VOL. 157, ISSUE 7, APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014
CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO | SINCE 1935 | THEGUARDSMAN.COM | @SFBREAKINGNEWS | FREE
Cover Story
Former Ram to the NBA?
In this March 9, 2013, file photo - Delon Wright (left) is congratulated by his teammate following a basketball win against Santa Rosa College. The Rams won the match 88-54 and remain undefeated with 31 wins. Photo by Santiago Mejia/The Guardsman
By Zack Tobita & Ivan Huang
@sfbreakingnews ztobita@theguardsman.com ihuang@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
In today’s game of college basketball, where high school YouTube sensations become “oneand-done” pro-draft prospects, junior college transfers typically never get the attention that they deserve. Former City College basketball player Delon Wright is currently undecided on joining the pros in the National Basketball Association, despite many reports saying that he was going to stay in college for his senior season.
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“I’m undecided right now, I’ll know in a week,” Wright said in an interview with The Guardsman on April 18. Although the 2012 and 2013 North Coast Conference Most Valuable Player has not made his decision, draftexpress.com has projected Wright to be taken as the 29th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Whether his decision is to join the pros with his brother Dorell, who plays for the Portland Trailblazers, or to return for another season with the University of Utah Utes, a former coach believes that he has the talent to play in the NBA. “I think he can make it,” Rams assistant coach Adam D’Acquisto said. “I think he can play with
Work-study: Wages raised for student workers
6
anybody.” In 2013, Wright was the 17th-ranked junior college transfer in the country, according to jucorecruiting.com. As a junior in his first season of Division I basketball, Wright wasted no time becoming the Utes leader on the court. Wright stuffed stat sheets this season with averages of 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.5 steals, 1.3 blocks and a conference-leading 36.4 minutes per game. “He has unbelievable court awareness and he just makes the easy play,” D’Acquisto said. Wright’s strong season would culminate with All-Pac-12 First Team and Pac-12-All-Defensive team honors.
Photo story: Football team trains during offseason
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His impact on both ends of the floor is defined not just by his numbers but by the amount of plays he affects. As a 6’5 combo guard, Wright’s long arms, quick hands and anticipation in passing lanes are a big reason his 2.5 steals per game was second in the conference. Despite the outstanding production, Wright continued to be overlooked. On March 1, NBA.com basketball insider Adam Zagoria tweeted, “Only 3 players in major conferences are averaging 15 ppg, 5 rpg and 5 apg: Shabazz Napier, DeAndre Kane & Juwan Staten, per ESPN.” Wright retweeted the tweet followed by a tweet of his own. “Still leaving me out,” Wright
Movie review: Documentary explores life as a teenager
tweeted. Individual accolades aside, the Utes struggled on the road and finished the year 9-9 in conference play and 21-12 overall, which was not enough to earn a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament bid. The Utes’ only hope of making the NCAA tournament came down to winning the PAC-12 tournament that was held in Las Vegas. In their first game of the tournament against the University of Washington, Wright led the Utes to a 67-61 win. His team moved on to a matchup against the topseeded University of Arizona Wildcats. Although Utah gave Arizona everything they could handle in
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Delon Wright: page 12
Track & Field: Rams compete at East Bay Invitational
2 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014
news
Dominican Republic
Man killed after stabbing
Editor-in-Chief Madeline Collins Managing Editor Patrick Tamayo Advertising Manager Calindra Revier Photo Editor Santiago Mejia News Editor Alex Lamp News Assistant Samantha Dennis Sports Editor Ivan Huang Design and Layout Ana Carolina Quintela Marcelo Potosi Copy Chief Alex Reyes Copy Editors Tim Maguire Contributing Illustrator Anthony Mata Staff Writers Gina Scialabba Dan Harrington Tim Maguire Patrick Cochran Daniel Galloway Samantha Dennis Calindra Revier Charles Innis Jonathan Adler Elisabetta Silvestro Staff Photographers Ekevara Kitpowsong Elisa Parrino Khaled Sayed Bridgid Skiba Nathaniel Y. Downes Faculty Advisor Juan Gonzales Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112
A Haitian father was killed by a mob after allegedly stabbing his 4-month-old daughter. According to police the incident occurred after the father assaulted the child’s mother and she ran away to call police. The daughter was stabbed in the neck and carried out of the home by one leg by her father. Neighbors then attacked and stabbed 37-year-old Jean Lounis, who died in the hospital the following day. The child was operated on and is in intensive care. Mob violence is a frequent occurrence in the Dominican Republic. (Washington Post)
Africa
Refugee camp attacked
A United Nations camp in South Sudan sheltering thousands of ethnic minority refugees who have fled fighting was attacked by a violent group of youth. The incident left 58 dead and another 100 people injured. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, said that children were among the dead and injured. Thousands of people are
World Briefs
believed to have been killed and over 1 million have abandoned their homes since fighting started in mid-December between troops loyal to the new president and supporters of a vice president who was fired in July 2013. Both sides of the conflict have been accused of recruiting child soldiers and officials warn of “famine-level hunger” because of the fighting. (Washington Post)
Venezuela
Turmoil continues
