Kingsborough Community College March 2011 The City University of New Yorkk

S c e p t e rEgyptian Revolution Succeeds; Mubarak Steps Down

Photograph by Sabelo NarasimhanProtester gets emotional, as he holds up the day's paper with photos of all those killed in the revolution.

For the past few weeks the events inEgypt have been dominating headlinesaround the world. Pictures with hun-dreds of thousands of protestors railingagainst their government have been fea-tured prominently on round-the-clockcoverage on television news. With suchan intense focus on a distant country thatmost people do not think about, manyare wondering what the reasons behindthis most recent outburst are.

At the center of this politicalfirestorm is the now deposed presidentof Egypt, Hosni Mubarak. Despite thetitle, he has ruled as an authoritarian forthe past 30 years, winning re-electionevery six years with landslide victories.He came to power almost by accident ashis predecessor Anwar Sadat was assas-sinated. Before politics he had spent hisentire adult life in the Egyptian military,eventually becoming the chief of the airforce.

As a result of the peace treatysigned with Israel, Mubarak’s rulewould be characterized by an extremelyclose relationship with every AmericanPresident during his rule. In fact, Egyptis so important to America’s interests inthe region that it receives $1.3 billionannually in aid, second only to Israel.

However what might be good forthe United States might not necessarilybe good for the Egyptian people. Egypt’spolice and security services are notori-ously known for their brutal torture anddetention practices. The government hasjustified these abuses with a set of emer-gency laws that have been in effect foras long as Mubarak has been in office.Targets of these laws include politicalactivists.

The United States tolerated theseharsh actions because Mubarak held atough stance against religious funda-mentalism.(continued on page 5)

by Haikal Fernandez CUNYGives Thumbs-Up to Smoking BanA smoking ban will be in effect

across all 23 City University of NewYork campuses starting September 4,2012 at the request of it’s Tobacco Ad-visory Committee. Approved by theBoard of Trustees of CUNY to pro-mote a healthier environment foreveryone, this move will establishCUNY as the biggest smoke free pub-lic university collective in the UnitedStates.

This act is an expansion of Kings-borough’s established policy of nosmoking within 25-feet of entrancesand exits. The 25-foot rule has alreadycaused frustration among studentsmokers, and even those who don’t.

Brian O’Bailey, a prospective ap-plicant to the general CUNY college

system and heavy smoker said thateven though he hadn’t smoked in threedays, “this move could potentiallydeter students from applying” andadded “I’d smoke anyway.”

Most CUNY colleges have an out-door campus making it easier to en-force the ban and notice the results ofthe new policy. However, the overallsuccess of the ban may be difficult tomonitor since not all CUNY collegeshave an outdoor campus. Collegessuch as Hunter College and BaruchCollege might not notice much differ-ence, as they are located directly oncity streets where smoking isn’tbanned.

According to the Tobacco Adviso-ry Committee Report on a CUNY-

by Nicholas Nuzhny

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2 SScceepptteerr

Scepter2001 Oriental Boulevard Room M230

Brooklyn, NY 11235Telephone: 718.368.5603Fax: 718.368.4833

Editor-in-ChiefMaria Bonello

Production EditorAlan Hawkins

Business ManagerFelix Guzman

PhotographersPedro EstevezRyan Seaforth

Chief PhotographerAbe Ginsberg

Staff WritersRobin FrankelRussell KruzhkovMarlene Gomez

AdviserLevy Moore

Scepter is a publication of the studentsof Kingsborough Community College.It is not a college publication, therefore,the college is not responsible for its

contents.

All articles in Scepter remain the sole property of Scepter. To obtainreprint permission, please contact

the editors.

E-Mail: scepter@kingsborough.edu

Scepter welcomes letters to the editors and opinions from the entire

Kingsborough Community.

March 2011

Letter From the Editor

OdysseyThe Kingsborough Community College Yearbook

Needs: Designers, Photographers, Writers, Editors and other volunteers for the 2011 Yearbook

Come to room M-230 and sign up!

Production AdvisorRob Wong

Adjunct ProfessorPatrick Hickey Jr.

Sport Editor Nicholas Nuzhny

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Monday Tuesday ThursdayWednesday Friday

• Bingo for Books 1-3p.m. MAC Ro-tunda • Evening Student Recep-tion 5-7 p.m. U-112

• Frost Frenzy 11 a.m-3 p.m. U-Cafe

• Student Life Open House12-3 p.m. C-123• Dinner & a Movie 4 p.m.U-230

• Knicks Game 7 p.m.MSG

• Mentalist Show: RobertChanning 12 p.m. U-Cafe

• KCC Idol: Karoke Event3-5 p.m. U-Cafe

• Student GovernmentOpen House 2-5 p.m.Breeze-way• Broadway Show 8 p.m.

• CAB Welcome BackParty 6-10 p.m. U-219/220

• ThinkFast Game show12 p.m. U-219/220

• CAB Guess for Gas,Outside C-123

• CAB Guess for Gas, Outside C-123

MARCH EVENTS

Winter 2011 has been a time of restora-tion, revolution and recovery and this issueis dedicated to recapping it all.

During the module, Scepter hostedjournalism workshops for staff writers, pho-tographers and anyone interested in learn-ing the ins-and-outs of the field and to re-store the caliber of the paper. Despite theterrible weather conditions, we were able tohold all the workshops and present the in-formation that was expected. Writerslearned everything from the basics topreparing for an interview to how to takeproper photographs and introduce all thedifferent types of articles. Attendance wassufficient and everyone benefitted greatly.The improvements, made possible by theworkshops, are visible in the writing quali-ty of the articles.

The college has other plans to restore

the value of the campus by taking steps to-wards completing Mayor Bloomberg’s ’30in 10’ challenge during the spring semester.Since 2004, KCC along with the 23 otherCUNY campuses have taken part in thisprogram of sustainability to better the envi-ronment. The article goes over everythingKCC has accomplished so far and the proj-ects they plan to finish in the future. The fullstory can be found on page six, “The GreenPath To Fulfill the ’30 in 10’ Challenge.”

This past winter will without a doubt godown in history as the winter of revolution.Arab countries such as Tunisia, Yemen andCairo have experienced mass revolts againsttheir governments. Cairo being the one na-tion to see some sort of change. Everydaylife routines came to a halt as citizens tookto the streets of Cairo in peaceful protests tooverthrow their 30 year President Mubarak.After several weeks, Mubarak stepped

down only to pass power onto the military.The full story can be found on page five,“Cairo Crisis Sparks a Revolution.” Notethat the photographs for this story are on lo-cation shots taken by a KCC transfer stu-dent who is unfortunately still stuck amidthe Cairo mess.

Back in our nation, President Obamapresented his state of the union addressbased on ways to recover the future ofAmerica and it’s citizens. The speech re-ceived good feedback from both republicanand democratic parties as Obama kept thetone optimistic and inspirational. Focusingon improving education, creating jobs andwithdrawing troops, his plans do not seemfarfetched. However, the address did lack asolution to the country’s overwhelmingdeficit. The full story can be found on pagefour, “Pres. Obama’s 2011 State of theUnion Address.”

A Winter of Restoration, Revolution and Recovery by Maria Bonello, Editor-in-Chief

Yearbook Portraits: March 14th through 18th, U-213 & U-214, 10am - 2pm & 3pm - 7pm each day.

• Club Fair 2-4pm, U-219-220

• Our Strength is ourHistory w/ key-speakerSofia Quintero11-12pm, PAC Theater

Dinner & Dialouge4pm-6pm V-219

KCC Republican,Licenced to Kill: The Abortion Scourg U-220, 1pm

You Said It: Women’s History Month is the declared month in which women

are remembered and honored for their outstanding achievements.Although every month should recognize the importance of women,March has been designated for paying homage to their outstand-ing accomplishments. Some women have contributed to historywhile some women are history. No matter what the case may be, allwomen should be honored and remembered even if its Lady Gaga.

Who are three women you admire and look up to?

SScceepptteerr 3

How to Study the Right Way

Celebrating the Women in Our Livesby Navila Abbas

Faiza Gul, Biology major:

“Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tub-man, Hillary Clinton.”

Amabella Lambinicio, Environmental Studies major:

“Amelia Earhart, Mother Teresa,Joyce Carol Oates.”

Darnel Lawrence, Liberal Artsmajor:

“Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harri-et Tubman, Lady Gaga.”

Junie Joute, Liberal Artsmajor:

“Abigail Adams, Elizabeth CadyStanton, Rosa Parks.”

Sukhjeet Singh, Liberal Artsmajor:

“Cleopatra, Empress Wu, QueenElizabeth.”

Sureyya Stephan, EarlyChildhood Education major:

“Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Garner,Hillary Clinton.”

