QView #177 | April 9, 2024

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer championed $500,000 in funding for the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

In fiscal 2024 spending bills passed last month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand secured half a million dollars in funding toward preservation of the Louis Armstrong House Museum. The allocation was part of an $8.8 million package supporting multiple projects in Queens.

Students from Queens College, LaGuardia Community College, Queensborough Community College, and York College presented their work at the borough-wide Undergraduate Research Symposium on Tuesday, April 2 in The Student Union. 

Sana Khan, a biology student, explained her work.

President Frank H. Wu reviewed the year’s achievements in his State of the College Address in LeFrak Concert Hall on the afternoon of April 2. (If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch the presentation online.) Outstanding faculty and staff members were recognized in a ceremony following the speech.

Eight faculty members received President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching. The honorees were Susan Davis (ACSM) and Fevronia Soumakis (ELL) from the School of Arts and Humanities, Wendy Tronrud (SEYS) and Elaine Silverberg (EECE) from the School of Education, Iva Burdett (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Holly Weisberg (Psychology) from the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Alexander Reichl (Political Science) and Bieu Tran (Economics) from the School of Social Sciences.

President’s Excellence in Service Awards were given to three staffers: Providenza Anteri, facilities coordinator in the Office of Buildings and Grounds; Annette Beckford, campus security assistant in Public Safety; and and Poline Papoulis, director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

The Presidential Faculty Award for Diversity and Inclusion was presented to Jane Guskin (Urban Studies). JC Carlson, LGBTQIAA+ programs coordinator in the Department of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and associate director of the CUNY LGBTQI+ Consortium, received the Presidential Staff Award for Diversity and Inclusion.

State of the College

Officer Sunshine

President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching in the School of Arts and Humanities were given to Susan Davis (ACSM) . . .

From left: Interim Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Patricia Price, President Frank H. Wu, Davis, Interim Dean of Arts and Humanities Simone Yearwood, ACSM Director Michael Lipsey

. . . and Fevronia Soumakis (ELL).

From left: Price, Wu, Soumakis, Yearwood, Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies Gerasimus Katsan

President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching in the School of Education were presented to Wendy Tronrud (SEYS) . . .

From left: Price, Wu, Tronrud, Dean of Education Bobbie Kabuto, SEYS Chair David Gerwin

. . . and Elaine Silverberg (EECE).

From left: Price, Wu, Silverberg, EECE Chair Ted Kessler, Kabuto

The winners of President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching in the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences were Iva Burdett (Chemistry and Biochemistry) . . .

From left: Price, Wu, Burdett, Dean of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Daniel Weinstein, Chemistry and Biochemistry Chair Jianbo Liu

In the School of Social Sciences, the recipients of President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching were Alexander Reichl (Political Science) . . . 

From left: Price, Wu, Reichl, Dean of Social Sciences Kate Pechenkina

. . . and Bieu Tran (Economics).

From left: Price, Associate School of Business Dean Schiro Withanachchi, Wu, Tran, Pechenkina, Acting Economics Chair Zadia Feliciano

Providenza Anteri, seen here with (from left) Price, AVP for Human Resources Lee Kelly, Wu, and AVP for Facilities, Planning and Operations Zeco Krcic, was given a President’s Excellence in Service Award.

The ceremony concluded with JC Carlson receiving the Presidential Staff Award for Diversity and Inclusion. Presenters (from left) were Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Diversity Jerima DeWese, Price, Wu, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Jennifer Jarvis, and Interim Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Sean Pierce.

That day, members of the Queens College AANAPISI Project (QCAP) were in California, representing QC at the nation’s inaugural Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Higher Education Leadership Development Summit, hosted at UC Berkeley by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Later in the week, QCAP made a presentation at the annual Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE) conference in Oakland.

From left: QCAP Co-Director Amy Wan (English), QCAP Program Coordinator Annabelle Park, and QCAP Director Caroline K. Hong (English)

Stephanie Miller ’91—president, chief executive officer, and board director at Hazeltree, a company that provides innovative cloud-based treasury and liquidity solutions—shared insights from her career on Wednesday, April 3, through Professionals on Campus. Miller, seen here with President Wu, has over 30 years of experience in financial technology and services, modernizing global target operating models and driving profitable, sustainable growth. Her resume includes positions at Intertrust Group, a provider of specialized administration services for private capital managers and hedge funds; J.P. Morgan; and Citco Fund Services. Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from QC. Joan Nix (Economics) moderated the event, hosted by the Office of Institutional Advancement.

During Next Steps Into Teaching—a recruitment event on Thursday, April 4—School of Education students led demo lessons, participated in practice interviews, and had the opportunity to meet principals from school districts with openings for the next school year.

