Friday, December 3, 2021 | Vol. 3 No. 14, Fall 2021 Semester
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MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT DAISY COCCO DE FILIPPIS |
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My Dear Colleagues and Students,
As December announces itself with its celebration of Hanukkah, we are offered a series of moments to reflect on our humanity and on our being at peace with the world and one another, I write a few words to provide some updates about our most recent activities; activities that reflect our sense of who we are and how we collaborate with one another.
This past week found me spending time in Professor Ialongo’s honors history class. It was my honor to have been invited in such a trusted space and to witness, one more time, the engagement of students and the dedication of their professor. Bravi.
This experience was replicated when I joined a conversation with Professor Morales’ acting class as we viewed a powerful performance of the virtual one-act play “Swagger”. I was delighted to hear the reflections of our students with a professional actor, who also participated in the project, as well as with the playwright. More details will be found in our Bravo news section. Enhorabuena a todos.
As shared in a college-wide mailing, our preliminary visit by the Chair of the Middle States Visiting Team was very successful. Dr. Clayton Railey was very helpful in providing some suggestions to make a document he thought was good, even stronger. We were very encouraged. Allow me once again to applaud the hard work and excellent results achieved.
We are now in the process of working collectively, with powerful support from Dean Babette Audant and her talented OIERA team and colleagues in the Office of the President and the Division of Administration and Finance to submit our application for the Aspen Institute award by December 13.
I offer a few words of thank you to the many colleagues who participated in the Open Forums for our Vice President searches. So very much appreciated. Finally, our All College Meeting is coming up on Wednesday, December 8 at 3:30 p.m. I look forward to seeing you all there as we celebrate another year moving forward together and present the Manos a la Obra/All Hands on Deck recognitions.
Mil Gracias y bendiciones, Daisy
Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D.
President
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SHARING A POEM ON INNER PEACE: |
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The Poem That Took the Place of a Mountain
By: Wallace Stevens
There it was, word for word,
The poem that took the place of a mountain.
He breathed its oxygen,
Even when the book lay turned in the dust of his table.
It reminded him how he had needed
A place to go to in his own direction,
How he had recomposed the pines,
Shifted the rocks and picked his way among clouds,
For the outlook that would be right,
Where he would be complete in an unexplained completion:
The exact rock where his inexactness
Would discover, at last, the view toward which they had edged,
Where he could lie and, gazing down at the sea,
Recognize his unique and solitary home.
Intrator, S. M., & Scribner, M. (Eds). (2003). Teaching with fire: Poetry that sustains the courage to teach (p. 151). San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint.
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MIDDLE STATES SELF-STUDY UPDATE |
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Submitted by MSCHE Steering Committee Co-Chairs Professor Kate S. Wolfe and Professor Nelson Nuñez Rodríguez
The Preliminary Visit Outcomes Strengthen our Understanding on Accreditation and Institutional Improvement
Dr. Clayton Railey’s preliminary accreditation visit left us invigorated and with a deeper understanding of how the process improves our institution’s daily efforts. Dr. Railey commended the overall Self-Study work. He considered the submitted narrative a strong report. At this formative assessment point, he found no major red flags in the narrative while suggesting key areas that would strengthen narrative understanding and the evidence-based story.
Our reviewer suggested enhancing the mission-rooted social justice frame of our narrative and reinforcing the relationship between chapter conclusions and the supported report. In doing so, the Self-Study would elevate the evidence-based ethos. The reviewer also suggested to further question the factors behind our retention and graduation rates, and strengthen the relationship between assessment results and its use for institutional and student learning improvement.
The outcome of the preliminary visit celebrated the institution’s assessment framework revolving around the A-PART scheme, and invites us to reflect on key questions impacting student success such as opportunities for improvement in advisement and expanding effective practices such as College Discovery and First-Year Seminar.
Overall, the preliminary visit asked us to reflect on the best ways to use the Self-Study effort for our next institutional strategic plan to capitalize on our findings and continue to improve our institution.
