Friday, August 26, 2022 | Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall 2022 Semester 

My Dear Colleagues and Students,

Yesterday was our first day of classes and excitement is palpable. I reflect on the multiple conversations I have been having these past two months with faculty and students about big and small acts of support shown by our Hostos family, but also about engagement in their own lives and work.

As I walked the campus this week, it became clear that something wonderful was about to happen, as we prepared for another semester of academic and student engagement. There is still much work to be done in terms of enrollment and in terms of late registration. A very special thank you to all who have been involved in the registration process. Our colleagues in SDEM, OAA and Administration/Finance have worked hard to support student registration and financial aid. Students were supported so that unpaid balances after Financial Aid was applied would be covered by up to $1,000 once each case was reviewed. This resulted in 223 students who could register and continue their academic journey this year. No one was dropped. Academic Affairs added as an initial schedule of 871 courses now includes over 920 courses, and changing as need arises, in response to students’ needs. Provost Wang and Department Chairs have done generous work together this summer to ensure responsible, caring scheduling in support of our students and colleagues. Bravi!

It was my pleasure to bring welcoming remarks at the First Year Experience (FYE) Orientation. The last count there were over 200 very inquisitive and engaged students and very thoughtful presentations —outstanding! This week, Dr. Oviedo circulated an RFP for new initiatives for the Ms. MacKenzie Scott’s Gift: President’s Initiatives for Student Success Advisory Corps, which was created with the generous support and largest ever donation to Eugenio María de Hostos Community College from philanthropist and author Ms. MacKenzie Scott. With her generous gift, Ms. Scott recognized Hostos’ significant contribution to the South Bronx communities that it has served with quality academic programs, hope, care and understanding for the past 55 years, this coming spring. Suggestions about how we mark our 55th anniversary this coming spring (April 22, 2023) are welcome. Please send a note to Executive Chief of Staff Diana Kreymer by the end of September.

As we continue to face fiscal challenges as well as continued vigilance to defeat the threat of COVID-19, our students will benefit significantly from additional initiatives. There will be much more information shared by Dr. Oviedo in weeks to come as the Hostos Advisory Corps meets to firm up the scope of work for this coming year.

As this week comes to an end, I wish you all a restful weekend, continued good health and joy in our work together in support of teaching and learning.

Mil gracias y bendiciones, Daisy

Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D.

President

A POEM TO INVITE REFLECTION

Memorial 

By Amanda Gorman

When we tell a story,

We are living

Memory

In Ancient Greece, the Muses, the dainty-footed daughters

of Memory, were thought to inspire artists. It isn’t knowing,

but remembering that makes us create. This would explain

why so much great art arises from trauma, nostalgia, or

testimony.

But why alteration? 

Why the pulsing percussion, the string of syllables? 

It is the poet who pounds the past back into you.

The poet transcends “telling” or “performing” a story &

instead remembers it, touches, tastes, traps its vastness.

Only now can Memory, previously marooned, find safe

harbor within us.

Feel all these tales crushing our famished mouth. 

Selected from Call Us What We Carry (New York: Viking, 2021), p. 74.

In academia, post-pandemic, we have gained an enriched experience just by looking at the mirror as a looking glass. Just like a mirror, you can not see through it, a looking glass represents transparency. Think of the pandemic as a stress test, this test will let us know who needs attention. We want normality, like a stress-free college experience. As one rock turns over another stone we gain speed from momentum and distance, with strength from wind, soon the stone is a cosmic meteorite and lastly, a light of comet-like reaction flies the cosmos. Much shine comes from comets.

We were put in this place without knowing one outcome, like a child born into a blind world, as “I see,” becomes cliche, momentarily. What is a vision? It is enriched by envisioning a future that also loses sight of results we can never guess, but what about an educated guess? Sounds educated does it not? Let us be the new educated guess. Let us see with foresight and engage in the future, with the future. Your scholastic partner is in charge of you and you are in charge of that person. They will be your all, from friend to peer. No more being blind, let us see through the same sight.

