The Guardsman, Vol. 153, Issue 7. City College of San Francisco

G Volume 153, Issue 7 TheGuardsman.com May 2- May 15, 2012

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

Chancellor Don Q. Griffin retires

Illustration of Chancellor Don Griffin by Emma Winkles / The Guardsman A representation of the foundation Griffin provided for his students success

GRIFFIN Page 7

2 | May 2-May 15, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com

NEWS

A participant at the Future Leaders Institute gets one-on-one coaching from facilitator Pamila Fisher (right). COURTESY OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TIMES

Interim chancellor chosen to helm CCSF

By Joe Fitzgerald

THE GUARDSMAN / @FITZTHEREPORTER / JFITZGERALD@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Dr. Pamila Fisher, a retired educator and college chancellor, was appointed interim chancellor of City College in the wake of Dr. Don Q. Griffin’s early retirement.

City College’s Board of Trustees met in a special closed session on Sunday, April 29, and voted to approve hiring Fisher. She was one of seven applicants of which the board interviewed only two.

She will start on May 2, the day this paper is published.

The administration sent out a campus-wide email the day after the vote, quoting the new interim chancellor.

“I look forward to joining the excellent students, faculty, classified staff, and administrators at

City College of San Francisco,” Fisher said. She could not be reached for further comment.

Trustee Steve Ngo described her as “strikingly energetic,” saying her confidence was tangible and infectious. It’s exactly what they need in the current fiscal crisis, Ngo said, because the school has already cut the budget to the bone, and hard choices face the college.

“We’re facing a loss of $16 million from the state next year, possibly $26 million...we need to find some solutions,” Ngo said.

He expressed total confidence that Fisher was up to the task.

“She likes to get things done,” he said.

A recording of the special meeting revealed the details of her contract with the school. Fisher agreed to take a six percent cut from her offered salary. She will be paid a pro-rated monthly salary based on a total yearly salary of $276,000.

College Counsel Scott Dickey said at the meeting that Fisher pointed out that she took the pay cut in the hopes that the rest of the college would follow her lead.

Chancellor Griffin’s salary was $299,285, according to a publicly released City College document.

Fisher will also receive allowances for housing and a rental car while she is in San Francisco.

INTERIM CHANCELLOR Page5

City College news in brief

THE GUARDSMAN / @SFBREAKINGNEWS / NEWS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

ELECTION RESULTS IN The tallies from student votes are in, and City College has a whole slew of new student politicians. At the front of the pack are the new student trustee, William Walker, the new Ocean campus president, Shanell Williams, and the new Downtown campus president, Bouchra Simmons.

Fifteen Ocean campus senators were also voted in, along with a new vice president for the Downtown campus.

After the over 2,000 ballots were tallied, William Walker walked away with 700 student votes. His nearest opponent, Ezra Crowley, received 512.

In a statement made on the CCSF Elections YouTube Channel, Walker said, “we need a trustee candidate who understands cuts. We’ve cut 78 courses midterm, dashing opportunities for a number of students looking to transfer... we need to find a way to make City College a more sustainable institution.”

He was also a member of Coleman Advocates, a community organization that mobilizes Students Making A Change, a club based on Ocean campus.

Shanell Williams was previously vice president of communications for the Ocean Campus Associated Students. She has advocated for education at the state capitol. In January, along with members of Occupy CCSF,

By Oz Litvac

she notably “mic checked” the Board of Governors at their meeting in Sacramento when they approved the recommendations of the Student Success Task Force.

-Joe Fitzgerald NEW MATRICULATION A resolution to revise City College’s English placement testing policy was passed after two hours of discussion at the Board of Trustees meeting on April 26.

The resolution requires City College to implement new and effective ways of measuring student’s abilities in the matriculation, assessment and placement process.

The new policy will make it so that students will be allowed to retake placement tests after two weeks, instead of three months, and will be allowed to enroll in classes that are one level higher than what is recommended by their scores.

The policy will take effect by the spring 2013 semester.

HONORING GRIFFIN Also at the board meeting, Chancellor Don Q. Griffin was commended for his more than 40 years of service at City College.

Griffin has worked at City College as a department chair, teacher, administrator and finally as chancellor.

Students, faculty and other members of the community came to the meeting and spoke about Griffin, including Reverend

Amos Brown, who served on the Board of Trustees in the 1980s, and spoke about the challenges African Americans have faced in California.

Griffin who is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor, officially stepped down from his position at the meeting.

CHILDHOOD MENTOR A resolution to contract with the California Department of Education for the continuation of the California Early Childhood Mentor Program was also passed at the April 26 meeting.

For the last 11 years City College has been home to the program that provides funding

for child development education at 100 Community Colleges in California.

The total amount of the contract is $2,866,295. Almost ten percent of that will go to City College, giving the school’s budget a boost of $260,572.

-Sean Houlihan RETROFIT PARTNERSHIP The Board of Trustees approved a partnership between City College and a national nonprofit organization called Emerald Cities Collaborative, marking the first step towards a future Ocean Campus energy retrofit project that is slated to hire members of the San Francisco Community.

Currently Emerald Cities is retrofitting four affordable housing buildings for Mission Housing Development Corporation under a Community Workforce Agreement which will be adopted for the college’s future green energy retrofit.

After completion of the retrofit, the college would repay Emerald Cities using residual money resulting from energy savings. This repayment would take several years, but requires no initial investment from City College for the retrofit work.

-James Fanucchi

Summer funds slashed by over half

THE GUARDSMAN / @OZLITVAC / OLITVAC@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Funding for summer session this year will be drastically reduced, leaving few options for those seeking to further their education before fall semester.

In addition to funding being slashed for summer session, classes will start a month late, in July, in order to shift the costs into the next fiscal year, said Peter Goldstein, Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration.

He explained that summer session in 2009 cost the college

From left: Student William Walker was elected Student Trustee for City College. COURTESY OF WILL WALKER • Shanell Williams was elected Ocean Campus Associated Students President during the elections on April 25-26. COURTESY OF STUDENT SUCCESS STORY

approximately $3.8 million and this summer will be 40% of that, or $1.5 million.

Some of the classes cut include four English classes, three math classes, several online courses, a photography class, a couple of history classes, foreign languages, and several multimedia classes.

“The decision making on what classes are cut is not simple like in 2009,” said Joanne Low, Vice Chancellor of Academic

Affairs .

City College student Carol Mamon said emailed her instructor to ask if beginning sculpture class would be offered in this summer. The instructor responded that it would. Mamon then dropped another class hoping to add beginning sculpture, only to learn the sculpture class was cut after all.

“When I found out, I was totally pissed off,” Mamon said.

Sudent Maggie Coshnear

said, “I wanted to get my GE requirements done quick at a community college but can’t because of the cuts.”

Unlike the last round of summer cuts, there is no specific list showing which classes are not being offered. Having had the budget cut by around 60 percent, each department has been left to decide for themselves what areas to downsize.

Budget cuts do not discriminate and even very respected and

essential departments like Culinary Arts are finding themselves short on funds.

According to a San Francisco Chronicle article on April 21, the department of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies must cut $250,000 from its budget or the school will be forced to shut the cafeteria down.

The Child Development Department is also being forced to cut costs by an equal amount according to that same article.

The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | May 2-May 15, 2012 | 3

News

Student Debray “Fly” Benzo sentenced to three years probation

Editor-in-Chief Joe Fitzgerald

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Fly Benzo, known for his mentoring of youth, holds Nailah Amari Bey, one of his staunchest supporters on Apr. 20. MALAIKA KAMBON / SF BAYVIEW

By Alexander Schmaus

THE GUARDSMAN/ @SFBREAKINGNEWS /ASCHMAUS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Debray “Fly Benzo” Carpenter, convicted of three misdemeanors — resisting arrest, obstructing a police officer and assaulting a police officer — was sentenced to three years of probation by Judge Jerome Benson on April 27.

