October 4, 2011

Volume 18 Issue 3

Journalism in the Interest of the Queens College Community

Photos by Sweetina Kakar

NEWS
THE

KNIGHT

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CUNY OCCUPIES WALL STREET

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QC DURING

WAR
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T ADJUNC

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PRIORI

TY

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2 | October 4, 2011

NYPD SPIES ON CUNY MUSLIM STUDENTS

News Reporter

www.theknightnews.com

FRED MAGOVERN

A secret NYPD intelligence division has been conducting undercover investigations of CUNYs Muslim Student Associations based on its members faith rather than any suspicion or leads. The investigations were part of a broader set of operations conducted by the Demographic Unit, whose existence was initially denied by an NYPD spokesperson after being exposed by The Associated Press. Undercover officers, known as rakers, were matched to neighborhoods based on their ethnic background, allowing them to blend in at bookstores, hookah bars, MSAs and other hangouts as part of a human mapping program, revealed the AP. Informants called mosque crawlers were directed to monitor sermons. These profiling procedures were implemented regardless of any evidence of wrongdoing. While the NYPD said that it does not conduct any such blanket investigations and only follows leads, internal documents obtained by the AP and an officers testimony in the trial of a would-be terrorist indicate otherwise. For example, the department sought records from the taxi commission of every Pakistani cab driver in the city and produced an analytical report on every mosque within 100 miles, according to former officials cited in The AP story. The story also stated that the police began methodically shredding all documents referencing the rakers after department lawyers expressed concern about investigating innocent people. This same concern led senior FBI officials in New York to order their agents not to accept any reports from the NYPDs mosque crawlers. The intelligence division has also ignored jurisdictional boundaries, conducting investigations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts as well as stationing officers overseas, at times without even notifying local law enforcement or the FBI. Furthermore, neither the City Council, which funds the NYPD, nor the federal government were aware of the full extent of the Demographic Units operations, the AP reported. In addition to racial and religious profiling, the program to infiltrate Muslim communities potentially violated U.S. law

forbidding the CIA from spying domestically. CIA veteran David Cohen started the NYPD program with personnel and financial resources from his former agency. According to the AP, as recently as July of this year the CIA sent one of its most experienced operatives to work out of NYPD headquarters while on the agencys payroll. The Inspector General of the CIA is currently investigating the legality of their involvement.

Surveillance of the City University

The NYPD program has also infiltrated Muslim Student Associations within CUNY, St. Johns University and Stony Brook University, according to documents provided to The Knight News by the AP. The secret document, Strategic Posture 2006, identified seven out of 31 MSAs in New York City as being of concern. Brooklyns MSA received the more serious Tier 1 classification for hosting regular Salafi speakers and militant paintball trips. Salafi

refers to a conservative, puritanical branch of Islam. Baruchs MSA was characterized as Tier 1 as well, for also hosting regular Salafi speakers and because students are politically active and are radicalizing. Tier 2 classifications were attributed to Hunter College for radicalization among students, City College for having a Salafi website, St. Johns University for fund raising and speeches and LaGuardia Community College because members of Islamic Thinkers Society want to revive MSA. According to the Islamic Thinkers Societys website, the group aims to create the ideal Islamic society based on sharia law, a legal code derived from the Quran and the example of Islams prophet Muhammad. Queens College was classified as Tier 2 because of a link to [an] Al Muhajiroun member, referring to an organization banned in the United Kingdom for alleged terrorist connections. In every case, undercover officers, not informants, were used. A cyber unit also investigated the websites of Queens, City and Brooklyn Colleges MSAs. According to NYPDConfidential, which received the same documents as the AP, two Brooklyn College students, were

specifically singled out as persons of interest, one for express[ing] desire to be a suicide bomber in Pakistan. Police also looked into a Brooklyn College lecturer, noted as a 2nd generation American of Pakistani lineage with a strong following among young Muslims in NYC. The report further detailed that following 7/7 London attacks, [the] subject stated we Muslims do not condemn terrorism. It was the inclusion of one of their own that prompted Brooklyn Colleges Faculty Council to pass a resolution condemning the police program, according to Brooklyn professor Alex Vitale. Brooklyn, City, Hunter and Queens College spokespeople have denied that their respective colleges had any knowledge of the operation; no one at LaGuardia Community College could be reached. In a statement to The Knight News, Dave Fields, special legal counsel to the chancellor, wrote, this alleged activity was done without any communication with the central university. Spokespeople and administrators at St. Johns have refused to comment. Even NYC Council Member Peter Vallone, who heads the councils Public Safety Committee, claimed to not have been briefed

by the police commissioner about the targeting of CUNY, said NYPDConfidential. Although there is no evidence to suggest the university was involved in or informed of this on-campus monitoring, no administrators at the university or college level have shown any interest in calling for an investigation of the NYPDs conduct at the various campuses or concern for Muslim students civil liberties. Even after receiving the same documents as The Knight News, QCs Assistant Vice President of Communications, Maria Terrone, still maintained that, there is no evidence of any undercover operation. None of this came as a surprise to QC junior and MSA member Zakaullah Baluch. Ive heard about it but I didnt know the NYPD did anything at QC. Like the FBI has been doing, its without due process, said Baluch. You can expect this ever since 9/11 - that the NYPD will go beyond what theyre supposed to do, another MSA member said. The misinterpretation of Islam is so widespread, so its not a surprise - this is what [law enforcement does].

Fred@knightnews.com

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CUNY FACULTY AND STUDENTS HELP FIGHT CAUSES ON WALL STREET

News Reporter

October 4, 2011 | 3

SWEETINA KAKAR

The Occupy Wall Street protesters may seem like hippies or tree huggers to some, but to the CUNY community, many of them are friends, classmates and teachers representing the university at Liberty Plaza. For more than two weeks, protesters have occupied Liberty Plaza, which is two blocks away from Wall Street in Manhattans Financial District. Protesters have been taking a stand against the political economy, which they believe has become a tyranny, and against the loss of democracy. Its primarily a bunch of hippies protesting against big businesses, said Pace University senior Ken Kumar. Unlike the views of some, these protesters are not hippies, but some are CUNY affiliates who have devoted their time and abilities to be part what they believe is an American revolution that began on Sept. 17, 2011. I went to my physics class this morning, well I took a nap during my physics class this morning and then came [to Liberty Plaza] after, said Baruch College senior Daniel Levine. Levine and many others identify themselves as the 99 percent that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1 percent. This belief is the backbone of this resistance movement for democracy powered by people. Levine has occupied Wall Street almost everyday since the protest began and spent nearly 40 hours at the general information desk the first week. He tries not to neglect his college responsibilities by bringing his class work and textbooks to study when things quiet down. Unlike Levine, not all CUNY students have experienced the community that has formed in the Lower East Side. Many remain unaware of the issues and reason for the protest. I heard about the protest, but Im really not too sure what its about, said Queens College senior Michael Benisatto. Im interested in learning more, but as a full-time student and with a job, I just havent had the time to. For some students who do not get the opportunity to experience the movement firsthand, they get a glimpse of it in Nicole Halas sociology class. Hala, a sociology adjunct professor at QC and John Jay