CAIMAN CLUES

Dear Students,

The Caiman Clues team hopes you had a great summer! We are so excited to welcome you to a new semester here at Hostos Community College. 

What are Caiman Clues you may ask? 

Every Wednesday, we will be sending out helpful tips, updates and reminders called Caiman Clues. These are designed to help you navigate the resources Hostos has to offer.

Here are the Caiman Clues: 

• Get the Dates – The Fall 2022 semester starts on August 25. Make sure to stay up to date using the semester's Academic Calendar and note important deadlines, such as class changes, refund check, scholarship opportunities, COVID random testing, and days the college is closed. For example, on September 5 the college is closed for Labor Day. 
• Stay Connected with Campus Resources – Take a look at our Campus Resources and Hostos Lingo and find out how you can stay connected with advisors, coaches, tutors and peers. 
• Are You Ready? – Navigating online learning can be challenging for many of us. To better prepare yourself, complete the CUNY “Are You Ready?” virtual class – it only takes 30 minutes. Click here for instructions on how to access the course. 
• Student Technology Workshops – Check out the different virtual workshops offered each week. Our Educational Technology office has a calendar for you to review here. 
• Student Club Orientation – Register in room C-371 on Friday, August 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Simply follow our Facebook (@HostosCC), Twitter (@HostosCollege) and Instagram (@HostosCollege) for helpful hints you can use all year round.

Don’t Miss Your Caiman Clues — Your Hostos Helping Hand to Success 

Submitted by Sofia Oviedo, Ph.D., Director of Research Programs

Dear Students and Colleagues,

It is a pleasure to welcome new and returning students, faculty, and staff to the start of the 2022-23 academic year at Hostos. It is my hope that this will be a year of continued growth and development for the Ms. MacKenzie Scott’s Gift: President’s Initiatives for Student Success, College Growth and Stakeholders’ Engagement, a college-wide effort that was established through the generosity of the largest gift ever made to the college by philanthropist and author, Ms. MacKenzie Scott.

Under the guiding vision of President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, and with the support of the Hostos Advisory Corp, a committee comprised of Hostos faculty, student, alumni, and staff members, nine initiatives were piloted in the Spring and Summer 2022 to support our students’ academic success, promote their career development, increase access to new learning opportunities, and foster organizational innovation through faculty and staff research and grant development. The following is a brief report highlighting the impact of the pilot initiatives. An evaluation report is forthcoming and will be shared in the coming weeks.

