Lotus Notes Launches a New Era for Campus Communications

Students in Helen Gaudette’s FreshmanYear Initiative class, “Interpreting the WorldThrough ‘Reacting to the Past,’” are notonly reacting to important historical events;as test subjects in an ambitious experiment,they’re also reacting to an innovative appli-cation of new educational technology.

This September the 21 students arrivedat their classroom to be greeted by two vis-itors. Naveed Husain (Asst. VP, Office ofConverging Technologies) had come togive each of them a new Hewlett-Packardtablet computer, a clever hybrid of a laptop

computer and PDA (commonly known as a Palm Pilot). He was accompanied by thedirector of sales for Agilix, the companyproviding the primary software the stu-dents will use on their new computers. Thevisitors were there to make sure studentsreceived proper introductions to the hard-ware and software that would be guidingthem through the semester.

In addition to the Agilix programs GoBinder and Mobilizer, the computers hadbeen pre-loaded with the course’s 121-(continued on page 6)

Tablet Computers Take Students Back to the Future

FYI FYI After more than a year of research, plan-ning, and development, Queens Collegefinally has a single, unified email system:Lotus Notes. And like that new remotecontrol that came with the television yourecently bought, it requires a little time toget used to. Once you do, you’ll find itprovides all the old functions—and more.

Lotus Notes is what is commonlycalled a “groupware” system; it providesemail, calendaring, document sharing, andthe ability to have live online discus-sions—all features intended to bring peo-ple with a shared purpose closer together.

According to Naveed Husain (Asst. VP,

Office of Converging Technologies), uti-lizing technology to foster greater com-munity at Queens College also motivatedthe installation of plasma board displayterminals around campus, the opening ofthe computer kiosk in Kiely Hall, therecently launched experiment with tabletcomputers in a Freshman Year Initiativeclass (see article below), as well as thelaunch of Lotus Notes.

When he first arrived on campus in fall2004 Husain says, “I found the campuswas disjointed. A number of differentemail systems were being used. Somepeople were using Pegasus, some Outlook.

2 Queens School of Inquiry Takes Flight 3 Grants Help Museum’s Restoration Efforts

4 A Determined New Director of Special Services 8 Racism Subject of New Encyclopedia

NO

VEMBER 2005

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Queens College Faculty & Staff News

QUEENS COLLEGE IS

There was no central storage; people weredownloading directly to their desktops.”

While the network hardware support-ing the various programs was reliable, theprograms and the server environment were

not. “People had multiple accounts onmultiple systems which would go up anddown. The situation wasn’t robust.”

Under consideration at the time were(continued on page 7)

Making the Queens College ConnectionIn the lobby of Kiely Hall, Liliana Martins uses an Apple PC at the first ofQueens College’s new computer kiosks. Students can check their email and connect to any of the campus’s online facilities. In September, long lines werecommon as students took advantage of the facility to activate their new QCemail accounts and sign up for courses.

2

During a recent assembly at a nearby middle school that houses the innovativeQueens School of Inquiry (QSI), Dean ofEducation Penny Hammrich told the gath-ered students, “I have the delightful pleas-ure of welcoming Queens College’s firstsixth grade class.”

Surprising as it may seem, as a partnerwith QSI, the college will in a few yearsbe offering courses to students decidedlyyounger than the norm. “This is a uniqueand very ambitious enterprise,” saysHammrich of the experimental programthat will place sixth-grade students on apath to taking college-level courses whenthey reach ninth grade, with the potentialto earn up to 60 credits—the equivalent ofan associate’s degree—by the time theygraduate high school.

QSI is part of the Early CollegeInitiative (ECI), a partnership between theCity University of New York and the NewYork City Department of Education. ECIhopes to increase college success rates forlow-income, minority, and first-generationcollege-bound students. As it is partlyfunded by the Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation, the school has garnered con-siderable media attention. Ten suchschools are envisioned for the city in thenext three to five years. QSI is the firstsuch school in Queens.

Hammrich notes that her recent visitto the building QSI shares with ParsonsJunior High School and a program forautistic children was more than ceremonialin nature: “The idea from the inception isfor these students to see themselves aspart of the Queens College community—to give them the hope and the idea thatthey can go to college.

“QSI focuses on the inquisitive mind,discovery,” she says, explaining theschool’s emphasis is not so much onwhat is learned, but the process by whichthe learning is achieved. “How do youthink, how do you inquire? We want tofoster that natural curiosity, to create asafe environment where students feelthey can ask anything. And these studentsare not afraid to ask questions; they’revery bright, very inquisitive.”

SELLING A NEW PEDAGOGYAfter answering a lot of questions overseveral months, Elizabeth Ophals isdelighted to finally be doing the day-to-day business of running QSI. “The cur-rent principal of the school—me—spentevery weekend putting flyers in everylaundromat, every food store, every placeI could hang flyers,” she says with someamusement, recalling her weeks of sell-ing the QSI concept to surroundingneighborhoods.

