Vol. 161, Issue 3 | Feb. 24– Mar. 8, 2016 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE
From Dark Past, City College Student Looks To Brighter Future By Nancy Chan nchan@theguardsman.com
Nick Lindley, 24, wakes up to a panic attack every morning at 7 a.m. His body does this without an alarm clock or an actual cause for alarm. Then he walks with his dog Ziggy to the Bay Area Addiction Research and Treatment (BAART) clinic on Turk Street. There, he drinks 81 milligrams of methadone. “They’re great,” Lindley said, who holds the clinic in high regard. “They raise or lower the amount if I ask. I’ve tried lower doses but things get weird at school if I take less.” With Ziggy in tow, Lindley ties back his blonde hair and sweats through a threadbare band T-shirt as the BART train takes him toward his 9 a.m. class. Lindley carries a toolkit slung over his back that holds a City College Rams City College Student continues on page 4
City College student Nick Lindley and his service dog Ziggy commute to the Ocean Campus from the BAART clinic on Turk St. on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. (Photo by Gabriella Angotti-Jones/The Guardsman)
Stem Cell Internship Open to City College Students extremely popular,” Chief Communications Officer Don Gibbons of CIRM said. “It’s considered a triumph for students, patients and the emerging biotech industry.”
CIRM’s Mission
Rosa Canchari works with cell cultures in City College’s biotech laboratory on February 22, 2016. Canchari is taking intro into cellular research (Biotech 21 A). (Photo by Amanda Aceves/Special to The Guardsman)
By Andy Bays abays@theguardsman.com
In the basement of Science Hall at Ocean Campus, in the former welding facility, City College students are learning to grow stem cells that may potentially cure diseases such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, Parkinson’s, heart
disease and diabetes. “Those little stringy things are stem cells,” Dr. Carin Zimmerman said, pointing towards one of the many microscopes in use. She is the coordinator of the Bridges Program at City College, an internship for students who have earned a Stem Cell Technology certificate. “Some are stem cells
from hamsters and some are mice,” Zimmerman said. “The students learn how to grow the cells.” The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), steward of a $3 billion bond measure (Proposition 71), allows students to get hands-on experience working in laboratories and with patients suffering from diseases.
CIRM awarded City College over $2 million for the continuation of its five-year Bridges Program, which began at City College in 2010. In addition to getting career experience, interns are given a monthly stipend of $2,700 to use for rent and other expenses while conducting their research. “The internship is
California Proposition 71 passed in 2004 in response to the Bush Administration’s refusal to fund stem cell research. In 2006, the state began funding “all areas of stem cell research that show promise to accelerating treatments to patients in need,” the CIRM website states. “The underlying goal of the Bridges Program is to take students who might not have thought about a career in stem-cell technology and show them their options,” Gibbons said. “There’s no shortage of PhDs, but there is a huge lack of stem cell technicians.” City College has received $2,704,836 from CIRM since 2010, which has funded 10 interns per year for five years. Interns are expected to work 40 hours per week in a laboratory. A large percentage of the grant goes towards buying equipment like anti-contamination cabinets, incubators and
large amounts of sterile plastic supplies made for one-time use. The new CIRM grant of $2,163,500 has been assigned to cover the program’s expenses between 2017 and 2022. Beginning 2017, the number of interns accepted into the program will decrease from 10 to eight to improve the education of each student.
New direction
With the scheduled grant, the Bridges Program is aligning itself with the new direction in which stem cell research is heading. “The first part of the Prop 71 money pretty much all went into basic research. Scientists just wanted to find out why things worked or how things worked,” Zimmerman said. “Now we’re moving into what we call ‘translational,’ which is the idea that we’re translating from understanding how something works to using that knowledge to design a therapy or a cure to a particular disease,” Zimmerman said. “So now, (CIRM) wants the Stem Cell continues on page 2
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Vol. 161, Issue 3 | Feb. 24 – Mar. 8, 2016
Stem Cell continued from page 1
Staff Editor-in-Chief Marco Siler-Gonzales Managing Editor Santiago Mejia News Editor Audrey Garces Photo Editor Franchon Smith Culture Editor Michaela Payne Sports Editor Shannon Cole Opinion Editor Cassie Ordonio Copy Editors Maddeline Collins Michaela Payne Patrick Fitzgerald David Horowitz Nancy Chan
internships that they’ve funded through the Bridges Program to take a similar leap.” Regarding the evolving internship program, Gibbons said CIRM is “emphasizing regular patient contact to help patients and giving the interns ongoing guidance in their careers.” Gibbons said CIRM is also increasing its focus on “the formal regulatory pathway and development process.” The interns take a class on new FDA regulations, learn techniques for growing stem cells in a cost-effective manner and work with one of the approximately 800 Bay-Area biotech companies. “The idea is to expose the interns to patients so they’re not just working on a lab bench without a full understanding of what’s happening,” Biotechnology Instructor Bob Del Vecchio said. Del Vecchio said there are currently many breakthroughs in researchers’ understanding of how
