Vol. 162, Issue 2 | September 7–September 20, 2016 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE
Illustration by Auryana Rodriguez
Student enrollment stabilizes with new marketing plans By Kyle Honea khonea@theguardsman.com
City College’s marketing plan has halted the downward spiral of student enrollment that reduced the college’s numbers by more than 20 percent in the last eight years. Accompanied by Interact Communications, a research company which targets individuals qualified to enroll, the college has spent the last year strategizing for departments with high growth prospects such as automotive, foreign languages, cinema and LGBT studies. “I can get them [students] interested but once they do that, they are in the arms of the college,” CEO of Interact Communications Pamela Cox-Otto said, The college has focused its efforts on a fiveyear enrollment growth plan. The goal is to increase the average class size from 24.2 to 34.2. City College is not the only college which has been affected these last few years. As the economy has boomed in the Bay Area, City College and other community colleges have suffered a drop in enrollment. “When the economy goes up, community
college enrollment goes down. Eight out of the 10 community colleges (in the Bay Area) are on stability funding, meaning their enrollment has dropped,” City College Marketing Director Jeff Hamilton said. Marketing tactics used to boost enrollment included radio and television ads, transit shelter ads, billboards and YouTube pre-roll ads. The plan now calls for autobiographical narrations as well to allow students an opportunity to tell about their own experiences at City College. Diversity is the deciding factor when it comes to choosing which students get to tell their college story. “The marketing efforts have two layers,” Hamilton said. “The first layer is a general audience campaign to tell the world in an untargeted fashion that we are City College. Here’s what we are about and that we’d like to have you here. The other layer is targeting campaigns.” Email blast campaigns target returning students, dropouts and students who have applied without yet registering for classes. The college is also focusing on adult demographics which include students between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. City College has set up new degrees,
CITY COLLEGE ATHLETES OF THE WEEK Gian Marco Zancanaro Men's Soccer Jesse Bareilles Women's Soccer
SPORTS – PAGE 8
Volume162_Issue02-MASTER.indd 1
certificates and other classes that help students build targeted skills required for specific jobs. There have also been efforts made to reach out to San Francisco high school students. It is both promoting specific departments and reaching out to specific demographics through its ads. Simultaneously, other departments are taking enrollment into their own hands by solely reaching out to students who have reason to be interested. Faculty and department chairs decide on new certificates like those in game development and visual media design. Enrollment numbers and the needs of specific classes are two factors considered when coming up with new certificates and programs. “There are a lot of new programs and certificates we are developing,” chair of the Enrollment Management Plan Carole Meager said. These programs are designed to generate interest in these departments and ultimately increase enrollment. The college’s Board of Trustees and its faculty union, AFT 2121, are also promoting Supervisor Jane Kim’s proposal for free City College tuition aimed to help increase enrollment. The proposition will be voted on in November.
Broadcasting faculty selfpromotes; still struggles By Bethaney Lee blee@theguardsman.com
As the overall enrollment at City College stabilizes, a number of departments on campus are still feeling the ill effects of low enrollment numbers that have affected the school for the past few years. The college administration’s decision to cut classes with low enrollment has led many faculty members to take class promotion into their own hands. This is largely the case for staff from the Broadcasting and Media Arts Department (BEMA). Class cuts in BEMA have prompted Department Chair Sheila McFarland and other department instructors to create an emergency Wordpress page for brainstorming course promotion strategies. “This semester, two classes got cut due to low enrollment: one section of BCST 119: Digital Media Skills and BCST 115: Announcing and Performance,” McFarland said. “So far we are squeaking by, but pretty soon so many classes will be cut that we will start to have even worse dwindling broadcasting department continues on page 3
9/6/16 4:39 PM
2 | news
Vol. 162, Issue 2 | Sept. 7–Sept. 20, 2016
News Briefs Ocean Campus experiences power outage Staff Editor-in-Chief Teddy Luther News Editor Cassie Ordonio Photo Editor Franchon Smith Culture & Opinion Editor Nancy Çhan Sports Editor Dakari Thomas Copy Editors Nancy Chan Cynthia Collins David Horowitz Marco Siler-Gonzales Design Director James Fanucchi Online Editor & Social Media Director Shannon Cole Advertising Manager Cara Stucker Staff Writers Kyle Honea Abdul-Latif Islam Robert Jalon Bethaney Lee Adina Pernell Gabriela Reni John Ortilla Staff Photographer Izar Decleto Kyle Honea Gabriela Reni Staff Illustrator Auryana Rodriguez Contributors L.A. Bonté Nathaniel Downes Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales Reach us at theguardsman.com Twitter and Instagram @theguardsman #CCSFjournalism Facebook /theguardsman Youtube theguardsmanonline Mail 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Bungalow 615 Phone (415) 239-3446 Affiliates
Most buildings on Ocean Campus, as well as the immediate surrounding area, experienced a power outage early Tuesday morning. This resulted in all 9:30 and earlier classes on campus being cancelled. The Multi-Use Building (MUB) was still without power at press time. All classes in MUB were cancelled for the entire day Tuesday. PG&E emergency repair teams were working on restoring power throughout the morning. At this time, the reason of the power outage is unknown. The first signs of power being out were around 4 a.m. Most buildings on campus had power restored by 8 a.m. – Teddy Luther
