EL SEMANARIO HOSTOSIANO/HOSTOS WEEKLY September 3, 2021. Vol. 3 No. 2

Friday, September 3, 2021 | Vol. 3 No. 2, Fall 2021 Semester

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT DAISY COCCO DE FILIPPIS

My Dear Colleagues and Students,

As the first week of classes comes to a close, I reflect on the multiple big and small acts of support shown by our Hostos family. We navigated vaccine cards and testing as students, faculty, and staff were assisted by many. It was heartwarming.

As I walked the campus, it was good to see that even on the first day of classes, our students were making use of the library as an in-between classes place to stop in, reflect, study, and get ready to continue the day. The kindness and guidance of our librarian on duty, Professor Johnson, was evident in her exchanges. Hope was in our students’ smiles. A very special thank you goes to our colleagues in SDEM, in the person of SVP Rodríguez-Chardavoyne; OAA in the person of Acting Provost Drago; Public Safety, in the person of Chief Bernabe; IT, in the person of AVP Varun Sehgal; custodial staff, laborers, and all facilities support staff, in the person of Superintendent Virone; and the President’s Office, in the person of Director Kreymer.

It was my pleasure to bring welcoming remarks at the first Core Books Event, “Recovering Enduring Questions and Humanistic Education,” coordinated by Professor Andrea Fabrizio and Professor Gregory Marks of our English Department. The discussion raised powerful questions. How do notions of identity shape how we search for ourselves in the great works of the past? To what purposes can/or should liberal arts studies be turned? These and other matters were thoughtfully discussed. Bravi!

Next week, there will be a meeting about the President’s Initiatives for Student Success Advisory Corps, created with the generous support, the largest donation ever to Eugenio María de Hostos Community College, from philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott. With her generous gift, Ms. Scott recognized Hostos’ significant contribution to the South Bronx communities. Hostos has served with quality academic programs, hope, care, and understanding for over the past fifty three years.

Despite the fiscal challenges and continued vigilance to defeat the threat of COVID-19, our students can still benefit significantly from the additional initiatives intentionally designed to support retention, advisement, introduction to research, and opportunities to transfer. To that end, the College supports engagement in sponsored programs and grant applications by members of the faculty, staff, and administration of the College. There will be much more information shared in weeks to come as the Advisory Corps firms up the scope of work.

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

Mil gracias y bendiciones,

Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D.

President

A POEM TO WELCOME THE HIGH HOLIDAYS

“The Eve of Rosh Hashanah”

By Yehuda Amichai

The eve of Rosh Hashanah. At the house that’s being built,

a man makes a vow: not to do anything wrong in it,

only to love.

Sins that were green last spring

dried out over the summer. Now they're whispering.

So I washed my body and I clipped my fingernails,

the last good deed a man can do for himself

while he's still alive.

What is man? In the daytime he untangles into words

what night turns into a heavy coil.

What do we do to one another—

a son to his father, a father to his son?

And between them and death there's nothing

but a wall of words

like a battery of agitated lawyers.

And whoever uses people as handles or as rungs of a ladder

will soon find himself hugging a stick of wood

and holding a severed hand and wiping his tears

with a potsherd.

Yehuda Amichai is recognized as one of Israel’s finest poets. His poems, written in Hebrew, have been translated into 40 languages, and entire volumes of his work have been published in English, French, German, Swedish, Spanish, and Catalan. Yehuda Amichai died in Jerusalem on September 22, 2000. His papers and archive are housed at the Beinecke Library at Yale University. Read more here.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

Submitted by SGA President Brian Carter

Welcome Back Address

Hello and good morning to all my Hostos’ faithful:

Welcome new students! Welcome back returning students! Welcome faculty and staff. On behalf of the Hostos SGA, we welcome you with open arms back to our College’s partial in-person opening since the pandemic. We have been longing for this precious moment to be shared amongst our student body and beloved faculty and staff members. We also know that many students may be looking forward to employment opportunities within Hostos. You may qualify to work on campus through the Federal Work-Study program depending on how much financial aid you may have available. To take advantage of any of these opportunities, you must be taking at least six credits.

