Page 7 PhoTo by chris beale / courTesy oF eTc MaGazine
C I T Y C O L L E G E O F S A N F R A N C I S C O ’ S N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 3 5
Volume 151, Issue 6
TheGuardsman.com
architect sees potential for wind power By Brant Ozanich The Guardsman
During a visit to City College’s Ocean campus, local architect Bob Boles felt the wind blowing up Phelan Steps and over Science Hall, which led him to envision a more beautiful and sustainable future for City College. Boles then wrote a fictional news story that explored the possibility of wind turbines being constructed atop Science Hall to provide the college with, what he claimed, would be more than enough energy to power the campus. His ideas raised new questions about sustainable energy practices City College. “The future is what you’re gonna be living in. My generation and the previous generations have messed it up for you, but you may be the ones to have to figure out how to fix things,” Boles said. “It’s very real, it’s gonna happen, you’re gonna live in it.” administration interested Trustee John Rizzo said the idea for wind power has been floating around for a while and he personally tried to get a wind turbine for the school through the city’s wind task force. “There’s a number of people at City College that are enthusiastic about it. It could be a great teaching tool,” Rizzo said. “There hasn’t been any funding for it recently, except for the Chinatown campus, which has some solar panels in its design.” According to the college’s sustainability plan, published in 2009, all current and future building projects should be assessed for solar and wind potential to reduce the environmental impact associated with fossil fuels. Boles’ dream of a wind farm at City College is actually not that far-fetched. Still, the idea of solar panels lining the roof of City College’s buildings is more plausible. While wind energy can be more effective in places like the Central Valley or the Midwest, the Bay Area is more likely to see better results from solar power, Ben Macri, chairman of the automotive technology department at City College, said. “Solar power is more generally useful and the price of panels has gone down in the last year. I think wind power is more effective in certain locations,” Boles said. “Whether one system or the other makes more sense is really a matter of engineering.” Teaching sustainability City College currently offers a course on solar power installation, CNST 101, at the Evans campus and Macri hopes the school will add an advanced installation course soon. The engineering and biology departments at City College are also working together to implement a multi-disciplinary certificate program that offers sustainable business and design practices GReeN: Page 4
april 20, 2011
students join hands to fight for education
College lacks bureaucratic efficiency for legal name changes By Elliot Owen The Guardsman
Raquel Santiago, a City College male-to-female transgender student, had her name-change process finalized last week by Admissions and Records after a five-year battle that included four court orders. Although Santiago legally changed her name in California in May 2007, her home state of Missouri has yet to recognize it, which prevents Santiago from obtaining a California ID. Without proper identification, City College refused to acknowledge the name change even when Santiago presented four court orders decreeing her name change valid. “CCSF said it would conflict with records, that there were legal issues,” Santiago said. “Some instructors had issues with the name change on their grade slips. Sometimes I was told that they just didn’t want or have to.” At the request of Santiago, Liberal Arts Dean Bob Davis became involved in creating an administrative response to Santiago’s situation. “City College dropped the ball on Raquel. They made up the rules as they went along with no coherent agreement on policies,” Davis said. “I don’t think it was transphobia, everybody was just trying to be a good bureaucrat.” The apparent lack of cohesion could be attributed to City College’s use of various computer and information technology systems, which operate separately. A change made within one system does not necessarily mean it will be applied throughout all systems. The City College email database and the library’s computer system have caused Santiago Name: Page 4
PhoTos by clarivel FonG / The GuardsMan
Ashley Torres, 4, joins her mom Yolanda Torres, a City College ESL student, at the Mission Campus in the Hands Across Califoria rally April 17. The rally was held to draw attention to the state community college budget crisis and raise money for the crippled education system.
By Essie Harris The Guardsman
In the face of up to $900 million in budget cuts, students, faculty and alumni joined together April 17 at Hands Across California, to raise awareness of the community college system’s dyer financial situation.
The Foundation for California Community Colleges, who organized the event, also attempted to raise scholarship dollars for students. Supporters who attended the rally called for more people to rise up and challenge the politicians responsible for the dismal state of public education. HaNds: Page 4
2 | April 20, 2011 | The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com
NeWs
FOR THe PLaNeT: Read Brian Rinker’s article about upcoming Earth Day events. TheGuardsman.com/EarthDay
City College instructor runs for mayor of sF By Elliot Owen The Guardsman
After placing fourth in the 2007 San Francisco mayoral race, City College music instructor Wilma Pang says she is “sitting pretty” to win this November with the help of a new voting process called ranked-choice voting. “This year it’s a very different ballgame,” she said. “Even the experts cannot predict who is going to be the mayor.” Also known as instant-runoff voting, ranked-choice voting allows voters to pick their top three choices. If no candidate earns the majority of votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated and all ballots where that candidate was chosen as second or third, are redistributed until someone earns the majority. Ranked-choice voting has never been used in a San Francisco mayoral election before. Her position as an AsianAmerican woman mirrors Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who unexpectedly beat Don Perata in 2010 under the new voting system. “It’s all about building relationships and grassroots networking,” Quan said about her victory. “I was able to win in Oakland because I knocked on doors and asked everyone to take another look at me.” As the founder and co-chair of A Better Chinatown Tomorrow, a non-profit that funds music- and art-related events to promote and honor Chinatown’s culture, Pang
is no stranger to community work and grassroots organizing. Howard Wong, co-chairman of ABCT, thinks Pang’s experience as a teacher and ethnic community member makes her appealing to voters. “She doesn’t have as much of a political stake as other candidates, which would allow her to speak more honestly,” Wong said. Pang’s first encounter with politics was in 2006 when Chinatown community members suggested she run for San Francisco School Board. She received 32,235 – 6.9 percent – of all votes. Encouraged by voter support, Pang ran in the 2007 mayoral election against Gavin Newsom. “Nobody dared to run against Newsom,” she said. “It was a surprise because I actually came in distant second to Newsom in many of the districts because of the Asian population.” She won 7,274 votes – 5.07 percent – placing fourth overall. Since that election, her political platform remains largely unchanged. “Everyone is talking about the budget deficit and the government shutdown and nobody is thinking about women’s issues,” she says. “Women make up over 50 percent of the population and nobody is thinking about childcare or our voice in city government.” Another top concern of Pang’s is job security. She argues that her position as a woman would enable her to create a more effec-
tive dialogue between San Franciscans and City Hall to discuss jobs within the city. “[Women] do a better job at negotiating, we [plan ahead] better, we are in a better position to listen,” she said. Pang believes teachers and parents are fleeing the city because they can’t afford housing, and high school graduates are hesitating to pay high tuition at the community college level. She wants to address how rising tuition and housing costs are affecting public education. “We’re losing kids by the minute,” she said. In addition, Pang stresses the need for more affordable city-wide childcare options for mothers who work and/or attend school – an issue Pang, a mother herself, knows from experience. “I went to school after I had three children, childcare really helped me. But its even harder nowadays,” she said. San Francisco’s projected budget deficit for the 2011 - 2012 fiscal year is expected to soar to $306 million. Projections for the following years are even higher. If elected mayor, Pang intends to take a closer look at expensive projects that would add to the deficit. “The central subway to Chinatown costs $1.58 billion,” she said. “We have to look at what’s priority and the central subway shouldn’t be a priority. That money could go somewhere else.”
Gracie Malley / The GuardsMan
Mayoral candidate Wilma Pang gives her two minute speech at the Chinese for Affirmative Action meeting held in the Chinatown YMCA March 21.
Pang has intermittently taught in the City College music department 1976 and believes that her experience as a musician and educator enables her to approach issues from a different angle. “We have to find creative
ways to generate money. And I will do that,” she said.
