The Guardsman, Vol. 157, Issue 3. City College of San Francisco

VOL. 157, ISSUE 3, FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014

CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO | SINCE 1935 | THEGUARDSMAN.COM | @SFBREAKINGNEWS | FREE

Cover story

Mark Leno

Senator pushes bill granting emergency funding to City College

By Calindra Revier

@sfbreakingnews crevier@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

City College Chancellor Arthur Tyler replies to questions from faculty and staff during a meeting at Diego Rivera Theatre on flex day on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014 at Ocean campus. Photo by Santiago Mejia/The Guardsman

Chancellor acknowledges error with administrative pay raises The new range would @sfbreakingnews have brought cinnis@theguardsman.com their salaries to The Guardsman over $200,000.

It was abruptly While students had the day expunged from off for a flex day Feb. 6, 250 faculthe agenda after ty and staff members crowded a barrage of into the Diego Rivera Theatre complaints by where Chancellor Arthur Tyler angry faculty and addressed recent controversies staff. about high administrative salaDespite the ries. rain, over 50 Tyler acknowledged that faculty members City College hired three vice of American chancellors at a pay rate above Federation of the official published salary. The Teachers Local admission has left a bitter taste 2121 congreamong the college faculty and gated outside the an air of distrust between the theater’s entrance two parties. at 9 a.m.

The acknowledgment came They held after a week of controversy banners with regarding a resolution submitsuch messages as ted by Special Trustee Robert City College chemistry instructor Robert “Cut Admin Not Agrella on Jan. 24 to modify the Price protests administration pay raises Classes” and “Restore salary range of the vice chancellor, and class cancellations at the Diego Rivera Classes and Faculty associate vice chancellor and chief Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014 at Ocean Pay” prior to Tyler’s campus. Photo by Santiago Mejia/The information technology officer. Guardsman speech.

By Charles Innis

Flex Day: page 3

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Resolution: Campos proposes return of BOT

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Photo story: Black History month

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The rally’s written agenda listed several other items of complaint, including “draconian class cuts,” “lack of clarity and transparency” and the re-installation of the Board of Trustees.

Faculty members piled into the theater, while many others were redirected to overflow rooms in the Visual Arts building.

An atmosphere of animosity pervaded the theater, with protesters standing near the back of the theater holding signs and faculty members hissing, scoffing and looking upon Tyler’s address with expressions of disgust.

Tyler began his address by confronting the much-disputed salary modification proposal that infuriated the faculty.

“There was nothing nefarious in the purpose of that resolution,” Tyler said. “It was simply to try to correct something that existed.”

Although the newly-hired vice chancellors did not receive

Opinion: Drought is start of a grim future

California State Sen. Mark Leno and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, along with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, announced that they will join together to push for legislation that would allocate emergency funds to City College, effective immediately.

In a show of community leaders coming together for a common goal, Senate Bill 965 was introduced on Feb. 7.

“We’ve just started, so it has not actually had its first committee hearing or vote yet, but we will make the case that the entire 112 district system is only as strong as all of its component parts,” Leno said. “So if one district is at risk, the system is at risk.”

The bill, if passed, would implement two essential parts.

“The effect would be that [City College] would not see a drop in its funding for [2014 and 2015],” Leno said.

Potential cuts

Without this piece of legislation, the school’s state funding would be cut because the amount of money City College receives is based on registration numbers for 2014, which are considerably lower than 2013.

“Clearly, until the question of accreditation is resolved, there will be a challenge to sustain enrollment levels and that presents a finance challenge. It could take some years to rebuild the enrollment to sustainable levels,” Leno said.

The second part of the legislation would make the bill active immediately.

“We have an urgency clause in it, so it would go into effect when the governor signs it. As opposed to waiting until January of next year,” Leno said.

City College has seen a 23

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Mark Leno: page 2

Sports: Women’s basketball dominates

2 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014

news

World Briefs

Editor-in-Chief Madeline Collins Mananging Editor Patrick Tamayo Advertising Manager Calindra Revier Photo Editor Santiago Mejia News Editor Alex Lamp News Assistant Samantha Dennis Design and Layout Ana Carolina Quintela Marcelo Potosi Copy Chief Alex Reyes Copy Editors Tim Maguire Illustrator Anthony Mata Staff Writers Gina Scialabba Dan Harrington Tim Maguire Patrick Cochran Daniel Galloway Samantha Dennis Calindra Revier Charles Innis Adelaida Cochrane Jonathan Adler Elisabetta Silvestro Staff Photographers Ekevara Kitpowsong Elisa Parrino Khaled Sayed Bridgid Skiba Nathanial Y. Downes 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

General contact: news@theguardsman.com

California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges

Kosovo Professor resigns After resigning over forged academic works, Pristina University’s professor Ibrahim Gashi said “I hope that my resignation will start the normalization of work at the University of Pristina.”

Police have clashed with students and other protesters in the Kosovo capital since the scandal became public.

“You had people of all ages, including parents whose children who were not even in University of Pristina and who joined the protest because they are not satisfied,” Flutura Kusari from the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Pristina, said.

Until now, such large-scale mobilizations have been something of a rarity in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. (Deutsche Welle) USA Identity Options You are not stuck with two options anymore when it comes to gender identity on Facebook.

