The Guardsman Vol 162, Issue 7. City College of San Francisco

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | November 16–November 29, 2016 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE

Election shocks the nation

Protesters kick and stomp on a Donald Trump piñata at 24th St on Nov. 9, 2016 to demonstrate their anger and frustration toward the newly elected president. (Photo by Cassie Ordonio/The Guardsman)

A demonstrator faces a line of Oakland Police Department Officers after peaceful protests became destructive in Downtown Oakland on Nov. 9, 2016. (Photo by James Fanucchi/The Guardsman)

By Cassie Ordonio cordonio@theguardsman.com

The election of Donald Trump resulted in booming protests across the nation, but one of its most progressive cities epitomized the outrage and frustration felt by many Americans.

Chants from thousands of protesters reverberated throughout the districts of San Francisco in support of the communities that will be negatively affected by

Trump’s presidency.

“Let’s be honest—this is still a racist, sexist, homophobic country,” District 9 Supervisor David Campos said. “There are people who want to turn back the clock.

They want us to go back, where there were no African-Americans in power, when there were no women in power, when there was no same-sex marriage and that’s the backlash.”

The march began with hundreds of people flooding the corner of Market and Powell

Street with activist organizations, teachers, students and Campos angrily expressing their concerns for targeted communities.A large white sign held high read “No to Racism, Sexism, War!” as protesters echoed provocative words against Trump.

Bystanders sprinted to join the crowd marching toward the Castro District. People holding an American LGBTQ flag—vigil candles twinkling—awaited protesters at the corner of Castro and Market Street.

Protesters challenge recently passed housing prop NEWS – PAGE 6-7

Vice President-elect Mike Pence previously supported conversion therapy treatment for homosexual people.

“I’m not just scared––I am terrified because I know what happens when this kind of hatred is unleashed,” Housing Rights Committee member Tommi Avicolli Mecca said tearfully. “I was there when gay men were murdered all over this country, and many of them were my friends!”

Mecca compared Trump’s behavior to former presidents Ronald Reagan, who silenced the AIDS epidemic, and Richard Nixon, who was involved in Watergate.

Protesters halted on 18th Street just outside the Women's Building.

From there, protestors yelled,

Test subjects unfairly criticized OPINION – PAGE 10

calling Trump a “sexist pig” due to his being accused of sexually assaulting women.

Men in the crowd chanted “Your body, your choice”; women responded “My body, my choice.”

The women in the building heard the commotion and—oneby-one—almost every window opened. Those inside joined protesters in the chant with their fists raised high.

The march continued to 24th Street, where ralliers stalled at the heart of the Mission district.

Trump vowed to build a wall across the southern border and “have Mexico pay for it.” While many of his supporters appreciated exploding protest continues on page 4

2 | news

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

News Briefs Recipe for disaster in MUB parking lot Staff Editor-in-Chief Cassie Ordonio 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 Patrick Fitzgerald 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 Karen Sanchez Staff Photographers Gabriela Reni Staff Illustrator Auryana Rodriguez Contributors L.A. Bonté Nigel Flores Khristina Williams Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales

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Growing safety concerns at City College’s Multi-Use building parking lot caught the attention of many students and faculty members.

Observations of the crosswalk adjacent to the parking lot entrance left an unnerving feeling for photography professor Steven Raskin.

Though Raskin entered the parking lot on the Riordan side, he crossed the intersection every day coming from Ocean Ave. Raskin is mostly worried about pedestrians.

“Generally, pedestrians aren’t looking,” Raskin said. “Cars are often left negotiating.”

Student safety is a commitment of City College campus police, and there is some acknowledgement of the area’s problems.

“There is a bit of an issue around that area, as far as cars and pedestrians converging during transition between classes,” Sgt. Tiffany Green said. “Sometimes vehicles have no clear markers or indicators to show where to turn.”

Green added there have been no recently reported injuries or collisions in that area.

Campus police indicated that any requests for changes made to the parking lot, such as stop signs, speed signs and new paint can be addressed to the Buildings and Grounds department.

Brian Tom, a member of Buildings and Grounds, says that their office can add issues to their agenda when students and faculty bring up issues.

- Nigel Flores

Election day sparks rally The day before the election, a rally was held at California State Capitol to implement the Yes

California Independence Campaign.

SFGate reported that the organization from San Diego aimed to qualify a citizen's initiative in 2018 in hopes of having a referendum to secede from the 2019 ballot.

The Yescalifornia.gov site lists the reason they decided to take action as “In our view the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values, and our continued statehood means California will continue subsidizing the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children."

The website also has a 33-page document the group calls “The Blue Book” that is designed to answer any hypothetical questions about the state becoming sovereign.

Secession is a lofty dream and losing battle as there is no mechanism in place for a state to leave the Union. The Civil War was fought over this very same principle.

"There's no mechanism for Congress to simply say, 'Sure, off you go.' Once you're in, you're in," Washington Post writer Philip Bump told SFGate. “The United States was born an expansionist enterprise, and the idea of contraction, it seems, never really came up, Congress simply would not, for many reasons, allow it.”.

The campaign’s Facebook page has over 11,000 members.

- Robert Jalon

Uber and Lyft drivers increase

Nov. 17, 6-8 p.m.

Alley Cat Books 3036 24th St. San Francisco, 94110

City College’s Creative Writing Program is hosting an Open Mic event, and announcing the contest winners of City College’s literary magazine Forum. Creative writing students will be reading their original creative writing works or poems, but the event is open to anyone who has an original poem or story to share. Light refreshments will be served.

8th Annual Talanoa Series Nov. 17 6-9 p.m.

Ocean Campus Student Union

The Critical Pacific Islands & Oceania Studies Program along with the VASA Transfer Prep Program is hosting the 8th annual Talanoa series with guest speaker, Dr. Mary Therese Perez Hattori, a Chamoru professor who University of Hawaii. The theme is “Bridging Culture.” Food and beverages will be served.

For more information call (415) 4525343

- Robert Jalon

An estimated 45,000 Uber and Lyft drivers operate in San Francisco, reported the San Francisco Examiner.

