The Guardsman, Vol. 169, Issue 6 - City College of San Francisco by The Guardsman

RESOURCE CENTERS CONTINUE TO SERVE

VIRTUAL EXPLORATION OF MUSEUMS AND PARKS

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SPRING SEASON CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19

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City College Goes Digital By Tyler Breisacher tbreisac@mail.ccsf.edu

Instructors across City College have moved most of their classes online to maintain social distancing and reduce the risk of spreading the COVID-19. K-12 classes taught through SFUSD are going online too, with the district lending laptops to some students. During an April 7 virtual town hall, City College Board of Trustees President Shannell Williams said the college was working on a similar program for City College students. Those wanting to borrow a laptop for the remainder of the semester can reach out to their instructors. Some classes may run quite differently without the benefit of face-to-face interaction, but many instructors are optimistic that the shift to online learning will go well. Philippine Studies Department Chair Lily Ann Villaraza said she was grateful for the week-long period of time that instructors were given to plan the transition to online learning. “I have colleagues at other institutions who were given a weekend or just a day to figure it out,” she said. While she hopes this process will go well, she emphasized that instructors teaching online during this emergency situation will not necessarily be properly trained to do online learning long term. “My hope is that there is recognition, because of this move, that online learning does not work for everyone and we have to serve our student populations in various ways to support their learning processes,” she said. “This crisis will also make clear our need to provide more and better access to technology for our students as a whole - and the training needed to navigate it.”

Some classes will require significant changes in order to function online. Cinema Department instructor Caroline Blair teaches a directing class, which usually involves students directing scenes with two or more actors. It’s possible to do that over Zoom or other video conferencing software, but it’s hardly the same experience as doing it face-to-face. “It can be kind of an intimate experience, in that everybody is listening and everybody is attempting to go a layer deeper in terms

THE SUSPENSION OF FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES IS CAUSING MOST CITY COLLEGE CLASSES TO MOVE ONLINE FOR THE REST OF THE SEMESTER.

best foot forward.” City College student Dale Smith, working toward certificates in sexual health and community mental health, has struggled with online classes before. He decided to drop his English class after it switched to an online format. Smith said his teacher moved the class online right away, rather than first taking the week-long training from the Distance Education Department. In that first week, students were asked to post on Canvas during the regularly sched-

place where they usually were, and overall the instructions weren't as clear as I would have liked them to be.” Even though he dropped that class, he’s continuing with his other classes. “I can tell that the other instructors took the time to try and figure out the platform,” he said. “I still have some reservations about learning online and there are some big challenges to doing so, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to succeed with online classes if I put in the

Illustration by Nazli Kandur/ The Guardsman

of performance,” she said. “It’s going to be difficult not to do that in person.” Despite the challenges, Blair remained optimistic. “We’re in good spirits in light of everything,” she said. “Nobody’s grumbling, everybody’s really putting their

uled class time rather than at any time during the week which might be more convenient for students. “Unfortunately, he didn't fully understand how to use Canvas so a lot of stuff wasn't as clear as I would have liked it to be,” Smith said. “Assignments weren't in the

time and effort.” The Distance Education department provided instructors with training on online teaching, primarily during the week of March 16. LGBTQ+ Studies Department Chair Ardel Haefele-Thomas said that week was “nothing short of

heroic on the part of Distance Education faculty, staff, department chair, and dean!” In addition to moving his classes online, Labor Studies Department Chair Bill Shields helped out students by distributing information about resources that are available to students, such as student health services, and state unemployment compensation. Shields was somewhat concerned about possible longterm changes resulting from the sudden shift to online learning. He said there was already a push to move classes online in order to save money — online classes often have larger class sizes. The administration may try to take advantage of this crisis to push that agenda. “Powerful people and corporations will take advantage of crises to try and drive through agendas that they were not yet able to carry out,” he said, referencing New Orleans converting nearly all its schools to charter schools right after Hurricane Katrina. “I think we’re right to be concerned about the disaster capitalism version of moving too much of what we do online,” he said. “And we’re just going to have to be mindful about it, and especially speaking through our union, make sure that that doesn’t happen.” Villaraza also emphasized that the move to online teaching is a “temporary emergency situation” and that faculty should not be expected to keep their classes online indefinitely. In fact, many instructors would not be able to continue teaching online since they haven’t done the required training, she said. Updates from the college, answers to frequently asked questions, and other resources are available at ccsf.edu/community. html

Dianna Gonzales Named Interim Chancellor By Tyler Breisacher tbreisac@mail.ccsf.edu

Dr. Russell Leong (far left), Karen Katsanes (front right) and Jack da Silva (back right) hold signs up outside of Conlan Hall on Ocean Campus where protesters gathered in the lobby on Nov. 26, 2019 to denounce City College's recent class cuts. Photo by Lisa Martin / The Guardsman

Dianna Gonzales will serve as City College’s interim chancellor until the end of June, taking over for former chancellor Mark Rocha, who resigned on March 26. Gonzales has worked as an administrator at City College since December 2016, first as Vice Chancellor of Human Resources, then as Senior Vice Chancellor of Administrative and Student Affairs. “This is an important first step

in moving the college forward,” Board of Trustees President Shanell Williams said in an April 2 press release. “The Board will work closely with Interim Chancellor Gonzales during these next few months to develop our budget, and improve college operations to ensure all our students needs are being met.” After Gonzales’ term, another interim chancellor will be selected to serve for one year, and then a permanent chancellor will take office in July of 2021, according to the press release. The selection was made in

closed session at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees on April 1. Williams said Gonzales’ contract and compensation would be approved at the next regular meeting of the board on April 23. All trustees except Trustee John Rizzo voted for the selection. Rizzo did not respond to a request for comment. Before going into closed session, the board heard several comments from members of the public, emphasizing the need for

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2 | NEWS

Vol. 169, Issue 6 | March 19 - April 2, 2020

International Students Face the COVID-19 Crisis By Natalia Bogdanov NataliaBogdanov@icloud.com

