May 7, 2008
News
Of all new construction projects, the Joint-Use Facility will be ready first
BY NATASHA SIMPSON
STAFF WRITER
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A Joint-Use Facility being built with San Francisco State University, one of the new eco-friendly buildings in the reservoir, will be 101,000 square feet and will cost about $67 million dollars with construction starting in the fall.
Lawrence Klein, dean of behavioral sciences, said the Joint-Use Facility is designed to house programs that City College has in conjunction with San Francisco State University, such as teacher preparation and future programs.
“It will also ensure classrooms for all bungalows,” he said. “There will be a variety of classes scheduled in the building.”
Currently is a lot of vacant space in the building, according to Klein.
“I also understand that the health science department wants to move all of their programs to the Joint-Use Facility,” Klein said. “It hasn’t been decided whether that is going to happen or not.”
“The site work will start at the end of this month,” James Blomquist, associate vice chancellor of facilities planning and management, said. “500 wells will be drilled about 400 feet deep in order to access geothermal energy.”
Even though it will be four stories Blomquist said it will be a “significantly sustainable” building. So sustainable, in fact, the building is expected to get gold-level LEED (Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design) certification — the second highest level.
The facility will open in 2010.
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email: natasha.simpson@theguardsman.com
Financial Crisis Part 3:
College Trying to Fill $8.3 Million Gap for Upcoming Fiscal Year
Programs may be limited and position left vacant indefinitely
BY ELLEN SILK
EDITOR
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The pie chart shows Associate Vice Chancellor Peter Goldstein’s proposition for closing the $8.3 million budget gap.With a recent loss from property tax revenue and impending cuts to state funding, City College is trying to close an $8.3 million gap for the 2008-09 fiscal year with possible cuts to Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), summer school classes and tutors, in addition to pulling $2 million from the reserve as well as leaving retired faculty vacancies unfilled.
The 2007-08 California State Budget for Community Colleges was based on an estimated $2.18 billion in property taxes, explained Peter Goldstein, vice chancellor of finance and administration. While continuing to calculate tax revenue, the State Controller’s Office lowered this estimate by $100 million as of last March. This translates to less money to pay community colleges for what they have earned this fiscal year and a decrease of $3.3 million revenue of for City College, Goldstein said in a presentation to the Planning and Budget Council meeting.
“We have to lower your expectations,” Interim Chancellor Don Q. Griffin said in his talk before the budget meeting with associate vice chancellors, department heads and classified staff to discuss numbers for the current and upcoming fiscal year.
“I’d love to give you as much as I could give you but the pot doesn’t have that much in it to give,” Griffin added.
Each department presented their objectives, ideas and costs for the 2008-09 fiscal year to ease the budget crunch. Dean of Financial Aid Jorge Bell proposed a $91,137 reduction in EOPS, a categorical program, which under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts, would need to be reduced.
“I have been talking to the director of EOPS about how to restructure their budget,” Bell said. “Some of the ideas that have been discussed are lowering the amount of book vouchers to $200 and moving a Second Chance counselor from full-time to part-time.”
Another budget issue, one that affected a few departments, was the use of Perkins Act monies, also known as Vocational and Technical Education Act funds. VTEA funded programs prepare vocational workers with the skills needed to compete in a world market, according to the U.S. Board of Education.
“The LAC will be losing $30,000 of Perkins Act VTEA funding next year,” said Nadine Rosenthal, learning assistance department chair. “Many departments will be losing their VTEA funding, including the Mentoring Project, because VTEA is no longer able to fund positions.”
Goldstein also proposed keeping retired positions unfilled and cutting contracts with outside contractors, in addition to requesting the full $2 million from City College’s reserve.
Dr. Rose Marie Roberson of the Latino Service Network, like other departments, spoke about preserving the status quo with support for already existing services but with reduced hours for staff.
Lisa Harrison, a psychology instructor, is going on sabbatical in 2008-09, and according to Lawrence Klein of the behavioral and social science department, her classes will not be scheduled during that time. Keeping retiring faculty positions unfilled is a strategy Goldstein laid out at the meeting. Klein also pointed out that inadequate pre-school staffing leads to turning away children on days when staffing doesn’t meet child safety laws.
