The Guardsman, Vol. 169, Issue 7 - City College of San Francisco by The Guardsman

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS HOLDS SPRING ELECTIONS ONLINE Page 2

CITY COLLEGE ALUMNI STARS IN NETFLIX AND AMAZON PRIME SHOWS

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YOUTUBER SHARES HOWTO ON INTERNET STARDOM

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Public Records Requests Delayed By COVID-19 By Rachael Scarborough rachael@fifth-aeon.net

Government agencies are using COVID-19 as an excuse to delay requests for information. In a panel discussion held April 16, journalists and legal specialists learned how they can fight back. The meeting, held on Zoom with over 80 attendees, was hosted by the First Amendment Coalition and Society of Professional Journalists NorCal. “There are many agencies across California that are using this crisis to avoid their obligations under the Public Records Act, and that’s just wrong. It’s wrong as a matter of law, it’s wrong morally, and it’s bad public policy,” FAC Executive Director David Snyder said. The California Public Records Act, passed in 1968, requires disclosure of governmental records to the public upon request, unless exempted by law. This right to access was strengthened by an amendment to the California Constitution passed by voters in 2004. Journalists and activists depend on access to public records as a tool to hold government agencies accountable. “It’s especially crucial in the middle of a public health crisis that information about our government be made public as promptly as possible,” Snyder added. Panelist Ashly McGlone, an investigative reporter for Voice of San Diego, faced request denials while working on a story about how

San Diego County had prepared for the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak. She sent 83 requests to San Diego agencies. Fifty-seven agencies said that they were not able to respond due to the crisis “until normal business resumes.” Ten agencies did not respond at all. Panelist and Investigative Reporter Matt Drange for the online publication Protocol described a similar experience. He requested records from Fremont city officials about why Tesla was allowed to continue operations in its Fremont manufacturing plant after the shelter-in-place order had been issued. City officials had been sent home and “basically said we can’t get to this until we get back to the office,” according to Drange. “We had our lawyers follow up with a letter that basically said, ‘You can’t do that.’ Pretty quickly after that we got back the email exchanges we wanted,” Drange said. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease. It’s really important to push back,“ Synder emphasized. McGlone said some agencies she contacted acknowledged that “E-mails are electronic and can be accessed remotely” and cooperated with her requests. She used that argument to pressure other agencies that had refused or ignored requests, and has started getting more results. Several attendees noted that agencies have been citing HIPAA regulations as a reason to deny requests. “ H I PA A is about

protecting individually identifying information. Releasing statistical information is not going to compromise an individual’s identity. Overly aggressive use of HIPAA is preventing crucial information from being released that tells both the public and public health officials how the virus is developing,” Synder said. Attendees also raised concerns about orders from the mayors of San Francisco and San Jose to temporarily suspend parts of their Sunshine Ordinances which are more pro-transparency than the state law, according to Snyder. Snyder said the SPJ drafted a letter to Mayor London Breed taking issue with her role in rolling back some of the provisions. Panelist Aaron Field, a member of SPJ and associate at the law firm Cannata, O’Toole, Fickes & Olson, added, “I haven’t seen a firm end date in connection with the suspensions and that’s a big concern.” Synder said that with the courts partially shut down, journalists need to use tools other than the legal system to push back on agencies that are using COVID-19 as an excuse to delay responses. “Make a story about the fact that an agency is not producing records. Put pressure on them with your journalism,” Snyder advised. “Government is exercising a lot more power over how we live our daily lives. It’s all the more important for us to look behind the curtain and see what’s happening,” Field concluded.

Created by an anonymous source, El Rey wears a fabric tapestry face mask covering the nose and mouth on April 24, 2020. El Rey (The King) was presented to City College of San Francisco, Ocean Campus, in 2004 by then Governor of Veracruz, Mexico Aleman Velazco. Carved by Ignaciao Perez Solano, it is an accurate reproduction of the original Olmec colossal head which is located in San Lorenzo, Veracruz, Mexico. It weighs 14 tons and is 9ft. tall. It sits in the courtyard behind the Creative Arts building near the entrance to the Diego Rivera Theater. Photo by Franchon Smith/The Guardsman.

Chancellor’s Appointment Raises Questions About Conflicts of Interest By Tyler Breisacher tbreisac@mail.ccsf.edu

The selection of Dianna Gonzales as interim chancellor has raised new questions within the college community about the position of her son, Dean of Student Affairs Noah Lystrup. Lystrup was first hired in 2015 as a Bridge to Success Coordinator, connecting SFUSD students with CCSF classes. In July 2019, he became the interim Dean of Student Engagement, at which point he was indirectly working for Gonzales, who was Senior Vice Chancellor for Administrative and Student Affairs at the time. City College spokesperson Rachel Howard said the college has consistently followed the practices outlined in San Francisco’s policy on family relationships. The

policy prohibits any city employee from being the direct supervisor of a member of their family, but allows indirect supervision as long as it is reported so that a management plan can be developed. Two questions about this potential conflict of interest were submitted at the Board of Trustees’ virtual town hall on April 7, including one from student activist Vick Chung. Board President Shannell Williams assured the attendees that “Chancellor Gonzales was not involved in the hiring of Dean Lystrup, and Dean Lystrup will not have any involvement in the appointment or selection of a new long-term Interim or permanent Chancellor.” She also mentioned City College’s official policy on family and romantic relationships, which is similar to the City of San