1. Families United in Education – This program assists family members who are enrolled in degree programs at Hostos to complete their education, maintain health and well-being, and build stronger familial bonds. Thirteen students participated in the pilot program (including siblings, cousins, and aunt/niece) who received access to book vouchers, MetroCards, mentoring through monthly family meetings, and exposure to cultural engagement experiences. Participants had the opportunity to see The Lion King on Broadway, which was the first time for many of them. We also took them on a visit to the Bronx Zoo, one of our community’s local landmarks. Academic incentives were provided to 11 participants who made significant academic improvement and/or maintained good academic standing and were awarded a scholarship to support their studies at a celebratory luncheon held in their honor. 
2. Mentor/Mentee Jobs on Campus – Mentor/Mentee Jobs on Campus - The Jobs on Campus initiative that was launched this spring and summer will continue this fall semester under its new name: Mentor/Mentee Jobs on Campus. The renaming of the initiative stresses the important focus that supervisors will have in mentoring students to ensure they maintain good academic standing while building their workforce experience. The initiative will provide employment continuity for program participants and offer opportunities for new students to apply to any current vacancies. Provides Hostos students with valuable work experience, on the job mentoring, and professional development to promote career readiness and future job retention. Students are paid a competitive hourly rate of $20/hour and work 10 hours/week. Opportunities are open to students regardless of immigration and financial aid status. During the Spring and Summer 2022, 40 students were placed in jobs across various academic and administrative departments where they developed workforce skills to help prepare them for future careers.
3. Hostos Research Center – Serves as the central hub for the development of new research projects, faculty-student mentorship, and capacity-building to help faculty secure external funding. The Hostos Research Center provides faculty with increased access to internal grant opportunities to conduct research that will expand knowledge in their discipline and engage students in professional and experiential learning opportunities. In Spring 2022, the center awarded 11 grants to faculty to support the development of new research projects and seven seed grants to help faculty/staff develop full-fledged proposals for projects that can be supported through external funding. Twelve students were also engaged as summer research assistants/interns supporting faculty on several research projects.
4. Hostos Mentoring and Supporting Students 2+2+2 Program – Designed to support students through mentoring and scholarship support to establish a Hostos pipeline of talented transfer students to competitive institutions for completion of their undergraduate and graduate degrees. In Spring 2022, we launched the NextGen Public Health Scholars Program, a unique partnership between Hostos Community College and the Columbia University School of General Studies and the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health that will prepare Hostos students for careers in public health and epidemiology. The first cohort of three scholars have been selected and will soon begin their participation in this new program.
5. Hostos External Internships Program – Aims to support unpaid internships from well-respected institutions that will help our students develop new skills and build professional competencies that will prepare them to succeed in today’s workforce. To support their participation students will receive a stipend and gain valuable work experience that will make a difference in their career trajectory. This summer five students participated in an external internship with a community-based organization.
6. Bridge Tuition Support Assistance – A special fund established to support students facing financial hardships and in need of assistance to cover tuition costs. During Spring 2022, 39 students received this financial support.
7. Educating for Diversity Initiative – College-wide initiative that awarded seven mini-grants ranging from $1,000 - $2,000 to faculty and staff who hosted a variety of activities that engaged the collegewide community in discussing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. During Spring 2022, various activities were held including educational workshops, a film screening, student panel, and book discussions that were attended by over 160 students, faculty, and staff.
8. Workforce Initiative – The Continuing Education and Workforce Development Division established the Ms. MacKenzie Scott Adult and Continuing Education Scholarship that awarded seven $1,000 scholarships in Spring 2022 to support the educational transition of Hostos students that completed a continuing education program and enrolled in a degree program. Students also received academic advising to help them maintain good academic progress.
9. Ms. MacKenzie Scott Excellence Awards – Established by President Cocco De Filippis to confer monetary awards to graduating students in the 2021-22 academic year that demonstrated outstanding academic achievement. Academic departments selected 49 students for the award who were honored at the 2022 Honors Convocation. Each year a determination will be made on what projects the scholarships will support.

For more information about the Ms. MacKenzie Scott’s Gift: President’s Initiatives, please email or call Sofia Oviedo at soviedo@hostos.cuny.edu | Tel: 718-518-4309.

INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT

Submitted by Dean of Academic Affairs Institutional Effectiveness,

Research, and Assessment Babette Audant, Ph.D. 

Welcome to the fall semester!

NYC continues to deliver its unique blend of heat and humidity and the college is infused with the optimism and promise of a new year.

I hope that all had time for relaxation, reflection and recreation this summer — in whatever balance brings you joy or fit into the uncompromising demands on your time.

The start of the academic year brings with it the collective uptake of cycles of planning and assessment that have kept us grounded, informed by evidence, and accountable to our Mission. These are cycles, so the work doesn’t ever stop, or end, but the fall is when we collectively confirm where we are, and how our individual efforts will help Hostos move towards its goals on behalf of our students. That’s a friendly and positive way of saying: kudos for sustaining the work of annual reporting (aka A-PARTs) and — yes — we’re going to do this again this year!

The college is engaged in a Strategic Planning process; the work will intensify this fall. More will be shared via this space about the exploration and learning produced by the six working groups comprised of faculty and staff, and the steering committee comprised of working group co-chairs and executive leaders, among other key constituents.

