CCSF and State Officials Block Over 25,000 Fraudulent Enrollments in Financial Aid Crackdown
Campus Pulse: What’s New and On the Move
By Ellen Yoshitsugu ellenyoshi@gmail.com
Much has changed here at City College. Student centers have relocated, and services have been rearranged. As The Guardsman keeps its fingers on the pulse of all that is coming and going around campus, readers can discover a recap of all major changes below.
Changing of the Guards
The latest chancellor, Kimberlee Messina, has settled into her office on the top floor of Cloud Hall in Room 324 with lovely views of the bay. She told The Guardsman that her door was always open.
Meanwhile, Heather Brandt has transitioned from Student Trustee to Student Chancellor, taking Malinalli Villalobos' position, while Villalobos has become the Vice Chancellor. Taking Brandt's place as Student Trustee is Angelica Campos. All three constituents bring years of experience advocating for students at City College. They will now have offices upstairs in the Student Success Center and encourage all students to drop by. They want to hear from you! The Associated Students also has a new set of officers, who will continue to meet in the Student Union building.
By Qi Mai qmai10@mail.ccsf.edu
The Guardsman recently ran a three-part investigation into a growing crisis at City College: the alarming rise of ghost students — fraudulent enrollees who exploit the college system for financial aid. From hackers manipulating enrollment systems to real students struggling to prove their identification, the story of City College's battle against financial aid fraud is one that continues to evolve.
Fraudulent Applications Stopped
According to The Guardsman's investigation, fraud cases rose dramatically from a few hundred in 2023 to more than 4,000 in Fall 2024, and topped 10,000 by Spring 2025. The fraud's scale was staggering and resulted in statewide losses of millions of dollars.
Reports from the San Francisco Chronicle and the Associated Press confirmed that 2024 saw a statewide surge in financial aid fraud: 1.2 million fraudulent applications and 223,000 fake enrollments. At least $11.1 million was lost in unrecoverable financial aid. These figures place total financial damage in the low tens of millions, with 2024 described as a “surge year” for bad actors targeting California's higher education system.
Beginning in late 2024, City College partnered with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office to share information and implement artificial intelligence software designed to detect fraud.
The new system is already showing results. At the Aug. 14, 2025, Board of Trustees meeting, officials reported that in July alone, about 16% of statewide applicants were identified as “ghost students.” In just two months, more than 25,000 fraudulent applications were blocked from entering the community college system.
of
Success Is the Latest Addition
The shiny new Student Success Center is open and bustling with activity. After the building opened on July 1, staff had a month to pack up their centers and offices for the movers before settling into their new homes. Standing at the student ambassador's desk, Vice Student Chancellor Mallinali pointed out the service desks which line the bright central hall: Counseling, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Bursar's Office, Admissions and Records and Assessment. Disability Services & Programs for Students is now easily accessible, just inside the SSC's front door, rather than being tucked away in a corner of the library.
Multiple Safeguards
COCA's newly added online filters have shown mixed results, with some failing to stop fraudulent applications while others successfully block them. Similarly, City College's internal safeguards, ranging from application reviews to in-house fraud filters, have produced both failures and successes. Together, these combined measures show how state-level and college-level protections are steadily strengthening the fight against fraudulent enrollments.
As part of the crackdown, ghost students were denied access to official City College email accounts and systems. More importantly, improvements in institutional filtering dropped the false positive rate — legitimate students wrongly flagged as ghosts — from 3% to just 1%. The college continues to monitor and update these systems to stay ahead of scammers' evolving tactics.
Faculty Burnout and Class Disruptions
Faculty members at City College have borne the brunt of the ghost student crisis. Some reported spending 40 to 60 extra hours during spring to verify enrollment and remove fake students from their rosters. In extreme cases, courses were canceled when class sizes dropped too low after purging ghost enrollments.
Dr. Frederick Teti, Interim Dean of the School of STEM and the Evans Campus, acknowledged the toll but praised the behind-the-scenes effort.
“There were countless complaints from instructors last year about ghost students. Now, while there are still grumblings, they are vastly reduced,” he said.
Teti credited staff from the Admissions and Records Department, particularly Associate Registrar Wil Wu, GHOST STUDENTS continued on page 3
By Tabari Morris tmorri47@mail.ccsf.edu
City College celebrates the opening of its new Student Success Center on the Ocean Campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 28, 2025, a highlight of the 90th-anniversary celebration of the community college. The 72,000-square-foot, cutting-edge facility houses over 30 student services — academic counseling, tutoring, admissions, financial aid, the career and transfer centers, and historically underserved student resource programs — in one building to offer streamlined, equitable support to City College's diverse student body.
Gensler developed and constructed the new building, net-zero ready, LEED Silver and all-electric, City College's choice for innovation and sustainability. Chancellor Kimberlee S. Messina will open the event and speak to the Center's impact on greater access, student persistence and successful enrollment through its model of integrated services.
It is City College's ongoing investment in updating its campus and most effectively supporting new and returning students as the Fall term of 2025 commences. It is not just a welcome to the new class but a new chapter of promise and belonging for City College's students of the future.
CAMPUS PULSE continued on page 2
Chancellor
City College Dr. Kimberlee S. Messina in her office in Cloud Hall 324. San Francisco, Calif. Aug. 19, 2025 (Ellen Yoshitsugu/The Guardsman)
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Support Programs, including SparkPoint, Guardian Scholars/HART, City DREAM, Women's Resource Center, Students Supporting Students, Queer Resource Center, and Rising Scholars have moved out of old digs into a bright upstairs wing of the SSC. Their offices open onto a shared lounge area.
In the Women's Resource Center, there was laughter and hugs amid stacks of boxes. Ellen Estrada, an Ocean campus AS student senator, unpacked suitcases full of donated poetry books onto generous bookshelves. She pointed out where they plan to put their celebrated mural and their shrine to missing and murdered indigenous women.
