VOL. 156, ISSUE 5, OCT. 16-30, 2013
CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO | SINCE 1935 | THEGUARDSMAN.COM | @SFBREAKINGNEWS | FREE
Crime
Efforts of librarians help bring thefts down over past year By Alex Lamp
@guardsmanlamp alamp@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
Positive identifications, convictions and savvy librarians might make thieves think twice before stealing on Ocean campus. Thieves have hit the Rosenberg Library over 30 times since January 2012, stealing cash and electronics from victims, according to City College Police Department statistics. Despite multiple security cameras watching over City College students in the library, cellphones, laptops and cash continue to go missing at a steady rate. “The majority of the thefts that occur in the library are because of students leaving their items unattended,” City College police officer Erica McGlaston said. Most of the thefts occur in the secluded study cubicles on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the library. The study tables are not an ideal target because of their openness. Thieves will survey the rows of cubicles waiting for their opportunity. Many students feel comfortable falling asleep at library tables with their electronics around them or leaving their items unattended while using the restroom or while looking for a book in the library. This is exactly what thieves exploit when taking the valuables of unsuspecting victims. Janet Tom, a Rosenberg Library staff member, explained three isolated incidents that have occurred in the library. On the fifth floor, one female and two males scoped out a row of cubicles until one student left their laptop unattended and the suspects took it. Another incident that took place a couple weeks ago. A thief stole an international student’s backpack that was posi-
Crime: page 3
5
Finalists for the chancellor position at City College (left-right): Terry Calaway, Arthur Tyler and Stephen Curtis. Photos courtesy of SFGate.com and Mike Koozmin/SF Examiner.
Chancellor Search
Finalists prepared to fill position as decision looms Public forum held to give the community a chance to meet the candidates
By Calindra Revier
@sfbreakingnews crevier@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
While the threat of City College losing its accreditation still looms, the search for the new chancellor has come down to three finalists. The candidates, Stephen
Curtis, Terry Calaway and Arthur Tyler, all have considerable experience working at community colleges. Curtis served as president of Hudson Valley Community College and as acting president of Queens College and the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Recently he was terminated from his 14 year position as presi-
dent of the Community College of Philadelphia. Calaway finalized his retirement as president of Johnson County Community College on Aug. 1 to spend more time with his family. Before his presidency at Johnson County, he served as president of Central Arizona College.
Chancellor: page 4
Associated Students
President’s veto stands as council debates validity of vote By Daniel Galloway
@sfbreakingnews dgalloway@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
About 55 students and faculty attended the Associated Student Council meeting Oct. 9 in the Student Union conference room at Ocean campus. The discussion centered around the resolu-
ACCJC: Protesters take action in Novato
7
tion drafted by the Save CCSF Coalition against the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. According to the coalition’s resolution the commission’s “unlawful practice have adversely impacted City College, including the community, forcing it to operate in an atmosphere of
Associated Students: page 2
PHOTO STORY: Auto shop rolls into the 21st century
9
Associated Student Council President Oscar Pena speaks at the council meeting at Ocean campus Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013. Photo by Lyra Kamoku/The Guardsman
CULTURE: Jazz moves through the halls
10
OPINION: Why would anyone want to be our next chancellor?
2 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013
news
Editor-in-Chief Madeline Collins Advertising Mangager Lucas Almeida Photo Editor Juan Pardo Culture Editor Lavinia Pisani Design Director Sara Bloomberg Online Content Manager Santiago Mejia Sports Editor Alexander Tidd Copy Chief Patrick Tamayo Copy Editors Dalton Amador Illustrator Anthony Mata Staff Writers Gina Scialabba Alex Lamp Jackson Ly Tim Maguire Patrick Cochran Daniel Galloway Carlos Silva Evan Johnson Samantha Dennis Calindra Revier Staff Photographers Ekevara Kitpowsong Michelle Arias Sujey Ruiz
World Briefs
Congo Congolese rebels turn to gold
Rebels in eastern Congo have aligned themselves with local gangs and have taken over gold mines, managing to smuggle out more than $500 million worth of gold. Enough, a Washingtonbased human rights group, says that M23 rebels are smuggling gold through Uganda and Burundi and selling it to jewelers from the United Arab Emirates. The rebels’ interest in gold has spiked as their other main source of income, trading in tin, tungsten and tantalum—which are widely used in consumer electronics and equipment—has come to a crawl after the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. (LA Times)
Honduras Havoc after boy slain
Locals in the town of San Francisco de la Paz quarreled with local police as authorities attempted to arrest a man accused of killing a 7-year-old boy. A 22-year-old was suspected of being under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he allegedly decapitated the victim. Police reportedly used tear gas to calm the mayhem that resulted in two people being injured. The body was found on Oct. 11, 80 miles east of Tegucigalpa, the capital of the Central American country. A recent increase in violence has been attributed to Mexican cartels. Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world, according to United Nations data. (Reuters) (Chicago Tribune)
College Briefs Payment policy enforced
City College will be enforcing its payment policy for nonpayment of enrollment fees effec-
tive Spring 2014. Dean of Admissions and Records Marylou Leyba said students will either have to pay their entire tuition fee at the time