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INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, RESEARCH, AND ASSESSMENT |
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Submitted by AJ Stachelek, Ed.D., Director of Assessment
General Education Pathways Assessment – Scheduling of the Next Domains
The process for updating and systematizing general education assessment at Hostos is gaining momentum. As mentioned in El Semanario last academic year, the General Education universe and program of study is the body of Pathways courses offered at Hostos. Thus, General Education outcomes and assessment reflect on the courses in each of the CUNY Pathways buckets. There are currently 102 Pathways courses offered at Hostos. As faculty expand the number of Pathways offerings, these courses, too, will be assessed via the Gen Ed assessment process.
The General Education Pathways Assessment Committee (GEPAC), chaired by Director of Assessment AJ Stachelek, is continuing to collect and review CUNY Common Core Course Submission Forms and the alignment of Pathways/Gen Ed outcomes in these forms with the respective syllabi. The course submission forms define the original assessment plan for the designated general education learning outcomes at the course level. GEPAC utilizes this existing information about individual courses to support faculty taking part in Gen Ed assessment cycles as determined by a semester-by-semester schedule, with the upcoming domains in the table below. As a reminder, each cycle of general education assessment has three stages, with one stage completed each semester.
- Stage 1: GEPAC will work with faculty teaching the courses aligned with the Pathways outcomes being assessed to ensure that the methods of assessment are in place for the scheduled outcomes and that by the end of the semester, the data are uploaded into eLumen.
- Stage 2: GEPAC will review the data in eLumen and provide an analysis and recommendations based on assessment of outcomes across all courses within the corresponding Pathways bucket. GEPAC will report results to participating faculty, their department chairs, the Provost and the IEC, and will convene faculty to develop actions informed by the analysis.
- Stage 3: Faculty will implement the changes in the respective courses to improve the results of these outcomes across the college. These changes will be included in Section 2 in the departmental A-PART for the academic year when the domain is in stage 3 - finalizing a report informed by the three-stage assessment process.
At this very moment, the Mathematics Department is reviewing recommendations made by GEPAC in regards to Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning, and determining appropriate actions to improve student learning in regards to the outcomes assessed. Simultaneously, GEPAC is reviewing the data collected for Creative Expressions to provide recommendations to the English and Humanities departments based on aggregated data across all courses in this domain. Furthermore, GEPAC faculty members are reaching out to department chairs to enlist a cohort of faculty to design and coordinate the assessment of outcomes in the United States experience in its diversity domain across all implicated departments.
This process of creating a cohort of faculty enables an interdepartmental collaboration that will enhance the general education of students and also enhance an overall understanding of general education itself, here at Hostos!
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Submitted by Executive Counsel & Labor Designee Eugene Sohn, Esq.
ESPARC and Workplace Violence Training modules
The ESPARC and Workplace Violence Training modules for the 2021-2022 academic year are now available. In accordance with New York State Law, every year, ALL employees (full-time and part-time) are required to complete the two separate online trainings listed below available via CUNY Blackboard:
- Workplace Violence Prevention Training
- “ESPARC” Training: Employee Sexual Misconduct Prevention & Response
Hostos is making it a priority to reach a 100% completion rate as soon as possible! This will ensure
compliance with NY State Law and avoid bombarding staff with repeated reminders.
You can access the training by logging onto the CUNY Blackboard. The training is found under “My Organizations.”
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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENTAL AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS |
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Submitted by Director of Governmental and External Affairs Eric Radezky, Ph.D.
S.A.V.E.D 4 Life Cancer Corp, Lottery and Vaccine and Booster Shot Updates
New from Assemblymember Chantel Jackson:
S.A.V.E.D 4 Life Cancer Corp is currently offering free virtual cancer patient navigation services - programs that help cancer patients access to medical, social, and financial resources that will help them over the course of their fight.
The lottery application for JEROME AVENUE APARTMENTS is open until January 18, 2022. You can apply online or you can request an application by mail, by sending a self-addressed envelope to: Jerome Avenue Apartments c/o Bronx Pro Group, 1605 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Bronx, NY 10453.
News from the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs
The following updates include information on booster shots and eligibility for third doses for people with weakened immune systems, in-home vaccinations for those who cannot travel, what to do if you have lost your vaccination record card, and an expansion of the $100 vaccination incentive to SOMOS Community Care doctors.
NYC Vaccine Updates
It has never been easier to get a COVID-19 vaccination in New York City. New Yorkers 12 years and older can now get the COVID-19 vaccine at sites across the five boroughs. To find out where to get vaccinated and to make an appointment, visit nyc.gov/vaccinefinder or you can also call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692).
