The Guardsman, Vol. 154, Issue 2. City College of San Francisco

Page 1

Vol. 154, Issue 2, Sept. 5- Sept. 18, 2012

City College

of

San Francisco’s Newspaper

since

1935 | TheGuardsman.com | @SfBreakingNews

Rams victorious over Vikings after near loss Photo courtesy of Leslie Smith.

Vice-chancellor retires after three decades of service to City College students By Jandean Deocampo THE GUARDSMAN / @BANANAISAFRUIT / JDEOCAMPO@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

After 30 years of fighting for student welfare and support, Leslie Smith, City College’s associate vice-chancellor of governmental relations, has retired on Aug. 10 to pursue her art. “It’s a rough decision, because the community colleges are such a wonderful institution,” Smith said, expounding on her reasons and her future plans. “I was originally a studio art major. I plan to become a full-time artist.” A graduate of UCSB, Smith also went to Tulane University and visited the Louisiana Delta and Mexico before settling back in California. She built her long career at City College, focusing on equality of opportunity and student welfare. Leslie Smith had always had a passion for equality. Born and raised in Livermore, Calif., she grew up in a house where social justice was held in high esteem. “My father was a poli-sci major in Berkeley,” Smith said. “We did not talk about what the neighbors were doing. We talked about how you stand up and fight for your rights.” Smith attended UCSB with a focus on studio arts and then switched her major when she realized she had only taken one art class—Ceramics. The field of Cultural Anthropology drew her in, influencing her later major: Pre-Columbian Culture of the New World, which was based on a strong interest in Mesoamerican culture. LESLIE SMITH: PAGE 2

INSIDE: Culinary students cook up a plan to save program Pg. 2 OPINION: The cost of textbooks sucks Pg. 3 Photo Story: A look at Chinatown/Northbeach Pg. 4-5 Mediterranean food debuts at Ocean campus Pg. 6

The City College Rams defense tackles a Diablo Valley College football player during the 2012 season opener at Ram Stadium on Sept. 1, 2012. Photo by Shane Menez/The Guardsman

City College’s football champions stumble during the first half of the season opener but pick up the pieces to maintain their winning streak. Read the full story on page 8.

Budget cuts target journalism programs at community colleges An original illustration by past City College student Nadja Martens, titled, “Snow White & Rose Red,” was created using acrylic on canvas and is currently on gallery display as part of the ANALOG: Illustration Alumni Show in the Visual Arts Building, Room 119, at Ocean Campus. . Photo by James Fanucchi/The Guardsman

“Wonderland” conjures dystopia, fantasy and artistic ambition By Jandean Deocampo THE GUARDSMAN / @BANANAISAFRUIT / JDEOCAMPO@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Analog: Illustration Alumni Show, City College’s latest art exhibit, showcases the work of both current students and alumni of Art 136. The show is a dreamscape that weaves together different themes into a narrative full of opposites, parallels and abstractions. A couple dozen people, including the artists, guests and faculty, gathered Aug. 27 for a reception at the City College Art Gallery on Ocean campus. “It’s like looking into a fractal,” said Jerry Bertrand, a physicist and scent specialist, referring to Karen Tse’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a detailed drawing that is one of many pieces in

the gallery that visually interprets Lewis Carroll’s famous book. Though there was no common theme, one can see a definite thread of enchantment between the artists’ pieces and, beneath it all, a sort of ordered chaos. Joriz Madrid’s Favela is a painted cardboard pop-out wasteland featuring a honeycombed pattern of burnt sky and rust. It overlooks a section of Rio de Janeiro with two young figures looming in the foreground. The artist cited the Brazilian film “City of God” as an influence for the visual aesthetic of the piece. “Most of them use watercolors. Some use acrylic. We even have mixed media,” said exhibition curator Inna Razumova, who worked with the artists to build GALLERY: PAGE 6

By Marilyn Fernando THE GUARDSMAN / @ESORNYLIRAM / MFERNANDO@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

