The Guardsman, Vol. 149, Issue 6. City College of San Francisco by The Guardsman

THE ART OF JUDO: City College’s judo program teaches community and humility: Page 8

FASHION 2010: Fashion students prepare for their upcoming runway show in May: Page 14

Volume 148, Issue 6

GASCÓN’S GAFF: SF police chief’s apology does not change harsh reality for Arab community: Page 7

www.theguardsman.com

New law changes Pell Grants and private lending for college students

April 14, 2010

EQUITY RESOLUTION CONTROVERSY

Student voice silenced at Academic Senate meeting

By William Chamberlin

By Greg Zeman

THE GUARDSMAN

Students will see increasWhat Happened es in maximum Pell Grants Congress because of education reform passed major tied legislation tied to the massive legislation to the health health care overhaul passed care reform on 22 that by Congress on March 22 and March was signed then signed into law by Presi- by President Barack Obama, dent Barack Obama. which increased While the victory is signifi- the amount of students cant, an earlier bill passed by money will receive from the House last September Pell Grants. would have seen the maximum Pell Grant, designed to What it means subsides will assist students with little or All be eliminated to no income, raised yearly to private lenders. All lending will $6,900 by 2020. be done through The education reform the federal govsaving legislation was attached to the ernment, $61 billion over health care bill to pass it under 10 years. a process known as reconciliation. During this process, cuts What’s next to the original education bill Pell Grants will be increased were negotiated. from $5,350, the Now Pell Grants will rise 2009-2010 level, up to $5,550 in to $5,550 for 2010-2011 and 2010-2011. only climb up to $5,975 by Pell Grants will go up to a 2017. maximum of “My daughter and I are not $5,975 by 2017.

Student Trustee Joshua Nielsen

When City College Student Trustee Josh Nielsen tried to ask a question at a March 23 special meeting of the Academic Senate, he was told to “sit down” and “shut up” by members of the faculty. “I asked just a point of process, just for clarification,” Nielsen said at a March 25 Board of Trustees meeting. “I was appalled as a student to see faculty and a lot of people that I’ve seen within the institution provide me the education, and now I’m seeing they really don’t value what students really want out of an education.” Many faculty

members, including City College music instructor Bob Davis, don’t see it that way. “He was asked to leave the microphone and sit down more than once and would not relinquish the microphone. That’s not appropriate behavior,” Davis said. “I feel that there were some students who were inappropriate and rude, and that when you’re dealing with people who are out of order they should be treated as out of order.” Academic Senate President Hal Huntsman, addressing the board on March 25, said he was deeply disturbed by the events at the special meeting and apologized to Nielsen and the student body for the behavior of his colleagues. “You were literally shouted down and told to go away, and that was a low point in my personal career here,” he said. When Nielsen refused to sit down at the March 23 special meeting, Fred Teti, the parliamentarian for the meeting called a security officer to enter the room. Political science instructor Sue Homer, shocked by Teti’s request, advocated for Nielsen’s right to address the senate. “I actually shouted out, ‘are you going to arrest our students? Are you calling for them to arrest our students simply for trying to speak?’ NIELSEN: Page 4

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

PELL GRANTS: Page 2

Wellness Center theft suspect arrested again By Alex Emslie THE GUARDSMAN

A San Francisco man charged with recent thefts at the Ocean campus Wellness Center was arrested again for an unrelated April 2 robbery allegedly committed just nine days after he was granted supervised pre-trial release. Maifala Tusi, 23, was

arraigned April 6 on charges of robbery and felony possession of stolen property in connection to the theft of a laptop computer and iPhone from a 41-year-old man, according to a San Francisco District Attorney’s Office media release. Those charges will be added to the four Tusi faces from the Wellness Center thefts and another burglary charge in Millbrae.

Assistant District Attorney Brian Buckelew said Tusi was released without bail, over the objections of the District Attorney’s office, following the Wellness Center arrest. “We asked for bail to be set at $55,000 and the court released him,” he said about the charges. “There’s only so much we can do. The court makes the ultimate decision.”

Buckelew said there is reason to believe Tusi could commit another felony if released again, but with bail now set at $125,000 release is likely cost-prohibitive. To be released on bail Tusi would have to pay a bondsman a 10 percent, nonrefundable premium or pay the full bail amount himself. “If you’re robbing people for iPhones, you probably don’t have

an extra $12,500 lying around,” Buckelew said. Stolen iPhone tracked A man approached the victim at Van Ness Avenue and Oak Street then snatched his laptop, according to the media release. The victim chased, tackled and wrestled with the robber, dropping his iPhone during the scuffle. TUSI: Page 5

News

THE GUARDSMAN

APRIL 14, 2010

Direct federal loans cut out subsidies to private lenders

the bill, said it will have to cut its work force by 2,500 employees, according to a Fox News report. Sallie Mae called the student loan reform a “government takeover” just weeks before it was passed. On March 18, congressional Democrats also reduced signifiPELL GRANTS: from front page cant funding to community going to reap the benefits of colleges. what Obama intended,” said Originally, community collegCity College student Helen es were supposed to receive $10 Ferencevich, an administrative billion for students’ needs and justice major and single mother. various construction projects. The reform bill eliminates After the revisions to the bill, subsidies to private lenders by however, they setting up direct are now due to lending between only receive $2 the federal billion. government and “Whatever we can do Bell said a college students. to help students is lot of the changThe Congreses to direct what makes sense.” sional Budget lending will rest Office claims upon the finan— Jorge Bell the direct lendcial aid staff. ing approach City College Dean of Financial Aid City College would save over students will $61 billion over not experience 10 years, with much change $36 billion of next year. the savings to support Pell Grant “A lot of the money that was funding. going to pay the money lenders “Anything that gives extra is now going to go back into Pell dollars to students is a victory,” Grants,” Bell said. said Jorge Bell, City College He said the transition for dean of financial aid. “Whatever City College students will be we can do to help students is very smooth. Financial aid staff what makes sense.” at City College are already learnAmerica’s Student Loan ing the new procedures, computProviders, a group representing and getting educated on the ing private lenders, said this is differences that directly involve not the final chapter, reported their office. CBS news. The group said the “It is a shame the bill didn’t landmark health care bill could remain how it was originally be passed without eliminating intended, it is a defeat for me,” thousands of jobs and critical Ferencevich said. student services. Sallie Mae, one of the nations largest loan providers E-mail: which lobbied heavily against wchamberlin@theguardsman.com

CBO predicts billions in savings for Pell Grants

Corrections A story titled “Wells Fargo opposes expanding Pell grants” went to print in the March 24 issue of The Guardsman with an editing error that made the last paragraph of the story inaccurate. Trustee Steve Ngo’s resolution requests that Sallie Mae and Nelnet not service student loans at City College. The story has been corrected online. The Guardsman strives for accuracy in reporting. When mistakes are made, it is the policy of The Guardsman to correct them in print as quickly as possible.

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

Steven Feher rehearses his honors presentation on April 6 as other City College Honors Research Symposium delegates practice asking him questions.

Honors students will present research projects at Berkeley By Don Clyde and Carlos Silva THE GUARDSMAN

City College will show off its intellect by sending 20 honors students with a range of research topics to the 3rd Annual Bay Honors Consortium Honors Research Symposium held at UC Berkeley on May 1. Community college honors students from 15 schools across California will give research presentations followed by a rigorous question and answer session. “We’ll be there in strength, yet again proving that CCSF is the best and brightest community college in the state,” City College honors student Jesse Clayburgh said. Clayburgh will present his research on gross domestic product as an inaccurate economic indicator. Other City College research topics cover a wide range of fields, including art, medicine, business and social sciences. “Presentations will be very diverse,” Clayburgh said. “I’ve had the chance to preview several, and they promise to be exciting and informative.” Admission is $20 for anyone wishing to attend the event. All proceeds go to the Bay Honors Consortium. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To find out more about the City College honors program visit http:// www.ccsf.edu/Departments/Honors or contact (415) 239-3376.