Kim and Wiener prioritize education Controversial topics were discussed in a 90-minute State Senate debate between San Francisco Supervisors Jane Kim and Scott Wiener at the Potrero Hill Democratic Club on Tuesday, Aug. 23. Over 100 attendees digested the contention of Kim and Wiener. They spoke of limited affordable housing, ineffective public transportation, the dying middle class, failing incarceration measures and a rotting education system. “In San Francisco, our income divide is now akin to Rwanda’s,” Kim said. “One of the biggest ways to help the income divide is by investing in
our public schools. We have vastly divested from our public education school system.” The pitfalls of public education was one issue Kim and Wiener found common ground on. “Public education is very personal for me,” Wiener said. “What we have in California today is beyond unacceptable. Every problem we are discussing here today has its roots in education.” Both candidates emphasized plans for restructuring the education system, recognizing that as a key to enacting lasting change. “I put on the ballot a luxury real estate tax that will generate on average 44 million dollars,” Kim said. “I propose to use half of it to make City College free again as it was before 1983.” While Kim is looking to rectify the complete K-14 education system, Wiener is looking to solve more specific problems within it. “We need to make sure we are getting more resources into our schools," Wiener said. "We have to expand and improve S.T.E.M. so that our kids can get 21st century jobs." – Bethaney Lee
New food truck opens on Ocean Campus D’Maize, a new food truck on Ocean Campus, opened during the second week of fall classes. Located in Cloud Circle between the Creative Arts and Visual Arts buildings, D’maize will be serving “modern Salvadorian food” Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Although the new food truck doesn’t provide a dining area, it gives students more food options since the recent closure of City Cafe. D’maize first opened their brick and mortar restaurant five years ago on 24th Street, in the
September Events The Study Abroad Scavenger Hunt
The Study Abroad Programs Office will be organizing a scavenger hunt for students who are interested in learning more about studying abroad in Italy or Spain during Spring 2017. There will be music, prizes, free food and the opportunity for students to talk to international students from Spain and Italy. For more information please contact Jill Heffron, Study Abroad Coordinator, at (415) 239-3778 or jheffron@ccsf.edu or visit facebook.com/studyabroadwithccsf Wednesday, September 7
Lower Haight Art Walk
Mission district. The truck will serve most of the restaurant’s bestsellers: pupusas, breakfast and regular burritos, quesadillas and daily specials. “Our menu is made from scratch with fresh ingredients and we are committed to providing CCSF students healthy and affordable prices of our food,” Executive Chef Luis Estrada said. They will be open for the rest of the fall semester, and plan to return for the spring semester as well. – John Ortilla
Arts Extension building upgrade near complete The Arts Extension building on Ocean Campus is in the final phases of an energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrade that will temper the air and reduce costs for City College. The Year Two Arts Extension Energy Efficiency/HVAC Upgrade Project is funded through the state, since approval of Prop 39, which requested necessary HVAC upgrades and an energy efficient system for the Arts Extension building. Bids for the project were opened publicly and reviewed by City College on May 10, determining that Envise Corporation would be responsible for its completion at a cost of $660,000.00. “We expect system improvements to reduce costs and achieve energy, and environmental benefits,” Facilities Management Mariam Lam said. A scheduled walk through of the building is set in three weeks to confirm standards were withheld and if anything additional will be required of the contractors. – Bethaney Lee
Do you have any City College events that you would like included in The Guardsman calendar? Send event information to accionjg@aim.com and tluther@theguardsman.com
Holiday and Orientation
City College’s Critical Middle EastFamily Day at the Mexican ern Studies (SWANA) and InterdisMuseum ciplinary Studies Department will Celebrate Hispanic Heritage be hosting an orientation to the Month at the Mexican Museum Critical Middle Eastern Studies / with your whole family. Watch spe- SWANA Certificate and Holiday cial presentations by cartoonists, Party celebrating the Muslim holiincluding "Zotz" creator Daniel day, Eid al-Adha. Parada, about their work at 2 p.m. 203 Batmale Hall and 3 p.m. For more information, contact For more information, visit ato@ccsf.edu or visit mexicanmuseum.org facebook.com/ Event is free. 672458219555805/ Wednesday, September 30, 6-9 p.m. Contact: (415) 202-9700 Sunday, September 11, 1-4 p.m.
Annual Mexican Independence BBQ & Cruise
The San Francisco Lowrider Council is hosting a BBQ at La Raza Park. Free hamburgers and hotdogs. Lowriders will be cruising on 24th Street in el Barrio de La MiSiON! For more information, visit facebook.com/ 1005529699546234
The Lower Haight Merchants and Neighbor Association are hosting a free art walk from Haight Street to Scott and Webster. Art trucks, live music, food and drinks. Each art walk is different from the last. For more information on the art Sunday, September 18, 12-4 p.m. walk, visit facebook.com/1758408031114977 or contact: lowerhaight415@gmail. com
City College club allocation fund deadlines
City College clubs must complete their creation/renewal process by Sept. 15 to receive $200 in allocation funding from the Associated Students Council. The process can be delayed until the second deadline on Sept. 29, but funding would then only by $100. For more information on the Inter Club Council, visit ccsf.edu/en/ student-services/student-activities/ icc.html or contact Elson Law at icc@mail.ccsf.edu
Saturday, September 10, 6-10 p.m.