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused most in-person classes at City College to go online starting March 30. The transition to the online class format does not negatively affect international students’ F-1 visas. However, some international students have serious financial concerns, some are experiencing heightened racial discrimnation, some have health coverage complications, and others have resorted to dropping their classes as a result. Gizem Gur is a Hotel Management major in her fourth semester. She is also an international student from Turkey. In order to keep her legal status in the U.S., Gur did not intend to drop any classes. “We have to take at least 12 units to keep our legal status. In that case, we basically are not allowed to drop any classes,” Gur said. Matheus Maynard, a sophomore international student from

Brazil majoring in Journalism and Geography, said, “I didn't drop any courses yet, but I'm thinking about it. I'm taking 18 units this semester, and doing it from an online format is even harder than physically being there everyday.” Gur said that she has not seriously considered moving back to Turkey because “I only have one more semester to graduate. So I am not considering it, at least for now. However, there is a lot of uncertainty going on so it may change with my direction and thoughts,” she said. Maynard said that he's “not really considering moving back just yet. I thought of going back if things got bad here, but the virus is everywhere. There would be no point.” Megan Cheung, a Broadcasting and Electronic Media major, is also slightly indecisive about moving back to Hong Kong. “I'm still in America but my family is very worried about me and we have talked about whether or not I should move back,” she said. “But since there were crowds

moving back, I decided taking that flight might be dangerous so I stayed. But it seems the situation in America keeps getting worse, so I don't know at the moment if I will decide to move back later.” There are a lot of concerns regarding personal finances and being fully capable to afford living in the Bay Area throughout the shelter-in-place period. For instance, Gur’s “major concern is to pay my rent and tuition, because my family and I are having financial difficulties due to COVID-19,” she said. In these unforeseen circumstances, work authorization may be permitted to some international students by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) if they apply and meet the requirements. All information and applications is available on the USCIS website. However, the unemployment rate has been dramatically increasing due to the shelter-in-place mandates. According to NBC Bay Area, the “Bay Area July unemployment rates contributed to a

statewide rate of 4.1 percent.” The likelihood of finding a job amidst this pandemic is seemingly very low. A prominent area of concern for Maynard is health insurance and he believes this is also true for a lot of international students. There needs to be individual research done by international students to find out what their health coverage will cover in regards to the COVID -19 outbreak. For Maynard, he does “not know how much my International Student Health Insurance would cover if I needed to be hospitalized. I know that they cover testing, but I have no idea about treatment,” Maynard said. In Maynard’s country, Brazil, “We have universal health care. And in the U.S. it’s super expensive even if you have health insurance,” Maynard said. “Also, international students don't have any access to federal or state assistance.” Another prominent area of concern is the lack of handson experience compared to what students would normally

experience throughout this semester. This may severely limit the quality of education students are able to receive depending upon their field of study. For Gur, her Hotel Management “major leans heavily on practical experiences, so I am worried about not fulfilling those experiences properly,” she said. This pandemic is also affecting the preparation stages for the fall 2020 semester classes. For Gur this “next semester is going to be my last semester and we are required to do an internship to gain experience in the industry. It hasn't been canceled yet, but we do not have much info about what it's going to be next semester,” she said. Megan Cheung also stated that the pandemic brought about more racial discrimination against San Franciso’s Asian community. She said that one of her Asian roommates, Alvin Chu, was attempting to ride the SF Muni to the City College campus and was refused to be let on by the driver for simply wearing a mask.

Campus Resources Persist Through Shelter in Place Order By Alexa Bautista abaut34@mail.ccsf.edu

Many students were left with questions when the Board of Trustees released the announcement of City College closing down its campuses to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to the community. Amongst these questions, many have asked what would happen to the countless resources that were available to students such as the library and resource centers. Every week, many students use City College’s resources for their strong community, tutoring services, counseling, technology, and student run activities. Without these resources, many are left abandoned with possibly no resources at home. As a result, many students are at risk of dropping their subjects because of this dependency. Library City College’s library continues to offer its online services to students that are accessible on the library website which include online tutoring, online textbook resources, self-paced research skills workshops for scholarly research, the OneSearch database, and 24 hour chat messaging with a reference librarian. If a student would want to return or request a book and other materials, these actions will only be allowed when the library reopens and will not charge late fees. For tutoring, students are able to use Net Tutor which offers live sessions, answer questions when you submit them if no tutors are available, and review

Illustration by Nazli Kandur/ The Guardsman

papers every day. Net Tutor is also available on a particular course’s homepage on the left hand side. Career Development The Career Development Center, located at MUB 101, is also making an online presence available for CCSF students. The best way to reach out to the Career Development Center is through the email careercenter@ccsf.edu

Staff Editor-in-Chief Claudia Drdul

News Editor Tyler Breisacher

Culture Editor Jennifer Yin

Opinion Editor Caoilinn Goss Photo Editor Amal Ben Ghanem

and by phone at (415) 239-3117 to request an appointment with any of the counselors. After doing so, if a student would like to request a counseling appointment, that can be scheduled over the phone or via Zoom call. John Salangsang, career counselor at the Career Development Center, expressed his thoughts about reaching out to students. “Before the quarantine, we would Asst. Photo Editor Fran Smith Sport Editor Meyer Gorelick Copy Editors Antoinette Barton

see roughly more than 50 students a week during our normal busy times. This doesn't include the dozens of students we interact with when we also conduct classroom workshops,” he said. “The career counseling appointments have been moved to phone or Zoom appointments. All our online resources will remain. Now for our workshops and job fairs, those were cancelled. Though, we may discuss hosting online workshops

Osvaldo Salazár Design Director Nazli Ece Kandur Ad Manager Diana Guzman

or job fairs.” Latino Services Network (LSN), located at Cloud Hall room 364, is continuing their services online to help everyone in the community. There are a multitude of services that LSN offers for students such as referrals to campus and community services, support for high school students transition into City College, and

