The Guardsman Vol 149, Issue 2. City College of San Francisco

NEWS: Opening of Joint Use Facility set for fall

SPORTS: Women remain undefeated in Coast Conference

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Volume 149, Issue 2

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What’s inside: NEWS: Green Launch Pad debuts at City college OP&EDS: Net neutrality must be protected...........

FEATURES: Kids explore science in the Mission..

SPORTS: City College softball season cancelled...

C&T: Exploratorium shows tricked out computers

www.theguardsman.com

By Pheonix Marie THE GUARDSMAN

Just when Muni riders were getting accustomed to last year’s $10 fare hike, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is implementing another wave of rate increases. A slew of higher fares, including a jump from $55 to $70 for an Adult Fast Pass, took effect Jan. 1.

The prices of one, three and seven-day passports have been raised $2, and interagency stickers for transfers between BART and Muni have increased by $5. By May 1, monthly Senior, Youth and Disabled Passes will also be raised from $15 to $20.

“Once prices increase, they never go back down,” former Muni-rider Joel Pete said.

As an alternative to the Adult “A” Pass, which is valid for BART within San Francisco, SFMTA has introduced a Muni-only Fast Pass at a $10 discount.

The changes are due to SFMTA’s current $16.9 million deficit. Officials expect fare hikes to increase revenue by $4.85 million over the next six months.

MUNI: Page 5

Page 2 Page 7 Page 8 Page 11 Page 14

Frebruary 10, 2010

Services slashed, fees hiked

JOSEPH PHILLIPS / THE GUARDSMAN

Passengers board Muni’s 5 line at Market and Powell streets on Feb. 8. Muni riders face increased fares and fewer buses.

Chinatown on path to completion

By Don Clyde and Jessica Luthi THE GUARDSMAN

Construction on the Chinatown/North Beach campus will resume after the City College board of trustees unanimously approved several subcontracts for projects needed to continue work on the campus during a Jan. 28 meeting.

Due to complications in the bidding process, construction at the Chinatown/North Beach campus ground to a standstill. A number of bids were given to contractors before the state had signed off on them, resulting in a need to rebid the contracts.

The new campus project has been a long process that began in 1997, after a proposition to

Students scramble to add crowded classes

By Don Clyde and Hannah Weiner THE GUARDSMAN

JESSICA LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

Chancellor Don Griffin, board of trustees President Milton Marks III and trustee John Rizzo discuss resolutions to remove from the agenda at their monthly meeting Jan. 28.

purchase properties for the campus was approved

by San Francisco voters, board of trustees President Milton Marks III said.

According to City College’s Master Plan, the Chinatown/North Beach campus was supposed be completed by December 2007. But because of snags in the design for the campus and construction contracts, the project had been postponed.

The campus is now currently slated to be TRUSTEES: Page 5

Many City College students have been struggling to enroll in impacted classes and teachers are overworked due to a large number of Spring 2010 course cuts.

City College cut 379 classes this semester and 330 during fall 2009, according to Terrance Hall, dean of instruction at City College. The cuts were implemented to grapple with the school’s $18 million to $20 million budget shortfall. The fall and spring cuts amount to about 6 percent of total classes offered.

City College has also eliminated the 2010 summer school session

to save an additional $4 million.

“We’re all packing in students and I’m talking massive numbers of students,” said Darlene Alioto, department chair of social sciences.

“Teachers are doing their best not to turn people away.”

According to Alioto, the number of students allowed in each class cannot officially change, but teachers are adding above the cutoff line.

“We’re doing it to help students,” she said. “Everybody is overworked and taking additional students for no additional pay.”

Bill Shields, teacher and chair of labor and community studies, said his 21-year-old son couldn’t

CUTS: Page 9

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News

THE GUARDSMAN

News Briefs Veterans Center Update City College is planning to open a new Veterans Center by fall 2010.

Three focus group meetings will be held to give veteran students an opportunity to offer suggestions about how the center will be organized.

Meetings will be held Feb. 18, 9 to 10 a.m., Feb. 23, 1 to 2 p.m. and Feb. 24, 1 to 2 p.m. All meeting will be held in the Wellness Center, room 111.

Call 415-239-3293 to reserve a space. Participation is limited to 15 student veterans.

Student Equity Hearings City College trustees Chris Jackson and Steve Ngo are holding a series of student equity hearings to address achievement gaps in underrepresented groups.

The hearings will address issues identified in the Student Achievement Gap and Social Equity Report generated in October 2009.

Topics will include access to financial aid, student employment opportunities, student support services, retention programs and providing students with the necessary skills to transfer.

The meetings are being held Feb. 9, 10 and 11 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Ocean campus, in the cafe level of the Student Union building.

Black History Month February is Black History Month, and several events have been planned at City College. For dates and times of events call Sascha Hutchings at (415) 452-5549. See page 15 for event listings.

Online on www.theguardsman.com: • Salinger and Zinn remembered • Opening of remodeled John Adams campus scheduled for Feb. 24.

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

Launch Pad introduces green careers

By Robert Romano THE GUARDSMAN

The Green Launch Pad, a new program at City College, gives students practical skills to enter the environmentally friendly work force, according to James Lewis, the program’s director.

Students are exposed to many different areas of study which they are encouraged to pursue upon completion of the program.

The GLP program offers instruction in solar panel installation, environmental monitoring, hybrid/electric vehicle service, green auto body repair, green business, green construction and energy efficiency.

“This is just the beginning,” Lewis said. “Changes happen slowly. One of the goals of this program is to raise awareness so people can come up with solutions.”

While classes are open to students of all ages, a $1,000 scholarship is awarded to recent high school graduates and City College students aged 18 to 24 who complete the program.

The one-semester, 11-unit program serves as a foundation for students to better understand environmental problems and encourages them to actively take part in the solution.

“I first chose the GLP program

ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

Professor of the Green Launch Pad Program, Peggy Lopipero-Langmo, discusses the availibilty for careers in the green field at the Mission campus on Jan. 28.

because it felt like a great way to get a running start at a career in an increasingly significant area,” said V.M. Zavala, a 23-year-old environmental studies major. “We are taking first steps in a direction that some people, and most politicians, choose to ignore.”

Currently there are approximately 45 students enrolled in the GLP program, according to Lewis. In addition to teaching green technology skills, the

program includes instruction in basic math and English.

Peggy Lopipero-Langmo, a UC Berkeley graduate and teacher in the GLP program, welcomed the addition to City College’s curriculum.

“It’s important to think about renewable energy as opposed to continuing to burn fossil fuels,” she said. “I have twin girls. That’s why I am teaching this class.”

Students in the GLP program

hope for future green-job opportunities.

“I would like to dedicate my life to saving the planet. I think it’s great that this program is being provided to college students,” said Brenda Lau, a 23-year-old anthropology major in the GLP program.

E-mail: rromano@theguardsman.com

Obama plans to jump-start community colleges President lays out aim to increase grants and forgive student loans

By Estela Fuentes THE GUARDSMAN

President Barack Obama urged the Senate to pass a bill that would revitalize community colleges on Jan. 27 in his 2010 State of the Union address.

Obama said having a high school diploma does not guarantee finding any type of employment and that things need to be done to help the nation’s citizens develop skills and get a better education for our nation to succeed as a whole.

“I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families,” Obama said.

Obama said the bill should contain some specific measures to help struggling low- and middle-class citizens obtain a higher education. The first should be increasing Pell Grants and the second should issue a $10,000 credit

ROBERT GIROUX / MCT CAMPUS

President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address to Congress on Capitol Hill Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C.

to cover four years of college for all working families.

As for student loans, he wants unwarranted subsidies that go to banks to be eliminated and payments capped at 10 percent of a students’ income. He also said student loans should be forgiven after 20 years, but if students decide

to work in any type of public service, the loans should be forgiven after 10 years.

“In the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college,” Obama said.

E-mail: efuentes@theguardsman.com

News

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

WWII internment ruling will impact Prop. 8 judgment

By Greg Zeman THE GUARDSMAN

Testimony in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case that will decide the fate of California’s Proposition 8 – which defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman – has ended.

Closing statements will be heard when proceedings begin again no earlier than March.

Plaintiffs challenging Proposition 8 argue the law singles out gays and lesbians, making it “suspect class legislation.”

If they are successful, this group of the population would become entitled to special legal protection, and the burden of strict constitutional scrutiny would shift to the defense.

The concept of suspect classification comes from the 1944 Supreme Court case Korematsu v. United States concerning the internment of Japanese citizens during World War II. The court established that groups entitled to suspect class protections: Must be an obviously distin-

guishable minority, subject to a history of discrimination, that is so politically powerless it needs special assistance.

The majority opinion in that case, authored by Justice Hugo Black, stated that, “all legal restrictions which curtail the civil rights of a single group are immediately suspect. That is not to say that all such restrictions are unconstitutional. It is to say that courts must subject them to the most rigid scrutiny.

Pressing public necessity may sometimes justify the existence of such restrictions; racial antagonism never can.”

Lower courts in California have granted suspect class status to gays and lesbians, but it remains to be seen if the 9th District will uphold that decision.

Pro-Proposition 8 witness Kenneth P. Miller, an associate professor of political science at Claremont McKenna College, testified that if political power meant the ability to get the attention of lawmakers, gays and lesbians could not be

Three nabbed in Rosenberg Library sting

By Liska Koenig THE GUARDSMAN

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO

City College student Carlos Wilson waves a state / pride flag outside the California Supreme Court Proposition 8 hearings on March 5, 2009.

considered politically powerless.

