Vol. 168, Issue 4 | October 9 – October 23, 2019 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE
Funeral Held for Cancelled Courses By Diana Guzman dianaanaid.gf@gmail.com
Chancellor Mark W. Rocha sits in his City College office, located at Conlan Hall, during an interview with the Guardsman on Sept. 23, 2019. This would be the second interview granted by the chancellor for the Guardsman. Photo by Jennifer Yin / The Guardsman
HEAT Organizers Threaten a Vote of No-Confidence If Demands Not Met By Jennifer Yin jyin4@mail.ccsf.edu
Chancellor Mark Rocha has received ample criticism from students, faculty, and labor organizations since his hiring in 2017. As reported in several Guardsman issues from this semester, the college’s administration has reduced the number of educational counselors, full-time faculty, course listings, and library hours since Rocha’s establishment as chancellor. Critics of Rocha include a newly formed coalition of students, faculty, and community members known as the Higher Education Action Team (HEAT). HEAT member, Julieta Kusnir, stated the main focus of the organization is to seek the restoration of classes, encourage growth in student access to services, and the implement longer library hours. “We are doing all we can to engage everyone possible. It is important to recognize the final decision making is with the administration. They decide what is valued at the school, and HEAT wants to make sure students success is valued,” Kusnir said. The organization also demands the college have a printed class schedule for Spring 2020 no later than Nov. 15, that class cancellations are only permitted after the second week of term, and that administrators allow departments themselves to decide which classes to add and remove without interference. HEAT will call on the college’s community to organize a vote of
no-confidence towards Chancellor The following day, Pasadena students Rocha if he fails to comply with their disrupted a Board of Trustees meeting. demands. A vote of no-confidence is a “For years we followed the process, statement, or vote to whether a person in we wrote to you, we attended your a position of power is no longer deemed meetings, we tried to tell you, you said fit to hold their position. that would work, and it did not. You However, a vote of no-confidence for cut our classes, our education, and our Chancellor Rocha at City College would future,” Pasadena protesters shouted. not be the first Rocha has received. Rocha ended his four-year term The chancellor’s prior position as at Pasadena City College in August president of Pasadena City College of 2014. ended with two votes of no-confidence. The college nullified a nearly According to the Los Angeles Times, $400 thousand dollar severance deal as the former president, Rocha with their former president, after the received criticism from Pasadena’s Board of Trustees violated the Ralph faculty and student body for approving M. Brown Act by not discussing Rocha’s the cancellation of the college’s retirement and severance package in an winter session. open meeting. On Aug. 29, 2012, Pasadena’s Board The Ralph M. Brown Act guarantees of Trustees cancelled the college’s winter the public's right to attend and participate intersession without the approval of any in meetings of local legislative bodies. shared governance body, including the The Los Angeles Times noted how it is calendar committee, the college council, unclear if Rocha was required to return and the academic senate. the $400 thousand dollars. According to a coalition of students Pasadena City College’s current and faculty for student achievement at president, Erika Endrijonas, was unable Pasadena City College, the cancellation to speak on behalf of Chancellor of Pasadena’s winter session was Rocha’s tenure and accomplishments supposedly to save the college an when contacted. estimated $1 million in savings. However, Similarly to Pasadena City College, documents later released by the City College of San Francisco, under Pasadena City College CSFSA, revealed Rocha, experienced a reduction in the college saved only $589,000 from course and class offerings as well and a cancelling its winter session. reduction in faculty. On Feb. 21, 2012, students at Additionally, both college’s Pasadena City College staged a 300 administrations suggested salary person walkout, in response to the increases for administrators and an cancellation of more than 50 classes and expansion of class sizes to meet the the firing of 45 professors. These cuts college’s budget. occurred one week prior to the start of the college’s Spring Semester. No-Confidence continued on page 2
Students and faculty gathered outside of Smith Hall last week to raise their voices about how class cuts have negatively affected City College students. On September 25th, everyone gathered at RAM Plaza where a mock funeral, advertised as “A Celebration of the Life of City College of San Francisco: Death By a Thousand Cuts”, was held to point out the failing educational hopes and dreams of students. The protest was hosted by City College’s Higher Education Action Team (HEAT). Included in the memorial was live music from the CCSF Labor Chorus and the words and artwork that was brought out were from the students and faculty here on campus. As the protest began, four men dressed in all black arrived at RAM Plaza and ventured in carrying a cardboard casket with “RIP” written on top. Sizable paper flowers and gravestones were set up across the courtyard with phrases like “Part-time healthcare” written on them to express what students have lost since class cuts began last year. City College student, Marcos Cruz, gave a speech about how the college should be trying to obtain more funding from the state to increase the amount of classes offered, instead of using funds that could procure more classes for administrator raises. He pointed out the hypocrisy of California being the most wealthy state, but not having enough money to fund its own community colleges. Several community members walked around handing out flyers with event programs and lyrics to the live music that was played so that attendees could sing along. Protesters held posters that said “My tuition is for college not for admin pockets” and “stop killing our college.” Engineering professor, Wynd Kaufmyn, left the crowd with a speech that had a more hopeful essence to it. She believes that it is possible for City College’s administrators to unite with students to solve the budgetary crisis without hurting students in the process with cuts to resources like libraries and resource centers. The protest concluded by attendees marching towards Conlan Hall where the protestor’s demands were read. These included no classes being cut until the second week of the term, no class with 15 or more students enrolled being cut at all, and that administrators include student input in their decision making process.