“I spoke at regionwide meetings forguidance counselors and principals, intro-ducing the idea of our school. We had aWeb site. There was a lot of word ofmouth. I met with every PTA of everyfeeder school. I met with anybody whowould talk to me. In April we had an openhouse at Queens College which was prettywell attended, considering the suspicionson the part of the community,” she says,referring to the misperception in somequarters that QSI would be a school forproblem children.

“A lot of our practice,” Ophals says,describing her unusual school, “is based onthe University Park Campus School fromWorcester, Massachusetts, which is allied

with Clark University. It is a model ofsmall classes, individual attention, highexpectations, and absolute emphasis onacademics and a strong teaching staff.”

QSI’s five teachers spent 20 days overthe summer preparing the curriculum andattending a seminar at Clark University.It’s not unusual, Ophals says, for teachersto sit in on each other’s classes. The groupis energetic and inclined to “new ways ofthinking. There’s a great deal of learninggoing on among the teachers all the time.”

QSI’s small size helps facilitate theexceptional level of faculty collaboration.Because all the students take lunch at thesame time, the faculty share a commonplanning period. And, there’s another ben-efit: “Parents come to our school and theyall say the same thing: I’ve never seen aschool before where the students have somuch access to the teachers.”

This leads Ophals to mention the

important contribution of Queens Collegein providing two of QSI’s five teachers.“One was described as the most outstand-ing student teacher this professor had hadin ten years. The other was a top graduateof the TIME 2000 math education pro-gram.” Another, who doubles as both amusic and a wellness teacher, is currentlygetting another master’s degree in the secondary literacy program at QC.

“The college was a very cooperativepartner,” she continues. “They translatedeverything into any language we wantedand printed all the flyers and posters.Some professors even offered lessons atour Open House.”

While the current 77-student enroll-ment is four shy of the 81 she anticipatedhaving, Ophals says, “The parents don’tknow us well enough, yet. But I’m notworried about next year. We’ll have a million applications.”

An Ambitious Experiment Begins at New Queens School of Inquiry

QSI principal Elizabeth Ophals with two of the school’s 77 students and Queens College student Shelly Jadoo(second from left).

3

The Godwin-Ternbach Museum (GTM) hasrecently been awarded a number of grantsrelated to its efforts to preserve and restoreits collection. A $4,000 award from the

Lower Hudson Conference/NY StateCouncil on the Arts Conservation Programwill help restore Muffa T, a 20th-centuryoil-and-collage-on-canvas painting byItalian artist Alberto Burri, a key figureof the post-WWII Art Informel move-ment, Europe’s equivalent of AbstractExpressionism.

A grant of $3,000 from the Milton &Sally Avery Arts Foundation will be used torestore Milton Avery’s 1932 oil-on-canvasBeach Party. Avery, who personally donatedthe work to Museum namesake and founderJoseph Ternbach, was a major modernistwhose work strikes a fine balance betweenfigurative and abstract art. He lived andworked all his life on Long Island.

Once these works have been restored byconservator Alexander Katlan, he will dis-cuss them in the annual spring MuseumStudies course. The works will also be dis-played in the museum’s recurring exhibitionof recent acquisitions.

GTM is currently involved in a grantawarded for 2004-2006 by the Institute ofMuseum and Library Sciences’ MuseumAssessment Program for Museum Advance-ment & Excellence. This provides consult-ing services to assess and guide GTM inimprovements in Collections Managementand Governance, and is the first step towardfunding for such improvements. It is alsothe first step toward accreditation by theAmerican Association of Museums.

Grants Helping Godwin-Ternbach Museum Preserve Its Collection

Rosenthal Library InauguratesLincoln CollectionAt a ceremony on September 22, the Rosenthal Library inaugurated itsnew Lincoln Collection, donated to the college by Hal Gross.

Gross, a successful, retired busi-nessman, had spent many hoursworking with library faculty—first asa member of the college’s CUE pro-gram for senior citizens, and then asa student pursuing a master’s degreein political science. With more than 80people in attendance—includingGross’s family, friends, and fellowmembers of the Lincoln Group of NewYork City—the library acknowledgedreceipt of the collection, whichincludes more than 600 books, jour-nals, and documents related to theGreat Emancipator. Now known asthe Gross Collection, it is open toscholars and students. Gross has alsoestablished the Hal and Ida GrossEndowment for Lincolniana and 19th-Century American Literature, whichwill allow the library to purchase vol-umes on mid-19th-century Americanhistory, particularly the Civil War.

Winter Scene, a 16th-century Dutch painting theMuseum has restored with funding from the LowerHudson Conference/NYSCA Program.