While both Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Edmund G. Brown are listed as defendants in their capacity as state officials, they have refused to participate in the trial because both of them support same-sex marriage.

Brown refused to defend

Proposition 8 in the initial challenge to the law brought before the California Supreme Court in spring 2009. He urged the court to rule that Proposition 8 violates the natural rights clause of California’s constitution.

E-mail: gzeman@theguardsman.com

College foundation to control accounts

By Don Clyde THE GUARDSMAN

As City College is transferring foundation assets, records and accounts to The Foundation of City College, administrators are demanding a return of millions of faculty and department donated funds and are seeking a shift in the foundation’s priorities toward preventing class cuts and supporting student services.

City College is seeking the return of approximately $2.6 million donated to the foundation from faculty fundraising efforts and various City College departments, according to City College trustee Chris Jackson.

“The faculty does a lot of fundraising itself, sending the funds that they raise to the foundation. If the foundation is going

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to go private then it needs to send arships as grants and awards, those funds back to the faculty builds endowments and provides and those departments,” John program support, according to Rizzo, vice president of the City the foundation Web site.

College board of trustees, said.

City College passed a Master Madeline Mueller, chair of Agreement in April 2009 which the music would department have made and faculty “I don’t ever want to go through the foundafoundation tion — a representa- another budget where we have private, tive, sent to cut summer school.” nonprofit an e-mail corpora— Chris Jackson tion — an to faculty City College trustee auxiliary to and department heads the college, to identify according those scholarships, department to Rizzo. He said the foundation funds, programs and grants in did not agree to the terms of the foundation accounts, and direct agreement and the foundation them into City College trust was seeking to remove oversight funds. from the district side. The previThe foundation raises money ous Master Agreement expired in from private donors to support June 2009.

City College and offers schol“Since the agreement expired,

we’ve been trying to untangle the management relationship and to basically just have the district give the foundation back its own records and its own accounts and assets, and we’re in the process of doing that now,” Peter Bagatelos, outside legal counsel for the foundation, said.

The foundation, under its own management, will be able to raise much larger donations, according to Bagatelos.

He said negative publicity surrounding charges against three former City College administrators regarding the alleged misuse of public funds, some through the foundation, frightened many donors and pushed the foundation’s decision to remove management from the college.

FOUNDATION: page 4

Plainclothes police officers arrested two adult City College students in connection with the recent wave of thefts in the Rosenberg Library. A third suspect was also detained, but then released pending further investigation, according to a San Francisco City College Police Department press release.

Joshua Jetton and Javier Francis were working together to steal a laptop computer on Jan. 26 when they were arrested at 2 p.m. They have been charged with several felony counts, including grand theft, burglary, conspiracy and possession of stolen property.

Both suspects confessed to committing prior thefts and had that stolen property in their possession, according to the press release.

City College police chief Andre Barnes has been working closely with Captain David Lazar, commanding officer of the San Francisco Police Department Ingleside station.

Lazar, a City College alumni, was unavailable for comment.

Despite these arrests, theft and burglary remain an ongoing issue for the college community.

Most thefts on campus occur in the library or Wellness Center locker rooms because people are not paying attention and leave their personal property unattended. Even a few seconds of inattentiveness can lead to the loss of a laptop, a cellphone or a backpack, according to police.

Warning signs and announcements over the library’s public announcement system have been instituted for one reason only — to make sure students are aware of the situation and to prevent further incidents.

Students and faculty who have any information regarding thefts on campus can contact the City College police department at (415) 239-3200.

E-mail: lkoenig@theguardsman.com

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News

THE GUARDSMAN

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

LaRouche posters spark charges of hate speech Shields for Congress campaign spotlights college speech policy

By Greg Zeman THE GUARDSMAN

Campaign materials printed by the LaRouche Political Action Committee and distributed at an on-campus information booth by the Summer Shields for Congress campaign have inspired controversy at City College.

Shields is a self-proclaimed “LaRouche Democrat” running in the 8th Congressional District for the seat currently held by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Joelle Wright of the LPAC said Shields receives political support from the committee and that they endorse him as a candidate.

One particularly incendiary poster depicts President Obama drawn as a parrot with the words “Obama is a cracker” emblazoned across the bottom. Shields insisted the meaning of the poster is purely political and not at all related to race.

“He’s a puppet. He’s not his own man,” Shields said of Obama. “This man is working on behalf of an entity that is against a large portion of this population, and that is the recognition coming out across the board inside the United States.”

While Shields did not say explicitly that Obama is a cracker, he did say, “I consider him a parrot.” When pressed to explain why the word “cracker” was used instead of “parrot” on his campaign materials, Shields said, “You know what it is?

It’s Obama saying, ‘I’m a cracker! I’m a cracker!’”

Delante Bess, an LPAC activist and Shields campaign organizer, was less equivocal in his explanation of the controversial image.

“If you really want to get into the history of it, you look at slaves and slave masters,” Bess said. “Masters used a house slave to whip into shape the other slaves — to put them into order. It was a way of controlling those slaves.”

Bess added that he views Obama as a puppet.

Shields’ campaign staff, while operating an information booth on Feb. 2, refused to comment on the image or any other aspect of the campaign, claiming they did not “give interviews.” They directed questions to the Web site, but did not specify whether they meant the Shields for Congress Web site or the LPAC site.

Shields said as a general policy, lowerlevel staff do not speak with reporters.

Both Shields and Bess maintained that the policy was nothing more than a “delegation of responsibility.”

But some City College students, like Marquis, who declined to give his last name, also tried to get answers from the booth staff and received none.

“Don’t you think it’s kind of weird for a white person to call a black person a cracker?” Marquis asked the campaign staff, who looked at him and said nothing.

“Leave it to a white person to make a hierarchy of blackness,” Marquis said.

City College trustee Chris Jackson is not happy about the posters, but said there is little that can be done about them. Under City College’s current policy, outside groups only need to sign a form to distribute materials on campus.

“There really is no policy to kick people off the campus for doing hate speech. We

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

Summer Shields for Congress campaign staff operate an information booth at Ocean campus on Feb. 2. Some materials displayed by the campaign stirred controversy among City College faculty and students.

had a policy that would actually remove these people, but we were sued by the Jews for Jesus,” Jackson said, referring to Jews for Jesus v. Fotch, which decided City College’s current free-speech policy.

“I did not vote for that, not even to settle, because I thought it really sent the message to everybody: come one come all.

Do what you want on campus, if you get kicked off, then sue. It’s kind of like inviting all the agitators to our campus to do the most outrageous thing possible to get a payday,” Jackson added.

Shields claimed the controversial posters, including a picture of Obama with a moustache added to resemble Adolf Hitler, are useful tools in building a political base for “The LaRouche Plan,” a massive, New Deal-like economic map for America.

The grand scope of the plan includes a youth-based workforce, like the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the construction of a magnetically-levitated supertrain from Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego, the southern tip of South America.

“We have the potential to put in place

policies we never imagined, and it’s typified by the rail-link,” Shields said, adding that other economies like those of Russia, India and China were reshaping the world.

“The U.S could be playing a crucial role in that, and if I have my way with the campaign, we will be.”

The general stance of the campaign on the posters is that they are protected freespeech and intended to be humorous.

“You provoke irony to get the population to move,” Bess said. “If you want to communicate the highest, profound, insightful conceptions to human beings, they are more willing to assimilate ideas when you use comedy.”

Jackson isn’t laughing. “We cannot kick them off, we can only ask them to sign the form — which calls into question: Why would anybody ever sign a form when there is no penalty for not doing it?”

E-mail: gzeman@theguardsman.com

City College requests foundation priority shift FOUNDATION: From page 3

“Nobody should read into this that the foundation is somehow distancing itself, or changing its commitment or is less supportive of the college.” Bagatelos said.

“The commitment is as strong as ever and the foundation really does care about the college, its students and its success, and it really does want to raise money to help.”

Jackson said the board of trustees wanted to see a structural shift in foundation fundraising toward program support and student services, rather than a focus on offering scholarships. He said the board of trustees and Chancellor Don Q. Griffin had been pressing for the change over the past two years.

“Our line of thinking is, what good is a scholarship if you don’t have a class to go to or if you can’t afford your books? We’re asking them to shift the entire mentality of

how they fundraise, and it needs to be toward programmatic support, not towards scholarships,” Jackson said.

Bagatelos said the foundation has been open to program funding that would save classes.

“The chancellor and trustees have clearly said recently that they need funding for programs and classes. It’s crystal clear that there is nobody on the foundation board that resists that, or is saying we’re not going to do that, or we’re only raising money for scholarships.

Nobody is saying that,” Bagatelos said.

Jackson also said the college was seeking a one-time donation of $3 million to $5 million lump sum from the foundation for the 2010-2011 fiscal year, as well as annual contributions of $3 million or a certain percentage of the foundations fundraising totals.

“The foundation is there for a rainy day, and right now it’s a rainy day, and right now we need the foun-

dation,” Jackson said. “I don’t ever want to go through another budget where we have to cut summer school.”

There is also concern among faculty and trustees about the lack of transparency at the foundation without oversight from City College members.

“I don’t think we should pass a Master Agreement that doesn’t include some sort of ability to look at their books,” Rizzo said.

Bagatelos said a new Master Agreement would include periodic reports to the boards of trustees. The foundation must also undergo regular audits.