Staff Writers Aminah Jalal Rachel Berning Alexa Bautista Jay Sea

cont. on page 4 Photographers Matheus Maynard Amal Ben Ghanem Fran Smith Joel Wagner

NEWS | 3

Vol. 169, Issue 6 | March 19 - April 2, 2020

Social Isolation Highlights the Necessity of Access to Mental Healthcare By Claudia Drdul claudiadrdul@gmail.com

City College students have begun to struggle with the reality that sheltering-in-place due to the spread of COVID-19 has left them in. Re-imagining the Student Experience (Rise), a student-led low cost education advocacy group surveyed 521 community college and university students between March 18 and 24 showed that 75% of students “have experienced higher levels of anxiety, depression or stress than before the coronavirus.” Student Experiences Carmen Liang, a City College psychology major is one of the many that have been struggling with the sudden transition to distanced learning. “My depressive thoughts are spiraling out of control, without the habits of going to school and work all the time,” she said. “I feel miserable waking up knowing there's people that are dying and I am waking up to the same day everyday.” Not only has Liang felt the pressure of social isolation, but as a Chinese American, she has also grown concerned about the anti-Asian rhetoric upon leaving her home, specifically in the form of a “racist verbal or physical threat”. Since March 19, the “Stop AAPI Hate reporting center has received over 1,100 reports of coronavirus discrimination from Asian Americans across the country.” Associated Students Senator Tarquin Gaines believes it is important to emphasize issues of equity when speaking upon what kind of mental-health resources members of the City College community need. At-Risk Persons Gaines currently works with students at both a middle and high school in the city and has grown concerned over the wellbeing of his students who have already stressful home lives. “I work with a lot of at risk youth. How many of our students are quarantining in safe places? I grew up in an environment that was depleted of resources that foster success and foster that avenue for children to get what they need.” He added, “and how many students are being Faculty Advisor Juan Gonzales

quarantined in spaces where they have an abusive individual in their household?” Gaines emphasized the emotional need for students at City College and SFUSD to feel a sense of community as they’re transitioning to adulthood. Campus ammenities like the Queer Resource Center, Black Student Union and even the several eateries on campus have allowed students to connect with eachother and find solace at their second home, Ocean Campus. Students like Faith Fabiani, a health education major, have also used City College as an outlet for their daily life-stressors. “Being a wife of an inmate is not only expensive, it is emotionally taxing. School has been for some time an outlet. It’s my distraction, my hope and my future,” she said. “It has not only helped me get my life on track, but it has helped pass the time productively, giving me a purpose, which combats the loneliness and pain I feel.”

Resources Offered A March 25 CityNotes email included a list of several mental-health hotlines which are available to students like the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, the Institute on Aging’s Friendship Line and the Felton Institute. Jacob Edelman, a former City College student and a Friendship Line employee said “our call volume has increased. The other day we reached peak volume at like 500 and something calls” and “the vast majority of our calls now are about people’s concerns, issues and anxieties about coronavirus.” The email also included two online resources, the meditation app Headspace and website Virus Anxiety for students who are dealing with mental health struggles during this time. As the cost of therapy can be overwhelming for students living on a budget, City College offers eight therapy sessions free of charge. A representative from City College’s public relations team said the Health Center has now moved to conducting therapy sessions remotely via Zoom and telephone conference.

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Board of Trustees and All Other Public Meetings Convene Online Using Zoom

A screenshot of the March 26 Board of Trustees meeting, held virtually via Zoom

By Caoilinn Goss cgoss2@mail.ccsf.edu

All meetings of public bodies transitioned to online sessions via Zoom video conferencing in compliance with Mayor London Breed’s citywide shelter in place order on March 16. This includes meetings of The City’s Board of Supervisors and the City College Board of Trustees (BOT). Activist groups such as the Higher Education Action Team (HEAT) have held meetings via Zoom as well. Digital meetings are permissible under Executive Order N-29-20 issued by Governor Gavin Newsom on March 12. The order amended the Brown Act to allow public bodies to meet online as a precaution against the spread of

COVID-19. Most of the Brown Act requirements remain in place under the new order, such as the expectation that agendas be made public at least 72 hours in advance as well as the conditions for meeting quorum. The new requirements still allocate time for public comment, most frequently submitted via email and read aloud by members of the governing bodies rather than by the commenters themselves. The BOT’s first foray into videoconferencing, the March 19 Board Facilities Master Planning and Oversight Committee Meeting transpired without any major issues. The first regular meeting of the Board via Zoom was on March 26. Trustees heard public comment at both meetings via emails read aloud by Linda Shaw, a liaison to the BOT. During the March 26

meeting, a participant expressed difficulty hearing Shaw’s recitation, but otherwise there were very few technical difficulties. A recording of both meetings can be found, along with archived sessions as before, on the City College website. The Board will hold a Town Hall meeting with Interim Chancellor Dianna Gonzales via Zoom on Tuesday, April 7 at 6 p.m. in order to field questions and concerns from the City College community. Participants who do not have the Zoom app can join the meeting by phone at 1 (669) 900-6833. Town Hall questions must be submitted in advance by emailing publiccomment@ccsf.edu or by using this form before midnight on April 6.