AFT2121, students, and faculty attend a funeralthemed protest titled “A Celebration of the Life of City College of San Francisco,” hosted by the Higher Education Action Team (HEAT) in front of Conlan Hall, on Sept. 28, 2019. Students hold handmade posters reading “R.I.P., part time teacher jobs,” and “CCSF death by 1,000 cuts.” Photo by Jennifer Yin / The Guardsman
2 | NEWS
Students Celebrate At 33rd Annual Citizenship Day
A group of ESL students are honored at Chinatown campus on Sept. 2019 by the City College staff and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services representatives for being granted their citizenship this year. Photo by Amal Ben Ghanem / The Guardsman
By Tyler Breisacher tbreisac@mail.ccsf.edu
About 100 people gathered at City College’s Chinatown Campus on Sept. 20 to celebrate students who passed their citizenship tests over the past year, for the 33rd annual Citizenship Day. The event brought together staff and students from various campus departments. The program started with retired City College music professor Wilma Pang leading the crowd’s rendition of the national anthem. Among the invited speakers were members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, City College Board of Trustees Vice President Tom Temprano, Student Chancellor Drew Min, and representatives
from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). They congratulated the citizens, as well as teachers and volunteers at City College who had helped them prepare for the challenging civics and English language questions that make up the citizenship test. Multiple attendees spoke about their own families’ experiences as immigrants. Calvin Yan, representing Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s office, spoke about helping his mother practice for citizenship interviews when he was growing up. Vinicio Lopez, dean of the ESL and international studies departments, shared a similar story about helping his mother learn English while she was also working 11 hours a day. The Chinatown campus, where many citizenship classes and ESL classes are held,
is just two blocks from the USCIS office. Kit Dai, dean of the Chinatown campus, said USCIS has been a strong partner of City College’s citizenship program and often invites students to take field trips to visit the office so that they aren’t as intimidated when they go there to take their citizenship tests. In addition to congratulations and recognition of their hard work, several speakers highlighted the importance of voting — an important right that students are granted upon being formally sworn in as United States citizens. At the conclusion of the program, attendees were presented with a patriotically decorated red, white, and blue cake, which was baked by a student in the culinary department, who also happened to be a newly sworn in U.S. citizen.
BRIEF
Break-In at Visual Arts Leaves Lab Short Computers By Lisa Martin lisamartin.562@gmail.com
Three iMac computers were stolen from the Visual Arts building at Ocean Campus last week when the building’s lab was broken into sometime after classes ended on Tuesday Sept. 24 and before faculty arrived on Wednesday Sept. 25. The lab in room 143 is connected to other classrooms and faculty offices in addition to its entrance from the main hall. The thief or thieves broke the glass on the door of room 142 and made their way to the lab through the attached classroom. The break-in was discovered Wednesday morning by a student who had arrived early for Professor Tim Harrington’s Graphic Design II class. The student alerted a faculty member who reached
Staff Editor-in-Chief Lisa Martin
News Editor Claudia Drdul
out to campus police, and officers then arrived shortly before 9 a.m. The loss of the three computers has affected some students taking classes in the computer lab. Professor Harrington believes the department was already underequipped and that their student to computer ratio was already at maximum capacity. Some of Harrington’s students are bringing their own computers to his classes now to make up for the lost computers. Lorraine Leber, Chair of the Visual Media Design Department, said that she was working with her dean and IT Services to replace the computers as quickly as possible. Currently, five Visual Media Design classes are held in the computer lab 143 and the space is also being used for Open Lab hours on Thursday mornings.