Protests continued in Venezuela over the Easter weekend as masked protesters clashed with police and burned puppets in the likeness of President Nicolas Maduro. There has been unrest almost daily since mid-February. Police responded to gas bombs and rocks with water-cannons and tear gas. Government officials put the death toll at 41 since the protesting began. The protests stem from what students say is a lack of solutions to violent crime, elevated prices and shortage of essential items. Maduro believes the United States government and international media have helped persuade the protesters to attempt
to overthrow him. Madura has been in power since the death of former President Hugo Chavez over a year ago. (Reuters)
South Korea
Passengers still missing
More than 250 people remain missing after a ferry capsized and sunk on April 16 off the northwest coast of South Korea. The death toll was at 87 as of April 21. No survivors have been found since the vessel sank. Communication transcripts showed “confusion and indecision” between the ferry crew and vessel coordinators on shore. The ferry’s captain and two crew members have been arrested for the incident. Although South Korea’s Seafarer Act requires the captain of a vessel to remain on the ship until all passengers are removed, ferry captain Lee JoonSeok was one of the first people to leave the boat. Authorities are attempting to figure out why the ship capsized and whether the crew followed proper evacuation procedures. (LA Times)
Nepal
Deadly avalanche
Up to 16 people are believed to have died on April 18 after “the
CREATIVE WRITING CLASSES AT CCSF FALL 2014 “...like a white sheet that has blown all day in the sun like a mountain lake filled with spring it shall slip over you...”
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Intro and Intermediate Fiction Writing
Intro and Intermediate Poetry Writing
ENGL 35L & 35M
ENGL 35A & 35B with M Harrison
ENGL 35C & 35D with J Isles
with S Mayers & J Young
Mon, Wed, Fri, 12:10 – 1:00pm Ocean Campus, MUB 370
Tues, Thurs, 12:40 – 1:55pm Ocean Campus, CLOU 276
Wed, 6:40pm – 9:30pm Ocean Campus, ARTX 262
ENGL 35A & 35B with J Davis Martin California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges
Tues, 6:00 – 8:50pm Mission Center, 1125 Valencia, #276 FOR MORE INFO: CCSF.EDU/DEPARTMENTS/ENGLISH/COURSES QUOTATION ATTRIBUTED TO DIANE DI PRIMA
Literary Magazine
deadliest avalanche ever” on Mt. Everest. So far, 13 bodies have been found and three people remain missing, likely buried under the ice and snow. Officials called off the search on April 20 as conditions on the world’s highest mountain became more severe. Several guides who had managed to make it above the site of the avalanche remain stranded on the mountain. The incident marks the highest death toll ever recorded in one incident. Hundreds of people have lost their lives attempting to climb the mountain since Everest’s summit was first scaled in 1953. The Nepalese government makes $3.3 million on climbing fees annually and charges a $10,000 permit fee per climber. (LA Times)
THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014| 3
news
Student workers’ wages to be increased By Patrick Fitzgerald
@ sfbreakingnews pfitzgerald@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
On April 25 all City College student workers will receive a pay increase from $9 to $10.74 per hour, a minimum wage rate that matches the City and County of San Francisco. The $9 wage rate was set more than five years ago. Final approval will be discussed at the next board meeting on April 24. The wage rate increase initiative has been a collaborative effort involving all City College locations, associated student councils and other City College committees. The initiative took shape as a formal recommendation from the Participatory Governance Council to Chancellor Arthur Tyler. “I am excited. It should have been sooner. There’s only one month left,” Rodney McGlown, a student worker, said. “We work hard.” City College’s perceived budgetary constraints are partially responsible for low student wages. Discussions about the increase
pivoted for a time on the notion that if wages increased, available student work hours would need to be trimmed. Student council representatives helped identify a potential source of unused, unrestricted funds under the Federal WorkStudy program. These funds made it possible to consider a hike in the student minimum wage. “I would like to say that this was definitely a battle that was fought in the best interest of the students and their hard work that they all contribute to this precious school of ours,” Oscar Pena, Associate Student Council president of Ocean campus, said. Once student representatives overcame the budget argument, they pressed hard for timely action before their terms in office expired in July. Their persistence looks to have paid off. “I think it is awesome,” Paul Dal Porto said. “I am excited about it, but I want to make sure it is fair for everyone.” Nevertheless, the number of hours for work-study students will be affected by the wage increase as federal guidelines specify each student’s total annual program earnings cap. In addition to helping students with their educational costs, the
Faith Wipajsilp (L) and Salma Lira (R) attending to customers at the on-campus café The Lunch Box on Monday, April 21, 2014. Photo by Nathaniel Y. Downes/The Guardsman
Federal Work-Study Program helps participating colleges in hiring workers through a matching-funds program that makes the hourly wage less expensive for the college. Departments that rely on federal work-study students need to consider losing skilled student workers sooner because of the
earning maximum. “Right now, the Federal WorkStudy Program does a disservice to the students and to the departments that employ them,” Tracey Faulkner of City College’s Family Resource Center, said. “It is just too small (of an) amount of money.” Students interested in the
Federal Work-Study Program should visit the financial aid information center located in Room 331 in Cloud Hall at Ocean campus. Any student can apply by filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. An event is being planned to celebrate the student wage-rate increase.