Email: email@theguardsman.com
Journalism department wins at state conference By The Guardsman Staff Current and former City College journalism students won a combined 20 awards at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges State Conference on April 9 in Sacramento, Calif. The Guardsman, Etc. Magazine and The Guardsman Online all captured general excellence awards, and journalism department Chair Juan Gonzales received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism Education from the California Journalism Education Coalition. “I am deeply moved by the award,” Gonzales said. “I never expected such an honor.” The Guardsman captured awards in layout, informational graphics, photo illustrations, news features, audio slide shows, editorial cartoons, news photos, news stories and features. “I feel that the level of professionalism displayed by The Guardsman’s staff is unmatched,” Editor-in-chief Alex Emslie said in a prepared statement. “This sort of recognition is nice, but we don’t do this work to win awards.
Frank ladra / The GuardsMan
City College’s delegation of journalists attends the JACC State Conference awards banquet April 9.
We do it because we believe it is important to inform our community.” Etc. Magazine won awards in profiles, features, opinion stories, photo essays, layout, covers, and illustrations. “Our students work extreme-
ly hard to produce a consistently excellent publication,” Etc. Magazine adviser Tom Graham said. “The stories they produce are good enough to run in any magazine.” Because The Guardsman Online pays to be independently
hosted, the publication is able to maintain a certain level of independence and creativity, Online Editor Atticus Morris said. “It’s nice to be recognized for working really hard,” Morris said. Multimedia Editor Joe
Fitzgerald and reporters Saidy Lauer and Brian Rinker produced a feature on journalism students pursuing their dreams at the conference that is currently displayed on the JACC homepage as well as at TheGuardsman. com/Journalism-Dreams. “I feel really proud of the work that my crew put in to make that happen,” Fitzgerald said. “This wouldn’t be possible without having a crew that covers stories professionally. My crew made the decision that they weren’t going to be journalism students. They were going to be journalists.” Guardsman Photography Editor Frank Ladra and reporter Matthew Gomez both received $100 scholarships at the conference. “What I like about The Guardsman is the family environment, how we all sort of pull together,” Ladra said. “We hold ourselves to a very high standard.”
Email: email@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | April 20, 2011 | 3
News
State struggles to define new DJJ system By Tony LeTigre The Guardsman
Editor’s note: Part one of The Guardsman’s juvenile justice feature ran in the April 6 issue. Read both parts online at TheGuardsman.com/ Juvy.
While the Preston Correctional Youth Facility near Ion, Calif. will close permanently in June, Gov. Jerry Brown stopped short of completely dissolving the Department of Juvenile Justice in a revised budget, which allows counties the option to continue sending their juvenile offenders to state facilities. Dan Macallair, executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, sees Brown’s backpedaling on the DJJ issue as a necessary compromise that won’t substantially alter the direction of things. “I am pleased with the governor’s proposal from the standpoint that it is a long-overdue initiative,” he said. But with the DJJ in danger of being sent permanently to lockup, voices of protest have come from all sides. Many juvenile justice officials – such as Karen Pank, executive director of the Chief Probation Officers of California in Sacramento – as well as the state probation department, victims’ rights campaigns and police unions have spoken against the closure. In late February, at the same time Gov. Brown moderated his initial proposal, CPOC posted an open letter to the governor that warned of the possible outcomes of eliminating DJJ. Instead it urged him to utilize “the successful model currently in place, Penal Code 1230(b) – the Community Corrections Partnership.” The letter ended with an ultimatum that CPOC would only support a revised proposal in which the state maintains a role in the juvenile justice system allowing probation to utilize DJJ without fiscal penalty. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association, the union presenting corrections officers, is also opposed to the DJJ shutdown. But Macallair said, “These people aren’t going to lose their jobs. They will be absorbed into the department of corrections, and there are positions available. There are 3,000 openings statewide for guards right now.” Bill Sessa, a spokesman for the DJJ, said that Farrell v. Tilton, a taxpayer lawsuit alleging that the DJJ fails to provide adequate care and services to juvenile offenders housed in DJJ facilities, along with two pieces of legislation from 2007 – Senate Bill 81 and Assembly Bill 191 – gave counties the incentive to house their criminal offenders. He said what remains of DJJ is a necessary reservoir for juvenile criminals the counties are not equipped to handle. Progressive critics want to address the underlying social issues that lead youth into the justice system in the first place.
Gracie Malley / The Guardsman
Joaquin DiazDeLeon stands in front of a building at the Juvenile Justice Center in San Francisco.
They say education (or lack thereof), as well as racial issues are often ignored or avoided. In a 2006 report, the Public Policy Institute of California found that adult black men are seven times as likely as white men and 4.5 times as likely as Hispanic men to be incarcerated. Data from 2010, compiled by the institute, found that during the previous fiscal year the state spent more than $200,000 per juvenile in DJJ compared to $7,500 per K-12 student. Joe Brooks, vice president of civic engagement at the Oakland branch of PolicyLink, a national social equity institute, opposes the elimination of DJJ. He doesn’t believe many counties will have the financial resources to offer better rehabilitation than currently found in the state system. “One size does not fit all when it comes to counties,” Brooks said. “And if a county doesn’t have the capacity or the will to care for kids, they could be blended into the adult prison system, and then we’ll be one step forward and two steps back.”
“We are going to have to work hard to change behavior in the counties so they have good systems and won’t need to send kids to adult criminal court, ” Macallair said. Rehabilitation over Incarceration For those who consider DJJ an outdated and ineffective system, the brightest hope for change may be the Missouri Model. This nationally recognized corrections model seeks to rehabilitate juvenile convicts into functional members of society rather than treating them as incurable criminals. It has a track record of proven effectiveness and consistently low recidivism rates and has been adopted by other states and municipalities, including Illinois, Louisiana, New Mexico, Washington, D.C. – and California. “The way you design facilities dictates staff attitude and behavior of kids,” Macallair said. “The Missouri Model is in direct contrast to the institutional care that kids get now. It’s based on designing facilities that are smaller, more homelike, rejecting the prison design, developing posi-
tive relations with staff.” William Siffermann, chief probation officer with the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department, said the impact of the statewide adult realignment upon San Francisco county juvenile probation has been minimal since the county declared a moratorium on DJJ commitments in 2004. “We only have five kids in state facilities,” he said. “There are other counties with lower populations who send many more kids into DJJ and they’re attempting to deal effectively with the potential impact of realignment.” The Missouri Model is now being implemented at Log Cabin Ranch School, a county juvenile justice facility in a remote setting 50 miles from San Francisco. Siffermann sees the ranch as the first out-of-home dispositional placement alternative. This hasn’t always been the case. In the past it was considered the last stop before juvenile offenders entered the state system. Other counties such as Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San