He was originally sentenced to six months in county jail for each of the misdemeanors, but these sentences were suspended.

Benzo, a City College student, activist and emcee, was arrested in Mendell Plaza last October during a confrontation between a group of Bayview-Hunters Point residents and police officers Josh-

ua Fry and John Norment.

“The only thing I did was film a cop and I told him how I felt about how he was policing in my community,” Benzo said. “I was beat up, hospitalized and arrested and given a $95,000 bail.”

The conditions of Benzo’s probation include payment of nearly $1000 in fines, anger management classes, 100 hours of community service and submission to any search by police, with or without a warrant or probable cause.

Benzo is also required to stay away from Mendell Plaza and Third Street between Oakdale and

Quesada and to remain an arm’s length away from all police.

“We just did an event where we fed over 100 people at that location,” Benzo said to Judge Benson. “People want me to be involved in the planning and execution of those events.”

The stay-away order will be debated at Benzo’s next hearing on June 8.

“Fly Benzo is not guilty and in fact, he was convicted of a jury not of his peers and a jury that didn’t hear the whole story,” said Benzo’s lawyer, Severa Keith.

“There is simply no justice in what happened in the courts for

him.”

There were no African American jurors on the jury that convicted Benzo, who is black.

Benzo said that he was harassed by police for months prior to his arrest, especially after speaking out about the death of 19-year-old Kenneth Harding, who was fatally shot by police in Mendell Plaza last July.

But Judge Benson refused to allow any evidence related to Benzo’s prior interactions with police.

Keith warned Judge Benson that evidence of unlawful arrest and discriminatory prosecution could grounds for an appeal of the verdict.

“I experienced being taken to a jury trial just for standing up for righteousness, so I know what it is like for my son,” said Benzo’s father, Claude Carpenter. “But it is very difficult for me as a father to see my son being subjected as a political prisoner, ‘cause that’s what he is.”

Archbishop Franzo King of the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church spoke at Benzo’s April 18 news conference in Mendell Plaza.

“I don’t understand how we can (convict) an innocent young black man, who has a 4.0 average at City College, who has been a spokesman and an example in this community, how we can find him guilty, but we can’t find justice for a murder that was committed here,” Archbishop King said, referring to the death of Harding.

Smokers, change may be coming on campus

By Tim Johnson

CONTRIBUTING WRITER / @SFBREAKINGNEWS/ NEWS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Results of a voluntary and confidential survey addressing the issue of smoking on campus are being reviewed in order to gain an all-inclusive opinion on a stricter smoking policy.

The survey period ended on April 15.

The push for policy revision began last year, when the Associated Students council under thenpresident Elizabeth Weinberg made a resolution to promote a smoke-free campus.

“I kind of got the ball rolling,” Weinberg said, “and now today it’s still rolling.”

Associate Dean of Student Health Services Sunny Clark played a key role in the creation of the survey along with president of the Board of Trustees, John Rizzo and Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Peter Goldstein. All three were concerned with the abundance of smoking on campus.

According to research found on the website for BioMed Central, an online publisher of scientific articles, smoking has declined over the past 20 years, yet remains high among college students.

“City College is way behind in its smoking policy compared to other colleges,” said Clark.

University of California, San Francisco has been working to become a smoke free campus since 2008, with the initial removal of two designated smoking areas. UC President Mark Yudof has asked that all UC’s implement a 100 percent smokefree policy by 2014.

Tattered evidence of the current policy at CCSF can be seen all over campus in the posters requesting that smokers stay at least 20 feet away from doors and windows.

Meanwhile a student walking between buildings is free to light up a cigarette anywhere en route.

A working group of 12 to 14 students, board members, and faculty convened by President Rizzo have been discussing how a more effective smoking policy could be created, if at all.

A survey, tailored and shortened to fit the City College campus environment, was sent to student emails as a confidential way to find out the opinions of those who would be most affected by a change in smoking policy.

Ben Ruppert participated in the survey, and on the subject of more enforcement against campus smoking told The Guardsman, “It would make me sad, because I’m a pretty heavy smoker.”

Illustration of cigarette-butt-filled ashtray sitting on a nosmoking coaster. RICK NEASE / MCT CAMPUS

Non-smoking students also expressed an opposition to limiting freedom, although they acknowledged that they were bothered by smoking on campus.

“I don’t care if people smoke, but I don’t like the smell and would prefer if it weren’t right next to me,” said Jason Deutsch, a first semester student.

Nicole Zialicitia, a former smoker, said, “Removing smoking completely would be bad, but having designated areas would be good.”

Interviewed on campus, Carlo Bocchetti claimed he didn’t see

much of a problem in the number of smokers on campus. “If it really is a problem they should probably put up more signs,” he said.

Many of the students interviewed by The Guardsman said they were unaware of the survey.

After the data is compiled, the working group will reunite to propose an appropriate course of action for City College of San Francisco.

Smokers and non-smokers take note, if you wish to have your say in a possible new regulation, the time to speak is now.

4 | May 2-May 15, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com

Health fair shows students how to live right

News

Left to right: A patient receives a blood pressure screening on Apr. 18 at the Health and Wellness Fair on Ocean Campus. The diabetes station provides free consultation and testing. Participents at the fair try a yoga demo or massage. VINCENT PALMIER / THE GUARDSMAN

By Annalie Chavez

CONTRIBUTING WRITER / @SFBREAKINGNEWS / NEWS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

A community health and wellness fair focusing on holistic and alternative approaches to healthy living was hosted by City College Student Health on April 18 in the Multi-use building. “The focus of the fair was to get students and community members exposed to services so they can access these things themselves,� said nurse practitioner and fair coordinator Edna Yee.

Over a dozen participating organizations donated their time and expertise to the cause of holistic health. Yee credits the enthusiasm of participants and volunteers as the driving force for the event which had an estimated 400 attendees.

Community members crowded the National Holistic Institute table to sign up for a free massage. And the American College of Traditional Medicine introduced willing participants

to community style acupuncture.

Some participants had needles sticking out of their ears.

There were yoga and cooking demonstrations, too. “The yoga demonstration was so much fun. I’ve never been to a yoga class before because it’s so expensive,� said City College student Alex Tom. The fair was co-planned with NICOS Chinese Health Coalition, a public-private community partnership of health and human

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dental and routine check-ups offered on campus.

Sunny Clark, Associate Dean of Student Health Services, said the services offered by the Student Health Center can be found online at the Student Health Services website.

The health fair was partially funded by the Student Health budget, as well as with grants, but organizations provided their own equipment and volunteers, Yee said.

Civic center campus festival brings world to students

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service organizations. The coalition’s mission is to enhance the health and well-being of the San Francisco Chinese community, according to their website.

The executive director of NICOS, Kent Woo, said he and Yee decided to work together to create the event.

First-year City College student Victoria Rios said she feels that most health services are readily available to students but she would also like to see vision,

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Providing a spot of light from the gloom of ongoing financial woes caused by continuing budget cuts at the Civic Center campus, its student council organized International Students Day, a fundraiser held at the Civic Center campus on April 20.

Rick Kaprra, ESL teacher at the Civic Center campus, encouraged and lead the student council to hold this event. 2002 is the last time International Students Day was held, and according to Kaprra, was minimal in comparison to the recent celebration.

Even in the face of uncertainty concerning attendance, Kappra and his student staff stayed positive. “I overheard the students saying things like “What if no one comes?� While their outcome was on the humble side, both the student and faculty organizers were ecstatic of the outcome. “Of the 200 passports that we had for distribution, only 100 are still available,� Kappra said.

Huong Nguyen, a Vietnamese student who volunteered on student council and helped plan the event also commented on the attendance. “I was so surprised that people came, even people who aren’t registered are here,�

Nguyen said.