This marks an increase of 8,000 drivers from the 37,000 drivers that were reported in

November Events City College Creative Writing Presents Open Mic

April 2016 by the Treasurer’s Office.

For comparison, the Treasurer’s Office has a count of 1,800 operating taxi cabs, and the combined vehicles highlight traffic concerns in the city.

Transportation data firm INRIX scored San Francisco as having the third worst traffic congestion in the nation for its 2016 report, and officials are seeking answers.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) asked transportation companies for data, but they have yet to provide it because they are classified as Transportation Network Companies regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

“It is an important question. How will this many additional cars on our city streets impact congestion?” SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose said to the San Francisco Examiner.

Without oversight, the SFMTA cannot obtain the data needed to learn about and ease traffic in the city.

In April 2016, San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros sent 37,000 notices asking Uber and Lyft drivers active in San Francisco to register for business licenses with another 20,000 sent out since.

Of the 57,000 notices sent, about 12,000 people responded that they no longer “drove for hire” in San Francisco or had already registered.

That leaves 45,000 total forms sent out to people the Treasurer’s Office identified as active Uber or Lyft drivers. Information from the forms served as the first data SFMTA had regarding these drivers and traffic trends.

Do you have any City College events that you would like included in The Guardsman calendar?

Send event information to info@theguardsman.com

Poetry In The Afternoon

Nov. 20, 12-4 p.m.

Dolores Park 19th & Dolores Street, San Francisco, California 94114

The Poetry For The People Club, associated with the City College poetry course of the same name is inviting writers to spend an afternoon in Dolores Park. Contributors can their original poetry compositions to read in a safe and supportive space. Writers can post their work on a poetry bulletin board where it will later be published in a Dolores Park magazine.

Find The Event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ events/707582732727167/

Phil Pasquini

Nov. 23, 6-8:30 p.m.

Ocean Campus Batmale Hall Room 203

Sponsored by the office of Student Equity, Critical Middle East, Interdisciplinary and Women’s Studies, Phil Pasquini is the author of Domes, Arches, and Minarets: A History of Islamic-Inspired Buildings in America. The event will highlight Islamic art and architecture.

For more information call (415) 452-

5343

Home Away from Home Exhibition

Aug. 27-Nov. 27 San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin St. San Francisco, 94102

Freelance photographer and photojournalist Najib Joe Hakim’s exhibit called Home Away from Home: Little Palestine by the Bay will be showing black and white portraits from the San Francisco Bay Area Palestinian community.

For more information contact the San Francisco Library at (415) 557-4277 or http://sfpl.org/?pg=1024604401

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship Deadline Nov. 30

This scholarship is open to undocumented high school students graduating in Spring 2017.

It provides up to $40,000 per year along with opportunities for internships, study abroad, graduate school funding and more.

For more information go to https:// mydocumentedlife.org/2016/09/12/ scholarships-open-to-undocumentedstudents/

news | 3

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

Veterans Day walk raises awareness of young vets

Participants walk alongside the presidio on Veteran's Day, Nov. 11, 2016. (Photo by John Ortilla/The Guardsman)

By John Ortilla jortilla@theguardsman.com

City College attended the first annual Veterans Day Golden Gate Bridge Walk at the Presidio on Nov. 11. The holiday is celebrated annually to honor those who have

served in the Armed Forces as well as those who have fallen defending the country.

“The Presidio was built by veterans and its population grew overtime with veterans,” said Gerard Choucroun, director of Veterans Program for Presidio Trust. “The walk is to teach

civilians about the growing population of young veterans in the city.”

Fifteen people attended the walk, including family members and several City College alumni.

Participants walked from 50 Moraga Ave. to the coast near Crissy Field.

The event was sponsored by

Presidio Trust, Bay Area Student Veteran Leadership and the Northern California Institute of Research and Education.

Event organizer Aundray Rogers handed black shirts with a yellow logo of “The City” and “Veterans Day 2016” below it to participating walkers. The shirts were used to increase the group’s visibility as they headed towards the coast.

“No one really knows the population of young veterans in the city exists and it is time to change that,” Rogers said. “There are many young veterans ready to take positions in the city that older veterans are ready to pass down.”

While some veterans participated, there were others who had family members that serve in the military—family members who watched their significant others or children or mothers or fathers contribute time in the Armed Forces.

“I believe that there isn't much support for veterans living in the city and I’m walking to increase awareness of veterans in the city,” City College financial aid

employee Gwyn Leong said. “My late husband was a veteran and I will always support and honor the veterans of the past and present because I know they sacrificed so much.”

As the group walked, many older veterans living in the Presidio recognized them and acknowledged each other with words such as “Happy Veterans Day” and “Thank you for your service.”

Veterans and families walked in unity throughout the hour and visibility increased as some waved and others shook hands with strangers.

“We came up the idea of doing the walk about a month ago,” Rogers said. “We reached out to other schools like University of California, Berkeley and Golden Gate University and combined all veterans into a bigger force to walk the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Although those who participated were small in numbers, Rogers believes that the event will become more popular over time as it grows to include more veterans from different schools.

Town Hall meeting heeded City College student voices

By Dakari Thomas dthomas@theguardsman.com

City College held a three-hour legislative Town Hall meeting on Oct. 31 to address the concerns of students that included topics including the accessibility of financial aid, campus safety and information distribution Several directors and delegates for the Student Senate of California Community Colleges (SSCCC) discussed what SSCCC regional affair director Tabitha Romero called “productive and informative.”

“Last year alone the Bay Area forfeited over $33 million in Pell Grants just to students not filling out the application,” SSCCC Regional Affairs Manager Jake Brymner said. “We have to block these barriers out so that students aren’t confused or discouraging the process that stops people from getting aid. It sometimes ultimately decides if they enroll to our schools.”

Hands-on discourse allowed the some 15 students to challenge the solutions and future plans introduced, as well as to give feedback on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process and the recent changes to the Board of Governors (BOG) fee waiver.

In what used to be a waiver that most students qualified for to remove their enrollment fees on a needs-based criteria, the BOG fee waiver has new academic requirements that may correlate with a drop in enrollment.

