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Discimus ut serviamus: We learn so that we may serve.

QView #151 | March 28, 2023

What’s News

Continuing her series of luncheons with students, on March 20, Interim Associate Provost for Innovation and Student Success Nathalia Holtzman broke bread with members of the Neurodiversity Club.

The Center for Career Engagement and Internships’ two-part Career and Internship Fair concluded with an in-person event on March 22 in the Student Union Ballroom. Students and alumni had the opportunity to meet representatives from 30 employers, including accounting and finance firms, nonprofits, and public agencies. 

From left: Pierce, Hershenson, Jarvis, Francis, Wu, Jenkins


Monique Francis, director of CUNY Citizenship Now; Sean Pierce, assistant vice president of Student Affairs; Jay Hershenson, vice president of Communications and Marketing and special advisor to the president; Jennifer Jarvis, vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management; and Ethan Jenkins, program coordinator of QC Immigrant Student Support Initiative, joined President Frank H. Wu and the Office of Student Affairs on March 22 to discuss expanding services to the QC community. CUNY Citizenship Now, the largest university-based legal assistance program in the United States, has provided free and confidential citizenship and immigration law services since 1997. Among the topics discussed were coordination with the QC Immigrant Success Center and on-site availability of an attorney, by appointment.

Rewarding Occasion

On March 21, President Frank H. Wu delivered the State of the College Address to an attentive audience at LeFrak Concert Hall. Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Patricia Price took the microphone to present Excellence in Teaching Awards to a full-time and a part-time faculty member from four of QC’s schools: Svetlana V. Cheloukhina (ELL) and Lucy Torres (English) from the School of Arts and Humanities; Lenwood Gibson (ECP) and Cheryl Ann Leone (EECE) from the School of Education; Adam Kapelner (Mathematics) and Al-Karim Hassanali Gangji (Physics) from the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences; and Jorge A. Alves (Political Science) and Erin Lilli (Urban Studies) from the School of Social Sciences. Price also presented Excellence in Service Awards to staff members Esther Smolar (Honors and Scholarships), Roland Brooks (ITS), and Tony Wen (Mathematics). Then Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Diversity Jerima DeWese gave Presidential Awards for Diversity and Inclusion to faculty member Natalie Bump Vena (Urban Studies) and staff member Norka Blackman-Richards (Percy E. Sutton SEEK Program).

From left: Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Diversity Jerima DeWese, Norka Blackman-Richards (SEEK), Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Jennifer Jarvis, President Frank H. Wu

Refreshments in the Atrium

In addition, the president and the printed program acknowledged new department chairs, new hires, faculty who had received promotions and/or tenure, and those who received certificates of continuous employment. When ceremonies concluded, officiants, honorees, and audience members gathered in the Elmer and Ethel Atrium for refreshments.


Those who missed the State of the College Address, including award presentations, can watch it here.

Baseball Team Stays Hot; Track and Field Hosts First Meet on New Track

In another busy week of athletics action, the Knights baseball team continued their strong play, and the outdoor track and field team hosted their first meet on QC’s brand-new track.


The baseball team went 3-1 this week, defeating Adelphi University by a score of 5-4 on Tuesday and then taking two of three games against the College of Staten Island in the opening series of East Coast Conference (ECC) play. The week was highlighted by a wild, come-from-behind victory against Staten Island on Friday. Trailing 9-5 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, QC scored five runs and walked-off with a 10-9 victory. Queens’ record is 13-5 this season. Anthony Fontana has led the Knights with an impressive .425 batting average and an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 1.215.


The track and field team officially debuted its new track, albeit in rainy and windy conditions. But the bad weather did not faze the Knights as both the men’s 4x100 relay (Hakeem Griffiths, Daniel Fuzailof, Albert Wheeler, Doris Desir) and women’s’ 4x100 relay (Bianca Hiltz, Khareena Primus, Jacklyn Diel, Mahaillia Spencer) took first place.


In other Knights news, the softball team picked up its second win of the season, defeating D’Youville University, 9-8, on Sunday. Knights pitcher Myaisha Kelly helped her own cause, connecting on a two-run home run in the fourth inning and delivering the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth.


This week, baseball will host Felician University on Thursday at 3 pm and then play a four-game series against Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday and Sunday.


Softball will welcome American International College on Thursday at 2 pm and Dominican University of New York on Friday at 2 pm. On Sunday, they will travel to Molloy University at 12 noon.


Track and field will compete in the Coach Omeltchenko Invitational hosted by the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Sunday.