ZOE BELOFF (Media Studies) screened her filmShadow Land, about a 19th-century Frenchmedium, and JEFFREY ALLEN (English) readfrom his novel Night Train last month at the National Arts Club . . . NICK COCH(SEES), a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer for 2004-06, has been giving talks on hisresearch at colleges and research centers inthe U.S. and Canada. In September he visitedthe University of Nebraska to present two lectures: “Hurricane Hazards in the U.S.” and“Mechanics of Hurricane Destruction.” In October he visited St. John’s University in Newfoundland to talk about “Mechanics ofHurricane Destruction” and “The UniqueDamage Potential of Hurricanes in theNortheast U.S and the Maritime Provinces of Canada” . . . In September SHIRLEYCRAWFORD (Financial Aid) joined other financial aid experts in a CUNY-Daily Newsoutreach program, $cholar Dollar$. The five-day, first-of-its-kind call-in helpline wasdevoted solely to financial aid: what it is,where to find it, and how to get it . . . The

Nurture New York’sNature/CUNY Program forEcological/EnvironmentalResearch (PEER) recently pre-sented PEER Awards toTIMOTHY EATON (SEES) andJOHN WALDMAN (Biology).Eaton is studying hydrologictransformation of the Flushing Estuary ecosys-tem. Waldman will study the resurgence ofthe cormorant population, once severely in

decline due to DDT contami-nation . . . STUART LIEBMAN(Media Studies) has beennamed a 2005 AcademyFilm Scholar for his earlyHolocaust cinema project.Sponsored by the Academyof Motion Pictures Arts &

Sciences, the $25,000 award is presentedannually to two film scholars selected by theAcademy Foundation’s Grants Committee . . .ROBIN ROGERS-DILLON (Sociology) recentlygave a reading for her book The Welfare

Experiments: Politics and Policy Evaluationat Riverby Books in Washington, DC. Itwas sponsored by the Women's Research& Education Institute, where she had previ-ously been a fellow . . . MARK ROSENBLUM(Harrington Center) was selected by theClinton Global Initiative as one of two winnersof an award for work in the field of Religion,Conflict and Reconciliation. His project,“Insight on Incitement: A Public EducationProgram on Israeli-Palestinian PeaceMaking,” will bring together Israeli,Palestinian, and American scholars, policy-makers, diplomats, and activists in an effortto analyze what went wrong with the OsloAccords’ trilateral anti-incitement regime. Theywill also try to outline a potential anti-incite-ment initiative that learns from the lessons of earlier failures . . . MARIA TERRONE(Communications) was named the co-winnerof the McGovern Prize, which is awarded byAshland Poetry Press (Ashland University,Ohio). The Press will publish her second poetrymanuscript, A Secret Room in Fall, next year.

PEOPLE

Liebman

Waldman

Staff Profile

4

At a commuter school, Mirian Detres-Hickey, the college’s new Director ofSpecial Services for People withDisabilities, has a commute to top all commutes. It begins in Massachusetts.

“I love my home,” she says of her placein Brimfield. “I have three acres and threeNewfoundlands, and in Queens it’s hard tofind an apartment that will accept you witheven one dog.”

To clarify, hers is a weekly commute;she spends weekdays living with in-laws inFranklin Square in Nassau County, return-ing to New England on weekends.

But Detres-Hickey seems hardly chal-lenged by the demands of three large dogs,

having raised six children, including twowith serious health issues.

Exuding a quiet sense of strength anddetermination, she recounts how she pur-sued her PhD while sometimes shuttlingbetween two hospitals. “I would take mylaptop and sit there with my children anddo my work while they were sleeping.”

The doctorate in special education lead-ership she received in July from WaldenUniversity/Indiana University was part ofan overall plan. “My goal was to find aplace at a college or university where Icould have the most effect by developing aprogram for education students going intoSpecial Ed. I want to give them the reality

of what is out there based on my experi-ence,” she says. That experience includesher state service monitoring 14 Massachu-setts school districts for Special Educationcompliance with regulations under theAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Individuals with Disabilities EducationAct (IDEA).

“Here I work with the disabled stu-dents—which is what I’ve always loved.And I’m also hoping that in the near futureI will be able to work with the educationdepartment, special education, and the psy-chology department in a collaborative effortfor students to do part of their practicum orindependent studies working at our Officeof Special Services (OSS). While workingthey can be learning about different disabil-ities. These are skills they need to know;there is nothing like real life experience toprepare future teachers or psychologists todeal with issues related to disability services.”

A number of factors make the develop-ment of such a program extremely timely,she believes, referring to the BushAdministration’s policy of insisting oninclusion—or “mainstreaming”—of disabled students while reducing and, insome instances, eliminating funding for the special services they require.

