November 2005 Archives
Thousands of people traveled across the San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz Island for the 32nd annual Sunrise Gathering on Thanksgiving Day.
American Indians and their supporters gathered on the island at daybreak to pray for and honor indigenous people around the world.
“For many of our prayers, for many of our struggles, we come here on Thanksgiving. Today we have over 3,500 people and this morning the tickets were totally sold out,” said Bill "Jimbo" Simmons as he emceed the event. Simmons is a member of the International Indian Treaty Council who helped organize the event along with the help of The American Indian Contemporary Arts.
Simmons said the primary reason for the event was not only to celebrate and honor American Indian history, but also to educate others about it.
"We are here to remind people, remind those that want to destroy our way of life, that we are still here. We are still carrying on our ways. We are still carrying on our traditions,” Simmons said.
Drums immediately followed Simmons speech as the large crowd began their ascent to the top of the island where a ceremonial fire was burning as the crowd approached. The beating intensified as more and more participants joined together in song as they strolled together towards the fire.
Once they reached the fire, they made offerings of tobacco and asked an elder American Indian named “Indian Joe” to perform his rendition of taps on a horn for all his “brothers.”
There was only silence in the darkness as the flames flickered on the faces of the people who gathered into the large circle surrounding the fire.
National Park Ranger Craig Glassner has worked at the Sunrise gathering for the last 12 years. Glassner said there could have been even more people attend the event but they had to limit the amount of people because of the amount of time it took to get them all on and off the island. Glassner said events like the Sunrise Gathering were important not only to American Indians but to all of San Francisco.
More than 100 dancers, including Aztecan, Plains Indian, Teokali and Eagle dancers, paraded around the fire throughout the event well into sunrise.
They were dressed in traditional attire as they danced. The colors, vibrant and energetic exaggerated their dances. As the orange, bronze, leather and turquoise blended together their headresses bounced almost floating in mid air above their heads.
Many of the native dancers were family members. Including Irma Tellez
and her 18-year-old daughter. Not only do they have the same name, but they have
danced together at the Sunrise Gathering since the daughter was 5 years old.
Others came together and gave thanks for what they did have, including Josie Rosas and her cousin Anna Ortega who said they were thankful to be in good health. Rosas was finally able to attend the event again for the first time in five years since recovering from an illness.
SF State students reacted to the death penalty Wednesday with mixed feelings. For one reason or another many students oppose the death penalty while others support it.
The issue was raised when news broke of a Virginia governor that granted clemency for the execution of a convicted killer who would have been the 1000th person executed in the United States.
The United States has experienced slow but steady success with its welfare reform compared to other nations who have a modest network of non-profit organizations, according to a visiting professor from Germany.
Margit Mayer is an exchange professor of political science with SF State’s Angelika von Wahl who is teaching Mayer’s course at the Freie Universitaet in Berlin this fall. Last Tuesday in the HSS building, as part of the continuing lecture series presented by the College of Behavioral & Social Sciences, Mayer compared how Germany and the U.S. are coping with increasing privatization of social services in an expanding global economy.
A social safety net guaranteeing unemployed workers a minimum income dates back to the middle of the 19th century when Bismarck was the German leader recalled Mayer. Only between 2003 and 2005 when the German parliament instituted the Hartz Reforms (its version of the U.S. 1996 Welfare Reform Act) has Germany cut its once generous assistance.
“There is no ‘rice’ without responsibility,” said Mayer, who paraphrased Anthony Gidden, advisor to Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair. “There’s been long-term employment in Germany since the late 80s. Poverty (now social exclusion) is no longer measured by cash transfer. Now there is a push to move the unemployed into the mainstream market emphasized by job training.”
Non-profits in Germany are characterized by what Mayer called, good, ambivalent or bad practice. The good practice combines training with job placement and connects with housing policy. There, the government is subsidizing non-profits in training clients for neighborhood revitalization. But many of the tasks are low-wage jobs such as custodial work in stadiums, poster removal or security.
Mayer cited a number of similar non-profits in Los Angeles, but who are privately funded through civic organizations. She noted the limited success of Chrysalis in the Watts section of Los Angles. It is a non-profit managed by former homeless people who do street cleaning and removing shantytowns erected by the indigent.
A more promising model said Mayer is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles and the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California. These non-profits conduct English instruction, and manage day laborers focusing on the building trades, loan tools. They function as job recruiters with a long-term perspective.
But reliance on non-profits as the mediator between the state and the private market highlights their limitations; even of the good practice models said Mayer. Most non-profits (in Germany) operate as an extended arm of local state government. Because of government cuts, non-profits curtailed counseling and training. They now place clients in the first available job that are often minimum wage and temporary.
“I think we are in an interesting moment, with all the revitalization programs ¬- the enterprise zones, (i.e., south of Market Street’s multi-media gulch)” said Mayer. “We need to exert pressure on the state so that it will support non-profits. In Germany state funding provides 90 percent of support to non-profits. In Los Angeles they receive 40 percent.”
“The goal of non-profits is not place clients in low-wage jobs but in decent, long-term level of work. But in actuality, this is what often happens.”
Despite recent progress in the U.S. some would dispute Mayer’s outlook. Cathy Johnson is the coordinator of special projects for the College Of Behavioral & Social Sciences. Johnson noted that assistance programs in the U.S. last only 9 to 24 months. No one can work 40 hours a week and take advantage of a college education she said. The only training persons on assistance could get will lead to dead-end short-term work.
“The 1996 Welfare Reform Law was not intended to empower people to be self-sufficient,” said Johnson. “There are various bills in Congress for re-authorization (for benefits) but they’re in abeyance because of arguments over the amount of time required for (recipients) to work.”
Shanti Harris, 34, is a political science graduate student and is enrolled in Mayer’s class. For the last two years he has been working for the non-profit Walden House, headquartered on Townsend Street that also includes eight resident facilities all over the Bay Area and additional locations in Los Angeles.
Until this month, Harris was working in Walden’s Substance Abuse Program (SAP). Harris has guided clients through anger management, parenting classes, and computer training. He also imposed sanctions for policy infractions that ranged from demanding client confessions at Walden house meetings all the way to expulsion. Recently he has begun job recruitment and placed clients at AT&T Park, tool works, and veterinarian technicians.
Harris called Walden House a “definite success.” Every year Walden graduates 200 clients. “Once they’ve been out on their own for a year and a half, cause no trouble with the law, and stay clean and sober, we recognize with a ceremony at the Palace Of Fine Arts.”
The task force investigating the arrest of ethnic studies professor Antwi Akom has asked for more time to complete its investigation. Their findings were initially to be completed by Nov. 20.
“We’re giving them as much time as they need,” said Ellen Griffin, SF State director of public affairs. No timeline was given when the results would be available.
The task force, headed by former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne, was formed by SF State President Robert Corrigan to investigate whether racial profiling was involved in the arrest.