to put stem cells into people and program with an enrollment cure things. cap of 40 students. Zimmerman said of the 30 who pass, about Internship challenges 25 usually apply for the internBecause stem cell treatments are at ship, which currently accepts 10 the forefront of cures for diseases, students. the emerging industry and the race “One of the reasons we to discover treatments are in dire have a hard time filling all these need of technicians skilled in stem classes is because people take one cell research. or two classes and get hired,” City College became the Zimmerman said. first two-year college to teach Recent data released by City stem cell technology in 2006, but College said that students who the program is not without its earn the Stem Cell Technology challenges. certificate can expect to make Crumbling infrastructure, between $27,300 to $50,500 per occasional problems with hot year working in the fast growing water and heating, the college’s biotech industry. plan to downsize the number of “So, it’s good because that’s classes, and the threat of having ultimately what we want,” classes cut due to low enrollment Zimmerman said. “But, then, are some of the major obstacles to because there has been an explothe Bridges Program, Del Vecchio sion of companies doing stem-cell said. therapies and cures, and now that “The hardest challenge is we understand enough that we can getting people to know about our actually design these cures so they programs,” Zimmerman said. will work, and work efficiently, we About 30 students per year need more people in the internearn the Stem Cell Technology ship program.” certificate, a two-semester
Advertising Manager Cara Stucker Social Media Director Margaret Weir Staff Writers Andy Bays Nancy Chan Jose Duran Daniela Fiestas-Paredes Dakari Thomas David Horowitz Staff Photographers Gabriella Angotti-Jones Contributors Matthew Patton Peter Wong Amanda Aceves Nathanial Downes Patrick Tamayo Faculty Advisor Juan Gonzales Reach us at Twitter and Instagram @theguardsman #CCSFjournalism Facebook /theguardsman Youtube theguardsmanonline theguardsman.com Mail 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Bungalow 615 Phone (415) 239-3446
• Embryonic stem cells are cells derived from a 3 – 5 day old embryo, which is smaller than the dot over an “i.” • Stem cells can transform into organs, including the heart, lungs, skin and other tissues. • Most stem cell research is done on mouse cells, which were first studied in 1981. • All human embryonic stem cells come from embryos left over from in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. • In theory, stem cells could treat or cure any disease or injury in existence. information courtesy of www.cirm.ca.gov and http://www.britannica.com
News Briefs
Design Director Serina Mercado Online News Director Patrick Fitzgerald
What Are Stem Cells?
Proposed Reform For Calif. Coastal Commission Democratic lawmakers are considering requiring lobbyists to report their activities involving the California Coastal Commission (CCC), following a large public outcry of foul play after the unexplained ouster on Feb. 10 of Executive Director Charles Lester who held the position since 2011. Assembly Bill 2002 would require lobbyists to disclose who they work for, how much they were paid and what issues they brought to various commissioners. The CCC is the state agency which looks after the 1,100-mile California coastline which has oversight of coastal land use and public access. The 12-member commission who met with Lester voted 7–5 to remove him in a closed-door session, saying they were bound by law to protect his privacy. This was at odds with the commission’s chief counsel who said Lester waived his right to privacy when he asked for a public hearing. After the vote was disclosed, several commissioners were escorted out of the meeting which nearly 100 Lester supporters attended.
SFMTA Fare Increases Likely Muni fare and private parking fee increases are likely after a public hearing indicated a projected decrease in San Francisco Municipal Transit Authorities’ (SFMTA) capital budget, used for maintenance, upgrades and construction on the transit system. Projections show a decrease in the capital account of $750 million over the next five years. Parking fee profits are also indicated to fall by as much as $13.5 million in 2017 Muni fares may increase from $2.25 to $2.50 with monthly fare passes and residential parking permit fees following suit. Citations for street cleaning violations would rise from $68 to $78 and boot removal would go from $365 to $465. Budget documents for the SFMTA indicate fare and fee increases are due to the rate of inflation. The Board will consider the fare increase at its April 5 meeting.
Gascon’s capacity to investigate the alleged corruption. The task force was partly inspired by the wiretaps obtained by the FBI during the Raymond A chain-reaction crash occurred Feb. 12 on Ocean “Shrimp Boy” Chow case. The transcripts showed Avenue by City College around 11:30 a.m. involv- a complicated scam designed to skirt the legal ing four vehicles and a line 49 Muni bus that campaign contribution limit. resulted in two injured and rushed to the hospital. A white truck landed diagonally on top of a tan Taurus sedan, bursting the car’s windshield and a window in the adjacent Muni bus and showering shattered glass on the pavement. San Francisco Muni is considering lessening the fines for minors police officers and Muni personnel responded with infractions, such as not giving up a seat for immediately. an elderly person or evading the fare. The intersection reopened at 2 p.m. after Currently, a person under the age of 18 can Muni personnel fixed the cable lines. Police refused face fines twice as large as fines for adults who to give any information until further investigation. commit the same indiscretion, KTVU reported. Youth violation tickets can cost more than $300. Minors caught violating the laws have to pay the fine, plus their citations are regarded as criminal offenses. On Feb. 9, SFMTA’s board voted to decriminalize youth citations. University of California Berkeley’s Police “When we moved forward with decriminalDepartment are searching for a man who sexu- izing these citations, it only allowed a smaller price ally assaulted a student at on the Berkeley campus because you don’t have to go through the court last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. system,” SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose said. An unidentified female student was walking “We wanted to make sure that there was parity on the sidewalk near People’s Park when a man for both adults and youth violations.” grabbed the student from the back and assaulted Many youths depend on the SFMTA public her around 9:20 p.m. on Feb. 11. The man was transit system, which reports an average total daily described as being in his mid-20s, with curly hair ridership of 702,000. and a beard, standing about 5 feet 9 inches tall, the Berkeley Police Department reported. Anyone with information about the attack should contact UC Berkeley police at (510) 981-5900.