Volume162_Issue02-MASTER.indd 2
9/6/16 4:40 PM
news | 3
Vol. 162, Issue 2 | Sept. 7–Sept. 20, 2016
New beginnings in a smaller home By David Horowitz
ABOVE: The new Child Care Development Center at Ocean Campus is located behind Rosenberg Library. (Photo by John Ortilla/The Guardsman) RIGHT: Interior of the new Child Care Development Center on August 30, 2016. (Photo by Gabriela Reni/ The Guardsman)
Struggles remain amid revamped department broadcasting department continued from page 1 enrollment. It will become a downward spiral.” There are approximately 225 students currently enrolled across BEMA’s 19 courses this fall. As a result, the department averages fewer than 12 students per course. “We’ve tried many things to boost enrollment,” McFarland said. “We attend all of the enrollment events on campus and at BART. We attended the Mission Campus intro event and have helped distribute materials around the city.” McFarland mentioned reaching out through visual and social media as well. “We worked with the graphics students in Emerge Studios to create a brochure and we make our own brochures every semester to
try to get the word out about our classes,” McFarland continued. “Instructors have made videos and placed them on YouTube and Facebook. It has helped some, but we still have visibility problems— people don't know we exist.” While the department program may lack recognition, it no longer lacks funding after securing a Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Perkins grant this last year. “We received a CTE Enhancement Fund grant to create a game sound class and obtain the necessary components to be able to teach that type of advanced class in sound,” BEMA instructor Dana Labrecque said. “We are offering that class for the first time as a brand new class, and it is full.” The few students of BEMA share a wealth of industry standard equipment purchased with
the CTE grant, including two new surround sound systems, 25 seats of Pro Tools digital audio software, MIDI keyboards and a plethora of headphones. “Our students get hands-on equipment immediately. Students can sign in and work on their own,” McFarland said. “Many schools nearby do not allow students alone on their multitrack consoles until after several semesters. Our students get experience right away.” Overhauled last year, BEMA offers students seven certificate programs. The program is aware of what the average student interested in the field wants to learn. “(They) are not looking to take a math or English class, but are there to gain skills in the industry and might not otherwise be in college if it weren’t for what we offer,” McFarland said.
Ocean Campus’s Orfalea Family Center had since 2008 dhorowitz@theguardsman.com served as a nursery for toddlers The Child Development and 18 months to three-years-old, a Family Studies program aban- preschool for children three to fivedoned its rusty Orfalea Family years-old and a lab for City College Center walls and temporarily students participating in the Child moved behind the Rosenberg Development and Family Studies Library into two bungalows, where program. it opened its doors in time for the That center was deemed Fall semester on August 10. unsafe because its outer walls were “We were able to continue to corroded to the point where panels provide an uninterrupted service were falling off. It was allegedly to the parents and the school,” caused by negligence on the part child development and family of the Hunt Construction Group. studies department chair Rosario San Francisco Community Villasana said. “It’s a beautiful College District filed a complaint space—the college feels really against Hunt in September 2013, cared for and the center feels cared the company denied liability in for by the college January 2014 community.” and the trial is "I think there’s a Enviroplex ongoing. Inc. constructed great sense of “It can take the newfound relief in terms as long as a year Ocean or two years,” Campus Child of being able to Villasana said. Development “Lawsuits can offer something Lab School over take quite a while, the summer for that is safer and so we don’t know approximately better looking..." how long it will $1.4 million. The take.” – Child Development and school is around Orfalea half the previous Family Studies Department closed its doors Chair Rosario Villasana at the end of facility’s size, but its teachers have the Spring 2016 so far been able to work without semester. It sits unoccupied, waiting facing significant problems. to be fenced off and demolished. No teachers were cut out “It was a big loss for the faculty. of the program, which lost five For everybody, for the teachers, the potential spots for kids because of children—it just had a freer feeling Community Care Licensing space because it was so open and the yard requirements. Additionally, no chil- was much, much better than the dren have yet been left out of the one we have now,” Villasana said. program because the center has The school’s new appearance is not reached its full capacity of 18 incomparably better than its worn toddlers and 50 preschoolers. out predecessor’s. It also features Children who leave at noon two playgrounds surrounded by now share classrooms with those curtained fences that block chilwho stay until 4 p.m., whereas dren from the sights of passersby. they had separate classrooms at “I think there’s a great sense of the previous site. It’s also somewhat relief in terms of being able to offer harder for parents to get to than the something that is safer and better previous site. looking, and the parents don’t have Furthermore, the John Adams to worry that it is a danger to the child development program’s children,” Villasana said. administrative offices recently There are hopes the program closed, sending their administrators will relocate back to its previous into the new site, where they share area, but it is unknown when that offices with the Ocean administra- will happen. tion. Even so, administrators and “Once (the lawsuit) gets teachers are both making the most finalized, (the new site) has to of the reduced space. get planned,” Villasana said. “People are closer together “Realistically, it could be 5 years and getting work done together,” or even longer. So temporary isn’t Villasana said. “It’s kind of allowed so temporary.” us to streamline our administrative processes by having all our administration at the offices. There’s clearer communication.”