Although, the governor maintains the official position against raising taxes, according to his Press Secretary Aaron McLear, the LA Times reported Schwarzenegger’s administration is testing to see how business groups would respond to increasing taxes.
e-mail: natasha.simpson@theguardsman.com
City College Board of Trustee Elections Coming Up in October
Nine trustee candidates have stepped forward
BY MARTHA VALLEJO
STAFF WRITER
San Francisco citizens will elect four candidates for the Community College Board of Trustees Nov. 4.
By April 24 there were nine candidates who filed documents at the City Department of Elections. Two of them were incumbents Milton Marks III and Rodel Rodis, intending to be reelected. It is assumed that incumbent Natalie Berg will do the same. Julio Ramos leaves his place to pursue his candidacy as Supervisor for District 11.
The board of trustees has a total of seven seats. Four of them are elected during presidential elections and three in off years. This year, the other candidates are marketing and sales consultant Roberto Figueroa, Michael Goldstein, Mary Hernandez, research analyst Chris Jackson, retired chief deputy sheriff Carl Koehler, attorney Steve Ngo and social worker and chief information officer Bruce Wolfe.
Mary Hernandez was elected to the San Francisco Board of Education in 1996 and 2000, and served as vice president in 1999 and president in 2000. She currently serves as a member of the Youth Law Center Board of Director. Hernandez is the mother of two children currently enrolled in middle and high school in San.
Carl Koehler was chief of police at the Police Department of City College in the Ocean campus.
“As a teacher at SF State, I understand the classroom dynamic,” Koehler said. “And as a peace officer with twenty-nine years of experience, I understand the importance of keeping the campuses safe so that students have a chance to experience the learning environment.”
For Steve Ngo his Vietnamese mother has been his motivation.
“I want to be an advocate for people like her,” Ngo said. “As the first in my family to graduate from college, I also want opportunities for other first generation college students. Basically, I know how education can transform lives for the better, and I want to make that power work for more people.”
After a severe work injury Bruce Wolfe went back to school. This is his second time running.
“I currently am in my fifth year serving on the Public Education Enrichment Fund Advisory Committee that creates the annual budget for spending voter approved funding of nearly $450 million for public schools,” Wolfe said. “I could not have had better experience and popular education than from my years at City College to prepare me for this task. Now with far more experience into education budgeting and review of programs, I can bring back with my fellow colleagues on the board of trustees the accountability needed this time.”
In fact, possibly three incumbent trustees will be reelected leaving only one seat available. Regardless of who the new trustee will be the board faces big challenges adjusting matters to the inevitable budget cuts.
The deadline to register is Oct. 27. Candidates must be residents and registered to vote in the City and County of San Francisco. No employee of a community college district can be sworn into office unless he/she is a part-time teacher instructing one course per semester. There are no term limits for the Members of the Community College Board.
Education and profession are not subject to candidature. Whoever wants to try can just apply for it.
e-mail: martha.vallejo@theguardsman.com
City CarShare Doin’ Good on Campus
BY SEPHORA WOLDU
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
City Carshare has been on Ocean campus since 2007. |
For the average City College student, Muni suffices, but many are discovering the services of City CarShare.
After a year at City College, the nonprofit company continues to provide alternative means of transportation.
Launched in 2001, City CarShare does exactly what it sounds like it would.Clients of the organization share ownership of vehicles by paying for use in time frames ranging from a couple of hours to an entire month.
City CarShare’s goal is to reduce car ownership, thus reducing the impact modern society has on the environment. Car rentals cost users $ 5.00 per hour, with an additional charge of 40 cents per gallon of gas.