Culture Editor Matheus Maynard
Opinion Editor Andy Damián-Correa Photo Editor Amal Ben Ghanem
Sport Editor Alec White Copy Editors Antoinette Barton Tyler Breisacher
Designer Director Chiara Di Martino Online Editor Fran Smith
Vol. 168, Issue 4 | October 9 – October 23, 2019
No-Confidence continued from page 1 During an interview with the Guardsman, Chancellor Mark Rocha had the opportunity to explain the actions he took as president of Pasadena City College. “I am proud of my record at Pasadena. I’ll stand on my record. Here and everywhere else. The fact of the matter is at Pasadena, we increased enrollment rate, graduation rate, and Pasadena is one of the most successful colleges for graduation and transfer. The work we did together such as, the information technology system we put in. We would be so happy here, if we had Pasadena’s I.T., system. Additionally, a vote of no confidence is an expression of people’s opinion,” said Chancellor Rocha. When questioned as to whether or not there has been a change in management style from his time at Pasadena to his time at City College, he responded no. The chancellor’s vision for a more sustainable future for City College includes an administrative salary increase for the recruitment and retention of the best faculty possible. Critics of the proposed salary increase emphasized the timing of the raises, due to the college’s recent budget cuts given to most departments. “I know there is never a right time to raise administrative salaries, but I do think this is an important time to do so because we have a lot of administrative vacancies. Our experience has been that it’s really hard to recruit top people, especially in information technology and in areas like that,” said Rocha. The Board of Trustees has since approved the administrative salary increase as of Sept. 26, 2019, with a vote of 5-1. Trustee Ivy Lee was the only trustee to vote against the salary increase. “I just want to be clear I did not support the salary increase because my suggestion is, I want an independent analysis first. I do not think the timing is right for us to vote, but the Board of Trustees has voted,” Lee said. The role of a budget analysis is to produce an independent analysis of the college’s overall budget, and analyze items such as expenditures and salary schedules. Lee believes “it is important to have the controller (analyst) and the budget analysis. The results of the analysis show that the 10% raise is justified, then that makes it retroactive. What that means no one is going to lose out. We are not taking money away from anyone. Everyone will be able to see how we have arrived to this proposal, and at these numbers.” Lee’s request for an independent analysis has been approved by the Board of Trustees. As for the rest of the concerns of the student body, Rocha suggested to follow the college’s democratic process and to attend and express views at regular Board of Trustee meetings. In addition Rocha suggested how H.E.A.T., members or any other individuals can consult with the college’s participatory governance counsel or the Board of Trustees regarding change.
Staff Writers Anshi Aucar Tyler Breisacher Rachel Berning Abraham Davis
Caoilinn Goss Diana Guzman Jennifer Yin Saroya Mackey Milo Kahney
NEWS | 3
Vol. 168, Issue 4 | October 9 – October 23, 2019
BRIEF
Student Assembly Meets Again to Address College Issues By Saroya Mackey smackey5@mail.ccsf.edu
Two City college students, Marcoz Cruz and Winmon Kyi, held the first student assembly of the semester on Sept. 25th in the MUB on Ocean Campus to discuss prevalent student issues. Last semester, the Student Assembly was used as an outlet for students and faculty to share their thoughts on the class-cut situation and to express their concerns about the administration. This semester, students involved with the assembly are looking to achieve more student representation on campus. Initially, students were asked to partner up and introduce themselves to each other in order to build community; a simple action which made the environment comfortable. After introductions, students got down to business and began discussing previous efforts to stop class cuts including on-campus protests and participating in public comment at the City College Board of Trustees meetings. A common theme among complaints from students were that class cuts have been leaving students unable to complete their studies at City College and therefore, have been pushed out to complete their degrees at different colleges or find an alternative route. A solution offered by students at the assembly was to break the assembly itself up into several working groups to focus efforts on meeting specific goals. Four core groups were formed: outreach, communications, research and fundraising. These groups will work on separate projects including room to room presentations, social media outreach and finding sustainable funding sources for classes that have been cut and the assembly itself. Finally, several future objectives were discussed before students disbursed. Goals were set to include accessible and safe public transit, stopping more classes from being cut and creating or finding a funding source so that more classes can be offered so City college students receive a more well-rounded education.
Illustrator Tiffany Zhu
Photographers Saroya Mackey Amal Ben Ghanem Fran Smith
Activists Call for Accountability of the Philippine Government By Claudia Drdul claudiadrdul@gmail.com
A slew of young feminists and Filipino rights activists gathered Monday night Sept. 23 in Rosenberg library to discuss the violation of women’s rights by the Rodrigo Duterte Government of the Philippines. On September 23, “Half the Sky and Across the Earth: A Women’s Fight for Human Rights,” an event created through a collaboration between City College’s Philippine Studies department, the City College Women’s Resource Center and ANAKBAYAN San Francisco brought together speakers from various activist organizations like GABRIELA Philippines, GABRIELA Oakland and BAYAN Northern California. “We’re here to have a conversation about the women who organize within their communities around human, environmental rights, and the struggles that come along with it,” said organizer and City College student Angela Santelices. Pastries and salad were graciously provided by the City College Culinary Arts and Hospitality department through the collaboration of Professors Keith Hammerich, Jim Morris and Chef Mark Hodgson. The event began with a spoken word by San Francisco State student, Nickel Rivera, to honor the activism of San Francisco native, Brandon Lee, who was shot by the Philippines military last month after being “red-tagged” in Ifugao. “Brandon Lee a human activist, those who righted wrong, to the natives to violations of Duterte’s pawns, just continuing the slaughters and the targets. Bringing in foreign investments to leave the indigenous- mistreatment,” recited Rivera. The Cordillera Peoples Alliance released a statement in March of 2015 stating that Lee had been wrongly “red-tagged” as an armed New People’s Army member, alongside several other activists involved in the of the Ifugao Peasant Movement. Those who are “red-tagged” by the government are typically targeted for their involvement in indigenous rights or environmental preservation and are then subject to surveillance, threats of arrest and threats of violence. Speaker Jen Abella, a human rights activist from GABRIELA Oakland, shared her own testimony of being “red-tagged” by the Duterte government when she was stopped from flying back to the United States, forced to stay in the Philippines for two months and had no choice but to self deport. “I used to think this American citizenship was a shield against the government,” she said. However, counterinsurgency by the Duterte government in the United States has been on the rise. Abella explained that US-based anti-Duterte activists have been subject to heavy online doxing, as their personal information has been released to the general public. According to Human Rights Watch, “Since taking office on June 30, 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has carried out a “war on drugs” that has led to the deaths of over 12,000 Filipinos to date, mostly urban
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Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales
Mailing Address
In small groups, City College students discuss conflict between activists and the Philippines government under Rodrigo Duterte at Half the Sky and Across the Earth, an event held in Rosenberg Library. Photo by Claudia Drdul/The Guardsman.
