Keep reaching for the sky

Picture taken 20 August 2009

One of the saddest things I see people do on the campus of City College is focus on how they got here rather than where they are going. "If I only was rich, I'd be spending this semester in Europe." "If I had studied harder, if I hadn't choked on the exam, I'd be . . ." So many of my classmates seem head down just trying to get through it. I have been there before so many times.

But San Diego City College is such an incredible place. The classes are small. You have access to the professors. And the price is right. But more than that City College is a place where your dreams are always right in front of you. Whether it is the buildings where winners work or the Planes that can take us to the our dreams are so close they feel like you can touch them. City College isn't a place to wait until you get your chance. It is the nexus of of your dreams.

Online classes are the future

There are so many reasons why online classes are the future. The most persuasive reason that online classes are the future is that American college grduates who leave university with tens of thousands of dollars in college loan debt simply can not compete with Europeans, whose university educations are paid by the government or with Indian or even African graduate who has paid far far less.

Wage competition has fully penetrated the middle class employment market. Even if superior American education better prepares a graduate for a career, it does not matter if the student is priced out of available entry level positions.

Given the political realities now present in the United States it is unlikely that increased government funding will solve this problem. To the contrary, future funding reductions are likely. Therefore the most promising solution for reducing student debt is to reduce costs.

Online classes provide numerous potential cost savings. It is unlikely that any of the cost saving will be fully realized immediately but they to provide hope for genuine cost savings.

The first source of cost savings is the cost classrooms. Especially for city campuses the cost of expanding the campus can be high and often face stiff resistance to neighbors of the educational institution. Online classes reduce the number of class rooms needed. Hopefully in many educational institutions this will slow if not cease the need to expand the foot print of the campus.

Further if fewer teachers, students and staff are coming to the school it should reduce traffic concerns, This has the potential to make needed expansion easier, quicker and cheaper.

Many current academic buildings were built or at least designed in the sixties when fuel prices were dramatically lower. They are often incredibly expensive to heat, cool and light. If online courses allowed the most inefficient buildings to be closed during the summer, for example, substantial savings could be realized.

Unfortunately crime is substantially higher at educational campuses than in other locations. This is due the large number of students who are in the prime of their criminal lives, and to crime caused by narcotic prohibition and high drinking age. Ability to only open the most easily patrolled areas of campus for night classes could significantly reduce security expenditures.

Finally since most online class have one lecture that is used for all instances of the class and only a reasonably expanded discussion period. It is possible that teachers will be able to teach more classes, perhaps at something like a 3 to 2 ratio.

These savings opportunities are only opportunities. Closing inefficient buildings during certain hours and focusing security patrols on a reduced portion of a campus are complex endeavors, which occur only with the cooperation of many different stakeholders.

Further budget cuts and furloughs have seriously hurt moral amongst faculty and staff at Californian institutions. These stakeholders may have little interest in volunteering for such changes and certainly have no reason to trust that labour concessions made in good faith will be honored during the next fiscal crisis.

Online courses provide many opportunities whose fruits will be difficult to
harvest. But we are at a point where we have no choice but try.

Cinco de Mayo at City College

Pictures Taken on 5 May 2009

A laid back Cinco de Mayo was celebrated at City College. In Gorton Quad there was a small stage where there was Mexican dancing. The Spanish club had a tent. There were prizes for essay winners and of course Mexican food. In Schwarz Square a variety of venders were present including the City College Book Store, a vendor selling hula hoops and skateboards, and vender selling wooden roses for mother's day. There were also venders selling Mexican crafts and a vendor selling Egyptian cotten bed sheets.

To the Streets: Reject State Budget Framework

Student demonstrations overtime received a bad name  Inevitably some students started to protest for the mere stake of protesting.  Movements were hijacked and used for aims quite different than those for which they were started.  Students where overly enamored with their own intelligence and wisdom when most where plagued by the ignorance and naivete common to their youth.  On top of this the FBI and even the CIA inflitrated such groups planting the seeds of desent and urging the groups on to their own demise 

But there are some times when normal political discourse has failed and people of good faith must pursue good and frustrate evil through other means.   The unique combination of procedural hurdles to the California budget process with a united and doctrinairian Republican party has allowed the budgeting process to be run not by the majority, but rathe a small minority who cares for nothing but its own interest.

The current budget framework is a disasster for the future of California.  It seems the heart of an agreement would limit the growth government to the growth in population and inflation.  But the reality is such a measure would result in unending reduction of government services.  As, most us have realised quite painfully the growth in the population has not been shared equally.  While a few have seen their incomes grow the majority have not and many have even seen their incomes actually fall.