Citing horror stories from the fieldwhere teachers with no Special Ed back-ground are expected to cope with growingnumbers of Special Ed students in theirclassrooms, she says, “Approximately 16states are suing the federal governmentright now for lack of funding the reform.

“The reality is that the inclusion piecedoes not work. My doctoral dissertationwas on this subject,” she says. In additionto her PhD, Detres-Hickey holds master’s

degrees in bilingual special education from Long Island University and in humanservices administration from SpringfieldCollege. She received a BS at CastletonState College in Vermont.

“I’m very excited,” she says of her newrole at Queens College. “The staff here isexcellent and very knowledgeable and sup-portive of each other and the students.”

Detres-Hickey’s spirit of advocacy isevident when she talks about her dedicationto her staff. This year, the U.S. Departmentof Education did not renew a federallyfunded grant, in effect since 1982, for QC’sand other CUNY college offices that sup-port students with disabilities. The end ofthis funding has meant reductions in payand some staff departures.

“Besides taking the cuts in salary, theytook on the responsibilities of the staff thatleft. My task this year is to try to findfunding for them.”

Fortunately, Detres-Hickey knows the funding terrain. As consultant for the Substance Abuse and Mental HealthServices Administration of the federal government, she’s reviewed and writtengrants for the past 17 years.

Shelter from the Storm Connie Capobianco of the Health Service Center (right) receives assistance fromLinda Libby of the Christian Life Center in Gaithersburg, MD, unloading bags ofblankets, clothes, towels, and other necessary items for victims of HurricaneKatrina. All of the articles had been collected by various departments and stu-dent organizations at Queens College. Capobianco delivered them after learn-ing about the center in a newspaper article describing how Rev. Ronald Libbyand his wife Linda had taken in several families and also assisted a ruralcommunity by raising funds for victims of the disaster.

Mirian Detres-Hickey: An Advocate for Those with Special Needs

5

Student Profile

Zelig Krymko: Transfer Student Wins Housing Authority Scholarship

At 29, Zelig Krymko finds he’s experi-

encing college much differently than he

might have at 19. “I’m much more

focused,” he observes.

Krymko, a transfer student from

Yeshiva University, is the recipient of

a New York City Housing Authority

Scholarship. He won this for a combina-

tion of his excellent grades (3.87 GPA)

and an essay concerning the gratitude

he and his family feel toward the

United States for giving them a new

lease on life when they arrived in the

1970s as Jewish refugees from the

Soviet Union.

“I was born in Leningrad, which is

currently called St. Petersburg, and we

came to the U.S. when I was a year

old. We came to New York, where we

automatically got a beautiful apartment

in a wonderful area,” he says, refer-

ring to the Ravenswood Apartments in

Astoria. “We got help from the govern-

ment and my parents were able to go

back to college. My mom became a

physical therapist.”

While a senior at Stuyvesant High

School, Krymko started exploring his

Jewish heritage. He joined a program

called March of the Living, which brings

Jewish teens from all over the world to

Poland, where they visit concentration

camps and other remnants of the

Holocaust. They then go on to Israel,

where they observe Israel Memorial

Day and Israel Independence Day.

“This experience inspired me tremen-

dously to become passionate about my

people and Israel, my religion and God,”

he says. “I went to yeshivas for a few

years, and worked in Jewish education.”

His studies included time at Chabad

Yeshiva in Israel. “It’s a rabbinical

school,” he says. “But I’m not a rabbi.”

Krymko, who speaks Russian and

Hebrew fluently, has served as the

national director for college activism for

the Zionist Organization of America and

has also worked as a Hebrew teacher

for Chabad in both Toronto and Los

Angeles. He continues to promote Israel

by volunteering for an organization

called True Peace. “It’s a PR group for

Israel. I give seminars for college stu-

dents on how to present Israel’s position

in a positive way in the current Middle

East crisis.”

Currently a junior, Krymko is major-

ing in speech and language pathology

and is exploring professions where he

can make a difference in people’s lives

one-on-one, while using his previous

skills and knowledge. He is also consid-

ering law school after graduation.

Krymko says Queens College is help-

ing him deal with problems some older

students face—in his case, a recent

divorce. “Being at Queens College and

being able to stay focused has helped me

to deal with the trauma of the past year.”

In addition to finding respite from the

demands of his personal life in the

classroom, Krymko also finds it in the

gym. “I love to swim. I took a swim-

ming class my first semester here and it

was amazing. It encouraged me to con-

tinue swimming on a regular basis. And

I also work out in the gym.

“I never thought I’d go to a CUNY

school,” Krymko remarks. “Most of my

friends at Stuyvesant High School went

to Ivy League schools. But I’m in Queens

College and I love it.”

President James Muyskens shares alight moment with three members ofthe Class of ’70 who were amongsome 300 alums and guests takingpart in the Oct. 1 celebration ofHomecoming 2005.