Public discussion about progress toward a new Master Agreement is expected at the next board of trustees meeting on Feb. 25 at 33 Gough St. in San Francisco.

E-mail: dclyde@theguardsman.com

News

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

City frustrated by Muni fare hikes, cut routes MUNI: From the front page

SFMTA was forced to cut $77 million from their budget when the state legislature eliminated funding for transit operations. This cutback is being implemented with layoffs, route cuts and increased parking fines.

“Economically speaking, we’re biting ourselves in the ass,” City College economics student Daniel Reed said. Reed said that, though the fare hikes may help SFMTA with its deficit, it drains the economy as a whole.

“Public transit has always been subsidized,” he said. “When it’s easier to travel, people shop more and they can work more.”

Many City College students have noticed 36 Teresita buses no longer stop near Ocean campus. The 20 Columbus has been completely eliminated and the number of late-night OWL service lines is being slashed.

“We’re paying more and waiting more,” City College nursing student Megan Anderson said.

Car owners are also feeling the impact of Muni's scramble for revenue.

“I constantly get ticketed in my own neighborhood for two-hour parking or street cleaning hours,” said Leah Webb. After a series of fines, Webb is most upset about a $45 ticket for not turning her wheels in and a $103 ticket received while parked in her driveway.

“People are busy trying to work and go to school,” said Webb. “It’s ridiculous having

Mandatory local hiring to provide more jobs

to be so paranoid about the technicalities of parking your car.”

Muni drivers refused to speak at length on the matter. However, while stopped at an endof-route station, one driver, who declined to give his name, spoke briefly.

“We’re not supposed to talk about this,” the driver said. “There are cameras everywhere.” Despite his reluctance to give information, the driver said of the fare hikes, “It affects everyone. We hate it but, it’s politics.

We just drive.”

SFMTA is seeking public input about the 2010 changes and the agency's budget deficit.

For more information or to comment on SFMTA changes, go to sfmta.com E-mail pmarie@theguardsman.com

By Fleur Bailey THE GUARDSMAN

JOSEPH PHILLIPS / THE GUARDSMAN

Passengers ride Muni 3 line that runs from the Richmond to downtown.

The Differences between Muni Passes Monthly Adult Premium Pass “A” Pass Price: $70.00 What it offers: The “A” pass allows riders to ride on both Muni and BART in San Francisco each month.

Monthly Adult Muni Pass “M” Pass Price: $60.00 What it offers: The “M” pass allows riders to ride Muni only and does not include BART rides.

Chinatown residents’ patience thin

Other board business Approval of tenured positions

TRUSTEES: From the front page

completed in 2011, trustee Chris Jackson said.

“I was getting phone calls from Chinese newspapers and community leaders who were alarmed that there was this delay ... and in their imaginations, this project was not going to be fulfilled,” trustee Lawrence Wong said before unanimous approval.

Groundbreaking of the Chinatown/North Beach campus site began Nov. 1, 2008, but progress on the project was halted late last summer, according to Peter Goldstein, vice chancellor of finance and administration.

Approval of these critical path contracts means construction can continue soon.

Members of the community were present at the meeting to encourage the board to approve the contracts so construction on the new campus could begin.

“The Asian-American community has been waiting for this too long,” Minh Hoa-Ta of the Asian Coalition at City College said to applause from

Twenty-nine academic employees were awarded tenure status effective fall 2010. A majority of the employees awarded tenure are from the English as second language department. Each employee went through a fouryear tenure review process, which was overseen by a committee comprised of other academic employees.

ADA Contract approved JESSICA LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

Peter Swing, director of communications and donor relations at the Asian Law Caucus proposes changing the lane name seperating the buildings of the Chinatown/North Beach campus to Fred Koramatsu lane during the Jan. 28 board of trustees meeting.

many attendees.

Gus Goldstein, president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121, also said the bid protest process was “well conducted” and there shouldn’t be any further delays in construction.

“We have been delayed, and we can no longer delay the Chinatown project on what I consider to be not something that’s mate-

rial because we’ve gone through every process we should go through,” Chancellor Don Q. Griffin said about the process for receiving bids for the Chinatown/ North Beach campus.

The next board of trustees meeting will be held on Feb. 25 at 33 Gough St. in San Francisco.

E-mail dclyde@theguardsman.com jluthi@theguardsman.com

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A $103,600 construction contract was approved, allowing GECO. Inc to finish Phase II Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades and barrier removals at the Visual Arts, Arts Extension and Horticulture Buildings on the Ocean Campus. Construction must be completed by April 1.

Trustee Elections

Trustee Milton Marks III was re-elected to his second consecutive term as board president, while trustee John Rizzo was elected to board vice president.

In an effort to lower the unemployment rate, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is taking steps to implement mandatory local hiring to provide extra jobs for city residents and strengthen the local economy.

Supervisor John Avalos requested that the city attorney draft an ordinance to amend the Local Hiring and First Source Statues at the Jan. 26 board meeting. The legislation would require local hiring on all San Franciscofunded projects.

“There is a high unemployment rate in San Francisco,” Avalos said. “We want to make sure San Franciscans get the benefit of this, especially those of low-income.”

In the request, Avalos identified some of the goals of the legislation as creating jobs for San Francisco residents, combating systemic poverty, supporting community development for the most economically challenged communities and reducing green house gas emissions from commuting.

“The ultimate goal is to ensure San Franciscans are able to access the jobs available in public infrastructure projects,” he said.

Avalos gave examples of possible projects, including developing new water systems and subways in San Francisco and building a new police command center or forensics lab.

“There is a process that we need to go through, working with community groups and city departments,” Avalos said. “We hope to have the legislation drafted by May and to have something in place by the summer.”

Oakland, Richmond and Los Angeles are three California cities that have adopted mandatory local hiring, requiring that a percentage of construction and non-construction jobs stay local, in an effort to boost the local economy.

E-mail fbailey@theguardsman.com

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Opinions&Editorials

THE GUARDSMAN

THE GUARDSMAN City College of San Francisco’s Student Newspaper

Editor in Chief Alex Emslie

News Editors

Proposed cuts will diminish opportunities

Don Clyde Greg Zeman

By William Chamberlin

Opinions & Editorials Editor

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a $10 million cut from the Extended Opportunities Programs and Services budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year, leaving those in need with even fewer resources. During a time when everyone is looking for help and the needy are worse off than usual, slashing the funding for EOPS is like taking crutches away from a one-legged man.

The EOPS program is aimed at individuals affected by varied circumstances. Those new to the country, single parents with low incomes, people dealing with legal trouble, and individuals of low educational levels may all benefit from EOPS services.

The 2009-10 EOPS allocation was an estimated $70 million.

While that may sound like a lot of money, it was stretched between 111 California community colleges, including some of the largest in the nation. Los Angeles alone has seven community college campuses with EOPS programs, whose allocations last year added

Matt Gomez

Cultures & Trends Editor Jen Houghton

Sports Editor Aaron Turner

Sports Consultant Bontã Hill

Features Editor Fleur Bailey

Calendar Editor Hannah Weiner

Online Editor Jessica Luthi

Photo Editor

Ramsey El-Qare

Assistant Photo Editor Chloe Ashcraft

Chief Copy Editor Angela Penny

Copy Editors

Don Clyde Alex Emslie Jen Houghton Liska Koenig Atticus Morris

Production Editor Jessica Luthi

Online Staff Alex Luthi Lisa Wong

Staff Writers

Tania Cervantes William Chamberlin Dominick Delgadillo Estela Fuentes Bontã Hill Liska Koenig Solomon Ladvienka Pheonix Marie Atticus Morris Claudio Ribeiro Carlos Silva Hannah Weiner

Photographers Chloe Ashcraft Pheonix Marie Joseph Phillips Robert Romano Lilly Vranova Production Staff Hannah Weiner

Graphic Designer Jessica Luthi

Advertising Manager Jessica Luthi

Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales

California Newspaper Publisher’s Association Journalism Association of Community Colleges To advertise in our newspaper please contact our Advertising Manager Jessica Luthi at advertising@theguardsman.com

How to contact us: Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Phone: (415) 239-3446 Fax: (415) 239-3884 E-mail: email@theguardsman.com Online: www.theguardsman.com

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

up to just under $6.5 million.

EOPS provides counselors, tutors, child care programs, extra computer labs, assistance for academic planning and assistance buying books.

“It would be devastating,” City College EOPS Director Alvin Jenkins said. “We are not going to let it happen.”

There is no way to look past the obvious truth that almost everyone is in a bad way right now. From faculty to students, everyone is being affected by these harsh economic times. Over 350 classes were dropped from the spring 2010 semester and 2010 summer school is canceled.

Few are unaffected.

City College itself is home to an excess of 100,000 credit and noncredit students, making the school one of the largest colleges in the United States. The City College EOPS budget was less than $1.1 million last year, which resulted in many students being turned away from receiving much-needed help.

“EOPS has allowed me to focus on my classes rather than worrying about the cost of books,

which would prevent me from even attempting my academic goals,” said City College student Dave Holly, an EOPS success story majoring in education. He currently holds a 3.91 GPA. These budget cuts debilitate the opportunities for those just trying get above water.

In the latest budget proposal, which was released on Jan. 8, the governor called California’s economic state a “fiscal emergency.” The EOPS hit was not even given proper respect in the barrage of budget cuts.

“I don’t know how we could continue to exist and still meet our mission,” Jenkins said. “The only option we would have would be to layoff staff.”

