City College of San Francisco in danger of closing

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- An Occupy rally was held at City College of San Francisco Wednesday. It comes on the first day of the new school year, but already the threat looms that the school may be forced to shut down.

The group of protestors is not made up of students. Instead, they're a working group of Occupy SF. They say they're taking on this issue because they feel like there's probably 75 to 90 percent of the students who don't know that this issue is going on.

As students rushed to class on this first day of the fall semester, former student Adrienne Fong worries that they don't realize their future at the college is in jeopardy.

"A lot of students don't even know what's been happening," Fong said. "They know that they're feeling the effects of what's going on, but they don't' know why."

So Fong and a few other concerned citizens reached out to students Wednesday to let them know the community college might lose its accreditation.

"To say that you're going to take this absolutely essential education away from people for something they didn't do, that is wrong to me," student Ryan Smith said.

The accreditation commission for community and junior colleges found that City College is spending too much money, and is calling for cuts in order for the college to keep its accreditation.

But Smith blames Sacramento for the problems, "The school is losing money because of state budget cuts which the school has no control over." And Smith actually doesn't want to see City College give in to the commission's demands, noting, "If you look at the cuts and the changes that the accreditation board is demanding, it would require massive cuts to classes. It would require, like, a rollback in offering classes."

But without accreditation, City College would likely shut down," I'm just worried that you come here and do all that work and then it's not an accredited college," student Norbis Mayorga said. "Basically just wasting your time if it's not an accredited college."

City College officials did not offer a comment Wednesday, but they have said in the past that they will do whatever it takes to stay open. They have until October 15th to come up with and present a plan.

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budget cuts, school closures, school cuts, san francisco news, amy hollyfield

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