The Guardsman, Vol. 172, Issue 7, City College of San Francisco

Vol. 172, Issue 7 | Nov. 22 – Dec. 1 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE | www.theguardsman.com

Santana Family Honored Classified Staff Bear Brunt of City College With Mission Mural

Layoff Notices

By Emily Margaretten

margarettene@gmail.com City College Administration sent out 42 pink slips to classified staff employees Nov. 2, setting up a showdown with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local 1021, which contested the layoffs as a breach of contract.

Interim Vice Chancellor Dianna Gonzales emailed department chairs Nov. 2 notifying them of staff reductions that could go into effect Jan. 3.

“The administration's bargaining team is continuing to meet with SEIU to reduce the need to rely on layoffs to

La Santana Familia Mural at 24th and Mission Street Photo by Janna Velasquez/The Guardsman

By JohnTaylor Wildfeuer jt.wildfeuer@gmail.com La Familia Santana, a mural dedicated to the Santana Family Josefina, Jose, Jorge, Carlos, and his grandson Jorge was formally dedicated, replete with ribbon cutting ceremony, on Oct. 29.

The mural, which depicts legendary guitar virtuoso and legendary Bay Area figure Carlos Santana alongside his family, is located in the BART plaza at 24th and Mission.

After a years' effort the mural's creators, Crayone and Mark Bode, finishd the

piece, which was based upon a sketch by Randolph Bowes and Jorge Santana.

The event, which was open to media but not the general public, was attended

by Mission locals including City College's Juan Gonzalez.

Jorge passed away in Sept. 2020, and the celebration of the mural based on his sketch was dedicated to his spirit.

The Santana Family Mural, a commemoration of celebrated Bay Area locals, and a lasting eulogy for the late Jorge Santana, can be viewed by the public at the southwest corner of 24th and Mission, at the top of the BART station escalators.

balance the budget,” Gonzales said.

A document attached to Gonzales’ email identified 42 layoffs, fewer than the 50 layoffs cited at the Board of

"The

administration's

bargaining team is continuing to meet with SEIU." Trustees meeting on Oct. 28.

Custodial services could experience the largest number of reductions wth 11 layoffs. Human Resources, Undefeated continues on pg 5

Undefeated Rams Charge Ahead

Chancellor Martin Changes Prohibitive Protocol

By JohnTaylor Wildfeuer jt.wildfeuer@gmail.com A holdover protocol that effectively stymied student access to City College administrators was ended by Chancellor Martin in his first month on the job.

For several reasons, not the least being the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult, and in several cases impossible, for reporters at The Guardsman to gain access to City College administrators for interviews.

A Verbal Protocol The majority of interview requests were sent, or forwarded, to Public Information Officer (PIO) Rosie Zepeda over the past twelve months, and in that time several student reporters from The Guardsman and Etc. Magazine have said that they have had difficulty securing in-

terviews with faculty and administrators, and in some cases have had their public records requests go unfulfilled.

A new verbal protocol, which the PIO dates to spring 2021, was enacted by then-Interim Chancellor Rajen Vurdien requiring that reporters be asked for their questions prior to scheduling an interview.

As this would fundamentally change the integrity of the interviews, The Guardsman staff was hesitant to engage with the protocol. However, with student access proving increasingly difficult at least one reporter did provide an advanced copy of their questions.

This having failed to yield a different result in the lack of access to the interviewee, The Guardsman staff decided on a protocol of limited engagement with, and general protest to, the protocol.

PIO continues on pg 2

Rams score in an earlier game this semesteer. Photo by Bob Kinoshita/The Guardsman

By Angela Greco a_greco511@yahoo.com The CCSF Rams are having a stellar season, as they hold number 2 in the state with a 9-0 standing.

One wouldn’t guess that coming off a cancelled 2020 season plus the unprecedented events of a pandemic year as one of the reasons the team may be so strong, but the resilience of the team bouncing

back has clearly said otherwise.

