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 153, Issue 5
TheGuardsman.com
A COLLEGE MOURNS: by Joe Fitzgerald
April 4- April 17, 2012
CITY COLLEGE STUDENT VICTIM IN QUINTUPLE HOMICIDE NEAR CAMPUS - SUSPECT IN CUSTODY
jfitzgerald@theguardsman.com
Five people were found dead the morning of March 23 at 16 Howth St., just a block from City College’s Ocean campus. One suspect has been arrested in connection with the murders so far. Thai Binh Luc, 32, is suspected of robbing the home on Howth St. and laying in wait for the victims before attacking them, according to assorted news reports. According to SFPD Chief Greg Suhr, the victims were killed by blunt force and edge trauma, meaning they were bludgeoned and cut. Spring break started just a day after the grisly scene was reported and while most of the college community enjoyed their vacation, one teacher began questioning police to figure out if one of the victims, Chia Huei Chu, was her student. “I’ve been in shock and distress by the news in the past few days,” English as a Second Language instructor Thi Thi Ma said. By the time school was back in session, she was sure of what
happened. One of the victims was indeed “Chantel” Chia Huei Chu, 30, a City College student since 2007, and one of Ma’s students. Chantel’s husband, Vincent Yuanji Lei, also a victim that sad day, was registered at City College but not enrolled in any courses. Ma sat down with her ESL students Monday morning, April 2, and explained that their classmate had been murdered. She invited any students who knew her well to stay after class to talk, and a group of about ten students stayed behind— some noticeably distraught. “Who was Chantel, the person you knew from this class?” Ma asked them in English, for the sake of the reporter present. A middle aged man, Jim Lin, smiled for a moment as he spoke about her. Through his newly learned English, and a look of
family was in Taiwan, and she had an older sister. She and her husband had met because their families were friends. She was detailed in class, and always brought a wealth of information to their study groups. She was also very ambitious. Ma recalled in an email that Chantel shared “her embarrassment in some cases with spoken English—she shared that such linguistic drawbacks motivated her to thrive. Her dream was to become either an immigration lawyer or a business person.” Mei mentioned that she may have been one of the last people to speak with her; that she had spoken to Chantel on the phone the night of the murder. They were planning a barbeque for spring break. Fellow student Cathy Zang began to sob. She had discussed Chantel’s background in the most
“Chantel” Chia Huei Chu March 21, 1982-March 23, 2012 nostalgia, he spoke of how friendly she was, and how bright. One girl, Yuan Mei, struggled with a word while describing Chantel. “Outright?” she asked, looking at Ma. Then it clicked. “Outgoing. She was outgoing.” Everyone agreed, adding that she had a great sense of humor too. As a group they recounted some details of her life. Chantel’s
detail, and clearly they were close. Ma then asked for some time alone with her students, and held a private talk with them for a short time past the interview. Separately, Ma recalled to The Guardsman the last time she saw Chantel. She was the last to leave the classroom that day, and in her lively and cheerful voice wished her teacher a happy spring break, urging her not to work too hard. Ma’s last memories of Chantel were the same as her students: of a vital woman who held so much optimism, and so much promise. Thi Thi Ma and her students are raising funds for Chantel’s family. If you’re interested in donating, you can forward the check to East West Bank or email Ms. Ma at tma@ccsf.edu. Donations can be made to the East West Bank, number: 52507688. Checks can be made to “Louis Fung Yick Hong” or “Hua Shun Lei Family Memorable Fund”.
Photos by: from left to right, Shane Menez, Beth LaBerge, Matt Lambert (The Guardsman); photo of Luc courtesy of the SFPD. Left to right: Medical examiners transport one of the victims from five-person homicide; Flowers are spread over the sidewalk at a memorial for the victims in front of 16 Howth St. on April 1; Police stand on Howth St. on Mar. 23, directly across the street from the Ocean campus; Mugshot of suspect Binh Thai Luc
Stories of Hope and Struggle : Inside City College of San Francisco As budgets are slashed, classes are cut and furloughs loom, it can often seem as if education in California is failing. Most importantly, the very mission of community colleges, educating the community, has been under fire. In this time of crisis, The Guardsman is launching a new series to spotlight the acheivements and hardships of our students, faculty and staff. If you feel your story shows why community colleges are important, please write to us. We would love to highlight you in our next issue. -The Guardsman Staff
Veronica Garcia: Azlym Alim: Teresa Cullen: Doran Lewis: Rishi Subedi: a single mother and taking classes after student worker aims diploma program first from Nepal to CCSF, devoted daughter suffering from a stroke for psychology degree step to transferring to further education By Thomas Figg-Hoblyn
By Sean Houlihan
By Lance Kramer
By Eric Park
By Lance Kramer
Veronica Garcia, who only weeks before had celebrated her 16th birthday, walked out of the doctor’s office in a state of shock. Her mind reeled as she processed the news: she was pregnant. It was the fall of 2000 and Garcia was only a high school sophomore. She choose to keep her baby after leaving the doctor’s office that day, and went on to graduate
Ever since she suffered a stroke in 2005, Azlynda Alim, a long-time student at City College, has been living with aphasia, a disability that affects speech and cognitive skills. Since that time, Alim has been taking courses in communications, acquired brain injury and art. She says that by taking classes offered through the college’s
Theresa Cullen is a 23-yearold City College student working as a student ambassador with the Office of Outreach and Recruitment Services in the Multi-Use Building on City College’s Ocean campus. Cullen, who has attended CCSF for three years, was referred to her current federal work-study job by her counselor. She has worked there for
Doran Lewis, 23, considers himself one of the more fortunate students enrolled in the high school diploma program at City College. That’s because he will complete the diploma program this semester, allowing him to finally focus on taking transfer classes in the fall. Part of the transitional studies department, the high school diploma program provides adults
Rishi Subedi is a 35-year-old student from Nepal with bachelor’s degrees in both English literature and sociology. He is currently in his third semester studying diagnostic medical imaging at City College and also works about 15-20 hours a week as a medical interpreter translating from his native Nepali to English. The DMI program is a
THE GUARDSMAN
GARCIA Page 5
ON THE INSIDE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
AZTEC NEW YEAR IN THE MISSION -PAGE 6
THE GUARDSMAN
ALIM Page 2
COOKING WITH FLAIR -PAGE 7
CONTRIBUTING WRTIER
CULLEN Page 4
THE GUARDSMAN
LEWIS Page 4
A BUG IN THE SYSTEM (PART 2) -PAGE 10
SUBEDI Page 5
ESCAPE FROM CITY COLLEGE -PAGE 11
2 | April 4- April 17, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com
NEWS
City College student-worker wages fall flat in Bay Area round-up By Lance Kramer THE GUARDSMAN
City College work-study students are being paid less than San Francisco’s minimum wage and the hourly wage students have received for the last few years may not get raised for some time, according to sources. Supervising Compliance Officer Richard Waller of the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement gave The Guardsman the scoop on why City College work-study programs are not subject to San Francisco’s minimum wage rate of $10.24 an hour. “City College is governed by the San Francisco Community College District (the ‘District’), a discrete legal entity that is separate and distinct from the City and County of San Francisco (‘City government’),” Waller said. “Even though City College is located in San Francisco, and its employment of students occurs in
San Francisco, the independent legal status of the District is the controlling factor here.” “As a general rule,” Waller said, “City government does not have the power to impose its laws on other government entities. If State law provided an exemption to this general principle and permitted City government to impose its minimum wage law on the District, then the Minimum Wage Ordinance would apply to the District.” According to Roland Montemayor, City College’s Dean of the Financial Aid Office, work-study students are exempt of San Francisco’s minimum wage requirements because work-study programs are considered “training programs” which have different requirements. “The requirement for work-study, is that it be at least what the federal minimum wage is, which is $7.50,” Montemayor said.