Jose have also adopted or are considering the model’s therapeutic and rehabilitative methods. Sessa said the reforms to DJJ resulting from the Farrell lawsuit are largely based on the Missouri Model under the guidance of subject experts appointed by the Alameda court. “It is not a literal copy of the Missouri Model,” he said, “but what it has in common is intense, very specialized treatment, small living units rather than dormitory style housing and a high ratio of staff to youth.” Back to the Future Joaquin DiazDeLeon turned to spirituality and faith as a way to get through his nightmarish experience at Preston Youth Facility. “Towards the end I secluded myself, purged myself from everything around me,” he said. “I started to go crazy, and I asked God to do the impossible.” He was released on parole in 2008 and moved to San Francisco a year later. After enrolling at City College, he became involved with Books Not Bars, an Oaklandbased nonprofit that educates prisoners about their rights. Carlos Esqueda was released from DJJ in 2007. The former gang member, 22, now lives in Fresno with his girlfriend and daughter. “This March was my fouryear anniversary of being out, with no crimes, no arrests,” he said. Of facilities in California that have adopted the Missouri Model, Esqueda said, “I’ve heard it’s a comforting setting, with couches in the day room, counselors, that it’s not as violent. It sounds like people get the care they need, and they are not just thrown away and forgotten.” Sessa stressed the dramatic changes DJJ has gone through over the last five years, supported by court reports available to the public on the department’s website. Last year’s report found DJJ in compliance with 85 percent of the reforms, while making significant progress with the remaining 15 percent. Sessa said DJJ inmates today start with an extensive assessment by an entire team of staff. A high school diploma or GED education is a basic condition for parole. The greatly improved rehabilitation services, he said, are the reason for the astronomical cost to the state – about $230,000 annually per youth. DiazDeLeon, however, fears that in all of improvements being made in juvenile care, the ghosts of Preston might slip through the cracks of history. “The real question in the minds of us all should be, ‘Where is the justice in our justice system?’” said DiazDeLeon. “DJJ has violated prison protocol, extorted tax payers, and hid corruption from the public for over 40 years. Money is being used as a scapegoat. What about people? You be the judge.” Email: aletigre@theguardsman.com
4 | April 20, 2011 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com
News
Hands rally aims to mitigate dire budget situation Hands: From the front page
“The hope is that people will wake up and demand accountability from their legislators,” said Jaime Borrazas, an ESL instructor who has been with City College for 31 years. “They pay no attention to the poor, and they just exacerbate the problems. They’re trying to convince people they’re doing the right thing when actually they are destroying society.” The drastic budget cuts worsened after elected state officials denied placement on the June ballot of a proposed tax extension that could have raised revenue for California community colleges. According to a memo sent to department chairs by Chancellor Don Griffin, even with a June tax extension, City College would receive an $8.5 million reduction in state revenue for 2011-12 fiscal year. “Without the June tax extension, the cut from the state will increase to the $15 to 16 million range and, in the worst case to as much as $24 million.” Griffin said. As a result of budget reductions, City College and all departments within it must shrink to cater to the inevitable financial short falls, so the partial freeze on hiring will continue. “Reluctantly, we must reduce the size of the college: classes, counselors, librarians, categoricals, administrators, classified,
etc., beginning in Fall 2011,” Griffin said. Upward of 76 percent of certified and classified staff who left the district in 2010-11 due to retirement or illness, will not be replaced. Additionally, the 2011-12 school year will have a smaller course offering compared to 2010-11. “California has the largest population in the nation and we were 46th in education funding,” Borrazas said. “After these cuts, what are we going to be, 50th? Community Colleges are vital to the state. We are training people and taking the burden off the corporations.” The state has indicated that it will only fund roughly 33,500 full time enrolled students, 3,500 fewer students than the 2010-11 school year. Anything beyond that amount will not be paid for by the state. Juan Cendejas, Mission campus Associated Student president, advocated for the student body’s concern. “We want the public and government to know that community college means something to us,” Cendejas said. “We want to keep it open.” In addition to budget cuts, members of the City College community have increased fears over the potentially massive hikes in student fees. “In Sacramento, it is considered likely that if the cuts to the
Clarivel Fong / the guardsman
Students, educators and community college supporters line up for Hands Across California April 17 on Ocean Avenue.
California Community Colleges budget are particularly steep, the revenue per student will be increased by raising student fees beyond $36 per credit to as high as $66 per credit,” said Academic Senate President Karen Saginor, citing a fee increase the Legislative Analysts Office has proposed for years. While City College is pursuing additional money through fundraising and hoping for a parcel tax to pass in the November election, the consequences of these cuts are unavoidable. Holding hands in protest at
various City College locations, 80 people came together at Mission campus and 45 people at Ocean campus. The event represented an estimated 3 million students in California that will experience the impact of state cuts to educational programs. Jill Scofield, the Director of Public Relations at the FCCC, estimated the turnout to be in the tens of thousands at dozens of sites across the state. “We are proud of the day,” Scofield said. “The event opened a door of awareness.” The Bernard Osher Founda-
tion, based out of San Francisco, donated $25 million to the FCCC in 2008, promising to match that amount if a total of $50 million is raised by June 30, 2011. So far the FCCC has raised $40 million, not including the money raised from Hands Across California. If the additional $10 million is raised by June 30 the total of $100 million will go towards scholarships for students.
Email: eharris@theguardsman.com
Name changes cause technical difficulties for college systems Name: From the front page
Photo illustration by bob boles / courtesy of Google Images and Helix Wind
Bob Boles envisions three large wind turbines towering over Science Hall along Phelan Avenue on Ocean campus.
Green energy could come to campus Green: From the front page
to students and professionals and could possibly become a new sustainability major. “I have a feeling that this may go way beyond just a few courses and a certificate. This may be the way of the future,” Fariborz Saniee, chair of the engineering department at City College, said. Boles, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate has been interested in sustainability and alternative energy for a long time. Once he graduated, Boles worked at and lived in a community in Davis, Calif., that used only solar energy and focused on sustainable farming and
alternative transportation. It was the first of it’s kind in the country. The photovoltaic system he has on the roof of his house has decreased his energy bill by about 75 percent and Boles believes that if the price of solar panels were to drop by half, nearly every home in the city would install them. “Maybe this is a dream, but I think it’s worth pursuing,” he said. “Every single person can make a difference in how they live their lives and how they help heal the planet.” Email: bozanich@theguardsman.com
particular frustration. Although Admissions and Records have agreed to recognize her name change, her City College email and the library have not. “There are all these different steps students have to go through when one step alone should do it,” Santiago said. One step is all it took for SF State to change Santiago’s name. Even though she enrolled under her birth-name, State changed Santiago’s name to her name-ofchoice after seeing the first court order. Davis, in addition to representatives from Admissions and Records/Registration, the Financial Aid Office, Curriculum, Instruction, Faculty Evaluation, Tenure Review, Information Technology Services and City College legal council, have held a series of meetings to draft new policies to deal with name changes. The goal of the meetings “is to sunshine new processes for transgender and international students who wish to use new names,” said Davis. The first meeting took place in November 2010 and Davis hopes to have the new policies
Frank Ladra / the guardsman
Raquel Santiago has faced challenges with regards to permanently changing her name in City College Admissions and Records. “It detracts from my schoolwork because my energy is focused elsewhere,” she said.