The second daily General Assembly on September 21, 2011 conducted to inform new followers on the issues while instating progress of the protest.
College of Criminal Justice, has spoke about the protest from a sociological lens during her lessons. I think its about time fundamental issues in our economy were brought to attention, said Hala, who has sat in on the protests almost everyday without missing a class. I thought it would have started after the 2008 crisis. Hala added that due to the corporate greed and political favoritism toward these corporations, public institutions like CUNY pay for [the corporations] mistakes through budget cuts and tuition hikes. CUNY raised tuition by an additional $300 this year, and may continue to do so over the next five years, which would bring the total tuition hike to approximately $1,500. Theres nothing better than a voice amplified by its peers, said QC senior Joseph Palmiotti. Im glad there are people in this world who are fighting to bring this world back on its feet. Though the protest is primarily a sit-in, there are frequent marches through the entire Financial District, including Wall Street and recently on the Brooklyn Bridge. These marches have led to major media coverage and police brutality. On Sept. 24, women were arrested during a march and put behind orange mesh netting, and were later pepper sprayed by NYPD Inspector Anthony Bologna. More recently, on a march on the Brooklyn Bridge where protesters occupied an entire

Photo by Sweetina Kakar

Just one of the many atworks created on cardboard to inform pedestrians.

lane, more than 700 activists were arrested. Two police warnings were given to the protesters to stay on the sidewalk of the bridge and that any protesters that spilled over to the road would be arrested. Many were released with citations and many more were released due to being too far to hear the police warning, according to The Associated Press. Though the main concern of the protesters is the corruption and greed in the political economy, others are protesting against global warming and social inequality, among other issues. People believe many different things here, said William Roper, who drove down from Maine. To me, this became a protest about the right to protest. These issues and the movement are not just important to New Yorkers, but have spread to the entire nation with protests emerging in Chicago and Los Angeles. The protest has also brought people into NYC from other states. Joshua James from Florida said he quit his job and sold his car to partake in this protest and now considers his residency to be Liberty Plaza. In the plaza, the protesters

Photo by Sweetina Kakar have created a residential community with a medical station, a library, a kitchen, a media and computing station and sleeping section. Some may say that they have a security system as well, as dozens of NYPD officers and vans border the plaza at all times. We are here indefinitely until change is enacted, said Levine.

sweetina@theknightnews.com

4 | October 4, 2011

QUEENS COLLEGE: A HISTORY SERIES

News Reporter

www.theknightnews.com

WAR AND PROTEST AT QC:

MONICA PALERMO

PAST AND PRESENT

an enduring peace. QC students were now being shipped overseas to fight. According to the Long Island Star, 220 undergrads were in the Army, Navy and Air Force by the end of 1942. The QC Report of 1948 stated that 48 faculty members had served. According to The Peoples College on the Hill, students on campus joined the war effort. Students and faculty donated blood, worked as air raid wardens and book collectors for the USO (United Services Organization). The Long Island Star reported that in 1942, $35,000 in war bonds and $2,000 in war stamps were sold on campus. The war also led to a change in the curriculum as a pre-engineering program was set up to prepare students for jobs in the war industry and classes about naval history, radio communications, Morse Code, first aid and civilian defense were offered to students. As the war came to a close in 1945, soldiers began to return home and resume their studies at QC, which lost a total of 57 members during the war. During the 50s and early 60s, QC students were faced with the Korean War (1950 1953) and the Cold War, which brought with it a fear of communism and a possible war with the Soviet Union. This time period also saw the rise of the Civil Rights Movement. The Korean War started on June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea. A draft was put in place but according to The Peoples College on the Hill, college students were generally excused until after graduation. In the spring of 1950, QC and other institutes of higher education were called havens for communism. The first glimpse of the Cold War and McCarthyism became apparent as professors at Queens became targets. Vera Shlakman, an assistant professor in the economics department, was the first QC professor to be called to testify before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee. When asked about her communist affiliations, Shlakman refused to answer and she was fired in Oct. 1952. In February 1953, Oscar Shaftel of the English department was also fired for the same reasons. The Peoples College stated that a student reporter for the Silhouette yearbook of 1957 said, we were surrounded for three years by unparalleled political turmoil. We witnessed the dismissal of some of our favorite instructors and were swept up in an aura of fear. During the 60s and 70s, students became active in protests, strikes and demonstrations as the fear of nuclear buildup and controversy around free speech and civil rights became a reason for action. Later these protests became anti-war demonstrations when the Vietnam War started in 1965. In November 1961, a oneday free speech strike was held by the students and led by the Student Association. This strike was in response to the administration banning students from inviting civil rights activist, Malcolm X, and Secretary of the Communist Party, Benjamin Davis, to speak at the college, which they felt was a violation of student rights. The 61 strike against the speaker ban, I think for Queens, was one of the very big public turning points away from the real essence or sense of the McCarthy era, said Mark Levy, QC alum and 62-63 SA president. In the summer of 1964, some QC students went down to Mississippi, to participate in Freedom Summer, to register African American voters and to teach in Freedom Schools. The summer before students had gone down to Prince Edward County, Virginia to teach students, both black and white. Their schools were closed by the county, who closed public schools when told they must integrate them. Students involved in Freedom Summer lived in Black neighborhood with families and put themselves in harms way to promote civil rights. They were shot at and threatened by people who did not agree with what they were doing. Andrew Goodman, a QC student, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney, all Freedom Summer volunteers, were murdered on June 21, 1964 by the Ku Klux Klan. The librarys clock tower is named after the three men. When the Vietnam War broke out in 1965, the draft was reinstated and this time QC students were not as safe as they were during the Korean War. With the need for soldiers in Vietnam, strict policies about student deferment were put in place. The higher a students grades, the better chance they had of staying out of Vietnam. Students and faculty began participating in anti-war protests.

Oct. 7 will mark the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. For many current Queens College students, the war has been going on for half of their lives. Issues of war, civil rights, government, the economy and rising tuition, have shaped the lives of the students at QC since it opened in 1937. Alumni have lived though World War II, the Korean War, Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, Gulf War and the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have fought, protested for what they believed in and did their part to shape their communities, all while trying to get an education and prepare for their future. In the midst of World War II, which broke out in Europe in 1938, Peace Day was held on campus on April 26, 1940. Students participated in an anti-war rally held in the Jefferson Hall auditorium. A special peace issue of the student newspaper, The Crown, was published and a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union, Roger Baldwin, spoke out against preparations for war. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941, brought the U.S. into the war and changed the lives of the students at QC. War has come to us, said Paul Klapper, QCs first president. A war that we have prayerfully sought to avoid. The first bomb that fell on American soil unified a democratic people and sharpened its one hope and its one thought to beat off the marauder and establish