Frisco Day welcomes graduating high school students By Bridgid Skiba
@sfbreakingnews bskiba@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
Hundreds of high school seniors invaded City College on April 18 for the annual Frisco Day. Frisco Day is a citywide event that involves the San Francisco Unified School District and helps prepare students for life after high school. The project partners students up with educational institutions like City College. This year’s main goals were self-advocacy, skills, college knowledge, persistence and options, according to Frisco Day literature. Although some of the students didn’t have a plan beyond high school, Frisco Day provided an opportunity to learn about City College’s academic and service programs that can lead to transferring to four-year universities or obtain a certificate for skilled jobs, Frisco Day organizers said. Angela Chee from City College’s testing department said
the students were encouraged to take a placement test, but they first needed “photo identification and a City College identification number before taking it.” Much of the day’s activities centered around the Multi-Use Building. Students lined stairwells and hallways leading to the testing and counseling offices. Many read pamphlets and other handouts about the college. Others, with boxed lunches courtesy of Safeway, were enjoying a break. The college’s Interclub Council staffed a table with information about campus student clubs. Recorded music blaring in a makeshift courtyard in front of the Multi-Use Building cast a festive mood to the day. As the students gathered in front of a small stage, Rose Letulle from the Gender Diversity Project spoke about the importance of gender diversity. She said she cares a lot about spreading gender awareness and supporting her friends that are transgender. Letulle’s message to the students was, “trust that people
know themselves and to not be intimidated or afraid of somebody who might be very different … we need to respect other genders.” Nomin Gambat, a Mission High School student, said she and her friends are planning to attend City College. “I am definitely going to CCSF, and I plan to major in psychology or criminal justice,” Gambat said. Most of the students in attendance seemed to agree that the fun-filled educational day was informative and rewarding because of the many workshops focused on class registration, orientation, counseling, financial aid and student activities. In the end, the visiting high school students not only walked away more informed about City College, but they also left with a smile and a free City College backpack.
Prospective students arrive on Ocean campus for Frisco Day on Friday, April 18, 2014. Photo by Nathaniel Y. Downes/The Guardsman
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4 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014
news
Volunteer group hopes to help boost enrollment By Ekevara Kitpowsong
@ sfbreakingnews ekitpowsong@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
The Enrollment Campaign, a volunteer group of City College faculty and students, has been trying to turn around the drop in enrollment that has occurred due to the accreditation crisis the college is facing. Approximately 80 volunteer faculty, students and community members have gone out to the neighborhoods to help boost enrollment. The majority of the campaign members distribute time schedules, program guides, posters and brochures. They pass the materials out to people on the street and post fliers in small businesses such as libraries, cafés, bookstores, laundromats, nail salons and barber shops. “It’s about 550 places that we have been sending people to, and many of those places get more than one visit,” English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor Susan Lopez said. “At the end of this summer we could potentially reach 100,000 people out in the public. We are raising awareness that City College is out there. We are active.”
The campaign was formed in summer 2013, when concerned faculty noticed boxes of class schedules sitting on the first floor of Cloud Hall. The faculty responded by
is making copies of fliers. Some faculty also raise money for the posters. The marketing and recruiting campaign is based on two approaches.
center on Market Street, because we also feel the importance to reach out to the gay community, Mission Cultural Center and also at the (San Francisco government) Sunday Streets event.”
Admission and enrollment sign at the Mission center.