A boat with more than 240 people capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, killing at least 27 people including three children. The vessel was initially seen in international waters by a plane belonging to the Maltese military. People on the boat became excited upon seeing the aircraft and began to wave which caused the craft to become unstable and capsize. The military plane dropped a life raft and vessels from Italy and Malta ended up rescuing 221 people. A ship carrying approximately 500 people caught fire and capsized, killing 339 in the same area last week. (Chicago Tribune)
deaths resulted from the stampede, but others drowned after jumping off the bridge into a river below. Details have been slow to come in due to the isolated area of the accident. Several hundred people have died in recent years in similar scenes during pilgrimages. (BBC)(CNN)
Venezuela U.S. vessel detained by foreign navy
A stampede in India during a religious festival led to the death of 112 people as crowds attempted to cross a bridge near a Hindu temple. Thousands of pilgrims had been at the temple. Police said that the stampede likely occurred after rumors of a possible bridge collapse circulated. Most of the
A U.S. ship has been detained by the Venezuelan navy for operating illegally in its waters. Neighboring Guyana has said that the navy entered their territorial waters to detain the ship and that the incident is “a serious threat to peace in the region.” The Teknik Perdana was conducting underwater sea floor operations when it was forced to sail to Venezuela’s Margarita Island by the navy ship. Guyana is adamant that the marine vessel was in its waters when it was intercepted. At least five U.S. citizens are believed to be aboard the ship. The U.S. state department acknowledged the incident but declined to comment. (BBC)
of registration or sign up for a payment plan in order to not be dropped from their classes. “Students will not be dropped off for nonpayment of fees if they have signed up for this payment plan,” Leyba said. “Students will need to provide a down payment of 20% of their tuition fee at the time of the registration for the next Spring.” The application fee for the payment plan will cost $18 per
semester. Faculty will also have a drop schedule available for all students before Spring 2014 registration so they are aware of their deadlines to drop with a full or partial refund. Rebeca Chavez from the Financial and Administration Office said about 18,000 students owe over $4 million from summer 2003 to summer 2013. (Carlos Silva)
India 50 killed in stampede
From front: Associated Students
Faculty Advisor Juan Gonzales Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112
Italy Migrant ship capsizes
Late start classes begin Oct. 1
Phone: (415) 239-3446 Advertising: advertising@theguardsman.com Online: www.theguardsman.com Twitter: @sfbreakingnews Facebook: facebook.com/theguardsman Youtube: youtube.com/theguardsmanonline
General contact: news@theguardsman.com
California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges
Advanced Reporting Course Features Former Long-Time S.F. Bay Guardian Investigative Reporter/Publisher Tim Redmond Beginning Oct. 2 to Dec. 11 Enroll now for a 10-week City College course in investigative reporting featuring former SF Bay Guardian Publisher/Editor Tim Redmond. The award-winning journalist will share his experiences and provide valuable tips on the art of investigative reporting. You must first register into the college and then sign-up for Jour 36/ Advanced Reporting (CRN 75352) that meets on Mondays and Wednesdays beginning Oct 2 from 6:30-9 p.m., in Room 454, at the Mission Campus, 1125 Valencia St. This is a three-unit course. For more information, call Juan Gonzales at 415-239-3446.
Deltrice Boyd, center, Associated Student Council vice president of administration, explains that she was threatened if she did not vote in favor of the resolution. Oct. 9, 2013. Photo by Lyra Kamoku/The Guardsman
crisis. ACCJC is pushing enrollment down, sidelining the elected Board of Trustees and caused anxiety and uncertainty among the student body over the future of their educational goals.” The council voted to file their action against the commission at the previous council meeting, but Associated Students Council President Oscar Pena vetoed the vote. “It was not written by students,” Pena said. “This resolution does not offer any resolutions.” He felt the resolution was made without being examined, and the vote that took place at the previous meeting was inappropriate. “We need to stand effectively
and not against each other,” Pena said. City College senator Lalo Gonzalez, who supports the Save CCSF Coalition, explained how the resolution was given to the Associated Student Council on Sept. 17, giving them plenty of time to look over it. “Oscar vetoed the resolution without an argument,” Gonzalez said. “For one person to hold us on hostage is crazy. The veto is based off of political differences.” Pena’s decision to veto the resolution stood despite the debate at the meeting.
THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013 | 3
news
Crimes in the Library
6
Thefts, assaults and other incidents in the Rosenberg Library on Ocean Campus have decreased between January 2012 and August 2013
# of incidents
5 4
2012 2013
3 2
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
1
Infographics by Sara Bloomberg. Source: City College Police department
From front: Crime tioned beside him while we was studying. The student was unaware that the theft had occurred. Last year a female student got away with an iPhone. It was tracked remotely by the San Francisco Police Department, but the phone was returned to the library before police could apprehend a suspect. Distance and Electronic Coordinator James Horn Lim and the library staff often do walkthroughs and leave fliers warning people of the risk they face if they leave their items unattended. Preventing thefts in the library has been an ongoing challenge for the City College Police Department and library staff. This is mainly because there are always new thieves. The old ones don’t usually return to the library if they know they’ve been identified. “You have people who are local that commit these crimes. You have students who commit these crimes, and then you have people who have to take BART to get here,” McGlaston said. “A lot of the people who walk through the library and Wellness Center that steal these things are not our students. They play by different rules.” When the police are observing the flow of students coming in and out of the library, they are watching for suspicious individuals.