The Phoenix reported in its Dec. 20,1966 issue that two professors and nine students were arrested in a peace demonstration at an army induction center. They were part of a larger group of 61 protestors, protesting about the bombing of Hanoi by American forces. When they could not go into the induction center, they stood outside singing Christmas carols until police arrested and charged them with disorderly conduct. Many other protests were held on the campus itself. In March of 1969, a group of 150 students, led by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), forced a recruiter for General Electric off campus. Big businesses were seen as profiting from their products being used in the war and were also accused of racist practices. Three students were arrested during the protest, which kicked off other protests for their freedom, including a sit-in at what is now Powdermaker Hall where 42 students were arrested. Wally Rosenthal, an SDS co-chapter leader who attended QC from 1964 to 1969, said that growing up in the 50s, he heard ideas expressed about how the German people had a responsibility to stop the Nazis and by doing so they could have stopped World War II. This idea shaped his thinking. I was influenced by that in the sense that if the U. S. government was doing something that was clearly wrong, then I had an obligation to stop it and do what I could to bring it to an end, said Rosenthal. Mark Levy returned to QC in 1968, as a faculty member in the SEEK (Search for Elevation,

www.theknightnews.com
Education and Knowledge) program, which was set up to allow students who otherwise would not be able to go to college because of financial or educational difficulty. The program at QC was made up of mostly black and Puerto Rican students. According to The revenue was lost. The damages totaled about $500. The demands of the SEEK students were won and Levy said the program was dramatically changed and quite quickly. Mulholland was replaced and faculty of color were recruited and hired for the program. intention of the U. S. for being in Saudi Arabia. The article Trying To Start a Movement at QC, by Brian Falkenstein in the Oct. 29, 1990 issue of the QC Quad said that some students were trying to start an anti-war movement because they and a few years later in Iraq. The lives of New Yorkers and of the nation were changed on 9/11, when the U. S. experienced its first attack on U. S. soil since Pearl Harbor. The view of the skyline once visible from QC was changed forever. QC students have recently

October 4, 2011 | 5
their world. Whether it was to help in the war effort, or protest it; fight against injustice or fight in a war, the students of QC have made sure that their voices were and are heard.

monica@theknightnews.com

Phoenix, there were approximately 700 students in the program. On Jan. 6, 1969, a group of 50 SEEK students took over the School of General Studies Registrar, the College Admissions office and the Central Card File area of Klapper Library looking for the dismissal of SEEK director Joseph Mulholland, who they felt did not represent the majority of SEEK students. During the demonstrations, 100 students staged a two hour sit-in at the Klapper library, which disturbed operations. The next day students forced teachers from the faculty dining room in the cafeteria and began overturning tables. They also damaged other items and

On May 4, 1970, four students were killed at Kent State University in Ohio by the National Guard while taking part in an antiwar demonstration. The news of what happened at Kent State prompted QC students to take action. The Peoples College said that QC was shut down by a strike and a group of students staged a sitin on the Long Island Expressway, stopping traffic in both directions. When the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the students of QC did not see war again until 1990. The Gulf War started on Aug. 2, 1990 and ended February 28, 1991. Although it was short, the war left QC students divided regarding the

felt that the U.S. was only at war to protect the oil industry. Others felt differently, according to another QC Quad article Gulf War Splits QC Students by Joe Tirella, saying that the war was necessary to stop a monster, Saddam Hussein. Students compared Hussein to Hitler and said that he needed to be stopped. While the Gulf War was winding down, QC students faced tuition hikes and budget cuts and some students organized a rally on Feb. 13, 1991, during free-hour on The Quad to protest. Ten years after the Gulf War ended, the U.S. went back to the Middle East to fight in Afghanistan

started again to rally and protest, not about the war but about the economy, the lack of jobs and tuition hikes. On March 31, 2011, QC students held a walk-out as they paraded through halls, chanting, going into classrooms and gaining followers as they went, to get QC students to stand together and show CUNY they did not want another tuition hike and to defend public education. At its peak, about 1,000 students participated in that walk out. They even managed to shut down east bound traffic on the LIE for about 10 minutes. Since the opening of QC, its students have stood up to be a part of the events that were affecting

6 | October 4, 2011

IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD FOR ADJUNCT HEALTHCARE

NEWS REPORTERS

www.theknightnews.com

WILL SAMMON AND MELANIE BENCOSME

CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein announced at the Sept. 26 Board of Trustees meeting that the University will seek funding for adjunct health insurance in its upcoming State budget request. Goldstein made his announcement as hundreds of Professional Staff Congress (PSC) members, along with students, protested inside and outside the meeting which was held at Baruch College. I will be incorporating into the Universitys budget request for the first time funding to support health benefits for these adjuncts and at the same time addressing structural and grievance issues relating to the entity that administers the health insurance plan known as the CUNY Welfare Fund, Goldstein said. This week, I hope to bring back more information as we move to implement something that has not been done to any of our satisfaction. An estimated crowd of 100 PSC supporters applauded the announcement and then exited the meeting to celebrate outside the college. Its the first time CUNY has ever moved on adjunct healthcare, PSC President Barbara Bowen told a jubilant crowd afterward. However, Bowen cautioned that getting CUNY to make adjunct health insurance a budget priority was only the first step. The next step is to hold them to that priority, to insist that its funded by the state. And then the next step, if we succeed with the state, is to negotiate the movement of adjuncts onto full healthcare. In the meeting, many crowd members held aloft bright red and white placards that read Do the Right Thing, CUNY! During the Chancellors report a gentle, fluttering sound filled the room as protesters shook their signs in unison. It is pretty outrageous that we should be asked to teach as much as we do and be responsible for the education of thousands of students and to be treated as if we are not real faculty, said Zeke Finkelstein, an adjunct lecturer at City College. But its completely representative of corporate business dealing with their workers it marginalizes them, makes them part-time, attempts to

Protesters marched outside Baruch College while the CUNY Board of Trustees meeting was held upstairs.

t h r e e

Photos by Sweetina Kakar give them no rights at all and tries to extract the most amount of work out of them. But for professors who are solely reliant on the Welfare Fund, the result may be worth the fight. I have my health insurance through PSC-CUNY and it is really the only way I can work parttime and dedicate my talents to one college. If I didnt have health insurance I would have to work jobs to make the money to do it, said Margaret Feeley, an English professor at Kingsborough Community College.

www.theknightnews.com

October 4, 2011 | 7

A LESSON OF PERSISTENCE FROM MARIA LAURA-ARCOS

MEHER MOHSIN News Reporter
With her perfect English and soft spoken demeanor, no one would ever think Maria Laura-Arcos was a 43-year-old single mother and an immigrant from Uruguay who had no possession of the English language until her early 20s. Its been my dream to finish school. I was never going to quit, said Arcos, an economics major who recently won the Queens College Business Forum Scholarship awarded annually to a student in one of Queens Colleges business programs (Accounting, Economics, BBA, and BALA). She shared the honor with another QC student, 20-yearold Daniel Abaev, an accounting major from Forest Hills. Launched in 2005, the QC Business Forum brings together the business community, local government, academia and students to provide an opportunity for them to interact. Since 2006, the QC Business Forum scholarship has been awarded annually to one or two deserving students enrolled in one of the colleges business programs with outstanding academic performance and who demonstrate an enthusiasm and/or appreciation for their chosen field of study. Arcos is the eldest recipient of this honor. Ive always been interested in the community as a whole, said Arcos. And so when I took an economics course which has a little bit of psychology, sociology and has stuff to do with community issues, I was sure this was what I wanted to do. Arcos who takes only six credits a semester and attends school nights and weekends, also holds a full-time job as a parent coordinator for the NYC Department of Education. My job is to tell parents how to work with their children to help them succeed, explained Arcos. I am a firm believer in education. Arcos, a resident of Jackson Heights, came to the U.S. in 1994 and enrolled at QC the following year. In 1996, her daughter Caroline was born. Two years later Arcos divorced her husband and had to leave college to raise the baby on her own. I didnt want to leave school but I did. I wanted to raise my daughter, she said. Four years ago, Arcos and her mother made a deal that while she attended school on nights and on the weekends, her mother would watch her daughter, who was then 11. Ive been in school for quite some time which is why it is taking forever, explained Arcos. Arcos hopes to pursue a graduate degree in either statistics or actuarial sciences. I want to do something that I love but also something that is in demand right now so I am able to find a job after I graduate. said Arcos. Im older so the job market is a little bit harder for me. PBS Front Line documented this

