Volume 137, Issue 8
News
FOREIGN EXCHANGE: The lure of an American Degree reels in students from around the world
BY
LAURENCE CLEMER
Contributing Writer
Approximately 1,000 international students registered at City College last year, paying nonresident tuition fees of more than $2,160 per semester in exchange for an American degree and a cultural education.
PHOTOS BY ANTONELLA FABIANI
However, foreign students’ overall enrollment for credit classes at City College has decreased by 23 percent since 9/11, according to Paul Wong, department chair of international student counseling.
Wong said most of these students come to City College from Asia and Latin America to study business, computer technology, engineering and life sciences, often with the intention of transferring to a four-year college in the United States.
In exchange for an American degree from City College, foreign students are willing to pay $180 per unit for enrollment fees and international student tuition fees, with a typical semester bill rounding out to about $2,160 for the required 12 units they must take to maintain their status.
“It’s kind of a discrimination,” said Hiroko Iigima, a Japanese student who wants to major in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies at City College in order to work in a restaurant in Japan.
Yet for many foreign students, City College is more affordable than other community colleges in the United States.
“Tuition here is cheaper than in other states,” said Kevin Hsu, a Taiwanese student who studied in Kansas City before he came to City College.
“It’s actually the cheapest in the big Pacific area,” said Kevin Viard, a French intern with the Office of Marketing and Public Infor-mation.
But according to Wong, obtaining a visa to study in the United States has become a real challenge for foreign students, which largely accounts for the decrease from 1300 to 1000 students.
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For many foreign students, an American degree is a plus in their home country. “In communications, the United States is seen as very proactive and a leader in the market,” said Viard, who is majoring in Broadcast Electronic Media Arts at City College.
Another attribute for City College is San Francisco’s international popularity, making it a favorite U.S. destination for foreign students who want an American degree, Wong said.
“San Francisco is a lot more culturally advanced,” said Viard, who chose San Francisco over New York and Los Angeles to study English before he came to City College.
For Cason Tong, a UC Davis graduate who moved with his family to San Francisco from Hong Kong several years ago, City College was an excellent place for his brother and himself to start earning credits.
“We believed that if we could complete the program here, we could transfer to pretty much anywhere,” Tong said.
For Shimma Miyamo from Japan, studying at City College is an excellent opportunity to “meet and talk to international students and learn about a lot of cultures and countries.”
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Chan said that because of new vi-sa restrictions, Middle Eastern students have been almost totally ex-cluded from studying in the U.S., while Japanese students — who, along with Chinese students, are the largest foreign community at City College — have had more difficulties obtaining student visas.
“It used to be five-year visas, always,” Chan said. Now, she explains, students are often given visas for just the amount of time needed to complete the program, which is often less than 18 weeks, as they are then expected to return right a-way to their countries.
In an effort to keep enrollments from dropping further, City College is considering al-lowing international students who do not have the required Eng-lish level into certain credit classes such as physical education, music and arts. “But it may take a year to be approved,” Chan said.
She also explained that the IIS tries to keep a strong support system for foreign students, who often drop by during break time at the Cloud Hall office, knowing they will always find someone to speak with.
“We do a lot of activities with the students,” Chan said. Many of these activities include dinners, movies and ice skating, which help students socialize in a foreign country.
TEXTBOOK COSTS SOAR: Governor Encourage Decrease
BY
ZURI BERRY
Contributing Writer
Governor Arnold Schwar-zenegger signed a bill that will encourage a decrease in textbook prices for college students statewide.
PHOTO
BY GARRETT ULRICH
Bill AB 2477, which was initially authored by Assembly member Carol Liu, was designed to curb the skyrocketing price of textbooks.
According to a letter City College sent to the Senate Committee on Education, textbook prices rose 72 percent in the last ten years while the cost of living only rose 26 percent. Comparatively, adult and juvenile trade books rose 26 percent as well.
City College was in full support of the bill.
“We all acknowledge and recognize that the prices are out of control,” Chancellor Philip R. Day, Jr. said. “Now it’s up to the people that recognize this to do something about it.”
Don Newton, bookstore general manager and president of California’s Association of College Stores said, “The bill is mostly designed to encourage. Publishers are encouraged to reduce their prices.”
