Vol. 167, Issue 4 | March. 6 – March. 20, 2019 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE
UPDATES ON THE FEB. 28 BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING New budget deficit gives cause for concern By Peter J. Suter suterjpeter@gmail.com
Vice Chancellor Dianna Gonzales reported that the estimated $11 million deficit for this fiscal year has now swollen to $31 million. This gives the college little time and not many options beyond a downsize of class offerings and employee positions to present a balanced budget to the state chancellor's office on June 30. Failing to reach a balanced budget and keep within the five percent reserves could put City College in jeopardy of receiving a downgrade of the college’s bond rating and trigger a warning from its accreditors — similar to that of the 2012 “accreditation crisis.” Last semester, Chancellor Mark Rocha announced his plan to cut 400 of the college’s current 1,200 credit class offerings by the year 2025 — that number has now increased to 500, representing a 41 percent reduction. The Chancellor and board broke promises not to cut hours and hires after raising the minimum wage for student lab-aids last semester. The Guardsman will be following up on these concerns in the upcoming issue on March 20.
City College decreases amount of full-time positions offered By Claudia Drdul
2011, each with salaries ranging from $90,719.37 to $210,894.78. claudiadrdul@gmai.com AFT 2121 President Jenny The City College accreditation Worley noticed an approval of crisis had a dire effect on staffing $1,000 per month in stipends for from Fall 2011 to Fall 2017, result- one administrator. “That’s not an ing in a significant decrease in unusual practice, we’ve seen it in full-time instructors during a time the past,” she said at a board of when the college was continuously trustees meeting on Feb. 28. bogged down by the Accrediting According to Worley, depart- ing the unavailability of political of fund unavailability. Commission for Community and ment chairs and a number of science classes. She left her last This semester, Maynard Junior Colleges. faculty in the social sciences semester to take as many politi- applied for an online posting In Fall 2011, the district department have seen drastic cuts cal sciences classes as possible, regarding a job in the Continuing contained a total of 2,669 to their budgets. Asian American but realized many of the non- Students Department. “I was told employees — 42 of which were studies faced a 30 percent cut for IGETC Political Science classes that the school never balanced administrators, 748 full-time fall 2019 and a 50 percent cut in were unavailable this spring the budget for each departfaculty professors, and 898 part- LGBT studies. because only five full-time pro- ment after they increased the time faculty professors. “Because of retirement and the fessors were available. minimum wage to meet the San By Fall 2017, 500 full-time downsizing of the college, we’re International student Matheus Francisco requirements.” faculty and 884 part-time faculty down to five full-time professors Maynard worked in the Admissions Pablo Rodriguez, chair of remained — representing a 33 with 1 retiring next semester. That and Records Department in part-time faculty, believes that a percent decrease over six years, effectively means the workload is Fall 2018 but was unable to be moratorium should be given before according to data gathered by going to increase for everyone rehired for Spring 2019 because any more downsizing takes place. CCCCO Data Mart, a database else,” said Tom Menendez, a City of the California Community College economics professor of Colleges Chancellor’s Office. almost 20 years. “I am very concerned about “Cutting out 100 FTE faculty what’s been happening here, we out of the budget, if that is have too many administrators,” not done for Fall, then we are academic counselor Donna beyond worst case scenario,” said Hayes said. “This is something Chancellor Mark Rocha at a Feb. that the ACCJC has been doing 28 board of trustees meeting. within their region. They’ve forced Students have also felt the campuses to double and triple in impact of the college’s downsize their administrators.” in full-time faculty and overall The CCC Chancellor’s Report budget issue. Chair of Part-Time Faculty Pablo Rodriguez urges members of the shows that five administrative Ana Torres, a political science board to put a moratorium on all cuts at the board of trustees meeting positions have been added since major, expressed concerns regard- on Feb. 28, 2019. Photo by Jared Lue / The Guardsman.
Speakers share three lifetime’s worth of experience on diversity issues By Lisa Martin lisamartin.562@gmai.com
City College’s Diversity Committee brought three speakers to Ocean Campus to discuss diversity at their “Transforming the World Through Equity, Justice and Freedom” event. A mixture of faculty, students, and administrators arrived to hear Dr. Ardel Haefele-Thomas, Wyomia Tyus and Dr. Ronald Holt speak about the ways in which they’ve tried to make the world more inclusive for people of color and people who are LGBTQ. Dr. Ardel Haefele-Thomas is the department chair of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies at City College and the author of “Introduction to Transgender Studies,” the first undergraduate textbook of its kind. They are non-binary and transgendered themself, but made it a point to include in their textbook as many diverse voices from various racial, economic and gender-identifying backgrounds to write essays about their experiences. The 1987 Second National March on Washington for LGBT Rights was a pivotal moment for HaefeleThomas. It took place during the height of the AIDs crisis during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, which failed to address the epidemic. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 750,000 people marched that day. Haefele-Thomas remembered that at the front of the march were around 5,000 AIDs patients, “most of them gay men and many of them literally being Diversity event continued on page 3
Left, Bryan Daley acquires his free textbook from Eve Greenberg, at the City College Book Loan located at Student Union Building 104B. Photo by Jared Lue / The Guardsman