Children on Campus Policy 

While the LaGuardia Senate debates and develops the college’s new policy regarding allowing children on campus (a process that will likely continue into January) I want to offer an apology. I have heard about several people who recently had to endure difficult, uncomfortable, and stressful situations with Public Safety as they entered campus with a child. Please do not lay the blame for these encounters with our dedicated and hard-working Public Safety officers. They were simply following the instructions they had been given. Instead, you should blame me. In hindsight, we moved too quickly to enforce a policy that was not fully developed. And we did it without sufficient nuance or sensitivity to how it would affect people (including students) in a variety of real-world scenarios. To those of you who suffered because of this, I apologize.  

I am pleased that we are now re-working the policy in response to community input, and that it will be thoughtfully discussed, reviewed, and finalized by the Senate.  

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

LaGuardia Community Members Attend New York Historical Society and the American LGBTQ+ Museum Reception



On November 14, LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams attended a reception in honor of the historic partnership between the New York Historical Society and the American LGBTQ+ Museum. Remarks were presented by Art Historian Gaudéncio Fidelis (adjunct professor, Hunter College); Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New York Historical Society; Ben Garcia, Executive Director of the American LGBTQ+ Museum. Other guests included the members of the CUNY LGBTQ+ Advisory Council and the CUNY Board of Trustees. 

Casa de Las Americas Host STEM Panel Discussion

Earlier this week Casa de las Américas held Latinx in STEM, a panel discussion and meet and greet with Latinx biologists and environmentalists. Guests included Michelle Juarez Ph.D., Assistant Director, Diversity and Research Readiness at the DNA Learning Center NYC at City Tech; Justen L. Molina, MD, Chief Resident Physician, PGY-3 at Phelps Family Medicine Residency Program; Diana Calderon, MS, U.S. Census Bureau Geographer; and Harry Aguilar, NYC Parks, Urban Park Ranger.  

Donations Sought for LaGuardia CARES

Non-perishable food, toiletries, feminine hygiene products, cleaning supplies, winter coats, gently used clothing, and monetary gifts are sought to help LaGuardia CARES gear up for the holiday season when need is often greatest, particularly for student-parents. Donations can be dropped-off at the LaGuardia CARES office in C-107). Any questions, please contact LaGuardia CARES at (718) 482-5129 or laguardiacare@lagcc.cuny.edu. Monetary gifts can be made here. Funds are used to purchase food, clothing, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and more. 

Local History Added to LaGuardia Collection

Earlier this month LaGuardia added the papers of NYS Assembly Member Cathy Nolan to our archives. The Assembly Member generously donated thousands of photographs, artifacts and awards that depicted her advocacy and work in the legislature for the past 37 years. ​ The collection will be digitized and made available to the general public through the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives Queens/Local History Collection. 

LIC Partnership Event Examines Infrastructure Needs

On Tuesday, November 15, President Kenneth Adams moderated a panel during LIC Partnership Annual Summit. He was joined by leaders from NYC Department of Transportation, Plaxall, and New York Building Congress in a panel about how collectively the community can advocate for infrastructure improvements to support the rapid population and development growth. Topics included resiliency, the proposed Sunnyside rail station, and improved wastewater treatment systems. (Photo courtesy of Long Island City Partnership/Kai Liu) 

Human Services Community Day Offers Opportunities for Students, Faculty and Staff to Share and Learn

Earlier in November, LaGuardia Community College hosted the Human Services Community Day, a gathering for Human Services students, faculty and staff to obtain information about the program, share stories and experiences, and celebrate students’ achievements.  The event was created 10 years ago as a result of the College’s Common Reading initiative, when it was originally called the Human Service Common Day. Since then, it has become a platform of expression and sharing by those who participate. “The event has continued to grow as a way to gather with each other in an intentional and focused way,” says Dr. Maureen Doyle, Professor of Health Science. “Everyone responds so positively to it, that we have continued doing it each and every semester.”

Juan Medina Joins the Street Team

Juan Medina was born in the U.S. and raised in Ecuador. A few years ago, Juan, now 22 years old, came to New York City to learn English and pursue his dream of becoming a video producer. He settled in Elmhurst, Queens and enrolled in the CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP) at LaGuardia to improve his English language skills. After several semesters at CLIP, he enrolled at LaGuardia as a New Media Technology major. Today, he juggles his full-time class schedule with three part-time jobs where he’s gaining valuable professional experience and covering his expenses. Over the past few years, he’s been doing freelance work producing and editing music videos and promotion videos for artists and athletes. Earlier this month he was hired as a multimedia content creator for LaGuardia’s Street Team, a group of students who work with staff of the Division of Communications and External Affairs. After graduating from LaGuardia, Juan plans to pursue a bachelor’s and start his own production business. 

Virtual Book Launch: Connected Recipes and Stories for Tomorrow 



The COIL program and Casa de las Américas invite you to the Connected Recipes and Stories for Tomorrow on Tuesday book launch on November 22 at 12 p.m. on Zoom. Register to attend. This unique student-authored book is the product of a COIL collaboration between LaGuardia students and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) graduate students. The bilingual book project, led by professors Alcira Forero-Peña (LaGuardia, Social Sciences/Anthropology) and Sarah Bak-Geller (UNAM, Anthropology), features recipes in connection to student stories and that of their communities, COIL exchange notes, and images.   

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Sarah Durand 

Dr. Sarah Durand discovered biology at age five while walking through a salt marsh with her father and a red bucket. The bucket had arrived empty but returned with a wild array of invertebrate animals - “pets.” When the pets succumbed to the inadequate circumstances of the bucket, the thrill of discovery gave way to grief, guilt and curiosity: How did they live? What did they need? Ultimately, she majored in marine biology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a dual BA-MA degree from the graduate division of Evolution and Ecology. She began her doctoral studies at Rutgers University as a field biologist studying Herring Gulls, but concluded with a doctoral thesis on the neural basis of vocal communication in doves, for which she received the PhD from the Center for Behavioral and Molecular Neuroscience. A subsequent post-graduate fellowship award from the National Institutes of Health supported her study of the forebrain vocal system of parrots at the University of Maryland, College Park. She joined LaGuardia’s faculty in 2003 as a professor of biology, and helped found the Environmental Science major. Since 2009, she has been working with students, faculty colleagues, and community-based organizations like the Newtown Creek Alliance to help clean up Newtown Creek, a highly polluted waterway that runs behind LaGuardia Community College. Among other projects, Dr. Durand has built habitat structures for shellfish and other invertebrates that provide water filtration, a much-needed service to the Creek. 

Audiences Enjoy Spring Awakening at LaGuardia



Five shows and an open dress rehearsal were held last week for Spring Awakening, the college’s first in-person Theater Program performances since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. After each performance of the rock musical, audience members responded with standing ovations. Kudos to show leads, LaGuardia students Ed Cardenes (Melchior), Analia Heredia (Wendla), Christian Torres (Moritz), and Nicole Pascaretta (Ilse). The show was directed and choreographed by Stefanie Sertich, professor and Theater Program director, with vocal direction from Professor Lisa DeSpain. Musical accompaniment was provided by students from several CUNY colleges. Bravo!