Defensive lineman Frank Banks talked about how hard the past year was but instead saw the silver lining. He said, “It showed who wanted to be at City [College], who wanted to play football, who wanted to pursue a degree academically and in football.”

“It kinda weeded out the cancer,” he Undefeated continues on pg 5

Día De Los Muertos Photo Story

Rams Defeat Cañada 5-1

Culture - pg 4

Sports - pg 8

2 | NEWS PIO continued from pg 1 Rosie Zepeda, whose full title Director of Media, Governmental Relations & Marketing is representative of the broad and varied roles she serves in at City College, clarified in an interview the intent behind the protocol and its origin, citing a general lack of personnel, and describing hers as an “office of one.”

During the four months Interim Chancellor Gonzalez served between Chancellors Vurdien and Martin the protocol was carried over. Zepeda made it clear that it was up to Chancellor Martin how he would like to advise his cabinet, and said of the interim period, “This is what we decided for now and that meant up to October 31.”

Developing a Dialogue With an almost annual change of leadership over the last decade, it has been difficult for administrators to build last-

ing trust with college constituents and faculty groups.

At an Aug. 26 meeting of the Board of Trustees Vice President Tom Temprano spoke of the need to ensure “that these larger decisions are done transparently, collaboratively, and with as much forethought as possible.”

Chancellor Martin, who previously hosted an eight episode podcast from the helm of Monterey Peninsula College, echoed transparency as a priority in his Candidate Forum, and again in an interview with The Guardsman.

He said he will “spend the first couple of weeks and months really listening to the campus community, listening to the students,” and, citing his background as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), added that he will “take feedback and advice from the experts and try to make it a reality.”

On the subject of navigating difficult, at times contentious, negotiations and discussions

between faculty, administrators, students, and community members Martin says, “My core is really creating and fostering and championing a campus community that is collaborative, that is transparent.”

The Chancellor says he will also seek feedback from the community and that he is intent on giving them “an opportunity to get creative, to become innovative,” adding he will be, “fostering and supporting that type of dialogue.”

Trust and Transparency Calling himself a “huge fan” of the work of The Guardsman, Chancellor Martin says, “I absolutely understand that a free-flowing conversation sometimes generates the best stuff,” and weighed that against his desire to be prepared and ensure that he is “providing useful and relevant information.”

“Moving forward,” Martin says, “it can be a combination, I don’t necessarily feel as if we

need to have advanced prepared questions.”

With sections of the Sunshine Ordinance suspended under Mayor Breed’s February 2020 Emergency Declaration, and trust in news outlets at the second lowest point in the Gallup polls recorded history, the need for quality reporting through meaningful interviews has seldom been greater.

Between massive adjustments brought about by longterm budget issues, a decade of high administrative turnover, and the more than 600 days of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic complications, there has been no shortage of reasonable causes for delays.

Under a new chancellor with a four-year contract, one with repeated commitments to developing greater transparency and institution-wide collaboration, the college may someday again find stability, and with more direct access to administrators the public may know how this was accomplished.

City College's Mission Campus, once a hub of student activity, stands empty of instructors, and some may not return. Photo by John Wildfeuer/The Guardsman

Staff

Vol. 172, Issue 7 | Nov. 22 – Dec. 1 2021

Cyclone Bomb Causes Floods on Campus

By Garret Leahy and Annette Mullaney garretteleahy@gmail.com annette.mullaney@gmail.com Record rainfall last month in the Bay Area did not spare City College, causing flooding in several buildings at Ocean Campus and the parking lot of the John Adams campus.

At Ocean campus, the Diego Rivera Theater, Student Health Building, and the second floor of the Rosenberg library all experienced flooding, according to Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Construction and Planning Alberto Vasquez.

The Oct. 24 storm was the strongest in the Bay Area in 26 years, according to Golden Gate Weather Services. The merging of a “bomb cyclone” and “atmospheric river” dumped rain on the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, including more than 16 inches on Mt. Tamalpais in 28 hours. San Francisco experienced more than four inches in one day, more than the city normally sees the entire month of October.

