AARON TURNER / THE GUARDSMAN

Sophomore Anni Ma hits a backhand shot against Mission College at City College on April 6. The Rams won the match 5-4, as Mission only had four players available. Sophomore Barbara Coffey won the #1 singles match, then teamed up with Tiffany Lam to win the #1 doubles match. The Rams finished third place in the Coast Conference. The team will head to Chabot College to compete in the Coast Conference Tournament on April 15-17. Players must then qualify for the NorCal Tournament held at Santa Rosa Junior College on April 29-May 1.

By Don Clyde
The Guardsman

JESSICA LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

A resolution to set budget priorities presented at the City College Board of Trustees meeting on March 25 led to an admission by one trustee of a “culture of mistrust” between the board and the faculty, staff and students.

The comment came after a lengthy discussion about the resolution in which several board members said they had not seen the budget priority list and faculty and staff members said there were glaring omissions. Faculty and staff members said they were shut out of the budget decision-making process.

“I want to apologize to everyone at this college and to the chancellor to the extent that I have contributed in some ways to this very clear culture of mistrust between the board and everyone else here,” Trustee Steve Ngo said. “There is clearly something wrong in the way that we are interacting with each other.”

Meeting attendees applauded the admission that there appeared to be a disconnect between the board and various constituent groups on campus.

“Given that we have that shared interest, and we all acknowledge that shared interest, let’s communicate to each other in a way that acknowledges that we have those concerns and that deep devotion and care for the same people at this college,” Ngo said.

The resolution, written by Trustees Chris Jackson and Steve Ngo, determines that the budget for fiscal year 2010-2011 should incorporate priorities like maintaining fiscal solvency, retaining full-time faculty and resuming summer school in 2011 at about 40 percent of the 2009 level.

Ed Murray, vice president of American Federation of Teachers, Local 2121 said AFT hadn’t seen a draft of the priorities and requested retention of part-time faculty be added to the resolution.
Classified Senate President Attila Gabor said the trustees needed to add retention of full- and part-time classified staff.

“You all lock us out, we’re gonna vote you all out,” said Doretha Evans, a Service Employees International Union, Local 1021 member and community organizer.

Trustees Natalie Berg and Lawrence Wong said they opposed the resolution because they had not even seen it before the board meeting.

“The process in the past has been far more full of sunshine,” Berg said.

However, after it became known during the board meeting that Chancellor Don Griffin sat in on a March 9 Budget and Planning Committee meeting to set the budget priorities, the faculty, staff and opposed board members began to express approval of the priorities. Griffin said most of them were necessary.

Griffin ran down the list of priorities and explained their importance.

“We must have a summer. It’s not even an option about having a summer,” Griffin said about summer school 2011. “Without the summer we cannot generate enough enrollment in fall and spring to maintain the solvency of the college.”

Trustee Anita Grier said the chancellor’s comments gave life to the priorities and Wong said he was more accepting of the budget priority list

“The minute that the chancellor said openly that he had a role in this, drafting of this document, people changed their minds,” Ngo said. “That’s important, because you clearly trust him.  So do I. Let’s trust him to do his job.”

Meeting attendees burst into applause.

After many amendments to the budget priorities resolution, including the retention of full- and part-time faculty and classified staff, a restoration of 2011 summer classes to the highest extent possible and the restoration of as many regular semester cut classes as possible, the resolution passed a board vote with only Trustee Milton Marks III objecting.

Marks said during the meeting the whole process had been sloppy.

The next Board of Trustees meeting will be held on April 29 at 33 Gough St. in San Francisco.

By Don Clyde and Carlos Silva
The Guardsman

City College will show off its intellect by sending 20 honors students with a range of research topics to the 3rd Annual Bay Honors Consortium Honors Research Symposium held at UC Berkeley on May 1.

Community college honors students from 15 schools across California will give research presentations followed by a rigorous question and answer session.

“We’ll be there in strength, yet again proving that CCSF is the best and brightest community college in the state,” City College honors student Jesse Clayburgh said.

Clayburgh will present his research on gross domestic product as an inaccurate economic indicator. Other City College research topics cover a wide range of fields, including art, medicine, business and social sciences.

“Presentations will be very diverse,” Clayburgh said. “I’ve had the chance to preview several, and they promise to be exciting and informative.”

Admission is $20 for anyone wishing to attend the event. All proceeds go to the Bay Honors Consortium. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

To find out more about the City College honors program visit http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/Honors or contact (415) 239-3376.

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Sidebar:

City College Honors Symposium Attendees

City College students will give presentations on a wide range of topics at the 3rd Annual Bay Honors Consortium Honors Research Symposium. The entries are research projects the students prepared for class. Below are the students and their research topics.

Sarah Brothers: Otto Dix: Unsentimental Painter of the Cruelties of World War I and Weimar Germany’s Depravity.

