Vol. 162, Issue 5 | October 19–November 1, 2016 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE
Zeena Schreck advocates free City College The artist evaluates how Prop. W improves the student condition By Bethaney Lee blee@theguardsman.com
Renowned multimedia artist and spiritual guide Zeena Schreck credits City College as being a key life factor for her in 1979, when the college still offered San Franciscans the free enrollment Proposition W strives to reclaim. “Had CCSF not been a free college when I attended, there would have been absolutely no way for me to attend,” Schreck said. Like many college students today, Schreck had a past that desperately needed an education and alternative choice to what she calls a stifling, dysfunctional family life. She became a mother at the age of 14. Just two weeks after delivering her son, she was forced to move with no financial support from her parents or her child’s father. “I was desperate to find a way out of what seemed a hopeless situation,” Schreck said. At 15, she took the high school equivalency test, which at the time would allow her to leave high school, work legally and enroll at a college. Passing the test at 16, she started working and immediately enrolled at City College. Able to take drama and gymnastics classes at no cost, Schreck recognized the pivotal role the college played for her. “Had I not been given the chance to have the tuition-free arts education at CCSF that I did at that crucial junction in my life, I would have missed out on a very important link in my artistic development,” Schreck said. “As a society we have really let down people who are in their 20s, and even people into their 30s and 40s,” said Tim Killikelly, the president of City College’s faculty union, the American Federation of Teachers 2121. He added, “Like the single mom who is going to school, who we should provide with the right resources so she can get out of school sooner, get a job and spend time with her family.”
City College nearly qualifies as Hispanic Serving Institution By Robert Jalon rjalon@theguardsman.com
In a ritual of magic and sound, Zeena recently performed at the Berghain nightclub in Berlin on Feb. 26, 2016. (Photo courtesy of Zeena Schreck)
Zeena Schreck is pictured in 1979, five years before college students like herself would no longer have access to a free education at City College. (Photo courtesy of Zeena Schreck)
Though Schreck has gained much fame and success since her enrollment, she remains well-rehearsed in the realities faced by the youth of San Francisco. “I know that there are many other young people who also experience such discouragements and hindrances,” Schreck said. “In instances where families fail young creative people and there are no state-supported educational possibilities like CCSF was to me, then I fear that that is a recipe for disaster.” Voters will get to choose whether to raise
taxes on real estate over $5 million to make City College tuition-free for all San Francisco residents. The proposition is expected to generate an average of $44 million in revenue should it pass. “I hear their stories,” Killikelly said. “Making college free for students would be an incredible boon to society for all of us, but especially to the ones already struggling. Prop. W is
City College is approaching its second semester of 25 percent Latino enrollment required to join the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and apply for federal funds under Title V of the Higher Education Act. The association was the driving force behind Congress formally recognizing campuses with high Hispanic enrollment as federally designated Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). Such colleges can receive institutional funding from the HACU, which in 2016 gave out over $100 million. “We have been trying to do this for about two decades,” said professor Edgar Torres, department chair of Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies. ”We’ve been attending HACU conferences, and little by little we were creeping up and we knew that it was going to happen eventually.” Becoming an HSI continues on page 3
Art is the wave that teaches the Raising awareness against violence with Project Survive Island’s culture Zeena Schreck continues on page 3
By Gardenia Zuniga-Haro gzunigaharo@theguardsman.com
By Karen Sanchez
City College’s Project Survive is hosting its annual Domestic Violence Awareness Month events throughout October by providing workshops on violence prevention and raising awareness on trauma. “We have a unique program here at City College, because with Project Survive we can involve the community with peer education and help anyone heal from any trauma they have,” said Maggie Harrison, department chair for Women's Studies and member of Project Survive. A community ritual called Living Room Project Survive continues on page 3
Special to The Guardsman
From some of the first inhabited places on Earth to the walls of an art gallery, Pacific Islanders have shaped their history and culture into works of art shown at San Francisco State University's (SFSU) Associated Art Gallery. The exhibition “Being Pacific” shares the works of 13 Pacific Islander artists, who created a representational showcase for their Participants share their thoughts during the “Living Room: A Ritual for Healing from Historical and Individual Trauma” event at the Student Union on Oct. 11, 2016. (Photo by John Ortilla/ The Guardsman)
RamCamp takes nature in stride CULTURE – PAGE 4
Rams pounce panthers SPORTS – PAGE 8
Documenting young Central Americans CULTURE – PAGE 5
Pacific exhibit continues on page 5
2 | news
Vol. 162, Issue 5 | Oct. 19–Nov 1, 2016
News Briefs Vending machines to be upgraded Staff Editor-in-Chief Teddy Luther News Editor Cassie Ordonio Culture Editor Bethaney Lee Opinion Editor Nancy Chan Sports Editor Dakari Thomas Photo Editor Franchon Smith Lead Copy Editor David Horowitz Copy Editors Nancy Chan Cynthia Collins 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 John Ortilla Adina Pernell Gabriela Reni Staff Photographers Izar Decleto Gabriela Reni Staff Illustrator Auryana Rodriguez Contributors L.A. Bonté Nigel Flores Juan Lopez Elizabeth Nelums Karen Sanchez Lucy Yu Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales
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Vending machines on Ocean Campus will replaced and upgraded throughout the semester to include new features, locations and beverages. These changes will be applied to the cafeteria’s four machines between Oct. 17 and 19, disrupting vending briefly while they are replaced and refilled. “The new machines will feature more healthy alternatives and will be moved away from the window areas in that area for safety, and for a better ambiance for the cafeteria,” Hennig said about the four machines in an email. Relocation will make them safer by concealing cords that would otherwise be exposed. Due to congestion within the cafeteria entrance facing Conlan Hall, Dean of Administrative Services Kathy Hennig contacted the U.S. Postal Service to remove the cafeteria’s broken stamp vending machine. This will create a designated space for future vending. Beyond the cafeteria, Hennig said four machines throughout the campus will be upgraded in December, and cold organic tea and coffee added to existing machines even sooner. Batmale Hall’s three formerly broken vending machines are now able to accept credit cards, while the machine on its third floor that sells Lipton lemonade and water will offer more popular beverages. – Bethaney Lee
