By Greg Zeman
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Lawsuits against City College not only carry a hefty price tag, but also cause changes that aren’t felt in the school’s checkbook.

Where does the money come from if and when City College needs to settle a lawsuit? For example, the more than $60,000 paid to Jews for Jesus.

According to Board of Trustees President Milton Marks III, “It depends. The college has a couple insurance policies it relies on. Sometimes some of it is covered by our deductible.”

Peter Goldstein, vice chancellor of finance and administration, said the college plans for lawsuits.

“As a large institution, we are sued on a fairly regular basis and we have a fund set aside for that purpose, [but] the Jews for Jesus settlement is being paid out of the operating budget,” Goldstein said. “It has not caused us to cut any programs or services.”

“I don’t recall if in the operating budget there’s a certain amount budgeted for settlements, but if there’s not, either something has to go or some things won’t get built as fast,” Marks said.

Such was the case when a settlement was reached in Cherry v. City College of San Francisco. The class action lawsuit was brought forth under the Americans with Disabilities Act and claimed City College was not accessible to physically disabled students. The judgment that both parties agreed to states, “Defendant [City College] shall expend no less than a minimum of $7.5 million, the minimum sum to be expended to improve disability access.”

“The ADA case forced the college to spend significantly more money on ADA improvements than planned,” Goldstein said. “That was money we had hoped to spend on a variety of small remodeling projects that will now have to wait.”

The impact these settlements have on City College is not strictly financial. The outcome of Jews for Jesus v. City College changed the policies concerning outside groups on campus. Groups have to check in at the Office of Student Activities and pick up a copy of the regulations, including a layout of the areas available and the rules for each area. Some examples of the new rules are, no sound amplification on Cloud Science Mall — the plaza between Cloud Hall and Science Hall –  and no soliciting of donations anywhere on Ocean campus.

“The reason why these colleges set up these free speech zones is to help with the function of the college. If groups exercise free speech outside of a building with a lot of windows where there’s a lot of classes, it’s extremely disruptive to the college environment,”  officer Christian Smith of the City College police department said.

“We always get a permit so they know we’re here,” Jehovah’s Witness minister Norman Leiva said. “We’ve been coming for about ten years,” she said. “Even though we go door-to-door, some of these students are at school. This is our one opportunity to share with them.”

The reaction among students aware of the change has been positive. Victor Vargas, a Culinary Arts student at City College, said he thought the new policy was a good idea.

“It gives other people a chance to hear what message they [outside groups] have to express. As long as they don’t hassle me like I’m on a used car lot or something, I’m for it,” Vargas said.

By Roxanne Bequio
Staff Writer

The contrast between recently constructed and older buildings on Ocean campus is prompting many of City College’s students to question when the older buildings will get a turn at renovation.

“City College is following the Master Plan and it doesn’t ignore the existing buildings. The plan first addresses the anticipated growth of the system and where the greatest needs are,” said James Blomquist, associate vice chancellor of facilities planning/management.

Some of these projects, including the improvement and expansion of the recently opened Mission campus, as well as the planning and construction of the new Chinatown/North Beach campus, were funded by the 2001 and 2005 Proposition A bond measures.

Although the City College board of trustees have not officially decided when the next phase of remodeling will occur, students can anticipate the early stages of more Ocean campus renovations with the completion of the next phase of construction which includes the new Joint Use Facility, scheduled to open in summer 2010, and the arrival of the next bond, to be issued in the next few years.

Classes held in older buildings like Cloud Hall, the Creative Arts Building and the 600-series bungalows would be moved into the Joint Use Facility, presenting City College with an opportunity to “remodel spaces and create better conditions within [older] buildings,” Blomquist said.

“The oldest buildings are those that need the most work, just because of their age,” Blomquist said. “Due to the Americans with Disabilities Act improvement project, many, if not all of the buildings on campus, will recieve remodeling in some of the bathrooms and a few classrooms to accommodate accessibility needs,” said Blomquist of the work financed by the 2005 Proposition A Bond funds.

Nursing major Selma Gardner said, “The bathrooms are always in poor condition. You know, you’ve got three sinks here, and maybe one paper towel holder working, or one stall. Especially in the science building the bathrooms are pretty funky.”

Within Blomquist’s department, concerns are shared over the condition of all the bathroom facilities. Water saving fixtures, similar to those in the new buildings, will be installed to conserve energy and natural resources when the college has enough money, said Blomquist.

