April 23, 2008
News
Financial Crisis Part 2:
City College Community Marches in Sacramento
BY ELLEN SILK
STAFF WRITER
1000 protestors gathered outside the capitol April 21. JENNIFER NICHOLS / GUARDSMAN |
“Don’t hate, educate!” roared 1000 students, teachers and staff from public colleges around the state as the marched in Sacramento Monday to protest Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed $4.8 billion worth of cuts to education, which would directly impact the them.
At 6:30 a.m. Rahmah Abdul-Rahim , a psychology major, was literally balancing her baby on her back while waiting to board the busses. A crowd of 200 City College students were posing with signs and cheering for T.V. cameras as they gathered behind a banner that read, “Stop Balancing the Budget on the Backs of Students”.
Abdul-Rahim said her educational goals would be hindered if programs like childcare for student-parents are cut. However, she is not deterred from her personal goal of one day opening an abused women and children shelter.
Schwarzenegger’s proposed “Across the Board” cuts suspends Proposition 98 guarantee by $4 billion and reduces current year spending for general programs by 6-7% but does not provide a cost of living adjustment, which is crucial for many educators.
Elizabeth Hill, California’s legislative analyst, presented an alternative budget that would offer $57.7 billion in ongoing Proposition 98 funding, factoring in a $2.7 million revenue increase.
“Our goal in the LAO’s alternative budget is to try to maintain current services across the board,” Hill said in an on-line briefing session for California media. The Legislative Analyst’s Office’s budget would restore funding to ongoing programs but, like the Schwarzenegger’s budget, would not provide a COLA.
Chrissy Leuma, a peer mentor at City College, said she would be “hella pissed” if the Schwarzenegger’s cuts went through.
“Education should be a home for everybody,” Leuma explained as she rallied the City College students preparing for the march to the capital.
Leuma is worried if Students Supporting Students (S cubed) or other student success funding is cut that many of the diverse students it reaches would be discouraged.
Preserving enrollment and stabilizing student fees at City College was what Dr. Anita Grier, former president of the board of trustees, was most worried about if state funding falls short. If the cuts do go through Grier said the board does have a plan of action.
“We want to try to preserve the student community. But if fees go up, we know that the number of students goes down,” Grier said.
Lt. Governor John Garamendi addressed the crowd gathered on the steps and spoke about the impact of Monday’s march.
“The message is clear. ‘Kick us out, we’ll vote you out,’” repeated Garamendi.
Schwarzenegger’s office could not be reached for comment at the time of printing.
JENNIFER NICHOLS / GUARDSMAN |
JENNIFER NICHOLS / GUARDSMAN |
JENNIFER NICHOLS / GUARDSMAN |
email: ellen.silk@theguardsman.com
Wellness Center, Trustees Welcomed
Mayor Newsom leads induction
BY NATASHA SIMPSON
STAFF WRITER
Trustee Lawrence Wong: “None of this would be possible without the support of the voters.” |
The grand opening of the new Community Health and Wellness Center on April 10 also featured the swearing in of board of trustees officers, recognition for the football team and the welcoming of the new interim chancellor.
The standing-room-only event was held in the center’s martial arts room and was kicked off by music professor Joshua Law singing the national anthem.
Lawrence Wong was sworn in as president of the board, but has previously served as president in 1996, 1999 and 2004. He was first elected as a board member in 1994. Wong is known as an advocate for immigrants and non-native speakers, minority and women’s entrepreneurial programs, and diversity of faculty and staff.
Dr. Natalie Berg was sworn in as the vice president. She was first elected as a member in 1996 and served as president in 1997, 2001 and 2006. Berg, current vice president of Forest City Development, has served City College for 30 years in several capacities and has been part of many other organizations.
“Without each and every one of you in the audience, we couldn’t have had this building,” Berg said. She said that the center has long been a dream.
Mayor Gavin Newsom was presented with wild applause from the audience.
“These are two people doing great things and I am honored to swear them in,” Newsom said of Wong and Berg.
Newsom and all board members cut the ribbon to the new $85 million center, which boasts a weight room, fitness center and a full-sized swimming pool.
“None of this would be possible without the support of the voters,” Wong said. “Because of them, we have this facility.”
The football team was awarded recognition for winning the 2007 national championship, its sixth title.
The players, and coach and athletic director George Rush, joined Newsom and the board members onstage.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized. This championship was won by guys who know how to play together. It’s a model of how we do things in this department. We can do more together than we can do by ourselves,” Rush said.
Rush then presented Wong with a championship ring and said jokingly to the other board members that theirs would have to be sized.
Interim chancellor Don Q. Griffin was welcomed at this ceremony. Griffin was appointed on March 1 for one year.