About the financial cut-backs currently facing City College and the effect on work-study programs, Montemayor said, “We are really operating around the same amount of money, so we have $850,000,” and broke it down further, “$100,000 in Federal Work-Study, and around $600,000 in CalWORKS study.” “I think there may be small cuts, but really I think that the federal government understands that the Federal Work-study is very meaningful to students, and I think that for the CalWORKS study we’ve been really fortunate to have a partnership with the Department for Human Services that actually awards most of the money,” Montemayor said. “We have a three year contract with them, so this budget is pretty much set for the next three years.” At San Francisco State University, work-study students begin their starting wage at $8.50
and peak at $17.54, according to Don Martin of the SFSU PayRole Office. “Basically, the degree ranges from nine to ten dollars an hour,” Martin said of the average workstudy students pay. Which is better than the starting wage of $8.50. Across the Bay, at Laney College in Oakland, work-study student wages begin at $8.00 an hour, which meets the State minimum wage requirement, according to Benita M. Baines of Laney’s CalWORKS department. “The wages vary on the position of the student,” Baines said. “Your range would be between $8.00 minimum to $9.87” for the average student, and $9.16 is a wage many students receive, according to Baines. Unlike San Francisco, Oaklands minimum wage is the same as the State minimum wage requirement of $8.00 an hour,
OBITUARY: Student veteran mourned by campus and Pacific Islander community
PHOTO COURTESY OF FAMILY
Samuelu “Kiko” Afoa
By Thomas Figg-Hoblyn THE GUARDSMAN
Samuelu “Kiko” Afoa, 27, a beloved City College student died peacefully in his sleep on March 2, 2012. Afoa was a dedicated student
aspiring to earn a degree in criminal justice. He had attended City College for three years. The family is waiting on the full coroner’s report, which can take between nine and 12 weeks to complete. Afoa, a Samoan-American, was born at St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco on Jan. 27, 1985, the son of Edwin and So’onavua Afoa. He is survived by his mother So’onavua , brothers David and Nesmar, and sisters Malae and Fale. “He was dedicated to his family and friends,” his kinfolk said. A candlelight vigil was held at City College on March 11, as friends and loved ones expressed their sorrow and grief over Afoa’s early death, and celebrated the joy and affection he brought to their lives. A shrine dedicated to Afoa
complete with testimonials is on display at the Student Union Building, on the second floor next to the Pacific Islander’s Club. David Palaita, professor of Pacific Islander studies and interdisciplinary studies said that Afoa was very generous with his classmates, helping them out financially from time to time, and supporting them any way he could. Palaita said the following Samoan proverb reminds him of Afoa, “We are moved by love, but never by intimidation.” The U.S. Army veteran who survived several tours in Iraq will be remembered for his kind heart. Afoa looked intimidating, and he could be a warrior when necessary — but he was a lover at heart. Palaita said Afoa believed that love dissolved our greatest fears and would encourage his community to look deeper into what it means to live a life full of
Students create their own curriculum despite budget woes and course cuts By Oz Litvac THE GUARDSMAN
A new program at City College, called Each One Teach One, will allow students to facilitate workshops and share valuable knowledge with each other in areas not offered by regular courses at City College. The program is an adaptation of the student-run DeCal program at UC Berkeley, a program that was founded in 1981 and was inspired by the Free Speech movement of the 1960’s, according to the DeCal website. “Each One Teach One aims to
expand the offerings for students in an era of budget cuts and high tuition and student fees,” said coordinator Angela Helmer. All City College students are eligible to apply to become facilitators, but they are required to attend facilitation and trauma response trainings before they can lead workshops. Furthermore, they must get the project coordinator and Associate Dean of Student Activities Samuel Santos to sign off on their projects. This semester there are four workshops which will focus on
different subjects. Caitlyn Bacom is facilitating a workshop titled “Women at the Forefront of Technology”, Maggie Coshnear will lead “Racism and the 1%”, Shanell Williams is the facilitator of “Beauty Whitewashed” and finally Mazatzin is conducting one about the Aztec calendar. Helmer said that Each One Teach One facilitators will have a chance to gain valuable experience and leadership skills. Most workshops will begin in April. email: olitvac@theguardsman.com
love. Afoa was a big part of the Pacific Islander Club and a driving force in the Pacific Islander community . Fellow club members said he nurtured the Samoan culture on campus and was an outspoken advocate for Pacific Islander rights. He was scheduled to speak out against cuts to Pacific Islander studies classes at the March 22 Board of Trustees meeting. The strong, handsome Afoa was often seen with his best friends Pee Jay Iulio and Iverson Fa’amausili. The three created the hip and kick-back group popularly known as “Barbie Mafiaz.” Memorial services were held at Olivet Memorial Park in Colma on Monday, March 19.
email: tfigghoblyn@theguardsman.com
according to the State of California Labor Standards Enforcement Office in Oakland. It seems as though the main attraction for students to work with the Federal Work-Study program is for the convenience of being on campus and near their classes. Well...That and the government hardly taxes the wages...bonus! “There are benefits,” Montemayor said, “there are some tax things or other things that would be taken out, there’s a convenience of being able to do it by your class, there’s the financial aid benefit...which is a big thing, and then there’s also the idea that students can gain experience in some fields while they’re here.” “And the convenience is a really big plus for them,” Montemayor added. email: lkramer@theguardsman.com
Opportunities through DSPS
ALIM from front
Disabled Students Programs & Services, “I have gained more comfort and confidence to speak more and take on responsibilities which have me speaking with people I don’t know in unscripted situations.” However, due to the current financial crisis, some programs and classes provided through DSPS are at risk of being cut in the fall, department chair Paul Johnson said. “While hospitals have groups that work similar issues, they do not have the same sort of skillbuilding elements the DSPS programs have,” Alim said. “The teachers are patient and skilled and give you practical strategies which develop your capabilities versus just teaching you about and discussing your disability.” Alim has looked for similar classes in the Bay Area and says that none can compare with those offered by City College. email: news@theguardsman.com
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The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | April 4- April 17, 2012 | 3
News
Police remove student after outburst in class Editor-in-Chief Joe Fitzgerald
News Editor Sara Bloomberg Culture Editor Lulu Orozco Opinion Editor Kevin Brown Sports Editor Taylor Clayton Multimedia Editor Clarivel Fong Photo Editor Beth LaBerge Copy Chief Susan Boeckmann Calendar Editor Catherine Lee Social Media Editor Peter Hernandez Production Editor Anthony Fusaro
By Peter Hernandez THE GUARDSMAN
A City College student was asked to withdraw from his metal arts class on April 2 and was escorted by two policemen out of Conlan Hall, through the hallways where he enrolled in his metal arts and sculpture classes earlier this year and past the hordes of former schoolmates approaching their morning classes. Students in instructor Suzanne Pugh’s second semester metal arts class claim that Jesse Vaughn tardily entered the class on March 21 during a critique and angrily began to unload his tools upon discovering that his usual space was being used by a female classmate. Class instructor Pugh said the student sitting next to Vaughn was pushed before Vaughn began throwing his tools on the ground and yelling expletives. Students in her class say he called some classmates “faggots,”
and directed offensive sexual terms at Pugh. “When he came in, his body language seemed angry. The next thing I knew he was yelling and throwing things,” Mariana Bodden said. “Suzanne used a strong voice to get him out of the room.” Pugh explained that although people in the class had cell phones, there was no reception in the room. In order to call police, she’d have to walk out to her office, leaving the entire class vulnerable to Vaughn. “I had no idea that Garcia was touched in any way. That’s when I started to repeatedly tell him to leave,” said Pugh. On his way out around 12 p.m., Vaughn stood at the doorway with a wooden board in his hand. “I thought he was going to hit somebody with it,” Sam Delcambre said. Passersby stopped in front of Pugh’s classroom in awe at the
frenzy in the room, a student in Pugh’s metal arts class, Sandra Belda said. Pugh requested that Vaughn be removed from her class, which prevented him from attending class on March 21 and April 2. However, there has been no arrest, criminal charges have not been filed and the investigation has been placed in City College administrators’ hands, police said. City College Director of Student Advocacy Ted Alfaro explained that his investigation process involves interviewing witnesses who approach him, as well as the perpetrator. In sexual, slanderous or racist situations, he said he “moves it out,” rather than leaving an option for the student to stay in the class with just a warning. Alfaro also said that had received a notice of instructor’s discipline, which indicated that a student committed disruptive behavior in a classroom.