26 24 22 20 18
Types of incidents that have occurred in the Rosenberg Library on Ocean Campus between January 2012 and August 2013 2012 2013
16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 Assault
People who walk into the library that have no backpacks or books or are dressed suspiciously are given more attention by officers.
Intoxication
Robbery with Force
“We watch them on the cameras walk floors,” McGlaston said. The security cameras in the library can take photographs as
Other
Theft
well as perform real-time actions such as adjusting angles and zooming in and out for a more precise view of possible suspects. Campus police have success-
Total
fully provided evidence to the San Francisco Police Department that has lead to at least two positive identifications that have resulted in recent convictions.
4 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013
news
From front: Chancellor “I’m retired. I have a little more time on my hands than maybe some others might have. So you know, I could be here sooner rather than later,” Calaway said. “I’m not looking to make that kind of a quick change, but if it’s necessary that’s what we’ll do.” Public forums were held on Oct. 7 and 9 at the Rosenberg Library on Ocean campus. Many of the questions the candidates asked were related to accreditation. “I’ve been very active in the accreditation arena,” Curtis said. “I’ve never been in a situation where we would let ourselves be in that position. There should never be a moment that we have to face something like this again.” Curtis wants to hit the ground running if he is chosen for the position. “As soon as possible the college needs to start focusing on the bright spots,” Curtis said. “There is a moment when you do whatever it takes to solve the problem.” Calaway said he is dedicated to seeing students achieve their goals. “Its important to re-establish a relationship with our students, from the senior level. Colleges like City College of San Francisco truly are in many ways, along with the universities, the economic engine of our communities,” Calaway said. Tyler has a very different background. As well as having served as deputy chancellor and chief operating officer of the Houston Community College System, president of Sacramento City College
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and vice president of Administration and Finance at Los Angeles City College, he also served for more than 20 years in the United States Air Force. “I know that everybody has the same desire to educate people and to help them get the skills that are needed so they can enter the workforce and create that economic engine that we know community colleges do. That’s why were here,” Tyler said. “I think that I’ve got the right skill set. I love helping. This is not a job. I care about the community.” Tyler relates his experience with the accrediting commission as something that will benefit his position as chancellor. “I’ve been on accreditation teams for institutions that were in trouble, that were sanctioned,” Tyler said. “I know how that happens and why the commision makes the decisions that it does.” California Community College’s Chancellor Brice Harris hopes to find a candidate who is willing to commit to the position for the foreseeable future. “I’m optimistic about seeing someone who will stay a minimum of five years and do a good job of stabilizing the college,” Harris said, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. The new chancellor will face many issues and will have to find a way to work closely and for Agrella—who will still have final say in all decisions—as well as attempt to find a way to integrate the Board of Trustees back into the decision making process.
THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013 | 5
news
Accreditation
Protests against school’s closure continues The fight for City College goes to Novato By Tim Maguire
@sfbreakingnews tmaguire@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
The momentum to keep City College open and accessible continues to build as over 100 students, faculty and staff demonstrated at the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges’ main office in Novato on Oct. 11. “Acting in vast contrast to the long standing open access mission of California community colleges, the ACCJC wants to narrow that mission and not give access to those who need and want higher education,” Save CCSF Coalition organizer and City College instructor Wendy Kaufmyn said. The rally was held to protest the accrediting commission’s sanctions placed on City College and other schools across the state that would reduce accessibility for non-traditional students. Non-traditional students are students who are not on a twoyear associate degree or transfer program, taking non-credit English classes to improve their chances of employment or taking
Bridgid Skiba, a women’s studies/ broadcast electronic media arts student speaks at a protest at the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges’ headquarters in Novato, Calif., Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Photo by Ekevara Kitpowsong/The Guardsman
training classes for a career change. The City College Labor Chorus led renditions of songs like “This Land Is Your Land,”
“Over The Rainbow” and “Row Row Row Your Boat,” with lyrics adapted to City College’s struggle. “The ACCJC sanctions more community colleges in California
than all other accrediting institutions in the country combined,” Kaufmyn said. Dan Kaplan, executive secretary of the American Federation of Teachers Local 1493 representing teachers from the College of San Mateo, Cañada and Skyline College, pledged solidarity with City College’s faculty union AFT Local 2121 and the Save CCSF Coalition. “I have a sense that a powerful momentum is building all over the state in support of this fight, and I’m certain you will win this struggle for quality education … onward to victory,” Kaplan said. Ralliers erupted in applause. The accrediting commission
was recently audited by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee due to “increasing concerns throughout the California community college system about how they go about the accreditation process.” Superintendent of Public Education for the State of California Tom Torkelson has asked the accrediting commission to rescind its ruling against City College because it was decided by a flawed process. “The ACCJC’s actions are political and do nothing to help the students,” Associated Student Council Senator Lalo Gonzalez said. “What the ACCJC doesn’t realize is that they’ve awoken a sleeping giant.”