BOG member Hasun Khan ensures that the new policy changes have affected the bigger-picture goal of supplying students who need assistance.

“When you look at state options as it pertains to tuition coverage, we’re leading the nation. We have around $2.3 million and cover around half of them,” Khan said.

Another problem addressed was the statement that City College should be treated differently due to the college’s large population and multiple campuses, and should not put in the same category as traditional community colleges with only one campus and much fewer students.

“Most schools are sectioned off into groups. Peralta Community College District is comprised of Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College and Merritt College,” said Jonathan Leigh, president of the City College Ocean Campus Associated Student Council. “They all only have one campus; City College itself is eight different campuses in one city.”

What stands in the way of this proposal is 30,000 of the college’s 70,000 students not being fulltime, credited students—”student leaders.”

“With only 1.5 out of 2.5 students able to be student leaders, we can't recruit out of the entire group of students we have. We also can’t advocate for those students’

Multi-Use Building on Ocean Campus. (Photo by Izar Decleto/The Guardsman)

needs as well,” Leigh said.

When asked if she was dejected by the attendance or if there was a silver lining, Romero expressed encouragement.

“We didn't expect a large turnout due to the some of the issues established in the meeting with student leaders, but just the discourse in general for who showed up was

"STREET LIFE: SF by Day SF by Night” CALL FOR ENTRIES

Seeking original photographs from past and present City College journalism and photography students FRONTPAGEGALLERY.COM

Deadline: Nov. 21

really encouraging,” Romero said.

“I feel like we're making progress and making students aware of the power they have.”

Though this is City College’s last Town Hall meeting for 2016, there will continue to be multiple meetings concerning California’s community colleges across the Bay Area.

For more information, visit: www.studentsenateccc.org and www.facebook.com/groups/ssccc. region.iii

4 | news

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

Demonstrators demand CEO to cease pipeline project funding

Frank Donahue, Vice President of the Wells Fargo headquarters, tells demonstrator, Melanie Ramirez he will give the CEO, Tim Sloan the letter in opposition of the bank funding the Dakota Access Pipeline Project on Nov. 9, 2016. (Photo by Cassie Ordonio/The Guardsman)

By Cassie Ordonio cordonio@theguadsman.com

Wells Fargo, one of the largest funders of the controversial $3.8 billion pipeline project in North Dakota, received a threeday prayer from San Francisco

protesters.

City College student Cante Tenza Win Goodface led demonstrators on Nov. 9, the first day of the prayer, outside Wells Fargo Headquarters at 420 Montgomery St. Sage wafted through the air as she prayed for the Standing Rock

Sioux Tribe, protesting silently for the sanctuary of sacred land and clean water.

“Water is life!” demonstrators chanted.

Approximately 50 people demonstrated outside the headquarters while protester Karma Yeshe Tarchin played a Youtube video of an activist protesting against Wells Fargo.

For months, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe have been protesting in front of bulldozers. In turn, they have been pepper sprayed, attacked

by K-9 police dogs and shot by rubber bullets from authorities.

Seventeen financial institutions have been funding the project. Well Fargo added approximately $467 million.

Demonstrators continued to chant and picket signs until Wells Fargo Vice-President Frank Donahue made his appearance.

One of the demonstrators, Melanie Ramirez, presented Donahue with a letter to appeal

to Tim Sloan, the CEO of Wells Fargo.

The letter stated that the bank should cease any funding toward the North Dakota Access Pipeline.

Five reasons were given: • The acquirement of land needed for the proposed pipeline route does not respect the property rights of all landowners involved.

• The consequences of a leak in the proposed pipeline route will cause irreversible damage to the tribal lands and water sources of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and potentially to others who reside along the proposed route.

• This proposed project promotes the use of fossil fuels, which in turn represents disaster for the world’s climate.

• The disastrous consequences span far beyond Native Americans in North Dakota, as farmlands throughout the route will be destroyed.

• It is simply not a matter of “if ” the pipeline leaks, but of when.

When asked about his thoughts on the pipeline project, Donahue declined to comment. However, he informed Ramirez and the crowd that he would present the letter to Sloan the same day.

No further information on Wells Fargo investments toward the project have been reported.

The following days, demonstrators interacted with bystanders and brought together approximately 200 people, including some Wells Fargo customers, to sign the same letter as was given to the Donahue.

Enrollment was low due to the protests around the Bay Area against Donald Trump’s presidency.

“Things seem really bleak,” Tarchin said. “To me it wouldn’t matter for either candidate. My only question is: How much pressure can you build against the Trump administration?”

A different view for City College

By Karen A. Sanchez ksanchez@theguardsman.com

A draft of the Facilities Master Plan (FMP) to revamp City College’s Ocean Campus was presented in a two-day workshop introducing changes the college expects to see in the next 10 years.

The draft considered the preferences of members from the college as well as the community, its main goal being to improve student studies. It was presented by member of City College’s Facilities Committee and tBP/Architecture, Inc. “The students need to be a community of learners,” said Amy Jane Frater, a member of tBP/ Architecture that worked on the design of the FMP. In the workshop, Gary Moon, tBP president and director of design, explained step-by-step to the audience the changes that may occur with the current FMP. Exploding protest continued from page 1 the idea, according to a Pew survey there are more who fear it.

“I think a lot of the fear right now for Latino folks is definitely (about) immigration,” City College student Melissa Camarena said. “I have a lot of kids I babysit who say they’re afraid that their friends will be deported, and I think this is the major fear here—where he stands on that issue.”

A Trump piñata was dragged through the streets toward City Hall alongside a man carrying a plastic bat. A Galileo High School student interrupted, punching the piñata out of the man’s hand.

Protesters followed, kicking the confetti-covered cardboard head off.

The high school student apologized, explaining how angry she was. A man nodded his head in approval and gave her remnants

The FMP categorized building changes into new buildings, repurposed buildings and existing buildings; specific designs have yet to be discussed.

Financial discussions in the form of many questions immediately followed the presentation.

Participants were concerned not knowing where the money would come from to support such big changes.