poor. At least 2,555 of the killings have been attributed to the Philippine National Police.” Speaker Joan Salvador of GABRIELA National Alliance of Filipino Women explained that it is currently profitable for Filipinos to turn in those who are “red-tagged” by the government. Repression of women’s human rights have also been a focus of the Duterte government, as Duterte himself has “ordered soldiers to shoot female rebels “in the vagina,” made inappropriate comments about his female Vice President’s legs, joked about raping Miss Universe, and equated having a second wife to keeping a “spare tire in the trunk of a car,” as explained in a 2018 TIME article. Salvador spoke about her personal experiences with the trampling of women’s rights by Duterte and the military police. She explained that although there are more than 40 laws protecting the rights of women, cases of violence against women by those in power have gone up since the PDP-Laban party’s election in 2016. Salvador believes a president can make something a policy by speaking about it without it going through the process of becoming a law. An important piece of history that was touched upon by almost every speaker, was how the United States government has been funding the Duterte government’s “war on drugs”. According to Foreignassistance.gov monetary aid from the United States works to “support the Philippines’ military
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modernization, improve counterterrorism and law enforcement capabilities, deter transnational crime, and improve the Philippines’ capability to monitor and secure its vast maritime domain.” Since Duterte’s election in 2016, the Philippines government has received $129.34 million in aid from the United States for “Peace and Security” projects which focus upon “counter-terrorism”, “counter-narcotics” and “combating weapons of mass-destruction”. The greatest increase in funding for “peace and security” was in 2018 by more than $85 million from the year before, at the height on Duterte’s “war on drugs”. On August 15, shortly after Brandon Lee was shot, the United States embassy approved a $10 million contract with the Philippine National Police to build a counter-terrorism training center in partnership with the United States Department of State. Solution wise, Salvador says, “we have to also think about how the system enforces this” and that it is the job of activists and media to double down their efforts to educate others on the workings and funding of the Duterte government. There will be a benefit show for Brandon Lee on October 19 at the Golden Bull Oakland at 9 p.m. To join ANAKBAYAN SF email anakbayansf@gmail.com or contact the group on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook @absf.
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4 | CULTURE
Vol. 168, Issue 4 | October 9 – October 23, 2019
10 Years After City College’s Sustainability Plan is Approved, Students & Staff Keep Working Towards a Greener Campus By Matheus Maynard & Tyler Breisacher mmaynar7@mail.ccsf.edu & tbreisac@mail.ccsf.edu
Sustainability efforts at City College have been lacking in recent years, but students and faculty, energized by climate change activism in San Francisco and across the nation, have exciting opportunities to improve the college's sustainability in the coming years. Back in 2009, the Board of Trustees approved a sustainability plan. The plan created a set of goals and standards to be followed throughout City College, in order to achieve sustainable practices that could both benefit the college financially and reduce its impact on the environment. Cecilia Palmtag, an Environmental Studies student and co-president of the Zero Waste Club, said that the sustainability plan showed how forward thinking San Francisco has always been. But just having a plan approved is not enough. Often, Palmtag said, student involvement makes projects actually happen. “There’s a high correlation between the success of sustainability efforts, and how many students are speaking loudly through the right channels, and doing the legwork to make it happen.” The Multi-Use Building located at Ocean Campus is a LEED gold certified construction. It has a green rooftop, geothermal features and it is designed to be energy efficient. Photo by Amal Ben-Ghanem / The Guardsman Palmtag said. Most of the sustainable efforts done at City College comes from students, some members of institution, DeAnza College, has 34 locations around center’s work is outreach: Making sure everyone on campus the faculty and staff, and some departments. However, the campus. DeAnza, San Francisco State University and Butte knows which items are supposed to be recycled, and which effort is not unified. College also offer different kinds of public transit passes are supposed to be composted. "The 10-year-old plan explores multiple goals to reach while City College only offers passes for students in certain The more waste goes into the right place, the less work sustainable practices in the functioning of the college, includ- programs, such as EOPS and HARTS. Also, electrical vehi- there is for the sorters at the recycling center to make sure ing energy usage, landscaping, and more," Palmtag said. cle (EV) charging stations can be found in all the compared City College is in compliance with the new city rules. Many of the goals established in the sustainability plan colleges except City College. The recycling department is also aiming to reach zero became state and city regulations over the past ten years. City College has approximately 0.02 acresof native waste by 2020, and as of 2017, they were diverting 40% Therefore, they are no longer goals, they are requirements. gardens while DeAnza has approximately 1.5 acres of of landfill into recycling and 37% of landfill into compost. For instance, one of the goals established in 2009 was to native gardens with living classrooms and habitats for local City College also has a certificate program for increase the use of recycled materials on campus.According species. Having a native garden is an essential sustainable Automotive hybrid and EV Technology under the