The primarily student council-run event had a very simple format. Guests were greeted with the option of buying $1 food tickets tickets and attaining a “passport�. Various rooms were decorated to represent different countries. Every time food was purchased, passport received a stamp representing that room’s

“country.� This event inspired Nguyen as well as many others to learn more about the other students. “I discovered new things about other cultures,� Nguyen said,“food and history are the most interesting.� In addition to photographs, costumes, displays and food, traditional performers made appearances as well.

The countries represented were as varied as the student population. China, the Ukraine, Thailand, Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Bangladesh, Russia, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Vietnam, Belarus, Lativa, and the Middle East were among those presented at the event. Countries like Morocco and Saudi Arabia closed earlier for religious reasons.

Each room was decorated accordingly, with traditionallydressed students standing in front of photographs and displays, with the anticipation of either serving beautifully prepared food, speaking about their own cultural origins, or simply chatting to practice their English. “Students feel more calm with each other after an event like this,� Beth Erikson, sign language teacher at the Civic Center campus said.

Smiles and laughter were everywhere. Both the attendants and presenters were ecstatic and enthusiastic despite the beaming heat of the Friday afternoon sun. “I’ve been on this campus or 20 years,� Erikson said, “ I like working here because the energy is always up high.�

The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | May 2-May 15, 2012 | 5

News

Student Daniel Venegas mourned (December 12, 1977 - March 31, 2012)

Daniel Venegas and Dr. Jose Cuellar after class at the City College Ocean Campus two weeks before Venegas’ death. COURTESY OF LOUIE GUTIERREZ

By Lance Kramer

THE GUARDSMAN / @SFBREAKINGNEWS / NEWS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

City College student Daniel Venegas died March 31, 2012.

A memorial service and mass were held in his honor at the Most Holy Redeemer Church, Sanctuary at 100 Diamond Street in the Castro followed by a reception at the Castro Country Club at 4058 18th Street. He was 34 years old.

The cause of Daniel’s death has yet to be determined by the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office.

Daniel was well loved and admired by his friends and classmates. He moved to The City about a year and a half ago to escape his Los Angeles roots where he was involved in gangs and drug addiction. Daniel’s passions were in Latin American culture and his Aztec roots, as well as acting and modelling.

Daniel was on the road to recovery through programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Crystal Meth Anonymous, and he had much love and support through the Castro Country Club, which is a Gay sober community. Over 100 people attended both the Memorial service and reception.

Brothers John and Mark Miller played a beautiful rendition of Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High” in remembrance of

Daniel at the Memorial service.

“He was a very well loved and very giving person to anyone he ever ran into,” John said. “He had a lot of beautiful fruits here in the Castro and other areas, he didn’t just have a lot of friends in the gay community, he had a lot of friends everywhere he went.”

Daniel’s friend and substitute teacher of Latin American studies at City College, Louie Gutierrez’s Native American dance group Coyolxauqui (She who has bells on her face) performed a beautiful ceremonial dance at the service, incorporating elaborate costumes with traditional headdress and attire with dance and tribal drums and other percussive instruments accompanied by the natural sounds of the conch shell.

“They had an assignment for their mid-term, ‘name two people in the classroom that have made an impact on your studies this semester,’” Gutierrez said. “And I’m sure everyone said Daniel, they were joking about it because he was always the one always answering, always raising his hand, always talking.”

Gutierrez also has a radio program on KBBF 89.1 FM out of Santa Rosa, which Daniel was planning on making an appearance on, but never had a chance to perform.

“Daniel got the idea that I was on the radio, and he was going to do a report on racism in Holly-

TECHNO FILES:

wood, because he was an actor and all that,” Gutierrez said. “He was going to do a show with me the following Wednesday but he didn’t get to that Wednesday... the next thing you know, I show up for class and he’s not there, so then, you know, life is just that way.”

Daniel’s classmate Sylvia Vargas said he made class more enjoyable with his thirst for knowledge and will be greatly missed. “ He was always in class, one of the first ones there, and always ready,” Vargas said. “He was very passionate about learning and wanting to get in touch with his roots and understand his identity.”

“He was just really special in every way,” Vargas said. “I won’t forget him ever, he touched my life and he’s made me very excited about school and also connecting me with my own identity.”

“He had so much enthusiasm, he had a thirst for knowledge, and that was very apparent,” classmate Jenny Prideaux said.

“You know, we would get to class early everyday just so we could sit down and talk...he was always in the front row, and we would sit there and talk about class, about life...he made being in class fun and exciting and that’s who he was.”

Daniel’s family in Los Angeles could not be reached for comment by time of publication.

Rate My Professors app and Pulse news app. BROADUS PARKER / THE GUARDSMAN

Smart phone apps for students

By Oz Litvac

THE GUARDSMAN / @OZLITVAC / OLITVAC@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Smartphones are taking over as the standard all-in-one device, many helpful phone apps will cost you more than a few dollars. However, there are apps that are free and just as helpful to the common, broke student.

Apps can be used for organizing our everyday school work, studying for exams, keeping track of homework or even just staying on top of news, culture and nightlife.

Here are five of the many applications out there used by young rock-star students.

1. Most of us know of the website Rate My Professors. Those who haven’t might have had a frustrating experience with the “wrong” instructors during their academic career. Rate My Professors is now app-friendly, which makes choosing your classes that much easier and accessible while on the go. City College currently has 73 departments available for viewINTERIM CHANCELLOR from page 2

One part of her contract raised the eyebrows of one of the few members of the public in attendance of the nearly ten minute long open meeting, held directly after the board deliberated in the closed session.

Fisher’s negotiated contract allows for one flight home a month, at the college’s expense. Classified staff member Steve Kegg said, “I was just wondering, how far [away does she live]?”

“She lives in Bozeman, Montana,” Board President John Rizzo said.

It was also revealed at the meeting that she will be paid no benefits, such as health or dental.

Fisher has a long and varied career in education, according to the email sent out

ing. You can leave your comments or read up on who’s saying what.

2. Those who like to keep up-to-date on news flashes, local event dates or new technology updates will love the Pulse news app. It allows you to add up to 12 categories filled with magazines, newspapers, and other publications. You can browse their catalog or customize your pages with the publications you care about, choose a pack such as gaming, fashion, politics or a fun pack to keep you up-to-date on trends and events.

3. MyHomework is very simple to use and will make your school days seem a lot easier by helping you keep track of important assignments and class schedules with the help of homework reminders. The app also gives you the option to sync all of your important to-do’s across all of your devices.

4. ITunes U gives you access to courses from leading universities and other by the college to the college community.

She served as Chancellor of the Yosemite Community College District from 1992 to 2004, and started as an instructor there in 1974.

Shortly after Fisher was voted in, a link to a news article at www.capolicycenter. org began circulating among the college community, detailing how faculty at both colleges in the Yosemite district she led, Modesto Junior College and Columbia College, voted “no confidence” in Fisher as chancellor.

According to the article, they were fired up that she received a 13 percent raise when the faculty got a raise of only three percent.

In response to the vote, Fisher said at the time, “the board is supporting me and

schools. With an average 4.5 star rating, it is the largest digital catalog of free educational content in the world. Free courses are offered on a wide array of subjects, from an organic chemistry course taught through Yale University, to an introductory algorithmics course taught through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Every student should have it.

5. Most people use Wikipedia more often than actually researching credible sources for specific information. When you just want to know the answer to something quick, then Wikipanion is the app for you. You can even tweet a link.

i’m not leaving.”

The Guardsman was unable to reach any of the Board of Trustees before going to print a day after the vote, but City College Academic Senate President Karen Saginor said that the incident was not worth paying attention to.

“It was back in 1997, and that’s old news. People can change... she’s got good experience and comes well recommended,” Saginor said.

The recommendations come from many places. According to the email sent by the college, Fisher has more awards than the space of this article on the page allows the printing of. Most of them detail her advocacy in education, as well as her work on behalf of women leaders.

