The Guardsman, Vol. 159, Issue 5. City College of San Francisco by The Guardsman

THE GUARDSMAN

BOT Training

Blow The Whistle Day

Lease and Mission demands justice for slain CCSF students Mandelman collaborate By Marco Siler-Gonzales @theguardsman mgonzales@theguardsman.com

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Special Trustee with Extraordinary Powers Dr. Guy Lease. (Photo by Nathaniel Y. Downes)

While the local board of trustees (BOT) prepares to assume full responsibility by July 2015, newly appointed Special Trustee with Extraordinary Powers (STWEP) Dr. Guy Lease focuses on laying the groundwork for an efficient transition. Lease said the newly elected board members lack the experience necessary to understand the college’s current accreditation crisis. “The board has a learning curve to go through, just like i’m going through right now. the difference is I’ve put 35 years of full time work in this career field, they haven’t,” Lease said. “We’d like to see this transition and training occur over the next few months where they’re comfortable coming in and taking over.” BOT President Rafael Mandelman said the board is in constant training in preparation for their return to control. “A lot of stuff has changed over this year and a half. Part of the training is to make sure that the trustees understand their role about what it means to be a good trustee,” Mandelman said. “But also to substantively explain where the college is and what the issues are.” After former Special Trustee Dr. Robert Agrella announced his retirement, State Chancellor of Com-

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Inside

Kicker: New plan to shit cla bla

Protester pretending to be a policeman caught abusing his power, during a protest against police brutality at Mission and 24th streets on Saturday, March 14. (Photo by Khaled Sayed)

By Michael Burkett

@theguardsman mburkett@theguardsman.com

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Some 50 protesters gathered Saturday at noon March 14 at Mission and 24th to protest against nationwide police brutality. The protesters participated in Blow the Whistle Day demanding “Justicia para Amilcar Perez-Lopez” (Justice for Amilcar Perez-Lopez).

Lopez was a 21-year-old Guatemalan immigrant and an English as a Second Language student at City College. He was killed by police on Feb. 26. He was shot by plain clothes San Francisco Police officers Craig Tiffe and Eric Rebodi. (See related story news briefs) The Mission protesters performed “guerrilla street theater” with whistles, passed out leaflets, displayed banners and demanded a halt to police brutality.

Turning garbage into cash By Steven Ho

@theguardsman sho@theguardsman.com

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The recycling department’s efforts to make City College greener has helped to generate money for the college, however, problems have held up its progress. Recycling Coordinator Carlita Martinez said the department

is recycling bottles and cans as part of a pilot program, which will help determine if it is cost effective for the college. The recycling department recently obtained a California Redemption Value (CRV) certificate from CalRecycle, which allows City College to sell bottles and cans in large quantities. Ocean Campus currently pro-

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One man, who identified himself as Trevor, dressed as a fake police officer with a foam pig snout and plastic baton, harassing protesters and willing passers-by. Protesters blew whistles until he ran away. Around 12:30 p.m. the protesters marched from Mission and 24th to the location where Lopez died. Protesters were carrying a black banner with photographs of 35 people, children, teens, young people and adults, who died in police actions nationally.

A picture of Alex Nieto, another City College student, shot by San Francisco police in March 2014 was on the banner. The protesters marched up 24th street shouting and chanting to stop police brutality as well as demanding justice for Lopez. There were candles, flowers and posters in front of 4855 Folsom St. where Lopez had been shot. On Folsom Street, a Latina,

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Civic Center Campus holds community forum on resolution By Otto Pippenger

@theguardsman opippenger@theguardsman.com

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A San Francisco Board of Supervisors resolution urging City College to restore the offering of classes in the Tenderloin is in the works. Some 100 people gathered at

Glide Memorial Church for a public forum on Thursday, March 12 calling for the preservation of adult education courses. The gathering included faculty, students, community organizers, and area residents. They are calling on District Supervisor Jane Kim to introduce a resolution on behalf of the Civic Center campus.

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Theater review

Guardsman alumni

Women’s tennis

“A Flea in Her Ear” at Diego Rivera Theater

Past student illustrates children’s book

Rams beat De Anza in tiebreaker

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news

No. 1 ranked City College debate ‘Dream Team’ to national finals By Otto Pippenger