The head of the Journalism Department at College of San Mateo retired on Aug. 31 after 23 years of service. Issues related to low enrollment, course cuts and conflicts with administration over the student run newspaper, The San Matean, were blamed. “With no Journalism classes on the horizon and all efforts to remedy enrollment problems either failed or were thwarted, the most natural step at age 62 was to take retirement,” Ed Remitz wrote in a farewell letter to colleagues. Remitz advised the students who ran the school newspaper. “There was an ongoing disagreement,” Remitz said. “Administration wanted a different sort of publication.” The administration enforced a Program Improvement and Viability Process, which ultimately decided the fate of the department. Remitz said the program shut down The San Matean and then a similar paper started that was mandated by administration. In order to salvage what was

left of the journalism department, some classes were moved to Skyline, a branch of College of San Mateo, and other classes were integrated into the the digital media department. San Jose City College’s journalism department is also fighting to keep crucial newspaper production courses intact this semester. “It’s very unstable,” said Farideh Dada, a San Jose journalism instructor, regarding the status of newspaper production classes. Classes in jeopardy of being cu were reinstated until Sept. 4 Dada said. Courses will continue to run if they have a minimum of 20 students, otherwise they will be cancelled. “Once the classes are cancelled, online editions and the newspaper will stop running,” Dada said. The same rule applies to the journalism department at San Mateo. “The enrollment for journalism classes last semester had classes that had zero, two, three and six students and we just can’t afford to run a class on that little of people,” said Beverly Madden, JOURNALISM: PAGE 2


NEWS

2 | Sept. 5- Sept. 18, 2012 | The Guardsman &

News Editor Emma Graham-Winkles Culture Editor Peter Hernandez

Multimedia Editor Sergio Barreno Photo Editor James Fanucchi

Sports Editor Lucas Pontes de Almeida Advertising Editor Peter Ho

Staff Writers Becca Hoekstra Marilyn Fernando Ivan Huang Michael Hall Randall Allen Dannie Hawkins Jandean Deocampo Staff Photographers Shane Menez Leslie Calderon Faculty Advisor Juan Gonzales

Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Phone: (415) 239-3446 Advertising:

advertising@theguardsman.com

Online: www.theguardsman.com Twitter: @sfbreakingnews Facebook: facebook/theguardsman Youtube: theguardsmanonline Email: news@theguardsman.com

California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges

READ OUR COVERAGE OF THE SEPT. 4 RALLY AT CITY HALL TO SAVE CITY COLLEGE EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE AT: WWW.THEGUARDSMAN.COM

LESLIE SMITH: FROM PAGE 1

“I was just fascinated by that concept,” Smith said, recalling the first time she was exposed to the idea of “universals” in human cultures during a lecture. “What do all cultures have that are similar? And what are the differences?” The anthropology course was just one piece of the puzzle. Smith had always been fascinated by other cultures, having a diverse heritage herself. “My family is Choctaw,” she said. The Platon family moved to America three generations ago, intermarrying with the Choctaw natives in Oklahoma and changing their names to Plato, Smith’s middle name. From a very young age, Smith was aware and proud of her heritage. “So I had that consciousness.” Throughout her career at the school, Smith held several posi-

tions, including Faculty Council President for the Downtown Campus and Elections Officer for the Academic Senate before moving into her most recent role in Governmental Relations. Smith fondly remembers orchestrating the Missing Students Project in 2004, where thousands of students participated in the symbolic and artistic exhibition of 100 human sized statues in Sacramento that represented those students who couldn’t attend community college. “’Keep the doors open, and keep the fees low,’” Smith said, quoting the motto of the day. Students participated in yet another advocacy project in 2011—called The Student Success Stories project—under the guidance of the Governmental Relations office that focused on showing the positive effects

Culinary program saved from getting chopped By Michael Hall

THE GUARDSMAN / @SFBREAKINGNEWS / MHALL@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Last semester the Culinary Department at City College was threatened with closure if it didn’t cut $250,000 from its budget. The department survived and opened on Aug. 25 with a new cuisine in their Quick Service Restaurant, Café Med, which replaced the Latin Quarter. Third semester culinary student, Kara McCann, gave her perspective on the seemingly resolved issue. “They told us it may close down, but they were just rumors,” McCann said, “I didn’t think it was actually going to close.” On Apr. 27, The SF Chronicle reported that the program generates $900,000, but costs City College $1.6 million to run. Every day, more than 900 students dine at the cafeteria Culinary Arts and Department Chair Tannis Reinhertz told The Guardsman last semester. Culinary students were informed in late June that the restaurant would change its theme, which is later than usual according to McCann. This didn’t leave much preparation time for a menu with such diverse cultural food. According to the City College website, the restaurant will offer “a variety of dishes ranging from Italian and Spanish to Grecian and Turkish and more.” It also has a new look, with high top tables and seating. The Culinary Program at City College consists of over 70 chefs and offers five credits for each class. The restaurant reinvents itself often in order to expose students to different cultural and ethnic food, according to the City college website, and the restaurant is entirely student-run. Vincent Paratore, who has been teaching at City College for four years, has high expectations