Campus safety measures updated but ignored By Cassie Ordonio cordonio@theguardsman.com
City College’s new smartphone add-on has yet to improve campus safety, in spite of campus police launching the 911 Shield Safety app during the beginning of the spring semester. Police Chief Andre Barnes said he sent a mass email to students and faculty with an embedded video for instructions and procedures on how to use the app. However, no
Volume162_Issue02-MASTER.indd 3
one has used the app yet this year. Out of the thousands of students and faculty at the college, only 319 have downloaded it. Most students and faculty are unaware there is a safety app. “They have an app for that now?” said Kelly Cuff, a law major. “What’s wrong with just calling 911?” For accuracy purposes, 911 Shield Safety provides texting services to the campus police with faster responses by notifying officers within a few seconds. It gives
students freedom to file reports both anonymously and discreetly. Since the Rosenberg Library altercation on Oct. 13, 2015 involving a student allegedly carrying a gun, the college has taken steps to ensure the safety of its students. Facilities and Planning have been working on their Master Plan to upgrade maintenance on campus, including the emergency call boxes. According to the plan, the call boxes are outdated and need replacements. Currently there are seven call
boxes located in the parking lots on Ocean campus. This does not include the phones located within buildings. Reparation costs were last estimated at $25,000 in 2014. “We can’t assume that people have access to cellphones,” said Mariam Lam from the Facilities and Planning department. “To have the call boxes throughout campus would be an added measure of security.”
With the 911Shield Safety App, students can report crime on campus, access bus routes and times, request CCSFPD’s safety escort service, along with several other features. (Photo by Franchon Smith/The Guardsman)
9/6/16 4:40 PM
4 | culture
Vol. 162, Issue 2 | Sept. 7–Sept. 20, 2016
Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ shows deep roots but lacks definition By Abdul-Latif Islam abdullatifislam@gmail.com
The cover of Frank Ocean's new album Blonde, or blond, is displayed on Abdul Latif Islam's iPhone. (Photo by Izar Decleto/The Guardsman)
Frank Ocean has finally released the long-awaited “Blonde,” a gender and genre-bending collection of innuendos sprinkled with drugs, cars and glitter that confounds and disappoints. Throughout “Blonde,” Ocean pairs subtle autobiographical perspective with discordant electronic arrangements for a manufactured irony. The result is a muted soundscape that is similar to jazz, yet lacks the genre’s rawness of emotions. While Ocean’s taciturn craftsmanship is apparent, his artistry requires repeat listening to detect. However, with each play it becomes apparent that the album is disjointed and merely a collection of tracks he has worked on for the past four years. Promotional single “Nikes” personalizes the political. Ocean declares “Trayvon Martin looks like me” and poignantly addresses how black men see themselves reflected in images of murdered black men across the United States. Yet in the same song, Ocean utilizes autotune to obscure and limit the impact of lyrics celebrating his meeting with a male lover’s friends. This is repeated in “Good Guy,” where autotune muffles mention of being taken to a gay bar. Lessening these lyrics is a letdown to his gay fanbase, which he has cultivated through social media posts over the years. In “Solo,” Ocean sings of jaded isolation with heartfelt yet confounding lines such as ”there’s a bull and matador dueling in the sky” at the top of his lungs. The execution distracts from the meatier body of the song.
This is a sullen shift from 2012’s “Thinkin Bout You,” where Ocean communicates an unadorned and direct passion that demanded attention and continuous play. During a four-year hiatus, Ocean has been featured alongside musical heavyweights such as Beyoncé and Kanye West. For “Blonde,” Ocean tempers his bravado and diverts the spotlight, but André 3000’s reprise of “Solo” overpowers Ocean’s original. In “Be Yourself,” Ocean plays a voicemail of a woman known as Mom preaching against the evils of alcohol and marijuana. This not Ocean’s mother but Auntie Rosie, who was also featured on “Channel Orange” in the same nagging manner. Having a repeat disrupts the sophomore album’s vibe and shows a lack of growth from 2012. Another piece of filler is the anecdote “Facebook Story,” which is simply a recording of French music producer SebastiAn. “Blonde” does have moments of inspiration. “Pink + White” secures a place on every break-up playlist this autumn as an earnest and effortless song produced by Pharrell Williams with backing vocals by Beyoncé. It vies for the title of best track with the prayer-like “Godspeed,” where Ocean and gospel singer Kim Burrell ascend emotionally. The impressiveness of their combined vocals underscore how timid Ocean’s singing is on the remainder of the album. On his Tumblr blog, Ocean states “Consciously, I don’t want straight… a little bent is good” in response to criticism of his love of cars. The same can be said for “Blonde.” It bends so much to avoid a narrative that it loses shape and form.
Welcome all. This is a concerted tarot reading for City College students and staff for the weeks of Sept. 7 to Sept. 21 2016, grouped according to the elements associated with the 12 Signs of the Zodiac.
By Abdul-Latif Islam abdullatifislam@gmail.com
For Earth Signs Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn: The reversed Knight of Cups predicts a lack of motivation this week. Don’t give up. Stick to your routine and allow this lull in enthusiasm to pass.
For Water Signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces: The Five of Cups acknowledges that you are going through a period of grief. Be gentle with yourself. Seek out healthy support from others and from yourself. Allow your emotions to flow. This opens you to discover new joys.
For Fire Signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius: The Lovers card encourages you to enjoy yourself and allow that momentum to carry over into your coursework. This card shows your passions will sustain you.