“It’s not an inexpensive plan, but it is necessary,” said Linda da Silva, associate vice chancellor and co-chair of the Facilities Committee.

It has not yet been estimated how much money will be necessary or received for the project, but the committee said it would be dependent on bonds and grants.

The Science Building and Diego Rivera’s Pan-Unity Mural were discussed as well.

The FMP places mural adjacent to Phelan Avenue to display of the piñata.

“I wish it was the real man, but at the same time I feel like no one should feel that way about their president,” Galileo High School student Arion Webb said.

“Everyone around you is fearful of what’s going to happen, so you feel that violence is the only way to make a difference. That scares me.”

The protest ended at City Hall, where event organizers tallied the number of attendees to approximately 10,000.

Chants continued as protesters yelled “Not my president!” with a song by California rapper YG playing in the background.

Though presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, it was the electoral vote that decided Trump’s victory.

Neighboring Bay Area Cities including Oakland and Berkeley mirrored the demonstration themselves.

it to as many people as possible and give it more attention, as was decided in a previous meeting about the mural. The Science Building, one of City College’s most emblematic symbols, was decided by participants of the FMP to be modernized and repurposed.

Nine out of 19 existing buildings would be demolished and completely reconstructed, four buildings would be repurposed and five would stay the same.

Every building’s construction would conform to the principles of sustainability required to meet the standards set by the California Green Building Standards Code.

“We would love to catch the wind,” said Melinda Mueller, City College music teacher and member of the Facilities Committee, after discussing possible options to meet the CalGreen Code.

Questions and suggestions from workshop attendants continued, some of the most popular

Amy Jane Frater, from tBP architecture, explains the Facilities Master Plan to a student attending a workshop Nov 2, 2016. (Photo by Karen Sanchez/The Guardsman)

ones involving parking and department locations.

“We’re about meeting the needs,” said Karen Sheppard, an Ocean Campus bookstore employee.

The workshops lasted four hours each day throughout evenings and afternoons to accommodate as many people as possible.

The next meeting will present the FMP to the Board of Trustees on Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the

Multi-Use Building (MUB), Room 140.

The FMP advisory working group will meet to discuss workshop results and board updates on Dec. 9 at 11 a.m. in MUB 357.

“I don’t think the conversation is over,” da Silva said. “The FMP is a preference draft that still needs work, mostly on details.”

Thousands of teenagers in San Francisco took to the streets in protest of President-elect Donald Trump.

High School students chanted "Love Trumps Hate," "Not my president," and "Immigrants are welcome here" on November 10, 2016. (Photo by Khristina Williams/Special to the Guardsman)

Some protesters left City Hall in tears, fearful of what the Trump administration has in store for them.

“That scares me for the future of America, and that’s how we’re feeling about our president. That says something,” Webb said angrily.

“The electoral vote shouldn’t have mattered. It should’ve been the popular vote.”

culture | 5

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

Writer Peter Orner creates truth from fiction

By Adina Pernell apernell@theugardsman.com

Peter Orner, renowned fiction and nonfiction writer, California Book Award winner and PEN/ Hemingway finalist, graced a podium at City College’s Ocean Campus on Nov. 10th to talk about books, the creative process of writing and life.

Steven Mayer, a professor of the City College English department hosted the event and said of Orner’s work that “it’s a collection of essays but it’s also a memoir.”

Mayer went on to say “Orner takes the hope and the empathy that he feels about people close to him and attempts to extend that out into the world.”

Orner read selected works from his book “Am I Alone Here?: Notes on Living to Read and Reading to Live,” a collection of essays detailing his love affair with literature and how it has affected his writing released Oct. 25 of this year.

Originally from Chicago, Orner credited “Am I Alone Here”

Photo of Peter Orner courtesy of Pawel Kruk

as being the first out of the five books he’s written that is truly a California book.

“I’ve lived here for 15 years and I’m only now feeling like I can start to write fiction about California,” Orner said.

Orner spoke with a down-toearth ease, right hand in his pocket, standing on tiptoes and left fingers splayed on the podium as if to emphasize that reading the words

connected so personally to him.

“Alone in a garage with all these books. There’s no room on the shelves anymore. Now they live in piles,” he read from the introduction of his book.

Further down he reads, “I’ll be dead before I read a quarter of the books down here.”

Orner was compelled to write “Am I Alone Here” after the death of his father, who had always

served as a character in [his] life.

His father’s death left him disconnected from creating other fictional characters in stories.

“I think I needed some time to think about my own family,” he admitted later in an interview.

“It was just like a time out, but fiction is the most important thing,” Orner continued. “It’s what I love most.”

When asked if writing fiction could be taught or if it was an inborn skill, he said that he didn’t think fiction writing was something that could be taught. Instead, it was self-learned.

“So nature versus nurture?

Definitely nurture for sure, but it doesn’t hurt to have some nature in there too,” he said.

Orner’s approach to fiction is not so formulaic. In “Am I Alone Here,” he wrote “fiction isn’t machinery, it’s alchemy.”

During an interview, he confirmed this by saying “I don’t get too hung up on genre, and for me it’s all about story. I don’t think you need to reach for genre to get

magic. To me realism is magical and horrific.”

Orner has always striven to tell a story that draws the reader into the life of his character.

He read aloud “At The Kitchen Table,” a short story from his collection of stories, and “Last Car Over the Sagamore Bridge”, which tells the tale of a woman who sits in her kitchen to contemplate the death of her imprisoned son.

Orner was inspired to write the latter when he worked as a lawyer in the prison system of North Carolina.

“It’s haunted me for years.

None of those facts [in the story] are similar to the facts in the case, but they were inspired by them,” Orner said.

It’s those stories—the ones that escape from a mind to live on the page—that are his signature.

Orner currently teaches creative writing at San Francisco State University.

Students sing their hearts out at Japanese Karaoke Festival

SPULU sings a Whitney Houston song outside the City College Wellness Center on Nov. 10, 2016. (Photo

by John Ortilla/The Guardsman)

By John Ortilla jortilla@theguardsman.com The Associated Student Council hosted the “CCSF Japanese Festival”

in the Wellness Center Amphitheater on Nov. 10. The event was centered on Japanese culture on festival games, food, and most notably, karaoke.