Auto to Implementation Table of the Sustainability Plan released feature since native garden provide habitat for local species Mechanic program. There is also an Environmental Studies in 2017, this goal was still “ongoing.” and important pollinators and insects that helps maintain degree with classes that can also be used to fulfill general As a global climate crisis approaches, several educa- the ecosystem. education transfer requirements. tional institutions are changing their practices to meet the In regards to water conservation, low flow valves, waterThe sustainable efforts are also coming from the facilisustainability agenda. Palmtag is working on a project that less urinals, and lavatory sensors can be found at DeAnza ties department with the new Facilities Master Plan (FMP) compares City College to other colleges in the area by differ- and Butte Colleges whereas City College and other institu- that consists of demolishing temporary buildings, refurent sustainability metrics. tions do not have them. bishing existing ones and building new ones following state According to Palmtag’s study, City College has Other issues around campus have been reported by LEED certification requirements along with an energy six bike racks on campus whereas a much smaller students, such as smelling steam coming out of the exhaus- efficiency plan. tion valves located near Cloud Hall at Ocean The director of sustainability of Kitchell, the construcCampus. This steam comes from the boilers, tion company contracted by City College, Deeptika Patel, which are old and are reported to be leaking, is optimistic about sustainability at City College because and overheats the garden’s dirt. she sees a generational change in the way that people think The sustainability plan also specified that about sustainability. “Your generation’s thinking is not about newer buildings must be LEED silver certified. acquiring things, acquiring money, that’s not what it’s about,” The Multi-Use Building (MUB), at Ocean she said, speaking about the younger generation, includCampus and Chinatown Campus, are both ing those who are now students. She added that this new gold-certified buildings. generation was “more concerned about climate change MUB, for instance, has a green rooftop and bringing solutions to that particular complex issue,” as designed to enjoy daylight; it has a water pump compared to older generations. system, and it has geothermal features dispensThat generational change was clear during the Climate ing the use of a heating or air conditioning Strike that took over several blocks in downtown San system. However, when those features came Francisco on September 20. While the protest drew people out, the facilities staff did not know how to use of all ages, it was youth-led and included a group of students them properly. from City College’s Zero Waste Club. A new San Francisco law went into effect The Zero Waste Club is a student-driven club that in July, requiring “large refuse generators” to conducts events, clean-ups, protests, and many other actions not only recycle and compost but to ensure all to make City College and the community move towards their waste is sorted properly. sustainable practices. They are working closely with the City College was already well-prepared to Sustainable Committee, who are composed of students, comply with this law. Most students and faculty members of the faculty and general staff. The committee probably haven’t noticed the college’s recycling is responsible for passing resolutions to address issues and center, hidden near the back of Ocean Campus, plan on the topic, and after passing as a resolution, they but they’ve been sorting through waste from all need to pass it to the Academic Senate if the resolution over the college for over a decade, as well as acts in a bigger picture. handling discarded furniture and electronics. As sustainability becomes no longer a luxury or special Carlita Martinez, the director of the recy- feature but a necessity to the everyday life of every person, cling center, hopes the college will approve business, institution, and government. At City College, hiring more workers for the recycling center. students are demanding more an institution that respects Another important aspect of the recycling their needs for a sustainable future.
CULTURE | 5
Vol. 168, Issue 4 | October 9 – October 23, 2019
The Tango Performing class dances their first live event of the semester at the 2019 Milonga Social Dance Party on Sept. 28, 2019. Photo by Milo Kahney / The Guardsman
City College Celebrates Nineteen Years of Milonga Dancing By Milo Kahney mkahney@ucdavis.edu
City College’s Dance Department organized the 2019 Milonga Social Dance Party on Sep. 28. Milonga is a centuries-old dance that has recently become a sensation throughout the United States. At City Collage, the popularity of the dance is no exception. Over 100 students and community members participated in this social, an event that happens every semester. People of all skill levels came to the event, which lasted from 7 pm to 10:30 pm. The attendees danced to traditional Tango music as well as classic bands like Journey. The event culminated in a two-minute showcase of “La Cuprecita” by the Tango Performing class. It was their first performance of the year and was intended to prepare
the dancers as well as introduce newcomers to Tango. The class will also be performing at the Dance College on Nov. 3 and at the Low Tech on Nov. 27. Milonga has exploded in popularity over the past decade. This is due to both the heavy social aspect of the dance as well as traveling showcases and TV shows like Dancing With the Stars. Apart from traditional dances like the one performed at the event, the Tango Department also incorporates more contemporary bands like the Beatles. Professor Chelsea Eng of the Dance Department hosted the event. She has been at City College since 2000 and has been hosting Tango dances ever since. “I host this event really for the students at City College in the Argentine Tango Program to serve as a stepping stone between the college and the world of the Milongas beyond campus,” said Eng.
