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Senses of Diversity
By Jul Lynn Parsons
Special to the Guardsman
Traditionally, when we think of diversity, we usually consider the vast array of races and cultures coexisting on this, our planet Earth. These distinctions comprise a multitude of different colors, belief systems, life styles and patterns of behavior.
Here at City College we are all brought together in the pursuit of one common goal - education. As it is imperative at this time in history to reflect on our human similarities in our quest for peace and education, it is just as valuable to celebrate our diversities.
As our taste buds are tantalized by an Indian curry, a Mexican jalapeno dish or the warmth of a Cajun sauce, and our senses are heightened by the face paint of a Japanese play and the deep, rich baritone notes of an Italian opera, each one of these instances, and many more, contribute to our experience as full and complete human beings.
But what about the diversity of disabilities? When we see a blind person maneuvering their way with their white cane, do we stop and think of the inherent richness in the capacity of the senses they maintain, or do we consider them deficient in a sense? Are we, perhaps, curious how they see without eyes? And what of the deaf? What other senses do they draw upon to hear their way through the day? Are individuals such as this truly "disabled," or are they possibly "abled" in ways most of us have little chance to know?
How is it that a blind person can feel a color, or a deaf person can feel a sound? Are they, perhaps, like a finely tuned instrument in close contact with other senses in ways a sighted and hearing person is not? In short, how can our own feelings be enriched by our awareness of these diverse, disabled experiences?
In thinking such thoughts, I'm reminded of Evelyn Glennie, the deaf Scottish drummer who feels sound as a vibration and depends on these vibrations to sense her way through something as simple as walking down the street to avoid the path of a large, lumbering truck.
In meeting her post performance and commenting on the inspiration she is for deaf people everywhere, I'm met with a shrug of the shoulders and a look that seems to say, "What inspiration? I'm just doing what I do to survive," though in a subsequent interview on the news she readily explains how she uses her sense of vibration to both create and exist in everyday life. In watching her perform barefoot on stage, I'm struck by her command of a sense of rhythm, usually only executed with auditory perception. How is it that in her disability she is teaching us another side of sound?
And so it could be for any heightened sense, given birth by the extraction of a sense we all normally use everyday. When a blind person describes the texture of a landscape, what senses have so enlarged their perceptions? More importantly, how can our own senses be enriched by sharing a moment in the window of their life experience?
The same tree we may walk by each day without noticing provides the blind with the picturesque landscape of rustling leaves, fluttering bird wings, fragrant blossoms and cool shade. If we only think of what they are missing by not seeing the sparkle of the sunshine on the variegated leaves, what are we missing in our perceptions that only celebrating our diversities could bring?
The next time we notice the white cane tapping by, what if we took a moment to step inside ourselves to savor a forgotten part of our senses. Does that not expand our world more fully?
So, while we're walking across campus experiencing the obvious sights and sounds, let us all take that moment to feel alive in a different way and then share that experience with another. There could possibly be no closer celebration of diversity than that shared moment.
Supervisor Leslie Katz proposed changing the name of Phelan Avenue to Violeta Marasigan Street in honor of the late Filipino American civil rights leader. The idea was met with resistance by some residents living on the street. Obviously, the name change never happened.
I think City College would be showing a tremendous amount of respect for Asian students by removing Phelan's name from the official campus title. Historians may disagree and I can see their point of view as well, though I'd point out that Phelan still has the street name and the Phelan building on Market, among others.
Setting aside political correctness for just a moment, why do I prefer the Ocean campus name instead? That's as easy as a day on the beach. Location. Location. Location.
Should the campus name be changed from Phelan to Ocean?
What's in A Name?
By Daniel Jenkins
Guardsman Staff Writer
City College is in the process of changing the name of the main campus from Phelan Campus to Ocean Campus. You might wonder exactly what's the big deal about a name change. After all, what's in a name?
Well . . . if the name happens to be James Duval Phelan, there's a great deal of history. Phelan Campus is widely believed to be named after the three-term mayor of San Francisco and first Senator from California to be elected by statewide popular vote.
James Duval Phelan, Jr., was mayor during the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906 and was praised for his leading role in restoring the city. But actually the avenue, and therefore the campus is named for his father, a prominent business man.
Still, it is the association with the son that causes concern.
Born in San Francisco on Apr. 20, 1861, Phelan, Jr. was also president of the San Francisco Red Cross and Relief Corporation and even gets brownie points in coolness for using his country estate, Villa Montalvo, as a Bohemian retreat for California artists and writers.
Sounds like a great guy. So why do I support the name change?