Smile If You EnjoyHomecoming

Borough President Helen Marshall isflanked by Joe Bertolino (VP, StudentAffairs), left, and QC student JenniferGaraguso as they hold a proclama-tion declaring November CUNY Month in Queens. Representatives ofLaguardia, York, and QueensboroughColleges were also at the Oct. 25event at Borough Hall.

A Monthlong Salute toCUNY In Queens

6

TABLET(continued from page 1)page textbook. Using Go Binder and one of the computer’s unique features—a sty-lus that lets you write on any content dis-played on the screen—students learnedthey could underline text, write notes inthe margins, even highlight in color mark-er exactly as they would in an actual text-book. They can also write notes in scriptas though writing on a notepad and thenconvert them into Word text files.

Additionally, students can employtypical computer features such as search-ing text, Web surfing, cutting and pasting,etc., to aggregate research materials.

INITIAL OBSERVATIONSAfter several weeks of having the newtechnology in class, Gaudette observes,“There are a few who are on the tabletsall the time. I see them communicatingwith each other in the classroom by emailand instant messaging—which is greatbecause we wanted to set up a wireless

community withinthe classroom aswell as outside of class.”

Gaudetteexplains thatQueens is the firstcommuter school tooffer “Reacting”classes, in whichstudents learn abouthistory throughreading, writing,role-playing, andrecreating importanthistorical moments.Part of the trial is todetermine if thecomputers can off-set the advantages

experienced by students taking thesecourses at residential campuses where theycan conveniently meet outside of class andstrategize. “I’m hoping the tablets willmake it easier to build that sort of commu-nity here, which is necessary for the‘Reacting’ concept to succeed.

“It doesn’t seem to be disruptive in anyway,” she says of the in-class computercommunications. “We have an understand-ing: when you’re in here you’re using thecomputers for class work. I don’t carewhat you’re using them for outside of theclass,” she says, indirectly alluding toanother important aspect of the trial.

To get the most realistic sense of howthese computers would function in a typi-cal student-user environment, Gaudette’sclass has been told to treat the computersas their own. This means they can usethem for other work and other applica-tions typically favored by their peers,such as Internet downloads, gaming, etc.

“Part of what I will assess,” says Gaudette,

“is how the computer enhances their work inother classes. But I’m primarily looking athow it benefits the ‘Reacting’ experience.

“I communicate with this class morethan I have with classes in the past; theyare much more willing to email me andask me about anything. They’ve also beenemailing me their papers, which I put upon Blackboard,” she says, referring to thecollege’s version of the popular interac-tive education program for conductingmany classroom activities online.

“I think the tablets have made the stu-dents so much more aware of what informa-tion technology is available on campus,”she says, recalling the recent experience of meeting a student and being able toinstantly email him some information viatheir two tablet computers. “We did that in the cafeteria and it was great!”

A NATIONWIDE STUDYThe trial is part of a nationwide studybeing conducted by the Educause Centerfor Applied Research (ECAR) to assesswhether technology can have an impacton student learning.

Working with a contact at IntelCorporation, Husain helped facilitate agrant to CUNY for the purchase of thetablet computers and software for the trialtaking place in Gaudette’s class and threeother CUNY colleges. Gaudette’s—one of two Queens FYI classes—was chosen,he explains, “because we needed to find a group of students we could assess, whowould be going through the exact sameprogram together with one group of stu-dents that would have technology and one that would not.”

“These students are freshmen,” saysGaudette. “So this is opening up a won-derful experience that they’ll take withthem for the next four years.”

Like so many of the computer programs that have become part of our daily lives (think Google), the college’s new email program has an academic pedigree.

Lotus Notes and its Web-based version, Domino, are rooted in some of the first computer programs written at the Computer-basedEducation Research Laboratory (CERL) at the University of Illinois.In 1973 CERL released a program

primarily for computer techniciansworking on large mainframe comput-ers. Called PLATO Notes, it couldsecurely file and keep track of communications regarding technicalproblems with the systems they were maintaining. These “bugreports” carried the user’s ID and the date, and, thus, provided the rudiments of what would later become email.

An expanded version of the pro-gram was issued in 1976 under thename PLATO Group Notes. It remainedpopular into the 1980s, when the desktop computer revolution called for something different. By this time, a number of software developers from CERL were independently working on various new Notes-like products.

One of them, Ray Ozzie, under contract to the Lotus DevelopmentCorporation, founded a company in 1984 to develop for PC whatwould become known as LotusNotes, which became commerciallyavailable in 1989.

Lotus Notes Has ItsRoots in Academia

With a stylus, students using tablet computers can underline text, write notes in themargin, even highlight in color marker on the screen exactly as they would in a textbook or notebook.