for the students in this course. “We change themes every semester. It’s an incredible learning experience. I want them to know the business aspect. If you want to make it in San Francisco, you have to be creative,” Paratore said. Mediterranean food comes from 21 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, and consists of primarily fruits, vegetables, poultry and seafood. With over ten different meals to choose from, which is more than was offered in the past, student’s tasks are more challenging. “I want them eating and thinking about the food, and students will rotate duties in the kitchen, so everyone knows how to do each job,” Paratore said. “They will be doing work in a realistic restaurant environment.” The students even present themselves as professionals— cooks wear formal white cooking uniforms and the student cashiers wear all black attire. The Mediterranean flavor is a new experience for third year culinary student Allan Pasley, a cook at Café Med who is also taking advanced baking. “It’s different. In other courses I was cooking larger quantities of food—here we’re making individual dishes at the very moment it’s ordered,” Pasley said. Café Med offers weekly specials, created by the students, which so far have been less than $7.00 each and contain less than 700 calories. “The most popular so far is the Gyro, a dish (introduced to the United States in 1965) with a Pita bread wrap containing your choice of lamb or chicken, with lettuce, onion and cucumber sauce,” Pasley said. They don’t offer desserts yet, although students do have the freedom to put them on the menu.

of community college through students’ own voices. “It resonated,” Smith said. “70 different art departments picked it up.” After a busy career promoting artistic activism and student empowerment, Smith will now focus working on her own sculptures. “Governmental Relations at City College and my leadership has always focused on empowering the students, building coalitions, going for the best policy,” Smith said and is hopeful that leaders will step up to help City College in its current crisis. “I completely believe in the power of the visual,” she said, citing artistic expression as a tool of empowerment. “I want to encourage students to be passionate, to care and to become involved, and to become aware.” JOURNALISM: FROM PAGE 1

the director of college business development, marketing, outreach and public relations for College of San Mateo. Madden said a total of 17 classes ranging from journalism and digital arts to physics and art were cancelled last semester because they couldn’t muster enough students to keep the classes afloat. “The journalism department had a healthier enrollment but those times are behind us,”

Leslie smith shows off her ceramic sculptures. Photo courtesy of Leslie Smith

Madden said. The Editor-In-Chief of the San Jose City College Times, Jonathan Marinaro, believes the largest challenge facing the journalism department involves first amendment rights. “Our paper has published scoops on faculty and administration that has caused a scandal to be given light. It appears that they are trying their hardest to squelch any possible repeat performance,” Marinaro said.

College News Briefs: by Peter Hernandez/ The Guardsman

INTERNATIONAL tone in light of the bookstore’s STUDENTS UNITE proposed sale to private operaAssociated Students is plan- tors and said that he and the ning on hosting students from college have considered “all as far as Ecuador and Canada other possibilities” other than who can encourage and inform selling the bookstore, which students on reforming public has seen devastating deficits education through advocacy in the past five years. This past in light of the accreditation fiscal year, the bookstore lost crisis and reduced public fund- the school $235,000, according ing. The International Student to documents provided at the Union Solidarity Forum will Board of Directors meeting. house foreign students for three weeks and host a forum NEW TRUSTEE at the Mission campus on Mayor Ed Lee appointed May’s Keep the Community Rodrigo Santos to the Board In Community College forum. of Trustees on Aug. 21 to fill Associated Students President the position of the late Milton Shanell Williams said that Marks III who died earlier this “many organizations” are inter- month from a brain tumor. Out MINOR ADJUSTMENT ISSUES SEPT 5 & 19 estedGRAPHIC in funding the $500 base of 10FOR candidates running to needed to pursue the forum and fill four seats on the board in that CasaPeter Sanchez Attention: Homay donate November, he has raised the The food. Guardsman, San Francisco College mostCity funds. At a swearing in ceremony at City Hall, Ed Lee 2” x 4” BOOKSTORE SELLS OUT said that City College “will Don Newton, general not lose its accreditation with manager of City College’s Rodrigo’s help.” bookstore, maintained a dismal FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTING FEDERAL CRIMES (for 29 years)? by Leland Yoshitsu nonfiction/documentary eBook (& paperback) Amazon, B&N Nook, eBookPie, etc. ISBN 9780985262280

Editor-in-Chief Sara Bloomberg

theguardsman.com

including President Obama’s August 2009 White House letter to Leland (page 2): “Dear Leland …we hope that the issue you brought to the President’s attention has been resolved. However, if you still need help with a Federal agency, we are pleased to assist you.”