With no quick or easy solutions in sight there needs to be a better-prioritized list of what’s on the chopping block next for California. Educational programs in this state need a safe haven. California’s world renowned education system needs to be protected by something like diplomatic immunity. Give the education budget asylum. With poor educational resources there is no hope

for improving one’s economic status.

“It is something I feel we can fight,” Jenkins said. “We can develop a strategy to do something about this.”

With many other programs going to be hit statewide, inside and outside the education bracket, now is the time to hold ground.

Education programs should come first. Get the budget deficit off the backs of the students, or they won’t be the ones in the future, better armed with education, to help the state’s “fiscal emergency” become a thing of the past.

Cutting the EOPS budget and reducing the program to a shell of what it once was sends a strong message from the Governor.

Whether he is not concerned with helping those who are struggling already or he just has no idea about the impact of his educational budget cuts, there needs to be an awakening of consciousness in the funding of our student support services.

E-mail: wchamberlin@theguardsman.com

Commercial internet — epic fail for Web equality

By Tania Cervantes THE GUARDSMAN

Unlike print, television or radio, the Internet has remained quite open, giving small companies the opportunity to grow and allowing users to have full control over most Web site access. It is the media outlet that allows people to obtain information at any given time, and it makes them ultimate decisionmakers.

Network neutrality is important for the preservation of an open and accessible Internet. It is the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally. It means that no matter what the content, all Web sites will load at the subscribed rate.

According to the Internet Policy Statement by the Federal Communications Commission, in order to preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the Internet, consumers are entitled to run applications and access the lawful content of their choice.

Consumers are also entitled to competition of network and content providers.

Companies like Comcast, AT&T, Time Warner and Verizon, which provide internet services, are opponents of network neutrality. They explicitly oppose proposals to regulate the ability to speed up certain Web sites and slow down others.

Without network neutrality, Internet Service Providers could charge content providers for Internet channel usage. If a Web site like Google wanted to ensure that its content loaded at a high speed it would have to pay a fee.

This would mean that relatively new Web sites might find it challenging to compete with those already established, and such a practice would fail to meet the FCC Internet policy of entitled content competition.

Non-profit organizations may find it difficult to pay for bandwidth, as prospective donators might look elsewhere if they

knew a portion of their money was being used to fund the download speed of the Web site.

Net neutrality has allowed the internet to become what it is today. For a monthly payment to an ISP, users get access to any Web site with the exception of those that require subscriptions, and all content loads at the same speed. Without network neutrality the internet may turn into something like cable television.

ISPs could offer Web site packages, only allowing access to a list of pre-approved sites, while the other billions of Web sites are either included in special bundles for an extra fee or just ignored.

Students would be affected as their research and studying would be severely impacted if the internet were no longer easily accessible.

Overall, the educational value of the Internet would drop as educational Web sites may not have the funding to pay ISPs for larger bandwidth and many are

not backed by big corporations.

In turn, such Web sites may even charge subscription fees that students may not be able to afford thus restricting access from home and forcing them to study in libraries.

Opponents of network neutrality argue Web site discrimination will actually benefit the customer by providing higher quality content. In reality, Web sites given more bandwidth would not be chosen because of better content but rather because they paid more money. Net neutrality has been in place since the beginning of the Internet, and it is because of it that innovation has flourished and information is now widely spread and easily accessible.

The Internet is a primary source of information for people all around the world. For the internet to remain open and accessible, network neutrality must be defended.

E-mail: tcervantes@theguardsman.com

Opinions&Editorials

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

Editorial

Corporations just bought your vote The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Jan. 21 to allow corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money to develop their own political campaign materials. The decision in the case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, does not influence laws that prohibit direct contributions to federal election campaigns.

But if a rich and powerful organization willingly becomes the public relations arm of a candidacy, that distinction may very well disappear, as Supreme Court Judge John Stevens claimed in his dissenting opinion.

The court’s conservative wing hailed the decision as a victory defending First Amendment rights for corporations. Celebrated American author and journalist Ambrose Bierce defined the corporation as “an ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.”

Since the ruling, there has been an outpouring of heated debate on the case. President

Barack Obama voiced his disapproval of the ruling during his State of the Union address on Jan. 27.

“Last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the flood gates for special interests,” he said. Supreme Court Judge Samuel Alito could be seen shaking his head in disagreement.

At a time when national elections are more often decided by clever advertising than substantive debate, allowing organizations with near-limitless funds to peddle influence shifts what little power remained in the voter’s hands to corporate boards and labor unions.

Freedom of speech has never been absolute in the United States. Light-handed restrictions are necessary to protect all of the other rights afforded by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

People must constantly weigh their love of liberty against the rights of others and the good of the whole. As an informed public, U.S. citizens are very capable

of balancing these individual responsibilities, but corporations and unions are not.

Both types of organizations have goals very different from that of the people, and neither, as Bierce so eloquently stated over 100 years ago, burdens itself with loyalty to this country or its citizens.

So far, the sky is not falling, but the ruling brings an issue to the forefront that should always be on the minds of U.S. citizens: Are we a republic that holds the principles of democracy above the cold whims of our economic system, or are we absolute capitalists with little regard for individual freedom?

If we are the former, then special cynicism must be applied to advertisements during upcoming elections, because a campaign ad is only as powerful as the number of voters who choose to blindly believe it.

E-mail: email@theguardsman.com

Letters To The Editor

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The Guardsman reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity and content. Most letters should be less than 200

words, although longer letters are sometimes printed. All letters are available at www. theguardsman.com

50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Bungalow 214, Ocean Campus

Send Letters to: e-mail@theguardsman.com

Call for more info: (415) 239-2446

U.S. tax dollars have historically gone to Haiti Editors note: This letter is in response to an article published in the Jan. 27 issue of The Guardsman titled “Aid to Haiti revives unity in Americans” by William Chamberlin.

Editor, I found the article to be quite one-sided. I’d like to take the time to look at the issue factually.

The article made the ridiculous claim that Obama is giving Haitians food and water, while former presidents Bush Sr. and Clinton denied them aid and refuge in the US because they are poor. What the article doesn’t say, is the United States has been contributing millions of dollars to Haiti every year for many years. In fact, last year we gave them more than $260 million dollars, accounting for 40 percent of Haiti’s national budget.

The claim that Obama is somehow treading new ground in providing aid to Haiti is patently false.

Additionally, the idea that we would somehow withhold aid to a people because they are poor is ridiculous. Bush Jr. alone contributed over $40 Billion to African nations during his two terms as president.

The article goes on to compare the response time of the Haiti earthquake response, led by Obama, to the response time of the Bush administration after

the Katrina disaster. Large amounts of aid arrived Sept. 2 with 58,000 National Guard troops and $69 Billion dollars in relief funds. It took approximately 3 days in that case to get aid to the masses. Looking at the numbers, I don’t see Obama doing any better then Bush did in terms of response time and aid available.

The final point the article missed was when it tried to miss-characterize statements made by radio host Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh stated, “We’ve already donated to Haiti. It’s called the U.S. income tax.” This somehow offended some, but again, a review of the facts will show Limbaugh has a point.

As I already said, $260 million dollars of OUR money goes to Haiti every year. The total contribution by the US to the Haiti relief effort now totals $400 million and counting, including the $100 million Obama promised in cash and all the food, tents, etc. going to the survivors. This amounts to $1.25 per person of our money going to the country.

It’s wonderful to make donations to charitable organizations if you wish, but regardless, all of us are contributing in our tax dollars.

Noah Moore City College student

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate President Obama after his first year in office?

Florent Bee, 22 Biology Major “I would rate him five because so far I haven’t seen anything that would make me give him a better number.”

Amanda Rittenhouse, 49 Women’s Health Instructor “I’d put him at about an eight right now. I think the fact that he’s challenging the divisiveness of the Republicans and the Democrats is making a big difference, so it’s getting better.”

Anthony Henderson, 20

Undeclared “Probably an eight: Everything about his campaign screams, ‘right idea, wrong time.’

He’s young. I don’t question that he’s very good at what he does, but I think if he had more experience, he could do better.”

Michael Knight, 22 Audio Science Major “Probably a seven: His agenda seems very sincere. I do believe he rushed into it. I think that people expected to see results immediately, but the reality is that, for what he’s trying to do, you can’t really get results just like that.”

Patricia Melodia, 46 Electrocardiogram Technician Major “A four: I don’t think he’s done anything.

He’s getting credit, and he hasn’t accomplished anything. I didn’t like him as a candidate.”

Rabiah Harrison, 30 Mechanical Engineering Major “I will give him a seven. For one thing, it’s only been a year. The health care thing is a fiasco. I think he needs to put his foot down a little more and stop pandering to the G.O.P. I want him to be more like the Obama he was when he campaigned.”

Samira Ali, 47 Electrocardiogram Technician Major “Probably seven: The country’s in a mess.

However, there are things he promised knowing that, like universal health coverage. But he’s hesitating and taking his time on it. But when I say seven, he’s helping out — like by creating jobs.”

By Dominick Delgadillo Photos by Lilly Vranova

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Features

THE GUARDSMAN

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

César Chávez Elementary School students paint their ceramic creations during an afterschool session of the Mission Science Workshop on Jan. 19. Hands-on classes at the workshop expose Misson district students to a level of learning unavailable in most classrooms.

Science workshop brings wonder to Mission students and families

By Alex Emslie and Fleur Bailey THE GUARDSMAN

What began nearly 20 years ago as a City College engineering technician tinkering in his garage to try and understand some of the basic science behind his job, has evolved into a workshop of wonder for students of Mission district schools.