Interim Chancellor cont. from page 1 a chancellor who the entire City College community can trust, and who will work to raise funds for the college. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was held on Zoom, and comments were submitted in writing, and read by board liaison Linda Shaw. Faculty union AFT 2121 President Jennifer Worley said the union has a good relationship with Dianna Gonzales and is hopeful that her selection as interim chancellor “will be a good turn of events after some difficult times.” “The Academic Senate looks forward to hearing Interim Chancellor Gonzales’ vision for CCSF at this difficult time,” Academic Senate President Alexis Litzky said. “The global pandemic and ensuing budget and pedagogical implications are incredibly difficult constraints for any leader, and we really need someone that can speak pragmatically and

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empathetically through what will continue to be a tumultuous period at CCSF.” Department Chairperson Council President Darlene Alioto said the council was “willing to support her and work with her (and want her to work with us) -- but she must move away from the divisive nature of the Rocha administration and be a uniter rather than a divider in moving the College forward. Her decision making must be sound and transparent with collegial consultation and input.” Student organizer Vick Chung was disappointed in the decision. “I wish the trustees reached out to groups that have been vocal and active against Rocha's administration,” she said. “This was an opportunity to rebuild trust, and they didn't seize the opportunity.” The college’s press release included a statement from

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Gonzales as well. “I am honored to take on the role of Interim Chancellor at City College during this time of transition. We have been working diligently to maintain the best possible continuity of instruction and supportive services for our students, and I look forward to continuing this work for the next several months,” she said. “In partnership with the Board of Trustees, I am committed to serving as a strong advocate on behalf of the College with local and state leaders.” Gonzales will hold a virtual town hall on Tuesday, April 7, so the community can hear from her directly. More information about the town hall will be available soon at: https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/ ccsf/Board.nsf/Public

Mailing Address 50 Frida Kahlo Way, Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Bungalow 615

4 | CULTURE

Vol. 169, Issue 6 | March 19 - April 2, 2020

Virtual Tours Show People the World Outside Their Four Walls During Our Shelter in Place. By Sadie Peckens speckens@mail.ccsf.edu

Families all around the nation are planning virtual trips through on-line tours, live webcam footage, and photo collections as the shelter in place continues. Family weekend plans are now taking on new shape through virtual tours. One website that is offering free virtual tours is Refinery29, an American digital media and entertainment website focused on the catalyst of women to see, feel, and claim their power. Refinery29’s article titled, “Here Are Some Incredible Virtual Tours To Help You Pass The Time,” written by Michelle Santiago Cortes, explained the virtual tour as, “The whole point of museums and national parks and adventures is to go outside and no

virtual tour, however elaborate, will ever replace that. But in times when we're confined to the walls of our homes, we must resort to more creative ways of expanding our boundaries … The virtual tour serves that purpose.” So, settle into your couch and discover the world with the following free experiences! Arts For virtual artwork tours, Google Arts & Culture provides digital access to cultural information and museum collections from around the world at https://artsandculture.google.com/. Images of artwork and artifacts from over 1,000 museums are available, as well as tours of museums with a ‘Street View’ feature. Viewers and onlookers can now sort through the rich content by viewing topics titled, ‘Themes,’ ‘Artists,’ ‘Art Movements,’ Historical Events,’ and

more. In addition to viewing creative work, visitors can help create new work with hosted on-line projects. For example, visitors are invited to add to a 'Collective Poem,’ which is generated by words entered by participants from around the globe. Games, stories, and field trips offer additional opportunities to enjoy art and heritage featured on the website. Cultural Heritage Sites CyArk, a 501 nonprofit organization located in Oakland, CA offers digital archives of cultural heritage sites at cyark.org. At CyArk, visitors can virtually travel to over 40 countries. Photos, text, 3D models, and maps immerse visitors in historically important and fascinating sites such as, views if the New York State Pavilion,

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LGBT+ Living with HIV Know How to Survive a Plague By Jay Sea. jcontere@mail.ccsf.edu

Students have become anxious as they’ve taken stock of the patience and resources needed to weather the current siege of Coronavirus, but for LGBTQ folks living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) this isn’t their first time dealing with a deadly virus. HIV activist Brenden Shucart, and City College student Brent Ganetta both offered their perspectives as LGBT individuals to The Guardsman with the hope that their experience of surviving HIV can help ease the worry so many students are currently struggling with. Differences COVID-19 has been compared to HIV regularly, however Shucart and Ganetta drew some key distinctions between the COVID19 and AIDS pandemics. “Unlike the AIDS virus in means of transmission, HIV can only be passed through fluid to fluid contact, but the coronavirus can live on surfaces” Shucart said, who’s served in HIV advocacy for over a decade working by writing with Project Inform and The Fight Magazine. Particularly with transmission, first semester Computer Science major Ganetta said, “during the AIDS crisis it was unknown how the virus was spreading and fear lead people to violence against gay men. HIV is transmitted through body fluids, Coronavirus is much, much more communicable on surfaces and through simple handshakes.” But beyond a scientific level the viruses are also different socially. Albeit forty years apart, people are responding differently to Coronavirus than when HIV exploded in the United States. “HIV was limited to the ‘4-H Club” Shucart said, referring to

a term coined in the 1980’s by the mainstream that implied HIV was for homosexuals, hemophiliacs, heroin-users, and Hatian-ancestry people. However, a key difference which works in the public’s favor, is the amount of information society now has access to. “As we moved from the AIDS years into the HAART years the amount of information to the public is the opposite of what I received about HIV, we were not well educated, we were mostly just told to be afraid, so that’s a big difference” Shucart

0.75-2% people dying that catch it versus HIV which if left untreated, develops into the disease AIDS which is fatal to 96% of people who get it” Shucart said. In California, state and local governments took quick and aggressive action against the spread of COVID-19 in a way governments did not at all at the earliest stages of HIV, with former President Ronald Reagan famously refusing to acknowledge HIV. When it came to preventing HIV, activists worked to convince heterosexual people to talk about things that made them uncom-

Illustration by Nazli Kandur/ The Guardsman

said. HAART is a specialized combination of various medications which is based on the strain of virus the patient has which controls the amount of virus in the blood, thereby preventing AIDS and reversing a fatal diagnosis to a manageable chronic illness. “Coronavirus, if untreated, develops into the disease COVID19 which has a deadliness of

fortable, but with COVID-19, celebrities have willingly participated in prevention by posting handwashing videos on social media. A new sentiment is emerging, a different narrative from previous plagues is being championed. “It’s incredibly different, the thing that is really heartwarming about it is that it has engendered this ‘we’re all in it together’ spirit that I certainly never experienced

