The Guardsman

Newly-elected Trustees Sworn in at City College; Alan Wong Elected Board President During Special Meeting

By Ann Marie Galvan agalvan1@mail.ccsf.edu

The three new City College board of trustees members Anita Martinez, Vick Chung and Susan Solomon were sworn in during a hybrid meeting on Jan. 11. Alan Wong was also elected board president during a special meeting on Jan. 19, along with Anita Martinez as board vice president. The three new trustees ran on a labor-backed slate in November, and their election unseated the three long-time incumbents, John Rizzo, Brigitte Davila and Thea Selby.

All three new trustees have roots in San Francisco. Martinez is a former instructor and past president of the City College faculty union AFT 2121; Chung is a San Francisco-native and served as the City College student trustee from 2020-2021; and Solomon is an educator who served with the San Francisco Labor Council and United Educators of San Francisco.

Newly elected president Wong has been on the board since November 2020, where he has worked as chair of the budget and audit committee and spearheaded City College’s Cantonese-language certificate to preserve the college’s program. He was also the only trustee to vote against wclass cuts and faculty layoffs in 2022.

“It’s good to be home,” said Martinez. “I think that this will be a very good board. We will learn from your experience; you may learn from our experience. I look forward to discussions because discussions are how we make the best policy.”

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The Guardsman and Etc. Magazine Win Big at San Francisco Press Club's 45th Annual Greater Bay Journalism Awards

By Gracia Hernandez Rovelo ghern140@mail.ccsf.edu

The San Francisco Press Club celebrated the 45th Annual Greater Bay Journalism Awards on Thursday, Dec. 8, hosting nearly 200 attendees at the San Francisco Airport Bayfront.

Honoring both professional and student journalists, the Press Club handed out awards for published work that fell into categories that included Magazine/ Trade Publications, Newspapers-Daily, Digital Media, Television/Video, Newspapers-Non-Daily, Radio/Audio, College Media and Overall Excellence.

In the College Media category, The Guardsman was named Best College Newspaper, while Etc. Magazine won Best College Magazine.

Juan Gonzales, faculty advisor of the newspaper who attended that night, said, “This is the first public event since the pandemic. Many people showed up and there were over 400 Journalism awards presented.”

Broadcasters Wendy Tokuda and Reed Cowman co-hoted with an upbeat presentation, along with keynote speaker and journalist Phil Matier.

The Guardsman took home 20 awards and Etc. Magazine won seven under the College Media category, including Best College Magazine, Blog/ Commentary, Breaking News, Columns-News/ Political, Cover Design, Editorial Cartoon, Environment/Nature Report, Feature Layout Design, Feature Story/Light Nature, Feature Story/Serious Nature, Front Page Design, General News, Headline, Investigative Reporting, Photography/News, Photography/Photo Series and Photography/Sports.

“I was really happy to see that our students were honored for their tireless work and dedication and

City College Eases COVID-19 Restrictions, Lifts Mask Mandate, Effective Feb. 6, and Proof of Vaccination Requirement

By Ann Marie Galvan agalvan1@mail.ccsf.edu

During the board meeting on Jan. 26, the City College Board of Trustees approved the removal of the mask mandate, effective Monday, Feb. 6. They also approved the removal of the proof of vaccination mandate for the upcoming summer 2023 registration cycle.

the continuing reputation that we have for producing award-winning journalists as a department,” Gonzales said.

“The recommendation to suspend the vaccine mandate for the summer 2023 registration cycle was approved by the Health and Safety Committee and the PGC [Participatory Governance Council],” said Martin. “As well as the removal of the mask mandate and transitioning to mask being strongly preferred.”

While the board approved the removal of the mask mandate starting in February, masks will still be “strongly recommended,” with the Student Health Center the only exception, said Chancellor David Martin during the meeting, because it is a health facility. He added that staff “uncomfortable” with the change in policy can request accommodations.

In fall 2021, the board passed a resolution requiring that proof of COVID-19 vaccinations be provided prior to enrollment, and students who want to enroll for in-person classes must either provide proof of vaccination or an allowable exemption. This policy is still in place for spring 2023.

Mario Vazquez, police chief and chair of City College’s Health and Safety Committee, said that by November 2022 the committee had “unanimously recommended” moving forward with the repeal of the mask and vaccination mandates.

The California Department of Public Health strongly recommends masking indoors, but it is not required.