There are more services in the other upstairs wing of the SSC: Family Resource Center, EOPS/NEXT UP/CARE, CalWORKS and the Veterans Resources Center & Services, among others.
Many of these groups have protested the reduction in their spaces. A student worker in the Veterans Resource Center noted that they have gone from two rooms to one.
More to Come
Multicultural Retention Services are small centers that provide academic support for students based on identity. These services will be moving into the Harry Britt Building sometime later this fall.
Latino Services Network, VASA/Oceania Student Success Program and Asian Pacific American Student Success Program will share Room 39 of the Harry Britt Building, the former counseling center. It's a large open space, and Mack said they will miss their current rooms.
UMOJA/AASP programs and services were originally designed to help African American students, but are now available to all students. Located behind the Learning Assistance Center in Rosenberg Library for 18 years, with a suite of offices and conference rooms surrounding a computer lab big enough to serve an entire class. With grant funding, it will be moved to Room 101 in the Harry Britt Building.
An updated Facilities Master plan includes a student parking garage with space on the ground floor for a new police station and the Custodial Department. The structure will be built on Frida Kahlo Way between the STEAM building and Riordan High School. Associate Vice Chancellor Alberto Vasquez confirmed by email that a permanent police station is one of their goals. However, the parking structure design still has to go through a lengthy approval process.
The Registered Nursing Department remains in its current home in Cloud Hall but expects to join other Health Sciences departments at the John Adams campus, probably next summer.
California Sees Record Rise in Homeless Students as State Support Declines
By Tabari Morris tmorri47@mail.ccsf.edu
California is facing a record rise in homeless students, 9% more statewide in the year 2024-25. Taking place as overall student enrollment is declining, the rise in student homelessness is on at a fast rate, resulting from mounting economic hardship as well as enhanced reporting and
data identification procedures. This represents roughly 20,000 more homeless students in California schools this year than last and 37% more homeless students than in the previous decade.
Meanwhile, major federal and state funding sources for educating these kids — such as those offered through the McKinney-Vento Act and chosen Covid-era relief
legislation — are dwindling or are scheduled to terminate by the end of the federal fiscal year 2025-26. That leaves fewer dollars for outreach, liaisons, instructional materials for schools, housing vouchers, tutoring and other services that help homeless students access and perform well in school.
For City College in the fall semester of 2025, this represents a
highly demanding situation:
at 415-517-4426.
City College will likely see “an increase in homeless or at-risk for homelessness students enrolling or taking classes,” like statewide trends. With “lower funding,” City College will have to stretch limited funds further, possibly “reducing or restructuring support services to homeless student populations” and possibly endangering cuts to staffing or programming unless new dollars are discovered.
Student programs such as the Homeless At-Risk Transitional Students program are specifically funded to assist housing-insecure students. Such student programs are more necessary than ever before, but without a guaranteed source of off-campus funding and without complementary local funding, their funding may decrease at the exact time this need is greatest.
Expanded city and county programs — and new transitional shelter and homeless prevention services for families — are evidence that there are safety net investments at the local level. Promising as they are, those dollars are not necessarily sufficient to fill state and federal funding gaps.
The 2025 fall term could be confronted with growing homeless and housing-insecure student needs at the very moment that its target funding and protection safety net is shrinking. The college will need to increasingly rely on regional partnerships, creative solutions and prospective city/county funding to try to keep pace with expanding student vulnerability.
Inside the Student Success Center. San Francisco, Calif. Aug. 19, 2025. (Ellen Yoshitsugu/The Guardsman)
Student Health Services remains in the Student Health Center off Frida Kahlo Way. They can help students with first aid, substance abuse counseling, immunizations, mental health counseling and referrals. For sexual and reproductive health, they offer STI and pregnancy testing, birth control and help with urinary/gynecological/menstrual concerns.
In the Women's Resource Center in the SSC, (L-R) Eddie Escoto, Student Trustee Angelica Campos and AS Ocean campus senator Ellen Estrada talk while moving in. Aug. 19, 2025. (Ellen Yoshitsugu/The Guardsman)
GHOST STUDENTS
continued from page 1
for their “heroic work” combating fraud, and applauded the adoption of a new three-day registration grace period, reduced from seven days on the recommendation of the Technology Committee. The shorter window, Teti noted, limits the time fraudulent accounts can exploit the system while still giving legitimate students sufficient time to finalize enrollment.
Some prerequisite courses have been relatively safe from fraudulent activity, such as CS 270, taught by Computer Science Department Chair Jonathan Potter. However, Potter strongly suspects that ghost students have caused the department to lose real students in recent semesters. He received reports from instructors about students who never showed up or submitted only AI-generated work. “This became a major distraction for the department,” Potter said.
For the first week of fall 2025, Joseph Reyes, chair of the Biology Department, was happy to inform The Guardsman, “Right now everything is full, everything is fine. But the spring semester was a disaster.
BIO 130, a Nutrition and Culinary Arts course, had 70 students enrolled and many more on the waitlist. After the first week of class, we had to remove 30 ghost students.”
Real Students Pay the Price
Beyond the administrative burden, the impact of ghost students has been deeply felt by legitimate students.
Daniel Kelly, a second-year business administration major at CCSF, said the fraud crisis has directly disrupted his education. “Last spring, I was forced onto waitlists and even started one of my courses two weeks late,” he said. “I caught up, but I shouldn't have had to go through that. It made it more difficult than it needed to be.”
Kelly believes many ghost students are only enrolling to collect financial aid. “It's not fair. It's not right. It should be criminal,”
Kelly said.