E-mail: dclyde@theguardsman.com csilva@theguardsman.com

City College’s Honors Symposium Attendees City College students will give presentations on a wide range of topics at the 3rd Annual Bay Honors Consortium Honors Research Symposium. The entries are research projects the students prepared for class. Below are the students and their research topics.

SARAH BROTHERS: Otto Dix: Unsentimental Painter of the Cruelties of World War I and Weimar Germany’s Depravity.

JESSE CLAYBURGH: GDP: Not All that it is Cracked up to be DEIRDRE CLYDE: The Lily Tribe: Same-Sex Eros in Japanese Comics and the Women Who Love It

ELEANOR DRAKE: Roman Sarcophagi of the Late Empire GABRIELLE EVERETT: Paradise Lost: Justifying the Ways of God STEVEN FEHER: SCOTUS v. People? JOY FLUGGE: Theories and Cellular Mechanisms of the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease

ALIAKSANDR HUDZILIN: Globalization and Localization Traits in Hong Kong Pop Music Industry and Sarbanes Oxley and the Future of the American Corporation

ELIZABETH JOHNSTONE-MILLER: Interpreting the Black Paintings of Francisco de Goya

WALLEAD KHANSHALI: Breaking the Myth that Athletes are not Able to Maintain a Vegan Diet. ALINA KORENIKA: Intellectual Property Rights: Peril of the World JESSICA KYO: Y.O.D.E.L: Youth Organizing - Development, Empowerment, and Leadership

HO LEE: Health Insurance Industry Post-Deregulation: Lot More Bucks for Far Less Bang

HONG MENG: Six-Four Through the Eyes of a Teenager ERIC NYESTE: King Corn and the State of a Nation JUSTIN PARK: Neuroscience and Fiction MIKEL PARRAGA-WILLS: Little Ambassadors: High-School Foreign Exchange

LISA (NAFIS) WHITE: Jacob Epstein : Breaking Down the Rock Drill

IAN WILSON: Relationships Between Gender, Age and Major of City College of San Francisco Students and Belief in Human Evolution

News

APRIL 14, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

Trustee apologizes for ‘culture of mistrust’ By Don Clyde THE GUARDSMAN

A resolution to set budget priorities presented at the City College Board of Trustees meeting on March 25 led to an admission by one trustee of a “culture of mistrust” between the board and the faculty, staff and students. The comment came after a lengthy discussion about the resolution in which several board members said they had not seen the budget priority list and faculty and staff members said there were glaring omissions. Faculty and staff members said they were shut out of the budget decisionmaking process. “I want to apologize to everyone at this college and to the chancellor to the extent that I have contributed in some ways to this very clear culture of mistrust between the board and everyone else here,” Trustee Steve Ngo said. “There is clearly something wrong in the way that we are interacting with each other.” Meeting attendees applauded the admission that there appeared to be a disconnect between the board and various constituent groups on campus. “Given that we have that shared interest, and we all acknowledge that shared interest, let’s communicate to each other in a way that acknowledges that we have those concerns and that deep devotion and care for the same people at this college,” Ngo said.

JESSICA LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

SEIU, Local 1021 member Doretha Evans addresses the Board of Trustees during their March 25 meeting at the Wellness Center. “You all lock us out, we’re gonna vote you all out,” she said of the board for not seeking input from classified staff for budget priorities.

The resolution, written by Trustees Chris Jackson and Steve Ngo, determines that the budget for fiscal year 2010-2011 should incorporate priorities like maintaining fiscal solvency, retaining full-time faculty and resuming summer school in 2011 at about 40 percent of the 2009 level. Ed Murray, vice president of American Federation of Teachers, Local 2121 said AFT hadn’t seen a draft of the priorities and requested retention of part-time faculty be added to the resolution. Classified Senate President Attila Gabor said the trustees needed to add retention of fulland part-time classified staff. “You all lock us out, we’re gonna vote you all out,” said Doretha Evans, a Service Employees International Union,

Local 1021 member and community organizer. Trustees Natalie Berg and Lawrence Wong said they opposed the resolution because they had not even seen it before the board meeting. “The process in the past has been far more full of sunshine,” Berg said. However, after it became known during the board meeting that Chancellor Don Griffin sat in on a March 9 Budget and Planning Committee meeting to set the budget priorities, the faculty, staff and opposed board members began to express approval of the priorities. Griffin said most of them were necessary. Griffin ran down the list of priorities and explained their importance.

“We must have a summer. It’s not even an option about having a summer,” Griffin said about summer school 2011. “Without the summer we cannot generate enough enrollment in fall and spring to maintain the solvency of the college.” Trustee Anita Grier said the chancellor’s comments gave life to the priorities and Wong said he was more accepting of the budget priority list “The minute that the chancellor said openly that he had a role in this, drafting of this document, people changed their minds,” Ngo said. “That’s important, because you clearly trust him. So do I. Let’s trust him to do his job.” Meeting attendees burst into applause. After many amendments to the budget priorities resolution, including the retention of fulland part-time faculty and classified staff, a restoration of 2011 summer classes to the highest extent possible and the restoration of as many regular semester cut classes as possible, the resolution passed a board vote with only Trustee Milton Marks III objecting. Marks said during the meeting the whole process had been sloppy. The next Board of Trustees meeting will be held on April 29 at 33 Gough St. in San Francisco.

Additional outcomes from the Board of Trustees • Discussion of the Achievement Gap and Equity Resolution was not on the board agenda. However, several faculty members voiced their concern over board recommendations to proposed changes in basic skills curricula. • Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Peter Goldstein said concerns about the integrity of City College’s main computer server room are legitimate. The facility needs significant upgrades to maintenance equipment. • Trustee John Rizzo said a new Master Agreement between City College and the Foundation of City College had not been agreed to yet, but added that an agreement was coming soon.

E-mail: dclyde@theguardsman.com

Public education proponents seek to change Prop 13 By Liska Koenig THE GUARDSMAN

California education advocates are spearheading a campaign to repeal Proposition 13, a property tax law they argue is costing the state billions in potential tax revenue that could aid struggling public schools. Recent budget cuts to education stemming from California’s $20 billion deficit have resulted in soaring college tuition, public sector layoffs and the elimination of thousands of classes at colleges throughout the state. Formerly one of the leading states in the country, California has now sunk to 47th position in per-student spending, according to the National Center for Education. Proposition 13 sets property tax rates at 1 percent of a property’s value for businesses and home owners and caps tax increases at two percent per-year until the

property is sold. “A great deal of funding for education comes from property taxes, and when property taxes are limited, then funding for education suffers,” said Gus Goldstein, president of the American Federation of Teachers Union, Local 2121. AFT 2121 endorses a change to a splitroll tax, which would apply different taxes to residential and commercial properties, with special consideration for rental properties. “We need a carefully crafted legislation so renters and owners of rental property won’t be penalized,” Goldstein said. Until Proposition 13 was approved by California voters in 1978, the assessed value of a piece of property determined the amount of tax the owner paid to the state. When the booming housing market of the late 70s boosted property values, property taxes increased. For long term property owners, this translated to relatively low

property taxes, but income property that changes hands more often was re-assessed with each change of ownership and incurred higher tax rates. “Around the time of the housing boom in California, rents were increasing sharply in many urban cities like San Francisco, Berkeley and Los Angeles and proponents of the proposition marketed it to make it sound like tax savings for the landlord would have a positive effect on the tenant’s rent,” said Ted Gullicksen, president of the San Francisco Tenants Union. The union is also advocating for changes in property law. “We need to make sure that those who need those benefits from a new Prop. 13 get it and those who don’t need it, don’t get them,” Gullicksen said. “Prop. 13 definitely needs changes, but in the past it has pretty much been considered political suicide for politicians to even talk about it because so many politicians and members of the

voting public have benefited from it.” Owners of large commercial properties like office buildings, malls and apartment buildings are currently profiting the most from Proposition 13, Gullicksen said. But he believes a repeal could also hurt single home owners in lower income urban areas because home prices would be driven up by speculation and gentrification. Goldstein thinks it’s not just up to politicians to change the political landscape in California. “The average student can do something about these inequalities by getting registered to vote, being informed about the initiatives out there and voting,” Goldstein said. “Commercial property needs to be redefined and politicians in Sacramento need to find a new way to assess the value of a property.” E-mail: lkoenig@theguardsman.com

