Friday, November 18, 2022 | Vol. 5, No. 14, Fall 2022 Semester

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT DAISY COCCO DE FILIPPIS

My Dear Colleagues and Students,

As I write these brief words, I reflect on a recent convening of the Steering Committee for our Strategic Plan 2023–2028. Diligent work continues, engaging a wide-range representation of colleagues in our six working groups and the Steering Committee. All are to be thanked, including the College Senate with its wide representation, for generous and thoughtful collaboration. The work will continue throughout the academic year with college-wide forums to discuss progress and final draft this spring semester. Mil gracias.

Next week is a short week as we prepare to celebrate with friends and family the Thanksgiving holiday. We have much to be grateful for as our students continue to make progress on their journey and our work continues to be recognized for its value. As I sit at our dinner table, I will certainly think of my Hostos family as I wish us all peace, generosity, hope and kindness in our individual and collective journeys.

Thank you for the hope and collaboration.

Mil gracias y bendiciones, Daisy

Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D.

President

A POEM TO HONOR NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE

Eagle Poem 

By Joy Harjo

To pray you open your whole self

To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon

To one whole voice that is you.

And know there is more

That you can’t see, can’t hear;

Can’t know except in moments

Steadily growing, and in languages

That aren’t always sound but other

Circles of motion.

Like eagle that Sunday morning

Over Salt River. Circled in blue sky

In wind, swept our hearts clean

With sacred wings.

We see you, see ourselves and know

That we must take the utmost care

And kindness in all things.

Breathe in, knowing we are made of

All this, and breathe, knowing

We are truly blessed because we

Were born, and die soon within a

True circle of motion,

Like eagle rounding out the morning

Inside us.

We pray that it will be done

In beauty.

In beauty.

Joy Harjo, “Eagle Poem” from In Mad Love and War. Copyright 1990. Wesleyan University Press.

CAIMAN CLUES

The “Caiman Clues” for the  Fall ’22 semester | Week 12

Dear Students,

Here are the Caiman Clues: 

Congratulations on making it to Week 12! You've kept up momentum, consistently participating in class, studying hard, and handing in assignments. For the remaining weeks of the semester, it’s important to remain on-track and work towards crossing the finish line. You’re almost there! 

• INC Grade – If you were granted an extension to hand in work towards the successful completion of a Spring/Summer 2022 course, the deadline is December 13. Contact your instructor today and plan out the remaining items to submit for the course's completion.  
• Fall 2022 Financial Aid – A Bursar's hold on CUNYfirst will stop you from registering. If you have questions about your financial aid or tuition bill, schedule an appointment with the Financial Aid Office or e-mail the Bursars Office before December 10.  
• Spring 2023 Registration – Being a college student is also about preparing yourself for the future! Check your Degree Works plan and Schedule Builder — the tools you need to register for your next semester classes. 
• TODAY’S EVENTS –  Getting To Know Your Resources: A conversation with advisors (Register here). Resume Writing and Interviewing Skills: How to impress your employer with your stories (Register here). 
• 2023 LLAC Mentored Student Cohort – The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Studies cohort program at Hostos is accepting applications until November 20. Participants will receive mentorship in LAC studies, a financial incentive of $1,000, and transfer opportunities to CUNY senior colleges.  

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

PRESIDENT’S INITIATIVES

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

Dear Students and Colleagues,

As we are closely approaching the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to take this opportunity to extend special greetings and warm wishes to all for a time full of gratitude and the warmth of family and friends that always makes this time of year so special. I also want to express my gratitude to all the students, faculty, and staff that have been participating in the Ms. MacKenzie Scott’s Gift: President’s Initiatives. It is my hope that your experiences thus far have encouraged you and provided the additional support needed to achieve your goals. Very soon we will be announcing the new grantees and pilot initiatives selected for the Ms. MacKenzie Scott’s Gift: President’s Initiatives RFP, which will further enhance this important work.

I also want to highlight the opportunities that are now available and open for receiving applications: the Educating for Diversity Initiative and “Celebrating the Love of Learning” Mural Design Contest. Please read below for important information on how to apply.

The Educating for Diversity Initiative is back for Spring 2023! We are inviting applications from students, faculty, and staff for mini-grants to support cultural, social, and educational activities that will address the interests of our students and Hostos community members in advancing issues of social justice, racial equity, diversity and inclusion. Grants will range from $1,000 - $2,000 and submissions are welcome from any individual or group at Hostos. All proposed events/activities must occur during the Spring 2023 semester. Requests for funding can address any of the following:

• Integration of events/activities to support course/curriculum enhancement in any major/discipline.
• Activities/events that support all forms of diversity, equity, and inclusion such as race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, faith, disability, and any others proposed by the college community.
• Veladas Hostosianas/Hostos Culture Talks.
• Black at Hostos series.
• Activities celebrating our different world cultures and heritage months.