“It’s not about me lecturing. They don’t want that,” said Dan Sudran, founder of The Mission Science Workshop. “They want to do stuff and learn by doing stuff.”

The workshop has a focus on hands-on experimentation. Aside from bringing physics, biology, earth science and chemistry to life, the workshop teaches students mechanical skills, such as how to build a table.

“For kids in the Mission, the Exploratorium might as well be on Mars,” said Will Maynez, City College’s physics department lab manager, who helped Sudran collect equipment for the workshop.

Elementary school student Kimberly Hernandez has been attending the Mission Science Workshop for two years. She said she likes biology the best.

“One cool thing is that sometimes you can touch the snakes and parts of the body, like on the skeletons of animals,” she sai-d.

The workshop boasts an elastic curriculum to accommodate teachers from all the schools it serves.

“It’s a little bit like a restaurant,” Sudran said.

“They say, ‘I wanna order some of this for my class,’ except it’s a curriculum.”

He then negotiates with teachers to try to give them what they want with what the workshop has to offer.

“The main objective of the science workshop is to get kids excited about science, to see their curiosity, to give them a chance to explore new things and

experiment,” Sudran said.

The workshop primarily serves schools in the Mission district, but Sudran said they try to accommodate schools from other parts of the city. It has grown from a modest beginning to teaching 3,000 students per year. It also teaches teachers through professional development courses run by Sudran.

“It’s so awesome, so amazing, so rewarding,” said Michelle Evans, a City College student employed at the workshop through the child development department. “For me, it’s not a job. It makes me feel good to help the community.”

Schools Served: High School

Mission High School

Middle School

Horace Mann Middle School

Elementary Schools

Monroe Marshall César Chávez Leonard Flynn Sherman Harvey Milk McKinley Mission Education Center Moscone Bryant Daniel Webster Sanchez Paul Revere E-mail: aemslie@theguardsman.com fbailey@theguardsman.com

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

10-year-old, home-school student Devin V. tins a wire at the Mission Science Workshop on Jan. 21

News

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

THE GUARDSMAN

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Fewer classes, high enrollment burdens college CUTS: From the front page

40

37,794

(in thousands)

Number Students

enroll in English 1C and added that about 150 students were not allowed to enroll in the class.

Shields was told by the office of academic affairs that the college simply did not have the money to open new sections.

“There are more students sitting in the hallways than sitting in the classrooms,” he said. “It hurts to turn away students who need classes.”

Credit-class enrollment was already up to 35,901 students as of Feb. 2, according to the department of admissions and records. The enrollment figures are expected to rise as students continue to add courses before the final add date on Feb. 5. Fall 2009 credit enrollment was tallied at 36,499.

The California State University system closed nearly all new admissions for its spring 2010 term, forcing many prospective CSU transfers to remain at City College. Cuts in the CSUs and UCs are also driving students to more accessible community colleges.

“Every time a student can’t get into a UC or state school, they come here,” said Alioto.

“It’s hard to keep our doors open when California no longer makes education a priority.”

35

City College Credit Student Enrollment

35,901

35,792

An overview of how City College’s spring enrollment has changed over the last 12 years.

34,989 34,589 33,821 32,493

33,409

32,498

30,614

30

199

8

30,740 30,365

30,326

199

9

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

Spring Semesters

20

10

Source: City College of San Francisco’s Office of research, planning and grants and Office of Admissions.

GRAPHIC BY JESSICIA LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

High unemployment rates are also driving students to City College. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site indicates 12.4 percent of Californians are out of work.

“The major issue is the econ-

omy,” Alioto said. “When the economy goes bad, enrollment goes up. It’s a cyclical thing.”

She said if people can’t find jobs they go back to school to learn more skills, or simply attend to get financial aid in order to

make ends meet.

Laura Henry, a fourth semester undeclared student who may want to study Italian, said she could not enroll in several classes.

“I was trying to get into a bio 11 class, an English 1A class and

math 860 and I didn’t get into any of those,” Henry said. “I want to get some GE done and I can’t.”

E-mail: dclyde@theguardsman.com hweiner@theguardsman.com

Joint Use Facility move-in delayed but opening still slated for fall 2010

By Jessica Luthi THE GUARDSMAN

The City College Joint Use Facility is scheduled to open on time even though the original move-in date set for mid-July is now slated for August.

“The project is a little behind schedule,” David Liggett, director of facilities planning, said. “But we are still on time for the opening in the fall.”

Despite the delay, the project is still within its $64.69 million budget, and there have been no problems with the construction of the building, Liggett said.

The Joint Use Facility will provide additional classroom and lab space. “The Joint Use Facility will house programs that are jointly run with San Francisco State,” said Lawrence Klein, dean of behavioral and social sciences at City College.

Some of the programs include

childhood development, teacher preparation and health education.

Construction of the Joint Use Facility began in fall 2008 after the Balboa Reservoir land exchange was approved by the board of trustees on Nov. 20, 2008. The land exchange allowed the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and City College to change how the Balboa Reservoir was divided among both parties, giving City College ownership of the southern half while the SFPUC became owners of the northern half adjacent to Archbishop Riordan High School. The facility is a part of City College’s Master Plan, a 10- to 15-year guide for construction projects at City College. The Master Plan also included the construction of the Student Health Center, the Community Health and Wellness Center and renovation and construction of the Mission campus.

The Joint Use Facility will use

geothermal wells to provide a more energy-efficient heating and cooling system, which will reduce energy consumption and help the building become a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified building.

“We are currently applying with the USGBC, the U.S. Green Building Council, for a LEED certification, which will be determined after the completion of the building,” Liggett said.

He added the Joint Use Facility is on par with being a LEED Gold Standard building, exceeding San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s stringent green building ordinance that was passed in 2008. The ordinance requires all new construction or buildings receiving significant upgrades in the City and County of San Francisco to be at least LEED Silver Certified.

E-mail: jluthi@theguardsman.com

ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

Project Engineer Nick Rossi explains the LEED certified roofs, which will be the future home for rooftop gardens that will display native plants.

10 |

Sports

THE GUARDSMAN

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

Tennis team sets high expectations

By Carlos Silva THE GUARDSMAN

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

Rams head coach Doug Owyang (center) addresses his track team during practice as sophomore Trevor Rodgers looks on.

New era begins for track & field

By Sol Ladvienka CONTRIBUTING WRITER

With the 2010 City College track and field season right around the corner, the Rams are looking to continue their path up towards conference superiority.

After finishing third in Northern California and among the top ten in the state last season, Head Coach Doug Owyang feels that his young runners have it in them to make some noise in the Coast Conference.

Owyang, now in his 18th season at City College, expressed a lot of confidence in his squad, despite the fact all but two of his runners are first year freshmen.

“Though we have a small team this season, we have a lot of talent,” said Owyang, who cited sophomore runners Trevor Rodgers, Lydia Offord, and freshman Carlos Proctor as his expected top performers.

“As for state, I have high expectations of not finishing third, but to win it all this season,” he said.

Trevor Rodgers, a second year runner, says he feels like a leader of this team. Being the only returning sprinter from last season, he feels his contribution to the team will show through his leadership.

“I feel that being a leader, you need to push the younger guys, to get their speed up, and if they’re up there by me, then maybe they’ll beat me,” said Rodgers.

Last season, all City College sprinters made it to the state

finals, while Rodgers placed 6th in the 100-meter and 7th in the long jump. His goal this year is to breeze past both the Coast and NorCal conferences, and focus on winning the state championship. A 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter and a long jump specialist, Rodgers has already received athletic scholarship offers from Cal State Fullerton, UC San Diego and University of Texas, among others.

On the women’s side, sophomore Lydia Offord, a third year runner, is also ready for the upcoming season. After having to red shirt last season, Offord is eager to be back on the track.

Though she was not able to compete in 2009, Offord was still able to train off the field, and believes she hasn’t missed a step.

“I feel like I got faster, but I’m still working on my speed and arm action as well as my form,” said Offord.

Offord, who specializes in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays, feels that this is her year to shine.

Though she has not yet received any Division I scholarship offers, she believes her key to success is making a name on the track, being a leader and beating faster schools.

This season, coach Owyang will be assisted by coaches Marc Dyer, Greg Bianchi, and Sean Laughlin. The team opens their season Feb. 12 at San Jose City College in the Coast Preview.

E-mail: sladvienka@theguardsman.com

The City College women’s tennis team, led by new head coach Kelly Hickey, is looking to improve from 2009, when they finished second in the Coast Conference and 10th in the state.

Hickey, who assisted her twin sister Lauren as an assistant coach for the past three years, will now be coaching solo.

“I could not be more excited about it. Our team has been practicing a lot and we are expecting good things to happen this season,” Hickey said.

The team’s chemistry is what Hickey hopes will be one of its biggest assets.

“My goal here is to create a positive environment for everyone,” Hickey said. “It’s always fun when you come to play in a place where you can feel harmony and friendship. That’s what I want with my girls here.”

Sophomore Tiffany Lam, who finished among the top 50 in the state last season, is

expected to be the number one singles player for the Rams this year.

“I spent my break practicing every single day to improve my game,” Lam said. “I know I can do a lot better this season. All I need is to maintain focus in my matches, and I know I can win.”