Vaughn met with Alfaro on April 2 to discuss his academic future. Vaughn’s alleged verbal and physical outburst in class have possibly compromised his ambitions as a metalsmith. Pugh said he was an obsessive worker. His return to City College, however, will not be determined until his mental health is evaluated and the investigation being led by Alfaro is closed. “We’re waiting for therapists to say, ‘You’re healthy enough to come back,’” said Alfaro. Alfaro also said that Vaughn has no history of violence at City College and that he was in his second year at City College and is in his 40’s. “I think he means well,” Belda said. “But he might be under a lot of stress. I hope he gets what he needs, because he’s a creative guy.” email: phernandez@theguardsman.com
Formerly incarcerated women share stories and struggles
Advertising Editor Peter Ho Network Manager Phillip Ng Staff Writers Peter Hernandez Catherine Lee Becca Hoekstra Lance Kramer Thomas Figg-Hoblyn Lucas Pontes de Almeida Oz Litvac Alex Schmaus David Pan Anthony J. Fusaro Tyler Brown Staff Photographers Clarivel Fong Shane Menez Vincent Palmier Valerie Santibanez Donovan Yi Broadus Parker Illustrator Jessica Kwan Multimedia Sergio Berreno Augustine Wittkower Copy Editors Kevin Brown Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Phone: (415) 239-3446 Email: email@theguardsman.com
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Mary Phoebe Van Der Horst and Pearl Contreras lead a workshop about the program Way-Pass, which helps formerly incarcerated women transition into college, at the City College Ocean Campus on Mar. 20.
By Marianella Aguirre SPECIEAL TO THE GUARDSMAN
At the Women and Incarceration: History and Milestones workshop on March 20, City College of San Francisco’s WayPass program announced plans to open a clinic to provide life-skills support for formerly-incarcerated women. Program director Pearl Contreras, or “Miss Pearl” as her friends and colleagues call her, said this will be especially beneficial for older women or “baby boomers” who are now a large percentage of the women coming out of prison. The discussion, conducted in an intimate circle, included four formerly-incarcerated women and about 20 students and members of the community, mostly women. Instructor Jennifer Worley was among the attendees. Students from her Incarcera-
tion in America class made up half of the audience. Pearl Contreras gave the opening speech. She was formerly imprisoned herself and said that she is not proud of that. “What I am proud of is that I came out and I made a change in my life,” she said. She emphasized the importance of education saying, “Without me getting an education there is no way in the world that I would have made it. The mind is a bad thing to waste.” As Contreras introduced her friend, the formerly-incarcerated Way-Pass program founder Mary Van Der Horst, she expressed her love and appreciation for her for what she had done to support other formerly-incarcerated women. Contreras gave her a heartfelt hug as Van Der Horst took the floor. Members of the audience teared
up as they too shared Contreras’ affection for Van Der Horst. As Van Der Horst facilitated a discussion on the history of women and incarceration in California and the history of the Way-Pass program, the discussion quickly shifted toward a forum for listening to and sharing stories with previously-incarcerated women as they spoke about the experience of leaving prison and struggling to integrate back into a changed world. Way-Pass member Sandra Johnson explained that when she left prison, the only support she was given was $200, which she then had to use for her bus ride out of prison and to buy clothes. “Coming out of prison is hard,” she said. “Especially when you don’t have anybody. That is why I want to help other women. Woman is strength.”
Johnson was laid off of work for having a criminal record and said that it was a challenge to go back to school. She said she felt anxious and scared and did not feel confident. The Way-Pass program has helped her stay in school. When Way-Pass was originally founded it was meant to provide women with school supplies and even things like diapers. By covering basic necessities, the program hoped to help members succeed in school. Van Der Horst wants to extend the Way-Pass program from what it is now, a college support program, to a program for housing and business-creating. “We want to make our community strong and create a sustainable community where we sustain each other,” she said. email: news@theguardsman.com
4 | April 4- April 17, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com
NEWS
News Check out our YouTube channel for our exclusive video coverage and interviews. youtube.com/user/TheGuardsmanOnline
High demand classes could delay transferring
LEWIS from front
a chance to earn their high school diplomas and also gives high school students the opportunity to take classes at City College and transfer the credits to their own schools. Transitional studies also offers GED classes, adult basic education and vocational foundation skills training. But with City College facing up to $25 million in cuts for the 2012-2013 school year, as previously reported by the Guardsman, students enrolled in the high school diploma and GED programs may not be able to
register in the core classes they need if classes offered through those programs are cut. A first-year college student at City College, Lewis hopes to go on to medical school. However, because of the budget situation, he might find it impossible to enroll in required transferable classes, particularly in science and mathematics, if they become overcrowded due to course cuts. Lewis, who suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, a chronic neurological condition, and Crohn’s, an inflammatory bowel disease, gets further
support from City College’s Disabled Students Programs & Services. He walks with a cane and does not own a car. He worries about transportation costs and further tuition hikes. “I love to learn and it’s discouraging,” he said. Though he vows to finish his education and see himself eventually through medical school, he sympathizes with the obstacle faced by other DSPS and Transitional Studies students. “It’s easy to say, ‘I give up,’” he said. email: news@theguardsman.com
With two degrees under belt, student aims higher
CULLEN from front
over two years. Before that she worked in the City College Book Loan Program. As a student ambassador, Cullen does general office work, makes informational packets for campus visitors, gives tours of the school and its facilities, makes presentations, gives college overviews and even travels to other schools to give overviews if they are requested. “I have lots of majors,” Cullen joked. “Which one do you want to know?” “I’ve got two A.A.’s from here, and then I’m just finish-
ing up my English class so that I can transfer,” she said. “I have an A.A. in criminal justice, and I have one in social and behavioral science, and once I transfer I will be a psychology major.” Cullen enjoys working on campus because of the convenience, and the willingness of her employer to work with her class schedule. She works the maximum amount allowed through the work-study program, which is 15 hours per week. She says she feels that $9.00 per hour is fair. “I view the work-study as a benefit, especially since lots of
jobs want you to come in with experience,” she said. “Workstudy doesn’t, and it gives you the opportunity to work in a work environment and get used to it, and have something on your resume while attending school.” Speaking about the difference between City College’s work-study wages and San Francisco’s minimum wage of $10.24 per hour, Cullen said, “I wish the work-study was more but I’m not really complaining because I really enjoy my job and the $9 is fine for me.” email: lkramer@theguardsman.com
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The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | April 4- April 17, 2012 | 5
With her mom in the hospital, she still manages to focus on studies
ROCIO ALARCON / THE GUARDSMAN
Oscar Martinez and Veronica Garcia displays a SMAC (Students Making A Change) t-shirt on Mar. 17 at the Ocean Campus of City College. GARCIA from front tion immigrants from Guadala- English classes.
high school as a single mother. “I was scared, but excited at the same time,” she says. Three years after her daughter Araseli was born, her second daughter, Priscilla, came into the world. In 2008 she enrolled at City College. Placement tests put her in Math E1 and English 92. Garcia is the daughter of Jose and Maria Garcia, first-genera-
Students spearhead plans for state-wide conference By Laura Elder
SPECIAL TO THE GUARDSMAN
In the wake of the March in March demonstrations in San Francisco and Sacramento, a handful of activists braved the stormy weather on March 27 to meet at San Francisco’s Main Library to plan a statewide community college conference. The conference will be held on May 12 at the City College Mission campus and is intended to be a “networking opportunity to stop the privatization of public education,” said Shanell Williams, City College’s Vice President of Communications for the Associated Students council. “This is a human rights issue and we want to connect with people throughout the nation,” she said. The conference’s mission statement is “to keep the community in community college.” The committee in charge of planning the statewide communi-
Because of this language barrier, and because Garcia’s father, Jose, needed to work to keep a roof over the families’ heads, it became necessary for Garcia to get involved — dealing with medical insurance, appointments, medications, social security and disability. Garcia rose to the challenge, claiming that her mother was receiving inadequate health care treatment and had almost died as a result. Maria’s condition worsened and soon only a heart transplant would save her life. After tackling the red tape and bureaucracy, her family eventually got her on the transplant list. Since her mother did not understand English, Garcia said she gave the hospital staff explicit instructions to call her directly any time there was a problem. One day, without warning or explanation, they received a letter from the hospital saying that her mother had been dropped from the heart transplant list for “failure to comply” — in effect a death sentence. Garcia said it wasn’t fair and the hospital had failed to give them any notice or even mention compliance up to that point. “They were supposed to call me,” she said. Her feeling is that if her moth-
er was Caucasian, she would not have been taken off the list. She continues to fight to get her mother back on the list, before it is too late. The experience has motivated Garcia to get involved with social justice. She has joined the club Students Making a Change, becoming their student leader for City College. At the moment she is fighting to change mandatory placement testing policies at City College to create a more lenient system where counselors are allowed to make placements. Garcia continues to balance school, fighting for her mother’s life, raising her daughters and advocating for social justice. Garcia plans on fighting against inequality as a career. “I help people because I want to,” she says. “It’s my life’s purpose.” On May 26 Garcia will graduate from City College with two associate degrees. Then she is moving on to earn her bachelor’s degree in ethnic studies at either San Francisco State University or UC Berkeley, which is currently reviewing her application.