Akom was charged with assaulting an officer and resisting arrest after an altercation on the SF State campus around 11 p.m. on Oct. 25. Akom returned to campus to retrieve a book from his office, leaving his two children asleep in the car. A security guard and campus police confronted him as he entered the building and again as he left his office, requesting ID, according to the police report.
Akom’s pre-trial hearing is set for Monday, Dec. 5.
When Carlos Cordova conducted his research in his native El Salvador in the early 1970’s, the federal government considered him a subversive and people in the villages he visited nicknamed him Che Guevara and Fidel Castro because of his beard and long hair.
Now, he has cut his hair, goes by Dr. Cordova and has written the first-ever comprehensive book on the Central American immigration experience in the United States.
There has never been a book published that discusses the Salvadoran and Central American experience and immigration patterns on a national level. Cordova has taken nearly three decades of research on the latter subject and compiled them into a 196-page book called “The Salvadoran Americans.” The book covers the immigration laws and status of the Central American refugees once they arrived.
Other chapters discuss the reasons for immigration and waves of migrations of Central Americans since the 1870s. It also provides concrete numbers and recent demographics to better analyze the new populations and their adjustment issues. Two years ago Greenwood Press contacted him about writing the book for their “The New Americans” series.
“I had been planning to write a book on the topic for some time,” said Cordova. “When Greenwood Press contacted me they gave me the motivation to do so.”
Cordova has first hand insight on the topic of his book. He himself migrated from El Salvador when he was 15-years-old. He came to the United States in search of a better education and economic opportunity.
“It was a shock when I first got here,” he said, “it definitely didn’t look like it did in the movies.”
After graduating from Balboa High School he went on to receive his B.A. in Sociology and his master’s degree in anthropology and art at SF State. In 1986 he earned his doctorate in education at the University of San Francisco. Throughout his academic career he was heavily involved in the Central American community helping newcomers settle in to life in the U.S. and he made yearly trips to El Salvador and other Central American countries to continue his research.
He began teaching at SF State in 1974 and taught the first course on Central America in 1975. He taught the course for nearly 30 years before deciding to take time off to write the book that he had been putting off for years.
“It was a lot of work,” explained Cordova. “It took me about two years to write but now that it’s done it’s the first nationwide sociological book on what Central Americans in the U.S. have gone through during the last 20 years.”
Cordova said that the reason why a book like his had never been written is because most people from Central America come to the U.S. not to become scholars who study sociology, but instead come largely to work in agriculture and business.
“I’m a Salvadoran immigrant,” said 20-year-old Child Development major Karla Valencia, “and I’m glad that there’s finally a book that (discusses) some of the things that I have gone through. I’m really looking forward to picking it up.”
Valencia will have her chance to pick up the book next semester at the campus bookstore since Cordova plans to use his book as required text for his Central Americans in the U.S. class. The book is also set to be used in other colleges and universities like UC Berkeley and Holy Names College in Oakland. The book is also available through the Greenwood Press Web site and other online booksellers.
Cordova is relieved that the book is finally written and available to the public. The only thing that he would change if he had the chance is the title.
“I wanted it to have a catchy title,” said Cordova. “When I was in Nicaragua I saw a tag on the side of the building that said ‘Yankee go home’. A few days later someone wrote underneath it, ‘And take me with you.’ That would have been a great title.”
On one side of the courtroom, about 25 students wearing bright orange armbands silently expressed their support for the San Francisco State University professor arrested last month.
On the other, at least 10 campus police officers solemnly defended their department on the Oct. 25 arrest of Black Studies Professor Antwi Akom.
Wednesday’s preliminary hearing showed the sharp difference on how the issue was viewed.
Akom is accused of battering a police officer and resisting arrest.
Defense attorney Lidia Stiglich said she will be replaced by John W. Keker, former special prosecutor against Oliver North in the Iran-Contra scandal.
“I believe he was improperly charged. I believe that he was innocent,” said Keker in a phone interview. He was not at the hearing.
On Oct. 25, Akom was arrested at 11 p.m. on campus by university police, after picking up a book from his office. An altercation occurred and an officer was injured at the scene, police said.
A Superior Court judge lowered Akom’s felony charges to a misdemeanor during his arraignment on Nov. 1.
San Francisco State University President Robert A. Corrigan has since appointed former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Louise H. Renne, president of the San Francisco Police Department Commission, to examine the case. The team has asked for more time and information to thoroughly investigate the incident, said university spokesperson Ellen Griffin.
There were about 10 uniformed university police officers in the courtroom.
John Mindermann, president of the San Francisco Veterans Police Officers Association was also present. He is also a San Francisco State University graduate.
He said campus police should defend their department by speaking to media instead of keeping silent.
“(The arresting officer) was the physical inferior to the professor. He was also the educational and intellectual inferior,” Mindermann said. “What’s coming out here is an imbalance perspective.”
However, students said Akom is innocent and hope the misdemeanor charges are dropped. The incident has also drawn student supporters from other colleges.
“It’s sad that someone whose trying to enlighten people and teach people is caught up in racial profiling,” said Laney College student Boze Curtis Riley, 35. “It seems that you’re really guilty until proven innocent, and that’s not right.”
Akom’s next hearing is on Dec. 5.
Last May, students approved a tuition increase of $36 over the next five years to keep athletics at SF State. With the initial increase of $17, effective this fall, students have assumed sole financial responsibility of the athletic department.
“We couldn’t have done it without the students,” said Mike Simpson, athletics director, “They saved us, they absolutely saved us.”
This year, revenue from the fee provided athletics with a budget of $2.16 million. Athletics is projected to have a budget of $3.06 million by 2009.
“It was vital to have some type of governance,” said Associated Students Inc. (ASI) Leadership Development Coordinator Horace Montgomery. “Since the sports fee was now going to be paid by students only, there needed to be a committee that had some oversight of the money.”
The Student Athletics Advisory Board (SAAB) is in the process of being formed to address the concern.
According to Montgomery, SAAB will be produced from two subcommittees that will report directly to the Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students Penny Saffold.
Gator Life, one of the committees, will consist of three student athletes appointed by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), one representative from the Academic Senate and one representative from campus housing. Gator Life will focus on the needs of students and athletics, providing a forum to voice concerns and maintain the goals of the athletics department and the campus.
The other committee, Administrative Oversight Committee (AOC), will focus on operations, university policy and NCAA policy, making sure athletics is in compliance with leauge regulations. AOC will consist of two representatives from ASI, one from the Vice President of Finance, one from the Vice President of Student Affairs and one from the Athletics Department.
Oscar Edwards, ASI creative arts rep and a basketball team member was approved last Wednesday to be on SAAB. SAAC is looking for one more rep to appoint to the Gator Life Committee, according to Vice president of SAAC Scottie Hand.
Although the passing of the referendum and the formation of SAAB is a progressive step for athletics, the $2.16 million collected from student fees is just barely going to keep athletics afloat, according to Simpson.