Francisco’s policy. The college policy has been approved by the Participatory Governance Council and “will come before the Board of Trustees for official approval in May or June,” according to Howard. Former president of Associated Students Evans Campus Brenna Stroud said the influence on hiring decisions is not the only concern. Lystrup’s involvement with the Associated Student Council gives him influence over that organization, which can create a “muting of the student voice” even apart from the hiring process for the position of Chancellor. “When the state implements changes at colleges, they look for input from the students. That happens through the Associated Students — they are the state recognized voice of the students,”

she said. “By having Noah in his current position (whether he knows it or not) is currently keeping the Associated Students quiet and allows for admin to more easily implement their downsizing policies.” Associated Students Ocean President Angelica Campos acknowledged the potential conflict of interest, but said Lystrup’s work with Associated Students did not raise any immediate concerns. “Personally, I haven’t seen anything suspicious in my time working with him,” she said. “I’ve known him to be a great ally to students and more than willing to jump in and help students when they need the support.” Environmental Horticulture & Floristry Department Chair Steven Brown said this situation had been discussed in a number

of meetings. He pointed out that Lystrup’s hiring was unusual, in that it seemed to happen without the usual processes for hiring someone to his position. He added that appointments like this were somewhat common under former chancellor Mark Rocha. Brown said he’d raised this issue with Gonzales, and was hopeful that she would follow official processes more closely, to ensure that faculty, students, staff, and administrators, all get a say in major decisions affecting City College. Lystrup did not respond to a request for comment, and Gonzales declined to comment, referring to the statements by Howard and Williams.

2 | NEWS

Vol. 169, Issue 7 | April 3 - April 17, 2020

Town Hall Covers an Array of Community Concerns By Claudia Drdul claudiadrdul@gmail.com

City College’s Board of Trustees (BOT) and interim Chancellor Diana Gonzales held a Town Hall on April 7 to answer community questions about how the college will move forward under her guidance. The topics of the town hall ranged from concerns about students receiving support during the COVID-19 crisis, to the future of City College’s programs amidst a continuous budget crisis. Over 50 community members submitted their comments to a City College affiliated email prior to the meeting as public comment was open until 30 minutes before it began. Former Chancellor Mark Rocha’s abrupt decision to leave the college was brought into question by several public commenters, however, the college has taken a firm line on that matter stating that they “will not be able to share any

additional information regarding the departure” of Chancellor Rocha. All the while a main concern of public commenters was how the college plans to display transparency and accountability under the next chancellor. As for the conclusion of the spring 2020 semester, the board determined a commencement ceremony would not be held for May graduates, however, they ask that students help them to figure out if an alternative ceremony would be beneficial. It was also announced that summer 2020 classes were to be held online and that the college will determine if fall 2020 courses will meet the same fate by June. However, the board anticipates the recent reductions in class offerings and programs may continue even further due to reductions from governmental budgets. Several comments submitted highlighted the necessity of the

Older Adults Education Program (OLAD) which experienced a massive reduction last semester. A question and answer list which was posted online said “as we’ve said before, the college must prioritize offering coursework that helps students graduate and transfer, and to close the achievement gap for students of color” but “the question of older adult Learning will need to be revisited once a new, long-term Interim Chancellor is in place this coming July.” To conclude the meeting, the college announced their plans to recruit a new Public Safety Chief City College's Board of Trustees and newly appointed Interim Chancellor Diana Gonzales ask community questions during a Town Hall via Zoom since the departure of Interim on April 7. Public Safety Chief James Sohn for those interested in giving their finalize their interim-chancellor earlier this month. Following the town hall, BOT opinions on the qualities the college selection process timeline at the President Shanell Williams sent should seek in a chancellor and a upcoming special meeting on out an email to some faculty request that community members April 23. members asking for their input suggest candidiates for the position in the college’s search for a long- by emailing Williams their nominaterm Interim Chancellor. The tions swilliams@ccsf.edu. Williams said the BOT will email contained a link to a survey

All Associated Students Government Positions Open for Reelection By Aminah Jalal

Council would contribute by sharing their ideas and opinions to influence college policies and goals. Students taking part in the student government may also benefit from making network connections through the current AS members. It is also a great way for students to build their resume and transfer application. Most AS leaders are also eligible for priority registration and a free parking pass. Positions open in student government include Student Trustee, Student Chancellor and Student Vice Chancellor, and all council positions district-wide. As Student Trustee, the student sits on the Board of Trustees and weighs in on the big picture, district-wide college policies and procedures. Student Chancellor and Student Vice-Chancellor will work collectively as the voice

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City College’s Associated Students Government is having elections for the fall 2020-spring 2021 term. Students can help lead change and represent the student body by participating in the student government or by voting in the elections. The Associated Students Constitution grants the Associated Students Council to stand as a representative body for all City College campuses to facilitate communication, leadership, and advocacy. Any students enrolled in city college are members of the Associated Students. Those individuals who would like to take it a step further can run for a spot on the AS Council. Students joining the AS

Illustration by Nazli Kandur/ The Guardsman

of the students and to unite the student government groups across the college. The Associated Student Councils at each City College location are given the opportunity to form a council or association among students and to represent the unique voices and needs of students attending their particular campus. Campuses seeking candidates are Chinatown, Civic Center, Downtown, Evans, John Adams, Mission, and Ocean. Online voting will take place on Tuesday April 28th and Wednesday April 29th districtwide with more information to come. For any questions or concerns, contact AS Election Commissioners through email at ascvote@mail.ccsf.edu.

