Discimus ut serviamus: We learn so that we may serve.
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QView #114 | November 16, 2021
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Open to all CUNY students, the QImpacts! Hackathon, held entirely online from November 11 through 14, was created with female and nonbinary students in mind, to encourage their interest in technology; no prior experience was required for participation. The Office of Career Engagement and Internships co-organized the event in partnership with Digital Page, a startup founded by QC alumna Amita Patel (above). |
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Arts School Receives $1.1 Million Endowment from Crystal Window Founder |
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President Frank H. Wu accepts support from the Chen family. |
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The Thomas Chen Family/Crystal Windows Endowment, the first major gift to help establish QC’s new School of the Arts, was announced by President Frank H. Wu on Wednesday, November 10, at a reception in the music building. The $1,105,000 fund will support Asian contemporary art at the college through exhibitions, student scholarships, and a visiting artist program.
“Queens College is profoundly grateful for the generous support of Thomas Chen, whose endowment will enable the college to offer exciting new programs and scholarships,” said Wu. “At the same time, Chen’s remarkable life and outstanding career will inspire our students, showing them that with vision and hard work, the American dream is attainable.”
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Lee Fensterstock and Thomas Chen |
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A combo from ACSM supplied background music. |
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NYS Senator Toby Stavisky |
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Frank H. Wu, Tiffany Eason representing Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Thomas Chen |
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Chen personifies that dream. He emigrated to the United States from Taiwan in 1982 with little money and no command of English; eight years later, he founded Crystal Window and Door Systems in Queens. Still headquartered in the borough, the company now operates a national network of factories, branches, subsidiaries and affiliates in California, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, employing a 750-person workforce.
“I am proud to make this contribution on behalf of the Chen Family and Crystal Windows to Queens College,” said Chen. “As someone who never had the opportunity to attend college, I believe supporting a prestigious local institution like Queens College with its long history of benefitting immigrants and first-generation Americans makes perfect sense. This is the first major gift to help establish the new School of the Arts, a subject near and dear to my heart. This makes the endowment all the more special to me and a wonderful legacy for my family.” Read more >>>
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Royal Read
The 2021 edition of Queens is now in print and online. This year’s alumni magazine shares highlights of campus events and provides details about the business and arts schools debuting in academic 2021-22. As readers have come to expect, Queens also profiles accomplished alumni, such as Howard Sipzner ’83, treasurer of the Queens College Foundation, and Yvonne Shortt ’08, a social practice artist who installed a remarkable project on campus grounds over the summer.
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Turning the Tables on Hunger in Flushing
On Friday, November 19, from noon to 2 pm, Turning the Tables on Hunger—the mobile program run by the Knights Table Food Pantry—will make a stop at 136-17 39th Avenue (Queens Crossing) in downtown Flushing. This location is near the 7 Flushing subway line and the LIRR Main Street station.
Matriculated students at QC and other CUNY campuses are eligible for food. To pick up packages, students must register in advance, wear a mask and practice social distancing at the site. For information, please contact knightstable@qc.cuny.edu.
The Knights Table Food Pantry is sponsored by a generous grant from the Carrol and Milton Petrie Foundation.
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(From left) President Frank H. Wu, CUNY Trustee Sandra Wilkin, Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright. Queen Kabatusuila Tshiyoyo Muata of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez share a photo op at a CUNY reception at the Roosevelt House. The well-attended event was organized in honor of the queen, a College of Staten Island graduate who seeks to strengthen student and faculty collaborations with Africa. |
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Irish Studies Project Gets Help from Ireland
QC’s Irish Studies Program received some much-needed funding recently thanks to a $6,500 grant from the Ireland Emigrant Support Programme (ESP). Run by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, ESP is designed to strengthen the international Irish community and its bond with Ireland. Through this program, the Irish government funds projects that have a clear and identifiable impact on supporting and building global Irish communities.
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According to Sarah Covington, director of Irish Studies, the grant will go toward the program’s ongoing oral history project, which is devoted to collecting the stories and experiences of the Irish and Irish-Americans in Queens and beyond. The goal to record and preserve the living history of Irish immigrants who made their first home in Queens.
“There are number of oral histories of the Irish, but I wanted to target a certain population, which has been overlooked by other institutions,” said Covington. “We are focused on Queens and the elderly of Queens. The Irish population is quickly leaving traditional neighborhoods in Queens, and we wanted to get these people before they faded away.”
This is the third year QC has received an ESP grant to aid in this project. With the additional funding, Covington hopes to obtain more than 200 interviews and to have the collection archived at the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library; about 60 interviews have been completed so far.
“[The Irish Government] has been keeping the project alive,” said Covington. “They are sympathetic to the fact we are targeting a vulnerable population and getting the voices of people who are often overlooked.”