“When we get here (2009-2010), we will be relatively the same as we were two years ago (prior to budget cuts),” said Simpson.
The SF State Academic Senate unanimously approved a proposal to establish a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Indian Studies (AIS) on Nov. 1, but the curriculum will not be implemented until at least 2007.
“This is something that is long overdue,” said AIS Chair Roberto Rivera. “I am 100 percent behind this effort.”
Approval for the B.A. proposal will be voted on by the California State University Board of Trustees in March 2006. If accepted, professors will determine exact requirements of the major by Fall 2007.
“The idea came from all of the faculty of the department…who feel that the field of American Indian Studies, the support of students and our diverse communities, and our professional development warrant a major program,” said Joanne Barker, an AIS assistant professor.
Barker, who lists her tribal affiliations as Lenni-Lenape, took the lead in writing the proposal that will be voted on by the CSU Board of Trustees in March.
“(Barker) worked tirelessly on this project, and while we supported and assisted, she did the really difficult work,” said AIS Assistant Professor Andrew Jolivétte, a Creole-Indian of Atakapa, Opelousa, Choctaw and Cherokee descent.
“AIS is in a very strong place right now, with a supportive chair, three full time tenure-track American Indian faculty, and a number of outstanding lecturers and affiliate faculty,” said Barker.
The AIS department was founded in 1969 by a group of activists and American Indian students, and currently offers a minor in American Indian studies.
According to Barker, a survey was conducted amongst all the students enrolled in AIS courses last fall, and “about 345 of 365 said they supported the department’s plan to develop a major.”
SF State’s Web site lists American Indian undergraduate enrollment as 1 percent, or 187 students.
“This is a much needed addition not only to the College of Ethnic Studies curriculum but to the university… it is important, not only symbolically, ethically, but intellectually for students, faculty, and the greater community,” said Jolivétte.
Support for an AIS degree has been strong at SF State, according to Barker. The entire College Chair’s Council attended the Academic Senate meeting where the B.A. proposal was presented, and faculty across the college and campus wrote letters of support to the dean and to the Academic Senate, according to Barker.
“At the end of two years, it is my hope that we’re going to have a major, a great major,” said Rivera, who is pleased that the proposal is moving on. “(American Indian) culture and the people are very much alive. It would really benefit us all if we knew much more about this wonderful culture.”
Over the years, the World Wide Web has become a widely-available commodity, and SF State has attempted to accommodate this advancement by offering courses that incorporate online participation.
The integration of education and the Internet has been an important academic tool at SF State since 1997. The advantage of technology has made it possible for students and faculty to use the Internet in countless ways to better facilitate student learning.
Blackboard is SF State’s main online course management system designed to assist instructors and students by providing accessible copyrighted educational materials, online quizzes, and discussion board that are usually used in traditional in class lectures. There is also “hybrid blended learning” in which 30 – 80 percent of the course is offered online with the requirement that students and the instructor only meet for a few class sessions. SF State offers about 20 full online courses in which more than 80 percent of instruction is offered online and cannot exceed more than three face to face class meetings.
Online education expert Brian Beatty, estimates that 70 percent of SF State courses use one of the online systems provided by the campus to extend their coursework beyond the classroom environment. He said that online courses may increase the amount of educational resources available to more people and provide a more engaging learning experience for students.
“Online education has expanded opportunities for teaching and learning to many people, in many cultures, across the borders of time and geography, in various professional contexts. I believe and hope (that) we will see more effective and engaged lifelong learners around the world as a result,” said Beatty, an assistant professor of Informational Technology.
Students enrolled in a full online course or a “hybrid blended learning” course are students who usually need a much more open school schedule to cater to their personal lives.
Kevin Kelly, online teaching and learning coordinator at the Center for Teaching and Faculty Development at SF State, has been helping promote online education to faculty members in all departments. He has been the leader in developing superior and fresh online education to enhance courses at the university and believes that there is a prominent future for online education.
“SFSU has the most non traditional students,” said Kelly. “Over 80 percent work at least half the time, while other people have other obligations like taking care of their family members, or their children. Then there are people who live far and they need to be in a class where some of the course is partly or fully online.”
Kelly said the demand has increased for the online environment because it provides flexibility for students.
Professor of Management Monique Pelletier-Harrison is currently teaching a completely online course on management and organizational behavior. Compared to traditional in-class settings, Harrison said online courses are particularly demanding on both students and professors. She said her online course requires her attention seven days a week to teach the course, answer student’s e-mails and work with students online. She praises online education for its usefulness to students with a tight schedule, but warns that online courses are not a breeze to pass.
“Students underestimate the demands of online course,” said Harrison. “They save the material without studying it until the day before the tests…I have taken three online classes myself and I experienced first hand the demands and the discipline necessary to take an online class.”
There are still some instructors who are hesitant to wholly place their student’s education on the Internet. Professor Mary Scott teaches a class on instructional video, that requires a lot of hands on work with cameras and lights.
“We have a good time and lot of that has to do with the interaction, I believe students learn a lot from each other ... I’m concerned how that will be possible online,” Scott said. “It mostly has to do with interaction – supposedly there is still possible interaction online, but in my experience it’s very stilted.”
Scott’s hesitance has not completely warded her off from online education, as she is corresponding with Kelly about the possibility of using the Internet to assist her in teaching her course.
A study done at California State University, Northridge, examined “virtual students,” who were enrolled in online courses versus students in traditional classes and found that virtual students scored 20 points higher on exams than students who attended in class lectures.
Despite the numbers, SF State student Maria Villagonzalo has difficulty absorbing the online lectures and prefers to actually sit in class. Her decision to be part of an online course was due to her busy schedule, but she said this semester has been a little more difficult because she is a virtual student.
“I just don’t feel like I really get full ideas of what the lectures are,” said Villagonzalo. “My professor supplies everything for us online and I just sit there reading and not really being able to immediately communicate what it is I want to say. There’s no interaction.”
Survivors of Hurricane Katrina charged the federal government with racist incompetence for belated relief efforts and appealed for funds and skilled volunteers to help rebuild New Orleans at SF State on Tuesday.
Over two hundred people crowded Jack Adams Hall to hear New Orleans community activists Malik Rahim and Curtis Muhammed, speak at the forum “Voices from the Front: What you can do,” sponsored by SF State's department of health education.
“Racism, greed and corruption imploded the levees,” said Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground, the nonprofit organization that sprang up to aid Katrina victims in the days following the storm.
Rahim said there was no reason for the levees to break. The predominantly black 9th Ward of New Orleans was one of the worst damaged districts, but there was minimal harm to white neighborhoods, he said.
Using a slide show, Rahim traced the path of Katrina that merely sideswiped New Orleans but had it been a direct hit it would have likely killed 100,000 he insisted. The slides also displayed the disparity of destruction from one side of the levee to the other that divided along racial lines. When the levees broke in the industrial canals, black homeowners - 70 percent of whom owed no mortgage but had no insurance - lost their homes. Some owners whose homes were estimated to be worth $200,000 were offered only $26,000 in compensation from the government, said Rahim.