CCSF offers limited food choices Although City College has made efforts to combat Ocean Campus’s dwindling food choices due to City Cafe’s indefinite closure, no new food vendor has managed to replace City Cafe’s accessibility. The campus’s five food services include the cafeteria, The Lunch Box, Chasing Lions Cafe, D’Maize’s food truck and The Chef ’s
Table. The latter two opened at the beginning of this fall. The Chef ’s Table offers gourmet cuisine next to the cafeteria at Statler Wing, but is only open Monday through Thursday from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meanwhile, both Chasing Lions and D’Maize stay open until 2 p.m., unlike the former Crown Catering food truck that sold snacks and meals until after 7 p.m. The cafeteria is open for breakfast Monday through Thursday from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m. and lunch from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. It is also open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. “I barely eat at the cafeteria,” business major Suzanna Liang said. “I bring my own food from home.” But while some students prepare their own meals, others are more optimistic about the college’s food services. “I’m satisfied with the food on campus,” business major Tony Ortiz said. “Our cafeteria has really good variety.” Ortiz added that The Lunchbox has the advantage of longer open hours. It is the only warm food vendor on campus that stays open until evening, Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until 2 p.m on Friday. – Adina Pernell
Planet Granite moves for hunger Planet Granite will host a food drive on 924 Mason St. between Nov. 1 and 15 to support the national nonprofit Move For Hunger. Facility patrons and the general public alike are encouraged to bring nonperishable food donations to the fitness center, where they will be taken to the SF-Marin Food Bank courtesy of Johnson & Daly Moving & Storage. “Over 162,000 people in San Francisco and Marin County face food insecurity, including one in six children,” said Dan Beam, the communications manager of Move For Hunger, in an email. To date, Move For Hunger and its supporters
October Events
debt, and the idea of free higher education.
San Francisco-based event coordinator FunCheapSF will host a party for the final 2016 Presidential debate. There will be 10 big screen TVs and surround sound there will be ample coverage, along with a happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. It will be free with a Facebook RSVP.
Halloween Party on Van Ness
For more information, visit tinyurl.com/zgblso5
Inequality and Student Debt Teach-In at SFSU Oct. 20, Thursday, 7 to 9 p.m. San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco
Aspiring California Educators will host a teach-in where they will discuss student debt, why it is different than other types of
– Bethaney Lee
Voto Latino takes social media by storm The civic media organization Voto Latino reported in a press release on Oct. 4 that its use of several social media platforms to encourage Latinos to vote on Nov. 8 resulted in 101,720 voter registrations. The nonprofit claimed to reach over 7 million people through social networks like Twitter and Facebook, adding that its “direct voter registration efforts” through digital campaigning made this year’s resultant voter registration count its highest ever. “For 12 years, we have built the infrastructure needed to turn cultural relevance into conversion, and our digital-first strategy of engaging young Latinos has led to more than 5,000 voter registrations per day in the last weeks,” Voto Latino President and CEO Maria Teresa Kumar said. Eighty-two percent of registered Latino voters voted in the 2012 election, compared to the national average of 87 percent for all registered voters, Voto Latino said. Aiming to close the registration gap among Latinos, the organization focused its efforts in states with more populous Latino communities like California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. “Despite the divestment in the Latino civic engagement space this election cycle, Voto Latino and our sister organizations will continue to work hard toward closing the voter registration gap, because we know that when Latinos register, they vote,” Kumar said. – Bethaney Lee
Do you have any City College events that you would like included in The Guardsman calendar? Send event information to info@theguardsman.com
Final 2016 Presidential Debate Party
Oct. 19, Wednesday, 6 to 7:30 p.m. SoMa StrEat Food Park, 428 11th St, San Francisco
have gathered over seven million pounds of food nationally, which equates to 6 million dishes. “Through the support of partners like Planet Granite and Johnson & Daly Moving & Storage, Move For Hunger can continue to help the almost 50 million Americans struggling to find their next meal,” Beam said.
For more information, visit tinyurl.com/j4ly99s
women’s issues, the environment, refugees and health. For more information, contact UNAFF at https://www.info@unaff.org
Oct. 29, Saturday, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. The Regency Center, 1300 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco
Be one of more than 2,000 guests to attend A Nightmare on Van Ness. Explore and enjoy three floors of DJing, live music, a costume contest and gogo dancers. Buy your tickets at http://tinyurl.com/hteng3l
For more information, contact SF NightLife at (415) 573-0740
UNAFF Film Festival
Oct. 24 & 25, Monday and Tuesday, 6 to 10 p.m. Ninth Street Independent Film Center, 145 Ninth St., San Francisco
The United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) will premiere films on human rights,
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news | 3
Vol. 162, Issue 5 | Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 2016
Families hold SFPD accountable at rally By Nigel Flores Special to The Guardsman
Chants for justice rumbled outside San Francisco’s Hall of Justice on Oct. 7 as the families of six slain civilians demanded a meeting with District Attorney George Gascón. Community organizers called for police to have unpaid leave during the investigations of the shootings as well as imprisonment of the officers involved. “We are not here to beg. We are here to make a demand,” said Elaine Brown, chairman of the Black Panther Party. “We demand that Gascón comes out of that office, stops playing around and charges these officers with the murder of Mario Woods.” One by one, each family member took the microphone. They emphatically voiced their concerns and frustrations with the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) in front of approximately 100 people. Gwen Woods, the mother of Mario Woods, addressed the crowd to condemn the five officers involved in the incident that left her 26-year-old son dead. Her son was shot 20 times by SFPD officers on Dec. 2, 2015 after being allegedly held as a suspect for a stabbing incident in the Bayview neighborhood.