News

THE GUARDSMAN

California Education Code, Section 53200 Definitions: Academic Senate: An organization whose primary function is to make recommendations with respect to academic and professional matters. Academic and Professional matters include the following policy development matters: 1. Curriculum, including establishing prerequisites. 2. Degree and certificate requirements. 3. Grading policies. 4. Educational program development. 5. Standards or policies regarding student preparation and success. 6. College governance structures, as related to faculty roles. 7. Faculty roles and involvement in accreditation process. 8. Policies for faculty professional development activities. 9. Processes for program review. 10. Processes for institutional planning and budget development. 11. Other academic and professional matters as mutually agreed upon.

THE GUARDSMAN Interested in writing, reporting, editing, photography, design, Web page building or social networking? Join City College’s award winning newspaper staff for the fall 2010 semester. Make an impact on your community while earning credits and building your portfolio. Join a different kind of class where you are not graded by your ability to take tests but by your ability to produce a newspaper in a professional setting. Learn marketable skills in mass communication. Enroll in Journalism 24: Newspaper Laboratory. Serve your country. Be a journalist.

APRIL 14, 2010

Faculty angered by board resolution NIELSEN: from front page

We heard, ‘go away, shut up, sit down, get out!’,” Homer said. “What kind of institution is it where educators are afraid of their own students sharing their point of view?” Librarian Karen Saginor, who served as facilitator of the Academic Senate special meeting, said Nielsen is a member of the board which authored the resolution being considered. “Josh himself has kind of a conflict of interest because he’s a member of the Board of Trustees,” Saginor said. “Was he speaking as a student or as a member of the board? There was some confusion there.” Saginor said she wished she would have suggested that faculty concerned about allowing students to speak could have yielded their time to a student. In hindsight, she said a block of time could also have been allotted for students to speak at the beginning of the meeting. Fears of disruption “Up until the moment that the meeting began, the organizers’ intent was to completely deny student’s access to the meeting,” Homer said. But meeting organizers and City College Police Department Chief Andre Barnes denied that allegation. “We had heard rumors that some students were planning a disruption of the meeting, which made people nervous,” Saginor said, adding that there were seats provided for students and no effort was made to exclude them. Barnes said his office provided only one uniformed officer for the event. “We didn’t give any specific instructions for this meeting but to do what we normally do as a matter of course of our business,” he said. “It went uneventful, at least from our standpoint. We didn’t take any police action.” All for equity Darlene Alioto, chair of the social sciences department, addressed the Board of Trustees after Nielsen to “set the record straight” about the Academic Senate special meeting. “The meeting of the Academic Senate was not a

meeting to discuss the Achievement Gap and Equity Resolution, we have yet to get there, and we need to. That meeting was a governance meeting,” Alioto said. The special meeting was called by petition to address the concerns of faculty who felt that the board recommendation authored by Trustees Chris Jackson, Milton Marks III and Steve Ngo was too prescriptive and overreaching regarding math and English sequence changes. Some senate members are concerned that the certain changes to curriculum proposed in the recommendation could negatively affect the college to the point of jeopardizing its accreditation. All faculty interviewed said they are committed to complete equity in education and that their opposition to the nature of the board’s resolution does not in any way oppose equity. “It wasn’t an area where we were discussing an equity resolution, where of course students would have had primacy in that discussion,” Alioto said. Nielsen found that explanation inadequate. “That’s ridiculous, that students don’t even have an opportunity to voice their concerns when it affects them primarily,” he said. Francine Podenski, chair of the broadcast department, said all faculty are dedicated to equity. “The average teacher at City College cares completely about this and will do anything they can think of to narrow the gap,” she said. “That’s why people work at City College and not Berkeley.” Davis said the issues of governance discussed at that meeting do not concern students. “The meeting had nothing to do with whether people support equity or not; we’re all working very hard for equality. We have been for a long time now,” Davis said, adding that the board’s resolution did not present a new approach to the achievement gap. “We’ve been trying to solve these problems with race-only and ethnicity-only solutions since the 70s and it doesn’t work,” he said. Davis added that the equity

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

City College instructor Sue Homer defends Nielsen’s request to speak at the Academic Senate special meeting on March 23.

report the board relied on in part to write the resolution did not address the academic performance of the LGBT community, women, veterans, non-native English speakers and other groups that “cut across racial and ethnic lines.” Trustee Chris Jackson said he wants to see real progress on closing the equity gap. “I understand their concerns about it being too narrow and specific. We can go back and forth, but that doesn’t really help the students,” Jackson said. “We’re not going to dictate. We’re going to ask the English and math departments to come up with specific requirements to attack the achievement gap specifically relating to issues of sequencing and Pass-No/Pass.” Accreditation concerns Some faculty members, including Davis, feel that City College’s accreditation could be jeopardized by an over-extension of the board’s authority. “By state regulation and by the education code there are certain responsibilities for the administration, the board and the faculty, and this administration inadvertently entered into areas that are the purview of the faculty without consulting with the faculty,” Davis said. “Their enthusiasm to do the right thing clouded their judgement.” California Education Code Sec. 53200 outlines 10 specific responsibilities that are reserved for the Academic Senate. This list of faculty responsibilities is called “ten plus one” because there are ten responsibilities plus an eleventh item reserving the right to take responsibility for other matters “mutually agreed upon” by shared gover-

nance. Homer said that while there are some legitimate concerns being voiced, others are overblown. “The irrational fears of loss of accreditation and the board taking over are just hype and fear-mongering by people with a political agenda,” Homer said. “I would classify it as a mob mentality that was completely irrational and not in the best interest of students.” Huntsman said he was approached by organizers of the Academic Senate special meeting and asked how a petition containing at least 100 senate member signatures could be validated in order to call the meeting, and he told them he and other senate officers should verify the signatures. But he was told the signatures would not be shown to him or be made public. “I expressed to them that I thought that called the validity of their meeting into question,” Huntsman said. “However, I in no way wanted to stand in the way of that dialogue because I thought it was important.” Jackson said the resolution does not violate any union contracts or education codes and wants to reassure teachers that the board is not trying to tell them how to teach, but he wants to see real action. “I’m tired of arguing about the process, and I think the students in underserved communities are tired of arguing about the process,” Jackson said. “The status quo is not good enough for San Francisco. The status quo is not good enough for City College.” E-mail: gzeman@theguardsman.com

News

APRIL 14, 2010

News Briefs AS Elections

The 2010 Associated Students elections are approaching. Voting will take place on April 27 and 28 to select AS representatives for each City College campus. Students at each campus will elect an AS president, vice president and senators. The campuses will collectively chose one student trustee to represent all students on the Board of Trustees. Students will be able to vote online by contacting ccsfelections@gmail.com or by following “CCSFElections” on Twitter. Most Ocean campus candidates have joined a slate, defined in the AS Election Handbook as “students running and campaigning together in a group of three or more.” Independent candidates are also running. The two slates are BLOC and United Coalition for Educational Empowerment, whose platforms both promise radical change in the furtherance of educational access and equity.