Special discounts are given to students seeking membership at City College. For students over 21, there is a $15 application fee and a $50 annual fee that entitles you to a year’s worth of use, in addition to the hourly and gas fees. For students under 21, the application fee is $115 due to the higher insurances rates of younger drivers.
email: news@theguardsman.com
Nine trustee candidates have stepped forward
BY LISKA KOENIG
STAFF WRITER
Industrial engineering major Diana Munoz-Villanueva was re-elected as City College student trustee for 2008 – 2009, while political science major Joshua Nielsen was elected the new Associated Students President during elections for AS government on April 29 and 30.
Earning 431 of the 607 votes, Munoz promised to advocate for more scholarships and tutoring in her next term. She knows that textbook prices burn into students’ financial resources and wants to reduce costs.
“I learned so much during this past year as a student trustee and feel I can really make a difference in the lives of students,” Munoz said. “I spend about 25 to 30 hours per week in my role as a student trustee. Sometimes I’m at board meetings until 10 p.m. or longer.”
An item on Nielson’s agenda is the improvement of campus tours for new students.
“Students who are just getting started at City College need to know where to find their networks and communities. Tours should include places like the financial aid office, the Book loan program or where to find tutoring,” Nielsen said.
Nielsen would also like to see the building of student dorms after the parking area has been moved from the reservoir. This would be a way to find affordable housing for students just moving to San Francisco.
Candidate Chirag Dalibar lost, but has expressed interest in actively supporting Munoz.
“There is enough work for two here and sometimes it makes sense to talk things over with somebody else,” he said. “We need to get together and do something, raise funds for student activities and form a true community.”
So far, the position of a second student trustee has not been approved.
“I encourage students to think about their choices and to ensure that their representation by a student trustee is not only helpful to them, but important for the college as a whole,” Associate Dean of Student Activities Skip Fotch said.
email: liska.koenig@theguardsman.com
GLBT community waits on Supreme Court
Nine trustee candidates have stepped forward
BY NATASHA SIMPSON
STAFF WRITER
Wood Massi and his partner Larry during the ceremony in 2004. |
Wood Massi and others in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community at City College hope the California Supreme Court will rule for equality and allow same-sex couples to marry.
The Supreme Court case involves four lawsuits with three lawsuits involving 23 couples that want to marry and the fourth lawsuit by San Francisco. These four lawsuits were added to the case after Mayor Gavin Newsom’s order allowing nearly 4,000 same-sex couples to get married in 2004 was voided by the court.
The lawsuits argue current law is discriminatory based on gender and sexual orientation and violate the California Constitution which protects one’s fundamental right to marry the partner of their choice.
Massi was married to his partner in February 2004 when Newsom’s order allowed it. “Mark Leno [California State Assemblyman] officiated and we had friends there,” he said. “It was wonderful.”
He and his partner have been married numerous times in personal ceremonies not legally recognized during the 25 years they’ve been together.
Massi was disappointed and angry when he found out their marriage certificate was void; however, he was not surprised.
“I think the case is important for our cause and society in general,” Massi said. “It’s important to treat everyone fairly. Marriage as an institution is degraded when it denies giving people equal treatment.”
Carmen Lamha, computer networking and information technology chair, believes if two adults want to marry they should be able to do that.
Lamha said, “I’m in favor of civil unions but I don’t think it’s enough. It is discriminatory not to give people equal rights on the federal level.”
Lamha feels it is not just about the rights of same-sex couples, but human rights. “It’s surprising because we live in an area that is so accepting but we don’t have full rights as citizens.”
Ardel Thomas, GLBT Studies Chair, believes in equal rights and access. “Rights and protections are important and marriage is the vehicle,” she said.
“I personally have mixed feelings about marriage, being a feminist,” Thomas said.
Paul Johnson, chair of the Disabled Students Programs and Services feels civil unions and marriage are not equal; otherwise, there would be no need for a difference in the language used to name them. “We’re only asking to be treated equally, not necessarily to change people’s opinions,” he said.
Massi feels that California can lead the rest of the country by allowing same-sex marriage and could possibly inspire legislation at the federal level.
The California Supreme Court most recently appeared evenly split and must make their decision by June.
email: natasha.simpson@theguardsman.com
$116 million Performing Arts Center built by 2012
BY NATASHA SIMPSON
STAFF WRITER
The $116 million Performing Arts Center will be highly eco-friendly. |
The $116 million performing arts center, which will be built on the reservoir, was postponed until January 2012.