Onlookers can now view virtual tours in their personal living quarters through programs such as EarthCam, which hosts live camera feeds of various locations such as Times Square in New York City. April 12, 2020. Photo by Jennifer Yin/The Guardsman.

in the AIDS crisis” Shucar said. Similtarities So in many ways the challenges of AIDS are not exactly the same as the current COVID-19 crisis. However, they’re both viruses and according to fellow student Brent Ganetta who lives with HIV said, “We are seeing history repeat itself with COVID-19, people openly harassing Asian people, getting into physical fights, outright racism even from our President, calling COVID-19 ‘Chinese Virus’. We should not be racially profiling”. While there are distinctions between the White House of the AIDS crisis which never addressed the problem, this White House calling the current crisis ‘Chinese Virus’ is equally damaging. It is the stigma that is the most unpleasantly familiar aspect of this emergency. With the frustration and antagonism bred by the virus, it is not unreasonable that people are leaning towards using their coping mechanisms to deal with the stress, which means sometimes disregarding social distancing. Thit in turn, leads those observing this behavior to anger, and shame is often employed as a reaction. But, according to lessons learned from HIV, that is a counterproductive act. Shucart said “We have playbooks for this, forty years of HIV public health policy, there’s a reason [health] departments across the country stopped employing shame in their messaging, it didn’t work, with gay men in particular.” When asked what our correspondents are doing to cope or what they recommend, both responded with, “create a routine”. “Try not to worry, check in with friends and family, I’m taking care of myself, tutoring classmates on GoogleHangouts” said Ganetta, “Viruses don’t discriminate, neither should we.”

Resources cont. from page 2 scholarships or counseling, LSN offers academic, vocational, and personal counseling. For any questions, concerns, or to request assistance, contact LSN by email latino@ccsf.edu or by phone (415) 452-5335. Student Health Center City College’s Student Health Center is especially continuing to provide for students physically, mentally, and socially. For remote medical services, the Student Health Center has provided a form if any student would like to have a nurse call them for a phone consultation. The Student Health Center has also provided resources for mental health services around San Francisco County and other counties in the Bay Area such as San Mateo County, Alameda County, and Marin County. For questions, concerns, or to request assistance from the Student Health Center, email studenthealth@ccsf. edu or by phone (415) 239-3110.

HOW TO PREVENT CONTRACTING

1 2 3 4 5

COVID-19 Wash hands frequently

Maintain social distancing

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Practice respiratory hygiene

If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

Stay informed and follow advice given by your provider

Infographic by Nazli Ece Kandur/ The Guardsman Information retrived from World Health Organization

CULTURE | 5

Vol. 169, Issue 6 | March 19 - April 2, 2020

Get Your Tickets Here! Tickets On Sale For The Showing Of The Human Garage Sale, An Extravaganza For All to See. By Jennifer Yin jyin4@mail.ccsf.edu

Diego Gomez, City College’s fashion illustration instructor exits his apartment complex located in the depths of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District where he has been living for almost 15 years. Gomez’s commute consisted of daily travels to the college’s Chinatown, Mission, and downtown campuses where he taught students the art of fashion illustration, fashion digital illustration, fashion careers, and how to create their final portfolios. Gomez, who is also referred to as DesignNurd, started his journey at City College a little over 10 years ago when he applied to Paul Edward Gallo's fashion illustration course. A decade later Gallo would later return to Gomez to offer him a temporary teaching position for the same class they had met in. “Paul asked me if I wanted to start teaching the week of because the person that was already teaching was told that she could not continue with the semester. Basically someone fell ill and that’s why they needed an emergency teacher,” said Gomez. Overtime Gomez’s teaching position as an emergency hire continued throughout the semesters after the previous head of the Fashion Department was diagnosed with cancer. However, Gomez’s position as an emergency hired faculty was never broadened even after two years of him teaching. “They never hired me on past an emergency hire and every semester they were saying we need to get a hiring committee together, then the head of the Fashion Department actually died,” said Gomez. Gomez and the rest of the Fashion Department fought vigorously for a hiring committee but their actions were put on hold after the college shut its doors due to the

Diego Gomez, one of San Francisco's wondrous artist created his graphic titled, "Think You Know Us," for San Francisco's AIDS Foundation. Photo by Diego Gomez.

novel coronavirus. Gomez and his fashion illustration students were forced to find alternative means of communication regarding the grading of their final portfolios. “My portfolio class couldn’t meet face to face and it is the second to last week. So basically the day they were supposed to grade their portfolios was the day that I could no longer meet in person. So how are we not going to see what we have been doing all this past semester, because that class was only meeting for half of the semester,” said Gomez. Additionally Gomez had to bid farewell to his summer courses after they were axed by the college. Without his summer courses Gomez’s income will be dramatically reduced and due to him being an emergency hired faculty he is given zero benefits from City College. Unemployment throughout the nation has risen ever since the government shutdown. According to The New York Times, “With the coronavirus outbreak shutting businesses in every state, fresh evidence of the economic devastation was delivered Thursday as a government report showed that 6.6 million more workers had lost their jobs. The Labor Department announcement, reflecting last week’s filings for unemployment benefits, meant that more than 16

million people had been put out of work in just three weeks.” In addition to losing his summer classes Gomez also has to bid farewell to his dynamic stage presence as a drag queen. Gomez’s career as a drag queen started over 10 years ago when he met his doppelgänger (an apparition or double of a living person) of

show which was this show called ‘Cocktailgate’ at a bar named Truck,” said Gomez. In his first performance, “Sippin 40z,” Gomez and his costar performed to Gravy Train’s song titled ‘Sippin 40z,’ and is described by Gomez as, “this one sexy song about being an alcoholic and sipping on 40 ounces of beer through a straw.” The duo danced to the three minute fast upbeat tunes of Gravy Train with their ‘40s’ in their hands. Both managed to finish their beverage by the end of their performance. The success of his first performance was described by Gomez as, “It was fun and it was a very messy alcoholic time back then. We really didn’t know how to do makeup, we didn’t have money to buy costumes, and we didn’t have heels. I was just basically wearing random clothes that weren’t necessarily manly and our faces were