The worst flooding at City College was at the Diego Rivera Theater, where water went up to the third row of seats. Technical Director of the Theater Arts Department Patrick ​​ Toebe, who went to see the damage the day after the storm, said it took two days for building and grounds staff to pump out all the water.

The floods add potential additional complications for the reopening of the theater. “There were already some mold issues we were dealing with, as the building was up for so long with no heat,” Toebe said. The college had actually just completed a mold survey, and was waiting for results, when the flooding happened, which may require a new survey.

Toebe hopes that the theater will reopen soon, in time for Spring 2022 rehearsals and performances of a new stage adaptation by CCSF students of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”. Students wrote the play in Fall 2021, taking advantage of the classic’s move into the public domain just this year.

“It’s really closely related to our world today in many ways,” said Toebe, adding that the play will also examine “how the media relates to political happenings.”

Toebe also said that to his knowledge, the theater last flooded in 2004 after heavy rain and construction that had blocked a drain. Keeping drains clear is crucial to preventing flooding, especially in the Diego Rivera Theater, which sits below grade.

Vasquez said that to prevent future flooding, the college “continues to clean and clear out area drains and roof drains,” and also needs to “replace and repair damaged underground pipes.”

News Editor Annette Mullaney

Sports Editor Kaiyo Funaki

Illustration Editor Skylar Wildfeuer

Photographers Onyx Hunter

Photography Editor Skylar Wildfeuer

T: @jtwildfeuer

Culture Editor Casey Michie

Layout Editor Skylar Wildfeuer

Illustrators Erin Blackwell

Max Hollinger

Chief Copy Editor Colton Webster

Online Editor JohnTaylor Wildfeuer

Opinion Editor Ava Cohen

Social Media Editor Derek Chartrand Wallace

Editor-in-Chief JohnTaylor Wildfeuer

T: @blackwelldrawingfool

Bob Kinoshita

Yuchen Xiao

Janna Velasquez

Copy Editor Tim Hill

NEWS | 3

Vol. 172, Issue 7 | Nov. 22 – Dec. 1 2021

Layoffs continued from pg 1 Financial Aid, Payroll, Transitional Studies, Institutional Support, and Library and Learning Resources could each sustain losses of two staff reductions.

But even more employees could be impacted. “Employees served layoff notices will be able to displace other (additional) employees per Civil Service rules and contract,” SEIU 1021 said in a written statement. This process is known as “bumping.”

With bumping, 68 employees could be impacted by the layoffs.

The majority of those affected would be women of color, SEIU 1021 said.

SEIU 1021 strongly opposed the layoffs at the board meeting.

SEIU 1021 President Athena Steff said the administration had not entered into good faith negotiations.

“The district issuing SEIU layoff notices of 50 classified workers is based on a lie,” she said. “For any union to enter into negotiations … both the employer and the union must have the pertinent data and information in order to engage in good faith bargaining.”

Steff continued, “Since the first concession letter the district sent to SEIU back in May of 2020, SEIU has asked for and

has yet to receive any real answers to the RFIs [request for information] related to our enormous vacant positions and our classified priority hiring mode.”

Classified Senate President Maria Salazar-Colón denounced the administration’s proposal to contract out classified staff positions. She urged them to follow Article 30 in their Collective Bargaining Agreement, which calls for transparency and good faith discussions before contracting out work.

Several other SEIU 1021 members criticized the administration’s plan to lay off employees while outsourcing these same jobs to non-union contractors.

David Delgado, who works in the finance department, questioned the administration’s intent of hiring contractors, which was supposed to be a temporary solution until they filled classified staff positions. The district meanwhile has implemented a hiring freeze for classified staff.

Gonzales said they were recruiting for classified staff despite the hiring freeze. “Those who have worked with me know that I've used the term, ‘You can shop but don't go through the checkout stand,’ until further clarification,” she said.

Trustee Alan Wong tabled the motion to outsource classified

work. “I felt it was important that we maintain in-house staff as much as possible,” he said in an interview. “It didn't make sense for us to be contracting out services when we're looking at potential layoffs.”

