The Guardsman, Vol. 155, Issue 2. City College of San Francisco

Vol. 155, Issue 2, Feb. 6- Feb. 19, 2013

City College

of

San Francisco |

since

1935 | TheGuardsman.com | @SfBreakingNews

State Chancellor optimistic about the future but warns City College is not ‘too big to fail’

By Jandean Deocampo THE GUARDSMAN / JDEOCAMPO@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @BANANAISAFRUIT

The conference room looked more like a war room scene from a movie than the site of a City College Board of Trustees meeting.

Cameramen checked their machines. Soundboard technicians busied themselves over dials and switches.

They were all waiting. Waiting for the hush, the brief silence that would signal Board President John Rizzo to announce the beginning of the Jan. 24th meeting.

A crowd of 20 consisting of spectators, faculty, students and journalists gathered behind the elevated red seats and square tables reserved for the Board and their guest, California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice Harris. Harris attended the meeting for one reason: engaging with local leadership in a conversation on the issue of accreditation.

“Please stand,” said Rizzo, CHANCELLOR: PAGE 2

DR. BRICE W. HARRIS, CHANCELLOR OF THE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES SHOWED HIS SUPPORT AND WILLINGNESS TO SAVE CITY COLLEGE BY ATTENDING THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY JAN. 24, 2013. “THIS FAVORABLE OUTCOME WILL ONLY COME THROUGH URGENT AND FOCUS ACTION ON YOUR PART” HARRIS TOLD THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. PHOTO BY JUAN PARDO/THE GUARDSMAN.

Students in dark about accreditation Forums held in Ram plaza to educate campus community

By JennVerzosaaand JacksonLLy

THE GUARDSMAN / NEWS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @SFBREAKINGNEWS

As the deadline for City College’s Show Cause and Closure Report looms, Student Trustee William Walker organized two town hall-style forums Jan. 24 at Ocean Campus’s Ram Plaza to educate a student populace largely in the dark about the facts surrounding the school’s precarious accreditation status.

Around 30 students gathered for the first forum at noon, with the second one drawing a much smaller crowd—less than a dozen— including Walker, Associated Students President Shanell Williams and Vice-President Melanie Ortanez.

The crowd’s size appeared to have no effect on Walker’s appar-

“I don’t know what to believe.

The SF Chronicle is telling us one thing, and our professors are telling us another.”

-student Griffin Robbins ent fervor, who eschewed the traditional question-and-answer format in favor of singling out participants to see what they knew about City College’s accreditation.

“I don’t know what to believe,” second semester student Griffin Robbins said. “The SF Chronicle

Non-resident fees might increase this summer

By Cecilia Ren

THE GUARDSMAN / JCREN@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @RENCECILIA

and Junior Colleges.

In its evaluation report, the commission made 14 recommendations that detail areas in which the college needs to make improvements.

Not even a month into the new semester, City College has already proposed its plans to increase nonresident fees at the beginning of 2013 summer session.

An open meeting that addressed a possible out-of-state tuition increase was held on Jan. 29 inside the Associated Student Body building.

About thirty students attended the meeting to voice concerns.

Staff members from the International Students Department, as well as the Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration, Peter Goldstein, spoke at the event.

“By law, all California commu-

TEACH IN: PAGE 2

FEES: PAGE 2

SHANNELL WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATED STUDENT COUNCIL CCSF ANSWERS SEVERAL QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE “SHOW CAUSE REPORT” AND THE SAVE CCSF COALITION DURING THE STUDENT FORUM THAT TOOK PLACE THURSDAY JAN. 24, 2013 AT THE RAM PLAZA. PHOTO BY JUAN PARDO/THE GUARDSMAN.

is telling us one thing, and our professors are telling us another.”

Currently City College is a fully accredited community college, but it was found to be in “substantial noncompliance” with the regulations of the Accreditation Commission for Community

INSIDE: NEWS: How to stay healthy against the flu Pg. 3 NEWS: Construction begins on bus station Pg. 4 NEWS: City Currents will never look the same Pg. 4

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: Grammy nominee Pg. 5 VOICES FROM CCSF’S PAST: Alumni speak up Pgs. 6-7 CULTURE: How to be a good date on St. Valentine’s Pg. 8

OPINION: UC Regent whines over “small” salaries Pg. 10 SPORTS: Baseball season swings into action Pg. 11 SPORTS: A slam dunk for basketball Pg. 12

2 | The Guardsman &

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news

| Feb. 6-Feb. 19, 2013

FEES: FROM PAGE 1

nity colleges must submit a fixed nonresident fee prior to Feb. 1 of each year,” said Goldstein.

“There were some confusions made in the State Chancellor’s office, so the deadline has been extended.”

Currently, nonresident students pay $46 basic tuition cost along with an extra $187 per unit foreign fee.

The college is now looking at a $16 foreign fee increase, which will raise the nonresident fee to $249 per unit instead.

Other student concerns include lack of availability of

counselors, textbooks, computers, other likewise school equipment and limited access to the Wellness Center.

“It’s not reasonable to increase the fee.

It’s easy to register for classes online, but the general student service is so bad,” said Bo Di, a fifth semester City College international student.

Final decisions regarding nonresident tuition increase will be reached during the next board meeting on Feb. 7 at Ocean campus.

The college is looking at increasing nonresident tuition to $249 per unit.

TEACH IN: FROM PAGE 1

The college was placed on show cause status on July 1, 2012, and now it is required to substantiate by March 15 why its accreditation should not be revoked.

“City College is not going to close. We’re not closing, and we have our accreditation,“ Williams said. “What you’re hearing from the media is not the full picture of the story, so don’t believe the hype.”

In addition to the Show Cause

CHANCELLOR: FROM PAGE 1

report, the college is also required to submit a Closure Report that delineates a plan that would enable City College students to continue on their educational trajectories.

“Since City College still has its accreditation, all the classes we’re taking now still count and are transferrable,” Grecia Cadstameda, a member of the student council, said. She stressed that the commission’s decision this upcoming summer cannot be

applied retroactively.

Oscar Peña, another student council member, asked the crowd whether or not they valued their education. “Yeah,” the students cheered in unison.

Two other schools in California are currently on show cause and three have closed since 2002 after losing their accreditation.

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after everyone had settled, signaling the assembly to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. After the pledge, the Board made a few routine decisions on the nature of their agenda, and immediately invited Harris to speak.

Harris took his seat, faced the Board and delivered the disheartening news from a prepared letter.

“Many of our community colleges are facing significant challenges,” he told the Board. “I can assure you, however, that no other community college in the state is in the same peril as City College.”

Harris focused the speech on two facets of accreditation--City College’s documentation of their problems, and the warnings that the Commission gave. Harris closed his speech by urging the Board to work with Interim Chancellor Thelma Scott-Skillman and Special Trustee Robert Agrella, as well as acknowledging the hard work the college faces.

“It is time for City College to come together to ensure the survival of their college,” Harris said. “I believe there is reason for optimism, as the college works to accomplish the improvements in its planning, policies, programs and finances that will ensure continued accreditation.”

There were a few replies from the Board.

Among assorted thanks from Trustees Steve Ngo, Natalie Berg and Lawrence Wong, Student Trustee William Walker included his concern for transparency of Board and state decision making in relation to the student body.

“There’s a lot that I know, that the 85,000 students of the college do not know,” Walker said. “It would be really helpful in the future if there were some type of resource for students (to help them stay informed about accreditation issues).”

Harris then took his leave and the board meeting resumed.