Photo Courtesy by Office of Communications

Daniel Abaev and Maria Laura-Arcos, winners of the 2011 Queens College Business Forum Scholarship
growing problem in 2009 as the rate of unemployment in people over 40 grew. In response, organizations such as Jobs 4.0 and FourtyPlusOh were launched. With plans to become a data analyst for the NYC Department of Education, Arcos hopes to graduate in a year or two.

QUEENS COLLEGE PROFESSOR NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED

News Reporter

MEHER MOHSIN

Karen Strassler, Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Queens College, was awarded the 2011 Gregory Bateson Book Prize from the American Anthropological Association, only the third of its kind.

As professor, mother of two, cultural anthropologist, writer and now winner of the Gregory Bateson Book Prize; Karen Strassler epitomizes the term well-rounded.

Strassler, a professor of cultural anthropology at Queens College, was awarded the Gregory Bateson Book Prize from the Society of Cultural Anthropology this past September for her book Refracted Visions: Popular Photography and National Modernity in Java. Its always really wonderful to be recognized by ones peers, said Strassler. I think there are many deserving books out there so I was definitely surprised. Most of us dont get recognition so when one of us does, its very fulfilling. Strasslers book, which focuses on her study of life in Java, Indonesia, argues that popular photographic practices have played a crucial role in the making of modern national subjects in post-colonial Java. Her interest in Indonesia was sparked through a study-abroad opportunity in college which inspired her to study the formerly colonized nation with a focus on analyzing culture through visuals. This is a reflection of the quality of scholarship being produced by Queens College professors right now, said Dr. John Collins of the anthropology department who taught Strasslers book in his anthropology theory major course. This is why research support is so important, because it permits Queens College students to have the amazing opportunity to take classes with a

faculty member who has been recognized as producing some of the best work in her discipline. Only the third person to receive this honor, Strassler was applauded for her rich and innovative ethnographic analysis. The Society of Cultural Anthropology, a subdivision of the American Anthropological Association, specifically awards the Bateson Prize to work that is theoretically rich, ethnographically grounded, and in the spirit of the tradition for which the SCA has become knowninterdisciplinary, experimental and innovative and in their letter to Strassler, they congratulated her for successfully melding all these qualities and more. The Gregory Bateson prize for the best ethnography from the Society of Cultural Anthropology is the most prestigious award in the United States for cultural anthropology, said Dr. Mandana Limbert of the QC anthropology department. The award is a testament to the brilliance of her book and to say that the QC anthropology department is proud that Professor Karen Strassler won the award this year is an understatement. We are honored to have her as our colleague. Strassler, a graduate of Brown University in Rhode Island who earned her graduate degree from the University of Michigan, joined the anthropology department at QC in

the fall of 2005 and gave birth to both her sons during her time here. She also played a part as a member of the Professional Staff Congress union in pushing the implementation of the parental leave policy implemented by CUNY in 2008. I was interested in people who were formerly colonized and wanted to explore how they came to terms with the legacy of colonization and how they used photography to grapple with that past and invent new futures, said Strassler. This prize is very meaningful for me to see that the interest in visual media has grown and that people are recognizing this area of study. One of the great things about the book is that it is theoretically very sophisticated but its written in a way that a wide audience can appreciate and understand it, which is something very difficult for any author and should be celebrated by the college, said Collins. As a professor who teaches all levels of anthropology, Strassler noted that images have an importance that we do not always recognize and she strives to make people aware of how images shape our sense of who we are and the world around us.

meher@theknightnews.cvom

8 | October 4, 2011

PRESIDENT OF ECUADOR VISITS QUEENS COLLEGE

News Reporter

www.theknightnews.com

MEHER MOHSIN

President Rafael Correa of Ecuador swept onto The Quad to chants of praise. Outside Queens Colleges gates, everyone entering the campus was greeted by cries of criticism from the protestors huddled outside. Correa, the population is with you! chanted the crowd of more than 400 Ecuadorians gathered on The Quad. He is just here to reaffirm his power. He is following in the footsteps of [Venezuela President Hugo] Chavez and [Bolivia President Evo] Morales. He has taken over the executive, legislative and judicial branches of Ecuador and is now taking away the freedom of speech. He is running a dictatorship, said business owner Oswaldo Rodriguez. Im just here

make up the largest South American Latino group in NYC as well as NYS, according to the City-Data Forum. The Correa administration battles with issues such as immigration, health care, education and voting. It is a democratic state. By changing the constitution, he started a new country where he helped poor people get educated and receive healthcare. He built new infrastructure and is now building a refinery to process the oil which Ecuador has, said Lopez. Fernando Orquera, an Ecuadorian from Brooklyn said, This guy is taking care of the country. Ecuador now has good connection between cities; transportation is the best it has ever been. He has opened new schools so now only 2 percent of children do

Supporters welcome Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador.

Photo Courtesy by Caroll Alvarado themselves, assume the role of the government. The protestors claimed that Correas socialist rule and his political campaign were covertly funded by Chavez, who himself had followed the footsteps of Fidel Castro of Cuba. The result of this is now the end of liberty and democracy for the people of Venezuela and Cuba and we refuse to accept the same political system in Ecuador, read the fliers they handed out to the public. Just days before, Union City High School in New Jersey revoked an invitation given to Castro due to his association with Castro and Chavez. Even associating with such regimes sends a terrible message to the world and condones the many evils that have been imposed on the residents of those nations, said Union City Mayor Brian Stack in a statement on Sept. 21. Supporters of Correa pointed out the many good things he is doing for his people. He is trying to take down the Ecuadorian hierarchy. Your last name and wealth dont matter anymore. said QC junior Jasmine Sarmiento, 19. He uses these weekly telecasts to talk about his rhetoric of socialism to the public, said Vincente Ponce, protestor from Plainview. We want to live like they do here in the U.S. Believe what you will but dont tell me and my children what to do and what to believe.