The students in charge called

Filbert Cartoons by L.A. Bonté

for people to sign up to sing. In the distance, I was called out too.

I politely shook my head, waving them away. “No, thanks,” I said. The word “karaoke” itself already feels

intimidating as I know I can’t sing, let alone in front of strangers.

Yet, my favorite part of the festival was seeing people sing in front of strangers regardless of skill, having fun doing it nonetheless. The singers provided an energetic atmosphere that encouraged listeners to dance along.

I listened to songs of different genres, from the calm Japanese “Nagori Yuki” to the distant, falsetto howls of the Pixies’ “Where is my Mind?”. The broad range of music ranged from old school songs to newer ones; most importantly, regardless what was sung, the music brought audiences together cheering, laughing and smiling.

As I listened, I realized that perhaps karaoke is so important to Japan because of the atmosphere it exhibits from its audiences.

I witnessed a deep display of support. When a person struggled to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” several students took the stage with her; the audience sang along.

Karaoke gave them the opportunity to reflect sides of themselves that normally remain hidden.

The festival featured minigames as well. One had me pick two items up with a chopstick from options such as jello, hard candy and sweet bread.

Other tables gave out traditional Japanese tea samples and a banana on a stick to dip in chocolate.

In another game, participants used a small paper net to snatch toy fishes contained in a small pool of water, and perhaps the hardest was the water balloon yo-yo. A paper line attached to a plastic hook challenged students to catch a water balloon floating in a small pool of water. Because the dampness of the line caused it to tear, only a few succeeded.

The Women’s Resource Center was present, as was a table dressed with Japanese martial arts books, including one about Aikido.

As the festival’s end drew near, people continued to around the karaoke booth, refusing to let up singing.

They were there to stay and have fun.

for more, visit filbertcartoons.com

6 | culture

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

April Martin, right, Mustafah Greene, left, and Tiara J hug after performing an anti-eviction themed skit at the intersection of 22nd and Mission Street on Nov. 3, 2016

Chants for housing rights drum through Missi Photo story by Cassie Ordonio cordonio@theguardsman.com

More than 100 protesters marched from BART’s 24th St. Mission Station to the intersection of 22nd and Mission Street, demonstrating their aversion to controversial San Francisco propositions that would remove homeless encampments and increase rent across the city.

“Fight! fight! fight! fight! Housing is a human right!” protesters chanted.

The arguments in favor of Propositions P, Q , U and R were authored by San Francisco Supervisors Mark Farrell and Scott Weiner. The California Association of Realtors also supported the propositions, which were on the Nov. 8 ballot.

“These are extremely mean-spirited propositions that do nothing to address

the root causes that we have,” said Tony Robles, City College alum and member of the SF Anti-Displacement Coalition.

The San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition and Coalition on Homelessness collaborated to host the event and rally against the propositions through poetry and art.

Protesters flocked 22nd and Mission Street as four members from the

Anti-Displacement Coalition performed with a backdrop of household items placed in the intersection. In the foreground, poets took a hold of the microphone on-by-one to speak during the performance.

After the performance, people scanned a dirt pit where the remains of a 60-unit apartment building sat. The area was strung with rope draped in white clothing, and photos were placed against the barred

area. Mean affected by building ne

The eve ing hands three tents worth more

Right Poet Kim Shuck pauses during the march down Mission Street for a portrait on Nov. 3, 2016.3, 2016.

Lines of clothing hang where a three-story buildin Street in 2015.

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

culture | 7

Community organizers march down Mission Street in opposition of Propositions P, Q, U and R on Nov. 3, 2016.

ion

nwhile, a projection of people the propositions illuminated a ext to the dirt pit.

ent ended with protesters linkand forming a circle around s, one reading “Our lives are e than their profits off rent.�

Community organizers hold hands in solidarity at the end of a march opposing propositions P, Q, U and R at 22nd and Mission Streets on Nov. 3, 2016.

ng was destroyed by a four-alarm fire at 22nd and Mission

Left: Crowd members shout against evictions and homeless displacement at 24th and Mission St. on Nov. 3, 2016.

8 | culture

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

Observing the tighter tie between Thais through the passing of their king

By Bethaney Lee blee@theguardsman.com

Amid the 21st century, we have been witness to the first artificial human heart, Google’s self-driving vehicle, the iPhone and now the passing of Thailand’s beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died on Oct. 13, 2016 after a 70-year reign.

The entire country is in mourning for Bhumibol, who served as a constitutional monarch possessing limited legislative power.

But he is still highly respected among Thai families who rung in the new millennium, while us Westerners were getting the first taste of smartphones. To the outside world, the king may appear unanimously adored.

However, Thailand itself has strict lèse majesté laws that prevent any citizen from insulting or threatening members of the royal family.

Lengthy prison sentences result upon conviction.

Thai American students walking the halls of City College live in a democratic capitalist society and are not under the constraints of the one year grieving period carried out in respect to the king’s death, or under Thailand’s laws.

Still, not a single student asked on the topic was willing to speak.

Having to branch outside of campus, I was able to talk with Thai American Jee Suthamwanthanee, who was directly given her bachelor's degree by the late king years before his death.

This was one of the many niceties mentioned that swayed both

Thais light candles in memory of their King on Nov. 13, 2016. (Photo

by Bethaney Lee/TheGuardsman)

Illustration by Auryana Rodriguez

her and the public into viewing him as a humanitarian figure.

“I was so lucky to meet someone like him,” Suthamwanthanee said. “A miracle happened in Thailand, to have this kind of king.

One who would look out for his own people, behave himself and make sacrifices for his people.”

Having lived in America now for 26 years, Suthamwanthanee admitted she enjoyed her right to the freedom of speech, but she still appreciated the finesse of respectful

language in times of tragedy.

“The people who are grateful for what the king had done will speak at the right time, when it is appropriate,” Suthamwanthanee said. “We don’t overly emphasize freedom of speech. You can speak about it in the right times, in the right context.”