Wong added, “If a temp agency can successfully find us employees and find the labor to do the work then why can’t we be successful in finding employees ourselves with civil service and union benefits?”

Staff cuts at City College are not new. “Already, there are

"Why can't we be successful in finding employees ourselves with civil service and union benefits?" roughly half as many classified staff now as there were in 2000—from nearly 1,000 twenty years ago down to just over 500 now,” SEIU 1021 said in its written statement.

Jody Wirt, a classified staff employee in the broadcast electronic media arts department, spoke about the downsizing of City College as a result of poor budget management. “This is

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another chapter in that story,” she said.

The prospect of taking a pay cut was especially hard for her.

Wirt has worked at City College for 12 years, and the only time she received a pay raise was two years ago. “I waited so long to get a cost-of-living increase,” she said. She worried that bargaining concessions would rollback these gains.

Wirt also questioned the methodology the administration used when deciding which classified staff members to lay off.

She said there was no discussion about it with department chairs or deans.

The Department Chairperson Council (DCC) discussed these concerns in a letter sent to administrative leadership on Nov. 4. It stated that many of the selected staff “were placed on the list without consultation with their immediate supervisors and without known criteria.”

“This action,” the letter continued, “Is in violation of the District-DCC contract Article 9A,” which states that the administration should notify departments and programs about “substantive decisions” affecting them and provide opportunities for input.

Harry Bernstein, a longtime faculty member in the music department, discussed the

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fallout of not consulting with department heads about layoffs.

High-level administrators often do not know how classified staff support students and faculty.

“People may have particular responsibilities in the department that provides other functions in addition to the secretarial work itself,” Bernstein said.

Akiyo Mineo-Aldis, an intake clerk at the Child Development Lab School, described the work that she performs that often exceeds the expectations of her job description. “I speak with so many parents, students, and community members,” she said. “I sometimes counsel them and listen to their stories.”

“An outsourced agent would not do that,” Mineo-Aldis added.

Both SEIU 1021 leadership and City College administrators declined interviews for this news story. The college said it was in “the initial stages of impact negotiations” with labor leaders and wanted “to provide the time and space required to address this sensitive issue.”

SEIU 1021 has not communicated details about the negotiations with its members. “I’ve only received a Thanksgiving flier,” Wirth said.

“I’m on pins and needles.”

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4 | CULTURE

Stories Are Shared and History Celebrated Through the Powerful Images of the Murals In the Mission

By Janna Velasquez jvelas42@mail.ccsf.edu

Vol. 172, Issue 7 | Nov. 22 – Dec. 1 2021

Vol. 172, Issue 7 | Nov. 22 – Dec. 1 2021

CULTURE | 5

(Above) The original 1 acre site for the Tea Garden was built as part of the 1894 World’s Fair.

Over the years as more plants and colorful koi fish were imported from Japan, it expanded to approximately 5 acres. Photo by Bob Kinoshita/The Guardsman.

(Left) The bridge was originally built in Japan and shipped here for the 1894 Fair. The name Drum Bridge is derived from its shape; when reflected on the water, its full circle shape resembles a drum. The design of the bridge has 3 main functions, to slow people down, to let boats sail under and its namesake, to enjoy the water reflection of a drum. Photo by Bob Kinoshita/ The Guardsman.

Tea Gardens Freely Accessible To Locals and Tourists ByBob Kinoshita rkino@hotmail.com It's always better when you can get into an event for free. San Francisco offers an occasional free day to verified residents of San Francisco. Several times a year access to the zoo and Academy of Science, and other city attractions are free to residents that provide a driver's license or utility bill showing a SF City address.

How about free access all year?

The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park allows free access on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9AM – 10AM. Enter before 10AM and stay all day. This is available to everyone.

(Right) The Tea House was also built for the fair. It has been rebuilt over the years to its current rendition. Today the house offers snacks and several kinds of tea to enjoy overlooking tranquil gardens and koi ponds.