jara, Mexico. A City College student equity report published in 2009 showed that among native-Spanishspeaking students only 14 percent of those placed in Math E1 and only 22 percent of those placed in English 92 will go on to complete transfer-level curriculum. Beating the odds, Garcia would eventually meet her transfer requirements after taking five
While taking classes at City College full time, Garcia, as a single mother, also had to to work full time to support her young daughters. “It wasn’t easy,” she says with a big smile. In 2009, soon after she began at City College, her mother, Maria, became ill from congestive heart failure. Maria speaks little English.
ty college conference is made up of an eclectic group of volunteers, including Bay Area community college students, instructors and administrators. Topics discussed at Tuesday’s planning meeting included potential workshops, panel discussions and plans for outreach to all 112 of California’s community colleges. “It’s important that other colleges feel like they have buyin with the conference,” Williams said. In order to facilitate outreach, the planning committee has divided up the task among its volunteers. Susan Lopez, a City College ESL instructor said, “it is essential to organize on a statewide level so we can network together.” Williams, who participated in the March in March demonstrations in both 2011 and 2012, said she believes that this year’s March in March participants were “a more informed student body with a sense of all being in this together.” With the upcoming conference, she hopes activists “will become more organized across California and build bridges with other community colleges so we can move forward with the same information.”
DMI program extremeley competitive
email: news@theguardsman.com
COLLEGE BUDGET CUT STAT TRACKER*:
-113 CCSF CLASSES CUT FROM CCSF IN 2012 -$17.5 MILLION CUT FROM CCSF BY CALIFORNIA IN 2012 -$25 MILLION POSSIBLE CUTS NEXT YEAR -300,000 STUDENTS DENIED COMMUNITY COLLEGE CLASSES STATEWIDE SINCE 2009 *STATISTICS COURTESY OF STATE CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE AND CITY COLLEGE ADMINISTATION
email: tfigghoblyn@theguardsman.com
SUBEDI from front
30-month program that prepares students to work in the field of medicine using X-ray, CT, ultrasound and MRI technologies. The program also teaches students about anatomy before they begin helping patients in hospitals throughout the Bay Area. Subedi and his peers have started X-raying patients this semester, which is typical for the third semester in the program. “What we have learned so far, in one year, we are practicing now in city hospitals,” said Subedi. “Myself, I am at UCSF but I will rotate between different branches at the UCSF hospital.” With the rise in the number of students seeking to enroll in the program, getting accepted into the DMI program was a challenge for Subedi. “In the last couple of years nursing was getting more popular, but so is the DMI program,” Subedi said. “The process to go through the applications and to get accepted in the program is more strict than it was ten years ago or five years ago because there are more people applying to the program.” “I think that because of the financial crisis we still feel the impact,” he said. “Just like in nursing where they have seven years of ups and downs in the market, I think radiology also has that kind of flow.” Subedi explained that because of the high number of applicants there is a lottery system for the enrollment into the DMI program. “I applied for this program the first year and I did not get accepted,” he said. “I got quali-
CLARIVEL FONG/ THE GUARDSMAN
Rishi Subedi, a Diagnostic Medical Imaging student at City College, stands on the steps that lead to the science buIlding at Ocean campus on Mar. 30. Rishi is in his 3rd semester studying DMI and has an internship at UCSF hospital.
fied, but I did not get in because I did not win the lottery.” But he applied again the following year and was finally accepted in the DMI program. Regarding job prospects, Subedi said the industry has changed within the last ten years. “It used to happen where people from the hospitals used to come to the program and say... you know... will you work for us?” he said. “But we do not have that kind of situation now.”
However, Subedi said, it is still a highly demanding job and with certification it can lead to attractive job opportunities in countries outside of the United States as well. “The medical field is not a joke, and it’s not easy, because you are dealing with real life,” he said. “You make one mistake, you are taking risk of someone’s life, so you need to know what you are doing.” email: lkramer@theguardsman.com
6 | April 4- April 17, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com
CULTURE
Follow us on Twitter @SFBreakingNews for breaking news and campus updates
As the sun sets in the Mission, an Aztec new year ceremony rises By Sara Bloomberg THE GUARDSMAN
PHOTOS BY BETH LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
The Mexika (meh-SHEE-ka), or Aztec, new year has been celebrated at City College’s Mission campus annually since 2008, but due to a lack of funding this year the ceremony was in danger of not taking place at all. So a group of passionate students decided to make it happen themselves. Members of the Toltekayotl club, a loose group of about 10-15 active members, around half of whom are current City College students, said they would hold fundraisers to produce the $1000 that the college requested from them to hold the event on a Sunday, when the campus is normally closed. The club’s mission is to provide a space for people to share their reverence for, and knowledge of, the Aztec calendar. “By using it in our daily lives, we can create harmony in the world around us,” said Xochitl Moreno, a former student and a member of the Toltekayotl club. According to Moreno the college agreed to give them a month after the event to pay the fees, allowing the celebration to proceed as planned on March 11. It was a cold, 50-somethingdegree day in the city as around 50 people, from infants to elders, filled the courtyard at the Mission campus to listen to singing, spoken word and speeches performed in English, Spanish and Nahuatl, the Aztec language. Maestro Rafael Jesús González, a retired creative writing and literature professor from Laney College, gave a blessing to the crowd in Spanish. Another community elder, Mazatzin, explained to the crowd the significance and symbolism of the Aztec calendar. The calendar goes through four cycles of 13 years, he explained, making one complete cycle every 52 years. This is the
year of the flint, or tekpatl, which was to begin at sundown on March 11. Xe Acosta, a member of the Toltekoyotl club, explained the symbolism of the flint. “It represents the tongue, the word,” he said. “So, this year we gotta take an extra breath before we speak, to think about what we say.” The celebration moved into the middle of Valencia Street around 6 p.m. and continued under the watchful gaze of the large, colorful tile representation of the Aztec calendar that resides on the façade of the main entrance to the campus. Around two dozen danzantes, or dancers, in colorful ceremonial attire entered the street and prepared for the new year ceremony. Many wore headdresses flowing with large plumes. Four drummers accompanied them with huehuetl, or traditional drums. Surrounded by a circle of nearly 100 people, Mazatzin led the entire group of dancers and onlookers in a ritual to give honor in six directions. “We’re gonna all turn together to the four corners of the universe,” Mazatzin said. He began with the north and proceeded counterclockwise until all four directions were honored. He then asked everyone to raise their hands up to the sky, the Father Sun, and then to touch the ground, to give respect to the Mother Earth. “For a few minutes, we acted like one person, one mind, one heart,” Mazatzin said after the collective action. “Happy new year.” For a time the air in that small section of Valencia Street was filled with the smell of incense and the sounds of drums, conch shells, flutes, rattles and chanting, until the sun finally set, marking the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one. email: sbloomberg@theguardsman.com
PHOTOS BY BETH LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
TOP LEFT: Dancers perform under the Tonalmachiotl, or Aztec calendar, in front of the Mission Campus of the City College of San Francisco during the Mexika New Year celebration on Mar. 11. The celebration brought in the year of 13 Tekpatl. BOTTOM LEFT: Mazatzin Aztekayolokalli sounded his intricately decorated conch shell at the Mexika New Year celebration. BOTTOM RIGHT: Around two dozen dancers fill Valencia St with music and dance in front of the Mission Campus on Mar. 11.