Local 2 Strike

Unite Here Local 2, a self-professed “fighting union” representing over 9,000 hotel workers at 62 hotels in San Francisco, opened a three-day strike of roughly 300 workers at the San Francisco Grand Hyatt on April 7. Local 2 President Mike Casey has promised future actions at other downtown hotels if an agreement is not made on worker health care costs. Grand Hyatt General Manager David Nadelman said that the union was acting rashly too early in the negotiations and accused them of being “completely out of touch.” The conflict stems from distribution of financial responsibility for rising health care costs. Workers believe they are already paying their fair share. Previous failed negotiations between Local 2 and hotel ownership led to a 54-day lockout followed by a two-year union boycott in 2004.

THE GUARDSMAN

New ‘green’ Muni bus shelters installed By Liska Koenig THE GUARDSMAN

San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency, in cooperation with Clear Channel Outdoor, is installing new, solar-powered bus shelters throughout the City. Clear Channel Outdoor agreed to pay for the fabrication and installation of new Muni shelters. The advertising company will share 55 percent of projected revenue from the collaboration, expected to be around $300 million, according to Bill Hooper, president of Clear Channel Outdoor’s northern California region, as quoted on SF.Streetsblog.org. After two years of development, the first of the new shelters was unveiled by Mayor Gavin Newsom at Geary and Arguello boulevards on May 28, 2009. “Transit shelters that use photovoltaics, LEDs and Wi-Fi are going to be standard in the future and I’m proud that San Francisco is once again acting like the pace car for other cities by trying and implementing these technologies,” Newsom said during a press conference at the unveiling of the first shelter. The most distinctive element of the new transit shelters — the red roof — is meant to resemble a seismic shock wave, according to an SFMTA press release. Photovoltaic cells in the red roof provide the power supply for the shelters and re-insert any excess energy back into the city’s power system, according to an article by CNET. The cells use a newly patented technology that implements third generation organic dyebased photovoltaic solar film and contains no heavy metals unlike traditional solar panels, which are silicon based. The solar film is embedded into the red wavy roof material. The new LED lights use 80 percent less

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

The 22-Filmore bus stop at 16th and Mission Streets is one of the new green shelters installed by Clear Channel Outdoor to save energy and raise ad revenue over time.

power than the old fluorescents, the structural steel contains 70 percent recycled material and the roof material is 40 percent postindustrial recycled content, states Lundberg Design, whose concept was selected from over 30 competitors, according to its Web site. All of the new shelters will feature NextMuni displays to inform riders about bus arrivals and will eventually be equipped with a push-to talk system to assist visually impaired riders. Unlike the old shelters, the number for each individual transit stop will be displayed so passengers can enter it when calling 511, the Bay Area-wide traffic and public transportation information line. After an initial testing phase, Clear Chan-

nel Outdoor is planning to install Wi-Fi at the new shelters to accommodate laptop users who want to use the Internet while waiting for their bus to arrive. The functionality of the new shelters will be reviewed by Muni and Clear Channel Outdoor. If all goes according to plan, at least 1,100 old shelters will be replaced after this summer, according to the SFMTA press release. The transportation agency hopes to have the process completed by 2013. No representative from Muni or Clear Channel Outdoor was available for comment. E-mail: lkoenig@theguardsman.com

GPS tracking of victim’s iPhone led to arrest TUSI: from front page

A second man appeared and grabbed the iPhone while the first took the laptop. Both men jumped into a Lexus and fled the scene. The victim told San Francisco police officers he could track his iPhone with a computer application that locates the phone’s GPS. The GPS information led police to Alice Griffith “Double Rock” Public Housing in the Bayview district where they spotted a parked Lexus and waited. Tusi and Jerome J. Satele, 21, drove away in the Lexus about one hour later. The car was later pulled over by police, who saw Satele pass an iPhone to another passenger. The victim was brought to 6th Street and Clara Alley where he identified Tusi, who is more than six feet tall and weighs 400 pounds, as the robber of his

laptop. He identified Satele as the driver of the getaway car and the man who stole his iPhone. Satele is not known to have any connection to the Wellness Center thefts, Buckelew said.

out on low bail or no bail. I sometimes disagree with the system, but that’s the way it goes.” Undercover officers from the Ingleside station assisted City College police a sting opera“Private property crimes in tion that led to in San Francisco are un- Tusi’s arrest on Nine days out of dervalued by the crimi- March 19. custody “Private From the nal justice system.” property crimes time he secured in San Francisco — James Miller supervised preIngleside Station SFPD Sgt. are undervalued trial release to by the criminal the day of the justice system,” iPhone arrest, Miller said. “I’m Tusi had been not saying that out of police all these guys custody for only should be sent off to a state prisnine days, according to the media on, by any means, but neither do release. I think they should walk out of “I’m not shocked,” Ingleside jail the next day automatically. It Station SFPD Sgt. James Miller happens too often.” said. “Judges let a lot of people

City College Police Department Sgt. Ted Russo said thefts in the Wellness Center locker rooms have dropped dramatically since Tusi’s March 19 arrest. “Am I surprised that he was released and then committed another felony? Unfortunately, I’m not surprised,” Russo said. “There are a lot of issues with overcrowding in jails and the economy is so bad that people who are opportunists are looking for things to take. We advise students to keep an eye on their personal belongings.” On-campus thefts usually decline after spring break and pick up again during finals, Russo said. He advised students to be extra vigilant at the end of the semester. E-mail: aemslie@theguardsman.com

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

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APRIL 14, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

What should have taken place is a prompt response upon delivery of the Fűhrer’s newest mandate: that every single American hostage be released and we will just give Mohammed life in prison (period). Let Mohammed rot in a cell instead of killing him, if it saves the lives of our families and loved ones. Bin Laden has complained we mistreat his soldiers. To that, we can respond that his people wouldn’t have ever been in our custody had he not taken it upon himself to escalate this war in the Middle East by bringing it into the daily lives of U.S. citizens. The situation with bin Laden is that he hates the West. That’s it. He’s got a blame-thrower and a bad case of triggerfinger. There is no reasoning with this man who, in his eyes, lives a righteous life. The best response to this newest bin Laden tape is to capture him and hold him accountable for his crimes at all costs. Bin Laden is good at tying all these separate issues together and rallying the troops for a war. He’d probably be an amazing used car salesman. Perhaps another radical leader — one who opposes violence and hatred — could pick apart bin Laden’s reasoning for bringing more bloodshed to this planet. Maybe there is no way to end this global issue aside from taking down the organizers of this war. In that line of reasoning we would need to hold Mohammed accountable in the most severe manner. We need to understand that submitting to bin Laden’s demands ensures that he keeps making them. It is time to make a serious counter offer: release the captives and Mohammed’s life will be spared. Let’s put the ball in his court.