Protestors gather outside Queens College in opposition to the Administration of Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador.
visitors the different initiatives the government is currently taking to benefit the country and its people including athletics, voting and study abroad opportunities. The gathering, which was neither endorsed nor publicized by QC, attracted almost 1,000 people over the course of the weekend. Correas trip to Queens followed the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Lined up along the entrance of QCs gates stood an enthusiastic group of protestors against Correas regime who referred to themselves as Ecuadorians Pro-Democracy. We are protesting because [the president] doesnt know about democracy, said Marcel Feraud, a visiting protestor from Florida.

Photo by Meher Mohsin

to see the show. The Correa administration gives weekly internationally televised addresses discussing Ecuadors economy and politics. The addresses inform the public of goals and accomplishments in the upcoming week in an attempt to provide transparency to the people. This was the first-ever televised address given outside Ecuador. Queens is a very important place because most of the Ecuadorian community outside of Ecuador itself emigrates and lives in Queens, said Jorge Lopez, the General Counsel of Ecuador to N Y. Ecuadorians make up 4.7 percent of Queens population and

not attend school. Just a few years ago, it was almost 10 percent. The government is also giving loans to people to study abroad. Orqueras band called La Propia Banda also played at the weekend long cultural events sponsored by the Ecuadorian government that took place in the Dining Hall on Saturday and Sunday. Part of the campaign that Correa brought to the U.S. with his visit was to promote and ask people to donate to the many initiatives being taken by his government. The primary focus was on the preservation of the Amazon in Ecuador. Booths had also been set up in the Dining Hall to show

He has taken all the powers of democracy by manipulating justice and taking away freedom of speech. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Correa administrations control over the media grows and newspapers like El Telegrafo, which were privately owned just three years ago, are now free and solely propagating news in support of the government. Two protestors who managed to make it to The Quad to observe the gathering were recognized and removed by security right away. Only supporters and media were allowed in the vicinity. Though the protestors offered no reform Correas to policies, they encouraged all their listeners to not re-elect Correa and instead

www.theknightnews.com

October 4, 2011 | 9

OCTOBER IS LGBTQ AWARENESS MONTH

News Reporter

NAT CAMPOS

October marks the celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer communitys heritage, culture, icons and role models. It is also a month to promote awareness and education about the issues facing these groups of people. LGBTQ History Month was first started in January 1994 by Robert Wilson, a high school history teacher from Missouri. He organized a network of teachers and community leaders to create a history month focusing on LGBTQ people due to their lack of representation in school textbooks. According to the GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), the LGBTQ community is one of the few minorities worldwide whose history is not taught at home, in public schools or in religious institutions. I think a lot of times in history, a lot of minorities, whether they be African-American, Asian or Latino, were left out of history and even more so the LGBTQ people, said Jacques Etienne, president of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Alliance (GLASA) at Queens College. GLASA, previously known as GLU (Gay and Lesbian Union) in the 80s and 90s, was not officially recognized as a club at QC until the 1970s. The small group of LGBTQ students chose to gather at a table in the cafeteria since the 50s, as mentioned in the March 1990 issue of the previous QC student newspaper, The Quad. The small group of queer young men and women sat talking of our gay lives in the streets and in the bars, and our growing commitment to social causes of racial justice and ending the war, said Joan Nestle, QC alumna of 1963, a writer and queer activist. Even after the clubs recognition, a series of hate crimes, vandalism and the constant changing of room locations became an ongoing struggle for the club and it members- the most recent example being the act of vandalism to the GLASA club room, which took place in February. The Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey reported high rates of attempted suicide and depression in LGBTQ youth living in the U.S. today. Of the 2,700 secondary education students surveyed, 24.7 percent of them reportedly attempted suicide. With homophobia, trans-phobia and heterosexism still common in schools and homes, LGBTQ History Month has become a crucial time to bring education to classrooms, clubs and other communities in order to raise awareness and erase the stereotypical belief that society generally holds towards LGBTQ people. Such beliefs may lead to harm and even the end of ones life, such as with the case of Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old gay teen from Buffalo, N.Y., who committed suicide early this September after being bullied because of his sexuality. During the month of October, QC will hold LGBTQ related events such as National Coming Out Day and a presentation from the Trevor Project, a non-profit, national organization focused on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth. [National] Coming Out Day is a big part of LGBTQ History MonthIf we want to be included in history, we need to come out, said Etienne. Studies from the William Institute of UCLA School of Law showed that an estimate of nine million Americans identify as

Graphic by Omera Begum LGBTQ, which is about 4 percent of the U.S. population. Public acknowledgement and influence of LGBTQ people, though small, have opened opportunities to expand the communitys recognition. Such examples include Chaz Bono, the first transgender dance contestant on the television show Dancing with the Stars, and Aaron Copland, a gay classical composer, as described in his biography Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man, and whom the music building in QC is named after. It is time Queens College honored its LGBTQ students and their often unclaimed contributions to its curriculums, said Nestle. With news of the gender-neutral/unisex bathrooms in campus buildings, the coed residence halls at The Summit and instances of vandalism and discrimination that took place on campus, the mission of having a diverse college community openly accepting of LGBTQ people is something still waiting to be achieved. But with the initiative being taken by clubs and support groups, small steps are being taken to affect the local community. GLASA and LGBTQ people aim to continue to make QC a safe and accepting college environment for future students. We have a long way to go, said Etienne, but I look forward to working hard with my club members and administration to get things done.

nat@theknightnews.com

10 | October 4, 2011

THEATER GUILD, BEYOND THERAPY HITS THE STAGE

News Reporters

www.theknightnews.com

MEHER MOHSIN and MONICA PALERMO

The Theater Guild of Queens College lit up the stage with the final showing of Beyond Therapy, a comedy by American playwright Christopher Durang, on the last weekend of September. The play, which centered on issues of sexuality, accepting imperfection and getting through life while still maintaining sanity, ran from Thursday to Sunday in the Little Theater and brought out a crowd of more than 120 people on its opening weekend earlier in September. The actors, designer and everyone involved have given their all to help you leave still laughing, but more importantly, perhaps change your thinking about what

it means to be truly honest with not only others, but with yourself, said Kayla Briggs, vice president of the Theatre Guild and the shows director. The Theater Guild, which puts on at least one play a semester, put together Beyond Therapy in three and a half weeks on a budget of $1,300. Rehearsals took place at least four times a week to get the show ready in time for the opening, The Guild is a student- run club that meets on Mondays during Free Hour in the Little Theatre. Students control every aspect of the plays from directing and acting to production and design. Members of the faculty also help by giving advice to the club members. I am a mentor. I give them advice about plays they can do based on their budget, said Meghan Healey, the clubs

advisor and a professional set and costume designer. When the students read the play, they felt like a lot of the issues in the play were very alive and pertinent in our own time. When coming up with ideas for plays, the Guild will consider works that are not tech heavy and which focus more on the acting. Plays with many parts are usually selected in order to give newer members a chance to participate and play a role both on and off the stage. Members can be actors and stage designers or work with costumes, lighting and even concessions. Stephen Winburn, the clubs president and the shows producer and set designer, described the club as a place for those who love theater and film to get together in one setting. This year, the Guild also aims to have workshops during meetings to prepare

actors for auditions and guide them on how to improve their craft. The new e-board is trying to give members reasons to come to meetings, said Winburn. We want to give them tools so that they can go out into the real world. I think this is what we need to bring new and old members into the Guild. The drama department will put on another of Christopher Durangs plays, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, at the end of October. For more information about the Theatre Guild, contact them at qctheatreguild@ gmail.com.