6 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013
culture
Have Your Say: Is San Francisco affordable?
Events: Oct.2-15 Thurs/17 exhibit
Interior Design
“It’s difficult, it depends. There are certain parts of San Francisco I would like to live in, but it’s pretty expensive in most areas. I work full time, so my job provides enough to live off on, but not enough toward where I want to live, like North Beach.
Candy Coy,50 Zoology
food
Fundraiser.
Goran Konjevod and John Whitehead exhibition.
Basia Carrol, 21
Tues/22
garage sale
Ocean campus. Visual Arts Building. Room 119. Ocean campus. Gallery hours Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:45-3:45 p.m. and Wednesday’s 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Through Oct. 30.
Fri/18
Co-sponsored by Project SURVIVE, Women’s Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Associated Students and the Women’s Resource Center. Mission center. Loading Dock. 9 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun/19-20
Beauty and hope in Detroit by students Julia Sperling and Beatriz Escobar. Visual Art Building. Room 160. Gallery Obscura. Free. Through Oct. 31.
Sat/19
dance
by
Epiphany
A series of street performances along a MUNI line. Market Street Railway Museum south of Embarcadero Plaza. 11 a.m.-2:45 p.m. Start every 45 minutes. Muni ticket required.
A window into the art of emerging Asian Pacific American artists including The Guardsman’s illustrator Anthony Mata. Cartoon Art Museum. 655 Mission St. 11 a.m-5 p.m. $5 presale/$7 at the door.
Speak-Out on Domestic Violence. Co-sponsored by Project SURVIVE, Women’s Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Associated Students and the Women’s Resource Center. Ocean campus. Cafeteria. East windows. 1-2 p.m. Free.
Mon/21 music
Classical Revolution. Local and visiting musicians perform chamber music. Revolution Cafe. 3248 22nd St. 8-11 p.m. Free.
Devin Krizwold, 21 Architecture
Lindsey Kassimatis, 23
Variety of dance classes and performance sponsored by CCSF Dance. Ocean campus. Wellness Center. Doors open at 12 p.m. Workshops 1-2:30 p.m. & 3-4:30 p.m. Performance 7 p.m. $5 for the entire day. women
APAture 2013 Comix & Zines Expo.
“I grew up here in San Francisco. It’s becoming increasingly less affordable. I don’t live here anymore. I got my own place in Oakland. As far as living in San Francisco, it is expensive. [There is] a lot of opportunity living in this city. San Francisco [has] always been known for different ways of thinking and figuring out how to do things to make a living.”
Bay Area Dance Collage.
Tues/29
comics
“It’s expensive compared to other places. In Stockton you can get a nice 2 bedroom for $500, over here no way. It’s at least $1,000 to rent a 1 bedroom.”
Volunteer organization Curry Without Worry serves free food. Civic Center Plaza. Larkin and Grove Street. 5:30-6 p.m. Service open to everyone. Free.
Sat/26
performance
Trolley Dances Productions.
photography
Free Nepalese food.
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“Not very at all, It’s pretty hard. Transportation is nice here, that’s a good thing. There’s a nice community, It’s diverse and you can meet a lot of different people.”
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BRIDGES provides: Marian Alvarenga, 23 Business Administration “Well we have easy access when it comes to [commuting], but I feel San Francisco isn’t affordable any more. Some of us are being pushed out. I paid $2,000 for rent. Now we were pushed out because rent went up to $4,000. If I was to quit my job and try to become a full-time student, I wouldn’t be able to live on my own.” Photos by Michelle Arias and Juan Pardo. Reporting by Daniel Galloway and Julio Moran.