Osama bin Laden released a new tape March 24 promising that the day the United States makes a decision to kill Khalid “Hero Warrior” Sheik Mohammed is the day bin Laden will order the execution of all American hostages. Bin Laden often starts his messages in the name of Allah and peace, then proceeds to proclaim his will is that of the righteous, and that the U.S. is a vile oppressor unjustly tyrannizing his people with its support of Israel. He delivers them in a soft and confident tone, reassuring the listener that he deeply believes what he speaks. In a tape released earlier this year, addressed to President Barack Obama, bin Laden begins by saying blessed are the followers of peace. The followers of peace? Bin Laden holds no regard for human life. He professes godliness while subscribing to racism in the same sentence. He feels that U.S. support of Israel’s Palestinian occupation offers him spiritual immunity on all grounds. In his mind he is acting in the name of what is right. He has followers who definitely believe in him. The temptation to be called apart from the rest of humanity — to have a greater purpose in life — is tantalizing. The promise of this purpose appeals to core elements of human nature: to be a part of a coalition, to have brothers in arms, and to make the world a better place. But the reasoning behind threatening to kill all American hostages if a man who organized the death of thousands of innocent people is brought to justice, is so skewed it verges on madness. Bin Laden believes he can do no wrong. GARY MEADER / MCT CAMPUS ILLUSTRATION

E-mail: wchamberlin@theguardsman.com

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Readers praise ‘Peace’ opinion article

Letters To The Editor

Editor, Thank you for publishing Robert Romano’s story “Peace between Palestine and Israel is possible.” This is an excellent article and one which I’ve forwarded to many friends and contacts. Keep up the good work and journalism.

The Guardsman encourages feedback from our readers. We will publish printable letters as soon as our publication schedule allows.

Steve Sosebee

Guidelines for letters: Letters must be signed with first and last name. The Guardsman reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity and content. Most letters should be less than 200 words, although longer letters are sometimes

Dear Mr. Romano, Thank you VERY MUCH for writing the piece “Peace between Palestine and Israel is possible.” More than ever, we need people to bring to light the truth and the tragedy of Palestine and the Palestinian people. With respect, Rima El-Kawa

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Opinions&Editorials

APRIL 14, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

Police chief apologizes for racially motivated remarks

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón (left) apologizes at a news conference at the Holiday Inn Hotel San Francisco Golden Gateway on April 2.

By Ramsey El-Qare THE GUARDSMAN

If you just inherited a police department that made headlines last year because its officers unjustly attacked and brutalized Arabs at an anti-war demonstration, you probably shouldn’t kick things off by making a racist crack about the San Francisco Middle Eastern community attacking the Hall of Justice. Apparently, San Francisco Police Chief

George Gascón never got the memo. While speaking at a breakfast about the importance of an earthquake safety bond measure, he felt the need to emphasize that earthquakes are not the only thing the Hall of Justice needs to worry about: He said the city’s Middle Eastern community might destroy the building with a car bomb. Gascón defended himself by saying he never mentioned certain Middle Eastern or Arab communities and that only Yemeni

and Afghan communities pose a terrorism threat. What makes him think pointing to these two communities would make his statements acceptable? The term “Middle East” is problematic because it is so loosely defined. Some people include Afghanistan and some do not. Gascón’s misuse of the word shows how little he knows about the people he’s attacking. Not all Middle Easterners are Arab, nor are they all exclusively Muslim. The word terrorism is and has been used to justify abhorrent actions like the stripping of civil liberties and spying on the American people. With his remarks, Gascón was not only scapegoating Yemeni and Afghan U.S. citizens, he was also endangering the lives of anyone from Arab, Muslim or Middle Eastern descent. The chief and the organization behind him are supposed to ensure our safety. Instead, entire communities are being put in harm’s way to get extra cash in the name of safety at the Hall of Justice. Shame on you, Chief Gascón.

The police chief holds a powerful position. While some may perceive his remarks as an accidental blurb, others will hear them and think that people from the Middle East can be mistreated, scapegoated and dumped upon because they are the lowest humans on the totem pole. Gascón made a quick entrance and an even quicker exit at the media conference on April 2 where he apologized to the Yemeni community. His apology did not appear sincere and he didn’t answer any questions from the audience. The San Francisco Police Department needs to demonstrate real commitment to equality for all oppressed communities in this city. Words are not enough. An apology without actions following it makes no difference. All members of our society, regardless of what community they identify with, need to be treated with the respect they deserve. E-mail: relqare@theguardsman.com

Health care reform makes life easier for uninsured students The bill was also bundled with reform that concerns the student loan program. Instead of private banks lending government loans to students, the government itself will loan the money, essentially eliminating the middle man who wasn’t necessary in the first place. This will save taxpayers some $68 billion. President Obama plans to re-invest the savings into education. His re-investment will increase Pell Grants, help students pay off loans and upgrade community colleges. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, this reform will cost about $950 billion over the next decade, but will lower federal deficits by $148 billion. It will also extend coverage to 32 million previously uninsured people. Republicans in office, who hope to see the reform fail, are calling this bill the Democrats’ Waterloo. Democrats, of course, see this as their greatest victory in a long time. Each side hopes to prevail, but the victory of this reform is owed to the people of this country - the people

By Matthew Gomez THE GUARDSMAN

Health care was reformed last month, and while the effects may not yet be evident, benefits for students could be great in the future. Although this reform does not bring the country closer to a universal, single-payer system or include a public option, it will make necessary changes to what many consider a corrupt handling of people’s health. Children of policyholders will now be allowed to stay covered under their parents’ insurance plan until the age of 26. This means there will be less of a financial burden for those who may have been told not to get sick because they don’t have insurance. It also means, students will be able to focus more on school if they aren’t constantly concerned with either paying for their own insurance or risking their life by having none. When jobs are scarce and school alone is hard to pay for, one less bill, or the assurance of access to medical care, is appreciated.

whom both Republican and Democratic congressman are elected to represent. The U.S. is not the superpower it once was and it will take time to regain that status. That can’t be achieved by constant bickering between two parties who dislike each other solely because they hold different ideals. The Democrats compromised a lot for this bill to become reality. Now that it is, both parties need to take every possible step to see this opportunity is not wasted because some grown-ups in Washington want to be able to say, “I told you so.” $1 trillion is still $1 trillion. This bill could be a Waterloo or a victory, it all depends on how the situation is handled. This reform isn’t a revolution and it still hasn’t granted anyone anything, but it does present an opportunity with the potential to change the lives of many citizens of this country. E-mail: mgomez@theguardsman.com

When key provisions of the health bill kick in 2010

2011

• Sets up high-risk health insurance pool to provide affordable coverage for uninsured people with medical problems • Bars lifetime dollar limits on insurance coverage • Provides tax credits to help small businesses (up to 25 employees) provide workers with insurance • Requires health insurance plans to maintain dependent coverage for children until they turn 26; prohibits insurers from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing health problems

2012 • Provides Medicare recipients in the prescription drug coverage gap with discounts; by 2020 seniors pay just 25 percent of the cost of brand-name and generic drugs

2013

2014

• Limits medical expense contributions to tax-sheltered flexible spending accounts to $2,500 a year, with annual increases based on cost-of-living adjustments • Increases Medicare payroll tax on couples making more than $250,000 and individuals making more than $200,000; adds a new tax of 3.8 percent on income from investments • Sets up program to create nonprofit insurance co-ops

2015

2016

2017

2018

• Prohibits insurers from denying or limiting coverage based on pre-existing conditions • States create health insurance exchanges — supermarkets for individuals and small businesses to buy coverage • Provides income-based tax credits for most consumers in the exchanges

2019 • Imposes a tax on so-called Cadillac health plans, employer-sponsored health insurance worth more than $10,200 for individual coverage, $27,500 for a family plan

2020 • Doughnut hole coverage gap in Medicare prescription benefit is phased out

• Expands Medicaid to cover low-income people up to 133 percent of the poverty line • Requires citizens and legal residents to have health insurance, with exceptions, or pay a fine • Penalizes employers with more than 50 workers if insurance is not offered, or if their workers get coverage through the exchange and receive a tax credit

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, House Energy and Commerce Committee, AP, Tribune Newspapers reporting Graphic: Chicago Tribune

Sports F

THE GUARDSMAN

Samir Golubovic stretches before beginning judo practice in the Wellness Center on April 6.

City Colle

Adam Pilger practices a throw mane practice in judo.