City College's Fashion Illustrator Instructor, Diego Gomez, 38, poses in his drag attire accompanied with a dress he constructed out of cardboard, tissue, and duct tape. Photo by Diego Gomez.

himself on MySpace. The similarities of the duo were uncanny apart from their representation within the LGBTQ+ community. “He made comics, I made comics, we were both Mexican, and our pictures were taken by our white boyfriends in Disneyland. So he sent me to my first drag

"1963 is not an End but a Beginning," is a comic book written and illustrated by Diego Gomez, who is also referred to as DesignNurd. Gomez wrote his comic book to highlight the timeline of major civil rights events of 1963. Photo by Diego Gomez.

painted like crazy clowns.” The evolution of Gomez and his alternate personality as a drag queen has progressed with the times. Gomez still holds true his eccentric makeup and attitude from his first performance but now with a more modern twist. His makeup could be described as “over the top” to many but to Gomez it is his identity. “I like rather see a ridiculous amount of makeup. I also have a beard so lately I have been painting on top of my beard kind of like skin tone. So if I am really far away and if you're blurry eyed from being drunk it kind of looks like I don’t have a beard,” said Gomez. However, due to the shelter in place Diego and other drag queens are forced to host online shows to supplement their income. One show Diego performed in was titled, “Shelter in Place with Grace,” hosted by Facebook’s Live-Streaming which allowed audience members to tune in from their phone, tablet, and even smartwatch. To supplement their income performers accept tips or donations from viewers through money exchanging programs such as Venmo or PayPal. Gomez is steadily finding additional income through freelance job opportunities due to his vast knowledge and experience in the field of illustration and fashion. Currently, Gomez has two online design positions for “Shelter in

Place with Grace” and “Drunk Drag Broadway.” He is also working on a poster for a show titled “Out of Sight.” Gomez also refers to himself as “The Human Garage Sale” which exemplifies his well-rounded artistic abilities which includes being a comic book and fashion book illustrator for his series “Hell Babes”, “The Hard-Femme Ex-Men,” and “1963 is Not an End, But a Beginning.” All three series of books were drawn and written with their own unique style. “I have a lot of different styles and mediums that I work in. Hell Babes is kind of like RuPaul Drag Race but you are trying to get out of Hell at the same time. I am supposed to be the Queen of Hell in it and there are celebrity impersonator drag queens that are trying to win their way out of Hell. I made another book called The Hard-Femme Ex-Men where I illustrated all the X-Men characters in different fashion looks that are not necessarily their costumes but kind of S&M sexy,” said Gomez. For his “1968 is Not an End, But a Beginning” comic book series he focused on the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s, where a struggle for Black social justice took place in the United States. The beginning of “1968 is Not an End, But a Beginning” was drawn on recycled brown paper with the first half of the comic book being drawn specifically in black and white paint and the second half being drawn in an evolution of styles representing the evolution of the Civil Rights Movement. Gomez described his work with “1968 is Not an End, But a Beginning” as having every two pages within the comic book equaling to one month within the Civil Rights Era. Our nation’s growing uncertainties have not diminished Gomez’s will to survive and he remains true to his eccentricities. The will to survive for Gomez has been a growing period due to his high school experience at Jefferson High School in Daly City, CA. “I didn’t like it (high school) all that much so I am queer and it was not the funnest place to be queer. I was in the closet for hella years and maybe that is why I am even more needing to be expressive all the time. It was for so long I was trying to hide and not show anything because what bit was showing made people really aggressive about it,” said Gomez. However, Gomez has accepted every part of him, every soul of his being, and without the need of approval from his peers. Gomez holds the saying of Roy DeCarava true to his heart which states, “You should be able to look at me and see my work. You should be able to look at my work and see me.” To support Diego Gomez, follow @DesignNurd on Instagram, or stay in touch with his latest artwork at etsy.com/shop/ DesignNurd.com.

6 | OPINION

Vol. 169, Issue 6 | March 19 - April 2, 2020

During the Crisis, Stay Vigilant About Online Privacy

L etteR to the EditoR

By Tyler Breisacher and Caoilinn Goss tbreisac@mail.ccsf.edu cgoss2@mail.ccsf.edu

Dear Editor George Wooding is in a wheelchair and spoke at the January Board of Trustees meeting. Unfortunately, Alex Randolph, the board chair shut George out and only allowed him one minute to speak. Others have been allowed by the Board to use extra time. As president of the Board, Alex Randolph set a terrible pattern of discrimination for those at City College who have disabilities. The board, administrators, and the college lawyer need to apologize to George and to all who have disabilities and suffer discrimination at CCSF. The board has the responsibility now to meet with the DSPS (Disabled Students Programs and Services) faculty and students at all the campuses to make sure that disability discrimination is not allowed at CCSF or anywhere else. Ann Clark

The coronavirus pandemic sparked massive changes to many aspects of the way we live. At colleges around the country, classes are moving online. “Nightlife” is now more likely to mean pajamas and Netflix than clubbing and partying. Performers are doing “virtual shows” on Instagram live. Many of us are quickly becoming acquainted with unfamiliar names: Zoom, Canvas, Houseparty, Discord, Signal, and Jitsi among others. And of course we’re spending far more time on apps and sites that were already familiar, like Facebook, now that they are necessary to keep in touch with friends and family. These tools are crucial for staying connected to our social, academic, and work lives, but before we wholeheartedly adopt their use, it would be wise to take a moment and understand what we’re really signing up for. Buried in the long terms of service agreements that we all pretend to read, there are often truly alarming requirements, such as waiving the right to participate in a class action, or allowing an app to collect unexpectedly large