@theguardsman opippenger@theguardsman.com

Editor-in-Chief

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Alex Lamp

News Editor Marco Siler-Gonzales

Culture Editor Patrick Cochran

Sports Editor Shaleisa Daniel

Opinion Editor Matthew Patton

Photo Editor Ekevara Kitpowsong

Multimedia Editor Nathaniel Y. Downes

Design Director Elisabetta Silvestro

Online Content Manager Khaled Sayed

Design and Layout Matthew Patton Khaled Sayed Elisabetta Silvestro

Six students from City College have put us at the top of our region’s debate team circuit, ahead of all four and two year schools in California, Nevada, and Hawaii. Now they’re headed to the National Speech and Debate Association National Forensic League’s National Speech and Debate Tournament, the oldest, largest, and arguably most prestigious scholastic debate event in the U.S. Faculty Coaches Nathan Steele and Robert Hawkin’s team of six San Francisco locals, Myla Calilong, Diana Norton, Diego Perez, Jeffrey Antonio, Zachery Herrera and Kameron Burroughs. They will be bringing their distinct permuta-

tion of interpretive debate which mixes literature, poetry, and original oratory against teams from schools like Harvard and UC Berkeley at Lewis & Clark College in Portland Oregon on April 3-6. Five of the six debaters came from South San Francisco High School. Some are the first in their families to attend college. The City College “Dream Team” has achieved a sustained success in the last two years, almost unheard of for a community college, edging out powerhouses like UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California. With national visibility and scholarships a possibility for winners, the team is treating the tournament “like we have nothing to lose” as team member Myla Calilong put it, “I just want to move someone.”

CCSF and Tenderloin community hold forum on Civic Center resolution continued from page 1

Advertising Manager Calindra Revier

Staff Writers Michael Burkett Steven Ho Otto Pippenger Yesica Prado

Staff Photographers Jon Brooner Natasha Dangond Otto Pippenger Yesica Prado Khaled Sayed Franchon Smith

Illustrators Serina Mercado

Contributors Cassandra Ordonio Bridgid Skiba Patrick Tamayo

Faculty Advisor Juan Gonzales

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During the forum, ESL Department Chair Greg Keech said that “the Friday before class started, Chancellor Tyler and the President said “there will not be any class on Monday” for the Civic Center Campus for the entire semester at the Civic Center location, Thursday, March 12. (Photo by Bridgid Skiba)

Representatives from supervisors Kim and Phil Ting spoke out in support, while faculty, students, and locals spoke on the importance of non-credit courses for their communities and the effects of the recent Civic Center campus closure. City serious seismic concerns, the 750 Eddy St. campus was closed abruptly in January by college officials. However, approximately 300 out of around 2,000 enrolled noncredit students resumed classes at three alternate campuses. Since 2012, when the college faced an accreditation crisis, noncredit courses have been the target of cuts when the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges noted that standards for “non college level courses” fall outside their definition of the school’s mandate. Meanwhile, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) 2121 has partnered with a broad group of Tenderloin community organizations, such as the Community Housing Partnership, La Voz Latina, Glide Memorial Church, the Vietnamese Youth Development Center, Senior

and Disability Action, and the Central City SRO Collaborative to rally support for the closed campus. The resolution, “Urging the Administration of City College of San Francisco to Restore Neighborhood Classes Displaced by the Closure of the Civic Center Campus” asks administrators to

BOT Training continued from page 1 munity Colleges Dr. Brice Harris announced the appointment of Lease to take over the position on Feb. 23. Harris revoked the local board’s power on July 8, 2014. Harris appointed Agrella as trustee with extraordinary powers to oversee state granted stabilization funding. Senate Bill 860 provided a stabilization fund extension in June of 2014 in order to keep City College afloat during the Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges’ (ACCJC) sanction. “The State’s going to kick in a whole lot of money, they expect someone to watch out for that money,“ Lease said. “They felt having a state trustee with the objective not affected by special interest groups, would make the best decisions for the long term interest for our college and students.” Mandelman is skeptical of the board’s suspension, but he understands it is within the best interest of the college for the state chancellor to be so heavily invested. Lease’s first objective is to restore accreditation. However, there are various uncertainties that can compromise the long-term success of City College. Most pertinent is the unknown turnout for future enrollment. Lease says the state stability funding hinges on student enrollment. Lease pointed out that a lot of faculty and student frustration stems from budget restrictions due to low enrollment. “The classes that had been eliminated around this district had been really low enrollment classes where we can’t afford to spend the limited together,” said James Tracy, the lead community organizer of Community Housing Partnership. After discussing the resolution, facilitators turned the conversation towards the long term future of noncredit courses and the Civic Center campus. Classes at Civic Center campus are expected to resume in 2018. Teachers and faculty will only be held harmless for low attendance for the 2015 Fall Semester. It is unclear whether additional free bus passes will be issued, or if any special accommodation will be provided for students whose immi-

“We’re going to walk together, speak together, and get this passed together,” -James Tracy present a timeline for the refitting of 750 Eddy St. The non-binding resolution urges the administration to take action and it also asks them to provide displaced students with temporary classrooms in the Tenderloin. The resolution, introduced by Jane Kim with support of supervisors David Campos and Eric Mar, will be presented for public comment on Tuesday, March 17 at 2:30 p.m. in the North Light Court of City Hall. “We’re going to walk together, speak together, and get this passed

gration, parole, or grant statuses are predicated on the attendance of classes. Administrators have discussed the possibility of leasing several floors of the Art Academy building on Market and 7th. However, no progress has been publicly announced. Audience members raised concerns about how the closure would affect state and federal funding. As former AFT 2121 president and instructor Alisa Messer said, “Three years is too long.”