Publishers often release new editions of textbooks annually. They also provide bundled textbooks that include workbooks or CD-ROMs that go unused. The bill would put pressure on publishers to “unbundle” their books as well as provide online or paper supplements for new editions.
The bill encourages faculty and academic senates to collaborate with schools in finding lower priced books and eliminate unnecessary costs.
The bill requires colleges to make textbooks available to students on a rental basis similar to City College’s Book Loan Program. College bookstores are also required to release the retail prices of their books as well as actively promote and publicize their buyback programs.
Another bill, AB 2678, would have authorized a campus-based textbook rental fee on a per book basis; however, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed it.
The Governor said in a prepared statement that he is “supportive of textbook rental programs as one means to make the overall cost of college attendance more affordable. However, I am opposed to provisions in the bill that would allow additional fees to be assessed to all students, even those not using the program, in order to keep a textbook rental service financially self-sustaining.”
TRANSGENDER AWARENESS DAY PROMOTES EDUCATION AND SAFETY
BY SARAH THEISS
Staff Writer
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PHOTO BY SARAH THEISS Chancellor Philip R. Day, Jr. and Chief Carl S. Koehler made appearances to speak in front of about 100 people who attended the event. Educational literature was provided and candles burned in memory of hate crime victims. Free condoms were distributed and HIV testing was provided.
The event promoted transgender rights and provided an opportunity for those who attended to learn more about transgender issues.
Joani Marinoff, HIV/STI Education office coordinator, and the City College Transgender Student Club organized the event. The San Francisco-based Transgender Voices and Rights group sponsored the event.
The main goal of Transgender Awareness Day was to promote safety for transgender students and faculty at City College.
“We’re very pleased with the turnout at the event and the commitment of City College to make this a learning right for transgender students,” said Joani Marinoff, coordinator of the event.
The health science depart-ment offers a “Transgender Work-ing with Clients and the Com-munity” course, as well as HIV/STI Prevention Education and HIV/STI Outreach Skills classes.
BY MARCO GUTIERREZ
Contributing Writer
AmeriCorps at City College is expanding from one program to three and there will be 80 openings for volunteers starting next semester.
A national program, AmeriCorps assists many organizations in providing tutors and mentors for youth, helping to build affordable housing, teaching computer skills, helping to run after-school programs and assisting communities responding to disaster.
Volunteers commit 10 hours of work per week. “[The program] is open to students who want to serve the community,” Emily Glines, director of AmeriCorps at City College, said.
Volunteers can work with the Teachers and Reading Development Partnership (TRDP) as tutors in elementary schools and help children improve their reading skills.
“AmeriCorps is a wonderful thing, not only beneficial to kids and teachers with over-crowded classrooms, but it’s also beneficial for me,” said volunteer Joy Walker.
The Foster Youth Mentoring Project (FYMP) helps people between the ages of 18 to 21 transition from foster housing to life on their own.
AmeriCorps Local Emergency Readiness Team (ALERT) works with different agencies and government institutions to help people prepare for disasters.
Some of the advantages are “career explanation and the satisfaction of working with children on our community … the main purpose is to serve the underserved part of the community,” Glines said.
"IT'S WHAT A MAN'S GOT TO DO": Selective Service System reaffirms mandate requiring access to student financial aid information
BY ADAM BRODY
Staff Writer
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PHOTO BY NATHAN WEYLANDThe Selective Service System (SSS) has reaffirmed its mandate requiring the Department of Education to share personal student information — via computer database — with the SSS in order to verify compliance in registration, heightening worries of a possible draft.
Although all male students (ages 18-25) ap-plying for government financial aid have been required to register with the SSS since 1980, the service log-ged an entry into the Federal Register on Nov. 4, 2004, reissuing their intention to enforce registration. The mandate will take effect on Jan. 1, 2005.
Dan Amon, public affairs specialist for the SSS, reassured The Guardsman that there was no possibility of an upcoming draft. “Only Congress can reinstate the draft, and there is no interest whatsoever in Congress to doing that,” Amon said.
Amon also said that students currently receiving government aid are not in jeopardy of losing assistance. “The student could not have gotten the financial aid in the first place without having given a valid reason for their non-registration,” Amon said.
Karen McCarthy, staff liaison for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administra-tors, also said the mandate is routine policy. “There’s no changes to the policy that was already in place, it’s the same thing that’s been going on for a while,” McCar-thy said.