Silver-level LEED certified, it boasts a 650-seat auditorium, a 150-seat recital hall and a theater with seating for 200 people.
Madeline Mueller, music department chair, said it might actually break ground in 2009 or 2010.
“The state chancellor’s office feels there will be more money available,” she said. “We have received word that local bond money will be available. $98 million, I think.”
Mueller said the state doesn’t want to pay for more than one building per campus, which is why the Joint-Use Building got the money in this funding cycle.
Since the joint-use facility is a companion to the performing arts center, Mueller says she is looking forward to them both.
“I saw the holes being dug to get to geothermal energy for both buildings,” she said. “That, to me, is terribly exciting.”
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email: natasha.simpson@theguardsman.com
NEWS BRIEFS
Student Scores Second Rare Book
Student Kirk Linn has a knack for finding valuable books. Linn has found another rare book, “Passport to Paris,” an autobiography by Vernon Duke. He paid 49 cents for it from the bookstore’s discount book bin. It has been valued at $150.
Linn plans to donate his windfall to the Library Fund of the Queer Resource Center, where he is events planner.
—Jim Patterson
Guardian Scholars to Start in Summer
This summer City College will again be home to the Guardian Scholars, a program that helps foster youth transition from high school to college. The program provides free tuition, books and transportation as well as mentors for the high school juniors and seniors who attend college success classes.
—Ellen Silk
Soccer Coach Creates Scholarship
City College soccer coach Adam Lucarelli raised $5,000 for his Golden Goal Scholarship program for seven former Rams soccer players.
Lucarelli raised the money through an elementary school soccer tournament at Rams Stadium in December. Through more aggressive fund raising Lucarelli hopes to garner as much as $10,000 a year by selling Rams apparel and holding events on campus.
Lucarelli said, “I preach one thing, ‘Get a vocational or AA degree. By raising money I get to contribute to the process. I’m putting my money where my mouth is.”
—Paul Wertheim
Student Exonerated
Prosecutors have dropped two murder beefs against City College student Matthew Owyang. Testimony of eyewitnesses exonerated Owyang from a shooting that claimed two lives outside a Sunset District pizzeria in April. Owyang could not be reached for comment.
—Dominik Mosur
CRIME LOG
Book Thief Apprehended
A student reported that her books were stolen as they sat unattended on the fifth floor of the Rosenberg Library at 11:45 a.m. April 21. Within 15 minutes another student reported that her books had been stolen from the third floor. An officer tracked down the book thief, a student, and connected him with the first theft. The suspect was arrested and booked at county jail.
Locker Looter on the Loose
A student reported that someone broke into her locker and stole her purse at 2:20p.m April 17.
The next day, at around the same time another student reported several items stolen from her locker, this time at Smith Hall.
Three days later on April 21, at 10:30 a.m. a student again reported that her purse had been stolen from her locker at Smith Hall. A student, again at Smith Hall reported that someone stole several items from her locker April 25 at 9:30 a.m. There is no evidence that these crimes are related, but students using lockers at Smith Hall be warned.
THE GUARDSMAN ON WATCH
Campus Crime Log to be Updated in Timely Manner After Complaintg
After a Guardsman investigation, campus police will update the public crime log in a timely manner to comply with federal law.
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security and Crime Statistics Act requires an annual security report, timely warnings of ongoing crimes that threaten student and employee safety, crime statistics from the past three years and a crime log of all crimes reported available for public inspection within two days of the report.
If a formal complaint had been filed with the Department of Education, City College could have been audited and fined up to $27,500 over the inaccessibility of the crime log.
The Guardsman regularly uses the police log to report crime on campus, and has repeatedly been denied access to the police district’s log. Instead, officers instructed reporters to view the outdated log online via www.ccsf.edu.
Interim Police Chief Ken Baccetti said staffing issues were causing the problem after Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Peter Goldstein had been alerted to the issue.
REMINDERS
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.