“I knew it would be a matter of time before he would become City College chancellor,” Anita Grier, the board’s immediate past president, said.
Griffin served as an instructor and administrator at City College since 1969.
“It is a great honor for me to be interim chancellor here at City College, as it is a great institution. We have over 100,000 of the best students, the best teachers and terrific administrators,” Griffin said. “I’m looking forward to spending my time here.”
Griffin said that while he is at City College, people would get the quality education they deserve, regardless of budget challenges.
Griffin also gave thanks to the people of San Francisco for “giving us the ability to have these new buildings.”
“I’m feeling good because it’s a tremendous opportunity for San Franciscans to see what the bond measure money has gone to. Even though this is a community college, it still deserves state-of-the-art facilities. The main goal is to create the best possible learning opportunity,” Wong said.
On her way out, Berg said, “This celebrates all the best of City College. I really love City College.”
MICHAEL P. SMITH / GUARDSMAN |
Lawrence Wong was inducted as the new president of the board of trustees.e-mail: natasha.simpson@theguardsman.com
Mayor Gives Football Team ‘Right to Go Crazy’ Every April
BY PAUL WERTHEIM
EDITOR
Mayor Gavin Newsom congratulates George Rush for wins |
At the grand opening ceremony for the new Community Health and Wellness Center April 10, Mayor Gavin Newsom paid homage to the milestone achievements of the Rams football team.
“From now on, the tenth day of April will be a special day for football head coach George Rush. In recognition of City College football’s sixth national championship victory,” Newsom officially declared during the ceremony.
“On behalf of the City, I’m giving you the right to go crazy on April 10,” Newsom said, surrounded on stage by two dozen City College football players.
City College football ended a three-year losing drought in the championship game by beating Mount San Antonio College 31-28 at Chukchansi Park in Fresno on Dec. 8.
“I told this team early in the season to play hard, play fast, play smart and — above all else — play together,” Rush said to a large audience.
Rush then presented City College’s new interim chancellor, Dr. Don Q. Griffin, and board of trustees president Lawrence Wong with honorary championship rings.
“The team’s resolve and sense of purpose saved the day when we lost the lead in the championship game,” Rush said. “I think this team is a model of how we do things on campus. We do things together. Look for good things to come in 2008.”
Freshman quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, 2007 NorCal player of the year and championship MVP, threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the title game. He looked back on the season with pride and a sense of accomplishment.
“It’s something you cherish,” Masoli said. “It’s just a great honor after all the hard work we put into the season. I’d like to thank the board who gave this opportunity for an education and a future.”
e-mail: sports@theguardsman.com
Hybrid Program Delayed Until 2009
BY
ANTHONY MYERS
EDITOR
Bob Batty Jr. (left) and Rickey Lee (right) in Evans campus garage. |
City College will offer the first class in California for hybrid car maintenance and repair beginning in the spring 2009 semester at Evans campus.
The class was set to begin in fall 2008 and is open to any automotive repair students said David Dias, Advanced Transportation Technology and Energy initiative Project Coordinator.
“This is a great opportunity for any student who is serious about a career in auto repair,” Dias said.
The new class plan has to go through the curriculum review process that has taken too long, delaying the launch of the class.
“We lost a semester,” said Jerry Bernstein, Director of State Funded Advanced Transportation Technology and Energy Initiative
At the end of 2007 U.S. hybrid sales grew by 38 percent to 350,000 vehicles in a year when total light-duty vehicle sales declined by 2.5 percent, according to Hybridcars.com.
Working at Luscious Garage, City College alum Michou Olivera repairs hybrid cars every day and knows that more mechanics with hybrid experience are needed. Mechanics with 10 or 15 years of experience often “scratch their heads” when it comes to hybrid technology Olivera said.
“The demand is huge. (Hybrids) are the way the car market is going,” Olivera said. “All cars in the next ten years are going to be some type of hybrid, whether it’s electric, bio-diesel, or plug-in. Anyone who doesn’t have hybrid skills is going to get left in the dust.”
Olivera began working as a mechanic on her old “muscle car.” That technology is old and can only take people so far. With the training at City College, students should expect to make $15-20 an hour depending on experience Olivera said.
e-mail:calendar@theguardsman.com
‘Credit Crisis’ Cuts Impacting Student Loans
BY JIM PATTERSON
STAFF WRITER
Students seeking loans for transferring to four-year schools may feel the impact of the credit crisis next fall.
Jorge Bell, dean of financial aid, recently received an e-mail from C. E. Andrews, president of Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading provider of student loans.
“Loan demand will significantly exceed supply for the upcoming academic year,” it said.
