The Guardsman: Vol. 148 Issue 3

Volume 149, Issue 3 www.theguardsman.com February 24, 2010

What’s inside:NEWS: Murder suspected in student death............ Page 2OP/EDS: Politics continue to delay terrorist trials.. Page 9SPORTS: Women’s basketball continues sweep..... 3C&T: Independent songs shared on new Web site Page 15C&T: Feathers fly at Embarcadero pillow fight..... Page 20

Students occupy library to protest cuts

Trustees hold meetings on education equality

By Greg ZemanTHE GUARDSMAN

DON CLYDE / THE GUARDSMAN

City College students sit in protest of reduced library hours and other cuts to student services Feb. 11 on the 4th floor of Rosenberg Library. About 100 students occupied the library and stayed past the new 6:45 p.m. closing time during the study-in.

About 100 students staged an open occupation of the Rosen-berg Library, on Ocean campus, Feb. 11 to protest reduced library hours. Students refused to leave at the new closing time of 6:45 p.m. and held a study-in until 8:45 p.m., which has been the library’s closing time for decades.

The Rosenberg Library action was unanimously decided upon by the City College General Assembly — a group of students, teachers and workers unifying their once divergent causes under a broad coalition against budget cuts to education that grew out of a statewide conference at UC Berkeley, Oct. 24, 2009.

“Today we’ve called a study-in to draw attention to the slash-es to our education and social services. Students’ access to the library is necessary for meet-ing our educational goals,” said Xochitl Moreno, media liaison for the General Assembly. “This

STUDY-IN: Page 6

STUDENTS BY NUMBERS

19 TO 21 PERCENT LESSLikelihood of students who identify as African-American, Native Ameri-can, Filipino and Pacific Islander to complete two- to four-year degrees compared to Asian or white students.

85 PERCENTStudents who qualify for financial aid. Only about 40 percent apply.

1 TO 1,000Ratio of counselors to students in the new stu-dent counseling department.

1 TO 1,200 Ratio of counselors to students in the continuing student counseling department.

Students, faculty and administra-tors from City College told a panel of trustees the problems facing under-represented populations and put forward solutions to bridge student achievement gaps during a series of Student Equity Hearings.

Speakers directed their concerns about financial aid, student employ-ment, student support services, retention programs and basic skills to trustees Chris Jackson, Steve Ngo and student trustee Josh Nielsen on Feb. 9 to 11, 17 and 18.

Students who identify as Afri-can American, Native American, Filipino, Latino and Pacific Islander are 19 to 21 percent less likely to

complete two- or four-year degrees than their white and Asian counter-parts, according to the City College generated Student Achievement Gap and Social Equity Report released in October 2009.

“Let’s face it, if you do not have a good focus of getting into the college, if you do not have your support, if you do not have jobs and financial aid, it’s extremely diffi-cult in this world to be a successful student,” Chancellor Don Griffin said at the first day of hearings.

Financial Aid RunaroundJackson said about 85 percent

of City College students qualify for some form of financial aid, but only around 40 percent apply.

By Don ClydeTHE GUARDSMAN

JOSEPH PHILLIPS / THE GUARDSMAN

Sonja Holman speaks from the podium to (L-R) trustees Steve Ngo, Chris Jackson, Josh Nielsen and John Rizzo during an Ocean campus student equity meeting on Feb. 9.STUDENT EQUITY: Page 4

NEWS: American Indian Movement holds celebration

Page 5

PHOTO STORY: Performers rock SF streets

Pages 10 and 11

2 | THE GUARDSMAN News FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Police are investigating the death of 47-year-old City College student Alycia Williams after she was found in her Leahy Street apartment in Redwood City Feb. 9 with multiple stab wounds.

The San Mateo coroners office has not yet determined an official cause of death, but police are treating the inci-dent as a homicide.

“She was stabbed to death, there is no question,” said Redwood City Police Captain Ron Matuszak. “We do not have any suspects at this point, but we are trying to track down people who knew her.”

According to the Mental Health Association of San Mateo County Web site, Williams had suffered with chronic depression and post traumatic stress most of her life. She had been homeless and was in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. Williams moved into the MHA Spring Street Shelter in 2006 and later transitioned

into independent living.On Oct. 9, 2007, Williams was one

of the first two recipients of the House Our People Effectively Leadership Awards. At that time she had marked one full year clean and sober, was attend-ing City College to pursue a degree in psychology and had goals of becom-ing certified by the Cali-fornia Asso-ciation for Alcohol and Drug Educa-tors program to work with women.

Until spring last year, Williams had also worked for the Way-Pass program through City College, support-ing women coming out of the Criminal Justice system by connecting them with resources to achieve their educational goals.

Leslie Simon, chair of women’s

studies at City College said Williams was enrolled in the drug and alcohol studies program and had attended class-es this semester.

“It is very sad what has happened,” she said.

Matuszak said it has been confirmed that Williams was still associated with people involved in drugs and alcohol, although he was not able to comment on the extent or nature of

that association.“There is often a relapse among

people who use drugs,” he said. “It is more common than not, even if they have previously been successful.”

No evidence made public suggests that Williams had relapsed.

Matuszak said the police need

people who are willing to talk to them, and are encouraging anyone with infor-mation to come forward.

“There are a number of people who do not want to talk to us,” he said. “But we do have a team of detectives work-ing on this, and we are looking down many avenues.”

Williams’ body was found at 4:28 p.m. after family members were concerned because they had not been in contact with her for several days.

Sergeant Dan Mulholland of the Redwood City Police said Williams’ family is cooperating with the police and they are exchanging information.

“It is a very unfortunate occur-rence,” Mulholland said. “We hope to conclude the investigation as soon as possible.”

Anyone with any information concerning the death of Alycia Williams should contact Detective Steven Fine of the Redwood City Police Department at (650) 780-7100.

Homicide suspected in death of City College studentBy Fleur Bailey

THE GUARDSMAN

E-mail:[email protected]

“We do not have any suspects at this point, but we are trying to track down people who knew her.”

— Ron Matuszak Redwood City Police Captain

In appreciation of San Fran-cisco taxpayers and voters who made it possible to renovate City College’s John Adams Campus, faculty and administrators will host a grand opening celebration today, Feb. 24, at 10 a.m.

“It’s our way of express-ing our thanks to all that helped bring about this newly remodeled and safer campus,” John Adams Management Assistant Joe Kelle-her said.

Renovations made to the building consist of infrastructure and cosmetic repairs, brick retro-fitting, seismic upgrades and elec-trical upgrades.

The renovations were paid for through two phases of Proposition A funding. San Francisco voters approved the Phase I bond for $195 million in 2001 and Phase II for $246.3 million in 2005.

All renovation to the campus were done within the designated

budget, according to a report by the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee.

Classes were offered during construction in areas of the build-ing not being renovated, said Martha Lucey, dean of the City College Office of Marketing and Public Information. However, most classes were moved to the DeAvila Middle School on Haight Street during the project.

Located at 1860 Hayes Street,

the John Adams campus houses the college’s School of Health and Physical Education, which was founded in 1993. It consists of 64 classrooms and labs, an audi-torium and a state-of the-art child care center, as well as counseling and administrative services.

In addition to free noncredit English as a second language courses, John Adams offers credit and non-credit business courses to develop office skills. They also

offer credit Vocational Nursing, Nutrition Assistant and Health Care Technology Programs.

“We are happy with the results of the construction, we are glad to be back at just one place,” Kelle-her said. “John Adams campus was divided into two different locations for three years.”

Grand reopening party held at John Adams campus

By Estela FuentesTHE GUARDSMAN


ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMAN

A mural titled “Educate to Liberate” at the corner of Hayes Street and Masonic Avenue frames the recently renovated campus. Infrastructure, brick and cosmetic repairs as well as seismic and electri-cal upgrades had forced some classes at John Adams to move to DeAvila Middle School.

History of John Adams campus

•1913 — New Lowell High School opens after a move from a smaller building on Sutter Street.

•1962 — Campus becomes John Adams Adult Educa-tion Center.

•1970 — John Adams becomes part of the San Francisco Community College District.

•1991 — John Adams be-comes the home of City College’s School of Health and Physical Education.

•2005 — San Francisco voters approve a bond to upgrade and remodel John Adams campus.

•2008 — Renovations begin.

•2010 — Project complet-ed. Grand reopening held today, Feb. 24., at 10 a.m.

Three-year refit’s completion marks the return of all classes to campus

| 3THE GUARDSMANNewsFEBRUARY 24, 2010

A confederation of grass roots orga-nizers, students groups and union repre-sentatives will hold a series of actions in the coming weeks to combat cuts to state education and public services funding — a crisis activists blame on the California legislature’s crippled budget-ing system.

Teach-in/town hallA “teach-in/town hall” will be held

today, Feb. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ocean campus in the Diego Rivera theater to “educate students about the ongoing education and budget crisis in California,” according to the American Federation of Teachers Local 2121 Web site.

“The real message is that no matter what you participate in, it’s important that you inform yourselves and spread the word,” AFT 2121 President Gus Goldstein said.

Unified day of actionThe statewide coalition of activists

calling for California budget reform are holding a day of action on March 4.

The day of action was decided on Oct. 24, 2009 during a statewide confer-ence that also spawned the City College General Assembly.

“A group of 800 students, teachers and grass roots activists at campuses all over California came together on Oct. 24 and decided that we need to create a grass roots movement to make demands for education,” General Assembly repre-sentative Brian Cruz said. “To quote Frederick Douglas, ‘power concedes nothing without a demand.’”

The City College General Assem-bly is calling for demonstrators to meet at the Ocean campus Amphitheater at noon. The rally will be followed by a “direct action,” according to a flier distributed on campus.

The San Francisco Labor Council will join the United Educators of San Francisco, the California Faculty Asso-ciation, San Francisco Unified School District and AFT 2121 for an action at the Civic Center later in the day. The rally will officially start at 5 p.m., Gold-stein said, but participants are encour-aged to show up as early as 4 p.m. to organize.

She said the March 4 action is meant to send a message to Sacramento about the need for basic public services which people have come to expect, such as health care for children and the elderly, help for the homeless and training for those seeking jobs.

“Everyone needs these things, and it effects everybody when those services are not being provided,” Goldstein said. “We’re all customers of each other and employers of each other, and we have economic relationships with each other.”