Remembering Cinema Department Fixture Doug Punslan By Meyer Gorelick msggorelick@gmail.com

Photo of Doug Punsalan courtesy of City College of San Francisco.

Doug Punsalan, a beloved fixture of the City College Cinema Department, talented teacher, film producer and a man who dedicated his life to film, died suddenly at his home on April 6,of undetermined causes, although early reports suggest it was due to a heart attack. Punsalan graduated from the City College film production department in the 1970s, and began working in the cinema lab during the 1980s. In the 1990s he became an instructor in the department, passing his encyclopedic knowledge of and passion for the art of film onto

Staff Editor-in-Chief Claudia Drdul

News Editor Tyler Breisacher

Culture Editor Jennifer Yin

Opinion Editor Caoilinn Goss Photo Editor Amal Ben Ghanem

his countless students. Punsalan made several movies, including “Something Scary,” a feature anthology film he made in the late 80s that stands out as his seminal work among colleagues. “It was a series of short horror stories with a twist and had amazing production value for what the budgets were. Doug was an unsung hero,” said longtime friend and fellow Cinema Department instructor Debbie Brubaker. “He had a great sense of humor,” Technical Instructional Assistant Jing Endo said. “Doug was incredibly funny, often catching one completely off guard with a solid pun or Asst. Photo Editor Fran Smith Sport Editor Meyer Gorelick Copy Editors Antoinette Barton

an obscure reference,” Cinema Professor Caroline Blair wrote in a tribute sent out in a newsletter. “I had the gift of a long overdue conversation with him for an hour and a half on March 9th before the school closed due to the pandemic,” Brubaker said. “I had my students watching a feature documentary, and then slipped out and went to the Issue Room where the equipment gets checked out as that was Doug's domain when he wasn't in a classroom. We talked and talked and caught up and laughed a lot. I am so grateful to have had that time with him before he left us.” Punsalan is survived by his nephew in San Diego, and is mourned by all those he touched

Osvaldo Salazár Design Director Nazli Ece Kandur Ad Manager Diana Guzman

Staff Writers Aminah Jalal Rachel Berning Alexa Bautista Jay Sea

during his nearly 40 year tenure as a cinema department community cornerstone. A memorial will be held in fall when people are able to gather in person, and the date will be announced when it is set. “He may have passed alone, but he was never alone in spirit. He has many people who loved and admired him. Me included,” Brubaker said.

Photographers Matheus Maynard Amal Ben Ghanem Fran Smith Joel Wagner

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Vol. 169, Issue 7 | April 3 - April 17, 2020

Mothers Against Poverty and City College Student Group SMAC Combats Food Insecurities within Its College Community

No Fascist USA! Reveals Decades of Fascist and Anti-Racist History

Authors Hilary Moore and James Tracy pose together after co-authoring “No Fascist USA!”. Courtesy of James Tracy.

Illustration by Nazli Kandur/ The Guardsman

By Carly Cheung ccheun71@mail.ccsf.edu

Student-led advocacy organization, Students Making A Change (SMAC), is distributing $7,500 worth of Safeway gift cards, $25 per card, to City College students – their efforts are in collaboration with Mothers Against Poverty (MAP) and Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF) to address food insecurity challenges faced by students during the pandemic. In addition to the Safeway gift cards, eligible students are provided with additional $150 by the The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to use on expenses related to the disruption caused by COVID-19. In response to President Donald Trump administration’s guidelines excluding all undocumented students from accessing the funds, multiple board of trustees co-sponsored a resolution drafted by Trustee Tom Temprano urging the U.S. Department of Education to allow distribution of the funds to all students, regardless of their immigration status, during the college’s BOT meeting on April 23. Trustee Temperano emphasized the importance of providing a safe learning environment and quality education for the city’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students. He relayed a firm message to the students by saying, “You are a part of city college, just like any of our students are, and we will fight for you and we are here to support you.” Around 260 Safeway cards have been distributed by SMAC to City College students’ mailboxes and they are planning to obtain more gift cards in the following weeks. The service went live early March. Prioritizations are made to working parents, students who lost their income, and students Faculty Advisor Juan Gonzales

who are supporting their families. The application verification takes 24-48 hours and students receive their cards in the mail within 2-3 business days. Currently, the policy is one card per household. Applications can be found on SMAC’s Instagram page or on the webpages of resource centers such as the Dream Resource Center and Latino Services Network. Additional resource centers are posted on the school’s virtual campus webpage. Students can also schedule telephone calls and Zoom meetings to discuss the application process with a staff member. A $7,500 grant approved by MAP provided SMAC with around 300 Safeway gift cards. A second round of $5,000 grant has already been approved and is estimated to provide 150-200 more cards, said Student Trustee and SMAC member Bryan Daley. With a second round of cards on the way, Daley mentioned SMAC will distribute an additional card to students with heightened needs from the first round of applications. Aliya Chisti, senior administrative analyst at DCYF who oversees the Free City program, elaborated on DCYF’s role in connecting the two local groups who were both searching for ways to support hungry students. “It’s part of our mission, to bring different agencies and organizations and people together to help make change and help our community. We connected MAPS with SMAC… and we proposed the idea… why don’t we do gift cards,” Chisti said. “This was something real quick. I would say it was almost something reactionary to address the situation. You don’t have to wait in line like at a food pantry. That was our goal, to get this going ASAP.” DCYF is also currently discussing reopening the RAMS Food Market on Ocean campus. They are in the preliminary stages of the plan, said Chisti. Since the closure