Toni Mendicino, an Administrations Assistant at the University of California, Berkeley, disagrees with Harris’ statement that City

College is not, in fact, too big to fail.

She also feels that the commission was “scapegoating,” or using City College, as an example to other institutions in the state.

“In the most expensive city in the country, outside of Manhattan, we need a working class school,” Mendicino said. “It’s really important to show the Board that the community cares very

“[We] voluntarily go to the commission and ask them to look at our institution. We decide what standard to hold ourselves to.”

-State Chancellor Brice Harris

much about what happens to City College.”

In an interview with The Guardsman, Harris offered his own thoughts.

“The Accrediting Commission is made up of us,” Harris said regarding general resentment toward the commission. “Those of us who are leading colleges, voluntarily go to the commission and ask them to look at our institution. We decide what standard to hold ourselves to.”

Harris wouldn’t comment further on the issue of whether or not City College is too big to fail but acknowledged concern for all three of the schools currently under the “show cause” sanction.

“We have a special trustee in a couple of other locations, with institutions on the same level of sanction as San Francisco,” Harris said. “The way we interact with them may be different, but the approach we take is similar. I think that I am equally concerned with all of our institutions.”

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| Feb. 6-Feb. 19, 2013 | 3

news

Flu shot is not the only way to stay healthy

By Jackson Ly Editor-in-Chief Sara Bloomberg Managing Editor Gina Scialabba Photo Editors Leslie Calderon Santiago Mejia Sports Editor Lucas Pontes de Almeida Associate Sports Editor Ivan Huang Advertising Editor Cecilia Ren Layout/Design Consultant David Hackett Copy Chief Patrick Tamayo Copy Editors Alex Reyes Dalton Amador Jen Verzosa Staff Writers Jandean Deocampo Dalton Amador Alex Reyes Cecilia Ren Lavinia Pisani Madeline Collins Alex Lamp Mckenna Toston Cassandra Hendry Dan Harrington Jackson Ly Jen Verzosa Julio Moran Zack Tobita Minter McHugh Staff Photographers Shane Menez Clarivel Fong Juan Pardo 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.com/theguardsman Youtube: youtube.com/theguardsmanonline

Email: news@theguardsman.com California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges

THE GUARDSMAN / JLY@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @SFBREAKINGNEWS

Staying healthy during following months will be a challenge, especially when the seasonal flu runs through Jan. and March, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting a flu shot might not be enough to avoid contracting the flu.

“There’s no guarantee that it’s going to work,” said Benjamin Zappin, acupuncturist and herbalist based in San Francisco.

Flu vaccinations only contain three strains of the flu virus, and it does not protect against all other flu strains, according to the book, Natural Standard Herbal Pharmacotherapy, 2010.

“It’s more important for people to minimize the risk of contracting the flu,” Zappin said, who suggests an alternative to the flu shot.

“From a Chinese herbal perspective, astragalus is a preventative,” Zappin said, “And it will support the immune system by warding off the viruses.”

Astragalus, an herb native to China, has the potential to boost the body’s immune system, according to National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

For patients who want to treat the flu, Zappin recommends eating elderberry products.

“Elderberries can be used when the flu virus is present in the body.” Zappin said, “It can shorten the duration of the flu.”

Not only are elderberries packed with antioxidants, other evidence shows that elderberries can treat flu symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, sore throat, cough and aches and reduce the flu recovery time in half, according to the book, Natu-

IMAGE COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

ral Standard Herbal Pharmacotherapy, 2010.

“Whether or not you get the flu shot, it’s still important to take other important measures into consideration.” Zappin said, “One of the most basic things you can do from getting sick is to wash your hands on a regular basis.

Benefits of the Flu Shot

Vaccinations serve the purpose of preventing and reducing outbreaks, according to the Influenza Health Advisory from the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

City College’s Paula Cahill, nurse practitioner at the Student Health Services, noted that 450 doses have been administered so far, and 300 of which were administered for free back in Oct. 17, 2012 during the Annual City College of San Francisco Health Fair.

“Usually, it takes two weeks for the vaccination to take full

News Briefs Save CCSF coalition organizes

Faculty and staff from the Save CCSF Coalition assembled Jan. 30 in Room 108 of Science Hall to plan their upcoming Feb. 6 community meeting at Mission Campus where they will discuss the coalition’s demands and points of unity.

Bob Price of the chemistry department led the meeting of about 25 members.

There were seven points of unity discussed and finalized at the meeting including “Reverse cuts to classes, programs, and compensation: Use Measure A funds as promised” and “Stop the misuse of accreditation to impose austerity.” “Austerity” is the professional and political term for budget cuts.

The group also created a list

of demands that will eventually be presented to the Board of Trustees. These include retaining distinct diversity departments and eliminating unilateral pay cuts, furloughs, and layoffs.

During the meeting the group discussed the importance of reaching out to the students and why aligning with them is vital to the future of City College.

“There is not a lot of awareness among the students on the seriousness of the situation,” Bruce Neuburger of the non-credit ESL department said.

Bridging the gap between faculty and staff was also a key point of discussion. “Without the staff we will not succeed,” Department Chair of African American Studies Tarik Farrar said.

The Save CCSF Coalition will hold a rally at the Civic Center

effect,” Cahill said.

City College professor Susmita Sengupta explains that the “full effect,” refers to the body’s response to the vaccine.

“They can boost your immune cells to produce defense chemicals against potential viral infections,” Sengupta noted.

Cahill mentions that faculty members, students and people six months and older are encouraged to get vaccinated. Though the Student Health Center no longer supplies vaccinations, other drug stores such as Walgreens, Target, CVS and the San Francisco Department of Public Health still offer flu vaccinations: $30 for regular-dose, $40 for high-dose and $33 for nasal spray flu vaccine.

“It’s not too late to get the flu shot because it’s going to peak in Feb. and March,” Cahill said.

Advice from the Students

A pre-medical student at City currently planned for March 15.

The date and time of the rally will be finalized at the Feb. 6 meeting.

The coalition hopes to draw in more students, staff, faculty and members of the community at the Feb. 6 meeting to allow everyone the opportunity to have their voices heard.

(Madeline Collins)

Election commissioner sought

The Ocean Campus Associated Student Council convened Jan. 30 to discuss funding for certain clubs, accreditation issues, the upcoming student council elections and other ideas to help get more students involved at City College.

Club leaders from the Anime Club, the Gamers Gathering, Pacific Islanders Club, Science Club, S.A.F.E., which provides outreach to high school students, and Swing City Dancers. The council decided to give an initial

College, Rob Veline, who stayed healthy during the winter months, says that it’s important to eat a well-nourished diet with a variety of vegetables.

A first year City College student, Christine Nishite, received her flu shot early January, and she has not caught the flu for nearly two years. She recalls eating a specific jelly dessert, when she last had the flu.

You can’t eat that much because you’re sick, so you eat JellO, the orange-flavor kind, because that’s the best.” Nishite said.

Nishite recommends her mom’s special recipe that adds a punch of vitamin C and flavor to the Jell-O. “Instead of adding water at the end, you add a whole can of tangerines and juice to make it sweeter.”

For more advice Zappin, can be reached at his website: http:// benzappin.com/

$200 to the Anime and Gamers Gathering clubs and $100 to the Swing City Dancers, tabling the topic for the following week.

The council also discussed how Ocean Campus’s Family Resource Center is looking for volunteers to help watch children. A new radio show for City College station KCSF and an open mic night at the new Lion’s Cafe in the Multi-Use Building were also discussed.