Assessment will continue to evolve. OIERA is taking on new commitments to dig deeper into existing data sets (for example, ENG and MAT Gateway completion rates) to help faculty, staff and leadership better understand the effectiveness of various pre-matriculation and Gateway/co-requisite supports that distinguish our English and Math skills development models.

Institutional research including key performance indicators and other regularly reported data are referred to with relative fluency. And/but we are increasingly recognizing the importance of examining student outcomes data at the degree program level and providing support to academic program directors to ask questions of these data and identify how Hostos’ individual degree programs can be strengthened.

A last example, as we more rigorously define and operationalize what it means to strive for equity: with funding from the Perkins Grant, the Accessibility Research Center (ARC) will be working with OIERA and academic program directors of CTE (career and technical education) programs to develop and implement a rubric to evaluate accessibility within degree programs, and — eventually — to develop action plans in partnership with ARC. The goal is to shift from what have been effective but reactive efforts to a more intentional and informed approach to accessibility and inclusion. 

POLICY OF THE WEEK

Submitted by Executive Counsel and Labor Designee Eugene Sohn, Esq. 

Statement on Public Order

In compliance with Chapter 191 of the laws of 1969, the Board of Trustees has adopted rules and regulations for the maintenance of public order on college campuses and other college property used for education purposes:

For a list of the Rules and Regulations for the Maintenance of Public Order Pursuant to Article 129A of the Education Law, please contact the Office of the Dean of Students.

Statement on Public Order In compliance with Chapter 191 of the laws of 1969, the Board of Trustees has adopted rules and regulations for the maintenance of public order on college campuses and other college property used for education purposes: Rules and Regulations for the Maintenance of Public Order Pursuant to Article 129A of the Education Law. 

I. Rules

1. A member of the academic community shall not intentionally obstruct and/or forcibly prevent others from the exercise of their rights. Nor shall he interfere with the institution’s educational process or facilities, or the rights of those who wish to avail themselves of any of the institution’s instructional, personal, administrative, recreational, and community services.
2. Individuals are liable for failure to comply with lawful directions issued by representatives of the University/college when they are acting in their official capacities. Members of the academic community are required to show their identification cards when requested to do so by an official of the college.
3. Unauthorized occupancy of University/college facilities or blocking access to or from such areas is prohibited. Permission from appropriate college authorities must be obtained for removal, relocation and use of University/college equipment and/or supplies.
4. Theft from or damage to University/college premises or property, or theft of or damage to property of any person on University/college premises is prohibited.



Read more here.

DIVERSITY AND COMPLIANCE

Submitted by Chief Diversity Officer, Title IX Coordinator, and

504/ADA Coordinator Latoya S. Jeffers, Esq. 

The Office of Compliance and Diversity (OCD) is committed to a community where ALL are welcomed, and to ensuring that we maintain an environment free from bias, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment in all forms.  

To that effect, please be reminded of, and review, two important policies geared toward achieving this goal. (1) CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct prohibits sexual misconduct, and (2) CUNY Policy on Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination memorializes our commitment to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and provide benefits to employees (including paid and unpaid interns) and to admit and provide services for students without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, partnership status, disability, genetic information, alienage, citizenship, military or veteran status, status as a victim of domestic violence/stalking/sex offenses, unemployment status, or any other legally prohibited basis in accordance with federal, state and city laws.

If you experience or witness any form of discrimination or harassment, please contact Latoya Jeffers, Esq. who serves as our Chief Diversity Officer, Title IX Coordinator, and ADA/504 Coordinator, at x4284 or by email at Ljeffers@hostos.cuny.edu. You may also file an online complaint here.  

Welcome back and have a great semester!

Submitted by Director of Governmental and External Affairs Eric Radezky, Ph.D.

Public Hearing for Comments on NYCHA’s Annual Plan – August 31

This week’s update comes from the New York City Housing Authority.