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www.theknightnews.com
News Reporter

October 4, 2011 | 11

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SQUAD

MONICA PALERMO
Imagine sitting in class when suddenly your professor collapses and goes into cardiac arrest. What would you do? Who would you call? The Queens College Emergency Medical Squad is working to make these questions easier to answer for the students, faculty and staff of QC. on campus. Charlie Wohlberg, president of QC-EMS and a certified EMT for five years, said an ambulance can take anywhere from seven to 15 minutes to reach QC after 9-1-1 is called. They then need to be guided by Public Safety officers to the location of the emergency. Why should a student have to wait 15 minutes to get emergency help when there might be a fully trained EMT right down the hall? EMS is that students could save money by having a trained EMT on campus treat them. If you call for an ambulance, you will get a bill between $800 and $1,000. Our service is free. We could possibly [also] save a student a trip to the hospital, Wohlberg said. In 2008, a group of EMTs who were also QC students thought about bringing an Emergency Medical Squad to campus. After the issues of funding and logistics of dispatch. The team would need approximately $20,000 to start but is working with organizations such as the Student Association and the Committee for Disabled Students to work out funding sources. QC-EMS plans on supplementing both Public Safety and Health Services on campus by responding alongside Terri Calhoun, the campus nurse, as qualified There are also QC-EMS members that reside in The Summit, which makes responding to medical emergencies there possible at all hours of the day. The idea of having a campus EMS is not a new one in CUNY schools. City College has had one since 1983 while Brooklyn College has had one since 1977. The squad also offers AED training. The courses certify

QC-EMS squad. Information for the classes can be found on the QC-EMS facebook page. In case of an emergency on campus, please call Public Safety at 718-997-5911
QC-EMS is a volunteer organization with over 30 certified Emergency Medical Technicians and about 50 non-medical volunteers. They aim to provide fast and free medical care for emergencies on campus and also to educate the college community through free classes, which include courses on CPR/First Aid, the proper use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) and alcohol awareness and safety. The organization was created in response to delayed arrival times of ambulances for emergencies said Wohlberg. By having trained EMTs already on campus, response time can be cut by two to three minutes. When a patient is in cardiac arrest, for every minute that goes by without treatment, that patients chance of survival is decreased by 10 percent, according to the American Heart Association. The delayed time can lead to a huge loss in the quality of life if a person is having an allergy attack, or a heart or neural problem, said Nathan Farkas, QC-EMS vice president. Another advantage of QCSeptember 2010 tornado, the group began working closely with the administration, including President James Muyskens, Vice President of Student Affairs Joe Bertolino and Vice President for Finance and Administration Katherine Cobb, as well as Health Services, to make QC-EMS a functional service on campus. QC-EMS is hoping to be a fully operational squad by late October. Currently they are still waiting for their license from the State Department of Health and for the administration to give them an official go-ahead. There are also EMTs. We are hoping to work together as a team to facilitate the health and wellness of our students, said Calhoun, who is the faculty advisor for QC-EMS and has been a registered nurse for 25 years. The campus nurse does an excellent job of helping in whatever way that she can but she is limited by the amount of stuff that she can do, said Michael Spigner, who has been an EMT for over two years. Where as a New York State EMT is licensed under the state to perform certain procedures that may be outside the scope of the nurses care.

Photo Courtesy by EMS

students in CPR and First Aid by the American Heart Association. So far the program has certified over 50 students. Rachel Albert is a QCEMS officer, has been an EMT for almost three years and is one of four certified instructors that teach the free courses that would normally cost over $70. CPR is important for people to know because it could potentially save someones life, said Albert. And to be able to teach it is fantastic. Im out to save the worldone CPR class at a time.

12 | October 4, 2011

www.theknightnews.com

KNIGHT NEWS STAFF EDITORIAL WE ARE THE 99 PERCENT

If youre reading this, theres a 99 percent chance that youre one of us. We are the ones who have been labeled by corporate America as lazy. Regardless of how hard we have tried to achieve the American dream, our mountains of debt are never erased, our monthly rent is barely paid, and our hospital bills are unaffordable. The protesters on Wall Street and all over the country now, have finally brought to life the idea that it is not our fault. We are prostitutes of the government. We do our jobs, get cheap pay and are punished when we speak out. Look no further than the actions of NYPD officer, Anthony Bologna. The people occupying Wall Street are a frustrated, disenfranchised group of individuals who represent everyone in our country who has been duped in one way or another by corporations, the corrupt American system of capitalism and by the wealthy of this country. In our capitalist society, only 1 percent actually reached the top, while everyone else continues on a hamster wheel. The individuals protesting have been referred to as hippy-nomads by mainstream media coverage. Perhaps some are, but they are also heroes and they are the only white people in NYC right now who want to truly establish the ideals that the U.S. was founded on - the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - for everyone. Not just the white and rich upper class. If we cant set an example for the system of democracy which we so ardently preach, who are we to impose it on others? Globally we are behind in challenging our government, but the once sleeping giant seems to be following in the steps of the Arab spring. Slowly but surely, apathy is being reversed in America. The Knight News supports these victorious protests because they are fighting for us. For our rights. For our freedom. For our futures. Change is not a political slogan. Change is a movement.

Mission Statement: We aim to serve the Queens College community through a tireless pursuit for truths that may be hidden, obstructed or otherwise unknown, to empower our readers with the information they need to inspire change. Editor-in-Chief: Will Sammon Managing Editor: Salimah Khoja Business Manager: Fred Magovern Copy Chief: Shiryn Ghermezian Editorial Page Editor: Avrahmi Berkowitz Investigative News: Melanie Bencosme News: Sweetina Kakar Features: Meher Mohsin Sports Editor: Joe Trezza Layout: Jennifer Navarrete/Omera Begum Photography: Bradly Levitt Phone : 347-450-6054 contact@theknightnews.com Logo By: Konrad Miekina