The council also stated that a new Election Commissioner for student elections will be decided Feb. 6. A candidate must have at least a 2.0 GPA and must be enrolled in at least 6 units to submit an application and speak to the council.

The main goal of an Election Commissioner is to oversee processes for the board.

The council meets every Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. in Room 208 of the Student Union.

(Cassandra Hendry)

For live sports coverage, follow us on Twitter:

@SFBreakingNews

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| Feb. 6-Feb. 19, 2013

news Bus hub on Ocean to get a new look

By Madeline Collins

THE GUARDSMAN / MCOLLINS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @SFBREAKINGNEWS

Construction will begin this month on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Phelan Loop project which will replace the existing Muni bus loop on Phelan Avenue near City College.

The new loop will utilize part of the existing loop as well as expand to public land north of Fire Station 15, making a clockwise bus loop allowing the buses to exit southbound on Phelan Avenue.

The MTA received $6.8 million from the Federal Transit Agency in 2010 from the Bus and Bus Facilities Grant Livability Bus Program for the project.

“When we received full funding, we began the detailed design stage,” Project Manager Ha Nguyen said. “We have just been awarded the contract and are now entering the construction stage.”

Along with the new bus loop, there will be a new overhead trolley system, new boarding islands, new sidewalks with boarding shelters and landscaping among other additions.

“Moving the bus loop allows for other projects that will significantly improve the community and access to the campus,” Nguyen said.

Executive director of the Ocean Avenue Association Dan Weaver said this project will also provide an open space plaza where events can be held for the college and the neighborhood.

“It will be a place where the

A DIAGRAM OF THE RENOVATED PHELAN LOOP. IMAGE COURTESY OF SFMTA.

community and the college can meet,” Weaver said.

Nguyen stated that the actual loop itself will be completed in about three months and additional work including a new operator restroom and improvements to the firehouse will be completed by November of this year.

“A key benefit is that reconfiguring the Phelan Loop to go behind the firehouse to its north creates the space to build an affordable housing development and public plaza,” Nguyen said.

“Also we get a nice new facility more compatible with the neighborhood.”

The bus stops for Muni 49 and 8X will be closer to City College, a convenience for students.

During construction streets will remain open but some may be narrowed and there will be some detours for pedestrians around specific construction areas to ensure their safety.

“We’ll make sure that customers are aware of the improvements that we’re making, and except for a

few weekends when we will have to re-route the 8X and 49 away from the loop to allow for certain key construction activities, construction of the loop should not affect any existing bus routes, stops or schedules,” Nguyen said regarding effect on bus schedules.

The project will also create about two dozen jobs for construction workers, Nguyen said.

“This project is more than ten years in the making and here we are in 2013, moving forward,” Weaver said.

Student Trustee at City College and Interim Chair of the Balboa Park Station Community Advisory Committee William Walker help Muni become more efficient and hopes that students are patient with construction.

“The project will provide a more cohesive connection between the loop and the college,” Walker said.

This story was produced in collaboration with The Ingleside Light.

Editor of newletter returns to classrooom Format of paper to change under new directors

By Lynette Martinez CONTRIBUTOR / NEWS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @SFBREAKINGNEWS

After three and half years as Editor-in-Chief of City Currents, the college’s digital newsletter for faculty and staff, Patricia Arack has returned to the classroom full time to teach English as Second Language courses.

An outside firm called Twenty Fifth Hour Communications is taking over managing the publication. It was hired in November 2012 for general marketing and public relations services to help increase enrollment for spring semester.

The firm will be paid up to $37,500 for their work through June 30, according to official documents.

“The new City Currents will have the same columns you’ve come to depend on such as Faculty News, Board News, and Dates to Remember,” according to its

newly revamped page on the City College website. “The publication will be web based, with links to feature stories, the Board agenda, and other information.”

Previously, it was distributed online as a PDF, could still be printed out and had the nostalgic feel of reading an actual newspaper.

Arack lost most of the “reassigned time” that allowed her to dedicate many hours to producing City Currents.

At the beginning of fall semester last year, it was reduced from 80 percent to 40 percent, Arack told The Guardsman, and then by Thanksgiving was further cut by the administration to 20 percent.

That left her only about seven hours a week—worth approximately $8,000 of her salary this semester—to publish the biweekly, 30-some page newsletter.

“I felt I could not continue to deliver a quality publication and also take care of my wonderful ESL students, so I will be returning full time to teaching,” Patricia said.

Having a faculty member as editor allowed for journalism and design students to contribute to

the newspaper and gain hands on experience working for a newspaper.

City College student Shirley Edwards worked with Arack as a graphic designer for City Currents.

“I will no longer be working on City Currents after Patricia steps down,” Edwards said. “I was able to gain the experience of working in an office with great people and the process of publishing a paper.”

Trustee Lawrence Wong recognized Arack’s dedication to the publication during a board meeting on Jan. 24.

“I want to recognize the tremendous work Patricia Arack has done for City Currents,” Wong said and added, “I have so far not seen the same quality with Twenty Fifth Hour Communications in terms of their first E-newsletter.”

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges criticized the college in its July 2012 report for having too many teacher on reassigned time, which allows teachers to work on other tasks and educational programs that are important to the college, instead of teaching in the classroom.

AN IMAGE OF A PAST ISSUE OF CITY CURRENTS, WHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED AS A PDF UNDER THE EDITORSHIP OF PATRICIA ARACK.

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| Feb. 6-Feb. 19, 2013 | 5

culture

Guardsman

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Faculty spotlight: Greg Landau

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTING FEDERAL CRIMES (for 29 years)?

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Both a teacher and a music producer, his latest album is nominated for a Grammy

Help needed to sell spicy food. contact: email: JSayedPOET@Gmail.Com or call: (415) 425-8738

THIS MOMENT BEGAN WITH A CHOICE.

IMAGE COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM

By Jen Verzosa

THE GUARDSMAN / JVERZOSA@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @JENVERZOSA

He chose to make a difference. Chose to get a degree. To learn new skills. And it was all made possible by the National Guard.

Contact Sergeant Allen Loretz at 415.748.6028

1-800-GO-GUARD

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1/8/13

By 9 p.m. on Mission campus, the cavernous classrooms are vacant with the exception of room 162, where Music 25: Music of Latin America and the Caribbean is taught.

Course instructor Gregory Landauâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;currently nominated for his sixth Grammyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;erases his lecture notes from the white dryerase board as straggling students slowly exit the classroom.

Landau packs his bag, then strolls down Mission Street to BART to go home.

No glitz, no glamâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; not the nightlife you would expect from a Grammy-caliber music producer.

Landau, 57, remains close to his humble beginnings in the music industry, which are strongly rooted in the Mission District.

1:58 PM â&#x20AC;&#x153;I used to go to Dolores Park on the weekends,â&#x20AC;?

Landau said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were drummers and jazz and Latin music and all kinds of things going on in San Francisco. And the psychedelic music and Santana. All [of] this really influenced me.â&#x20AC;?

Upon graduating from Mission High School, he toured the United States and Canada for two years in the band Zorro as a guitar player. One of his bandmates was Arcelio Garcia, the lead singer for the popular Latin rock group Malo.

Landau then began to study at the University of California,

Berkeley, with a Brazilian folklorist named Paolo de Carvahlo Neto, who introduced him to the study of methodology and conceptual aspects of Latin American music.

Throughout the 1980s, Landau lived in Nicaragua. He played music, did radio and conducted folkloric research.