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THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013 | 7
culture
Top: Automotive students work in the car garage at the John Evans center Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013. Photo By Juan Pardo/The Guardsman Left: Automotive mechanics instructor Lisa Duke, left, shows student Lucia Mampieri how to measure brake pads on a vehicle at the John Evans center Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013. Photo by Juan Pardo/The Guardsman Bottom Detail shot of a set of transmissions that Automotive mechanics students get to practice on. Photo by Juan Pardo/The Guardsman
Department Spotlight
Automotive department determined to keep up with new technology By Jackson Ly
@lyjacks jly@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman City College is training future mechanics at the Evans center on hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles that will give them the knowledge to adapt and work on the newest technologies of the automotive world. “If you don’t keep up with the technology, you can only work on old cars,” Automotive and Motorcycle Department Chair Ben Macri said. Before students can start fixing alternative-fuel cars, they must work on gasoline cars first. As a requirement, students must take and pass the entry-level auto-
motive repair class before they can take advanced courses. Some of the 23 students in the introductory automotive class want to gain experience to become mechanics, but other students just want to be able to fix their own car. Lucia Mampier, 50, who graduated from City College 15 years ago with a nursing certification and works as an ICU nurse, is taking the introductory class for fun and so she can maintain her own car. “If my car breaks down, I want to open the hood and fix it,” Mampieri said. “It’s about being independent in life.” The school’s automotive and motorcycle program is certified under the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) as well as National Automotive Technicians
Education Foundation (NATEF), which means students can earn a degree and certificate from the school. Being certified by NATEF also means that City College has a higher chance of receiving funding from public and corporate sources, according to the NATEF website. Hybrid and electric cars, such as a Plug-In Toyota Prius, an allelectric Nissan Leaf and a Ford Focus, are in the automotive garage at Evans center and will be used to teach instructors from City College and other northern California community colleges about alternative fuel vehicles. City College’s automotive and motorcycle technology departments are partnering with Solano Community College, which just
received a $646,695 grant from the California State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Solano is using the grant to fund its Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. “We’re trying to educate as many as we can in the hybrid field,” certified master technician and City College automotive instructor Joe Gumina said. “The educators on the top are realizing there is a demand for technicians.” Instructors from Vacaville, Yosemite, Pasadena, Sacramento, Solano and Modesto attended hybrid and electric training sessions at Evans center. The sessions featured Craig
Van Batenburg, who is an expert in hybrid technology and the CEO of Auto Careers Development Center. This is one step City College is pursuing to adapt hybrid and electric technology to its curriculum to prepare students to work in today’s automotive field. René Wagner, 25, a second year automotive technology student, wants to become a wellrounded mechanic. He said his previous experience with cars has made it easier to follow the terms and concepts presented in his introductory class. “It doesn’t make sense to me to only get certificates because I want to learn everything and be a master mechanic overall,” Wagner said.
8 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013
culture
Movie Review: “A Complicated Story”
This is one melodrama you can skip By Gina Scialabba
@journalist_gina gscialabba@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
I’ve always loved foreign films. There’s rarely a movie with subtitles I don’t enjoy. Hong Kong cinema is no exception. Unfortunately, the string of Hong Kong tours de force may have just run out. Director Kiwi Chow’s “A Complicated Story,” sounded promising. It’s marketed as a serious expose dealing with a very timely issue in Hong Kong—surrogacy and the ethics behind it. By the end of the movie, I felt like I was watching a daytime soap opera that desperately needed to be cancelled. Yazi (Zhu Zhiying) is a Chinese graduate student studying in Hong Kong. Her brother, and only living relative, needs life-saving surgery. Of course, he can’t afford it. Yazi has a plan. Break the law. She comes into contact with a lawyer, Kammy (Stephanie Che), who is looking to strike a bargain. Yazi agrees to be a surrogate mother for a wealthy couple. She rents out her womb for nine months and gets money in return. Yazi’s maternal instincts start to kick. She frolics in fields, falls asleep on a blanket in the grass, and rubs her pregnant belly. Guess it’s time to start planning a baby shower. Or not. Kammy informs Yazi that the “secret power couple” isn’t interested in being parents anymore. Fueled by her newfound maternal instincts she refuses to
A scene from Kiwi Chow’s A COMPLICATED STORY, which played as part of third annual Hong Kong Cinema, October 4-6 at the Vogue Theatre. Photocoutesy of San Francisco Film Society.
have an abortion. Game on. She runs away to keep her baby safe. While she’s on the lamb, the biological father, famous tycoon Yuk (Jacky Cheung), shows up at her doorstep. He wants the baby after all. Hey, why not ask Yazi to marry him? He and his “other wife” are getting a divorce, so sounds like a logical plan. The whole situation starts spiraling out of control. Yazi has a boyfriend, but doesn’t want to sleep with him. Yuk is courting her, but she’s resistant. Maybe Yazi is just confused.
Perhaps it’s all those pregnancy hormones. Or maybe she wants someone else. Enter the lesbian love triangle. I won’t spoil it with any more details. The acting is laughable. Yazi walks around in a dream world and Che’s portrayal of power lawyer Kammy is stiff and stereotypical. I did learn some interesting facts. In Hong Kong, commercial surrogacy is illegal. In fact, all citizens are prohibited from making or receiving payments in surrogacy arrangements. Unless, of course, you are rich, famous, well-connected or a politician. Looks like the charac-
ters in this movie are all guilty as charged. If you are looking for an unfocused and laughable portrayal of a serious issue, you should see this
movie. If you want classic Hong Kong cinema, add some John Woo films to your Netflix queue. You won’t be disappointed.
If you go... Running Time: 108 Minutes
Release Date: Oct. 6, 2013
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Language: Cantonese with English subtitles
Directed by: Kiwi Chow
Stars: Zhu Zhiying Jacky Cheung Stephanie Che
THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013 | 9
culture
Faculty Spotlight
Instructor’s love for jazz music is apparent during recent live show By Samantha Dennis @sfbreakingnews sdennis@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
The sound of jazz music filled Creative Arts Room 133 on Oct. 10 as City College music instructor Lenny Carlson intoned the first notes of his 2002 “Yes I Do” to a group of 50. Fellow musician Hal Richards said Carlson enjoys composing music when he isn’t teaching, because it allows him to show his creative side. “He finds the delicate balance of teaching and being a musician,” Richards said of his long-time friend. Carlson was accompanied by Richards, Paul Smith and Charlie McCarthy. The four played sax, flute, bass and clarinet respectively. Four of the eight songs they played during the event were composed by Carlson. He said he composed the song “Time and Space” to welcome Dr. Douglas Bish, the new Dean of Visual and Performing Arts, Journalism and Speech.