Jesse Clayburgh: GDP: Not All that it is Cracked up to be

Deirdre Clyde: The Lily Tribe: Same-Sex Eros in Japanese Comics and the Women Who Love It

Eleanor Drake: Roman Sarcophagi of the Late Empire

Gabrielle Everett: Paradise Lost: Justifying the Ways of God

Steven Feher: SCOTUS v. People?

Joy Flugge: Theories and Cellular Mechanisms of the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease

Aliaksandr Hudzilin: Globalization and Localization Traits in Hong Kong Pop Music Industry and Sarbanes Oxley and the Future of the American Corporation

Elizabeth Johnstone-Miller: Interpreting the Black Paintings of Francisco de Goya

Wallead Khanshali: Breaking the Myth that Athletes are not Able to Maintain a Vegan Diet.

Alina Korenika: Intellectual Property Rights: Peril of the World

Jessica Kyo: Y.O.D.E.L: Youth Organizing – Development, Empowerment, and Leadership

Ho Lee: Health Insurance Industry Post-Deregulation: Lot More Bucks for Far Less Bang

Hong Meng: Six-Four Through the Eyes of a Teenager

Eric Nyeste: King Corn and the State of a Nation

Justin Park: Neuroscience and Fiction

Mikel Parraga-Wills: Little Ambassadors: High-School Foreign Exchange

Lisa (Nafis) White: Jacob Epstein : Breaking Down the Rock Drill

Ian Wilson: Relationships Between Gender, Age and Major of City College of San Francisco Students and Belief in Human Evolution

By Greg Zeman
The Guardsman

The 2010 Associated Students elections are approaching. Voting will take place on April 27 and 28 to select AS representatives for each City College campus.

Students at each campus will elect an AS president, vice president and senators. The campuses will collectively chose one student trustee to represent all students on the Board of Trustees.

Students will be able to vote online by contacting ccsfelections@gmail.com or by following “CCSFElections” on Twitter.

Most Ocean campus candidates have joined a slate, defined in the AS Election Handbook as “students running and campaigning together in a group of three or more.” Independent candidates are also running.

The two slates are BLOC and United Coalition for Educational Empowerment, whose platforms both promise radical change in the furtherance of educational access and equity.

By Bontã Hill
The Guardsman

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

In its inaugural season, the City College women’s swim team is gaining plenty of momentum toward the Coast Conference Championships, as they easily outscored Cabrillo College 124-30 in their dual meet April 9 at the Wellness Center.

“During spring break, we trained really hard in practice,” head coach Phong Pham said. “We trained hard with our eyes on the conference championships.”

Rams swimmers Alyssa Stember and Roselin Sretpisalsilp easily won their respective races, with Stember claiming first place in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke, and Sretpisalsilp winning the 100-yard and 500-yard freestyle.

“The 50 freestyle is my favorite event because I’ve been improving the most in that event,”  Stember said. “I’ve never been good at freestyle races until now, so this is really exciting for me, especially since I haven’t swam competitively in three years.”

Sretpisalsilp agreed that she has also been improving throughout the season.
“I’ve been lucky enough to do better in every meet, and I’ve been working hard to get my times down,” she said. “Today was really impressive because I didn’t really race in the events I usually do.”

Pham likes the way his team has improved during its first season competing. He expects his team to be highly competitive at the Coast Conference Championships set to take place April 22-24 at West Valley College. His goal is for the team to finish in the top three.

“We have improved tremendously over the course of the season, and we don’t have a lot of swimmers with competitive swimming experience,” Pham said. “It’s been a good learning experience as we get ready for the conference championships.”

By Alex Emslie
The Guardsman

RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

In a sport that often gets overshadowed because of the overall athletic program’s success, the Judo Club members have steadily brought home honors to City College.

Judo instructor Mitchell Palacio started his career at City College in 1978 and launched the Judo Club in 1984. The program has been around since 1968, when it was founded by Brad Duggan, the former physical education department chair.

Palacio, called sensei by his students and a 6th degree black belt, teaches beginning, intermediate and advanced classes. He said learning the graceful and demanding sport teaches community and humility.

“Judo and school just become a vehicle for students to improve in their community,” he said of the sport he started practicing at age four. “It’s about having fun and there are no attitudes.”

Beginning student Laura Close, who aspires to compete, said she was drawn to judo for precisely those reasons.

“You see two people kick each other’s asses and get up and say ‘good job.’ That’s what got me into this art – the humility of it,” she said. “It’s not about strength.”

During his weekly Tuesday class, Palacio sternly gave instructions or demonstrated holds at one moment, then smiled and praised his students the next.

“Once your opponent has the grip, they got you,” Palacio said during a demonstration on breaking out of a hold. “You have to get into position to break that grip. What happens if you can’t get into that position? You deserve to get thrown.”