OPINIONS The Guardsman &

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| Sept. 5, 2012- Sept.18, 2012 | 3

A note from the Editor

By Sara Bloomberg

THE GUARDSMAN / @BLOOMREPORTS / SBLOOMBERG@ THEGUARDSMAN.COM

I’m tired. I bet you’re tired, too, and midterms haven’t even hit yet. It’s not just school, though. I’m tired of two party politics and the Republican National Convention—the Democrats are preparing to hold their own flag waving party this week. I’m tired of being poor—I quit my job at the beginning of summer to focus entirely on school but I don’t qualify for unemployment, which means I have to take out even more student loans. One of the wealthiest people on the planet, an Australian woman named Gina Rinehart, made headlines this past week for saying that poor people should work harder, play less and stop complaining. No wonder I’m poor! I wasn’t trying hard enough. According to news reports, she’s worth nearly $30 billion (a fortune she inherited) and also advocates lowering the minimum wage in Australia. The San Francisco minimum wage is $10.24 per hour—one of the highest in the nation—and many people still struggle to live in this city. Blame it on the cost of living. Rent, food, transportation and healthcare—for working class and poor people, it’s all expensive. Which brings me to another thing I’m tired of: the American fear of paying taxes. Public education has faced cuts for years, particularly since California voters passed Prop 13 in 1978, which decimated the state’s progressive tax system. Prop 13 not only lowered property taxes (which funded public services such as education) but also required a two-thirds majority vote by state legislators to increase taxes—a nearly impossible feat. Fast-foward to today and budget cuts are pinching public education. City College needs the governor’s tax initiative, Prop 30, in addition to a local parcel tax,

Prop A, to pass this November just to break even. And even those are temporary fixes, only slated to last seven and eight years, respectively. Although not as strong as the now defunct Millionaire’s Tax, Prop 30 would only affect personal income starting at $250,000 and would impose a tax increase of one to three percentage points—something that will hardly break the bank at those incomes but would bring in desperately needed revenue to public education, including community colleges. Prop 30 would also increase the sales and use tax one-quarter cent per dollar for four years. Why should City College care? Because we’re broke and getting slapped on the hand for dipping into our financial reserves—a last resort effort by administrators to keep the school running as close to normal as possible. The state chancellor’s office hired an independent team of experts to help our Board of Trustees evaluate its financial woes and some of their preliminary recommendations are startling. Called the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, one of their recommendations are that the college eliminate or scale back the number of department chairs and consolidate their responsibilities into the hands of the deans. City College has six “schools,” each with a dean that oversee a total of 61 individual departments, each with its own head, or “chair.” The chairs deal with the daily operations of their respective departments and are liaisons for students and other faculty members, alike. Nearly two months ago, the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges told the college that, among other things, the school had too few experienced administrators. Talk about mixed messages. So which recommendations does the board follow? Hire more administrators to satisfy the commission—the independent organization with the power to revoke the school’s accreditation— or downsize administrator positions even further as part of a slew of recommendations by FCMAT to restore fiscal solvency?

Letters to the editor Letters to the editor must be under 250 words and may be edited for content. Send letters to: editor@theguardsman.com

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Forum, the literary magazine of City College of San Francisco, gives voice to the talented authors, poets and visual artists in our community.

photography screenplays short stories non-fiction poetry

Corrections In Vol.154, Issue 1, we incorrectly stated that the state cut City College’s budget by $17 billion in the 20112012 fiscal year. The correct figure is $17 million.

art Submission deadline is October 1, 2012.

Forum is looking for poetry, short stories, nonfiction, screenplays, comics, interviews and all mediums of art from CCSF students, faculty, staff and alumni. Learn more about Forum at our blog, Boeotia, forumccsf.wordpress.com SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Writing submissions should be no more than ten pages long. Art submissions must be JPG or TIF (vector art saved as high-quality PDF) formats and have minimum pixel dimensions of 1600 x 2400. Cover art submissions must be no less than 2400 x 2400. All art will be printed in black and white, but please submit color images when possible to maximize print quality.

Please email all submissions as attachments to: citylitjournal@gmail.com All attachments are to include piece title, art medium/ writing genre and first and last name to be used in publication. For example, a writing submission should be labeled in this format: Moons and Tides_Fiction_Mary Hansen.doc Submissions may also be dropped off in person at Batmale 564 at the Ocean Campus or mailed to: Jen Sullivan Brych English Department 50 Phelan Drive San Francisco, CA, 94112 We will review all submissions that meet specifications and may contact contributors regarding edits. Forum reserves sole discretion to publish those pieces that best reflect its mission.