distributing them to San Francisco neighborhoods themselves. The five volunteer staff members are City College instructors Lopez, Leslie Simon, Danny Halford, Mary Amsler and Ann MacAndrew. The five take turns working in their operations office every Saturday at the Mission center. The only cost to City College
The first is to reach out to students who are already taking classes. The second is to reach underserved communities by accessing local agencies to reach out to their clients. “If we leave the materials with them, they can use those materials and work with their clients,” Lopez said. “We go to Glide (Memorial Church), we go to the LGBT
The materials have been distributed to over a dozen neighborhoods, but the campaign focuses mainly on areas such as the Bayview, Portola/Visitacion Valley, Mission District, Tenderloin, North of Market, the Castro, South of Market and Excelsior/ Ingleside. “Every place I go, I drop off fliers,” Maria Magdalena, a
Computer Networking and Information Technology student and dedicated campaign volunteer, said. “I explained to people what we were doing. My responsibility is to get the word out that City College is still being enrolled into. People think the school is closing.” Lopez said the campaign has helped the college to increase enrollment. “We’re able to support noncredit students all throughout the year, and bring people in even during the weeks when normally not many students enroll,” she said. Elgy Gillespie, a current ESL instructor and active volunteer, made multilingual fliers with the help of Project Shine, a volunteer program. They translated the fliers into Vietnamese, Chinese and Spanish, and distributed them to Visitacion Valley, Portola and the Bayview. Gillespie sees more students showing up to her class at the Southeast center. “People walk in. Last semester, every night, two or three new people came in. It was remarkable,” Gillespie said. To volunteer send an email to simscha@sbcglobal.net or visit the Enrollment Campaign office at the Mission center Room 261 every Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014 | 5
culture
Journalism students dominate at JACC state conference PACESETTER
City College of San Francisco
NEWSPAPER GENERAL
MAGAZINE PHOTO 2 - Khaled Sayed
MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION
EXCELLENCE
1 - Brian Lei
The Guardsman
2 - Brian Lei
MAGAZINE GENERAL EXCELLENCE
MAGAZINE OPINION ARTICLE
ONLINE JOURNALISM GENERAL EXCELLENCE
2 - Jacob Davis
Etc. Magazine
The Guardsman Online
EDITORIAL CARTOON 1 - Anthony Mata 4 - Anthony Mata
FRONT PAGE LAYOUT – TABLOID
2 - Sara Bloomberg, David Hackett and Ana Carolina Quintela
NEWS PHOTO
2 - Christina Gonzalez
INFORMATIONAL GRAPHIC 2 - David Hackett
ILLUSTRATION 1 - Anthony Mata
STUDENT DESIGNED ADVERTISEMENT 2 - Christina Gonzalez, City College of San Francisco
MAGAZINE DESIGN/ LAYOUT 4 - Cesar Sanchez
MAGAZINE NEWS FEATURE (NONPROFILE)
2 - Devin Holt and Melody Parker
1 - Greg Zeman
CRITICAL REVIEW 4 - Gina Scialabba
WEBCAST/BROADCAST NEWS 1 - Sherae Honeycutt
EDITOR RECOGNITION AWARD
Madeline Collins, Editor-inChief The Guardsman Amy Ashcroft, Co-Editor-inChief, Etc. Magazine Jordyn Occhipinti, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Etc. Magazine
JACC SCHOLARSHIP Khaled Sayed
2014 ON-THE-SPOT CONTEST WINNERS BRING-IN PHOTO 1 - Santiago Mejia
HM - Nathaniel Downes
COPYEDITING
HM - Patrick Tamayo
EDITORIAL CARTOON
1 - Anthony Mata
TEAM FEATURE
2 - James Fanucchi, Patrick Tamayo and Santiago Mejia
MAGAZINE PROFILE ARTICLE
VIDEO JOURNALISM
1 - Leith Mahoney-Maver
Meritorious – Nathaniel Y. Downes and Khaled Sayed
MAGAZINE PHOTO STORY-ESSAY
3 - Khaled Sayed
Meritorious – Ekevara Kitpowsong Meritorious – Elisa Parrino
Students from the Journalism 24 Newspaper Laboratory and Jounalism 29 Magazine Editing and Productionclasses in Spring 2013 win awards during a state-wide conference in Sacramento. Photo courtesy of Jessica Lifland.
With approximately 545 students in attendance representing 43 community colleges, City College journalism students received 30 awards at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges state convention held at the Burbank Marriott Hotel on April 3-5. The Guardsman and Etc. Magazine swept top honors with General Excellence for each publication, including General Excellence for The Guardsman Online. The awards ceremony was
capped with The Guardsman earning the top prize of the night, the Pacesetter, that recognizes the best of the best at the convention. The Pacesetter award was given to the top four schools based on their performance in mail-in and on-the-spot competitions. The newspaper’s Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales attended the conference along with 15 journalism students. Madeline Collins, editor-in chief of The Guardsman, along with Amy Ashcroft and Jordyn
Occhipinti, co-editors of Etc. Magazine, were recognized for their special work on the two publications. Guardsman photographer Khaled Sayed took home a JACC scholarship to continue his education at City College. “This was a tremendous accomplishment by our students,” Gonzales said. “Our students truly did the college proud. We should all bask in their success. I am so proud of them.”