One unique aspect of City College judo is the student-organized tournament held at the end of each semester. The 2010 City College of San Francisco Invitational Judo Tournament is scheduled for April 25.

“It’s all on us,” said Emily Lilly, currently ranked No. 4 in her weight class nationally. “The tournament director is always one of the students in the class, and the entire competition is run by the students.”

The upcoming tournament will host 300 to 400 competitors, from the 5 to 6 year-old division up to a black belt-level championship.

Lilly, who has been competing in judo since she was 11, spent six months recovering from a dislocated elbow and torn ligaments she sustained during a tournament. She returned to competition for the U.S. Open international Judo Championship last fall when she lost in the bronze medal match.

“I was still hesitant,” she said. “I wore a sleeve on it, not so much for support but just to make me feel better. It’s tough coming back after a traumatic injury.”

Along with fellow students Samir Golubovic and Ted Meissner, Lilly plans to compete in nationals at the end of April.

Michael Larson, who has been practicing judo for 24 years, was trained by blind competitors in the 1984 paralympics.

“As a visually impaired person, the sport of judo is what we call the acceptance sport, and in Judo, we as blind people have risen to be known as the same,” he said. “We are put on the same point structure. I feel judo strives to keep people on an even level, disability or no disability.”

Lilly and Larson agreed that the judo program at City College is extraordinary.

“The City College Judo Club is not like any I’ve ever been to,” Lilly said. “I used to do judo in Texas and I did it in Southern California before I moved up here. I came up here to work with Mr. Palacio, and it was the best move of my life.”

City College’s Oct. 17 1:00 p.m. game was held in Oroville, Calif. against the Butte College Roadrunners, last year’s national champions. Both the the Roadrunners and the Rams are 5-0 so far this season, and ranked no. 1 and 2 in the conference, respectively.

Follow The Guardsman on Twitter via ccsfsports for City College of San Francisco sports news!

Live Updates

By Nick Palm
STAFF WRITER

Education in the United States is in jeopardy. It’s a big enough issue that students are missing out on a higher education because of their ethnicity, income level, gender or sexual orientation. But one more disadvantage has been added to the list—their parents never went to college.

On April 30, City College’s board of trustees unanimously passed a measure to ensure equal opportunity and treatment for all students by eliminating ethnic achievement gaps.

Under the new resolution, the college will now collect data from all students including ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, immigrant status, language and ability in order to pinpoint which areas need the most support. Annual data will be compiled and reported by the chancellor. That report will then be used to evaluate, assess and make new policies, which will eliminate any imbalance in City College’s learning environment.

The problem goes much deeper than the same ethnic equality issues America has been dealing with for centuries: It goes deeper than black and white. We are dealing with a class equality issue. Poor and disadvantaged people are struggling to go to college.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the rate of college enrollment has risen for high-income students each year since 1972. The children of economic dynasties are attending college more than ever before, while the low-income families are staying away from post-secondary education.

Among 1992 high school graduates whose parents had not gone to college, 59 percent had enrolled in some form of higher education by 1994. This rate increased to 75 percent among those whose parents had some college experience, and 93 percent among those who had at least one parent with a bachelor’s degree, according to “First Generation College Students: A Literary Review.”

The United States government has set up Gaining Early Awareness for Undergraduate Programs and TRIO, two programs to make it possible for first generation college students to succeed. GEAR UP supplies grants to low income students who want to succeed in a post-secondary education. TRIO — named for three programs that originated in the 1960s—are six outreach and support services intended to motivate and support youth from disadvantaged backgrounds toward going to college.

Since its inception in 1998, the GEAR UP program guided over 215,000 low-income students and helped disadvantaged California middle school students to raise their learning curve to the state-mandated level through grants to their schools. Currently, almost 1 million American students are receiving funding through the TRIO programs. The Council for Opportunity in Education states two-thirds of TRIO recipients must come from families whose parents have not graduated from college and have incomes under $33,000.

The Board of Trustees plans to begin working closer with the San Francisco Unified School District in the future. The Board wants to ensure the school district is doing all it can to prepare students for college — not only to achieve while attending but to eventually graduate.

Considering City College serves 23 to 30 percent of the students graduating from San Francisco high schools, this interdistrict cooperation should have started a long time ago. Students must be informed of resources like the TRIO programs, which can help many San Francisco youth become first generation college students. Every high school senior should be required to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Currently the SFUSD has the right idea, but getting students ready for college is only part of the solution. Because parents are such a major influence in their children’s lives, they must be trained to give support and motivation, and to teach them the importance of getting a post-secondary education.

The First Five California program has been teaching parents the importance of brain development during the first five years of a child’s life. Although this is undoubtedly a crucial time for children to learn, it must continue after age five. A child must be challenged by parents, teachers and peers alike to succeed throughout adolescence and into adulthood, both academically and personally.

Educating parents to encourage their children to succeed will show results by the time that child is in high school and ready to make an important decision about the future of their education.

It’s a well known fact that the American education system needs a lot of work.  But I am pleased that City College has promised to make an honest attempt to change the trend.

Former City College chancellor Philip Day, Jr.

By Fleur Bailey
News Editor

Former City College Chancellor Philip Day appeared in state court July 14 on charges filed by district attorney Kamala D. Harris of alleged misuse of public funds and illegal campaign contributions.

Also facing charges in the case are Associate Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services Stephen Herman and Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities James Blomquist.

“All three defendants turned themselves in to the authorities,” said Erica Derryck, communications director at the district attorney’s office. “They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.”

James Blomquist, associate vice chancellor of facilites

According to a press release from the district attorney’s office, Day, chancellor at City College from 1998 to 2008, and Herman, who has been at City College since 1972, are each being charged with one count of conspiracy, misappropriation of public funds, concealing an account of public money, grand theft, making a political contribution in the name of another and three counts of using college funds to support a political campaign.

Day is also charged with a fourth count of using City College funds to support a political campaign.
“Phil Day has been a public servant in education for years,” said Cristina Arguedas, Day’s attorney. “There is no evidence that one dollar went into his pocket as a result of the mistakes. To call this criminal is highly inappropriate.”

By Nick Squires
Contributing Writer

With the rising cost of textbooks, many students are looking for alternative ways to purchase books without straining their already tight budget.

“I’ve spent $225 on books for 12 units,” said Angela Penny, a City College student, who is studying video editing and production. “My books cost more than my classes.”

In 2005, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report to Congress focusing on textbook prices. The GAO concluded textbook prices have risen an average of 5 percent between 2003-2004, and explains the price increase is due to the addition of supplemental material to textbooks making them “bundled” packages. These bundles can include a CD-ROM and access to web programs designed to keep up with the advancement of technology in classrooms and help part-time teachers with additional teaching support.

New bills such as the Higher Education Act, signed into law on August 14, 2008, were introduced to help explain and remedy the high price of books. The act requires textbook manufacturers to provide students with full textbook pricing information in order to budget for each semester. The bill also ensures that colleges and faculty will have wholesale textbook pricing information when ordering for the next semester, and requires publishers to provide “unbundled” options for “bundled” materials.

This trend of adding supplemental material to textbooks is likely to continue. At City College, the majority of foreign language textbooks contain such supplements — from student activity manuals to DVDs.

Supplements are not easily identified as necessary by book buyers. They hinder students chances of selling a textbook bundle back to bookstores at the end of the semester and effect the amount of used copies of a textbooks available. With textbook manufacturers revising editions every two to three years, students are required to purchase these bundles in order to study the new editions.

“The prices of textbooks seems out of proportion to the size of the book,” said Brenda Kahn, a City College journalism instructor. “Many students have trouble locating books for class.”

The prices of textbooks, regardless of bundling, are still unaffordable for some students. “I’m taking just two classes because that’s all I can afford. I guess I will have to hope my teacher doesn’t use the book much,” said Amy Donaldson, a medical studies City College student.

“Rip-off 101,” a 2005 report by The State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) Higher Education Project outlined the high price of textbooks stating “The average student will spend nearly $900 each year purchasing textbooks.” This report also concluded textbook prices are rising at more than four times the inflation rate.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently vetoed a Senate bill called the Textbook Affordability Act, which would have lowered textbook prices and extended the length of time a textbook edition would be available to college faculty in favor of the Textbook Transparency Act. The Act will provide college faculty with a detailed list of changes between one edition of a textbook to the next and will go into effect in 2010.

“This bill [Textbook Affordability Act] focuses strictly on textbook publisher policies and fails to recognize that the affordability of textbooks is a shared responsibility among publishers, college bookstores and faculty members,” Schwarzenegger said via a letter to the California State Senate.

At City College libraries, the Associated Students (AS) Book Loan Program provides students with free textbooks. It is available to all students but is targeted toward low-income students with first priority given to those receiving financial aid. The program stocks books based on criteria usefulness to the greatest number of students, usually general education and books for transferable classes, according to the AS. However the selection is small and does not cover many classes.

“Students need to remind teachers to deliver books to the reserve section of the library,”  saidSirious Monajami, librarian at the City College Mission campus, speaking about the all City Colege libraries. “Our number of on-reserve books is growing but still small.”

The Campaign to Reduce Textbook Costs affirms textbooks costs is a major issue for middle and low income students. They offer an alternative in “Open Textbooks”, free online versions of common college textbooks. Examples are available at www.maketextbooksaffordable.org.