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Mr. Sammon: We write to set the record straight on your September 19 cover story. We regret that this is necessary. The Knight News headline splashed across page one-Misreported Labor conditions, adjuncts hidden, QC trys (misspelled) to pull a fast one. U.S. Dept. of Labor doesnt buy it-- was, at best, irresponsible news reporting, and at worst, a deliberately sensational misrepresentation of the facts. An incorrect number was reported to the Department of Labor because of human error. To leap to the conclusion that the college engaged in a cover up and then, illogically, to tie this to CUNYs treatment of adjuncts is unwarranted. It is simply untrue. We admire the hard work and dedication that goes into doing investigative reporting and publishing a newspaper. But this article smacks of yellow journalism the kind of writing that one sees in supermarket tabloids. It is certainly not investigative journalism, which is driven by a commitment to the facts. The facts are that the Office of Human Resources annually completes and submits a form to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), part of the U.S. Department of Labor, on Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. The requested information includes the number of work related injuries and illnesses, the number of days away from work and number of days of job transfer or restriction due to these injuries/ illnesses, and a calculation of the total number of hours worked by all full and part-time employees for the year. Based on this information, the number of hours lost to workrelated injuries and illnesses, relative to the overall number of hours worked, is calculated. This year, the form was completed by someone new to the responsibility. While the number of injuries, the time lost to such injuries, and the number of employees was accurately reported, the total number of hours worked by employees was miscalculated. This happened because parttime employee work hours were erroneously captured as if they worked the same number of hours as full-timers. Once this error, an honest mistake, was brought to our attention, we immediately notified the Department of Labor (DOL)the opposite of the cover-up you proclaimed we were guilty of. DOL acknowledged the error, but advised that it could not be corrected. Indeed, during that same call, the DOL notified us that we had overstated the number of work related injuries and illnesses, because we included some that did not result in the loss of work time. The Office of Human Resources is now engaged in the time-consuming task of manually identifying the number of hours worked by part-time staff in order to ensure that the information on the form is correct internally. And so an employees accidental multiplication error led to your claims of misreported labor conditions, adjuncts hidden, a fast one, the baseless DOL doesnt buy it and conclusion that this misinformation obstructs the Department of Labors ability to determine workplace safety. We take special exception to your accusation that they [QC] dont even acknowledge that its wrong. Although the Knight News did contact the Office of Human Resources to ask for the number of full-time and adjunct faculty information that was provided no one called HR to give us the opportunity to respond to the unwarranted charges you were about to publish. The article goes on to discuss CUNYs treatment of adjuncts, which is an unrelated subject. Adjuncts are represented by the PSC and are the subject of collective bargaining. With respect to the hiring process and benefits (including the status of PSCCUNY Welfare Fund managed by the PSC), the record shows that CUNY and QC are fully living up to their obligations in the collective bargaining agreement negotiated with the PSC. If the Knight News wants to earn the respect of its readers, its reporters should practice journalism that is fair, factual and balanced. This article was the opposite on all counts and did yourselves and the Queens College community a great disservice. Reinalda Medina Assistant Vice President Office of Human Resources

www.theknightnews.com

October 4, 2011 | 13

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor: The two articles by Melanie Bencosme and Robert Rosengarten in the 19 September 2011 Knight News [Adjuncts [sic] Healthcare Coming to an End, p. 2; and QC Falsified Form Making Adjuncts Vanish, p. 3], and the one by Fred Magovern [Exterminating Organized Labor 101, p. 13] are quite timely because the Provosts Adjunct Task Force, of which I am a member, will shortly complete and release its Report. To be sure, Adjunct faculty conditions are far better at Queens College than at many other CUNY schools (the very fact that the Queens College Provost has commissioned an Adjunct Task Force is certainly a quantum leap), and my own Department, to its credit, even welcomes Adjuncts at Departmental meetings. But abuse of Adjunct faculty is one of the dirtiest little secrets in American academia. Matters would not be so bad if the only abuses were economic (e.g., abysmally low salaries and no benefits such as healthcare insurance, etc.). Unfortunately, the academys maltreatment of its Adjunct faculty goes far beyond the economic, to the detriment of the university itself. At various institutions, Adjuncts are, to one extent or another, denied things such as office space, computer and technology resources, parking and access to the washrooms. Worse yet, many college administrators, and full-time tenured faculty members, view Adjuncts as secondclass Untermenschen who are their academic and professional inferiors. One concrete example of how CUNY is shooting itself in the foot in that regard is that at the end of the Spring 2011 semester, hundreds of CUNY Adjuncts (including this one) were de-provisioned from CUNYs database and, until other powers intervened, unable to enter student grades on the much vaunted and highly dysfunctional CUNYfirst system. And, as alluded to in one of the articles, the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) union is quite content to invoke its right under the Taylor Law to mace union dues from the Adjuncts, but is unwilling to take any action beyond the feeble to assert the Adjuncts interest. One very telling example of this is the unions failure to assert Paragraph 30.3(d) of the operative labor contract, which requires that teaching Adjunct faculty be listed in departmental directories. Though the provision has been in force since 2002, departments such as the Department of Linguistics & Communication Disorders at Queens College have yet to bring their faculty directories into compliance. This grievance, if asserted by PSC, is clearly in the right, and the compliance cost, if any, to Queens College would be negligible. That PSC does not even care to do this for its Adjunct members speaks volumes. Most nefarious of all is that the students, knowing how CUNY and PSC view and treat the Adjunct faculty, use that fact to rationalize plagiarism, cheating and other academic dishonesty in courses instructed by Adjuncts. The reported entry of false data on OSHA Form 300A was a natural consequence of an institutional (and often personal) attitude which negates contributions and value of Adjunct faculty. Throughout academia, there need to be significant changes in attitudes and policies towards Adjuncts. The Knight News publication of the articles by Bencosme, Rosengarten and Magovern have already begun to facilitate some much needed discussion in the QC community regarding Adjunct faculty, which is certainly most consistent with the Knight News stated mission.

-- Kenneth H. Ryesky, Esq. Adjunct Assistant Professor Department of Accounting & Information Systems

WHAT IS AN ADJUNCT

ANYWAY AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?

o you know what an adjunct is? Do you know one? How many are there? What do they do? Whether you know it or not, not only do you know quite a few adjuncts, you have been in the classroom with them ever since you began attending college classes. Adjuncts are part-time faculty who make up at least 50 percent of faculty not only at Queens College, but across CUNY and at most colleges across the nation. Adjuncts at Queens College teach over 60 percent of all classes and most introductory classes. The majority of faculty members teaching your courses this semester are probably adjuncts. Most of these part-time faculty members are concerned, innovative, exciting instructors who bring a world of experience to the classroom. The problem is they receive low wages, few benefits and little support. In addition, adjuncts are treated

BE OUR GUEST

BY DIANE MENNA
with little respect or consideration as faculty and can be let go for no reason at all. How does this affect you as students? Adjuncts working conditions are your learning conditions. How does the fact that the majority of your instructors must scrape together with a barely adequate wage by shuttling from campus to campus or from one job to another affect you? Because when you need to speak to your teacher, he or she is rushing off campus to get to another job. How does it matter to you that your adjunct instructor has no office, no phone or voicemail, no access to a working computer or printer, is given little consideration when it comes to access to technology, smart classrooms, and even photocopiers? The answer is obvious. The quality of your education is compromised-just as your tuition and fees

continue to increase. Why do adjuncts continue to work and study under these discouraging and demeaning conditions? If you ask them, they will probably tell you that teaching and scholarship is their vocation, and although it is a struggle to work under these conditions and they dont know how much longer they can afford to do it, working with CUNY students is especially rewarding. How and why did this happen? The over-reliance on adjunct faculty in New York City began with the fiscal crisis in the 1970s, but the trend is widespread, occurring not only nationally, but globally, including Europe, Asia and the Americas. However, the causes and effects are about more than money. They are about politics and power. Not only are part-time faculty cheaper, but because they are considered temporary (even though many have been teaching in the same department for 10,

20, even 30 years), they are often excluded from faculty governance, department meetings and policy decisions. The corporatization of higher education has allowed administrations to create a two-tier labor system with adjunct faculty as the disenfranchised underclass. This underclass has now become the majority of faculty at CUNY and beyond. And, like many workers in this country today, the limited health care coverage available to eligible adjuncts is at risk. Due to CUNYs chronic underfunding of the Welfare Fund of the faculty and staff union, The Professional Staff Congress (PSC), which provides health care coverage for adjuncts, coverage for adjuncts as it exists now will be discontinued at the end of this academic year. So, a number of your most experienced, most effective, and most inspiring instructors may be forced to look for work elsewhere or do without adequate health care.