Booster Shots
Vaccine booster shots are now available for New Yorkers ages 18 and older. These shots boost your immunity from an initial vaccination series. No one will be denied a booster shot in New York as long as they are 18 or older and received their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago. For more information on 3rd doses and booster shots click here.
Third Doses for People with Weakened Immune System
Separate from booster shots, people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised (meaning they have a weakened immune system) are eligible for a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, as part of their initial vaccination series. They can get a third dose 28 days after their second shot.
In-home COVID-19 vaccinations
NYC also offers in-home COVID-19 vaccinations to any city resident who requests one. You can also request whether you want the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Schedule your appointment today for your in-home vaccination by filling out this form: http://nyc.gov/homevaccine.
COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or need verification
If you are fully vaccinated but lost your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or need verification of your vaccine status, you can request a copy of your COVID-19 vaccination record. You cannot get a replacement COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card at this time, but you can get an official record noting you have been vaccinated. Go here for more information: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/cir-parents-guardians.page.
NYC Expands $100 Vaccine Incentive SOMOS Community Care
The Mayor announced the City’s cash-for-vax incentive would be expanded to Somos Community Care doctors’ offices. For more information go to: https://www.somosvaccinations.com/.
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NEWS FROM THE OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
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Submitted by Office of Academic Affairs
Spotlight on Faculty
The Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to congratulate Dr. Marcella Bencivenni, professor of History in the Social Sciences Unit in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Department, for her recent appointment to teach in the CUNY Graduate Center and University Center’s M.A. Program in International Migration Studies.
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Students: Every week, for the academic year, read the Caiman Clues for helpful tips and reminders.
Caiman Clues —Your Hostos Helping Hand to Success
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NEW STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT |
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American Rescue Plan (ARP) Emergency Grants for Students
The Hostos Financial Aid Office is grateful to announce the third round of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF III) as authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) signed into law on March 11, 2021. The Plan provides an additional $40 billion in COVID-19 relief for institutions of higher education. At Hostos, the U.S. Department of Education has allocated $14 million of ARP funds for the 2021–2022 academic year to provide emergency grants to students for assistance with expenses associated with any component of the cost of attendance and/or costs that arise due to the pandemic —including but not limited to tuition, food, housing, child care, health care (including mental health).
Please note: There is no application process!
Consideration for ARP emergency grants will be given not only to degree-seeking students but to all currently enrolled part-time and full-time students including non-degree, international, DACA, undocumented students. 60% of the ARP funds will be awarded during the Fall 2021 semester, while the remaining 40% will be awarded in Spring 2022.
Every eligible student currently enrolled in the Fall 2021 semester will receive a fixed dollar amount or base rate; part-time students will receive half of the base rate awarded to full-time students. Awards may differ based on increases triggered by factors such as Pell eligibility, dependency status, reported dependents, and Estimated Family Contribution index as indicated on the 2021–2022 FAFSA. Students will also have the option of applying the emergency grant towards current CUNYfirst account balances. Otherwise, students can have the funds refunded directly to them to cover pandemic-related expenses or other college costs.
The College has already begun rolling out ARP Emergency Grants. Students can see if they are eligible by logging into their CUNYfirst Student Center and clicking on View Financial Aid. For more details see the ARP FAQ’s or feel free to contact the Hostos Financial Office at finaid@hostos.cuny.edu or 718-518-6555.
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Degree Plans
Hello from the Student Success Coaching Unit!
This article is intended to highlight the Plans feature in Degree Works and demonstrate how quickly it has become the foundation of advisement at the Student Success Coaching Unit (SSCU). The Plans featured in Degree Works allow Success Coaches to provide comprehensive guidance to track progress towards graduation. It also provides a shared space online for students, staff, and faculty to see the recommended courses and advisement comments given to students each term.
SSCU strives to use Plans to be open and transparent about advisement content and course recommendations. We also want students to easily compare recommendations to the degree audit requirements listed in Degree Works. Plans will also allow the college to collect valuable data around the timeliness and accuracy of advisement.
Currently, all students assigned to SSCU receive a custom-made plan from their assigned Success Coach for each upcoming semester. Students are notified via email as soon as their Plan is ready for review and guided to Schedule Builder for enrollment. A brief video showing how to access a Plan can be viewed here.