Men’s tennis will visit Post University on Thursday at 1 pm and host Daemen University on Saturday at 3 pm. Women’s tennis will be on the road on Friday at 1:30 pm to take on Seton Hall University.


Be sure to visit queensknights.com for the latest Knights athletics news.

Intramural Pickleball Is the Real Dill

Athletics debuted its pickleball intramurals at the Queens College Tennis Bubble last week. Dozens of people, including students, faculty, and staff members, attended the first event during free hour on March 22.


“The turnout was terrific,” said QC Athletic Director Rob Twible. “Everyone enjoyed themselves.”


Pickleball is a sport suited for all ages and skill levels. The game’s popularity has exploded in recent years with an average growth of 158 percent over the last three years according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). It is estimated that more than 36.5 million people play pickleball nationwide. In recent months, high-profile athletes such as Tom Brady, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Patrick Mahomes have brought further attention to the sport by investing in professional pickleball teams. John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Michael Chang are playing in an April Florida celebrity tournament. 


“VP Jay Hershenson reached out to me about the idea,” added Twible. “I know he’s an avid pickleball fan and player. He suggested we run some intramurals. We put the lines down and bought some equipment earlier in the year, and we had a great day today.”


There was another pickleball session on Monday, March 27, and one more is scheduled tomorrow—Wednesday, March 29—in the Tennis Bubble from 12:15 to 1:30 pm. Anyone who is interested in playing can register here.

New Developments at the OSDL


Six staffers—JC Carlson, Kristin Berkey, Arianna Livreri, Stevie Robinson, Kya Simmons, and Stephanie Urena—have recently joined the Office of Student Development and Leadership (OSDL).

JC Carlson

Kristin Berkey

Arianna Livreri

Stevie Robinson

Kya Simmons

Stephanie Urena

Berkey, the assistant director for OSDL, implements engaging programming and events, assists leaders of student clubs and organization leaders, and coordinates large-scale programming such as the annual Welcome Day and the new student orientation planned for this summer. A native of North Merrick in Nassau County, she earned her bachelor’s degree at SUNY Plattsburgh and her master’s at the University at Buffalo. In the fall of 2019, she worked on Capitol Hill for Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (NY-4).


Carlson serves as the college’s student life event manager and coordinator of LGBTQIAA+ programs, which include safer space trainings, bias and hate crimes prevention workshops, self-defense classes, safer sex workshops, and events designed to unpack intersections of identities that focus on multiple layers of oppression. the founder and organizer of CUNY Pridefest at Queens College, CUNY's largest annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ Pride, JC advises the student-led Gender Love and Sexuality Alliance/GLASA at Queens College.


Livreri is OSDL’s associate director for Civic Engagement and the Knights Table Pantry. She graduated from C.W. Post (LIU Post) with a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in clinical mental health. She brings to QC more than 10 years of experience in higher education and a strong passion for creating positive changes and opportunities for students to grow. 


Robinson serves as the Queens College Association’s business manager, overseeing student activity fees on behalf of the association and providing managerial and fiduciary supervision to the association’s board and committees. His efforts enable student organizations to conduct activities that empower, motivate, and influence students in an inclusive educational environment. In addition, Robinson is the liaison among the business, accounts payable, and college administrative offices. He came to QC after working at Columbia University, where he earned his master’s degree, for 25 years.


As associate director for OSDL, Simmons oversees the management of clubs and organizations, advises fraternities and sororities, and coordinates the UBUNTU first-year experience program. Additionally, she develops leadership opportunities for students. Simmons has almost a decade of higher education experience at both private and public institutions and aims to provide students with a place of belonging where they can grow into tomorrow's leaders. Born in the Borough of Queens, she roots for the Knicks, Mets, and Giants, but most importantly any one facing teams in Philly and Boston.


Urena, the administrative coordinator in OSDL, helps staff with their programs and oversees the Student Life email in which she fields questions related to clubs and organizations. She also manages OSDL’s work-study students. Urea graduated from St. John's University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science. Away from the office, she likes to try new restaurants and spend time with family and friends.

A Video That Means Business


The Queens College Business School, launched just over a year ago, is the subject of the latest video produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing. “Your Future, Your Success” features commentary by President Frank H. Wu, Schiro Withanachchi (Economics, BALA), Business School Dean Kate Pechenkina, New York City Small Business Services Commissioner and CUNY Trustee Kevin Kim, Queens College Foundation Chair Lee Fensterstock, Queens Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Grech, and recent alumni—a software engineer and an investment analyst—who say the education they received at QC equipped them to enter the workforce. The video was conceived and produced to help inform prospective students, their families, and other influencers about the new school, which is up and running.

