from page 6 Association (LPTSA) hasn’t provided a de‐ finitive statement on the resolution, but LPTSA President Tiffany Abuan clarified that “the passion and energy isn’t about the [Board of Education’s] decision, but about the lack of community input.”

“We advocate for restorative, not puni‐ tive approaches,” Abuan said. “We provide information about how to advocate, not what to think.”

Abuan added, “Our goal is to support students and if we aren’t doing that, we cre‐ ate a path to get there in conjunction with administration and alumni.”

The path ahead meanders when re‐ marks from the Lowell Alumni Association (LAA) are taken into account. Their convic‐ tion is firm and their reasons abundant for opposing the lottery system.

A Feb. 8 statement published on LAA’s website claims that “an academic-based admissions system is incompatible with di‐ versity, equity, and inclusion,” because the responsibility falls on SFUSD to provide students with more “resources and support needed to excel academically.”

Moreover, LAA considers how lottery admissions would compromise the school’s ability to offer an academically rigorous ed‐ ucation for students most qualified to re‐ ceive it.

When reached for public comment, representatives from BSU and LAA were unavailable.

Lowell High School Plaza is free from the usual hustle and bustle of its students, Feb. 21, 2021. Photo by Alexa Bautista/The Guardsman

A Change.org petition is circulating to urge SFUSD to explore alternative admissions policies at Lowell. Families for San Francisco started the petition in Oct. 2020. It has collected over 11,600 signatures.

Dialogue around Lowell’s admissions process may never cease and the lottery system may pose new challenges, but possibilities abound when we innovate what no longer serves us. Real social

change only happens when strategic, community-based action in‐ corporates feedback from its most oppressed constituents. Attention is the greatest currency we can pay to adequately meet each mo‐ ment and every single one thereafter.

8 | COMMUNITY

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

COMMUNITY | 9

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

Chancellor’s Note February 16, 2021 Dear College Community, Welcome back from a long weekend. I hope each of you got some rest and are recharged to create many accomplishments this week!

In these trying times, we know how important it is to provide all of our students, especially our most marginalized, with resources they need. The Queer Resource Center (QRC) celebrated its 15-year anniversary with their second “Queerceañera” Open House for the academic 2020-2021 year. The purpose of the event was to introduce new students to the QRC and all the resources available to them at CCSF. The Family Resource Center hosted a "Lunar New Year Celebration" to honor the holiday. The purpose of the event was to build community and introduce students to the resources available to them. The Family Resource Center provides a space and supports the educational goals of student parents at CCSF. Visit their website and share it with students.

The Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) - an advisory group of students, faculty, staff, and administrators - met to discuss ways that Student Health can better support the mental health and medical needs of CCSF students during this time. The group suggested that Student Health conduct "Wellness Workshops" that students can drop in on. These workshops would be different than the mental health groups already meeting weekly. The staff is exploring this possibility.

The Spring round of $50 Safeway Food Cards has started. A total of 134 students have been approved to receive the food cards thus far. Programs are still in the process of recruiting students. It is expected that 1,100 cards will distributed this semester to 550 students. Apply for Food Card.

Finally, Dean McGriff submitted the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program re-application on February 9. If funded, this will allow the continuation of the MESA program under the leadership of faculty member Fred Moore. Established in 1970 in California, MESA supports economically disadvantaged students who are majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) with the tools to excel academically and assists with transfers to universities.

Have a wonderful week!

Yours sincerely, Rajen Vurdien, Ph.D. Interim Chancellor

10 | SPORTS

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

By Colton Webster

cwebster1963@gmail.com

City College athletes have resumed practice with COVID19 precautions in place.

In a news release dated Feb. 8, Interim Chancellor Rajen Vurdien announced that athletes made their return to the field in addition to being the only school in the Coast Conference division cleared for competition by the San Francisco Depart‐ ment of Public Health (SFDPH).

In the phases outlined by the athletics department, teams have moved from phase zero to phase one which includes so‐ cially distanced in-person conditioning while wearing masks in small groups called pods.

Head Football Coach Jimmy Collins said the team is cur‐ rently in phase one of the SFDPH plan which includes training in pods of nine or less athletes per coach.

Collins also added that the team follows safety precautions including wearing masks while on the field and social distancing 12 feet between every player.

“As a program we’ve researched all the professional organi‐ zations that have done really well in terms of preventing COVID,” Collins said, citing NFL team the Seattle Seahawks as an example.

Dino Kahaulelio, a sophomore defensive end for Rams football said that the pod training is going “better than I thought it would, honestly … [however] we’re not allowed to use pads or weights or anything … [and] we run the track a bunch.”

The phases run in two week intervals, Collins said, adding that phase two should include “some sort of competition against each other, not in pads; just kind of start developing, getting ready for eventually getting pads on later this spring.”

Student Health Services Administrator Michael Snider said in a phone interview that all athletes are being tested for COVID19 on campus every Wednesday. The testing is being carried out in conjunction with the college’s nursing program, with nursing students performing the exam under the direction of testing com‐ pany Genetworx, the college’s nursing faculty, and athletic train‐ ers according to the news release.