“The March for California’s Future” The California Federation of Teach-

ers will begin “The March for Califor-nia’s Future” in Bakersfield on March 5. The march is planned to consist of a core group representing unions and their allies.

Larger events will be held along the way — such as rallies, marches and teach-ins — designed to promote public education, fair tax and budget policies and a “government and economy that works for all Californians,” according to the CFT Web site.

“We are hamstrung,” Goldstein said. “We can’t get anything done in Sacra-mento.”

She added that Republicans who have pledged never to raise taxes no matter what have taken California’s budget hostage. Several unions are working to get initiatives on the 2010 ballot that would change the state’s two-thirds majority required to raise taxes or pass a budget.

“The March in March”The annual “March in March” will

focus specifically on state cuts to educa-tion. Organizers are hoping for as many as 10,000 people to attend the march on California’s capital.

Last year, 42 buses carried over 2,000 San Francisco students to Sacra-mento to demand education funding. AFT 2121 expects an even larger turn-out this year.

Greg Zeman contributed to this article.

By Alex EmslieTHE GUARDSMAN


For more information:

Comic about the California budget crisis by the Action Alli-ance for Childrenhttp://www.4children.org/files/articles/419/509comice.pdf

“March for California’s Future”http://www.cft.org/index.php/component/content/article/526.html

“March in March”http://www.ccsf.edu/~mim/index.php

Students prepare for rallies against cuts

Blind student wins fight for equal rights

A blind law student successfully sued the National Conference of Bar Examiners for the right to use specific accommodations in next week’s bar exam.

While the NCBA offered an alternative, Stephanie Enyart, 32, required a laptop with software that can read words into earbuds. Without this, she argued, her chance of passing was not equal to that of other students.

Larry Paradis, the executive director at non-profit law firm Disability Rights Advocates, said the case will serve as a precedent that other disabled students taking entrance exams can point to so they are provided with the necessary accommodations.

“In today’s world, having a disability no longer means that you can’t compete. There are ways,” Paradis said. “People with disabilities should be able to succeed in any field or profes-sion.”

DRA, where Enyart interns as a law clerk, has had past success in obtaining court orders to stop the discrimination of disabled people. The 1999 verdict of Breimhorst v. Educational Test-ing Service ordered College Board, the private company that administers major standardized tests, to stop its practice of “flagging” test scores on the SAT, PSAT and Advanced Place-ment tests when test takers use extended time as an accommodation.

At City College, where people with disabili-ties account for 2.5 percent of the student popu-lation, Disabled Students Programs and Servic-es is the resource disabled students turn to for needed accommodations.

“Our whole purpose is to try to make things equal for disabled students so that they are not at a disadvantage,” department Chairman Paul Johnson said.

Some of the services include: extended times for test taking, providing special furni-ture, sign language, special technologies and personnel to assist students during class time.

However, the program is facing a 43 percent budget cut and as a result, updating equipment is now more challenging. It is also harder to serve students in the smaller City College campuses, Johnson said.

City College student, Ethel Ennon, who is visually impaired, recently began receiving disability services at the college.

“It is important that students get the services needed to complete their goals,” she said. “It would not be fair otherwise.”

Enyart, who will now be able to use the needed accommodation, was busy studying for the exam and therefore unable to comment.

By Tania CervantesTHE GUARDSMAN


RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN FILE PHOTODemonstrators from the march on March 16, 2009 advance on the State Capitol to protest budget cuts to education.

Over 350 activists packed the Burlin-game Recreation Center Feb. 6 to commem-orate Operation Cast Lead, an Israeli Defense Force airstrike and invasion of Gaza City — called the Gaza Massacre by the Palestinian people and their supporters.

Roughly 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the battle between IDF and Hamass forces, which lasted from Dec. 27, 2008 to Jan. 18, 2009.

The main speaker for the event was Professor Haidar Eid, who teaches English literature at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza City. He urged people in the Bay Area to seek out their own information about the plight of the Palestinian people, which he said is often ignored by American main-stream media.

Many non-Palestinian activist groups and individuals participated in the event, including Tony Gonzalez, director of Amer-ican Indian Movement West, who stressed the importance of solidarity between the Palestinian and Native American peoples.

“The event is to acknowledge the massacre that occurred a year ago and to continue to raise consciousness that the situation has not been resolved at all, at the ground level or at the international political

level,” Gonzalez said. “People are suffering and children are being denied quality of life, education and standard of living.”

Sam Ayesh, a 16-year-old Palestinian activist affiliated with Arab Youth, said Isra-el needs to acknowledge its crimes against the Palestinian people.

“Everybody knows about genocide, and everyone knows that genocide is going on,” Ayesh said. “Israel thinks they can hide everything, all their war crimes and geno-cide. They’re not hiding their genocide and everyone sees.”

“I have a Palestinian ID because when I was born my mom took me back there,” said Lina Ereikat, 18, a City College student studying political science. She wants to see an end to Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“These settlements are being built and people’s houses are being torn down so people who are not even from Israel can go and live there for free and they get every-thing paid for. But us who were native to that land, we’re not even allowed to go. If I want to, I can’t even go back home,” she said. “Everyday sources that the Palestin-ians need are being taken away.”

Ziad Abbas, an activist working with the Middle East Children’s Alliance, said that the event had many goals but that above all it was a show of solidarity with the Pales-

tinian people and “to send a message to the people in Palestine and in Gaza that people outside are standing with them, backing their struggle.”

“Different kinds of organizations are coming together in solidarity around what’s going on in Palestine,” he said.

Ereikat said the hardships faced by the Palestinians are hindering the ability of the youth to get access to education and other basic resources.

“Because of checkpoints, most of the kids can’t go to school. They can’t go get food. A lot of people can’t go to work because of checkpoints,” she said. “Inno-cent civilians are getting killed everyday and they’re just trying to live.”

The issue of security checkpoints is one that resonates with many Palestinian activ-ists as a matter of basic dignity.

“Tear down the check points; tear down the wall; let people get from point A to point B,” Ayesh said. “When you go from Ramal-lah to the Dome of the Rock, it’s about 30 to 45 minutes, but when you go through the checkpoints, it takes hours or more.”

Ayesh can envision only one solution to the conflict — a two state solution.

“Two states: Israel gets a part of it and Palestine gets a part,” he said.


Several students said the process of acquiring aid in the form of grants, scholarships and loans was too daunting due to the number of offices spread around Ocean campus.

“The paperwork is just too much,” City College student Crissy Leuma said. “My deepest concern is why can’t we have a space for all of these things to be one-stop.”

Jorge Bell, dean of financial aid, said he was working with the chancellor to establish a centralized location in the new Multi-use Facil-ity — formerly known as the Joint Use Facility — to house scholar-ship, financial aid, admissions and records and counseling offices.

Others said lines at the current financial aid office are just too long and drive students away. A major concern was the lack of knowledge among incoming students about aid services.

Nielsen suggested that infor-mation about aid programs could be made available to new students during the matriculation process.

City College student Laura Medina, 20, advocated on behalf

of undocumented AB 540 students.“They’re afraid that if they

speak out about their concerns they’ll be deported. They’re afraid if they ask for what they need they’ll be denied,” she said.

AB 540 students qualify for many scholarships, but are prohib-ited from applying for those that require U.S. citizenship or resi-dency. Medina said there is only one AB 540-specific scholarship available.

Even more students were upset about current hiring practices for on-campus jobs due to paperwork bureaucracy and multiple tubercu-losis screening procedures leading to several weeks of processing.

“New hiring has taken up to two months,” according to Tracy Faulkner, director of the Family Resource Center. “The TB process is very onerous.”

Support services coveredThe number of counselors

available to students has been hit hard due to California’s budget crisis.

Lindy McKnight, dean of coun-seling and student support, said her

department, which supports incom-ing students, has approximately 1,200 students per counselor. After completing 23 units of credit courses, students roll over into the department of continuing student counseling.

Bill Goodyear, chair of the continuing student counsel-ing department, said his staffing ratios were about 1,000 students per counselor. Consensus among counselors at the hearings was that about 200 students per counselor was “acceptable.”

Ngo acknowledged the current student-to-counselor ratio was “pretty awful.”

“In my department alone we lost 10,000 hours for the fall in counselor contact with students,” Goodyear said regarding City College budget cuts.

“I don’t know whether, in terms of the current fiscal crisis, much impact can be made if we cannot hire the necessary professionals to do the work,” said Robert Clark, chair of the multicultural retention services department, counselor and professor with the African Ameri-can studies department.

Prerequisites criticizedNgo said 91 percent of Afri-

can Americans and Latinos are not testing into the collegiate level regarding math and English skills. In contrast, 84 percent of Filipinos test into pre-collegiate levels.

One of the major problems facing students with low-level English skills is a long series of English courses required before advancing to transferable English 1A and above, according to Bruce Smith, dean of liberal arts. He said City College has one of the longest programs among community colleges, with some students taking years just to come up to collegiate level.

He said about 14 to 21 percent of students who pass a basic English class do not opt to move into the next class in the sequence. Several students also said they wished the classes were available with a Pass/Not Pass option.

Another problem has been access to classes. Smith said about 2,400 students could not get into English classes last semester.

Dennis Piontkowski, chair of the mathematics department, also

said access is a barrier to student success. He said the elimination of 2010 summer school amounted to 56 canceled math sections, about 15 percent of a year’s total.

“Across the board from low-level math courses to high-level math courses, the success rates for African American, Filipino and Pacific Islander students are much lower than the general population,” he said. “We need to have a major initiative at this college to encour-age Latino, African American, Fili-pino and Pacific Islander students to aim high.”

Next stepsJackson, Ngo and Nielsen said

they are compiling the testimonies of all who spoke during the Student Equity Hearings, and are work-ing to bridge the achievement gap through new policy.

Their findings will be discussed at the next board of trustees meet-ing 33 Gough St. in San Francisco on Feb. 25.


E-mail:[email protected]@theguardsman.com

Efforts being made to remedy the ‘achievement gap’STUDENT EQUITY: From the front page

Activists commemorate the invasion of Gaza City

By Robert Romano and Greg ZemanTHE GUARDSMAN


Palestinian refugee and poet Mariam El Shafei (center) stands with her host family (L-R) Halima Shuman, Mouté Shuman and Rasmia Shuman at the Gaza Massacre Commemoration Feb. 6 at the Burlingame Recreation Center.


