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Newly-elected Trustees Sworn in at City College; Alan Wong Elected Board President During Special Meeting By Ann Marie Galvan agalvan1@mail.ccsf.edu

he three new City College board of trustees members Anita Martinez, Vick Chung and Susan Solomon were sworn in during a hybrid meeting on Jan. 11. Alan Wong was also elected board president during a special meeting on Jan. 19, along with Anita Martinez as board vice president. The three new trustees ran on a laborbacked slate in November, and their election unseated the three long-time incumbents, John Rizzo, Brigitte Davila and Thea Selby. All three new trustees have roots in San Francisco. Martinez is a former instructor and past president of the City College faculty union AFT 2121; Chung is a San Francisco-native and served as the City College student trustee from 2020-2021; and Solomon is an educator who served with the San Francisco Labor Council and United Educators of San Francisco. Newly elected president Wong has been on the board since November 2020, where he has worked as chair of the budget and audit committee and spearheaded City College’s Cantonese-language certificate to preserve the college’s program. He was also the only trustee to vote against wclass cuts and faculty layoffs in 2022. “It’s good to be home,” said Martinez. “I think that this will be a very good board. We will learn from your experience; you may learn from our experience. I look forward to discussions because discussions are how we make the best policy.” Continued on page 3

The Guardsman and Etc. Magazine Win Big at San Francisco Press Club's 45th Annual Greater Bay Journalism Awards

City College Eases COVID-19 Restrictions, Lifts Mask Mandate, Effective Feb. 6, and Proof of Vaccination Requirement

By Gracia Hernandez Rovelo ghern140@mail.ccsf.edu

By Ann Marie Galvan agalvan1@mail.ccsf.edu

he San Francisco Press Club celebrated the 45th Annual Greater Bay Journalism Awards on Thursday, Dec. 8, hosting nearly 200 attendees at the San Francisco Airport Bayfront. Honoring both professional and student journalists, the Press Club handed out awards for published work that fell into categories that included Magazine/ Trade Publications, Newspapers-Daily, Digital Media, Television/Video, Newspapers-Non-Daily, Radio/Audio, College Media and Overall Excellence. In the College Media category, The Guardsman was named Best College Newspaper, while Etc. Magazine won Best College Magazine. Juan Gonzales, faculty advisor of the newspaper who attended that night, said, “This is the first public event since the pandemic. Many people showed up and there were over 400 Journalism awards presented.” Broadcasters Wendy Tokuda and Reed Cowman co-hoted with an upbeat

presentation, along with keynote speaker and journalist Phil Matier. The Guardsman took home 20 awards and Etc. Magazine won seven under the College Media category, including Best College Magazine, Blog/ Commentary, Breaking News, Columns-News/ Political, Cover Design, Editorial Cartoon, Environment/Nature Report, Feature Layout Design, Feature Story/Light Nature, Feature Story/Serious Nature, Front Page Design, General News, Headline, Investigative Reporting, Photography/News, Photography/Photo Series and Photography/Sports. “I was really happy to see that our students were honored for their tireless

work and dedication and the continuing reputation that we have for producing award-winning journalists as a department,” Gonzales said. Continued on page 3

The Guardsman and Etc. Magazine Win Big continued on page 3

uring the board meeting on Jan. 26, the City College Board of Trustees approved the removal of the mask mandate, effective Monday, Feb. 6. They also approved the removal of the proof of vaccination mandate for the upcoming summer 2023 registration cycle. While the board approved the removal of the mask mandate starting in February, masks will still be “strongly recommended,” with the Student Health Center the only exception, said Chancellor David Martin during the meeting, because it is a health facility. He added that staff “uncomfortable” with the change in policy can request accommodations. In fall 2021, the board passed a resolution requiring that proof of COVID-19 vaccinations be provided prior to enrollment, and students who want to enroll for in-person classes must either provide proof of vaccination or an allowable exemption. This policy is still in place

for spring 2023. “The recommendation to suspend the vaccine mandate for the summer 2023 registration cycle was approved by the Health and Safety Committee and the PGC [Participatory Governance Council],” said Martin. “As well as the removal of the mask mandate and transitioning to mask being strongly

“As well as the removal of the mask mandate and transitioning to mask being strongly preferred.” preferred.” Mario Vazquez, police chief and chair of City College’s Health and Safety Committee, said that by November 2022 the committee had “unanimously recomwmended” moving forward with the repeal of the mask and vaccination mandates. The California Department of Public Health strongly recommends masking indoors, but it is not required.

City College Seeks to Strengthen Mental Health Services By Danny Roberts drober47@mail.ccsf.edu

ith mental health issues among U.S. college students on the rise, City College Student Health Services (SHS) conducted a survey on Dec. 2 requesting student feedback for the college’s Mental Health Services. “We are committed to strengthening our mental health services for our students, ensuring that our mental health services are welcoming and accessible to students from all circumstances and backgrounds, and reducing any barriers that may prevent students from accessing them,” said the SHS email, with the electronic survey link. Mental health is a rising concern for college campuses. More than 60% of U.S. college students met

the criteria for one or more mental health problems for the 2020-2021 school year, a nearly 50% increase from 2013, according to a 2022 Healthy Minds research study of 373 college campuses. The study also found that students of color had the lowest rates of mental health service utilization with the highest annual rate of treatment for Asian, Black, and Latinx students at or below the lowest annual rate for white students. “In 2021-2022 we served 287 students (with 1525 appointments) and reached approximately 209 additional students through outreach events,” said the City College mental health staff when contacted via email. “We are also working on doing more outreach. Because studies are showing

that a greater percentage of people are experiencing some level of depression and anxiety, we are working on ways to reach more students.” With the stigma around mental health issues, cost barriers to care, and uncertainty about where to seek help, the path to receiving mental help can be challenging. At City College, Mental Health Services seek to offer a safe space for students to discuss their concerns City College Mental Health Services provide counseling and support for a variety of issues that affect students. “All students who are taking credit classes are eligible for services and do not need to pay anything beyond the student health fee,” said City College mental health staff. From Monday-Tuesday 9 a.m.-5:45 p.m. and

Wednesday-Thursday 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. students can access counseling through the Student Health Services virtual help center via Zoom or by phone call. Students can receive confidential counseling to talk about whatever issues they’re struggling with. The staff provides short-term counseling to assess each student's current situation and can refer them to appropriate community services if needed. These support groups vary by semester but are listed on the student health services website According to the mental health staff, these services benefit students in a number of ways. “It enables students to verbalize and attenuate their distresses and students typically express that they get some relief.” In the support groups, “students

validate each other and share empathy. They also learn ways of coping with their elevated or increased number of concerns.”. The need for mental help is higher than ever, but despite this increasing ease of access to care, many students don’t take the first step toward help. “Everyone can use supstaff. Take that first step towards help. “Everyone can use support at one time or another and it takes a lot of strength and courage to ask for that help,” said the City College mental health staff. Take that first step towards help. Mental Health Services can be reached by phone at 415-239-3110 or virtually on the City College Student Health Services website at: https://www. ccsf.edu/student-services/ student-health-services.