The social media site is now giving you 50 options to express your gender.

“When you come to Facebook to connect with the people, causes and organizations you care about, we want you to feel comfortable being your true, authentic self,” Facebook said in a post on its Diversity page.

Facebook also tweaked its privacy settings to let users control with whom they share their custom gender.

The social network did not say when the new gender options might be available to users outside the U.S. (CNN) Russia Adoption ban A new decree from Russia puts a ban on adoption for same sex couples and single people.

Last year Russia issued a law that bans Americans from adopting Russian children.

Many people suggested that the law was issued in order to retaliate against the law passed by the U.S. in 2012 punish-

ing Russian officials who may have been involved in the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian auditor.

He died after allegedly uncovering corruption and humanrights issues.

The new law comes at the footsteps of another anti-gay adoption law that singles out gay people from adopting children in Russia. (AlJazeera) Italy Leader steps down After his own Democratic Party staged a dramatic revolt to set the stage to replace him with the party’s new leader, Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister Enrico Letta announced his resignation.

“The push to have Renzi taking the lead comes from society, more than from within the Democratic Party,” Giorgio Tonini, a party member who serves in Italy’s Senate said.

“The idea behind it is that a leadership change can bring new nourishment to the government’s actions and more consensus with the party.”

Protesters gathered out of the presidential palace shouting “Elections, elections.”(New York Times) Mexico Father seeks answers The family of a man who died on a fishing boat says they still have unanswered questions after talking to an Salvadoran castaway who was with him and apparently survived for 13 months at sea.

The El Paso Times reported that Nicolas Cordova Cruz, the father of 23-year-old Ezequiel Cordova Rios, wants to meet Jose Salvador Alvarenga.

Cruz, who lives in Mexico, says he spoke to Alvarenga on the phone and the man asked for forgiveness.

But he says he wants more details about why his son died.

Alvarenga’s boat washed up on the Marshall Islands earlier this month.

He has said he survived by eating raw fish, turtles and seagulls. (El Paso Times)

Mark Leno: from page 1 percent decline in enrolled students from 2011 to 2013.

Although this legislation will help the college, the funding will still be based off the 2013 registration numbers.

Enrollment has steadily decreased since the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges first sanctioned City College.

School’s value

“City College is an irreplaceable and valued institution that must remain open for the thousands of San Francisco residents who rely on it to access educational opportunities, workforce training and the skills they will need to compete and succeed in the 21st Century economy,” Lee said in a press release from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

Leno shares the same sentiment when it comes to City College and hopes the bill will be passed.

“I’m going to think positively that we can find the two-thirds vote support that we will need,” Leno said. “This is my effort.”

Compton Community College was in a similar situation in 2005.

After the accrediting commis-

sion denied Compton’s appeal, the school was absorbed into the El Camino Community College District.

“They had different problems and there was a proposed alternative solution,” Leno said in referencing Compton Community College’s experience. “So this is probably the first time we’ve tried to extend the existing one-year funding stabilization to four years,” Leno said.

This new legislation will redirect some of the issues the college is facing.

“Without this fix … the district would receive less state funding, which in turn would require further cuts in classes, in staff, which means enrollment would drop even further,” Leno said. “It’s a vicious downward spiral and that’s what this is about. It’s about stabilization until we get out of the woods.”

File photo of Mark Leno. Courtesy of senate.ca.gov web page

THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB.19 - MAR. 4, 2014| 3

news Campos backs Board of Trustees resolution

By Tim Maguire

@sfbreakingnews tmaguire@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

District 9 Supervisor David Campos proposed a resolution to restore the school’s Board of Trustees following state Senate Bill 965 being introduced Feb. 10 to recover lost federal funding due to dwindling enrollment at City College.

Campos stressed the importance of the democratically-elected Board of Trustees’ ability to make policy decisions that affect all City College students during the Feb. 11 San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting.

The Board of Trustees were stripped of their power in July 2013.

“This resolution urges California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice Harris to restore a voice back to voters of San Francisco and bring back transparency and public accountability by promptly restoring the duly-elected Board of Trustees,” Campos said.

The resolution also calls for the removal of Special Trustee Robert Agrella, who replaced the board and operates with little public oversight. “[Agrella] is making major decisions behind closed doors that normally would have gone in front of the Board of Trustees,”

Campos said. “Some decisions we believe would not have been made had there been an open, democratic process and a forum for the public to know about these decisions.”

He noted the new payment system, a closed-door decision that has especially hurt undocumented students who must pay out-of-state tuition costs that are nearly three times more than San Francisco residents.

“These are low-income students who just want more time to pay, which the college had previously provided,” Campos said.

Members of the Board of Trustees, Save CCSF Coalition and the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121 then spoke in support of the resolution during the meeting’s public comment time.

“It’s time to bring democracy back to City College and control of the school back to San Francisco residents,” Board of Trustees President John Rizzo said.

City College transitional studies instructor Rodger Scott believes unnecessary spending could have been avoided if the board was in power.

“If we still had the Board of Trustees, we wouldn’t have needed to spend $500,000 for advertising to increase enrollment, while the administration was cutting classes at the same time,” Scott said.