7

ANDY BEVERIDGE and PYONG GAP MIN(Soc) and MADHULIKA KHANDELWAL (Urb

Stud & Asian/Amer Ctr)were quoted in an Oct. 6story in the Times Ledgerabout the campus’srecent symposium onimmigration . . . The Oct.13 Times Ledger quotedColden Director VIVIANCHARLOP about theupcoming performance

season at Colden Center . . . Speculationabout the effects a major hurricanemight have on New York City promptedstories Sept. 19 in the FinancialObserver, Sept. 23 in the QueensChronicle, and Oct. 4 in Newsday, eachof which quoted hurricane expert NICKCOCH (Earth & Env Sci) . . . MARIAN FISH(Psych) offered advice to the Wall StreetJournal for a Sept. 29 story about whatparents should do when their child has abad teacher . . . PENNY HAMMRICH(Dean of Education) was profiled Oct. 4

in Newsday . . .MICHAEL KRASNER(Pol Sci) offered hisinsights on the lowturnout for the mayoralprimary to the FlushingTimes for a Sept. 22story . . . PresidentJAMES MUYSKENS wasquoted in a Sept. 22

Queens Tribune report on QC’s rankingby U.S. News among “Top PublicUniversities-Master’s-North” and in the2006 edition of Princeton Review’s TheBest 361 Colleges . . . The AaronCopland School of Music was cited asone of the best schools to study jazz

music in the October issue of Downbeat. . . The Queens Times on Sept. 8 pre-sented a story on the new program forgifted children being offered by theContinuing Education Program . . . TheGodwin-Ternbach Museum’s exhibit onthe Mideast conflict, This Land to Me:Some Call It Palestine, Others Israel,garnered attention Sept. 15 in the DailyNews and Queens Ledger, and Oct. 2 inNewsday . . . Wiggle and Wave, theexhibit at the Queens College Art Center,was highlighted Sept. 8 in the QueensLedger and Sept. 15 in the FlushingTimes, and was the subject of a substan-tial piece Oct. 6 in the Queens Chronicle. . . The recent opening of the QueensSchool of Inquiry was covered on Sept.15 by the Flushing Times . . . An Oct. 6story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitutioncited Queens College as one of onlythree public schools offering a “Reactingto the Past” program . . . Metro NewYork and Telecomweb, a trade industryjournal for communications profession-

als, cited QC among the top 50 “MostWired Campuses” according to a newIntel survey . . . An item soliciting volun-teer families for the QC Preschool Project,a study of attention deficit/hyperactivitydisorder, appeared Oct. 6 in the LongIsland Press . . . The fall issue of CollegeBound Teen mentioned QC’s inclusion inthe Princeton Review’s 2006 edition ofAmerica’s Best Value Colleges.

Hammrich

Khandelwal

Wiggle & Wave Exhibit, Painting by Roberta Crown

This Land to Me

QC IN THE NEWS

LOTUS NOTES (continued from page 1)proposals to custom-build a new system, usea system employed elsewhere in CUNY, orpurchase an entirely new existing product.

“I believe that you should buy a best-of-breed product off the shelf because thebusiness of the school is not the develop-ment of software packages,” says Husain. Cost effectiveness also proved to be amajor deal-maker. Initially interested inMicrosoft Exchange, the program used atBrooklyn and Hunter Colleges, Husainmade the stunning discovery that theother leading groupware program, IBM’sLotus Notes (used at Baruch and CityColleges) was available to educationalinstitutions through the IBM ScholarsProgram for free for students and faculty!This amounted to more than a milliondollars worth of software.

Factored in with licensing, develop-ment, programming, and hardware costs,it was an offer that couldn’t be refused.But Lotus Notes carried another majorbenefit: known as a “workflow” system,it can be used for the development ofother databases and applications.

GETTING STUDENTS CONNECTEDAside from the technical considerations,Husain says that Lotus Notes was chosenfor another reason: “to get students moreconnected to campus through virtualcampus life.”

Additionally, college administrators willalso be able to send students vital informa-tion quickly and at no cost.

According to Husain, all students nowhave Lotus Notes accounts and about 60

percent have activated their accounts. Allstudent accounts are expected to be activeby spring. Ninety-seven percent of staff are on the new system, with the addition of faculty to be completed by December.

Jeff Barnes (Deputy Chief Infor-mation Officer), a former Lotus Notesconsultant who provided much of the on-campus training, knows firsthand itstransformative potential. Because mostQueens College students are commutersattending classes on widely divergentschedules, they are prime candidates tobenefit from the various Lotus Notescommunications features.

“We’re giving students an infrastructurethat they can use to communicate witheach other on a regular basis,” he says.

Essential to this are the program’s

built-in, centralized directories of all stu-dent and faculty users. With these direc-tories, students can easily extend theirinteraction with one another and withtheir professors outside of class.