“If we spent some money to preserve the wetlands this would have never have happened,” said Rahim. “The greatest number (of people) caught in New Orleans was elderly and single mothers with infants, mostly with incomes of under $7,000 a year.”
Rahim praised the volunteers who streamed into New Orleans to help with recovery but complained about authorities that derailed relief efforts.
“I’m honored we got help from San Francisco General (Hospital) because we couldn’t get anybody from Louisiana,” said Rahim. “If not for the volunteer doctors from San Francisco, the Midwest, and Europe, God knows how many people would have died. We had a racist sheriff here who turned away volunteers, especially Blacks.”
Rahim complained about a significant decline in civic responsibility in the U.S. and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and Red Cross would rather let food rot in boxes before giving it out to disaster victims. Common Ground distributed 80 tons of food and served 3,600 persons at their emergency health clinic in two months, Rahim said.
Dr. Michael Kozart of SF General Hospital volunteered in New Orleans and said the slow relief efforts he saw in the press were "painful to his heart" and "a total injustice" to think it could happen in this country. Kozart recalled refilling prescriptions, treating diabetes, asthma, eye infections and performing primary medical care. He said it was a privilege to be down in New Orleans but insisted he only got through police check points was because he was white.
“We just got to address all aspects of class inequality and racism and recognize that what’s happening in New Orleans is happening in the (San Francisco) Bay View (District),” said Kozart. “They are at risk and are undermined by neglect and abandonment. We need to cultivate more mutual aid in our own society and do so in a way to support people. It’s not about taking on power or charity - it’s about solidarity and local empowerment.”
Curtis Muhammed works with the non-profit organization Community Labor United of Baton Rouge Louisiana. He ascribed much of the harm caused by Katrina to indifference by the Bush administration and FEMA and appealed to any attorneys in the audience to investigate the possibility of criminal negligence.
“We charge murder by our national, state and local government,” said Muhammed. “That’s a serious charge. We've got a lot of work to do - legal research to uncover evidence. Did they intentionally try to kill those people? We need to look carefully at what the communication between the weather people and the president was.
“The people in New Orleans did not experience a natural disaster. Katrina was up the highway 70 miles when the levees broke,” said Muhammed.
Muhammed said racism is so deep in the U.S. that even though the country had the skills and resources to help New Orleans, (68 percent African-American) the authorities remained frozen in their tracks. Public education is "rotten and needs to be mended," he said.
“We first have to attack our hatred for dark skins and then we can celebrate our human connection,” said Muhammed. “Katrina put the spotlight on race and environmental abuse in this country. Bush knew he could get away with it because nobody likes poor black people - even among our own people. We the displaced people of New Orleans must take charge of our own recovery but we insist on government participation.”
Leon Breckenridge, 18, is a Cinema freshman. He accused the federal government of “playing with people’s lives, a lot of whom are homeless.” Breckenridge said most people lack the means to care for themselves in the event of a disaster like Katrina and it is the government’s responsibility to intervene.
“These (FEMA) people waited five days to help,” said Breckenridge. “Then they call (survivors) looters and refugees. The government needs to get its priorities straight. Soldiers are dying in Iraq for nothing. Katrina was far more threatening then Al-Qaeda - more likely to have a natural disaster than an Al Qaeda disaster.”
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Marla J. Miller set a preliminary trial date of December 5 for ethnic studies Professor Antwi Akom.
Akom’s former defense attorney, Lidia Stiglich, informed the court that the defense will now be handled by notable San Francisco attorney John Keker – most famous for his prosecution of Oliver North during the Iran-Contra scandal.
Keker agreed to take on the case pro bono, because he said he believes in Akom’s innocence and that this is a case of social injustice.
“I believe he has been unjustly accused,” Keker said.
Several students wearing orange armbands attended the hearing to show support for Akom. Nancy Jodaitis, a graduate student in adult education, called the charges against Akom “egregious” and “unjust.”
“It’s a clear case,” Jodaitis said. “I’m aghast that the president of the university hasn’t rescinded the charges.”
Not everyone in attendance came to support Akom, however. John Mindermann, co-president of the Veteran Police Officer Association, voiced his support for the officers involved.
Mindermann said the police officer “was physically inferior to the professor,” and that he was “the primary victim.”
While Mindermann acknowledged the officer may have overreacted, he placed the burden of the responsibility on Akom. He also claimed that coverage of the case was one-sided.
“There is apparently no balanced perspective. I was most distressed to see the fist-pumping in the courtroom,” he said, referring to Akom’s supporters at the last court hearing. “
Eleven SF State police officers, including those involved in the Oct. 25 incident, also attended the hearing. They sat across the aisle from the nearly two dozen Akom supporters, and spoke privately with prosecutor Eric Fleming after the hearing.
Officer Brandon Rodgers, the officer involved in the initial confrontation, left without speaking to Fleming or reporters. Fleming also had no comment.
On Nov. 8, Associated Students Inc. (ASI) approved a revised finance policy which is scheduled to take effect in August.
Major revisions include new organizations now receiving $100 in their first year, and only historical events will have funding approved for off-campus functions. All events funded by ASI must display the student government’s logo at the event and student organizations must perform evaluations if they receive more than $1,000 of funding for one event. ASI also created an appeals process for organizations to use if they feel they need additional event funding.
The addition of the appeal process will allow organizations who are not satisfied with the funding they received by the board to appeal that decision by filling out a form and appearing in front of the board to plead their case.
Organizations receiving $1,000 or more for one event must go through an evaluation process within 25 days of that event. The organizations are expected to complete a cost analysis of the event, supply pictures, attendance records of performers and staff and an event summary including any problems that may have arisen from the event.
ASI voted against the $5,000 cap on funding to any one student organization after receiving input from organizations, according to ASI President Chris Jackson.
Being a starving student isn’t easy. Almost 50 percent of SF State students receive financial aid, and 70 percent of those have taken out student loans.
San Francisco is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States. It is no wonder that students are scraping together money just to eat and living off of Ramen noodles and frozen burritos.
Many students are not informed of all the little ways to eat well and have a good time without breaking the bank but with the right resources and some good tips, a simple $20 can go a long way.
Start off the day with breakfast at Denny’s. With their Big and Bountiful Breakfasts you have a choice of three hearty meals; the sausage sampler, the meat lover’s and the country-fried steak and biscuits breakfast for only $4.99. With tax and a 15 percent tip the breakfast grand total is $6.22.
Take that $13.78 and head over to the school for an early afternoon movie at the Cesar Chavez Center. They show movies once a month for $4 and your student ID card gets you an extra dollar off.
This month they have shown Hustle and Flow and War of the Worlds.
If you are hungry after the movie head on over to Super Star; a Filipino/Chinese restaurant on 24th and Mission streets. You can eat well for only $2.98, which includes tax. The meal includes two eggs, two pork chops and garlic fried rice.