Milonga is a very technical dance that requires years of practice to dominate. The 2019 Milonga Social Dance Party, however, is not meant to deter beginners. Eng said the event, “is intended to be a very friendly, unintimidating, welcoming environment and really good launch point and gives them a taste of how a Milonga is structured.” The event is also a great opportunity to meet another tango enthusiast. Two dancing partners who started taking classes at City College got married earlier this year. Their matrimony was celebrated during the dance party. “The main purpose [of the Tango Dance Party] is to share the joy of dance,” Concluded Eng. The Argentine Tango Program will hold a similar event next semester around Valentine's Day also in Room 301 in the Wellness Center, Ocean Campus.
6 | OPINION
HAVE YOUR SAY BY CAOILINN GOSS
“WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE ON CAMPUS TODAY?”
Ph
“The biggest issue on campus today I guess is class cuts, currently. Another big issue would be information regarding resources available on campus. And I think those two are the most crucial problems”
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by
Sa
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a M a c key
— Charlie Phavichitr, Business Administration
“For me it’s kind of like, dang, what if they cut classes that I want to take? Another is make sure they note the non binary bathrooms. Because I’m non binary, [...] I need to find my bathroom and I really have to go somewhere far or not in my building” — Knowledge Kendrix, Psychology
“I went into the elevator and I pressed a button and then all I heard was a big boom. And then it went up. And then I heard another big boom and the whole thing shook. [...] I was like, I’m not taking elevators anymore.” — Daniel Contreras
“It’s like [there is] lack of communication between the administration, faculty, and it’s just causing a lot of conspiracy theories. It’s causing a lot of anger and division.” — Hafsah Syed, Political Science & Economics
“I think the biggest issue on campus right now is class cuts. It’s pretty big and makes planning a schedule harder for people that are working full time, and trying just to get through.” — Luis Arriaga-Lucero, Political Science
Vol. 168, Issue 4 | October 9 – October 23, 2019
Anti-Gentrification Activists Protesting Manny’s Cafe Arrested on Flawed Charges By Claudia Drdul claudiadrdul@gmail.com
In early August two activists, Dayton Andrews and Max Goodwin, were arrested outside of Manny’s cafe and event forum on trumped up charges, including four felonies, while protesting the establishment’s gentrification of the Mission. It was reported that after community bond funds paid for each protestor’s 75 thousand dollar bail, the charges against Andrews and Goodwin were dropped. But the truth is more complicated: the charges were set aside under a clause which allows the DA to refile charges before the expiration of the statute of limitations if they choose to do so. In doing so, the SFPD are ensuring that the activists must look over their shoulders and cease any civil disobedience efforts for fear of arrest. This action by the police seems to come as a warning to all of the other protestors who have participated in the boycott of Manny’s since its establishment in 2018. The SFPD has a long history of trampling the rights of activists within the city. In September of 2018, anti-police brutality activist Ilyich Sato was arrested after filming the SFPD using unreasonable force to detain youth on Valencia Street in the Mission. During San Francisco’s 2019 pride parade, two activists were arrested while ironically, protesting the police’s involvement in PRIDE after years of persecution of the LGBTQ+ community by the police themselves. A video the Guardsman received of the altercation itself, showed a Manny’s patreon becoming increasingly violent after filming Goodwin with his iPhone alarmingly close to his face. Goodwin then steps away as the patron runs into the crowd of protestors- very clearly looking for a fight, and Andrews is seen trying to disperse the crowd away from the violent patron. The group of protests have officially taken a stance against Manny Yekutiel after a facebook post of his went viral in 2018. The Chronicle reported that Yekutiel quoted a New York Times article: “There are many reasons to celebrate [the anniversary of Israel], many of them lofty: a renaissance for Jewish civilization; the creation of a feisty liberal democracy in a despotic neighborhood; the ecological rescue of a once barren land.” Manny Yekutiel is a staunch Zionist. Local organizations committed to fighting against bigotry like Gay Shame, Jews Against Zionism, and the Lucy Parsons Project, have all joined together to oppose the use of community land by Yekutiel. In a statement on Gay Shame’s website, the organization says “Manny Yekutiel’s private prep school background and DC connections helped him raise money to open his for-profit wine bar with a supposed “social justice” mission. However, “social justice” is meaningless when Manny’s hosts events with pro-gentrification politicians like Scott Wiener, or a director of the $2,200-per-person Burning Man Festival.” Manny’s, built on the ground floor of Mission