President of The Board of Trustees Rafael Mandelman. (Photo by Nathaniel Y. Downes)

resources we have when the enrollment doesn’t hit a certain level,” Lease said. Mandelman expressed similar concerns towards future decision making based on student enrollment. “We’re going to have a horrible set of really bad choices to make if either enrollment doesn’t pick back up, or there’s not additional relief from the state,” Mandelman said. Mandelman pointed out that the underlying challenge for City College within the next year is the lack of trust between parties within the institution. “The trouble is that no one’s going to cut anyone else any slack at all. The assumption is always that the screw up is intentional, that there’s some malicious intent or wild incompetence,” Mandelman said. Mandelman and Lease foresee many challenges for City College to overcome in the next few years, but both are confident they will be able to work through them together.

AFT 2121 President Tim Killikelly spoke defending non-credit courses and on recent successes in having non-credit courses funded. “Part of our struggle has been resisting the attack on the open access model (of City College) we want a community college, not just a junior college,” Killikelly said. “Up until now non-credit courses have been funded at a lower rate and now they’re being funded at an equal rate.” Karina Ward and Tiffany Brown, president and vice president of Guardian Scholars, a program assisting foster youth and those on juvenile probation, spoke briefly on the need for access to non-continuous education. “I came to City (College) as a single parent. It took a while longer but I graduate May 22, to go to San Francisco State for psychology,” Ward said. Dennis Winn spoke on behalf of the Vietnamese Youth Development Center and described the closure as “an attack on the power of the working class, and immigrants.” Several speakers predicted obstinacy from City Hall, but stressed that community solidarity would prevail. “If they (City College Administrators) go back on their word we’ll come back three times larger,” Tracy said.

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news

Recycling generates funds for City College continued from page 1 duces over 25 tons of recyclables monthly, which has the potential to generate approximately $5,000 per month, according to Martinez. Once the recyclables in the blue bin are collected, staff members have to separate the different types of materials like plastic 1 (PET), plastic 2 (HDPE), and aluminum. After the separation process, plastics and aluminum are sold to rePLANET and other CRV redemption centers in San Francisco. The money received from CRV goes into the college’s general fund. Compostables collected in the green bins are sent to Recology’s compost facilities in Vacaville, California for processing. City College is receiving a lower bill from Recology for its services, because the college is reducing waste by composting and recycling more. The recycling program currently operates throughout the San Francisco Community College District. However, Martinez believes that there could be improvements to the program. Martinez hopes to hire more student workers when the college decides to expand the program.

Problems There are several internal and external factors affecting the recycling program. Martinez said that one of the problems is that “poachers” are taking bottles and cans from bins around the college. It is unclear how much money is being lost, because the problem

Mission residents outraged over police killing of CCSF students By Michael Burkett

@theguardsman mburkett@theguardsman.com

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On Feb. 26, 2015, a 911 call at 9:44 p.m. alerted police that two males were running down Folsom St. between 24th and 25th, one with a knife. Two plainclothes police officers responded and at 9:47p.m. a 911 caller reported shots fired. Amilcar Perez-Lopez, a City College student, was pronounced dead on the scene when ambulance crews later arrived. Lopez, an immigrant from Guatemala, was employed, learning English and, according to friends, working hard to better his and his family’s lives. What actually happened is unclear, as witnesses and police differ on specifics. There is no dispute that the two officers, identified as Craig Tiffe and Eric Reboli by the San Francisco Police Department, fired six shots, hitting Lopez in the chest.

has not been evaluated as the program has only recently started. “We started with locked containers, and we found it more problematic, because people would break the lock,” Martinez said. Martinez added that there would be too many keys with the amount of staff and number of bins. Campus police and the San Francisco Police Department have been enforcing San Francisco health code section 293.1, which states that it is illegal for anyone other than a city employees to remove recyclable material, to fight the problem. There has been a decrease in the number of “poachers,” but the problem continues to exist.

Plastic bottles and cans in a recycle bin at the City College Recycling Department, Ocean Campus on Wednesday, March 4. (Photo by Ekevara Kitpowsong)

Awareness Many students at City College are not from the San Francisco Bay Area, where recycling is common. People may come from another state or country where they do not recycle. Some students at City College are not aware of the differences between the black, blue, and green bins. “We find bottles in the trash and compost bins,” Martinez said. Recycling staff have to pull out aluminum and plastic from the compostable bin because “it contaminates the compost. Compost is very sensitive and can only contain organic waste,” Martinez said. Informing people about the importance of recycling “is an ongoing educational process,” Martinez said.