As the Thai constitution is formed currently, the appointed king is both male and Buddhist while still acting as a defender to all faiths within the country. These

CCSF Tarot General Forecast

By Adina Pernell apernell@theguardsman.com

Adina Pernell is a reiki master, energy worker, crystal healer, massage therapist and student of the esoteric. Adina uses “The Druid Animal Oracle” tarot deck created by Philip and Stephanie CarrGomm, which features original illustrations by Bill Worthington.* Illustrations by Auryana Rodriguez Advice ~ The Frog Represents: Sensitivity, medicine, hidden beauty, power You have the innate ability to heal yourself, so start now. Don’t wait until New Year’s to start with your resolutions. Make the things you need to change in your life a priority, and surround yourself with as much beauty as you can. Go to an art gallery or museum, send yourself some flowers, listen to a song that inspires you, watch a movie that uplifts you or watch a sunset with that special someone. This year has afforded enough ugliness for several years. Do the things that make you see the gracious and graceful side of life. Your inner sensitivity is an asset.

requirements have been constant since 1974.

He is also bestowed the power to grant a successor with the ability to award pardons and create law reforms through a process called royal assent.

The next in line to inherit the throne is Bhumibol’s son, Crown Prince Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, who Suthamwanthanee said may not be as respected as his father.

While laws may prevent citizens from speaking, several controversial videos, images and articles have been released globally in regards to the Thai prince.

WikiLeaks was responsible for releasing a home video on Nov. 12, 2009 that can still be watched on their website. It captures Vajiralongkorn celebrating former princess Srirasmi Suwadee’s birthday at an intimate poolside party,

where she was topless.

“It is going to be very hard to follow his [Bhumibol’s] footsteps,” Suthamwanthanee said.

“Traditionally we have always had a king, but Princess Sirindhorn has followed closely to her father’s footsteps, and a lot of people are ready to have her as a queen.”

The world will see if the Thai people receive the tendentious Vajiralongkorn or opt out of tradition and have Sirindhorn ascend.

Suthamwanthanee said she’s curious to see if the country will evolve.

I’ll be exploring the realities of Thai citizens myself on Nov. 10 during their grieving period, and obtain a deeper understanding of how they live under their constitution while in the modern age.

Overall Mood of the Campus ~ The Seal Represents: Love, longing, dilemma The seal represents you hearing the song of your soul. The seal, or you, has the ability to swim within the farthest regions of the ocean. The ocean here is not literal, but is our subconscious mind. Within your subconscious exists your most fervent dreams, passionate feelings and beliefs. These could rise to the surface now, causing you to question where you are in your life at this moment. Perhaps this is your final year at City College before you move to your chosen career or a four-year university. Plans can shift and dreams change. Listen to what your heart is telling you to do, as it may be at odds with a more practical approach. Follow the path of your heart—ignoring strong feelings and pushing them to the background won’t serve your purpose in the long run.

Nurture and Nature ~ The Cow Represents: Nourishment, motherhood, The Goddess You don’t have to wait until you are stressed to your breaking point to rest. Nurture yourself. Eat well. Wholesome meals, plenty of water, exercise, vitamin supplements, and a good night’s sleep will help you recharge. As finals approach, the ensuing pressure cooker of emotions might be almost too much. Even if it is only for 30 seconds, make time for you and you alone. A massage and a rest day are in order, but don’t just feed your body—feed your soul. Hang out with friends and family who are supportive and connect to your own thoughts in meditation. Take a yoga class.

Unwind. Open yourself up to as many good experiences as you can.

Working with animal energy is about tapping into the universal force of nature and all that Mother Earth creates in the animal kingdom. Chances are, you’ve used colloquialisms like “wise as an owl” or “sharp as a hawk”; using the archetypal energy of the animal world helps produce a clearer picture of possible life paths to take.

opinion | 9

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

The “Fake” Struggle is Real

By Adina Pernell apernell@theguardsman.com

Apparently appropriation is the new fashion equivalent of the little black dress, and trends of cultural and socio-economic appropriation are currently undergoing a renaissance.

Style choices like Bo Derek’s 1979 cornrows have kept cultural appropriation in fashion for decades. In recent years, fashion designer Marc Jacobs has become something of a poster boy for it.

For his upcoming Spring 2017 season fashion show, he took a centuries-old African tradition of braiding accessories like yarn, shells and beads into hair, and debuted it as his own on Sept. 15.

African American celebrities like George Clinton of the funk group Parliament and Funkadelic have been incorporating beadwork and shellwork into their image for years as a symbol of cultural pride.

Earlier in the year, fashion house Balenciaga was subject to sarcasm and ridicule by the people of Thailand for taking the sampheng, a Thai bag traditionally used as a cheap laundry bag, and marketing it as something unique to their vision.

Surely the idea of what constitutes fashion is subject to the wearer and the viewer, but when is enough enough? Where is the line drawn when it comes to appropriation?

If Marc Jacobs were to introduce, say, Balenciaga’s culturally and economically appropriated bags in shows as his own designs, he would be laughed out of Fashion Week, probably never invited to return and lose a great deal of his industry credibility.

So let me get this straight: In the fashion industry it’s totally okay to copy entire cultures or socio-economic groups and not

even credit them for providing the raw material for your artistic inspiration, but it is completely taboo to copy another fashion designer’s ideas.

This feels very much like a form of fashion plagiarism. Plagiarism in any creative community is an ugly word; in fact, it might very well be the artistic equivalent of a four letter word.

Yet, it’s happening with growing frequency under the umbrella of appropriation. I tie in the fashion industry because they not only normalized but fostered many trends by making appropriation cool.

The 2013 Vice article “Rich People Who Pretend to Be Poor Are Obnoxious”

by Carly Lewis drew attention to the rise of slumming it and being shabby chic.

According to Lewis, popular clothing chain Urban Outfitters calls its target demographic “upscale homeless.”

Maybe those who adopt an impoverished lifestyle when their checkbook is in the triple zeros are so desperate to feel “normal” that they manufacture an illusion of income deficit.

Just visit any urban city and you will see them: the faux poor.