Bish was at the concert and watched with an ear-to-ear smile as the musicians played their hearts out. The audience’s applause got longer and louder with each song played. “Lenny brings in jazz elements that are less conventional,” McCarthy said. “It makes things more interesting and challenging.” Students seemed pleased with the performance. “It’s not the music I listen to everyday, but it was pretty awesome,” Carlson’s student Chris Pothong said. Carlson says he is inspired by the courage and strength that his students demonstrate in spite of the many hardships college students endure. “I have become a more focused and [an] efficient thinker and speaker thanks to my students,” Carlson said. Carlson has been teaching in the music department at City College since 1998. “I’m thriving at City College,” Carlson said. “The extreme diversity just works with me, and it’s a stimulating situation.” Carlson currently teaches
three guitar classes, ranging from beginner to advanced, and a History of Jazz class, which is designed to explore the musical heritage of African-Americans. “There’s something social about music,” Carlson said. Carlson said his quirky sense of humor and his eclectic background work well with jazz music and for composing with the Cartoon Jazz Band, which plays the type of music people hear on Looney Tunes cartoons. Carlson received numerous awards during his lifetime. The one he is most proud of is placement on the 1985 Grammy Award ballot for Best Jazz Instrumental Composition for his piece “Biff.” He was awarded two Subito grants from the American Composers Forum who are devoted to promoting and assisting musical activity. Carlson also produced “Aluminum Sunset: A Tribute to the Music of Raymond Scott,” which premiered in 2011. This November the Cartoon Jazz Band will perform in the Wellness Center on Ocean campus, which will include top local freelance musicians playing some of Carlson’s music.
Lenny Carlson, jazz instructor at City College plays guitar during a performance at Ocean campus on Friday, Oct. 10, 2013. Photo by Juan Pardo/ The Guardsman
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10 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013
opinion
Staff editorial
Chancellor will be just anothor puppet Decisions that need to be made about our school and its uncertain future are largely in Special Trustee Robert Agrella’s hands. Agrella is the puppet master holding marionettes that are dancing around a stage, every movement manipulated by a few strings that so thin they could break with a quick flick of his wrist. And Agrella will have a new puppet to play with soon. Three men are being considered in the search for a permanent chancellor and whoever is selected will be working under Agrella as well, as long as the fight to maintain its accreditation lingers, making it a job with no true power. A fourth candidate—Cathy PerryJones—unexpectedly dropped out of the race with no explanation, according to the SF Chronicle. Do any of these three men truly have any interest in the future of City College and all the students, faculty and staff who depend on it for an affordable education and good jobs? None of them have histories with City College. Nor do they have any discernable investment in this college or its future. Perhaps they believe they can save City College from losing its accreditation. Maybe they can. Or maybe the school’s salvation will come from the political, social and legal forces that have sprouted up from grassroots, San Francisco-style organizing?
There are coalitions of students, faculty and staff determined to fight for the school’s future. Around 100 people recently protested at the accrediting commission’s Novato-based headquarters—a 30-mile trek north from San Francisco. In August, the U.S. Department of Education put the commission on notice for being out of compliance with federal standards. That decision was prompted by a complaint by the California Federation of Teachers. And then there are two pending lawsuits against the commission which seek an injunction to prevent them from revoking the school’s accreditation and to protect the City College from any threat of closure. Maybe the three candidates know all of this and can actually imagine a future for themselves here, even as outsiders. A sizeable salary and benefits package certainly sweetens the deal. What could their motivation to take the job possibly be, other than, of course, a paycheck? Agrella will pick his favorite candidate but even the puppet master has to make this decision under duress. Without the threat of an accreditation crisis, we most certainly would be looking at a very different set of candidates.
Online forums are gateways to new perspectives Access to alternative thinking through the Internet strengthens regional diversity. The adoption of ideologies beyond that of our neighbors and those in our community contributes to a growing global sentiment. A single human processes information and reacts upon it. This cognitive process can be applied to groups of people working in coordination to solve problems. Data sharing between researchers of all fields through the use of online forums is already leading to rapid discovery. The Polymath Project, which began in 2009 as an experiment by mathematician Tim Gowers, has
encouraged “massively collaborative mathematical research.” The project began with a blog post by Gowers proposing a collaborative effort to solve a yet unsolved important mathematical equation. Three months later, Gowen, along with 40 other contributors, were successful enough to label the equation as “probably solved.” The thread has led to the publication of two new papers and continues to foster collaboration today. Solving problems through cooperative collaboration is not a new concept. Even prehistoric hunting groups worked together to create a general well-being. The
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Internet is an extension of our ability to contribute. The idea of a global forum is conducive to the progress already being made online. The difficult part is devising a way for communication to work around the language barrier. Today’s language software offers rough, yet workable translations. While these translations may not be complete, they can still be used for meaningful communication and culture may no longer be determined by physical location. Before mass communication perceptual change was slower than dial-up. It took coordi-
nated information campaigns to achieve half of the simultaneous awareness that a viral video creates. And a viral video’s lack of longevity is just another example of how quickly we can collectively change. We live in a time where the individual controls their perceptual refinement and the speed of their own growth. Unlike traditional media outlets, direct responses to videos demonstrates that we can be involved in content. However, not everyone online is contributing. Like our economic environment, the internet also has a one percent, only reversed. The one percent contributes while
99 percent consumes. This means that only one percent of those people online are representing themselves and their views. This does not discount how important it is for consumers to have access to free flowing and wild representations of our world. Incorporating contributors from outside of our language will extend that access even further. Growth is directly correlated with how much information can be exchanged. The global forums of tomorrow, along with a shared space for new ideas will bring us into a faster, more reflective and exciting future.