The growth in population is therefore a very inaccurate view of ammount of wealth in California.  Since the majority of income growth goes to the minority at the top, growth in the ecconomy happens much much faster than growth in population.

The second measure is also badly skewed.  The over all inflation does not at all reflect the cost of government resources.   Though services requiring highly skilled workers such as healthcare, education, and consulting all cost much more than they did the past, these cost increases are in general inflation figures are mitigated by the falling wages for low skilled and unskilled labor as well as increased efficiancy gained through the progress of technology.

Unfortunately most of government services are performed by skilled professionals and union members whose pay does not decrease.  And as many government services involve person to person interactions, the efficiancy gained from technology in minimal.  Thus if the growth of government was based on inflation figures for the ecconomy as a whole which experiences inflation much smaller than that for government services the amount of services the government will be able to supply will decrease indefinitely.

So what is presented as a cap on growth of government is in fact a recipe for conious automatic cuts in the provision of government service.  But the current budget framework is not only dishonest it is grossly unfair and counterproductive.

The raises in taxes proposed are almost all regressive including car tag fees, sales tax, and gas tax.   Thus the great burdern of closing the budget gap through taxes will fall on the poor and middle class.  

But who will bear the brunt of cuts.  Surprisingly it will be same people.   There are huge cuts coming to the university systems.  This will mean even higher fees.  But even worse it will mean massive cuts in the classes offered, meaning that students will find it hard if not impossible to graduate in four years.  This will be at least one year maybe two where the students income will be reduced by their college schedual.   Also this year or years will also be years where the student will be earning less senority This will lead to a significant hit to the students life time earnings.

But it gets worse, much worse.  Because students now have to compete with graduates from China, India, Singapore, English speaking African nations such as Ghana and many more the value of a college education is declining.  So while the student is paying more in tuition and loss employement the value of the degree is steadily decreasing.

Add to this drastic cuts in community colleges as well as secondary and elementary schools and the effects are magnified still.  Students will arrive at college less prepared.  They will be able to skip fewer classes through advance placement exams.  They will have to pay for more remedial classes.  Instead of paying for cheap community college classes they will be forced to pay for much much more expensive courses at 4 year colleges.

This budget is unfair.  It is class warfare.  The poor and middle class pay more and lose more.  The wealthy don't care about the future of the state.  They can always important workers from states that do fund education.  Or they simply can invest their money in countries which do.  

But incredibly week retail climate does give students more power than they usually would have.  Students should pick individual members of the business comunity that supports this treacherous budget and demonstrate, legally, outside their business until they are forced to close.  Then move on to randomly selected other supporter of the budget.  We have truth and justice on our side.  We are the democratic majority.  We can't let the privledged minority ruin our state.

To the streets!!!!!!!! No stable business climate in Califoria till budget fairness.  This is our time when we can join together and save California from those would loot it. 

Justice, Democracy, Comunity!!!!!!!!

Stop and Smell the Roses and the other Flowers Too

These are times of added stress for most of us. Many of us not only have to worry about our current jobs and classes, but whether the jobs or university positions we are studying for will be there when graduate. There are many different ways of coping with this stress. Mental health services are provided at the Student Mental Health Counseling Center. They are located in A-222. Their phone number is (619) 388-3539.

Another great resource on campus is a meditation session every Friday at 1 pm in room A-15. It is led by Jeff of The Dharma Bums and I think it is part of The Meditation Initiative. This is about a technique and in my experience these classes are non-sectarian and should be fine for followers of most religions. Jeff is also really down to earth. If you have been put off by meditation leaders who seem a little flighty, than give Jeff a try he is the total opposite of that.


The third resource for the stressed out student is the wonderful landscaping at city. Though some of the buildings put off that 60's and 70's institutional ugly, the grounds themselves are beautifully landscaped. And there are many quite areas where you can just sit and catch your thoughts. Just one example is the Clarence Earl Stranfield memorial Australian Fire tree I describe in San Diego Plaques. This beautiful tree is located right outside the Savile Theater. Times may be hard, but at city college there is a lot of help and beauty. It is a safe place to go when you feel overwhelmed.

Get Ready For Spring

I know that it seems early but it is not too early to be thinking about signing up for the spring semester. Though you can't register for classes yet, the schedule is available. It is important to be proactive in planning. Classes take different amounts of time and energy. The worst thing you can do is save the hardest class for the last semester.