Do I blame Brad Pitt and Leonardo Dicaprio’s carefully manufactured scruffy look for spawning a generation of hipsters who would rather looked distressed then actually be distressed?

Or should I lay blame at the feet of gentrification heros who seeks to glorify poverty as an experience they can shed as easily as last year’s fashion nightmare?

The impact that gentrification has on low-income communities can be seen in everything from trend-seekers buying into disadvantaged communities, raising prices of rent, to trust fund babies raiding Goodwills

and driving up clothing prices for individuals who have a legitimate need to shop there.

These are the same people who think it noble to “live poor” for a month as a life experience when they have the luxury of returning to $5000 a month apartments in the SOMA district, while a host of low-income dwellers struggle in the Tenderloin and homelessness

Illustration by Auryana Rodriguez

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of people.

Instead of embracing the low-income plight, faux poor attitudes are creating a climate ripe for an even greater socioeconomic divide by defining poverty as a lifestyle choice and not as an age-old problem of social class.

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10 | opinion

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

Falsities unfairly fault men in birth control study

By David Horowitz dhorowitz@theguardsman.com

A GIF of James Van Der Beek weeping begins a Cosmopolitan editorial that induces viewers to scoff while reading it: “Men Quit Male Birth Control Study Because It Was Giving Them Mood Swings.

Welcome to the club, dudes. Also: WOMAN UP.” Such thoughtless responses toward those who participated in the study demonstrates an instance where partial truths turn “news” into zealous, misguided nonsense.

In the Oct. 27 study, 320 men received shots of progestin and testosterone in their butts to lower sperm counts to under 1 million/ mL. Of those tested, 274 had their sperm counts reduced successfully; for them, the shot prevented pregnancy with a 96 percent success rate.

They took an experimental drug containing both hormones over the course of a year, making sacrifices in their daily lives to advance male contraception.

Yet, news sources and audiences around the world have ridiculed both them and their efforts.

Even USA Today, the most popular newspaper in the United States, published the headline “Male birth control study nixed after men can’t handle side effects women face daily” on Nov. 2.

The courage exhibited by men during this study has largely been ignored and relabeled as cowardice.

But I get the disapproval. Or at least, I can do my best to understand it as a male.

Women for most of history did not have birth control as an option. Even when contraceptives

Illustration by Auryana Rodriguez

became viable, they had to fight for the right to use it—for the right to choose if they would have a child or not. To this day, they still do.

Every day, women fight for what happens to their bodies after intercourse. I don’t.

Every day, 52 percent of women between 15 and 44 in the United States use some form of contraception that is not the condom, according to a 2012 National Health Statistic report.

I don’t.

Every day, women face side effects that include vaginal bleeding, nausea, vomiting, bloating, headaches, stomach cramps, nervousness, mild dizziness, breast tenderness, breast pain, weight gain, acne, changes in hair growth,

mood changes, decreased libido, itching, skin irritation, stomach cramps, loss of scalp hair, freckles or darkening of facial skin and more. I don’t.

Women have died from birth control. Maria Santa, a 17-year-old girl, died in April this year from a blood clot in her brain thought to be triggered by the birth control pill.

Even so, despite everything women have gone through and go through due to contraception, faulting the men in the study remains more than unfair.

It is ungrateful as well as counterproductive to finding other men willing to undergo birth control studies in the future.

The injections, which began in September 2008, were stopped

early in March 2011 by two groups of medical experts—the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee and World Health Organization.

The peer review groups determined the adverse effects test subjects faced after a year of routine injections outweighed the potential benefits of continuing them. Data collection of sperm recovery and analyses continued.

The men being tested did not stop the study. Rather, 74 percent of them reported being satisfied, and 82 percent said if they could, they would use the shot for contraception despite its side effects.

And while nearly half of subjects experienced side effects like acne, increased sex drives, mood disorders and pain at the injection site, not every problem was minor.

Some men experienced depression. One committed suicide, though it was assessed as being unrelated to the shots.

What’s most alarming, though, was that eight men did not return to their normal sperm count a year after they stopped the shots.

Five eventually recovered and two quit the study, but one man didn’t return to a normal sperm

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count even after four years.

Additionally, taking into account all 320 men, the shot’s rate of success in preventing pregnancy dropped to 82 percent.

The drug was not ready for distribution, as it was not meant to be. The study was designed as a Phase 2 clinical trial, where a treatment is tested on a group of 100–300 people to evaluate effectiveness and safety.

Therefore, by the time the study was canceled, it had already in large part served its purpose.

The injection’s efficacy and safety had already been thoroughly tested, and it was recorded in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.”

You might laugh at the choice of stopping injections early when women endure similar effects and worse all the time.

But don’t laugh at the men who went through the trial. They did their part to work toward equal responsibility for contraception.

So I would like to take a moment to thank those who participated in the study; their contributions may one day lead to an even more viable option for male birth control.

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sports | 11

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

Rebuild or Reload: New faces lead the Rams pursuit of another title

By Dakari Thomas dthomas@theguardsman.com

After a storybook ending to last season that resulted in a State championship celebration, the City College Rams now face the challenge of repeating it.

With three State titles and six consecutive conference championships, the team’s new faces look to carry on the winning tradition while only three players return from last year’s team, none of which were starters.

As the dust settles and the Rams’ preseason concludes, the key additions and focal points seem to be in place for head coach Justin Labagh.

Although dominant, City’s big men last season were undersized with state tournament MVP Jalen Canty and Shon Briggs, who departed for University of California, Santa Barbara and California State University, Bakersfield respectively, both being under under 6’6. Though they held their ground against Saddleback College’s two 7-footers in the State Championship, some teams took advantage of the Rams’ lack of height during the regular season.

Promise comes in the Rams’ newlyheightened front court, featuring two 6’10 freshmen, Ethan Richardson and Michael Steadman.

The previous highlight-worthy point man Trevor Dunbar completed his two years of eligibility. However, Sophomore Guard

Zach Copeland, who saw the most action of the Rams’ returning players, looks to take the reigns as the new premier scorer.