Corrections: Find a mistake? Let us know! Email: editor@theguardsman.com
THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013 | 11
opinion
Prescription pills have become the new drug of choice By Patrick Tamayo
@sfbreakingnews ptamayo@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
We live in a society that has developed a cure for almost anything in the form of a pill. It makes little difference what the ailment is—minus certain viruses and diseases. Have a back ache? There’s a pill. Heartburn? Take a pill. Have difficulty concentrating? No problem. Back pain? You’re covered. In the fast-paced world we live in there is little time to figure out solutions, so we take the easy route and choose prescription medications. A report released by Trust for America’s Health, a Washington D.C. based health policy organization, said that prescription drugs are killing more people than cocaine and heroin combined. We have been programmed to trust doctors and medical professionals, but with the state of healthcare, insurance companies, malpractice lawsuits, the cost of drugs and the fact that we live in a capitalist society, it appears that like most aspects, it comes down to money. Big Pharma made $711 billion in more than a 10 year span ending in 2012, according to a report from corporate filings by Healthcare for America Now (HCAN), a grassroots advocacy group. With the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, commonly referred to as “Obamacare”), profits are expected to continue to soar. Forbes reports that the ACA will generate up to an additional $35 billion for the pharmacy companies. The drug industry was one of the main supporters of the new healthcare reform. The LA Times reported that President Obama’s administration agreed with the pharmaceutical companies that there would be no changes in the ability for Medicare to negotiate prices so long as the industry did not oppose the administration’s healthcare reform in 2009. This “agreement” made it possible for the pharmaceutical companies to charge our government pretty much whatever they felt like charging. Pharmaceutical companies will provide rebates under the
new healthcare reform on certain drugs resulting in less profit. However, they will still make their money on the back end as people who are forced to be insured will have new access to prescription medications. The drug industry has grown out of control, and the ease of obtaining powerful medications, legally or otherwise, is a problem that continues to grow. Recreational use of prescription medication continues to rise and addiction to prescription medications can easily become reality as our bodies build tolerance to the drugs. Entire generations of people are medicated, and the future will be interesting as children whose natural brain chemistry has been tampered with for so long grow into young adults. No one can be blamed for taking something that may improve their situation, regardless of what that may be—especially if obtained legally. If we continue to embrace the overuse of prescription pills, as pop culture shoves it down our throats, the only winners will be the pharmaceutical companies. No one is going to lose sleep over anyone who may succumb to the side effects of prescription medications. As long as profits continue to be in the black and our lawmakers continue to sell themselves out for political reasons, we will continue to be pawns in a problem that has no solution. There are no simple answers. Big Pharma is here to stay. With the exceptions of kids, who are put on medication, everyone should be aware of any possible side effects. Prescription medications, just like alcohol and tobacco, are completely legal and are pushed at us from all directions. And just like alcohol and tobacco, they can and will be abused. Pop a pill, feel better, get addicted or don’t. The drug companies don’t care and neither should anyone else if that’s the road a person wants to take. Although we have a choice of whether we want to participate, the simple fact remains: all of our pains and problems can go away— at least for a little while—with a small pill. Side effects be damned.
Nobel committee missed an opportunity By Trudy Rubin
trubin@phillynews.com
Philadelphia Inquirer The Nobel Peace Prize committee blew it big time on Friday. It could have electrified the world by giving the prize to Malala Yousafzai, the courageous Pakistani school girl shot in the head by the Taliban because of her crusade for girls’ education. She was the odds-on favorite to win. And by fortuitous coincidence, Friday was also the United Nations’ International Day of the Girl Child, with a focus on promoting girls’ education. What a global statement the Nobel committee could have made by handing Malala the prize on that date, one year after she was shot. How inspirational for the cause of girls’ education, which is critical in helping developing countries thrive. Instead, the award went to the little-known U.N.-backed Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is dismantling Syria’s poison-gas arsenal. Sure, the OPCW is doing important work, but it is only implementing a political deal that might not be fully honored — and that won’t stop the Syrian regime from killing more thousands with conventional weapons. The choice did please the Taliban. A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban called the decision “very good news” and praised the committee for “not selecting this immature girl for this famous award.” He warned that, given another chance, “we will definitely kill her, and that will make us feel proud.” The Taliban’s reaction shows
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why Malala was the perfect candidate for the Peace Prize. “For Muslim countries, she stands for the difference between those who want progress and peace and those who live by violent terror,” said Farahnaz Ispahani, a former member of the Pakistani parliament who has received death threats for her human-rights advocacy. Yet this 16-year-old’s importance extends beyond the Muslim world. In many developing countries, the barriers to female education seem overwhelming. It is far easier for girls from privileged families to rise to prominence than for those from poor or middleclass families. Malala’s personal history as the daughter of an educator father and an illiterate mother from Pakistan’s remote Swat Valley proves these odds are surmountable. “She showed that with male family support, a young, rural girl can develop ideas and a belief system (that rival) many world leaders,” said Ispahani, now a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. “The Nobel committee missed a huge opportunity to make the prize relevant to ordinary people around the world.” Malala has won plenty of recognition. She just received a top European human-rights award and her memoir of life in Swat has just been released. She has become the face of a cause that needed a charismatic advocate. There is overwhelming evidence that girls’ education, especially at the secondary level, has a transformative effect on health, poverty, and economic growth in less developed societies. Yet more than 30 million girls worldwide don’t go to school.