Along with Lam, fellow sophomore Masha Mayevskaya heads the experienced JOSEPH PHILLIPS / THE GUARDSMAN squad. Mayevskaya (R - L) Head coach Kelly Hickey instructs also acknowledged that her team as sophomore Leeza Sergeva she has room to improve and freshman Felecia Helms listen at practice on Feb. 5. over the season.

“I need to learn from my mistakes from last said.

The Rams, who have a season,” Mayevskaya said. “If total of seven sophomores this I can stay consistent all year, season, hope to make a run at my game should continue to get both the conference and NorCal better.” titles.

Both Lam and Mayevskaya Rain has forced the season are expected to be leaned on debut to be pushed to Feb. throughout the season to set an 16, when the Rams travel to example for the team.

Mission College in Santa Clara.

“I plan on using their experience from last season to push E-mail: the rest of my team,” Hickey csilva@theguardsman.com

Sports

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

Season ends before it even begins for City College softball

By Bontã Hill THE GUARDSMAN

Since City College of San Francisco Women’s Athletic Director Peg Grady stepped in six years ago, it has been a struggle for her to keep softball from canceling their season.

Unfortunately, that struggle was lost and there will be no softball team for the 2010 season due eligibility issues, a lack of efficient recruiting and not enough players.

“It’s very disappointing because we have a very successful women’s program as well as our overall athletic program,” Grady said. “A series of events fell into place that we had no control over and the decision was made to cancel the season.”

That series of unfortunate events happened this offseason. Former coach Frank Sinkavich resigned during the fall semester and first year head coach Jack McGuire suffered a serious leg injury in late November.

According to Grady, not having softball this year does not affect the athletic budget.

“My budget was already planned and allocated for softball, and it’s money that I now won’t have to spend on officials,” Grady said. “I’m still getting the team the equipment they need for practice in the next year. I’ve already contacted other schools and their athletic directors and coaches stating that we have every intention to field a team in 2011.”

In the history of City College softball, the season has been close to folding on more than one occasion. The Rams Softball program often struggled in finding enough players to fill a diamond. This season, fielding even nine players would have been a stretch. The team had no incoming freshman on the roster.

However, the future still looks bright for the program, and players will not lose a year of eligibility and have the option to come back and start a new era of Rams softball.

The team will participate in a 10-game fall league for the first time in school history.

McGuire said he is “feeling well” and looks forward to having a full off-season and an opportunity to recruit players out of high school.

“Between injuries, a couple of players not being eligible, and the fact that there were no incoming freshman recruited — you put all three components together and that causes the season not to be played,” McGuire said.

Although the feeling of disappointment lingers among those associated with the program, the team is still going strong, practicing as though they had a game next week.

The softball team, along with the baseball team, gets to practice in a new state-of the-art softball facility on campus.

With that available, Grady has hope that the program can thrive and be competitive on a consistent basis.

“We’ve got a great practice field, Fairmont Field in Pacifica, and we haven’t had access to that in the past,” Grady said. “That is a must for recruiting, and I encourage the athletes and softball team to come out and play. We have a new coach, a new field, and we really want to get this program up and running.”

E-mail: bhill@theguardsman.com

THE GUARDSMAN

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Men top Chabot with 65-58 victory

By Aaron Turner THE GUARDSMAN

Looking to keep pace in a tight Coast Conference race, the Rams were able to once again defeat league rival Chabot College 65-58 on Feb. 5, this time within the familiar confines of the Wellness Center.

Sophomore guard Bennie Rhodes led the Rams with 18 points, while sophomore forwards Chris White and Da’Ron Sims contributed with 16 and 13 points apiece. The win improves their record to 21-3 overall and 6-2 in conference, moving them into a tie for second place with Foothill College.

“Our focus tonight was basically defense,” said Chris White following the game. Defense, however, was not an easy task, as White and company were forced to go up against seven-foot Chabot center Kyle Luckett, who would finish with 13 points on the night. The Gladiators were also fueled by guard Derrick Bruce, who led all scorers with 33 points on the night.

The effort would be for naught however, and the Rams were able to jump out in front early in the second half, after going into halftime up only 27-26.

An early second half run led by key buckets from Rhodes and White would allow the Rams to hold off pesky Chabot the rest of the game.

“We wanted to keep Luckett from abusing us like he did last game,” White said. “We still need to work on communicating more on defense.”

“They lack experience, so of course they’re going to make mistakes,” said Da’Ron Sims. “Coach Labagh told us to be the most aggressive team out there, so that’s what we did.”

Rams head coach Justin Labagh is keeping his team focused solely on the task at hand, winning the Coast Conference.

“Our goal is to just put in a good 40 minutes every night here on out,” said Labagh. “All we talked about following our loss to Ohlone in January is to forget about it. We need to beat Foothill and Ohlone at home, and the conference will be ours.”

PHOENIX MARIE / THE GUARDSMAN

Forward Chris White gets fouled on a shot attempt against Chabot on Feb. 5 at the Wellness Center.

City College will get their chance to do both when they host Foothill College tonight, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m.

Foothill won the last meeting between the teams, when they beat the Rams 72-63 back on Jan. 15.

The Rams will try to avenge their other conference loss when they host Ohlone College on Feb. 13.

E-mail: aturner@theguardsman.com

Rams’ defense stifles Gladiators

By Bontã Hill THE GUARDSMAN

The City College women’s basketball team held the Chabot Gladiators to 18 second-half points en route to a 69-48 victory on Feb. 5 at the Wellness Center.

The top-ranked team in Northern California remain undefeated in the Coast Conference play, moving to 7-0 and 22-3 overall.

Rams sophomore guard Marlee Rice set the tone early with her scrappy play, grabbing two steals and scoring eight points as City College opened the game on a 15-4 run.

Chabot fought back from the early deficit as Gladiator guard Monica Garcia heated up, hitting three three-pointers and led her team into halftime with the lead, 30-29.

“In the first half we weren’t making a lot of shots, nor rebound-

ing, which kills our momentum,” Rice said. “Our inability to rebound gave them a lot of second-chance opportunities.”

The second half proved to be another story as the Rams defensive pressure proved to be too much for the Gladiators. City College ended the game on a 23-8 run to drop Chabot four games out of first place.

“There was no panic at halftime.

Coach Hayes just said we need to dominate on the boards and we’ll pull out this game,” Rice said. “In the second half, we shot better, we were hitting our three’s, and passing better.”

Freshman forward Shawnte Taylor, who said she is still not onehundred percent recovered from her stress fracture in her right foot, said the main emphasis in practice has been on, “defense, defense, defense.”

“Coach Hayes has been working us hard in practice, basically work-

ing on our defense the majority of it,” Taylor said. “We just have to find it within us to start strong and finish strong.”

Up next for the Rams is their arch rival Foothill College, who will be looking for payback after losing the first game between the teams, back on Jan. 15, 64-59.

The Owls, who are just 11-13 overall but 5-2 in conference play, visit the Wellness Center Feb. 10, at 5:30 p.m. as they look to hand the Rams their first conference loss and pull within one game of the first place Rams.

The Rams now have control of the Coast Conference and are closer to claiming their first conference championship since 2006-2007 Rice and Taylor know that to reach that goal, their team must remain focused on defense.

E-mail: bhill@theguardsman.com

12 |

Sports

THE GUARDSMAN

Notice that the Cooler logo is different. Last issue, I predicted the Colts would win the Super Bowl, and I was wrong. The picture is a throwback to a famous photo of Harry Truman holding an issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune after they printed that he lost the 1948 presidential election.

Truman actually defeated Dewey by 303-189 electoral votes.

If you don’t know by now, the New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl by outlasting the Indianapolis Colts 31-17.

The Saints made me look clueless as I boldly picked the Colts to win by two touchdowns.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees won the game’s MVP award by tying a Super Bowl record with 32 completions.

Although I’m wearing egg on my face for picking the loser, I feel good for New Orleans to finally have the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

For the third year in a row, the big game provided some dramatic moments and forced a couple of oohh’s and ahhh’s out of the boys.

The first half was very ho-humish. It put my roommate to sleep — shocker — and every time Saints running back Reggie Bush made a play, there was a question thrown out asking, “Who would marry Kim Kardashian?”

The selection by the NFL to have The Who perform at halftime was sketchy. Having a spread that included spaghetti, fried chicken and lumpia made the intermission pass quickly.

I really didn’t pay attention to the commercials this year since I was busy multi-tasking, typing up this piece with my right hand, a piece of chicken in my left and my eyes glued to the 50 inch screen.

All in all, it was a good finale to an unpredictable and wild season. Hopefully, a vision of red and gold will be spotted at next year’s extravaganza.

Idiot of the Week It was tough this issue looking for a dumb act, but that may be due to the sports world taking a break and focusing on Super Bowl XLIV. Low and behold, the water man found one.

Cooler drinkers, meet USC head coach Lane Kiffin.

Here’s a quick brief on Mr. Kiffin: Hired as Oakland Raiders head coach before the 2007 season and fired in the middle of the 2008 season over the phone by Raiders owner Uncle Davis (do some research on that, trust me.)

Then, hired by the University of Tennessee before the 2009 season, he abruptly left right before high school players were making decisions on where to go college and became USC head coach when former coach Pete Carroll left for the riches of the NFL. Now, I’d need a whole other column to explain how dishonest Kiffin has been, how he turned his back on a university that gave him a shot to coach on college football’s highest platform.

All that doesn’t quite make him an idiot, but this does: He’s offered a full-ride scholarship to a seventh-grade quarterback from Delaware named David Sills.