Find a mistake? Let us know! Email: editor@theguardsman.com

I’m going to write one word and I expect you all to groan in unison with me: Textbooks. Paying for classes is enough of a scramble, especially with the incessant budget cuts resulting in ever-rising tuition. And just when it all seems manageable, teachers graciously inform you that the new $150 textbook is absolutely fundamental to pass the course. With a full load of courses, buying textbooks for each class could result in paying a semester’s tuition twice over. Students I’ve spoken to have spent anywhere from $300 $650 on textbooks. Last year, the National Association of College Stores estimated the average student spent $655 on textbooks and supplies—which is slightly lower than previous year but still no less absurd. The U.S. Public Interest Group estimates textbook costs are comparable to 26 percent of tuition costs at state universities and up to a whopping 72 percent of tuition for community colleges. (Meaning students are shelling out another three-fourths of their tuition price on top of paying for classes.) A different study by that same group also found that seven out of 10 students refrained from paying for a textbook because the cost was too high. No one knows the academic fallout for students who are unwilling - or more likely unable to buy the required books, though the majority of students surveyed said they expected to perform worse in the classes they did not have books for.. Textbook publishing companies explain that books cost so much because of writing and production costs - all those large, glossy print color pages and multiple authors and editors all need to be funded somehow. While this is certainly true to some extent, publishers are also aware that students need specific textbooks, meaning they have total control and zero competition when it comes to price. What is my suggestion to save publishing costs? Stop reprinting the same book once a year with only a few minor updates. Less cost and more resale value for the student. Many students have turned to buying used books, cheap books on online, e-books, renting books, or downloading them illegally. This in turn forces students to buy new editions more often and

causes publishers to raise prices further, while complaining that students’ frugal antics are causing them to lose profits. (Boo hoo.) A quick note on e-books - they are often seen as a cheaper alternative, costing much less than their printed siblings (although publishers are catching on to this and starting to raise digital text prices). But e-books cannot be resold at the end of the semester, meaning the student may not be saving as much money as they thought. And e-readers themselves don’t come cheap. Alternatively, there are people out there who have managed to get by spending only $10 on books each semester. There are some alternatives and even hope on the horizon. Obviously, avoid buying textbooks new if at all possible. Hang the publisher’s profits. City College’s Book Loan Program rents out 3,000 textbooks each semester for free—though there’s a limit of 2 per student and copies run out super-fast. If you have time between classes, the library has copies of almost every textbook on reserve—if yours isn’t there, asking your instructor to make one available will usually do the trick. Since it’s in the hands of the instructor to pick which textbook is used for the course, they need to be made aware of alternative and cheaper options out there. The first publisher to release open source textbooks for free online, FlatWorldKnowledge.com, provides hard-copies for $20 or $30. I have one teacher this year who created his own textbook reader, available for only $16 at a copy shop near campus. It would be awesome if more teachers utilized cheap resources like this. And the grand kicker, just this past Friday the Senate approved Bills 1052 and 1053—which would provide free digital textbooks for the 50 most common lower division classes at UC, CSU and community colleges in California. Now it’s just up to Gov. Jerry Brown - so use your voice in any way you can to express your approval for these measures. Having the resources to do well in school shouldn’t cost another arm and a leg - we’re barely able to stand up on our own as it is.


Photos by Sara Bloomberg

4 | Sept. 5- Sept. 18, 2012 | The Guardsman &

thguardsman.com

Students use the library a

People come and go at City College’s new Chinatown/North Beach campus at Kearny and Washington streets in San Francisco, on Aug. 28, 2012. The site opened in July for summer session and an open house is scheduled for Sept. 21.

A piano from the old Chinatown/North Beach campus sits in the lobby of the new campus and waits to be disposed.

The libr fully fun time. “T Coordin are priv have tw and Ma on the plenty o

A poem written in Chinese cascades down a window in the library of the new Chinatown/North Beach campus.

Welcoming Students,

Many signs are written in English and in Chinese at City College’s n campus.

A brand new building opens. Tourists roll through like fog and City College finds a new home.


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rary at the new Chinatown/North Beach campus is nctional, but some features will be introduced over There’s still a to do list for the rest of the year,” library nator Daniel Bradford said. He explained that there vate study rooms for students to reserve and they wo library assistants that are fluent in both English andarin. They still have to fix the operating systems computers, he said, but in the meantime there are of outlets for students to plug in their own devices.

A view of the new 14 story Chinatown/North Beach campus of City College of San Francisco.

new Chinatown/North Beach

People come and go from City College’s new Chinatown/North Beach campus at Kearny and Washington streets in San Francisco on Aug. 28, 2012. The site opened in July for summer session and an open house is scheduled for Sept. 21.