As a result of anti-fraud measures, Kelly's Pell Grant disbursement was broken into four smaller payments per semester instead of two larger ones. While he supports the effort to fight fraud, the change created financial strain. “I depend on that
money for my bills. It puts a lot of strain on my budget,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Kelly has depended on CCSF support programs like EOPS for early registration, textbook assistance and transportation. He considers himself lucky but worries others may not have the same access. “There's a huge demand for ESL and science classes like chemistry,” he noted. “If ghost students are taking those spots, it hurts everyone.”
Kelly returned to school after a shoulder injury ended his 20-year career as a commercial fisherman.
“I have enrolled early, got on the waitlist and kept pursuing my goals,” he said. “Communicate with your professors — that's how I got into a class last year, even with a long waitlist. You can't give up.”
Keeping Watch
While City College has made progress, officials acknowledge the fight is far from over. Fraud keeps evolving, so protecting the system's integrity takes constant vigilance. Still, the recent results offer hope that stronger collaboration and smarter technology can help reclaim the classroom — for the students who truly belong there.
The infographic (visit: ccsf.edu/about-ccsf/board-trustees) illustrates multiple layers of fraud detection used by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Application system (CCCA/COCA) and CCSF’s own system to catch “ghost students.”
CCSF Secures Full Accreditation Through 2030: What It Means for Students
By Tabari Morris tmorri47@mail.ccsf.edu
City College received a full reaffirmation of its accreditation from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges in June of 2025. The ruling guarantees City College continues to be formally accredited as a degree-granting college at least until the year 2030, that it can still utilize federal student aid and feel secure in the value of their credits and diplomas through the fall term and on into future semesters.
The reaffirmation follows City College's recovery from past financial management and Board of Trustees leadership shortcomings, demonstrating compliance with the specified standards. ACCJC took into consideration the college's development and recent leadership initiatives, such as the choice of a new chancellor, Kimberlee S. Messina, and a balanced-budget approval within the 2025-26 school year. The college's subsequent comprehensive evaluation is in 2030.
As of Fall 2025, this means City College's operations are solid, with enrollment opportunities of more than 300 academic and career majors, associate degrees, certificates and university-transfer programs. CCSF remains eligible for public funding, which means sustained support of its large, diverse and mostly working-class student body.
But the ACCJC also noted the college still had financial woes, along with ongoing budget deficits and depletion of reserves. The college has some tough budget choices ahead of it in the upcoming years to ensure compliance and be sustainable in the long term. Regardless of those concerns, reaffirmation of accreditation guarantees that past, current and future students can enroll this fall knowing their academic credentials are valued and upheld.
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Of the People, For the People of San Francisco: CCSF’s 90-Year Commitment to Enrollment and Retention
By Qi Mai qmai10@mail.ccsf.edu
On Oct. 31, 2024, City College's Enrollment Management Committee held its regular meeting, co-chaired by Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs David Yee, Math Department chair Katia Fuchs and Dean of Enrollment Services, Monika Liu. The committee includes three students (appointed by the Associated Students Executive Board), three faculty members (appointed by the Academic Senate), three classified staff representatives (appointed by SEIU), and three administrators (appointed by the Chancellor in consultation with the Administrative Council).
Since its inception, the EMC has guided enrollment strategy, monitoring trends, identifying course demand, aligning class schedules with the mission, setting flexible targets, maximizing
productivity, and ensuring marketing supports enrollment efforts. Its work reflects systematic evaluation and planning to improve student learning and institutional performance. At this meeting, the EMC endorsed approval of the College's 2024-26 Strategic Enrollment Management Plan.
Guided by this data and the completed 2024-25 Strategic Enrollment Management process, City College awarded 1,735 degrees and 2,865 certificates, with 23 graduates achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA. The college maintains a 62.7% transfer rate to four-year institutions, primarily in the California State University and University of California systems. While the CSU system does not guarantee admission, 35-40% of City College transfers enroll at San Francisco State University. UC Berkeley is the second most common destination, enrolling 7.1% of transfers. Several UCs, including Davis,
Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz, offer guaranteed admission contracts to City College students.
Retention Matters
Retention provides stability and growth for the college. With steady retention, City College can plan courses and sections in advance while also increasing enrollment by helping more students complete certificates and degrees. This aligns with the California Community Colleges Student Success Funding Formula, which rewards student completions.
Core to City College's retention efforts are the 48 counselors, who work across six campuses and 14 programs, including Matriculation Counselors, EOPS, DSPS, Veterans Services, and Multicultural Retention Services, to support historically underserved students. They work with students by
creating educational plans, reviewing transcripts, guiding them toward certificates or degrees, and supporting their personal development.
“Student retention at CCSF can always be improved,” said Vice Chancellor Yee. “Strategies include expanded tutoring, job links like internships and résumé workshops, and technology assistance such as laptop checkout. Academic Affairs is also working with Student Affairs to expand wraparound services — financial support, basic needs health services — that can strengthen retention.”
Building Equity
City College's investments in equity-driven facilities are also central to retention. In July 2025, the Student Success Center consolidated more than 30 support programs — including counseling, tutoring, career and transfer services — into one accessible hub.
On Aug. 21, 2025, at City College's 90th Anniversary meeting, Chancellor Dr. Kimberlee S. Messina honored long-serving and dedicated educators with certificates of recognition, rewarding them for supporting student-centered teaching and serving through various services and initiatives. Messina also emphasized several times that centralizing resources not only streamlines support but also advances equity by ensuring historically marginalized populations have easier access to the tools they need to thrive.
These efforts are strengthening retention, fueling long-term enrollment growth, and shaping a more comprehensive Strategic Enrollment Management plan. In staying true to its mission, City College continues to honor its past while inspiring its future — guided by the belief that “the truth shall make you free.”
Steward of the Diego Rivera Mural Says City College Should Be Doing More
By Abby Sigler abby.sigler@gmail.com
W
ill Maynez has cherished Diego Rivera's Pan American Unity mural for nearly three decades, yet he's unsure if he'll live to see it again.