By Alex Emslie THE GUARDSMAN

In a sport that often gets overshadowed because of the overall athletic program’s success, the Judo Club members have steadily brought home honors to City College. Judo instructor Mitchell Palacio started his career at City College in 1978 and launched the Judo Club in 1984. The program has been around since 1968, when it was founded by Brad Duggan, the former physical education department chair. Palacio, called sensei by his students and a 6th degree black belt, teaches beginning, intermediate and advanced classes. He said learning the graceful and demanding sport teaches community and humility. “Judo and school just become a vehicle for students to improve in their community,” he said of the sport he started practicing at age four. “It’s about having fun and there are no attitudes.” Beginning student Laura Close, who aspires to compete, said she was drawn to judo for precisely those reasons. “You see two people kick each other’s asses and get up and say ‘good job.’ That’s what got me into this art – the humility of it,” she said. “It’s not about strength.”

During his weekly Tuesday class, Palacio sternly gave instructions or demonstrated holds at one moment, then smiled and praised his students the next. “Once your opponent has the grip, they got you,” Palacio said during a demonstration on breaking out of a hold. “You have to get into position to break that grip. What happens if you can’t get into that position? You deserve to get thrown.” One unique aspect of City College judo is the student-organized tournament held at the end of each semester. The 2010 City College of San Francisco Invitational Judo Tournament is scheduled for April 25. “It’s all on us,” said Emily Lilly, currently ranked No. 4 in her weight class nationally. “The tournament director is always one of the students in the class, and the entire competition is run by the students.” The upcoming tournament will host 300 to 400 competitors, from the 5 to 6 year-old division up to a black belt-level championship. Lilly, who has been competing in judo since she was 11, spent six months recovering from a dislocated elbow and torn ligaments she sustained during a tournament. She returned to competition for the U.S.

Open international Judo Championship last fall when she lost in the bronze medal match. “I was still hesitant,” she said. “I wore a sleeve on it, not so much for support but just to make me feel better. It’s tough coming back after a traumatic injury.” Along with fellow students Samir Golubovic and Ted Meissner, Lilly plans to compete in nationals at the end of April. Michael Larson, who has been practicing judo for 24 years, was trained by blind competitors in the 1984 paralympics. “As a visually impaired person, the sport of judo is what we call the acceptance sport, and in Judo, we as blind people have risen to be known as the same,” he said. “We are put on the same point structure. I feel judo strives to keep people on an even level, disability or no disability.” Lilly and Larson agreed that the judo program at City College is extraordinary. “The City College Judo Club is not like any I’ve ever been to,” Lilly said. “I used to do judo in Texas and I did it in Southern California before I moved up here. I came up here to work with Mr. Palacio, and it was the best move of my life.” E-mail: aemslie@theguardsman.com

PHOTOS BY RAMSEY EL-QARE

Sensei Mitchell Palacio demonstra Golubovic during Judo Club practic

Feature

APRIL 14, 2010

ege students taught the humble art of judo March 21, 2010 USA National White and Brown Belt Judo Championships - Final Results Women’s 63kg White Belt:

Men’s 81kg White Belt:

1st Tina Zhong

2nd Larry Hutchinson

Women’s 78kg White Belt:

Men’s 100+kg Brown Belt:

1st Jenny Puente

1st Yoshi Yamaguchi Men’s Open White:

Men’s 60kg White Belt:

2nd John Silver

2nd Edward Aramyan

Men’s Open Brown:

Men’s 66kg White Belt:

1st Garrett Shockley

3rd Alex Pinkhasov

2nd Yoshi Yamaguchi

euver on visually impaired martial artist Michael Larsen during randori, free form

ates an offensive move on Samir ce in the Wellness Center on April 6.

Judo comrades Samir Golubovic and Emily Lilly square off during judo randori. Golubovic and Lilly plan to compete in nationals at the end of April.

10 |

Sports

THE GUARDSMAN

Tennis wins season finale

AARON TURNER / THE GUARDSMAN

Sophomore Anni Ma hits a backhand shot against Mission College at City College on April 6. The Rams won the match 5-4, as Mission only had four players available. Sophomore Barbara Coffey won the #1 singles match, then teamed up with Tiffany Lam to win the #1 doubles match. The Rams finished third place in the Coast Conference. The team will head to Chabot College to compete in the Coast Conference Tournament on April 15-17. Players must then qualify for the NorCal Tournament held at Santa Rosa Junior College on April 29-May 1.

APRIL 14, 2010

Sports Briefs Rogers sets pace in Sacramento Trevor Rogers led the Rams in a very successful showing at the 2010 American River Invitational in Sacramento. Rogers, a sophomore, finished first overall in the men’s high jump, fifth overall in the 100m and 12th overall in the 200m. In the 3000m steeplechase, sophomore Mark Frazier claimed 1st overall giving City College two first place finishes. The men’s 4X100m relay team grabbed second place in the relay race. Sophomore Daniel Chen finished second overall in the men’s 110m hurdles and upperclassmen Antwain Hawkins finished ninth in the 400m hurdles. On the women’s side, sophomore Agnes Silvestro finished fifth overall in the 5000m, while freshman Radka Kartousova took fifth in 400m hurdles. Sophomore Lydia Offord placed 13th overall in the women 200m event. The Rams will travel to Oakland to take part in the Maurice Compton Invitational at Merritt College on April 17. Rams Stadium set to get new turf The City College Board of Trustees recently approved funding for a resurfacing of Rams Stadium. Mondo USA Inc., a commercial flooring company based in San Mateo, has been contracted for the job and will install its new product “Mondo Turf.” The projected cost is approximately $750,000, which will be paid over the course of eight years at an estimated $90,000 per year. The stadium’s current surface, “FieldTurf” has raised concern due to the discovery of hazardous materials in rubberized pellets used for the artificial surface. Rams Stadiums “FieldTurf” also has an expected lifespan of ten years, and the current surface was installed prior to the 2002 football season. The new turf is expected to be installed in time for next season.

2010 Summer SeSSion at SF State Stay on track! More than 550 degree credit classes offered. June 7-august 13, 2010 Get a head-start -- earn credit before the fall semester with Summer Session at SF State. • Choose your classes here: www.cel.sfsu.edu/summer • Registration for the community starts monday, April 19, 2010 Be sure to visit www.cel.sfsu.edu/summer for fees and registration information. *To ensure the SF State credit you earn is transferable, check with your college first. SF State Summer 2010 Session is brought to you by SF State Extended Learning and will be held on the SF State Main Campus. Interested in professional development certificates at the Downtown Campus? Visit www.cel.sfsu.edu for Info Session dates.

Sports

APRIL 14, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

| 11

Women’s swimming

New team making splash in its first season

years.” Sretpisalsilp agreed that she has also been improving throughout the season. “I’ve been lucky enough to do better in every meet, and I’ve been working hard to get my times down,” she said. “Today was really impressive because I didn’t really race in the events I usually do.” Pham likes the way his team has improved during its first season competing. He expects his team to be highly competitive at the Coast Conference Championships set to take place April 22-24 at West Valley College. His goal is for the team to finish in the top three. “We have improved tremendously over the course of the season, and we don’t have a lot of swimmers with competitive swimming experience,” Pham said. “It’s been a good learning experience as we get ready for the conference championships.”

By Bontã Hill THE GUARDSMAN

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

Roselin Sretpisalsilp claims first place in the 500-yard freestyle during City College’s home swim meet against Cabrillo College, April 9 in the Wellness Center Natatorium.