City College’s Board of Trustees President John Rizzo comments after hearing a proposal to restore the board’s power on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014 at San Francisco City Hall. Photo by Santiago Mejia/The Guardsman

Outside the meeting, Alissa Messer, president of AFT Local 2121, was concerned about how top administrators almost quietly received a nearly 20 percent salary hike pending Agrella’s approval, and how decisions like these should be made by the democratic board.

“Things are getting worse,”

Messer said. “We need our board back to see what’s been happening at City College.”

Student Trustee Shanell Williams also attended the board meeting, but just like Rizzo, she no longer has a formal role to play in the ongoing City College drama.

“Students are feeling disenfranchised by the Accrediting

Commission of Colleges and Junior Colleges, the [special trustee] and the chancellor’s office,” Williams said after the meeting.

“San Francisco deserves to have a voice in major decisions.”

Flex Day: page 1

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raises, they were hired at a pay rate above the official schedule, a fact that had been concealed.

The three new positions are purported to be making 10 to 13 percent more than the official salary rate, according to records obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.

“Yes, we had three administrators that had been put on a scale above the one that was published,” Tyler said. “That should have been public.” Tyler then issued a pledge to the faculty members.

“I hereby tell you that from now on every single resolution that hires a person in this institution will have their salary posted,” Tyler said.

Tyler claimed responsibility for obscuring the administrators’ actual pay from the public.

“I own every single error that everybody makes in this institution,” Tyler said. “I’Il own the mistakes and I’m not going to run from that.”

The resolution to alter the salary schedule was initially proposed by Tyler in order to comply with an audit by the State Teachers’ Retirement System, an organization that provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits for teachers.

“There was not in the board resolution that hired them a statement of their salary, which means those people cannot receive STRS credit for the time that they are here until that happens,” Tyler said.

Engineering Department instructor Wendy Kaufmyn said the vice chancellors would still collect retirement benefits from the State Teachers’ Retirement System if the salary schedule remained unaltered.

Tyler didn’t specify why the vice chancellors were hired above published salary pay in his address and some faculty believe there are still many questions that remain unanswered.

Disputes surrounding the concealed salary rate have raised questions among staff regarding the equity of having a single “special trustee with extraordinary powers” over a larger collective of leaders.

“What seems to be missing is a set of checks and balances,” business instructor Carole Meagher said in an email to Tyler. “With a full board of trustees in place members had someone to consider alternate points of view as well as create some accountability for decisions being made.”

Meagher said groups that could help support leadership include the Department Chair Council and the Academic Senate, both of which have been minimized in power in the last year.

“Blocking all these groups wholesale creates extra stress and risk to a new administrator,” Meagher said, “and one might understand the reasons they would demand hazard pay to come to CCSF.”

4 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014

culture Movie Review: “Labor Day”

Legos save the world in new 3-D film

“The Lego Movie” courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/MCT

By Gina Scialabba

@journalist_gina gscialabba@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

A witty, side-splittingly hysterical movie with dialogue so sharp and funny that it rivals many current comedies—and it’s about Legos? Oh yes, it sure is.

“The Lego Movie” is the most unexpected movie of the year. You certainly don’t have to be a young child or a lover of colorful bricks to appreciate it.

What’s so fantastic about it?

Let’s start with why the movie is worth seeing.

As the theme song in the film suggests, everything is awesome.

Really, it’s awesome.

This is directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord’s (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “21 Jump Street”) love letter to nonconformity.

It’s about thinking way beyond outside the parameters of the box.

It’s a tribute to recognizing that every person on this planet has

something valuable to contribute, no matter how great or small.

But you have to find that passion, that drive, that impetus to make yourself believe.

And “The Lego Movie” made a believer out of me.

The story begins with Emmet (Chris Pratt), a typical every man construction worker with no distinct personality of his own, except by what is defined by others’ interactions with him.

Emmet is a conformist. He tries to be like the crowd, but in doing so, becomes a nobody, a person that his fellow co-workers can barely remember. Our hero whistles while he works, always following the “instruction manual.”

He distracts himself by watching mind-numbing television shows containing the same recycled jokes (“Honey, have you seen my pants?” Hysterical laughter from the crowd every time) and plot themes.

Sounds like the current state of network television.

All of this is about to change when Emmet literally stumbles upon the “piece of resistance,” a coveted red piece of plastic that is apparently the key to stopping the evil and ruthless President Business (Will Ferrell), a control-freak CEO with dreams of world domination.

President Business, aka Lord Business, physically resembles former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

He runs a media conglomerate controlling everything on the airways and more—music, TV shows, surveillance systems and even history books.

And boy, he can’t wait to take over the world by super gluing it together.

Back to our ordinary guy, Emmet. Once he finds the “piece of resistance,” he is mistaken as being a “Master Builder,” or one who can save the universe. Then, the journey begins.

Emmet leads a team in a plan to save the world. He is joined

by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks),

Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), Unikitty (Alison Brie), Benny (Charlie Day) and, yes, Batman (Will Arnett).

In addition to being hilarious, it’s a cornucopia of computergenerated imagery effects with real Lego elements done in a photorealistic stop-motion style.

It works.

The movie is filled with colorful, eye-catching animation. The CGI shots are crisp, clear, bold and detailed.

The only negative part of the movie is that it’s 100 minutes of product placement. I was inclined to leave the theater, pick up a brick and start building my own Legoland.