Two Injured In Multi-Vehicle Accident On Ocean Ave
Muni Restructures Youth Fines
Berkeley Man Wanted for Sexual Assault
Leaders Announce Political Corruption Task Force District Attorney George Gascon and FBI Special Agent David Johnson announced the formation of the San Francisco Political Corruption Task Force at a press conference on Feb. 16 to investigate political corruption and end pay-for-play politics in San Francisco. The announcement is under a federal protective order as the investigation is already underway, the San Francisco Examiner reported. Three politicians have already been charged since the beginning of the investigation. The partnership makes explicit the FBI’s authority to use undercover agents, seek court authority to wiretap and work with informants. The FBI experience and resources greatly enhance
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news | 3
Feb. 24 – Mar. 8, 2016 | Vol. 161, Issue 3
Mission Tower Theater To Spotlight Student Films CINEMA DEPARTMENT MAY HAVE NEW FACILITY TO SHOWCASE WORK By Cassie Ordonio
“We do so much with so little, that’s why this project would be a dream come true.”
cordonio@theguardsman.com @CassieOrdonio
The cinema department will soon have their student films on the big screen if Rodrigo Santos, a former Board of Trustees member and structural engineer, has his way. He wants to bring to life the worn-out Tower Theater located only two blocks from City College’s Mission Center. School administration and faculty will be voting soon on various blueprint options before construction begins. Santos is working closely with architect Leonardo Zylberberg and production manager Todd David. Once a blueprint plan is chosen, David will come up with a timeline and cost estimate for the theater project. Santos is the president and co-founder of Santos & Urrita Structural Engineers on Harrison Street. He has 25 years of experience and was also a structural engineer for the Alamo Drafthouse at the nearby New Mission Theater, which opened its doors last December. Tower Theater stands at six-stories high with a
—Cinema Interim Dept. Chair Anna Geyers
start executing on a fundraising plan,” David said. All other expenses will be paid by Santos.
Cinema Department Conditions
The Tower Theater, leased by structural engineer and former City College Board of Trustee member Rodrigo Santos, is to be donated for City College use. It’s planned to be used by the college’s Cinema department as a state-of-the-art film production facility. (Photo by Gabriella Angotti-Jones/The Guardsman)
capacity of 466 seats. The walls inside are splattered with graffiti and the entrance doors are boarded up, but Santos sees the potential in the building and an opportunity for City College. “It’s time for me to give something back for the college,” Santos said, expressing his love and passion for film and City College.
Restoration
The project plans call for new construction and restoration of the existing front facade and marquee of the theater. “All construction will be seismically safe and in compliance with all the latest codes,” Zylberberg said. “We are at this stage in the preliminary design phase, and the next step will be
presenting the project to the S.F. Planning Department and Department of Building Inspection for their initial review, evaluation and comments.” An estimated $14 million needs to be raised to fund the project, David said, but the goal hasn’t been met. “Once the final design is agreed upon, we will receive construction bids and then
There is a lack of resources and space for students, Interim Cinema Department Chair Anna Geyers said. City College currently serves approximately 500 cinema students. The department was a storage space at a time. There are noisy vents in the computer labs that challenge instructors to speak louder during class. Construction to fix the vents started Feb. 19. The cinema department is also facing challenges in technology. Many computers are more than 10 years old and outdated. The department recently sent a proposal for new computers to the school, but the school has not responded. Geyers said their last proposal request, sent approximately three years
ago, was unsuccessful. The department’s cameras are out of date as well, so Geyers has urged students to use different cameras, regardless of their make, to help them prepare for the current industry. “We do so much with so little, that’s why this project would be a dream come true,” Geyers said. Cloud Hall Room 117 is the only production room out of the four cinema classrooms. They would previously move desks into the hallways to make room for shooting and producing video, but tension between the department and the janitors flared because students left scratch marks on the floors when they dragged desks outside. “It’s time consuming and we can’t block the hallways which makes the janitors complain,” Geyers said. As cinema student Jamie Sharp put it, “We’re long overdue for an upgrade.”
February and March Events Sat | February 27 | lesson for beginners at 7:00 p.m., Argentine Tango party from 8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Valentine’s Milonga Performance Studio 301, Wellness Center, Ocean Campus. $5. Dance Dept. faculty Chelsea Eng will host a tango lesson and dance party with guest DJ Bobbi Noyer. Visit www.dancecitycollege.com or call 415-4525697 for more details. Wed | March 2 – April 6 | 7:00 a.m. – 7:50 a.m. Free Six-Week Yoga Practice Yoga Room 310, Wellness Center, Ocean Campus. Free. Biology professor and certified Hatha yoga instructor Crima Pogge will bring her two favorite anti-stressors together: yoga and community. The instructor will focus on safe and accessible yoga for everybody in this free 6-week session. Contact cpogge@ccsf.edu for more information. Opening reception | Thurs | March 3 | 6:00 p.m. – 8 p.m. Show open | March 3–April 14 Minimalism: 81 Bees Photography Collective Exhibition Mullen Brothers Imaging, 2040 Oakdale Ave., San Francisco. Free. Several City College photography students will participate in this group show featuring photographs inspired by minimalism. Each artist has focused the lens on a subject reduced to its essence: not what is included in each image, but what is left out. Visit www.81bees.com or facebook.com/81bees.