Chinatown/North beach

at the new Chinatown/North Beach campus.


6 | Sept. 5- Sept. 18, 2012 | The Guardsman &

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Culture

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An original mixed media illustration by current City College student Joriz Madrid, titled, “Favela”, top left, was created using watercolor, ink, and markers. Tandy Kunkle, created an original illustration titled, “Murmilla”, using watercolor, ink, pencil, and marker. Both illustration by Madrid and Kunkle are on gallery display as part of the ANALOG: Illustration Alumni Show in the Visual Arts Building, Room 119, at Ocean Campus. Ten City College students, past and present, are featured in the show, with gallery viewing hours Monday through Wednesday, 12:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursdays, from 12:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The exhibition will end on Sept. 19, 2012. Photos by James Fanucchi/The Guardsman.

their own displays. Many sources of inspiration were cited throughout the night. James Jean, a visual artist famous in the DC Comics world, and Egon Schiele, an Austrian figurative painter from the 20th century, were a couple of the muses mentioned that night. “Edward Gorey is the reason I became an illustrator,” said artist Andrés Wemiz, whose saint-like, acrylic portrait-on-canvas of the late writer and artist locks eyes with people who enter the gallery through the outside door. The exhibit, though, cannot be confined to a mere category or genre. Louie Hidalgo’s apocalyptic “Fight for an Education” suggests a militaristic take of the college life, while Nadja Martens paints eerie and very personal interpretations of Grimms’ darkest fairy

tales. Tandy Kunkle presents an empowering and analogous series of anthropomorphically modified women, Li Ma draws complicated sculptures and dreamscapes in colorful architecture, and Cristina Flores produces a large work of surreal and often darkly humorous images. Written into the exhibit is a narrative of unpredictable darkness, nonsensicality and random evil. The viewer becomes intimate with a dark but comprehensive wonderland constructed by the artists. In Kunkle’s exposed women, Flores’ variations of the human form, or even Madrid’s representations of the “in-between” of mortality and magic, the viewer recognizes how darkness can shift and disguise itself. The gallery illustrates how our everyday

chaos is hidden to us (just as in Madrid’s “Masks” which represent the faces we wear throughout a week), taking various forms. Artist Percy ManríquezMonforte communicated this symbolism in his hand-drawn Alice in Wonderland series, a section of wall in the gallery which he said he has yet to complete. “I take the subject matter,” he said, gesturing to a picture of The Mad Hatter drawn as a corrupt politician, “I research it, I give my own twist to it.” Despite the intricate and dark body of work, there are instances of real peace behind some of the work. “My work is a diorama of an imaginative world where landscape and cityscape blend into each other in an atmosphere of balance and harmony,” Li Ma said in her written statement, and

also “provides a panoramic view of space, a sense of timelessness, and uncovers the hidden relationship between human and cosmos.” Many of the current students at the gallery have set long-term goals for their work. Alumna Cristina Flores, who transferred to California College of the Arts, has completed many of her artistic goals already. Others, like Kunkle and Manríquez-Monforte, are steadily expanding their gallery work. “What’s really interesting about the show is that faculty visiting the exhibition for the first time think the work is done by other faculty,” said Nancy Elliott, City College art instructor. “The quality at CCSF is really high.” All students partly attributed success in their academic and professional lives to City College. “It’s been great,” Manríquez-

Monforte said, speaking of the department and the gallery itself. “It’s a great place to have access to.” The Analog exhibit will be open to the public until September 19th at the Gallery in CCSF’s Ocean Campus, in the Visual Arts Building, room v119.

Munch on this: Mediterranean food makes waves on Ocean campus By Valerie Demicheva

THE GUARDSMAN / @SFBREAKINGNEWS / NEWS@ THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Café Med looks like any cafeteria—tin counter tops, fluorescent lighting and linoleum floors. But here you won’t find frumpy hair-net clad lunch meat ladies. Something really special is happening in this kitchen for costs as low as Burger King’s. The threadbare décor—campy table cloths and posters of Italy, Turkey and other Mediterranean landscapes—has no relation to the bellisma, or beautiful food, created by students enrolled in Restaurant Operations. Lines of about four students at a time form in between classes and most order