Photos by Navila Abbas

March 2011

If you’re anything like most college students,then you know what it’s like to hear the alarm gooff after a whole night of staying up cramming fora test. You might have sipped on sugary beveragesthroughout the night in order to stay awake, andyou probably won’t get a wink of sleep before youtake the exam that looms in the near future, like adark cloud on a rainy day. KBCC’s Professor ofPsychology, Jason Vanora, has offered some keyadvise for students in order to keep their studies inshape. Nutrients is Key: Consume the wrong things,

and your study efforts may be futile. Too much sugar will give you tons of energy

and then send you crashing. Consuming lots ofprotein, fruits and vegetables will allow you tomaintain a healthy mind and body. Staying awayfrom anything made from white flour, like pizzaand white bread is advisable, because these prod-ucts cause a sudden drop in blood sugar withinabout an hour of eating it. This can lead to falsefeelings of hunger, lethargy and even mental con-fusion. Sweet Dreams: Sleep is like folding and put-

ting away your clothes after you've done yourlaundry. If you don't get enough of it, you're justdumping your clean clothes back in the laundrybasket.

A lot of what we learn gets consolidated witha good night’s sleep. Therefore, sleeping the nightbefore a test, instead of staying up all night andstudying, will benefit you in the long-run. Studyas much as you can, but make sure you put youreight hours in. Information Overload: Only take as many

bananas as will fit in your bag.

Does it work? If the test is asking you to re-call simple facts, basic definitions, and essentiallyasking to regurgitate information, then it mighthelp students learn in the short-run (at least longenough to pass a test). Cramming, however, willnot help with really remembering the informationin the long run or help you to do well on examsthat require a more thoughtful or conceptual analy-sis of the course material.Studying:A student's holy grail. Standard studying methods that help many

students include reading your textbook in depthand taking notes as you go along. Students alsowant to work on connecting concepts with every-day lived experiences. Your textbook might notoffer the best examples so practice making up yourown. Always try to understand instead of simplymemorizing the main points: Write them out, andthen summarize class lectures and readings in yourown words. Plant Your Derrière in a Seat: Showing up

means you're halfway there on the road to success! Students who show up to class and keep an

open line of communication with their professorstend to do better. The textbooks are vital, but justas important is showing up, and allowing your pro-fessor to tie in different concepts, and then explainthem in greater depth. Email and office hours: Communicating

with your professor is essential. If you don't understand something, then ask forhelp! That is what your professor is there for, sothere is no need to be shy. Checking out his/her of-fice hours, getting a tutor, or starting a class studygroup are all proactive ways of getting the help youneed.

by Crisanthy Carvouniaris

The reestablishment of the KCC PakistaniClub occurred about a year ago, and is pro-gressing in popularity everyday. The organiz-ers are Muhammad Rizwan Hafeez, AlishbaAkber and Adeel Sian. These are the peoplewho worked very hard to form their own na-tional club.

Pakistani Club was banned in 2000 due tothe inequality of club members. However,Pakistani students tried to form their clubagain by the end of 2008. The procedure tooktoo long, because of some staff changes in theStudentLife Office.

The organizers arranged a fashion show inKCC on May 2010, which was a great success.More than 250 students and their relatives at-tended the event while the 60 participants per-formed. The contestants showed up in theirtraditional dresses, and Pakistani food wasserved to the audience at the end of the event.Without a doubt, the success of this event liftsthe reputation of the club.

The earthquake in Haiti came as a shockto the whole world. For Pakistanis, the disas-ter was even more significant. Recently in2005, the northern areas of Pakistan were af-fected by a disaster of similar magnitude. Pak-istanis shared the sorrow and loss of theirHaitian brothers and could relate to their ex-perience. Hence, it was only a matter of timebefore Pakistanis organized troops and started

raising funds for their aid. The four day fund-raiser was a huge success, and highlightedthe empathy felt by our community for ourbrothers in need. Around $800 was collectedand donated to Haiti.

Pakistan also experienced a flood duringthe first week of September 2010, causingmillions of people to died. Many were in-jured, lost their loved ones, their homes andwere in desperate need of help. The PakistaniClub collected $1,700 for the Pakistani FloodRelief, the largest fund ever gathered by astudent organization in KCC.

Pakistani Club recently co-hosted the EidParty with the Arab Club and MSA at the endof November, which also hit an unpredictableaudience rate and received much apprecia-tion from everyone.

Even after these spectacular events, re-markable fund raisers and other successes bythe Pakistani Club, KCC has not yet dedicat-ed a room or an area where the club meetingsand management could take place. I hope andit’s my solemn request to officials that thePakistani Club will receive all the supportthey can so club members can continue tomake a difference in our community and be-yond. The Pakistani Club wants students,faculty and staff of to be known and familiarwith them.

Club Efforts Shouldn’t Go Unnoticed by Ambish Ibrahim

4 SScceepptteerrLocal Affairs March 2011

The S ta te o f the Un ion Addres s , 2011President Obama’s legisla-

tive agenda and U.S. prioritieswere presented in late Januaryduring the 2011 State of theUnion Address. Obama expressedhigh optimism about making re-forms, passing bills and the futureof our country. The speech wasvery much welcomed with ap-plause and standing ovations ona number of key points and issueswith its inspirational undertone.Realizing the birth of a new age oftechnology, Obama pushes forbetter education in math and sci-ence in order to compete with ourrivals and the innovation of ex-ploring new fields for potentialjob growth. Announcing the re-turn of our troops from Iraq wasa major hit, but Obama lostpoints when it came to discussinga solution to reduce the deficit.

Economic RecoveryThe stock market and corpo-

rate profits have steadily in-creased since the 2009 Recessionshowing indications of an im-proving economy.

Tax CutsIn early December, Obama

passed the Middle Class Tax Re-

The agreement is said to increaseU.S. exports by $11 billion andemploy 70,000 Americans. How-ever, the agreement fails to sup-port American cattle farmers andbeef exporters. In 2003, aftercases of “mad cow”disease werereported in American beef, SouthKorea banned imports of U. S.cattle more than 30 months old.

Health CareLast year, the Affordable

Care Act gave health coverage toindividuals that were uninsuredfor 6 months and had pre-existingconditions. Insurance companieswere also forbidden from reject-ing coverage of children with pre-existing conditions. However,those provisions do not beginuntil 2014.

The new bill provides a fewtax credits for small businesses.Small businesses with less than25 employees with an annualsalary of less than $50,000 arequalified for tax credits up to 35percent of employer cost from2010 to 2013 and up to 50 percentafter 2014.

The bill will also help to re-duce health care costs which is a

biomedical research, informationtechnology and clean energy tech-nology in order to create new jobsfor the future.

Education ReformIn february 2009, Obama

launched the Race to the Top pro-gram that was part of the Recov-ery Act. The $4.3 billion programwas designed to award schoolsthats improve their learning andteaching standards. The programis the equivalent of less than 1percent of the total U.S. educationspending. Since the start of theRace to the Top, 35 states and theDistrict of Columbia havechanged academic standards inreading and math while 34 stateshave changed laws and policies.

ImmigrationThe president wants to ad-

dress the millions of undocument-ed workers and stop the deporta-tion of young educated and talent-ed illegal immigrants. He believesthe young people can help Amer-ica reach its potential in technol-ogy, and entrepreneurship.

Trade DealsA Free Trade Agreement was

passed in December with Korea.

lief Act of 2010 which extends theBush-era tax cuts for another 13months that extends the Bush-eratax cuts. The bill prolongs the cur-rent tax rates for individual tax-payers earning $200,000 or lessand married couples who filejointly and earn $250,000 or less.Therefore, increasing paychecksby $2,000.

The bill also allows smalland large businesses to write offthe entire cost of investments for2011. The Treasury Departmentpredicts that $50 billion in invest-ments will be made. Obamahopes these changes will addmore than one million private sec-tor jobs.

American Innovation We are in an economic com-

petition with countries such asChina and India in the educationdepartment and technology.America is trailing behind as ourcompetitors began educating theirchildren earlier and longer. Witha great emphasis on math and sci-ence, the president urges moreAmericans to study the subjectsand become math and scienceteachers. Obama plans to invest in

major contributor to the deficit. The Deficit

Unfortunately, Obama failedto directly address our current $41billion deficit. He did, however,say thats pending was necessaryto save jobs, and keep creditafloat. The Congressional BudgetOffice estimates that the 2011 deficitwill skyrocket to $1.5 trillion. Iraq Troop WithdrawalThe Status of Forces Agree-

ment with Iraq enabled 100,000troops to come home in August2010. By the end of 2011, the re-maining 50,000 troops will bewithdrawn.

War in AfghanistanThe president spoke highly

of the Afghan situation andshowed no signs of troop depar-ture. However, Afghanistan NGOSafety Office says there has beena 42 percent fatality increase in2010 from 2009.

Al Qaeda in PakistanA number of Al Qaeda oper-

atives have been killed in the pastyear, but the threat is far fromover. Al Qaeda is currently the biggestthreat to the U.S. and Pakistan is alsounder attack with suicide bombings.