Housing’s Maria Alicia Apartments, lies below dozens of low-income apartments, and as a forprofit, pays below-market rent amidst a serious housing crisis within the city. The space was one which many had hoped would become a community center run by those from the surrounding Latinx community, not one run by and attended by white silicon-valley gentrifiers. Media coverage of this topic has not only been sparse, but has gravitated towards condemning the right to the protestors’ freedom of assembly, even some like Mission Local, stating that work against anti-Zionism is work against the right of the state of Israel to exist. Conflating anti-Zionism with anti-semitism is a way to justify the genocide and displacement of the Palestinian people and use of US taxpayer funds to do so. In order to understand the difference, it’s important to understand each individual concept. In a 2019 opinion piece in the SF Chronicle, authors Margot Goldstein and Rachel Lederman differentiate between the two ideologies: “AntiSemitism is a racist ideology that targets Jewish people because of their Jewish identity. Zionism is a racist ideology that supported the creation and maintenance of a settler-colonial state in Palestine. Anti-Zionists, including Jews, oppose the oppression and displacement of generations of Palestinian people.” Founder Manny Yekutiel has a long standing history of representing capitalist entities as well, according to his LinkedIn page. While many of his previous endeavors revolve around civic engagement, they also promote the integration of business interests in social justice movements. According to his linkedin page, from 2013 to 2015 he served as the chief of staff for FWD.us, a 501 lobbying group that was founded by billionaires Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Reed Hoffman. While the advocacy group appears to encourage positive immigration reform, the advocacy is actually for greater amounts of H1B or guest visas, where immigrants workers “are usually paid less than their pricey American counterparts, and are less likely to jump ship since they need to remain employed to stay in the country” according to a 2017 article written by Joel Kotkin. He also worked as a real estate associate for a private development company, the Concord Group, from 2012 to 2013. San Francisco private developers have long histories of purchasing housing for belowmarket rates, housing that could be transitioned into low-income properties, and flipping it for millions as a way to ensure the working class be pushed out of their homes and into areas where the wealthy do not have to see the shortcomings of private industry. Here’s my message to Yekutiel: if your social justice venue only attracts those with six figure salaries who spend millions on foreclosed apartments that families have been pushed out of, your venue is not one that should take the place of a community center in the heart of the historically working class Mission District.
Send us your your opinion articles, tips and upcoming activities for our community calendar email EiC: lisamartin.562@gmail.com Deadline for next issue: 10/16/19
COMMUNITY | 7
Vol. 168, Issue 4 | October 9 – October 23, 2019
COMMUNITY CALENDAR 11 OCT
CCSF BIOTECHNOLOGY SPEED NETWORKING 4 pm – 6 pm | Ocean Campus, MUB 238 & MUB 240
24 OCT
STUDENT EMPLOYMENT ORIENTATION WORKSHOP 1 pm – 2 pm | Ocean Campus, MUB 39
Contact jdrossi@califsciences.org
RSVP at careercenter@ccsf.edu
16 OCT
CAREERS IN ANIMATION AND ILLUSTRATION 3 pm – 5 pm | Ocean Campus, VAB 114
29 OCT
Contact arya.zarrinkelk@mail.ccsf.edu
18 OCT
FRONT PAGE GALLERY SHOWCASE DOCUMENTARY ON REFUGEE BORDER CRISIS
CCSF CAREER DEVELOPMENT JOB FAIR PREP 2 pm – 3 pm | Ocean Campus, MUB 39 RSVP at careercenter@ccsf.edu
30 OCT
6 pm – 9 pm | Ocean Campus, BUNGALOW 615
BE YOUR OWN BOSS (PART 2) 3 pm – 5 pm | Mission Campus, room 469 Contact arya.zarrinkelk@mail.ccsf.edu
Contact accionjg@aol.com
23 OCT
BE YOUR OWN BOSS (PART 1) 3 pm – 5 pm | Mission Campus, room 469 Contact arya.zarrinkelk@mail.ccsf.edu
4 NOV
VISITING WRITERS SERIES-CAROLINA DE ROBERTS 1 pm – 2:30 pm | Ocean Campus, MUB 140
20TH ANNUAL ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS 6:30 pm | Ocean Campus, MUB 140 www.animationshowofshows.com
Portfolio Club Presents: Tiffany Zhu Wow....