The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | April 4- April 17, 2012| 7
Culinary students cook with style The Guardsman takes a look at three unique approaches to the culinary arts at city college
FRESH BEATS: Erik Carrido By Alex Schmaus THE GUARDSMAN
City College culinary student Erik Carrido can be found every last Friday of the month spinning records at Soul Kitchen: Fresh Beats Served, a party in an old speak-easy on 139 8th St. at Minna. Corrido loves putting his own sense of style into the food he prepares. “What I like to spin comes out in my food,” he says. When he isn’t spinning hip-hop, funk and soul records, Carrido can likely be found studying on campus, interning at the innovative Japanese restaurant Ozumo or working as a line cook at the Cliff House. Carrido gets “instant gratification” from feeding and nurturing everyday people. “Not only rich people should have access to good food. In a rich-ass country this
shouldn’t be a problem, but it is. I wanna do elevated food for the common people,” says Carrido. Carrido says he is inspired by family traditions in the kitchen. “Grandmother’s grandfather was a cook for an English nobleman, so she used to say cooking was in my blood. Grandma did catering platters, big trays of Filipino food — she had her own little hustle. She would have us help her make lumpia.” Lumpia are stuffed pastry rolls that are served in both fried and fresh versions. Carrido gives a positive endorsement to City College’s culinary program. “They teach you about food costs and the business side,” he says. “City doesn’t prepare you for every kitchen, but you can go into a kitchen and not look like a dumb-ass. They teach the technical jargon, the main thing
is adaptability and they teach that.” He says he is happy to be, “expanding my horizon and learning a new cooking philosophy” at his Ozumo internship. “I was looking at internship list,” says Carrido. “It was very American and Eurocentric. I wanted to expand my technique. I was looking for Japanese because it has an elegance in food preparation and ingredient quality.” “And they taught me how to portion huge pieces of fish,” he added. His favorite dish at Ozumo is hotate with uni risotto, yuzu jalapeno oil and more uni. Hotate and uni are Japanese for scallop and sea urchin, yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit and risotto is a class of traditionally Italian dishes of rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency.
VINCENT PALMIER / THE GUARDSMAN
John Carandang prepares a salad in the Culinary Dept. kitchen at the Ocean Campus on Apr. 2.
TRADITION: John Carandang By Lucas Almeida THE GUARDSMAN
Erik Carrido chops bay leaf during the Iron Chef event held at City College of San Francisco’s restaurant, the Pierre Coste, on Mar. 16.
SHANE MENEZ / THE GUARDSMAN
HOSPITALITY: Erik Alvarez By Lucas Almeida THE GUARDSMAN
He needed a change — better opportunities, expanded networking strategies and a change of scenery. A new life. “I was stagnant where I was at,” Eric Alvarez said. “I was just there hanging out with my friends, doing nothing.” Alvarez, a Los Angeles native, needed to get away from friends and family and focus on school. San Francisco and City College offered him the light at the end of tunnel. Now studying hotel management at City College, he is currently finishing up his Associate of Science degree. As part of the culinary arts and hospitality studies program, students have the opportunity to gain off campus experience through intern-
ships offered at many prestigious businesses around San Francisco. Alvarez currently has an internship at the Saint Regis Hotel, a five-star luxury hotel located downtown. On top of the hours he spends in the classroom, Alvarez must dedicate 15 hours a week to his internship. He gets his hands into all aspects of the industry. Some days he is in the finance department while other days are spent in the human resources department. Speaking of culinary schools in Los Angeles, Alvarez said, “down there, they don’t have programs that are as well-rounded as it is here.” “I chose to come here because it specifically has associations with the Henry Hotels, with the Statler family which is a very prestigious family,” he explained. “The school here has a lot of part-
nerships within other hotels in the city, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to network.” Hoping to soar higher, Alvarez has already been accepted at San Francisco State, however he is hoping to get admitted at Cal Poly in Pomona, CA which was his first option. “My ultimate goal is to get my Masters in Hospitality Management,” Alvarez said. “There’s not many schools in California that offer that. I believe Cal Poly is the first one to offer the Masters program and after that I would like an entry-level management position. And my ultimate goal would be to be Director of Hotel Operations for Starwood.”
Surrounded by food since he was a little kid, John Carandang has surely inherited his family’s traditions. His parents, who own a Filipino Restaurant in San Bruno, had wanted him to go into the medical field. Carandang refused to listen to his parents and instead enrolled in the culinary arts program at City College. The culinary arts program at City College offers him an excellent set of specialty training that includes baking, knife skills, international fine cuisine and much more. Being professionally trained for what the field has in store for him, Carandang is glad he’s almost done with the program, although he says that “the learning never stops even after school.” He is now gaining firsthand experience at Benu, a fine dining restaurant located in the heart of the South of Market district. It has a two-star rating according to Michelin ratings. Michelin is an entity which reviews restaurants all over the world, with three stars being the highest rating, says Caradang. “I do look up to my chef
now, Corey Lee,” said Carandang about his experience at Benu. “He’s won a James Beard Award and that is a pretty big thing to us. It’s like the Oscars of food.” Looking ahead, Carandang says he definitely wants to open a restaurant one day, but for now he wants to travel in an effort to gain more cultural perspectives. “The world is so big that it sucks to be stuck at one place and just get your perspective of things just as that,” Carandang said. “You can go travel outside the country and you see something in a totally different way, so I guess traveling and absorbing all that culture is key to get where I want to be.” Before leaving the program Carandang hopes to make the most out of what City College has to offer in his professional career. “What motivates me is to be better than the people who came before me,” Carandang said. “Just that drive to learn more and do more, work harder. Every day we learn different things and that’s what makes me work hard, just that hunger for knowledge.”
SHANE MENEZ / THE GUARDSMAN
8 | April 4 -April 17, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com
Culture
CCSF Events Calendar Camera shop owner got start at CCSF By Oz Litvac THE GUARDSMAN
By Catherine Lee THE GUARDSMAN
WED/APR. 4 Free Documentary Film “Sutro’s: The Palace at Land’s End” Screening and Discussion with Filmmaker – 7 to 9:45 p.m. @ Ocean campus Cloud Hall, room 246: Filmmaker Tom Wyrsch will be on hand to discuss the history of the Sutro Baths at Lands End. Discussion will include Adolph Sutro, in the context of San Francisco history. The concrete skeleton of the baths is a popular hiking and view spot, but if you’re curious about the baths and their rise and fall, this will cover the history and the documentary effort to capture the story. Open to the public, part of the series “Documentary Films and their Makers.” THUR/APR. 5 Career Presentation for Students Interested in Law School – 1 to 2:30 p.m. @ Rosenberg Library, room 305: The Bar Association of San Francisco, the Transfer Center and the Career Counseling Department host a panel presentation and reception for “Destination Law School.” They will discuss the law school application process, how to prepare for the LSAT, legal practice information and academic tips. Open to the public and co-sponsored by UC Davis and USF school of law. Information dls@sfbar.org. FRI/APR. 6 Free Lecture about Food, Bacteria and Nutrional Supplements – 12 to 1 p.m. @ Ocean campus Science Building, room 300: Dr. Maria Marco from UC Davis presents and discusses “Probiotics in Foods and Beverages: Fact, Fiction and Fantasy.” Certain bacteria, called probiotics, are naturally present in food and sold in nutrional supplements. They enter the intestine and may or may not result in health benefits in the digestive tract and other body sites. Open to the public, information 415-239-3475. SAT/APR. 7 Free Art Presentation in French – 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. @ Ocean campus Visual Arts Building, room V114: The Café Musée club presents “Love and Sexuality in Art” with a scrumptious brunch and a chance to practice speaking and listening in French. Renee Morel will discuss human sexuality over the historical period of Mesopotamia, through the Greco-Roman period up through the 19th century with a slide show and a discussion open to all. Incroyable! MON/APR. 9 ReDressing Injustice Installation - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. @ Ocean campus Cloud Hall, third floor: April is “Rape Aware-
ness Month” and the Women’s Studies Department has an installation which commemorates the hundreds of unsolved murders and rapes perpetrated against women living in Mexico, Guatemala and Canada. Visit the exhibit through April 27, Mondays through Thursdays. TUE/APR. 10 The Educated Palate Spring Lunch Buffet – 11:15 a.m. first seating, 1 p.m. last seating @ Downtown campus restaurant at 88 4th St.: The annual buffet is hosted for three days, April 10, 11 and 12. Each day will have multiple seatings for the mid-semester project of fine dining at the student-operated restaurant of culinary skills and service skills training. Reservations recommended, via Chris Johnson at 415-267-6599. The general public is invited, $22.50 per person, and there is a 20 percent discount for students, City College employees and senior citizens.