American Indian Movement West, one of the leading Native American activist organizations in the United States, did not celebrate President’s Day on Feb. 15. Instead, they gathered with members and supporters around a fire at Ocean Beach to celebrate Liberation Day with ceremony and song.

The purpose of the celebra-tion was to “cast aside myths and instead raise historical awareness and provide access to network-ing and building alliances with and between indigenous commu-nities, supporters and youth: connecting issues with people being directly affected by colo-nialism, racism and poverty,” according to an AIM West press release.

AIM West members and supporters spoke about issues ranging from environmental justice and indigenous land rights to climate change, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the incarceration of Leonard Peltier.

Mark Anquoe, an AIM West activist of the Kiowa Nation, emphasized what he views as the unified nature of all the struggles being celebrated.

“It’s one struggle. This one universal struggle will effect every single one of us; it already is,” Anquoe said. “Native people here have always said — even

before the modern struggles — everything is interconnected and it has never been more apparent than now.”

The master of ceremonies for the event was Arizona AIM West activist and spiritual advisor, Leonard Foster of the Navajo/Dine Nation, a veteran of AIM West’s 1973 standoff with the FBI at Wounded Knee.

“I’m a spiritual leader and advisor for Native prisoners in state prisons and federal peni-tentiaries. I advocate for freedom of worship for Native Americans who are incarcerated,” Foster said. “I take the pipe and tobac-co, sage, cedar and sweet grass into the prison for ceremonies. I conduct weekly sweat lodge cere-monies as a way to rehabilitate our people.”

Foster said that while Native Americans face religious perse-cution in all aspects of society, those in the prison system face even greater challenges.

“The prison officials are using security as an excuse to deny our people equal access to the sweat lodge, pipe ceremonies and talk-ing circles,” he said. “Just the talking circle we had here with the fire is important. We want to be able to do that in the prison setting, to rehabilitate our own people and I find that spirituality is the key to rehabilitation.”

The event’s emphasis on spir-itual awareness and ceremonial tradition was seen in pre-colonial

dancing by Teokalli-Aztec. The ceremonies included baskets and shells filled with tobacco, sage and cedar for participants to put in the fire.

“Tobacco takes our prayers to the creator,” Foster said. “Sage and cedar are used for an offer-ing to the fire and that is to seal our prayers, our thoughts and our feelings. When you make that offering, it makes a blessing. It’s an ancient ceremonial practice.”

Eileen Vigil, who identifies herself as “mixed blood from Europe and the south lands” spoke about the ravages of war and unchecked corporate greed from a mother’s perspective.

“We give birth to the fodder of war and it has to stop,” Vigil said. “I really think the mothers need to step up ... we have to teach each other as women to respect one another; to stop listening to the garbage that’s out there.”

The event’s close proxim-ity to the ocean inspired some to voice concern about its future.

“The oceans are more acidic now than they have been in 65 million years. As that continues to change, the entire life cycle of the world will change,” Anquoe said. “We can either walk the path of life or the path of death because as we let the corporations become more powerful, as we allow the

climates to change, mother earth will liberate herself from us.”

City College student and AIM West activist Jose Cuellar said Liberation Day was about the tradition of struggle.

“Political, social, cultural and personal liberation and self determination are the issues that have guided the movements for liberation in the United States and around the world,” Cuellar said. “It’s about the struggle for human dignity, for justice, for the freedom to pray in one’s own style — in one’s own tradition as one is moved by the spirit.”

American Indians gather to preserve culture




American Indian Movement West members and supporters gather to provide offerings and ask for blessings from the spiritual world at Ocean Beach on Feb. 15.

In honor of Black History Month, City College hosted a series of events with this year’s official national theme: the History of Black Economic Empow-erment.

Megel Brown, senior marketing manager for Intel, spoke to a group of approximately 50 students on Feb. 18 about his success in the business world as a black man. He also spoke about his drive to pursue his education and starting his own business.

Brown, who began his education at a community college in Florida, spoke about his career which fused business with

engineering. He shared with students his background as a young college student and how he came from a modest family where there weren’t many economic resources to pay for college.

“Our stories may be very simi-lar in terms of parallel paths,” Brown said.

He urged listeners to follow their dreams when choosing careers if they want to be successful. He told attend-ees that as community college students, they have more time to explore options for what they want to do with their lives

and choose a career that suits them best.Brown discussed the different oppor-

tunities he received after getting his bach-elor’s degree. Although he was making a

great salary, he explained that when compa-nies are judging you by what it says on paper, you have to pursue higher education.

“I decided going to the Wharton School put that stamp on my resume, so when they are comparing me with some-body else — all things being considered — having that quality of education will

probably be in my favor,” Brown said about why he decided to go for his MBA.

Brown ended his lecture by telling students to learn how to deal with people, because there is always someone who is going to be difficult to deal with.

The Black History Month lecture series took place at five City College campuses. There will be one more event at Ocean campus today, Feb. 24, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. called Greening the Block and Empowering Communities of Color. Julian Mocine-McQueen is hosting the discussion in the Rosenberg Library, Multimedia Room 304.

Lectures held at City College for Black History MonthBy Estela Fuentes

THE GUARDSMAN


AIM West celebrates Liberation Day instead of President’s Day

“Our stories may be very similar in terms of parallel paths.”

— Megel Brown Senior Marketing Manager for Intel


More than 100 people rallied outside the Los Angeles Supe-rior Court building when former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle faced Judge Robert Perry on Jan. 8, 2010 for his first hearing in the death of Oscar Grant III.

Mehserle is accused of shoot-ing and killing Grant on the morning of Jan. 1, 2009 while trying to subdue him on a plat-form of BART’s Fruitvale station in Oakland. He pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder, assert-ing he made a mistake and meant to reach for his Taser, not his gun.

The trial was moved to Los Angeles due to the likelihood of bias in jurors from Alameda County because of the exten-sive media coverage the case has received in the Bay Area.

“There were a lot of people who actually came down from the Bay Area,” said Kokayi Jitahidi, community organizer with the Families for Community Safety Campaign in Southern California.

Perry renewed the gag order that Alameda County Judge

Jacobson issued last year for all parties involved in the trial. He also denied the media access to film the proceedings. The trial is set to start in May.

In a recent interview with KTVU Channel 2, an Oakland-based Fox affiliate, legal analyst Michael Cardoza stated that Mehserle borrowed a Taser from the BART police department without having had prior train-ing to use the weapon. Mehser-le’s defense will bring to light BART police’s lack of training and how the Tasers used by the transit agency closely resemble guns because they have similarly shaped handles, Cardoza said.

He also mentioned that police allegedly have taped statements from at least two of Grant’s friends that conflict. On one of the recordings, Jack Bryson, who was about two feet away from Grant during the incident, told police that before the shooting Mehserle had already threatened to use the Taser on Grant. Another friend, whose name has not been released, said Mehserle never used racial slurs, curse words or expressed anger toward any of them.

“But if that comes in, that witness gets up and says Johannes Mehserle said, ‘I’m going to tase you,’ that could lead to a not guilty verdict if the jury believes him,” said Cardoza during the interview with Fox.

Jitahidi said it would be difficult for the jury to convict Mehserle for murder due to the California Police Bill of Rights, which protects officers from being unjustly represented.

“I do workshops with folks who are activists around this issue to let them know how difficult it is to get a conviction for murder,” Jitahidi said. He strongly believes there is a public assumption that police officers have the right to kill.

“They have the right to carry arms and they have the right to kill and the question that comes into play is, how do they use that power and do they use it right?” he said.

Jitahidi is working closely with the Los Angeles Coali-tion for Justice for Oscar Grant, which organized the rally at the courthouse.

“What we, the activists, are looking for is first or second

degree murder. We are not look-ing at manslaughter or involun-tary manslaughter,” he said.

“This case is so important because over and over again we

have always heard the excuse ‘I made a mistake. I didn’t mean to shoot the person,’” Jitahidi said.

Oscar Grant trial begins in LABy Estela Fuentes

THE GUARDSMAN


action is to create power and unity among our entire campus community.”

Associated Students sena-tor and long-time City College student and activist “Diamond” Dave Whitaker, 72, helped to organize the study-in. He said the purpose of a general assembly

action is to put the power back into the hands of students.

Four City College librarians, including Karen Saginor, stayed for the duration of the study-in.

“Education has made a huge difference in my life. Working here I get to meet all kinds of great people who are here because they want an education,” Saginor said.

“That’s why students come to City College, because they want to learn stuff, and I love working with people who want to learn. It’s a constant inspiration to me.”

Moreno said the activists were not against the library or its workers, adding that they are also struggling against budget cuts.

“Our fight is also their fight,” she said.

The writing lab was open throughout the event, with five tutors on hand to help students with paper writing. Many students were actively doing homework and reading, but many others were gearing up for future action.

Lawyer Ronald Cruz, a UC Berkeley graduate and activ-ist with the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, encouraged those in attendance to embrace legislation like the state and federal Dream Act, which would make financial aid available to undocumented students fighting for education rights.

“Students at Mission High

School and Galileo and other places more directly affected by this, they’ll walk out for this. This is something that we can really build March 4 with,” Cruz said. “Central to our ability to win the success of education is to link the fight for equality on our campuses with the power of the community, especially the immigrant rights struggle.”

March 4 is the unified day of action decided upon by the same democratic coalition that called for the network of general assem-blies in October of last year. General assemblies and other grass roots groups at all levels of education throughout California are gearing up for what they hope will be a historical day in the fight for public education.

“At our last general assembly this Wednesday, two people came up from D’Anza College and at the end of the meeting they said to us, ‘You know what? We’re actu-ally getting ten busses and we’re thinking of coming over to City College to join what’s happening over there on March 4,’” General Assembly representative Brian Cruz said. “We need to get out on

the streets.”Jordan Towers, a student and

Iraqi Veteran Against the War, said unity of purpose is the only way forward.

“Now is the time when we come together, stand together as one and demand a change in values. But not just a change in values, cause that won’t work for this system. We need a revo-lution of values – that’s the only way we’re gonna fix things,” Towers said. “When you go to a public institution and are charged a $10,000 fee, not tuition, a fee, I say that’s a tax on education to keep certain people from achiev-ing their goals.”