Please remember that this new part of the advisement process is meant to happen along with regular ongoing meetings with a Success Coach. We hope that the rest of the college finds this new component of advisement to be helpful!
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NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE |
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Update for December 3, 2021
CUNY Mandatory Random Surveillance Testing for Vaccinated Employees
CUNY is launching random COVID-19 testing for vaccinated employees. Starting the week of November 16, 2021, a number of randomly selected, vaccinated individuals will be contacted each week to be tested for COVID-19. Note that if you are unvaccinated, you are required to continue to comply with weekly testing.
Employees selected in any given week, will receive an email from no-reply@cleared4.org with instructions to complete registration and then will have to test at a CUNY test site within 7 days of receiving notification (walk-ins only, no appointment necessary).
Test results will be available within 48 hours. If the test result comes back positive, access will be restricted and the individual will be contacted by Nurse Vasquez.
Note that testing is NOT optional. Once you receive an email from no-reply@cleared4.org, you MUST comply within 7 days.
Thank you for your cooperation and for working together to keep our campus community safe!!
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Hostos COVID-19 Testing Site - Extended hours
The Hostos Testing Site is extending their hours! It will open at 6:30 a.m. three days a week and stay open until 6 p.m. two days a week for your convenience. Please see new hours of operation below.
As a reminder, negative test results will only give a clearance for 7 days from the test date, at which point it will expire and access to campus will be denied. Therefore, make sure that you make an appointment for another test 48 hours before your previous test expires. And allow at least 24 and up to 48 hours to receive clearance. You will not be permitted on campus without clearance.
NEW Hostos Testing Site Hours of Operation:
Monday: 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tuesday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday: 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Friday: 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Click here for a complete list of CUNY sites and hours of operation.
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NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
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Working with Family-Focused Bronx Organizations Forum
The Center for Bronx Nonprofits invites you to this virtual forum where family focused organizations can discuss their work, share ideas and create partnerships to enhance the work they do for Bronx families and children. The morning will include a panel of five Bronx leaders in the field, followed by breakout rooms for further conversation.
Friday, December 10, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Moderator: Jill Roche Gomez, Hunts Point Alliance for Children
Panelists:
Wanda Carter, Highbridge Advisory Council Family Services
Margaret Della, Kingsbridge Heights Community Center
Aleyna Rodriguez, Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center
Steve Stritch, Mercy Center
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WATCH MISSION BX
MISSION BX is produced by Hostos Community College in partnership with BronxNet, and hosted by Eileen Newman, Executive Director of the Center for Bronx Nonprofits, an organization that examines the work of nonprofits in health, housing, environmental, arts, food, and other sectors.
Mission BX features interviews with nonprofit leaders, elected officials and community members. Guests will share stories of the meaningful work being carried out in neighborhoods throughout the borough.
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NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
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The Hostos Community College Foundation Thanks You for an Incredible #CUNYTuesday
The morning of Giving Tuesday — dubbed #CUNYTuesday at all 25 CUNY Colleges — donations to Hostos Community College were over $30,000. A respectable amount, but just shy of the $35,000 goal. Thanks to tremendous efforts led by Development Officer Idelsa Méndez, the Division of Institutional Advancement raised nearly $60,000 in one day, securing a total of $90,000 and counting. This amount shattered Hostos’ previous #CUNYTuesday record of $68,000 set in 2016.
Read the rest of the story here.
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The Indypendent published November 30, 2021, by John Tarleton
Hostos Alumnus Ayodeji Otuyelu Publishes First Book
Nigerian-born poet and Hostos alumnus Ayodeji Otuyelu, '20, is a natural storyteller. He started writing creatively in grade school, pouring his innermost thoughts and feelings into his poems. However, he kept his writing largely to himself until he immigrated to the U.S. in 2016 in pursuit of the freedom to be his authentic self. “Living in Nigeria is not necessarily for people like myself — LGBTQ people,” he explained. “I just wanted to live somewhere I was free to express myself.”