amounts of data from the system it runs on. The video conferencing software Zoom is of particular interest to City College, as some instructors are now relying heavily on the platform as face to face classes move online. Zoom came under fire this month after a Motherboard analysis of the app exposed that the software was selling user data to Facebook. While Zoom has responded to public pressure and has ceased the practice, the company still faces a class action lawsuit due to the lack of transparency in their user agreement and their inadequate security practices. In Canvas, another tool used by many City College classes, what would have been momentary in-class discussions are now conducted online, saved on Canvas servers, and accessible to college administrators. This new reliance on Canvas allows administrators to surveil instructors and their course content on an unprecedented scale. While it is unlikely that any administrators would use this power inappropriately, it does present a new risk which wasn't there in face-to-face classes, and students have no meaningful way to mitigate this risk. It’s not just tech companies that we should worry about either. Congress is

cont. on page 7

HAVE YOUR SAY

“I live alone and my pantry and freezer is pretty much always stocked up enough for myself, and I got a bidet attachment last year so I don’t use a lot of TP but I definitely made sure to get a couple of 1000 piece puzzles and an assortment of paints so that I could do home decorator projects during isolation.”

“I rely on my electronic devices that, through phone minutes or internet connection, allow me to communicate with friends and family. It’s a luxury to be concerned about socializing more than survival. Yet, I can’t deny that when I hear the word “need,” I think of seeing people I cherish, whose presence and touch — Karin Mester I would take for granted. Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii While phone and webcam calls don’t replace that, I’m squeezing as many as I can into my busy life and am grateful to be able to.” — David M. Horowitz San Francisco, California

“WHAT WAS YOUR MUST-HAVE ITEM WHEN STOCKING UP FOR COVID-19 ISOLATION?” BY FRAN SMITH

fsmith@theguardsman.com

Note: Because of recent events surrounding the global pandemic, we, of course, had to make adjustments to our new learning environment and how we physically gather information. For this section, we normally walk around the campus’ and photograph the people we interview but since that was not an option for this issue, I decided to reach out to my friends who are located in different parts of the country, dare I say world, and asked them to participate and they happily obliged.

“I would say food, water and “Ok can it be my dog? Her meds. Oh, cash. Just in case name is Snickers and she’s banks close.” a Yorkie. I would want — Ezzy Ruiz her the most because I’ve Naples, Florida had her for 11 years & she needs her person and I need my fur baby. She’s a great support dog that keeps me happy and positive during tough times. She’s my best 4 legged friend.”

“In some ways, stocking up felt like playing the old computer game Oregon Trail – serious consequences down the road but almost unreal. I bought staple items like flour, canned food and coffee but I also bought plants to grow some food. Plus bubble bath and face masks for self-care even though almost no one will see me — Nikki Carlos for months.” Antioch, California — Michaela Payne Sacramento, California

“When I have to go into lockdown, the most important item that I have to go with me is water because it is the key element to survive for human being. Therefore, water is absolutely essential item to have with me.” — Karen Yeh Taipei, Taiwan

COMMUNITY | 7

Vol. 169, Issue 6 | March 19 - April 2, 2020

Online Privacy cont. from page 6

Illustration By Kristina Hines/CCSF Portfolio Club

Virtual Tours cont. from page 4 Antarctic Expedition Huts, Ankgor Wat, and Petra. In addition, CyArk provides 53 free lesson plans that can be used at home cyark.org/about/lessonplans/. Lesson 6 takes students on a “Virtual Scavenger Hunt,” providing clues that have them search through maps hosted on the website. Animals For everyone’s safety, visitors are now banned from aquariums and zoos due to the governmental shutdown. However have no fear, thanks to Facebook Live and webcam feeds, we can now virtually witness our furry and flippered friends. One example is, The Cincinnati Zoo, who host a Facebook Live event every day at 12PM PST, http://cincinnatizoo. org/home-safari-resources/. Also note how their website offers past feeds which are archived if someone is not available to view their Facebook Live showing. For their event The Cincinnati Zoo, cincinnatizoo.org, showcases one animal and offers an at-home activity. This is a great option for a busy family with children or a school teacher needing content for their students. Content is also provided by The California Academy of Sciences, which shares a live feed of their penguin exhibit at https://www. calacademy.org/learn-explore/ animal-webcams. The California Academy of Sciences website also hosts videos and content to help you stay connected with the wonders of our natural world, at calacademy.org. For a broader tour, Smithsonian’s National Zoo hosts a few different webcams, letting people see naked mole rates, lions, giant pandas, and elephants, at https://nationalzoo. si.edu/webcams. They also offer a packet for parents to download to help their kids engage more closely with the animals they see. Nature For more nature tours The National Park service offers webcams where visitors can view kelp swaying in the currents under

the Channel Islands sea with the occasional aquatic creature swimming by. Visitors can also view a bald eagle’s nest cam or an active bear cam, at https://www.nps. gov/subjects/watchingwildlife/ webcams.htm Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy hosts webcams in a variety of breathtaking sites from around the San Francisco Bay Area, including the beaches of Crissy Field, Fort Funston, Muir Beach, and Ocean Beach, at https://www.parksconservancy. org/parks/park-web-cams. These photo galleries offered by multiple outlets further immerse visitors in the sites of nature. San Francisco If you are just missing your own home sweet home of San Francisco, there are live webcams that will reconnect you with your beloved neighborhoods. EarthCam Inc., a leading network of live streaming webcams for tourism and entertainment partnered with the South End Rowing Club and Hilton San Francisco Union Square Hotel, to host current photos from all around San Francisco. They also offer a live webcam with a ‘city scape’ view for visitors as an option, at https://www.earthcam.com/usa/ california/sanfrancisco/?cam=san franciscoskyline. Imagine a day that starts with access to online exhibits of Frida Kahlo’s artwork, followed by a 12PM PST experience with an animal at The Cincinnati Zoo. Next, enjoy a view of giant pandas over lunch and with a full belly you can next take a tour of the Sidney Opera House through CyArk. Conclude the day of discovery with a look into a bald eagles nest, complete with the sound of crickets and peepers to lull you to sleep. While we all do our part to flatten the curve our weekends are still a chance to enjoy the wonders of the world, from a new angle.