finalized by Spring 2012. Davis said the complexity of the issue is responsible for the slow pace. “There are certain technicalities we have to take note of,” Davis said. “The name issue affects all kinds of government and legal systems and we have to be in compliance with all of them.” Email: email@theguardsman.com
CULTURe
The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com | April 20, 2011 | 5 deYOUNG aP: Read Catherine Lee’s article about a mobile device app developed by a City College instructor for the deYoung Museum. TheGuardsman.com/deYoungApp
Free University redefines college By Catherine Lee The Guardsman
At a time of widespread crisis in the state education system, a group of San Franciscans has created a school of humanities and sciences offering short-term classes that anyone can join at no cost. The founders of the Free University of San Francisco met in December 2010 when they agreed the ongoing education catastrophe demanded a response because, as is, we are living amid intellectual wreckage. “The social order is in disintegration. The divide between the rich and poor is an abyss. Unemployment and unease are widespread,” FUSF Dean Alan Kaufman said during the inaugural meeting. “The liberal arts are disappearing, displaced by studies guaranteed to generate the highest income.” “The minimum requirement for membership,” according to Kaufman’s proposal, “is a desire to teach and/or a desire to learn.” The founding instructors include Matt Gonzalez, who ran in the 2003 San Francisco mayoral elections against Gavin Newsom; Kaufman, a published author, poet and anthologist; and “Diamond” Dave Whitaker, local icon and City College student senator. “The purpose of education is not to turn the student into a better consumer and profit earner,” Kaufman said, “but to help him discover the wealth of human culture.” The founders embraced Kaufman’s call to action and held the school’s first session in March. The five-weeklong courses began in April and include classes in music, cinema history, writing, law, sociology, drawing, science and literature. Tim Phillips is a practicing lawyer who attended an early organizing meeting. He developed the course, “What Your Boss Doesn’t Want You to Know: Your Rights at Work,” which he now co-teaches with fellow lawyer Darin Ranahan. Phillips said he is in tune with the optimism and opportunity represented by the ideals of the Free University, which is why he’s taking the time to teach on Tuesday nights. Since the practical class about employee rights is more like a workshop than a gradebased course, however, it isn’t quite comparable to City
College classes, according to Phillips. Other instructors offer lecture-based classes at FUSF. Classes are hosted in unconventional venues throughout the city - the Beat Museum in North Beach, the main library at Civic Center, Pirate Cat Radio in the Mission, and art galleries in SOMA and the Western Addition. The FUSF classroom mood was well characterized by instructor Michael Murphy-Loeffler, “This is a perfection-free zone. There is no right or wrong here – we’re here to learn.” Encouragement from instructors and students comes in many forms. Students offer each other paper and pen for writing exercises, and latecomers are quietly offered seats in the circle without fuss. Students like Laurie Hampton appreciate the opportunity to be back in the classroom. “I’ve been fighting to go back to school for 15 years,” she said as she wiped tears from her face during Bobby Coleman’s writing class. Tuition, textbooks and transportation have been barriers to education lately for Hampton. Barbara Joans, the instructor of “Revolutions in the 1960s vs. 2011,” who was in the writing class as a student, gave Hampton a ride home. Jeff Chen, a stock analyst with two masters degrees, said the quality of the instruction and classmates he found in his March class - John Smalley’s “Introduction to Classical Music” - inspired him to attend a second FUSF class. Chen is now taking Loeffler’s dream analysis class. “I work 10 to 11 hours a day and when I dream I’m still having work dreams,” he said. “This is too many hours of work. I’m hoping this class can help me dream about other things.” Advanced registration is not required and students do not need to provide any form of identification or education history. Current courses are listed on the FUSF website freeuniversitysf.org. To receive the course catalog via email, visit FUSF’s website and subscribe to the email list. Dates for the next session have not yet been determined and new class proposals are welcome. Email: clee@theguardsman.com
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6 | April 20, 2011 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com
Culture
saidy lauer / the guardsman
Co-artist Jet Martinez and his son Lazlo, 3, cut the ribbon to celebrate the unveiling of the mural replica created by Bunnie Reiss and Martinez, at the Mission Community Market on April 14.
Mission Mercado celebrates cultural art on city streets By Brian Rinker The Guardsman
The Mission Community Market celebrated their first outdoor farmers market of the year April 14, during which Supervisor David Campos spoke, live music played and a reproduction of a 200-yearold mural was revealed. “This kind of event is what makes the Mission special,” Campos said. He was the first speaker to kick off the market’s season opening on Bartlet Street between 21st and 22nd streets, just a block away from Mission campus. The highlight was the mural, a reproduction of what was once the rear altar for the Mission Dolores Church before it was replaced by a newer one in 1796. It has remained hidden from view for over 200 years. The mural is thought to have been painted by the local Indians and overseen by catholic clergy. “It is a unique artifact and may represent first contact with the native people,” said Ben Wood, organizer of the mural’s reproduction. “There is question whether the mural is native or Christian or a combination of the two. It’s not clear.”
Back in 2004 when Wood first became aware of the hidden altar, he contacted archaeologist Eric Blind to help him. Together they began systematically taking pictures of the altar by lowering a camera from the church rafters. The space in between the old altar and the new one is so cramped and dark that a person could neither see nor fit back there. They ended up with a “stitch work” of pictures of the top section of the altar, which was then used as reference by three local artists to paint the mural exactly how it exists now – worn, chipped, cracked and with rafters peeking through. The mural took three weeks to paint and is located on the wall behind the Mission Mercado, right across the street from City College’s Mission campus. “It’s kind of amazing,” Blind said. “It’s so nice to stand back and stare at it.” The mural is a permanent fixture, though Mission Community Market only happens on Thursdays between 4 p.m. and 8.pm. It comprises vendors selling fresh produce, music and art. Email: brinker@theguardsman.com
clarivel fong / the guardsman
The digitally restored and hand painted mural replica of the more than 200-year-old mural from the Mission Dolores Church was unveiled at the Mission Community Market in the Mission District on April 14.
clarivel fong / the guardsman
Attendees stroll along the grand reopening of the Mission Community Market in the Mission District on April 14.
Unique perspective leaves ‘No Exit’ for viewers By Isaiah Kramer The Guardsman
The high frequency pitch of a steel door being vacuum sealed, an ominous voice addressing the audience and screams erupting from fires – these are the commencing sounds for the play “No Exit” at American Conservatory Theatre on Geary Street in San Francisco. Welcome to L’Hôtel, a stage manifestation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s vision of hell – other people. The Virtual Stage and Electric Company Theatre has taken Satre’s play to the multimedia age and tested its relevance by asking, “Has human nature changed?” Introducing the piece with playful banter, the valet, who serves as a mediator between audience and actors, states the show will go on for eternity as long as the audience is there to watch it. He is alluding to much more than ticket sales. The VSECT production of “No Exit” turns everything inside out. Traditionally, Sartre’s play about the afterlife locks three strangers in a room for all of eternity. The fourth character, the valet, makes only brief appearances. In this Canadian interpretation of “No Exit,” the valet’s abode becomes the stage. A closed-circuit television screen background depicts the leading characters, each in his own frame, seated, isolated and trapped within the adjacent room by a
what happens in each isolated box, thus adding another dimension to the “trapped inside a box” theme. “I did not set out to create a live film; rather this form emerged from the desire to fulfill the plays demands and truly lock up the three characters together,” director Kim Collier wrote in the play’s program. The integration of film and theater lets the audience experience the sense of claustrophobia and desperation on the actors’ faces, evident even from the balcony level. Countenance becomes just as important as body language. Sartre’s characters are enduring because they are not mere archetypes; they are original creations. Their evil deeds are rooted in vanity and selfishness but also self-consciousness. Their insecurities are a mirror for the audience. The valet’s role serves to alleviate some of the tense drama between the three photo by Michael julian Berz / courtesy of american conservatory theatre tortured souls who pick and prod at each The Valet, played by actor Jonathon Young , stares up at Cradeau, played by Andy others’ sins, misdeeds and neuroses. Most importantly, though, the valet Thompson, on the projection screen on the set of No Exit at American Conservatory is trapped in his own hell. For all eterTheatre on April 16. nity he must repeatedly lock these three quadruple-bolted steel door. ed robin’s-egg blue and contains three people together as long as the audience They expect to be whipped, thumb- mismatched chairs, a bust of Julius Cesar, “sees themselves in the characters.” Only screwed and tortured. Instead they are a mustard-colored drape that covers a when the audience no longer relates to the just left there, gradually realizing that to window sealed off with bricks and, hidden trapped characters will the valet be irrelbe stuck with each other is their ultimate to the audience, four cameras. evant and thus free from his torment. punishment. A static camera captures the actions The stage, which the audience may of each character. As they jumble, interact Email: view after the end of the play, is paint- and torture one another, the camera depicts ikramer@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | April 20, 2011 | 7
Culture
Roots of 420 are locally grown By Frank Ladra the guardsman
The number 420 might seem to some like an ordinary juxtaposition of three random digits, but when it is pronounced “fourtwenty” it takes on an entirely different meaning. Nobody can be entirely certain where it originated, but the term has drifted into mainstream language and is celebrated globally each year on April 20 by the burgeoning marijuana culture. The most accepted and believable origin of the history of 420 dates back to 1971, when a group of five San Rafael, Calif. high school students went searching for an allegedly abandoned marijuana crop somewhere in the forest of Point Reyes, Calif. In reference to the their favorite after-school hang-out spot at a wall, the group called themselves “The Waldos”. Before setting out on their adventure, the Waldos agreed to meet at the statue of Louis Pasteur on the grounds of San Rafael High School at precisely 4:20 p.m. Their plan was coined “4:20 Louis” but after several failed attempts to find the mysterious crop, it was shortened to 4:20 and was continually used by the group thereafter to refer to marijuana use in general. It is still questionable how five ordinary kids managed to spread the now iconic term, making it a well-known phrase identifiable to the international cannabis subculture. The music industry is one of the easiest places to find 420 references. As fortune would have it, the collapse of San Francisco’s hippie utopia in the late ‘60s set the stage. As speed freaks, thugs and con artists took over the Haight, the Grateful Dead picked up and moved to the Marin County, Calif., hills – just blocks from San Rafael High School. It just so happens that one of the Waldos’ fathers took care of real estate for the Grateful Dead, and one of the Waldos’ brothers managed one of the Dead’s opening bands. Regularly hanging out backstage, the Waldos befriended (and often smoked pot with) Dead bassist Phil Lesh, who adopted
photo by chris beale / courtesy of etc magazine
A medical marijuana cultivator carries a freshly harvested crop of “OG Kush” to the trimming table in his San Francisco garden on March 4.
