By Mihail Matikov
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

San Francisco City Hall started issuing municipal photo identification cards to city residents on Jan. 15, regardless of their immigration status.

“The SF ID card program is great,” said Dr. Carlota Del Portillo, dean of the Mission campus. “It will be available for San Francisco residents only. If you live in Daly City, for example, you will not be able to have one.”

To receive an ID card, residents must show proof of identity, such as a state ID card or a passport, and proof of residency, like a utility bill. The new SF ID card will serve as proof of identity and residency. In addition, the card will provide discounts at places around the city, including the California Academy of Sciences, World Gym San Francisco and Pomodoro Pizza, according to the office of Mayor Gavin Newsom.

The program was approved in November 2007 by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Mayor Newsom. Last summer, the program was put on hold due to disagreement with law groups like The Immigration Reform Law Institute of Washington, which tried to sue to block the cards.

Ira Mehlman, media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told the San Francisco Chronicle the program is a creation of a platform and will attract illegal immigrants.  The federation is a national group calling for stricter execution of immigration laws.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said City College student, Alejandro Rios, 25. “Even if some are illegal immigrants, they should be able to get the card. In such a expensive and diverse city like San Francisco, a card like this can be a very useful.”

The SF ID can also be used to open a bank account at participating banks and serves as a public library card. To help transgender people, the ID will not have a sex designation.

The card is valid for two years. Printed on it will be the cardholder’s full name, picture, address, signature, date of birth, and expiration date. The ID is not a valid driver’s license and can’t be used as a proof of age when buying alcohol or tobacco or be used with federal agencies.

“It seems to me that a card like this is geared towards illegal people,” said Eric Rozell, 36, a psychology major. “But at the same time it [can] benefit everyone who lives in the city, which includes legal or illegal people.”

To get the card, residents need to call (415) 554-4950 or make an appointment 30 days in advance at the Country Clerk’s Office, Room 168 in City Hall. Currently no new appointments are available until March. Depending on the age of the applicant, the price of the new ID varies from $5 to $15.

For more information about how to get the card and about more discounts, visit http://www.sfgov.org/sfcityidcard.

Reoccurring graffiti at Mission campus
On Sept. 30 and again on Oct. 8 campus police received reports of graffiti on Mission campus. On Sept. 30 a short investigation of the incident identified a suspect who allegedly has caused several hundred dollars worth of damage to college property. In a separate incident on Oct. 8, an officer noticed new graffiti in multiple locations of a stairwell on Mission campus.

Student injured at Wellness Center
Campus police responded to a report of an injured student at the Wellness Center on Oct. 8. An officer arrived at the scene along with the paramedics, who transported the student to the hospital.

Student disrupts class in Batmale Hall
Campus police responded to a student shouting obscenities and refusing to leave Batmale Hall on Oct. 6. The officers determined the student was not a danger to himself or others and the student was asked to leave and meet with the Dean of Students.

Science Hall burglary
A City College employee reported two laptops were stolen from Science Hall on
Oct.6. There were no signs of forced entry.

Stolen property recovered
Campus police stopped a vehicle at Paulding Street and San Jose Avenue on Oct. 7 for not having a tail light. During an inspection of the vehicle, the officer discovered the engine was stolen. The vehicle was impounded.

Southeast campus theft
On the Southeast campus a manager of an office leased by City College reported a laptop and other items stolen. There were no signs of forced entry.

We’re giving you an opportunity to express your thoughts: Take advantage of it. If you have some insight on an issue, whether it be campus-related or otherwise, send an e-mail to us through our contact form and we’ll put it right here. Please limit your response to 200 words. The Guardsman reserves the right to publish the submitted material in any form.

---

LETTERS
Editor – Your September 10 article on the Mission Campus Library brings welcome attention to the still new library on Valencia Street. However, I would like to clarify a key point from your article. The library has been adding new books, DVDs, CDs and periodicals to the collection as fast as we can. We now have about 5000 titles in the library. The number of 500 used in your article must be an outdated number from February when the library had just opened

As a relatively new library, we still have plenty of room to continue to develop our collection. We continue to order new books and other materials and we welcome donations, which are selectively added to the collection by our librarians. Any donations not selected for the collection are sold by the Friends of the Library to raise money for more new books.

Thank you for monitoring the situation and helping to spread the word about City College’s newest library.