Police said Lopez was attempting to steal a bicycle, but neighbors, his roommate, friends and other witnesses contest that Lopez was only attempting to get his cell phone back. According to witnesses when the officers arrived they ordered Lopez to drop his weapon, chased and grabbed him, at which point he dropped the knife, and was shot six times. Tiffe and Rebodi said Lopez slashed at them with a knife, at which point they opened fire. Tiffe and Rebodi were placed on administrative leave. The answers that SFPD have provided so far are not satisfying Mission residents. Outrage in the latest police shooting spurred the community into denouncing another violent police incident in their neighborhood. Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other religious leaders are demanding a stop to the police abuse in their communities. At a community meeting on Monday March 2, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr was told that his officers needed to act like human beings not soldiers. This is the second Latino City College student shot to death by SFPD. Alex Nieto, 28, was killed on March 21, 2014 in Bernal Heights.

Two City College students, work-study student Gary Wieder and classified worker Tim Harper from the Recycling Department, go through all classrooms and offices in the Cloud Hall Building on Ocean Campus to pick up and sort recycling materials on Monday, March 2. (Photo by Ekevara Kitpowsong)

Blow The Whistle Day continued from page 1

Shrine for Amilcar Perez-Lopez who was killed by Police, at Folsom and 24th streets on Saturday, March 14. (Photo by Khaled Sayed)

sympathetic to Lopez’s death detailed her cousin’s harassment by San Francisco Police. She said he was approached by police as he was walking, handcuffed and then assaulted by police. Around 2 p.m. the protesters

traveled to Fruitvale and Oakland to continue their action. This local action was part of national protests carried out in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, and other cities in the United States, leading up to Shutdown

A14. This action happening April 14, calls for walkouts in schools, work, occupying buildings and protesting police brutality.

4 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | MAR. 18 - APR. 14, 2015

culture Guardsman Alumni

City College illustrator on the rise with release of new children’s book

Illustrator Anthony Mata sketches original artwork at the City College Mission Center Library on Tuesday, March 10. (Photo by Natasha Dangond)

By Patrick Cochran

@theguardsman pcochran@theguardsman.com

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There are a few pitfalls to being talented and creative, and City College student Anthony Mata, who illustrated the recently released children’s book “Akiti the Hunter”, is well versed with the problems that can arise for an up and coming artist. “I run into so many people who pitch ideas that never come through,” said Mata. “They disappear before it starts. I try to encourage them, a lot of these people are friends, but they don’t have the initiative to finish. I don’t get angry at them, just disappointed. I used to get angry when I was younger, but now accept it as what it is.”

Having so many potential clients end up being listless in the end can be disheartening for Mata. When he received a message on Instagram from someone saying that they liked his art work and wanted to hire him to do a children’s book he all the right to be skeptical at first. Bolaji Ajayi, a Bay Area resident, who, after seeing Mata’s work online decided that he would be the perfect person to illustrate her story, “Akiti the Hunter” which is based on many Nigerian folktales. After talking with her a few times Mata could tell that Ajayi was serious. “She had the story already mapped out and had a good idea of what she wanted to create,” said Mata. “It’s funny that the author was one of the few people who actually followed through. Total strangers

come through usually, friends and family flake off and end up not contacting you back.” Mata and Ajayi worked together on the project from March until October 2014. It was their first time creating a children’s book, despite this they had excellent rapport. “I like working with clients like Bolaji, who are deliberate about their project all the way through. She was the perfect client,” Mata said. The main character in the book is Akiti, and Ajayi portrayed him in the classic hero archetype to make the character more attractive for young children. This detail caused Mata to envision how the main character Akiti would look on the page. “When I designed him I did a lot of research on Nigeria. I didn’t know that there are over 100 ethnic

March 18 – April 14 THU/19 Cloth Swap

TUE/24-26 Spring Buffet

PEACE Club is holding a clothing swap to challenge consumerism. The event will be held at the Student Union Lounge from 4-6 p.m. Visit peaceclubccsf.com for more details.

Culinary and Service Skills Training Program students will be demonstrating their skills with the spring buffet at the Educated Palate Restaurant, located inside of the Downtown Campus. The restaurant is open from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Chris Johnson at cjohnson@ccsf.edu or 415267-6599 for reservations. Price: $24.95.

FRI/20 Weaving Exhibition The fashion department is hosting an opening reception for an exhibition of student’s weaving work at the John Adams campus from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The exhibition will be on display until May 8.