For Air Signs Gemini, Libra and Aquarius: The Queen of Swords asks you to identify what you treasure and to use your skills of communication and intelligence to safeguard them. Place an emphasis on being calm and alert these upcoming weeks, and bring an extra pen to class.
Illustrations by Auryana Rodriguez
Volume162_Issue02-MASTER.indd 4
9/6/16 4:40 PM
culture | 5
Vol. 162, Issue 2 | Sept. 7–Sept. 20, 2016
'Don’t Breathe' set to smother other horror films this year By Nancy Chan nchan@theguardsman.com
Fede Alvarez’s “Don’t Breathe” unfolds in adept twists designed to leave viewers short of breath, despite its simple premise: three young burglars ransack one final victim’s home for his settlement sum. Their intended victim: a blind, unnamed Gulf War veteran and recluse (played by Stephen Lang) with three hundred thousand in cash after losing his daughter to
Money (Daniel Zovatto) receives the initial tip-off about the veteran. Money’s motivation is as obvious as the dollar sign tattooed on his neck. Rocky (Jane Levy), Money’s girlfriend, sports an incomplete ladybug wrist tattoo and sets her sights on Californian freedom. She has a kid sister named Diddy, whose pouty comments and dreams of being a surfer reflect an innocence removed from their harsher reality in Detroit. It becomes clear Diddy is Rocky’s most valued person—
Illustration of the blind veteran by Auryana Rodriguez
an automobile accident. His vigilant and jump scare-provoking Rottweiler may well be the greater threat. Cornrowed, wannabe gangster
much like how the real life P. Diddy is the world’s wealthiest rapper— and for the third teenager, Alex (Dylan Minnette), Rocky’s happiness is his happiness. A security
guard’s son, he provides the key codes, gadgets and legal knowledge necessary for the trio to break into houses. Although Alex knows stealing anything valued over 10 thousand will land them in prison or worse, all bets are off for their grandest heist. Rocky sets things in motion by kicking through a bathroom window and deactivating the veteran’s electronic security system. Once inside, the film’s colors or lack thereof create palpable menace. The veteran’s house, lit by lamplight and older overhead fixtures, turns walls sickly green and light sources stark yellow. Shadows everywhere, along with the surprising appearance of tar, add requisite shades of black. Darker reds come from blood, though it’s not gratuitous; the real terror lives inside the veteran’s basement. Cinematically, the camera often pans in and out to suffocating effect—and for brilliant foreshadowing. One zoom-in focuses on a tool shed, complete with hammers, shovels and garden shears. Another is for Rocky’s shoes, a pivotal pair of proof for the veteran’s confirmation of intruders. The veteran certainly doesn’t see anything; in a surreal and chilling scene, he picks one platform sneaker up and sniffs it, glazed eyes wide open. He’s the opposite of helpless. To the despair and shock of Money, Rocky and Alex, the veteran’s sinewy build is not a remainder of war experience, but a reminder of it. Many of his close-ups are lowangle shots, giving him superior and overpowering presence. His intuition is razor-sharp, to boot. If a window needs boarding up, he hammers away with an awareness that causes survivors to
Twinkle your toes at September dance workshops By Michaela Payne mpayne@theguardsman.com
The dance department will kick off the fall semester—and twirl, slide and hop—with two September workshop nights featuring Romanian dance and Argentine tango. Romanian dance duo and
special guests Sonia Dion and Cristian Florescu revisit City College on Sept. 12 after spending the year teaching classes and choreography around the world since their first-ever workshop at the college last fall. Check out the duo’s website for videos of their energetic Romanian folk dances featuring intricate footwork at high
speeds from dancers who link arms and perform each step in precise unison. This workshop will cover the basic steps of Romanian folk dancing to traditional music. All are welcome to attend this free workshop held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m in the Wellness Center. City College’s own faculty tango teacher Chelsea Eng will lead
Promotional poster at the New Mission Alamo Drafthouse Cinema for a Sept. 3 showing of "Don't Breathe." (Photo by David Horowitz)
shrink in fear. He’ll snap the key embedded inside a door’s lock, then turn off the lights to turn the tables. The scene that follows is among the movie’s most visually harrowing: everything becomes grayscale, reducing seeing eyes into black marbles and rendering the veteran’s irises into ghastly prunes. Money’s single moment of acuity happens when he refuses
to sympathize with the veteran: “Just because he’s blind doesn’t mean he’s a saint.” A saint he ain’t—some deeds must be seen to be believed, especially when one revelation arrives horribly slow à la Billy the Puppet on a tricycle. Audiences will be kept rigid in their seats as “Don’t Breathe” reverses hunting roles and inherent tenacity keeps each person—and dog—biting back.
the Sept. 17 Fall Harvest Milonga to teach the basics of tango partner dancing. This community milonga—the name for any tangodancing place or event—brings the technique, traditions and music of romantic tango which evolved from Argentina and Uruguay 150 years ago to the jazzy and electric new tango styles of today. Eng’s workshop will get everyone moving in the sensual moves of tango to the musical selections
of guest tango DJ Bobbi Noyer. The milonga will start with an intro lesson for absolute beginners at 7 p.m. followed by a social dance party from 8-10:30 p.m. The door fee has a sliding scale fee from $5-$10. Both events will be held in the Performance Studio, Room 301, at the Ocean Campus’ Wellness Center. Both workshops welcome beginners to learn alongside dancers of all ages and all skill levels from City College and beyond.
