San Francisco Foghorn

              FREEDOM AND FAIRNESS
VOL. 105       ISSUE 7
Columnist Lacy Clark explains how to make your vote
count in this election.
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The Preforming Arts and
Social Justice department revives the 1836 Georg Buchner
play, "Woyzeck" and attempts
to integrate themes from the
Guantanamo Bay prison.
_S£
m
5
Midnight Madness made
the crowd go crazy in War
Memorial Gym to kick off
the 2009 basketball season.
And the Hilltop Cup returns
to USF for a night of hardhitting action.
_SR
FOGHORN.USFCA.EDU
OCTOBER, 23 2008
Future of the University Center to be Determined
Hunter Patterson/Foghorn
The fifth floor of the University Center is a labyrinth of hallways and offices that is now all but vacant after Arts and Sciences
faculty moved into their new digs in Kalmanovitz hall earlier this semester. The future of the UC space is now being discussed.
LAURA PLANTHOLT
News Editor
The fifth floor of the University Center,
once a headache-inducing maze of faculty
offices, is now virtually empty as most of
these offices are now located in the newly
open Kalmanovitz Hall. The last remaining faculty members there from the department of economics are slated to move
into the fourth floor of Cowell Hall pending completion of construction in a few
weeks.
This soon-to-be blank slate has prompted the university to think critically about
space allocation on campus. "It gives us a
unique opportunity to look at the University Center and ask ourselves what should
a student center be?" said JJ Thorp, Project
Management planner at USF. And who
better to answer this question than students of the university? For this reason,
representatives from Project Management,
University Life, and Sasaki Associates
Architect Firm held meetings with club
presidents, ASUSF senate and the student
body at large last week to discuss their visions for the UC.
The fifth floor space is just the beginning of a future of renovation for the UC.
Though it will be a gradual process, the
entire building is being looked at for re
modeling as part of the university's vision
for how the campus will look in the next
20 years, a concept they have dubbed USF
2028.
At the open discussion with the student
body, students present indicated their top
priority to be more space for clubs, and
not only that this space exist but also be
aesthetically pleasing and laid out in a way
that facilitates communication between
clubs.
Residence Hall Association vice president Laura Gengler, present at the meeting, said RHA's currently isolated position
in the basement of Phelan Hall made it
difficult to work with other clubs, and she
has found that most students do not even
know where their office is unless it is explicitly pointed out to them.
This idea of more club space and interaction was reflected in the club president
survey sent out last spring. Many clubs
complained that they did not have any office space at all, while others complained
that their space was inadequate or poorly
located. Clubs without offices, or offices
that are merely small cubicles, have difficulty holding meetings as they must reserve rooms with Event Scheduling. Not
being able to hold meetings in regular locations can be confusing and hurt turnout,
as the USF Politics Society pointed out.
But Sasaki representatives encouraged
students to really let their minds wander
and say what they would have in their
ideal UC. Students tentatively expressed
a desire for more spaces that encouraged
school spirit and feelings of community.
The prospect of a game room with pool,
ping-pong, arcade games, televisions was
one idea that seemed plausible to the Sasaki representatives. They also seemed open
to the idea of an additional cafe to supplement Crossroads, one with a different
ambience to suit different students' needs.
Other ideas presented at the meeting were
looking at the UC as the future home for
the bookstore as well as the Office of Residence Life.
Above all, students seemed concerned
that whatever renovations made be done
in a streamlined and aesthetically pleasing style. When Sasaki representatives
asked students to go around the room and
describe the UC in its current state, the
words "confusing," "drab," and "disappointing," were uttered.
Whatever major changes are eventually
decided on will be done gradually and, in
some cases, not for quite some time. However, a more immediate major change in
the plan for USF 2028 is the $60-million
integrated science center, which will break
ground within a few years and will turn
USF into a more research-oriented institution. Meanwhile, the UC's fifth floor is
still up for grabs until further notice.
Back to da Roots Volunteers
ELYSE MARTIN
StaffWriter
Every other Saturday morning at 9:30
a.m., while most students are still curled
up in bed, a group of USF students from
the club Back to da Roots meet in Harney Plaza to make their way over to one
of the most dangerous neighborhoods in
San Francisco. These students have spent
the last year and a half helping to build
the Quesada Garden in the crime-ridden
neighborhood of Bayview Hunters Point.