QC’s Cheris Simpson was among the speakers at the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Foundation (MMUF) Conference on Friday, April 5. QC is one of 47 schools and three consortia, including the consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to participate in MMUF, which works to diversify the pool of humanities professors and scholars.

From left: Cheris Simpson, Queens College; Mika Moaney, Barnard College; Mo Moses, Brooklyn College; Yeukai Zimbwa, Barnard College

Meanwhile, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Jennifer Jarvis offered welcoming remarks at the main event of the second annual Queens North Youth Conference. Presented on campus by the office of Queens North High Schools Superintendent Hoa Tu, the all-day conference focused on uplifting young people in our districts through empowerment workshops, team-building activities, and the opportunity to explore post-secondary pathways.

Wearing protective glasses, members of the Queens College community converged outside Rosenthal Library on April 8 to experience the solar eclipse—and enjoy snacks and beverages, courtesy of the Society of Physics Students. Residents of this part of the country won’t have a similar opportunity for more than 20 years.

Students can enjoy tacos on Tuesdays—and Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursdays—at Nixtamal Taqueria in the Student Union. The cross-cultural menu also includes ramen.

Track and Field Wins Fours Events at Coach Omeltchenko Invitational

The men’s and women’s outdoor track and field team had a strong showing at the Coach Omeltchenko Invitational last Sunday, winning four events and placing in three others.

Khareena Primus took first in a pair of events, winning the women’s 200-meter dash in a time of 25.82 before crossing the line first in the 400-meter dash in a career-best time of 1:01.63. Diara Guy won the men’s 100-meter dash, besting a field of 23 runners while establishing a new career-best time of 11.18, and Fatima Morrobel earned first place in the women’s 800-meter run (2:25.08).

The men’s tennis team also had a strong week, earning a 4-3 win over Post University last Monday and 5-2 triumph over St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday. The baseball team went 1-3 last week, but still sit third in the East Coast Conference standings; softball split four games last week and also are in third place in the ECC.

This week, men’s tennis travels to Fordham University on Wednesday at 3 pm and Daemen University on Saturday at 6:30 pm. Baseball will be on the road on Wednesday to take on the University of New Haven at 3:30 pm and then will play a four-game series vs. the College of Staten Island beginning on Friday. Softball has a busy week of action with four doubleheaders on the slate. They visit Southern New Hampshire University on Wednesday and Franklin Pierce on Thursday, both at 2:30 pm. They then host St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday at 2 pm and head to Mercy University on Saturday at 12 pm. Track and field will host the QC Season Opener on Friday at 11 am, and women’s tennis returns to action with home matches vs. Adelphi University on Thursday at 12 pm and Goldey Beacom College on Saturday at 7 pm.

Keep up to date with campus sports by visiting https://queensknights.com

Out of the Closet, Dressed for Prom

QC’s Second Chance Prom is an all-inclusive event where students can be out, loud, and proud, accompanied by the date of their choice without gender restrictions or stigma; Prom Closet, a pop-up boutique, helps celebrants party in style. 

In preparation for this year’s prom, LGBTQIAA+ Programs at Queens College, the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, and Northwell Health and its partners collected over 300 gowns, dresses, suits, and accessories to stock the closet. On Wednesday, April 3, 71 prom ticketholders shopped the pop-up and walked away with amazing outfits, free of charge. 

The next Prom Closet date is on Thursday, April 11, from 4 to 6 pm in the Student Union, Room LL37. Access to the boutique is limited to ticketholders.

Second Chance Prom 2024—taking place on April 18, from 6 to 9 pm, in the SU Underground—promises to be memorable, with a Gothic/Victorian/Steampunk theme, dinner, and of course, dancing. An on-site photographer will send attendees home with framed pictures of them in their finery. Tickets are still available, for free here.

To donate new or gently worn prom attire for the next Prom Closet date on April 11, please contact LGBTQIAA+ Programs Coordinator at Queens College and Associate Director of the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium JC Carlson jc.carlson@qc.cuny.edu.

The Second Chance Prom, an annual Queens College tradition for more than a decade, is sponsored by the Queens College Gender, Love and Sexuality Alliance/GLASA. Last year, thanks to the generous support of LGBTQIAA+ Programs at Queens College, the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, and the New York City Council, the prom began welcoming LGBTQIA+ and ally students from all five CUNY schools in the Borough of Queens.

ACSM and DTD Present Hansel and Gretel

Resourceful siblings outwit a witch, tunefully, in Englebert Humperdinck’s beloved opera Hansel and Gretel, based on a Grimm Brothers tale. Aaron Copland School of Music and the Department of Drama, Theatre & Dance collaborate on this production, sung in German, with English subtitles. Performances run from April 11-15 in Goldstein Theatre; for times and ticket prices, click here.