the term into his own vocabulary, thus taking it on tours all over the United States. Other musical references to 420 can be heard throughout the industry. The chorus of Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” proudly boasts “Everybody must get stoned,” but those with better math skills would notice that 12 multiplied by 35 equals 420. “Where the grass is green” from “Paradise City” by Guns and Roses is sung at four minutes and 20 seconds into the song. Crosby, Stills and Nash even have a song simply called “4+20”. Some suggest 420 used to be the police code for marijuana smoking in progress or that 4:20 was when police officers change shifts, making it easier to smoke pot unnoticed. Four-twenty is also the time that students, who are known to occasionally enjoy cannabis, are released from
detention. Others believed 4:20 was the perfect time to take a dose of LSD for it to peak by the time The Grateful Dead went on stage. And though it is often thought that the Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann discovered LSD on April 20, 1943 at 4:20 p.m., it was actually the day before. Whatever the case may be, April 20 has long been an unofficial day of celebration for marijuana fans, an occasion for campus smoke-outs, concerts and cannabis festivals. In Golden Gate Park, thousands gather annually at Hippie Hill to celebrate their mutual appreciation of the herb that has been such a topic of interest in recent elections. Other gatherings will be happening too, but many are spontaneous and unadvertised for privacy and legal reasons. Email: fladra@theguardsman.com
Jessica North / the guardsman
Above: Glass water bongs line a display case at Distractions, the Haight’s oldest smoke shop. Proprietor Jim Siegel says April 20 is the busiest day of the year in his shop. Far Left: Claire Meyers smokes marijuana on Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park. A long time pot smoker, Meyers will celebrate 4/20 with friends in Golden Gate Park. Left: Claire Meyers and Wanda Strelcheck share a joint on Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park. Hippie Hill is known for plumes of marijuana smoke.
Jessica North / the guardsman
Jessica North / the guardsman
8 | April 20, 2011 | The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com
OPINIONs Editor-in-Chief Alex Emslie
OUTsIde THe maRGINs: Read Atticus Morris’ article about the decline of Western civilization on The Guardsman blog. TheGuardsman.com/blog/so-it’s-come-to-this/
message from may day resonates today By Greg Zeman The Guardsman
Managing Editor Ramsey El-Qare News Editor Kwame Opoku-Duku Opinions Editor Alex Emslie Culture Editor Isaiah Kramer Sports Editor Ryan Kuhn Events Editor Estela Fuentes Photo Editor Frank Ladra Online Editor Atticus Morris Multimedia Editors Joe Fitzgerald Kay Recede Copy Chief Liska Koenig Copy Editors Atticus Morris Brian Aho Advertising Manager Essie Harris Illustrator Danielle Schlamp Staff Writers Emily Daly Joe Fitzgerald Estela Fuentes Matthew Gomez Essie Harris Peter Hernandez Gary Jay Catherine Lee Tony LeTigre Elliot Owen Brant Ozanich Brian Rinker Staff Photographers Clarivel Fong Gracie Malley Jessica North Broadus Parker Multimedia Gary Jay Saidy Lauer Atticus Morris Brian Rinker Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges
Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Phone: (415) 239-3446 Email: email@theguardsman.com
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Every protection enjoyed by working people, from a minimum wage to child labor laws, was fought for by organized labor and was opposed tooth and nail by the companies that benefited from the exploitation of workers. Had it not been for the pioneers of the labor movement in the U.S., we would still be serfs in a sham democracy with no power to organize in our own interest against the already organized interests of our employers. And there are some people in this country that would love to see that happen, who are actually working to see that it does. The people representing corporate interests are doing what they always do when the economy goes south — maximizing their profits at the expense of the safety, dignity and humanity of workers while doing anything they can to undercut victories already won by unions. Battle lines drawn When times are hard, we can’t afford for our unions to get soft. The Republican party — which, under the Bush administration, oversaw the largest expansion of government spending since the New Deal in the 1930s and the broadest, most aggressive assault on financial regulation since the Great Depression — is trying to turn back the clock. They would eliminate vital labor rights won with the blood and sweat of
U.S. workers who fought for the basic human protections that the “free market” did not provide them. From their dogged opposition of the Employee Free Choice Act to the stripping of collective bargaining rights of public unions in Wisconsin, the GOP is waging a corporatefunded war of aggression against labor and, by proxy, working people. Not labor’s first fight On May 1, 1886, a coalition of United States trade unionists, anarchists and socialists of various stripes organized a national general strike to demand an eight-hour workday at a time when owners enslaved workers for nearly twice that each day. When the U.S. government first surveyed the length of the average workweek in 1890, they found it was about 100 hours long, compared to the 40-hour week and two-day weekend won by organized labor. In Chicago, 10,000 people participated in a peaceful strike, but tensions between the demonstrators and the police boiled over and officers shot and killed four people. The resulting rally on Haymarket Square also ended in bloodshed when a bomb exploded, setting off more police shootings. As a result, four anarchists were convicted and executed in a show trial, although their convictions were overturned after their deaths. It was the outrage over these executions that lead to the Second International establishing May Day as an international holiday to
commemorate labor martyrs, particularly the Haymarket anarchists. May Day is also known as International Workers Day or Labor Day throughout most of the world, and even though its roots are in Chicago, is largely seen as a foreign phenomenon in the U.S. Part of the reason for this is that the U.S. government deliberately countered what they saw as the Soviet influence of May Day by declaring May 1 “Loyalty Day,” originally “Americanization Day.” The fact that our country’s Labor Day falls in September and not the international date of May 1 may be more of a symbol than a cause of our isolation from other labor and social movements, but the value of organizing ourselves and allying with workers the world over cannot be overstated. The power of labor Wake up working people: The easy-credit circus has left town and is never coming back. Don’t look for another financial bubble to hitch your family’s needs to, invest in the only thing that’s ever paid off—your own labor. Lots of people are feeling disillusioned with electoral politics. With both parties delivering so little on such lofty promises, it isn’t hard to see why. But there is no disputing the direct effect you can have on your own welfare if you combine the power of your labor and that of your fellow worker with the will to be paid and treated justly. Email: email@theguardsman.com
Freedom of expression silenced in China crackdown By Catherine Lee The Guardsman
As part of a crackdown on free expression, Chinese police detained the artist Ai Weiwei, and the arrest has finally galvanized global institutions to demand the release of political prisoners. Disregarding the admiration Ai’s work has brought to the country, the Chinese government brought shame on itself when it locked up artists, writers, netizens and filmmakers, as if that’s a solution to problems of government abuse and people’s craving for freedom of speech. As the son of a famous poet and the poster boy for successful contemporary Chinese artists, it seemed like Ai enjoyed special status. But his international fame wasn’t enough to save him from government persecution. Over the years, he’s been watched by surveillance cameras, beaten by authorities and had his studios demolished. Ai regularly critiqued corrupt government officials, police conduct and Internet censorship as part of his constant communication with almost 80,000 Twitter followers. The artist’s “Sichuan Earthquake Names Project” was an attempt to name all of the children killed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake after authorities refused to provide details of those who died in shoddily constructed schools. Officials could have started addressing the issues that keep it in an uneasy, stunted relationship with Chinese citizens. Instead they chose to jail the messenger.