News Briefs NY State BudgetNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a$132.9 billion budget. It doesn’t include newtaxes or borrowing, but focuses on reducingthe $10 billion deficit. The budget is based onspending cuts, job layoffs and fee increases.Cuomo plans to cut Medicaid funding by twopercent and state school aid by 2.9 percent.He wants to reduce general fund spending by10 percent at state agencies and merge 11agencies into four. The governor's budgetcalls for workforce saving and will issue9,800 layoffs if that cannot be accomplished.Cuomo also intends to give $43 million to theMTA.Bush For Gay Marriage Barbara Bush, daughter of former PresidentGeorge Bush has made a video for the HumanRights Campaign's New York for MarriageEquality campaign. In the short video, she en-courages people to support gay marriage, anissue her father opposes.

Preparing For Warmth Put away the coats and say goodbye to thesnow, because spring is just around the cor-ner. According to tradition, Groundhog Dayis the predictor of transitioning into spring.Luckily this year, the groundhog did not seehis shadow, therefore, an early spring is near.

Peaceful Protests in YemenThousands of Yemen citizens began protest-ing in late January, demanding a change ingovernment. President Ali Abdullah Saleh,who has served for 32 years, has decided toleave office by 2013. He also said that his son

will not run for the presidential position. De-spite these announcements, demonstrationshave peacefully continued. Citizens fearSaleh will take back his word as he did in2006.

Immigration RegulationsAbout 15 states are contemplating an Ari-zona-Style legislation regarding immigration.The legislation would allow officials to ques-tion the status of anyone they stop for minoror serious violations of the law.

Drought Warning in China The United Nations’ food agency declared adrought in China threatening the wheat crop.The country is facing a shortage in drinkingwater for people and livestock. If China, theprimary producer of wheat crop, decides toimport the crop from other regions it candrive international prices past record levels.

Congressman Resigns After Topless Scan-dalChristopher Lee, two-term New York repre-sentative resigned early February due to poorlack of judgement. Shirtless photos of the re-publican surfaced that were exchangedthrough e-mails with an unnamed 34-year-oldMaryland woman he met through Craigslist.Mr. Lee, who is married and has a son, re-sponded to the woman’s personal ad entitled,Women for Men. His resignation opens a seatin he 26th Congressional District. Gov.Cuomo by law is required to call a specialelection.

by Maria Bonello

by Maria Bonello

This winter is no wonderland. The snow keeps coming and it's

only making things worse. Not onlyhave people's cars been turned intoice statues, but now we're left withstreets full of garbage. As the inch-es of snow and ice grow, so does thenumber of problems and com-plaints.

Forty-nine out of the 50 stateswas hit by the storms, including hotspots like Hawaii and sparing onlyFlorida from the flurries. Accordingto longislandpress.com’s JacylnGallucci, “The last time that hap-pened was last year when all statesexcept Hawaii had snow and in1977 when all states except SouthCarolina had snow.” Weird is an un-derstatement.

If the snow storms that occurabout every four days isn’t enough,New York was one of the few statesthat had the please of experiencingthunder-snow. A meteorologicalpneumonia where heavily snowfalldrops simultaneously as thunderrumbles and lightning strikes.

According to Fire DepartmentNetwork News, being cold is not theonly thing to worry about with allthe snow. State Fire AdministratorFloyd A. Madison said “With the re-

cent onslaught of lake-effect snowsin western, central and northern por-tions of New York State, local fireagencies have reported an increasein calls about carbon monoxide de-tectors going off in homes.”

High snow drifts may be block-ing furnace vents and air intakes insome homes, particularly those thathave newer high-efficiency fur-naces. The New York State Officeof Fire Prevention and Control ad-vised all New Yorkers to check theirfurnaces and hot water vents tomake sure that it is not blocked byice or snow and make sure you havea carbon monoxide detector.

However, no matter how annoy-ing the amount of snow is, it's noth-ing compared to the snow storms ofthe past.

In 1888, New York received 21-inches in just two days. Trains wereeven derailed trying to push past theheavy snow. In 1947, the recordsnowfall with the second highestsnowfall paralyzing the city in1996. Through the years, New Yorkhas experienced 16 major stormsand a record of 89-inches of snow.

This recent snow storm wasranked number 6, and this is onerecord we don't want to break.

No Winter Wonderlandby Nicole Halsey

SScceepptteerr 5March 2011 Cover Stories

(continued from cover)American intelligence

agencies work very closelywith their Egyptian counter-parts.

Widespread corruption bypublic officials is a fact of lifefor many Egyptians. For acountry of 80 million people,the economy is particularlystagnant as Egypt doesn’t havethe energy reserves of otherArab states and is poorly man-aged.

In addition, Egypt hasbeen seriously affected by theincrease in the price of foodover the past few years. Theaverage Egyptian was hit hardenough that they went to thestreets in large numbers a cou-ple years ago. The prices re-mained high but the protestseventually died down until thecurrent round that began a fewweeks ago.

The direct cause of theseprotests is believed to havebeen the unforeseen popularuprising in the North Africannation of Tunisia. There, adecades-long entrenched polit-ical strongman was toppled bymass protests organizedthrough the use of social

media networks. Inspired,Egyptians took to the streetssoon after.

The situation now is verytentative, with Mubarak re-signing and staying at his re-sort home in Sharm el-Sheikfor the time being. He hasplaced the country under thecontrol of the military that willpresumably oversee the transi-tion to a more democraticstate. The Egyptian Army isthe most respected institutionin the country, so much so thatthe people view them as sepa-rate from the rest of the gov-ernment. With the lack ofdemocratic institutions inEgypt, they will have to betrusted to take the lead.

For now there is a sense ofcelebration and jubilationacross the country as peoplepower has overthrown one ofthe longest lasting dictator-ships in the world. Armed withFacebook, the normally pow-erless Egyptian people suc-ceeded in accomplishing whatmight have been consideredimpossible just about a monthago. In any case, the situationin Egypt promises to remaintumultuous for the near future.

Egyptian Revolution Succeeds; Mubarak Steps Down

CUNY Gives Thumbs-Up to Smoking Banwide survey sampling 579 submis-sions: 62 percent of the respondentswere students, of which 60 percentwere in full support of the proposedban, and 17 percent were only partial-ly supportive.

Though the official start of the banis next year, all of the colleges are en-couraged to institute bans or restric-tions before then. Because the layoutof certain CUNY schools are uniqueand in locations where the ban mightnot be as effective as others, they areadvised to individually edit the policyto some to degree to make it more ap-plicable to their conditions. On theterms that those changes are not suc-cessful, the Central Office will acceptfeedback from those where it is not.

Another benefit of the ban asidefrom reducing the number of smokersis that many college campuses will ex-perience a significant drop in litter.Tons of cigarette butts and the packsthat contain them are seen strewn allover the place on a regular walkaround Kingsborough as well as othercampuses.

Jesi Campola, a moderate smokerand KCC student said, “I believe thesmoking ban is a positive step forward

to a healthier campus. However, it re-stricts and threatens the rights of ciga-rette smokers.”

A valid point, though smoking isnot illegal, it is detrimental to every-one's well being.

Most people at KCC only knewabout the current 25-foot rule and werein utter disbelief when they found out.

Nick Chin, a moderate smoker atKCC said, “It is against our basicrights. Smoking isn’t illegal so whatreason is that to ban it?”

In addition to these steps towardscessation, the Tobacco Advisory Com-mittee has also attained funding forthis campaign at the staggering sum of$170,000 from the New York City De-

partment of Health and Mental Hy-giene for training students and staff aswell as signage.

As all of the groundwork for thisnew development has been laid inplace, it is going to take a hell of a lotof work to get the message and newregulations across. The ban might notbe effective immediately as there arealways those who go against the rulesfor their own personal benefit or inthis case detriment, and not caringabout those around them. It is possiblethat edits to the ban will be put inplace, but it is a step in the way of pro-moting a healthier college experi-ences.

“I think banning smoking inCUNY will do little to stop smokers.Although, it might prevent non-smok-ers from inhaling smoke before com-ing into class, I see this future rule astreating college students like kids,”said Rodolfo Piana, a non-smoker andrecent Hunter College graduate. “Abetter way of spending time andmoney is to educate the smoking com-munity about keeping the colleges lit-ter free and also putting up proper ed-ucational mechanisms to help peoplestop smoking.”