Let’s just pause for a minute and think about that. Still scratching your head? Due to word counts and space limitations (yes, we still do have word counts at The Guardsman, go figure), I can’t even begin to explain the lunacy in this. Check out the NCAA football section on Yahoo sports for the full story.

Kiffin has quickly become a regular at providing blunt statements, and pot shots at his competitors and is a man you cannot trust.

However, his resumé is impressive enough to earn enshrinement into the Idiot Hall of Fame.

Misc.

There is a real possibility that the NFL could be in for a work stoppage if they can’t agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. Let’s hope greed and big egos don’t pave the way for this to happen.

Signing bonuses and multimillion dollar contracts for rookies are some things that will be discussed. Way too much money is given out to these high draft choices, and it’s all based on potential.

Rework the rookie scale and save the big money contracts for the players who actually proved something on the field.

E-mail: bhill@theguardsman.com

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

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FEBRUARY 10, 2010

Culture&Trends

THE GUARDSMAN

| 13

Five out of five for drag brunch at Harry Denton’s Starlight Room

There are plenty of hotels in the Bay Area and I’ve been known to eat, drink and sleep it off in the best and worst of them.

I’ve found some hidden gems in a few as well as some rocks to avoid. All this entertainment is available to hotel guests and visitors alike and you don’t have to be an obnoxious out-of-towner to enjoy it.

Top booking The Sunday’s A Drag brunch and variety show is the costume ruby inside the exquisitely gaudy jewel-box that is Harry Denton’s Starlight Room. The lavishly decorated penthouse-level lounge literally towers above the city at the top of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 21 floors above the street below.

What’ll it cost, man?

If you stick to the juice and coffee that comes with the brunch your cost shouldn’t

exceed $45, but if you want to have as much fun as I did you’ll need to bring some friends and some extra cash. While you don’t have to be 21 to attend the show, the bar is definitely fully stocked, it is definitely available throughout the show and, no, it is definitely not cheap.

The brunch itself is surprisingly good — I’m always surprised when something is good — and is available for about an hour before the show and 30 minutes into it. Sure, they’ll carve prime rib for you, but I was sold as soon as I saw lox and capers.

But enough about the food, you came to see drag queens; and you will.

The host of the show was Hollatta Tymes — get it? — a broad-shouldered redhead who, in her own words, is “pretty if you have Vaseline on your contacts and you squint.” She was the only one who didn’t just lip-sync but truly sang, and baritone at that.

“It’s just like any job,” Tymes said after the show, “It has its ups and downs. It’s just a different uniform. Granted, the uniforms are fabulous.”

Tymes delighted the audience with witty, Jager-fueled banter, dozens of lightning-quick costume changes and her spoton impersonation of Reba McEntire.

“The uniforms are fabulous” There are two kinds of drag queen: the scary-gym-teacher-in-a-tutu dress/J. Edgar Hoover kind and the kind that looks like something you’d draw in prison to trade for smokes.

At Sunday’s A Drag you’ll see both of these and more including “the oldest female impersonator alive in captivity,” Gina Lotavina; the impossibly proportioned Cassandra Cass, who looks like a transgender Disney princess; and Beyonce was there too.

She told me she really was Beyonce and after watching her do the “Single Ladies” dance, I believe her.

Verdict

JEN HOUGHTON / THE GUARDSMAN

Reporter Greg Zeman with Sunday’s A Drag hostess Hollatta Tymes on Jan. 31.

Brass Tacks

The appeal of getting sauced and watching grown men play dress-up like little girls is sort of like the appeal of just getting sauced: if it has to be explained, you probably won’t enjoy it.

E-mail: gzeman@theguardsman.com

Where: Sir Francis Drake Hotel, Harry Denton’s Starlight Room (21st floor) 450 Powell St. San Francisco, CA, 94102 When: Sundays, 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m.

Cost: •$45 per person (18+) •Full bar available during show (21+) •Valet parking $12 w/receipt from show

The Rent Party spins 20s swing dances at Mission club

By William Chamberlin THE GUARDSMAN

The Mission district swing dance event, the Rent Party, sets the pace to party like it’s 1929. Co-organized by Dave Madison and former City College student Kyle Barbour, this weekly event provides a Lindy Hop and blues-themed dance party for experienced dancers and amateurs alike.

The Rent Party is held every Saturday night at the Oberlin Dance Collective dance studio and has been drawing, at times, more than 100 dancers every weekend since it began in September 2009. In addition to the Rent Party, the dance studio, which has been in operation in the mission for 37 years, hosts a wide array of activities including theater, dance company and school events.

Barbour and Madison want to help dancers “take dance to where they never knew they could take it.” The two promoters have gotten many ideas from the Thursday night swing club the 9:20 Special, San Francisco’s longest running swing dance club.

“We really want to see the Lindy Hop scene thrive,” Barbour said.

The Lindy Hop dance style formed in the mid twenties in Harlem behind the then massively popular Charleston and is more

JOSEPH PHILLIPS / THE GUARDSMAN

Lindy Hop advance teacher Michael Terkowski and Claire Oldfield dance to jazz at 351 Shotwell St. on Jan. 30. The Rent Party hosts weekly sessions which consist of swing and blues dancing.

loose in form. Typically a two-person, fast-paced dance, the style has several forms depending on the skill level of the dancer. The Lindy Hop moves range from a two-step with twirling to faster-paced swing moves done by higher skilled dancers.

“Lindy Hop is the greatest expression of pure joy I think I could feel,” Barbour

said.

The music at the Rent Party is often a DJ spinning classic jazz including hits by Count Basie and Duke Ellington. They also offer a blues room for slower dancing with strictly blues music.

There is a $7 cover charge and free water is provided for the thirsty dancers.

Group participation is encouraged and

lessons are offered every Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. one hour before the dance begins at 9:30 p.m.

“The Rent Party is a good place to take lessons,” long time salsa and Lindy Hop dancer Brian Routhier said.

At a recent Rent Party on Jan. 30 the crowd numbered around 70 people ranging in age from 16 to mid 50s with most dancers in their 20s. The dress was casual T-shirts and jeans. There was a shared sense of purpose as frequent and welcome partner changes were happening with nearly everyone participating.

“It’s very comfortable, very relaxed and I get to meet a lot of people,” said City College student Maria Crispi, who has been attending the dance frequently.

There was a spirit in the evening like that of old films: a simple level of kindness, made evident by the large number of participants who left their belongings on the floors and in the hallways unattended in complete confidence, an uncommon practice for a Saturday night in San Francisco.

The Rent Party is a throw-back; a great place to get familiarized with swing and blues dancing and mix up an otherwise mundane weekend.

E-mail: wchamberlin@theguardsman.com

14 |

Culture&Trends

THE GUARDSMAN

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

‘Kustom’ computers to show at Exploratorium

By Liska Koenig THE GUARDSMAN

Computers and cars might have more in common than you think.

The Exploratorium, San Francisco’s interactive museum of science, art and human perception, will demonstrate that connection in “Rods & Mods: the Kustom Kulture of Radical Computer Modification,” a threeday event held Feb. 11 - 13.

“My boss had read Tom Wolfe’s classic book ‘KandyKolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby’ about custom car culture, and when she talked with some computer modders she realized they talk just like the people in the book,” said Craig Anderson, public programs manager at the Exploratorium.

The museum will have about thirty desktop hot rods and restored classics on display, including some borrowed for the event from the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.

The upcoming exhibit will journey into the future of technology and delve into its past.

“There will be demonstrations of the abacus, often seen as the ancient, original computer, to add historical context to the event,” Anderson said. Visitors will get the opportunity to build an

COURTESY OF BRENT HOLLAND

The Battlestar Galactica, a modified computer that will be displayed at the “Rods & Mods” exhibit on Feb. 11-13 at the Exploratorium.

abacus, which they can then keep.

Interested gamers will have the option of playing Pong, which is considered one of the first video arcade games.

The real stars though are the computers, customized by modders who will travel from as far as Southern California, Oregon and Florida to show their souped-up machines.

“This is a fun way to shed light on a niche community of tinkerers, scientists, artists and engineers,” said Alex Smith,

public relations officer for the Exploratorium. The event is already creating excitement in modder circles. Most of these enthusiasts have only met online and “Rods & Mods” is an opportunity for them to finally meet in person.

The trend of amping-up computers for optimum performance and individualized looks originated within the hacker community about twenty years ago, according to an Exploratorium press release.

Some computers have been morphed from ordinary pieces of plastic into unique pieces of art, such as the work of Nick Falzone, a furniture maker by trade. Falzone, who goes by the modder name “Green Sabbath,” uses various materials to give his cases the look of classic Asian cabinets illuminated with glowing blue lights.

Other show pieces demonstrate the need for speed, with multiple processors equipped with liquid cooling systems,

powerful enough to simultaneously run games with detailed graphics while downloading internet content.

“It gives people an advantage at gaming conventions because you can intimidate your opponents with your cool looking computer,” Anderson said.

Visitors are encouraged to bring their own laptops, cellular phones or any other small gadgets and modify them on-site with the expert help of seasoned computer tinkerers and engineers.

“For a very reasonable fee, museum visitors can get their laptops pin-striped,” Smith said.

Staff in the Exploratorium’s Playful-Inventive-Exploration department will show visitors how to make their own vinylcut designs. These designs will then be cut out by the museum’s vinyl cutter for the artist to apply to their own computers or cell phones.

“Rods & Mods” takes place Feb. 11 - 13, noon - 5 p.m. at the Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, phone 415-3975673. The event is included in the price of admission. All talks and demonstrations are free. Previous registration is not required.