Filbert Cartoons by L.A. Bonté for more, visit filbertcartoons.com
Volume162_Issue02-MASTER.indd 5
9/6/16 4:40 PM
6 | opinion
Vol. 162, Issue 2 | Sept. 7–Sept. 20, 2016
Examining Kaepernick's protest through the lens of history By Tarikhu Farrar Department of African American Studies Special to The Guardsman
Expressions of dismay over Colin Kaepernick’s recent protest are the latest incarnations of something with a long history. Like Kaepernick, Black celebrities of the past who dared to criticize America’s continued oppression of the African American people were likewise met by a chorus of disapproval. A modern oppression continues daily with a ruthlessness witnessed in the economic and political assault on the conditions of Black life, often assuming the form of physical violence. Sports and entertainment are two of the few avenues that have been open to Black people as a means for achieving some degree of fame and fortune. Those who have been successful at both are expected to extol the greatness of America, and certainly not to be overly critical of this country. At least, not publicly. Black people are expected to distance themselves from using militant or radical expressions of their struggle for social justice. Today, militancy is most evident in the Black Lives Matter movement. Two generations ago, the equivalent was the various organizational expressions of the Black Power movement. Some history: Sixty years ago Louis Armstrong, one of America’s and the world’s true musical geniuses, was severely chastised for his criticism of his home country. Armstrong excoriated the federal government for its decades-long tolerance and complicity of the Jim Crow’s system of segregation and violence. Armstrong reacted to scenes of white mobs, numbering in the thousands, and the Little Rock Arkansas Police Department that blocked nine African American students from entering Central High School under orders from the governor of the state. He cancelled a U.S. State Departmentsponsored tour to Russia in protest of what he considered the “gutlessness” and duplicity of then-president Eisenhower for his delay in responding to the crisis. Better known from a decade later is the story of Muhammad Ali’s refusal to be
Illustration by Auryana Rodriguez
inducted into the army, which focused on his opposition to the Vietnam War. Ali was certainly opposed to the war. But the deeper reason behind his refusal to serve was his belief that no African American had any business serving in the U.S. Armed Forces for any war, anywhere, at any time. He held this belief because of the historic denial of even the most elementary rights of equality and citizenship to the African American people. At the very time of this ordeal, a major struggle against segregation was underway in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The white press, and much of White America, vilified him. Some prominent African Americans did as well, including baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Ali was ultimately stripped of his World Heavyweight Boxing Championship title. A year or so later, John Carlos and Tommie Smith carried out their historic clenched fist protest during the national
anthem at the Mexico City Olympics. Both lost their Olympic medals, gold for Smith and Bronze for Carlos, and were banned from any future participation in the Olympics. And now, Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is refusing to stand and sing an anthem, composed as a poem by a slave owner who was a determined defender of slavery. Who, in the words crafted in the third stanza of his so-called anthem, degrades the self-emancipated slaves who were enjoying their recently gained freedom and refuge with the British forces. They had mustered their courage and determination to assist in the effort to defeat their former enslavers. Francis Scott Key was also a founding member of the American Colonization Society, an organization whose purpose was to rid the United States of Black people no longer held in bondage. Free Blacks deemed a threat to the institution of slavery. In Key’s vision of America, there was no
place for any Black people save those who were enslaved. But there is yet more. In Key’s poetry, the flag would survive a night of ceaseless bombardment. This flag represented a country that, by 1850, would be the largest slave-owning society bar none on Earth. It was the flag of a country whose most sacred founding document recognized, sanctioned and protected slavery. Aside from Colin Kaepernick’s exercising of his First Amendment rights, his actions are entirely comprehensible, and quite rational, in the light of history. Perhaps he is more knowledgeable of American history, as opposed to American mythology, than his critics. Embodied in this history is the American world in which, and for which, the Star Spangled Banner was composed. Colin Kaepernick should feel no compulsion to offer up, on request, this paean to such a world. None of us should.
Gratuities are not synonymous with gratitude By Nigel Flores Special to The Guardsman
Long ago, tipping was a way to show appreciation for well-performed and timely service. In the United States today, tipping has been our way for so long that it is considered mandatory and almost more insulting than a slap to the face if not given outright. Initially, tips were created as a kind and unnecessary gesture. Now, customers are stigmatized if they don’t tip and servers are penalized for receiving them. Despite being a renowned American tradition, researchers say that tipping may have been coined during the 17th century in British taverns. Being tipped was a way of ensuring that your glass would be trending upwards throughout the night and encouraged barkeeps to keep their patrons happy. It was once a generous act that promoted good service. However, tipping became just another failed British experiment for America, right behind soccer. Tipping is no more a prize than it is a
Volume162_Issue02-MASTER.indd 6
death sentence. As the result of higher earnings from tipping, many states have elected to only pay servers the federal tipped minimum wage, which is a meager $2.13. The only way to receive extra money is if earnings from the federal tipped minimum wage and tips do not exceed the earning of what that person would have received under the normal federal minimum wage. For a brief time, I worked as a busboy at an upscale Italian restaurant in southern California where servers often received large tips from customers who enjoyed grossly overpriced food. To ensure the decent tip any server would normally expect, they asked for assistance from busboys and had them tend to the requests of their tables. At the end of the night, servers would tip according to the quality of their work. While some busboys could make 50 percent of a server’s tip in earnings, others earned nothing. Sometimes it wasn’t exactly fair and feelings got hurt, but the point is that quality mattered.