When he returned to the Unit-

on teaching and producing. This year, he is nominated for a Grammy for producing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sembrando Floresâ&#x20AC;? by young Son Jarocho masters, Los Cojolites, in the Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) category. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sembrando Floresâ&#x20AC;? was produced] on my own label, [Round Whirled Records].

This was done with no budget, basically. With no support. Basically, our own workâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;partnering with the artists, artists we believed in,â&#x20AC;? Landau said with pride.

On â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sembrando Flores,â&#x20AC;? the percussion of the quijada (the jawbone of a horse struck on the side to generate a rattling sound) and the tarima (a wooden platform played by dancing on it with wood-bottomed shoes) are showcased, along with stringed instruments that the group members hand carved and created themselves.

With electrifying energy, Los Cojolites challenge the boundaries of Son Jarocho (a regional folk music style from Veracruz, a Mexican state along the Gulf of Mexico) while remaining true to tradition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It feels great to be recognized by your peers because the Grammys is not a popularity contest.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s people recognizing the artistic merit,â&#x20AC;? Landau said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Justin Bieber doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do well in the Grammys, and Lady Gaga didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t too well because people who were more adventurous artistically would win out.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I used to go to Dolores Park on the weekends.

There were drummers and jazz and Latin music and all kinds of things going on in San Francisco... All [of] this really influenced me.â&#x20AC;?

-instructor Greg Landau ed States, Landauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s academic focus shifted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I decided I wanted to study more about the essence of music and the role of music as a social force,â&#x20AC;? Landau said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the way music actually impacted lives and penetrated their consciousness.â&#x20AC;?

In 1999, Landau earned his doctorate in Communication from the University of California, San Diego.

As of late, Landau rarely performs. He now focuses more

6 | The Guardsman &

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| Feb. 6-Feb. 19, 2013

culture

Voices from CCSF’s Past

kay ann recede nbc news anchor el paso, texas

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photo courtesy of kay ann recede

ity College is everywhere. Our schools. military. Our police force. Our radios. Our visions. Our newspapers. Even our gardens been imprinted.

We all know someone with a connection to school. It is a place where dreams are realized. Th hardly a corner of San Francisco (and sometimes beyond), that hasn’t’ felt the imprint of our alum

I began attending CCSF in 2009 while I was working as a full time Executive Assistant (just another fancy term for a Receptionist). By the time I realized I wanted to become a Broadcast Journalist, I had already received my Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley. A little research unveiled what it would take for me to achieve my goals. Hence my enrollment at City College in order to pursue my Certificates in Broadcast Journalism and Video Editing and Production.

City College allowed me to seek out an alternative education. Before I enrolled in classes, I believed I was on the graduate school track. The classes at City College gave me the education I needed at a price I could afford. I got hooked up with some of the best people in the business thanks to City College and I’m not paying off exorbitant student loans thanks either.

It’s very daunting to think that closing the school would be a fathomable concept.

Without City College where will people like me, or even people figuring out their lives get their education?

I went to City College a very long time ago. I was a Mission District kid, the first in my family to graduate from high school.

I had a scholarship to another college covering tuition and books, but not room and board, but I couldn’t take advantage of it because my family simply could not afford to send me to college. So i went to City College for two years. I knew nothing about college and, like most of my pals, knew little about life outside the Mission District.

City College saved my neck. I learned how to speak in public a little, how to write a little, how to look outside my own small world. I worked on the literary magazine, was on the debate team and even ran unsuccessfully for student body president.

I finished up at the University of San Francisco. You always identify with the college where you got your four-year degree, so I always say I went to USF. But City College gave me my start.

City College really made a difference.

Let’s step back and see what’s right with City Co In this series, we seek to highlight all the pos contributions this school makes to our com nity and our lives. We asked the question, “ W impact has City College had on your life?” Th were just some of the overwhelming response have received.

justin mazzola first-grade teac san francisco

photo courtesy of justin mazzola

photo courtesy of sf chronicle

carl nolte sf chronicle reporter san francisco

For one brief moment, let’s forget the ACCJC aside the FCMAT report, dueling faculty, staff administration and a looming March 15th dead It’s common knowledge our school is facing the b of a lifetime. People’s lives and livelihoods are at s

I originally enrolled at City College to take a night class in literature to complete my Ma Education (from out-of-state). Impressed with the professor and her respect for students ju full-time jobs and other responsibilities, I chose to take classes the following two semesters story writing and Etc. Magazine). Thanks to City College I secured my Masters and now first grade in San Francisco. In addition, I have since rediscovered my passion for writing, p paving the way for my next career.

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photo by thomas lawn etc. magazine

bernie corace small business owner, horticulturalist san francisco

City College not only gave me the skills and knowledge to transition from one profession to another. It gave me the connections I needed to find a job in my profession here in San Francisco. It further empowered me to start a business in that profession, which has provided a livelihood for me and my employees for the past eight years. And it has given me a network of like-minded professionals that have become friends as well as colleagues.

keith kerr four-star general (retired) santa rosa

photo by margo brichkova etc. magazine

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I entered City College on a path that led to a career in architecture. Within my first six months I discovered the campus radio station, KCSF, and met the most influential instructor in my college career, Henry Leff. The broadcasting department in 1960 was one studio and one instructor, all located in the science building.

During my two years at City College the department grew to include new radio studios, a TV studio and a complete move into the then new creative arts building.

At 18 it was the opportunity that opened my mind and heart to the potential of a life in the media. For me it was the perfect combination of people, place and time.

The program introduced me to a real industry with real responsibilities and real expectations. It was time to “grow up” and I did.

photo courtesy of bernie corace

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| Feb. 6-Feb. 19, 2013 | 7

stan burford traffic reporter (retired) san francisco

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theguardsman.com

I had a wonderful career teaching at City College and living in the City by the Bay. Many dedicated colleagues make CCSF a great San Francisco treasure. The college will survive new challenges and remain a great beacon of learning and inspiration.

The Chutney Express A column about my travels through India. By Mckenna Toston Before I left for my journey, the advice I most commonly received was, “nothing can prepare you for India.” This is a severe understatement. From the moment I walked off the plane, I felt I had landed on a different planet. This can’t be Earth.

New Delhi is a district in the metropolis of Delhi—and I smelled it before I saw it. The polluted air from outside had crept into the airport, filling the building and my lungs with thick smog.

Navigating through the opaque air to find a cab would have been impossible if drivers weren’t lined up directly outside the airport waiting to snag customers.

With a bandana tied around his mouth and nose to prevent “polluting his lungs,” my taxi driver weaved through laneless streets, dodging pedestrians, motorcycles, bicycles, auto rickshaws, cars and cows. Yes, cows.

Overwhelmed and exhausted, I got to my hotel and promptly laid on my bed thinking, “what the hell am I doing here?”

Five days have gone by, and I still don’t know exactly what I am doing here--but I am loving every second of it.

The streets in Delhi are brimming with life. In one step you can see everything from hot chai tea for sale to a pack of stray puppies competing for their mother’s milk. Not to mention wagon-bearing cows, fresh fruit and vegetable stands, handcrafted jewelry and intricately designed Indian clothing.

There is no shortage of sights, smells or taste—-and I’ve just barely scratched India’s surface.

On my first day out, I was struck by the difference in the way I dressed compared to other women. While in California, I generally wear skinny jeans with a T-shirt or a knee-length floral dress.

This is not acceptable in Delhi.