Fri | March 4 | 7:30 p.m. Additional performances March 5 – 13 Fri. & Sat. 7:30 p.m. | Sun. 2 p.m. “All the Way” Play Premiere $10 for students or $15 general admission. Diego Rivera Theatre, Ocean Campus. The theatre department will perform this Tony award-winning play about President Lyndon B. Johnson’s tumultuous first year in office during the Civil Rights Movement. For tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/2495121. Thurs | March 10 | 5:00 p.m.— 9:30 p.m. A Window To The World: Journalism Student Photography Opening reception Show open March 10–April 11 Front Page Gallery, Bungalow 615, Ocean Campus. Free. Guardsman photographers will exhibit their photographs published during internships at local newspapers. Join for refreshments while we celebrate the 80th anniversary of The Guardsman newspaper. Contact the Journalism Dept. at 415-239-3446 or visit www.theguardsman.com for more information.
Faculty: Time for Nominations for Academic Senate Executive Council Nominations due by Friday, March 11 at 1 p.m. to Conlan Hall E-202, Ocean Campus. All City College faculty members can nominate candidates and are eligible to run for one of 16 openings on this council, including part-time, non-credit and non-instructional faculty. The council participates in college governance in matters ranging from accreditation to art preservation. To run, turn in a petition with three faculty signatures of nomination to Conlan Hall E-202 and email a 200-word statement to senelect@ccsf.edu. Contact 2016 Academic Senate Election Commissioners James Armstrong at jarmstro@ ccsf.edu and 415-452-5397, and Karen Saginor ksaginor@ccsf.edu and 415-452-5571. African American Scholastic Programs Fundraiser: See’s Candies Rosenberg Library 209, Ocean Campus. $6–infinity Support the African American Scholastic Programs office fundraiser to raise money for the scholarship program and the Historically Black College and University event later this year. Contact the program office at 415-452-5315 or visit Rosenberg Library room 209 to complete an order form.
Do you have any City College events that you would like included in The Guardsman calendar? Send event information to accionjg@aim.com and mgonzales@theguardsman.com
4 | news
Vol. 161, Issue 3 | Feb. 24 – Mar. 8, 2016
Ziggy waits for Lindley’s Spanish class to start at Ocean Campus on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. They have been best friends for 2 years. (Photo by Gabriella Angotti-Jones/The Guardsman)
City College Offers New Hope For Student job at Environmental & Construction Solutions.
New Beginning
Lindley listens to his Spanish professor’s lecture on verb conjugation at Ocean campus on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. (Photo by Gabriella Angotti-Jones /The Guardsman).
City College Student continued from page 1 2016 planner, homework, documents for financial aid and Ziggy’s service animal papers. He also carries “The Primal Screamer” by Nick Blinko, “The Enchantment of Everyday Life” by Thomas Moore, “Introduction to Physical Anthropology,” and a Merriam-Webster SpanishEnglish dictionary. The last two books supplement his biological anthropology and Spanish classes. Both classes count toward an associate degree in sociology. He plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from San Francisco State University. Lindley is enrolled parttime at City College with the help of financial aid, and City College chemistry
professor Raymond Fong referred him to Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS). “He said to me, ‘Here’s the backpack and the supplies you need.’ I was like, ‘Thank you very much, sir,’” Lindley recalled.
Rocky Road
Lindley became a firstgeneration college student against numerous odds. When Lindsey was 14 years old, his father separated him from his mother because she had a methamphetamine addiction. One year later, he got into a physical altercation with his father that lead to disownment, heroin addiction and six years of homelessness. He backpacked across Tucson, Arizona; Chihuahua, Mexico; and Houston, Texas before
securing housing in a singleroom occupancy hotel in San Francisco’s Mission District. “San Francisco is where my life turned around,” Lindley said. “I used to think instant gratification is better now than tomorrow; now I think feeling horrible now is better than feeling horrible in the future.” San Francisco gave Lindley a new start—his GED at City College. “Back in Houston and Tucson they charged $150 for each test. In San Francisco, I was paid $50 to take each test,” Lindley said. He became a construction worker with his GED and obtained a certificate for completing employment training from Asian Neighborhood Designs. However, Lindley realized construction wasn’t his calling during his last solar paneling
Once he decided to follow through with formal education, Lindley acquired a Board of Governors (BOG) fee waiver by completing the Bridge Academy program at Larkin Street Youth Services. “It’s like a homeless college,” Lindley said. “It prepares homeless kids for college and teaches them what people expect of them.” Lindley never forgets the time he spent homeless. He volunteers regularly at Larkin Street Youth Services, where he encourages and teaches young people through TED Talks. In addition, he’s a hired outreach worker for the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. “I want to become an outreach counselor for at-risk youth,” Lindley said. “In my opinion my story is
not rare. You could find a kid from any major city like me.” To fuel his ambition, Lindley’s room has personal, customized touches that keep him motivated. A worn Bruce Lee poster hangs at the center of attention by the door, whom Lindley admires. Like Lee, he has attained a lean and muscular build, having learned boxing while living in Tuscon, Arizona. Another belonging he holds close is his varied vinyl collection, with genres ranging from punk to soul, from country to pop. “It’s my replacement for Xanax,” Lindley said. He refrains from taking anxiety medications because they interfere with his drug tests.