The public is invited to comment on the FY 2023 Draft Annual Plan and the Draft Significant Amendment to the FY 2022 Annual Plan at a public hearing on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. The hearing will be held remotely and in person, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Pace Schimmel Theater.

Please see here for more information as well as a PDF version of the Draft FY 2023 Annual Plan. 

Written comments on the plans will be accepted through September 2, 2022. Comments can be emailed to annualplancomments@nycha.nyc.gov.

The Draft Significant Amendment to the FY 2022 Annual Plan and the FY 2023 Draft Annual Plan will be available online at on.nyc.gov/nycha-annual-plan and at the management office of every NYCHA public housing development during regular business hours. 

Attending the hearing virtually (Zoom or phone): Please register at on.nyc.gov/aug-public-hearing-registration. To attend the meeting by phone, you may dial 888-788-0099 at the time of the hearing and enter Webinar ID: 869 9096 9748. Interpretation services will be available on Zoom in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, and American Sign Language. 

Attending the hearing in person: Anyone wishing to speak on the items related to the plans should sign up at on.nyc.gov/public-hearing-survey or by calling 212-306-3335. All speakers are asked to limit their remarks to three minutes.

Submitted by Provost and VP of Academic Affairs Shiang-Kwei Wang, Ph.D.

Hostos Holistic Oasis for Parents’ Education (HOPE) Program Celebrates Its First Student Cohort

By: Professor Sarah Hoiland, Principal Investigator and Project Director

​

On Monday, August 1, 2022, Dr. Sarah Hoiland, NSF HOPE grant PI and project directors held an Experiential Learning Opportunity (ELO) Showcase and Completion Ceremony for student parents and their children who were participating in the HOPE program during the summer.

From June 6 until August 1, 11 Hostos student parents took part in the first cohort of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Hostos Holistic Oasis for Parents’ Education (HOPE) Program. On June 26, 10 children ages 5-9 attended the on-campus Hostos HOPE STEM Academy and four children ages 2-4 enrolled in the Hostos Children’s Center. In total, the HOPE Program served 25 student parents and children during the extended summer session, including two student parents who completed their field practicum for early childhood education with the HOPE STEM Academy.

Children enrolled in the HOPE Summer Academy participated in several Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELOs) including The New York Botanical Garden, The Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium, Central Park’s Harlem Meer, a live children’s concert in Riverside Park, hands-on STEM activities, art, swimming, and a plethora of wellness activities provided by the Hostos Wellness Center.

Student parents took 4-10 credits and participated in a variety of activities during lunchtime (Great Performances provided healthy lunches for parents and children) that included weekly parenting workshops with WEPA’s Triple P, STEM Colloquia speakers, and a variety of staff representing Hostos’ internal resources. The Counseling Center provided joint weekly workshops for student parents and their children.

The HOPE Project is a five-year $2.3 million grant funded by NSF #2135805. 

Submitted by VP of Student Development and Enrollment Management (SDEM) La Toro Yates, Ph.D.

Financial Aid Office

• Awarded $54K of remaining CRRSAA Discretionary funds to 384 students enrolled in the Spring 2022 semester
• Awarded $28K of CUNY Mellon Grant funds to 80 students enrolled in the Fall 2022 Semester

Financial Aid Application Updates for Fall 2022

82% of Enrolled students have filed the FAFSA

29% of Enrolled students have filed TAP application

Financial Aid Award Update for Fall 2022

55% of Enrolled students awarded Pell Grant

13% of Enrolled students awarded TAP

57% of Enrolled students packaged with Pell and/or TAP

Student Activities Office

Welcome Events

• Organizing a Hostos Welcome Festival for Thursday 09/08/22
• The festival will include a BBQ at the park at 12:00 p.m. along with other events
• Working on additional events for the first two weeks of the semester (08/25 to 09/08/22)

Accessibility Resource Center (ARC)

ARC is collaborating with Academic Affairs and Administration & Finance to roll out our CUNY Unlimited program. We currently have students ready to be placed in classes and are working with faculty on accommodation plans.