“I’m 72 years old, and I say this is a life-long struggle. Most of my life’s behind me – most of your life’s ahead of you, but we’re meeting here to carry on this tradition of struggle,” Whita-ker said. “This came to me in a revelation and it seems to work in every situation: Cast a wide net; find the common thread; let light shine, and don’t panic – keep it organic.”

Activists plan future actions


STUDY-IN: from front page

DON CLYDE / THE GUARDSMANBrian Cruz speaks at the Rosenburg Library study-in after closing time on Feb. 11.

ANDA CHU / MCT CAMPUS(L-R) Regina Picquet holds a picture of Oscar Grant at a down-town Oakland rally last year as she is comforted by Aleada Minton.


Metro Academies at City College helps low-income students and those whose parents did not attend college with course placement to transfer to CSUs in efficient time and good standing.

The program takes students through a very specific group of health and English classes which have overlapping curricula.

“We are here to provide support inside the classroom,” Metro Academies coordinator Beth Freedman said. “We want our students to trans-fer.”

The program attempts to help students get through City College quickly by minimizing the number of classes that don’t satisfy transferable credit requirements, thus minimizing wasted money and time for the student not familiar with college services.

Designed to help students by developing well-rounded skills in writing, reading, under-standing and engagement in class participation, Metro Academies also assists in academic plan-ning and provides tutors.

Formerly known as Metro Health Academies

because of its original focus on health science students only, Metro Academies has been in exis-tence since 2007 at San Francisco State’s campus and came to City College shortly after. Currently the program is funded by The James Irvine Foun-dation.

Still in its developing stage, the program recently spread its assistance from health science department students to anyone who could benefit and qualify. It is in the process of adding child development classes as part of the curriculum.

The program is designed to take students from an English 93 level and up and is spread over a two-year period. It currently has six class-es with a cross-curriculum structure that helps the student gain basic skills and can currently cater to about 90 students.

“We are here for students who are underrep-resented,” Freedman said.

Metro Academies is modeled after research by the Association of American Colleges and Universities that showed more engagement with students leads to higher grades and larger completion percentages.

“Know why they are here, and know how to get out of here,” Freedman said of the program’s mission at City College.

A pizza party information session will be held March 16 from 4 to 7 p.m at San Francisco State in the HSS Building, room 306. Contact (415) 239-3513 for more information.

New City College program aims to bridge gap to CSUs

By William ChamberlinTHE GUARDSMAN

Metro Academies provide resources for academic planning and transfer assistance for students


SingleStop USA, a nonprofit program dedicated to providing constructive services to students and low-income families, has reached City College Ocean campus.

SingleStop provides free tax preparation, benefit screen-ing, financial coaching and legal advice for students, full or part time. City College counselor Murrell Green is the acting liai-son between students and Single-Stop services.

“This isn’t about sales,” Green said. “This is for students that want to seek out the services that we provide. College is about becoming responsible.”

Free tax preparation through SingleStop is available to the public, but students will take priority.

To be eligible for free tax preparation provided by volun-teers from the Bay Area nonprofit Tax Aid, students must have made less than $52,000 in the previous year and be able to provide photo identification, a social security card and basic landlord informa-tion.

Tax preparation is available by appointment in the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in the Student Union Building until April 15, and students must bring any forms they will need in order to file, such as a 1099-MISC, W-2 or 1040EZ.

Green walks students through using an online software program with a database of local, state and federal benefits to find those that can be used to supplement a student’s income. Once a student’s information — house-hold size, income and savings — is entered, the program provides a list of possible benefits available including food stamps, health care and tax credits.

“It literally takes about ten minutes, at the most, to put in the demographic and income infor-mation,” Green said.

If a student wishes to pursue a benefit, Green will aid them in

filling out the appropriate appli-cation forms.

Screening is available by appointment at the CalWORKS Education and Training office in Bungalow 615.

Students can receive valu-able advice on budgeting, debt management, the benefits of banking, and understanding and improving their credit scores through SingleStop’s free finan-cial coaching service. The service is adapted to each student’s needs and is expected to aid those both unfamiliar and experienced with finance.

“Financial coaching doesn’t have the biggest need, compared to tax preparation, but I think it will definitely be the most popu-lar service,” Green said.

Weekly finance workshops are held at the CalWORKS office Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Students can meet with a financial coach — two Charles Schwab volunteers and one volunteer from Mission SF, a local credit union — by appointment at the CalWORKS office Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Students seeking free legal advice can contact Green for a referral to a volunteer from Bay Area Legal Aid.

“I’ve already had some students contact me about crimi-nal cases, but most will be civil cases,” Green said.

Students can determine if they’re in need of legal advis-ing by filling out a ten question survey. Questions address issues including tenants’ rights, medical care and bills, divorce or custody issues and immigration status.

Volunteers operate off campus, but most advice will be through telephone or e-mail and not require a face-to-face meet-ing.

This is the fifth Califor-nia location for SingleStop and Green believes that, with its broad demographic, Ocean campus will be their busiest location.

“Our range here is probably beyond the scope of anything they’ve seen before,” he said. “SingleStop seems to have a vest-ed interest. This is bigger than anything they’ve tackled.”

There are already plans to have a SingleStop liaison at the Mission campus before the end of March 2010.

By Jen HoughtonTHE GUARDSMAN


SingleStop provides tax help on campus

French students tour Rivera mural

Financial coachingand legal advice are also available through program

JOSEPH PHILLIPS / THE GUARDSMAN

French students from Lycée de la Merci and Collège Saint-Charles listen to City College’s resident Diego Rivera expert Will Maynez present Pan American Unity on Feb. 10. The ex-change program that brought them to San Francisco includes students from schools in the south of France who stay with host families on their two-week trip and spend their days tour-ing landmarks of the Bay Area.

“I’m enjoying the program,” said Manon Rat, the youngest student on the trip and one of the strongest English speakers. “I like to see the American student lifestyle.”

Face2Face is a computer program that alters photographs of teen’s faces to show them what they will look like six months to even three years after developing a methamphetamine habit.

While an honest attempt to curb teen drug abuse, Face2Face is nothing more than a scare tactic that insults teens rather than educating them about the dangers of drug addiction.

Sheriff Tom Allman created the program in conjunction with software developer Abalone LLC, which currently sells the program for $2,995.

“Some kids start crying when they see the devastating effect meth can have on their complex-ion,” Allman told National Public Radio. “It was the way to crack the nut — to say, ‘This could happen to you.’”

The program can mutilate the face of a teenager, or anyone interested, in 3-D. It is a shallow marketing ploy to think that the defining factor in whether or not a

person takes meth would be their complexion.

In a country that constantly reminds youth of how unique they are, now they’re also being told they shouldn’t try meth because it will make them look ugly.

Allman said the “this is your brain on drugs” and “just say no” campaigns didn’t work because they used scare tactics to keep kids away from drugs. Maybe he just holds a personal bias because he developed the program, as Face2Face is not any different.

The program is so expen-sive, it would be an irresponsible purchase for most high schools and teen centers. With education funding being cut left and right, buying Face2Face seems almost as wrong as buying meth.

After the program is purchased, the problem doesn’t just magically disappear. Face-2Face is just like a school text-book. It can’t replace a teacher and cannot teach any lessons on its own.

The problem with drug abuse education, though, is that it

cannot be taught in a classroom by teachers as if it is just anoth-er class. Even the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, which is taught in nearly 80% of U.S. classrooms, is considered to be flawed by Dr. William Hanson, who helped develop the model for DARE.

“DARE was misguided as soon as they adopted our mate-rial, because we were off base,” Hansen said, according to The State University of New York at Potsdam Web site. He claimed the formula of the program has never been changed, and that from the beginning DARE has been misguidedly attacking drug abuse.

The DARE program is taught at the fifth- and sixth-grade level, a time when drugs abuse is not a concern for many students. A police officer coming into their classroom telling them about the dangers of drugs isn’t going to help if the students are more concerned about finishing their science homework so they can hang out after school.

The problem with all these attempts to prevent drug abuse is that they operate under the assumption that every child will grow up to abuse drugs.

The effects of drug abuse should be taught during high school when most youth are first being introduced to drugs. Instead of straight talk from a teacher or police officer, former drug abus-ers should be the people teaching the lessons.

A simulated image is not near-ly as effective as the life story of someone who has actually lived through such complexion issues, not to mention some of the more horrifying consequences of hard-core drug abuse.

“George Bush says we are losing the war on drugs,” said the late comedian Bill Hicks. “You know what that implies? There’s a war being fought, and people on drugs are winning it.”

With the 2010 Winter Olympics steaming up in Vancouver, Canada, we can’t help but look at what’s really going on behind the scenes.

The Olympics have always been a beacon of inter-national unity. Side by side, nations join to show their individual pride and show-case the talents of their most esteemed athletes.

The issue with all of this is that NBC subjects its view-ers to too many commercials. It is unfair to the people who just want to enjoy the Olym-pics, even if NBC did pay $5.7 billion for the television rights of the Olympics from 2000 through 2012.

As actor Morgan Free-man is telling everyone about the dreams of the athletes, the shows of the latter evening or shaving cream, it’s hard not to think there is a serious degree of subliminal messag-

ing being pounded into view-ers’ brains.

NBC is an American owned and operated network. While they really can’t help showing American athletes as being superior to their foreign counterparts, they make the athletes seem like they are super humans worthy of praise and high worship.

Even looking past athletes selling out with celebrity endorsements and all the prod-uct placement being drilled into everyone’s mind, there is a certain level of advertise-ment whoring that cannot be overlooked.

The Dreamworks movie “How to Train Your Dragon” has been exploited in every way NBC and Dreamworks can fathom. No longer can Shrek monopolize the market for adult humor being inter-twined with and masked by cute creatures with Scottish accents.

Where the Super Bowl blatantly and even proudly

displays its affection of selling commercial time to the high-est bidder, NBC is attempting to mask its commercial desires concerning the Olympics with event tie-ins and touching messages. However, the data and rating company Nielsen reported that during the 2006 Winter Olympics a 30-second commercial cost between $500,000 and $700,000, a 40 percent rise since 1996.

Regardless of the prod-uct placement and endorse-ments which are necessary for certain athletes to make it to the games, there has to be a better way of going about it.

