San Francisco

Location

San Francisco State University is at the southern end of San Francisco city/county limits. Located just one mile from the Pacific Ocean, the weather is unusually cold throughout the summer. Mark Twain once said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco and nowhere is that more true than in the Lake Merced area adjacent to SFSU, where the sun rarely shone and even the locals were seen wearing winter coats. Student activities tend to be centered around Mary Park Hall, the dining hall, and the Village Steps.

Overview

First off. It's San Francisco. The weather is always 50 degrees and cloudy, but if you go further inland, the sun somehow manages to shine for a few hours. On the upside, it never actually rains (just some mist from fog); it's not humid; and you'll never need air conditioning. The biggest tease is that there is a Subway on campus, but it is just outside of what is considered In Bounds.

CTY opened its Civic Leadership Institute for students entering grades 10-12 during second session at San Francisco State University in summer 2006. CLI, as administrators called it, is run by the Civic Education Project based out of the Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. In 2007, its second summer, CTY-CLI hosted approximately 60 students and 20 staff.

Students are divided into sections containing approximately 15 students to engage in a course called "Civic Engagement and Social Issues". In this service-learning oriented course, students will delve into issues of the day, such as homelessness and poverty, as well as explore modes for social change and problem solving. Students also participate in five field experiences.

As is the case with several other CTY sites, the cafeteria food is not very good. Students are advised to budget their spending money accordingly on food off-site.

Dorms

• Mary Park Hall. A six-story "urbane" dorm.

Activities

The afternoon activity block lasts two hours long. Students have the option of signing out to wander around the campus with a buddy, signing in to stay in the dorm, or signing up to participate in activities, such as Frisbee. There are off-campus adventures as well; in 2007, students could sign up to go visit the SF Zoo and view a movie in the West Portal District. Some activities have a distinct "social justice" focus.