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Discimus ut serviamus: We learn so that we may serve.
#47
What’s News
On Tuesday, March 26, members of the QC administration met with executives from Navitas, the global education provider partnering with the college, to discuss the timeline for the project they will launch together working with faculty, staff and students at the college. Through an agreement signed last month, Navitas—based in Australia—will operate a Global Student Success Program on campus, recruiting international students to QC and supporting their transition to a U.S. university environment. L to R: Patrick O’Connell, Alicia Alvero, Stacey Stevens, Brian Stevenson, Elizabeth Hendrey, William McClure, Sarah Spates, Richard Alvarez
Utilizing free Museum of Modern Art passes offered to the QC community obtained by the Office of Communications and Marketing [QView 44], Christopher Watson [Urban Studies] led a class trip to the museum on Saturday, March 30. Students in his Urban Poverty and Affluence course had “an opportunity not only to see great art, artifacts, and objects, but also to understand the larger narrative of these items being the conduit of wealth creation, stabilization, and transferrers of cultural significance to the larger society,” Watson reports. Ninety percent of the class had never visited MoMA before. Almost 200 passes covering up to five guests each were distributed to students, faculty, and staff. 
For the third year in a row, QC students—sponsored by the college’s Tech Incubator—hosted tables and served as volunteers at the NYC Computer Science Opportunity Fair. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, SAP, and Etsy were among the companies represented at this year’s event, held on Tuesday, April 2, at the Armory Track in Upper Manhattan. Lurik Labs, a student company based at QC’s incubator, attended the fair and presented a virtual reality game it developed; Mayor Bill de Blasio was among the visitors.
From left to right: Margarita Zias (project manager), Muhammad Raza, Richard Khan (co-founder of Lurik Labs), Ricardo Guerra, Luis Medina (co-founder of Lurik Labs), Noor Salim, Wadgma Masab
President Félix V. Matos Rodríguez received help from Student Association President Carmine Couloute (to his right) and other student volunteers on Sunday, April 7, at the on-campus program for prospective members of the class of 2023.
Leading human resources executive Philip Berry '73 appeared before a class of students taught by Janice Schulman (Sociology) to discuss ways to maximize individual and organizational success, in an event presented on Monday, April 8, in the Dave Fields Lecture Hall by "Professionals on Campus." Berry, who runs his own consulting firm, held high-level positions at Colgate-Palmolive, Proctor & Gamble, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, and the Clinton Foundation, and is a former vice chair of the CUNY Board of Trustees. Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson '76 and '86 moderated the event, which was organized by the Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations.
First-Ever Fair Showcases Resources for Veterans
In collaboration with the Queens College Office of Veteran Support Services and the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services, the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs has organized its first veterans resource fair—and it’s taking place on campus today, Tuesday, April 9, in the Student Union Ballroom from 10 am to 2 pm (or in military time, 1000 to 1400 hours). Participating government and community organizations will offer assistance with a range of issues, including housing, health, and education. Free food and raffles will be provided at the fair, which is open to veterans, service members, and their families living anywhere in New York State.
Music of the QC Sphere

Hear, here: Works by Aaron Copland School of Music composers will be presented at LeFrak Concert Hall tomorrow, Wednesday, April 10, from 12:15 to 1:30 pm. The program will feature pieces by music faculty Eric Chernov, Sunny Knable, Joel Mandelbaum, Joseph Prestamo, Karol Rathaus, and Bruce Saylor. The performers—also familiar to the QC community—will be Konstanza Chernov, Kyle Miller, Gil Morgenstern, Charles Neidich, Donald Pirone, Morey Ritt, Lydia Saylor, and the Miolina Duo (Mioi Takeda and Lynn Bechtold).
Another Two Openings, Another Two Shows

Important issues are addressed in a pair of powerful new exhibitions on campus.

Nothing is Missing, a photography show that opened at the Queens College Art Center on Monday, April 1, features models and athletes with missing limbs. The show, curated by the Committee for Disabled Students, will be on view at the QCAC—the gallery space on the sixth floor of Rosenthal Library—all month.

Hope is the Thing with Feathers, the next show at the Godwin-Ternbach Museum, highlights environmental concerns through art and artifacts. Guest curator Louis Weinberg drew upon the holdings of both the Godwin-Ternbach and the Department of Special Collections & Archives in Rosenthal Library to assemble more than 130 items that span cultures and time periods. The display, on view through July 11, includes Egyptian antiquities, pre-Columbian textiles, and selected images from John James Audubon’s Birds of America, reprinted in a special limited-edition folio in 1985. The campus community is invited to the opening reception for Hope this Thursday, April 11, from 6 to 8 pm.
Sprinter Covers New Ground with New York Times Op-Ed

QC senior Enoch Jemmott—a star member of the track and field team—made headlines with the recent publication of his New York Times op-ed, “The Implicit Punishment of Daring to go to College While Poor.” His piece outlines the struggles low-income students face when applying to college.

The opportunity to write this op-ed grew out of Jemmott’s appearance in Personal Statement, a documentary now being screened across the country. In the film, he is seen working as a peer counselor, guiding other low-income students through the complicated application process.

Jemmott, who won the 100-meter dash at the Mount Saint Mary Invitational on March 30 and was named to the East Coast Conference Honor Roll, recently sat down with Athletics Communications Director Rick Rissetto to talk about the op-ed.

In the interview, Jemmott spoke up about the importance of bringing this issue to light.