Maybe by the time the Olympics reach London in the summer of 2012, NBC and advertisers will understand the true meaning of the games and go sans labels. Doubtful, but still possible. Here’s to hoping.

8 | THE GUARDSMAN Opinions&Editorials FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Editor in ChiefAlex Emslie

News EditorsDon Clyde

Greg Zeman

Opinions & Editorials EditorMatt Gomez

Cultures & Trends EditorJen Houghton

Sports EditorAaron Turner

Sports ConsultantBontã Hill

Features EditorFleur Bailey

Calendar EditorHannah Weiner

Online EditorJessica Luthi

Photo EditorRamsey El-Qare

Assistant Photo EditorChloe Ashcraft

Chief Copy EditorAngela Penny

Copy EditorsDon ClydeAlex Emslie

Jen HoughtonLiska KoenigAtticus Morris

Production EditorJessica Luthi

Online StaffAlex Luthi

Staff WritersTania Cervantes

William ChamberlinDominick Delgadillo

Estela FuentesBontã Hill

Liska KoenigAtticus Morris

Claudio RibeiroCarlos Silva

Hannah Weiner

PhotographersChloe AshcraftPheonix MarieJoseph PhillipsRobert Romano

Lilly Vranova

Production StaffHannah Weiner

Advertising ManagerJessica Luthi

Faculty AdviserJuan Gonzales

To advertise in our newspaper please contact our Advertising Manager Jessica Luthi at [email protected]

How to contact us: Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112Phone: (415) 239-3446Fax: (415) 239-3884E-mail: [email protected]: www.theguardsman.com

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Ugliness as a deterrent fails to win war on drugs

Olympic ads cheapen message

By Matt GomezTHE GUARDSMAN


By Dominick DelgadilloTHE GUARDSMAN


Letters To The Editor

The Guardsman encour-ages feedback from our readers. We will publish printable letters as soon as our publication schedule allows.

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Terrorism struck New York City again as the trial for alleged 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was postponed indefinitely due to the fear resi-dents have for holding the trial in Manhattan. The White House called off the trial, which was to be held in lower Manhattan, due to picketing protests as well as many voiced concerns from New York City all the way to Washing-ton D.C.

Further hurdles played a role in the postponement of the trail. The Democratic party is split on whether Mohammed should be held accountable in civil courts, as the Obama administration suggested, while other Demo-crats are pushing for a military tribunal, Politico.com reported on Feb. 11. A benefit of the civil court approach would be to show the world that the U.S. Justice system is strong.

A trial of this magnitude is going to draw the world’s atten-tion to the city. The World Trade Center crashed to the ground that September morning and all the death, terror and confusion that poured out of New York was caused by men who specifically planned it. Those men need to be

tried at ground zero. This needs to be finished where it started.

The fear that exists behind the trial should be counteracted by the fact that there is no better place to try the criminals except at the scene of the crime. With that being said, good luck trying to find impartial jurors for a civil trial.

There needs to be a direct confrontation to this monstros-ity of terror. Alcohol needs to be poured on this open wound, the U.S. needs to clean it out and deal with this problem.

In perhaps the most powerful city in the world and concerning the most horrific act of unprece-dented hatred since Hitler, action needs to be swift and direct.

U.S. and Pakistani officers captured Mohammed in Rawal-pindi, Pakistan on March 1, 2003. Since then he has been detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba’s U.S. Naval Station. Globalsecurity.org reports that Mohammed proposed the 9/11 terrorism plans to Osama Bin Laden in 1996, and Bin Laden approved by 1999.

Then again, maybe there is an argument to letting the orchestra-tors of this insurrection kick back and relax in jail and be hailed as heroes among fellow haters of the U.S. Maybe there is a reason for postponing the trial for another

year or so, letting all the demo-crats agree where they want it and finding a town that wants to host the trial far away from the disas-ter zone and directly affected families.

We should interview Moham-med and ask him where he’d like to be tried, what type of trial he’d prefer and who he’d like to invite. Maybe Superman’s Fortress of Solitude is available to lease.

The issue is that the oppos-ing political parties are so divided on the approach in dealing with this trial that we, as a country, are going nowhere fast. Even within parties there are disagreements. There is a stubborn stupidity in the air. The resulting effect of this behavior: no trial for the alleged mastermind of 9/11. That is defi-nitely a result where everyone wins.

The democrats can blame the republicans, the republicans can blame the president, the terrorists can get caught up on their sleep, do a few push ups and maybe even read a few good books. Everyone gets to relax, no work is getting done, but, hey, accord-ing to the Mayans we only have 2 years left, so maybe we’ll never have to deal with Mohammed.

| 9THE GUARDSMANOpinions&EditorialsFEBRUARY 24, 2010

A civilian accused of murder is required to answer to a court of law, but apparently this does not apply to high profile politicians like former U.S. president George W. Bush and British ex-prime Minister Tony Blair.

U.S. troops invaded Iraq in March 2003 because Bush claimed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was in possession of enough weapons of mass destruc-tion to wreak havoc in the Middle East and the Western World. Without U.S. intervention, Bush argued, the safety of the post-9/11 world could not be guaranteed.

The threat turned out to be “phantom weapons of mass destruction” — unclear satel-lite pictures which allegedly showed images of mobile labs to manufacture chemicals used in warfare, followed by accusations of Iraq lying and hiding evidence from inspectors sent by the Unit-ed Nations Security Council.

While definitely not second in the line of command to the former American president, Blair has been Bush’s right hand man in supporting the cause. His loyalty has been compared to that of a lap dog by the media because he was willing to follow blindly with-out publicly questioning Bush’s actions.

Blair is currently being inves-tigated by the Chilcot Committee, which was formed by the British government to identify the lesson of what should be learned to help future governments who may be facing similar situations, accord-ing to the committee’s Web site.

Up to this day the former Brit-ish prime minister defends his decision as absolutely necessary to protect his country and world peace. However, earlier witnesses have testified before the commit-tee that Blair told Bush in an April 2002 meeting his country would join the U.S. in a war against Iraq,

according to an article by the BBC from Jan. 29.

The former British leader struggles to respond to ques-tions posed by the commit-tee. On the other hand, if Blair, Bush’s follower, has to justify his actions, then why is George W. Bush getting off scot-free? While a formal truth commission to investigate the Bush adminis-tration’s anti-terrorism policies was suggested by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in April of 2009, no comparable actions have been conducted by the U.S. govern-ment until now.

At least the British govern-ment is not afraid to delve into the past. President Obama, however, shies away from that. His election campaign was built on the prom-ise of hope and looking into a brighter future. Before he became president, Obama condemned the war and the lies that led to the invasion of Iraq. Now he is too preoccupied with keeping every-body, including the Republican Party, happy to deal with the current state of the economy and advocating his proposed health care reform.

Other war criminals are tried in front of the International Court of Justice in the Hague, the prin-cipal judicial organ of the United Nations. George Bush and Tony Blair, however, are former lead-ers of the world’s most powerful country and its most eager ally. They did not care about the U.N. Security Council’s opinion in 2003 and they don’t care now.

It’s time to wake up and deal with reality. The Ameri-can people, just like the Brit-ish people, have a right to know what has lead to this war which has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and claimed an estimated 105 thousand Iraqi lives, as well as caused at least 4,700 American and 80 British casualties.

Political officedoes not mean immunity from prosecution

By Liska KoenigTHE GUARDSMAN


Mohammed trial still on holdBy William Chamberlin

THE GUARDSMAN


10 | THE GUARDSMAN Photostory | 11FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Pulse of the city heard in streets of San Francisco

Drummer John Kins sends a message of peace while playing emphatically on a homemade drumset of garbage cans, five gallon buckets and tin cans in front of the Ferry Building on Feb 13.

Left: A guitarist performs “I Can See Clearly Now” outside the Powell Street Cable Car Feb. 15.

Right: 55-year-old Marcos Álvarez stums guitar at the 24th street BART station


ROBERT ROMANO / THE GUARDSMANCHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

Above: Jian Wei Luo plays his saxophone on the corner of Powell and O’Farrell streets. Born in China, Jian said, “I like to play here because in China the police won’t let me.”Left: A San Francisco street preformer, Khevan, plays the saxaphone on the corner of Powell and O’Farrell streets. Originally from Woodstock, New York, he came to San Francisco for two weeks 30 years ago and never left.

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

It’s practically impsossible to walk through San Francisco on any given day without hearing the diverse rhythms of its streets ringing from the crowded corners and echoing off of the painted walls.

Any style of music imaginable—and some which even bend the limits of imgination —can be heard in

this city, if one knows where to look and listen. There is a unique cultural character to each of

the city’s many neighborhoods, and each one has its own musical tradition and history.

The Filmore was once the creative center of jazz in the city, and a recent musical rennaisance happen-ing there could return it to its historical prominence. But the true soul of San Francisco’s timeless love affair with jazz — and all forms and movements in music which are raw and spontaneous — can be

heard on the streets.From instrumentalists weaving melodies with

saxaphones, guitars, violins and all sorts of instru-ments you may have never heard of to percusion-ists banging out intricate rhythms on buckets, boxes, trashcan lids and anything else that makes a tasty noise when hit, the variety of street musicians in the city is practically unrivaled.



12 | THE GUARDSMAN Sports

For the first time in over 18 years, City College of San Francisco has a women’s swim team to call their own.

In their inaugural season, the newest Rams team is hoping this will be the beginning to a long, successful women’s program.

The squad is led by head coach Phong Pham, who is taking on his first collegiate coaching job after spending nearly 18 years at nearby Lincoln High School as a swim coach and instructor. Phong will be assisted by experienced swim coach Jaclyn Rosen.

Despite limited initial funding for the program, Pham was able schedule 10 meets, as well as the conference and state championships, culminating into a season that has the potential to stretch all the way into May.

Roselin Sretpisalsilp, who swam under Pham at Lincoln, said she and the rest of the team desire to start off on the right foot, but at the same time they want to have fun.

Specializing in backstroke and indi-vidual medley, Stretpisalsilp was dubbed

by Pham as the team’s top swimmer.“He’s a great coach and every year he

makes his swimmers faster,” Sretpisalsilp said of Pham.

Although this is the team’s first season, Pham and his staff have high hopes.

“My goal is to make us competitive enough to be top four in the Coast Confer-ence this year,” he said.