Oh yeah and Fox News recently bashed the film, claiming it indoctrinates children into an “anti-capitalist” Hollywood mindset.

Maybe, but what a fun ride it is.

Should you go? Indeed. See it twice. There’s so much detail, you might miss something.

If you go...

Running Time: 100 Minutes Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family Release Date: Feb. 7, 2014 MPAA Rating: R Directed by: Phil Lord Christopher Miller Stars: Will Ferrell Will Arnett Elizabeth Banks Morgan Freeman

THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014 | 5

culture

Thailand

Student’s journey overseas to discover a new world

By Calindra Revier

@sfbreakingnews crevier@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

Luckily I had checked the weather in Tokyo the night before I left and packed a small sweater, because the air hung crisp and cold, threatening snow, when I arrived there.

The excitement I felt helped me ignore my body temperature, which had dropped rapidly.

But that is not where this story really starts.

For a year, I planned my trip to Thailand. I studied the guidebooks, I saved up money and I waited for my moment to escape this country and all of its culture I had grown accustomed to.

I quit my job and tried to convince friends to go with me on my journey because I was being told traveling alone through Asia was dangerous and foolish.

After being frustrated by the endless list of people who agreed and then backed out, I read a traveling blog by a woman who convinced me that I had no more excuses not to go.

Spending what little money I had left, I finally purchased a ticket for the flight from SFO to Tokyo, that connected through to Osaka and then Bangkok.

Instantly full of fear and excitement, I wondered if I had made the right decision.

I packed my backpack the night before I left and departed the day after finals.

This was to be my trip of discovering myself and trying to find a new perspective.

I was going to chase Buddhism to the source and attempt to claim some of its tranquility and mindfulness for my own.

The plan was simple, one month traveling from Bangkok to the south of Thailand and then north from there. Ten days were set aside for an intense, silent Buddhist retreat.

All the while, my main concern was staying alive and staying out of the political protests that had been going on for months.

Friends had warned me that people on both sides of the protest

Shibuya Crossing on Friday, Dec. 20, 2013. This pedestrian crossing is one of Tokyo’s most popular and busiest streets. Photo

by Calindra Revier/The Guardsman

had died and that protesters had been beaten and maced. The country was on edge and no one knew what the outcome was going to be.

It seemed that tourism hadn’t been affected, so my fear about the protests was relatively low.

I had an 11-hour layover in Tokyo.

A dear friend of mine who lived in Japan for years mapped out and planned an amazing night for me in the Shibuya district.

The city was everything I had expected and more.

Its funny how it’s the little things you end up remembering.

Complicated heated toilet seats that play music or someone helping you buy a train ticket.

It’s always the little things that end up staying with you.

After so much delicious food, all consumed in a few hours with an assortment of English-speaking friends I had met from at least six different countries, I said goodbye.

I finished my night alone at Ichiran ramen, a magical culinary experience I’d rather keep to myself then try and recreate for you.

Finding Tokyo familiar and welcoming beyond belief was surprising and yet comforting.

It was a beautiful place with kind and purposeful people made me confident that this was going

Mayo chili sauce, Friday, Dec. 20, 2013. Photo by Calindra Revier/The Guardsman

to be the trip I had been waiting for all these years.

The streets were freezing, rainy and almost snowing as I boarded my train at 5:30 a.m. to Haneda Airport. I was ready for Thailand’s heat.

I only booked my first night in Thailand at a hostel in Bangkok.

My romantic side told me it was more adventurous to travel that way. In many ways it was.

I felt engaged at every moment

of my trip, as if every step I took led me into a deeper unknown.

I was a fool on a mission for mystery and yet felt like this was the only way to travel to regain that human craving for the world in which I live.

I was right.

The heat on the streets of Thailand at almost midnight made the smells overwhelming and sweat drip down every part of my body.

As I stepped off the SKY train, I realized that I was lost.

Backpack on my back, I wandered the streets looking for my hostel, somewhat afraid but curious to see how it would all turn out.

Our Thailand column will return in Issue 4 of The Guardsman

6 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014

culture

Jazz duo plays for Bla Photo and Story by Nathanial Y. Downes

THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014 | 7

culture

ack History Month City College celebrates Black History Month with a performance and lecture

by Six Roses, the jazz duo of guitarist Michael Cavaseno and saxophonist David Boyce at Ocean campus on Feb. 10.

The duo has been performing on and off together for over 20 years. Eclecticism, spontaneity creativity and passion fuel their commitment to producing organic music in the moment.

They played original material off their yet to be released CD entitled “Voices.�

8 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014

opinion Column

Conservatives need to accept ‘Obamacare’

By Alex Reyes

@sfbreakingnews areyes@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

We’re looking at an Affordable Care Act that can save lives, too?

That’s right.

The good news is in the last two months several hundred million Americans just got better coverage for addiction treatment in their insurance with the final provisions of the Affordable Care Act, the Parity Law and new changes in Medicare, which just took effect Jan. 1.

That’s a revolution and a great achievement for a lot of people in this country, politically and at the grassroots.

You can probably imagine the shock I felt when I heard such a positive comment about the Affordable Care Act on the radio as I drove to class on Feb. 4.