WED/25 Open House Women’s Resource Center hosts an open

Recently released childen’s book “Akiti the Hunter,” illustrated by Anthony Mata. (Photo by Natasha Dangond)

groups there, and just as many cultures, it was really eye opening to me learning so much about Nigeria. I wanted to make sure that Akiti was representative of as many of the different diverse groups as possible,” said Mata. “The one thing none of the groups would of worn is a cape like Akiti wears in the book. The author wanted him to have one so he could be more similar to super heroes, since research shows childrens look upon super hero characters more favorably.” Illustrating the book was very rewarding work for Mata. “The author has told me that the kids she has talked to have enjoyed the book and my niece loves it,” said Mata. “It (illustrating the book) was fun and right up my alley. I love to illustrate. There were some tough moments, but the two of us were

able to constantly communicate. Also it taught me to work faster.” Another benefit is the change of pace and the more lighthearted content matter. “It’s better than drawing for newspapers or magazines, since they have to be newsworthy or political. I don’t really care about politics, and with children’s books it’s all for the kids. Make the colors vibrant and the characters relatable. A lot more enjoyable and fulfilling.” With Mata’s recent work on “Akiti the Hunter” he hopes to find more work in the field of children’s books, or in comic books. “Hopefully this leads to more people who are serious about their work contacting me,” said Mata.

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house from 12-2 p.m. at Smith Hall, Rm 103.

WED/25 Project SURVIVE There will be a 20th Anniversary celebration of Project SURVIVE at Rosenberg Library, second floor atrium, from 2-4 p.m.

THU/26 Slide Lecture Artist and activist Juana Alicia is hosting a lecture as part of Women’s History Month at Rosenberg Library, Room 305, from 1-2 p.m.

THU/April 23 Front Page Gallery The journalism department is having an opening reception for “Life on the Hill: City College and All Its Glory,” to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the Guardsman newspaper. The exhibition will feature photographs by the Guardsman photographers. The event will be held at the Guardsman newsroom, located in Bungalow 615 (below the Rams stadium,) from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | MAR. 18 - APR. 14, 2015 | 5

culture Theater Review

Classic French farse amuses Diego Rivera audience

(L-R) Genevieve Perdue as Raymonde Chandebise and Tatiana Prue as Lucienne Homenides de Histangua “A Flea in Her Ear” at City College’s Diego Rivera Theatre, Ocean Campus on Saturday, March 14. (Photo by Khaled Sayed)

By Michael Burkett

@theguardsman mburkett@theguardsman.com

the guardsman

City College theater arts department presented “A Flea in Her Ear,” a 1907 French farce by Georges Feydeu, adapted by David Ives and directed by John Wilk. Diego Rivera Theater was about two-thirds full, around 100 or so people. The audience was attentive and comedy relief was provided as they laughed and giggled through-

out the performance. Feydeu crafted a brilliant play revolving around suspicions, suspected infidelity, and mistaken identity and Ives was equal to the task of adapting Feydeu’s work. The play unfolds in three acts and starts with a single pair of suspenders. In Act 1 the suspenders suggest a cheating husband. Then we are introduced to a myriad of characters with quirky, amusing personalities. Among them is the fiery Spanish Don Carlos Homenides de Histuenga (Robert Ayala) and his wife Lucienne

(Tatiana Prue). Other characters are Camille (Mark Stockbridge) who is usually not understandable due to a speech impediment and Dr. Finache (Brad Robertson) who seems, through the course of the play, equally at home, at least sexually, with the ladies as well as the men. There are 17 players in this updated comedy and they all do a brilliant job with a farce that relies heavily on sexual innuendoes, slapstick, and mistaken identities as well as mistaken motives. Act 2 starts slowly and quickly

City College Students broadcast live from KCSF By Patrick Tamayo

@theguardsman ptamayo@theguardsman.com

contributor

Program Director and “Da MaddHouze” radio show host Luis “DEZZ” Mendez during his radio show for KCSF on Ocean Campus, Monday, March 9. (Photo by Patrick Tamayo)

Tucked away on the bottom floor of the Arts Extension building on Ocean Campus sits KCSF, a fully operational, mostly studentrun radio station. Speakers broadcasting live shows

can be heard as you turn into the hallway leading to the radio studio. The atmosphere was casual and inviting on a recent visit to the KCSF studio. The studio currently broadcasts 16 different student-hosted shows in a wide range of genres. Program Director Luis “DEZZ” Mendez said show opportunities are available upon approval to anyone taking broadcast classes by pitching their show ideas regardless of the format they want to choose. Students learn to work the sound board and studio equipment and are exposed to live radio broadcasting. Anchoring the station is “Da Maddhouze” radio show co-hosted by Mendez, Ilenia “Icy” Chanax and Eric “Chips” Estrada, who is also the show’s engineer. “Da Maddhouze” features music from local and independent artists and hosts a variety of guests. KCSF broadcast can be heard by downloading the TuneIn radio app. “Da Maddhouze” can be heard twice daily Monday-Friday from 9-11 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. Babii Cris’ music is available on most streaming applications.

Brad Robertson as Dr. Finache and Dee Wagner as Eugenie “A Flea in Her Ear” at City College’s Diego Rivera Theatre, Ocean Campus on Saturday, March 14. (Photo by Khaled Sayed)

devolves into hilarity. There is a revolving bed, an annoying American, snippy maid, and exact double of one character’s husband Victor Chandebise (Michael Vetter). The running around, mistaken motives and identities were amusing and caused many a chuckle from the audience. During the second intermission one audience member observed, “It’s a little over the top, melodramatic.” said the gentleman, this is not an unfair observation, French farce of the early Twentieth Century was just this.