One of the more popular snacks, the fortune cookie, was introduced to the U.S. here at the Tea House around 1900. Photo by Bob Kinoshita/The Guardsman.

(Below) Golden Gate Park after Outside Lands. Photo by Casey Michie/The Guardsman.

Outside Lands Draws Thousands to Golden Gate Park After Covid Hiatus

Caption Photo by Pnyx Hunter/The Guardsman

By Casey Michie cmichie1@mail.ccsf.edu After a two year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of festival goers descended upon San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for the return of Outside Lands music festival.

The sold out three day festival, coinciding this year with Halloween weekend, brought an estimated 74,000 daily attendees to the festival grounds and streets of San Francisco, a boon to local businesses who rely on tourism that has waned due to the pandemic.

Along with musical acts the festival also included art installations, an array of local food vendors, and the first

ever curated cannabis experience at a festival in the United States.

Headliners included The Strokes, Lizzo, and Tame Impala.

“That's a wrap on the first Outside Lands weekend in two years!”

San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department tweeted at the conclusion of the festival, “We're so proud to host this eco-friendly event in our biggest park. Thank you to [the organizers], the performers, and the many workers who made this possible.”

Organizers are planning next year’s return of Outside Lands to take place during its traditional summer showing, with current dates set for August 5-7 of 2022.

6 | OPINION

Vol. 172, Issue 7 | Nov. 22 – Dec. 1 2021

Education Is Made A Privilege By Student Debt

By Emma CUmmings ecummin3@mail.ccsf.edu ​Higher education in the US is at its worst a thinly veiled forprofit business. It’s not enough to simply eliminate debt after it is accrued – our educational system should not be organized in a way that allows for (or in some cases even requires students) to accrue an ever-growing level of debt in exchange for an education. ​ It begs the question, what are students getting into debt for?

"Other costs... have bumped that increase up to 300%."

According to Business Insider, a staggering growth of 260% increase in tuition since 1980 is a significant factor to consider.

What’s worse, other costs associated with attending college, such as textbooks and required supplies (for example, a laptop), have bumped that increase above a 300%.

Some sources, such as the AECF, say that capping or eliminating tuition would be a great place to start addressing the core debt issue.

This is the approach of choice for many EU countries, which also attracts international students who usually pay a slightly higher but still very affordable cost to attend, compared with what is often available in the US. However, a tuition de-

crease doesn’t address the issue of students also having the costs of necessities such as a living space and food to consider. .​Options include subsidizing student housing and food – both exist in Germany, but other EU countries such as Finland, Hungary, and Switzerland have discounted student housing.

Food subsidies can be student specific, such as having markets or cafeterias available on campus that the public can access, but where students get a discount on goods and meals when they pay with their student card. The latter option is a great opportunity for a university to make a little profit that is not exclusively aimed at students.

​Other subsidies simply include automatically granting students living expenses for a certain number of terms, such as in Denmark, which has been frequently featured in articles with titles such as “This Country is Literally Paying Students to go to College”.

Essentially, you get paid about $900 a month to attend university. When a student wants to double major, or change careers, then the expenses become out of pocket.Up to a master’s degree is paid for by the federal government, and the payout amounts vary to take living costs of different areas into consideration. ​To work effectively, a variety of solutions need to be implemented within an integrated system; targeted at preventing debt and supporting students in a way that assures education is a right, not a privilege.

"In Wealth We Trust" Illustration by Onyx Hunter/the Guardsman.

The Vigil

Vaccinate the Children

By Ava Cohen avaocohen@gmail.com Recently, Pfizer was approved by the FDA for children ages 5-11 to receive in defense of COVID, and in San Francisco, they will also be required to show their vaccine cards to gain entry to businesses. California has been given 1.2 million doses, enough to vaccinate all children five to eleven years old, a vital step in building herd immunity, as all children in the state will now be required to have received the vaccine to attend school.

Of course, like with all the discussions around vaccines, everyone has expressed their perspectives with such conviction that polarization has, understandably, been the consequence for many of these conversations.