Poem Submitted by La Toro Yates, Ph.D.

VP For Student Development & Enrollment Management

The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Submitted by SVP Esther Rodríguez-Chardavoyne

Mentor/Mentee Jobs on Campus, one of the President’s new initiatives using the MacKenzie Scott gift, was launched this past spring. The initiative’s purpose is to provide students with work experience, on the job mentoring, and professional development, to support their career and academic growth. Among the cohort of students who applied to and was hired through the initiative was Diamond Purdie — an Early Childhood Education major who graduated in June 2022.

Diamond was offered employment in the Procurement Office, and has been working there through the summer. She participated in the initiative because she “believed it was an amazing opportunity that provided flexibility and a new experience for me.” While she wasn’t sure what to expect coming into the position, she found the office and work to be professional and enjoyable. In the beginning she learned about the department’s various processes and network of contacts (college departments, vendors, CUNY Central, etc.) and is now being tasked with greater responsibilities.

She has learned that making connections and punctuality are important aspects of Procurement as this office ensures that business runs smoothly — college departments are aware of purchasing processes and deadlines and vendors are aware of the college’s needs — and ensuring purchase orders are completed in a timely fashion. Diamond will be applying lessons she has learned working at the office, such as time management, punctuality, and teamwork, towards her future education and career goals, which include obtaining a Bachelor’s in Psychology and becoming an educator or child psychologist.

Diamond’s supervisor, Director of Procurement Devon Hariprashad, found the process in securing a student employee for his office very simple and brief. In addition to the office work experience, he also wanted to provide the student worker with the full hiring experience — including submitting a resume and undergoing an interview — so they know what to expect in the workforce once they graduate. His major expectation for the student was to effectively communicate as they worked on their assignments and ask questions when necessary to ensure tasks are completed accurately.

Devon has been highly satisfied with his student employee. Diamond has been “punctual, helpful, responsible, reliable and, more importantly, asked the right questions.” And because of her positive attitude and eagerness to learn, he has offered her a college assistant position, which she accepted, to continue after she has completed her Mentor/Mentee Jobs on Campus summer opportunity. Devon will also be looking to the initiative for a new student employee in the fall semester. He states that he “highly recommends the Mentor/Mentee Jobs on Campus initiative to the offices on our campus. This is an exceptional opportunity for us to be able to provide a unique experience for our students. Students can leave Hostos Community College with skills they can add to their resume and apply in the workforce in their effort to further advance their careers.”

NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

CEWD’s Student Satisfaction Survey

Two hundred and sixty-nine (269) CEWD students responded to our Student Satisfaction Survey. The feedback to CEWD was generally positive. The key findings are listed below.

• Sixty-eight percent (68% or 184) of respondents reported being very satisfied with the CEWD courses they took at Hostos.
• More than half (55% or 149) of respondents were extremely satisfied and 19% or 50 were somewhat satisfied that the courses they took helped them accomplish their employment and/or educational goals. 
• Of the 199 students that responded to the question asking them to explain how CEWD helped them reach their employment and/or educational goals, 38% or 75 said it helped them find a job and 16% or 32 said it helped them enroll in college.
• Seventy-two percent (72%) found it either very easy (127) or easy (68) to contact CEWD staff with questions or concerns about their courses and/or certificate programs. 
• In addition, 75% either strongly agreed (125) or agreed (77) with the following statement: Hostos CEWD Staff helped successfully resolve the questions and/or concerns I had about my course(s) and/or certificate program. 
• The vast majority of respondents indicated they were very likely (70% or 187) to recommend CEWD to friends, family, or colleagues. 

Spread the Word

Please share information about CEWD’s current scholarships and no-cost programming opportunities, which can be found by clicking here and selecting the scholarships & tuition assistance programs link in our online course catalog. 