Anthony Costa
Mission Campus Library Coordinator

Whale Fountain covered in response to vandalism

After a story about Robert Howard’s Whale Fountain appeared in the Aug. 27 issue of The Guardsman, the
fountain is now covered with a tarp, and fenced off on all sides. The changes are in response to vandalism of the fountain said Julia Bergman, a member of the Works of Art Committee. Plans are underway to raise funds to restore the fountain and other works of art on campus, Bergman said.

Campus radio station gets new studio at Misson campus

The Mission campus will soon be home to City College’s radio station KCSF.  According to Francine Podenski, department chair of broadcast electronic media arts, a grant proposal has been
submitted seeking funds for audio equipment for the Mission Media Studies Center, a facility shared by the broadcast and journalism departments. The Mission campus will be networked into KCSF Internet Radio and have identical equipment to Ocean campus’ studio. “We also hope to be able to install television studio production equipment by Fall 2009 in the Mission Media Studies Center television studio,” added Podenski.

Lunch Box restaurant dumps kitchen waste on campus

The Guardsman received an anonymous tip on Oct. 3 from a City College student regarding the Lunch Box and the disposal of the restaurant’s kitchen waste. The student alleged the Lunch Box dumped used cooking grease or oil onto the ground near the Lunch Box, instead of recycling or disposing of the waste properly.
A Guardsman reporter spoke with the manager of the Lunch Box, Danny Chin, who said an employee had been cleaning out the Lunch Box’s grill, and dumped the waste onto the ground beside the Lunch Box, instead of into the proper receptacle. “We will make sure that it does not happen again,” Chin said.

By Graham Henderson
Staff Writer

Students taking evening classes at City College face difficulties most daytime students never have to deal with: some resources students depend on are not always available while night classes are in session.

“I have to get everything done by 4 p.m.,” said Molli Fire, a student taking night classes at the Mission campus. “Things were open late at Ocean [campus], but basics aren’t open here.”

The media center lab at the Mission campus is open until 4 p.m. on Fridays, but closes at 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Vicky Salcido uses the computer lab because she does not own a computer. She admits that many night students don’t like to use the lab after their class ends but she says, “There are some times you need it.”

The Ocean campus Student Health Center is open until 6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday evening so students can stop by before classes start at 6:30 p.m..

“Nights are not convenient,” said Sunny Clark, associate dean and clinic director. “We have tried many years ago, and frankly it was a waste of money. We were paying good money for someone to sit and read a novel,” Clark says.

According to Clark, with the current opening times the Student Health Center strives to help the most students possible while operating on a strict budget.

The bookstore at the Ocean campus is open late during the first two weeks of school, but closes at 7 p.m. during the rest of the semester.

“There’s always a couple of people who can’t make it. I’m sorry for that,” bookstore floor supervisor Edward Vallecillo said. He also said business at the store is usually slow in the evening. At the downtown campus, like other satellite campuses, the bookstore is also open until 7 p.m., which allows students to purchase books before their classes begin.

By Sandra Gonzalez and Jean-Pierre Bitchoka
Contributing Writers

Since the Mission campus officially opened in February 2008, the campus’ library only has about 500 books available for student use which does not meet the current demand for books on campus according to Sirous Monajami, mission campus head librarian.

According to Monajami the library is currently filled to less than one percent of its total capacity of at least 100,000 books but currently carries a small amount of material for some of the classes taught at the campus: computer enrichment books, Sterlington GED preparation books, child development, ESL books, Spanish magazines and literature are among the materials the library offers.

“Frequently there aren’t enough books to be handed out at the same time, creating a conflict. Many books have been put on reserve, so more students can use them in the library,” said Monajami.
“It’s a beautiful campus, although the library needs to be finished, and then it will complete the school. Other than that, I think it’s a nice place to come to school,” said Jonathan Rodriguez, a student at the Mission campus.

“I don’t come to the Mission library a lot because I feel I won’t find the books I need or they won’t even be there. It looks like there is a small amount of books, that’s why I use the main Ocean campus library when getting books,” City College student Gloria Musto said.

Monajami says more books are on order, but it could be a long process until the books are finally on shelves. The library’s budget comes out of City College’s general fund and is not large enough to cover filling the campus’ library with books. Because of this, the campus is looking to book donations from both San Francisco’s Public Library and private individuals or organizations to fill the library’s shelves, said Monajami.

“For the future we are working on making policies that will allow the library to get money for new books for the students to use,” said Monajami.