Despite these assurances and those made by President George W. Bush, countless Internet blogs show many people are still concerned. This recent mandate is only one of several indicators leading to fears of a possible draft.
Other factors, reported by The New York Times, include the calling up of more than 4,000 former soldiers to active duty by the U.S. Military. The soldiers are part of the Individual Ready Reserve, a group rarely called upon to serve. Out of the more than 4,000 men who were notified, over 2,000 have expressed resistance.
The Times also points out that the SSS has recently updated its contingency plans for the possible draft of medical personnel.
A Nov. 14, 2004 Shreveport Times article has also raised concerns. It revolves around a Lou-isiana man who was astounded to find out that his 16-year-old son was required to pre-register with the SSS in order to get his driver’s license.
Although the recent SSS mandate to the Department of Ed-ucation is not a new policy, City College administrators want to make sure students realize who has access to their financial aid information.
“We want students to know where their records are going,” said Leslie Smith, special assistant to the chancellor for governmental relations. “They may go further than they realize.”
Sophia Toney, manager of the financial aid office, said as far as she knows the school has not received any notification from SSS. She said that students have always had to register to obtain government aid, although it is not yet clear whether matriculating students will also be compelled to comply.
City College student Nathan Weyland served with the U.S. Coast Guard for four years and is now in the inactive reserve. “I really hope there’s not a draft … but I’m not going back, I’ve done my time,” Weyland said. “I’d rather go to Mexico.”
WINTER GRADS FACE ADDITIONAL MATH: College adds algebra class to graduation requirements
BY SUSAN BARNES
Staff Writer
Students graduating from City College at the end of this semester will have been required to complete an extra algebra class.
Three years ago, City College Chancellor Philip R. Day, Jr. urgently submitted the algebra requirement proposal to the Academic Senate’s Executive Council.
Concerns arose in 2001, during a five-year review, when the state college accreditation board questioned whether City College was complying with Title V regulations.
“Our math requirement was actually lower than what was required to graduate from high school,” said Donna Hayes, a continuing student counselor at City College.
Hayes’ reference is to Math E or Basic Math with Applications, which formerly satisfied the math requirement for non-transfer students.
Fred Teti, Academic Senate president and a City College mathematics professor, defended the former standard.
“Math E was specifically designed to demand critical thinking and practice computational skills,” he said. “It’s a course that prepares students well for higher mathematics and algebra, but it also has application in the real ways that people need and use math every day.”
“I feel elementary algebra is pedagogically flawed,” he said. “It has a small critical thinking component. It has a small computational component. The point of elementary algebra is to get people ready for the rest of algebra.”
Nonetheless, elementary algebra is the general education course required to graduate from most four-year colleges.
Title V is the federal legislation that sets guidelines and gives states funds for community colleges. According to Teti, there are two applicable sections in Title V that govern the algebra requirement debate.
One dictates that a student must pass a course at least on the level of elementary algebra in order to earn an associate’s degree. The other just stipulates there must be competence in mathematics.
“Here at City College, we felt our Math E class was sufficiently rigorous so that students passing it demonstrated competence,” Teti said. “However, since one section in Title V mentions elementary algebra, some people felt it was implicit in the legislation that graduates demonstrate their competence by passing the course specified.”
Furthermore, the state chancellor’s office put a lot of pressure on City College to accept the algebra requirement.
Despite a protracted debate and intense opposition from the Mathematics department, candidates must now either complete Math 840, an elementary algebra course, or place into Math 860 by passing an algebraic comprehension test.
The council sent it to the Academic Policy Committee, where Teti says he fought “tooth and nail to defeat the proposal, but there was no resolution, so the school convened a special task force.”
Composed of faculty selected by the Executive Council and administrators appointed by the Chancellor, the task force spent another semester and a half researching and debating the algebra requirement issue without reaching a conclusion.
Finally, the council asked both the administrators and the faculty to write and present position papers. “After much, much, much, much debate, council did eventually decide to go with raising the requirement,” Teti said.
The council then recommended the proposal to the Bipartite Committee on Graduation Requirements, which adopted it. It was even months later, however, after an informally assembled group had worked out all of the implementation details, that elementary algebra was first listed as a requirement for graduation in winter 2004.