Co-president of Back to da Roots Mary
Kelly said, "We are in the worst part of
San Francisco, making it the best." Before
the Quesada Garden Initiative, members
of this neighborhood rarely spoke to one
another, quite possibly out of fear. Brittany
Rowles, also co-president, explained, "Before the garden was built, this area was a
divider in the road with a bunch of junk
stacked up where people could hide and sell
and do drugs. There was even prostitution
and violence going on in the divider." But
now the community members are digging
and planting in the garden side by side.
Not only are the neighborhood residents
and USF student volunteers changing the
attitude and look of Bayview, but the crime
rate as well. "Now because people in the
neighborhood have started communicating with each through the garden, they
have created a neighborhood watch, and
they actually know who lives next door to
them. They watch out for each other," said
student volunteer Gamai Gregory. "The
main thing that warms my heart is that
this really is a loving community. If you go
to any other part of Bayview you feel like
you're in danger, but you feel safe here."
Another USF student volunteer, Madeline Scarp, said "Quesada Gardens initiative is definitely about growing and
harvesting crops such as kale and corn,
but it is foremost about building community." The site is run on an honor
system: "The food is free to be taken,
but you need to help out," said Gregory.
Jeffery Betcher, Bayview Hunters Point
resident and co-founder of the Quesada
Garden, said, "Most politicians have it
wrong: many people think that education and health will lead to community,
when in fact, community will lead to
a sense of safety, security, and belonging, which will promote improved public health and better local education."
Anyone can join in making a difference
through the Quesada Garden Initiative.
The next day to volunteer with Back to da
Roots is Saturday, Oct. 25.
Melissa Stihl/Foghorn
(Left to right) Jahlectrik's Gabe Kovaks, Justin Harris and Raja Iliya bring the reggae.
USF Band Rocks Slim's
The Politics Society Celebrates Democracy
What will the next president do for the U.S. and the world?
Cowell 114,10/27 @ 6-8 pm
USF Town Hall Meeting - District 1 Supervisors
McClaren 252,10/29 @ 8-9 pm
Proposition Fair
Harney Plaza, 11/3 #11 arn-1 pm
Movie Night - Man of the Year
Crossroads, 11/3 @ 8 pm
"A Celebration of Democracy" and Lobbyist Fair
Harney Plaza, 11/4 @ 11 am-1 pm
Election Night - Election Watch
Parina Lounge, 11/4 @ 6-9 pm
HUNTER PATTERSON
StaffWriter
Jahlectrik, a recently formed reggae
band comprised mostly of current and former USF students played to a large crowd
of supporters Saturday night at Slim's.
Nearly 400 people turned out to see the
seven-member band in their first concert
as a group, at what felt a little like a USF
party. "We could do this at our house, but it
would get too crowded, or the cops would
come, so why not do it at Slim's?" Band
guitarist and lead vocalist Raja Iliya said.
"At Slim's we can be as loud as we want."
Jahlectrik has a loyal following of USF
students; many are friends of the charismatic band members. The band also played
an at-capacity show at the Rockit Room
last month, but without their newest band
member, drummer Miles Simcox who is a
long time friend of the group.
Jahlectrik used their success at Rockit
Room to book the show at Slim's, a medium sized concert venue in SOMA that
hosts a variety of local and lesser-known
bands. "After having such a good turn
out at Rockit Room, we emailed Slim's
explaining that we could bring a good
crowd," Iliya said.
The band was happy with the turnout
on Friday and while the crowd was a little
smaller than they were anticipating, the
show was a success. "I was very pleased
with how everything went," Iliya said.
Noting that the band only marketed to the
USF campus.
USF senior Jason Gurtovoy was impressed by the show and said, "I was surprised by how many people came, most of
the people there were friends of the band,
and they came to support them. That was
the coolest part."
Getting the band ready to play Slim's
came down to the wire after making the
decision to add Simcox as the drummer at
the last minute. "We literally practiced like
three times with Miles before Slim's," Iliya
said. "Adding a drummer to the mix added
a whole other element."
However, despite the recent addition of
Simcox, the roots of the band go back to
Iliya's early days at USF as a freshman living in Hayes-Healy. It was there that he
BAND: Continued on Page 2
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