Staying On Course
On discouraging days he plays Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” record on loop, sped up from 33 to 45 RPM. The increased speed makes
Madonna’s voice to sound like Alvin the Chipmunk, which does wonders for him. “You have no choice but to smile. Nothing feels sad when I do that,” Lindley said. His constant, stifled laughter is a more accurate description of his reaction. A hanging, miniature Harley-Davidson leather jacket makes Lindley smile as well. The jacket is for Ziggy to wear when special occasions arise. “Like when I graduate,” Lindley said. Like Lindley, Ziggy is a survivor too. When Lindley adopted him in Chihuahua, Mexico, the Staffordshire terrier and pocket pitbull mix had previously lived as a bait dog. Ziggy’s missing teeth, crushed larynx and bite scars add to Lindley’s appreciation of their companionship. “Such a hard life…such a big beginning,” Lindley said to Ziggy, petting him furiously.
Lindley and Ziggy begin their daily commute to Ocean Campus from the Turk St. Clinic on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. (Photo by Gabriella Angotti-Jones/The Guardsman)
culture | 5
Feb. 24 – Mar. 8, 2016 | Vol. 161, Issue 3
City College Drama Prepares For Political Play “All the Way” By Marco Siler-Gonzales mgonzales@theguardsman.com @mijo_marco
Blood runs hot in an election year, when politicians seem to meld the American conscience with teetering moral decisions over fear or progress, right or wrong. Perhaps this is why City College theatre instructor John Wilk chose “All the Way” for the school’s upcoming production. “The play is relevant for this election year. 1964 wasn’t that long ago and they still had Jim Crow laws back then. It was a fight for the right to vote,” Wilk said. Written by Robert Schenkkan, “All the Way” depicts President Lyndon B. Johnson’s (LBJ) monumental passage of the Civil Rights Act and his landslide re-election victory in 1964. The play first premiered in 2012 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and will make its California debut at City College. Schenkkan’s play begins right after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and chronicles LBJ’s first year in office. “In that year, everything changes. I look at it as a hinge point in American politics,” the playwright said in an interview at the Oregon festival in 2011. “Virtually everything that we now associate with our contemporary political
Catz Forsman, who plays the part of Lyndon B. Johnson in “All the Way,” runs lines during a rehearsal at the Diego Rivera Theatre on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. (Photo by Nathanial Downes/ Special to The Guardsman)
system happens that one year.” Thursday night’s rehearsal on Feb. 18 showed that pulling this play together is no small feat. The three-hour rehearsal filled the Diego Rivera Theatre stage with complex dialogue and dynamic presentation. “It’s very episodic, short scenes that we have to sew together like a tapestry. That’s just the nature of
the beast. It just takes patience,” Wilk said. The City College production of “All the Way” has a large cast of 27 students, many playing dual roles. The production is part of Wilk’s play presentation and rehearsal class and is subject to all the normal woes of a City College classroom. The student playing Martin Luther
King Jr. was out with a stomach flu and several other students were absent due to work. “It’s fun but definitely a challenge. We have to deal with work and class schedules,” Wilk said, “but the willingness on part of the students is what pushes this play forward.” The most captivating presence on the stage was LBJ himself,
played by Catz Forsman. With a cranky Southern twang, Forsman portrays a deeply conflicted LBJ who is shouldering the sociopolitical pressures of a deeply-stratified American public and governance. Forsman owns his lines like a seasoned professional, never failing to pick up immediately if a scene stumbles. “It’s a big bulk of work, but I’ve been looking at the lines since September,” Forsman said. A 2014 production of the play won two Tony Awards, outstanding play and best actor in a play to Bryan Cranston (from “Breaking Bad” and “Malcolm in the Middle”) for his portrayal of LBJ. Throughout the controlled chaos of complex dialogue, scene changes and forgotten lines, Wilk wants his students to keep one thing in mind: the play depicts real people in history, and they deserve all the passion and sensitivity that these figures once expressed during a time of social turmoil in the United States. “All the Way” will premiere at the Diego Rivera Theatre on Friday, March 4, 2016 at 7:30 p.m., with additional performances March 5–13 on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. $10 for students or $15 general admission. Visit www. brownpapertickets.com/event/2495121 for tickets.
Author Krakauer Tackles Sexual Assault In College Towns “MISSOULA” EXPLORES HOW PROSECUTION OF RAPISTS CAN BE INEFFECTIVE AND NEEDS TO CHANGE By Michaela Payne michaela.k.payne@gmail.com
Everyone should read this book or a book like it. Even if sexual assault hasn’t happened to you, it’s happened to many people you know. Best-selling author Krakauer’s “Missoula: Rape and the Justice System In A College Town,” is a chilling book about Missoula, Montana, where several sexual assault cases between students—terribly common in most college towns, Krakauer writes—were highly publicized in the media. Krakauer picks apart the lengthy process of prosecution that sexual assault survivors endure, which includes hostility from local residents and accusations of lying by legal defenders. Survivors hope to see their rapists punished so others may be spared from assault, but legal proceedings often lead to trials that force survivors to relive their traumas and sentence the rapists to only short terms in minimum-security jails. Colleges like the University of Montana can only attempt to expel the perpetrators. Often, nothing happens. Rapists go free, assault more people and leave a trail of victims who (conveniently for the rapists) tend to blame themselves, shut out their memories and never feel safe again. Krakauer’s book, published in 2015, follows several survivors through reporting
the assault, healing from trauma, and pressing charges against their attackers at the college and through the legal system. He includes each survivor’s opinions about how her case was handled. He interviewed cops, witnesses, deans, lawyers and many survivors, and presents these firsthand stories without doubting survivors’ honesty or motives. In “Missoula,” as in his previous books, Krakauer writes about people who endure through extreme hardship. But this is the first time his nonfiction work has featured central female characters, like in “Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman” (2009) about an NFL star from San Jose, California,
Though one in five college students is sexually assaulted, fewer than 5 percent ever report it. In September last year, San Francisco public and private colleges agreed to an initiative to increase the rates that sexual assault survivors report the crimes, and to increase their access to aid. These efforts follow two 2014 California senate bills requiring California institutions to create policies that ensure sexual assault and other hate crimes are promptly reported to law enforcement (Assembly Bill 1433) and to require affirmative consent for consensual sex. Instead of “no means no,” which limits
Though one in five college students is sexually assaulted, fewer than five percent ever report it. who quit pro football to join the U.S. Army, and “Into The Wild” (1996) about a young adventurer who met his death on a backpacking journey in the Alaskan wilderness. In this book, many of the alleged rapists are young men who play college football with the University of Montana’s Grizzlies, who have a fanatic local following. Krakauer tells how fans and even some legal counsel gave the accused much public support while spreading misconceptions about their victims, like that the women invented rape stories for attention, invited sexual advances and behaved promiscuously, to discredit them and undermine their allegations. In San Francisco and throughout the state, lawmakers and educators are making efforts to address the ineffective systems currently in place for handling and preventing sexual assaults.
