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Skyline View The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, California
Volume XXXIV Issue 1
January 23, 2014
SF City College to remain open
Judge rules to keep CCSF open for students through the end of year while trial continues
www.theskylineview.com
Proposed billion dollar budget Gov. Brown plans new funds for California Community Colleges by Nico Triunfante TSV Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Steven Rhodes/ Creative Commons
Students protest during a March 2013 rally against the closure of their school. by Michelle Kelly TSV Interim News Editor
Shutdown of City College has been postponed as a San Francisco Judge overruled the closure mandate. The Judge Curtis E.A. Karnow ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by City Attorney Dennis Herrera on Jan. 2. The lawsuit targets the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and was filed in August of 2013. Herrera cited political bias and actions that were conflicting with ACCJC’s “open-access” mission statement. “The decision that was rendered was because [ACCJC] were out of compliance with federal guidelines and because of the incredible negative impact a closure of this scale would have,” Peter Anning, Marketing Director of CCSF, said. Two other lawsuits were filed by the American Federation of Teachers and the California Federation of Teachers but both were discarded by the judge. CCSF is not involved with the actions of
News Briefs • Flu Shots Skyline College Health Center is offering free flu shots while supplies last.
the city attorney. “The lawsuits are unusual, in that suits against accrediting commissions generally are filed by colleges affected by an accrediting action,” ACCJC stated in a press release. “Here, the college was not a part of the lawsuits filed. City College of San Francisco (CCSF) is not suing the ACCJC. In fact, there is no question that the college is seriously deficient in meeting the accreditation standards as was found by the ACCJC when it reviewed the college and made the decision to terminate the accreditation of CCSF.” “Judge Karnow reached a wise and thorough decision that vindicates our contention that accreditors engaged in unfair and unlawful conduct,” Herrera said in a press release. “Given the ACCJC’s dubious evaluation process, it makes no sense for us to race the clock to accommodate ACCJC’s equally dubious deadline to terminate City College’s accreditation.” As the news of the injunction has extended to students
CCSF has seen an improvement from its dwindling enrollment which was down 30% from the last year and has progressed to 17% below its normal numbers. Anning credits Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit and the massive marketing campaign the school initiated. “I’m glad to see there was an injunction from closing city college,” Ron Galatolo the District Chancellor said. “The injunction prevents the ACCJC from terminating the accreditation of San Francisco City College and allows all the parties involved in the suit to be heard before any final decision can be made.” CCSF will continue to be under review by the ACCJC and to operate as usual. The school is now planning for its Fall 2014 semester. “We will continue to do what we need to do in order to become accredited because we see the value in accreditation,” Anning said. “It’s not like the 375 issues that were brought up aren’t real, no one is disputing that.”
• Health Care Skyline Health Center is helping students sign up for ObamaCare. U.S. citizens should bring their social security number or document information for immigrant students. Students should also bring employer and income tax and federal income tax from the previous year. Located in building 2, room 2117A
One billion dollars of funding for California’s community colleges has been proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown in January 2014. Since 2010, student enrollment into California community colleges has dropped by 15 percent. The increasing high price point per unit, along with the costs of books, both factor towards the decreasing enrollment percentage. According to a summary of the governor’s proposal of the 2014-2015 state budget, Scott Lay, President of the Community College League of California, a nonprofit association for community college districts in the state, says that the proposed budget invests in student access, success, and equity; the core principles of community colleges. Lay says that of the one billion being funded, 592 million will go toward replacing deferred funding from the state, 155 million is for increased enrollment, 100 million for the Student Success and Support Program, 100 million to close the achievement gap of poor and minority students, and 87 million a piece for instructional equipment and maintenance. On the other hand, this funding
means that there will be more opportunities for student enrollment, more available classes, and more counselors or professors, if required. If passed, Gov. Brown looks for a three percent growth enrollment for the community colleges. According to his proposal, this funding is to serve the community’s higher educational needs and, over time, will be fully restored to pre-recession admission levels. However, according to Masao Suzuki, Head Economics Professor at Skyline College, the school will not directly be affected by the governor’s possible funding since it is a self-supportive school. “For Skyline College and the San Mateo District, we are what is called a self supporting or self sufficient district, which means our funding mainly or almost all comes from local property taxes and student fees,” said Suzuki. “We don’t actually get that much money from the state.” Skyline will get a couple things if the governor’s budget is approved. The money will help categorical funding, meaning it will be directed towards students of specific groups, including StuBillion continued on page 2
Michelle Kelly / The Skyline View
• Guest Lecturer To kick off African American History Month Skyline College is hosting a guest lecture by M. K. Asante, a best selling author, hip hop artist, and award winning film maker. This will be held on February 4, 2014, 11:00 - 12:30 in building Building 6, Rooms 6202-6206. It will also be streaming live on UStream.