For additional information, please encourage prospective students to sign up for one of CEWD’s upcoming summer Virtual Information Sessions by visiting https://tinyurl.com/HostosCEWD. For those interested in information technology, please click here to learn about the Hostos Information Technology (IT) Academy. This self-paced online course is being offered at no-cost to students. 

Hostos Annual Golf Outing Classic

The Hostos Community College Foundation is pleased to invite all Hostos faculty and staff to join us for the 16th Annual Scholarship Fund Golf Outing Classic on October 6 at the scenic Pelham Bay & Split Rock Golf Courses. It will be a day of friendly competition, an opportunity to network with local leaders, and, most importantly, a way to have a great time while helping the Foundation to expand opportunities for Hostos students. If you would like to learn more or purchase tickets, visit www.hostosgolfouting.com or email Idelsa Méndez. 

Hostos Alumnus Thriving at Cornell University

Hostos Librarian and Professor Miriam Laskin met alumnus Mohamed Aden when he was a student at the College and inquired about submitting an essay to Escriba!/Write!, the student literary and art journal that Professor Laskin has published for 17 years. “I knew right away that he is brilliant and extremely motivated to succeed,” she said, adding: “He's from Somalia, where he started to work on ways to get good water and solar power to his village.”

They’ve since established a mentor/mentee relationship and kept in touch after Aden, a Kaplan scholar, graduated from Hostos in 2020 and went on to attend Cornell University. “He is going to be an environmental engineer and wants to save the world,” shared Professor Laskin.

Professor Laskin also reported Aden is involved in a leadership program at Cornell, has taken five or six courses every semester since he matriculated in the Fall of 2020, and even tutored two Hostos students who wanted to get into Cornell and were ultimately accepted. He also leads several projects at the school and has joined ROTC there. Moreover, he has begun taking Master’s level courses in addition to his undergraduate courses, and he landed a paid internship this summer at New Jersey's PSE&G and worked on a project to create wind turbines to put into the ocean. Incredible!

It’s always a pleasure receiving updates on how our graduates are continuing to thrive after Hostos. Bravo, Mohamed. Brava, Professor Laskin. Keep up the good work.

Two Humanities Faculty Members Chosen as BRESI Awardees

Last week, Professors Inmaculada Lara Bonilla and Emmanuel Velayos Larrabure were informed their proposals have been selected for funding by the BRESI Council. The Council is part of CUNY’s historic Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies Initiative (BRESI), with support from the Mellon Foundation. BRESI’s awards are for faculty research grants for community colleges. Professor Lara Bonilla remarked, "It is an honor and a great pleasure to devote time and effort to the two projects awarded by the CUNY BRESI initiative. Funding for the proposal titled "LLAC From Hostos to CCNY: Establishing a Mentored, Articulated Transfer Program in Latina/o/x, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies" will allow us to begin breaking ground for a long-term project with our colleagues of City College. The initiative seeks to support students in their pursuit of academic careers in our interdisciplinary field, as they complete their Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees at CUNY.

The award for "LAWI: Writing Race, Ethnicity, and Gender across Borders.

Diaspora/ Public Engagements at Hostos Community College" will allow the Latin American Writers Institute's initiatives to further engage national and international communities, as well as support local authors and artists while engaging faculty, students, and the public both in person and virtually throughout the academic year. I very much look forward to sharing more details and beginning new discussions with the campus community and others on topics related to race and ethnicity in the Americas through these activities," Professor Lara Bonilla said. 