Fisher recently spoke at Hartnell

Community College in Salinas as a consultant, advising the Hartnell Board of Trustees on the importance of the appearance of unity and working in the best interest of the public.

It’s an issue the our own board has struggled with.

City College and its Board of Trustees have weathered negative press coverage over the past several years, from embezzlement charges against former administrators to questions about the attendance records of trustees, as well as a network security breach that received national attention.

Fisher told the Hartnell board that they do not need to agree with each other all of the time... urging them to focus on the future, not the past.

6 | May 2-May 15, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com

News

Placement test changes will affect thousands of students by 2013

President John Rizzo discusses new placement test policies at the Board of Trustees meeting on Apr. 26. ROCIO ALARCON / THE GUARDSMAN

By Sara Bloomberg

THE GUARDSMAN / @BLOOMREPORTS / SBLOOMBERG@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

A placement test pilot proposal that will affect thousands of incoming and current students is coming to City College within a year, but deciding on a timeline for implementation became an emotional and contentious debate.

After two hours of intense public comment and discussion, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved implementing the English department’s pilot proposal, called Placement Plus One. The pilot will become one of the multiple measures used by counselors to help students figure out what math and English courses to take at City College.

State law mandates that community colleges use multiple measures to assess students’ academic proficiency for enrollment purposes.

Multiple measures can include a combi-

By Emma Winkles

nation of placement tests, high school transcripts, attendance records and one-on-one conversations between a student and an advisor. The results cannot be used to exclude anyone from being admitted to a community college.

All assessments must be approved by the state chancellor’s office.

Placement Plus One will allow students to enroll in a course up to one level higher than they test into.

Placing into English 96, for example, could allow a student to enroll in English 1A, although they would “still need to talk to a counselor,” Assessment and Prerequisites Coordinator Kitty Moriwaki, of Matriculation Services, said.

Anger over timelines While the merits of the proposal weren’t in question, the polemics at the board meet-

ing revolved around the implementation timeline and the process of shared governance.

English department faculty expressed concerns about the language of the resolution, which stated that the proposal would be implemented “commencing with students being admitted to Fall 2012 classes.”

Instructor Jim Sauvé told the board that implementing the policy for fall 2012 would entail having the program ready to roll out by June 23, because that’s when registration for the fall semester begins.

However, represented by the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121, faculty are contractually off-work during summer session.

In response, speakers representing Students Making a Change, who had endorsed the new policy when it was presented by the English department at the Student Preparation and Success Committee on April 3, insisted that the Placement Plus One policy be implemented immediately.

“We cannot wait any longer,” said Marjory Ruiz, a member of SMAC .

Trustee Steve Ngo blasted the English department faculty for requesting more time, pointing out that the math department hadn’t needed any extra time.

He insisted that English faculty work on developing the program over the summer and accept funds from Bridge to Success, a program run by the city of San Francisco, as compensation.

“They’d still have to volunteer” to work over the summer, Sauvé said.

English department chair Jessica Brown defended her faculty and department.

“We don’t like being bullied and pushed,” she said.

At a general English department meeting held two days earlier on April 24, Dean of Liberal Arts Bob Davis acknowledged the frustrations of the

faculty.

“Shared governance was violated” on this issue, Davis said, but “let’s try to find a way to move forward.”

Finding a compromise Near the end of the board meeting, several speakers, including Board Vice President Anita Grier, asked that everyone work together toward a compromise.

Board President John Rizzo asked representatives from matriculation and the English department what a realistic timeline would look like.

“We should implement in phases,” Vice Chancellor of Student Development Lyndi McKnight said, indicating that the policy could not be fully implemented for both current and incoming students by fall.

Trustee Chris Jackson proposed amending the resolution to give faculty time to develop the policy during the fall semester so that full implementation would be possible for spring 2013 enrollment. After further discussion, the board unanimously approved the revised resolution.

Both English department Chair Jessica Brown and Academic Senate President Karen Saginor agreed to the final language of the resolution.

Legislation related to the Student Success Task Force, known as SB1456 or the Student Success Act of 2012, is also currently being reviewed at the state level. That legislation could affect matriculation and testing policies at community colleges in the near future.

For now though, the board’s resolution stands.

In a telephone interview with The Guardsman, Marjory Ruiz and Juan Segundo, both members of SMAC, commended the English faculty for their work on creating the Placement Plus One proposal.

School government body leaves students out in the cold

CONTRIBUTING WRITTER / @SFBREAKINGNEWS / NEWS@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Due to mismanagement and a lack of information, less than half of the seats allocated for students are filled on City College’s shared governance committees.

Shared governance allows faculty, classified staff and students to be represented in 36 committees and subcommittees that decide college policy.

Shared governance was established in 1993 by the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Community College district in accordance with AB 1725.

“Every district can create their own committee which should involve every constituent group when it comes to making a decision in the college,” Student Trustee Jeffrey Fang said.

Some committees deal with procedural matters, such as details of the graduation ceremony. Others tackle weightier topics like sexual harassment, college diversity, financial aid, scholarships and grading policy.

Students are encouraged to participate in committees since they are the ones who experience first-hand which areas are lacking in the school system. The Associated Students is responsible for informing students about the importance of participating.

43

However, out of 73 student seats available, only 35 are filled — just 48 percent.

Fang said there are two factors behind the lack of students involvement.

“One is the mismanagement of the Associated Students and Ocean Campus and two is that

the Associated Students have not been doing effective communication outreach.”

Students also may have lost their incentive to participate since they are no longer being paid.

Fang said students were once paid $20 for each shared governance meeting they attended.

“The past president of Associated Students decided the money should be zeroed out, preventing SGC from paying students for participating,” he said.

Shared Governance Coordinator Attila Gabor said he heard last month that students have not been receiving compensation for

WHO GOVERNS CITY COLLEGE? Low student participation in “Shared Governance”

Out of 73 open student seats, 38 are vacant

CHAIRS 8%

38

Vacancies

STUDENTS 9%

FACULTY 41%

STAFF 15%

ADMINISTRATION 25%

Participation in the 36 Shared Governance committees

Seven committees that allowed unlimited entrants from faculty, staff and administration were not counted Data compiled by Emma Winkles • Infographic by Joe Fitzgerald

the last two years. Within three days of hearing this he went to the College Advisory Council, which has scheduled a meeting for May 3 to talk about the problem.

“Most of the hard work is done in the subcommittees,” Gabor said, “then the proposal is fine-tuned in the committees, then forwarded to the chancellor and finally given to the Board of Trustees.”

The process might sound simple, but just because an issue is presented in committee doesn’t mean that it will be resolved right away.

“It’s a lengthy process because it’s a democracy,” Gabor said.

Between confusion with the format used to file issues and requests, and individuals going straight to the board instead of using the shared governance process, the committees seem to lack direction.

“There are not enough workshops for shared governance,” he said. “We should have an hour workshop for how shared governance works.”

News

The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | May 2-May 15, 2012| 7

Chancellor Don Q. Griffin retires after 43 years of service GRIFFIN from front

By Thomas Figg-Hoblyn

THE GUARDSMAN / @JOURNALISTFIGG / TFIGGHOBLYN@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Don Quincy Griffin flinches involuntarily, startled by the violent and piercing sound of gunfire which echoes down the hallway to his office.

Instinctively, he springs toward the door, but while reaching for the door handle, something inside him tells him to hesitate. He waits five seconds, and then opens the door.

The shooter runs directly past him and out the back – five seconds earlier and he would have crossed paths with the armed assailant, responsible for the only homicide ever to have occurred at City College.

“The killer was a paranoid schizophrenic,” Griffin says today, recalling that fateful day in 1982, when his colleague, Dudley Yusuda was murdered.