Everything is politics. Photograph by Maria Bonello

Many protester chants and signs specified their desire to remove the corrupt "regime" not just Mubarak.Photograph by Sabelo Narasimhan

(continued from cover)

6 SScceepptteerrCAMPUS NEWS March 2011

The Green Path To Fulfill the ’30 in 10’ Challenge KCC and the 23 other

CUNY campuses have beenworking diligently towardmeeting Mayor Bloomberg’s‘30 in 10’ challenge by partici-pating in a sustainability pro-gram. The challenge, issued in2007, is to reduce greenhousegas emissions 30 percent by2017. With the assistance ofExecutive Vice Chancellor andChief Operating Officer (COO)Allan Dobrin of CUNY and theCUNY Task Force, KCC hasbeen committed to their 10-yearplan.

The only 70-acre CUNYcampus located on a peninsulasurrounded by the AtlanticOcean, Jamaica Bay andSheepshead Bay, KCC has aclear understanding of how im-portant nature and having a sus-tainable planet is. The collegeis focusing on seven pillars forthe project which include: ener-gy, water, transportation, recy-cling, procurement, sustainablenutrition and sustainable out-reach and education. The pillarsare then divided among KCCfaculty members who each takeresponsibility for one of theareas and set goals that will po-tentially reduce emissions.

Although CUNY does nothave any official way to calcu-late the reduction in our carbonfootprint, council members andstudent organizations such as

Student World Assembly thathold eco-fest in April havehelped accomplish many of theobjectives in the four yearssince the proclamation.

“In sustainable educationand outreach we’ve won awardsfor eco-fest. We have the greenboat that’s a part of our sustain-able nutrient program. Thegreen boat is using the veg-etable oil [from Panda House],”said William Keller, vice presi-dent for finance and administra-tion and the campus executivefor the 30/10 challenge. “They[Panda House] have a newsalad bar, which has gotten a lotof positive feedback from stu-dents. We’ve also been workingwith Panda House to lower thesalt. The culinary arts programis taking a big sustainable nutri-tion emphasis.”

Keller and the councilmembers are currently dis-cussing the possibility of organ-ic food choices with an outsidegroup.

By the end of the fall 2010semester, the college had addedmore shuttle buses during themorning peak hours of 7am to1pm making a total of five op-erational buses from Monday toThursday during the fall andspring semesters. Two of theshuttle buses run the entire day.They have also worked with theMTA to add more buses, there-by increasing public transporta-

tion and attempting to decreaseindividual use of cars.

More recycling bins can beseen around the campus in ad-dition to a recycling bottle ma-chine on the beach patio. Themachine functions just likethose found outside PathMarkor ShopRite giving you moneyback for every bottle returned.

“We added the bottle ma-chine which is not only recy-cling a lot more plastic waterbottles, but is also getting stu-dents their nickels back. Youget a slip and take that to thecafeteria. You could either usethat towards buying somethingor just getting the money back,”he said.

Teaming up with CUNYand New York State and NewYork City, KCC has been in-vesting more in green productssuch as recycled paper forcopying and printing. The col-lege has also made use of a cityprogram that accepts old usedcomputers for recycling. Thecity surplus property is anothermeans of recycling. KCC hasrequested used desks fromother CUNY colleges to accom-modate our large student body.

Most of the bathroom fix-tures have been upgraded frommanual to automatic. Handflush toilets have been changedto automated flush in order toconserve water. The hand toweldispensers have been replaced

with automated dispensers. Theautomatic dispensers reducewaste. The recycled towels helpeliminate toilet clogs and scat-tered towels on the floor. Asmore funds become availablemore of the restrooms will un-dergo the renovations.

Besides the facilities, somebuildings will be gettingmakeovers. Unlike LehmanCollege’s cutting-edge sciencecenter that is expected to be thefirst CUNY College to receivea Leadership in Energy and En-vironmental Design (LEED)certificate, Kingsborough is noteligible for the award despitethe few reconstruction projects.

The T-250 classroom suiteslocated in T-2 were built in2007. Because the UniversityAdmissions Processing Center(UAPC) occupied the building,only half of the building wasfinished. UAPC along withtheir operations will be movedto T-1 in order to complete theproject by fall 2011. The twobuildings along with T-5, T-8and the MAC will receive newroofing to conserve energy.

“We’re the only CUNYSchool that still has solar pan-els. We have put in a grant to dothe whole MAC roof. It wouldall be paid by the New YorkPower Authority,” VP Kellersaid.

Energy efficiency is amajor concern for Keller and

the other council members.Their intention is to replace theheating and ventilation plantwith a modern energy savingversion. The system we current-ly use cannot manage airflowand relies on energy to cool andreheat the same cool air. Tokeep big classrooms and officesat a comfortable temperature,the plant chills water to cool.In smaller areas, the cold air isbalanced by reheating the airwith a hot water system beforefans deliver the air. The projectis scheduled for completion by2014.

“When we do the boilerthat will be major. We’ve gottensome funding for that not onlyfrom Capitol Budget fromCUNY, but we’ve also gottensome money from the citythat’s been put aside for sus-tainable projects.” he said. “Theboiler is so old. It’s great that atthe same time we replace theboiler it will also save a lot ofenergy. It also burns a veryheavy oil."

In addition to the 200 treesthat have recently been planted,the committee is also preparinga landscaping project. The planfeatures a vegetable garden inthe courtyard between T-1 andT-2. If the snow melts quickly,allowing a yard clean up tooccur beforehand, the seedswill be planted this Aprilaround eco-fest.

C a r n a t i o n s f o r a N a t i o nOver a year later and Haiti

still needs help. Student WorldAssembly (SWA) sponsored theValentine’s Day Carnation Saleduring the winter module to showtheir support. During the threeday sale, SWA sold hand madecarnations for two dollars in orderto raise money for water in Haiti.

One member selling the car-nations, Nydia Byrd said, “Thewater in Haiti is filled with dis-ease. A lot of people there aredying from cholera, because ofdirty water. That’s why we’re try-ing to raise money to help getthem clean water.”

Cholera is a water borne ill-ness that can be deadly if nottreated properly and is one of theleading causes of death in thecountry. A lot of people cameaway impressed by the actions ofthe club.

“I like that its for a greatcause. It is a very selfless act anda small amount to pay that can goa very long way,” said AshleyKellman a happy owner of a pairof pink tissue paper carnations.

Another proud owner of acarnation, Krystal, brought hersbecause “it’s a great way to showwe are apart of the worldwidehelp for Haiti.”

However, for some membersof the Student World Assembly itwas more than just a fundraiser.Joshua Freeburn felt that “thiswasn’t just a way to raise moneyfor the cause, but a way to raiseawareness about the problemwith the water in Haiti.”

Only time will tell how wellthe carnation sale raised aware-ness for the issue, however sever-al members of Student World As-sembly feel as though the saleoverall was a success.

by Maria Bonello

by Jaquan Murphy

Contributing photographerStudent World Assembly members along with Janine Palludan, assistant to the assistant vice president for academic af-fairs and associate provost and Helen-Margaret Nasser, executive assistant to the associate provost and assistant directorof the honors program preparing for the sale.

7SScceepptteerr CAMPUS NEWSMarch 2011

On e L e s s G r a d u a t i o n R e q u i r e m e n tA lot of students who are returning

this spring and expecting to take theCUNY Proficiency Exam (CPE) will nothave to worry. It has been removed andno longer a requirement to graduate. Dueto a lack of funds, the elimination was ap-proved, but CUNY representatives haveyet to make a complete statement regard-ing the test. Are CUNY lowering theirstandards by doing away with the test?

“It wasn’t showing we had anyweaknesses it was showing we were righton target meaning our curriculum, class-es, courses, majors were giving studentswhat they needed and the test proved that.We don’t need millions of dollars worthof testing to confirm that. If a differenttest were to substitute it would probablybe different. Maybe a different test mightexamine things in a different way and re-veal information we’re not aware of rightnow,” said Professor Maria Scordaras,CPE Liaison at KCC.

The exam was established in 1999 byCUNY faculty members and was mademandatory. Passing the exam would en-sure graduation if the students met the ad-ditional requirements of their college. Itssudden removal came as a surprise, but agood one for those it affected.

“I’m relieved for the students. It wasan obstacle for some students to getaround. I celebrate its discontinuation forthose students. Having said that howeverour pass rates were good so it wasn’t anobstacle for many people, but those stu-dents who struggled with it were the stu-dents I saw so I’m glad they don’t have

this holding them back any longer,” saidScordaras.

Students’ chances of excelling andadvancing upon exiting college would beseen through their ability to pass theexam. It consisted of writing a compara-tive analysis that being Task One andTask 2. Then students would be interpret-ing visual data from Task Two. Ideally,the CPE is supposed to be a reflection ofvarious skills students will need to besuccessful not only in college, but thework environment as well.

“The exam was set up to test howstudents were doing in college, if theywere getting the skills we claim we weregiving them and needed to take with thembeyond graduation. Because our passrates were so good here and throughoutCUNY we proved students were gettingthe skills,” said Scordaras. “They couldpass the test. Our pass rate at Kingsbor-ough was over 70 percent usually; 7 outof 10 students passing showed we weresucceeding. We just removed an addition-al step for students, but the teaching cur-riculum, things that were in place before-hand haven’t changed.”