Daniel Muhammad from the Mario Woods coalition speaks to the crowd about police brutality outside the Hall of Justice on Oct. 7, 2016. (Photo by Nigel Flores/Special to The Guardsman)
“I wish they would have had a little compassion for my son,” Woods said. “I have to remind you–we are not animals.” Other family members took the opportunity to voice their sadness over the police shootings, including Elvira Nieto, the mother of Alex Nieto. “Fifty-nine bullets; 59 times he was shot. We cannot say it was nothing,” she said with the assistance of a translator. Nieto, along with her husband Refugio, have recently called for a memorial to be constructed in honor of their son. The city has yet
to approve any permanent memorial for Alex Nieto. Progress was made earlier in the day for Luis Gongora, a 45-year-old homeless man who was killed by SFPD officers last April. The family’s attorney Adante Pointer announced that a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed in order to bring justice to the family. “We are not asking [police] to go above and beyond. We want our police departments to simply honor their oath,” Pointer said. The San Francisco attorney’s office refuted their claim, saying that the incident’s lethal
force was “necessary and legally justified.” Sgt. Nate Stegar and Officer Michael Mellone claimed that Gongora had lunged at them with a knife. “The police killed him in less than 30 seconds as he laid on the floor,” said Gongora’s cousin, Luis Poot Pat, who spoke with the help of a translator. “We are only asking for justice.” Following the rally, members of numerous social activism groups funneled into the Hall of Justice in an attempt to meet with Gascón.
Zeena Schreck continued from page 1 a really important element of that and a progressive vision of what we really should be doing for society.” Having left the city and moved to Berlin, Schreck has not kept up with local elections for what she calls a very long time. However, she said she would strongly support a free City College as a former student who benefited greatly from that privilege. Schreck often thinks back to how hard she had it because of personal challenges and can barely imagine how tough it is for those with similar personal hardships, yet no financial support. In addition to supporting City College becoming free once again, Schreck encourages young art students to explore opportunities foreign countries that offer state support for the arts and universities.
Becoming an HSI continued from page 1 To qualify, an institution must maintain 25 percent Latino enrollment for two years and 50 percent of its student enrollment must be needs-based. Interim vice chancellor of student development Samuel Santos and dean of the City College Mission Campus Jorge Bell are the main administrators working for this cause. The college is predominantly a school of color. Its website graphics show that white people comprised just a little over 18 percent of the school’s enrollment this past term,
Musicians Anders Hermund, Zeena Schreck and Hisham Bharoocha perform inside the Community Church of New York on Nov. 8, 2013. Photo courtesy of Zeena Schreck.
according to Torres. “If you take Asian Americans at 30 percent and Latinos at 25 percent, we’re going to be well over 70 percent [non-white] if you add in Filipinos, Pacific Islanders and African Americans,” Torres said. Santos said the effort recognizes City College’s diversity and highlights the fact that the college serves an underrepresented student population. He is confident about reaching the threshold, adding that HSI status would do more than provide funding. It would also increase the college’s visibility, making it more attractive for students to not just enroll, but to enroll in diversity
studies. “Sort of on our forefront has been the accreditation and enrollment… once we get past this week, we’ll be looking at all kinds of initiatives regarding enrollment,” Torres said. He was referring to City College’s battle with the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, which visited the college for the last time during the week of Oct. 10. Despite the focus on accreditation, Torres said Trustee Brigitte Davila has advocated for HSI qualification and he sees others becoming more engaged. In addition, Interim Chancellor Susan
Lamb has checked in with him three times this semester about the HSI effort. “At the last meeting, her opening address was asking me a question about what’s new at this institution. It was to lead into the fact that we have achieved the 25 percent threshold that was on Sept. 9,” Torres said. Torres is of the opinion that if Lamb continues to look at their efforts to qualify for HSI, they might identify ways to effectively utilize funds that will benefit not just Latino students, but the entire student population.
Project Survive continued from page 1 was held on Ocean Campus on Tuesday, Oct. 11 to practice healing from historical and individual trauma. More than 50 people, including faculty and students, attended. Special guest Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs hosted activities such as poetry readings from June Jordan and healing workshops. During one of the pain release exercises, audience members closed their eyes as they were instructed to “roar out your traumas.” Tears streamed down some of their faces as they made room for healing and forgiveness. Gumbs smiled when she saw people have an emotional reaction through her activities. Project Survive was established in the early 90s and involved the San Francisco community with multiple resources for domestic violence prevention. It continues to help individuals relieve any trauma from past experiences by use of therapeutic, poetic and engaging group activities. The program also offers peer educators for survivors. These peer educators are students who take classes in fields such as social justice, women's studies and politics of sexual violence. “As a peer educator, I am involved in my community by assisting La Casa De Las Madres with education for violence prevention,” said women’s studies student Samantha Santos. “Not only do I get to assist women's shelters, but we also go the local high schools to educate 9th grade classes, to teach them the ‘Yes Means Yes’ law and sexual violence prevention.” In an attempt to boost campus safety, City College has taken steps to implement Senate Bill 967, or the “Yes Means Yes” law. The “Yes Means Yes” law states that if both partners give consent for sexual activity, confirmations from both sides will prevent sexual violence. The law targets high school curriculums specifically, where Project Survive promotes their educators. One in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college, and more than 90 percent of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. “We have a relatively safe campus,” said Leslie Simon, interim Project Survive coordinator. “We don’t have dormitories and most rapes happens where people live.” Campus police are assigned patrols in each campus, with officers being assigned both day and evening shifts while the campus is open. “CCSF has many resources such as escort services and the 911 Shield Safety App. It also provides referrals for free self-defense classes,” said sergeant Tiffany Green from the City College police department.