Andrews cited “significant legislative cuts and severe credit market deterioration” for destabilizing the student loan market.
“We use loans as a last resort because students have to pay them back and they accrue interest. They are expensive,” Bell said.
If loans are cut, fewer students will transfer to four-year schools.
“They may stay at City College longer or enter the job market until the market for student loans stabilizes,” Bell said.
City College enrollment increased 3 percent since last year and demand is increasing for grants and work-study programs.
Johnny Huerta, 20, said his friends wouldn’t transfer to four-year institutions without loans.
Availability of loans, grants and work-study money are concerns to City College students, Bell said. Students who qualify for financial aid mostly access grants and work-study programs.
“At City College some 17,000 students get about $43 million in financial aid,” Bell said. On average, City College students receive about $2,500 in financial aid.
“It’s only when students transfer that loans become important,” Bell added. But the bad news of limited loan money has all students concerned about their financial aid.
Sallie Mae is taking steps to ease the pressure on financial institutions participating in the Federal Family Education Loan Program, the leading program for student loans. Sallie Mae notified schools it can no longer subsidize Stafford loans for students.
To emphasize the urgency of applying for student loans, Andrews wrote, “Time is running out on the opportunity to act to prevent student and school disruption this upcoming calendar year.”
Several bills are in Congress that would provide uninterrupted student loans this fall. Former chancellor Philip R. Day, Jr., president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, urged its members to the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008.
In an April 11 e-mail to Bell, Day wrote, “This legislation is crucial because any disruption of the federal student loan program will have the greatest negative impact on low-income and disadvantaged students — the very students the financial aid programs are designed to help.”
Students and their families should contact their lawmakers to express their concerns about access to federal student loans and legislation that would improve access, Bell said.
“Immediate action is critical,” Bell said.
Questions for Legislators:
1) Are all students being affected equally, because borrowing opportunities might diverge between students attending large, four-year public flagship institutions and other at community colleges?
2) Is it primarily institutions that serve higher credit risk populations that are struggling right now?
3) Are the big lenders redlining students enrolled at trade and technical schools and community colleges?
email: news@theguardsman.com
Scholarships Honor Deceased Instructors
Memory of Guiuan and Dennis goes on
BY ELLEN SILK
STAFF WRITER
Tony Guiuan |
Joohn Dennis |
Two new memorial scholarships for deceased City College teachers, Tony Guiuan and John Dennis, reward the students they served.
It has been two years since Guiuan died unexpectedly, however his love of the Second Chance program and his legacy at the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services survive in his scholarship which will award three City College students this year $100 each.
This scholarship is for Second Chance/EOPS students and/or students of Filipino descent who have financial need. Its criteria are a 2.5 GPA and completing or have completed 9 or more credits at City College. Students can use the money as they see fit, for tuition, supplies or in the case of recipient Nicole Ammon, a car.
“The scholarship was $500 and the car was $500. So now I have transportation to and from school,” Ammon said.
Gina Guiuan-Inciong, Tony’s eldest daughter, also remembers his motivational spirit. He never pushed, she said, but was always very encouraging. Guiuan-Inciong said that she hopes this scholarship will continue encouraging students to do well, especially struggling Filipino students because Tony was very proud of his heritage.
His daughter Aysia recalled one of his students who came to Tony from jail.
“My dad counseled him, and he now works on gang prevention and just came to speak at my school,” Aysia Guiuan said.
The story of John Dennis’ death played out on the pages of local newspapers. It involves a man Dennis once counseled, an incident at Dennis’ house and a confession upon discovery of the body.
“I was so saddened to read about this senseless murder … I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed his class,” Amy Ottinger, a City College nursing student, wrote.
Darlene Alioto, social sciences chair, said they are waiting on contributions to the scholarship for an actual price, but she hopes to award one scholarship per year.
“CCSF has lost an amazing instructor. Current and future students are robbed of a wonderful instructor,” Ottinger wrote.
Ammon encourages EOPS and Second Chance students to apply for this scholarship because for struggling students money can be an issue.
“So many scholarships go unused. It really is worth applying. You have a good chance of getting it,” Ammon said.
e-mail: ellen.silk@theguardsman.com
The Dennis Scholarship hasn’t begun. The Guiuan Scholarship deadline passed. For information on other scholarships, visit: http://www.ccsf.edu/Services/Scholarships.
CNIT Dept. to Get ‘Substantial’
The Computer Networking and Information Technology department (CNIT) is getting ready to receive a substantial grant to start a “networking system” in northern California, according to department chair Wang Chow.
“After a 2001 market drop, students should know that there are now many jobs available in CNIT,” Chow said.