The exam was abruptly discontinuedlast November while the semester wasstill in progress. For some who took theexam and had to find out it no longer wasvital to their graduation might have feltdisappointment or as if they had wastedtheir time while others were glad the bur-den was removed from their shoulders.Some who took it did not see the point ofit.

“For the entire class to be built upand then end with the CPE exam I don’tthink it gives emphasis on our improve-ments. After you take the exam theydon’t give feedback, they just give youa grade,” said Ronni Hua, Liberal ArtsMajor.

The difficulty of the exam varied bystudent perspective. Another KCC stu-dent took the exam and seemed to havea pretty easy going attitude in regards tothe CPE.

“I didn’t stress out over it. It’s an-other learning experience just like witheverything else. A lot of people are lazyand they think I’m going to have to takeanother test, this is so bad, but it’s achallenge. It prepares you to think onyour toes and that’s very important inlife, because you have to be able to thinkahead,” said Yana Levitskaya, FashionMajor.

Immediately as the exam was put toa permanent stop, information was read-ily available. According to ProfessorScordaras, CUNY as well as KCC didwell getting the information out there totheir students.

“I think CUNY did a good job get-ting the information out there. We updat-ed our website as soon as we knew, ourbulletin board is always current and thegood news just got around,” she said.

Though it seems as the informationwas rapidly available, the news wasn’tdelivered as widely as it should havebeen. Some students were not evenaware the exam existed. Perhaps, notes

should have been posted on the walls ofthe college to make students moreaware. Some students don’t actually takethe time to view the college website soplacing the message on the entrancesand exits as well as walls throughout theschool might have been helpful tospreading awareness.

“I haven’t heard of it. I feel bad forthe people that had to take it. At thesame time I’m glad it is discontinued soI wouldn’t have to take it. It just seemslike an extra thing that’ll make it thatmuch harder for someone to actuallygraduate and get their degree,” saidFreddilys Gonzalez, Liberal Arts Major.

CUNY will not be considering a testto replace the CPE as a degree require-ment at this time as confirmed under theCPE FAQ’s portion of the site. If anystudent has any further questions regard-ing the CPE, stop by the office of Pro-fessor Maria Scordaras in D106 andshe’ll be more than glad to assist. Whilethe future of the CUNY required testingis uncertain we can be sure many stu-dents are happy there is no longer onefor the time being.

“I’m happy, because I have a lot ofother stuff to worry about. I have toworry about all of my grades and whenI’m finished and ready to leave I wouldhave had to take this test. I heard it’s notso hard to pass and then you could grad-uate,” said Molly Hill, Liberal ArtsMajor. “Let’s say I would have taken itand failed. It would be have been a bigproblem to get where I want to go next.”

by Marlene Gomez

Economic Hardships Leaves Many Feeling Anxiousby Crisanthy Carvouniaris

We've all seen the grungy womanwith the mountains of bottles on her cart,going through garbages. The tired manraking through his collected bottles andcashing them in at the supermarket. Stu-dents sharing the cost of textbooks withfellow classmates, making copies ofchapters in the library. Patrons walkingout of thrift shops, looking rather happyand relieved about their purchases. Anxi-ety over spending has officially takenover.

For most people, these are trying eco-nomic times which is why many are sav-ing what they can to feel financially se-cure. "I always buy whatever I need whenit's on sale, and preferably in bulk. It's tooexpensive otherwise," says 23-year-oldStephanie Morabito, a student from St.Joseph's College in Brooklyn.

College loans have had her in a bind.The tuition at St. Joseph's College keepsgetting higher, and she is currently work-ing towards getting her master's degree inHuman Resource Management. Addbooks and transportation to the mix, andyou have the recipe for broke.

"I love to shop. I've always had aproblem with shoes. I could never getenough," she says in her thick Brooklyn-Italian accent. "But then I got laid-off

from my ex-job- but the bills kept comingin. So what was I to do? I just cut back onmy spending. It was the best thing I everlearned how to do."

With New York City’s unemploy-ment rate reported at 9.4 percent in De-cember 2010, it's no wonder city residentsare becoming thrifty. While PresidentObama's extension of unemploymentbenefits have helped many put food onthe table, these won’t last forever.

With New York City’s unemploy-ment rate reported at 9.4 percent in De-cember 2010, it's no wonder city residentsare becoming thrifty. While PresidentObama's extension of unemploymentbenefits have helped many put food onthe table, these won’t last forever.

According to the Education Re-sources Information Center Online, agovernment based website, "The discour-aged worker effect hypothesizes the ex-perience of unsuccessful job search in-creases the propensity to withdraw fromthe labor force both immediately and insubsequent years.

The statistical analyses done heresuggest that the cost of unemploymentdoes persist over time."

This can’t possibly help the alreadynegative atmosphere of the job market,

but many New Yorkers perceive the stim-ulus plan has only stimulated the banks.And once they were helped, they forgot topay it forward.

At the Calvary's Mission EvangelicalFree Church in Richmond Hill, a linewraps around the entire block early onSunday mornings. As you walk past, yousee slumped shoulders, and faces smearedwith despair. People wait patiently withempty carts, overcoming whatever pridethey have to make sure they collectenough food for their families to eat forthe week. That line never was quite solong in past years, and it seems to be getlonger with every day the unemploymentrates go up.

Dennis Raghubir, a 24-year-old wholives right across the street from the Mis-sion said, "I hate it. Many of them justwant to stock up on food, and probablydon't even need it. They should let otherpeople who are seriously in need of foodskip them."

Many residents on the block, accord-ing to Raghubir, echo this sentiment, be-cause of the constant reminder the linebrings of how bad things really are. "Idon't mean to sound insensitive. I justcan't stand it,” he admits. “I like to drinkmy coffee out on the stoop, and look at

the trees in my front yard. But no, I can'tenjoy it anymore. They stand there, most-ly in silence, up until 6:30. Then they juststart chatting, and then it becomes thisfucked up social hour. I can hear themtalking about, they can't afford this orthat."

Though charitable organizationsexist to help people in need, even they arefeeling the crunch. The Salvation Armyhas experienced a deflation of donationsacross the nation with a 60 percent de-cline, according to the statistics on theirwebsite. And with an almost 94 percentincrease in requests for food assistance,it's a tribute to persistence that this armyhas been able to continue helping people.

Their website also states that whiledonations have frequently declined, peo-ple have given in other ways. In 2010,volunteering rates went up by 23 percent,making a total of 3,411,613 volunteers inevery corner of our nation. Also29,418,530 people, including senior citi-zens, children in daycare and people insubstance abuse rehabilitation programs,were assisted through these efforts.

Organizations such as the SalvationArmy and even the local thrift shop en-sure that many people acquire thesethings they otherwise could not afford.

8 SScceepptteerr March 2011

Photograph by Sabelo NarasimhanGrateful protester thanking young people (and facebook!) for their contributions to the struggle.

Her sign reads "I'm not with the Muslim Brotherhood nor am I a Nasserist,I'm not with Baradei, nor am I a democrat. But, PLEASE leave / get out."

A women's group marches through the square, chanting for their rights.

Photograph by Sabelo Narasimhan

A Revolution in 18 Days: Images from Tehrir Square

"While there were many signs that pointed out the hypocrisy of Americanpolicy and called Obama out for financially (and otherwise) supporting aruthless dictator, there was no anti-American attitude directed towards uswhatsoever. People seemed grateful that we were even there, supportingtheir movement, and seemed so glad to have "outside" witnesses. They allwanted me to photograph their signs." -Sabelo Narasimhan

International Affairs

Photograph by Sabelo Narasimhan

9SScceepptteerrMarch 2011

New Age Renegade Artist: Ryan Shultz by Yaritzel Rodriguez

“I cried this morning and Imessed it up,” said RyanShultz, extraordinary painterand new age renegade, abouthis most recent painting. He’dbeen working on it for months,delicately perfecting the faceof his subject when it all fellapart. “But I’d rather have aperfect painting than sellsomething that’s just notright,” Shultz added, brushingaway the minor obstacle.

It’s this kind of perfection-ism that causes Ryan Shultz, arenowned artist, to dive deepinto a trancelike state when in-dulging in his art. Not only didhis concentration propel himto the forefront of the artworld, but so did his subjectmatter.

Upon first glancing atShultz’s work, one might thinkhe is a photographer. If youlook closely, paint brushstrokes can be seen. “I take abrush and I move paint on asurface. That’s what I do,” hesaid. “I’m still very much apainter’s painter.”

Shultz mainly focuses onpainting people he knows,capturing them chain-smokingcigarettes, in isolation, drink-ing and consuming drugs. Hebrings beauty to somethingseemingly unhealthy andjaded. His process works likeso: he meets someone he findsvisually interesting and im-merses himself in that person,digging beneath the seeminglybeautiful exterior and tappinginto their fragile state of mind.“I don’t even think aboutpainting someone I don’tknow,” he laughed. “I don’tcare how beautiful you are.”