As an artist and designer, Ai received particular attention for his contribution to the “Bird’s Nest” stadium built for the Beijing Olympics. His enormous art installations, like the 20-foot high vortex-shaped sculptures of bikes or chairs or other prosaic objects have been in the top-tier museums worldwide. “Sunflower Seeds”, his installation in London’s Tate Modern museum has been called a masterpiece in the British press. For years, western governments have prodded China into an upgraded assessment of human rights. China’s actions mock the effort put into human rights discussions, but imprisoning someone as famous as Ai signals a new stage in Chinese authoritarian control. “I am deeply concerned at the deterioration in the human rights situation in China,” said Baroness Catherine Ashton, trade commissioner for the European Union, in a statement that mentioned Ai by name. From the EU to the U.K., numerous strongly-worded denunciations have been issued which single out Ai’s detention as unacceptable. The statements from western governments have clearly noted their awareness of this massive crackdown on Chinese advocates of free expression. Human rights groups who monitor the country are playing a valuable role by tracking dissidents who’ve been detained, disappeared, or under soft detention.
Frank ladra / The GuardsMan
Famed Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was detained April 3 at Beijing Airport on his way to Hong Kong.
From the 1960s Cultural Revolution to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre to the current dissident roundup, the Chinese government has continually used force to control the human urge for freedom of expression and intellectual pursuit. But given the astonishing amount of globally communicated data and cheap digital video, the authoritarian and oppressive practices of the Chinese government have been revealed to the world in new detail. The directors of the Guggenheim, the Tate Modern and the Art Institute of Chicago, to name a few, have already posted a petition to the Chinese government to free Ai. The petition went from 18,000 to 80,000 signees in fewer
than 72 hours. British Foreign Secretary William Hague noted that governments like the U.K. want to continue to engage China on human rights, not only for their own conscience but because the advancement of a civil society with predicable laws is good for China’s long-term stability. If art is a human necessity and the urge for personal expression is repressed in a society, then those repressive practices are inhuman. Sign the petition and urge China to move its own history forward by releasing political detainees. http://www.change.org/petitions/callfor-the-release-of-ai-weiwei Email: clee@theguardsman.com
The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com | April 20, 2011 | 9
Opinions Editorial
modesto college cuts journalism Modesto Junior College administration’s drastic cuts to several popular programs, including the elimination of the entire mass communications department, are at best driven by hopeless ignorance and at worst designed to silence student voices at the school. In late February, MJC President Gaither Loewenstein proposed cutting the mass communications department, along with the faculty adviser to student government, as a solution to the college’s projected $8 million deficit for 2011-12 fiscal year. Despite opposition from the entire college community and an offer from faculty to take pay cuts to save their programs, Loewenstein and the school district’s board of trustees shirked shared governance and transparency laws and unilaterally approved the cuts. “We feel that he’s deliberately handicapped any type of protest at the college,” MJC journalism instructor and newspaper advisor Laura Paull said. It appears Loewenstein and the board will succeed next year in closing MJC’s award-winning newspaper, The Pirates’ Log, which has been an institution at the school since 1926. Lowenstein justified eliminating the mass communications department by questioning the viability of journalism as a profession.
danielle schlaMP / The GuardsMan
His unapologetic stance that an industry’s profitability defines its value rather than the essential principles it upholds is frightening. It sickens the The Guardsman that a man in charge of educating future California professionals would have such ignorance or disregard of the civic necessity fulfilled by the press. In the budget proposal the board rubber-stamped, Loewenstein, wrote that journalism’s
future lies in “new media,” which he described as “the convergence of computer graphics, gaming, digital applications and the Internet as means of delivery with content derived from the traditional disciplines of art, music and theatre.” According to Loewenstein’s convoluted media scholarship, the new role of the press, an institution enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, will
be to produce entertaining content for video games, or that training in art, music and theater is applicable to work in a newsroom. It is true that journalism is a tough business to break into these days. The stakes have risen, competition has increased, pay has dropped and the reputations of large media corporations in the U.S. – the sole source of news for many Americans – are in shambles.
advice for the student tenant in sF The Right things the wrong way
By Essie Harris Finding affordable off-campus housing is one of the trials in a student’s quest to receive an education at City College. Whether you are fresh out of high school and just beginning the beautiful journey of attending City College, or a weathered student beaten down by the realities of continuing your education, finding a decent apartment is an obstacle that can make living on the streets and panhandling seem appealing. When I moved here four months ago, I hastily signed a six-month lease for a claustrophobic in-law unit at $640 per month. The months that followed this decision were pure hell. From landlord harassment to crack head neighbors and request for repairs being ignored, my living situation was unsafe. I was ignorant to the rights I had as a tenant, when in reality, I owned my landlord. The issues Four times per week, I was awakened at 7 a.m. sharp by my landlord working in the garage that I paid for and was included in my lease. By law, landlords are required to give 24 hours notice to enter rented property, and it must either be agreed upon by the tenant or authorized by court. Strike one. Despite my persistent verbal and written requests for repairs on a somewhat urgent matter, I was ignored when the lock to the front gate broke. For two weeks I had to crawl through a tiny window leading to my bedroom
I could have my own studio. And so the search as my only method of entry. This was an obvious violation of my continued: $800 for a 5x5 closet with an Warrant of Habitability. A safe entry way is outhouse-style bathroom in Ingleside; $850 on the list of things a landlord must provide for a dorm-style apartment in Russian Hill, which can be found on the San Francisco sharing a bathroom with a 90-year-old who Tenants Union website. Strike two. hasn’t worn pants since ‘85 and seemed to not On three separate occasions within the care where and when he discarded his dirty three months I occupied the unit, inadequate diapers. draining for the jerry-rigged washer and dryer For three weeks I spent endless hours led to flooding of the garage and my apart- looking for my new home. No one should ment – also listed as a violation of my Warrant have to experience the things I saw iduring for Habitability. Strike three. that time. A few apartments seemed great, but I attempted to communicate these issues I was competing with 40 other renters, all with to my landlord without any intention of break- better credit scores and more reliable jobs. ing my lease. I finally moved onto a boat in the South When that didn’t work, I used the word Bay Marina for $600 a month. The first night, all landlords fear: sea sickness left me “lawyer,” a word that praying for death so should be used only “I was ignorant to the rights I I abandoned ship. with great discretion had as a tenant, when in reality, I For those who aren’t for its implications bothered by motion, owned my landlord.” have the potential you may look into to start a war. The this as an option as just tenant would an alternative living undoubtedly win, but situation. It is an at both a mental and financial cost. affordable way to have your own place for the I was lucky, and the landlord let me out of low maintenance type. I finally convinced a home owner in the lease, and so began the apartment search on Craigslist. Bernal Heights to rent a lovely in-law studio The nightmare begins to me for $775. The struggles and worries are In the Sunset for $650, I could live with now put to rest but I have left this process a a group of four professionals, all of whom changed woman, challenged but not defeated. spoke only Chinese. Personally I found the I have just enough juice left in me to battle language barrier too difficult to tackle. the traffic ticket Nazis and mafioso-style city For $700 in the Haight, I found an amaz- regulations raping me out of every last harding room with a great view. However, the earned penny. potential roommate was a 28-year-old male that practiced a “clothing optional” policy. I wasn’t keen on the idea of waking up to that every morning. After several more hopeless room view- Email: ings, I found that for a slight increase in price eharris@theguardsman.com
But a new generation of journalists is poised to redefine the industry based on a new model that does not sacrifice the truth for slight increases in profit margins. We are in the middle of a “new media” revolution, but not of the kind Loewenstein described in his budget cuts proposal. Journalists at The Guardsman and The Pirates’ Log are already heavily invested in using all forms of “new media” to present our content, including multimedia and various forms of social networking. No skills learned in theater, music or art classes informed that transition, but rather reporting, critical thinking, and research skills learned in journalism classes. It’s difficult to believe Loewenstein and the board actually think the future of journalism lies in video games. Instead they value the First Amendment’s guarantees of free expression and the press so little, and power and profit so much, they are willing to say anything to silence opposition. But it won’t work. Any attempts to kill, demean or demoralize the future journalists of this country will only make us stronger. That is the level of dedication we have toward printing the truth and checking corruption. That is the power of “new media.”