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By Alexa Bautista and Tyler Breisacher Summary In No Fascist USA! by City College Labor Studies professor James Tracy and anti-racist political education trainer Hilary Moore, readers delve into the historic details of the John Brown Anti-Klan Committee and the fight against white supremacy throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Named after John Brown, a 19th century white abolitionist who fought against white supremacy and stood by the Black Liberation Movement, the John Brown AntiKlan Committee also fought for self-determination, and embraced the principle of leadership from the oppressed. Through these efforts, the Committee exposed Klu Klux Klan (KKK) members in high positions in government, KKK members actively controlling New York State prisons, and educational institutions. With interviews from former members, their lessons and examples help provide information for those in social justice work today to fight off discrimination for future generations. of face-to-face classes, RAMS Food Market, which provided students with fresh produce every Tuesday on a first-come-first-serve basis, have been closed. Food insecurity is a continuing problem among City College students and the pandemic exacerbated the issue. Daley said, “Students were already food insecure… so it is my hope that we can continue to give as many resources as possible (even after the pandemic) because the need was not recently created, it has only been heightened.” With a team of three to four members, who are City College students, and two staff members, the process took about a week and

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No Fascist USA! book cover.

Significance By backtracking to when President Ronald Reagan was in office, the conversation of the fight against fascism with its plans, policies and strategies are still relevant today. As Tracy described from the KKK’s three waves throughout the 20th century, discrimination could survive by weaving around rules and regulations to succeed in oppressing the minority for different generations. By explaining intricate details of “New Afrika” and Assata Shakur to current news such as the Charlottesville car attack in 2017. Moreover, by showcasing evidence from past newspapers and photographs created a culture shock for people today in realizing change must be done in order for the United States to keep progressing. Tracy is able to dive in and convince readers the importance of the past to help present and future leaders and activists to keep moving forward despite the difficult challenges that could be faced. For many people, especially those too young to have lived through the events in this book, the election of Donald Trump may have seemed to come out of nowhere. His racist rhetoric during

the 2016 campaign and throughout his first term are shocking. Yet as this book shows, are not as unprecedented in modern American history as they may seem. Similarly, Tracy and Moore delve into the history of police violence and police killings. This has become more prominent in the last six years as Black Lives Matter grew from a hashtag to a powerful movement. But as the book demonstrates, it’s been going on for decades, and is tied to other forces of racism and bigotry. Luckily, it’s not just antisemitism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and racism that have a long history. There is a long-running resistance to those forces as well. By detailing the actions of numerous groups and individuals, the book provides a roadmap for people who want to be part of that movement today, as we approach the likely midpoint of the Trump era. Weaving together the sometimes-disturbing actions of fascists and white supremacists, with those of the anti-racist groups who fought back, keeps the book engaging and helps avoid a feeling of hopelessness. In particular, ending with a chapter of advice for modern-day activists helps end on an inspirational high note.

a half for SMAC to begin issuing applications, verifying students, and mailing out cards. Although SMAC has no food distribution experience, they were able to keep up with the sporadic rate of applications, sometimes up to 90 applications a day. “We’ve been defining success as the rapid way we’ve been able to turn around our resources. To us, success is not sitting on money that could help students,” said Daley. “We’re hearing stories from students that are saying these cards are coming in right on time. Really just hearing that one student got what they really needed does a lot. To me, that’s success.” Link to SMAC’s Instagram

page: https://www.instagram. com/smac_ccsf/?hl=en City DREAM Resources: https://www.ccsf.edu/en/ student-services/city-dream/ updates-and-resources.html Lation Services Network: https://www.ccsf.edu/ en/student-services/ student-counseling/mrsd/ latino-latina-services-network/ resources.html City College Virtual Campus: https://www.ccsf.edu/ virtualcampus

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4 | CULTURE

Vol. 169, Issue 7 | April 3 - April 17, 2020

City College Alumni Finally Gets His Big Cinema Break By Adina Pernell apernell@mail.ccsf.edu

Where do you interview someone who is a child of the 80’s, a member of Gen X, and grew up loving pop culture and watching martial arts action films someone who says their “soulmate is Wonder Woman”, and whose childhood idols were Bruce Lee and Michael Jackson? Why Capcom U.S.A. Headquarters of course. It was impossible to miss the logo of the popular game software developer, that by some happy coincidence, was the interview spot where security guard Hung Van Lam had received a temporary assignment. The bold yellow lettering loomed ironically in the background of Lam’s Facebook Messenger screen frame. When the sign was brought to his attention, Lam grinned toothily, made a ridiculous face, and formed his hands in the stance of the classic Capcom Street Fighter game character, Ryu. The iconic sound "Shoryuken" exploded from his lips. The silliness of his expression belied the crisp, white shirt of his security guard uniform that blended with the otherwise stark, industrial background of the space he occupied, and it was pure comedy. Lam sat down and told me his story. “It's kind of funny. I've been around since 1996. So I have a lot of content,” said Lam in reference to the amount of social media spaces where his artistic abilities can be seen. “It’s now 2020 I'm like 20 years in the making. And I've been having people say to me forever. ‘You really should be in Hollywood. You should be in a movie or you should have your own show.’ Because it took me so damn long.” Lam is human # 54 from the Netflix Reality Series “100 Humans: Life's Questions. Answered.” “100 Humans” concocts humorous scenarios to explore certain types of human behavior by observing the actions of 100 humans from varied walks of life and social demographics. For Lam, “100 Humans” represents what may just be the big break he has been waiting for, and it’s been a long time coming. “I'm the most famous guy that you've never met. Just Google my