It’s easy to assume thatShultz would lead the kind oflifestyle portrayed in his paint-ings. One would be right. “I’ma cliché,” he grinned. “I could-n’t paint about something Idon’t understand. I think it’sfunny to paint about these sit-uations.”

Take his painting JakubSmoking into observation.One immediately comes faceto face with a man in his twen-ties, lying distraught on a car-pet full of swirling colors,holding a cigarette. Jakub’sbody is bruised and brokendown, the exact kind of vul-nerability Shultz seeks in hissubjects. “We live in jaded

generation,” he commented.“We believe in absolutelynothing.” It’s this messageShultz tries to capture throughhis paintings.

This sensitive soul avidlylistens to Brooklyn bands likethe Sundelles, Sleighbells andKing Khan and the BarbequeShow, all rock bands he turnsto for inspiration. Artists likeLucian Freud and Rembrandthave always awed him. Nowother young artists look up tohim and his radical paintings,like Jakub Smoking, for re-freshing inspiration.

They observe Ben, theimage of a young man in a but-ton down, strapping his armwith his tie and an injectionneedle clasped tightly betweenhis lips. Then there’s Sarah,the portrait of a fiery, bare-chested, red head with a win-ter cap and tattoos on her side.And then, of course, there’sAnjali, the gorgeous portrait ofa choppy haired brunette in thefrilliest pink gown and gloveswith a map of the world be-hind her.

Having graduated fromNorthwestern University on a

full art scholarship, he’s beenfortunate enough to havemaintained a stable art careerselling these works, somethingmost artists can never achieve.He admits, however, that whenthe recession first hit, art salesdropped and he attempted tofind a job.

“You’re gonna look weirdapplying for a job at UrbanOutfitters and saying, ‘Look Ihave a Masters Degree,’ ”Shultz joked.

Luckily, things turnedaround and he could continueliving his lavish, “cliché,”artsy life that so deeply in-spires his mind-warping work.He did say that he hates sellinghis work. “My paintings aremy babies. I don’t wanna sellthem and when I do, I cry.”

Art

Jakub by Ryan Shultz

“I’d ratherhave a perfectpainting than sellsomething that’sjust not right.”

Anjali by Ryan Shultz

10 SScceepptteerr March 2011CAMPUS NEWS

To most of us it might appear un-orthodox for a native New Yorker tomove to Virginia, but that's preciselythe position KCC student DarrelleGilbert, 22, found himself in as ateenager. Little to Darrelle's knowledge,his new Virginia high school did notwant him there. Racist taunts persistedthroughout his two long years there.

“Everyday was like a fight,” saysGilbert, recalling his experience in Vir-ginia. “Everyone from the students tothe staff made sure I knew I wasn'twanted.”

Gilbert, who, once excelled in bothacademics and athletics, found not onlyhis self-esteem plummet, but so did hisgrades. The school, which Gilbertchooses not to name, failed to recognizethe mistreatment despite numerouscomplaints from him and his family.

“We tried reasoning with them [theschool],” Gilbert explains. “But theyjust said 'Oh, we'll look into it' or'Thank you for bringing this to us, we'lldo the best we can to get to the bottomof it.' They pretty much shrugged the

whole thing off, as if this problem does-n't exist.”

To avoid any further drama, Gilbertdid not finish school in Virginia, insteadopted to move back to his native bor-ough of Brooklyn.

“Things got so out of control, it wasbest for me and my families safety tomove back home,” said Gilbert.

Today, Gilbert enjoys his stay atKCC, where he feels safe and free fromany racism or prejudice. He is graduat-ing in the spring with a degree in psy-chology and hopes to continue his edu-cation at New York University.

Although it might appear as if thedark, cumulus cloud of racism doesn'thover over KCC, the school takes thenecessary precautions to acknowledgeany warning signs of such behavior orincidents. Such behavior is absolutelynot tolerated at KCC.

The Committee to Advance Plural-ism and Equity (CAPE), is one of themany clubs and committees KCC has tooffer the students and staff on the sub-ject of race, identity and diversity.

CAPE provides “a means by whichto recognize, integrate, communicate,respect, understand and celebrate ourindividuality.” The committee is com-prised of counseling and instructionalfaculty, students, staff and administra-tion.

Most importantly, the CAPE com-mittee recognizes that addressing theseissues involves a process, not a product.New issues will always emerge. Thecommittee is prepared to see its effortas a continuous one in the life of the or-ganization.

Since its inception in 1988, CAPEhas taken a proactive stance on theKCC campus by holding variousevents. These events included pluralis-tically related conferences, panel dis-cussions, celebrations, club confer-ences, community outreach and con-comitant collaborative programs. Allare welcome.

Events ranging from essay and po-etry contests in collaboration with NewYork State Liberty Partnership Programto an annual club conference in cooper-

ation with student government and stu-dent development counseling faculty.

They have co-sponsored numerousclub activities that promote an appreci-ation for culture and diversity of suchevents as: Italian Culture Month, BlackHistory Month, Arabic Day, HaitianFlag Day, Unity Day, Day of Under-standing, Hillel/P.A.S.A. Clubs, GayAwareness Day, and many more.

However, CAPE isn't the onlyhaven for students when dealing withissues of race. As you walk through thehallways, you might stumble across avividly displayed sticker on doors scat-tered across the campus.

These stickers, brought on by theSafe Zone program, read, “This zone isdesignated safe for lesbian, gay, bisex-ual, transgender, and questioning indi-viduals. Regardless of race, ethnicity,national origin, gender, sexual orienta-tion, religion, age, and ability, you willbe treated and respected as a humanbeing. Ignorance, bigotry, and harass-ment are not tolerated.”(continued on page 11)

Taking Steps to Combat Racism and Prejudice on Campus by Russell Vladimir

11SScceepptteerrMarch 2011 CAMPUS NEWS

Maybe it’s all the exciting in-demand degrees. Or the professors who actually work in theirfields. Perhaps it’s the fully-furnished dorms equipped with WiFi, a computer lounge and fitnesscenter. Or the classes that meet around your schedule. Whatever the reason, hundreds ofmotivated, career-minded students are taking their credits and turning them into marketableAssociate or Bachelor’s Degrees at Monroe College. Transferring to Monroe means:

• Generous transfer credit policy• Additional credit for military or academy training• Exciting degrees, in demand right now• Professors who also work in their fields• Unique Bronx & New Rochelle campuses• Fully furnished apartment-like dorms• Online & on campus class options• Day, evening & weekend classes• One-on-one financial aid & assistance

Find out about our newBachelor of Science in

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This year an amazing 858 transfer studentsfinished college at Monroe.

Maybe it’s time you made the move.

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1.800.55.MONROEmonroecollege.edu

Love was in the air.Kingsborough held its an-nual Campus ActivitiesBoard (C.A.B.) Valentine’sDay Party. With a harshwinter season, numerousassignments to do, and thepressure of finals, studentshad one night to let looseand kick back from it all.

Numerous students at-tended as expected withKCC’s previous attendancerate in past parties. Thisparty proved to be no dif-ferent and as a result of theincreasing attendance, se-curity was tighter. So if youdid not get there early youwere stuck waiting on linefor at least half an hour.

Despite the wait, thefact that security was thor-ough, ensured safety andthat’s definitely a plus forthe college. It was also

very affordable. For stu-dents with a valid KCC i.d.it was free and for non-stu-dents a mere five dollars.

There was plenty of funto go around. Tickets werebeing given out for a freeKCC Valentine photowhich included a heartthemed border. Plenty ofsnacks and refreshmentswere available -cookies,pretzels, water, and applecider. The chocolate foun-tains containing milkchocolate and white choco-late fondues were theevent’s highlights. It wasspacious and the music waslively along with its atten-dees.

Overall a fun and safeevent, be sure to check outthe next Kingsboroughparty. It’s completely worthyour while.

Spreading the Loveby Marlene Gomez

The Safe Zone program, their two coor-dinators Steven Amarnick and Jose Naninand a wide network known as the Safe ZoneAllies, believe in promoting a general atmos-phere of respect on campus—an atmospherethat welcomes diversity in many forms.Their allies list, which as of August 2008,documents well over 50 KCC staff, fromvarious departments spanning anywherefrom physical education to philosophy andpolitical science to english to mathematicsand is constantly expanding.

This sends a message that there is alwaysa place for you to go

no matter where you are on campus.But besides clubs and committees

being there for the KCC students andstaff, students also rely on one anotherfor mental and emotional support.

Take KCC student Adele Jagan, 21, aGuyanese immigrant, who moved to theUnited States when she was just 8-years-old.