Project REACH Introduces New Offerings for Neurodivergent Students

QC Project REACH, which serves the population of college students with autism spectrum disorders, has introduced some exciting new improvements to its offerings, starting with the QC Neurodivergent Student Resource Hub. As the name implies, the Hub contains helpful links and information (e.g., campus map, time management modules, job postings) that students can use to navigate the school and semester. The Hub is on SharePoint and can be accessed using CUNYFirst credentials. QC Project REACH and the QC Neurodivergent Student Resource Hub are supported by the FAR Fund.  

Additionally, Project REACH has begun to offer two skills groups designed for autistic or otherwise neurodivergent CUNY students: an Executive Functioning Skills (EFS) Group and the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Group. EFS focuses on executive functioning skills such as time management, self-monitoring, organization, communication, self-advocacy, motivation, reinforcement, breaking down tasks, and making time for leisure. ACT focuses on mindfulness, identifying values, dealing with thoughts/anxiety, avoidance, and taking committed action. 

Each student in these groups is assigned a mentor who guides them through the practice opportunities and helps to monitor progress. Mentors are psychology graduate students of applied behavior analysis who are supervised by a board-certified and licensed behavior analyst.

For additional information about Project REACH and its offerings, contact Director Sally Izquierdo at sally.izquierdo@qc.cuny.edu

Campus Hosts Neuropsychology Research Day

Neuroscience and neuropsychology labs from across CUNY will present their work at the 20th Annual Neuropsychology Research Day on Friday, April 12, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm in Room 264 of the Music Building. A poster session will take place from 12 noon to 1:30 pm.

Immediately thereafter, Yasmin Hurd—professor of neuroscience, pharmacological sciences, and psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai Behavioral Health System—will deliver the keynote, “Unlocking the Biological Impact of Developmental Cannabis and Its Psychiatric Risk.”

All graduate students and undergraduates, faculty, practitioners, and community members are welcome to attend the conference. No reservations are needed; the event is free and open to the public.

Highlighting In-House Poets

Once again, QView is celebrating Poetry Month by sharing work by QC faculty. In this issue, we feature a co-translation by Ammiel Alcalay (Classical, Middle Eastern, and Asian Languages and Cultures).

A house that looks like your laugh

By Nasser Rabah

(Translated from Arabic by Ammiel Alcalay, Khaled al-Hilli, and Emna Zghal)

1

He used to tell me the best stories, and throw the rose of his

heart in the water, recite his verses to silence, and reach a

point as if there’d been no life before it, the river that

accompanied him on his afternoon walk was not one, it was a

lineage of poems, and the house that looked like his laughter

lived on the other side of light sleep, we were two and did not

find a third other than a ladder of sighs, before he tucked in

his return next to me every night. He used to tell me the best

stories when I noticed a trace of his crying on the sand and

then I could no longer find myself.

2

You’re the one who sat my heart on your knees the day it was

a bird, and on your shoulders when it was a rifle, and you

didn’t throw it in the river even when my heart became stone.

Father, oh shadow of the only tree in the palm of the road,

the road whose tears were allotted to passers-by in complete

fairness,

the road whose vagrancy no one but me traversed.

3

I know you were a soldier the day I was born, but why did you

carry me like a rifle?

4

The child caught in your hand, Oh Father, joyous as a festive

balloon,

became a father, and caught in his hand, are sad words.

5

When you came back from work tired, and you forgot it,

Father, it wasn’t you I hated, it was the chocolate.

6

I answer your phone joyfully, tell your friends who didn’t know

of your absence–

you left us, Oh Father, but your phone still rings.

7

I always thought shadows were walls dissolving from fatigue,

and that your heart was the tired shadow of an absent wall.

Published in O Bod Magazine, issue 4

Rabah, author of five collections of poetry, was born in Gaza and still lives there. Alcalay, al-Hilli, and Zghal are working on a book by Rabah, to be released in spring 2025 by City Lights.

QC Awarded $300,000 for Undergraduate Research

The Sherman Fairchild Foundation has awarded QC a three-year, $300,000 grant designed to increase the number of undergraduates—particularly those from underrepresented minority groups and/or low-income backgrounds—holding paid internships in summer research. The college also hopes to leverage these funds to improve the application process, evaluate the program’s impact, and establish a sustainable framework for continued support for undergraduate research. 

During each summer in the grant period, up to 15 students will receive a stipend for participating in the summer program. Funds will also provide support for travel expenses, publication costs, and supplies. While taking part in research full time, students will be expected to attend weekly seminars and workshops furthering their understanding of lab safety, ethics, and scientific reading and writing. The program will conclude with a presentation of a poster or research. 

Big Ideas Focuses on a TIME-ly Topic

A signature QC initiative is the subject of Multiplier Effect: TIME 2000 Prepares Mathematics Teachers for School, the latest video in the Big Ideas at Queens College series. Multiplier Effect features an interview with TIME 2000’s founding director, Alice Artzt (Secondary Education and Youth Services).

