Burl Toler dies
University of San Francisco football legend, the NFL’s first African-American referee, City College alumnus and long-time employee Burl Toler died Aug. 16. The undefeated 1951 USF football team refused to leave Toler and Ollie Matson, the team’s two African-American players, behind in order to attend the Sun Bowl, so the team was not invited. The Sept. 9 issue of The Guardsman will include a complete obituary.

Gaylore Tyau dies
Gaylore Tyau passed away Aug. 5 at Coming Home Hospice in San Francisco. She worked for City College and San Francisco Unified School District for many years before retiring in 2005. A celebration for the long-time business math teacher was held by close family and friends Aug. 23.

Smoke-free campus
City College has announced that it will “work towards a smoke-free campus” beginning Sept. 1. Smoking will effectively be banned on all parts of Ocean campus with the exception of six designated smoking areas, identified with signage according to the City College Smoke-Free Wiki. “Failure to comply will be threatened in the same manner as other violations of the District Rules and Regulations and may result in progressive disciplinary actions,” reads the site’s implementation policy.
The full policy can be read at http://ccsfsmokefree.pbworks.com/Smoke-Free Policy

Gonzales honored

Publisher of the Mission District’s bilingual newspaper, El Tecolote, and City College Journalism Department Chair Juan Gonzales will be honored for KQED’s celebration of Latino Heritage Month. KQED, a media outlet for northern California, will also be honoring Leticia Hernandez of GirlSource and Saúl Hidalgo of the Jamestown Community Center. The celebration will take place Sept. 2 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at 2601 Mariposa Street in San Francisco.

By Nelson Estrada
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Health and Safety Committee for a smoke-free campus is gaining awareness and support by implementing a new online “wiki” discussion group and posting signs around campus.

“We would like all constituent groups of City College to have a voice in going smoke-free and get their opinion on the designated smoking areas,” said Sunny Clark, the associate dean of student health services and director of the Student Health Center.

The “wiki” community is an online forum where people can post their thoughts about smoking on campus and get a chance to comment on other posts and current policy changes that are being discussed. This “wiki” recently went live on March 17 and is currently only open to administrators, department chairs, and a few select others. Although she cannot give a definite timeline, Clark said that eventually all constituencies will be allowed to give input on the “wiki.” The next to gain access will probably be the faculty and staff. The “wiki” will be slowly implemented to ensure it is working effectively.

The changes being discussed on the “wiki” are the placement of designated smoking areas in Ram Plaza, Cloud Plaza, Diego Rivera/Arts building, Batmale 4th floor deck, the area across from the Lunch Box and the Student Union outside the City Café.

The current campus smoking policy requires smokers to be at least 20 feet from government buildings. “The language of the current policy stipulates that agencies can regulate or even eliminate smoking,” Clark said.

Approximately 20 signs have been posted in the grass along the stairs leading from Ram Plaza to Cloud Hall and also from Phelan Avenue to the Science Building. These sign postings, informally referred to as “the stick in the grass campaign,” are used to raise awareness and are a testament to the increased support the “smoke-free” effort has gained.

The issue of whether the campus should be smoke-free has been an ongoing debate, with many non-smoking students claiming it jeopardizes their health. According to the American Lung Association, “It [secondhand smoke] is involuntarily inhaled by non-smokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma.”

Clark warned non-smokers against the hazards of secondhand smoke, comparing it to the spreading of a disease.“The public’s health supersedes the individual’s rights,” she said.

Many people are now moving toward a healthier lifestyle, making it an ideal time to gain support for the changes to the smoking policy.

The newly created “wiki” can be viewed at http://www.ccsfsmokefree.pbwiki.com.

By Anne-Marie Stark
Contributing Photographer

Holly Ye, 19Business Major“I don’t think it is a good idea. A lot of students are stressed and need a cigarette to calm down.”

Ewelima Salaga, 28International Business Major“I think City College should go smoke free because it is very hard for students who don’t smoke to be around students who do smoke. It’s just students don’t want to jeopardize their health and have the same rights.”

Darius Bright, 20African-American Studies Major“Very optional. A lot of people smoke and it is going to be hard to just stop. It is the right idea, but not at this time.”

Da’Ron Sims 21Undecided“I don’t like smoking. Smoking starts fights, people don’t like smoke in their face.”

Courtney Buster, 20Undecided“It should be by choice. It should be in certain areas. I don’t like walking behind people who blow smoke in my face.”

Ally Jones, 20Bio Chemistry Major“Yes. They should have smoking sections. Compact rooms where the smoke can’t get outside and the smoke is filtered. The 20 feet away from buildings is not enough. Smoke still comes inside. It should be more like 50 feet from the building.”