The reach, of course, is global. “Wewant students—no matter where they arein the world—to still feel connected,” saysBarnes, referring to the program’s chatfunction, more commonly known asinstant messaging or IM-ing, which allowsfor the instant exchange of text messages.

That connection could extend wellbeyond Queens College, as Husainexplains one proposal under considera-tion: “The idea is to carry the students’email addresses forward so that they havea lifetime email address, a lifetime con-nection to Queens College.”

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How aware are New Yorkers of theirpresent-day biological riches and theirhistorical losses? How important is thepersistence of nature in New York tothe physical and psychological well-being of its populace? In a metropolis,is the natural unnatural? These andother questions will be addressed bysome of the nation’s finest nature writ-ers—including Tony Hiss (The Experienceof Place), Mark Kurlansky (Cod and TheBig Oyster: New York on the Half Shell),and Phillip Lopate (Waterfront: A WalkAround Manhattan)—during Nature andNew York: A Conference on WhyNature Matters to New Yorkers. Thefirst in a series of periodic conferences

being held by CIRCE (the CUNY Institutefor Research on the City Environment;formerly called the Institute to NurtureNew York’s Nature), it will take placeon Friday, December 2 from 9 am to 4pm at the college’s LeFrak Concert Hall.John Waldman (Earth & Env Sci.) is theconference’s organizer.

Early registration fee for the confer-ence is $20, which includes coffee,lunch, and a reception. (Registration atthe door will be $30.) To sign up, visitwww.yourleague.com/coursecode?nny100or send a check, made out to QueensCollege CEP, to Queens CollegeContinuing Education, 65-30 KissenaBlvd., Flushing, NY 11367.

Conference to Look at Nature in the City

QC AuthorsExamining the Underside of the AmericanExperience

The recentpassing ofcivil rightspioneer RosaParksreminds usonce againthat racismhas alwaysbeen part of theAmericanexperience.

Its history and practice in various formsagainst various peoples could literallyfill an encyclopedia—and, under thestewardship of Pyong Gap Min(Sociology), it has.

In August Greenwood Press publishedMin’s three-volume Encyclopedia ofRacism in the United States. Coveringthe period from Colonial times to thepresent day, it provides a one-stop refer-ence for scholars and anyone interestedin this tragic and ongoing thread inAmerican culture.

More than 450 essays explore suchtopics as the decimation and removal ofthe Indians, slavery, Jim Crow, intern-ment camps for Japanese Americans, the“crime” of driving while black, borderpatrols, and the Patriot Act. Anti-Semitism is addressed, as well as themore recent phenomenon of discrimina-tion against Arabs and Muslims.

In the preface, Min observes that“Given the seriousness of the problem ofracism and racial inequality in contem-porary American society, it is importantfor everyone to join the effort to moder-ate it. . . . Education of the general pub-lic, especially high school and collegestudents, about historical cases of racialinjustices and contemporary forms ofracism is needed.

“I undertook the extremely difficulttask of editing the Encyclopedia mainlybecause of its practical value for con-tributing to the moderation of racism.”

An effort of this scope required considerable help, and Min gratefullyacknowledges the assistance of several

faculty memberswho contributedessays to theEncyclopedia. They include,from the SociologyDepartment,Carmenza Gallo,Robin Rogers-Dillon, and Victoria

Pitts, as well as François Pierre-Louis(Political Science), Daisuke Akiba (ElemEduc), and Tarry Hum (Urban Studies).Sociology adjunct faculty NicholasAlexiou and Dong-Ho Cho made contri-butions, as did former Sociology adjunctfaculty Mikaila Arthur, John Eterno, andMichael Roberts.

Presenting a Life Lesson in Ethics Students in President James Muyskens’ weekly Honors College class “Introduc-tion to Ethics” recently received a lesson in the ethics of survival when Holocaustsurvivor William Ungar paid them a visit. A co-founder of the US HolocaustMemorial Museum, Ungar received an honorary Doctor of Humane Lettersdegree at Commencement last spring. He read to the students from his memoirDestined to Live and presented each of them with a personal copy.

Min

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Items should be submitted to Maria Matteo, Kiely 1310, x 5590. Items longer than one paragraph must be submitted via email to mmatteo@qc.edu.

3THUFILM: Behind Enemy Lines, by Israelifilmmaker Dov Gil-Har. Godwin-Ternbach Museum, 7 pm.

4FRICONCERT: LeonardLehrman, piano. Music of Marc Blitzstein. LeFrakHall, 3 pm.

6SUNUndergraduate Open House. StudentUnion, 12–3.

FILM: Tell Me a Riddle. Discussants:actress/director Lee Grant and RachelLyon (Media Studies). LeFrak Hall, 2 pm.

7MONPHYSICS COLLOQUIUM: “NegativeIndex of Refraction in OpticalMetamaterials,” Vladimir M. Shalaev(Purdue). Science Bldg. B326, 12:15 pm.