The Educating for Diversity application deadline is Friday, December 16, 2022. Awards will be announced by January 6, 2023.

To learn more about this initiative, please join me in a Virtual Information Session on Monday, November 28 from 4 – 5 p.m. Join here.

To access the Educating for Diversity application, click here (use CUNY login).

Students do not miss your opportunity to submit your mural design for the “Celebrating the Love of Learning” Mural Design Contest. The contest is open to all Hostos students and teams of students from any discipline. We are seeking artwork that embodies the “celebrating the love of learning” theme and that will add vibrancy to the Hostos Research Center. Submissions in two-dimensional media are encouraged, such as paintings, graphic designs, and drawings. Works incorporating a dynamic blend of media are also encouraged. Two mural designs will be selected. A prize of $500 will be made per selected design. All art materials, paint supplies, and space to paint the murals will be provided.

The deadline for submitting entries is November 30, 2022 by 11:59 p.m.

Click here to download the PDF with full contest rules, eligibility criteria, and instructions to submit proposals.

To submit an entry to the “Celebrating the Love of Learning” Mural Design Contest, click here. Please use your CUNY login to access.

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.

POLICY OF THE WEEK

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

This week’s Policy of the week is CUNY’s Policy on Drugs and Alcohol.

Please go to the following link to read about the policy. 

CUNY Policy on Drugs and Alcohol

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

Support Ideas from Hostos Students for Participatory Budgeting Projects

On October 19, I held an idea generation session on Zoom with a group of about 30 Hostos students for Participatory Budgeting (PB). PB is a process in which the New York City government asks for ideas from everyday New Yorkers on how to spend a certain amount of money in next year’s budget. In other words, what needs do you see in your community that our city government should address in the next fiscal year's budget? Read on to see how you can support our submitted ideas.

The participating students came up with 13 distinct ideas for community projects that I then submitted to the agency in charge of this citywide idea generation effort, the NYC Civic Engagement Commission. Here is a list of the ideas for programs:

• Outreach to senior citizens.
• After school tutoring and career prep.
• Food banks that also distribute seeds for planting.
• Increased awareness of community gardens in the Bronx.
• Free first aid training.
• Acting/dancing/karate/kickboxing programs for kids and teens.
• A program to help immigrants apply to colleges.
• Youth financial literacy program.
• Mental health workshops for kids ages five through 17.
• Youth basketball league.
• After school programming focusing on physical activity.
• Extended daycare options in the South Bronx.
• Extended nursery school and daycare options.

As you can see, this is a varied list with lots of worthy ideas. However, these ideas are but a few of the hundreds submitted from across the city. If you want to support some of these ideas, please go to https://www.participate.nyc.gov/profiles/_288/activity to endorse them. You will need to create an account first, but then you may endorse one or all of the Hostos ideas. You will also be able to see ideas from other participating organizations in the Bronx and around the city. 



The Civic Engagement Commission likes to say that PB is all about the people’s money, so make your voice heard! If you have any questions, please email me at eradezky@hostos.cuny.edu.

Submitted by Sarah Brennan, Assistant to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Succeed@Hostos Mid-Term Progress Survey Alert

On October 17, 2022, 235 faculty teaching 520 course sections were invited to complete the first ever Succeed@Hostos mid-term alert progress survey. The progress survey was open through October 28 and included courses in which 25% of students in each course had earned grades of D, F, W, or I in the previous semester.

More than 100 unique faculty members participated and in doing so they raised close to 4,500 tracking items on more than 2,000 unique students. More than 2,500 flags, aka concerns, were raised: 22% attendance concern, 13% lack of engagement, 23% low grades, and 41% missing assignments.

Faculty indicated more than 1,600 kudos showing that students should keep up their good work (88%) or that they have shown improvement since the beginning of the semester (12%). More than 350 referrals were raised which were designed to encourage students to either contact their instructor to receive support (52%) or seek tutoring (48%). Approximately 9% of students had at least four flags raised across courses. In all, 201 progress surveys were completed.

The Succeed@Hostos data team will be reviewing the data to learn more about student needs so that we as a professional community can design appropriate outreach and meaningful interventions. Success Coaches and advisors prepared for the mid-term alert progress survey by participating in a Lunch and Learn professional development designed to help advisors address many student needs simultaneously. Outreach to 2,000 students by a total of approximately 20 coaches and advisors is not a small task. Our advising staff members continue to follow up, reach out, and connect with students daily; well after the October 28 closing date.