The majority of women are covered from head to toe in loose-fitting tunics (kameez) with trousers (salwar), and a scarf (dupatta) to cover their head and chest.

As a gesture of respect, and to protect myself from unwanted attention, I conformed to this dress code. I bought a full salwar kameez for 1,366 rupees, or approximately $25, at the local

textile store.

The difference is dumbfounding. I am no longer confronted by the hostile stares of women, nor the gaping looks of men, who would often direct their eyes directly at my chest— sans subtlety. I also feel more welcomed in restaurants and markets.

First lesson: While in India, do as the Indians do—it will take you a long way.

Oh, and I was asked for my hand in marriage.

While walking along a busy roadside in Delhi, I was approached by a local man who insisted he treat me to tea.

After many refusals, I finally gave in and accepted.

He was kind and polite, and I was charmed by his knowledge of India. He spoke English well, and I was happy to have made a local friend to show me around.

But when he found me the next day to confess his love, propose marriage, and offer to build me the biggest house in Delhi, I was shocked to say the least. I refused and explained that my heart is in California, but thanked him for the courteous offer.

My time here has been far from carefree.

I am perpetually haunted by the revulsive reality of India’s rape capital, where statistics say a woman is raped every 22 minutes—23,725 women a year.

With this in mind, I am on constant guard.

As a solo woman, I can never be too cautious—which means staying in crowded public areas, being in before dark, continuously checking over my shoulder and always locking my door.

Taking these precautions is the only way to travel smart while still enjoying the experience.

I was sure Delhi lacked any rhyme or reason. I have been proven wrong. The city has filled my ears and soul with its rumbustious rhythm. When you look past the layer of smog, Delhi is clearly a place to celebrate life in India.

Tomorrow, I fly to Kolkata (Calcutta), where I have been told to expect a daily festival of human existence. I can only imagine what this Bangladesh bordering city has to offer—but if I have learned anything thus far, it is that India will far exceed my imagination.

YOUTUBE.COM/BLOOMREPORTS

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| Feb. 6-Feb. 19, 2013

culture

Have Your Say:

Valentine’s Day Special: Dating done right

Should guns be allowed on college campuses?

Peter Lollo, 24 Major: Graphic Design No. It is OK for cops to have guns on campuses, but besides that no. Cops are trained to use them. Other people could be trained as well, but I don’t want them to have guns.

Cabala Windle, 75 Major: Undeclared No. I don’t think you need a gun in college, I never needed one.

Arthur F. Castro, 75 Major: Undeclared Definitely not. Someone who has a gun can be a person who has no control over emotions.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANTHONY MATA/THE GUARDSMAN

Tips for not screwing up this year

By Jandean Deocampo THE GUARDSMAN / JDEOCAMPO@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @BANANAISAFRUIT

Ivory McNair, 19 Major: Media Hell no. I don’t think it should be allowed because everything could go wrong. A certified person could have one, but “they should be responsible.”

Ron Page, 26 Math Department Instructor Definitely no. I think having a weapon on you kinda can promote any situation, it can escape things to another level.

Fay Chang, 32 Major: Undeclared No. I think it is not appropriate. It is pretty black and white, it shouldn’t just be allowed. There is no reason for it.

Valentine’s Day is swiftly approaching. Actually, it’s more or less dangerously lunging in your general direction. You can probably hear its signature call from a mile away: the thunderous noise of chalk hearts trickling into tiny boxes.

The active singles of the earth are on the prowl. They’re stocking up on cheap roses, Merlot and wax candles, and probably taking every opportunity in front of a mirror to practice pick-up lines.

The trademark “lonely people” (as in the Beatles song, where do they come from?) are alert as well. You can spot them on their midnight jaunts to Safeway to purchase that one extra pint of Death by Chocolate. Or two.

But before you get a new haircut, or waste countless hours sobbing in front of your dating site profile, read these tips on how to make your personal quest to find someone special truly extraordinary.

1) Stop practicing pickup lines.

Seriously. A “pick-up” is a terrible way to describe a date. If you want tail, go ask Daniel Tosh for dating advice. Ask the girl/boy out on a date. Jesus. It’s not exactly String Theory.

2) Do not harass.

If you view buying a potential date a drink as an investment, just stop and think about your life

choices. Newsflash! This can be viewed as a form of harassment.

You buy someone a drink because you’re nice. If it takes a bribe to “win” you a date, you’re better off resuming your romance with the ice cream aisle. Furthermore, actively look for body language. If the girl looks like she doesn’t want to be asked out, don’t do it! You shouldn’t “go for it” as many of your good friends might suggest.

want to hear you speak your true name.

4) Prepare.

And no, I don’t mean stalk your potential date and find out what he/she likes, or pre-package filler conversational topics. Hopefully, you’re beyond that. I mean, dress nice. Smell nice. Brush your teeth. Do this every day for the rest of your life, because you’ll not only appear better to other people, you also might just feel better about yourself. Bam. Knowledge.

5) Don’t feel like the most outgoing guy on the block?

3) Learn the correct way to take rejection.

Sit in front of a mirror. Repeat this to yourself: “I no longer believe in the friendzone.” The moment you belittle a person for rejecting your romantic advances by playing prisoner and victim to an imaginary zone, is the moment you become less of a person and more of a goblin. And for you guys who mutter “bitch” after every failed romantic advance, speak a little bit louder. That girl who made a conscious choice may

That’s okay. Don’t change that integral part of who you are just to please another person. You shouldn’t fake anything for the sake of romance. But it would help to not voice your self-loathing, consistently talk about how shy you are, or any number of selfdemeaning strategies to attract pity and feel more comfortable about the way things are going.

It not only distracts from your strong points, which your potential date is actively looking for, it’s extremely selfish. Rude, much.

Even if you choose to ignore this entire article, leave with this one stellar notion in mind, and that’s that dates are for having fun. Because people want to have fun. And when you ask a special somebody out, you are inviting a person, not a lamp, to join you in a cheesy activity for an hour or two.

And people have feelings.

You have been warned.

Happy dating.

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| Feb. 6-Feb. 19, 2013 | 9

culture

Sights and Sounds:

Movie Review: On the Road

Parklet causes controversy in Cow Hollow

By Alex Reyes

THE GUARDSMAN / AREYES@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @SFBREAKINGNEWS

MOVIE STILLS AND THE OFFICIAL POSTER FOR ON THE ROAD, COURTESY OF IFC FILMS

Kerouac’s “On the Road” Takes a Detour Another example of a book that shouldn’t be a film

them as “a generation of crazy, illuminated hipsters suddenly rising and roaming America, serious, bumming and hitchhiking everywhere, ragged, beatific, beautiful in an ugly, graceful new way.” His redefinition of the

By Gina Scialabba world was inspirational.

THE GUARDSMAN / This movie is not. Some GSCIALABBA@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @SFBREAKINGNEWS books just shouldn’t be made “The only people for me are into films.

Legend has it that Kerouac the mad ones, the ones who are originally envisioned turning mad to live, mad to talk, mad to the book into a movie starring be saved, desirous of everything himself as Sal and legendary bad at the same time, the ones who boy Marlon Brando as Dean. never yawn or say a commonThat never came to pass. place thing, but burn, burn, Instead, the Francis Ford burn…”

Coppola family bought the --- Sal Paradise exclusive adaptation rights to The open road has always the project.

This book should have been fascinated Americans. From left on the page and in our imagRoute 66 to the Pacific Coast inations.