—Benjamin Taylor
New Bill to Protect Journalism Teachers
A state Senate committee approved a bill prohibiting school officials from punishing high school and college journalism teachers for controversial articles that may appear in student run publications.
While students stories are protected by California’s guarantee of freedom of the press on campus so long as they are not libelous or obscene, the Association of California School Administrators opposes measure SB1370, believing that administrators should be able to censor school newspapers and remove articles they find objectionable.
—Benjamin Taylor
Bike to School Day On
Break out the bike, dust off the helmet and cruise onto campus with other beautiful people on April 24 as Bike to School Day rolls around. Jump on one of many rides throughout the morning weaving through every nook in San Francisco toward City College. Treat your bike to a basic bike maintenance workshop from 10 a.m. — 1 p.m., then strut your stuff during the Sexiest Bike / Ugly Betty Contest at 1 p.m. Take advantage of free food, bells, bike maps, other free swag. See http://groups.google.com/group/ccsfgreencorps for details or e-mail ghostsail@gmail.com.
Dental Exams Here
Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry will provide free dental exams April 25 starting at 9:00 at the Dental Assisting Program, Cloud Hall, Room 304.
ERRATA
IAssociate Vice Chancellor of Facilities Planning/Management James Blomquist was misidentified in the April 10 edition.
Alex Dixon’s second place victory in opinion feature story was left out from the story regarding JACC.
Online editor Christina Hernandez's email address was listed as online@theguardsman.com but it is actually christina.hernandez@theguardsman.com.
SATELLITE CAMPUS FOCUS
Friends of Educational Opportunities in Chinatown, a coalition dedicated to developing a permanent City College campus in Chinatown/North Beach District, will hold a press conference on April 22 at 11 a.m. in the Chinese American Association for Commerce offices.
The media will be briefed on a critical vote to occur at the April 24 board of trustees meeting to approve the final design of the building on lots 9 and 10. The open session of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. at 33 Gough St.
THE GUARDSMAN ON WATCH
Faculty and staff will have say in landscaping
A meeting of administrators and faculty with Interim Chancellor Don Q. Griffin April 10 led to an agreement for a requirement of the campus sustainability plan to mandate consultation of the biology, horticulture and other departments on future projects involving the addition or removal of landscaping features.
An effort will also be made to restore sites that served as study materials for students although plantings deemed inappropriate by biology and horticulture staff already in place will not be altered.
Horticulture department head Steven Brown, one of several instructors affected by the unannounced destruction of several gardens on Ocean campus seemed pleased with the decision.
“We can’t stop what’s already being done,” Brown said.
“There will be a more cooperative shared governance effort to make sure, all departments will have some voice in the work environment we enjoy.”
REMINDERS
5/1/08: International Students Deadline for SFSU for Fall 2008
5/12/08: Spring Financial Aid Workshop
5/16/08: First Day of Final Exams
6/9/08: Final Grades for Spring 2008 available on WebStars
6/14/08: Last day for online registration for Summer 2008
6/30/08: International Students Application Deadline for CSU East Bay
9/2/08: Deadline for Cal Grant program for Community Colleges
9/15/08: Application Deadline for Fall 2008 for CSU East Bay.
LETTERS
A Bird Call
I wanted to tell you that I very much enjoyed Dominik Mosur’s “The Joy of Bird Watching” article in (Issue 5) of The Guardsman. I was very pleased to see that you gave him so much room to express his creativity around this subject.
I am an instructor in the Multimedia Studies program and spend a lot of time on the computer. When I’m feeling particularly burnt out by e-mail, I — like Dominik — like to go out and watch the birds on campus. I particularly like the loud parrots that visit us on sunny days.
Thank you for encouraging us all to look up into the skies and be grateful for the beauty around us.
Beth Cataldo
Multimedia Studies
'Eco-terrorist' Alert
Unfortunately (“Green Thumbs Down” in Issue 6) was a “right-on” article about “terror anti-ecoists” among us at our lovely school.
When I called in 2007 and spoke with “the man in charge of operations” he assured me there would be indigenous plants and that they were planting in an environmentally conscious way. This whole matter is upsetting because it should have been a great success. Instead they hid the truth and furtively went about desecrating our school environment.
Marci Scileppi
Countering 'Caberet'
Regarding the (Issue 6 “Cabaret” article) and my disappointment; I think an Oscar Wilde quote sums it up effectively: “The moment that an artist takes notice of what other people want, and tries to supply the demand, he ceases to be an artist and becomes a dull or an amusing craftsman, an honest or dishonest tradesman. He has no further claim to be considered as an artist.”
I will not go see the play as I already made my mind up about the artistic freedom provided in your “bowdlerizing” department and what it cannot achieve (art).
Chirag Dalibar