E-mail: lkoenig@theguardsman.com

YouTube Review

Quirky sketch show laugh riot

By Jessica Luthi THE GUARDSMAN

"Where pixels commit suicide and cool comes to die," that's "communitychannel," or at least that's how Natalie Tran, the comedic mastermind behind the YouTube channel, describes it.

Unlike most Youtube stars, the Australian doesn't talk about the latest celebrity buzz or popular culture, but the quirks or habits of everyday people and topics that make you think.

She always starts with a simple "Hi," before jumping into her chosen topics, which can range from packing for a trip overseas to awkward social situations. Tran plays multiple characters throughout each video, which makes it entertaining to watch.

Each clip ends with "porno music/comment time," during which she reads comments left by users and provides remarks to

comments left on previous videos while cheesy 70s music plays in the background.

What makes Tran so special is the natural comedic execution in each of her videos, making the Sydney-based YouTube star the fourth most subscribed-to director of all time, right up there with Universal Studios, which is ranked number one.

One of my favorites is the measuring tape video. Tran acts out different attempts to measure a dresser, a wall space to fit an armoire, as well as using her arms to measure the length of her desk.

It's quite entertaining to watch.

I laughed so hard because I'm guilty of using my arms or hands to measure spaces instead of pulling out a measuring tape.

To add a personal touch, Tran includes photos sent in by people who have bumped into her on the street and insists that she reads all of the comments left on her

videos.

Tran has come a long way since her YouTube debut in 2006.

She now has over 200 videos with more than 550,000 subscribers and roughly 27 million channel views.

Many of her earlier videos were mediocre, but she has improved over the years. Each video is funnier than the last, making it hard to wait for the next one to be posted.

Be sure to check out some of my faves: "F#ck Measuring Tape," "Oh...with a name like that," and "You Didn't Stay Goodbye."

"Communitychannel" may be "where pixels commit suicide and cool comes to die" but Tran's videos are funny and worth every second spent watching them.

E-mail: jluthi@theguardsman.com

Check out The Guardsman online www.theguardsman.com

Calendar

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

Calendar for February 10-23

WED

10

Men’s basketball against Foothill at City College 7:30 p.m.

WED

17

Men’s basketball against Canada at City College 7:00 p.m.

FRI

11

12

No School Men’s baseball against Hancock College at Hancock 2:00 p.m.

SAT

13

Men’s baseball against Oxnard College at Cuesta College 11:00 a.m.

SUN

THUR

18

Men’s baseball against Napa Valley at Balboa Park 2:00 p.m.

FRI

19

SAT

20

Men’s basketball Men’s baseball against Skyline against Napa at City College Valley (DH) at Napa 7:30 p.m.

11:00 a.m.

Women’s basketball against Skyline at City College 5:30 p.m.

African-American Economics and Business presentation and talk Track Santa at Ocean campus Rosa meet at Rosenberg Library Santa Rosa Junior 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 College p.m.

Women’s tennis John Adams campus against Monroom 129 terey at MPC 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

MON

14

Stand up comedy with Will Durst at the Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko 222 Mason St. at O’Farrell St. San Francisco, Ca Ticket info: http:// www.therrazzroom. com/ 21+ 8:00 p.m.

SUN Cycling tour of select City College campuses at Ocean Campus RSVP by Feb. 18 (415) 585-2121 9:00 a.m.

16

Call for submissions of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Art and Visual Art. Deadline Monday, March 1.

Simply e-mail your submission to: citylitjournal@gmail.com as an attachment and we’ll do the rest. be sure to label the submission with genere (poetry, fiction, etc.) and use a document type that is easy for most people to people to open (word preferred) and artwork by jpeg or other picture attachment.

Classified Ads

TUES

22

Monday Night Marsh at The Marsh 1062 Valencia St. San Francisco, CA $7 7:30 p.m.

Forum City College’s Premier Literary Magazine!

Women’s tennis against Mission at Mission 2:00 p.m.

MON

21

23

50 cents per word. $5 minimum for commercial advertisers. City College students, staff and faculty qualify for one free classified per semester. Multiple ads not accepted. Must show current student ID. Commercial ads not accepted from students. Acceptance of ads at the discretion of The Guardsman.

Women’s tennis against Chabot at City College 2:00 p.m.

IHOP’s National Free Pancake Day Celebration 2010 at IHOP Restaurant 2299 Lombard Street San Francisco, CA Free 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

college o t t un o c is d a rs e f f o GM ds? students and recent g ra No way. WAY.

| 2010 Chevy

Article Submissions To submit tips on stories contact: Editor in Chief (415) 239-3446 Fax: (415) 239-3884 editor@theguardsman.com

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| 15

Classifieds

TUES

15

Valentine’s Day No School

Presentation Proposals being accepted for May Men’s baseball 1, 2010 Honors Reagainst Cuesta search Symposium Women’s basCollege at Cuesta at UC Berkeley. ketball against College Deadline to submit: College of San Ma- 2:00 p.m.

Feb. 14. teo at San Mateo See Omar Kudsi Rosenberg 7:00 p.m.

Men’s basketball skudsi@ccsf.edu Library: Students against Ohlone or visit http://www. are invited to occupy Track Coast at Ohlone losmedanos.edu/ the library from 5:30 Preview meet at 3:00 p.m. honors/research/ for to 8:45 p.m. to protest San Jose Commumore information. reduced library hours. nity College Bring study materials.

Indiefest at the Roxie Cinema 3117 16th St. San Francisco, Ca Feb. 4 - 18 $9.99 info@sfindie.com

Community Events

Campus Events

THUR

Rods & Mods: 3601 Lyon St. San Francisco, CA Feb 11 - 13 Adult $15 Student $12 Women’s basket12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ball against Footwww.exploratorium. hill at City College com 5:30 p.m.

Study-in at

THE GUARDSMAN

| 2010

GMC Terr ain

The marks of General Motors, its divisions, slogans, emblems, vehicle model names, vehicle body designs and other marks appearing in this advertisement are the trademarks and/or service marks of General Motors, its subsidiaries, affiliates or licensors. ©2010 General Motors. Buckle up, America!

16 |

Culture&Trends

THE GUARDSMAN

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

Melt — where double dipping is acceptable

By Jen Houghton THE GUARDSMAN

There are plenty of cook-ityourself dining options in San Francisco with countless Korean barbecue and hot pot restaurants, however, there are few places to get fondue. There are some close-calls, like the goat cheese-filled ramekin served over a votive candle at Luna Park, but they leave you feeling like you’re missing something.

Fortunately, Melt, located at 700 Columbus Ave., fills the void.

Along with the typical café fare, Melt offers four cheese fondue options and a chocolate fondue for dessert. Each fondue is a mixture of cheddar or Gruyère, a Swiss cheese, with differing alcohol bases that are heated to melt the cheese and cook off the alcohol.

After ordering the Stout Rarebit we chatted with one of the owners as he mixed the cheddar, blue cheese, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Guinness over a burner behind the counter. He explained to us that the first person to lose a piece of food in the fondue has to foot the bill.

Ca rlo s Are llan o Rockabilly Greaser Punk

Not long after the cheese hit the pan, it was ready to serve — a now creamy bubbling concoction served with sliced apples, grapes and crusty bread for dipping. The flavor of the blue cheese paired best with the green grapes.

For a two-person serving, at $30, the portions were plentiful.

Next time I’ll have to skip the salad that was included and save room for dessert fondue — or go solely for that.

For those who don’t want to settle for just one cheese, there is a sampler available during fondue happy hour every Friday at 5 p.m.

Melt prides itself on being a neighborhood café where guests can feel at home. The chalk score board hanging over a pile of board games, including backgammon and scrabble, is proof of their success.

Want a little entertainment with your cheese? Visit Melt on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. for “Fondue & Film,” when they show old and new movies on a large projector screen. They also host open mics and live jazz weekly.

E-mail: jhoughton@theguardsman.com

By Chloe Ashcraft THE GUARDSMAN

Spo rtin g a Dia de los Mue rtos T-sh irt, cust omized jack et, cuff ed jean s and Pum a high -top s, anim al scie nce majo r Carl os Arel lano rock s a fash iona ble yet casu al look . He adds flair to his outf it with a stud ded belt and patc hes from the band s NOF X and Mad Sin, whic h he has sewn onto his jack et.

Born in Nica ragu a, Arel lano lived on the East Coas t for mos t of his life and mov ed to San Fran cisc o two year s ago.

Desp ite his exte nsiv e trav el, inclu ding back pack ing thro ugh Euro pe and a thre e mon th stin t in Chin a, Arel lano cite s his love for psyc hobi lly and punk mus ic as his grea test fash ion influ ence . He draw s insp iratio n from band s like Tige r Arm y, The Shar ks and Nekr oma ntix .

The City Colle ge soph omo re work s at Chea p Thri lls on Haig ht Stre et, a reta il stor e wher e he gets mos t of his clot hes. He buys his jean s at Villia ns, also on Haig ht Stre et. “The re’s not a lot of jean s I like, so I’ll pay like $60 or $65 for jean s, whic h isn’t muc h,” Arel lano said .

It’s the sma ll touc hes that give Arel lano his dist inct styl e. It’s rare to see him with out a chai n on his jean s or a band ana in the back pock et of his pant s.

CHLOE ASHC

RAFT / TH

AN E GUARDSM

E-mail: cashcraft@theguardsman.com