The Guardsman Vol. 178, Issue 1 | August 16 – 30, 2024 | City College of San Francisco | Since 1935 | FREE | www.theguardsman.com
Ballot Beat: Board Candidates Alan Wong and Heather McCarty and Their Plans to Avert a Fiscal Freeze
Investigation Into Body Found on Ocean Campus Continues
By John Schneider
meeks5@mail.ccsf.edu
jschne20@mail.ccsf.edu
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n Nov. 5 San Francisco voters will choose from eight candidates who have qualified to run for four seats on the Community College Board. Once seated, they will join Trustees Vick Van Chung, Anita Martinez, and Susan Solomon in guiding the college through several key transitions and decisions. These include reconciling the college’s budget and enrollment with the end of the “hold harmless” provision of the state Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF), addressing three action items necessary for the maintenance of its accreditation, considering the future of the Free City program in light of proposed reductions from the city, and hiring a permanent chancellor. Leading up to the election The Guardsman will be interviewing candidates, providing context for current issues facing the college and proposals to address them in an ongoing segment. The Guardsman interviewed Board President Alan Wong, who spoke to the progress that’s been made with budget and enrollment, the importance of the Free City program, and the work that remains to avoid a funding freeze. Dr. Heather McCarty, also interviewed, offered novel solutions and described the difficult dynamic between board, administration, accreditation commission, city and state government, and student body and how this necessitates better training and collaboration.
President Alan Wong President Alan Wong is one of two incumbents seeking another term, the other is Trustee Aliya Chisti. Speaking to the personal connection he has with City College, President Wong said it “shaped my entire family's life, and it's given us so much opportunity.” When his father was laid off from a factory job, he turned to City College for ESL courses in the hopes of improving his prospects. Through the culinary program he trained to become a hotel cook which enabled him to support his immediate and extended family in the Sunset. Through City College classes he took on a low-income waiver, President Wong was able to add extra units and graduate
from UC San Diego with a Bachelor’s Degree at age 19. This, he said, is “why we need to defend Free City College, because that represents everything that City College is about, promoting access and opportunity for all people.” Free City, a program launched in 2017, is a collaboration between the college and the City and County of San Francisco that offers free tuition to all city residents. At that time it was the first of its kind in the United States. In light of the novel nature of the program and the potential it represents for upward mobility in California, a state that consistently ranks high in income inequality, President Wong said that ending Free City would “set a negative example for the entire country.” The program is paid for with funds generated by Proposition W, a measure approved by voters in 2016 which raises the transfer tax by a quarter of a percent on properties over $5 million. President Wong said the transfer tax added up to “$38 million a year to the city's budget with the intent of funding Free City College.” Despite this, he said “During the first two years, they only gave $5.3 million.” The current agreement over Free City between the college and the city, signed in 2019, provides $15 million per year for the program for a period of 10 years. Free City credit enrollment is down from 24,000 in 2017 to 17,000 last year, despite an uptick in overall enrollment in the last year. As a result, the city is attempting to renegotiate its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the college to restrict access to Free City to students pursuing an associate’s degree or a career program certificate. President Wong said, “That will hurt our enrollment … during a year when our budget will become flat unless we significantly increase enrollment.” City College has struggled in recent years to maintain adequate levels of reserve funds, putting the institution in a more precarious position as it transitions to the state’s Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF). The funding formula was enacted in 2017, but implementation has been delayed several times for districts like City College through a “hold harmless” provision as it attempts to make structural changes to comply Board candidates continued on page 2
By Danny Meeks
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he identity of a man found dead on City College’s Ocean Campus on Wednesday morning, July 31, remains a mystery. Campus police allegedly discovered the body in a cluster of bushes and trees at the intersection of Cloud Circle and Marston Ave between the Visual Arts Building and Batmale Hall. Ingleside Station SFPD arrived at approximately 10:16 am. Paramedics declared the man deceased, and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner opened an investigation. The grim discovery occurred on an otherwise empty campus during summer break. Nearly two weeks after the body was located, the SFPD investigation has
revealed no evidence of foul play. Questions regarding their identity, including whether or not the deceased was a student, remain unanswered. “There is no imminent threat of harm to any member of our campus community resulting from this unfortunate incident,” Interim Chancellor Mitchell Bailey said. At this time, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has provided no further information on the identity of the body or the cause of death, and the investigation continues. SFPD encourages anyone with information to call 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411.
Police mark off bushes between Batmale Hall and Visual Arts building where body was found. August 6, 2024 by John Adkins/ The Guardsman.
Increasing Enrollment Ahead of 2024 Signals City College’s Return to Former Glory By John R. Adkins jradproduction@gmail.com
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tudent Enrollment for City College of San Francisco is on the rise for the first time in years. The college’s financial stability and enrollment numbers have been on uneven ground throughout the past decade and is still recovering from the loss of attendance during the pandemic. While the college board goes into elections and regains footing with a newly appointed Interim Chancellor, things appear to have finally stabilized for the school. Enrollment for Fall 2023 was up by 8% from the previous year. “Assuming no more enrollment growth, City College might not be eligible to receive increased funding until the 2031-32 fiscal year. However, if City College grows 8% in annual enrollment in the coming years, it could be eligible for increased funding as soon as the 2028-29 fiscal year,” Board President Alan Wong said. In the Fall of 2024, City College saw an increase of 1,066 in new students enrolling in for-credit classes. Numbers that represent a 30% increase compared to Fall 2023 as stated by the college’s office of research and planning. In August of 2023, Mayor London Breed announced that the city would allocate over $2 million to forgive outstanding fees for thousands of City College students.
Enrollment continued on page 2
SF Scale Model
Op-Ed: Beyond a TwoParty System
Women's Soccer Roster
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