Big Ideas at Queens College, launched in 2021 by the Office of Communications and Marketing, publicizes significant work conducted by QC faculty and staff. To date, the series comprises more than 20 videos, available online.

Imam Fahim Joins the QC Community

Like everyone else nowadays, religious leaders may find job leads online. Imam Mohammed F. Biswas—Imam Fahim—the newest member of Campus Ministries, exemplifies the trend; he learned of an opening at Queens College through a group chat of imams. “I ignored it at first,” he says. “A teacher urged me to apply.”

His hesitation notwithstanding, Imam Fahim is well suited for the position. For starters, he’s a Queens native. Born in Elmhurst, he attended PS 69 and IS 30. For high school, he commuted to Manhattan for New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+M), later transferring to Darul Quran WasSunnah—a higher education school for Islamic sciences—in Woodside, New York. “I wanted to dedicate myself to learning my religion and just generally help people,” he says.

After studying traditional Islamic science for seven years at Darul Quran WasSunnah, he began teaching Arabic there. He also served as a youth counselor at An-Noor Cultural Center in Woodside, Jamaica Muslim Center, and Flushing Muslim Center, working with anyone from their mid-teens to early 20s.

These experiences familiarized him with issues Muslim students may face in pursuing higher education. “Some Islamic communities are not well funded,” he observes. “People may not take advantage of four-year schools.” They should, he says, noting that “Islam encourages students to do well in school and in college.”

Then there are the challenges of navigating the campus environment. “Muslim youth often see themselves act differently from young people from other households,” he explains. “They’re more conservative. They want to pray five times a day.” Citing the example of Masjid Al-Falah, which, he reports, made interior adaptations to comply with Islamic requirements and local zoning, Imam Fahim says observant Muslims can find solutions for interacting with a secular world without compromising their religion. 

Toward that end, Imam Fahim makes a point of being accessible to the community. “I want students to see me as a brother. At the end of the day, I’m their servant. When I give a talk, I sit on the floor, have a discussion with students, and take questions. I don’t want to tell anyone to be quiet.”

Queens Breaks into Songkran

Songkran, observed in mid-April in Thailand and in other Asian countries, marks the start of the new year in Buddhism. Symbolically and literally, the previous year’s misfortunes are washed away: Priests pour water on Buddha statues and people splash each other. Music, games, and feasts are also part of the holiday.

Assemblymember Steven Raga held an official New York State Songkran event in Albany on April 8. New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams and Council Member Shekar Krishnan will follow suit at City Hall in Manhattan on April 16 at 5:30 pm.

Queens residents don’t have to leave the borough to take part in the festivities. Wat Buddha Thai Thavorn Vanaram temple (76-16 46th Avenue) will hold a traditional celebration on Sunday, April 14, with offerings to the monks at 10 am followed by a communal feast and at noon a beauty contest. On April 20, Little Thailand Way—the City Council’s designation for Woodside Avenue, from 76th to 79th Streets—will feature Thai boxing, music, dance, and food from some of the area’s top-flight eateries.

Anisha Clarke (Mathematics) will be presenting “Reimagining Possibilities for Mathematics Education through Storytelling: Learning with and from K-8 Students” at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting (April 11-14) with a team from Teachers College, Columbia University . . . . 

Linda Collazo ’18, a mezzosoprano, was the subject of a profile in the Bronx Times. In May she will have a leading role in Opera Orlando’s production of The Juniper Tree, by Phillip Glass . . . . Emily Drabinsky (GSLIS), president of the American Library Association, will receive the Torchbearer Award from the Publishing Triangle, the association of LGBTQ+ people in publishing, on April 17 in a ceremony at the New School. The award, now in its second year, is given to organizations or individuals who strive to awaken, encourage, and support a love of reading, or to stimulate an interest in and an appreciation of LGBTQ literature . . . . Zavi Gunn (Center for Career Engagement and Internships) was highlighted by the NY Jobs CEO Council in one of its Women’s History posts on LinkedIn . . . . Jerry Seinfeld ’76 put in an appearance in the series finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which aired on April 7 on HBO and can be streamed on Max . . . . Dax Soule (SEE) was quoted in CBS News’ coverage of last week’s earthquake . . . . James Vacca (Urban Studies) led an April 5 forum on disability rights and advocacy, in connection with CUNY Disability Month. Undeterred by that day’s earthquake, more than 50 students attended the panel, which included Arturo Soto, president of the Queens College Committee of Disabled Students and secretary of the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities . . . . President Frank H. Wu was recognized as a CEO of the Year at the Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE) conference on Friday, April 5. The next day, President Wu delivered the keynote at the 19th Annual Origins Banquet presented by APALSA—the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association—at the University of Michigan Law School. Earlier this year, he president was named once again to City & States’ Queens Power 100.