Other standout swimmers Pham cited include backstroke and freestyle swim-mer Alyssa Stember, butterfly and distance swimmer Cathryn Gibson, and breast-stroke specialist Heidi Tieu.

With a roster of 24 swimmers, the team is considered to be on the small side for college swimming. Fewer swimmers equates to more time spent one-on-one during practices, which Pham said gives him extra opportunities to make his swim-mers faster, and more competitive.

Because of the smaller roster, Pham said he plans to spread out swimmers at different events, with the goal of scoring more team points per meet. In collegiate swimming, a team is awarded points based on where swimmers finish in their event.

Even with a tough building process

ahead of it, the City College swim program has already gained some experience.

Following an exhibition relay event at West Valley College on Feb. 6, the Rams traveled to Las Positas on Feb. 19 to take part in the Hawks Invitational. Although it was a non-scoring meet, City College had swimmers finish in the top ten in three individual events. The team also finished in 5th place out of 16 in the 200 yard medley relay.

“We were going up against Santa Rosa and Sierra College, who were the number one and two teams in the state last season,” Pham said. “The fact the fact we were able to have more than one swimmer finish in the top ten is very good.”

The swim team will have their next meet at DeAnza College, February 26 at 2 p.m.

With all of the prominent sports programs at City College, badminton is one that has flown under the radar during the past couple of seasons.

Last season, after breez-ing past conference competition, the Rams women’s badminton team was one victory away from claiming a California state cham-pionship, coming up just short to Irvine City College, a team that was comprised partially of international Olympic badminton players.

After finishing second in the state in 2009, with a perfect 8-0 regular season, the team’s two head coaches said they are look-ing to have repeat success as they near the start of the 2010 season.

“We were very successful last season,” Rams coach Coni Staff said. “We had both singles and doubles players that qualified for state, as well as the team.” She, along with fellow coach Fred Glosser, are entering their third

full season leading the badminton program.

With returning players such as Jody Chan, Maggie Choy, Rufina Wu, and Wendy Zhu, the Rams have a bevy of sophomore talent that Glosser feels they can rely on all season.

“This team may be even a little bit better than last season,” he said. “We have two really good players at the top of the team and a lot of other experienced players. I think we are going to be really strong once again.”

With the number of return-ing players, along with the sheer dominance in conference play last year, Staff and Glosser both feel they have every reason to be confident and excited.

“I’m excited about this season,” Staff said. “If we have the same results as last year, then I’ll be satisfied. As far as the season goes, the players simply have to play with heart and do well in conference once again.”

The Rams are set to begin their season on the road against De Anza College in an early tour-

nament on March 20. They will then travel to Mission College, to begin Coast Conference play on March 23.

Swim team kicks off its inaugural season

By William CourtneyCONTRIBUTING WRITER


AARON TURNER / THE GUARDSMANCity College swimmers prepare to dive off their starting blocks and swim laps dur-ing a practice Feb. 18 at the natatorium inside the Wellness Center.

3/20 DeAnza Tournament 10 a.m.

3/23 at Mission 3 p.m.

3/26 at Fresno 3 p.m.

3/27-3/28 at Pasadena 12 p.m.

4/6 vs. DeAnza 3 p.m.

4/8 vs. Mission 3 p.m.

4/13 vs. Fresno 3 p.m.

4/15 at Skyline 3 p.m.

4/17 Fresno Tournament 3 p.m.

4/27 at DeAnza 3 p.m.

4/29 vs. Skyline 3 p.m.

5/8 Conference Finals (CCSF)

Women’s badminton program seeks to continue dominance

By Sol LadvienkaCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rams basketball goes all-conference

The City College men’s and women’s basketball teams will be well represented this season on the all-conference teams. The women received five selections, including the Coast Confer-ence MVP, which was awarded to sophomore guard Brittney Allen. Joining her on the First Team all-Coast Conference was sophomore guards Mone Peoples and Marlee Rice, sophomore forward Cierra Foster, and freshman forward Shawnte Taylor. The men received three selections this season, as sophomore guard Bennie Rhodes along with sophomore forwards Da’Ron Sims and Chris White were named First Team all-Coast Confer-ence.

Baseball gets underway

The Rams baseball team is off to a 2-7 start before their Coast Conference opener on March 2. The home doubleheader against Napa Valley, which was being played at Skyline College, was called in the third inning due to heavy fog. The Rams resumed the game at Napa Valley’s home field, where the Rams were able to win their second game of the season. The second game of that double header was played Feb. 22. The score was 12-3 Napa.

Tennis team drops season opener

After having the first two meets of the season cancelled due to poor weather, the women’s tennis team lost their season open-er on the road at Mission College on Feb. 16. The Rams were scheduled to hold their conference opener on Feb. 23 at home against Chabot, but the match was rained out.

Sports Briefs

Badminton Schedule


Team preview: swimming

Team preview: badminton

Bold denotes home match

| 13THE GUARDSMANSportsFEBRUARY 24, 2010

It seems like a year ago since the last time the City College women’s basketball program tast-ed defeat.

In fact, it was last year, on Dec. 30, 2009, one game before their conference opener, that the Rams fell to Solano College in the championship game of the Gervasoni Classic. Since then, they have not lost a single game.

On Feb.19 at the Wellness Center, their historic tear through the Coast Conference was completed, as they beat Skyline College 91-59 in their regular season finale.

The win both captures City College’s first conference title since 2006-2007, and marks the first time the team has gone unde-feated in conference play.

“It’s a great accomplish-ment,” Rams head coach Jamie Wong said of her team’s victory.

“We are excited and enjoy-ing it but playoffs are around the corner, and we want to be ready to get the same results,” she said.

Sophomore forward Cierra Foster finished with 20 points to lead all scorers, and sophomore guards Marlee Rice and Mone Peoples scored 19 and 18 points apiece, as the Rams routed the hapless Trojans for the second time this season.

“They zoned us all night,” Peoples said. “We figured if they did that, they’re afraid of our penetration, so we were able to rely on our three point shots.”

By halftime, the Rams had already amassed a 51-29 lead.

Scoring was not a problem all night for the Rams, as they once again capitalized on their superi-or size and speed on both offense and defense.

As the whole Rams team turns its collective eye towards the California state playoffs, both players and coach well remem-ber last year’s disappointment, an overtime heartbreaking loss to Pasadena City College in the state semifinals.

“Earlier in the season, coach reminded us of that game,” Peoples said. “She made sure we knew what we did to lose that

game, and how she doesn’t want us to feel that ever again.”

Hayes however feels nothing but confidence as the number one ranked team in Northern Califor-nia begins their preperation for playoffs.

“I have a lot of confidence in this team,” she said. “They’re experienced when it comes to playing in big games, since we have four players from last year who played in the state tourna-ment.”

Coast Conference MVP Brittney Allen, along with all-conference sophomore Mone Peoples will get a chance to erase last season’s playoff loss from their memory.

The Rams, who have a first round bye in the playoffs, will face the winner of the contest between American River College and Diablo Valley College.

That game will be held on Feb. 27 at the Wellness Center at 5 p.m.

By Aaron TurnerTHE GUARDSMAN


Rams secure perfect conference record

JESSICA LUTHI /THE GUARDSMANSophomore forward Cierra Foster (center) goes for a layup over Skyline guard Tina Shiheiber (left), Feb. 19 at the Wellness Center.

Men end regular season with rout of Skyline

As the men’s regular season came to an end Friday night at the Wellness Center, Rams head coach Justin Labagh wanted his team to finish the regular season with a bang before preparing for the Northern California playoffs next week.

“It’s not about Skyline tonight, but about finding out who we are,” Labagh told his team prior to tip-off.

With the Rams’ 98-62 victory over the Trojans, they finished the regular season with a 24-4 record, 9-3 in the Coast Conference, and tied with Foothill for second place.

City College started the game with a bang right off the opening tip.Freshman guard De’End hit sophomore forward Chris White for an alley-oop dunk, not only get the game under way, but to get the crowd into the game early.

Jonathon Williams, who

finished with 23 points to lead all scorers, helped the Rams jump out to a 49-30 score at halftime, and they never looked back.

“Coach’s motivation tonight was to have the freshmen step up and play like sophomores,” Williams said.

The Rams’ defense was solid the entire game, as they locked down Skyline’s perimeter shoot-ers and post players.

“We were able to stay on point,” sophomore guard Tyler Brown said. “Coach teaches us to stay together, and tonight was all about defense and pressuring them the entire game.”

Despite their stellar shoot-ing performance, which saw the Rams hit 70 percent of their three-point attempts, missed free throws were a concern for Labagh after the game.

“We left too many points on the line, and we can’t have that going into the playoffs,” he said. “We work on them every prac-tice. I just won’t accept missed

free throws.”The Rams, who are seeded

number-two in the Northern California region, are set to take on the winner of Wednesday’s contest between College of the Redwoods and San Joaquin Delta.

Brown, who is one of eight players returning to the state play-offs this season, knows the team has a long road ahead of them if they hope to even have a shot at the state title.

“It’s going to take a lot,” Brown said. “We need to stay on point, and get the most out of our practice time.”

City College will have the rest of the week to practice before their Feb. 27 second round game at the Wellness Center, which will tip-off at 7 p.m. The Rams must then win their two regional games if they hope to return to the state tournament, which will be held March 11-14 at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

By Sol LadvienkaCONTRIBUTING WRITER


Women’s basketball

Men’s basketball

Forward Chris White (center) swoops in for a layup in the Rams’ win over Skyline Feb. 19 at the Wellness Center. White was named first-team all Coast Con-ferencethis season.

ROBERT ROMANO /THE GUARDSMAN

14 | THE GUARDSMAN Sports FEBRUARY 24, 2010

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I have tried to stay away from the Tiger Woods mess, but after seeing how this has put the sports world on pause, it’s time for my thoughts on the ordeal.

Woods cheated on his wife and has stepped away from golf to try to repair his marriage. As Woods spoke out to the public this past Friday, golfers like Ernie Els felt the timing was selfish because of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Cham-pionship that often features the worlds best golfers.

Here is a memo to all of the golfers out there: Your tourna-ment would not be crap with-out Tiger. The purses that have

inflated at PGA Tour events would not be what they are without Woods and the game of golf would not be where it is today without him either.

