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May 7, 2008
Editorials
Point/Counterpoint No, it would be a disaster BY MAAHUM CHAUDHRY As a frequent Muni rider, I know firsthand how Muni can be, with colorful Fast Passes to prove it. I’ve had my fair share of days of being soaked in the rain after waiting at the bus stop, only to watch my bus whiz by. I have dealt with the uncomfortable feeling of being pushed and shoved while trying to retain my balance. But I remind myself that taking public transportation is cheaper and better for the environment, so I try to grin and bear the ride. Because of the grievances just listed, I don’t think Muni rides should be made free, as Mayor Gavin Newsom hinted at last year. If Muni were free, imagine how the larger crowds and reliability would be. The word “free” attracts everyone, and with so many people on a bus, things would be chaotic. Muni won’t be able to accommodate all their customers because they will still have the same number of buses running and won’t get money from fares to buy more. Every Muni rider knows that with a crowded bus comes a slow ride. On numerous occasions I felt I could have reached my destination faster and more comfortably with my scooter from middle school. But I resist, trying to take full advantage of my wrinkly, damaged FastPass. With drivers often already grouchy enough with crowded buses and possibly lower wages, they would become ruder. Just last year Muni introduced the environmentally friendly hybrid buses. With free Muni, many would be encouraged to take public transportation to helping reduce global warming. However, with free fare rides, there wouldn’t be enough funds to purchase more hybrid buses, which cost roughly $500,000 — approximately $150,000 more than the regular buses, according to sfmta.org. Out of my love for Muni for taking students who can’t afford today’s gas prices to their various destinations, I think it is in the best interest of both Muni and for us faithful riders, FastPass handy, to keep Muni’s fares as they are. e-mail: maahum.chaudhry@theguardsman.com Free fare is the best fare BY LISKA KOENIG Taking Muni in San Francisco requires three things: patience, time and bus fare. How many times have you been late because you waited for a bus that never showed? How many times have you stared at the announcement board which read something like “Next bus 73 minutes,” despite the bus schedule stating that it should run every 10 minutes? How many times have you spent your last quarter to take the bus home? Muni’s shortcomings add unnecessary complications to our busy lives. It’s time for payback — Muni fares need to be reduced 100 percent! In February 2007 Mayor Gavin Newsom asked the Municipal Transportation Agency to examine a system-wide free-fare system. The additional cost of purchasing new equipment and hiring additional staff to prevent fare evasion was shown to be almost as costly as if Muni ran for free. For more than two decades, commuters have been riding the buses in downtown Seattle free of charge from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s difficult to understand why we can’t implement such a system here. Shouldn’t the effort to reduce our individual carbon footprints be rewarded? This is an opportunity for us to contribute to save the planet. Buyers of hybrid cars get a tax break of up to $3,150, but Muni passengers get nothing but talk about an upcoming fare increase. (The $45 price of the FastPass that entitles riders to unlimited use within San Francisco, is rumored to be going up as much as 33 percent in the next couple of years.) Gas prices in San Francisco are the highest in the country so think about what you could do with the $4.25 or more that you are spending for each gallon of gas. Taking public transportation isn’t always fun, so people could use an incentive. Making Muni free to ride would not only take hundreds of thousands of cars off our already overcrowded city streets, but also greatly improve the quality of the air we breathe. email: liska.koenig@theguardsman.com
Getting Ahead in the Summer Time BY MARIA UMANZOR EDITOR California’s education system is facing tough budget cuts, so while we wait for the fall semester, let’s focus on how wisely we can spend the summer time. There’s only one week of class left before finals week starts. Despite the high pressure of doing well, many students wonder what they will do over two months?” Many students work full-time and earn extra money during summer. It’s the best time to get rid of stress that taking classes and working at the same time creates. Students can get on-campus jobs as work study and lab aides through City College’s job listing Web site www.ccsf.edu/jobs. Students should look for summer jobs and save money. On the other hand, it’s recommended for students to take summer session classes. Budget cuts threaten to reduce lecture classes and some changes happened at City College. According to Chancellor Don Griffin, of the 450 non-credit summer section offered this summer, 400 classes will be available in June and 50-60 in July. Non-credit ESL business application and transitional studies classes will be moved. However, if budget cut