While the play was well done, the material was somewhat dated. Imagine watching “Mean Girls” in 3012, the comedy of the movie would probably be lost by that time. Wilk is an excellent director and the performers did a wonderful job. Worth singling out are Robert Ayala as Don Carlos, Mark Stockbridge as Camille, and Michael Vetter as Poche/Victor Chandebise. Looking forward to “Legally Blond” in April.

6 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | MAR. 18 - APR. 14, 2015

opinion

What do you think of drones suddenly being accessible to the public? Drones should remain in the hands of the people who need them By Cassandra Ordonio contributor

It seems as though new type of technology are being produced every year and advance us by a decade. We have large, flat screen televisions installed in the walls of our living room, and we have electronic cars specifically made to help the environment. A lot of people have the latest iPad or iPhone. When the iPhone 5s came out, I was nervous about the new feature that came with it. Apparently the phone can recognize your thumb print as a security passcode. That’s pretty scary. What else is going to be sold on the market? Well, consumers are now waiting patiently for drones to be allowed to be sold in the main-

stream marketplace. These unmanned aerial vehicles may have some benefits. Drones have been used for military purposes as a war camera, and they have also been used at the southern border of the U.S. in search of illegal immigrants and smugglers. However, drones should not be included in the consumer world of

post pictures on social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. If used by the younger generation someone’s privacy may be invaded if they kept their window blinds open. Drones might also invoke potential lawsuits. What if a drone had a technical problem while in flight and crashed into someone’s window? What if it landed on

“Drones should not be included in the consumer world of new technology because it may lead to invasion of privacy.” new technology because it may lead to invasion of privacy. If drones make it to the mainstream marketplace, this may cause more havoc in the civilian world. Drones in the hands of teenagers would likely be used as cameras to

the possibility of civilians using it irresponsibly. I’m not saying all civilians are irresponsible; I’m saying the majority of civilians can be irresponsible. Some parents don’t monitor what their children watch on TV, or what they post on social media. There are online predators on many forms of digital media. If this drone technology makes it to the mainstream, this would be another way for online predators to adapt the use of drones into another way of stalking their prey. This is another form of invasion of privacy. Now, online predators would have an

eagle’s eye from the drones. I don’t agree that drones should be sold in the mainstream marketplace. As my generation gets older, technology will renew and become newer. It’s overwhelming keeping up, and what people may forget is to enjoy life without the thought of the “newest big thing.” My youngest sister was at the age of four when she could fully operate an iPad and she learned quickly. As someone that grew up in the 1990s, I feel that everyone should enjoy what they have and be patient: drones can wait.

someone? This type of technology should not be used as a toy: it’s too dangerous and could lead to serious consequences. Drones should stay in the hands of the military or any other government agency to keep out

Much ado about nothing with civilian drones By Matthew Patton

@theguardsman mpatton@theguardsman.com

the guardsman

So there are people out there that have reservations about drones being available in the civilian sector. There’s this prevailing fear/notion that surveillance technology like that is something that should be only in the hands of our government, due to the very real risks of invasion of privacy and such. But really...this is all much ado about nothing. What this boils down to is what the drone has come to represent. An unmanned flying vehicle that has become synonymous with airstrikes in the Middle East. The next step in military technology and warfare, one that drastically reduces risk to our troops while simultaneously allowing us to seek and destroy at the push of a button. That is what has shaped and formed our gut reaction response to the word “drone.” We’re not getting those drones. The greatest similarity between the

drones you and I can purchase off of the internet and the ones we’ve come to know from the military is: they can fly. That’s really where it begins and ends in any meaningful way. The drones that we have come to know (and fear, in some cases) are not the ones being sold in the mainstream. The technology behind the military drones is leagues ahead of what’s available for civilian use. The military-style drones are designed for various types of weather and mission-specific functions, whether it be reconnaissance or payload delivery (aka blowing stuff up). The cost of one MQ-9 Reaper drone, a model that is dominantly use by the U.S. Air Force, is nearly $17 million (as of the year 2013). Think about that for one second. $17 million for one Reaper drone. And by all accounts, that’s now considered an old model. Contrast that to the cost of one Storm RC X5 550 UAV Drone Quadcopter - $399.95, which is available for purchase right now. The cost of the military’s drones compared to what we’re getting right now should let you know

right off the bat: what we have access to is not even comparable to what the military has. And to be clear: there will always be inherent risks whenever military tech is watered down and modified for civilian use. But there were palpable fears in the public when the global positioning system (GPS) was introduced into modern day life. We can now link up with various satellite feeds to pinpoint our exact location or to map out a trail to wherever we’re going. That used to be the province of special operations field commanders and U.S. Navy warships. Imagine what life would be like if the initial fear of anyone being able to find everyone was substantiated enough to block something like this from becoming as commonplace as it is today. There’s always going to be varying levels of trepidation whenever military tech is brought down for civilian use. But drones are already here, and I haven’t had to knock one out of the sky yet. Give it time, people. This is really a whole lot of nothing.