A sweet and savory Moroccan delicacy, astila, top left, is prepared with chicken, cinnamon and ginger, and served in lumpia wrappers. Marinated lamb in warm pita bread, top right, is also served in the new Café Med at Ocean Campus. Photos by Leslie Calderon/The Guardsman

the practical in-class snack, the Grecian Gyro with lamb. The Gyro is hearty, compact and super fresh, made with meat from Saag’s Specialty Meats, based in San Francisco. “I’m just here to make sure the school doesn’t burn down. The students do all of the work themselves,” said culinary instructor Vince Paratore, a former manager of Beach Chalet. The gem in the rough is Bastila—a Moroccan delicacy under the guise of what one might think is a greasy egg roll. Crispy lumpia layers dusted with powdered sugar

and with generous and moist cinnamon ginger-seasoned chicken put all preconceived distaste to shame. Little yellow raisins go nearly unnoticed and a syrupy, tangy flavor is introduced. The Fattoush, a Lebanese dish, was as refreshing as a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. With romaine lettuce, mint leaves and an understated lemon vinaigrette, this gem cools down the mouth while the taste buds dance a dabke—a traditional Lebanese dance. After eating such a healthy salad, one should indulge in Baklava, a dessert ubiq-

uitous in most of the 21 countries that dip a coast into the Mediterranean Sea. The house-made Baklava made with crunchy pistachios and sweet sticky sugar is the perfect sweetener to accompany unsweetened iced tea. Café Med orders its tea from Equator Coffees and Teas, based in San Rafael. The flavor is called Tropical Ice and it’s a surefire way to bring new life to anyone like me who’s in a happy food coma at the end of this meal.


Sports The Swedish taste of football By Michael Hall

THE GUARDSMAN / @SFBREAKING NEWS / MHALL@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Just three years ago, Sophomore Felix Olsson was attending school in Stockholm, Sweden. Now, he’s playing defensive end for a program that has won four national titles since 2000. In Sweden, Olsson played soccer his entire life until he fell in love with American Football and got support from his parents to travel out west. This summer, Olsson enrolled at City College after attending his senior year of high school in Rigby, Idaho. “I wasn’t recruited by coach Rush, or any other coach. I came here because I wanted to fulfill my dreams of playing college football,” Olsson said. “I made the choice to come here and try to

make the team through hard work and dedication. Olsson heard about the program through two Swedish athletes who played for head coach George Rush last season, which ended with a spectacular 11-1 finish. Making the transition to a new country is never easy, but the former soccer player faced a whole new challenge — making the team. “The workouts here are more intense than anything I’ve put myself through before,” Olsson said. “The game speed here is so much faster, and the coaches are really serious about the program.” In a game like football, speed is king — a talent Olsson has because of his soccer experience. However, playing defensive end would force Olsson to weigh

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The City College Rams gear up for another winning football season. Check it out at: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=W75J0fOIjlc

Defensive ends, Felix Olsson (90), right, and David Tameilau (99), left, finish their line drill warmups prior to the start of the first 2012 football season game versus, Diablo Valley College at Rams Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012. Originally from Sweden, Ollson is fulfilling his dream of playing college football while playing for City College.

at least 250 pounds, which is 80 pounds heavier than the average soccer player. “I know the coaches won’t put me on the field if they don’t consider me ready for it,” Olsson said. “When the time comes, I will only be excited about having reached that level of quality in my performance.” A roster spot is not the only gamble he took when he left Sweden. “We have great educational programs in Sweden, and they’re free. Health care, college, etc. It’s all free in Sweden,” Olsson said.

City College’s football program is known as a hot spot for division one universities to recruit but Olsson is just fine with a football career at Boise State University, where he plans to transfer after City College. But the dream to wear a Boise State uniform is only possible through impressive play, and Olsson has potential. “He works extremely hard. His challenge is just playing at American speed,” Rush said. “Our international students always want to get coached. They’re like sponges and you can’t teach them

enough.” Olsson has more on the line than the average athlete because he traveled 5,400 miles to make his dream come true. For a first year transfer student, Olsson seems to already have it down pat. “I’ve already made some great friends here, and I can’t wait to get out there and play,” Olsson said.