Jagan, would often face ridicule fromher early years in elementary school allthe way up until high school for her darkcomplexion and heavy Guyanese accent.

“White girls didn't want to hang outwith me, black girls didn't want to hangout with me. Nobody wanted to hang out-with me—I had no friends,” says Jagan,

with a hint of embarrassment.When entering her freshman year at

KCC, Jagan found refuge amongst herpeers on one September morning in thecafeteria.

“I was never expecting somethinglike this to happen,” Jagan explains onmeeting fellow Guyanese students. “Allmy life in America I never had anyGuyanese friends—friends who under-stood me and appreciated me for who Iam.”

Jagan's friend, KCC student AlishaFarinha, 22, also of Guyanese decent,was shocked to find out how Jagan wastreated prior to entering KCC.

“She's such a cool girl,” says Farinhawhile laughing with Jagan. “I don't knowwhy anyone would make fun of her, she'slike a sister to me.”

It was that September morning whenFarinha and her two friends were eatingtheir breakfast and socializing in thecafeteria and discovered a distraughtJagan sitting alone. It was Farinha whoapproached Jagan first and asked her ifshe wanted to sit with them. Jagan abid-ed and from then on out, its all history.

“I'm so grateful for my friends and toKCC for making this all happen,” saidJagan

(Racism on Campus cont. from pg 10)

12 SScceepptteerrCampus News March 2011

Columnist Denis Hamill of NY Daily News Visits KCC

Daily News columnist, Denis Hamillvisited a Basic Journalism class during thewinter module to encourage aspiring jour-nalism students to keep writing and an-swer questions about the field.

Mr. Hamill is a journalist, novelistand screenwriter, born and raised in ParkSlope, Brooklyn, NY. Being one of sevenchildren, his oldest brother, Pete Hamill,is also a journalist, who once wrote andserved as editor-in-chief for the New YorkDaily News. Unlike his older brother,Denis Hamill attended Staten Island Com-munity College before its merger withRichmond College to form what is nowCUNY College of Staten Island.

Denis Hamill began his journalisticcareer at a Brooklyn weekly called Flat-bush Life. Later, he went on to write forthe Village Voice and won the prestigiousMeyer Berger Award from Columbia Uni-versity for best New York City reporting.He also wrote columns for New York

magazine, the Los Angeles Herald Exam-iner, the Boston Herald American, NewYork Newsday and currently the NewYork Daily News.

Hamill entered the classroom, wear-ing a polo shirt with a zip-up hoodedsweater and jeans, which showed his verycasual, laid-back nature. Lightening themood, Hamill joked that when he wasyoung, “I wanted to play centerfield forthe New York Yankees.”

Mr. Hamill conveyed many bits of ad-vice, including the suggestion of twobooks that all journalism students shouldlook into: The Elements of Style byWilliam Strunk and E.B. White and OnWriting by Stephen King.

Discovering your personal writingstyle is difficult for most journalistic rook-ies. A lot of beginners start off with ageneric style and others tend to imitate thestyle combinations from their favorite au-thors. “Finding your voice is very impor-tant. You don’t have it for a while. While

you’re young, you usually imitate your fa-vorite writers,” said Hamill.

Hamill’s passion for journalism andwriting in general sprang from the manypossibilities and doors the power of wordscan open. As long as he writes, there willalways be someone reading. As long assomeone is reading, there will be inspira-tion created in the mind of the reader. Thiscontinues into a chain reaction where thereader goes and begins to write.

“Putting words on paper was magic tome. The best part of a newspaper article isthat it is a passport into other people’slives,” said Hamill. “ I could cover thewhole world in New York City, because itis the capital of the world. I work for thereaders; without the readers, there is nonewspaper.”

With that in mind, rumor has it thatthe future of journalism is doomed due totechnology advancements. The internet al-lows readers to obtain the news for freecausing magazine and newspaper sales to

decline. Although it seems like a journal-ist’s worst fear to have publications re-placed by internet media, Hamill affirmedthat it’s a “transition to a new delivery sys-tem.”

Hamill divulged about his many op-portunities to travel for a story and re-marked, “If you want to do foreign jour-nalism, just go to a different neighborhoodin New York City.”

Hamill mentioned many times that heis a big fan of New York City and thinkscity colleges are the best way to get on theroad to a career in journalism. Of all, hehas a great appreciation for communitycollege considering he had attended onehimself.

It seems KCC’s journalism majorspossess the right ingredients to be greatjournalists and reporters.

“Your class was very impressive.Good questions. Sharp. Street smart,” saidHamill. “If you surround yourself withgood writing, you will write better.”

by Yana Levitskaya

Photo by Yana LevitskayaProfessor Percaccio’s Basic Journalism class enjoys a visit with NY Daily Columnist Denis Hamil.

C h e c k f l y e r s p o s t e d a r o u n d c a m p u s f o r d e t a i l e d i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e s c h e d u l e d e v e n t s

13SScceepptteerrMarch 2011

Life is a series of transitions and transformations. For many students, transferring is one of them. Adelphi’s transfer counselors will work with you to transfer the maximum number of credits and guide you

through the application and financial aid process. Students can meet one on one with a transfer admissions counselor by calling (516) 877-3050.

For more information on transfer admissions at Adelphi University,

visit admissions.adelphi.edu/transfer

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14 SScceepptteerr March 2011

Need Extra Money?Sell Avon!

Contact Noreen at 347-486-2323

Free Admission to the Brooklyn Botanical GardenFaculty, Staff or Student

who present a current KCC identification card will be granted

FREE ADMISSION to the garden.(this does not extend to non-KCC people

who may accompany you)

15March 2011 SScceepptteerr Meet The Staff

As a third generation educator, Dr. Chris-tine Rudisel takes pride in her work and isdedicated to the Kingsborough communi-ty. Dr. Rudisel started out as a tutor in theAssess-Ability Services department beforejoining the english department. She con-tinues to serve the Assess-Ability depart-ment as the liaison, formulating strategiesto make it easier for students to learn.Working at KCC for seven years as anEnglish professor, she strives to help stu-dents reach their potential and discovertheir abilities. She is also a board memberfor the Center for Teaching and Learningwhere she shares teaching methods withother faculty members to enhance thelearning experience.

Scepter: Can you tell me about your edu-cational background? Dr. Christine Rudisel: I went to Brook-lyn Ethical Culture School from kinder-garten to 8th grade, Performing Arts HighSchool, SUNY Purchase for a BA in Eng-lish, Long Island University for a MA inEnglish and the CUNY Graduate Centerfor a M. Phil. and Ph.D. in English.

Scepter:What did you study at the Per-forming Arts High School?Rudisel: I was a music major. I played thepiano and learned to play the cello; pianomajors were required to learn an orches-tral instrument. I loved every minute of it,but I realized I was not a performer; I gottoo nervous.

Scepter:Why did you decide to go toSUNY Purchase?Rudisel: They had a strong music depart-ment and a strong English department. I

wanted to be able to focus on a new majorand still devote time to music compositionand music appreciation. During my junioryear at Purchase, I spent a month as an ex-change student in Nancy, France. Threeyears later, after I received my MA, I re-turned to France. I taught English at theUniversity de Nancy for two years.

Scepter:Where did you grow up? Rudisel: Right here in Brooklyn, NewYork in Crown Heights and LeffertsManor. Scepter: Can you tell me aboutyour parents? Rudisel: My mother was ateacher. She taught home and career skillsand before that, home economics to juniorhigh school students. My father was a po-liceman.

Scepter:What are your hobbies? Rudisel: I've visited France, Italy, Ger-many, Holland, England, Luxembourg,Morocco, Belgium, the Bahamas, Bermu-da, Switzerland, Canada, Hawaii, Massa-chusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan,Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, NewMexico, Nevada, California. I'm sure I'mforgetting something. I enjoy the theater;everything drama, comedies, musicals. Iam a Jazz/Blues Fan. My favorite experi-ence was going to the Montreux Jazz Fes-tival in Switzerland to see Al Jarreau,David Sanborn, Miles Davis and ChakaKhan.

Scepter: How long have you been work-ing at KCC? Rudisel: I joined the English departmentin Fall 2004.

Scepter:What courses do you teach?

Rudisel: Eng. 04 (Analytical Reading),Eng. 92 (Developmental Reading andWriting) Eng. 40. (The Short Story), Eng.78 (African American Lit) and, I havetaught Eng. 12 (Freshman English).

Scepter:What do you like best aboutteaching? Rudisel: I enjoy helping students figurethings out, to express and explore theirideas and to realize their strengths.Scepter: Least? Rudisel: Waking up with astack of essays in my lap at 2:00 in themorning.

Scepter:As a member of the advisoryboard for the Center for Teaching andLearning, what do you do for the pro-gram? Rudisel:We work with the director of theCenter, Professor Janine Graziano-King,to think about different ways to providefaculty with opportunities for professionaldevelopment, including sharing best prac-tices and enhancing student learning.