In the wake of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death due to a heroin overdose during the preceding weekend, KQED’s morning Forum program aired a show on battling drug addiction.

Host Michael Krasny began the show by interviewing Gordon Humphries, a Stanford School of Medicine professor and a former senior policy adviser at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Krasny went on to ask Humphries about new insurance coverage for substance abuse treatment programs.

“The Affordable Care Act defines substance abuse (treatment) for the first time as an essential health care benefit,” Humphries said. “So all new plans must offer benefits and they must offer them at parity.

The Parity Law requires employ-

ers to cover addiction treatment and Medicare, which historically for outpatient services.”

The Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to and derided as “Obamacare,” has had to endure a withering political assassination attack by the Republican Party since it was debated and passed by Congress in 2010.

The act has almost never enjoyed majority support from Americans polled about it and for good reason (or, in this case, for the worst of reasons).

It was condemned by Republican lawmakers as a “job killer” and a federal government takeover of health care before it even took effect.

Last March, Mad Dog Republican Michele Bachmann (if you don’t know about the Mad Dog wing of the Grand Old Party, tune in to C-SPAN, stick with it and listen closely) took to the floor of the House of Representatives and declared that the Affordable Care Act “literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens.”

And just last week, Republican lawmakers, and even card-carrying members of the “liberal media” such as NBC’s White House correspondent Chuck Todd and NBC correspondent Luke Russert misconstrued a Congressional Budget Office report that people would take advantage of the expanded health care coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act and leave the workforce.

Republicans quickly cited the report to claim that it confirmed their “Obamacare is a job-killer” argument.

The CBO report said that some Americans who chose to work less because of the Affordable Care Act’s extension of health care benefits might start

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their own businesses.

Another not so large leap of logic is that the American workforce consists of so many people looking for jobs that many if not all of those that might become available could be filled.

Why does expanded health care benefits for all Americans drive the Republican Party mad?

Such conservative inhumanity is not a new story.

In a 1961, future Calif. governor and United States President Ronald Reagan recorded a 10-minute vinyl LP record in which he condemned a congressional bill that was a stepping stone to Medicare, which became law in 1965.

“From here,” Reagan declared, “it’s a short step to all the rest of socialism ... pretty soon, your son won’t decide when he’s in school, where he will go or what he will do for a living. He will wait for the government to tell him where he will go to work and what he will do.”

In 2005, George W. Bush became the first president to call for a partial privatization of Social Security.

The Wall Street greed-driven financial collapse of 2008 did little to quell Republican enthusiasm for later attempts to fully privatize Social Security.

In the October 2012 vice presidential candidate debate,

Republican challenger Paul Ryan confirmed that he supports privatizing the program. Ryan remains a serious contender for the 2016 Republican Party presidential nomination.

Unlike “Obamacare,” such Republican Party hatred of expanded health care for all Americans does not save lives.

Neither the “lame stream” media nor the American people should continue to aid and abet such enemies of social democracy.

THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014 | 9

opinion

Staff editorial

Bullies have new dangerous platform The image of a bully is often depicted on a playground or in school hallways. The bully is big and strong, while the victim being picked on is nerdy, weird or simply different.

Now bullying has evolved and the image has changed.

Since social media sites and cell phones have become so integrated into our everyday lives, bullies have a new platform to torment their victims with a few strokes of a keyboard and clicks of a mouse.

Prior to these tools designed to network yourself among friends and to send text messages, being a bully required you to say harsh and hurtful words directly to the victim.

With today’s technology, bullies can cower behind a keyboard leaving harsh comment after comment.

Cyberbullying has become a hot topic in the United States and internationally. Its effects are reaching children, teenagers, college students and even adults.

In 2006, 13-year-old Megan Meier committed suicide after the mother of one of her friends

Illustration by Anthony Mata

created a fake profile. The mother became friends with Meier posing as a young boy, gained her trust and then turned on her, sending cruel messages.

In Florida, 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick committed suicide in September after being bullied online by two of her peers.

The two girls were arrested and charged with aggravated stalking.

On Feb. 12, Italian lawmakers called for legislation that

would prevent cyberbullying. The lawmakers’ action was in response to the suicide of a 14-year-old girl, who jumped from a building after being bullied on the site ask. fm. The site allows users to post anonymous questions and interact with other users.

There have been numerous other cases of teens who committed suicide being bullied on the site.

According to stopbullying.

gov, bullying isn’t often the direct cause of suicide among teens but can be a contributing factor.

The website also said 12 out of 15 school shootings in the 1990s were committed by bully victims.

Though mass shootings and suicides may be the extreme in the case of bullying, there is no denying that such incidents are happening around the world.

The potential of cyberbullying anonymity is particularly alarm-

ing. It allows the bully to believe that they can act without consequence.

If the victim has no idea who you are, there are ultimately no boundaries. Whoever can make or break the rules will come out on top.

The question still remains, what can we do to stop it?

It is a simple question with a complicated answer.

Drought is marking the beginning of the end

By Adaleida Cochrane @sfbreakingnews mcollins@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

Gov. Jerry Brown announced in mid-January that the current drought had reached a state of emergency, but it took me until the rain began to admit how bad this could really be.

For months, I had put the buzzing responses to news comments regarding the drought to bed with flippant arguments such as “Haven’t we been in drought for decades?” and “Isn’t southern Calif. always on fire anyway?”