Email: editor@theguardsman.com
Letter to the Editor
Rudeness epidemic
Editor, Every year it seems to get worse – being a wheelchair user, I find that more students are just outright rude and disrespectful. They push their way in front of disabled students trying to get on buses and even refuse to make room in elevators for them, yet, by law, they are supposed to either make room or get off the elevator. MUNI is the same – students not disabled sit in front seats and pretend like they don’t know what’s going on just because they are too lazy to move. Bottom line - it’s federal law to make way for the elderly and disabled and not doing so can result in huge fines and/or jail time. Just stop being rude. What you give is what you will get in return and it all comes back around. Raquel Santiago City College student Guidelines for letters: Letters must be signed with first and last name. The Guardsman reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity and content.
10 | April 20, 2011 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com
Calendar
Classifieds 4th annual LGBTQ Film Festival Free event with free food and snacks during reception! Tuesday, April 26th
Market & Delicatessen Sandwiches Made to Order
Program Part 1 Reception at Noon Show at 1 p.m.
Two San Francisco Locations:
Program Part 2 Reception at 6 p.m. Show at 7 p.m.
1901 San Jose Ave.
For more information contact Tracy Gonzalez at the Queer Resource Center, Bungalow 201 on Ocean campus. Tigonzalez88@gmail.com
• Sandwiches Made to Order • • Liquor • Beer • Wine • • Lotto • Groceries •
CCSF Commencement Ceremony
(415) 587-2345
DATE: Saturday MAY 28th, 2011 TIME: 10:00 AM LOCATION: RAM STADIUM, OCEAN CAMPUS All student graduates wishing to participate in the CCSF Commencement Ceremony must register with the Office of Student Affairs. Upon registration you will receive a packet containing all informational materials.
500 Kirkham Street • Sandwiches Made to Order • • Full line of deli meats & Irish foods • • Lotto • Fresh Produce • • Liquor • Beer • Wine •
(415) 731-0982
CCSF Metro Academy The Metro Academy is a clear, supported path to CSU transfer with an emphasis on health and social justice. Students in Metro take English courses linked to other Metro classes and have the benefit of being part of a cohort and receiving academic counseling. –Have more questions? Want an application? Please email: Amber Straus astraus@ccsf.edu
Free Dental X-Rays The Dental Assisting Program at CCSF is again providing FREE dental x-rays. The x-rays are taken by appointment by students in the Advanced Dental Radiology Class in Cloud Hall, room 304 at Ocean campus. An appointment can be arranged for Tuesday a.m., Thursday a.m. or Friday a.m. or p.m. by calling (415) 239-3479. Anyone who can benefit from this free service will need a written authorization signed by a dentist and the films will be sent to this dentist for diagnosis.
Classified Ads 50 cents per word. $5 minimum for commercial advertisers. Classified ads for City College students, staff and faculty are free. Multiple ads not accepted. Must show current student ID. Commercial ads not accepted from students. Acceptance of ads at the discretion of The Guardsman.
Calendar for April 20 - May 3
Wed
20
Film: “The Story of Stuff” 9:10 -10:00 a.m. Rosenberg 305. Film: “A Fierce Green Fire” Mark Kitchell screens and discusses the history of the environmental movement. 7 p.m. in Cloud 246. Protest at Obama Fundraiser Nob Hill Masonic Center 1111 California St. 4 – 6 p.m. Rosenberg Library Exhibition: Recology’s Artists in Residence Program. Through Nov. 4
Wed
27
Author discussion on “Karken: The Disturbing Science of Squid” The Booksmith 1644 Haight St 7:30 p.m. Talk on Post Capitalism and Right to Laziness Counter Pulse 1310 Mission St 7:30 — 9:30 p.m. Art Show Openning San Francisco Art Institute presents TRANSIT/STASIS: Negotiating Movement in the City 800 Chestnut St 5:30 — 10:00 pm
Sports
Thur
21
Films on environmental themes. Rosenberg 305 9:30 a.m.— 3:45 p.m. Earth Day celebration: CCSF Recycling, SF Dept. of the Environment, and others in Ram Plaza.Ride your bike to campus and get a free Chico Bag! 11:00 a.m. —1:30 p.m. Dr. Matt Ritter discusses trees in SF and his new book, A Californian’s Guide to the Trees Among Us. Multi-Use Bldg, Room 140 6 p.m.
thur
28
Women’s Badminton Game vs Mission College Ocean Campus 3 p.m. The group Radical Women “Why Sacramento Ignores Life-Saving Alternatives” New Valencia Hall 625 Larkin Street Ste. 202 Spring Supper for a $7.50 donation www. radicalwomen.org 7 p.m. A solo exhibition by John Patrick McKenzie: Creativity Explored 3245 16th St. 7 — 9 p.m.
Fri
22
Guys and Dolls Musical Ocean Campus Diego Rivera Theater 8 p.m. General Admission $15 w/Student ID $10 Men’s Baseball Game vs Mission College Fairmont Field Pacifica, Calif 1 p.m. Free Coffee or Tea at Starbucks in honor of Earth Day 5:00 a.m. —11:30 p.m. Vegan Earth Day Celebration UC Berkely 101 Sproul Hall 7 p.m.
fri
29
Lunchtime discussion between Sister City Biennial exhibiting artists, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery 401 Van Ness Ave 12:30 p.m. Paul Madonna The Cartoon Jazz Orchestra Swing Dance Ocean Campus Wellness Center Performance Space 7 — 10 p.m. Paul MadonnaBook Release & Art Exhibit Electric Works Gallery 130 8th St 7p.m.
Campus Events
Sat
sun
Women’s Badminton vs Pasadena City College Ocean Campus 11 a.m.
Guys and Dolls Musical Ocean Campus Diego Rivera Theater 2 p.m. General Admission $15 w/Student ID $10
23
Guys and Dolls Musical Ocean Campus Diego Rivera Theater 8 p.m. General Admission $15 w/Student ID $10
24
Union Street Easter Parade and Festival 10 a.m. — 5 p.m. Fillmore and Union street
Sounds and Rhythms of Afghanistan Herbst Theater 401 Van Ness Ave 8 p.m. $25+
Dolores Park Easter Celebration with Hunky Jesus Contest 12 p.m. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ALEX EMSLIE
sat
sun
30
Third Annual Lao New Year Festival U.N. Plaza 10 a.m. Vagabond Urban Craft Fair Urban Bazaar 1371 9th Avenue 11 a.m. –– 5 p.m. Hunters Point Shipyard Artists Spring Open Studios, Hunters Point Shipyard Building 101, 11 a.m. –– 6 p.m.