PERFORMANCE: Plato’s Apology ofSocrates. Rosenthal Library, Room 230,12:15 pm.

9WEDBIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM: ”Uptake of theNatural Radionuclide Polonium-210 inMarine Plankton, Bioaccumulation of an Alpha-emitter,” Gillian Stewart (QC).Science Bldg., Room B137, 11:15 am.

NEUROPSYCHOLOGY SEMINAR:“Gerontology, Cognition and BehaviorAnalysis,” Celia Wolk-Gershonson(Univ. of Minnesota). Science Bldg.,Room E308, 4 pm.

10 THUOPEN FORUM: Trends in Israeli and

Palestinian Public Opinion. With KhalilShikaki, director of the Palestine Centerfor Policy and Survey Research, andAsher Arian, director of the NationalSecurity Policy and Public OpinionProject of Tel Aviv University. Godwin-Ternbach Museum, 5:30 pm.

BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SERIES:“Ancient Jewish Tombs and BurialPractices in Jerusalem,” Jodi Magness(Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). LeFrak Hall, 7:30 pm.

11FRICONFERENCE: Fostering Women’sSuccess in Science. 8:30 am–5 pm. Fee:$25 ($5 students). Information: 5218.

14MON PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM: “High-FieldProperties of a Semiconductor,” RichardLiboff (Cornell). Science Bldg., RoomB326, 12:15 pm.

CONCERT: Organ students of Jan-PietKnijff. LeFrak Hall, 7:30 pm.

16WEDBIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM: “CanonicalWnt Signaling Through Frizzled andLRP5/6,” Jen-Chih Hsieh (Stony Brook).Science Bldg B 137, 11:15 am.

LECTURE: “When the Gays Move intoMr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” JoeBertolino (VP Student Affairs). SU Bistro VIP room, 12:15 pm.

PRESIDENTIAL ROUNDTABLE: “A Historyof Genetics: Why the NIH SupportsResearch on Yeast, Worms, and Flies,”Corinne Michels (Biology). SU CornerBistro, 12:15 pm.

FILM: The Sephardic Legacy of Segovia,Spain, directed by Kathleen Regan(Univ. of Portland). Kiely Hall 246,12:15 pm.

17THUANNUAL POETRY FEST: With Fred Buell,Peter Carravetta, Stephen Stepanchev,Maria Terrone, others. Rosenthal Library,President’s Conf. Room #2, 3 pm.

18FRICONCERT: Queens Philharmonia. Men-delssohn’s Violin Concerto, Beethoven’sSymphony No. 7. LeFrak Hall, 8 pm.

20SUNLECTURE: “Breaking Ground,” DanielLibeskind, architect and urban designer.Colden Auditorium, 2 pm.

21MONLECTURE: “Caesarea in Israel: KingHerod’s Royal City,” Kenneth G. Holum(Univ. of Maryland). LeFrak Hall, 7:30 pm.

22TUEQC EVENING READING:Glyn Maxwell & DerekWalcott. Music Building,7 pm. $10. Information:718-793-8080.

23WEDBIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM “UnderstandingHabitats of the Hudson,” Stuart Findlay(Institute of Ecosystem Studies). ScienceBldg., Room B137, 11:15 am.

28MONCONCERT: QC Afro-Cuban PercussionEnsemble, Carlos Gomez, director.LeFrak Hall, 12:15 pm.

30WEDBIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM: “Role ofMolecular Chaperones in KinomeBiogenesis,” Avrom Caplan (Mt. SinaiSchool of Medicine). Science Bldg.,Room B137, 11:15 am.

PRESIDENTIAL ROUNDTABLE: “Writing,Selecting, and Teaching Children’sLiterature,” Penelope Colman (EECE). SU Corner Bistro, 12:15 pm.

CONCERT: QC Vocal Ensemble, JamesJohn, conductor. LeFrak Hall, 12:15 pm.

NEUROPSYCHOLOGY SEMINAR: “Endo-phenotypes for Impulsive AggressivePersonality Disorders,” Janine Flory (Mt.Sinai School of Medicine). Science Bldg.,Room E308, 4 pm.

ExhibitsThis Land to Me: Some Call It Palestine,Others Israel. Photos and text byBarbara Grover. Godwin-TernbachMuseum, Klapper Hall, 4th floor. Hours:Mon–Thurs, 11 am–7 pm; Sat, 11 am–5 pm. Through December 15.

Mono.logue: Works on Paper bySeongmin Ahn. Co-sponsored by theAsian/American Center and the QueensCollege Art Center. Through Dec 23.Gallery Talk and Reception, Nov. 3, 5–8 pm.

NOVEMBER EVENTS

Early Roman lamp found at Caesarea(see November 21).