I knew that my denial was rooted in the fact that I feel largely powerless over this issue.

I think we all know this climate change is the result of global warming and the people who really matter don’t care.

Not that I don’t believe in being conservative with my carbon footprint. I recycle, bike, take short showers, etc.

I believe we should all be conscientious with our waste and aware of our effects on our surroundings.

When you look at the numbers it is hard not to realize that we can shrink that footprint down to a pinprick and it will hardly do anything to mitigate the damage

Photo courtesy of Photo Morgue

done by the big business policies of this country.

I should go see a glacier as soon as possible before the inevitable strikes.

I grew up in rural northern Calif. and we had a lot of issues with forest fires.

In 1999, the fire season lasted from August to November. One fire came an eighth of a mile from our house before it was put out.

Southern Calif. is now expected to have an unending fire season due to lack of rain.

The “it” moment in climate change we have all been waiting for might just be happening right now.

Calif. is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts since record-keeping began 150 years ago. We are smack in the middle of what Mother Jones magazine calls one of the worst droughts in 500 years and we could be in for a mega-drought predicted to span the next 200 years or more.

It is too late for rain to mend the damages.

National Geographic speculates that it could last another 200 years.

Dr. Peter Gleick, co-director of the Pacific Institute, a waterfocused research nonprofit, explained that because Calif. reservoirs are already depleted from a dry past two years rain is crucial.

“We need a really, really wet rest of the season. And that’s statistically unlikely,” Gleick said.

Calif. uses 80 percent of its water supply for agriculture.

The Central Valley has been the biggest hit area of this threeyear drought, which means that beef and milk prices are likely to go up as grazing pastures shrink.

But it is not just the animals that are affected.

Milt McGiffen, a vegetable crops specialist at University of California at Riverside, said that since farmers have been unable to plant many seeds, artichokes, celery, broccoli and cauliflower, just to name a few, could rise in price at least 10 percent.

Calif. is also the top producing state for lemons, limes, peaches, strawberries, almonds, walnuts and pistachios. All of these and other crops could be facing problems in production.

So let me get this straight. We might run out of water and our crops might dry up, but this is bigger than just Calif.

Food prices are on the rise, the state is supposed to go up in flames and we are being asked to watch our water waste? That cannot be a long-term solution, if there even is one.

Because if it is really as bad as everyone is saying, I won’t have time to go see a glacier. At this rate, I might as well stay home and wait for them to float by.

10 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014

sports Column

Get your eye patches ready, San Francisco

By Dan Harrington

@sfbreakingnews dharrington@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

Big Brother, also known as San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, wants us to purchase seats as souvenirs from the soon-tobe imploded Candlestick Park, where they played their last game in a 44-season run one month ago.

Go ahead if you have hundreds of dollars for that folly, whether or not it raises money for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, before it becomes a forlorn cash cow blown to smithereens.

If football is a valentine of yours, I say put your Niner memories in the foot locker and put your threads in the seats at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

Oakland? Why? Well, its ten miles away as the crow flies from the City College Ocean campus and just a short walk across the ramp to the stadium if you use BART to the Coliseum station.

Admission to see the Raiders play in the National Football League is far less than what is going to be charged by the Niners as they “go south” to their new tech-extravagance called Levi’s Stadium.

Not only did the organization take the team from the city, they stole St. Francis’ denim in the process.

Take the people’s team since 1946 over 40 miles away and take our collective pants? Now that ain’t right. It’s downright unseemly (make that “unseamly”).

Mayor Lee cheerleading for the Super Bowl in Santa Clara?

“Fuggetta-Bowdit,” as the Jersey City hosts of this year’s lamentable Super Bowl might suggest.

Let Santa Clara’s mayor and city council do the work on that, with help from San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy.

I suspect travelers will remember San Francisco—the city and county—is still here without a South Bay Chamber of Commerce map in 2016 for “Super Bowl L.” What does “L” stand for anyway?

Yes, “L” equals 50 in Roman numerals, but today it stands for “losers,” as in the fans who lost their beloved hometown team— and, very soon, its ice sculpture of a football stadium.

Better to house the Raiders temporarily at Candlestick, while they build a new venue in Oakland with adequate plumbing among other amenities.

Or even have them over permanently in the BayviewHunters Point at the mall and stadium duo already ratified by voters in 2008.

Help the same 49er group that turned away from the ballot measure that would have brought jobs to southeastern San Francisco throughout the year, instead

San Francisco 49ers fan holds up a scarf during a game on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/MCT)

of the measly ten gridiron dates a year as it has been since 1971?

The Niners said “See Ya” years ago.

Waiting for them to go has been like watching them get plays into the huddle: painfully slow and at the last second, if not beyond.

It’s not the new star quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, or longtime stars such as Frank Gore and Patrick Willis, who are the problem, but the owners and head coach who have acted so poorly that we cannot support the team any longer.

One head coach, Mike Nolan, had the temerity to insult future Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice three times (encouraging him to come back to the team to retire only, then not allowing him to retire as a Niner, then not adding him to finish a season where he would have clearly been the team’s best receiver on a corps ravaged by injuries).

Later, former Niner mentor Mike Singletary pulled his pants down in an effort to express himself.