name,” Hung Van Lam, and then look at the web. It’ll show you everything I've done,” Lam said. Lam has many names - archetypal aliases that encompass the different faces you’ll encounter when he is performing. Hung Van Lam the actor and producer, Sideburns Guy on “100 Humans”, hELLA HUNG the b-boy, Hella Man MAN, the Asian American He-Man, parody character he invented one Halloween in LA that turned into an indie series pilot on YouTube. “Then I have a character called El Dynasty where I wear the Mexican Luchador mask that looks like [the wrestler] Rey Mysterio.” In this character, which was recently featured in a

Hung Van Lam poses with fellow students at the 2001 Journalism Association of Community Colleges “My Traveling Competing Journalism Years. I love you JACC,” Lam said in a Facebook post related to the picture. (JACC). Photo by Hung Van Lam.

Photo of Lam’s “Original Hung Dynasty Breakin Crew Vest”. Los Angeles. Nov. 28, 2013. Photo by Hung Van Lam.

Facebook Group commercial, Lam would perform street shows with a boombox in Venice Beach, dancing to music of the 50’s to the early 2000’s. Lam wears many hats both personally and professionally and it’s all in pursuit of a dream. Like many before him, he has chosen a path not easily tread and often full of detours a career in Hollywood. His long list of talents, including being a cartoonist, comedian, dancer and martial artist all served to augment his diversity as a performer. When asked if he considers himself to be an actor or an entertainer, Lam concedes that he’s more an “ambassador for the arts” because of the broadness of his skillset. But it wasn’t always that way. At first Lam didn’t consider dance or performance arts seriously as a career path. “I never knew that dancing was even in me. Because

Photo of Lam’s original comic “Crazed Peace PHOENiX”. The character is depicted taking on the Super Computer Pac Hell in a parody referencing Bill Gates. Illustration by Hung Van Lam.

I [was] poor, I was a refugee kid.” Lam’s parents immigrated to America from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. “I thought I was gonna be a martial artist , and none of my parents really supported the arts.” He mentioned his mother in particular saying that “even now with all the TV shows... she only understands success in translation of money”. For Hung though who only made approximately $3000 for two and a half weeks of 15 hour shoots during the filming of “100 Humans”, it’s not about the money, fame or prestige. “I can tell people f*ck the fame! And at the end of the day screw the street cred. It's about being passionate!” Lam said. The College Years Lam’s long and winding road to his reality TV debut in Netflix’s “100 Humans” began with him exploring many avenues of creativity at City College of San Francisco. Before Lam, a self professed “comic book geek” graduated from City College with an arts degree, he started working at the college newspaper The Guardsman as a cartoonist and after taking a pagination class, as The Guardsman’s illustration editor. Lam said his process of creating art is akin to watching a movie scene. “I think because I was raised on television. I'm used to images, you know,” he said. While at The Guardsman, Lam went on to win an award at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) for his artwork. Lam also won Best Editorial Cartoon 2001 at the San Francisco Chronicle for his comic “Bush on a Rope”, a sarcastic visual commentary about the former US President. Lam was also the author of a feature story in a Spring 2003 issue of City College’s student run Etc. Magazine. The Etc Magazine feature is “a story of how I became a dancer,” Lam said. Then with a reminiscent chuckle he insisted that it “all started with a girl...so it's a nice little love story.” He continued

his musing saying “you know the only reason why men do anything is because of a girl.” But as Lam continued to hone his dancing and performing skills, a hobby that may have started with a romantic crush became his calling. During his college years, Lam created a breakdancing club at City College “originally named Freddy Hung, B -Boy Sessions, and then CCSF Breakin’ Fridays.” The Journey “I came out during the era of YouTube. My entire breakdancing career is on YouTube,” Lam said. In 2007 a video of Lam dubbed "The Best B-Boy Battle Ever" posted by DJ Incognito on YouTube went viral. Lam described the battle as “the ultimate underdog battle.” His nostalgia palpable he says “It's literally me...untrained, going against a world-famous break dancer!” As Lam’s skills grew, so did his reputation as a dancer. As part of the breakdancing crew called The Hung Dynasty, he fully embraced the persona B-Boy hELLA HUNG and also became something of a hype man known for getting the party started in the San Francisco Bay Area club scene.