4 | culture
Vol. 162, Issue 5 | Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 2016
RamCamp brings together students and the outdoors Photos and story by Gabriela Reni greni@theguardsman.com
Love for nature and the desire to make new friends are the only requirements needed to join City College’s RamCamp Club. Named after the college mascot, RamCamp was founded by students Elson Law and Richard De Amicis at the beginning of this year’s spring semester. While the club began as a small group of friends who enjoyed hiking and camping together, they eventually made it official and now meet every other Saturday morning. “What’s so amazing about San Francisco is that there are so many beautiful places all around the city and because a lot of people are new to this city, they aren't even aware of all these places,” math major and RamCamp treasurer Cordelia Carlisle said. “Even Mount Davidson. It is in the middle of San Francisco and has a beautiful view.” Between math classes and working full time, Carlisle said for her, RamCamp is a literal escape into the wilderness where she can breathe fresh air and meet new people. “It’s really special because sometimes you get so set on your routine, and you don't have that opportunity,” Carlisle said. The club’s current focus is on getting the word out, as it is ready
Eason Lin, Elson Law, Tonirose Babasoro, Cordelia Carlisle, Carla Hovde, Ankita Sethi and Richard De Amicis hiked Mount Davidson in San Francisco on Oct. 8, 2016.
to expand and big plans are drawn for the near future. “The larger the group we have, the more exposure you have to meet new friends,” Carlisle said. “If we can make friends that will last past
RamCamp members play the murder mystery game Mafia during their hike on Oct. 8, 2016.
this experience, it will be amazing.” Next trip will be to Muir Woods National Monument, north of San Francisco. Next semester when the weather is nicer, they will head to Lake Tahoe for three nights, where a large cabin is already reserved through fundraising by selling pizza in the Ram Plaza. “We are going to do daytime activities like hiking depending on the weather, some snow activities, and at night, just hang out, grilling and having a good time,” Carlisle said. “I think it’s great to bond and interact with other members of this school over something that we all have in common, away from any kind of stereotype, superficiality and all those kinds of things that people might have when they meet you,” RamCamp member Sara Morsy said. “So it’s great to be
Carla Hovde treks down a Mount Davidson trail on Oct. 8, 2016.
somewhere where it’s neutral and there is a beautiful scenery, and it is fully stress relieving. It’s a great experience. I am really excited to go on the next hike.”
Carlisle and Law are available during office hours in Room 209 at the Student Union on Ocean Campus, and through email at ccsframcamp@gmail.com for more information.
Solange introduces 'A Seat at the Table' By Abdul-Latif Islam aislam@theguardsman.com
Illustration by Auryana Rodriguez
Solange Knowles recently released her third studio album “A Seat at the Table,” which harmonizes brutal and delicate black girl magic into a landmark protest album brimming with urgency, strength and genius. She discussed how the album was inspired by the police killings of Eric Garner and Mike Brown, both unarmed black men. “It wasn’t always easy. [I] often wanted to give up and hand the pen elsewhere, but I knew I had to use my voice to tell this story,” Solange stated on her Twitter account. The soloist has writing and production credits on every track of the album, sharing them with R&B luminaries such as Raphael Saadiq, Questlove, and Dirty Projectors’ David Longstreth. The album presents a family affair with interludes like “Tina Taught Me,” where Solange’s mother Tina Lawson
talks about her irritation at black pride being seen as anti-white or reverse racism. “I think part of it is accepting that there is so much beauty in being black. And it really saddens me when we aren’t allowed to express that pride in being black,” Lawson says in the album. The song “Don’t Touch My Hair” honors the legacy of Solange’s mother and grandmother, who were hairdressers. It is a forceful battlecry of self-determination and a defense of the body. In the interlude “Dad Was Mad,” Solange’s father Mathew Knowles talks about being one of the first black students to integrate an all-white school where state troopers escorted him past Ku Klux Klan members who threw cans and spat at him. “We lived in the threat of death every day. Every day,” Mathew Knowles says. “So I was just lost in this this vacuum between integration, and segregation and racism. That was my childhood. I was angry for years.” Solange echoes this sentiment on the track “Mad” featuring Lil Wayne, where
she says “You got the right to be mad. But when you carry it all alone you find it only getting in the way.” Solange’s older sister Beyoncé is not featured on the album, but she and Solange do share the exceptional quality of being siblings who both had No. 1 albums in the same calendar year. Only two other pairs of siblings, Michael and Janet Jackson, and Master P and Silkk the Shocker, share this achievement. Music mogul Master P, a mentor to Solange, is heard often throughout the album as he recounts how he began the successful record label “No Limit Records” out of the back of his car. “I put all my CDs and cassettes in the back of my trunk and I hit every city, every hood,” Master P said in an interlude. “My grandfather said “Why you gon’ call it “No Limit?’ I said ‘Because I don’t have no limit to what I can do.’” This isn’t the first collaboration of the two, as Solange was featured on the 2002’s tween jam “True Love” with Lil’ Romeo, Master P’s son.