From the bleachers: fantasy Upcoming Games football is the real deal FOOTBALL SEASON By Ivan Huang

THE GUARDSMAN / @SFBREAKING NEWS / IHUANG@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

As fans patiently wait for the 2012 NFL season to begin, many have already done their research and are scouting for their own fantasy football team. In fantasy football, fans create an online league, where they select active NFL players into their own virtual teams through a draft. Team managers have the ability to trade with other teams, drop players from their rosters and pick up players from available free agent players. “I play in a ten-team league and I definitely had the best draft out of all the teams in my league,” said Christian Suarez, a City College student who is playing his first season of fantasy football. Teams will be put to the test, usually battling in head to head match-ups every week against other teams in their league. Scoring depends on how well players perform individually each week for their respective teams. “I am very happy with my draft results. I drafted players that normally deliver and stay healthy and players that are in a good situ-

ation with their team, like rising starts,” said Franz Henderson, a City College student who has been playing for 3 years now. There are many things to watch out for when managing a fantasy football team. Managers have to take player injuries into account, determine who to bench or who to start and be aware of players who may perform better than their projections, called “sleepers.” “It is one’s job to acquire different sorts of players from different teams. Picking players only from a certain team would really limit one’s impact on the fantasy game,” said Julian Tomescu, another student who has been playing fantasy football for 3 years. Various magazines on fantasy football can been seen as one walks past newsstands or the magazine sections of supermarkets. It has become such a phenomenon that there are websites, sports radio shows, podcasts and TV shows dedicated to giving advice on fantasy football.

“I normally visit a website. This site allows one to compare two players of the same position on the week they are playing and professional analysts put up a percentage on who to start and who to bench,” Tomescu said. It’s not too late to sign up for your own fantasy football team and there are many websites that offer the opportunity. “I feel that fantasy football is a great way to stay connected with the NFL, keep up with players and have fun with friends,” Henderson said.

Fri, Sept. 7 @ Laney College at 7 p.m. Sat, Sept. 15 vs. West Hills College at 1 p.m. Sat, Sept. 22 @ Fresno City College at 6 p.m.

SOCCER SEASON MEN’S SOCCER

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Wed, Sept. 5 @ Merritt

Fri, Sept. 7 @ SANTA

College AT 4 p.m.

ROSA AT 4 p.m.

Fri, Sept 14 @ Santa Rosa Junior College at 3:30 p.m.

Fri, Sept. 14 @ Santa Barbara AT 2 p.m.

Fri, Sept. 21 vs. Evergreen Valley AT 3 p.m.

Tues, Sept. 18 vs. Mision College in Santa Clara at 4 p.m.


Sports

Sept. 5- Sept. 18, 2012 | The Guardsman &

theguardsman.com

|8

Rams stumble but bring the win home in overtime

By Ivan Huang

THE GUARDSMAN / @IVANREPORTS/ IHUANGS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

The City College Rams defeated the Diablo Valley College Vikings 48-41 in their season opener that saw a thrilling come back and proved why they are reigning national champions. After stumbling in the first half, the Rams fought back from a 14-point deficit after being down by 11 points at halftime. Despite the win, head coach George Rush was frustrated with his defenses’ performance in the

first half. “That is the worst half of defensive football I’ve seen in the history of City College as long as I’ve been here,” Rush said. The Vikings came out rolling in the first half and scored 38 points on the Rams’ defense that seemed unable to get any stops. “It was the ugliest game in 13 victories,” said Jimmy Gallegos, father of Rams defensive back Justin Gallegos. The Viking’s quarterback Quinn Kaehler and wide receiver Diante Jackson made several

spectacular plays during the first half and appeared unstoppable. Though Diablo Valley was on fire in the first half, the Rams were able to keep it close and went into halftime down 38 - 27. The Vikings came out for the third quarter and scored a field goal making the 14 point lead the biggest of the game. “We weren’t playing together. We were playing as individuals and we didn’t play the scheme of the defense,” Rush said. The Rams appeared to be in trouble heading into the final quar-

ter after a scoreless third quarter. Rams quarterback Andrew Spivey performed well under the pressure and made big plays all game, including a touchdown to wide receiver J.J. Hudson that changed the momentum and cut the lead to seven. “I kind of just say to myself in those types of situations that it has to be done. I just tell myself that we got to get this,” Spivey said. “Then I just call the play that I think would work and it ended up working a bunch of times.” After being down all game,

the Rams tied the score on a quarterback sneak by Spivey forcing the game into overtime. The Rams scored on their first possession of overtime and the Vikings were unable to match the score. City College held Diablo Valley to three points in the second half. “I thought our defense was very clutch in the end,” Rush said. The Rams next game is at Laney College on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.

Top: The Rams prepare to make a play against the Vikings at Ocean campus’ Ram Stadium during City College’s football season opener on Sept. 1, 2012. Above left: Dezmond Epps (13), wide reciever, attempts to catch a touchdown pass against Diablo Valley College on Sept. 1, 2012. Above right: Dezmond Epps (13), successfully earns a touchdown for the Rams during their football season opener held at Ocean campus’ Ram Stadium on Sept. 1, 2012. Photos by Shane Menez/The Guardsman


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