legal action if the assaulted was intoxicated, in shock, or otherwise unable to adequately say no to sex, Senate Bill 967 requires clear consent or “yes means yes.” At the press conference in the fall, Supervisor Jane Kim spoke about feeling hopeless in college when her best friend was assaulted. Kim didn’t encourage reporting it, which is not unusual. “Even at 18 I knew the system wasn’t designed to protect us,” Kim said. Through Krakauer’s reporting, this system failure becomes quite clear. Some survivors who reported their assault had their private lives rifled through and publicized in the Missoula court and University of Missoula campus hearings, but Krakauer’s presentation of facts may encourage more people to come forward and force the system to reform.
Krakauer presents the survivors’ stories with empathy and also bias: he favors justice for the injured. His writing is vivid and clear, but the stories and his accounts of the frustrating legal process are painful to read. Overall, he demonstrates that people should report assaults to save others from suffering the same fate, and should act against the legal and cultural factors that allow sexual violence. Most of the stories in “Missoula” are about female college students who were sexually assaulted by male athletes, but sexual assault claims a much wider scope of victims. Krakauer’s narrow focus allows him to unearth the darkest parts of one example, but socially and legally addressing the larger issue will require more voices from more perspectives.
Jon Krakauer’s newest book is a national bestseller. (Photo by Franchon Smith/The Guardsman)
6 | opinion
Vol. 161, Issue 3 | Feb. 24 – Mar. 8, 2016
Have Your Say
Reporting by Cassie Ordonio and Photos by Fran Smith
SFSU recently banned hoverboards from their campus. Should hoverboards be banned from our campus? Gerardo Cano, 23, Business and Administration “I feel like they should. First of all, there’s not a lot of space for hoverboards. We barely have room for bikes and scooters. They are dangerous by themselves. It’s lazy and it’s not eco-friendly.” Now that the Super Bowl has come and gone we can move on to basketball, while we wait for baseball, while we patiently wait for football to come back around. Many of us are enthralled with sports and the millionaire superstars that entertain us. We follow their careers starting in college and sometimes even high school. Athletes are put on pedestals and looked up to by kids and adults. Fans crowd stadiums to cheer on their teams and their favorite players. They embrace athletes by accepting them with open arms regardless of any of their off-the-field indiscretions. Athletes surely deserve the recognition for their athletic abilities and the amount of work they have put in, many of them since childhood. They must be aware that their actions come with consequences, even if many of them never have to answer for their incidents. While star athletes are able to get away with things that normal people would not, they are not completely shielded from the outcome of their actions and behavior. Even so-called good guys sometimes should have to answer for their actions, like Denver Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning, who led his team to a Super Bowl win just a few weeks ago and who most people know from of his numerous spokesperson gigs. In 1996, while Manning was the star quarterback at the University of Tennessee, he was allegedly involved in an incident considered a sexual assault. The story became twisted with Manning claiming to have been “mooning” another athlete while getting treatment from an athletic trainer. The female trainer, however, alleges that after being asked personal questions by Manning, he proceeded to put his private areas in her face. After the incident the school paid the trainer a six-figure settlement that included her leaving the school. Manning became the school’s leading passer and won several bowl games before being drafted No. 1 in the 1998 National Football League (NFL) draft. Little coverage was given to the incident at the time. Although Manning has likely played his last game, he was not quite able to ride into the sunset. On top of the past sexual assault incident, Manning is currently under investigation by the NFL for allegedly having human growth hormone shipped to his home under his wife’s name, as well as being named in
a lawsuit against the University of Tennessee for violating Title IX regulations and creating an environment of sexual hostility. The reason for the incident was not covered by the media and all but went away. At the time, Manning was everyone’s golden child, a status he kept throughout most of his career and culminated with once again being a world champion. Sexual assault is a topic that both the NFL and colleges know too well. Another NFL quarterback, Jameis Winston, a Heisman trophy winner and National Champion at Florida State, was also involved in a sexual-assault incident in college. A female student accused Winston of rape while both attended Florida State and sued him. She also alleges that the school intervened in the police investigation. No charges were filed and the Tallahassee Police Department never even interviewed Winston. At a student disciplinary hearing at Florida State, Winston failed to answer any questions about the incident and was found not to have violated the student conduct code. Winston also went on to be drafted first in the 2015 NFL draft by Tampa Bay. His accuser received a $950,000 settlement from Florida State University, although the school admitted no liability for the incident. Athletes are able to get away with a lot because of their skills and because of the money they help generate, but there comes a time when their egos grow far too large for them to be able to handle. Former NFL player Darren Sharper is currently incarcerated for drugging and sexually assaulting women in four states. Though Sharper originally agreed to a plea bargain and a nine-year sentence, his case is back on trial and is scheduled to begin May 16. For the roles they play, athletes will continue to get special treatment and perks that normal people will never get. They will be given chances and opportunities not available to others and many of these benefits can be justified. As far as kids are concerned, it’s somewhat obvious that if you’re a star athlete you’re probably going to be able to get away with a lot. It then becomes up to them to see exactly how much they can get away with. It’s a hard concept to grasp when you see star athletes go on to make millions while skating around the law, but athletes must be taught at an early age that although they’re more gifted than most of their peers, their actions can indeed still have consequences.