Naturally there are exceptions.

Obviously the safety of children has to be a priority for all of us.

But in all honesty, I’m burnt out from these discussions. I don’t have a lot to say anymore.

Everyone I know has been run down to their final thread of patience, especially those of us who work minimum wage jobs and often have to sacrifice our own wellbeing to make a living.

Continually, the collective conversation returns to the dichotomy between the freedom of some and the safety of others.

Every time, like clockwork, my friend Skylar returns to this synthesis by Robert Jones Jr.: "We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist."

We care about your medical freedom but it is ridiculous to ask us to prioritize it over our own freedom to survive, and we are so tired of retreading the same

Vol. 172, Issue 7 | Nov. 22 – Dec. 1 2021

COMMUNITY | 7

SPORTS | 8

Vol. 172, Issue 7 | Nov. 22 – Dec. 1 2021

Rams Triumph in 5-1 Win Over Cañada

By David Chin a_greco511@mail.ccsf.edu

Rams teammate kicks from centerfield. Bob Kinoshita/the Guardsman.

On Friday, Nov. 5, the Rams women’s soccer team won big in a game scoring five goals over the visiting Cañada College. The game’s final score was 5-1 and moved the 11th-ranked team in the state to 14-2-0.

The Rams are nearing the end of their season with two games to go out of a 20-game season. Their win-loss record is currently 14-2, going 8-0 at home and 5-2 on the road. They

Defenders attempt to deflect a shot on goal. Bob Kinoshita/the Guardsman.

Undefeated continued from pg 1

said, a term his past coaches would use. Then added, “Everybody who wanted to be there—who wanted to be great—stayed.”

Fast forward to 2021 and the Rams are left with a devoted group of players who have the perfect combination of low egos and phenomenal chemistry, something that players quickly recognized.

Defensive lineman Caleb Lagafua said that their player chemistry is something he and teammates discuss. A lot. He said, “We’re really a close unit. It’s more than just our positions. We all hang out with each other as a collective team. It’s crazy how much closer

we are as a team.”

Lagafua added that this supportive energy carries over on and off the field. “On the sidelines, everybody’s happy for everybody who makes a play. More than just like, ‘that should’ve been me’ but ‘I’m so happy that you had a big moment.’”

Banks backed up this sentiment. He said, “I feel like we’re more together as a unit, also, we’re all on the same page. You can just tell in the camaraderie. The way we hold ourselves accountable to our own mindsets and the whole vibe of the whole team.”

Having the support of teammates clearly has paid off. Banks said while there are players who

are getting college offers and overall doing really well, they still acknowledge that “nobody is higher than the team.”

Freshman and wide receiver Jeffrey Weimer is thoroughly

"It's crazy how much closer we are as a team." enjoying the first year on the team, with the wins making it that much more sweet. He said they are a, “Coach-fed, player-led team” and “that’s what’s made it so unique and great to be a part of.”

Defensive backs/recruiting

have one more home game on Nov. 9 against Cabrillo and one more away game against Los Medanos on Nov. 12.

With only two games left in the regular season, the Rams have been very impressive, but they aren’t done yet. They are determined to treat their next two games as if they are playoff games, as the team will certainly have a playoff presence.

Head Coach Jeff Wilson said, “Our team is preparing for the playoffs with the mindset that every game is [an] important test to improve. Even in our two losses, we had opportunities but didn’t take advantage of them.

Now it’s a matter of viewing our last two as playoff games.”

With two games left in the season, it’s no time for the women’s soccer team to slow down, and it’s clear that is not their intention. Their stellar record has ranked them high in the state and are viewed as a potential playoff powerhouse.

The team’s success stands out among state opposition. They are a team of, “so many high achievers,” according to Wilson, with exceptional coordinator Brandon Younger has had football in his life for twenty-eight years straight. Being unintentionally forced to take fall off during last year’s canceled season allowed him too, to reflect on the importance of football in his life.