It was while living in New York City that he began to share his poems publicly. At the insistence of a fellow poet and friend, Otuyelu participated in his first open mic event at the Tsion Café in Harlem. It wasn’t long before he branched out to participate in open mics throughout the city, including the Nuyorican Café, and even started hosting a few open mic nights himself. Then in 2018, he enrolled at Hostos Community College, where he majored in Liberal Arts. He especially enjoyed his drama and public speaking courses at the College, which he said helped him become a more confident storyteller. Read the rest of the story here.
Hostos Public Safety Members Awarded CUNY University Public Safety Recognition Medals
On November 30, three members of the Hostos Public Safety Department were recognized for service above and beyond the call of duty at CUNY University’s Public Safety Awards ceremony. The event was held at City College and was presided over by Andre Brown, the Executive Director of CUNY Public Safety. Read more here.
Award-winning Hostos Repertory Theater Premieres “Swagger” for Comeback Fall 2021 Season
The Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture presented the award-winning Hostos Repertory Theater Company’s production of Eric Coble’s one-act play, “Swagger.” The Rep’s first theater piece since the pandemic called shelter in place streamed from November 19 through November 28, as the fall 2021 season premiere, over the Center’s YouTube and Venmo channels. Read more here.
Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture Receives $100,000 from the Howard Gilman Foundation
On November 29 the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture was chosen as the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the Howard Gilman Foundation. The grant will be used for general operating expenses at the Center and will be distributed over the course of the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years. Read more here.
Hostos Foundation Chair Talks with Dr. Luis Rafael Burset About 16th Century Puerto Rican History in Velada Hostosiana Puerto Rico: Conexiones y Pluralidades Antillanas / Puerto Rico: Antillean and Plural Connections
Hostos Community College Foundation Chair José Sánchez-Kinghorn extended an invitation to prominent Puerto Rican marketing executive and historian Dr. Luis Rafael Burset for a Velada Hostosiana/ Hostos Culture Talk commemorating Puerto Rican Heritage Month. Read the rest of the story here.
Hostos Science Week 2021 Looks to the Future
Hostos Community College celebrated Science Week 2021: Science for the Future from November 15 through November 18. The multi-day event series took featured a series of lectures, discussions, presentations, and interactive virtual events, including the Hostos STEM Olympiad: Kahoot Format. Read the rest of the story here.
Members of the Hostos Family Join God’s Love We Deliver to Volunteer on Thanksgiving Day
In true Hostos spirit, staff and friends of the College gathered on Thanksgiving morning to assist God’s Love We Deliver with food packaging and delivery to local South Bronx neighbors in need of a warm holiday meal. Spearheaded by Ms. Melanie García of the Continuing Education and Workforce Development Division, hundreds of local residents were able to benefit from the generosity of the Hostos team. Thank you to all who dedicated their time to this venerable occasion.
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30th Annual Kwanzaa Celebration
December 2, 2021, at 7 p.m.
Hostos Community College’s annual celebration of African American culture, featuring the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet - the critically acclaimed and vital dance theatre company based out of Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Creative Outlet merges rigorous classical and modern dance techniques with African American soul and spirit and is hailed for its “richness of dance tone” and “contagious vitality.”
Free online event. Access the online event here.
All College Meeting: End of Semester Recognitions
Office of the President
December 8, 2021, at 3:30 p.m.
Zoom in to celebrate Hostos’ nominated faculty, staff, and students for this end-of-the-semester recognition ceremony. Access the online event here.
The Innovation Celebration
Center for Teaching and Learning
December 9, 2021, at 2 p.m.
The CTL Innovation Celebration recognizes faculty innovators for taking risks and exploring new or enhanced ways to teach and integrate technology in their teaching. To learn more about this event visit the CTL Innovation Chase Achievement page.
Register for the event here.
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ABOUT EL SEMANARIO HOSTOSIANO/THE HOSTOS WEEKLY
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El Semanario Hostosiano/The Hostos Weekly is a weekly communication vehicle designed to unite our multiple voices as we share news about members of the Hostos family, provide updates on our work and upcoming events, and disseminate policy that impacts our work.
Published on Fridays at 9 a.m.
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For inclusion in The Hostos Weekly, please send your items to:
Please keep submissions to no more than two paragraphs of written content and note,
we are unable to add attachments to our publication.
Find the Fall 2021 Publishing Schedule for El Semanario Hostosiano here.
Past issues of El Semanario Hostosiano/The Hostos Weekly can be found here.
Look for The Hostos Weekly each Friday.
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