currently considering the EARN IT act, which would make it much harder to send private messages using end-to-end encryption. Similar legislation has been proposed and defeated for decades, but with everyone’s attention on the pandemic, it’s possible they’ll manage to get it passed this time. Forbes Magazine recommends apps such as Signal for one-on-one video conferencing and a new open source app called Jitsi as alternatives to Zoom. FaceTime offers end-to-end encryption, meaning even Apple can’t view the content of your calls, for user privacy as well. Not every online interaction needs the highest levels of encryption or privacy protection, so if all your friends are using a particular messaging app, you don’t need to drop everything and convince them to switch to something else. But it can’t hurt to take a few minutes and skim through its terms of service, or search for the name of the app along with the word “privacy” to see what comes up. Groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation or the ACLU often have helpful information for users. More than ever, we as app users must inform ourselves about how our data is collected and sold, in order to understand what the risks are, and make informed decisions.

Illustration By Kristina Hines/CCSF Portfolio Club

Restaurants Struggle Due to COVID-19

GO GO 7 Korean Cuisine & B.B.Q. which is loacted down the street from City College's Ocean Campus displays signs on April 12, 2020 about their takeout options during the COVID-19 crisis. Photo by Claudia Drdul/The Guardsman

By Rachel Berning Rachelo.berning@gmail.com

In response to the COVID19 crisis, all restaurants in San Francisco have been ordered to cease dine-in service, and may only offer pickup or delivery. This is having a big effect on business because customers are what keep restaurants business open and running. Sick leave is available to many restaurant workers. On March 16, Mayor London Breed announced a $10 million fund called the Workers and Families First Program, which is intended to provide businesses that need the financial ability to allow workers to take five additional days of paid leave.

The mayor’s office has also given restaurants and bars other assistance such as deferral on taxes and licensing fees. The “resiliency fund” is giving out $10,000 emergency grants to small companies showing economic losses. Supervisor Hillary Ronen is also working on legislation to establish a $20 million fund that would be used to give small businesses interest-free loans up to $15,000. However, many businesses are worried that these programs won’t be enough, so they’re asking the City to do even more, such as using surplus funds from Healthy San Francisco to cover lost wages for restaurant workers. Although closing their doors has a big impact for bar and

restaurants owners, they understood the necessity for public safety. When Governor Gavin Newsom ordered bars to close in March, Ben Bleiman, owner of the Tonic bar in the Tenderloin, told ABC News, “I think it’s the right thing to do. The hope is that the measures we take now prevent things from being much worse later.” According to an article in SF Eater, Clay Walker, the president of Gott’s Roadside, told the SF Business Times that the crisis might be the last straw in an already struggling industry. “There are a lot of San Francisco restaurants teetering anyway...I’m predicting mass closures. Not temporary closures.”

8 | SPORTS

Vol. 169, Issue 6 | March 19 - April 2, 2020

All Spring Sports Canceled due to Covid-19 By Rachel Berning Rachel0.berning@gmail.com

All of City College’s Spring Sports programs have been cancelled for the rest of the season, leaving the student athletes devastated. Practices for all sports have been cancelled as well through June 30. Recruiting has also been put on hold until April 15.“Whether to extend the ban will be reviewed as that date approaches. The recruiting ban prohibits faceto-face recruiting as well as any recruiting related travel,” said Interim Executive Director of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Jennifer A. Cardone. CCCAA is granting affected student athletes another season of eligibility. This decision was made to protect the health and safety of student athletes’ coaches, and administrator s of

participating teams. The Board of Directors subsequently voted that nearly 9,500 student-athletes who competed this spring will have their season of competition restored, provided they had not quit or been cut from their teams prior to the seasons being postponed by the CCCAA on March 12. “The reinstatement of a season shall be treated as if the partial season of competition never existed for athletic purposes,” Cardone said However, all records, statistics and individual and team achievements up until the cancellation will remain intact. “We will work with the NCAA and the NAIA on behalf of our student-athletes. We will also discuss whether any further measures can

or should be temporarily implemented to assist our spring sports student-athletes,” Cardone said Many Athletic Students are very unhappy with this sudden ending because they lost their team for the year and may not ever see each other again. Either because it is their last season, or they need to focus on their careers. “The cancellation of the season hit me especially hard. This was my last chance to participate in the swim team before I entered the Dental Assistant program, when I was planning to focus on my studies,” Freshman Swimmer Ievgeniia Broz said. “This means I probably won't get another chance to be on the swim team. That sucks because I got so much value out of it. I love being part of a team and I love that

we are working together now to keep each other in shape and in a good mood.” Sophomore Swimmer Arianna Moras said, “I can’t see my team, my second family. The team that grew so much from day one got shot down in the middle of our season and since it was my last year with the team it was really sad.” Freshman Swimmer Zoe Eichen said, “It’s devastating, being on the swim team and having a sense of community that we see everyday. It's done so much for not only our physical but our mental and emotional well-being.” Baseball player Alec White said, “Well obviously it sucked cause now a lot of us have no clue what school we are going to transfer to, but it's not in

A photo collection of some of our outstanding Ram athletes from this shortened spring season. Photocollage by Nazli Kandur/ The Guardsman

our control and we are definitely not the only team or players going through something like this, so we have to stay positive and keep our head up. It affected me in a big way a lot of schools were coming to watch me and now they can't and it's affecting my recruiting.” Swim team coach Natalie Taylor said “It is unfortunate that the season ended as it did. We had the makeup of a strong team this year, with great team cohesion, and I believe we would have done very well at our conference championships. But the health and safety of our student-athletes is the top priority, therefore we have understood the importance of the decision made, and we are continuing to meet weekly via Zoom in order to keep the team spirit alive. I look forward to next year's competitions, and am hopeful that the majority of swimmers will return to use their reestablished year of eligibility.”