culture | 5
Vol. 162, Issue 5 | Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 2016
Professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist develop 'Solito, Solita' By Bethaney Lee blee@theguardsman.com
In an oral history project relaying the stories of young Central American immigrants, City College English professor Steven Mayers and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and educator Jonathan Freedman recorded testimonies for their upcoming book titled “Solito, Solita.” Mayers and Freedman, in association with City College student Oscar Garcia, will publish the book as part of the “Voice of Witness” series that highlights the tales of people who have been marred by both domestic and global injustices. “With Oscar we felt like we could travel to areas we might not want to go to alone,” Freedman said. “He really was able to help us connect, having come to this country himself from Guatemala.” Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua are Central America’s three main countries that have been ravaged by warfare, especially during the 1960s Central American civil crisis. “The primary thing people are running from now is gang violence, and particularly these two gangs: MS-13 and the 18th Street Gang,” Mayers said. Gang influence stretches far. Mayers and Freedman’s first interview was with someone whose pseudonym is Adrian. Adrian had left his home country of Guatemala, only to end up in one of California’s adult detention facilities on his 18th birthday to be deported back. Upon Adrian’s release, Freedman and Mayers recorded his experience for their oral history project, where they learned the details he faced, being surrounded by gang life. “Here we were interviewing him at Mills College, a beautiful college on a beautiful day in California,” Freedman said, “And he is telling us how his mother was killed in front of his eyes when he was four or five by a gang member.” Freedman told the grave and trying tale of Adrian, who was approached as a young teenager in Guatemala by the 18th Street Gang—-the same gang that killed his mother. Adrian kept resisted their invitation until 18th Street Gang members surrounded him while he walked down the street. They stabbed and shot him, then left him for dead. Carving a jagged line down his collared shirt, Freedman dramatized the placement of a zippered scar their first interviewee bore as result of Central American gang violence. It was Adrian’s spirited journey that resonated with the
Steven Mayers and Jonathan Freedman talk about their new project regarding immigration stories "Solito, Solita" in Batmale Hall on Oct. 7, 2016. (Photo by Gabriela Reni/The Guardsman)
editors enough to title their book after a phrase Adrian so adamantly repeated while on his mission to cross the border: “Solito, solito” or “alone, alone.” “It’s very telling of the humble nature of Latin America,” Mayers said. “His story is nothing less of incredible.” Mayers and Freedman continued conducting interviews, leading them to the brave individuals responsible for running a string of migrant shelters in Mexico. According to Mayers, these same people continue to risk their lives in an effort to save the lives of many youth fleeing from Central America. “It reminds me more and more of the underground railroad, and the entire effort of this country to help people out of slavery,” Mayers said. Mayers and Freedman hope that when “Solito, Solita” is published, it will give voice to all the unheard Central American youth that fought their way into America and
are now fighting to stay. “These are youth we are talking about—these are kids who are fleeing their homes at age 14 and crossing the border at, say, age 15. Living here in isolation, hiding, when their whole lives are in front of them,” Freedman said. “A book just talking about the horrors of where they came from and the struggles they have had is not something either of us want to focus on. We look at what has happened to them, but more importantly, we look at how they can write their own futures.” The “forward-looking” book is a year from completion. Freedman and Mayers are still conducting interviews and are currently in the transcribing process. For more information on “Solito, Solita,” visit the blog “His Life Hangs in the Balance,” which can be found on voiceofwitness.org.
Pacific exhibit continued from page 1 underrepresented culture. Kerri Ann “Ifit” Naputi Borja, who is a Chamorro woman, photographer and creator of body ornamentation, read some excerpts from her chapter in the book “Matamai: Intersecting Knowledge across the Diaspora." The book was compiled mainly by students from the Interdisciplinary Studies department of City College, SFSU and participants of the 2nd Annual National VASA Conference. Drew Vai, a former student at City College, performed a poem that included participation of the audience, urging them to experience being a part of one collective voice. Vai asked the crowd to shout the words “love” and “peace” as a way of connecting everyone. The crowd responded positively, resulting in a sweeping sense of unity. Vai, like the rest of the artists, represented minority groups that have felt left out and the need to fight against the difficulties of being labeled as a minority. “Art is the fuel for resistance and rebellion,” Vai said. The semicircle shape of the gallery was flocked with paintings, photographs and quotes that hung over the walls, surrounding guests and performers in the same way the ocean surrounds the islands featured in their works. Some of the paintings were done by Ewart Arai Bungo Jr., a former City College student and California native. His goal was to represent the truth behind his Pacific Islander culture through painting.
Spulu performs in the "Being Pacific" opening reception at San Francisco State University on Oct. 13, 2016. (Photo by Gabriela Reni/ The Guardsman)
“People forget the struggles. There was bloodshed, Hawaiian blood shed,” Arai said, in reference to one his paintings of a Hawaiian warrior. The last performance was by Spulu, a dancer who represented the Pacific Islander’s voice through movements that struck a chord with the audience. “More than expressing ‘us,’ it’s
communicating ‘us,’” Spulu said. “These programs give more than information—they give understanding.” Rex Halafihi, a member of City College’s Pacific Islander Club, sold magazines written by and for Pacific Islanders at the entrance of the exhibition. Guests could buy them and show their support for the culture while learning about it from those who have live it.