E-mail: sbarnes@theguardsman.com
City College at Large
Compiled
by Halie Johnson and Daniel Powell
John
Adams Campus
John Adams students will one day have their own gym to use on campus, as an aging facility on site is undergoing extensive renovation. “It’s under heavy construction right now,” said Deborah Carlton, Associated Student Council representative.
“We’re hoping it will be open in the beginning of next semester,” Linda Squires-Grohe, dean of John Adams campus, said. “There have been some glitches, but they’re moving forward with construction.”
Chinatown/North Beach Campus
The Chinatown/North Beach Associated Student Council (ASC) recently elected its executive officers at a meeting attended by Associate Dean Skip Fotch. The ASC is tentatively planning a field trip to Sacramento later this semester to visit the state legislature and tour Old Sacramento.
Southeast Campus
“I just confirmed that the wonderful Dr. Helen Dilworth will be performing at our holiday celebration with her students this year,” Dr. Veronica Hunnicutt, dean of Southeast campus, said.
The event will be held in the Alex Pitcher room from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 15 and is open to all.
Hunnicutt was also able to bring Dilworth back to teach a beginning vocal class next semester. Due to budget cuts the class was removed this semester. “I worked with the wonderful Madeline Mueller and that was one of the classes we were able to bring back,” Hunnicutt said.
Evans
Campus
The Fashion Design department is sponsoring a series of workshops this semester and continuing next semester called Apparel Business Incu-bator 2004/05. “On top of our regular design courses we have a grant for these workshops, which are pretty reasonably priced at $15 each,” Vice Chancellor Phyllis McGuire said.
The next workshop on Dec. 14 will feature “Visuals Regarding the Product: Storyboards, Graphics, Letterhead, Logos, etc.” Future workshops include “Illustrating and Communicating with Flats,” “Marketing and Sales,” “Sourcing for Your Product, Using the Internet” and “Financial and Legal Considerations.”
Short Cuts
Scholarship Scam Caught in Action
A Nov. 17 New York Times article “Apply Here for Scholarship, and Prepare to be Smeared,” reports on an organization called “National Academy of American Schol-ars,” offering a phony $10,000 scholarship.
The company had financial aid counselors fooled and was recommended to some students as a “reputable organization,” the article states.
“National Scholars” char-ges $20–$30 to be considered for the alleged merit-based “Easley National Scholarship” and requires that students submit their social security number, photocopy of their driver’s license and a photograph.
What’s unique about this scam is that the company tends to focus on defaming the individual’s credibility. One student, Josh Centor, was listed as a terrorist on a Web site and was compared to John Walker Lindh.
Students Skip Paying Parking Tickets
Students should be aware of mischievous actions some individuals are taking to avoid paying parking tickets in the parking reservoir. Before paying a parking ticket placed on the vehicle, verify that the license plate number on the ticket matches your car.
“I almost paid a parking ticket that wasn’t issued for my car,” said Paulette Bleam, City College student. “I realized the license plate number was not mine, and not only that, I have a City College reservoir parking pass!”
Miami Dolphins Use City College Facilities
The City College community had the chance to witness a professional football team, the Miami Dolphins, practicing on Ocean campus’s football field from Wednesday, Nov. 24 until Friday, Nov. 26, before they played the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 28.
“It speaks well of our college... it put us on the map a bit,” Coach George Rush said. “It was good for them, and it was good for us.”
Campus Crime Log
October 28, 11:04 a.m. Ocean Campus
A student was reported riding her bicycle on a slippery road and hitting the back of a parked vehicle. The student suffered injuries and was transported to the hospital.
November 3, 10:40 a.m. John Adams Campus
Student claimed that another student had stabbed him in the hand with a pocketknife on a dare. Administrative action was taken.
November 10, 8:15 p.m. Downtown Campus
A group of people blocked traffic at the 4th and Mission intersection. Officers who tried to break up the commotion were assaulted and one was injured. Two suspects were arrested.
November 9, 12:25 p.m. Ocean Campus
A fight on Ram Plaza consisted of both students and off-campus parties. An arrest was made.
November 9, 3:55 p.m. Mission Campus
Mission campus instructor reported she was injured by falling down the stairs. No medical response was re-quired.
November 28, 12:05 p.m. Downtown Campus
A naked man was standing in front of the bookstore. The officer requested he put his clothes on, and he complied. The subject had outstanding warrants and was arrested.
The Crime Log was compiled with the cooperation of the City College Police Department.