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 Alex Emslie
STAFF WRITER

Milton Marks III replaced Lawrence Wong as president of the City College Board of Trustees during their first meeting of 2009. The election of Marks follows a long standing tradition of the Board to appoint the trustee who received the most votes in November to president. Trustee Marks was re-elected to the Board by 150,593 votes, slightly more than 20 percent of the electorate. Wong remains on the board.

“I really appreciated the confidence in the board and the confidence of the voters of San Francisco. I’m looking forward to a productive year in the face of really challenging times,” Marks said.

Natalie Berg was re-elected to Vice President of the Board at the same meeting.  She has served City College for 12 years on the Board and for 30 years as an administrator. Outgoing President Wong complimented Berg while presenting her with a recognition of appreciation for her service in 2008.

“It’s always been a privilege and an honor for us to have Natalie Berg here at San Francisco Community College,” Wong said.

All Board members congratulated Marks during their reports at the end of the meeting.  Berg closed her report by plainly stating the future challenge for City College. “You’re going to be dealing with a lot of extra students and a lot less money coming in,” she said.

By Ellen Silk & Doug Ahlgren
News Editor & Staff Writer

From left to right: Newly-elected board of trustees members Milton Marks III, Chris Jackson, Dr. Natalie Berg, and Steve Ngo were officiall sworn in on Jan. 5 at the Wellness Center. JESSICA LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

The 2008 board of trustees unanimously approved Dr. Don Griffin’s contract at a Dec. 19, 2008 meeting and confirmed him as chancellor through June 2012, at an initial salary of $287,000 per year according to his employment contract. Griffin has 38 years of service at City College, both as an instructor and administrator. He has been the interim chancellor at City College since March 2008.

“My many years of experience in positions of ever-increasing responsibility at City College of San Francisco have prepared me for this new post,” Griffin said. “I look forward to working with the board of trustees as well as the faculty and staff to continue the college’s legacy of excellence and service to our students and communities.”

Board of Trustee

New City College board of trustees members Steve Ngo and Chris Jackson, along with returning members Dr. Natalie Berg and Milton Marks III, were sworn-in during a ceremony at the Wellness Center on Jan. 5.

All four trustees won their four-year seats after a seven-month election process ending in November 2008. Incumbents Marks and Berg along with former members Rodel Rodis and former City College Police Chief Carl Kohler ran in the nine person, four seat election for the seven member board.  Nearly 200 people watched as Senator Mark Leno swore-in Berg and Ngo. San Francisco Supervisor David Campos and Superior Court Judge Teri Jackson officiated the oaths for Marks and Jackson respectively.

“The Trustees recognize the difficult challenging budgetary times we are experiencing,” said Board President Lawrence Wong.
The Budget Crisis was a major topic of the ceremony. “I am very privileged to serve City College students and the community. I am confident that we will get through this,” Ngo said. She feels, the crisis has to be a number one priority for the college board.

This is Ngo and Jackon’s first time to serve the City College Board of Trustees. However both have experience in other forms of civic government. Ngo has served on other boards including the South East Asian Community Center, CollegeWorks and as a student representative at Hastings College. He is currently an attorney at San Francisco legal firm Minami Tamaki. In his senior year at San Francisco State University, Jackson served as Associated Student President and created Project Connect, which helps K-12 students connect with college . He currently works as a policy analyst for the San Francisco Labor Council.

“This is a great opportunity to bring an under served voice to the halls of government through the board,” said Jackson. During his time on the board he hopes to protect basic skills-and-outreach programs, as well as bring more “green jobs” training and sustainability education to the college.

At right are (left to right) Interim Chancellor Dr. Don Q. Griffin, Trustee Milton Marks, Board Vice President Dr. Natalie Berg, Board President Lawrence Wong Natalie Orfalea who with her husband Paul (not pictured) are providing operational funding for the Center, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Commissioner Hydra Mendoza Trustee John Rizzo and Trustee Rodel E. Rodis. ALEX LUTHI / GUARDSMAN

By Natalie Coreas
Staff Writer

Despite rainy weather, City College’s grand opening for the Ocean campus’ Orfalea Family Center was held on Oct. 30, following a change of venue to the Diego Rivera Theatre.

“I believe that most people in need of a preschool are on the city level. This is a typical environment these children would not get. All major studies indicate that from birth through age five are the most important years in a child’s life. We wanted to provide that access here to those children at City College,” said Natalie Orfalea of the Orfalea Family Foundations, which made a total of $8 million in donations over the past 7 years to the college. The donations are used to support the center’s operational budget, according to the Nov. 3, 2008 issue of City Currents.

About a hundred friends, faculty, students and children holding multi-colored balloons were in the audience as board of trustees president Lawrence Wong began the inauguration of the new center, looking to the audience and saying, “we are planting seeds for us to grow here. This quality childcare center continues to be the largest and most comprehensive childcare training center in San Francisco, enrolling an average of 4000 City College students yearly and training 75 percent of the childcare providers in San Francisco.”

The new center, which opened in the Spring of 2008, provides toddlers and preschool children with learning areas include a 7000 square foot outdoor play area, arts and crafts, a dramatic play area, a block area, a reading area with books of all kinds such as “Say Hola to Spanish,” “Let’s Count” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. All areas are “sensory based learning environments that encourage developing small and gross motor skills,” according to City College’s fact sheet for the center.

Special guests like Congresswoman Jackie Speier, City College’s Senior Project Manager for the center Demetri Gonzalez and District 11 Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval were present as the mayor’s education advisor Hydra Mendoza presented a certificate of honor on behalf of Mayor Gavin Newsom to the Orfalea foundation for their generosity. Speier’s speech included a brief history of the Orfalea family and the start of Kinko’s, a company that offered copy services and office supplies and was originally founded by Paul Orfalea to benefit college students with products and services they needed at a more affordable price.

“We will be forever be in the deepest gratitude for the level of support they provided for us,” said Kathleen White, the department chair of the Child Development and Family studies department, thanking the Orfalea Foundation.

After conclusion of the ceremony in the Diego Rivera Theatre, lion dancers along with drummers from Leung’s White Crane Lion and Dragon Association lead the way to the front of the new center for the ribbon cutting for the center. Afterward, guests made their way through exploring the new center.

Also, a new baby room and lactating room, were unveiled at the opening. The lactating room, titled “Effie’s Room” after Effie Kuriloff, an early teacher who taught non credit courses at early San Francisco Community College Child Development / Family Studies Department from 1977 to 2004.

“The new center has made a big difference in the developmental needs for families trying to raise kids with healthy and strong minds,” said Interim Chancellor Dr. Don Q. Griffin.

Each of the buildings in the center have “green” living rooftops, built to make the buildings more sustainable.

The center includes children-size toilets and hand washing areas. In addition to the children areas, there are also separate observation rooms which allow child development and family studies students and teachers to view the children interacting without disrupting the learning environment.

“I feel really comfortable leaving my son in the morning. He adapted very well to the program. It is up to him what he chooses to do: there are table activities, water activities, and painting. I don’t think the location matters. It’s not the structure, it’s the people that work there that make it a great environment,” said Brenda Wemiz, parent of a 4-year-old child.