You should have $7.80 left. End your day and begin the night at San Francisco Brewing Company with $1.75 beers. You can get three beers and leave a tip with the remainder of your money.
Saving money while out drinking is another obstacle, but stick to the weekly parties and college nights and you can party for cheap.
Many voters who turned out for this month’s special election saw the loss of eight initiatives as a victory over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s agenda and a sure sign of weakness in the republican governor’s re-election campaign.
“ … If I would do another Terminator movie I would have Terminator travel back in time to tell Arnold not to have a special election,” Schwarzenegger said in a press conference held on Nov. 10.
SF State Political Science Professor James Martel said this month’s special election could be a preview of next year’s gubernatorial race.
“He intimidated the Democratic controlled Legislature – now they’re ready to tear him to pieces,” said Martel. "Because of his star power he came in with a tremendous amount of political clout. But he tried to destroy the power of the unions and the Democrats, and he won’t get the cooperation of the Legislature after he attacked them so aggressively.
“He has a tendency to blame teachers and state employees who are not responsible for California’s problems,” Martel went on, “the special election shows Schwarzenegger’s contempt for the bi-partisan process.”
Schwarzenegger, acknowledged the defeat of his initiatives during the conference, but said that the special election propositions were not influenced by republican ideals at all.
“I'm willing to work hard … to show (Californians) that I'm not to the right or to the left, that I just see things what is best for California, and (the last thing I think of) when I make a decision is, is this a Republican idea or is this a Democratic idea? I don't think this way. I just think about, what is the right idea for California?
“The message that we got from this special election was very clear … that the people want us to take care of the job right here in (the Capitol) building, and not to go to them if things don't work out,” said Schwarzenegger.
Public employees including the California Faculty Association (the union representing California State University employees) saw the special election loss of eight initiatives as a victory over Governor Schwarzenegger's agenda.
Some voters cited Proposition 73 as what motivated them to go to the polls. Frances Miller, 26, a fine arts/textiles senior, said she reluctantly voted no on Proposition 73 so 17-year-old girls do not have to notify their parents if they seek an abortion.
“All women of all ages should choose what they want to do with their own bodies,” said Miller.
“Abortion is frightening for any girl to go through. I think the measure was a good one to explore and I’m sure we’ll come back to it.”
Evan Ledesma, a 22-year-old art history junior, said he voted “no” on most of the propositions except for 79 (the enforceable prescription drug discount measure). However, he did admit that he could have been better prepared for voting.
“I had the opportunity to know more in my voter guide,” said Ledesma. “I have a friend in a union and he said ‘vote no on 75’ so I did.”
Along with the majority, Dell Brooks, 34, a political science senior, gave thumbs down to Propositions 73 through 78. Yet he said he was sad to see Proposition 80 (which would have re-regulated California’s energy markets) did not pass.
“I don’t see a plethora of companies springing up to put us on the road to using viable alternative energy sources,” said Brooks. “So as long as we’re dependant upon PG&E, I’d rather see them regulated.”
Physics graduate student Bill Caudy, 23, said the teacher tenure issue was the governor’s means to find a scapegoat for budget problems.
“The problem is not with being able to fire teachers but funding schools,” said Caudy. “I don’t want (Schwarzenegger) re-elected, but unfortunately people are susceptible to iconography. The fact that Schwarzenegger got elected in the first place shows that anything can happen. But he is definitely weaker now.”
The Republican Party’s domination of electoral politics is on the wane, said SF State Professor Anita Axt, a foreign language and literature department instructor.
“These two governorships (New Jersey and Virginia) maybe a very good sign that Democrats are getting elected,” said Axt. “This may be a trend for 2006.”
Ever since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 (initiative that limited taxes for home owners who purchased then), the initiative process has done more to paralyze California’s government than solve its problems said SF State history Professor Jules Tygiel. Initiatives take away options from the Legislature and the governor, which is why state government is often deadlocked, he said.
“I don’t see any realistic options for California,” said Tygiel. “One thing is to do away with the initiative process but I don’t see that happening. I would love to see the Democrats not bask in the electoral victory but come up with some real programs to solve problems such as education. You can only accomplish so much by being negative.”
Red Bull and RockStar energy drinks are some of the most popular drinks on SF State’s campus. They are among the top three selling drinks at campus convenience stores. Red Bull outsells Classic Coke by nearly twice as many units per week, and Coke barely beats out RockStar for second place.
Students say that they mostly buy the energy drinks right before class in order to stay awake and alert, but some campus health officials say that in the long run, the drinks can wear students out more than help them out.
“I have about eight Red Bulls a week,” said senior marketing major Paul Grass. “I drink one right before school or work and then I’m ready to go.”
Katie Webb, 18, said that she drinks at least seven RockStars a week.
“I usually drink them before class because they help me stay awake,” said Webb. “I find them more convenient and better tasting than the coffees on campus.”
SF State nutritionist Teresa Leu said the reason why Red Bull and RockStar provide energy is due to the high amounts of sugar and caffeine in them.
“A Red Bull has about 80 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per eight-ounce serving,” explained Leu, “and on top of that it has 27mg of sugar. That’s like putting seven teaspoons of sugar in an eight-ounce cup of coffee. That’s why students feel like it gives them energy, but unfortunately it’s not long-term energy.”
Junior psychology major Natalie Lobue admitted that a couple of years ago she was addicted to RockStars. She started drinking two a day because she would crash a couple of hours after drinking the first one.
“What was happening to her is that her energy was going way up and then it would come way down,” explained health educator Albert Angelo. “The caffeine makes you alert because it stimulates the brain and the sugar enters your blood stream quickly and so you get a burst of energy that can last from a couple of minutes to a couple of hours. Once (students) come down they may want to drink another one and that can lead to addiction.”
Other than caffeine and different forms of sugar like sucrose, glucose and glucuronolactone, Red Bull contains ingredients such as taurine, an amino acid found in bull testicles and in some fish, and various other B-complex vitamins.
According to Leu, adding the B-vitamins to the drink “is more of a marketing tool used to impart a healthy impression of the product.”
With RockStar’s 16-ounce cans, consumers get twice the amount of sugar and caffeine. One of the things RockStar has that Red Bull does not is guarana, an additional form of caffeine derived from berries. Another thing that a can of RockStar includes but Red Bull lacks is a warning, in very fine print, stating that the drink is "Not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or those
sensitive to caffeine."
Leu explained that although nutritionists do not yet know the exact long-term health issues associated with energy drinks, she does know that they can cause jitteriness, anxiety, high blood sugar levels and if they are mixed with alcohol the combination of a heavy stimulant and a depressant can lead to heart failure.
Kara Maskew, a Red Bull North America spokeswoman said, “Red Bull energy drink is a safe consumer product that can be consumed when you are in need of energy. We are confident in the safety of Red Bull, as nearly two billion cans were safely consumed worldwide last year. In addition, there has never been a link between Red Bull and any health issue. So pop open a cold one for your own set of wings.”