Student Opportunities
The project is also a great opportunity for undergraduate students to conduct interviews, gaining valuable career experience. On Saturday, November 20 at 2 pm, Irish Studies will host a Zoom session for anyone interested in conducting interviews this year. The event is open to the public and not restricted to QC students. Registration information can be found at qcirishstudies.org
The department also recently received additional funding thanks to a donation from one of its own, Clare Carroll (Comparative Literature), a former director of the Irish Studies program.
“I made the donation in honor of Sarah to thank her for the great work she has done for the program,” noted Carroll.
While she deserves much of the recognition, Covington credits many of her colleagues for their assistance, particularly Eileen Sprague (Linguistics and Communication Disorders), who has been instrumental in directing the oral history project.
Covington has other plans for Carroll’s donation and hopes to bring in prominent speakers for upcoming events, or possibly host a traditional Irish music event in the near future.
“We’re a little program, said Covington. “But we’re very ambitious.”
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Athletics and Recreation Back in Play
Team competition has been under way this semester, with a full schedule of men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball. Visit www.queensknights.com to see the complete schedule for each team and follow the Knights at @QCKnightsny on Instagram for game day updates and athlete highlights.
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Recreational facilities are also available again for students, faculty, and staff who have prior access to campus. Reservations can be made online to use the Fitness Center, Open Gym, and Open Pool on weekday afternoons. For students, access to these facilities is covered by their Student Activity Fee. Faculty and staff can use them for a $45 annual membership fee.
Hours of Operation
Fitness Center
M-F, noon to 5 pm
Open Gym (Basketball/Volleyball)
M-Th, noon to 3 pm
Open Pool
M-Th, noon to 3 pm
“We want to keep a safe environment, so we are asking that all guests be fully vaccinated and follow social distancing guidelines when using any of the recreational facilities,” says Robert Twible, director of Athletics and Recreation.
“We are excited to welcome everyone back for a full season at the home of the Queens College Knights,” he continues. “Go Knights.”
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Transgender Day of Remembrance; Gay Fight Club
Through the generous support of LaGuardia Community College and the New York City Council through the offices of Daniel Dromm (District 25) and Speaker Corey Johnson, Queens College—a proud member of the CUNY LGBTQI+ Consortium—will hold a virtual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) observance this week and present a self-defense workshop on the following week. Both sessions will be recorded and archived at the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives.
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The TDOR observance, taking place on Friday, November 19, at 2 pm over Zoom, will remember those who were lost to anti-transgender violence, while highlighting the significant increase in hate crime against trans people. The event will be co-hosted by Queens College Gender, Love, and Sexuality Alliance/GLASA President Jay Crews and VP Mel Lopez. All are welcome to attend. https://tinyurl.com/TDORatQC
This remembrance is co-sponsored by the Queens College Gender, Love, and Sexuality Alliance/GLASA, the Queens College Office of Student Development and Leadership, the Queens College Arts Club, the Queens College Student Association, the Women and Gender Studies Program at Queens College, the Queens College Counseling Services Center, the CUNY Office of Student Inclusion Initiatives, and the Queens College Division of Student Affairs.
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Self-defense is for everyone! With violence against trans people, specifically trans women of color, at an all-time high, all queer people and their allies need to develop basic skills to protect themselves and each other. On Monday, November 22 at 12:15 to 1:30 pm, Coach Mario Marin—from Gay Fight Club at Team Red Planet in Bed-Stuy—will present an empowering trans-inclusive, body-positive, and gender-affirming self-defense workshop. Bottled water will be provided. This in-person event is open to the first 100 fully vaccinated Queens College students to register https://tinyurl.com/QueerFight.
This program has been designed to be as safe as possible. However, there remain risks associated with all in-person activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinations and face masks are required for everyone at this event. The population density for this event has been reduced and social distancing will be maintained. Hand washing is encouraged before and after all activities. All participants and attendees, regardless of role, are subject to these rules. Individuals displaying any symptoms associated with COVID-19 will not be permitted to attend or enter the space for the event.
This self-defense workshop is co-sponsored by the Queens College Office of Student Development and Leadership, the Queens College Gender, Love and Sexuality Alliance/GLASA, Queens College Student Association, Queens College Arts Club, the Summit at Queens College, the CUNY Office of Student Inclusion Initiatives, the Women and Gender Studies Program at Queens College, and the Queens College Division of Student Affairs.
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Eddie Palmieri Comes to Kupferberg
Award-winning pianist and composer Eddie Palmieri will be bringing his jazz band to LeFrak Concert Hall on Saturday, November 20, at 7 pm. Born in Spanish Harlem, raised in the Bronx, Palmieri was playing timbales with his uncle’s ensemble at age 13. About a decade later, he began making his mark as pianist. A recipient of multiple Grammy Awards—including the first issued for Best Latin Recording—and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, he maintains an active performing and recording career in his eighties. For more information about this concert, click here.
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Heard Around the Virtual Campus |
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