Go to the website for the Day of the Girl (www.un.org/en/events/ girlchild) or search for #dayofthegirl on Twitter, and you will find a wealth of ideas on how to facilitate girls’ education, from improved school transportation, to mobile technology that reaches remote areas, to corporate mentoring to help girls acquire work and leadership skills. The group Vital Voices has helped set up the Malala Fund to help girls in developing countries get schooling. But this cause still faces resistance in many countries. Pakistan has one of the most dismal records, with 60 percent female illiteracy and one of the lowest overall literacy rates worldwide. It’s no coincidence that it’s also plagued by Islamic extremism and violence. Nor is it surprising that Malala has noisy critics in Pakistan. Some resent that her campaign lays bare unpleasant facts about her country; others claim it’s a Western plot. After a year of medical treatment in England, it’s unclear when she can safely go home. So even if the Nobel committee had done the right thing, Malala might not have enjoyed a warm reception in her country. The only previous Pakistani Nobel laureate, the late physicist Abdus Salam, was never honored at home because he belonged to the minority Ahmadi sect, which many of his countrymen decry as heretical. Yet I can’t help thinking how Malala’s fellow schoolgirls in Swat would have cheered had she won, and how her prize would have inspired girls around the world. Her achievements speak for themselves without a Peace Prize, but the Nobel committee lost an opportunity to do something great.
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12 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | OCT. 16-30, 2013
sports
Cross Country
sports calendar FOOTBALL
Oct. 19, 1 p.m. vs. DeAnza College Oct. 26, 1 p.m. @College of San Mateo
SOCCER MEN:
Oct. 18, 1 p.m. vs Cañada College Oct. 22, 1 p.m. @Foothill College Oct. 29, 6 p.m. vs. Chabot College
WOMEN:
Oct. 18, 3 p.m. vs. Foothill College Oct. 22, 4 p.m. vs. Evergreen Valley College Oct. 29, 1:30 p.m. @Skyline College
VOLLEYBALL
Oct. 18, 6:30 p.m vs. Monterey Peninsula College
Runners set new personal records By Alexander Tidd
@sfbreakingnews atidd@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
City College’s cross-country team raced through the woodland hills of Golden Gate Park on Oct. 11 at the San Francisco State University Cross-Country Invitational, notching several personal records. Undeterred by the cold and misty weather, the premier longdistance runners raced along the windy five-mile course. “We have a home meet that we host here so [the runners] are well experienced,” head coach Marc Dyer said. “That said, I think we made a great effort today.” Kyle Buske led the pack of four City College runners, posting a time just under 27 minutes. “I felt I did pretty good today, better than my last race,” Buske said. “This was my first time running this event and my goal was to break 27 minutes. I liked this event—it was cool to run with Division II schools.” His teammates also managed to improve their average mile times, all crossing the finish line in under 30 minutes.
“It was hard,” Andrea Damato, who only recently transitioned from boxing to competitive longdistance running and posted a time just under 30 minutes, said. “I was getting gassed after a while, but the third loop around the course started to open a little more. It was the last lap and I got my second wind.” Gearing up for these trying long distances is a major effort in itself. Buske felt that mental preparation is easily as important as keeping his physique in top form. “Getting ready for next time, I’m running more miles, but I’m also focusing on race strategy,” Buske said. “We have to keep that mental push. I try to start toward the back of the pack and then over the entire race, slowly pass a person every couple meters.” Runners train on San Francisco’s scenic byways to be ready for any kind of terrain. Dyer said this diverse training regimen keeps his guys ready for any challenge. “In the next few weeks, we’ll do a little more speed work,” Dyer said. “We will do more running at race effort, which for this group means anywhere from five to five and a half minutes per mile.” With this big meet under their
City runner Christian Ferrey, center, participates in the San Francisco State Cross-Country Invitational at Golden Gate Park on Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Photo by Juan Pardo/The Guardsman
belts, the team is ready to take it to the next level. “Our next meet is the confer-
ence championship,” Dyer said. “Our goal is to place in the top 14 all-conference individually.”