“Students need to know that it's definitely not easy to go through these things,” he observed. “You can't do it ignorantly, and this film is shedding a light on that. It’s about achieving what you want to achieve and to get through those systemic barriers that are presented in front of you.”

Jemmott also discussed the positive responses he’s received for the article and documentary.

“My opinions on the issue have definitely gotten stronger,” he notes. “The feedback I’m getting is incredible. I’m hearing from my peers and people who I know who are speaking about it, but then there are those who I’ve never met before who are saying they relate to what I’m writing about."
The complete interview can be read on QC’s athletic website here. Arrangements are being made by QC Chief Librarian and Associate Dean Kristin Hart for a screening of Personal Statement at the college. 
Men’s Basketball Team Drafts Brave Teenager

Bayside resident Evan May, who is battling leukemia, became the newest and youngest member of the QC men’s basketball team on Wednesday, April 3, when the 14-year-old signed an official letter of intent in a ceremony in FitzGerald Gymnasium.

Through Team IMPACT—a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with college athletics teams—the top recruit became an official Knight. As a team member, Evan will attend practices, games, team dinners, events, and more.

The gymnasium was packed for the event, with each of QC’s athletic teams on hand to show Evan their support. Athletic Director Rob Twible and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Matt Collier were present and spoke about the importance and meaning of the occasion.

“Queens College athletes are very positive people,” remarked Collier. “They have to be tough, and they have to be an inspiration to the people around them in their community. Evan personifies all those things. We’re honored that he decided to commit to us.”

Evan is a big sports fan, and basketball is his favorite sport. However, he has been unable to play competitive sports during his treatment. Now he can be part of a team even though he can’t get on the court.

The signing was an emotional moment for both Evan and his mother, Bari Gold, who have been through a lot since Evan was diagnosed in 2018.
“I’m just glad I didn’t cry,” said Gold. “I tried to hold it in. It’s been a lot of people putting their time into it to get us to this place. Between Queens College and Team Impact, they really went above and beyond trying to find some place for him. He needed this.”

“I think we’re going to have some really good times,” she continued. “I know Evan will. He is psyched. I couldn’t have dreamed for it to be any better.”
Observing Poetry Month

Since April is poetry month, QView is sharing work by college faculty. This week, we’re featuring a poem by Kimiko Hahn (English).

A Bowl of Spaghetti

"To find a connectome, or the mental makeup of a person,"
researchers experimented with the neurons of a worm

then upgraded to mouse hoping to
"unravel the millions of miles of wires in the [human] brain"

that they liken to "untangling a bowl of spaghetti"

of which I have an old photo: Rei in her high chair intently
picking out each strand to mash in her mouth.

Was she two? Was that sailor dress from Mother?
Did I cook that sauce from scratch? If so, there was a carrot in the pot,

as Mother instructed and I'll never forget
no matter which strand
determines ardor as a daughter's verdict.

From Brain Fever, W.W. Norton, 2014
Counting on Census Takers in Queens
Numbers matter: results of the 2020 U.S. Census will determine each state’s representation in Congress, as well as allocation of federal funding. Therefore, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz is teaming up with the U.S. Census Bureau to recruit workers at a job fair on May 1 at Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, from 10 am to 3 pm. A variety of temporary positions are available, including census takers, recruiting assistants, office staff, and supervisors; pay starts at $25 an hour. 

Although walk-ins are welcome, prospective census employees are urged to make an appointment online or by calling 718-286-2661. Applications may also be submitted online, where eligibility requirements are posted.

“A census undercount is something Queens simply can’t afford,” says Katz. “We’re serious about having all hands on deck to help reach every corner of every community throughout this great borough.”
Building Futures Profile: Richard Diaz
Navigating Between Cultures to Empower New Teachers

Richard Diaz, the son of Afro-Cuban immigrants, knows what it means to “code switch”—to communicate effectively to people of many ethnicities by understanding and tapping into their cultural DNA. “I’ve had to do this all my life,” says Diaz, “and so do most young people.”

Diaz brings his skill in intercultural communication to students from many backgrounds enrolled in the Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC). This program, which has a strong mentoring component, is intended to diversify the teaching force. “These students often face economic challenges,” he says. The state-funded TOC gives them a stipend for participating in a 200-hour internship in a high-needs school—typically in South Queens--before they student-teach in that same school. “At that point, they’ve been groomed and are familiar with the scene,” Diaz says.

Recently, Diaz has recruited candidates with undergraduate degrees for the Urban Teacher Residency, an initiative launched in summer 2018 that attracts career-changers. An unusual feature is that accepted students earn a salary from the Department of Education while they complete their teaching courses and credentialing. “Because they don’t have to hold outside jobs, they can focus full time on their education and professional development,” says Diaz. When hired as teachers, they are carefully paired with an experienced colleague. Click here to read more
Heard Around Campus
Juliet Papa '78, award-winning reporter at 1010 WINS, will give students a tour of the radio station on Thursday, April 11, in a Queens College Professionals Off Campus event organized by the Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations . . . . Kristina Richardson (History and Middle Eastern Studies) received a 2019 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend for her project, “Race, Language, and Roma Culture in the Islamic Middle Ages” . . . . John Waldman (Biology) and PhD student George Jackman appear in a short documentary about Riverkeeper’s efforts to restore natural riparian habitat, Undamming the Hudson River.
The Q View is produced by the
Office of Communications and Marketing. 

Comments and suggestions for future news items are welcome.