Copeland averaged a sensational 41.7 percent from the 3-point line last season at four attempts per game, using his long wingspan to garner a steal a game on the perimeter.

Starting alongside Copeland is another freshman in 6-foot-3-inch guard Eddie Stansberry who will take over Dunbar’s role of facilitating the offense and running the show. Sophomore Guard Armani Collins looks to play a big role, being one of the most experienced members of the team.

An open eye should be placed on freshman guards Michael Wright and Adrian Rico as well, as they have shown in preseason that there is no drop off when they are subbed in.

After ranking third in points per game in the state last year with 89 ppg, the Rams’ biggest challenge is to find out who will be the new leaders of their team.

The Rams will play in the Fresno Classic and the San Joaquin Delta tournaments before hosting their own throughout December. Then conference play will kick off with a matchup against Chabot College on Jan. 4.

ADM_1614_BAC_Community_SFCCGuardsman_Nov19_6x7.5_r3_FINAL_AM_1007.indd 2

10/7/16 2:04 PM

sports | 12

Vol. 162, Issue 7 | Nov. 16–Nov. 29, 2016

Rams win, playoff hopes are dashed

By Eddie Martinez Jr. Special to The Guardsman

As a long season of triumphs and defeats came to an end, two division rivals shared one common goal on Nov. 12: Leave Comet Stadium with a win. Head Coach Jimmy Collins and the visiting Rams would be the ones to do so, and in comeback fashion. The game against the Contra Costa Comets ended with the scoreboard showing 19-14, and was one that was dictated by the defense—which seemed to serve as one of the few traits both teams had in common.

Starting quarterback Lavell McCullers would end the day as City College’s leading passer to no surprise, finishing 8 of 16 for 121 yards and with a lone touchdown pass. Despite McCullers’ excellence, it’s hard to undermine the Rams’ fourth quarter hero Zach Masoli, who finished his only drive 7 of 9 for 68 yards and a touchdown through the air.

The two quarterbacks would be accompanied by Namane Modise in a rushing attack that seemed to hit a wall due to the dominance of each side’s defense. Modise still managed to finish the day as the Rams’ leading rusher, notching 60 yards on 13 carries, along with contributing in the passing game.

Due to the high volume of offensive highlight plays each team seemed to produce on a weekly basis, most thought this would be a game led by QBs and other skill players, but this game told a different story. From as early as the first quarter, it looked as though this would be a tale of the kickers.

This proved true as Leonardo Hodis put the first points on the board with a 22-yard field goal and 1 minute, 34 seconds left in the first quarter. The points came after a several defensive stops by each team and a missed field goal by the Comets the drive before.

After a short three-and-out by the Comets, the Rams got the ball back to start the second quarter, but continued to be plagued by the stifling Comets defense. The offense did little with the ball, leading to an eventual punt and the Comet’s first offensive possession of the second quarter.

Comets QB Cameron Burston marched down the field with a ground game that seemed unstoppable, and was for that drive as they ended with a Burston 7-yard

touchdown run.

The score was 3-7 and the Rams knew they needed to respond.

They turned to McCullers who led a 9-play, 43-yard drive that culminated in Hodis’ second field goal of the day coming from 32-yards out.

After a few more scoreless drives, the Comets’ 6-7 lead became one they would carry into the break, mostly due to their inability to capitalize on offense.

City’s defense stepped up and kept the Comets in check—a key reason this game wasn’t the high scoring affair many expected. By the halfway mark, City College’s secondary was responsible for holding Burston to season-lows in almost every passing category available. He finished 5 for 10, passing for 30 yards and no touchdowns.

His completion percentage and lack of yards through the air was something the Rams took pride in, and rightly so.

When asked what the preparation process was going into the game, defensive back Vince Camp reassured not much had changed.

“The preparation process was the usual. We watched tons of film all week up until gameday. Coaches put some new coverages in for the defense to catch them off guard...

We also knew we had to win this game for many reasons,” Camp said.

Modise made sure to open the second half with a bang, doing so on the fourth play of the third quarter with a 38-yard scamper up the middle.

Despite the spurt of offensive fireworks, the game continued to be decided by defensive play. The Rams once again did little with ball, resulting in a missed 37-yarder

by Hodis. After another stop by the defense, the quest for success on the point-scoring side of the ball continued.

McCullers would eventually toss an 18-yard touchdown pass to wideout Kevin Shaa with 3 minutes, 21 seconds left in the third. This would bring a 6-play, 58-yard drive to an end that saw the majority of yardage come on a 46-yard chunk play from McCullers to Lorenz Logwood.

With a 13-7 lead, the Rams knew this would be the time to play like they had been all day— dominantly. Unfortunately, they were plagued by the ground-based duo of Burston and running back Harris Ross. With a little over three

Quarterback Lavell McCullers breaks a tackle during Saturday’s win against Contra Costa College. (Photo

by Kyle Honea/The Guardsman)

minutes left in the third, the two went on a running spree, ending in a 9-play, 69-yard drive with no pass completions, and Burston’s second touchdown run of the day.

After scoreless possessions by both teams, one including a play that saw McCullers fumble and would keep him out of the rest of the game, in comes Rams backup quarterback Zach Masoli. The inexperienced signal called would take the offensive reins, orchestrating a furious 14-play, 86-yard drive that brought the game to a

conclusion with a winning touchdown pass to wideout Jaylend Jones with 2 minutes, 12 seconds left in the final quarter. The drive featured multiple 10-plus-yard passes to star wideout Easop Winston, who contributed heavily to the gamewinning offensive push.

The Comets’ final drive would inevitably fall short thanks to a monster sack by defensive tackle Maka Tameilau on third down.

The next play would be an incompletion, turning the ball over on downs. The Rams would end the

regular season with a win.

But despite their efforts, they missed the 2016 California Community College Athletics Association playoffs by a narrow margin. In order to see a postseason push, the Rams’ win needed to been paired with a San Mateo loss, and that didn’t happen.

Regardless, City College looks to build off their victory, heading into a Week-1 rematch against the Laney Eagles in the San Francisco Community College Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 12 p.m.