Former City College student Matt Osborne is the owner and genius behind Glass Key Photo, a small niche shop located in the back of Rooky Ricardos Vinyl shop on Haight Street. The idea for the shop had been in his mind since he was a photography student at City College a few years back. He said he was, “hooked from the start because of the enthusiasm of instructors at City College. Their passion and enthusiasm is infectious.” Eventually his dream of carving his niche in the cutthroat world of photography became a reality. So far it has worked out just fine. He’s managed to sustain his photo business despite the brutal economic conditions. The eccentric location of the shop sure adds character to it, but the eclectic collection of cameras,
including a 1950’s James Bondtype and cameras that come from as far away as Russia, is what separates this joint from your average photo shop. In addition to random peculiar cameras from around the world, Glass Key Photo also carries darkroom supplies, photo paper, and a wide selection of root beer. Years ago when Osborne had his first solo photography show at City College, he made root beer floats to go with the show. This was in contrast to the wine and cheese usually served at art galleries and photography shows. Glass Key also carries rare film, different types that the big retailers don’t carry. A typical role of film may cost around $4 or $5 dollars, but the shop does not develop film. When asked what he thinks of the current educational budget crisis, his response was, “whenever you cut education, it’s never
a good thing.” But, he added, “the instructors that are really passionate will find a way to plow through.” As for himself he says, “I’m much happier working for myself, doing something I believe in, then working for someone else doing something I don’t care about.” When asked if he is considering going back to school at any point he said, “If the world works out in my favor, I will always take classes.” “I love learning things,” he added. Osborne’s advice to current students who are contemplating a career in the competitive photography industry is, “if you love it, stick to it, it’ll work out. Don’t listen to naysayers,” said Osborne. email: olitvac@theguardsman.com
WED/APR. 11 Cable Television Rebroadcast of Board of Trustees Meeting – 8:30 p.m. @ San Francisco cable channel 27: City College taped meeting is broadcast through the campus education channel, EATV channel 27. TUE/APR. 17 Deadline to Object to Student Success Task Force via Letters - 5 p.m. @ all California Community Colleges: The City College Academic Senate encourages eveyone to write their state represenatives about Senate Bill 1456 before the first hearing of the bill on Wed. Apr. 18. The SSTF recommendations are incorporated into the bill. ESL instuctor Venette Cook is organizing public education supporters to write in advance of the hearing to tell California legislators that the community colleges should be accessible education institutions with the most funding possible to provide quality public education regardless of the student’s intention to transfer, or earn a certificate or a degree. Rationing education is not the way to an educated state and the elected reps should fund the community colleges. Contact vcook@ccsf.edu for letter guidelines. Free Presentation about Tibet – 12 to 1 p.m. @ Rosenberg Library, room 304: Award winning writer Canyon Sam will discuss her book “Sky Train: Tibetan Women on the Edge of History.” Sam has been visiting Tibet since it opened 24 years ago and “helped found the Tibetan Nuns Projects and spoke before Congress for their Tiananmen Square hearings to link human rights in Tibet to that event.” The event is sponsored by the Women’s Studies Department.
VINCENT PALMIER / THE GUARDSMAN
Matt Osborne, owner of Glass Key Photo, displays vintage cameras on Mar. 14 in his shop located in the back of Rooky Ricardo Records in the Lower Haight.
Student Spotlight @iamonethree (the artist wishes to withold his full name)- “Engineering Major at City College, my foresight is due to my third eye vision. I could say that I have a revolutionary mind state, but we are not living in times of revolution, we live in times of submission. I have manifested to hold position as “the watcher”. What we witness in our place in the world, may soon be dangerously forgotten. As we write our history on earth, it is reflected in the heavens.” By: @iamonethree Children of the L.O.F.T.S. (Live..... Or Fall from The Sun) Do I really like what the world has to give Cause I don’t wanna live but I wanna have kids If you just listen to the news, everybody is a victim I wont be stuck wishing If I had money like my body has senses, then, I wouldn’t live like life is a mission Yea I got problems, least I try to fix’em This Old English is a dollar school cost why bother, black man problem Most days I dream I make it, why don’t I take it Like politicians, when they strips us naked I hate handouts, especially when I standout So they tell us to wait, let it pan out WAKE UP, You ah lie to pass by Without us people they would see zero and tell you, to continue, to be a hero Then they takeover like Nero, So as long as we live in silence We never rise high enough to help others get higher I set fire to the house of men who refuse to choose other than mayhem, I am done waiting We play their game, set, and match, instead of checking facts Stop sitting back idle, cause while you watch and listen, our kids are the next victims minus the education and opportunity we have We can all Live together Or Fall from the grace of The Sun....
Are you a student and an artist, chef, musician, photographer or writer? Submit your sketches, photos, songs, poetry and recipes... any original pieces to entice your desired paramore. Submit your work to gorozco@theguardsman.com or drop your submissions at Bungalow 615
The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | April 4 -April 17, 2012 | 9
Culture
Art gallery showcases the wonders of metallic jewelery and sculpture employed chasing in reposĂŠ, which involves hammering at a thin piece of copper to emboss and create depth. The series is coated in enamel and looks like wooden protrusions hung from walls, with the faces of small mammals gnawing out of the center of the pieces. The shimmer provides a dreamlike effect. Riley’s collection, Axis Mundi, converged metalsmithing with New York fashion. Earrings looked like the chaotic insides to a desktop computer of colorwires turned VALERIE SANTIBANEZ / THE GUARDSMAN ful elegant with quartz To ensure a smooth finish, Jenny Reeves sands the seam of a ring before polishing , in her home studio in stones. San Francisco on Apr. 2. “Coming up resembling colorful dreamcatchThe exhibit made an effort to By Peter Hernandez with a new body of work every THE GUARDSMAN ers turned runway-ready earrings convey the spectrum of labor and Autobiographies of a bartend- to Berkeley-based Alison Antel- technique applied to this “nicheâ€? six months is difficult. If you er-turned-metalsmith, a “burned- man’s labor-exhaustive $9,600 market of metal arts jewelers, and watch Project Runway, you know outâ€? TV production major, and a 22k gold necklace with tiny also inserted metalsmiths outside they have to keep the ball rolling,â€? said Suzanne Pugh a curator UC Berkeley economics gradu- meticulously hammered bullet- jewelry. ate cluttered the walls of City like links. Miel M. Paredes, who works and metal arts instructor at City College’s City Arts Gallery--were “Metal has intrinsic value that in Portland, did work on the film College. “Making Itâ€? showed works the alumnus’ shared theme was a gives it an edge on other prod- “Coraline,â€? and is now making discovery of their talents as metal ucts,â€? said Gabriel Sider, whose tiny knitting needles and jewelry by City College alumni who are artists and an ability to succeed in metal casts were shown. to be worn by Grandma, a charac- active and working artists, many its “nicheâ€? markets. Their work, unlike canvas ter in an upcoming animated film of whom are also involved in teaching workshops and founding There was a feeling of self- paintings or photographs, is made titled “Paranorman.â€? discovery in the gallery. from expensive material, and Her insistence led her to metal arts organizations, using Accompanying the autobi- is found in higher-tier markets, an intern scouting at Oregon techniques dating back to a preographies were metal arts pieces among self-purchasing genera- College of Art and Craft, where industrialized era. Metalsmiths know their work that were from minimalist nylon- tion-Y women, but is not quite she presented her portfolio, coated steel necklaces by New among the ranks of Cartier or which included “Gnaw,â€? a series relies on no luck or accidental York City-based Meghan P. Riley Tiffany. of metal sculptures in which she happening. “The tools and techniques are ancient--looks just like it was ÂŽ 5,000 years ago,â€? said Pugh. Some artists, however, are modernizing the craft by incorporating technical materials,
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like Jenny Reeve’s argentium sterling silver, which allows for easier bonding of the metals and has been publicly available since 2003. “I didn’t realize it would become a career,� said Reeves, a San Francisco-based jewelry designer. “I loved making jewelry and I loved my class experience at City College.� Her first metal ring stunned City College’s then-metal arts instructor, Roger Bairds. Working one of her then two bartending jobs, one of her customers noticed her first steel ring, adorned in two blue stones, that she made in her first seven weeks of class. “I saw what two people near me were working on, and my brain superimposed them together,� said Reeves of her first ring that wildly excited Bairds and landed her collection at Adornabella in the North Beach district. Gabriel Sider, the sole male artist in the show, also showed the only casting--melting metals into solid pieces from molds. “Chess,� is an explosion of chess pieces resembling a tree. With computer-aided design, he is able to make a 3-D model to make into molds that then cast metals, rather than meticulously carving a design out of wax. “Metal, for me, is like alchemy. You can work 3-dimensionally really easy. Right now it’s terribly exciting because of CAD work. It’s one of the most exciting times for anyone involved in casting jewelry or products,� he said. The closeness and accessibility to the artists’ stories and methods evoked interest from students who attended the exhibit. In my time at the exhibit, a girl had quietly wandered in and left with encouragement from the gallery sitter to join the program. email: phernandez@theguardsman.com
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10 | April 4- April 17, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com
SPECIAL REPORT A BUG IN THE SYSTEM (Part 2)
THE MAN AT THE CENTER OF THE STORM story by Joe Fitzgerald art by Jessica Kwan
A Bug in the System is a multi-part article chronicling an alleged major virus attack on City College’s computer systems. “Part one” detailed how computer viruses allegedly stole personal data from students for over a decade, and ran in the Jan. 25 issue of The Guardsman. You can read the article on TheGuardsman.com.
