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Student Trustee Addresses ‘Outdated’ Registration System By Shawn Ree Canin scanin@mail.ccsf.edu

April 10, 2023 marks the first day of registration for summer classes at City College. However, students and faculty face numerous problems with the registration process, and the system has been causing issues for years now. Tala Justo, a social work student at City College, is one of the many students facing problems with registration. "I had a problem finding Pilipino 2 for Summer. So I emailed the [Philippine Studies] department chair Dr. [Lily Ann] Villaraza. It really annoyed her because it is not her job, she's a faculty, to respond to technical difficulties. Still, she tried her best." Justo added, "to prepare for my registration day, I saved my schedule…so upon registration time, all I had to do was click enroll or register, but lo and behold, it was gone. The Pilipino 2 option was gone. So I emailed Dr. V again, and she reiterated that she is not the one to ask about technical difficulties." In an interview with Malinalli Villalobos, a student trustee for the San Francisco Community College District, he acknowledged that the registration system needs to be fixed for students.

Illustration by Cindy Chan/Guardsman Every student faces different problems with registration, including adding and dropping courses. Villalobos asserts that the current registration system is outdated, complicated, and difficult to navigate due to a lack of clear instructions and the system itself. "I am very aware of the problems with the registration system.

I have been working with students before my student trustee role. I was working with students through various resource centers. So that's where I have originally heard of the registration problems," Villalobos said. "The system that we use now, we have identified that it's not working for students. It creates a lot of red tape."

Villalobos has raised these concerns to the registration committee and top administrators to address this issue. But ever since, "it hasn't really fixed the system. It seems like there's just bandage over bandage over [the] bandage. This has been going on for quite a few years," he added.

The Guardsman takes on JACC Spring 2023

CCSF Adapting to a New Alternative for Online Classes

By Lolie Mahe

mahelolie@gmail.com

The Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) held its annual state convention from Thursday, March 9 to Saturday, March 11 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in San Francisco near the Embarcadero for yet another year of, “various parts of the state bring[ing] together students and faculty from member schools across the state for speakers, workshops, contests, meeting and more” as JACC shares on its website. The event is co-sponsored by the Associated Collegiate Press and the California College Media Association. Current and former staff of The Guardsman attended, enabling some to leave with awards in the on-the-spot or publication contests. JACC Awards were distributed on March 11 at the hotel and five were awarded to staff of the Guardsman. For the mail-in contest, in which advisors would send in contents of a publication for competition prior to the date of convention, Sarah Clayson placed both first and third for the Editorial Cartoon, Tyler Lyn Sorrow placed third for the Illustration and Janna Velasquez placed fourth in a tie with Pierce College’s Nancy Corona in the Environmental Portrait. City College’s second-year Sarah Clayson began working for the Guardsman after taking an Illustration class. In the class, Clayson met Juan Gonzales— chair of the Journalism department— where he encouraged students to support the school paper with their gifts in illustration. Clayson has then been a service for the Guardsman, and attended the conference for the first time ever this year at the invitation of Gonzales. JACC Awards continued on page 2

Villalobos revealed an ongoing district-wide vetting of a new registration system to resolve the chronic registration issues. However, its implementation is not expected in the upcoming summer and fall 2023 semesters. With the new registration system, Malinalli hopes that this will alleviate the problems they have been hearing from the students. Villalobos further stated, "investment for the registration system has to be bigger for it to work. Because if it's not, it's only putting a band-aid on the problem. And we're full of band-aids. We want solutions that make it easier for students to register." Villalobos added that other ways to help students are forums open to the City College community to hear direct feedback from students. For assistance with registration, students can visit the Registration Center in-person services at MUB 130 from 9 AM to 5 PM every Monday to Thursday. They also have a virtual help counter from 9 AM to 12 PM every Monday and Wednesday, 1 PM to 4 PM every Tuesday and Thursday, and Friday from 9 AM to 12 PM and 1 PM to 3 PM.

By Logan Dang

logandang123@gmail.com

HyFlex and OwlCamera: Owl camera appearance. Function: allows 360º view with a camera, mic, and speaker. Photo courtesy of Owl Labs.

Starting this summer, City College of San Francisco will not offer classes on Zoom; however, the administration is considering a new technological approach called HyFlex. Three other colleges–San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE), Pierce College (Los Angeles), and Cañada College (San Mateo)–have implemented this service. HyFlex, described by Dr. Dayamudra Dennehy, City College’s Distance Education Coordinator and ESL faculty member, offers Adapting continued on page 3

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