In an email from Women's Athletic Director Jamie Hayes, she

City College women's soccer team practicing back on campus on Feb. 9, 2021. San Francisco, CA. (Photo Courtesy of Jamie Hayes)

said “[City College’s] purchasing department negoti‐ ated the contract with Genetworx, [and] ITS [Informa‐ tion Technology Services] helped with the onboarding of the Aura App and Wi-Fi needed to run the testing site.”

Asked to gauge the reception of his team’s return to in person training Kahaulelio said, “a lot of people are really excited about it, we’re really glad to be back.”

The chances of being able to play in competition against other teams this spring remain uncertain. If the competition goes ahead, it will likely take place in early

April or late March, and will consist of six games wherein City College would play two games each against a total of three teams.

Regarding the challenges the City College Athletic Department has faced during the pandemic, Collins said, “I think we’ve learned to be flexible and adaptable and just understand it’s a very fluid situation,” adding, “as you cross minor obstacles you can stop and problem solve and figure out how to go about it as efficiently and as safely as possible.”

The COVID testing medical staff on City College campus test student athletes weekly every Wednesday. San Francisco, CA. (Photo Courtesy of Michael Snider)

SPORTS | 11

Vol. 171, Issue 3 | Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2021

By Kaiyo Funaki

kaiyo.funaki@gmail.com

Burl Toler Sr. never sought out atten‐ tion, nor did he ever want to flaunt his achievements. After all, football officials thrive in anonymity; they operate best in the shadows, only stepping into the spotlight to enforce the rules.

And for 25 years, Toler did just that. He

Illustration by Dejah Walker/The Guardsman

called plays decisively, with composure and conviction. But unlike his crew members, who could fade into the background, Toler carried a burden that no man had ever shouldered before.

In 1965, he earned the distinction of becoming the first Black official to work in the NFL, as well as the first Black official in any professional sport in North America.

Prior to his career on the sidelines, he

starred as an All-American center and line‐ backer for City College. Alongside future Hall of Fame running back Ollie Matson, Toler led the team to a mythical national championship in 1948.

Though he never played football during his youth, he possessed an uncanny combi‐ nation of size, speed, strength, and intellect that made him a seamless fit on the gridiron.

Dr. Hiawatha Harris, Toler’s best friend

from City College, recalled just how dom‐ inant he was amongst the competition. “It seemed like every play that was made, there were 11 guys on the field, and they were all named Toler,” he said.

Toler then parlayed his burgeoning athletic career into a scholarship to the University of San Francisco, where he teamed up with Matson and two other future Hall of Famers, Gino Marchetti and Bob St. Clair. In 1951, he was part of the legendary “Undefeated, Untied, and Uninvited” Dons’ team that declined a bid to the Orange Bowl due to its racist regulations.

Toler went on to get drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1952, but suffered a catastrophic knee injury that derailed any chance of playing professionally.

He finally found his way onto the field 13 years later, albeit in a different capacity than what he had once imagined. Toler’s hiring came at a crucial time, too, with the nation embroiled in civil unrest and a fight for racial and gender equity. Burl Toler Jr. expressed just how daunting a task it was for his father to step out onto the field during that era. “Most people don’t like referees,” he said, “but to be a Black referee was almost like a double whammy.”

While the elder Toler never revealed his experiences with discrimination to his children, it was a testament to his calm demeanor, quiet perseverance, and drive to succeed.

Susan Toler Carr recounted her fa‐ ther’s words of wisdom when it came to his career. “He always said that ‘I may be the first, but if I do my job right, I won't be the last.’”

This eventually came to fruition as other leagues followed the NFL’s initiative soon after. Emmett Ashford became the first Black umpire in baseball in 1966, while Jackie White did the same for the NBA in 1968.

And though he died in 2009, the im‐ pact Toler had in the NFL still resonates today. The NFL featured an all-Black offi‐ ciating crew for the first time in its 101 year existence just this past year.

Toler’s accolades extended far beyond the scope of athletics. He taught math and physical education at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, and in 1968 be‐ came the first Black principal in the SFUSD. He worked on several different academic boards and volunteered at the local Boys & Girls Club. Toler was a police commissioner from 1978 to 1986, work‐ ing for George Moscone and Dianne Feinstein.

He also was a dedicated father of six who always made time for his wife and children despite his plethora of responsi‐ bilities. “My dad was a good guy. Very loving, very family-oriented, soft-spoken, and required the best out of us…in terms of how we treated one another, and how we were educated,” Burl Jr. said.

And through a series of mottos, Toler instilled the qualities and core values that define his family today. “One of his say‐ ings,” Carr said, “was, ‘Always do your best, and your best will be good enough.’”

It was evident that he was a man of his word, for no matter what career he pursued or what groundbreaking achieve‐ ments he accomplished, Burl Toler always did his best.