(Photo by James Fanucchi/The Guardsman)
The hustle, the extra sweat, the attention to detail. It all mattered. That’s what tipping should be about. That’s what it was about in the first place. But now it simply is about the motions and half efforts. This isn’t my assault on servers and bartenders, as I have lived in their world before. Phone bills need to be paid, groceries need to be bought and rent is constantly due. Most people would understand a server’s desire for a little extra cash to become more
comfortable, but I believe that desire should translate into a more competitive approach to impress customers. The ease they seek should come at a stiffer cost than what is being paid today. The only way to influence change is to leave a poor-performing server with a zero in the tip margin. Even though individuals who have the nerve to leave no tips are ridiculed or mocked, it seems that they are the only honest ones left.
9/6/16 4:40 PM
opinion | 7
Vol. 162, Issue 2 | Sept. 7–Sept. 20, 2016
From big tobacco to ‘big ramen’: a prisoner’s dilemma
HAVE YOUR SAY What is your commute to City College like?
Christine Ho 22 Fashion and Business Major
By David Horowitz dhorowitz@theguardsman.com
Packaged ramen has surpassed cigarettes as the most traded commodity between American prison inmates, according to a study by Michael Gibson-Light, a Ph.D candidate from the University of Arizona’s School of Sociology. Our $80 billion incarceration system’s most popular item has, for the first time, become a basic human need—food. Twenty-nine cent, chemical-ridden food that maintains value as a source of savory, better-tasting calories. The widespread appreciation of “soups” within U.S. correctional facilities signals a lower standard of living for prisoners. This new low is brought about by the outsourcing of prison food production from federal and state governments to private companies as a means of saving money. The Indiana Department of Corrections demonstrated this in 2005, saving $7 million by signing a contract with Aramark Corporation. The department paid Aramark just $1.24 for each meal, according to Lucky Peach article “Fixed Menu.” However, the facility got what it paid for. Aramark’s food quality wais so poor, it was responsible for a prison riot that set six buildings on fire at the Northpoint Training Center in Kentucky in 2009, corrections officer Matt Hughes told the Lexington Herald-Leader. The $8.2 billion corporation—the largest food provider for American prisons—has also been reported to provide insubstantial meals to correctional facilities in Florida, Indiana and New Mexico. While Aramark is just one example of a negligent contractor, every business’s goal is to make and save money. Fortunately for them alone, prisons are the ideal place to test new lows, where the complaints of the ones being fed facing them are stuck behind bars. From a practical standpoint, those new lows ironically work against rehabilitation, the central goal of our incarceration system that aims to prevent habitual offending. It is a goal the current system is failing at, as three quarters of over 400 thousand inmates released from 30 prisons in 2005 returned within just five years of their release,
“I just recently moved with my dad so I live in San Bruno. I take BART to come here. It doesn't take too long, maybe 20 minutes and wait time is seven minutes so it’s not that bad. Going back takes a little bit longer because I scooter back home. That's an additional 30 minutes.”
Adam Nuñez 32 Computer Science Major (Photo by James Fanucchi/The Guardsman)
according to a Bureau of Justice Statistics study. From an ethical standpoint, the right to food is so widely accepted that the General Assembly of the United Nations named it a basic human right in International Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. TAnd taking American law into account, the Corrections Act of 1986 states prisoners have “the right to be provided with food that is adequate to maintain the health and well-being of the prisoner.” Furthermore, malnourishment among the nation’s 2.2 million incarcerated people impacts even those who don’t sympathize with them. Malnutrition is associated with deteriorating health, and taxpayers must pay from their own pockets when others— including prisoners—become riddled with ETC_S16_backcover_v3.pdf
4/28/16
“It depends if I have a Muni day pass or not. It's nice sometimes, but sometimes it’s too packed and hectic and tiring, coming back and forth.”
Tamara Ruiz 21 Architecture Major
12:42 PM
WE HAVE TOOLS
Logan Fletcher 22 Communications Major “I drive here. I live down the street, but still drive here. No complaints; I don't pay for school parking. I just park on the street and walk two blocks down.”
YOU HAVE SKILLS
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Maria Sino 22 Architecture Major
let’s collaborate
Offer good with this ad only. One per customer please.
“Usually I spend about a hundred a month on gas for my car. My class starts at 9 a.m.; I come here at 8 so there is no traffic.”
JOURNALISM 29 Magazine Editing and Production Mondays 6:30 - 8:20 pm Fall & Spring Semesters Mission Campus For more information call 415.239.3446
Email file to us & We do the rest!
job@copyedge.com
SP16 ETC_Magazine_Back Cover.indd 22
Volume162_Issue02-MASTER.indd 7
Tammy Abdulnagi 18 Child Development Major
“I live like five minutes away, so I either walk or take the bus. City College is awesome.”
