GOLDEN GATE XPRESS//
STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER PROUDLY SERVING THE SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1927.
// 09.05.12
VOLUME LXXXXV ISSUE 2
CAL GRANT STUDENTS TAKE A CUT
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BY MICHELE BIRD | mbird@mail.sfsu.edu
ITH TOday’s economic struggles, another cut to California’s higher education budget looms over Cal Grant holders and college students this year. The California Student Aid Commission recently announced that Cal Grant awards have been reduced by five percent. The reduction was approved June 27 after Gov. Jerry Brown signed the 2012-13 Budget Act for the fiscal year’s spending plan. Other programs facing decreases based on the budget are kindergarten through 12th grade education as well as child care and development. “(SF State students will be impacted) negatively (and) $39 has to be covered somehow,” said Barbara Hubler, University director of the student financial aid office. “More loans, more work hours or doing with less.” There are various Cal Grants available to California college students who qualify. Eligible students need a minimum 3.0 GPA, to be actively working toward their undergraduate degrees or certificates and be able to demonstrate financial need. Cal Grants are offered in three different categories ranging from A, B and C. All grants offered help fund student tuition and fees. The type of campus covered — public, private, occupational or career technical schools — depends on the Cal Grant the student holds. The grants are important assets for many attending college because they SEE REDUCTION ON PAGE 3
MOWING: Cox Stadium, home to SF State’s men’s and women’s intercollegiate soccer team, has been undergoing maintenance improvements since last February when John Cahill came on board as the new ground operation manager. Photo by Jessica Worthington
Grass greener on Gator’s side BY HEATHER ITO | hito@mail.sfsu.edu
Student athletes no longer need to worry about lumpy fields, tall forest-like grass or surprise water puddles. Starting this season, athletes will have the satisfaction of playing on wellkept fields now that Cox Stadium, Maloney Field and the softball field have undergone much needed makeovers by John Cahill, the ground operation manager. After joining the staff last February, he implemented different maintenance practices. “Right now we are going back to best practices on these (fields),” Cahill said. “We’ve purchased a roller for ‘em to move the surfaces out because that’s what the sports people want.” This new management comes as a huge relief for University coaches, who have been dealing with the campus’ “inadequate” field maintenance, according to Joe Hunter, head coach for the men’s soccer team. “In the past, it was just a lot of double talk (or) you wouldn’t get an answer,” Hunter said. “It was just ‘we’ll mow it,
we’ll water it and that’s about all we can do for you.’” The unsatisfactory outlook on the previous maintenance may have to do with how Phil Evans, the previous ground operation manager for 22 years and current director of site planning kept up the fields, according to Cahill. “Sports field maintenance is one of the many special challenges encountered in maintaining a heavily populated urban campus,” Evans said. “Athletic fields are heavily used, and repair and maintenance windows are severely limited by user and event schedules, as well as weather conditions.” Ever since Cahill took over Evans’ position, Hunter said he has been more aware of the arena conditions. “I think (Cahill) understands the issue,” Hunter said. “At least he’s willing to listen and say ‘OK, coach, I understand what you’re saying. Let’s see if we can help you out.’” It’s not a matter of working with a new budget or obtaining new equipment
sparking noticeable improvements in field maintenance, according to Cahill. He said all they’ve done is utilize basic practices: aerating, tuning up irrigation on the baseball diamond, and fertilizing and over-seeding them. He also has workers double-check the quantities used in their work. “Generally, my goal here is to bring these things up a couple of notches — all these fields,” Cahill said. “I think they need more attention (and) more maintenance.” Since Cahill joined the staff, Hunter has noticed a roller has been added to the grounds service arsenal, allowing grounds staff to keep fields flat and leveled. He has also noticed that groundskeepers now mow the lawn at Cox Stadium three times a week instead of once or twice a week, which helps maintain an even playing surface for the soccer teams that use it during the fall. SEE FIELD MAINTENANCE ON PAGE 7
Recreational field to replace Ruth Asawa School of the Arts BY VIKRAM SINGH | vpsingh@mail.sfsu.edu
With an estimated completion date of Spring 2013, SF State will soon be provided with a new green space for various student activities
WORK IN PROGRESS: A recreational field will take the place of the former Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. The space will accomodate student clubs and intramural leages, and potentially classrooms for nursing or physical therapy in the future. Photo by Sam Battles
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ONCRETE CRUMBLES to the ground while the sounds of steel bars being bent and ripped apart ring out like gunshots against the windows of the Humanities Building. SF State’s demolition of the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, which stands on the corner of Font Boulevard and Tapia Drive, will provide students with a 2.5 acre recreational green space. Demolition is 40 percent complete, according to Nancy Hayes, SF State vice president and chief financial officer for administration and finance. The site was bought for $11.1 million from the San Francisco Unified School District. Greg Mowbray, the construction manager for Capital Planning, Design and Construction, explained the reason behind the wreckage. “As the demolition progresses, the contractor is separating the steel reinforcing bars from the concrete for recycling purposes. The concrete debris will be trucked to Lot 25 for additional crushing and stockpiling for use in future campus projects,” Mowbray said. The 51,000 square foot decaying structure
has been abandoned since 2002. Once the debris has been cleared, the University will construct a 2.5 acre green space for student activities like club events or intramural sports matches. Oakland-based group Byrens Kim Design Works will remove the concrete for the next three months. The University hopes to eventually build clinical classrooms on the site to accommodate disciplines like nursing or physical therapy, but this project has not been planned, according to Hayes. The athletics department will not be using the site, but it will be designated for student clubs and intramural leagues. By Spring 2013, the green space should be available for use. “We offer intramural leagues in the evening, so there will be lit games at night. But during the day the students will be able to have pickup games,” said Ryan Fetzer, the intramural and sports club coordinator for the Campus Recreation Department. With the current funding situation for CSUs, it’s come as no surprise that plans for the clinical classrooms are far away. “At this point, funds aren’t even in the picture to hire an architect for the project for at least a decade,” Mowbray said.