But at least they didn’t continually look like a spoiled crybaby on the sidelines or in the media, as current head coach Jim Harbaugh has, including the former NFLquarterback’s pleading and gesturing for a pass interference call that no team gets in a regular season final drive, not to mention in the waning moments of the Niners’ first loss in a Super Bowl (to Baltimore a year ago).

Nice win-loss record, no doubt, but his ego is insatiable. It will wear out his team, as will his fickle ways (see Smith-Kaepernick in 2012 and Harbaugh’s 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in this postseason).

The Niner front office had better order some smoke-andmirrors, more than one set, for the new digs near San Jose. What would Bill Walsh think?

You may have kids you may actually want to be able to bring to

a game. To pay what kind of price?

To see what kind of behavior?

You may have friends who are not brainwashed into thinking they must be “Niner Faithful” while they are sucker punched by a money-consumed business office that prefers South Bay luxury box dwellers over the north Peninsula home-grown fan base.

Much like former Niner quarterback Alex Smith, who toiled for years with countless bosses and playbooks, linemen and injuries only to get the boot by the ego of his head coach.

True San Franciscans-inheart, if not residence, have been dismissed after gutting through more than a decade of doldrums for the brass’ dreams of greater riches in Silicon Valley.

That’s what the soon-to-be-inname-only San Francisco FortyNiners are doing—prospecting for gold.

The team had all the gold it needed in those little jean pockets

called Kezar and Candlestick, and could have kept more in a new pair of dungarees in town.

They might as well replace the “SF” in the oval with a dollar sign in an empty heart.

If San Franciscans had voted against the Niners and the “stadiumall,” the move two area codes away would be tolerable.

But the vote won. The city wanted to keep its football franchise inside the city limits.

The team made their stadium elsewhere anyway.

The Niners said goodbye to 415.

Don’t plan on a call or text either, unless Jed York needs something from “Frisco.”

Now with the fallen 501’s at the ankles of 101, let’s witness the parking, traffic and etiquette surrounding 49er home games in Santa Clara.

Don’t forget, the Raiders will need a new stadium someday, whether in the East Bay or San

Francisco.

In the near term, we can actually see a pro game we can afford and an underdog spirit with an upside, and new Raider convert fans can’t be accused of being front-runners.

If we are truly loyal geographically and to ourselves, we can compartmentalize our memories of the hard-working and successful Niner teams and leadership, and say good riddance to the Potemkin whistle-and-ledgerwielding wannabes who have swiped and tarnished the storied legacy.

There are some great players and people on the Niners.

But why fool ourselves that the Niners, as they’ve been led away, are “our team?” The answer is a definite no.

If (and that’s a big “if ”) we care about our NFL status, then we should go with the underdog spirit and reward the team giving back to its community, not disavowing it.

We should be practical with our own finances, time and travel.

We should act in line with our values of fairness and loyalty and sense of community.

If you were born and raised San Francisco, it’s now the time to join the Raider Nation, unfathomable as it once would have seemed.

The Raiders could even play in San Francisco someday, if our leaders dare dream big again.

No matter what, I’m glad that the Bay Bridge is finally ready and BART is working at full strength, too.

Oakland will always be closer than Santa Clara, wherever that is (that’s a dig, get it, 49ers?)

Well, adios Niners. Best wishes on your path to glory and “caviar dreams.”

Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden (20) celebrates with fans after scoring a touchdown on Sunday, September 25, 2011. (Nhat V. Meyer/San Jose Mercury News/MCT)

THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014 | 11

sports

Baseball

Napa rallies in extra innings game

Rams sophomore pitcher Tyler Scharnow (26) throws a pitch during a baseball game on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, against Napa Valley College at Fairmont Field in Pacifica, Calif. Photo by Santiago Mejia/The Guardsman

By Franz Henderson @sfbreakingnews @theguardsman.com

The Guardsman In the first of a two-game preseason series against the Napa Valley College Storm on Feb. 13, the Rams blew a one-run lead in the 9th inning, losing 3-2 at Fairmont Field in Pacifica, City College’s home field.

City College allowed Napa to strike first in the top of the second

inning, when Napa sophomore Jerod Moreno singled to send freshman Ignacio Diaz in for the run.

The Rams answered in the bottom of the second after freshman Tramane Moore drove in sophomore Albert Talaroc, who got on base after being hit by a pitch.

Leading by one run, the Rams were able to keep Napa off the scoreboard for five innings, thanks to Rams ace, sophomore Tyler Scharnow.

Men’s Basketball Brief The City College men’s basketball team had an impressive 90-58 win over Las Positas College, in which the Rams clearly outmatched their opponent.

Despite the dominating win, head coach Justin Labagh was not completely impressed with his teams win.

“We played OK. We were better at every position,” Labagh said. “I expect us to be able to play at that level or better.”

The team engaged in a uptempo, fast-paced game, running the court and using their 2-1-2 press.

City College received impressive contributions from guards

Dulani Robinson, Travante Williams and Gabe Bealer.

Robinson was able to push the ball in transition and had several assists, while Williams and Bealer were able to slash and drive their way to the basket to score.

Late in the second half, center Sami Eleraky had a one handed slam that added an exclamation point to the victory.