Since he became enamored with the piece in 1996, the former City College lab manager has acted as its steward and historian. Even after retiring from the Physics Department
more than a decade ago, Maynez continued to give talks, lead tours and collect stories from people with ties to the mural.
Diego Rivera painted Pan American Unity in 1940 for the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island. Stretching across ten panels and more than 1,600 square feet, Rivera's largest mural weaves together depictions of Frida
Kahlo, Charlie Chaplin, Henry Ford, Indigenous artisans and modern machinery.
During its three-year stint on display at SFMOMA, more than 600,000 visitors marveled at the fresco. However, since its return to City College in early 2024, Pan American Unity has been sealed away in storage, with no clear timeline for its return to public view.
“I'm curious if I'll ever see the mural up again,” Maynez said. “I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't in the cards for me.”
Stuck in Limbo
The plan had been to install the mural in the new Diego Rivera Theater upon its return to the college, but the building project's timeline frayed due to numerous delays. As a result, the mural had no official home to return to on campus and has sat in storage for the past year and a half.
Project manager Jasmine Kaw from the Office of Facilities and Capital Planning cited the pandemic, a lengthy design process and an extended state review.
“Usually, a project like this takes at least a year, if not more. This has turned out to take a lot more,” Kaw said.
Despite the setbacks, the college expects to break ground this fall. With an estimated 30-month build time, Pan American Unity wouldn't be reinstalled until roughly spring 2028 — four years after its return from SFMOMA.
For Maynez, that long absence reflects a deeper failure. “If you have a treasure and you're keeping it in storage,” he said, “there's something wrong with your stewardship.”
Keeping Watch
While the mural's disassembled panels await their new home, Maynez is pushing for regular monitoring by professional conservators who have long cared for the piece. “We should set up some kind of schedule where every six months somebody comes in and checks the mural,” he said.
City College's Works of Art committee has voiced the same concern. “People with conservation knowledge should be checking on the mural,” said committee chair Barbara Less.
Kaw notes that steps have been taken to protect the fresco. “We're making sure to minimize dust and keep the space at a specific humidity level,” she explained.
Still, no formal monitoring plan has been put in place. Maynez says the churn of City College leadership over the past decade has posed a challenge to the mural's care. “There's been no stakeholders,” he said.
Less agreed the responsibility is diffuse. While major decisions ultimately rest with the Board of Trustees, she said, the mural's care requires “a lot of different moving parts to work together.”
A Priceless Treasure
When the 30-ton fresco travelled from City College to SFMOMA in
2021, it was a phenomenon. NBC Bay Area chronicled the process in a documentary that captured the tense, meticulous work of relocating a piece of art that size.
Less described how the Works of Art committee occasionally hears from people saddened by the mural's absence. “It's a loss — but it's temporary. When it returns, it will be more accessible than ever before.”
For Maynez, the mural has always been more than a work of art. He spent two of his decades caring for it alongside the late Julia Bergman, a City College librarian and fellow advocate. “Julia would always say we could teach anything with that mural… we could teach math, history, art,” Maynez recalled. “Each time you look at it, you get a little more.”
Maynez said he has a meeting scheduled with Chancellor Kimberlee Messina to discuss a conservation strategy for the prized mural.
In the meantime, there are other ways to encounter Pan American Unity. A replica commissioned by Maynez hangs in the Pierre Coste Dining Room. Stanford University hosts high-resolution digital scans online. Maynez himself continues to update his website with history, photographs and essays. A living record of a mural still hidden from view.
Editor's note: Readers can find Maynez's personal archive of Diego Rivera history and information at riveramural.org
Diego Rivera's Pan American Unity mural spans 1,600 square feet of vivid history and imagination, uniting art, industry and culture across ten monumental panels. (Photo courtesy of Will Maynez/Diego Rivera Mural Project)
From L-R: Max Hetzler, Will Maynez and Benedikt Taschen visit the stored panels of the Pan American Unity mural in June of this year. (Photo courtesy of Will Maynez/Diego Rivera Mural Project)
Workers carefully lower one of the mural’s upper panels as they uninstall the artwork from its spot in SFMOMA in 2024. (Photo courtesy of Will Maynez/Diego Rivera Mural Project)
A rendering of the new Diego Rivera Theater shows Pan American Unity as its centerpiece. (Image courtesy of City College, LMN Architects, TEF Designs)
Mayor Lurie Staves Off Free City Cuts, but the Road Ahead Remains Uncertain
By Lev Farris Goldenberg lfarrisg@mail.ccsf.edu
Free City is safe, for now.
According to new City College Chancellor Kimberlee Messina, Mayor Daniel Lurie's recently passed city budget will provide sufficient funding to cover free tuition for all San Francisco residents for the 2025-26 school year.
Next year, however, the funding could be cut further. Mayor Lurie's proposed budget for 2026-27 only sets aside $7.15 million for Free City.
“We have this coming year to see how the City budget shakes out, and work with our City leaders and hopefully help them see how important that is to City College,” Messina said.
Stable, but for How Long?
The $15.9 billion budget Lurie signed in July eliminates nearly 1,400 city jobs, lays off nearly 100 city employees and cuts nonprofit spending by $200 million over two years, all in an effort to close the City's $800 million deficit. Lurie's budget also sets aside $400 million in anticipation of federal funding cuts.
Despite other cuts, the Free City program will retain the same funding level as last year, $9.3 million. That amount represents a 50% cut from prior funding levels, after former Mayor London Breed slashed support for Free City from $18.9 million in 2023-24 to $9.3 million in 2024-25.
According to Wong, the $9.3 million appropriated for the coming year is “just enough” to cover tuition. Any further cuts, and City College might have to decide which students and which courses remain eligible for free enrollment.