The night was wrapped up with an open microphone session. “Education doesn’t endorse these images. This is something for us and by us,” said Richard Beigno Cantora, the coordinator for the Students Supporting Students at City College. The exhibit will continue through the month of October and ends Nov. 10, 2016.
6 | opinion
Vol. 162, Issue 5 | Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 2016
Naked Juice: a beverage emperor that has no green clothes By Elizabeth Nelums Special to The Guardsman
Illustration by Juan Lopez
Visiting Writers Series City College of San Francisco
Fall 2016
The naked truth about Naked Juice is that it shares more than just a parent company with Mountain Dew and Pepsi. Many of its fruit blends contain as much sugar as other Pepsi products—if not more. So it’s no surprise that continuing health concerns and dissatisfaction led to another lawsuit with Naked Juice on Oct. 4, making this the second time the company faced legal confrontation after a similar class action lawsuit was settled for $9 million in 2013. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit consumer advocacy group that backs safer and healthier foods, made a case for transparency in food labeling. They stated PepsiCo had deliberately and explicitly misrepresented the subsidiary juice and smoothie company it acquired in 2007. The beverage’s strategic packaging begins on PepsiCo’s “Brands You Love” webpage, where Naked Juice is categorized under the “Good For You” section alongside Aquafina and Gatorade. Words like green, sustainable, fresh, balance and nourish are peppered
throughout the website and related social media accounts, yet little to no information is available about the drink’s actual production practices or ingredient quality. Every bottle, online and in person, is illustrated with images of lush vegetables and fruit. Much of the brand’s marketing and promotion takes place at health and wellness-based events and stores. If the term greenwashing is the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices or impacts of a company’s product or service, then perhaps “healthwashing” is the appropriate term for what PepsiCo and other companies do when they package and advertise unhealthy products in a way that implies healthfulness. The Hartman Group, a management consulting firm which has covered consumer food and beverage trends for over two decades, noted in recent publications for Forbes that consumers seem to be shifting more and more toward being progressive and proactive in their pursuit of health and wellness. Much of that progressiveness has manifested in the standards to which people hold food companies. While trusting PepsiCo to make your smoothie is a bit of a fallacy, particularly
when they have spent millions to fight stricter food labeling, these lawsuits represent the beginning stirrings of what the Hartman Group called a “Day of Reckoning” for food corporations. In a recently released white paper it co-authored with A.T. Kearney, the Hartman Group stated consumer perception has “shifted from previous decades’ focus on diet foods to a focus on real food as a way to maintain health. Most people now view food—particularly food with benefits—as the key to good health.” As demand for healthier, less processed food goes up, so does the insistence on transparency from food and beverage companies, particularly when it comes to how products are made and where they come from. Many big brands are scrambling to fit themselves into local and fresh food niches, but instead of providing quality products with honest marketing, they wrap sugar water with pictures of veggies to dupe consumers into spending money on substandard products. Hopefully another lawsuit will force PepsiCo and similar companies to look a bit deeper than packaging to fix their health problems.
The smartphone race slows innovation By John Ortilla jortilla@theguardsman.com
Mary Szybist Poetry: Incarnadine and Granted Winner of two Pushcart Prize, a Guggenheim Award, & the National Book Award Thurs, Oct. 20, 6:00-8:00 pm Mission, MIC 109
Peter Orner Fiction: Esther Stories, Love and Shame and Love, and The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo Winner of the California Book Award & the Academy of Arts and Letters Award; PEN/Hemingway Finalist Thurs, Nov. 10, 11: 00 am-12:30 pm Ocean, MUB 140
Charlie Jane Anders Science Fiction / Fantasy: All the Birds in the Sky and Six Months, Three Days Winner of the Hugo Award & the Lambda Literary Award Tues, Nov. 29, 6:30-8:00 pm Mission, MIC 107/108
There seems to be an ongoing race to create the “best” smartphone. Ironically, this may have an opposite effect in actually bringing something new to the smartphone trade. Google announced their new Pixel and Pixel XL digital devices on Oct. 4 in San Francisco, two weeks after Apple released their latest iPhones, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Although Google co-branded their name with LG and Nexus, the Pixel is Google’s first smartphone and will be sold in stores on Oct. 20. Apple and Samsung are the company’s primary targets in the smartphone market. For comparison, Google priced its 5-inch Pixel at $649 and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL at $769, essentially the same prices as the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone 7 Plus currently has the best smartphone camera, but Google claims the Pixel has “the highest rated smartphone camera” on its Made by Google launch page. Google Assistant is also integrated into Pixel, an artificial intelligence (AI) equivalent to Apple’s Siri. Additionally, the Pixel has a feature that turns it into a virtual reality device, given that you buy the separate accessories needed. The Galaxy Note 7 already has this capability. Ultimately, Google Pixel brings nothing new to the market. As much as we love our digital devices and always crave something faster and better, expectations can often get in the way of bringing something new. Smartphones are, by nature, a continual product. Every year there’s always a new version of a device that improves little from its previous iteration or is basically an
Illustration by Auryana Rodriguez
updated version of the previous device. But if you’ve felt the latest showcases of new devices have started to feel “boring,” you’re not alone—and you're probably not wrong either. Think about it: five or six years ago, smartphones were slower, had lower resolution displays, bulkier builds and older hardwares. But today, everything is improved, there’s integrated AIs and slimmer designs. Whenever a new device is announced, there is a set of characteristics and features evaluated in order to judge the overall quality of a device. Some may be opinionated than others, such as the design of the device, while others are more technical improvements. How fast is the phone? How good is the camera? How long is the battery? How does the display fare with previous and competing devices? How is the device affected in mild or extreme weather?