Before he knew it, Lam was pursuing his career as a performer in earnest. Throughout the years he auditioned for a host of well known reality television talent shows, but none of them panned out. Lam tried out for America’s Got Talent in 2007 but didn’t make it past the LA rounds. Lam , also a comedian at heart who describes his method as “physical comedy” where the movement of his body becomes a key form of expression, didn’t make the cut again when he auditioned for “Last Comic Standing'' in 2008. “Like So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD), I didn't make it in Vegas,” Lam said of his 2010 audition for the dance reality TV show. At this point, he had relocated to Los Angeles. “I went to Hollywood after Michael Jackson passed away in 2009,” Lam said. At first Lam was an audition favorite on SYTYCD. He was featured in a short dance-themed superhero parody, shown flirting outrageously with the show’s host Cat Deely, and filmed doing various antics. After a few mini-auditions Lam was called to dance in

cont. on page 5

Photo of a comic book clip by Lam “Bush on a Rope” that won first place in a San Francisco Chronicles Editorial Cartoon Mail-in Competition. Published in The Guardsman Oct 29 2001. Illustration by Hung Van Lam.

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Vol. 169, Issue 7 | April 3 - April 17, 2020

Hung Van Lam cont. from page 4

Eponymous fan art of Lam’s character Hella Man MAN. “Hella Man Man." 2020. Illustration by Jonathan Reinert.

a final audition. At the time, Lam explained, he wasn’t aware this was actually the final audition and to top it off, a remix of the song he chose was played. After the final audition was over Lam said “the judges didn't know what to say, you know. And [when] I went backstage they were like ‘Hung, what the hell? What was that?’ I said, ‘well, it was a remix. I don't know that song so I just went out to have some fun.’They were like this was the audition that counted.” In the end this was another close call with fame. Looking back on his audition process with SYTYCD, Lam felt that the whole affair was “pretty racist”. Lam mused that “even when you watch the clip, everything they said to me was really endearing word-wise, but if you look at the delivery it’s sarcasm.” Though disappointed, Lam never gave up on his dream. He signed up for casting agencies and continued to scour Los Angeles for acting roles while working on the side. Lam has worked in all kinds of occupations to keep his dream of making it in Hollywood alive. He co-ran an 80’s pop culture themed Hamburger joint in Compton. I was “a bus boy and a cook. I worked at Trader Joe's and Safeway, the airport. I've done everything.” And of course true to superhero form, as a security guard, Lam is one of the essential workers helping to keep the economy going. Lam has sometimes been forced to choose making ends meet over job opportunities in Hollywood. Lam, who has been training as a martial artist since 1991, was once scouted by a stunt coordinator for Lionsgate Entertainment at a 24 Hour Fitness known for its celebrity clientele. He was invited to a test shoot to become one of their stunt persons

and “nailed it” but missed out on the second interview because he couldn’t get time off work. Lam made the choice to try and postpone the second test shoot because “they didn’t offer me a contract” and he didn’t want to be lured by any “fake promises… cause you need to pay rent”. Lam tried to explain the situation to the scout saying “‘I hope we can resched-’ and he just hangs up on me. That's Hollywood.” A Silver Lining Things started to look up in 2018 when Lam was cast in a small speaking role, in a 10 part, brief, episodic science fiction series about artificial intelligence called “Cyborg Universe”. Lam ended up getting a major voice acting role in the series. “Cyborg Universe”, originally a Kickstarter project, debuted in January this year on Amazon Prime. Lam was also at the time anxiously anticipating the debut of “100 Humans” on Netflix. “So both of these shows have been two years of me waiting,” Lam said. “Every time I'm about to be on TV. Something happens,” Lam said. This time, that “something” was COVID-19 and the ensuing pandemic which derailed many events in the entertainment industry including the premiere party Lam was supposed to attend celebrating the release of “Cyborg Universe.” to Amazon Prime. Meanwhile, Lam was featured in a remake of the music video for the Ray Parker Jr. hit “Ghostbusters” slated to be shown in movie theatres, but that was never seen due to quarantine lockdown theatres closures. In a strange twist of fate though, “100 Humans” aired on Netflix on the same day that President Trump declared COVID-19 a national emergency and shortly before many states issued shelterin-place orders.

A New Experience The fact that much of the world is on lock down has thrown a wrench in the entire entertainment industry, stalling productions and pushing back movie releases. But shows that have already been filmed and have been recently released are in a unique position to benefit from potentially increased viewership during the stay-athome mandate. In light of this, Lam could get a larger amount of publicity and exposure. Lam is hopeful this is the moment of his career he’s been waiting for. At 40, Lam is still in fighting form. The only difference he said is “my body gets tired quicker and it doesn't heal as fast but I could still do everything that I did back in the day.” He outlined his perfect scenario for success with laughing optimism. “You know how you make something and you're like, man, when this sh*t drops. I'm gonna be so famous! Hollywood's gonna be calling me and saying, ‘you've been in LA the whole time and we've never used you? So now we want you!’” Lam’s story is rather like that of a comic book hero, the one with a humble origin story who defies fate despite all odds and strikes out on his own adventure. He seems to have succeeded through sheer will and a refusal to settle for less than everything he wants out of life, and it’s taken a considerable amount of determination for him to get to where he is now. “People are like ‘Hung, you're cocky’. I'm like I'm not cocky. I'm just extremely confident. I don't need to prove myself because I am the standard like Picasso or Mozart...one of those brilliant people that you're never gonna understand till like 10 or 20 years later.” Even though the b-boy scene has faded significantly in popularity, many of his peers have moved on and Lam felt that “the hELLA HUNG momentum kind of stopped,” he has left an indelible mark on the Bay Area breakdancing community. Will “100 Humans” be the defining moment in Lam’s acting career? Only time will tell. “So everything that I've ever said I was gonna do, I do. It's just time is the missing variable,” Lam said. Whatever is on the horizon, Lam will approach it with his own signature style and flair, much like he did when he shared a poem he composed while a senior in high school his hands and body flowing with movement to the punctuation of every line, literally poetry in motion. He completed his final verse with a reverential bow and a glimpse of a smile.“I Hung Van Lam am an 80's, freestyle kind of guy I speak for myself and nobody else.”