“I am incredibly grateful that Mayor Lurie's office retained our current funding levels,” Wong said. “However, I'm still pushing to ensure that we continue with the 2019 agreement that funded the Free City College program.”
Wong, students and faculty have called for Lurie to reinstate the previous levels of funding laid out in a 2019 agreement between City College and the City and County of San Francisco. The agreement set forth a 10-year plan to fund Free City College, stipulating that the program would receive $15 million in 2019-20, with annual adjustments for inflation until 2029.
But halfway through the agreement's term, and with a new mayor in City Hall, the fight to maintain City College’s free-tuition program is ongoing.
The Push to Save the Program
When Breed abruptly cut Free City's funding in 2024, advocacy groups rallied.
“We're always concerned if we're going to lose funding because we know that that's really important to our students, because most of our students are first-gen students and really need that support to have free fees,” Chancellor Messina said.
The fight to defend Free City continued into the budget battle with Lurie earlier this summer.
“It took a lot of advocacy just to make sure that we're back to the 50% funding level of what we used to have for Free City College,” said Anya Worley-Ziegmann of the People's Budget Coalition. “We're in a really dangerous position and it's a really disappointing place to be.”
The People's Budget partnered with the Free City Coalition — which includes faculty union AFT 2121 and student group Protect Free City, among others — to lobby City Hall during the budget fight earlier this summer.
Rheana Montero, a second-year Sexual Health Education major at City College, is a member of Protect Free City, and one of the program's many beneficiaries.
“I personally wouldn't be in college if it weren't for Free City,” Montero said. “It's hard for me to make a decent income, to go to school and to support my family simultaneously,” Montero explained. “At least with my tuition being covered under the Free City program, I can just think about my finances only for family, and not for family and school.”
According to AFT 2121, Free City has served over 120,000 San Francisco residents since its inception in 2017. Many of them, Montero says, need assistance beyond just free tuition.
“We have single parents, first-generation (students), people going back to school and senior citizens benefitting from the Free City College program. They're emotionally distressed right now because of the uncertainty with the budget.”
Wong noted that the new budget will not provide Free City with additional funding to support the basic needs of students and increase access to education as it has in past years.
“Debt relief, support for basic needs… we would like to tap into Free City for those services,” Chancellor Messina said.
In 2023, Free City provided debt relief to over 13,000 City College students thanks to a $2.1 million allocation in the City budget. The move lifted the holds on students' accounts and allowed thousands of San Francisco residents to be able to enroll in classes.
“We're going to have to come back year after year after year, to keep fighting this fight for Free City,” Worley-Ziegmann said. “Which is sort of the moment that we're in right now as a City — essential programs are being threatened every year when there are budget cuts.”
Meanwhile, departments that saw no cuts or received increases in funding include Police, Sheriff and District Attorney. SFPD will receive $27 million in additional funds, amid recent reports that the police department abused overtime pay and shared surveillance camera data with several federal agencies.
Engineering Club Responsible for Best Solar Boats in the State
By Sam Palma spalma8@mail.ccsf.edu
City College's Engineering Club continued its dominance by winning the 8th annual Sacramento Municipal Utility District's California Solar Regatta cup.
Held on May 3, 2025, at the Rancho Seco Recreational Area, this marks the sixth time in the past seven years the club has won, making City College one of the most decorated schools in the events history.
Engineering Department chair and club advisor Keith Muller credits the program's hands-on approach. “In CCSF's Engineering Department, our classes are very hands-on. Students build many different kinds of projects, and this helps when you have to construct a solar-powered boat,” he said.
“Other schools consider the Solar Regatta as a part of a class or a Capstone project, whereas we only wish to do better than our previous boat,” he added.
In a City College press release, Former Interim Chancellor Mitchell Bailey applauded the club's continued success. “Congratulations to our incredible Engineering Club — winning against such a competitive field is truly remarkable.”
The Solar Regatta, first held in 2017, is a two-day event open to all high schools and colleges throughout California. Organizers provide solar panels, and teams design, build and race their own boats powered by the sun. Boats are judged on several categories, but primarily in three: Slalom, Speed and Endurance.
This year, City College won half of the 12 competition categories, defeating teams from Sacramento State, Cal Poly Pomona and UC Riverside. Their closest rival, San Joaquin Delta College, bested CCSF at last year's cup and briefly ended the club's winning streak.
The event wasn't without challenges. Overcast weather forced teams to use batteries rather than solar panels. “During our Endurance race, the batteries we first used were quite old. That combined with the direct sun and heat led to the battery swelling up and nearly catching fire during the race,” said Aidan Kastner, former president of City College's Engineering Club.
In Latin, the club's motto translates to, “We drink coffee and build things.” Mueller said the phrase captures their day-to-day spirit. “We are a fairly laid-back club otherwise, while events like the California Solar Regatta and Robogames are fairly intensive, we mostly tinker on the tools we have or come up with self-motivated projects.”
In addition to competition, the group puts its skills to use on campus. Club members have repaired broken electric scooters for City College's Disability Services, applying what they learn in class to help their community.
Looking ahead, the club plans to showcase its work at engineering events like Maker Faire and Open Sauce as well as a group trip to the Bay Area Science Festival in October.
Events Calendar
August 31
Zine Fest
Meet local zinesters and dive into the world of DIY publishing.
▷ 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
▷ City View at Metreon
September 1
Labor Day Holiday City College is closed — no classes.
49th Giro di San Francisco
This classic Labor Day cycling race takes over the Embarcadero, with highspeed criterium laps around Levi’s Plaza.
▷ 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
▷ Levi’s Plaza
Golden Gate Park Band — Labor Day Concert
A free afternoon performance at the Bandshell, celebrating workers.
▷ 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
▷ Golden Gate Park
September 5
Women’s Volleyball vs. Mendocino
Cheer on the Rams as they take on Mendocino in their first home quad match of the season.