6 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014
culture
City College football player Hashim Boyd back squats in the weight room during athletic training, Wednesday, April 16, 2014, San Francisco, Calif. Since the new football season is coming up soon, the Rams team nine time championship winner is training every day to achieve the best result possible. Elisa Parrino/The Guardsman
Defender Dominic Barich trains with Rams defense team on City College campus field on Friday, April 18, 2014 San Francisco. Photo by Elisa Parrino/The Guardsman
Rams player lifts 120 kg while training in the weight room at City College Wellness Center. Wednesday, April 16, 2014 San Francisco. Photo by Elisa Parrino/The Guardsman
Football team keeps momentum during offseason By Elisa Parrino
@ sfbreakingnews eparrino@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
The City College Rams football team is one of the best programs in the nation. For the
nine-time national champion team, the new season is coming soon and they are training hard and looking forward to another potential championship season. Wide-receiver coach Aaron Hundley, explains the values that guides the team. Hundley said working hard as a team is key in
this game. He said they do a lot of team events in order to create a backbone. It pays off when the guy next to you is watching your back. Guys spur each other on in the weight room, supporting their pals by yelling and inciting emotions as they workout.
To be a part of the Rams football team is not just a matter of physical strength it is also a question of being a good person. Hundley said to see his players get educated and see their dream come true is a great thing. For the upcoming season there is a lot of work to do at every posi-
tion. Players need to be strong and tight as a unit and need to develop a core to achieve best results. Hundley concluded by saying he wants to be sure that the guys enjoy the process and take one day at time. “We work hard and we deserve the best,� Hundley said.
THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014 | 7
culture
Thailand: Part 3
REALIZE YOUR DREAM AT MILLS COLLEGE.
Thailand adventure comes to a close with a Buddhist meditation journey By Calindra Revier
@sfbreakingnews crevier@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
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I found Buddhism when I was 22. I wasn’t aware before then that there was anything fundamentally wrong with my thinking. It seemed to give me a peace of mind I had never even known possible until that point. All that chaos inside my head would be silenced, even for just moments. I studied and practiced meditation for years not interested in the religious demons that surrounded Theravada buddhism. I instead was searching to understand the framework better. The ideas and practices to guide one’s thoughts fascinated me. I thought I was prepared and understood what I was getting myself into. I now more clearly understand that nothing can prepare you for 10 days of silence, meditating for hours a day and refraining from eating from noon until eight the next morning. It’s an experience unlike anything I had gone through before. Finding myself still on the islands a day before I needed to be at the Wat Suan Mokkh monastery near Chaiya meant that I needed to spend the better part of 24 hours traveling. I was on a boat, on a bus, then a taxi (who ripped me off), then another taxi (small van filled with people far exceeding the number of seatbelts) and finally a long walk to complete my journey. The monastery was a mile off the main road. The road was thick with Thai countryside seeping through the barbed wire fences on either side. The woman just outside of the monastery was tending the shrubbery. In true Buddhist fashion, after speaking for a moment, she offered me an apple from her lunch. She asked me if I recognized her. I mumbled something under my breath not sure how to respond. The first night was difficult. Sleeping on a bamboo mat atop concrete with only a wooden pillow for my head did not provide for a very good night’s sleep. The morning delivered no relief as I adjusted into the meditation lifestyle. The bells rang at 4 a.m.
that morning and every morning for 10 days. The bells would ring and I would sluggishly and not too gracefully propel my body out of bed, trying to avoid getting tangled in the mosquito net while also watching out for large spiders, which would make their homes in our rooms at night within the large holes in the walls. I did not know really what to expect or what I hoped to gain from this experience that I had been anticipating for such a long time. But I searched for it every moment. I waited for some epiphany to hit me, for some moment of truth to come smack me on the head. Instead it was subtle. It was gentle and unalarming. I did not receive some daring moment of understanding. But slowly I became more silent and became more still. I learned to see things in a different light, in a content and unjudging way. Some days were harder than others. My stomach would ache and my mind would yell. The mosquitos would destroy our bodies during meditation. We were not allowed to squish them. There were times I would get up from an hour long meditation and my arms and legs would be full of a hundred mosquito bites burning and itching beyond belief. After pointing to my legs which to me seemed almost surely some sort of medical emergency, the nuns would simply respond “Just keep meditating.” My time there, cut off from the world, was as rewarding an experience as it was challenging. Overall traveling alone you get to know the world better, you see things you would not have seen otherwise and you experience change in an influencing way. My time in Thailand will last through my life as the first trip in a long series of trips where I faced the unknown head on, full of positivity. To me that is essential to life.
To read Thailand parts 1 and 2 visit theguardsman.com
8 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014
culture Movie Review: “Bad Words”
Wolf’s movie explores 20th Century’s teenagers By Gina Scialabba
@ gina_journalist gscialabba@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
The very word teenager can send a shudder up your spine. It’s a tumultuous time of exploration, raging hormones, excessive risk taking, mood swings, figuring out the big, bad world and how to carve your place in it. Matt Wolf ’s new documentary “Teenage” gives audiences a glimpse of youth culture during the first half of the 20th century. It’s filmed as a mixture of archival and newsreel footage interspersed with fake amateur film reels. Now, more than ever, teenagers are a dominant force in the global marketplace, saturating popular culture, marketing research, advertising campaigns and consumer spending. If Don Draper could only see it now. But, what if being a teenager didn’t always exist? What if that transition period from childhood to adulthood was invented? Wolf ’s premise is that being a teenager is a relatively new concept brought about because of the industrial revolution, a change in child labor laws and more leisure time. His hypothesis goes like this: Throughout history, teenagers didn’t exist. You were either a child or an adult. There wasn’t a concept of pre-teen, tween or even teenager. Most children were put to work at a very early age unless they were in the bourgeoisie “Downton Abbey” crowd. (Then, you simply got married). Yet once child labor ended, a new stage of life appeared. Adults and children alike struggled to define what it meant to be in an adult-child purgatory. Enter the lost-youth movements of the early part of the century. Not the hippies or the
Archival photo of roommates listening to the radio. Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts. Photo courtesy of Classic Stock Images.