April 2010 Swimming Schedule

Online:

April 16: West Valley College Dual-Meet at West Valley 2 p.m. April 22-24: Coast Conference Championships at West Valley College

More on City College Sports Briefs www.theguardsman. com/sportbriefs

April 29-May 1: California State Championships at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach

In its inaugural season, the City College women’s swim team is gaining plenty of momentum toward the Coast Conference Championships, as they easily outscored Cabrillo College 124-30 in their dual meet April 9 at the Wellness Center. “During spring break, we trained really hard in practice,” head coach Phong Pham said. “We trained hard with our eyes on the conference championships.” Rams swimmers Alyssa Stember and Roselin Sretpisalsilp easily won their respective races, with Stember claiming first place in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke, and Sretpisalsilp winning the 100-yard and 500-yard freestyle. “The 50 freestyle is my favorite event because I’ve been improving the most in that event,” Stember said. “I’ve never been good at freestyle races until now, so this is really exciting for me, especially since I haven’t swam competitively in three N

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E-mail: bhill@theguardsman.com

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Sports

THE GUARDSMAN

The Water Cooler By Bontã Hill

Fresh off of spring break, it’s good to be active again in terms of leaving the house and having something productive to do. Yup, all I did for vacation was play video games, log major hours on Facebook and watch Butler University’s improbable run through the NCAA Tournament. Speaking of Butler, what a performance they put on this March. I know they lost to Duke 61-59 in the national championship game, but they are still the story of this year’s epic tournament. You would think I’d be bitter about not having one Final Four team in my bracket (not a typo). Watching Butler though, a school with 4,200 students, knock off heavyweights Syracuse and Kansas State to get to the Final Four was amazing. Then they outlasted Michigan State in the National Semifinals. How could you not be inspired by their story? The scrappy bunch with a head coach who looks like he’s 18 (Brad Stevens is in fact 33) gave mighty Duke all it could handle and nearly won the game on a half court shot from rising star Gordon Hayward. With Butler being from Indianapolis and playing the championship game six miles from campus, this story was better than the movie “Hoosiers.” Although they didn’t win it all, this is something even Disney couldn’t make up. What blows my mind is

Butler actually attended classes on the day of the championship. Imagine that — sitting in a math or English class with the biggest game in your life only hours away. I wonder if they were assigned any exams or pop quizzes. You think the teachers excused them from turning in homework that day? I didn’t do homework during spring break; I know for sure I wouldn’t be doing it before a championship game. Anyway, thanks Butler for giving college basketball fans one helluva thrill ride. Idiot of the Week The idiot of this week is anybody who dished out $50 to watch two old men fight in a rematch 17 years later. Anybody who thought it was a great idea to help promote this fight between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. ought to look in the mirror and ask themselves, “Why?” No, it wasn’t money because this fight sure as hell didn’t make any. To those associated with this event — fighters included — and to those who bought the fight, welcome to the Idiot Hall of Fame. Miscellaneous The Philadelphia Eagles decided to trade their franchise quarterback Donovon McNabb within their own division to the Washington Redskins. I know, mind boggling. Why? We’ll never know the real answer, yet the two games between the teams have just became a bit more intriguing... Before I forget, the NCAA women’s basketball tournament wasn’t too bad at all, even though it came to a familiar ending — Connecticut winning the championship and finishing undefeated for the second year in a row. Winning 78 straight times in any sport is impressive, let alone basketball. E-mail: bhill@theguardsman.com

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Features

APRIL 14, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

| 13

Coping with pay cuts By Fleur Bailey THE GUARDSMAN

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

Patricia Kimball sits in her new office in the child development and family studies department. Kimball was bumped to a lower seniority position last November.

It has been more than four months since the procedure known as bumping relocated many City College clerical staff out of their jobs and into lowerpaid positions. Some were even laid off. San Francisco’s budget crisis forced the elimination of more than 470 civil service personnel from the Department of Public Health last November, bringing 32 DPH workers into City College, some with no experience working in education. Certain public jobs in San Francisco are governed by the civil service system, which applies rules and job classifications intended to make layoffs, hiring and position seniority work in an organized way. The school district is considered to be a city department by San Francisco’s Human Resources. Although the layoffs came from the city last year and not the school district, the results were detrimental to all involved, and many schools were robbed of their treasured secretaries. Among them was Patricia Kimball, 59, who worked as a senior clerk typist in the music

department at City College for three years. Kimball was bumped to a lower seniority position in the child development and family studies department on Nov. 30 last year. “It was so stressful I thought I would have a heart attack,” Kimball said. “It’s not just the financial difficulties I face with taking a 17 percent pay cut. I was grieving. It was a good fit for me in the music department. I was a team member and had more creativity. It’s been rough all round.” Kimball said she has struggled with the changes to her schedule in her new position. She said her job at the music department allowed more flexibility, choosing some days to start work late and making it up on the weekend, giving her more time for her personal life. “It’s hard now; I don’t have that flexibility to manage my hours,” she said. “Even my dog is affected. She wakes me up in the night because I don’t have the time anymore to walk her.” Kimball said she has tried to help the woman who replaced her transition into her job in the music department. “I always like to leave a relationship in good shape,” she said.

“I understand about life and relationships and I believe you should always try to do what you can.” However the union reprimanded her former boss, Madeline Mueller, head of the music department, for fear that Kimball may end up working two jobs. Kimball now has no pay during the summer, Christmas, or Easter, and has to face changes to her medical benefits. Despite this, Kimball accepts her new role with grace and appreciation that she has managed to stay at City College. “It’s like the goose that lays the golden egg,” she said. “City College is an important part of the community. It’s about personal development.” The future for civil service workers may still be uncertain with the possibility of layoffs which would cause the bumping procedure to start again. “This could happen to me again,” Kimball said. “It worries me because I’m not 19 anymore; I’m 59. I don’t have unlimited strength or the kind of energy it takes to start a new life. But I’m a survivor so whatever happens next I know I’ll come up with something.” E-mail: fbailey@theguardsman.com

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Culture&Trends

THE GUARDSMAN

APRIL 14, 2010

Book Review

Comical college guide falls short By Hannah Weiner THE GUARDSMAN

“Party Thru College” is former stand-up comedian Dennis Bruce’s attempt at a humorous how-to book on skating through college courses. The key word here is “attempt.” While I’m sure Bruce put a great deal of effort into the short book, it only amounts to a redundant string of juvenile jokes and puns. The book focuses on how to be a college student screwup without actually dropping out. Although the concept had potential for hilarity, my hopes for laughter were greatly diminished after reading the first chapter. Essentially, the book is comprised of base satire and stereotypical jokes about college life, which have already been beaten to death by TV and movies. For instance, no matter if you excel at an Ivy League or screw up in a community college, Bruce writes, “four years from now, you’ll probably be running a cash register at the local convenience store.” “Flunking out is a short-lived phenomenon, whereas the screw-up must time-release his incompetence over the course of four or more years,” is another of his clever witticisms. Bruce also tries to drop some knowledge on what students shouldn’t say in class or do at parties, and he covers how to deal with different professor

stereotypes. Even after re-reading passages, nothing in this book really made me laugh. Obviously the content wasn’t meant to be taken seriously; the author was just having a go at college students and college life. But if you’re going to exaggerate the amusing and ridiculous aspects of something, you should go all the way. Instead, Bruce falls short. Other books have aimed for and achieved what Bruce’s could not: “The CollegeHumor Guide to College” by the writers of CollegeHumor.com and “The Naked Roommate” by Harlan Cohen, for example. Even “Texts From Last Night” by Lauren Leto and Ben Bator provides a better illustration of the comical events that ensue with college party antics, relationships, dieting habits and class attendance – or lack thereof. I must say, I did enjoy the digs the author made at Richard Nixon, O.J. Simpson, and Don Imus – all experts at screwing up. The content did make me feel better about putting off all the homework I was assigned during spring break. Also, the pictures are pretty neat. So, I guess “Party Thru College” wasn’t a complete failure. That doesn’t, however, make it a success. Bruce should stick to stand-up.