Griffin was a teacher in 1982, but over the years he rose through the ranks all the way up to the chancellorship in 2008; propelled by charisma, intelligence and an intrinsic understanding of psychology.

Over the last four years as a determined chancellor, he has led City College through the most fiscally challenging times in the college’s history.

Griffin beat the worst budget cuts ever, by avoiding major lay-offs, just like he beat prostate cancer in 1997.

Recently, he discovered there was a lifethreatening tumor in his brain.

“I started losing my sense of taste,” Griffin said, “so I went to the doctor, and we did a series of tests and the tumor was discovered.”

The chancellor was scheduled to retire in July, but he officially stepped down from the chancellorship effective April 30. His physician and surgeon are evaluating his entire body, and going through and testing in preparation for surgery. Ideally the procedure will commence in a matter of weeks.

In 1997 when he had prostate cancer, he kept it to himself. He waited until it was safe to let people know. He didn’t want to worry everybody.

As the 10th child in a family of 18 kids, who farmed the Central Valley as a teenager, Griffin learned to be autonomous. He is also a very private man, and is not quick to share personal information with others.

But, after accomplishing such a great deal in administration, with his term as chancellor nearing completion, and after maintaining consistency and continuity through the worst budget cuts ever faced by City College; coupled with the looming weight of mortality – Griffin was ready to let his guard down.

This time he let everyone know about the tumor, within days of discovery.

He said he is trying to be more spiritual about it, and psychologically it is important to acknowledge the community which he has been a part of for so long, to show how everyone’s support is so important to him.

“I am kind of stealing their energy too – which I need,” Griffin said.

He feels very optimistic about the surgery.

The 69-year-old chancellor has served City College for over 40 years, as a psychology and statistics instructor, department chair and administrator.

You can see his eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning as he considers his career.

“It’s been a wonderful journey,” he said.

The chancellor says he is absolutely ready to retire.

“I have accomplished everything that I set out to accomplish,” Griffin said.

He is the mastermind behind priority registration, minority retention programs, student support program Puente, student equity, student diversity, and the modification of placement tests for student success.

During his last official board meeting on April 26, Griffin offered his final piece of advice to the Board of Trustees, who he spent countless hours planning college policy with. He told

From top: Chancellor Don Griffin on the night of his last Board of Trustees meeting at the Gough Street Campus on Apr. 26.

SHANE MENEZ / THE GUARDSMAN • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chancellor Don Griffin at the City College of San Francisco graduation ceremony in 2011. COURTESY OF CHANCELLORS OFFICE • Griffin at the Diego Rivera Theatre.

COURTESY OF CHANCELLORS OFFICE • Don Griffin speaks at the college council in the Pierre Coste restaurant at the Ocean Campus on Apr. 19. SHANE MENEZ/ THE GUARDSMAN

them to approve the resolution which changes placement testing, so he could go home. Griffin has worked for years to change placement testing policy to favor the students.

The resolution passed.

Griffin also helped bolster student services, increase online course availability, and diversify the student population by encouraging

international students and students from other parts of the country to come here. Dr. Veronica Hunnicutt, dean of the office of student affairs has worked with Griffin since 1972, and she says he works extremely hard to ensure that all communities are well represented.

As chancellor he focused on improving student equity, and worked to change the fact that students are here too long, and get discouraged.

For Griffin it is all about the students.

English teacher Carol Fregley says that she has never known a chancellor to be so studentcentered.

He began teaching in the fall of 1969 – President Nixon was in office, and the American death toll in Vietnam was well over 30,000.

As a man of conscience, Griffin was on trial for participating in protests at San Francisco State University over equality issues and the draft, while he was applying for a job at City College.

Louis G. Conlan was interviewing Griffin, and he knew Griffin was one of the 470 protesters awaiting trial. Conlan told Griffin that he would hire him, conditionally. If he was acquitted, the job was his. If he was guilty, then there was no job.

The protesters were tried in groups of ten.

Griffin was in the first group, who were acquitted. The other 46 groups of 10 were not acquitted.

“I was meant to come to City College,” he said.

For 27 years Griffin taught psychology and statistics, sometimes as many as five classes per semester. He had a good reputation for helping statistics students overcome their fear of math.

“I was a pretty good statistics teacher,” he says, from behind his trademark smile.

Griffin used psychology to help his students deal with math phobias.

English teacher Ellen Wall said students were memorized in his class.

He says he will never forget his first day at City College. It was a culture shock. Walking into his first class he sees that 45 out of the 48 students are Chinese and mostly Chinese females, and is somewhat flabbergasted by all the women who were staring at him.

“I thought, wow, what is going on here,” he said.

Then, he goes to his next class, and it’s full of police from the academy. Griffin was 27, and the youngest guy in the room was 25, all the way up to 55. They all had their uniforms on and responded with “yes sir.”

He went from giggling Chinese ladies to a group of military guys in uniform perfectly aligned in their seats.

“Those were my first two classes, and you can imagine what a distorted view I had,” Griffin said.

After 27 years in teaching, Griffin decided to move into administration to affect change through multiplicity. In 27 years of teaching, 10,000 students came through his doors, as an administrator he could affect 100,000 students every year.

The transition took some adjusting. Griffin says effective leadership as an administrator took him away from being a person, and a psychologist.

“I have to be tough, and it is different from my natural inclinations,” he said.

Griffin garnered support from the unions, department chairs, and the academic senate because he came from the teaching side of education.

His enthusiasm for improvement and his strategic planning to implement change produced positive results that future students will have the chance to utilize for years to come.

He has left a legacy.

“It’s a great point in my life to retire, and I get to spend a lot more time with my family and friends,” Griffin said, “I have been working 18 hour days almost straight for 14 years.”

“Don Quincy Griffin gave his life to San Francisco City College,” Hunnicutt said.

8 | May 2-May 15, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com

OPINIONS

Our reporters Tweet too! Follow them for select coverage, opinions and everyday shenanigans: @journalistfigg, @milesof, @bloomreports, @ozlitvac, @lpa_reporter, @loalalane, @FitztheReporter

The restaurant community should step up to save City College’s culinary program cafeteria

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The cafeteria at the Ocean Campus on Apr. 27, which serves roughly 900 students a day, is facing closure due to budget cuts. KEVIN BROWN / THE GUARDSMAN

By Einar Sevilla

CONTRIBUTING WRITER / @EINARSEVILLA/ EDITOR@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

The Culinary Arts & Hospitality Studies department is under attack from the state budget cuts affecting so many of City College’s departments, budget cuts which seem to only be getting worse.

There has been some hope, however. On April 30 the department received $74,700 in private donations from alumni of the program, with John Konstin, owner of John’s Grill and co-chair of the program’s advisory board, contributing $60,000.

Despite these donations the Culinary Arts & Hospitality department is still scrambling to find ways to keep the cafeteria, as well as the department, the respectable place it has become over the years.

If the cafeteria closes, this may no longer be true.

The city of San Francisco and the restaurant community should be doing more to keep this program alive, since it provides a major portion of the city’s culinary workforce.

And more alumni should step up and give back to a program that has done so much for them.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on April 27 that, although the program generates $900,000 a year, it costs City College $1.6 million to run.

The department is being asked to cut $250,000 from its budget or it may face closure of the cafeteria.

The cafeteria serves around 900 students a day said Culinary Arts & Hospitality department chair Tannis Reinhertz.

“Where can I go get a protein, a starch and a vegetable for $6?” she said, referring to the lack of other food options for students, staff and faculty if the cafeteria closes.

It is one of the most successful programs City College has to offer, and I see no reason for it to be attacked in this way.

Every morning before I go to my first class, I go to Smith Hall to enjoy a wonder-

ful breakfast prepared by the City College culinary students, but now the cafeteria is in jeopardy of being closed as another effect of budget cuts.

Where will I eat if the cafeteria closes?