*GASP*
I may be the center of attention at CCSF
I may be good looking along with my love one
I may be smart and hardworking
In reality, I‛m exhausted exausted
ccsfportfolio.com @hellotiff123
8 | SPORTS
Vol. 168, Issue 4 | October 9 – October 23, 2019
RAMS ROAST EAGLES ON THE GRIDIRON By Meyer Gorelick
of three legendary City College football teams: msggorelick@gmail.com The 1983 Conference The City College of San Francisco Championship team, Rams football team put on an absolute clinic which won the first Saturday afternoon, October 5, obliterating of 22 Conference the College of The Siskiyous Eagles 73-7 Championships for during their first annual homecoming game. legendary Head Coach After an early three and out, the Rams George Rush, the 1994 offense took advantage of a muffed punt by National Championship the Eagles and reeled off seven unanswered team, which won Coach touchdowns to go up 49-0 with 4:43 left in Rush his first of seven the second quarter. National Championships, Starting quarterback Ethan Bullock, and the 1999 National from Orlando, Florida, scored on a quar- Championship team, terback keeper in the first quarter, then which set the table for the proceeded to spread the love. He threw unprecedented three-peat touchdown passes to three different wide as City College repeated receivers: Sophomore Christian Willis, twice as National from Sandy Springs, Maryland, Freshman Champions in 2000 and City College of San Francisco Rams wide receiver , 13, A.J. Bolden, sophmore, makes a catch close to the sideline during the second half of the homecoming game against College of the Siskiyous on Saturday Ezra Grace, from Honolulu, Hawaii, 2001. Alumni from these Oct. 5, 2019 at George Rush Stadium at Ocean Campus. Photo by Franchon Smith/The Guardsman and Sophomore Kenden Robinson Jr. teams were honored at from Encinal High School in Alameda, midfield with rings and optimism after the game, and excited to said, “National Championship. I just want who scored twice. appreciated for setting a culture of excel- carry the team’s momentum forward. “Our the ring, I really want it. I think this whole Equally impressive was the Rams lence, as City College leads the country defense is playing really good football and team does and the coaching staff does.” defense, recovering three fumbles, one of in Division One football transfers among our offense is finding its stride. We’re growThe Rams will carry a 4-1 record across which was returned for a touchdown by Community Colleges nationwide. ing every week and playing better ball than the bay to Laney College in Oakland on Freshman defensive back Trenton Holloway, With victory in hand, City College’s the week before,” Collins said. Friday night, October 18, as they kickoff of Fresno, CA. They shutout the Eagles until reserve players continued dominating the Collins’ starting quarterback echoed his their conference schedule. The next home the 33 second mark of the second quarter. Eagles, shutting them out in the second half, coach’s confidence and ambition heading game is on October 26 against the Diablo The first half blowout provided a and securing the 73-7 win. into the rest of the season. When asked what Valley College Vikings. Please come out and fitting segue for the halftime recognition Head Coach Jimmy Collins was full of his goal is for the rest of the season Bullock support the team!
CAREER SERVICES
Health Care Education Open House Fill the entire X• space with an image graphicin 1 to 4 Entry-Level healthorcareers
• • • • •
semesters Medical Assisting Health Information Technology Pharmacy Technician Unit Coordinator and more! Admissions and career information
Tuesday, 22nd of October 12 noon – 2 p.m.
CCSF John Adams Campus 1860 Hayes Street, S.F., 94117 3rd Floor Auditorium
OPEN TO EVERYONE Questions? Contact: mmward@ccsf.edu To learn more about us, visit www.ccsf.edu/careerservices @CCSF_CareerS
@CCSF-Career-Services
@CCSFCareerServices
MEN’S BASKETBALL WANTS TO START SEASON WITH A BANG! By Abraham Davis abrahamdfrankfurter@ gmail.com
San Francisco City College’s Men’s Basketball team is looking to pick up right where they left off last season by returning to the State Championship but, unlike like last season, this time they hope to leave with a victory. Returning as head coach for his 17th season, Justin Labagh, is optimistic that this year’s team will surpass the achievements of last year’s. “Last year we lost state championship game 79-85,” Coach Labagh recalls. “This team is looking better than last year so that’s exciting” Coach Labagh knows it won’t be an easy road to the top and is looking to challenge the team with some hard competition at the beginning of the season. “Our league is going to be really good,” said Coach Labagh. In particular he knows that Mt. San Antonio College and San Diego City College will pose a challenge.
“After we play them, we’ll have a really good idea of where we stand,” he added. Coach Labagh believes that his team’s unselfish playing style is what gives them their edge. “Our whole life-blood is taking the extra pass. Our team is unselfish, if we keep that up [being unselfish] we have a chance [at winning state championship].” San Francisco City College’s Men’s Basketball twitter account retweeted a video from the account ballislifewest_ featuring newcomer, Miles Norris playing a game at City College. The caption read “Miles Norris is about to turn this season into a MOVIE. NBA Potential.” Coach Labagh also feels that the former University of Oregon player has professional potential. “I think he will be in the NBA within the next four years,” predicted Coach Labagh. Norris shares Coach Labaugh’s optimism for the season. “I feel really good about the season already,” expressed Norris. “I think
that the team got really good chemistry this year. All the guys get along and communicate really well.” Norris thinks that there are still things that need to be tightened up before the team reaches their full potential. “We need to communicate more on defense. Just doing the little things, talking on defense, finishing the defense with a rebound, not allowing the offense the rebounds. I think the biggest thing is just eliminating our turnovers.” Norris is playing at City College after playing his Freshman year at the University of Oregon. “I didn’t want to stay out a year and then come in the next year rusty,” Norris told the Guardsman. “Hopefully win a state championship with this team this year and then get back to D1 level.” San Francisco City College Men’s Basketball will hold its first official game of the season at Chabot College in Hayward on Wednesday, January 8th but will have a number of exhibition games November through December.
The schedule for Men’s Basketball is posted on City College of San Francisco’s website at https://ccsfathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/schedule