Instead of popping a cold one, Leu suggests that students should get their wings through different means.
“You are better off eating a large apple or string cheese,” she said. “It will give you energy for a longer period of time because of the natural sugars and proteins that they contain.”
Angelo said that even though energy drinks are not the best thing for you, anything, no matter what it is, is all about moderation and that having a couple Red Bulls or RockStars a week is not that big of a concern.
“If your diet revolves around such drinks, then that’s a different story,” said Angelo.
So if students want to make sure that after having an energy drink, the wings that they are supposed to get don’t fly them only half way through class or that their rock star vigor won't wear off thirty minutes into their set, the key is moderation. Of course there is always the option of buying dozens of cases of apples or huge packages of string cheese.
The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) and the Blackboard Academic Suite have made it easier for instructors to use copyrighted materials on Blackboard without having to worry about copyright infringement.
The CCC, a non-profit and government-chartered company that serves as the conciliator between publishers, businesses and schools, has assimilated with Blackboard to create "The Copyright Permission Building Block," which will advance the current software by adding on a direct copyright authorization. Direct copyright authorization will make it much easier for schools to access and utilize copyrighted materials for online courses.
In a statement released by the CCC, they promised that this solution will be free of charge and will “enable faculty and staff to quickly and easily obtain licenses to post copyrighted text-based content within Blackboard when developing electronic course materials.”
Current copyright laws allow instructors to post materials through Blackboard or electronic reserves, but with very strict guidelines. According to the Copyright Management Center – an online tool that assists in the management of copyright issues – articles, photographs, paintings, music or any original work may be used for educational purposes as long as there is no monetary benefit for the instructors and the university.
Before The Copyright Permission Building Block was implemented, university faculty would have to wait for the proper authorization for their online course materials, said Kevin Kelly, the assistant director at the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching.
“If the campus adopts this Building Block, then it might improve the overall adherence to copyright policies,” said Kelly.
After years of businesses downsizing and closing, rounds of lay-offs, shrinking salaries, and extremely limited hiring, Silicon Valley companies are now experiencing higher profits, creating more entry-level positions, and increasing paychecks.
Industry heavyweights have led the expansion. Google posted third-quarter profits that were seven times higher than usual, and Apple posted a record-breaking yearly profit of one billion dollars citing tremendous iPod and iTunes sales. Ebay bought the Internet-telephone service, Skype, and Yahoo,
Google, and Microsoft are locked in a bidding war to buy a sizable portion of America Online.
Jack Brewer, director of the SF State Career Center, said that students with majors in computer science, computer engineering, and computer information systems are seeing more job openings. He also pointed out that salaries in these fields are gradually starting to rise.
“The number of job offers given to students in these majors is increasing, and we’re seeing entry-level salaries come back up. And employers predict this will continue through 2006,” Brewer said.
The U.S. Department of Labor also reports that students who major in engineering or computer science receive the two highest average starting salaries. The average national starting salary for college graduates with engineering degrees is $49,636. Brewer said this amount is higher in California because of the state’s greater cost of living.
Martin Kenney, author of “Understanding Silicon Valley” and professor of human and community development at UC Davis, said the Internet is the savior of the Silicon Valley area, stimulating investors and beckoning entrepreneurs to start companies.
"Businesses are saving a lot of money because they no longer have to buy software, they can just pay a small fee and they have access to a suite of the same services on the Internet," said Kenney. "And companies no longer have to worry about security or technical headaches, because the big server in the sky provides professional support."
As the Internet’s influence increases around the world, more people are using search websites to hunt for information. Kenney credited search websites like Google as a major factor in sparking Silicon Valley's resurgence.
"As more people are scraping these gigantic Internet databases for information, this is creating more firms in the area," said Kenney.
But local think-tanks warned the upturn did not signal a return to the boom-days of the 1990s, and that people already halfway through their careers would still have much difficulty finding a job.
“The job market is better than it was four years ago when companies weren’t hiring anyone, but it’s not fabulous,” said Paul Saffo, director of the Institute for the Future, a Palo Alto think-tank. “But still, if I was looking for jobs in Silicon Valley right now, I’d rather be a just-graduated student than a mid-career manager. New graduates are in a strong position because they are up to the minute in their skills. They’re freshly trained in the latest technology and programs, and they’re cheaper.”
Being in the heart of the valley, San Jose State University has witnessed a surge in the number of businesses looking for recruits on campus. Donna Gilmour, employer relations consultant at the San Jose State Career Center, said the school had to turn away some companies from their annual job fair because all spots were filled.
“They were looking for new-hires for positions in business, engineering, finance, sales, and almost all areas really,“ said Gilmour. “More and more employers are seeing the advantages of college recruiting because it keeps them supplied with a constant pipeline at the entry level.”
The independent investigation into the arrest of Africana Studies Professor Antwi Akom is underway and will likely be complete by Nov. 20, according to SF State officials.
Within a week of the arrest, SF State President Robert Corrigan appointed former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and former City Attorney Louise H. Renne to investigate the incident.
Akom returned to campus around 11 p.m. on Oct. 25 to get a textbook he needed for class the next day. Adelberto Guevara, a Wackenhut security guard, called his supervisor to report that a “tall black male with a dreadlock hairstyle” had refused to show him identification, according to a police report filed by SF State police.
Guevara told police that he saw Akom walking briskly towards the Ethnic Studies and Psychology building and asked him “Excuse me, do you work here?” Akom replied, “Yeah I work here,” and then walked to his office on the second floor, according to the report.
Officer Brandon Rodgers was the first of three SF State officers to respond and confront Akom. Rodgers and Guevara searched room-to-room looking for Akom, and a physical altercation ensued after they saw him on the second floor, the report states. Akom was arrested and charged with felony assault on a police officer and resisting arrest, which were later reduced to misdemeanor charges by a Superior Court judge.
Corrigan said the review team was gathered in an effort to “restore a sense of community and trust,” and to serve as the “beginning of a healing process” at SF State.
“The review team is analyzing the situation and helping everyone to discover what happened that night, and their findings will be given to the president,” Griffin said.
“They will explore the full context of the situation, which can include issues such as racial tensions and racial profiling,” Griffin said.
Corrigan told a student gathering last week that the report, which is separate from any criminal investigation, is expected within the next ten days and will be made available to the public after he reviews it.
Akom returned to class Nov. 3 to find many supportive students and faculty. Many wore orange armbands signifying their support of Akom and opposition to racial profiling.
Campus police initially told Akom that, due to campus regulations, he would be barred from the campus for 14 days, but the order was later rescinded.
Akom was not able to comment by [X]press deadline.
In lieu of the recent arrest of ethnic studies Professor Antwi Akom, racial profiling on the SF State campus is once again a hot issue.