Scepter:As the liaison for Assess-AbilityServices, what do you do for the depart-ment? Rudisel: I consult with English instruc-tors when their students struggle withcourse requirements or demonstrate atypi-cal learning patterns. I provide strategiesfor working with these students and alsomeet with the manager of Assess-AbilityServices to discuss the best ways to meettheir needs.

Scepter:Who has been your greatest in-spiration? Rudisel:My parents. Both encouraged

me to do my best and to do what I en-joyed. My mother gave me my love ofteaching, and my father gave me my loveof books. He was always interested inwhat I was reading and what I hadlearned. Scepter: Being that March is women’smonth, name a woman you admire andwhy? Rudisel: The writer Toni Morrison. I likethe history in her novels, her commitmentto shining light in dark places, her beauti-fully crafted sentences, her characters andher ability to tell a wonderful story. I ad-mire what she's achieved and look for-ward to what she'll do in the future.

Scepter:What is your biggest accom-plishment? Rudisel: Completing my dissertation andgetting my doctorate.

Scepter:Are you working on any specialprojects? Rudisel: I'm working on an article aboutdevelopmental English and atypical learn-ers with a few colleagues (Drs. AnthonyColarossi, Hope Parisi, Tara Weiss, andRachelle Maltzman), and I'm thinkingabout editing an anthology of short storiesthat were originally published in periodi-cals at the beginning of the twentieth cen-tury.

Scepter:Where do you see yourself in 10years? Rudisel: I like teaching at kingsborough.I like the students, my colleagues and thecampus. I see myself here, teaching andgrowing.

by Maria Bonello

Devoted English Professor Treasures Education

Some may think winter courses arepointless. That one might not be able togain as much out of a class or classes asone would during the fall or spring se-mesters. While this might be true forsome students and their courses, it is notfair to speak for everyone.

Taking Journalism 31, Basic Journal-ism, made coming to school during thewinter module worthwhile. In my person-al experience, I really enjoyed the course.

As a Journalism major, I was antici-pating my first course and writing lots ofarticles, reading, and discussing. I have toadmit it was challenging at the beginning,because I missed the first week of classesdue to illness.

It is crucial to attend class everydayduring the winter module. The session isonly six weeks and requires the sameamount of work as a 12 week semester. Ifelt a sense of doubt that I wouldn’t be

able to enjoy the class as much as I origi-nally intended.

At this point, I was contemplatingwhether I should withdraw from my win-ter classes or not. My Professor FrankPercaccio was responsible for engagingme in the class and continuing the course.He was understanding, but still kept itstraight to the point. He assured me that ifI came to class, participated and complet-ed the assigned work, I would pass. Hegave me a chance despite my absencesand stirred my interest from the very firstclass.

Professor Percaccio is not one ofthose professors that simply lectures theentire time and does not value the opinionor input of the students. He was constant-ly looking for feedback on the articles weread or textbook readings. The class wasnot boring what so ever.

With all of the active participating

going on in the class daily, I was led tobelieve it was equally as interesting for agood majority of the other students in myclass. If anyone believes it was a waste oftime or boring then most likely theyweren’t involved in the class enough.

His class was literally active discus-sions. We focused on reading and dis-cussing articles from the New York Timesthat were relevant to our lives and evennews that wasn’t.

For instance, with the article onEgypt and what’s going on out there, hewanted us to read it. Did it necessarilyhave to do with our lives? Not really, butit’s important to read and have knowledgeso we can understand what’s occurring inother parts of the world.

You do not have to be a journalismmajor to sign up for this course; simplybe interested in class discussions regard-ing the articles.

We would converse as a whole aboutthe news and what’s going on in ourhome country and the world surroundingus. If you do not read the newspaper youjust might find yourself reading it whileand after taking this course. I know I did.

Prior to taking this class, I wouldread the newspaper, but not really openmy mind to read the international newsand such. It also has to do with the veryfact that I’m a Journalism major and Ienjoy writing, reading and speakingamongst others.

If you’re not a journalism student ordo not particularly care for reading orwriting this might not be the class foryou. I can be sure if you took this class asan elective with Professor Percaccio youwould have a really fun and uniquelearning experience.

Pick Up the Paper in Journalism 31 by Marlene Gomez

16 SScceepptteerrSPORTS March 2011

Men’s Basketball Team Heads to Finals Lots of disappointment

was in store for the HostosCommunity College Caimansand their fans as the clock randown the final minutes in a re-match on February 16 withKingsborough's Men basket-

ball team, the Wave.The Wave moved to the fi-

nals to defend their titles forthe third year in a row. Thistime going up against BronxCommunity College and theirstar player, Frederick Simp-

son; who scored the secondhighest amount of points with36 in the CUNY champi-onships on the same night.

It was a very even andtense game all the way, untilthe last couple of minutes

when it was apparent theCaimans could not stand up tothe relentless beating of theWaves. Both teams had theirshare of incredible plays,some even mimicking those ofthe NBA great Michael Jor-dan. The ball switched fromhand to hand in mid air, avoid-ing the defense, as if it wasjust all part of the plan.

As the last minutes wounddown, the game came to freethrows. Taequann Washingtonof the Wave made five out ofsix free throw attempts in thelast 18 seconds with the scoreat 59-60 in favor of the Wave,more than enough to put thegame out of reach for theCaimans. The final score was59-65. In addition to themuch-needed free throws,Washington came throughwith several of rebounds andsteals.

Despite their victory, afterthe game the players werelighthearted, but also serious,thinking forward to Friday'schampionship final.

There wasn't a player onthe Wave that stood above therest in this win, the statsshowed everyone putting intheir share of work when theyneeded to.

Kumi Stevens of the Wavewho made a couple of clutchfree throws, six rebounds andscored nine points said, "Weplayed together as a team, allthe stats were spread upagainst the board, everybodyhad their own stats, it wasn'tjust one person dominating thegame today."

Unfortunately, the Wavewas beaten by the BronxBroncos in the CUNY Cham-pionship Final, the score95-83.

by Nicholas Nuzhny

Women’s Basketball Team Goes to Finals Hostos Community Col-

lege's gym was nearly packedon February 15 with mostlytheir wild fans, all watchingand cheering during the lastfour minutes of the HostosCaimans versus Kingsbor-ough's Wave rematch game asthe Caimans held a severalpoint lead.

There was a ton of antici-pation for the win as some ofthe fans had already stoppedwatching intently and startedtalking about the next game,convinced their team hadwon. Though as the last threeminutes counted down, a ma-jority of the fans were si-lenced and emptied the stands,witnessing what Kingsbor-ough had done a week beforein their last minute meltdownloss.

Down four points withthree minutes left, the KCCWave played their hearts out,never giving up despite thefrustration they might havebeen experiencing. AfterErika Dejesus of the Caimansmade the two free throws thatput them up by four points,the Wave did a phenomenal

job of completely shuttingdown the offense of theCaimans.

Just under three minutes,Funda Buthelezi made ajumper to bring the Wave backwithin two points, the scorenow 65-63, Caimans in front.The offensive drive for theCaimans was then unsuccess-ful, the Wave doing a neces-sary lock down on defenseand got the ball to Buthelezionce more, who hit anotherjumper, tying the game at 65-65.

Back on offense, theCaimans were once againbrought to a halt by the superbdefense of the Wave, gettingthe ball back to LeteishaJoseph who passed it to HilaryRoman who sunk a fantasticthree pointer with under twominutes remaining; the mostcrucial shot of the game to putthe Wave three points up,which the Caimans wouldnever recover from.

From there, the Wave con-tinued putting up a monstrousdefense and Ariel Gotay hittwo shots on offense in hercombined effort of 17 points,

to put KCC up 72-65 in thelast minute. After that, theCaimans managed to make alay up and a free throw, thelatter to which the Wave re-sponded with one of theirown, to make the final score73-68. They continued play-ing hard until the final buzzersounded. The whole team cel-ebrated a much deserved vic-tory as almost the wholecrowd was left speechless.

Despite Brittany Addarich

of the Caimans putting up 27points as the points leader ofthe game, Carla Baena of theWave outdid her with a totalof 18 points and 12 rebounds,with two steals and an assist,making her the most valuableplayer of the game.

"I honestly didn't realize,I just kept going, going, goinghard and after every rebound Iput it up and it came out to 18points," said Baena.

Now the Kingsborough

Wave advances to the CUNYWomen's Basketball Champi-onship Final (something theyhaven't accomplished for 20years) where they will faceQueensborough CommunityCollege Tigers.

Carla Baena played evenbetter in the final with 28points, 15 rebounds and eightblocked shots, but Kingsbor-ough lost to Queensboroughwho got their fourth straighttitle.

by Nicholas Nuzhny

Photograph by Nicholas Nuzhny

Photograph by Nicholas Nuzhny