Professor Velayos Larrabure’s project is titled, “Translating Scales: Racial Mixing and Geological Dynamics in Euclides da Cunha.” This project explores the relationship between racial mixing and geological dynamics in the prose of the Brazilian writer Euclides Da Cunha (1866-1909.) A key figure in Latin American intellectual history, Da Cunha was keen on interweaving moral issues with his scientific concerns. He inserted human and social dynamics into the vast temporal scales of the Earth’s deep history, portraying racial mixing in Brazil in tandem with his vibrant account of the overlay of geological layers in the country’s backlands. Professor Velayos Larrabure argues that the primary means for Da Cunha’s linking of race and geology is his use of two forms of rhetoric. First, his texts are permeated with a geological rhetoric rendering social and racial formations as products of the superposition of strata from different ages of the Earth. Then, he uses manuscript figures to translate geophysical processes to a human, embodied scale: He depicts Earth’s strata and racial mixing as the manifold layers of a puzzling script produced by the movement of the hand in a performance of handwriting. Studying these geological, racial, and embodied figures in Da Cunha’s prose raises an epistemological question: How to connect an anthropomorphic formation like race to the realm of geophysical processes without reducing either to the other? This question leads to reconsidering the importance of race within the growing academic field of Anthropocene debates, which advances BRESI’s mission of reimagining and further developing the role of race studies within CUNY and beyond. This project will result in a new peer-reviewed article.

Congratulations to our outstanding professors!

National Flan Day Competition Winners

On August 22, the Office of Public Safety and members of the President’s Cabinet held a dessert competition in honor of National Flan Day. The first place winner was Sargent Mayra Pinzon, with a chocoflan hybrid creation and in second place was VP Fernández-Ketcham who prepared a traditional flan. Rounding out the top five were Provost Wang, who made tiramisu, Officer Ortiz, who prepared flan and Officer Ortiz’s second dish, tembleque. Congratulations to our winners and special thanks to the ballot creator, Estel Ortega Frederick and moderator, Executive Chief of Staff Diana Kreymer.

Great Performances Hospitality Careers Info Session & Hiring Event

Tuesday, August 30 | 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Location: Savoy Multi-purpose room

Sponsored by: Career Services

Encuentros Poéticos: Poetic Encounters

Friday, September 2 | 6-9 p.m.

Location: Room C-391

Join colleagues in discussion on poetry.

Sponsored by: Office of the President

Welcome Back Barbeque

Thursday, September 8 | 12-3 p.m.

Location: Evelina Antonetty Park

Sponsored by: SDEM

Evelina 100: A Celebration of the Life and Times of Dr. Evelina Antonetty, 1922–1984

Monday, September 12 to Monday, September 19 

Location: Multiple 

Hostos Community College of The City University of New York, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College/CUNY, The Bronx Music Heritage Center, The Bronx County Historical Society, The Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diaspora Institute, Pregones Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, BronxNet, and the Evelina 100 Centennial Celebration Committee invite you to attend. Learn more here. 

Sponsored by: Office of the President

International Conference of Universities Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration 

Friday, September 16 | 2-5:30 p.m.

Location: Hostos Community College Cafeteria, C-Building, 3rd Floor

Presented by Eugenio María de Hostos Community College of CUNY— Office of Community Relations and El Congreso Hispanoamericano de Prensa. Details forthcoming. 

To rsvp, email Dean Ana García Reyes at agreyes@hostos.cuny.edu.

Sponsored by: Office of the President

Stated Meeting of the College

Wednesday, September 21 | 3:30-5 p.m.

Location: Hostos Cafe

Come hear the President and guests share updates on the current state of the budget, personnel and college matters at this annual convening

Sponsored by: Office of the President

The Education Department Celebrates 20 Years of Alumni from the Gerontology Unit [2002–2022] and the Retirement of Prof. Eunice Flemister 

Monday, September 22 | 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Location: Hostos Cafe 

Sponsored by: Division of Institutional Advancement

An Afternoon of Art and Literature: Celebrating the Works of Julia de Burgos

Monday, October 3 | 3-5 p.m.

Location: Art Gallery

Join Author Chiqui Vicioso, Poet Urayoan Noel, Translator Jonathan Cohen, Ph.D. and Artist Alí García for an event honoring the pioneering Puerto Rican poet and activist.

Sponsored by: Office of the President