At this time, restrooms on City College campuses will not be restored unless they conflict with the ADA and need remodeling to “adequately provide good service for disabled students,” said Blomquist. Remodeling required by the ADA will start this October and is expected to be completed by December 2009.

Non-compliant restrooms have not yet been identified, but will be upon evaluation. “If a room is completely non-compliant, a total renovation might be required,” said Blomquist.

An issue was raised toward the recently opened Community Health and Wellness Center regarding faucets and showers, which were not in working order. Blomquist said some valves were plugged up with debris and cleaned out by a plumber shortly after.

In any new building, there is a “breaking in period” when all the working parts get tested through daily use. Due to the contractor’s warranty minor problems, like clogged water pipes, are found and corrected at no cost to the college, said Blomquist.

“We get complaints from time to time on the comfort of a classroom, whether it’s too cold, warm, or noisy, and we try to address those as they come along,” said Blomquist.

When asked about older buildings on Ocean campus, 18-year-old City College student Angela Li said “Even though they’re old, they’re still in pretty good condition. It’s not like they’re falling apart.”
In addition to the appearance of older buildings’ interiors, earthquake preparedness is considered an important issue as well.

“All of the buildings on campus have been constructed within structural codes appropriate to the time they were built. Many have been inspected and determined to still be structurally adequate for seismic activity,” Blomquist said about the state of campus buildings.

“The current code requires that whenever any significant remodeling is done to a building, if there are seismic adjustments that need to be made to bring it up to current code, that has to be done as part of that work,” said Blomquist.

In regards to covering seismic work financially, “It depends on when that need [to retrofit a building] was discovered, but if we assume it was something that was decided upon currently, it would be funded by the 2001 and 2005 Proposition A Bond,” said Blomquist.

Students traverse a new pathway leading up to Science and Cloud Halls on Ocean campus. The pathway is part of a plan to have City College comply with standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, increasing accessibility for disabled students and faculty. KAREN M. KINNEY / GUARDSMAN

By Roxanne Bequio
Staff Writer

The reconstruction of outdated pathways on Ocean campus to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act has created a campus that is more user friendly by increasing accessibility and allowing for better navigation for disabled students said Leilani F. Battiste, City College’s ADA Compliance Director/Assistant Legal Counsel.

“The switchback paths have been created on both the north and south ends of Science and Cloud Halls. These paths link to other lower-level paths leading to Cloud Hall. Also, accessible paths leading in and out of Cloud Hall to the Science/Cloud Plaza have been created to facilitate options to access the two buildings,” said Battiste.

Installing switchback paths have reduced complications for disabled students who had to travel up steep grades to reach the Science Hall, Cloud Hall or the Science/Cloud Plaza from Cloud Circle, said Battiste. An additional path starts from the Phelan Avenue sidewalk and leads into Ocean campus’s Cloud Circle.

Pathway improvements were carefully designed by appointed architects, and reviewed for approval by the college’s outside accessibility expert, said Battiste.

“Getting to and from the Science and Cloud Halls was extremely challenging if you were in a wheelchair or on a scooter,” said Battiste of the previous campus pathways. “All of the new paths will allow wheelchair or scooter users to traverse paths, which had too steep of a grade, and access all points on campus.”

“I think they did an excellent job when they refurbished the layout for handicapped people. It makes it easier to get to class and it also looks nicer,” said City College student Virginia B. Psarras, who had a left shoulder replacement 11 years ago and also uses a crutch for an injured knee.

“It’s just that it’s a little steep, but you know, I make due with what I can,” said Randy Gee, City College student and wheelchair user, about the ramps leading to the Cloud and Science Halls. “It’s a better improvement than it was before. I don’t have any classes up there this year. I only had to go up [to Cloud Hall] for financial aid.”

According to Battiste, several curb ramps have also been installed along the sidewalks around Cloud Circle, making it much easier for wheelchair and scooter users to cross streets. The previous layout forced them to backtrack and prolonged their travel times.

“It’s been pretty good since the last time I was here. For instance, coming in from across the street there used to be a little speed bump that you couldn’t see, and I went over it a couple times and fell down. They fixed that,” Gee said.

The additional stairs on the eastern perimeter of Cloud Hall leading to Cloud Circle compensate for the potential of heavy foot traffic on switchback routes, Battiste said.

“Any further modifications to ADA improvements, though none are anticipated at this time, would be paid for with funds from the 2005 bond fund,” said Battiste.

“I have not received any complaints so far about the new Path of Travel,” Battiste said. “Anyone having any complaints should feel free to contact me.”