Highway, getting in the car and While the screenplay, writdriving is a visible expression of ten

by Jose Rivera, is a noble our freedom. attempt at recapturing the Before Thelma and Louise Kerouac allure, it falls flat. drove around evading the law.

Perhaps it’s that the “progresBefore Harold and Kumar siveness” of Sal, Dean and Marygot stoned and drove to White lou just isn’t that progressive Castle.

Before the “Y Tu Mama anymore.

Or maybe the film tries too Tambien” trio drove in search hard. of an elusive beach, author Jack I came away feeling these Kerouac searched for himself in characters were extremely the semi-autobiographical book unlikeable, their lifestyle rather “On the Road.” tired.

We’ve seen this type of The novel tells the story left-of-center behavior before of youth joyfully burning the and it rarely ends well. candle at both ends.

Ask Kerouac. Our hardSal Paradise (Sam Riley) drinking hero died in 1969 at is a young writer whose life is age 47 from cirrhosis of the liver. shaken and ultimately redefined Perhaps it’s the acting. by the arrival of Dean Moriarty Sure, the actors are physi(Garrett Hedlund), a free-spircally attractive.

Dean and Sal ited, fearless, fast-talking James are easy on the eyes, but it ends Dean-type and his girl, Marylou there.

(Kristen Stewart).

Carlo Marx, the characThe book was unquester Allen Ginsberg is modeled tionably iconic, inspiring “the upon, is laughable, almost Beat Generation,” a group of cartoonish. displaced youth in the 1950s and Least I forget Kristen Stew1960s (think Kerouac, Ginsburg art.

Woe be the day when audiand Burroughs) on the brink of ences are forced to sit through modernity following World War another one of her films. The II. beloved Bella of the “Twilight” These “Beatniks” were series can’t act. emboldened young people lackStoic, monotone, angry and ing the same naive optimism back to monotone. That’s all that existed in previous eras. she’s got.

She lacks any depth They were restless, unable to or range.

Stewart is even worse fit into mainstream society at a than Hayden Christensen, the time of widespread complacenrobotic “Mannequin Skywalker” cy, economic boom and June of Star Wars Episodes II and III. Cleaver-like suburban sprawl.

Her portrayal of Marylou is Kerouac himself described one-dimensional and her limit-

ed acting range stunts any serious character development.

Stewart does take her top off, but even that can’t save her dismal performance.

This movie is about movement. Perpetual motion. Sal, Dean and Marylou live fast, experimenting with sex, jazz and drugs.

While this may sound like a 1960s utopia, it’s not. The characters are essentially running away from reality and into the arms of substance abuse. Their restlessness comes across as disconcerting. Each “high” needs to be higher.

Through all of the constant movement, we meet an array of colorful characters, shifting landscapes and a memorable soundtrack.

Alas, the film has some saving grace. The cinematography is exquisite.

We get a tour of the highways and byways of Americana from New York to San Francisco and as far south as Mexico.

Sprawling fields, sweeping mountains and dusty landscapes. This may be the one, and only time, Campbell, Calif., is featured in a movie.

The soundtrack is also rather moving. Included are blues selections from Son House, Slim Gaillard, Coati Mundi, and Greg Kramer, as well as Ella Fitzgerald singing “I’ve Got the World on a String.”

The largely original score is from Academy Award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla, who won consecutively for his work in “Brokeback Mountain” and “Babel.”

Fans of the book will get a treat. A special reading of “On The Road” by Kerouac himself at the end of the film.

Bottom line: This is a respectable attempt at adapting a classic for the screen, but ultimately fails.

Since the program’s launch in 2010, 38 parklets have been installed throughout San Francisco but the one found at Filbert and Fillmore streets in the Cow Hollow neighborhood has captured the attention of a wide audience.

According to the City and County of San Francisco Department of Public Works, “parklets are an economical solution to the desire and need for wider sidewalks and are intended to provide space for the general public to sit and enjoy the space where existing narrow sidewalks would preclude such occupancy.”

The program, Pavement to Parks, is described as a “collaborative effort” between the Mayor’s Office, the Municipal Transportation Agency, Public Works and the Planning Department.

In May 2011 the San Francisco Planning Department encouraged Community Benefit Districts, storefront business owners, community and non-profit organizations to apply for a parklet.

Rapha Cycle Club, which built the Filbert Street parklet, failed to jump through all of the hoops of the City and County’s parklet procedures.

It followed all procedures save for one — it didn’t have the final permit before making its $40,000 contribution to the public space program.

Rapha’s space for the general public made the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Jan. 6

industrial 30-foot seating area, which was then inserted between the Citroen cab and bed.

The seating area features inchthick, cumaru-wood tables and benches, a metal picket fence (that doubles as a bike rack), succulent plants, a low mesh metal back and an elevated seating area set into the enclosed rear of the van bed.

There is a superimposed image of Rapha cyclist looking out over the parklet from the back of the Citroen cab.

Rapha’s parklet delights on many levels.

Cycle club enthusiasts and neighborhood residents alike take advantage of the new seating area, while passers-by stop regularly to admire both the old and modern industrial design.

Some in the cycling club’s neighborhood, however, are not as taken with the new parklet’s look.

“I’d like something a little more neutral,” Supervisor Mark Farrell told the Chronicle.

The supervisor made it clear he was also speaking for others in the area, including more members of the nearby Union Street Association of business owners.

“I’m trying to strike a middle ground,” Farrell said. “Some people want it gone altogether.”

Supervisor Farrell, Union Street Association­­—get over it.

The genius of Rapha’s parklet is its marriage of a classy relic of the Automobile Age with the contemporary desire to rebuild a sense of community.

Indeed, in and of itself, Rapha’s conversion of not just any auto

RAPHA’S PARKLET IN COW HOLLOW IN SAN FRANCISCO. PHOTO BY ALEX REYES/THE GUARDSMAN

edition due to controversy, but the ingenious design of the cycle club’s parklet deserves a second look.

Rapha and Rebar Group, an “interdisciplinary studio working at the intersection of art, design and ecology,” according to its website, sheared a French Citroen H-Van’s cab from its bed.

According to the Chronicle’s story, such a van “in its prior life, picked up competitors who couldn’t go the distance in events such as the Tour de France.”

Rebar Group built a modern

relic but of a Citroen once possibly used in the Tour De France into a bookend for an elegant place for people to “chill” elevates San Francisco government’s parklet’s program to greatness.

San Francisco City Hall was criticized regularly for bogging down its “shareholders” in bureaucracy.

But San Francisco government’s ongoing reclamation of a small number of precious parking spaces to provide more livable public space is as innovative as the Citroen engineers.

If you go...

Running Time : 124 minutes

U.S. Release Date: March 2013

Screenplay by: José Rivera

Genre: Drama/Adventure

MPAA Rating: R

Based on the novel by: Jack Kerouac

Directed by: Walter Salles

Stars: Garrett Hedlund Sam Riley Kristen Stewart Kirsten Dunst Amy Adams

10 | The Guardsman &

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| Feb. 6-Feb. 19, 2013

opinion Staff Editorial

Kicking California Community Colleges when they are down: Do we really need a UC Regent to insult us?

Funding for California Community Colleges has been cut by $809 million, or 12 percent, since 2008-09, according to the Chancellor’s office.

Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown announced his proposed budget for the fiscal year 2013, which included $197 million in additional funding for the state’s community colleges, as well as $125 million each for the University of California and for California State University. Things were looking up. Or so we thought.

Apparently those funds are not enough.