Demetrius Ferguson, 18, Business Management “No not at all. I do not think hoverboards should be banned because it’s a special way of getting around. My hoverboard that I have has music on it, so that’s my device to get around. You’re not running into people, and they’re not harming anyone. So, there’s no reason they should be banned in my opinion.” Jamir Martin, 19, Electrical Engineering “I feel like hoverboards should be banned from this campus because in school people should be able to walk around. It’s an environment where people should be free and at home to walk and go to class. It can be a distraction to other people because what if somebody falls or what if it blows up? There’s a place and a time for hoverboards to be at use.” Ed Franklin, Campus Control Officer “Unless I know it’s a safe device that you can spend your time on. Skateboards have been around for a long time, but they’re banned from school because it can go flying off and hit another car from the sidewalk. I think with these things there’s an added risk. For me personally, I don’t like it because it hasn’t been around long enough.” Emily Haddad, 27, Biology “I think they should be under the same restrictions as skateboards. They are slightly dangerous because you’re moving faster than people walking, and it’s all about being respectful to the people around you. So, I think that’s the rules that they should follow.”
opinion | 7
Feb. 24 – Mar. 8, 2016 | Vol. 161, Issue 3
Apple Should Release Private Info, Just This Time PRIVACY LAWS SHOULD NOT APPLY TO SAN BERNARDINO KILLERS By Matthew Patton mpatton@theguardsman.com @Koldest_Wynter
By refusing to comply with a court-issued order to assist the FBI, Apple has catapulted themselves (and the general public, by extension) onto a very slippery slope. We have to ask ourselves: at what point does the right to privacy exceed or supersede national security concerns? And given how the government has flown the star-spangled banner of “national security” to push sketchy agendas in the past (the JapaneseAmerican internment camps of World War II, for example), I am not suggesting that tech companies write a blank check for the government to sign. This is different. This is an attempt to get into a phone of someone that, along with his wife, killed 14 people last December in San Bernardino, California. The government has made it clear that they want access to that phone, and that phone only. That phone may (or may not) lead to fellow conspirator’s contact information, and how plans were laid out. They say the information that could lead to the prevention
of further crimes. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook is adamant that the privacy of all customers who huddle under the Apple umbrella should be protected. His letter to customers (on the Apple website) explains why. It smacks of hypocrisy and self-degradation that couldn’t be more disingenuous.
okay for the government to have that same access? If handing over that information contributed to their profits, would this even be a conversation? And another thing he wrote was incredibly misleading. He argues that creating a “key” for one iPhone would, in effect, be creating a key for every iPhone, and some-
Today’s impregnable security algorithm is tomorrow’s wet paper bag.
For instance, he states that all “information needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without our knowledge or permission,” in his letter to customers Feb. 16. OK, on the surface this is a noble goal. But it begs the question: why is Apple gathering all that information to begin with? Why is it okay for them to hoard this information—and use it at their discretion when customizing ads and applications according to that consumer’s personal info—but it’s not
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thing like that in the wrong hands would be disastrous. Essentially, the government is asking Apple to hack their own systems. Woe is me. Technology is constantly changing, ever in flux. Today’s impregnable security algorithm is tomorrow’s wet paper bag. Designers, programmers and engineers are constantly pushing the envelope, pushing the limits and pushing themselves to see what they’ll come up with. Every product is analyzed to death, and in some successful
cases, reverse-engineered to improve upon the original concept. For Tim Cook to act like this would be a huge burden is ingenuine. It wasn’t that long ago that iPhone users were all in a tizzy because their iCloud systems got hacked in August 2014, resulting in a slew of unsavory celebrity photos being strewn across the Web. One could say the event was the impetus for Apple to reinforce their own security measures to the degree that they have. And that’s fine. But here’s the thing: for every improvement that companies like Apple make, hackers and the like will continue to make similar strides just to prove that they can beat the system. It’s a never-ending game, an endless waltz. It’s only a matter of time before someone figures out how to beat this latest version of Apple’s security and then Apple’s development team of programmers and engineers will be back to the grind to create a better product. Tim Cook and Apple miss the mark with their reasons for refusing to adhere to a court order. They are potentially shielding activities that need to be brought to light. There’s no getting around that.
