The Guardsman The Truth Shall Make You Free
Vol. 1 7 9, I ssue 6 | Ap ri l 1 8 – M ay 1 , 2025 | City Colleg e of San Fran c is co | Sin ce 1935 | F R EE | www.th e guardsma n .co m
Student Health Center
March on Cesar Chavez Day
Women's Tennis
page 2
page 5
page 8
PART 1
The Future of Enrollment Decided by Hackers at Large
By Abby Sigler, Marrion Cruz, Tom Whitehead and John Adkins
A
t a time when the college's f inancial stability can only be resuscitated by an increase in enrollment, a record 10,000 ghosts have clogged class registrations. With the number of fraudulent student accounts having more than doubled this semester, faculty members are predicting matters will only get worse. “This year is such a critical year to be maximizing enrollment, and we're not really in a position to be doing outreach and encouraging students to come to City College when we have this other issue preventing students from getting seats,” Maura Devlin-Clancy said. Delvin-Clancy is a Computer Networking and IT instructor who currently teaches five online classes and one in-person class. She estimates she has interacted with at least 60 ghost students this spring semester alone. Faculty still risk their class being cut after the semester has started if enrollment is too low. Many courses with full registration lists were met with empty desks on the first day of the semester. Now, a full enrollment
Illustration by Kyra Young
at City College causes more anxiety than relief. “Your thinking goes down this hole of like, what if they're all ghost students?” Devlin-Clancy said.
Unmasking the Unknown “Ghost” or “straw” students are fraudulent accounts in college application and class registration systems created using bots, stolen identities or AI-generated profiles. The creators of these accounts are located globally and range from individual scammers to organized crime rings, primarily attempting to access dot edu email addresses and defraud financial aid. According to Guillermo Villanueva, Dean of Financial Aid and Special
The Daniel E. Koshland San Francisco History Center: Untapped Resource for San Francisco Scholars By Finbar LaBelle finbarlabelle@bennington.edu
A
Photo Curator and Interim Manager of the History Center Christina Moretta handles a miscellaneous collection of old posters from around San Francisco dating back to the 1970s. April 10, 2025 (Kyra Young/The Guardsman)
nchoring four blocks of Civic Center at 100 Larkin Street, many San Franciscans are well acquainted with the beauty of our public library's Main Branch. Opened in 1996, the iconic spiral design, crafted from glass and metal beams that crown the building's roofline, stands as a testament to our public libraries' strength. Patrons may be able to navigate the floors, each with varying specifications, but many of us are still unaware of the hidden gem on the sixth and uppermost floor. This hidden gem, fully available to the public, is The Daniel E. Koshland San Francisco History Center. HISTORY CENTER continued on page 4
Programs, City College and other community colleges are prime targets because of their open enrollment policies. “Pretty much anyone can register for a course in the community college system because it's open. So that's where the biggest problem has come in.” Villanueva also noted that ghost students have been traced to scammers operating worldwide. “We've seen fraudulent activity from Eastern European countries, Africa and some Asian countries,” he said. Ghost student fraud siphons millions in financial aid dollars meant for real students. Scammers especially covet Pell Grants, which can provide up to $7,395 per student. Local grants, such as Free City grants that cover $46 per unit, are also at risk.
GHOST STUDENTS continued on page 3
Danny Chin Bids Farewell to The Lunch Box By Qi Mai qmai10@mail.ccsf.edu
R
ather than the usual crowd of hungry students grabbing a bite for lunch, one Thursday afternoon at The Lunch Box became the site of a heartfelt goodbye—and a new beginning. Faculty, staff, police officers and students gathered at the eatery overlooking Rams Stadium on March 27 to shake hands and share hugs, laughter and tears with The Lunch Box's former owner, Danny Chin, as they bid him farewell. Come April 1, the Lunch Box will officially fall under the new ownership of Linda Fang.
Feeding Futures It's Alec's first semester as an education major at City College. He frequently visits The Lunch Box to buy tuna sandwiches. “The prices are reasonable and they help a lot of students with their food,” Alec said. “The owner is trustworthy, very friendly and always makes us laugh. He's an awesome guy.” Police Officer R. Palacios remembers when he was a student at City College in 2010; he would pick up coffee on many cold mornings and grab sandwiches for lunch. “Sometimes I didn't have money, and Danny told me, ‘Take it.’ If I was hungry, he always made sure I had food,” Palacios said. “Later, I became a police officer working for the college. Sometimes my team and I come here, sit, eat snacks, chat with him and feel warm because of him,” Palacios continued.“What I know is, if you were hungry, he'd give you food. He didn't care about money as much as he cared about giving from the heart—which is perfect for City College because our school gives so much to people. You could always count on Danny. Students were hungry for knowledge, DANNY CHIN continued on page 2