The Guardsman is: 4: x 4”

THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | MAR. 18 - APR. 14, 2015 | 7

opinion

Opinion Column

Did you know that we, as consumers of information, are addicted to tragedy? That we can’t get enough of it? So much so, that if/when you check the evening news, the newspapers or the websites... you can bank on there being some sort of tragedy front and center. A man was killed in a drive by shooting in Oakland. A motorcyclist dies in a wreck. San Francisco fire officials have to defend the fact that it took 13 minutes to get an ambulance to the scene of a fire recently. I got all that just from a glance at the San Francisco Gate’s website. What do you think I’d find if I kept digging into whatever else qualifies as the “latest news?” More importantly, why is this the most common type of topic that you see in the news, no matter what variation it takes? It sells. It tugs on your emotional strings, pointing towards the near loss (or outright loss) of life with a big sign overhead saying “isn’t this sad? Isn’t this horrible? I know… wait, don’t stop watching: there are these ads I want you to see. Those can help you get your mind off of things.” Understand this, people: the news, in its current form, is nothing more than a business. Nothing more than a giant campaign to get your eyes and ears tuned in to all the advertisements across their various platforms. And to be clear: it’s just business now. Newspapers can’t sustain themselves on paper sales alone, especially not with the advent of digital and social media. Radio and television stations arguably have it worse. Who needs a radio when you can have podcasts? I can watch whatever show I want on my phone or computer. But they (radio and TV) have to stay relevant within the larger media entity. Advertisements give them a fighting chance to do that. Which brings it full circle to you and me. Believe it or not, we have a say in the content that gets aired on our television sets. Content doesn’t drive ratings: it’s truly the other way around. And we control that. If people suddenly stopped watching ABC’s “Scandal” or NBC’s “The Blacklist,” you had better believe that those programs would get yanked in an instant for whatever gets viewers back in front of those TVs. The same holds true for the news we’re fed. If you stop watching, stop subscribing to the tragedy porn that almost every news outlet employs to get your attention, they will invariably change their approach. They will find something else to get our attention. Holy crap. Maybe they’ll put something that’s positive on the airwaves. Wouldn’t that be something.

To The Editor: A front page article in your March 4-17 issue on the judge’s decision in the case brought by City Attorney Dennis Herrera against the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) opens with: “San Francisco superior court judge Curtis Karnow ruled in favor of City College against the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges on Tuesday Feb. 17.” Judge Karnow did not rule in favor of CCSF. He accepted the ACCJC’s 2012 show cause sanction of CCSF even though no member of the ACCJC’s visiting team, which included ACCJC President Beno’s husband, thought CCSF should be sanctioned so harshly. Judge Karnow wrote that the ACCJC engaged in “significant unlawful practices” when it decided in 2013 to close CCSF. His remedy is to provide the administration imposed on CCSF as a result of the ACCJC sanctions with the right to appeal the ACCJC’s closure decision. After the ACCJC reviews the appeal, the judge grants it the authority to either uphold or reverse its closure decision. How is leaving the fate of CCSF in the hands of the ACCJC, an agency that Judge Karnow found to have not obeyed the law, a favorable ruling? Rick Baum Political Science Instructor To Rick, With all due respect towards you and your perspective on the matter… semantics. That’s the card you’ve played here. How was Judge Karnow’s ruling favorable towards CCSF? How about the fact that he found the ACCJC guilty of violating state and federal laws in its accreditation decision, among other things? He held them accountable, and in turn, kept this school open for a couple of more years. Yes, we are still subject to the ACCJC’s ruling at the end of that time, but from now until then the school’s administration has time to fix whatever errors prompted the ACCJC to strip us of our accreditation in the first place. Even if you don’t look at his decision to allow the ACCJC to revisit this matter in a couple of years as favorable, the bottom line is this: if he had gone the other way, CCSF would have lost its accreditation as a junior college, which means the likelihood of you or I being here drops dramatically. His decision was definitively in favor of CCSF, even if only in the short term.