E-mail: hweiner@theguardsman.com

JESSICA LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

The fashion department is looking for volunteer male and female models for the upcoming fashion show, “Belle Epoque,” which will be held at Ocean campus on May 25. Model auditions will be held April 20 at 6 p.m. at the Downtown campus in room 623. Models must be 18 years or older.

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Calendar

APRIL 14, 2010

Calendar for April 14 - April 27

WED

THUR

Lecture: “From Men’s baseball Ugly Laws to against West Sit/Lie Laws: The Valley at Fairmont Criminalization of Field Poverty” at Ocean 2 p.m. campus upper level Women’s tennis Student Union Coast Confer6:30 - 8:30 p.m. ence Tournament at Chabot 4/15-4/17

FRI.

City College presents “Grease” at Ocean campus Diego Rivera Theatre General Admission: $15 Students, seniors, Tickets Bay Area members: $10 8 p.m.

SAT

SUN

City College Lecture: “DoCelebrates ing Business in China: What Every- Earth Day at Ocean one Should Know” campus Ram Plaza 11 a.m. - 2p.m. at Ocean campus Rosenberg Library room 305 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Men’s baseball against West Valley at West Documentary Valley Film: “Crime2 p.m. buster: A Son’s Search For His Father” at Mission campus room 109 6:30 p.m.

FRI

Men’s baseball Final Day: against San Jose Urban Zipline City at San Jose over San Francisco 12 p.m. at Justin Herman Plaza Steuart St. and Market St. Track Maurice San Francisco, CA Compton Meet at (must weigh beMerritt College tween 65 and 275 Time: TBA lbs) Free 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

23 Last day to drop classes Charlie King and Karen Brandow feature their labor history and labor movement music at Ocean campus Conlan Hall room E-101 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

SAT

Men’s baseball against San Mateo at Fairmont Field 12 p.m. SF Zoo “Zoomania” with live specimens at Paxton Gate 766 Valencia St. San Francisco, CA Free 2 - 4 p.m.

MON

Tax Day

THUR

Community Events

Campus Events

C3 Editors PubWomen’s badlic Meeting #4 minton against at Mission campus Skyline at Skyline Room 109 6 - 8:30 3 p.m. p.m.

WED

THE GUARDSMAN

Photographer Gordon Osmundson presents a program in the Photo 52 series of lectures by professional photographers at Ocean campus Conlan Hall room E-101 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. City College fashion show: “From Dusk Till Dawn” at Sugar Cafe 679 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 7 - 9 p.m.

SUN Works on Paper at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor 100 34th Ave. San Francisco, CA All ages Ticket info: (415) 863-3330 9:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Career Development and Placement Center present The Annual Career Information Fair April 14, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cafeteria, Ocean campus. Students are encouraged to bring resumes and dress for success. There will be opportunities for internships, employment and more.

Model auditions for City College fashion show at Downtown campus room 623 800 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 18+ 6 p.m.

Classified Ads

TUES

City College fashion show: “The Violet Hour” at Manor West 750 Harrison St. San Francisco, CA 21+ 6 - 9 p.m.

Looking for a female student to study with. Must have at least 60 units completed. If interested, please contact Eric at (415) 518-9080.

Men’s baseball against San Jose City at Fairmont Field 2 p.m.

MON

Classifieds

TUES

50 cents per word. $5 minimum for commercial advertisers. City College students, staff and faculty qualify for one free classified per semester. Multiple ads not accepted. Must show current student ID. Commercial ads not accepted from students. Acceptance of ads at the discretion of The Guardsman.

Men’s baseball against MPC at MPC 2 p.m. Women’s badminton against De Anza at De Anza 3 p.m. City College fashion show: “A Gothic Cruise” at Ocean campus student cafeteria 12 - 12:30 p.m.

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Culture&Trends

THE GUARDSMAN

APRIL 14, 2010

Mathew Radwan, undergraduate photography student, Merrimack, New Hampshire.

16 |

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

Greg Zeman receives a $13 martini at the Top of the Mark restaurant in San Francisco on April 6.

$13 martini sparks existential crisis

Checkout time In the immortal words of James Ingram, “I tried my best, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough.” What started as a dream of turning City College students on to affordable entertainment opportunities has morphed into a nightmare hit-parade of $50-a-plate champagne brunches, pointless elevator rides and destinations outside city limits. When I look at my creation, I no longer see my beautiful baby but instead a hideous Frankenstein monster which must be reformed or destroyed. It all started with four little words. “Make it about hotels.” It seemed like a good idea, until the smoke cleared and my Pell Grant money had run out. Then it seemed like a silly idea – one rooted in the naive assumption that City College students have the money or desire to hang out in hotels. I’ve been known to party too hard and end up in a hotel the next morning, but it’s usually the kind of place that comes with a small bar of soap – if I’m lucky – and an ashtray that doubles as a clock radio. What happened? I was sitting at the Top of the Mark – a crummy, over-priced tourist trap that feels stuffy, even

with panoramic windows on the 19th floor – stingily sipping a $13 martini and utterly loathing myself for buying it. Maybe it was the literal penthouse lounge that broke the figurative camel’s back or maybe my heart just grew three sizes that day, but I realized I had failed my readers, this city and myself. This quick and dirty rundown of three amazing places in San Francisco that students might actually have an interest in – and be able to afford without skipping cell phone payments – is my small attempt at penance. Café International If you feel positive vibrations at the corner of Haight and Fillmore Streets, they’re probably coming from Café International. To get some fresh air and relative seclusion with your coffee, you can step out on the back patio; if you just want to have a draft beer and a bagel at 10:30 in the morning, the seating inside is spacious and comfortable. There’s free jazz on Sundays, free entertainment almost every night and food and brew at student prices. Tommy’s Joynt Is it a tourist-trap? Maybe, but it’s a fair-priced one that offers gigantic sandwiches and other fine foods. Their bar is big, diverse, and a cozy spot to have a bite and a beer. You can also eat buffalo there, if that sort of thing appeals to you. Cash only, but you won’t need much – bring ten bucks and you’ll leave happy.

THERE’S STILL TIME TO APPLY TO SCAD. Now accepting new students for Summer and Fall 2010 and all entry terms in 2011. As the world’s most comprehensive art and design university, SCAD offers more degree programs and specializations in more locations. Earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Choose from 107 degree programs in 46 majors. Study in Atlanta, Hong Kong, Savannah, or completely online via eLearning from anywhere in the world!

Apply online today at scad.edu/apply.

Learn more at the San Francisco area information session. Saturday, April 17 at 10 a.m. The Box SF 1069 Howard Street (Betweeen Russ Street and Moss Street) San Francisco Meet with SCAD representatives in person to discuss art and design academic programs and career options, admission requirements and portfolios, scholarships and ﬁnancial aid. Registration for the session is preferred. Visit scad.edu/yourarea or call 800.869.7223.

Tommy’s Joynt is located on the corner of Van Ness Avenue and Geary Street. Trad’r Sam Yup, it’s a bar, and since the average age of a City College student is roughly 35, I feel comfortable telling you about it. If you’re under 21, I’m sorry. It has an Internet jukebox, so beware of those taking a drunken stagger down memory lane. Or, be that guy and do it yourself.

It’s everything good about a tiki lounge with most of the down-home charm of a traditional dive bar. Drinks are stupid cheap, stupid potent and will make you stupid. Trad’r Sam is located on Geary Street between 25th and 26th avenues. Out of the suite and into the street Until we meet again. E-mail: gzeman@theguardsman.com

Brass Tacks: Café International Where: 508 Haight St. Tommy’s Joynt Where: 1101 Geary Blvd. Trad’r Sam Where: 6150 Geary Blvd.