Each semester pick one of the hardest classes for you. Make sure to pick a time that will allow you to attend every class. Try to chose a time when you are most productive. If you are morning person make it the first class of the day. If you are a night person, try a night class.

Similarly, don't take all your easy courses in one semester, spread them out so no semester is too taxing. Always keep your entire educational career in mind. Don't fall into the trap of thinking only about the current semester.

Also now is a good time to write up a check list for next semester. Are you going to need to register with Disabled Student Services? Have you applied for all the financial aid that you may be eligible for. If you are SSI you don't have to pay for the health fee but you need to get a current statement from the Social Security Administration.

Finally don't forget about the cost of books. They will run about $150 to $250. There are a number of strategies to deal with this ruinous expense. Often the best strategy is to buy the book from a student who took the class the semester before. Another option is to buy a used version on eBay or such service. Some of the required books, though inexplicably not all required books are available as reference books in the library in the Learning Resource Center. Sometimes the books are even available at the San Diego Public Library.

Some warnings about these tactics are necessary. Often times a previous edition of the book will suffice. But sometimes the professor requires homework questions from the book. In this case previous editions will often not suffice because questions are often changed from edition to edition. Ask the professor about whether an older edition will be usable.

If you use a reference edition you must be active about getting to the library often because such a book will often be being used by a classmate. Similarly a book checked out from the local library will come due before the class is over.

Start Acting Like a Grownup

When you are in high school learning seems everybody's problem but your own. The evil Republican tax cutters and Democratic spendoholics ran off laughing together with your book money. Your parents are too busy with their two jobs (maybe three if your not white) apiece to help you with homework. Or else are spitting out welfare babies while applying to appear on Jerry Springer and simultaneously smoking unfiltered menthols and drinking a 40. Your teacher makes your average teamster look like coked up aerobics instructor with an IQ that rivals Stephen Hawkins, the speaking voice of James Earl Hones, and the charisma of a young Elvis (watch the damn tapes, or blue what you ma call it you young folks have--the man was a force of nature.)

All that falls away when you enter college. You are expected to buy your damn books (Don't be surprised if your professor requires her latest book for every class she teaches even the book is about Aliens and her class is about ancient Greece--true story. At least this little joy of college life might not hit you right away at city)

No matter what your mother your, pastor or David Horowitz has told you, no one really cares if your teacher is the second coming of Socrates or an alcoholic boy buggering madman. And if you ever plan to have any sort of an academic career you will see far more of the latter than the former. Higher education is mad mix of different ambitions and priorities and the education of students often doesn't even merit a mention.

In this respect City College is almost certainly going to be as good as it gets. At City College the pace is slow enough for the professors that if they chose they may dedicate far more thought and attention to the students than is remotely possible at a four year institution.

You are even almost certainly going to have ample access to your professor during office hours. In comparison when I took Cold War Presidents from Steven Ambrose, the man himself was organizing the draft Colin Powell for President campaign. We watched him through magic of the VHS Video Recorder Machine, as was the style at the time, and rarely but occasionally saw his hippie looking TA. And, believe me there was no question about his political leanings. Though to be fair he was never overbearing or abusive in any way.

But forget about being spoon fed the course content as you languidly while away the time at the Professor's feet. The best professors will assume that you have read the book and done the homework and will only touch on this material in reference to a student question or to clarify a particularly difficult point. The lecture will be completely different material only accessible to those who have prepared for class.

During my time at city there was only one instructor whose lectures completely removed any need to read the book. And, I left this class bitter at my wasted $150 and wasted time.

And while you don't have to worry as much about your ancient professor hitting on you as you once did. Short shorts might be worth a half a grade or at least it sure seemed so for boys in my German class (also not at city). And, the professors in general don't give a damn about your sensitive feelings whether you are tree hugging granola eating vegetarian lesbian too pure for actual physical displays of love or George Bush supporting bible thumping Wednesday church attending country music fan. And, if you are thinking it is going to be any better at the workplace you have some disappointments awaiting you upon graduation.

The key thing is that the teachers have what you want knowledge and grades that imply knowledge and any day you can get little of either without a tube of lube is a day you should be grateful. In your adult life you will find that sometimes the most useful information comes from the most surprising sources.

In one class the professor (this was a city) said he was going to discuss the relation of brain structure to homosexuality. Two, one would assume evangelical Christians, immediately left. What followed was thirty minutes of the most compelling arguments that homosexuality is maladaptive in humans that I have ever heard. I wasn't convinced but this not time to fight that fight. The point is that the students who left will almost certainly never get that chance again.

At City its all up to you and that's a good thing.