“It really put into perspective how much the game of football means, not only to us and our careers and where we’re trying to go but just our everyday lives and how much that camaraderie and brotherhood is so much a part of who we are,” Younger said.

Needless to say that the team is a collective unit of guys who are now hungrier than ever. Week in and week out, their hard work and

depth and talent.

Wilson said, “Our greatest strength this season is our depth in talent at just about every position. This makes it difficult for opposing teams because they cannot just focus on shutting down two to three players to stop us. We get production from starters and non-starters regularly which has also allowed us to overcome season-ending injuries that would derail most teams.”

The team isn’t without its challenges.“The biggest struggle has been getting many talented players to buy into [the] team at all times. There have been times in tough games when talented players have tried to get out of difficult situations on their own rather than trusting the concept that trust in teammates to do it together is better,” Wilson said.

Optimism on the field is high as well as energy. “It has been a special season [thus] far, but we all know we still have work to do. Nobody on this team wants this to end, and although we know [its] inevitable, we continue to push to play in the state final,” Wilson added. preparation have been on display.

As they agreed, they want to be the best by zoning in on that groundwork one game at a time.

Younger recognized how hard the staff and team has been working. He pointed to the team’s confidence on the field as a reflection of this training.

While he stayed humbly focused on continuing that momentum, he emphasized the importance of sustaining it.

“We gotta stay hungry, we gotta stay focused and not let the success we’ve had so far take us off track on where we wanna go.”

Playing Behind Doors Leads To New Challenges For Sports Teams and Coaches

By Seamus Geoghegan geogheganspg@gmail.com Many describe the COVID-19 era of sports and competition as different than any other; With the fans at home, games were never the same.

Sport simply isn’t the same without the crowd. With how much spectators can change a game, playing behind doors is a whole different event for sports teams and coaches, and provides a whole new set of challenges that need to be overcome.

Protocls In Place This season, City College has reopened the doors to spectators at its athletic events with the caveat that fans must present identification and vaccination at the entrance.

“People are already coming back because people miss being at these events,” City College alumni Fran Smith said, “and the camaraderie and just the whole vibe, you

know, I missed it.”

Fans Motivate Spectators aren’t the only ones to have missed the experience only available at a sports event.

Players and coaches have been just as happy to see their fans back at games.

Women’s soccer head coach Jeff Wilson has enjoyed having fans back at his team’s events.

“Just being on the field and inclusion of fans has been pretty good,” Wilson said. “ Just knowing that they're there to support the athletes I think is a motivating factor in it.”

With the climate at venues being so different than it was before, players’ performances may have been impacted by the distinct lack of supporters.

“I think anybody who’s involved in athletics definitely wants support,” Wilson said. “And when there is support, or you know even opposing fans, I think it just

brings more atmosphere.”

That different atmosphere that only a crowd can create is often key to players and teams, including to Junior Pedemonte, a midfielder on the men’s soccer team.

“I think [having fans at games] definitely does work to our advantage sometimes,” Pedemonte said.

“You know, if we’re not performing that well. And just getting a boost from the fans is pretty helpful, just to get us motivated again.”

Doors being closed at events doesn’t just impact individual games but whole scouting efforts for future City College teams.

Not being able to attend matches himself, Wilson relied on clips sent in by players or other coaches to put together his team.

at least three times [in person] because you're picking up different things...you also want to see them live and their interaction with their teammates.”

Despite the many benefits of having spectators at a gam, it still needs to be done safely. And at City College events, Smith thinks the college is doing exactly that.

“I think [fan safety] is being

taken seriously and the school sticking to the mandates,” Smith said. “People were very cooperative in being respectful to whatever was asked of them to do.”

It’s good to see sports events coming back for spectators to attend in person. With safety being taken seriously, players can be supported and everyone wins.

Scouts Working Remotely “When you rely on film, [it] can be edited in a way that doesn’t necessarily show all the details,” Wilson said. “I tend to watch somebody that I’m interested in

Spectators attend a soccer game in person. Bob Kinoshita/the Guardsman.