Pseudo-Green Schemes

Many corporations that present themselves as environmentally responsible are nothing of the sort. Mara Einstein (Media Studies), an expert in deceptive marketing, analyzes this phenomenon today—Tuesday, March 28—at 2 pm in Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library, Room 230, in her lecture, Greenwashing: Sustainable Consumption Is an Oxymoron. Einstein’s books include Black Ops Advertising: Native Ads, Content Marketing, and the Covert World of the Digital Sell and Compassion Inc.: How Corporate America Blurs the Line between What We Buy, Who We Are, and Those We Help. 

Tips of Their Trade

Andrea Ratay, head of Global Trade Finance for TD Bank and chair of the New York District Export Council, and Carmela Mammas, director of U.S. Commercial Service New York, will talk about their careers during Women in Trade, a panel discussion taking place on March 29 from noon to 2 pm in the Patio Room. Jian Xiao (Accounting and Information Systems) will serve as moderator. This Women’s History Month event is presented by the Office of Student Development and Leadership, the Queens College School of Business, the QC Business and Economics Club, and the Queens College Student Chapter of the Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business.

CUNY Conference Explores DEI


The university’s sixth annual diversity conference will take place in person this Thursday and Friday, March 30-31, at the CUNY Graduate Center. Reflecting its move beyond compositional diversity of race and gender to explore how equity and access work in tandem, the conference has a new name: CUNY Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (C-IDEA). This year’s theme is “The Illusion of Inclusion—Collaborative Solutions for Performative Diversity.” Registration is at capacity; to get on the waitlist, sign up.

Garage Gallery Offers Strange Brew


The Garage Art Center, an exhibition space founded and directed by artist and Godwin-Ternbach staffer Stephanie Lee, will devote the month of April to Denise Sfraga’s solo show, Strange Brew. Sfraga is an avid gardener, and the paintings and drawings on display are inspired by the life cycle of plants. On Saturday, April 15, she’ll present a workshop, Probing Peculiar Plants; using art supplies she’ll provide, participants will be able to draw strange botanical specimens from around the world. Admission to the Garage Art Center and the workshop is free, but advance registration is required

Springing into Summer

Spring break is around the corner. Then QC’s Summer Session is less than two months away, offering hundreds of courses in in-person, online, and hybrid formats. Students can make progress toward graduation by earning up to 15 college credits in 4, 6, or 10 weeks. Classes will start in June and July. Learn more about learning more here.

Patrice Charles ’94 Uses Sports to Help Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago

Patrice Charles ’94 has always been passionate about sports and helping people, and he has made a career out of that in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago.


Charles serves as the assistant director in the Physical Education and Sport Division at Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Sport and Community Development. The ministry aims to increase participation in sports and physical recreation at all levels, increase the quality and quantity of sports facilities, and advocate for quality physical education and sports in schools.

Charles works with government and non-government officials to ensure that national policies enhance the development of sports; he encourages national governing bodies of sports to use their role to grow and develop their human capital, while being mindful of the mental and social health of the athletes and administrators; and he advises policymakers within government on all policies related to sports, including physical literacy, health, funding, and law.


“I most enjoy the personal opportunities to influence a decision that can make a real difference in a person or community through sport, such as a funding decision through proper adherence to policy, enabling a developmental program to take place, and supporting the delivery of programming to areas that do not normally have them,” explained Charles.


Coming to America


Charles never left the islands of Trinidad and Tobago as a kid but always wanted to spend time abroad. When it came time to choose a college, he told his mother he wanted to study in the United States. He had family living in Queens, so he decided to apply to Queens College and was accepted.

When Charles came to the U.S., he experienced the typical challenges that come from adjusting to life in a new country, but Queens College helped him adapt quickly.


“There was a camaraderie among students,” recalled Charles. “There was that really good sense of being in a place that wasn’t just about education but was about community.”


The International Students Organization at Queens College also helped Charles adjust to a new culture and way of life.


“They did a wonderful job for incoming students, particularly in regard to the culture shock,” said Charles. “You watch television, and it doesn’t really prepare you for living in a different culture—especially New York City. They helped smooth out everything, here in Trinidad as well as when I got in. I liked it so much that I helped them the next three years with orientation.”


Charles also joined the cross country and track and field teams at Queens, which exposed him to cold weather for the first time. 