▷ 3:00 p.m.
▷ Ocean Campus, Wellness Center
Women’s Volleyball vs. Skyline
Stick around for a second match as CCSF faces Skyline at home.
▷ 5:00 p.m.
▷ Ocean Campus, Wellness Center
September 9
Listen & Learn: Elevate Your Journey
The Student Equity team hosts a session on navigating CCSF resources and support programs.
▷ 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
▷ Virtual (Zoom)
September 10
“Clueless” 30th Anniversary Screening
Celebrate the '90s classic with a special Q&A featuring Elisa Donovan (“Amber”).
▷ 7:00 p.m.
▷ Balboa Theater
September 11
CCSF Information Session (In-Person)
Drop in to learn about CCSF, enjoy refreshments, grab swag and win raffle prizes.
▷ 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
▷ Ocean Campus, Student Success Center, Room 2101
Free Civic Center Concert
Featuring performances by Shaboozey, Fireboy DML, and Red Leather.
▷ 3:00 p.m - 7:00 p.m
▷ Civic Center Plaza
September 13
San Francisco Chinatown Noodle Festival
Enjoy noodle tastings from local vendors, a dim sum eating contest and giveaways at this community food festival hosted by the Chinese Culture Foundation.
▷ 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
▷ 750 Kearny St., 3rd Floor
City College’s Engineering
Club poses with their $3,000 prize and multiple trophies after capturing first place at the 2025 Solar Regatta. (Photo courtesy of Keith Mueller)
The People Are Not the Republic: What Pro-Palestinian Activists Got Wrong
By John R. Adkins jradproduction@gmail.com
I
n the wake of one of the deadliest Middle Eastern conflicts in modern history, wherein the country of Israel is laying waste to the lives of civilians, and wreaking havoc on the Palestinian world with famine, exploding rubble and the slaughtering of journalists, an estimated 100 billion pro-Palestine posts have been made on social media.
This so-called “clicktivism” is morally permissible on almost every level, as it raises the collective awareness of the concurrent, unfathomable atrocities in the Middle East. Social media users who repost news are aggregating information for their followers, to the point where their lawn-chair activism actually stands to provide real value in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. One where consumption is typically dictated by worldview-curated algorithms.
However, the act of reposting can sometimes be enabled more by the desire to associate oneself with the information — than it is by a firsthand understanding of the source. Therefore, it's worth acknowledging the risk of unintentionally spreading misinformation via Instagram reels around the Middle Eastern conflicts. This phenomenon may have resulted in a recent misstep for pro-Palestine activists, when some were quick to defend Iran's theocratic regime when they fell prey to Israel's barrage of attacks on the morning of June 13, 2025. Nicknamed “Operation Rising Lion,” the State of Israel targeted Iran's nuclear sites, military bases, as well as highranking military commanders. From the time the attacks began, I had been corresponding with a bright young programmer in Iran who had been sending applications to schools in the U.S. to study computer science. Someone I reassured would be a friend of mine should they ever make it over to America. For fear of being silenced by the Iranian Regime, he requested that I refer to him only as “Andrew.” From the early hours of the conflict, Andrew expressed his desire for Israel to finish what it had started; and for the Trump administration to allow it to continue. It was through my conversations with Andrew that I continued to underscore the distinction in my mind between the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the identity of the Iranian people. The Israeli strikes took out hundreds of civilians, and the
fear of being caught in the crossfire was palpable. Yet it seemed that even against the backdrop of the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, the Iranian people's fear of their own government outpaced any concerns over how far Israel might go.
had tried to do what Israel accomplished in just one night, it would've cost many more lives. Now, most of the high-ranking officials involved are gone,” Andrew said. “Personally, I do not like death, not even execution as a punishment. But when there's an abusive dictatorship, sometimes there's no other choice.” It is difficult to know the full extent of what goes on in Iran when the regime has such strict control over the flow of information. However, there seemed to be no shortage of Iranian social media accounts that agreed on the fear struck into the Ayatollah by Israeli attacks was a welcome change.
Andrew, in particular, could feel just how tight a grip his government had over information. Given his proficiency with technology, he was already accustomed to jumping through hoops to try to access the internet on his own terms. At one point, I checked my phone to find I'd finally received another update: “I'm not sure if I can send this message.”
“Now it's been over 24 hours since we've had Internet access. I managed to connect for a very limited time with a lot of work, but it's not stable.”
In a society where our collective awareness is shaped by the ability for people to share and repost information, shutting off the internet for a nation is a terrifying mechanism of control. Not just for the people of Iran, but for the would-be activists who think they're increasing their awareness but instead are consuming propaganda.
Andrew said that many Iranians were quick to celebrate the deaths of high-ranking government officials whose organization was responsible for killing thousands. And the Israeli attack on the Iranian state TV station wiped out torture rooms where they would force people to make false confessions.
Meanwhile, the regime's total civilian death toll is impossible to tally due to the untold number of secret tortures and unjust trials. During the 2022 protests over the killing of Mahsa Amini, the Iranian government killed more than 500 protestors and detained nearly 20,000 for prison sentences.
“In just a single protest, the Islamic Republic killed more people than Israel has during this entire operation,” Andrew explained. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranian citizens to seize the opportunity for regime change. The proposal of revolution by no means fell on deaf ears. “If people
Despite killing the lights on Iranian ISPs, Andrew continued to send me updates through “tunneled” VPNs connecting to Starlink satellites. “Our biggest enemy is the regime,” he wrote, between information blackouts.
While the remorseless attacks by the Israeli government are largely unforgivable, to naively celebrate the protection of officials in Tehran in the Western world removes any hope the Iranian people might have of change. A dangerous conflation not dissimilar from the critique of Netanyahu's far-right administration, being misdirected at the Israeli people as a whole.
