January 16, 2008
NEWS
Chancellor Day to Leave College in Early March
BY ELLEN SILK
STAFF WRITER
The search for a new chancellor is under way now that Chancellor Phillip R. Day, Jr. has given the board of trustees a definite March 1 departure date for his new job in Washington, D.C.
In an e-mail to the City College community, Chancellor Day clearly stated his plans to end his 10-year term as chancellor and accept the president and CEO position at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. This opportunity to work with an advocacy/public policy group that represents the interests of over 14 million students will also bring Day closer to his family in Maine.
“I’ve always been active in lobbying in Congress on behalf of student aid,” Day said explaining why he chose to work for NASFA.
During his time as chancellor, many physical improvements have been and continue to be made to the face of City College such as the New Student Health Center, Rosenberg Library and the new Mission campus. However, the real legacy Day hopes to leave City College is to position students to succeed in all aspects of City College life.
Throughout his tenure, Chancellor Day achieved this goal by creating a separate division for student development as well as organizing the counseling department to aid students in every step of their college career.
The Association of Community College Trustees is assisting the board of trustees in the search for a new chancellor. On Jan. 11, a faculty and staff flex day, forums were held to gather responses to the draft of the search prospectus. ACCT’s consultant Dr. William Vega said he was hoping to gather feedback from the staff about what they would like to see in a new chancellor for the search proposal. Many classified staff felt underprepared at the forum.
Another forum is scheduled for Jan. 15 and all members of the City College community are invited to attend.
In the draft of the prospectus (available online at www.ccsf.edu) the new chancellor is asked to “create a campus climate that not only values diversity in its students, staff and community, but also promotes a sense of unity and pride within the multicultural community.” And among the leadership qualities outlined by the prospectus working with shared governance and a commitment to high visibility on campus were cited.
A search committee has also been chosen by the board of trustees. The 21 members of the committee are comprised of three-representative bodies from seven groups: classified staff, students, department heads, faculty, board of trustees, administrators and community members. The search committee will review applications compiled and filtered by the ACCT under the direction of the board of trustees.
In the event a new chancellor cannot be found before March 1, the Department Chairperson Council along with the American Federation of Teachers, Service Employees International Union, Administrators Association, Academic Senate, Classified Senate and the Student Association have signed a letter of support for Don Griffin as interim chancellor.
e-mail: news@theguardsman.com
Chancellor Search Committee Members
Classified
Athena Steff,
President of SEIU
Dave Gallerani,
Vice President of SEIU
Attila Gabor,
President Classified Senate
Students
Diana Munoz,
Student Trustee
Shawn Yee
Claudia Li
Board of Trustees
Dr. Anita Grier
Dr. Natalie Berg
Milton Marks
Department Heads
Fabio Saniee,
Engineering and Technology
Fred Chavaria,
Administration Justice / Fire Science
Peggy Guichard,
Health Care Technology
Faculty
Lisa Romano,
President of Academic Senate
Ed Murray,
President AFT 2121
Fred Tetti,
Former President Academic Senate
Administrators
Stephen Herman,
Associate Vice Chancellor Administrative Services
Juanita Owens,
Interim Director CalWorks Education and Training
Gary Tom,
Dean Alemany Campus
Community Members
Valerie Tulier
Frances Lee
Lorna Deitz
'Misdirected' Funds Cause a Stir
Ethics violation found in $75,000, 232-page report
BY JIM PATTERSON
EDITOR
A special counsel’s report on political fund raising by City College employees found that contributions were diverted from two firms doing business with the college to a fundraising campaign because they had “no formal training in the laws governing [fundraising] campaigns.”
The 232-page report, prepared at a cost of $75,000 or $323 per page, can be viewed on the City College Web site.
The investigation was necessitated by several articles in the San Francisco Chronicle that suggested contributions from companies leasing space on City College campuses were diverted to the political fundraising outfit Committee to Support Our City College.
The Committee to Support Our City College was especially aggressive in raising money to pass Measure A, a $246.3 million 2005 bond measure. The Committee raised $500,000 and the bond measure passed. Money going into the Committee was subject to state laws requiring transparency in donations. Donations to City College cannot be legally diverted to the Committee.
Three contractors were mentioned in the report: The Bean Scene, Super Crown Catering and Bay Area Motorcycle Training. Special prosecutor Steven Churchwell, a government law expert, found the owners of Super Crown Catering had made a lawful contribution to the Committee.
Churchwell also found payments from the Bean Scene and BAMT, $20,000 and $10,000 respectively, were intended for the school but were mistakenly diverted to the Committee. The funds were redirected when ethics questions arose by the Chronicle.Churchwell found no one intended to break state ethics laws and the money was returned when City College employees were notified of the ethics violations. He also found these contractors “did not gain one penny from the proceeds of the Measure A bond.”