C
Black & White on 20lb white bond
1
health problems. Our penal system’s idea of rehabilitation relies on the principle that people are able to change for the better. But true to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, people saddled by hunger are less likely to look beyond their next meal, let alone change old habits. Ultimately, inmates are less likely to care about self-transformation and reintegration into society when the most widely appreciated commodity they to look forward to is something cheap, processed and, mediocre food. Such a system cannot truthfully claim to promote rehabilitation until the incarcerated eat well enough to look forward to something better than their next bag of ramen.
“I just moved to the city, so it takes me about 10 minutes on BART and Muni.”
Reporting and photos by Gabriela Reni 5/9/16 1:03 PM
9/6/16 4:41 PM
8 | sports
Vol. 162, Issue 2 | Sept. 7–Sept. 20, 2016
Rams open season with upset loss to Laney By Kyle Honea & Teddy Luther khomea@theguardsman.com tluther@theguardsman.com
City College’s title defense got off to a rough start Friday night in Oakland. Losing 18-13 to Laney College in their season opener, the Rams effort to repeat as state and national champions suffered an unexpected early-season blow. Going into the opener, the Rams quarterback situation was a bit muddled. Friday’s game did not do much to clear up the picture. Freshman Zach Masoli – younger brother of former City College and University of Oregon standout Jeremiah Masoli – started the game and was intercepted three times in the first quarter. Laney’s defense came out with a vengeance early, adding a fumble recovery to their three interceptions. They held City College scoreless until Masoli connected with sophomore Chikwado Nzerem for an 80-yard touchdown to open the scoring with less than a minute left in the first quarter. “The play was called for me so I knew I just had to beat my guy and get open for the touchdown,” said Nzerem. The Rams defense continued to shut down Laney in the second quarter while the offense began to find it’s rhythm.
Wide receiver Chikwado Nzerem is tackled after making a catch on Friday, Sept.2. (Photo by Gabriela Reni/The Guardman)
Masoli found sophomore Easop Winston for a 21-yard touchdown reception midway through the second quarter to give the Rams a 13-0 lead which they would hold until halftime. With the defense holding strong and Masoli appearing to be recovered from his early struggles, the Rams looked in control at the half. Laney felt otherwise. After returning the second-half opening kickoff 76 yards, Laney converted two fourth downs and eventually found the endzone. Despite his two first-half touchdown passes, Masoli was replaced by sophomore Lavell McCullers in the second half. McCullers kept the Rams offense moving in the third quarter, but a few key
dropped passes and a fumble by receiver Kevin Shaa in the red zone turned the momentum in Laney’s direction. The Rams defense couldn’t keep up their impressive first half efforts, allowing a 95-yard Laney drive midway through the fourth quarter which proved to be the difference in the game. “We did not tackle well in the second half. In the end, when it came down to it, we just didn’t make the plays we needed to make,” head coach Jimmy Collins told the SF Examiner. “But it’s not the end of the world.” With the game on the line and only 40 seconds remaining, the Rams drove into Laney territory. McCullers ultimately threw up a
Rams running back Namane Modise leaps for a catch in the Rams loss on Friday, Sept.2. (Photo by Gabriela Reni/The Guardsman)
hail mary in the end zone, but was picked off, leaving the Rams with a disappointing ride back across the Bay Bridge.
Sophomore standouts lead Rams soccer teams to wins; earn City College Athletes of the Week honors
Gian Marco Zancanaro pushes the ball downfield for the Rams on Friday, Sept. 2. (Photo by Nathaniel Downes/Special to The Guardsman)
Jesse Bareilles scored five goals in the Rams season-opening win on Tuesday, Aug. 30. (Photo by Izar Decleto/The Guardsman)
Sports Calendar for Sept. 7 to 20 Football
Sat. Sept. 10 Sat. Sept. 17
Men's Soccer Sat. Sept. 10 Tue. Sept. 13 Tue. Sept. 20
vs. Siskiyous @ American River
@ Lake Tahoe @ Santa Rosa @ Contra Costa
Men's & Women's Cross Country Fri. Sept. 16
Volume162_Issue02-MASTER.indd 8
@ Santa Rosa
Women's Soccer Fri. Sept. 9 Sun. Sept. 11 Tue. Sept. 20
Volleyball
Wed. Sept. 7 Fri. Sept. 9 Sat. Sept. 10 Wed. Sept. 14 Fri. Sept. 16
vs. Ventra vs. Lassen @ Evergreen
The Rams will look to bounce back in their home opener against College of the Siskiyous this Saturday at 1 p.m.
By Teddy Luther tluther@theguardsman.com
Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams have started their seasons undefeated. Jesse Bareilles and Gian Marco Zancanaro were recognized by the City College Athletics Department as the Rams Athletes of the Week for their outstanding performances in the first week of fall competition. Led by back-to-back dominant performances by forward Bareilles, the women’s team won two road games in their first week of play. Bareilles scored five goals in the season-opening game at Skyline College last Tuesday, which the Rams won 9-0. She backed that up by scoring the lone goal in City’s 1-0 win over Cosumnes River last Friday. Bareilles has certainly given herself a head start in the race for the Coast - North Conference Player of the Year award. The men’s team opened their season last Friday afternoon with a 3-0 win over Napa Valley College. In the win, midfielder Zancanaro led the way with two of the Rams goals.
vs. Marin Delta Classic @ San Joaquin @ Solano vs. Gavilan
9/6/16 4:41 PM