Use of Succeed@Hostos is driven by a desire to jump-start and streamline communications among Hostos professionals and is an impetus to rethink interventions that help students shift their behaviors from being consistent with attrition to being consistent with persistence.

Succeed@Hostos is an important tool that helps us organize our communications and helps us demonstrate that the professional members of our campus community are connected and networked, and are concerned about the academic success of each and every individual who enrolls and registers at Hostos.

NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

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

Student Services

SDEM has relaunched the Caiman Direct virtual student center to support students in navigating the many facets of campus life while providing the tools necessary to continue and complete their educational journey.

Caiman Direct streamlines student services, making it easier for students to complete the processes required to maintain their active student status. The virtual office has implemented a new student-centered business model designed to eliminate students visiting or calling multiple offices. Caiman Direct will improve the transmission and receipt of concise messages that are accurate, timely, and helpful to students. Those seeking information from the following offices can visit Caiman Direct for immediate assistance. 

• Financial Aid
• Registrars
• Health and Wellness
• Student Life

Live support is available through the Caiman Direct page, which contains updated hours with appropriate zoom and additional links. For more information, contact Marsha Milan-Bethel, Student Services Specialist at 718-664-2765 or via email at mmilanbethel@hostos.cuny.edu.

Admissions

The Office of Admissions and Recruitment is developing a new series of Mini-Open House Sessions targeting incomplete applicants for the Spring 2023 semester. The goal of these sessions is to get freshman and transfer students who started a CUNY application, to complete the application and accept their offer of admission for spring 2023. In addition to the Mini-Open House sessions, the director will be collaborating with the Office of Financial Aid to develop a monthly Information Session on the topic of student finances.

Student Success Coaching Unit (SSCU)

Advisement Activities 

• Student Success Coaches will begin conducting Advisement Information Sessions next week for continuing students who have not enrolled. 
• Each session will be 45-60 minutes including Q&A. Two-three sessions per week are scheduled through December. 
• Attendance will be tracked on Hobson and Success Coaches will follow up with their students to ensure they have enrolled for spring 2023. 

Athletics

• Women's Basketball completed a 2-0 week defeating Westchester CC and Kingsborough CC to improve to 3-0 on the season. The Women's Basketball team remained ranked #2 in the nation in this week's NJCAA national poll, and was selected as the preseason #1 team in the CUNYAC preseason poll.
• Savannah Williams was selected as the preseason CUNYAC player of the year.
• Sophomore Aiyana Hicks was selected as the CUNYAC Player of the Week for her on-the-court performance to start the season.
• Men's Basketball was selected as the preseason #1 team in the CUNYAC preseason poll.
• Marquise Paulin was selected as the preseason CUNYAC player of the year.
• The men's basketball team also had a 1-1 week losing to Westchester CC but beating Kingsborough CC on the road with a three point make at the buzzer. 

Financial Aid

2023–2024 FAFSA & TAP applications are AVAILABLE as of October 1st!!

Scholarships

Great news! TheDream.US National Scholarship is now open! This scholarship is for highly motivated undocumented students who want nothing more than to get a college education but are unable to afford the cost. You may be eligible for our National Scholarship if you: Are undocumented and enrolled in a community college or university. Read more about the eligibility criteria below:

• Our scholars have what it takes to succeed in college and in life. While we consider your GPA, we place great emphasis on your commitment to community service and your demonstrated ability to overcome the barriers and challenges that undocumented students face each day.
• Our National Scholarship Award will cover your tuition and fees up to a maximum of $16,500 for an associate degree and $33,000 for a bachelor’s degree at one of our partner colleges.

You can renew the award each year, so long as you meet the continuing eligibility criteria.

Important Dates

• November 1, 2022 – Application Opens
• February 28, 2023 – Application Closes
• Late April 2023 – TheDream.US Awardees Notified

For more information or assistance, contact Marina Esquilin at 718-518-4166 or at mesquilin@hostos,cuny.edu.

Student Enrollment Information 

Enrollment for Spring 2023 is open now! Log in to your CUNYfirst account to register for classes using Schedule Builder. For navigation assistance, click here. If you need assistance, you can make an appointment with your ASAP Advisor or College Discovery Advisor or Student Success Coach. You can call Student Services at 718-518-4385.