hipsters, but the youth culture of the Flappers, Boxcar Children, Jitterbugs, Victory Girls, Hitler Youth and countless others. Wolf presents us with a living collage of rare footage. Watching Hitler mesmerize an entire generation of idealistic German boys with the Nazi ideology of racial and national cleansing and ultimately perpetuate the “thousandyear Reich” was powerful. The documentary is shot in a colorful, dreamlike format. Parts of it become confusing as Wolf switches between the youth cultures of the U.S., Germany and Great Britain. He also uses a particularly interesting story-telling device,
that of multiple narrators, in this case the voices of Jena Malone, Ben Whishaw, Julia Hummer and Jessie Usher. In documentaries, we are accustomed to hearing one person’s authoritative voice gently guide us through the film.
Here, Wolf intersperses four different narrative voices, each trying to capture the lost generations. It’s a little jumbled and sometimes far-reaching. It’s quite a feat to capture the entire history of teenagedom in 78 short
minutes, but it mostly works. Should you go see it? Certainly. “Teenage” is solid filmmaking, with a very interesting hypothesis. You’ll certainly have something to talk about afterward.
If you go... Running Time: 78 Minutes Genre: Documentary/History Release Date: April 25, 2014
MPAA Rating: R Directed by: Matt Wolf Written by: Jon Savage
Based on the Book: “Teenage: The Creation of Youth 1845–1945” by Jon Savage Featuring the Voices of: Jena Malone Ben Whishaw Julia Hummer Jessie Usher
THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014 | 9
opinion
Fighting to survive financial struggles By Alex Reyes
@reyesanfrancisco areyes@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
Returning to home after my morning American history class, I turned on the television and watched MSNBC’s coverage of Boston’s public remembrance of the tragedy that occurred on April 15, 2013. MSNBC news talk show host Joy Reid was interviewing Chris Jansing, host of the network’s “Jansing & Company,” in the minutes before the ceremony. Reid told viewers that Jansing had broadcast one or more of her shows from Boston in the days after two bombs placed and set off by brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsaernev killed four people, critically injured 14 and injured 250 others near the finish line of last year’s Boston Marathon race. I heard Jansing say that the American people came together in a profound way in the days after the Boston attack. Jansing said the American people had shown the same gathering of spirit in the past and, from her perspective, American attention and support turned to Boston. Hearing what Jansing said made me feel good about the rest of my fellow American citizens: Americans contribute great sums of money every year to charitable organizations dedicated to promoting the “general Welfare,” as per the social goal listed in the Preamble to the United States Constitution, and help each other out in many other ways. When the crowd silenced and the bells of Old South Church began to ring in memory of the victims who had died one year ago, I felt solidarity with my fellow citizens. I stood at attention and looked at the image of the bell tower on my screen. Then the subject of childcare in America was introduced. I heard a guest say “We actually pay the people who care for our lawns more than we do the people who care for our children,” and I began to think about the value the American people place in the well being of their own children and families. The segment began with MSNBC “The Cycle” host Krystal Ball citing a fall 2013 survey conducted by Child Care Aware America, a national organi-
zation that describes itself as working “with state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) and other community partners to ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable child care.” According to an April 9 online Washington Post article about the survey, “the annual cost of daycare for an infant exceeds the average cost of in-state tuition and fees at public colleges in 31 states.” In California, annual day care costs $12,068, while in-state tuition is $9,368. “The sad thing is it’s not because we pay our child care workers so much,” guest Stephanie Coontz said. Coontz, who is the director of research and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families, another nonprofit organization focused on family issues, then delivered her “we pay more to mow our lawns than we do child care workers” line. A MSNBC graphic linked the cost of daycare to another troubling social trend: After a 30-year decline in stay-at-home mothers (49% in 1967, 23% in 1997), 29% of mothers have returned to the role of full-time homemakers. Social conservatives surely must love that bit of news, forever hoping to return American society to the “good old days.” But as today’s financial reality means that both parents in families with children must work, in many cases, to simply survive, parents not working because they cannot afford to pay the cost of child care is not a social trend to cheer. By the end of an hour that began with bells tolling for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, I found myself wondering how many City College students struggle to pay for both their education and their children’s well being, and how many former students have had to suspend their own education because they cannot afford to pay for both? Despite our best intentions, “we, the people” have crafted a society of deep financial inequity. The bells of Old South Church rang for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, but they could have been ringing for all of those Americans who struggle to survive day by day.