“There was the initial experience of feeling what to me was a cold wind while warming up on the track during the second week of September in my first semester, and my colleagues saying, ‘What cold breeze?!?,’ which made me realize that cross country season and winter was going to be a real challenge for me, coming from the tropics.”


Charles eventually got used to the cold weather, and he excelled during his years on the track team, competing in sprints and middle-distance events. He credits a lot of his success in track, and later in his career, to the track and field coach at the time, Robert Wheeler.


“He took the time to explain the various principles and thought processes behind his training, which made me a better athlete, and eventually a better coach.”


Wheeler’s coaching and Charles’ hard work paid off. Charles was named Queens College’s Most Outstanding Freshman in his first year. Later, in Charles’ final indoor track race of his career, he won the 500-meter run at the 1992 East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship.


In his studies, Charles majored in physical education and minored in secondary education and was very pleased with the education he received.


“I got to realize that the quality of education I got from my professors was really second to none,” said Charles. “I did not know anything about Queens College when I got there. By my second year, I realized I was being taught by some of the best in the business—and for a reasonable price. “


We Learn So That We May Serve


After graduation, Charles returned home and spent 20 years teaching physical education and science and coaching at schools in Trinidad and Tobago—including teaching for a few years in the Bahamas—until he began working at the Ministry in 2017. The experiences and skills he gained at Queens College set him up for his career and have given him the opportunity to help many people in his home country and elsewhere live better lives through sports.


“I had the confidence and capacity to teach both health and general science, including physics and biology, due to the work done obtaining my Bachelor of Science degree,” said Charles. “If it wasn’t for what I experienced at Queens, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

In Memoriam

Richard Harris ’59

Richard Harris, an art dealer specializing in antique botanical and architectural prints, passed away on March 5 at the age of 85.


After graduating from QC with a bachelor’s degree in economics and apprenticing with an art dealer, Harris became one himself. He plied his itinerant trade in much of the United States, snapping up prints and selling them to interior designers. At the same time, he built several personal collections.


Harris was particularly proud of assembling more than 3,000 pieces related to death and mortality, relying on his own judgment about acquisitions rather than consulting experts. “I believe that the Collection represents the ‘Visual Gateway’ to the conversation about subject of ‘Death,’” he wrote. “The uniqueness of the Collection is that it is not a ‘Trophy Collection’ but rather a very powerful overview of the subject of ‘Death’ containing Ephemera, Vernacular Photographs, Ethnographic objects, Kitsch and Masterpieces in most every medium from 2000 B.C. to today.” Items from this collection formed the nucleus of exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center; C.G. Boerner in New York; the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa; and elsewhere.


Harris is survived by his wife of 56 years, Barbara, and their son, daughter, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.

Lillian Papkoff ’46


Pianist and educator Lillian Papkoff died on December 26, 2022. She was 96.


Raised in St. Albans, Papkoff was already building a career in her teens, with encouragement from her parents: Her father rewarded her for winning an important piano competition by buying her a Steinway baby grand. A few years later, she enrolled at QC, where she studied composition with Karol Rathaus. She continued her education at University of Wisconsin, Madison, writing a string quartet for her master’s thesis.


After teaching in New York and Boston, Papkoff earned her doctorate at University of California, Berkeley, and stayed in the Bay area. Settled in El Cerrito with her husband, Harold—a biochemist and comparative endocrinologist she met at UC—and their two daughters, she had her Steinway shipped across the country. Able to play everything from Bach and Scarlatti through contemporary repertoire, she was in demand as a soloist, chamber musician, accompanist, teacher, and coach. 


In a hobby that turned into a sideline, Papkoff collected antique and handmade beads. Mastering knotting techniques for making jewelry, she designed a line of necklaces sold in several local boutiques.


Predeceased by her husband, Papkoff is survived by their daughters Jacqueline and Jessica.

#73

Jerry Seinfeld ’76 claims that the only time he found a parking spot in Queens was when he returned to QC to receive an honorary degree.

Screenshot of Seinfeld wearing Queens College tshirt on the set of Seinfeld
Heard Around Campus

Sunu Chandy MFA 2013, who won the 2021 Terry J. Cox Poetry Award from Regal House, just saw the publisher release her poetry collection My Dear Comrades . . . . The Calandra Institute and the National Italian American Bar Association (NIABA) have partnered to conduct a study on Italian Americans and the legal profession, as reported on the Tennessee Bar Association’s blog. This study is the first to explore Italian Americans’ representation and experiences in various sectors of the legal field.

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