Feeling a little extra? Try adding crystals to your everyday makeup routine such as Diana Guzman did in her soft-glam pink and purple look. Photo by Diana Guzman/The Guardsman.

By Diana Guzman diananaid.gf@gmail.com

There are many opportunities that one gets to experience throughout their life. Some may experience starting a new hobby or a new job. When I started blogging, I encountered different ways to outgrow as a person. I started my journey as a Youtuber January 2019, as I began to come out of my comfort zone. As I began, a flow of emotions ran through my body. Spring semester was just starting and I was debating on whether or not to start filming. My first ever video is titled Vlog #1 Hanging out with my Boyfriend | Stonestown. I began vlogging what my day was looking like and what I did for the majority of that day. It is very nerve wracking imaging how or what a person’s first thought would be as they watch my videos. I plan to pursue filming videos of my everyday life, beauty videos + tips and tricks, along with lifestyle videos. Although this may

not be my career of choice and I just began, besides my experience being short, I tend to continue this journey and progress to further develop my social skills. When one plans to begin their Youtube journey, it may be recommended to start figuring out what kind of videos one wants to start filming. It can be a collection of different ideas or one certain topic. When I began it helped me bring out my confidence a lot more now than when I started. I was very shy and nervous, yet now I feel more confident filming myself and my surroundings. I personally film with my IPhone because I feel like I work better with it, yet for better quality video will possibly be a filming camera. As I carry on with my Youtube journey, I intend to grow stronger in my social skills and use them to empower the person that I continue to pursue being. If you would like to support me and my journey, check me out on YouTube under Diana Guzman.

cont. on page 6

STEP BY STEP MAKE UP TUTORIAL IS ON THE NEXT PAGE! Diana Guzman, journalist for The Guardsman, shows off her pink and purple cut creased look adorned with a touch of lime green on her inner corners of her eye. Photo by Diana Guzman/The Guardsman.

6 | OPINION

The COVID-19 Lockdown Takes Its Toll on Students Living with Chronic Pain

In November College student Rachel Berning was on Treasure Island- at a bus stop on the way into the city to see the doctor for a check up on her chronic pain of her hip dysplasia.

By Rachel Berning Rachelo.berning@gmail.com

The COVID-19 lockdown has forced me to postpone my hip dysplasia surgery and prevents me from swimming, which has helped me manage my chronic pain. Holding off on surgery has been the hardest thing I have ever done. A few years ago I did a culinary program through Job Corps that brought me to the Bay Area. During the second year, I started to experience pain in my legs while walking and standing. At first I thought I had just pulled a muscle, but one of my chefs told me I should see my doctor. I went the following day. My doctor did an x-ray and he came into the office saying it looked like I had hip dysplasia. I was going to have to get surgery. At first I was scared because I didn’t understand how I got it, but the doctor said I was born with it and the pain does not hit you until adulthood. Hip dysplasia is a condition affecting the hip joint where the socket portion does not fully cover the ball portion. It is common in first born females and presents at birth. I never knew I had it because I was athletic when I was a child. There are two approaches to the surgery. First, a procedure known as a periacetabular osteotomy where the surgeon makes an incision in the front of the hip to reach the joint, cutting into the pelvic bone to free the hip socket from the pelvis, or another approach called femoral osteotomy, which is used to realign the thigh bone within the socket. During this procedure, the surgeon cuts and changes the angle of the thigh bone. Internal pins and plates may be used to hold in place as they heal but are usually removed after several months. After my diagnosis, the doctors wanted to do more tests. They also wanted me to make sure I had someone to take care of me after the surgery. I knew going back home to Ohio was not a good option for me due to my mom raising my other seven siblings in the house. Also, I didn't have enough money saved up in order to take time off of work to get the procedure. I would have to put everything I was doing on pause,

so I held off on the surgery. I have been working with the pain for about a year and half. Customers walk up to me asking if I am ok and I say I'm fine. Really, I'm in pain but I can't say that at work otherwise I’d lose my job. And you can't live out here on your own without a job. So, I push through the pain. I have tried to deal with the pain in many ways. When I first found out I had the condition, I went to physical therapy for the first few months. The exercises are supposed to make the muscles strong because the tissue between the bones is deteriorating. There were days when I would just lie there with ice on my leg because I was in too much pain to do the exercise. We were not getting anywhere with the physical therapy. My therapist suggested that I could go get cortisone injections to help relieve pain and inflammation in my hip. I got the shot done within the first two weeks of finding out. The following day I ended up on crutches and was on them for a good three weeks. The injection shot did not work for me. It did the opposite of relieving pain, and it caused me to miss work. After I started at City College in summer of 2019, I found out the college has a swimming program. I did the course and I had no pain in the pool, which was great. I finally found something that revelived the pain for a while. I would still feel pain when I was out of the pool but it was not as much as before. After taking the novice and advanced classes, Coach Phong Pham suggested that I join the swim team. At first, I was unsure I could do it because I did not know how much my body could take. I knew that I could do freestyle and backstroke and butterfly, but I could not do breast stroke because my hips are uneven in the water. I learned how much I could handle with practice. Swimming has been my own way of physical therapy, up until recently. The surgery will allow me to walk better and for longer, as well as sit longer than an hour. It would help me sleep, too. I wouldn't have to wake up to move my body to a different position when the pain wakes me. I would also be in shape to go back to work. I hope the city changes their policies around medical procedures under COVID-19 lockdown so people can get the surgeries they need. People are struggling to pay their rent and bills while struggling with chronic pain. They are not going to have the physical and emotional stamina, let alone money to pay their medical bills, if they are forced to wait through the lockdown.