The Rams (25-1, 10-0) remained undefeated in CoastNorth conference play after their Valentine’s Day night showing.

(Patrick Cochran)

Scharnow allowed one earned run and finished with four strikeouts.

With a one-run advantage, the Rams brought in sophomore Peter Casey in the eighth inning to close out the game.

Casey was able to hold Napa from scoring in the eighth inning and put the Rams in position to win it in the ninth.

That was until an error occurred at second base and allowed Napa’s Randy Keen to score an unearned run to tie the

game in the ninth inning.

In the deciding moment of the game during the top of the 10th inning, sophomore Ryan Rudstro scored on an error made by the Rams and took their first lead since the second inning, 3-2.

Following the collapse, the Rams were unable to convert in the bottom of the inning.

Napa freshman JJ Harloff closed the game retiring three Rams batters in a row.

Scharnow believes that City College is still in the process of

finding their “groove.”

“Errors just took us out of the game,” Scharnow said. “Going forward, execution is going to be key.”

City College (1-7) beat Napa Valley on Feb. 15 for their first preseason win.

The regular season for the Rams begins Feb. 25 at Mission College. First pitch is at 2 p.m.

Rams freshman guard Gabe Bealer (25) goes up for a layup against Las Positas College during a CCCAA men’s basketball game on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, at Ocean campus. Photo by Nathaniel Y. Downes/ The Guardsman

12 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | FEB. 19 - MAR. 4, 2014

sports

Basketball

Rams dump Hawks on Valentine’s Day sports calendar BASEBALL Feb. 20, 1 p.m.

vs. College of Marin @Fairmont Field Feb. 22, 12 p.m. @ Gavilan College

Feb. 25, 2 p.m. @ Mission College Feb. 27, 2 p.m. @ Cañada College Mar. 1, 12 p.m. @ Cañada College Mar. 4, 1 p.m. vs. De Anza College @Fairmont Field

BASKETBALL MEN:

Feb. 19, 7 p.m. @ Chabot College Feb. 21, 7 p.m. vs. Ohlone College Playoffs begin Feb. 26

WOMEN:

Feb. 19, 5 p.m. @ Chabot College Feb. 21, 5 p.m. vs. Ohlone College Playoffs begin Feb. 26

SOFTBALL

Feb. 25, 1 p.m. vs. Contra Costa College Feb. 27, 1 p.m. vs. De Anza College Mar. 1, 12 p.m. @ Butte College Mar. 4, 1 p.m. vs. ChaboteCollege

TENNIS

Feb. 2, 2 p.m. @ Foothill College Feb. 28, 2 p.m. vs. Cabrillo College Mar. 4, 2 p.m. @ De Anza College

Rams sophomore guard Raquel Torres (10) is pressured by a Las Positas College player during a CCCAA women’s basketball game on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, at Ocean campus. Photo by Khaled Sayed/The Guardsman

By Patrick Cochran

@sfbreakingnews pcochran@theguardsman.com

The Guardsman

It might have been Valentine’s Day, but City College women’s basketball team didn’t show their opponent, Las Positas College, any love.

The final score was a staggering 96-23 and the Rams dominated their opponent in every aspect of the game.

The Rams’ unrelenting 2-1-2 full court press gave Las Positas fits all night.

Unable to find any sort of offensive rhythm while turning over the ball at a high rate, the Rams made easy work of their opponent.

“Our defense was huge for us. Everyone was getting a lot of stops,” head coach Jamie Hayes said.

Sophomore forward Kiah Knox had quite possibly the most impressive night of anyone on the team. Going against a much larger opponent, Las Positas freshman center Breanna Wilson, who had a height and weight advantage, Knox was able to score a game high 20 points.

“Kiah had a great game out there, really fought hard in the paint and is not scared to go against a bigger athlete,” Hayes said. “Kiah is really good at knowing how to best go against her opponent, and tonight was

Rams sophomore forward Geena Greene (35) goes up for a shot against Las Positas College on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, at Ocean campus. Photo by Khaled Sayed/The Guardsman

the perfect example of her using all her advantage to have a great game.”

Knox was able to score in a variety of ways, sometimes posting her opponent in the paint

which is typical for her position.

Other times she showed versatility in her scoring, getting the ball at the top of the key, then either pivoting or employing a stutter step to throw off the defender

and driving to the basket in the other direction to make contested layups.

“Even though the person I was going against was bigger than me, I didn’t let that affect my game. We know as a team if we play hard like we did tonight we will do well,” Knox said. “ I used my smaller size to my advantage. I knew I could move around quicker than my opponent and that definitely helped with my scoring tonight.”

Rams sophomore Franeka Hall showed tremendous athleticism, including one impressive play in the second half. She blocked an opponent’s threepointer, quickly recovered the loose ball and then threw a long outlet pass to teammate sophomore Raquel Torres who got the fast break layup.

The play showcased Hall’s savvy court vision.

After the game Hall partially credited the tremendous victory to a team meeting they had earlier in the day.

“We all met … this afternoon to have a team meeting. It really put us in the right place for this game,” Hall said. “We are more than a team. We are family.”

City College has two regular season games left, versus Chabot College Feb. 19 and Ohlone College Feb. 21.

With a 22-3 record so far, there is no reason this family can’t continue their domination into the postseason.