Chancellor Philip R. Day, Jr. and the board of trustees asked Churchwell to investigate whether any City College contractor received a contract in return for a contribution. According to the report: “The evidence does not support such a finding.”
Churchwell found there was “a misdirection of public funds rather than a misuse of funds.”
One of the report’s recommendations involved training. “The most obvious need is to hold regular training sessions regarding Government Ethics and campaign law for any employee who might be involved, even remotely, in a future bond campaign.”
Chancellor Day said in a statement, “I am gratified by [Churchwell’s] conclusion that there was no wrongdoing in connection with the campaign’s receipt of contributions from three Co
llege vendors.”
e-mail: news@theguardsman.com
About Measure A: A $246 million general obligation bond measure to add many improvements at City College. Construction operations proposed included projects at the Mission, Chinatown / North Beach and John Adams campuses. |
BY NATASHA SIMPSON
STAFF WRITER
Several areas on Ocean campus are under construction due to a new project allowing easier access for physically disabled students.
The Path of Travel is part of the court-mandated improvements to be made on City College’s Ocean campus to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The areas of the campus that are currently being worked on include the plaza between Cloud and Science Halls, as well as Cloud Circle.
“It will provide a more complete path of access,” said Vice Chancellor Peter Goldstein. “It will ensure there are ways to get to every building according to ADA standards.”
The construction project is in response to a lawsuit, Cherry v. City College of San Francisco, and requires City College to make seven buildings fully ADA-compliant and 16 others accessible to people with mobility disabilities. City College must spend a minimum of $7.5 million in improvements.
The new construction project is being funded by a 2005 bond issue and costs about $6 million, according to Goldstein.
This project will allow “improvements to curbs, ramps and sidewalks along Cloud Circle and to the network of stairs, ramps and walks that ascend and descend from Science and Cloud Halls,” said outgoing Chancellor Philip R. Day, Jr. in an e-mail. Chancellor Day also cited improved lighting and landscaping as part of this project.
Cloud Circle will be closed and pedestrian traffic between Science and Cloud Halls will be limited until Jan. 10. Pedestrian access to all buildings will be maintained, Chancellor Day said.
The expected completion date is April 1, 2008, the deadline given by the federal court.
e-mail: news@theguardsman.com
College Prepared for Cases of Sexual Assault
BY BRIAN MIKKELSON
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
City College has taken steps to prevent sexual assault and treat victims.
The San Francisco Community College District’s frequently asked questions guide about sexual assault define it as: a sexual act attempted or committed without consent, and include acts of inappropriate touching, threats of sexual violence, vaginal, anal, or oral penetration, sexual intercourse that you say “no” to, rape or attempted rape and child molestation.
The FAQ goes on to explain that sexual assault might also occur when one is prevented from saying “no” while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and defines consent as “an explicitly communicated, reversible, mutual agreement in which both people are capable of making a decision.”
The San Francisco Community College District Police Department’s records show that in 2006, only one rape was reported on campus. The records also show three reports of sexual battery in 2005 and one report of sexual battery in 2004.
Barbara Conahan, a nurse practitioner in the Student Health Center, said sexual assault is underreported.
“We only find out about it when the victim seeks help,” she said.
Conahan said if someone has been a victim of rape or sexual assault, they should “come to the Student Health Center. Don’t carry the burden.”
Once in the SHC, a victim of sexual assault is given a certain course of treatments depending on their symptoms, said Conahan. Someone who seems to be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder should seek mental health services, while someone with physical trauma should seek both mental and medical help, she said.
Conahan said the best way of preventing sexual assault is by identifying risks such as “feeling like a doormat, being a victim of past abuse, not knowing the person you’re dating, not knowing what a healthy relationship is like, or being with someone who is possessive, jealous, verbally abusive, cruel to animals or children, or has committed sexual assault in the past.”
As a method for preventing sexual assault, the SHC delivers a presentation on date rape during orientation for new students. Conahan said the SHC is there for those victims who “need more bravery.”
e-mail: news@theguardsman.com
Renting Newest Alternative to Bookstore
BY ANTON MOLODETSKIY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Students at City College will soon have an alternative to the expensive prices at the campus bookstore this semester as the emerging trend of book renting grows, attracting more and more students.
Although Web sites like Half.com and Amazon.com may save students a bundle on new or used books, renting textbooks is quickly becoming a cheaper and environmentally friendlier solution to textbook purchases.
Students can now look to private companies like Chegg.com and BookRenter.com to save them as much as 80 percent on their textbook costs.