While Andrew has little hope now of getting any kind of student visa approved in the U.S., he thinks that, at the very least, his conversations with me could help spread the word about the truth of what is happening in Iran.
San Francisco’s Housing Crisis: A Story of Cause and Effect
By Henry Crowell henrycrowell5@gmail.com
San Francisco is in dire need of more housing, but there are more than a few obstacles in the way of us achieving that. One part of the problem is that it can be extremely hard to build said housing. Zoning plays a large role in that, with two-thirds of the city's residential land zoned for single-family homes. While there is certainly a definite need for this type of housing stock, San Francisco as a whole is skewed in one direc tion. The scale being tipped so far in favor of single-family zon ing can be traced back to separate pieces of legislation, the 1960 zon ing map and the 1978 city-wide down zoning. The second, in particular, reduced the amount of allowable development by turning over half the city into solely resi dential neighborhoods under the guise of “preserving the historic and neighborhood character,” while taking away as many as 180,000 possible homes. “This legislation cuts out, literally, low and mod erate-income folks. What we're doing here is pricing people out of San Francisco,” said Robert E. Gonzales in a SF Chronicle article at the time. As you may be able to tell, Gonzales, a member of the Board of Supervisors from 1969 to 1980, unsuccessfully voted against this measure.
Another factor is the cost of already-built housing. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the City is $3,076 a month, according to Apartments.com. A three-bedroom will run you a
hefty $5,703 a month. When paired with the exorbitant cost of a single-family home in the city, whether renting or owning, it's no wonder that many San Francisco natives have had to move out of the city in the face of a rising cost of living. While it may seem like we agree that we need more housing, we tend to end up being our own worst enemies time and time again. Opponents of development, so-called “NIMBYs” (Not in my Backyard), fight against construction by citing neighborhood character, parking, or that developments would simply be too big as reasons we shouldn't provide a place of residency for what is sometimes upwards of 500 people.
They make their word count, too. A study by researchers from the University of Queensland found that 63% of public commenters in San Francisco were over the age of 40, and that the white population was overrepresented at 65% compared to making up 48% of the citywide population.
In concluding their study, the authors Georgina Mcnee and Dorina Pojani state that “Planning meetings appear to be dominated by older, white homeowners who are more concerned about their property values and other personal hindrances than about the common good. Poorer, younger, and ‘ethnic’ residents (particularly
renters), while pro-development and pro-affordable housing, remain underrepresented.”
This opposition to development is not always without warrant, though. There is a serious concern that, although new units may get built, they won't be affordable. 17,565 low-income households did not have access to a home in 2022, and 52% of extremely low-income households were paying more than half their income to housing, according to a study by the California Housing Project. When talking about housing, affordability should not be forgotten.
Returning to that 1978 legislation, people even then knew what would happen. Vincent Walsh, president of the Builders Association at the time, said, “[This plan is] an attempt by an elitist group to deny others to build in San Francisco.” He wasn't the only one who was aware, as the writer of the very report coinciding with this measure seemed to know exactly what they were doing, saying: “The proposed amendments were designed to maintain the exising character, scale and density of San Francisco's residential areas. It is hoped that such action would help stem the out-migration of current residents without attracting large numbers of new residents.” San Francisco has been built to keep people out.
The Guardsman wants to hear what you think. Have something to say about the state of the world, or the state of City College?
We welcome any and all community letters, however we reserve the right to not publish any submission. If you are a student please include your name and area of study. Please make all submissions to editor@theguardsman.com
Israel's "Operation Rising Lion" is a reference to the Lion and Sun emblem on the original Iranian flag. This version of the flag, which was made illegal after the Islamic Revolution put the current regime in power, is now displayed by protestors as an act of resistance to the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Design by John Adkins)
Shortage of affordable housing in San Francisco. Illustration by Cindy Chan.
Soccer Preview: Two Programs, One Mission
By Lloyd Cobb lcobb10@mail.ccsf.edu
Women's Soccer Chases History After Breakthrough Season
The City College women's soccer team is hungry for more after its best season in over a decade.
Last fall, the Rams returned to the CCCAA State Championships Final Four for the first time since 2013, finishing 17-3-3 with a No. 4 national ranking. For head coach Jeff Wilson, the memories still feel fresh.
“I think just the excitement of it all,” Wilson said when asked about the historic run. “It's something, as a coach, you're always building toward — especially with so much success with so many sports programs here. We also want to carry our own weight and do what so many other teams have done throughout the history of City College.”
The secret to their breakthrough? A veteran core with unfinished business.
“We had a lot of depth and a very veteran group,” Wilson explained. “A lot of people had played the year before when we'd made the Elite Eight, and there was that motivation from the very beginning of living up to the legacy and pushing ourselves as far as we could go.”
But Wilson's proudest moment came after the season ended. Nine players earned spots at four-year universities, including four who landed Division I opportunities. Leading scorer Paige Pineda-Aliamus signed with San José State, while both starting center backs also earned Division I spots — one at Cal State Bakersfield and another at San José State.
“I think that says a lot about the program
and what we're trying to do here,” Wilson said.
That pipeline isn't accidental. Wilson sees City College as a launching pad for players who didn't get the opportunities they expected straight out of high school.
“What we've done is provided kind of a platform where they can go, do well, get exposure and move on,” he said.
This season brings new faces and younger voices. Wilson pointed to captain Kathy Cordova and returning goalkeeper Bailey Peres as “standout leaders,” while newcomer Kalia from Mountain View High School steps into a crucial center-back role alongside returner Roe Glynn.
“She's definitely a leader, can use both her left and her right,” Wilson said of Kalia. “She's going to help secure the center back position.”
Wilson said without last year's primary goal scorer, the team will need a more balanced attack. However, the coach sees a lot of potential candidates who could step into that role.