Poem submitted by VP La Toro Yates

Heritage

By Gwendolyn B. Bennett

I want to see the slim palm-trees,

Pulling at the clouds

With little pointed fingers …

I want to see lithe Negro girls,

Etched dark against the sky

While sunset lingers.

I want to hear the silent sands,

Singing to the moon

Before the Sphinx-still face …

I want to hear the chanting

Around a heathen fire

Of a strange black race.

I want to breathe the Lotus flow’r,

Sighing to the stars

With tendrils drinking at the Nile …

I want to feel the surging

Of my sad people’s soul

Hidden by a minstrel-smile.

Hostos Distribution and Student Distribution Lists Advisory - Sending Emails Guidelines and Policy

Dear Hostos Email Users,

There has been a significant increase in emails sent to the Hostos Distribution List (HDL) and Student Distribution List (SDL) that are very large in size. The large sizes have been due to graphic intensive messages and the inclusion of attachments. Such large emails negatively affect our server space, network bandwidth, email storage space as well as pose a security risk.

In order to mitigate these effects and risks, please be advised that the largest size of any message to the HDL and SDL is 1,000 KB (1 MB). Anything bigger than this will be blocked with an informational notice.

Please note the following guidance for mass distribution emails:

• Keep the message body to plain text.
• If you must use graphics, check the size of the graphics being used before sending. If they are too big, please reduce the size before sending.
• Attachments are strongly discouraged. Not only do attachments add to the size of the email, they carry security risks. If attachments are really necessary, they can be saved in a shared location and the links to the shared location can be included in the message body. 

We would like to remind all of our email users that there is an existing IT policy on sending emails to the Hostos Distribution List which is in effect and which we encourage everyone to review.

If you have any questions regarding this advisory message or the IT policy, please feel free to reach out to Su Ng, Deputy Director, Administration & Finance at 718-518-6646 or at sng@hostos.cuny.edu.

We appreciate your assistance in maintaining good email practices and keeping our systems secure and efficient.

NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

The Montefiore/Hostos Community Health Workforce Initiative: Scaling CHWs in New York State

The Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD) is working with the Montefiore Health System to increase the number of well-trained culturally competent Community Health Workers (CHW) in New York State. As part of this effort, CEWD and Hostos faculty worked with the Montefiore Health System to update CEWD’s CHW training curriculum. In addition, Montefiore Health System is identifying apprentices to participate in CEWD’s CHW Apprenticeship Program, which is registered with the NYS Department of Labor. The apprenticeship program includes 144 hours of didactic education beginning in December and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training (OJT). The first cohort of 16 Community Health Workers (CHW) were hired by the Montefiore Health System in 1199 union-represented job titles with a starting salary of $46,000. Upon completing the OJT component, CHW apprentices will receive a $2,000 wage increase and cost of living increases thereafter each year.

Volunteer Opportunity on Thanksgiving Morning

Thanksgiving is a very special time at God’s Love We Deliver for our volunteers, staff, and clients, and we want YOU to be involved! Join us to deliver special holiday meals on Thanksgiving with friends and family. Volunteers will pick up meals from distribution centers located in each borough of NYC and deliver them directly to clients’ homes. Driver – volunteers will use their own vehicles to deliver meals to 6-8 households, all in proximity to each other. In addition to delivering holiday meals, volunteers will deliver a special Thanksgiving bag filled with holiday treats.

Every hour you spend helps us make the holiday a cheerful and memorable time for our clients living with severe illness in the New York City metropolitan area.

Hostos Community College is one of our meal distribution centers on Thanksgiving Day. You can sign up to volunteer to deliver holiday meals through the following two links:

9:30 a.m. volunteer shift: God's Love We Deliver - Hostos Community College - 9:30 a.m. shift

10:15 a.m. volunteer shift: God's Love We Deliver - Hostos Community College - 10:15 a.m. shift

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 and 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 here. 

Changes to CUNY Tuesday

Our annual CUNY Tuesday season of giving has started! Remember, this year there will not be a payroll deduction option for CUNY faculty and staff. Instead, we encourage our giving community to enroll in recurring payments via the CUNY Tuesday website before November 29. Contact Idelsa Méndez if you have questions or want help planning your gift.

To set up your recurring gift at any time, visit www.givetohostos.com enter your donation amount, then click “add donation.” When more options appear, select “recurring gift.”

New Alumni Fund Available for CUNY Tuesday Gifts!

The Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to announce the Hostos Alumni Fund for Student Transfer Scholarships. The intended fund gives alumni a way to honor the impact of their Hostos degree by providing empowering support to current students who want to further their academic career at a four-year institution. If you’re an alum, consider allocating your CUNY Tuesday gift toward the Hostos Alumni Fund for Student Transfer Scholarships using this link.