Virus attack Since Chief Technology Officer Dr. David Hotchkiss first revealed the virus attack against City College publicly in January, his findings and methods have been under attack by school technology officials of every stripe. Board of Trustees President John Rizzo and Hotchkiss knew of the problem since November 2011, but only disclosed it later. Rizzo said in an interview with The Guardsman that the time was used to gather more data about the true nature of the attack. The specifics of the data would only be seen once by the general public, at a committee meeting in the form of a powerpoint presentation. Hotchkiss broke the news of the virus at a January 12 technology meeting at City College. Addressing the chancellor and committee board, Hotchkiss said that college computers had been infected with computer viruses, putting students’ personal data at risk. He also announced that the college had hired a local network security firm, USDN Inc., to investigate. Later on Vice Chancellor Peter Goldstein said that the FBI was also notified of the breach. The next day, it was front page news in the San Francisco Chronicle. The story spread nationally, appearing in the Huffington Post, ABC and NBC news, as well as tech publications such as Slashdot. The nation was
discussing City College’s technological incompetence. Many college officials worried that this would hurt the school’s chances to raise funds in the near future. Even worse, college tech officials weren’t sure that the crisis was ever really that—a crisis. City College technology experts interviewed by The Guardsman said they can’t be absolutely certain until
they receive the final report, but early reports from USDN Inc. indicate that the virus was confined to a single computer lab used by international students. Also there has been no conclusive evidence that any students have been victims of identity theft as a result of using City College facilities, Chancellor Don Q. Griffin said. Not a single student has come forward to complain of identity theft. When The Guardsman asked Hotchkiss if he regretted alerting The Chronicle to the attack, he replied, “I cannot regret an action I did not take.” However, he added, “The college has a regulatory obligation to notify the potential victims of that crime. Wouldn’t you like to be notified if there was a potential your personal information was taken?” Hush Hush Hotchkiss’ initial report and interview with The Chronicle suggested that tens of thousands of students were possibly impacted by the data breach. The college did send a general email warning students to be careful using college computers. To date neither Hotchkiss nor the school have issued any specific emails suggesting personal data was actually stolen. Technology employees have stated in public meetings, such as the TAG/ ITPC joint meeting in January, that they have asked to view his findings, but Hotchkiss has refused to let anyone see the data, even declining to distribute the PowerPoint presentation he used at the January meeting. The Guardsman has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain from Hotchkiss documents related to USDN Inc., as well as the information from his initial reports on the virus. Neither had been released at the time of this report, a violation of the 30-day limit of time the federal government gives for FOIA requests. The Guardsman having made California Public Records Act requests in person at the the college’s Gough Street offices regarding contracts with USDN Inc., was told that Hotchkiss was refusing to release the data to the college’s legal counsel. City College officials, however, have been very open and giving with any documents that did not need to be obtained through Hotchkiss. “I will not comment on any ongoing FBI investigation,” Hotchkiss has repeatedly said. The FBI has confirmed that their Cyber Crime Division has been in contact with the school, but denies issuing a gag order to anyone at the college. The amount of information Hotchkiss
CHECK IT OUT ONLINE for video and audio. PLUS an additional section of the story: an extra 1,000 words!
www.theguardsman.com/bug2
wishes to reveal is up to him and the school, media relations officer Peter Lee said. Hotchkiss’ direct superior, Vice Chancellor Peter Goldstein, denies asking him to keep quiet. Hotchkiss’ silence is his own. And what his silence says about the severity of the virus outbreak and its legitimacy depends entirely on who you speak to at City College. The lines are drawn Throughout the crisis, one of the Chief Technology Officer’s’ most valuable resources has gone untapped in solving the security breach— his own department and its 70 employees. In public testimony at various board meetings, numerous staff and faculty have criticized Hotchkiss for spending college money to hire an outside contractor, UDSN Inc., rather than turning to the vast team of technology specialists at his disposal. At the Feb. 23 Board of Trustees meeting, Computer Science department chair Craig Persiko crystallized all the complaints that have dogged Hotchkiss
critical of Hotchkiss were unwilling to speak with The Guardsman, afraid that their public testimony could compromise the integrity of his annual performance review. The review determines the number of years, if any, to extend his contract. Rebellion against the doctor When The Guardsman asked Hotchkiss why so many in his department would respond negatively to him, he disagreed with the premise of the question. “With new leadership comes new ideas and changes to the status quo,” he said in an email. “Many people don’t like change. However, most staff members have seen that the changes made are for the better.” Athena Steff, president of the SEIU 1021 union that represents City College staff and all of Hotchkiss’ ITS department employees, presented a petition of “no confidence” circulated against Hotchkiss to the college’s Board of Trustees at their Feb. 23 meeting. The petition basically states that the SEIU believes Hotchkiss is not fit for his job as the head of the IT
over the past few months. “I and many people on our committee feel that the allegation of this virus attack is overblown,” Persiko said to the packed meeting room. “We are especially concerned about the lack of communication from the CTO with his own staff. All the technology staff [first] learned of this virus infestation in the SF Chronicle.” Persiko said in a telephone interview that he was especially concerned that Hotchkiss’ conduct was indicative of how he treats the Information Technology Services department. When asked what this says about Hotchkiss’ opinion of his own employees, Perisko said simply: “It implies he didn’t trust them.” Shirley Barger, who has worked in the ITS department for over 20 years, verified that it has become increasingly difficult to work there, describing a hierarchical work environment where employees are not consulted on major projects. Since Hotchkiss began heading the ITS department in 2010 seven employees have chosen to retire, including Glen Van Lehn, who was a network engineer from 1991 to 2010. For those of you keeping track, that means he has been working on the school’s technology since the era of dial-up modems. He described to The Guardsman an atmosphere of disrespect in the department under Hotchkiss. When asked why he retired when he did, Van Lehn admitted that he retired early rather than work under him. “He doesn’t listen to people. He simply imposes. ,” he said. Many other college employees
department. The petition, signed by 500 people in the City College community, was delivered amid the roaring cheers of the 50 plus SEIU members in attendance. When asked about the petition, Chancellor Griffin said he had never in his entire career at the college seen a petition of “no confidence” outside of normal evaluation procedures. “What [Hotchkiss] has done is report a virus from one lab and issue a warning from his position as CTO. That’s his job,” Chancellor Griffin said. “What we’re determining now is if it’s egregious.” The verdict At press time, USDN Inc. has finally given the college the missing second half of their report on the attack. It arrived as a torrent of data, lacking any summary or analysis, Vice Chancellor Peter Goldstein said. That data has yet to be shared with college IT experts, but Goldstein expects that to happen within the next few weeks. Tune in next month for the last chapter of our story: Part III, when the final reports of USDN will have been evaluated by City College tech experts, and the full amount of dollars spent on them will be made public, revealing the true nature of the “Bug in the System.”
email: jfitzgerald@theguardsman.com
OPINIONS:
The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | April 4-April 17, 2011 | 11
Stories of Hope and Struggle This issue, Escape from City College and Veteran’s Corner are dedicated to the themes of hope and struggle, as part of our news series launched on the front page.