Vol. 169, Issue 7 | April 3 - April 17, 2020

L etteR to the EditoR Dear Editor As noted in the San Francisco city wide February 26 announcement, City College is open to all adults: young, middle age and older. The college cannot discriminate against those who can attend or work at the college based solely on age. As you know, the former chancellor himself is 66 years old and will be 67 this August. He finds himself moving on to other work, another college or Sacramento, and can do so regardless of his age! Ann Clark

A New Experience cont. from page 5

Visit Diana Guzman's Youtube channel for more information on lifestyle, beauty, or to tune in on her everyday life. Photo by Diana Guzman/The Guardsman.

Step 1: Start lining under your brow with your concealer and cover your eye lid, setting it with translucent setting powder over it. Photo by Diana Guzman/The Guardsman.

Step 2: Using the shades ‘Love Letter’ & ‘Cyprus Umber’ from the Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow palette, dabbing lightly on the eyelid in a half circle way. Photo by Diana Guzman/ The Guardsman.

Step 3: Blend the shadows and add the ‘Realgar’ shade from the palette in the middle of the lid for a hollow look. Photo by Diana Guzman/ The Guardsman.

Step 4: Add your favorite lashes. Photo by Diana Guzman/ The Guardsman.

Step 5: Taking the ‘Love Letter’ shade from the palette and bring it under the eye on your lower lash line for a lighter effect on your eye, then top it off with mascara. Photo by Diana Guzman/The Guardsman.

Final step: Finishing the look with the ‘Primavera' shade in the inner corner of the eye to brighten off the look. Photo by Diana Guzman/ The Guardsman.

COMMUNITY/ SPORTS | 7

Vol. 169, Issue 7 | April 3 - April 17, 2020

SUMMER 2020 IMPORTANT DATES JUNE 8

INSTRUCTION BEGINS. FIRST DAY OF 8-WEEK AND 4-WEEK (1) SUMMER SESSIONS

JUNE 13

FIRST DAY OF SUMMER SESSION WEEKEND COURSES

JUNE 15

FIRST DAY OF 7-WEEK AND 6-WEEK SUMMER SESSIONS

JULY 3

INDEPENDENCE DAY (OBSERVED) (NO CLASSES)

JULY 5

LAST DAY OF 4-WEEK (1) SESSION

JULY 6

FIRST DAY OF 4-WEEK (2) SESSION

JULY 26

LAST DAY OF 6-WEEK SESSION

AUGUST 2

LAST DAY FOR 8-WEEK, 7-WEEK AND 4-WEEK (2) SESSIONS

AUGUST 12

FIRST DAY FINAL GRADES ARE AVAILABLE ON MYRAM PORTAL

Isolation Fitness Keeps Students Going By Rachel Berning Rachelo.berning@gmail.com

With athletes and students home during the lockdown, they are still working away physically by doing exercise at home. Whether it is working out with a friend or a family member, many people are working out to stay healthy during this crisis. “Exercise is important for overall healthy well-being, but it is vital to protect yourself from airborne disease, especially new ones such as the coronavirus where effective treatment is still being studied.” Dr. David Nazarian from Healthline said. “Here are some ways to exercise: keeping it basic with planks, pushups, squats, leg lifts, and burpees for an easy workout to keep your heart rate up. A way is to choose different exercises that target different parts of the body.” Creator of Ae Wellness Alexandra Ellis said. “I run every morning about a mile at about 7:30 while no one’s out yet, then after I do boxing drills in my garage and then after I go to a park across the street from my house to do football drills.” Football Player Fred Thompkins

Jr. said. Thompkin’s teammate, Freshman Jaleal Evans said, “As a team to stay fit our strength and conditioning coach, coach Abe Munayer compiled a list of in home exercises to do to keep us in shape, and healthy while we as a nation are powering through this CoronaVirus pandemic (aka COVID-19).” As For the Swim Team, Head Coach Pham Phong and Assistant Coach Natalie Taylor give the swim team zoom virtual workouts three times a week and send exercise YouTube videos to the swimmers to keep them in shape. Freshman Swimmer Ievgeniia Broz said, “I do one of the full body workouts that I can find on YouTube. Most of the workouts do not require equipment. Sometimes I use resistance bands. I stretch after every workout. I also have a pull-up bar in a doorway. I cannot do pull-ups yet, so I do a few rounds of reverse pull-ups every day. I work out on my own in my bedroom. My diet did not change much. I just do not eat as many snacks and sweets. I think this might be the reason I lost a few pounds.”

Members of City College’s swim team take part in a virtual workout to stay in shape during quarantine. Screenshot by Rachel Berning.