To The Editor: The story on illegal aliens being called “countrymen” is a sham. With this student’s view, we might wake up one day and find out that we no longer have a country. This one student has forgotten that it took 240 years to get here. The present immigration system is not broken; it is just not absolutely enforced. Today, this nation is inundated with illegal immigrants. And, every two decades or so, we cannot have a president make illegals legal, or the whole system breaks down. If illegal aliens/immigrants do not have to obey the laws, why should any citizen that is born here have to obey them? We as a nation are $18 trillion in the hole, a debt that is climbing by 75% of a trillion dollars a year. In the last 10 years, all we have produced is retail worker jobs - Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, etc. With housing prices and rents skyrocketing into orbit, with more and more people living in their cars and trailers, we are now forced to print information in every language on earth. As this one student ticks on, the quality of life in America is collaps-

ing, while Jalon is hallucination. Emil Lawrence Student elawrenc@mail.ccsf.edu To Emil, Really?? Let’s smooth some things out here while you’re proclaiming the end of America. Firstly, I’m just going to guess that when you say “it took 240 years to get here,” that you’re referring to the year of 1776, yes? The year that the Second Continental Congress declared the 13 original colonies a free and independent nation and all that? Because if you are...I reject the entirety of your premise. It has taken this country far longer than 240 years to get to this point. Whether you start from Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Caribbean in 1492 or the mass migration from Europe in the early 1600s, “America” has had an influx of “illegal immigrants” for centuries. So yes, as of right now, you could say that this nation is overflowing with illegal immigrants. Secondly, what jobs have you been looking at for the last 10 years? There has been a massive uptick in

web related jobs, nurses are always in demand, construction jobs have increased due to expansion into rural areas, etc. Lastly (because I have limited space and can’t respond to everything), what does it matter if we have to print information in every language on earth? Is this not America, the Great Melting Pot? Are we not the amalgamation of peoples that have hailed from all corners of the globe? Isn’t that supposed to be our greatest strength? But let you tell it, printing everything in every language is a sign of the apocalypse. Look on the bright side: if we have to print everything in every language, we’re going to need a whole lot more printing press shops, right? Jobs galore. Boom. Matthew Patton Op-Ed Editor

We reserve the right to edit any and all submissions to the editor(s) for length and clarity.

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8 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | MAR. 18 - APR. 14, 2015

sports

Women’s tennis ranked third place following tiebreaker By Shaleisa Daniel

@theguardsman sdaniel@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

sports calendar Men’s Baseball Mar. 19, 3 p.m. @ Skyline Mar. 26, 3 p.m. vs Fresno

Softball Mar. 19, 1 p.m. vs Cabrillo Mar. 24, 1 p.m. vs Monterey Mar. 26, 3 p.m. @ San Jose Mar. 31, 3 p.m. @ Gavilan

Tennis

The City College women’s tennis team is more than halfway through the season, and currently ranked third place in conference. The Rams, who hold a 5-3 record overall, played their second match against De Anza (7-1), March 13 in a series of doubles that ended in a first of seven tiebreaker. The tiebreaker placed Shirley Zhang and Caroline Williams against Cabrillo’s Jackie Lee and Danika Selvarja. “It was difficult,” Shirley Zhang said. “We were under pressure. We had to calm down a little and just basically put points away and find a spot where we could place them and hope it would be a winner.” The women’s tennis team had previously lost to De Anza, 8-1 earlier in the season. Since then, Head Coach Kelly Hickey has emphasized more double drills during practice. “The ball just kept coming back so it was whoever came out on top at the end,” said Zhang. “They were really good.”

Right: Freshman Emma Stoep strikes ball, Friday, March 13. (Photo by Khaled Sayed) Bottom: Sophomore Savannah Hayes prepares to swing, Friday, March 13. (Photo by Khaled Sayed)

Mar. 20, 2 pm @ Monterey Mar. 24, 2 pm vs Chabot Mar. 27, 2 pm @ Foothill

Track & Field Mar. 20 Bob Rush Invite @ San Mateo Mar. 21 Hornet Invite @ Sacramento

Track And Field

Two Ram’s highlights at De Anza Invitational

REALIZE YOUR DREAM AT MILLS COLLEGE.

By Shaleisa Daniel

@theguardsman sdaniel@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

Mar.27-28 ARC Invite @ Sacramento

Women’s Badminton Mar. 19, 3 pm @ Skyline Mar.26, 3 pm vs Fresno

Swimming Mar.20, 10 a.m., San Mateo Invitational @ College of San Mateo Mar. 27, 2 pm vs Ohlone College

For next month’s sports schedule visit the theguardsman.com

City College’s track and field team had some notable successes at the March 13 De Anza Invitational in Cupertino with the women capturing first place in the 4x400m relay and freshman Jose Hernandez placing second in heat 2 of the 800m. The winning time for the women was 4:09.73 and for Hernandez, 2:11.06. This season, Track & Field Coach Douglas Owyang is hoping his athletes can have a statewide impact. “We’re in the coast conference which is a part of NorCal,” Owyang said. “We want to see how we do in conference, NorCal and state, state being the biggest.” There is a lot of young talent this season, according to Owyang. In the men’s 800m, City College freshman Gerardo Castro from El Camino High School is currently ranked number one overall in the Coast Conference and the NorCal Division. Despite only running two 800s, he is also number one in the state.

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