Socialism Isn’t a Dirty Word By Audrey Garces agarces@theguardsman.com @AudreyGarces
The United States needs a political revolution, and to students, this becomes more evident every day. This country has more income inequality than most major developed nations, Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook reported in 2015. Students leave college with tens if not hundreds of thousands in debt. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget office reported that the federal government estimates making $127 billion over the next 10 years from student loans. Though the richest country in the world, the United States has the highest childhood-poverty rate of any developed nation, UNICEF data shows. Most economic decisions affecting millions are made by corporate executives tainted with conflicts of interest and beholden only to a handful of wealthy stockholders. Meanwhile, average Americans, earning less yet working longer, are left without enough money to live. We honestly need to ask ourselves, is the system really working for the average U.S. citizen? America does have programs and laws proven to lessen economic inequality, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the minimum wage and the 40-hour work week. These are all socialist programs, seen as radical ideas when they were first introduced. A common misconception about socialism is that it facilitates
an omnipotent government bureaucracy, but if implemented by a democratic political system, that is not the case. Democratic socialism—the term presidential candidate Bernie Sanders openly identifies with—is ballot-box socialism in which individuals vote on how to work together for society’s common good. Socialist ideas help to distribute wealth and benefits more equally through a fairer tax system which closes loopholes that benefit only corporations and the wealthiest. National Public Radio reports millennials earn less money than their parental counterparts, have higher student loan debt, and are unable to buy houses as quickly. Consequently, a positive capitalist association with the “American Dream” isn’t calling young Americans. Fearmongers paint democratic socialism as an evil, stripping away every capitalistic morsel in this country. In reality, private corporations would not disappear, but rather work alongside sociallyowned businesses managed by worker and consumer representatives. The government could use added regulations or incentives to encourage companies to act responsibly. Some question whether the wealthiest will be cheated by having the highest-tax rate despite reaping the benefits of social programs the least. To illustrate, in 1960, U.S. CEOs made 20 times more than the average worker, AFL-CIO federation of unions reports. Today, the average CEO makes 331 times more than the average worker. Are they are working 331 times harder? Bernie Sanders’ social
programs would benefit all members of society, including targeted programs for specific groups like free public college as a long-term investment in our country’s future. Qualified students don’t deserve to be excluded from college just because they are economically disadvantaged. Countries like Sweden, Finland and Denmark demonstrate how democratic socialism is not scary. Finland charges no college tuition fees and has “the best education system in the world,” the Economic Intelligence Unit for Pearson reported in 2012. All three are reported among the top six overall happiest countries worldwide. This outcome is no coincidence. Bernie proposes closing corporate-tax loopholes and stopping offshore-tax havens, imposing a small Wall Street transactions tax and raising tax rates for the wealthiest. The New York Times estimated the federal government would collect an additional $157 billion yearly just by raising the top one percent’s tax rate from 34.9 percent to 40 percent. To put that in perspective, Bernie’s free public college tuition plan would cost about $47 billion yearly. Bernie’s democratic socialist proposals would grant free public college to those willing to work for it, establish a full-employment economy by rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure, give paid family and medical leave, and attempt to boost U.S. manufacturing instead of outsourcing that exploits low-wage workers overseas, just to name a few. Maybe socialism isn’t such a dirty word afterall.
8 | sports
Vol. 161, Issue 3 | Feb. 24 – Mar. 8, 2016
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Rams Capture Conference Title With 95-73 Win Over Owls By Dakari Thomas dthomas@theguardsman.com
Rams turnovers and threepoint shooting kept the Owls very close, but in the end the City College team pulled away quickly to beat Foothill Community College 95-73. The last time the teams
This led to a very highscoring first half that produced multiple lead changes, but still the Rams lead 44-38 at halftime. Going into the second half, the pace was still very fast, but the Rams started to force some turnovers and often converted them into points resulting in a 23 to 8 point run for their 16th
“We have enough depth. Someone is going to step up.”
—Head Coach Justin Labagh
battled on Jan. 15 was not a close game. The Rams won in a blowout 81-50 largely because of a defensive onslaught. But this time around, the Rams struggled to keep the game at a manageable pace, turning the ball over early and often. Even their full court press after scoring baskets didn’t pay off. A lackluster Rams defense resulted in easy Foothill baskets. When the Owls did turn over the ball, City College couldn’t consistently convert these into points.
consecutive win. Sophomore Guard Keondre Dew was injured going up for a rebound and is believed to have broken his foot, according to Head Coach Justin Labagh. A tragic blow to the team, but Coach Labagh is confident in his group. “It won’t affect us heading into the playoffs. We have enough depth. Someone is going to step up,” he said. Trevor Dunbar had the hot hand leading his team with 19 points on some beautiful pull-up jump shots. “It [the
shot] was wet tonight.” he said. “Not surprised, though. I’ve been putting in the work.” His teammate Troy Thompson put up 16 points and had a huge impact in the game on both sides of the court. He knew this wasn’t his best performance on the stat sheet, but consistent games like he had tonight will help the team in the future. “I’m just going to stay humble and keep it going,” Thompson said. The Rams haven’t lost yet in this calendar year, their last defeat at the hands of Moorpark Community College in early December. With the win against Foothill, the Rams wrapped up the North Coast Conference with a perfect 10-0 record. Despite having the best state record at 24-1, City College is still ranked No. 2 behind Saddleback College at 23-1. City College only has two games remaining in the regular season and is looking to finetune some things right before their playoff run starts.
Sophomore guard Shon Briggs (4) weaves through four Foothill College defenders on his way to the net for a layup. (Photo by Peter Wong/Special to The Guardsman)