What happened in Woods' personal life is really none of our business. Did he do some-thing wrong on the golf course? No. He did something in private that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.

Not that I am condoning it at all, but Woods has earned the right in his profession to speak when he wants to. If he wanted to do a press conference at the Masters during the final round, so be it. Golf would never have this type of attention without him.

I’m sure a lot of people will disagree with this assessment, but how do you feel when everybody is in your personal business? Do we like it when people talk about us behind our backs?

Nobody does and with paparazzi or the media follow-ing you around and comment-ing on your every move, we would snap and have a mental breakdown.

So please, if we forgave Kobe Bryant and his cheesy act to buy his love after cheating on his wife, we can accept Woods’

sincerity and let him ease back into what he does best -- domi-nating the world of golf.

Idiot of the WeekThe Idiot Hall of Fame

Committee had to cancel this week's ceremonies due to snow, rain and plane delays, but there are still a couple of athletes who deserve mention.

Floyd Landis is on the ballot and will get his due consideration in the next issue (yes, The Water Cooler dives into the grueling sport of cycling.) Hopefully, in the next two weeks we’ll get enough candidates to make this the best ceremony yet.

There is also a rumor that the Wizards’ Josh Howard was hungover and unable to play in a game while he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks.

This is the same guy who dissed the national anthem on camera, participated in street racing during the offseason and admitted to dating "Mary Jane" during his time-off from basketball.

The I.H.O.F. will be in for some great festivities two weeks from now.

MiscellaneousI had the pleasure of watch-

ing the replay of the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cava-liers game on Feb. 19. It's probably the best professional basketball game I’ve seen for some time. So sorry for you if you missed it, because the Nuggets Carmelo Anthony and the Cavaliers LeBron James put on one hell of a show.

Carmelo hit a long jumper over the outstretched arms of James to give the Nuggets the 118-116 overtime victory and snapped the Cavs 13-game winning streak.

Anthony finished with 40 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, while James finished with a ridiculous 43 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists. This duel between the two gave me memories of the old show-downs between legends like Bird and Magic.

Anthony and James, who are good friends, went after each other so viciously, you would think that one of ‘em slept with the others wife.

However, showdowns like this are what make the NBA fantastic. Sporting events like this are what make me the fanatic I am today.


The Water CoolerBy Bontã Hill

(L-R) Igor Ovchinnikov, as Sir Robert Brakenbury, speaks to Dewane Spalding, as Richard III, who is standing with Brian Martin, as the Duke of Clarence, at a Feb. 15 rehearsal for the upcoming City College theatre department production of Shakespeare’s Richard III.

The explosion in digital distribution services, includ-ing hybrid social network-ing sites like Last.fm, self-publishing platforms like Bandcamp and media stores like iTunes, gives the inde-pendent musician more options than ever for getting their product out.

The problem is, without an established following, it's unlikely artists will make any money selling MP3s.

Alonetone offers a differ-ent and, what its creator Sudara Williams believes to be, more effective approach for artists: getting the music to as many people as possible instead of going direct-ly after a profit.

“Giving away your music is the new version of play out as much as you can,” Williams said.

Alonetone bills itself as “a place for small label, do-it-yourself, and everyday musi-cians and bands.” Its sleek and intuitive interface, having evolved from user-made suggestions, is streamlined to make things as easy as possi-ble for the independent musi-cian. Users simply sign up for an account, click upload and voila; the Web site auto-matically creates a podcast, searchable in iTunes.

“This site is like a breath of fresh air,” said St. Louis based user, Alykai. “There are so many sites on the internet that are so overwhelming. This is simple, elegant and most of all functional.”

Alonetone offers its users unlimited audio host-ing, but unlike other similar sites, there is no advertising or investor backing and all content is free to download. Because nobody's profiting, concerns about behind-the-scenes influence over content are alleviated.

The concept is a radical departure from the traditional

promotion-and-sales model of the music business; in fact, Alonetone is not a business at all. It’s an online community where like-minded musicians can share music, network, collaborate and seek technical advice about recording and production.

Williams, who is a musi-cian himself, said “If you are the kind of person who chases fans, you might find some success, but it's a lot of hard — and non-musical — work. Better to connect to people, find communities, give music

out to whom-ever will listen, find an audi-ence and find individual opportunities.”

Established artists wanting to make money from MP3s can also benefit from what the platform offers.

Composer a n d p i a n i s t Joshua Wentz uses Alonetone in addition to selling his music from Sidedown Audio.

“As far as profit is concerned the benefit is negli-gible,” Wentz said of Alone-tone. He uses it as a promo-tional tool and provides links to Sidedown Audio for those interested in hearing more.

“I put all of the work I do into two columns — that which will be given away and that which will be sold. And certainly more people have heard my music due to the fact that some of it is online for free.”

The ultimate success of this type of model — whether or not independent musicians adopt it — remains to be seen.

Williams said that compared to similar Web sites, or those with corporate backing, Alonetone’s roster of more than 1,000 artists is only a blip on the musical radar, but for now, as its home page will attest, Alonetone is a “damn fine home for musi-cians.”

| 15THE GUARDSMANCulture & TrendsFEBRUARY 24, 2010

Aspiring musicians find fans on Alonetone.com

By Atticus MorrisTHE GUARDSMAN


Theatre department presents Richard III opening March 5

William Shakespeare’s Richard III, a brilliant mix of violence and humor, will be opening at the Diego Rivera Theatre next month.

The tragedy, designed and directed by John Wilk, instructor and director in the City College Theatre Department, will be performed on the first and second weekends of March.

Wilk is a fan of the language of Shakespeare as well as the dynamic personalities of his characters.

“His characters are both extreme and beautiful at the same time,” Wilk said.

The two-hour play covers the rise and fall of the Duke of Gloucester, who through deception and political manipulation tries to become King Richard III of England. In the first scene, Richard describes his physical appearance and malevolent ambition.

“Deformed, unfinish’d, sent before my time ... And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover, to enter-tain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain.”

City College student Maria Leigh plays Lady Anne. “Richard is clearly a rotten person but it’s nearly impossible not to like him,” she said.

Richard’s opening monologue is very intense and grabs everyone’s attention. What follows is a tale of murder and betrayal that slowly decays Rich-ard’s mind. In one particularly gripping scene, Rich-ard is visited by the ghosts of all the people he has murdered who curse him and foretell his death.

“The play shows the worst aspects of blind ambition and unchecked greed, a deadly combina-tion that is still with us today,” said City College student Peter Camarda, who plays Lord Stanley. “We learn, from watching, how Richard’s evil over-

whelms everyone and everything around him.”It’s obvious how much passion the actors put

into the performance.“I think the audience can expect to see Richard

III performed in a way that fits today’s concerns. The dark and desperate world was created, and now should provoke deep conversation among viewers,” said City College student Merry Gordon, who plays the Duke of York.

I really liked the performance of all the actors and their effort to accomplish their best in every scene.

“This is a rousing and intriguing performance of one of the most famous villains in theatrical litera-ture,” said Wilk.

By Carlos SilvaTHE GUARDSMAN

“Giving away your music is the new version of play out as much as you can.”

— Sudara Williams Creator of Alonetone


Play Preview

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSE BLANCA

Richard III at the Diego Rivera Theater

Show times:•Fridays March 5 and 12 at 8 p.m.•Saturdays March 6 and 13 at 8 p.m.•Sundays March 7 and 14 at 2 p.m.

Prices:•General -- $15•Discount -- $10

City College studentsSeniorsTheater Bay Area members

16 | THE GUARDSMAN Culture & Trends FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Social media creates business opportunities

Get your late-night, pork-free fix at Seniore’s

Seniore’s Pizza, the place to get a pork-free meal on the corner of 19th Avenue and Tara-val Street since 1996, packs in droves of hungry customers long after the bars and clubs close down.

“The pepperoni is beef. The sala-mi is beef. The sausage is beef. The Canadian bacon is turkey,” employee Nidal “Ricky” Jaser said.

“It’s not halal. It’s not blessed, but people do appreciate it. It helps that it's beef.”

The barbecue chicken pizza offers a unique combination of flavors —

sweet, tangy and savory — which work well with the crispy, hand-made crust. The pepperoni tastes spicy and nostalgic, complementing Seniore’s signature homemade sauce.

Jaser said most people don’t notice they’re

eating beef when they order typi-

cally pork items at Seniore’s.

There is more than just pizza at Seniore’s. They have subs, garlic

bread served three differ-

ent ways, jala-peno poppers,

mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings, pasta,

salads and desserts.“Weekends are when it’s really

busy,” Jaser said. “That’s the essence of Seniore’s.”

The dining area is a modest size, with granite counter tops that seat a total of seven. On any given day, a

customer can relax and enjoy a slice while watching an old movie on the wall-mounted TV. But at night, be prepared for crowds of 50 or more spilling onto the sidewalk outside.

Seniore’s is open, officially, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. on weekdays and to 5 a.m. on weekends. However, these pizza purveyors serve pies as long as there are customers waiting.

“We don't really have a closing time,” employee Federico Cândido said. “If people still want to eat, we keep taking orders.”

Seniore’s pork-free fare is also easy on the wallet. A two-topping extra large pizza is $17.45. Specials — like the Greek with feta cheese, black olives, fresh tomatoes, pesto and fresh garlic — are $20.95. Subs are $4.99 to $5.75, and so are most appetizers and salads. Ten buffalo wings cost $6.22 and pasta for four is $12.99.

Cândido summed up Seniore's charm as, “It’s the best pizza in town, served late.”

By Ramsey El-Qare and Alex Emslie

THE GUARDSMAN

PHOTOS BY RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

Nilton Goncalves prepares a half beef pepperoni, half barbecue chicken pizza at the San Francisco Seniore’s Pizza restaurant.

E-mail: [email protected]@theguardsman.com

A sophomore computer science student at Harvard University named Mark Zucker-berg launched thefacebook.com out of his dorm room six years ago.

Originally designed as a way for the students at Harvard to communicate with each other and share photos of themselves, Facebook has grown into the largest social network with over 350 million users and over 1,000 employees. Forbes magazine estimates Facebook’s minimum worth at $7.9 billion.

Like Zuckerberg, people in social media often create their own jobs by recognizing a need and filling it.