1
Hunters Point Shipyard Artists Spring Open Studios, Hunters Point Shipyard Building 101, 11 a.m. –– 6 p.m. Glen Park Street Fair, 2800 Diamond Street, All day
Community Events
Mon
25
tues
26
Patricia Wells presents “Salad as a Meal” Books Inc 22551 Chestnut St 7 p.m.
4th Annual Queer Film Festival Diego Riveria Theater 12 –– 9p.m.
A Walk in the Park: The Presidio Presidio Log Cabin 1299 Storey Ave 6 — 8:00 p.m.
Men’s Baseball Game vs Chabot College Fairmont Field Pacifica, Calif 2 p.m.
Science at the Theater: New Light on Dark Energy Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Roda Stage |2015 Addison St. Berkeley, Calif. 7:00 — 9:00 p.m.
Women’s Softball Game vs Mission College Fairmont Field Pacifica, Calif 1 p.m.
Mon
tues
2
Book reading by Pierre Guyotat City Lights Bookstore 261 Columbus Ave 7:00 p.m. Reading By Jackson Holtz Books Inc. 1760 4th Street Berkeley, Calif.
How Weird Street Fair Howard and 2nd Street 12 –– 8p.m $10. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR PHOTO EDITOR FRANK LADRA
Women’s Badminton Game at DeAnza College Cupertino 3 p.m.
3
Author Francine Prose reads at The Booksmith 1644 Haight St 7 p.m. Mel Brook’s Classic: Blazing Saddles Cafe Royale 800 Post St 9 p.m. Museum Admission Free first Tuesday of the month Museums include: Legion of Honor, Cartoon Art Museum, SF MOMA, de Young Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts,
The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com | April 20, 2011 | 11
sPORTs
FROm THe BLeaCHeRs: Read Ryan Kuhn’s opinion about the state of Sacramento’s beloved NBA franchise moving to Southern California. TheGuardsman.com/Bleachers
students learn the art of fencing at City College By Brian Rinker The Guardsman
Once a week at night in the Wellness Center students wearing white jackets, donning protective headgear and holding swords can be found milling around the gymnasium waiting for fencing class to begin. Fencing is a combative sport using blade weapons and is practiced competitively all over the world. At City College it is offered at 8 p.m. on Thursdays as a physical activities class. “Some students have a misconception that fencing is a pastime garden exercise,” said Joesph Manzano, fencing instructor. Because of the misconception students often come unprepared to class not expecting the demanding physical and mental nature of the sport. “You have to be five athletes in one,” Manzano said. “[Students need] the stamina of a long distance runner, the explosive speed of a sprinter, the agility of aerobics, the intellect of a chess player and the rhythm and
determination of pianist.” At the beginning of the semester, around 35 students enrolled in the class. Those unprepared get a reality check and for a variety of reasons they drop, Manzano said. Currently, only 20 students continue to clash swords Thursday nights. Amanda Fogerty is a first semester fencing student and loves it. Before falling in love with fencing, Fogerty played volleyball and took dancing classes, but nothing compared to the workout she gets in Manzano’s class. “It’s the hardest workout I’ve ever had in my life,” Fogerty said as she lifted her saber and made ready to bout with another student. “But you don’t want to stop even though you’re dripping with sweat.” The physical demand of fencing is high, but for a combative sport the injury rate is relatively low. “I decided to restart fencing. I’m 59 and my body doesn’t recover from injury very well,”
Robert Vincent said. He is in a fencing club that was meeting on campus and sometimes stops by the class to help out. He began fencing back in the 1970s but stopped practicing until a couple of years ago. “Previously I was taking judo,” Vincent said. “After getting smashed a couple of times by someone in their 20s, and going from one injury to another, I had enough.” Fencing has a rich history at City College dating back to the 1940s. Olympian fencer Helena Meyer was a Nazi refugee who fled Germany and came to the Bay Area, where she taught her art form at City College and other schools. Manzano has been the fencing teacher since 1984. He was a student at City College from 1975 to 1977. While earning an AA degree in physical education, he trained under fencing coach Maestro Fenenc Marki, a world renowned fencing coach from Hungary, where he taught until the Soviet occupation. He then fled to the Bay Area followed by his students. During the time Manzano trained under Marki, fencing was a thriving sport in California. About 180 colleges, universities
broadus Parker / The GuardsMan
Fencing instructor Joe Manzano, right, shows students the proper way to score a head strike.
and fencing clubs taught fencing classes and had fencing teams, Manzano said. At the time City College had a fencing team that competed at every opportunity. Now, things have changed. Although fencing still thrives on the East Coast and other parts of the world where tradition roots run deep, here on the West Coast fencing isn’t doing so great. “There isn’t strong tradition here on the West Coast,” Manzano said. “Now only a handful of colleges and universities across the western states have fencing classes.” Budget cuts have dwindled college resources, and because fencing is considered a low priority, it gets cut, Manzano said. He used to teach six fencing classes
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and coach a team and now there is only one two-hour class per week. However, he feels fortunate to have that one class and to be a part of a college that supports diversity in all its affairs, including sports. The fencing class is now a survey class, an introduction to a sport differing from main stream sports like basketball, baseball and football. It is a sport that challenges the mind as well the body. “Like all combat sports, you’re either going to confront your opponent or you’re going to confront yourself and that is something all students should learn,” Manzano said.
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sports Softball
Walsworth’s grand slam is not enough
made a change and brought in freshman Alyssa Bailey to pitch The Guardsman the remainder of the game. After Even though City College her warm up tosses, she struck came back from a four-run defi- out four Rams in a row, including cit in the second inning, the Rams Walsworth on a high fastball. fell once again in league play, this After the Dons scored three time to DeAnza College. times in the fifth inning and twice A grand slam by sophomore more in the sixth, the Rams retalishortstop Rae Walsworth over the ated with a home run by Mary center fielder’s head brought City Ngo. It was her second home run College new life, but DeAnza of the year. held on for the victory on April “She took awhile to load up 18, 10-5. and pitch so I The loss had to do my drops the Rams’ “It’s hard when you face best to stay in record to 2-23, seasoned pitching every rhythm with but head coach her,” Ngo said. week.” Jack McGuire — Jack McGuire “I didn’t realize said his team has Rams Softball Head Coach how far it went” improved greatWith a ly since the start chance of a late of the season. rally during the bottom of the “We know we can hit,” he seventh inning with a runner on said. “All year we have hit well, first, Megan McGuire struck out. but we have so much inexperiJack McGuire said his team is enced pitching. It’s hard when starting to play solid defense. you face seasoned pitching every “When you put that together week. We just have to keep with good pitching and timely competing.” hitting, we will win some more City College freshman pitch- games.” er Yennifer Mendoza recovered The Rams played April 19 from a four-run second inning, against Mission College. Results giving up only one hit during the were not available at press time. next two innings. She finished the game pitching all seven innings and striking out two. Email: In the fourth inning, DeAnza rkuhn@theguardsman.com By Ryan Kuhn
Baseball blanked by West Valley Vikings broadus Parker / The GuardsMan
West Valley infielder Trevor Marino collects a hit in their 18-0 victory over the City College Rams. The Rams record moves to 5-25. City College will wrap up its 2011 season with five more conference games including two home games on April 22 and 26 at 1 p.m. against Mission College and Chabot College respectively.
UPCOmING sPORTs sCHedULe Baseball:
softball:
Badminton:
april 21 @ deanza College 2 p.m.
april 26 vs. mission College 1 p.m.
april 23 vs. Pasadena City 11 a.m.
april 22 vs. mission College 1 p.m.
april 26 @ deanza College 3 p.m.
april 26 vs. Chabot College 1 p.m.
april 28 vs. mission College 3 p.m.
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