What can you do about it? You can show your support for the adjuncts and the union in its efforts to convince CUNY, New York City and New York State to provide health care for adjuncts (as the State does for SUNY adjuncts). First, you can take two minutes and sign a petition at www.psc-cuny. org. Second, you can talk to your family members, classmates and professors and tell them about the great adjuncts you know and that you support them in their fight for what is every workers basic human right decent affordable health care coverage. And finally, you can walk up to an adjunct you know and tell him or her you are ready to give a little back by supporting adjuncts in their struggle.

14 | October 4, 2011

WOMENS TENNIS
Sports Reporter

www.theknightnews.com

JACKIE WEBER

REMAINS ON TOP
and Gabriela Rodriguez from the New York Institute of Technology (6-1, 6-2) in the final round of the doubles competition. I was ecstatic to see Linda and Erika win the doubles tournament, said head coach Alan Nagel. In each of the previous two years, we had players in the final round, only to lose on tiebreakers. This is a big monkey off of our back and a strong step for our program. In doubles, another duo from QC, senior Andrea Salvetova and freshman Phoebe Chiem, made it to the finals before being defeated by Kristyna Nepivodova and Maxime Duijst from the University of the District of Columbia. In the singles tournament, QC sophomore Anna Rodionova achieved one of the biggest upsets when she defeated top-seeded Jessica Nunez from the UDC in the round of 32 (6-2 and 6-3). I knew [Nunez] was a really good player. The weekend before [the tournament] she took down Linda, our number one player in the conference match, said Rodionova. It was my fourth match for the day, so I was pretty worn out. But the confidence in my serve and consistency helped me to win the match. Rodionova, along with Tatala-Colin and Goldsmith, made it to the quarterfinals of the singles tournament before being defeated by students from South North Hampshire, NYIT and Concordia. Although she eventually succumbed

Two of the Lady Knights are headed to Mobile, Ala. after winning regional championships at the 2011 USTA/ITA East Regional Tennis Championships at the Arthur Ashe Center. Queens senior Linda TatalaColin and junior Erika Goldsmith are on their way to nationals after winning all four of their double matches and defeating Sara Burinato

STOKER, KNIGHTS EARNED

first conference victory

to champion Sara Burinato from NYIT, freshman Francesca Fanchin managed to get the match point in the second set. I was really happy with the way the whole team performed, said Nagel. To have three of our ladies make it to the quarterfinals in the singles A bracket, to Rodionova knocking off the top seed in singles play, to Francesca Fanchin taking the eventual singles champion to deciding a third set the team really stepped up.

Danny Stoker gets mobbed and congratulated by fellow teammates after scoring game winning goal.
Sports Reporter

Photo by Jackie Weber hard even with a man down, said Christian. They were very resilient, showing good character. So its a well-earned victory. The Knights are set to play the leading ECC team, St. Thomas Aquinas College (four points; 1-0-1 record) in Pomona, N.Y. Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., as they continue to battle for a playoff spot in the conference.

JACKIE WEBER
Captain Danny Stoker kicked his team to victory Oct. 1 after connecting on a 20-yard free kick that sent the Knights above Molloy College, 1-0. Stoker kicked the ball into the top-left corner of the goal in the 103rd minute of doubleovertime after Molloy committed a red-card foul on a QC breakaway. Our season has not been ideal so far, but we are getting better

every game, said Stoker. Were improving everyday, so for us, this is a new start. This game gives the Knights (4-5-1, 1-0 ECC) their first East Coast Conference win of the season. Molloy (0-9-1, 0-2-1 ECC) gave the Knights a run for their money throughout the entire game, garnering the same five corner kicks as their competition. But it wasnt enough to stop Stoker, a junior, from making the game-winning

kick during double-overtime. Its been a rough season, said head coach Carl Christian. Its good to get a little bit of a break and good fortune. Junior Nelson Restrepo made his first appearance as a goalie for QC after an injury forced senior Demetrios Touros to the bench. Restrepo played on the top of his game, keeping Molloy scoreless. I think I did well. I just have to improve my kicks and control

myself a little more, said Restrepo. This game is a new start, a new beginning. Molloys goalie, Justin Corke, gave the Knights had eight saves, and turned away a pair of shots during the game, which led to overtime. In the first overtime, Corke managed to block a shot made by junior Grant Edick in the 98th minute, starting the next 10-minute overtime. The boys worked very

jackie@theknightnews.com

www.theknightnews.com

Sports Reporter

MATT BAGUTH

LADY KNIGHTS SHUT DOWN AGAIN

adjust to Dowlings frontcourt attack. Overall, the Lady Knights biggest downfall was their .044 hitting percentage. I dont even know what happened out there, junior outside hitter Suzanne Byrne said. We were weak and we didnt execute. Yet, despite the deflating atmosphere of having experienced a loss on their home court, the team managed to dance to the cha-cha slide after the game. It is just a game after all, senior Joe Spinelli, 22, said. At least we get to dance. The Lady Knights will play on the road against Southern Connecticut State, NYIT and Mercy College. They will have to crawl their way back into contention by going back to basics against these opponents. We have to go back to practice and have everyone trust each other and do their jobs, head coach Leanna Taylor said. Its going to be hard, but I believe in thais team.

October 4, 2011 | 15

A large crowd of Queens College fans, which included Athletic Director China Jude, packed into the bleachers of the Maurice Fitzgerald Gymnasium with the anticipation of a fierce competition ahead of them. What they witnessed was quite the contrary. The Lady Knights (2-6) suffered another devastating loss to a conference opponent, their third in a row, falling to Dowling College, 3-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 27. It was the teams first home loss of the season. The shutout was the Lady Knights sixth loss in the last seven games and put them in a deep hole with a 0-3 conference record. Dowling is currently undefeated in conference play after four matches. Our serving and hitting was not working, senior setter Stephanie Schroeder said. We had a lack of communication the whole game. The Lady Knights seemed out of synch and lacked energy throughout the whole game. They lost in three straight sets (25-17, 25-16, 25-15) and never seemed to be able to

matt@theknightnews.com
Photo by Bradly Levitt

Junior Suzanne Byrne put down seven kills and assisted on three blocks.

Freshman Rita Romeo (pictured going after ball) and The Lady Knights are currently experiencing a four game losing streak.

Photo by Bradly Levitt

QC STARTS CONFERENCE PLAY

KNIGHT NEWS SPORTS

Photos by Bradly Levitt

Daniel Ospina and Andrea Slavin help kick in conference play in hopes of earning playoff births this season.