Sure, there are other places to eat around campus, but one can only eat pizza and chinese food for so long.

“I think what [City College is] trying to do is get a zero-cost out of the department,” instructor Vincent Patatore said.

The Culinary Arts & Hospitality Studies department teaches students to prepare, cook and serve food, and also offers hospitality services instruction.

For these students the cafeteria is a learning environment and not a profit-making institution. The cafeteria should not have to justify itself.

“I have a passion for cooking, and I actually looked for programs all over the country,” said culinary student Joe Lin. “And I found that this one . . . had the most bang for the buck.”

She says that the program “puts you above and beyond the other candidates (employers) may have for the job.”

Unlike other culinary programs in which students usually just cook for themselves and their instructors, the City College culinary program shows students what it feels like to serve people and work at a restaurant — giving them real-world experience.

Reinhertz said about 80 percent of the program’s graduates leave with a job offer.

The hands-on experience provided by the cafeteria is what makes employers eager to hire City College’s culinary graduates. Eliminating this experience will put students at a disadvantage in the job market.

The cafeteria is an important part for the success of the culinary program, Konstin said.

“It would be a major loss for the city.”

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The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | May 2-May 15, 2012 | 9

Opinions

Letters to the editor

Editor’s response

Editor, Tyler Dylan Brown’s attacks on the student veterans of City College of San Francisco need to come to an end. Not only is he not promoting student veteran success, but he is using the college newspaper for his own attacks. I’m writing this to help people understand that the attacks are unfounded.

Brown ran unopposed and was elected as the ICC (inter-club council) representative for CCSF Veterans Alliance. After the election was over, his anger about the elections had nothing to do with the process or the fact that he was now an officer of the club — it had to do with the fact that people had been allowed to write in anyone that they wanted. Seven people decided to vote for a veteran’s beloved service dog, Olive. Other than that, Brown was fine with the elections and election process.

The election was monitored by the Dean of Student Activities, Samuel Santos, and candidates were allowed to campaign inside the Veterans Resource Center, as well as anywhere on campus.

A short time after becoming an officer for the Veterans Alliance, Brown started writing for the CCSF newspaper, The Guardsman.

In The Guardsman, Brown misquoted Marc Salgado and me, while also making up a quote from another student, Nick Garcia. Garcia had also told Brown not to quote him before the article was published. Despite the fact that this information has been brought to the attention to the editor of the newspaper, Joe Fitzgerald, nothing has been done to protect our students’ rights.

After Garcia told Associate Dean of Student Activities Samuel Santos about this incident, he asked for a retraction from the newspaper and to have the article removed from the online site, but nothing has been done to this day.

After meeting with Dean Santos, Brown’s solution to his problem with Garcia was to remove himself permanently from the Veterans Resource Center and

-Miles Foltz (CCSF Veterans Alliance President)

Miles, Firstly I want to say I have nothing but the utmost respect for veterans and their service to this country. Veteran’s Corner was a brainstorm between myself and my friend Bobby Hollingsworth, who often liked to philosophize on the way veterans interact with people when returning to school after service. It was after Bobby’s transfer to San Francisco State that he introduced me to Tyler Brown, and I decided to give him the column after being impressed with his passion for veterans affairs.

From the get go Tyler wrote about topics in a more startling, assertive way than Bobby’s. Both styles have their merits, Bobby’s more ruminating and thoughtful, whereas Tyler’s was more centered around motivating people into a call to action. This made tempering Tyler’s pieces a bit tougher.

His pieces were more confrontational.

As a journalist, I appreciated that he wanted to tackle veteran’s health and challenge for-profit colleges and their reputation for deceiving veterans into useless but expensive degrees, which have been reported on in outlets such as PBS Frontline, and NPR. So when I heard that Tyler was getting heat for some of his columns, it didn’t quite surprise me. What I was told was this: Nick Garcia, a student veteran, claimed that he never gave Tyler the quote that Tyler used in his piece. After talking to Dean Santos and calling Nick, I decided it was simpler just to pull Nick’s quote from the online post on our website, TheGuardsman.com.

However when you, Miles, approached me in The Guardsman office and told me I hadn’t taken anything down, I was surprised. It was only then that I realized I hadn’t taken the quote down from the PDF version of our newspaper, which is a sort of digital replica of the physical newspaper. That was an oversight, a direct mistake, and for that I apologize.

However I don’t recall hearing that you and the other veterans wanted their quotes

To to view a copy of the unedited letter in its entirety, please visit theguardsman.com. It will be posted by 9 p.m. May 2.

Tyler Brown’s column, “Veteran’s Corner,” will return next issue.

resign as ICC rep of the Veterans Alliance.

However, in The Guardsman (Volume 152 issue 6), he makes the claim that “Recently I was told by an officer of the Veterans Alliance that I was no longer allowed in the Veterans Resource Center at City College due to criticism and concerns I raised in the last issue of the Guardsman.” I did try to remind him of his original agreement made between Garcia and Dean Santos, but he never would answer my calls.

In The Guardsman (Volume 152 issue 5), he also attacks the Veteran office for not processing his paperwork, saying “For instance, I have had nothing but problems with simple administrative task such as being certified by the school...”

After going to the Veteran office and speaking with Omar Diaz “It was found that Tyler was taking courses which were not on his education plan, and thus were not certifiable. He eventually met with a counselor to revise his education plan, and was then promptly certified — and was paid his VA benefits.”

It’s every veteran responsibility to follow their education plan, veterans can always change their mind on what they want to do with their VA benefits, they just need a new education plan to get paid by the VA. I don’t have a problem with news, or personal opinions. The only thing that I have a problem with is lies and misleading statements. This is why I’m asking Tyler Dylan Brown to make a retraction and remove the online articles, and apologize for his actions to Nick Garcia, Marc Salgado, Dean Santos, the veterans office and me.

I also would request that future articles written by Brown are fact-checked by someone other than Brown. As for the editor, Joe Fitzgerald, I would like to see him held accountable for not responding faster to these problems.

Students pawns in politcal game It’s time for student debt, round 2!

Student loans have come to the political foreground this election season, putting millions of debt-afflicted college students in the middle of a two-party tug of war.

Interest rates on Stafford student loans are set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1. The higher rate would raise yearly loan payments up to an additional $1,000 for some

students. Stafford student loans are among the most common and easiest to get, with around 7.5 million undergraduates benefitting from one. Practically anyone is eligible to receive one.

The fascinating thing is that both President Obama with the democrats and assumed-republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney support a measure that would keep those interest rates low.

The one-year Interest Rate

Reduction Act, a republicanintroduced bill, passed in the House of Representatives on April 27. The bill would pay for itself by extracting $6 billion from Obama’s health care overhaul. The White House has said it would veto the bill; democrats would rather fund the low rate by by taking away subsidies from oil companies.

So what’s the problem?

The problem is YOU, dear student — more specifically, your vote.

Both candidates are vying for attention from the college voter. Since the 2008 election Obama has seen an 18 percent drop (down from 78 percent) in support among 18- to 34-yearolds. But Romney is even farther behind, with only 34 percent in the same age range showing support for him. Probably it has something to do with the fact that he said it’s no big deal to borrow $20,000 from your parents in a

speech at an Ohio university last Friday.

Obama recently finished up a three-state college tour, spouting the importance of an affordable education for all. Romney has made one school visit of his own, insisting that Obama has “failed” young Americans.

Yes, both parties agree that the rate should remain low. But neither have created a long-lasting plan to achieve this.

Each of their plans lasts only for ONE YEAR. Just long enough to get them elected.

Convenient.

White House officials have anonymously admitted that a key goal for Obama’s re-election is to try and register as many new voters as possible. College students are the political pawn in the presidential race, with our economic status as the bait.

The focus isn’t on us and our debt situation — it’s on the poll booth.

removed. Dean Santos and I conversed mainly about Nick.