Among these criteria, we’re always looking for the fastest processor or the improvement of a certain feature. But it’s quite evident innovation in the smartphone business is slowing down. On Divisadero and Geary Street, I took a snapshot of my friend under low light with my recently purchased iPhone 7 Plus. It has a great camera and sometimes I find relief knowing I don’t have to carry my Canon DSLR camera all the time. But is it really worth changing over if you have an iPhone 6 or equivalent? Probably not, but for anything older, maybe. It’ll be a huge improvement changing from an older device to the ones available today. However, we probably won’t see something as surprising as when the first iPhone was introduced.
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Deadline: Nov. 21
opinion | 7
Vol. 162, Issue 5 | Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 2016
a quick quiet
HAVE YOUR SAY
Are you confident about finding a job related to your major?
nancy chan
Martha Valentine 74 Performing Arts
Illustration by Lucy Yu
Oct. 7, 2006 is a significant date for modern investigative journalism and Russian journalism. It’s the day Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated outside her apartment elevator. Politkovskaya, or Anya as she was known among her friends, wasn’t the first journalist in Russia who died as a result of her career. According to the Glasnost Defense Foundation, that list would include another 210 Russian journalists who were murdered from 2000 to 2016. Yet, I believe Politkovskaya was exceptional. She was relentlessly determined about raising her voice for abused Chechen and Russian citizens throughout the second Chechen war. Her honest writing truly helped make her newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, a new gazette. When coupled with her fearlessness, she became the rare Russian reporter known outside of Russia who received accolades from many international organizations including International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders. But as former Guardian writer David Hearst said in an obituary, she “had used up several lives of her nine lives as a reporter.” She experienced many eye-opening attempts on her biological one. According to IWMF, Politkovskaya was kept inside a pit for three days by Russian soldiers for supposedly entering Chechnya without proper press credentials in February 2001. It was extremely unlikely, since she was chronicling the civilian rapes, beatings and murders committed by Russian soldiers there. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that from Oct. 23-24, 2002, Politkovskaya tried mediating between armed Chechen fighters and Russian soldiers during the Moscow theater siege. Unfortunately, more Russian soldiers arrived later to gas the theater and 129 people died. She survived poisoning during a plane flight in September 2004, which prevented her from covering the Beslan school siege.
According to the CPJ, the medical staff was ordered to destroy related blood tests, preventing anyone from figuring out the toxin or opening an investigation. Politkovskaya never quit. She once said, “We live now in an era where normal values have been displaced. The good is called bad, the bad—good.” Elena Kudimova, Politkovskaya’s mother’s sister, told the New Yorker “We all begged her to stop… But she always answered the same way: ‘How could I live with myself if I didn’t write the truth?’” Hence, when she was killed after a grocery shopping trip, before a deadline, it chilled her fellow reporters. She was at once too well-known to be killed and too well-known to be safe. In the Los Angeles Times article “Acclaimed Reporter Killed in Russia,” liberal broadcast journalist Alexei Venediktov mentioned that his friends told him to hire bodyguards. He believed the killer’s motive was primarily Politkovskaya as a journalist; any menacing effect to journalists was secondary. Five men were eventually found guilty in 2012, but the case remains largely unsolved. Three brothers, a former police officer and an underground Chechen leader have been convicted, but the individual who gave them orders is no longer a concern for the Russian government. It’s moving to know Ilya, her son, continues looking for closure on his own. He observed the anniversary of her death this year with a ceremony at the offices of Novaya Gazeta. I personally knew almost nothing about Russian journalism’s current state prior to reading about Politkovskaya. For one thing, I didn’t know Vladimir Putin, her country’s president and a frequent target of her most deep-seated criticisms, wields an iron fist to press down the press. My first impression of Putin’s (memetic) reputation was that he can ride astride everything from American eagles to Ritz crackers. Of course, Putin’s presence is no
Filbert Cartoons by L.A. Bonté
laughing matter. In Politkovskaya’s Los Angeles Times op-ed “Caucasus Conundrum,” Politkovskaya identified Putin as someone who “has publicly hushed and rebuked everybody” while putting on an image as “he who tries to prove to the world that he is such a strong and dashing guy.” Her final opinion piece “So what am I guilty of ?” was found on her computer after her death. She addressed it to her readers overseas. Politkovskaya drew parallels between the majority of modern Russian journalists and kovernys, or Russian clowns that kept audiences entertained during circus intermissions. If a koverny wasn’t funny, audience members would boo and the management would fire them. Switch Putin’s administration with the management and the public with the audience. The picture paints itself; she didn’t belong or perform for the “Big Top.” “I have never sought my present pariah status and it makes me feel like a beached dolphin. I am no political infighter,” she wrote. She never intended to create unfavorable unrest, as Putin implied posthumously by saying her murder had a greater impact on authorities than her reporting ever did. His comment was clinical; overly logical, even. He should understand his country will continue clamoring for change, because change is likewise logical. Elena Kostyuchenko, a reporter for Novaya Gazeta, felt inspired enough by Politkovskaya’s work to join her field. She became the paper’s youngest ever staff member at 17. "When Politkovskaya was killed, I realized I had never told her she was my idol," Kostyuchenko told The Guardian. Nowadays she praises colleagues directly, knowing their time together could be cut short. Politkovskaya’s time as a heroine was cut short. However, as Babe Ruth said in the film “The Sandlot,” heroes get remembered but legends never die.
for more, visit filbertcartoons.com
“My field is performing arts so that’s a really rough field, and I have worked at it all my life. It’s a very challenging field to make a living in. The hardest part is having a thick skin because there’s so much rejection, so much out of your control, so much competition and so many egos involved. It wears you down, it burns you out and there’s tragically, miserably, sadly little support for the arts in this country.” Stefano Freccero 22 Business/ Economics
“I don’t know. This is my third semester so for now I don’t feel like I have the skills to get a job related to my major. I’m pretty confident about being able to get a job related to my major once I get my bachelor's degree. As far as I know, the unemployment rate is really low in the city, and there are a lot of job opportunities. But you’re also competing with people all over the Bay Area.” Thomas Pritchett 21 Parks Recreation and Tourism “I’m confident because I have a lot of prior work in that field thanks to internships. Once I have a degree I feel that I can confidently go out and find a job.”