Carina Mifuel, 32, a third-year student at City College had not heard of textbook renting until recently, but said she usually looks for sources other than the City College bookstore for textbooks.
The general response to book renting online has been more than positive, with customer numbers and revenue well beyond one of the owners’ original expectations.
“We do business with over 600 campuses,” said Aayush Phumbra, vice president and co-founder of Chegg.com.
The site, whose name is a combination of “chicken” and “egg”, also partners with Eco-Libris, a company dedicated to preserving forests and promoting reuse of books and materials already in circulation. Eco-Libris plants a tree for every Chegg.com transaction.
How cheap is it to rent books? The new edition of “Psychology: Core Concepts,” which the City College bookstore sells for $93.25 new and $72 used, can be rented for $27.60 for the semester from Chegg.com.
However, not all titles can be rented. “College Algebra,” the text for Math 90, was unavailable for rent at both sites.
Laura Sneddon, director of marketing at BookRenter.com, outlined the main problem facing her company.
“Our biggest hurdle is to educate people about the rental process and our service. Once consumers learn BookRenter.com saves them up to 75 percent and offers flexible rental periods, we predict that customers will be excited to use our service.”
Ben Polo, 20, who is in his third year of at City College, said although he usually gets his books from the bookstore or online, “for a fraction of the price I might just start renting instead of buying [textbooks] straight up.”
e-mail: news@theguardsman.com
| NEWS BRIEFS |
School Budget Slashed
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a Fiscal Emergency Proclamation on Jan. 10 that some lawmakers called “draconian” in reference to funding cuts for public schools and health care.
The proclamation was made because of a $14.5 billion budget deficit for the current fiscal year, or more than 10 percent of next year’s $141 billion budget. Though the governor said he opposes a tax increase in response to the deficit, Democrats are saying the fiscal emergency is a political move by Schwarzenegger to raise taxes, a politically unpopular move among Republicans.
—Jim Patterson
Storms Sweep Campus
Storms during the winter break caused a large eucalyptus tree to uproot and fall onto the lawn directly in front of Science Hall on Ocean campus on Jan. 5.
James Keenan, City College director of buildings and grounds, said that the tree did not cause any structural damage. In addition to the fallen eucalyptus, City College sustained only minor storm damage.
—Alex Luthi
Former Instructor Dies
Marcelline Theresa (McDermott) Simini, a teacher at City College from 1956 to 1980, died. She was 87.
A Wisconsin native, Simini received several degrees including a B.A. in English from the University of Washington in 1948. She also received an M.A. in drama and English at Washington in 1949. She also received a secondary teaching credential at the University of San Francisco in 1950.
Her husband of 39 years Joseph Peter Simini survives her.
—Jim Patterson
City-wide Health Care
Healthy San Francisco is a program created by the City of San Francisco for uninsured residents. The program offers residents basic and ongoing medical care. It is available to all San Francisco residents regardless of pre-existing medical conditions, or immigration or employment status. However Healthy SF is not health insurance. It is a program designed to extend health care safety net. The program is made up of 25 percent of Department of Health clinics and 75 percent consortium clinics.
For more information, visit www.healthysanfrancisco.org
—Ellen Silk
j
| REMINDER |
The last day to add classes is Feb. 1.
| ERRATA |
In the fall 2007 issue of etc. magazine, the name of our design director, Carlos Perez, was left off the masthead. Carlos worked long hours to design the magazine, and the editors apologize for the error, and would like to thank Carlos for all of his hard work.
—etc. staff
| POLICE LOG |
12/18/07 Ocean campus: An officer stopped a vehicle for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. The driver had a suspended license and was issued a citation and his vehicle was impounded.
12/18/07 Ocean campus: A teacher reported a possible fraud scheme on campus. Upon further investigation it appears a student was the victim of identity theft.
12/18/07 Ocean campus/Batmale Hall, Burglary Employees reported multiple items stolen from their offices during the previous evening. SFPD assisted in processing the scene.
| CAMPUS CLUB SPOTLIGHT |
The existence of a student-run literary publication at City College has been sporadic.
Last year, the club was reinstated by two students to start a literary journal at City College that will survive indefinitely, providing students with a medium to publish fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, photography and art.To cover publication costs, the club actively seeks donations from individuals and organizations, sells advertisements, and holds semi-regular events and fund-raisers in collaboration with other clubs on campus.
The club will publish the journal this semester as a supplement in The Guardsman under its old name, Forum. What’s more is the English department plans to revive its literary magazine class in fall 2008.
To submit to Forum or contact the club, e-mail citylitjournal@gmail.com.