Brown recently visited the UC Regents and insisted that the governing body tighten its belts regarding administrative salaries and faculty benefits. The Daily Californian reported that one Regent got defensive.

Richard C. Blum complained that UC administrators are already paid well below their counterparts at private universities.

Tightening his belt was certainly out of the question. He said pay increases are necessary to retain the highest quality employees, the Californian reported.

Then he went on the offensive.

Continually underpaying administrators at the university, he said, would “only result in the UC becoming a junior college.”

Blum is affluent and well-connected.

He is an investment banker and husband to Sen. Dianne Feinstein. His net worth

is unknown (his wife’s is estimated to be around $70 million), but it’s safe to say he is not applicable for CalFresh food stamps.

Mr. Blum, don’t throw community colleges under because you’re a poor rich man.

Schools like City College not only provide a high quality education—at an affordable price—but administrators in the system are often well compensated.

City College’s Interim-Chancellor Thelma Scott-Skillman makes a base salary of $276,000. On top of that, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that she also pulls in two separate pensions from previous careers in public education which total $169,117 annually.

That brings her total annual salary to $445,117—nearly half a million dollars.

Not too shabby.

Los Rios Community College paid its chancellor $420,256 in total wages in 2011.

In the same year, the California State University chancellor received $425,953 and the top paid chancellor at the University of California made $458,916 in gross pay.

Sir, know your facts before making such an outrageous statement. California public education, particularly the community college system, is under attack from all angles. Don’t add to that with your offensive and unresearched comments.

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

Buddha was from Nepal, not India: “The Chutney Express” is an interesting column, but in the section “Famous people” Siddhartha Gautama is mentioned.

In fact, Siddhartha Gautama, founder of Buddhism, was born in the Kapilvastu, Shakye Republic, Koshila Kingdom, which is located in the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

Recently, Indians are trying to involve Lord Buddha’s name with their country, which is very sad to the Nepalese government and the people of Nepal.

Media in India are being criticized because of misleading news provided to the public.

Lord Buddha is always the prestige and sovereignty of Nepal.

Online courses have unintended consequences: Gov. Jerry Brown’s terrible policies punish students who are working hard and playing by the rules.

In this unconscionable attack on the precise populations that California’s community colleges exist to serve—disabled, lowincome, working, first generation, under-prepared by K-12, re-entry adults, English-language learning, minority, immigrant, and international students, as well as those with children—are discriminated against as a class.

Until serious reform or repeal of Article 13A/Proposition 13 of 1978 is enacted to provide the property tax revenues needed to adequately fund the current mission of California’s public education system, additional unfunded mandates are unfairly punitive to students, faculty, staff, K-12 teachers and parents.

Years of unprecedented tuition increases have already taken their toll psychologically and economically on students, faculty, staff and parents.

Brown’s new push to partner with private industries to migrate core courses online will make these supposed cost-saving measures actually more expensive.

The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that all adjunct and fulltime faculty must be compensated for preparation and grading hours in addition to lecture, research and service hours.

This will lead to lawsuits, regulatory enforcement, further reduction of sections for adjuncts, further reduction of tenure-track positions and increased benefit liabilities.

Jaya R. Kafle City College Student Computer Sciences

Austin D. Smith CCSF Student, Liberal Arts National Writers Union (UAW 1981)

Community colleges deliver education to middle and low income students. Many bright, eager people would be unable to engage in higher education without these institutions.

Here are some facts to chew on: Twenty-eight percent of University of California and 55 percent of California State University graduates started at a California community college.

Transfer students from the California community colleges to the University of California system currently account for 48 percent of UC bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Community colleges offer associate degrees and shortterm job training certificates in more than 175 fields, and approximately 25,000 apprentices are educated each year to meet the demand for a skilled workforce.

Nearly 50 percent of all California veterans receiving GI educational benefits attend a California community college for workforce training, to earn an associate

degree or to work toward transferring to a four-year university.

Mr. Blum, you owe City College, and each of the over 100 California Community colleges, a personal apology.

CITY COLLEGE’S ACCREDITATION CRISIS: THE EDITORIAL YOU WON’T READ IN THE SF CHRONICLE In the past three years, City College has lost $53 million in funding and has had three chancellors.

At the same time, the state Accrediting Commission has come down on the institution by making 14 very difficult demands upon the college. Among those demands, it criticizes the college’s inability to stay within its ever shrinking budget and insists that instructors develop better methods for measuring student learning outcomes. As though the odds weren’t overwhelming enough, it has repeatedly threatened to close the college if its demands are not met within an extremely short time span.

Sound a little unrealistic? Most of those who work there think so.

After all, they’re the ones who— after pay cuts and layoffs—are expected to pick up the slack and work harder, longer hours for less pay and fewer benefits. They are the ones who are required to put in extra hours without compensation. Not exactly a model incentive program.

In the meantime, teachers, staff and students have taken a beating in the press. The San Francisco Chronicle in particular has not reported the story in a fair and balanced way. Every story appears to be a news release from the Accrediting Commission or the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office. Teachers, staff and students have been given little opportunity to respond before the next barrage of negative attacks appears in the Chronicle.

On top of that, the college

does not have a public relations department to offset the negative publicity. Talk about “the Perfect Storm” – that’s what the former state Community College chancellor gleefully called it, as though he was hoping the institution would fail.

Teacher and staff salaries have been cut. Curriculum has been cut. Our mission statement has been co-opted. There’s the threat of closure. And that’s suppose to improve our venerable community college system?

Ask yourself these questions: If City College is forced to close by the Accreditation Committee and the state Chancellor’s office, what purpose does that serve?

Hate to use a cliché, but isn’t that the proverbial “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”

If City College is forced to close, who is going to train and educate the City’s cops and firefighters? Hotel and restaurant workers? Hospital nurses? Paramedics and EMTs? Lab techs?

Dental technicians? Computer techs? Auto techs? The list is a mile long for those who receive their education and training here.

Where are newly arrived immigrants going to learn English?

Imagine the impact that this would have upon our community... Where are the more than 90,000 students who can’t get into or afford four years colleges going to go?

And where the hell is our Board of Supervisors and Mayor?

Why aren’t they stepping forward to protect this venerable institution, which has proudly served

the community for more than 75 years?

It’s a travesty wanting more for less from fewer faculty and staff while forcing crippling budgets cuts down their throats.

Most of the Accrediting Commission’s time consuming demands and unrealistic deadlines are not only ill-timed and ill-conceived, they’re practically impossible to meet. Yet they seem to relish having their foot on the throat of one of the City’s finest institutions -- and the Chronicle seems to take glee in reporting their insensitive and inaccurate criticisms of those who have done an admirable job of educating its students under what anyone would describe as intolerable conditions.

It appears to be a wholesale attack on public education and the community college system.

(Many other community colleges throughout the state have been put through the mill by the totalitarian authority of the state Accreditation Committee.

Perhaps the Accrediting Commission, the state Community College Chancellor, City College’s chancellor and board of trustees should take a look at themselves and the insensitive way they have handled this issue.

Like Cassius says: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”

-Tom Graham City College Journalism instructor Former SF Chronicle reporter

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

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sports

Baseball

Laney narrowly defeats City College in double header season openers

By Dan Harrington

THE GUARDSMAN / DHARRINGTON@THEGUARDSMAN.COM / @SFBREAKINGNEWS

It was San Francisco versus Oakland this past Friday and Saturday, the first baseball games of the season for the City College Rams and the Laney College Eagles.

Laney won both games, 6-0 and 9-2.