Loyd Doong 26 Literature
“Yes. I’m applying to teach at public schools in Korea. I have all the documents I need and there’s a huge demand for it. I have a degree and certificate, and you need to come from an Englishspeaking country. I feel that with my qualifications, I’m able to get it.”
Ernesto Perez 18
Business
“Yes. In business, you can start your own business based on whatever ambitions you have, so the only thing keeping you from pursuing your ambition is yourself." Reporting and photos by David Horowitz
8 | sports
Vol. 162, Issue 5 | Oct. 19–Nov. 1, 2016
Rams volleyball squeaks by Hartnell Panthers By Dakari Thomas dthomas@theguardsman.com
After losing two of the first three volleyball sets, the Rams roared back against the Hartnell College Panthers on Oct. 12 by dominating the fourth and fifth sets for a 3-2 set win. The Rams came out and seemed to set the tone early, forcing a game-high nine errors while only committing three themselves. With nine kills, City went on to take the first set 25-12. But the Rams were driven back following two hard-fought sets that saw Rams freshman outside hitter Jennifer Quarters-Styles imposing her will with an impressive 11 kills, but to no avail. Despite the Rams efforts, the Panthers’ stout defense rallied them with 32 block assists and two solo blocks, taking the second and the third set 25-21 and 25-22 respectively. The offensive production dropped in these sets, with low kill percentages of only 0.29 in the second set and .18 in the third. This would wake the Rams up, as they went on to commit only one error with a whopping 17 kills and 0.42 kill percentage. Quarter-Styles and fellow freshman Isoke Springer brought the team together with key digs that turned some points for the opposition into opportunities for the Rams. In the crucial deciding fifth set, freshman Pamela Dungo set
Rams outside hitter, freshman Jennifer Quarters-Styles returns a hit against Hartnell College at the Ocean Campus Wellness Center on Oct. 12, 2016. (Photo by Franchon Smith/The Guardsman)
Rams libero, freshman Isoke Springer celebrates a great play and score against Hartnell College at the Ocean Campus Wellness Center on Oct. 12, 2016. (Photo by Franchon Smith/The Guardsman)
up sophomore Kijana Best for the game-winning kill to win 15-11. Now with a 13-2 record and ranked 15 by the California Community College Women’s
poor weather and will be rescheduled at a later date. The Rams will next face off at home against Napa Valley College
Volleyball Association state volleyball poll, the Rams are gearing up for a deep run in the playoffs. The Oct. 14 game against West Valley College was canceled due to
on Oct. 19 and on the road against College of San Mateo on Oct. 21.
Rams tackle Vikings for 49-7 win By Kyle Honea khonea@theguardsman.com
Powered by strong offensive drives led by quarterback Lavell McCullers, the Rams pulverized the Diablo Valley Vikings 49-7 on Friday, Oct. 14. The win improved the Rams’ record to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play. After a tough loss against Butte College two weeks ago, City College came back feeling strong and ready to play. “We had a ‘bi-week’ so we had two weeks to get ready for this. We’re confident,” Rams wide receiver Chikwado Nzerem said before the game. The Rams came out strong on defense, stopping the Vikings on their first drive. But the Rams also struggled to gain any yardage on their own first drive and were forced to punt. Then their defense stiffened again, forcing another Viking punt. On the second play of the ensuing Rams drive, McCullers scampered for a 77-yard touchdown to put the first points on the board. The Rams continued to put up more points in the first half with a 21-yard touchdown pass from McCullers to wide receiver Kevin Shaa. Shortly after a Rams fumble recovery, McCullers struck gold with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Easop Winston, giving the Rams a 21-0 lead. City College’s defense ADM_1613_BAC_Community_SFCCGuardsman_Nov5_6x7.5_r3_FINAL_AM_1007.indd 2
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dominated the first half, stopping the Vikings’ running game almost completely and allowing little yardage in the air. The Rams continued to control the game in the second half. On their first drive, running back Lorenzo Logwood bolted down the field for 41-yard touchdown. The Rams inevitably found their way back to the end zone a few drives later on a McCullers 6-yard run, putting the Rams up 35-0. The Vikings eventually found their way into the red zone, but a pass was picked off in the end zone, resulting in the Rams’ second forced game turnover. The Rams capitalized on the turnover, turning it into another 7 points on an 11-yard pass from McCullers to Erik Phillip. Tanner Piccolotti put up another 7 points two drives later with a 58-yard touchdown run. At the last minute, the Vikings finally mustered some offense as they found the end zone, ending the game with a Rams 49-7 win. “It was a very important game. All we have to do is win conference and the whole season is in front of us. It was important for us to get off to a 1-0 start,” head coach Jimmy Collins said. The Rams are looking to win their second conference game against Santa Rosa College at home on Saturday, Oct. 22. Offensive guard Daniel Sulunga-Kahaialii summed up the day’s win: “City College is rolling. All gas. No brakes.”