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10 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014
sports Track team holds their Niners their own own against 4-year schools worst nightmare at East Bay Invitational during offseason Football Column
By Patrick Cochran
@sfbreakingnews pcochran@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
The sun was shining on April 19 and, with the temperature in the mid 70s, it was a perfect day for a track and field competition. The City College track and field team took a quick bus ride over the Bay Bridge to Chabot College to participate in the California State East Bay Invitational. In addition to other community college teams, four-year schools like UC Santa Cruz and Chico State University also fielded teams. With 30 teams competing, City College placed seventh on the men’s side with 100 total points, while the women’s squad finished in 15th place with 31 total points. “It was definitely a crowded field today,” City College runner Daniel Galloway said. Showing great natural speed and form, with legs and arms pumping in perfect motion, Galloway was able to catch up with most of his competition after a poor start and finish in third place in his 100-meter heat in 11.39 seconds.
“Could of had a better start,” Galloway said. “Basically that’s the race, how you start. I was thinking too much, just have to relax.” Cassie Stansbury competed in the women’s 800-meter race and finished in a more than respectable time of 2:29:69, finishing third in heat 2 of the finals, which helped her team gain five points. “We just come out and try do our best at these meets,” Stansbury said. “There are a lot of runners here, so you really have do your best to get noticed.” One of the other main standouts for City College was sophomore Keith Lewis. A top notch runner who competes in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, Lewis’ blazing speed was on display. Lewis ran an 11:03 time in his 100-meter heat, second only to teammate Zac Schuller, who was timed at 11:00, for the best overall time of the day. Lewis has the stereotypical body build of an elite runner, long and lean with just the right amount of muscle on his frame. His running technique is very natural, and when Lewis hits his full stride, it is a site to behold. Lewis runs very aerodynami-
cally, making sure his body and motions are as compact as possible, helping shave a few fractions of a second off his race time. In track and field, those milliseconds can be the difference between being the best and being mediocre. A fierce competitor, Lewis wished he could have gotten the gold. “It was alright, could have done better, hit my drive phase earlier in the race,” Lewis said. Lewis has a friendly rivalry with teammate Schuller, who is also a star wide receiver for the City College football team. “Zac is a great runner, we compete against each other,” Lewis said. “He is great at getting out of the start, but if I can get out with him, it’s my race.” Inner-team rivalry is a great way to bring the best out of teammates. With the intensity and passion City College showed on Saturday, that type of friendly competition is helping the Rams deliver their best performances possible.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. Photo courtesy of MCT campus
By Ivan Huang
@sfbreakingnews ihuang@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
Very unfortunate events for National Football League and San Francisco 49ers fans: just weeks after the DeSean Jackson debacle with the Philadelphia Eagles, two of the 49ers most important players find themselves in trouble with the law. Aldon Smith and Colin Kaepernick, who are both also in the midst of contract negotiations, made headlines but not in a good way. Kaepernick, 49er receiver Quinton Patton and Seattle Seahawk receiver Ricardo Lockette were accused recently in a sexual assault case. Days later, Smith was taken into custody by airport officials at LAX for falsely saying that he had a bomb. This all happened just a few weeks after San Francisco cornerback Chris Culliver was involved in a hit-and-run incident. While the NFL may take some action against one or more of the players, it is too early in the offseason to tell if these guys will miss any games next season. But these reports have already caused some sports writers to say that the 49ers should release Smith, and take some precaution before offering Kaepernick a market-value contract for a quarterback. Smith and Kaepernick are two of the top five players on the 49ers, and not having them in red and gold will surely impact the future of this franchise. Culliver is also a key player because the 49ers have lost both of their starting cornerbacks since the end of last season.
Although these players are having major off-field issues, It would not be a good idea to release a player the caliber of Aldon Smith because his physical attributes are unmatched in the NFL. Culliver’s case may just be too big for the 49ers to hang on to him. The team might be better off looking into drafting a cornerback in this year’s draft. In a league where good quarterbacks are both rare and a necessity, the 49ers have no choice but to wait on the results of Kaepernick’s case and put his huge contract extension on hold. It is safe to say the 49ers have a lot to deal with this offseason coming off of a very close game in the NFC championship game against the Super Bowl XLVIIIwinning Seattle Seahawks. 49ers president Jed York should look at Seattle as the model franchise, because they succeeded in a way that the 49ers did not two years ago when they played the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. In my opinion, the 49ers are the only team in the NFC that is able to match helmet-for-helmet what the Seahawks have to offer. The NFC West division is quickly becoming the toughest division in the NFL, as the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams only getting better this offseason. With Super Bowl L coming to the 49er’s new Levi’s Stadium in 2016, the 49ers need to make sure they get rid of these offfield issues before they fall out of contention and see two different teams compete on their own field in Santa Clara.
THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014 | 11
sports
Baseball
Rams ‘just trying to finish the season’ after last home game loss By Daniel Galloway
job.”
@sfbreakingnews dgalloway@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman
The two last place teams in the Coast Conference Golden Gate division faced off in City College’s last home game of the season. While both teams are nowhere near contention for the playoffs, the visiting De Anza College (3-29, 3-17 Coast-Golden Gate) tied their season match-up record by defeating the Rams (8-26, 4-16) 4-1. De Anza wasted no time putting up points on Fairmont Park’s imaginary scoreboard in the first inning, as freshman infielder Travis Conroy’s ground out to second gave outfielder Christopher O’Conner enough time to dash his way to home plate. “I struggled a little, but I knew we would figure it out,” O’Conner said. “I just tried to stay relaxed and find a good hit.” The Rams best hitter, sophomore outfielder Albert Talaroc, who leads the team with 15 RBIs and 10 stolen bases this season, would answer De Anza’s early offense in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI double, that scored sophomore infielder Dominic Sebastiani all the way
Head coach John Vanoncini speaks to the Rams after their loss against De Anza College Friday, April 18, 2014, at Fairmont Field in Pacifica, Calif. Photo by Khaled Sayed/The Guardsman
from first base. Unfortunately that would be City’s only score of the game, after averaging 3.75 runs in their last four games. The Dons took the lead in the fourth inning when freshman infielder Tyler Walters sent freshman first baseman Stanley Sumibcay home with an RBI double. The Dons extended their lead in the sixth inning, when sophomore catcher Christian Perez sent
freshman outfielder Cole Lang in for the score with a sacrifice fly, putting the Dons up 3-1. City capped off their disastrous sixth inning by committing an error, which allowed Sumibcay to score and freshman outfielder Marcus Maldonado to advance to second. Although sophomore starting pitcher Kyle Orwig has had a solid season for City College standards with a 3-4 record, 3.08 ERA and
26 strikeouts this season. The Rams sat Orwig after he gave up the lead. The Rams brought in sophomore relief pitcher Peter Casey, who has 4 saves this season with a 2.35 ERA. “It’s just something for the other team to see differently being a left handed pitcher,” Casey said. “With any situation, they normally put me as a closer. Coming into this game, I knew I had to do the
With the Dons sitting on a comfortable 4-1 lead, they brought in freshman closer Marcus DiBenedetto. He tallied his first save of the season. After losing their last home game, Casey’s focus is to finish out the season strong. “I just (want to) play the rest of the games (at our) best, and we can since we only have two games left,” Casey said. “I got offers from some schools I’ve been looking at, but right now I’m just focused on taking care of business.” The game results reflected the story of the season for the Rams. The team has been very adept and fast at base running, being ranked 19th in the league in stolen bases. Tramane Moore, Dominic Sebastiani, Danny Donoghue and Jordan Zaragoza accounted for four steals in the game. However, the Rams could not close the deal with their bats and were unable to send their runners on base home for scores. “A lot of learning, a lot of ups and downs, it was a learning journey,” freshman Moore said. “I will return back to City next year to get my (Associate of Arts Degree), and the team should be stronger.”
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12 | THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | APRIL 23 - MAY 06, 2014
sports
Delon Wright: from page 1
(L-R) In this March 9, 2013, file photo - City College Rams Gabriel Aguirre (44) kisses the head of Delon Wright (55) after Wright scored a half-court threepoint shot at the buzzer during a CCCAA basketball game against Santa Rosa College. Photo by Santiago Mejia/The Guardsman
a 67-63 overtime loss for the Utes three weeks prior, on this day Arizona would prove to be too much as the Wildcats cruised to a dominating 71-39 win. “(The) players are more physical and quicker (than junior college competition) and the talent (in Division I basketball) is much better,” Wright said.
Utah’s season ended on March 18, after a 70-58 loss to St.Mary’s in their first game of the National Invitational Tournament. “I feel we had a good season,” Wright said. “We were unknown coming into this year and we made some good strides to be a better team.” Although Wright is recog-
nized as by far the most dominating basketball player to ever come out of City College, Wright still has some room to grow. “It takes him a while to get his shot off. Other than that, add a little muscle and he’ll be fine,” D’Acquisto said. Wright says he has improved those weaknesses, since transi-
tioning to Division I. “(I’m) handling the ball much better, and I’ve been working on my jump shot,” he said. Many experts consider this year’s NBA draft to be the most talented in years, featuring players like Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle, to name a few.
The deadline to enter the NBA Draft is April 27, but Wright will think long and hard before he enters his name onto the ballot. It may not be a bad decision for him to stay another year to attempt to be drafted higher, thus earning more money on his NBA rookie contract.