National editorial cartoons courtesy of MCT Campus I was an outstanding high school student, with my final semester culminating in a 4.4 GPA. When they told me college would be hard, I don’t think they realized that the difficulty wouldn’t be because of the neverending coursework, extracurricular activities to boost that resume, or part-time job to keep from starving. Increasing fees and budget cuts are making college life much more difficult - and far less rewarding - than my parents or grandparents suspect. Making it into required classes is more of a nightmare than an inconvenience, and college costs are closer to excessive than expensive. And I have it easy. My relatives are helping me out a lot. It’s only thanks to them that I am able to attend school at all. I can make it through community college, but I can’t afford a University. I refuse to put myself in debt that I will be fighting to pay off until I’m 50 - and if Sallie Mae had their way, not even after I’m dying and they garnish my
social security checks. I do not wish to waste my time paying schools who increase my class fees, only to give astoundingly large paychecks to the top few running the school’s administration. I do not want to be one of those people who graduates back to a retail job. I want to be one of those individuals with a degree from a high-quality school, who collects business cards and job interviews like I used to collect Pokemon cards and cartoon trivia. But sometimes it feels like our school system is doing the best it can to make that goal unattainable. I’m only 22. I wish I could stall the point where I collapse into a blubbering heap because I am completely burnt out till I am in my late 20’s, at least. 26 would be good. 28 would be better. I’m hoping not to have a heart attack till 45, but we’ll see. I am learning every day - but “funnest times of my life”, my ass. email: editor@theguardsman.com email: editor@theguardsman.com
By Tyler Dylan Brown
I moved all the way from Arizona to enroll at City College of San Francisco because my interest in technology and engineering compelled me here to further pursue these interests at the forefront of research and development. As a veteran, I’ve had some good fortune since attending City College, but I’ve also faced some obstacles. For instance, I have had nothing but problems with simple administrative tasks such as being certified by the school with the Veterans Affairs to receive GI Bill benefits. I still have yet to receive any benefits for this semester. And simply getting in to see a counselor in the veterans office to resolve such a matter is no easy task; some days are walk-in only, and other days the counselors are nowhere to be found. I was drawn to volunteer my time and efforts to help City College’s veteran community, finding it in a state of disarray, but I was disappointed by the entrenched political alliances and inefficient systems in place. It seemed that many vets were more
concerned with the image they project than actually providing services. For example, when I proposed a physical therapy service within the City College VA offices, I was told that getting veterans convenient access to physical therapy would hurt their tough-guy image. This is due to the unfounded fear that students and faculty would view veterans as disabled and then discriminate against them. I have also been frustrated with the sometimes lackluster selection of available classes and the restricted scheduling of courses. Indeed, with the further reductions in state funding for higher education, I do not see the problem getting any better anytime soon. But despite all its problems, City College is still a great school and provides many opportunities to those who get involved and take advantage. Hopefully the difficulties we face while in school will seem to be less severe when we look back at them. email: editor@theguardsman.com
12 | April 4- April 17, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com
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Inspired by mother’s strength, athlete swims for breast cancer awareness
ROCIO ALARCON / THE GUARDSMAN
By Lucas Almeida THE GUARDSMAN
Those memories are still alive. The many tears of sorrow which once were shed are now tears of happiness. She now swims not just for fun, but also for hope. Samantha Delcambre, a 22-year-old City College student and swimmer, still remembers clearly what she faced during her senior year of high school. “Not again.” These were the first words Delcambre remembers saying after she found out her mother, Linda, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The shocking news affected both her and her whole family. “When I had heard that she had cancer I was just obliterated, I was so scared,” she said with petrified eyes showing her reaction to the frightening news. “The first thing you think when you hear someone you really care about has cancer — it’s like, you can’t help but think the worst.” Left alone Growing up in Pacific Grove in the near Monterey Bay, Delcambre said she did not have a close relationship with her mom throughout high school. But her older sisters had left for college and now the spotlight was on her, she said. Because she was the only one left at home, she felt she wanted to be able to support her mom and be there for her through this new devastating phase in her mother’s life. Delcambre’s mother had suffered from previous health issues, including diabetes and several surgeries in the past. This time the new crisis in her mom’s
health condition brought mother and daughter closer together. For a time, Delcambre thought that this would be it for her mom — that her mom would not be a fighter this time and make it through the cancer. “I would just get really overwhelmed with the idea of cancer,” Delcambre said, her voice rising. “I wouldn’t even look at it rationally at all.” “Just the word, just knowing that my mom had cancer … That sentence alone was really really frightening.” Immediately after she heard the news, flashbacks and memories of her childhood came back to her. Since she was a little girl, Delcambre remembers her mom saying, “I’m not the healthiest person. I might not live as long as your dad.” Prognosis improved However, as time progressed, and after some doctor appointments, Delcambre said it all came clear to her and her family that their mother was going to be okay. Fortunately, doctors had caught the cancer early enough and Delcambre’s mother had surgery to remove the cancer. “She did fight, she was a fighter,” Delcambre said with a radiant smile on her face. In intense moments such as this, she says she finally noticed how precious life really is. The mother’s cancer was able to change her daughter’s life completely. “It really did bring us closer,” she said, pausing to find the right words to describe that life-changing experience. “I remember feeling sold short, like I wanted more of my mom than what I got, especially
Samantha Delcambre practices for the the City College swim team on Mar. 20 at the Ocean Campus.
since I was such a punk when it happened. It really kind of brought me back down to earth and made me realize: that’s your mom, you only get one.” Delcambre has even given up on her old habits and friends. The ones she had before only wanted to “numb” the pain. This time she said she refused realizing that doing drugs could give her only a temporary satisfaction, but the wounds would remain open. Trying to make herself feel good and positive about her mom’s situation, Delcambre smiles every time she remembers the days when she would blast the volume up and listen to the song “Hey Mama” by rapper Kanye West. It’s a special song, she said, whose message would remind her of how important mothers are and how much you do need to appreciate them and not take them for granted. Even as Delcambre received love and encouragement from her family and kept herself positive about her mom’s critical health condition, she said she did not consider herself religious enough to believe that God would cure her mom’s cancer. Rather the forces which drove her to believe her mom would survive were hope and trust. Giving back Delcambre said she is happy she has a survivor story to tell and she hopes sharing her life-changing experience will deeply impact other people’s lives and make them think about such sensitive issues. “To inspire others, I’d say that this is real, that this happens everyday to everybody all over the world,” she said in a firm and
PHOTO COURTESY OF DELCAMBRE FAMILY
Samantha Delcambre and her mother Linda Delcambre, in a family photo.
passionate tone of voice. “It’s not just something you hear about it on the news, it’s not just something you buy a pink pen to support, it’s something that, you know...that really changes people’s lives for the good or for the bad depending on what scenario it is and for me it changed my life for the better because it brought me and my mom and my entire family closer.” Inspiring others On March 16 her City College swim team held a special swim meet in the Wellness Center. In an effort organized by women’s athletics director Peg Grady, the women’s swim team gave out gifts to both parents and students and passed around flyers spreading awareness about breast cancer. Delcambre said it was a mere coincidence the event was about
breast cancer. She said that at the time she didn’t feel as connected with the event as she does now, having had the privilege and opportunity of sharing first hand her mother’s survivor story through the school’s newspaper. Linda Delcambre, who is now cancer-free, still struggles with diabetes, but for her daughter the most rewarding thing is to see her mother alive. The many tears of sorrow which were once dropped now are now tears of happiness. To read more about the Ram’s swim team’s efforts for breast cancer awareness, please visit http://www.cccaasports.org/ Swim/CCSF%20-%20Swim%20 for%20Hope_2012.pdf email:lalmeida@theguardsman.com