problems continue, “Summer 09 credit and non-credit session will be reduced drastically,” he said. Fortunately, there won’t be cuts on classes for the fall 08 semester. But still it’s important to take advantage of what’s available. If you’re transferring next semester, use summer to get prepared for that transferring process. Whether you transfer to a four-year college within San Francisco, out of town or out of state, it’s always good to pull things together. Imagine finding out at the last minute that you forgot to send your transcripts, missed something in the application or didn’t declare your intent to register. Not good. Make sure you’re on the right track. Internships give experience and will enrich your educational experience, plus it’s an excellent vehicle to accept or reject your major. When you pick major-related internships, you’re basically putting in practice what you learn in the classroom. Getting ahead doesn’t harm anyone and even the little details are worth much more when it comes to your education, especially in difficult economic times. email: editorials@theguardsman.com BY JEN HOUGHTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER I am obsessed with MySpace. For my age, I feel that logging in once a day is too often. If asked how often I “space,” I would deny it, I would lie. Social-networking sites are not necessarily inappropriate or signify a level of immaturity, but some are definitely for specific demographics and people make it very clear which ones they use and which ones they wouldn’t be caught dead on. MySpace caters to a young crowd from teenagers to people in their early thirties with an occasional mid-lifer here and there. Those who mock MySpace would sooner give away their pet than delete their Facebook account. Many professionals scoff at Facebook while logging onto LinkedIn twice a day. The shame isn’t in how often you use a site but which you use. LinkedIn is a professional networking site, which, as described by the site, “summarizes your professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former colleagues, clients and partners. You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.” Sounds a lot more grown up than “Hey, like your pics. Add me!” Just as I feel that my automobile misrepresents my age and status, I’m beginning to think that I need to upgrade to a more adult networking site. Since deleting my MySpace account and joining LinkedIn is a lot cheaper than a new $30,000 auto loan, I’ll start my transformation into a grown-up online. I guess that means I should send out a “I’m-Deleting-My-Page” Bulletin this afternoon. email: editorials@theguardsman.com All I Can Do Is Write About It BY DOMINIK MOSUR EDITOR Students in the Bayview/Hunter’s Point neighborhood will lose access to open space next year if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to close Candlestick Point State Recreation Area along with 47 other parks is approved. Literacy for Environmental Justice, an education non-profit serving the Bayview community, is one group opposing Candlestick’s closure. After signing their petition I couldn’t help but imagine the outcry from Pacific Heights and Marina District residents if the federal government announced the Presidio was being shut down to save a few hundred thousand dollars per year. As California’s population surges toward 40 million we continue to build more houses, roads and shopping centers. Our sense of freedom diminishes with every open space that is fenced in while the odds for survival of unique animal and plant species decrease. Our governor is eerily out of touch to propose closing a park in an urban zone where open space is so hard to find, where so many lack access to a respite from the stress of city life. Limiting access to Candlestick Point will remove it from the public’s consciousness and affect future plans for the site. Frequent visitors familiar with the park will not stand by idly while a piece of their commons falss to the bulldozers, an ever present threat for open space in the city. Will another home for wildlife and a place to contemplate the quite perfection of nature,be enveloped by asphalt and concrete? email: copy@theguardsman.com On The Record Will you take summer classes? If yes, which ones and why? If not, how come?
Jonathan Alvarez, 20 “I do plan on taking a class during the summer and it is Chem 40. I need it for a prerequisite for my chemistry class that is transferable.”
Zaire Paterson, 18 “Yes, I am taking short calculus. I think I need it to transfer. I’m not sure where I am going to transfer yet, but I know I need it.”
Billy “No Good”, 24 “No, I’m going to do some traveling, so I’m going to take off for a while.”
Naomi Forsberg, 20 “Yeah I’m doing my Study Abroad Program in Oaxaca, so I’m taking Spanish during the summer.”
Edgar Avarrete, 19 “I’m going to take a summer school course and probably going to take a math course, because I didn’t get to take it this semester. It’s probably going to be Math 840.”
Jenny Tang, 21 “Actually I probably won’t be taking any summer courses, I’m planning on getting a full-time job over the summer — something like that.”
Wyatt Batty, 32 “No, I need a break.” BY DESMOND MILLER |