When you informed me that there were two other quotes that needed to be removed, I was totally surprised. This meant to me that either that Tyler misquoted all of you, or that you became nervous after seeing your quotes in the paper. Not knowing any of you, it’s difficult for me to make that call. The best course of action in my mind was to publish your letter, allowing you the chance to rebut Tyler’s claims.

However even worse than the misquotes were the claims that Tyler exaggerated or was incorrect in his claims about receiving his benefits.

As a contributor to The Guardsman and therefore one of my own, I’m giving him a chance to support his claims. He told me that he had veterans who were willing to go on the record to attest to the things that he wrote, and in the news world, quotes are king. I’m asking him to publish a piece next issue, and he will address your claims. If he is unable to find support for his accusations, we will publish an apology and retraction. It would only be right.

Moving forward however, I would like to find a way to smooth out relations between The Guardsman and veterans.

As you informed me Miles, out of the 90,000 students at City College, over 1,200 are veterans. They have a column in this paper for that reason. Also on a personal level, I feel that even though there are many special interest groups in City College, veterans have especially unique experiences that warrant more awareness in the rest of the school.

Tyler will publish his piece next issue.

In the meantime, other veterans are more than welcome to write letters to The Guardsman, as anyone is welcome to do.

I only wish it didn’t take this many weeks after the incident for someone to contact us directly, or to write the paper.

-Joe Fitzgerald Editor

The problem of student debt is not going to go away after a year. No matter what party line they fall under, someone needs to take seriously the concerns about our future, not just for their own political goals. How about someone fights for putting consumer protections back onto student loans? Or works to create a student debt limit that would cap interest on loans before they reach levels impossible to repay?

Or maybe someone could speak up about how obscenely high college tuition has become and that student loan debt wouldn’t even be an issue if college costs hadn’t ballooned so much.

In the meantime, I hope that everyone gets to enjoy the super-special, just-for-you, yearlong extension on low interest rates for federal student loans.

Remember to go hit the poll booth in November with a wooden club.

10 | May 2-May 15, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com Advertisement

The Guardsman & theguardsman.com | May 2-May 15, 2012 | 11

CCSF Events Calendar

By Catherine Lee The Guardsman / @SFBREAKINGNEWS / CLEE@THEGUARDSMAN.COM FRI/MAY 4 Free Day of Community Wellness and Education Conference – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. @ San Francisco Women’s Building (3543 18th Street in the Mission District near the Mission campus): Way Pass is an aftercare program for formerly incarcerated women.

To connect to the community beyond their usual Ocean campus office, Waypass is hosting a fair of community resources for education, legal services, and employment advice in an event open to the public. Childcare available with advance RSVP. Information 415-452-7889 or waypass@gmail.com.

SAT/MAY 5 “Celebrating Letterpress” Open House for the Letterpress Shop and Round Table Discussion - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. letterpress shop is open for tours; and 11 a.m. to1 p.m. discussion in the theater @ Mission campus (room 207 for shop visits and room 109 for discussion): The Letterpress Club and the Graphic Communications Department are hosting an open house with panelists Ralph Bauer, Alan Dye, Suzanne Korey, Lorraine Leber, Grendl Löfkvist, Bob Pinetti, and Kathy Walkup to discuss the evolution of letterpress at City College, and the book arts revival of the late 1990s. The machines have been saved, the craft of movable type, ink and paper and fine printmaking have been elevated to a resurrected art: discuss the future of the form with light refreshments and the makers of the movement.The event is open to the public Spectrum Caucus: First Student LGBT Conference – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Sunday events from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) @ Ocean campus, Ampitheater: The Caucus Conference is a two-day event holding its first state conference for the representative body of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Allied (LGBTA) student organizations of the 115 California community colleges, which seeks recognition as an official caucus of the California Community Colleges Student Senate. Keynote speakers include California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (11:30 a.m.) and Senator Mark Leno (3 p.m.), with subsequent discussion times to ask the elected representatives what legislation they offer to support community college funding, and how they support LGBTA efforts on the community college campuses. Onsite registration $20.

Website for registration and program at www.spectrumcaucus.r8.org and specific

CCSF information ssantos@ccsf.edu.

MON/MAY 7 Free Author Reading and Discussion with Angie Chau – 12 to 1 p.m. @ Ocean campus Rosenberg Library room 301 and 7 to 8:30 p.m. @ Mission campus room 106: Meet the author of “Quiet As They Come” and join a discussion open to the public about the role of personal narrative, novels and literary expression in the lives of VietnameseAmericans. Information 415-239-3580.

WED/MAY 9 Free Slide Presentation and Lecture “Filipinos in San Francisco” – 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. @ Downtown campus room 821: Celebrating the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Dennis Ubungen will present a fun, historical look at the local Filipino experience. The event is open to the public.

Information 415-239-3580.

Speech Club Debate “Speech Slam” - 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. @ Ocean campus Rosenberg Library room 304 and 305: The awardwinning Forensics Program invites the public to attend “90 minutes of thrilling drama, heated debate, and earth-shaking advocacy” 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.

SAT/MAY 12 Keep the Community in Community College: A Statewide Conference for Public Education – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. @ Mission campus: A planning and teaching conference open to anyone interested in preserving the accessibility of the California community colleges. The day will include workshops about the pending legislation that will ration education, and the upcoming tax initiatives and budget proposals which will impact community colleges.

A panel will discuss the “Student Success Act” and why it is destructive to continuing education for adults, job retraining and part-time students. .

Email calendar items to clee@theguardsman.com.

Queer Resource Center kicks off film fest

The Queer Resource Center hosts its Sixth Annual Film Festival at the Diego Rivera Theatre on Apr. 26. DONOVAN YI / THE GUARDSMAN

By Lucas Pontes de Almeida

THE GUARDSMAN / @LPA_SFREPORTER/ LALMEIDA@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

The Diego Rivera Theater was full of energy and excitement on Thursday, April 26 when the Queer Resource Center hosted its Sixth Annual Film Festival displaying a series of diverse and glamorous films from local independent filmmakers, City College students and from award-winning filmmaker Marc Huestis.

Huestis was a City College student in the

&

band Rin Tin Tiger talks of inspiration, dark chat and DIY recording

mid 1970s, and was invited back to participate in this year’s film festival. He showcased three films that highlighted phases of his career and personal life.

The films displayed by Huestis had a wide variety of topics including “Unity” a film about the prosecution of lesbians and gays in Nazi Germany, an award-winning documentary on Chuck Solomon and the

The band Rin Tin Tiger pose at the beach in San Francisco. ANNA LARINA

By Lance Kramer

THE GUARDSMAN / @SFBREAKINGNEWS/ LKRAMER@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Rin Tin Tiger is a three-piece alternative folk group that infuses rock ‘n’ roll elements with emotional and catchy tunes. The Guardsman caught up with brothers, Sean E. (bass player and vocalist) and Kevin Sullivan (guitarist and vocalist) at La Corneta Taqueria in Glen Park to discuss their love for music, burritos and Tupac.

Q. How long have you guys been Rin Tin Tigers?

Sean E.: Since March 2011.

Kevin: Yeah, we used to be called Westwood and Willow, then we changed our band name and officially added the drummer (Andrew Skewes) in March.

Q. How long have you guys been attending City College?

Kevin: Sean just graduated from San Francisco State. I used to go to CCSF but I dropped out this fall. I was just going because I thought I had to please my parents, but then I got awful grades, and I just wrote songs on campus instead of doing homework.

Q. Did you get a lot of inspiration from City College then?

Kevin: It was pretty dreary so it got me pretty depressed a lot of the time, but I did meet some weird people that were interesting and influential to my growth as a person.

Q. Where do you draw your inspiration for writing music?

Kevin: All of my songs are about being a passive-aggressive hypochondriac that would rather dark chat than have sex.