Freshman John Patrick Dunne started the home opener for City in the first meeting. Dunne went four-plus innings in his Ram debut at Fairmont Field in Pacifica.

After two scoreless innings, the visiting Eagles plated three runs on four hits in the third inning off Dunne. Four seeingeye singles snuck through on the synthetic turf to put Laney ahead.

In the fifth, Dunne was chased

off after a potential double play ball became an error at second base.

Two singles by Eagle batters Jacob Schober and Todd Burgos followed and made the score 5-0.

Laney added an unearned run in the seventh.

Three of the six runs allowed were unearned by four Rams pitchers.

Offensively, Rams sophomore Ben Ladner etched singles in the first and third innings, and also walked in the sixth. Ladner would trade those pluses for a different outcome with the bases full in his last at-bat, as he struck-out to end the seventh with the bases loaded.

“A knuckleball got me,” Ladner said later. “Next time with the bases loaded I’m not going down that easy.”

Outdoor conditions remained perfect on

Saturday, as temperatures neared 70 degrees at Laney College Field.

In the first inning in Oakland, Ladner fought off hot pitches by Burgos, the Eagles’ game two starting pitcher. Then Ladner laced the third two-and-two count pitch down the third base line for a double.

The two-bagger went for naught, with a punch out on strikes, a great catch in right field, and a groundout.

Laney scored three runs in the first frame, all unearned, off Rams starting pitcher, Kyle Orwig.

The key play was an overthrow of first by Rams shortstop, Juan Miguel Perez on a ball hit

by Schober after a one-out Eagle single. Orwig struck out the next hitter, but a one-run double and two-run single immediately thereafter made it 3-0 Laney.

City scored its first run of 2013 in the second inning, with freshman center fielder Bryce Jones laying down a bunt that imperiled Eagle third baseman Jacob Schober, who couldn’t throw home in time to get Ram baserunner Geoff Ogata racing in from third, making it a 3-1 Laney lead.

The run scoring play followed a Perez smash off the Laney pitcher for an infield hit. Ladner then struck his fourth hit in five at bats, but a bases loaded errant pitch bounced perfectly for Laney.

Catcher Kenney Chavez threw to Burgos covering the plate to nab the diving Perez. The Ram threat ended.

After one earned and one unearned run scored for Laney, City College came back to set the table in the top of the fifth.

With one out, Ladner reached on an error on a hard hit ball. Taleroc launched a double to right, and Ladner galloped the distance home to make it 5-2. Sebastiani walked and both runners moved up on a wild pitch by Eagle

reliever Matt Pomykala.

The big hit with the tying run up was elusive once more.

After a strikeout, Murphy’s drive into the right-field corner was snared on another brilliant grab by a Laney outfielder to end the inning.

“It comes down to a few crucial plays,” Ladner said. “As the season goes, we’ll get those bounces.”

The Eagles earned some cushion in the bottom of the seventh, with two doubles, a triple, a walk and a sacrifice fly. The four runs garnered completed the scoring.

“They hit with runners in scoring position, and we didn’t [in the series], Rams head coach John Vanoncini said. “We just need to play catch and limit the damage.”

The head coaches of the two teams both started their 13th seasons in charge of their respective squads with this year’s transbay matchup.

“They hit line drives, put the ball in play, and compete,” Laney head coach Francisco Zapata said of the City College team. “It seems like they’ve gotten better since seeing them in the fall.”

The Rams play Los Medanos in Pittsburg, Calif. on Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. and are back at Fairmont Field in Pacifica to conclude their series with the Mustangs at noon on Feb. 9.

ABOVE: RAMS’ FRESHMAN FIRST BASEMAN SCOTT DRINKWATER #50 GETS A HIT DURING THE GAME AGAINST THE LANEY COLLEGE EAGLES ON FEB. 2, 2013 IN OAKLAND. SHELLY SCOTT / THE GUARDSMAN

LEFT: CCSF RAMS’ SOPHOMORE CATCHER BEN LADNER #4 PREPARES TO CATCH A PITCH DURING THE GAME AGAINST THE LANEY COLLEGE EAGLES ON FEB. 2, 2013 IN OAKLAND. SHELLY SCOTT / THE GUARDSMAN

RIGHT: FRESHMAN GEOFF OGATA #17 PITCHES FOR THE RAMS IN THE SEVENTH INNING DURING THE GAME VS. LANEY COLLEGE ON FEB. 2, 2013 IN OAKLAND. SHELLY SCOTT / THE GUARDSMAN

The Guardsman &

sports

theguardsman.com

| Feb. 6- Feb. 23, 2012 | 12

Basketball

Men defend winning streak

By Zack Tobita

THE GUARDSMAN / ZTOBITA@THEGUARDSMAN.COM /

@SFBREAKINGNEWS

The City College Rams defeated the Foothill Owls 69-42 on Feb. 1 and remained undefeated.

City College freshman guard Quincy Smith drove the lane relentlessly on his way to 15 points, and went 11 for 11 from the free-throw line.

The Rams (23-0, 7-0 Coast-North) got out to an early double-digit lead and the game had the looks of a blowout early, but the Owls (17-4, 5-2) would answer.

Owl’s sophomore guard, Suhail Mohammadi got the hot hand and led a comeback that saw the Owl’s go up 26-21 forcing City College to call a timeout with 3:36 left in the first half.

City College was able to regroup after the timeout and rally their way back to a 33-27 halftime lead with a smothering defense, and a crucial three-point play converted by Smith to end the first half.

The Rams came out of the break sharp on both ends and never looked back as they extended their lead to 42-27 in less than three minutes.

With 13:58 left in the second half, freshman guard, Dulani Robinson dove for the ball and called a timeout as he got up in pain.

“Talk to them Dulani, Dulani,” head coach Justin Labagh said vehemently.

Labagh was vocal with Robinson throughout the game.

“He [Robinson] sometimes checks out of the game… so if he’s talking he’s going to be more dialed in,” Labagh said. “That’s how we want him to do it, plus it helps the team out.”

Robinson addressed his injury after the game.

“I just rolled my ankle, it’s hurting right now but I’ve been playing through it,” Robinson said.

After a slow start, Wright was able to assume the role of floor general finding his teammates for easy buckets, while adding 17 points of his own.

“I was only scoring, so I was trying to get some assists and balance the stats,” Wright said.

Sophomore guard Shawn Smith equaled Wright’s output of 17 points.

Sophomore center Gabriel Aguirre’s imposing size in the post contributed to the Rams’ second half dominance.

“We were making the effort all night long and I think we just wore them down a little bit,” Labagh said.

The Rams host Cañada College of Redwood City on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.

ABOVE RIGHT: PHOTO BY SANTIAGO MEJIA/THE GUARDSMAN ABOVE LEFT: REBOUND! FRESHMAN CHUKS IROEGBU ATTEMPTS TO TIP THE BALL IN AFTER A MISSED THREE-POINT SHOT AGAINST FOOTHILL COLLEGE ON FRIDAY FEB. 1 AT THE OCEAN CAMPUS. PHOTO BY SANTIAGO MEJIA/THE GUARDSMAN AY FEB. 1 RIGHT: SOPHOMORE SHAWN SMITH ATTEMPTS A SLAM-DUNK AGAINST CONFERENCE RIVAL FOOTHILL COLLEGE ON FRIDAY FEB. 1 AT THE OCEAN CAMPUS. SMITH WAS ONE OF THE KEY PLAYERS SCORING 17 POINTS. PHOTO BY LUCAS ALMEIDA/THE GUARDSMAN.