Success has even created new challenges — some schools don't want to schedule games against the Rams anymore.
“Because we did so well, it's harder to find games,” Wilson said with a laugh. “Some schools don't want to play us.”
When asked what headline he'd love to see in December, Wilson didn't hesitate: “History made. We got to the Final Four — can we make it to the finals this year and maybe even win that elusive state title?”
Men's Soccer Continues Strong Foundation
The men's program under head coach Adam Lucarelli has been building something solid. Last fall, they advanced to the second round of Northern California playoffs, taking down Cabrillo in the opener before a hardfought 2-1 overtime loss to No. 5 Cañada College in Redwood City.
It's the kind of program that wins respect through steady excellence rather than flashy headlines. In the competitive Coast-North conference, that consistency matters.
The two programs share more than just a hallway — they share knowledge and support each other's success.
“We're very supportive of one another,” Wilson said. “I really look up to somebody like Coach Lucarelli, who has quite a tenure here. He's always willing and able to share some ideas. Whether it's men's or women's, it's a similar game for sure.” Both coaches understand what it takes to compete at this level in Northern California's tough junior college landscape. Wilson's philosophy applies to both teams: “At this level, versatility is huge. The teams that advance are the ones that adapt.”
Two Programs, Shared Excellence
While the women chase their championship dream, the men continue building on Lucarelli's established foundation. Both programs embody the same philosophy and share the same mission: represent City College at the highest level, develop players for four-year programs, and maintain the standard of excellence that defines Rams athletics.
Early practice sessions capture that ambition perfectly.
“It was beautiful sunshine out there,” Wilson said. “They were working hard, but they were also finding time to laugh and enjoy each other. They push themselves athletically, but they also know how to enjoy being around one another.”
Even former players are buying into the vision — two alumni have returned to help coach.
“I have two alums who've come back to help,” Wilson said. “They talk so fondly about where we're at now. That speaks volumes.”
The soccer team scrimmages each other during their practice. San Francisco, Calif. Aug. 18, 2025. (Isaac Ortiz Dominguez/The Guardsman)
The men's soccer team practice ahead of their season opener. San Francisco, Calif. Aug. 20, 2025. (Isaac Ortiz Dominguez/The Guardsman)
Players from the men's soccer team play a high pressure scrimmage. San Francisco, Calif. Aug. 18, 2025 (Isaac Ortiz Dominguez/The Guardsman)
Editor's note: The men's soccer team plays the Contra Costa Comets at City College on Friday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m. The women’s soccer team's first home game against the Santa Barbara Vaqueros will take place on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 12 p.m.
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Rams Football: Ready to Set the Tone
By Lloyd Cobb lcobb10@mail.ccsf.edu
City College football traveled 70 players to its Monterey scrimmage last month. Last season, the Rams barely suited up 50 for games. The numbers tell the story of coach Eduardo Yagües Nuño's rebuild. After inheriting a decimated program as interim coach, Nuño enters his first full season with depth, stability and players hungry to prove themselves. “In shape, physically prepared, loving football, embracing the grind,” Nuño said of his squad. “We just need to make sure they're mentally ready to play at a high level.”
From Chaos to Culture
Last year's previous coach left, taking staff and 20-30 players with him. “We were kind of decimated,” Nuño said. “Very difficult situation. Always keep ten toes down.” The Rams played games with two defensive linemen and five linebackers. They ran out of gas in fourth quarters. Basic depth became luxury. This season changes that equation. “We have better depth, better quality,” Nuño said. “At least that gives us a chance so we won't run out of gas.”
Power With Purpose
Nuño brings an offensive line coach's mentality to the attack. “We're going to be a power football offense with spread capabilities,” he said. “Establish the run and throw the ball. Pretty basic stuff.” Veteran lineman Tony Pettis anchors the group alongside Texas transfer George Drago, who sees championship potential. “When I first got here, a lot of people were just doing their own thing, wasn't really a team,” Drago said. “So I'm trying to bring that together … it's going to be a scary year.” Drago, who can line up across the front, relishes the physicality of his position. “You get to pull, you
get to hit somebody. That's the most valuable thing. Run blocking, that's a big thing too. I feel like I bring all that to the table.”
Receivers Jeremiah Nash and JT Foreman have impressed in camp, while three young quarterbacks compete for the starting role.
Fast and Physical Defense
Defensive coordinator Larry Grant — praised by fellow coach Anthony Feliciano as “money” — describes his unit in two words: “fast and physical.” He points to leaders like defensive tackle Dion Williams to set the tone. Williams, a Las Vegas native, feels the difference in this year's camp. “We've competed so hard during spring and fall that it's going to be easier when the games come,” Williams said. “We've been whooping the offense, but that just makes everybody better.” Linebacker Sunny Vitali adds leadership on defense, rounding out a group that now has depth across the line and secondary.
Revenge Mentality
Williams doesn't sugarcoat his outlook for 2025. Asked what headline he'd write for the season, his answer came quick: “Revenge.” “Everybody's sleeping on us because of last year's team,” he said. “But we coming to set the tone.”
Measuring Success
Nuño insists the mission extends beyond wins and losses. “Do what's right for the players and give them an environment to thrive,” he said. “Make them better as football players and as men.” His real report card: “How many we can get transferred to four-year programs.” Drago puts it more simply: “Get into the playoffs.” The Rams open their season Sept. 7 at Ocean Campus, carrying Williams' promise, Drago's toughness and Nuño's new foundation into a fresh start.
The Rams run offensive and defensive drills. A fresh group of players go in and out of the field after each play. San Francisco, Calif. Aug. 20, 2025. (Isaac Ortiz Dominguez/The Guardsman)
Place-kickers practice their field goals. San Francisco, Calif. Aug. 20, 2025. (Isaac Ortiz Dominguez/The Guardsman)