BRAVO NEWS

Humanities Department Open House held on Thursday, November 10th 

The Humanities Department held its inaugural Open House on Thursday, November 10 from 2 - 3:30 p.m. The event gathered over 90 students, faculty, and staff for an afternoon of presentations by Humanities Unit Coordinators and Program Directors, musical and theatrical performances by current and former Visual Performing Arts and Digital Music students, and Alumni presentations relating the skills and experiences gained in Humanities courses, majors, and current professional trajectories. The purpose of the event aimed to familiarize Hostos students with Humanities offerings including Options/Concentrations and majors; extra-curricular, experiential learning and transfer opportunities, and career paths.

The program ended jovially with music from Digital Music Aluma, DJ Rosa Elena Burgos, and the opportunity to explore Humanities art, theatrical, Media Design, and Black Studies spaces including the Black Box, the state-of-the-art Studio Lab, the Art Studio, the Revolutionary Print Shop, the Game Lab, and the Source. Event planners include Humanities Department Chair, Professor Ozuna, Unit Coordinators, and Program Directors: Professor Ballesteros, Professor Beachdel, Professor Lara-Bonilla, Professor Morrow, Professor Ozuna, Professor Yannacañedo, Professor Prives, and Professor Caravalho; as well as VPA Professor Cheiken, BLS Professor Flores, and Humanities COAs, Ms. Gonzalez and Ms. Rios. Sound Lab Director Mr. Emmanuel Diaz, and VPA Professor Justicia recruited and rehearsed with current MUS 101 students Susana Angamarca and Marie Inamori in preparation for the Open House. Alan Pierre Louis, a current Digital and Animation major designed the flyer and other promotional materials under the mentorship of Professor Prives. The collaborative efforts of Humanities faculty, staff, students, and alumni and the support of OAA, Student Activities, and the Conference Center made for an impressively successful event.

Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture presents Hostos Repertory Company’s “A Tale of Two Spectators”

The one act play by Peter Manos is being held in the Black Box Theatre this week. The opening performance on November 16 featured a standing room only audience, as Hostos student Angel Moret and actor Joshua Gutierrez appeared on stage. President Cocco De Filippis was very impressed with the performance as well as the insightful questions from the student members of the audience during the Q&A portion after the show.

The story follows a man and a woman in a park secretly watching their respective spouses carry on an affair. As time goes on we realize they have been meeting like this to watch their spouses for quite some time and have even developed something of a bond with each other, despite their predicament. Catch the last performance tonight at 7 p.m. in the Black Box Theater. Free tickets are available at the Box Office between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., or before the performances.

VIRTUAL EVENTS

Registration is now open for this year's DSA2022 Virtually@Hostos: Tenth Biennial Dominican Studies Association Conference.

December 1–3, 2022

Theme: Reencuentro: Dominican Diversity and Identities.

The College is co-sponsoring the DSA Conference, which will consist of 18 panels and 7 roundtables over the course of three days. 

Whether you are presenting or attending the conference, you must register.  

You can register here. 

We hope you will join us virtually on Zoom!

Abua Yala: Structural Origins (Recurring Notice)

October 5–December 21 | The Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Visit

Tuesday, November 22 | 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. | Meet at B-Building

Come join us for a tour of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, a world-leading research institution devoted to honoring and celebrating Black intellectual heritage and Black consciousness.

Meeting location and time at Hostos:

B-building, 11 a.m. and will depart by 11:10 a.m.

Traveling to: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

515 Malcolm X Boulevard

New York, NY 10037-1801

Subway: 2 or 3 Train to 135th Street

Love is Louder: Healing Workshop 

Monday, November 28 | 10:30 a.m. | Savoy Multi-Purpose Room

Kwanzaa Annual Celebration and Feast

Thursday, December 8 | 7 p.m. | Hostos Repertory Theater

All Talent on Deck! 

Wednesday, December 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Hostos Repertory Theater

Calling all Members of the Hostos Family! We invite you to share your natural gifts in our upcoming Winter 2022 All College Meeting: End of the Semester Recognitions and Talent Show!

If you wish to participate in the talent show, please email dkreymer@hostos.cuny.edu with the title of your performance and estimated duration time. Everyone is welcome to sign up. Hope to see you there!

Note: In honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, El Semanario Hostosiano/The Hostos Weekly will be on pause for the coming week and will resume publication on December 2, 2022. Wishing all readers a joyous and warm holiday!