Q. Do you get the chance to play often in the Bay Area or to go on tour?

Sean E.: We play the Bay Area a lot, San Francisco and San Jose specifically.

We’ve played a lot of shows there. We have been playing Berkeley more often, a little bit of Oakland but not too much.

We’ve been doing a couple tours on the West Coast, from here to Seattle and back, essentially.

Q. What musicians have influenced your music?

Kevin: Well...I love Tupac a lot ‘cause he’s fearless, angry, and he’s multidimensional. On one track he’s talking about killing you and in another he’s talking about peace on the block, so I’m into that. And I felt that he always said just what he wanted to say and with conviction. Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith in there, and then I like Morrissey just because he’s so ridiculous, he’s very upfront, incredibly blunt, but I believe him. He’s not putting up a front, and of course Johnny Marr’s guitar is wonderful.

Q. Can you tell me about your approach to putting out your music?

Sean E.: Up until “Toxic Pocketbook”, which comes out this summer, we really did record our stuff mostly ourselves or with the help of friends in a very DIY environment. We went into Tiny Telephone Studios (in San Francisco) and we did everything to 2-inch tape and we mixed down to half-inch tape, so we did everything pretty much without a computer which is totally opposite to how we did stuff before.

Rin Tin Tiger plays at Bottom of the Hill on Friday, May 11 with Tumbleweed Wanderers and Infantree from Los Angeles. Their new album, “Toxic Pocketbook” can be downloaded through their website at rintintiger. com.

AIDS epidemic in the ‘80s, and a documentary titled “Whatever Happened to Susan Jane” where Huestis describes the Punk Rock, New Wave, New Age scene of the ‘80s “I wanted to show it (“Unity”) as sort of an inspiration for students,” Huestis said. “I’m a firm believer of the Nike motto which is “Just Do It” — in every sense, just do it, just make films, if you want to be a filmmaker just make them, no matter the criticism no matter how hard it is, no matter the amount of money that you have, no matter whatever ... if you love it, you do it.”

The third and last part of the festival unveiled the work of independent filmmakers and City College students who had the opportunity to show their work and share their inspiration with the audience present.

City College student and filmmaker Traci Wrycza wrote and produced “Waking Hour” a short film portraying an emotional relationship between two lesbian women. Wrycza describes the end of the film as a “goofy punch” where a family visiting a cemetery sees two women making out on the ground near a grave.

Britannic Zane, another City College student presented a six-minute documentary about what the Queer Resource Center is all about.

“I enjoyed it,” Darren Girard said.

“Britannic is a great guy, I enjoyed being part of the documentary and the QRC is a great place, so I was happy to put my face to it.”

Girard, a member of the QRC, said he was glad he could share his thoughts and tell others that everyone is welcome and that the QRC is a safe place where everyone’s invited.

English professor and QRC faculty advisor Jennifer Worley was thrilled with the variety of outstanding films displayed at this year’s festival.

“It was great, I’ve just been so happy with the quality of the films the past few years and Brit (Zane) has just done an amazing job,” Worley said.

“I’m really happy to have a whole bunch of different kinds of student films — like this program tonight. The variety was amazing to me and also Marc Huestis’ films earlier were really fantastic. It was really an honor to have him.”

12 | May 2-May 15, 2012 | The Guardsman & theguardsman.com

Culture

“Making it” a celebration of diversity through dance

From left: Dancers from the Bay Area Flash Mob take the stage and dance to their Janet Jackson Medley routine at the “Making It” dance performance on Apr. 28 at the Ocean Campus. Right: Dancers from Strong Pulse take the stage and dance their “Take Care” routine. CLARIVEL FONG / THE GUARDSMAN

By Peter Hernandez

THE GUARDSMAN / @MILESOF/ PHERNANDEZ@THEGUARDSMAN.COM

Tango dancers, belly dancers, B-boys and B-girls, cheerleaders, and even children shared the stage at City College’s “Making It,” a collection of nearly two dozen dance pieces.

On the night of Saturday, April 28, the Wellness Center’s third-floor performance theatre held a small audience overshadowed by a cast of 85 dancers, representing a diversity of ethnicity, sexuality, and dance styles.

“Dancing will break the barriers of diversity,” Kristin Williams, City College dance instructor and choreographer for Strong Pulse, a dance collective of City College students.

Forty of the night’s performers were City College students, some of whom have received dance scholarships or have started their own dance groups and companies.

Leah Ferrer, a former member of Williams’ femaleexclusive dance group, Strong Current, performed with the Bay Area Flash Mob. They presented their “Janet Medley,” a collection of dances inspired by Janet Jackson music videos, which earned them 20 tickets to Jackson’s performance in Oakland last year.

Duniya Dance and Drum Company contributed ethnic styles to the mix, with Bollywood-style and African dances influenced by hip-hop. Their performances were emblematic of how intertwined dissonant dance genres are in contemporary dance.

Rihanna, Drake, and Beyoncé songs dominated the eclectic ensemble of tracks, which even included a Johann Sebastian Bach piece.

Skorpio, a multi-disciplin-

Student Spotlight

ary dancer choreographed by City College instructor Christy Funsch, performed “The Optimist.” At once Skorpio’s hands are frantically waving in front of his face and then he made baseball-batting gestures, then break danced on the floor. What could be seen as a clash between movement and music is seen as otherwise by Funsch.

“Skorpio is very movementspecific, and so is Bach’s music,” Funsch said, noting the similarities between their detail-driven performance.

Other dances were more story-driven.

Kristin Rooney and Denaya Dailey’s performance to music by folk artist Iron & Wine conveyed two women at odds with each other, lifting each other and eventually dancing parallel to each other. Their movement was story-like, engaging the audience

at their alternate falls, and invoking curiosity at their dance style that incorporates lying on their back as though sleeping, but sliding up and down the stage.

Tango dancer Patricia Gaunt’s butt was rubbed by John Gaunt in their tango piece, “Mr. and Ms. Smith.” John’s blocky movements made for an ungraceful companion to the exceptionally graceful Patricia, who paid close attention to her footwork in ballerina flats.

Syde Prajekt’s three male dancers showed their sass as they shamelessly lifted their shirts and licked their lips before ending on the lyric, “Don’t call me baby.”

Williams, who danced in most of her choreographies, was seen in tiny red shorts, a black bra under a loosely-knitted cropped top, and transparent-heeled twoinch platforms, dancing to the lyrics, “You can just spank me.”

A focal point during Strong Pulse’s performances were difficult to discern, as the large dance crew looked more like a dance party during the pop song “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. Performer Gino Thomas’ attitude made for a dominating effect during most performances, particularly during “Making It,” in which he and the other male performers wore suits while engaging in a battle-like dance, employing a table upon which they danced.

His arm flinging during his solo was like that of an ambidextrous baseball pitcher, and he at one point was lifted by his female partner, defying conventional gender roles in dance.

“Sex doesn’t matter — you can lift anyone if you have the strength,” Thomas said.

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.

Two students will be featured each issue.

Submit your work to gorozco@theguardsman.com or drop your submissions at Bungalow 615 Left: Alice Stepped in the bathtub, Mixed media piece. Below Bunny Ears-Front, Gouache on wood piece. By Tandria Kunkle Both of these pieces explore the idea of incorporating “prosthetic emotions” as a means of self protection. I like that animals will disguise themselves physically in order to protect their flesh, whereas humans will show inauthentic emotions as a means of protecting fragile hearts.

Showing real, naked emotions makes us feel vulnerable, and so the majority of us will conceal what we truly are.

Above: Pelagic in Blue and Green, wearable art by Nic Griffin Inspired by Edwardian fashion styles, designer Nic Griffin aka Lotta Rubbish has delved into her storehouse of trash to evoke the plight of the oceans. Made entirely out of unrecyclable plastic trash that could have ended up in the great pacific garbage patch.