In a statement released last month concerning the arrest of Akom, SF State President Robert Corrigan described the university as "a campus community that identifies itself by a central commitment to social justice and equity." Yet, racial tension in the past may have already tarnished the history of SF State.
Vandals smeared fecal matter and urine on the floor when the new Richard Oakes Multicultural Center opened in 2002, according to previous [X]press reports. This semester, members of the La Raza student organization reported receiving hate mail with pictures of Che Guevara crossed out and a written message stating "Che killed my people."
“I had a California history professor tell my class that Cesar Chavez was worthless and the whole Latino movement was a waste of time,” said Jason Bell, student and director of Project Rebound.
“When I told them that I worked here they seemed shocked, they gave me a look and (I felt that) they couldn’t believe that a black man works here.”
Peers continually mistake Aristel Delacruz, a liberal studies student who identifies himself as a Filipino-American, for being Chinese he said.
“I am just surprised that at this college where classes are taught on the Philippines and China and there are students who still confuse the two,” said Delacruz. “I just wish that students would be more aware and sensitive.”
When asked, other students feel that racial profiling still exists but they have not personally experienced it on this campus.
“I have met the most open-minded group of people on this campus,” said Oscar Aguirre, a Latino student originally from Houston. "Look at the student organizations on this campus, you won’t find that in the south.”
Associated Students Inc. President Chris Jackson said he is working with the student organization
Students Against Racism to prevent prejudice actions from happening on this campus in the future. Jackson said when he was walking from the library to his car one night, university police shined their flashlight on him and asked if he was a student. He felt the university police targeted him because of the color of his skin.
“I am not anti-cop, they provide a valuable and necessary service to our campus, however I think that university police need to take cultural sensitivity training classes,” said Jackson.
Jackson wants to rehire an ombudsman to work with student affairs. SF State used to have one in the early 90’s but the position was cut due to funding. The ombudsman would be an independent resource that would be responsible for investigating and settling discrimination disputes on campus.
Currently other California State Universities have an on-campus ombudsman.
Jackson and ASI are also compiling a list of demands for the administration as retribution for the Akom arrest. They are demanding an implementation of an ombudsman, that all charges be dropped against Akom, that Corrigan issues a formal apology to Akom and that the university hire more faculty of color.
“Discrimination is a systemic problem at this university and (the Akom arrest) is just a cough and sniffle in comparison to the virus that is infecting people of color on campus,” said Jackson.
On Nov.2 the Mission District filled up with altars, candles and music for the annual Dia De Los Muertos celebration. Thousands of people marched in procession to be part of the ancient Mexican festivity that honors the dead and the continuity of life.
"What sets us apart from any other place in the country," said Rosa De Anda, who has been organizing the event in the city for the past 26 years, "is that this is not commercial, there's no sponsorship. It's a complete community effort."
People who lost their life for the war and the latest natural disasters were remembered, but the message was to embrace every moment and make it artistic and colorful.
A handful of SF State on-campus groups gathered in Malcom X Plaza, for a Halloween rally, concert and costume party on Monday, Oct. 31. The Voices for Sexual Freedom (VOX) and the College Democrats are hoping to persuade voters against Proposition 73. The rally featured two speakers, musical acts and performances from the Radical Cheerleaders. Click the yellow button to see the action.
Associated Students Inc. (ASI) has brought in a conflict resolution expert to help them resolve some of their personal problems after months of squabbling.
“That’s the nature of the beast,” said Dr. Marc Martin, an SF State speech and communication studies professor brought in two weeks ago by ASI to observe their board meetings.
“The board’s behavior is rather normal and in some cases better than other boards I’ve observed,” said Martin, who observed the ASI board meetings on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2. Martin reported his findings back to ASI, but whether they address his critiques is up to them, said Martin.
“I’m trying my best to not be combatible,” said Joe Anolin, vice president of external affairs at the end of the Aug. 31 board meeting. Anolin talked to the remaining board members about having a communication workshop.
“There hasn’t been a certain level of respect for awhile,” said Anolin at the next meeting.
Anolin has had continuous problems with President Chris Jackson. Jackson has told Anolin he was out of order at several board meetings.
At the Oct. 19 board meeting, Anolin walked out after being informed that he did not need to finish his report because Jackson could decide to skip his presentation. Anolin replied, “This is retarded,” and walked out. He returned to the meeting a few minutes later.
At the meeting prior to that, Jackson left after numerous acts of disruptiveness, including unruly behavior from board members and Rep at Large Isidro Armenta’s refusal to tell Jackson what he was laughing about.
Communication problems have also occurred with ASI staff. Horace Montgomery, leadership
development coordinator and full-time staff member for ASI, got into a verbal disagreement with
Jackson on Aug. 24 that ended when police were called. Three weeks later, the personnel committee recommended suspending Montgomery for four months and withholding Jackson’s pay, $950, for one month. Both recommendations failed.
According to Montgomery, who is in charge of training board members, there is no conflict resolution training for staff and board members. Board members go to a weekend retreat in May, right after being elected into office. At the retreat, members get familiar with the ASI corporation and their responsibilities and duties as board members. An optional, more extensive summer training is also available for members.
Health and Human Services Rep Najma Nuriddin made arrangements for Martin to come in and observe a board meeting in order to “assess the damages,” according to Nuriddin.
Martin, a practicing facilitator, mediator and negotiator for almost 25 years, charged the board $30 an hour, 50 percent less than the $60 he usually charges for this kind of work.
“The observations are done,” said Martin. “I have met with the board designate and I will probably meet with the chair as well since the chair’s position on the board is so crucial.”
Some board members consider the squabbling unprofessional for an organization in charge of $2-$3 million of students’ money. For other board members, ASI is just another learning experience.
“Everyone knows we’re not full-time politicians,” said Armenta. “We’re not lawyers; we’re not all political science majors (and) because of that everything isn’t going to go smoothly all the time. Being students, we are all learning from experience.”
SF State Students discuss whether they will vote for this years' election and why. Click the yellow bar on the right to view!
A student walkout and rally drew mixed results in Malcolm X Plaza Wednesday morning. The event was part of a nationwide walkout effort organized by worldcantwait.org, a group dedicated to protesting the Iraq War and the Bush administration.
The event started around 10 a.m. and included freestyle rap by "Mars Attacks."
"I'm just trying to educate everyone," said the rapper, "let them know that it's okay to get out of school for a day to show what you believe in, and more importantly, what you don't believe in."
As a drum group began to perform in Malcolm X Plaza, a small group, led by organizer Oscar Ledesma, walked through the fine arts and ethnic studies buildings encouraging students to join the walkout.
"We're trying to mobilize students here at State to get this rally started and to get everyone aware," said Ledesma.
Broadcasting major Angie Muela was one of the students who chose to join in the protest.
"Yesterday I saw a flier on the floor, I kind of just picked it up and joined" said Muela, "I saw them out in Malcolm X, and I can't sit around and not do anything about this, it's ridiculous."