I happen to believe City College is tops among community colleges nationwide in respecting the wide diversity of its student population, but it is well-documented that Phelan held strongly anti-Asian views. His connections to a white separatist movement led to his defeat in a 1920 re-election bid for the U.S. Senate.
Following the 1906 quake, Phelan proposed rebuilding Chinatown in Hunters Point in order to move Chinese residents away from San Francisco's center.
He also made his anti-Japanese views clear in an infamous interview he gave The Boston Herald in 1907. He is quoted as saying, "They are coming a thousand a month, soon to convert the fairest State in the Union to a Japanese colony... California is white man's country, and we propose to hold it against either a peaceful or warlike invasion."
Not exactly a record for City College to take pride in, is it?
This is hardly the first time the matter has been brought up. In 2000, then-Supervisor Leslie Katz proposed changing the name of Phelan Avenue to Violeta Marasigan Street in honor of the late Filipino American civil rights leader. The idea was met with resistance by some residents living on the street. Obviously, the name change never happened.
I think City College would be showing a tremendous amount of respect for Asian students by removing Phelan's name from the official campus title. Historians may disagree and I can see their point of view as well, though I'd point out that Phelan still has the street name and the Phelan building on Market, among others.
Setting aside political correctness for just a moment, why do I prefer the Ocean campus name instead? That's as easy as a day on the beach. Location. Location. Location.
Phelan is Not Felon
By Marissa Brownell
Guardsman Staff Writer
The only annoyance regarding the Phelan Campus is how to pronounce the darn name.
Now City College is in the process of changing the name from Phelan Campus to Ocean Campus. The school board disagreed with comments made by former mayor and California State senator James Duval Phelan, Jr. in the early 1900's. Phelan Jr. made some anti-Asian remarks when San Francisco had a boom in immigration. These statements of Phelan's were truly uneducated and insensitive, but there is no reason that our school should spend the money and resources required to change the main campus' name due to the obviously dated sentiments of one man a century ago.
The street that gives the campus its title is not even named after James Duval Phelan. The actual street name is for James Phelan, Sr., a prominent businessman in the late 1800's and the father of the former mayor.
Shane Phelan is an editor of a book on gay and lesbian politics. Is the school protesting Shane Phelan's book on famous homosexual activists? The street is not named after Shane Phelan, but according to the school's reasoning, this fact does not matter.
Many businesses worldwide use the ocean to dump hazardous chemical waste. By renaming the campus Ocean, the City College could now be seen as guilty of endorsing this harmful practice. This comparison can only be made if you take one noun from a street's name and then reach a hasty conclusion without adequate supporting evidence. Oh yeah, that's exactly what the college administration has done with the issue.
Just think of the time and money that the school will spend to have the mailing address changed from 50 Phelan Avenue to Ocean Avenue. Every city college and high school in the nation will have to be made aware of this address change or thousands of transferring students will have their transcripts sent to the wrong address. The business cards and mailing envelopes already in print for every teacher on staff, and there are over 1,600 full-time teachers, will have to be thrown out and re-issued. It is a total waste of time and money. I'd like to think that our college tuition money is going toward campus safety, teacher pay raises, and curriculum enhancement.
The City of San Francisco dropped its plans to change the street name, probably because it realized that there are more important issues concerning a large institution than the name change of a street. I only wish that our school could come to the same conclusion and spend valuable money and time improving the atmosphere on the campus, instead of wasting time deliberating on old name associations surrounding the college.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
As vice chancellor at City College, I have a profound and deep level of appreciation for the importance of academic freedom. In response to your Apr. 16th article ("Jabbar Grievance Spurs Changes in Security Protocol") regarding the actions of the Public Safety Department following Sept. 11th , a few points are worth noting.
It is inadequate to say that the events of that day were extraordinary. For me, Sept. 11th defined the word "extraordinary." The actions taken by Public Safety in the aftermath of that day have now been written about twice in the Guardsman.
It should be remembered that Public Safety's actions were in response to a complaint filed by a student's parent. In retrospect, all parties involved would now agree that this complaint certainly should have been handled as a completely internal manner.
However, it is important to state that in my 10 years working for the college, I am not aware of any other instances where there was even the slightest allegation that Public Safety officers had in some way infringed upon a faculty member's academic freedom. It is unfortunate that one event, on an incredibly extraordinary day, may have given some members of our college community the impression that additional safeguards are needed to ensure academic freedom. Certainly there are lessons to be learned from this matter, and clarifying procedures for handling complaints is one of them. At the same time, we should not lose sight of the fact that the Public Safety Department performs a critical service for all members of the college community on a daily basis and should be recognized for all of the positive contributions they make to City College.
Peter Goldstein
Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration