C I T Y C O L L E G E O F S A N F R A N C I S C O ’ S N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 3 5
Volume 152, Issue 7
TheGuardsman.com
Bayview’s education at risk: By Sara Bloomberg SPECIAL TO THE GUARDSMAN
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is trying to take over use of City College’s Southeast Campus in the Bayview district for its own purposes and renege on earlier promises to fund the expansion of programs at the campus. In July of 2009 the PUC and the San Francisco Community College District entered into a five-year lease agreement for the
Southeast Community Facility, located at 1800 Oakdale Ave. In the agreement, the PUC leased part of the facility to the college to house “City College of San Francisco classrooms and support facilities.” The college has had a continuous presence at the Southeast Community Facility for decades. At the Board of Trustees meeting on Oct. 28, Trustee Dr. Anita Grier described the college’s ambitious plans for
November 16 - December 7, 2011
City College’s Southeast campus told to pack up by Public Utilities Commission
expanding programs at the campus. These plans which had been agreed to by both the college, the PUC and the community at the beginning of the summer, were crafted in what she described as a truly collaborative process. The plans included offering an expanded selection of classes for ESL, GED, culinary arts, nursing, and basic skills, which the PUC had promised to fund. “Imagine our surprise when
the Chancellor received a letter from the PUC that said the SFPUC has proposed to shrink the Southeast campus footprint to the fourth floor of the Southeast facility,” said Grier. The commission maintains that they’re operating transparently. Director of Communications for the SFPUC Tyrone Jue said in an email dated Nov. 9, “We both value the importance of ensuring that vibrant programs and servic-
es are provided at the Southeast Community Facility consistent with the mitigation requirements associated with this facility. No decisions about space programming have been made.” Bayview resident and activist Espanola Jackson reminded the board that funding for the Southeast Campus was promised to the Bayview-Hunters Point community in conjunction with the PUC’s Community Benefit Program. PUC: Page 2
News Feature:
FIGHTING FOR THE DREAM He hiked a barren desert, crawled a mile through sewage, and now has a 3.8 GPA. His name is Raul Barrera, an openly undocumented City College student who still cannot receive financial aid even under the newly passed “Dream Act.” This is his story.
GRAPHIC BY BETH LABERGE/THE GUARDSMAN
By Einar Savilla SPECIAL TO THE GUARDSMAN
Twenty-year-old Raul Barrera says graduated high school with a 3.8 GPA and is a dedicated employee, but he barely makes ends meet. His City College tuition is equivalent to one month’s salary at his construction job in Oakland and he struggles to cover the rent for a room he shares with his girlfriend, Elsa Ramos. The Internet is their only luxury. Barrera, who came to the U.S. illegally in 2007, should be a perfect candidate for the
ON THE INSIDE
new California Dream Act. The Dream Act, made up of Assembly Bills 130 and 131, was signed by Governor Jerry Brown this year and will allow undocumented students to receive both public and private scholarships and grants. In order to qualify for the California Dream Act students must meet certain requirements. They must have attended a California high school for a minimum of three years, must have earned a diploma or GED, and must file an affidavit with their college or university stating that they intend
to apply for legal immigrant status. But when the California Dream Act finally takes effect in January of 2013 for many students, including Barrera, it will be too late. One of Many When Barrera was 10 years old his family life began to fall apart. With the death of his older bother Juan Carlos, Barrera began to sink into depression. By age 13 he was in a downward spiral of sex, drugs and alcohol abuse. His uncle, who lives in the U.S. was worried about Barrera’s
destructive behavior and offered him the opportunity to study in San Francisco. Now all he had to do was get there. So in 2007, at the age of 16, he left his hometown of Vera Cruz, Mexico to come to the United States illegally. He successfully crossed the U.S. border, but was abandoned by the “coyote” his uncle had paid to guide him. Traveling north through the desert, Barrera was lost and desperately looking for water when an American woman found him. She quenched his thirst, but
Opinions
News
Culture
Crackdown on medici- Police beat down nal marijuana unjust student protesters at and unwise. Occupy Berkeley. Page 4
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Review of new City College play, “Sweet Bird of Youth.” Page 8
also called immigration officials who immediately arrested him. In his cell Barrera was treated like an animal. “I lost my identity in there,” he said. He was repeatedly denied water and only given a salty cookie to eat making thirst worse. He remembers it like this: he wasn’t seen as a human being, but as a stray dog trapped in the pound. Returning Not an Option Shortly after being deported to Tijuana, Barrera was walking down the street when a small BARRERA: Page 2
Notice The Guardsman is a bi-weekly paper, however our next issue will come out in three weeks, Dec. 7.