After returning to the plaza, a group of a few dozen protestors made their way on to Civic Center Plaza to join both college and high school students from San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley.
Veronica Dominguez is a psychology major whose only previous protest experience was at Chabot College.
"I haven't done this in a while," said Dominguez, "but I do know that I love people and I want to help the world, basically. We can all learn from each other, and we can all really empower each other."
Upon arrival, the SF State group disappeared into the much larger mass of protestors, many of who were high school students. U.C. Berkeley student Gavin Raders organized a group from the East Bay.
"I find this very interesting how it seems that high school students are taking this up a lot stronger than universities," said Raders, "I think it might be because a lot of university kids don't really have to worry about going to fight the war in Iraq, it's pretty far removed from that, whereas our high school students see the military recruiters every day."
Back on campus, the lack of organization and enthusiasm was cited by Paul, a BECA major, as a reason for not participating in the walkout.
"I think it's very unorganized," he said, "it seems like it's different groups who are just going and preaching to the choir about their own interests."
Political Science major Carl Clark, Vice President of the campus Republicans, has seen many of the campus protests from the other side of political spectrum. He noticed a decline in the number of people protesting as of late.
"It seems like compared to the number of students we have at this university, they don't have much of a turnout any more," said Clark, "it might be a little different today because it's Bush, but I don't think there will be any great numbers."
At the Civic Center Plaza rally, SF State freshman Alex Fu acknowledged the lack of a substantial group from SF State.
"From the way SF State was so unorganized, I was expecting even less," said Fu, who blames much the lack of participation on philosophical differences between groups.
"I just hope that a lot of the ideological differences can fade out and people can find some common ground," said Fu, "sure, a mother may be a Democrat or a Republican against the war, but they lost there son, and that effects me, that's a lot more concrete than some abstract revolution. If people can think about it in that aspect, then maybe we can get some stuff done."
Students and faculty gathered yesterday for what they called "strategic meeting" to explain what happened to Professor Akom and plan what they should do about it.
Many believe Corrigan must issue an apology to Akom and the community.
Africana Studies Professor Antwi Akom pled not guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from an Oct. 25 incident with campus police after a Superior Court judge threw out felony charges at an arraignment Nov. 1 at the San Francisco Hall of Justice.
Akom was arrested on campus as he went to retrieve a book from his office around 11 p.m. and was initially booked on felony charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. Akom told colleagues that he was the victim of racial profiling in the incident, and denied the charges against him.
Although Akom and his lawyers were pleased with the charges being reduced, they said that the battle to prove his innocence is just beginning.
“I am shocked, dismayed and traumatized by this entire experience,” Akom said. “But we’re confident that justice will prevail because I haven’t done anything wrong.
“The big issue here is that I was racially profiled, attacked, detained, accosted and criminalized outside my own office in my place of work.”
Akom's criminal defense attorney, Lidia Stiglich, said the case "never added up to a felony. It was overcharged out of the gate.”
The charges were lowered to misdemeanor battery against a police officer causing injury and resisting arrest. If convicted, Akom would face a maximum penalty of one year in county jail as opposed the maximum penalty for a felony of up to two years in state prison.
The San Francisco District Attorney's office did not return calls for comment. Officials at the SF State Department of Public Safety declined to comment and referred all calls to a university spokesperson.
Judge Donna Little, who presided over the arraignment, said that although she questioned Akom’s conduct during the altercation, she didn’t feel there was enough evidence to warrant the felony charges brought against him by the district attorney.
SF State officials declined to comment on the criminal case, but the school has appointed former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and former City Attorney Louise Renne to investigate the incident and Akom’s claims. Neither Brown nor Renne could be reached for comment.
President Robert Corrigan released a statement Oct. 28, calling for “a suspension of judgment until a full, clear picture emerges and rumors can be replaced by facts.”
“We are a campus community that identifies itself by a central commitment to social justice and equity,” Corrigan said. “Did we fully live up to those values on October 25?
“To answer that question, I believe our best course is a thorough external review of this matter. With the help of respected, impartial individuals who share our values, but who will approach their task independently and neutrally, we can gain a full picture of events and the context in which they occurred.”
According to colleagues that spoke to Akom about the incident, Akom said he was questioned by a security guard as he approached the building. He told the officer that he was a professor and that he was going to his office. While he was inside, the security guard had called a campus police officer who was waiting for Akom when he exited the building. Akom later said he was hurrying because his two young children were in his car.
When the officer told Akom to put his hands behind his back, Akom told colleagues, they started arguing and it quickly became physical. Two other officers were called to the scene and placed Akom under arrest. He has said that he was never asked for identification.
The Department of Public Safety police report, however, tells a different story. The security guard said that he asked Akom if he worked there and made repeated requests to see his identification. He said that Akom responded in an agitated manner. Unsure of what to do, the guard called his supervisor, who then called campus police. The first police officer on the scene sustained minor injuries during the scuffle.
“I think the judge showed that this felony charge was an extreme charge and it’s step one,” said Matthew Shenoda, an ethnic studies professor and Akom’s colleague. “I stand behind his innocence and that this was a case of racial profiling and I hope that will be proven in court.”
More than 30 students and faculty came to show their support at the 9:30 a.m. court hearing. They wore orange armbands on their forearms, and when it was Akom’s turn to approach the court, they all held one fist in the air to show solidarity. Matt Gonzalez, who may represent Akom in a civil case against the university, was also present.
“We have no comment on the court proceedings,” said Ellen Griffin, SF State’s director of public affairs. “The court process is separate from the process at the university.”
Akom missed at least two class meetings while he was in jail, but he was able to resume his teaching duties on Nov. 1.
"He is not perceived as a threat, not been convicted of anything, and this has nothing to do with his performance in the classroom,” Griffin said.
Don Menn, a journalism lecturer at SF State said that he goes into his office after hours all the time and he has never had a problem.
"I'm at SFSU often until after 11 p.m. and have run into security people and police officers occasionally," he said. "I, the middle-aged white guy, have never been hauled in because of book hunting in my own office.
“I don't know how this case could have been anything other than racially motivated."
One of Akom's colleagues said Akom has experienced racial profiling in the past.
Jeannine Villasenor currently works with him at Berkeley High School's Academic Pathways Project, a program Akom co-created to tutor urban youth and help them make a successful transition to college.
She also worked with Akom at the Institute for the Study of Social Change from 1999 to 2004 where Akom was a research fellow. Villasenor said Akom is often the victim of racial profiling.
"Antwi understands that he is often a target of racial profiling and he is overly nice and overly understanding to people who discriminate against him," she said. "He is extremely calm, extremely patient and extremely understanding."
Villasenor said when she and Akom worked at UC Berkeley the police would often give him a hard time for walking on campus.
"When we worked together there this happened to him often. The police would flash their lights on him and ask him what he was doing here," she said. "He has a history of this happening to him for no reason besides him being a young, urban, black man."
[X]press Correspondent Jessica Jones contributed to this story.