College students often don’t realize that they already have marketable skills such as texting and creating Facebook profiles, which, with a little polish, can be applied to the business world.

The Social Media Club, founded by Chris Heuer and Kristie Wells in March 2006 in San Francisco, unites people interested in making careers out of their social media use. There are now more than 72 chapters in nine countries.

Heuer and Wells recently hosted Social Media Camp at the Presidio Officer's Club where 150 online networking profession-als met to discuss, among other topics, how and why to use social media tools in industries like public relations, customer service and product development.

Christopher Allen, co-author of “iPhone in Action” and asso-ciate faculty at The Bainbridge Graduate Institute, led a discus-sion about social media and high-er education.

“Students feel two ways about social media,” he said. “Half of them love it and half of

them think it’s a big commercial waste of time. The first thing I do is teach them the importance of personalizing their experience and ensuring that they reflect what they are passionate about. They come around and see the positive opportunities that social media can bring.”

Social media democratizes the process of marketing by creating a conversation between marketers and consumers, instead of commercial products being broadcast through one-way communication. Non-profit endeavors benefit greatly from this since they often do not have

large budgets for traditional marketing.

The Red Cross raised over $10 million for survivors of the Haiti Earthquake through a text message campaign, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Wells shared some insight on how college students might transition into a communications career using social media tools.

“A critical piece in social media education is teaching students the difference between texting your friend and texting a business professional,” she said.

City College student David McFarlane created a job for himself after hearing Chancellor Don Griffin speak a City College Inter Club Council meeting.

“I was very impressed by his speech,” McFarlane said, “and realized that hardly any students would hear or even know about what he said. I thought social media could help him communi-cate directly with the students.”

Griffin hired McFarlane to help him with his outreach using online networking tools.

“I will help him and the Board of Governors send texts and video messages directly to the students’ phones. I’m going to set them up on Facebook, Twit-ter and YouTube, for example,”

McFarlane saidPresident Barack Obama

is currently seeking a Social Networks Manager. The posi-tion requires knowledge of social networking Web sites. Appli-cants must also be able to “craft messages that move people to act, and know what actions will achieve the right impact at the right time,” according to a job posting on the president’s Web site.

“In this ever changing world of communications, tools come and go daily, so a key trait in any role will require someone who can respond quickly to change,” Wells said.

The City College Continu-ing Education department offers a computer course called “MySpace, Facebook, Twit-ter, LinkedIn: Get Connected” focused on creating and maintain-ing profiles, setting up a blog and integrating social networks.

For more information about the Social Media Club please visit their Web site at http://www.socialmediaclub.org/.

By Angela PennyTHE GUARDSMAN

E-mail: [email protected]

COURTESY OF KENNETH YEUNGChristopher Allen leads a discussion about social media and higher education during Social Media Camp on Feb. 1.

| 17THE GUARDSMANCulture & TrendsFEBRUARY 24, 2010

Don’t Put Your Dreams On Hold.

City College — The GuardsmanSize: 6” x 6” Insertion date: February 24, 2010

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32-story, glass elevator at Westin St. Francis provides elevated perception

“Colts, 34-20”Since recently making, and

subsequently losing, an ill-advised Super Bowl bet, I’ve developed an interest in free entertainment. And since my bookie recently shattered both of my kneecaps, riding an elevator is pretty much the most physical activity I can handle. Thanks a

million Bontã Hill.

Why an elevator?In the words of famous aboli-

tionist and adulterer Henry Ward Beecher, “It’s easier to go down a hill than up it, but the view is much better at the top.” And pushing a button in an elevator is easier than walking up a hill.

If Beecher had known about the view I found, he might have just left out the hill part all together.

Go to Union Square and ask for Francis …

You will be visiting the Westin St. Francis for this decid-edly cheap thrill – a sky-high ride in a 32-story, clear-glass elevator.

If you’re excited by the idea of “sneaking” into a crowded hotel with an open front door and “convincing” the uninterested staff that you are a guest, by all means, feel free to do so.

That being said, nobody cares. You can just walk in and follow the signs to the Tower Elevators.

“Going up sir”I originally ventured to the

elevators for the view, but you know, I’m not gonna’ lie − and maybe it’s because I’m a five-year-old boy − I was struck much more by the “whee-I’m-riding-in-an-elevator” part of it than the view.

Remember the scene in the movie “Who Framed Roger

Rabbit” with Droopy the dog as the elevator man? The eleva-tor shot up in the air so fast that it flattened Eddie Valiant to the floor like a pancake. If you’ve ever wanted to experience that for yourself, this is as close as you’re likely to get.

Step one: Press the up buttonStep two: press the button for

the 32nd floor. If you want to get all ticky-tack about it then, tech-nically, step two is “get on the elevator” and step three is “press the button for the 32nd floor,” but whatever, I didn’t want a lot of steps, OK?

What happens next?My recommendation is that

you hold on to the railing and stand facing the glass to maxi-mize what biophysicists refer to as the “oh snap” factor when the elevator launches your body skyward.

When you reach the top floor you will be treated to one of the better vantage points in San Francisco. Nothing makes a city look prettier than getting really far away from the smelly, noisy reality of it and squinting down through the soft fog that acts like Vaseline on the lens of a panoramic glamour shot.

Enough with the cheap and back to the thrills. On the way down, you rush past a spiked fence and then drop into darkness. With your face pressed against the glass it’s pretty exhilarating.

Riding up might be fun for about ten trips, but going down -- more like 20.

Verdict

The ride is undeniably fun, but the good times only last for 32 floors. For an added thrill, look down the crack between the elevator and the 32nd floor – whoa.

Brass tacks:•Where: The Westin St. Fran-cis Hotel, 335 Powell St./Tower Elevators•When: Anytime you like•Cost: $0, FREE!

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMANReporter Greg Zeman admires the San Francisco skyline during his 23rd ride in the glass elevator at the Westin St. Francis.


18 | THE GUARDSMAN Advertisment FEBRUARY 24, 2010

| 19THE GUARDSMANCalendarFEBRUARY 24, 2010

Calendar for Feb. 24-March 9FRI26

WED 24

WED 3

THUR 4

FRI5

SAT 6

SUN 7

MON 8

TUES 9

THUR 25

SAT27

SUN28

MON 1

TUES2

Campus Events Community Events Classifieds

ArticleSubmissions

To submit tips on stories contact:Editor in Chief(415) 239-3446Fax: (415) [email protected]

Forum City College’s Premier Literary Magazine!

Call for submissions of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Art and Visual Art.

Deadline Monday, March 1.

Simply e-mail your submission to: [email protected] as an at-tachment and we’ll do the rest. be sure to label the submission with genere (poetry, fiction, etc.) and use a document type that is easy for most people to people to open (word preferred) and artwork by jpeg or other picture attachment.

Looking for a female student to study with. Must have at least 60 units completed. If interest-ed, please contact Eric at (415) 518-9080.

Book sale to fund ESL scholarships$2 for most books, cash onlyMarch 10 from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. March 11 from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. Batmale Hall, Room 422

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| All New Chevy Camaro

Women of Color Gather-

ing at the Rosenberg Library Room 305 50 Phelan Avenue San Francisco, CA 12:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Beat the Clock Happy Hour: 50

cent cocktails at The Lookout 3600 16th Street San Francisco, CA 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The Wailors and 311 at Fox

Theater 1807 Tele-graph Ave. Oakland, CA $37.507:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis against

Foothill at City College 2:00 p.m.

Track San Mateo Meet at

San MateoTime: TBA

Men’s Baseball against Gavilan

College (DH) at Gavilan 11:00 a.m.

Treasure Island History Day at

Building 1Treasure Island San Francisco, CA 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. For more info: www.treasureislandmu-seum.org or (650) 796-0520

2010 Annual International

Juried Plastic Cam-era Show at RayKo Photo Center 428 Third St. San Francisco, CA Free All ages 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Raw Food Class and Tast-

ing at Whole Foods Market 450 Rhode Island St. San Francisco, CA $5 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Men’s Baseball against Cabrillo

at Balboa Park 2:00 p.m.

Big Girl Panties book release

party with readings from authors at the Rosenburg Library, 2nd floor 50 Phelan Avenue San Francisco, CA 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. For more info con-tact: Kimbery Berger (415)-239-3112

Women’s Tennis against

Cabrillo at City College 2:00 p.m.

Men’s Baseball against Mission

at Mission 2:00 p.m.

Ballet San Jose: Romeo

and Juliet at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts 255 S Almaden Blvd.San Jose, CA 8:00 p.m.Ticket info: http://www.ticketmaster.com

Men’s Baseball against San

Jose at Balboa Park 12:00 p.m.

Track Beaver Relays at ARC

Gator Preview at SFSU Time: TBA

American Culture and

Decorative Art Collection at M.H. de Young Memorial Museum 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. San Francisco, CA Price included in admission 9:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Amber Rubarth at

Cafe du Nord 2170 Market St. San Francisco, CA 21+ $10 in advance $12 day of show 9:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis against De Anza

at De Anza 2:00 p.m.

Men’s Baseball against Gavilan

at Balboa Park 2:00 p.m.

20 | THE GUARDSMAN Culture&Trends FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Valentine’s Day pillow fight: feathers and fun for all ages

De Young Museum celebrates Carnaval

CHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMANCHLOE ASHCRAFT / THE GUARDSMAN

A young girl clutches her pillow, in a flurry of feathers, during the Great San Francisco Pillow Fight at Justin Herman Plaza on Feb. 14. A flash-mob tradition since 2006, the pillow fight begins as the Ferry Building clock strikes 6 p.m. Hundreds attend the event, advertised through word-of-mouth, as a non-traditional way to celebrate a traditionally romantic holiday. Feathers, adrift for blocks, cling to attendees and bystanders. At 10 p.m. pillows are replaced with boom-boxes and brooms as the flash-mob clean up crew removes feathers and cotton debris from the plaza and surrounding blocks.

An elaborately costumed dancer performs the Colombian aerobic dance Zumba by Jaime Martinez of Latin American Workout during a Carnaval celebration at the de Young Feb. 5. The performance is part of Cultural Encounters: Friday Nights at the de Young, a series of events combining per-forming and visual artists with community arts organizations.

The Guardsman: Vol. 148 Issue 3

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Transcript of The Guardsman: Vol. 148 Issue 3