For the Federal Work-Study opportunity, see if you qualify for the option to work in several departments on campus: the Nursing department, Writing Center, computer labs, library, gymnasium, workout facility, the Office of the President, and Financial Aid. Reach out to the amazing Toya Pigford and Leslie King, in the Office of Financial Aid (Savoy Building-Basement level-149 Street and Walton Avenue). Also, regarding the CUNY HRA Work-study program, you are required to be an HRA recipient. If you are, reach out to the wonderful Ruby Calle and Jennifer Williams at CUNY EDGE, located on the third floor of the A-Building (475 Grand Concourse). Don’t forget to take advantage of our scholarship opportunities and contact the amazing Mayi Libfeld who does a wonderful job of providing students with support seeking scholarship opportunities.

The SGA encourages students to take advantage of our extracurricular activities. Reach out to the wonderful Rhonda Smith and Jerry Rosa from the Office of Student Activities. They will be able to provide you with the necessary information on clubs and how to join. Consider joining the Student Leadership Academy and working with the great Jason Libfeld. The SGA encourages students to become part of the Student Leadership Academy. You’ll be part of a wonderful leadership development experience and gain lifelong friends through weekly forums. We have inspirational workshops where fellow and former students give back to our current students. We moderate workshops developed to improve students' overall well-being including learning leadership skills, discipline, and applying listening and reasoning skills.

If you are interested in joining the Hostos Student Government Association, you must fill out an application with the Office of Student Activities. We are currently looking for Senators to help the SGA further its relationship with the student body and the faculty. We want to embrace one another and provide a necessary outlet for students and faculty to coexist. Our job is to represent the student body in all and any situations that may arise. For those that may be interested, pick up an application from the Student Activities office. The following criteria must be met: current GPA in good academic standing and be enrolled in at least six or more credits. As a Senator, some of the qualifications that must be met are: you must be in good academic standing, available on Thursdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m., during which we include an executive, SGA, and a college-wide senate committee meeting held once a month on the third Thursday of each month. The Hostos College-wide senate committee members are allowed to vote on items that are on the agenda regarding our school and CUNY-wide priorities. Within this entity, the Hostos-SGA, we will help each other evolve through discipline, ingenuity, and consistency where we make it our business to represent our student body to the best of our ability.

I look forward to seeing all of your beautiful Hostos faces at all of our events. We will announce them soon. One of our fall events, Candid Conversations, will be held courtesy of the Counseling Center. Thank you to the amazing Tovah Thompson and Michael Martinez for their collaboration. We will use this platform to build confidence in all areas of life and attempt to stimulate the mental aspect of life with a series of forums targeting important topics of discussion. We will address mental health issues that may have arrived due to the pandemic or any other circumstances. All-in-all, this semester, we will serve as a motivational momentum building.

I look forward to an amazing experience. Be proud of yourself for choosing to embrace your education at one of the most prestigious institutions of CUNY. In conclusion, feel free to drop off any suggestions with the SGA or Office of Student Activities on how we may continue to improve on the student body experience, from events like the Club Fair, the Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, Christmas Toy Drive, and Commencement to other ideas. Stay focused, stay innovative, and stay positive.

— Failure is not an option and hope is not a strategy.

MIDDLE STATES SELF-STUDY UPDATE

Submitted by MSCHE Steering Committee Co-Chairs Professor Kate S. Wolfe, Professor Nelson Nuñez-Rodríguez

The Hostos Student Experience through the Lens of Accreditation Process

The Fall 2021 first week of classes gave us an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the Hostos student experience. Some students return to campus for the first time, some students remain taking online classes, while others may be starting the semester attending remote learning experiences without a previous full in-person experience. The accreditation process requires us to document the meaning of Hostos student experiences regardless of instructional modality.

The expectations for accreditation Standards 3 and 4 focus on the Student Experience. What is the meaning of sufficient learning opportunities and resources to support both the institution’s programs of study and the students’ academic progress at Hostos? The evaluation team wants to know how Hostos enhances the quality of the learning environment, contributes to the educational experience, and fosters student success regardless of instructional modalities. In this regard, the Fall 2021 first week of classes represents a landscape to appraise student perception regarding the institutional ability to provide resources, support regarding advisement, academic needs, orientation, financial literacy, etc. Currently, the self-study writing process aims to document student perception regarding teaching modalities, their academic performance, and our institution’s creative ways to maneuver current realities while preserving academic integrity. In this regard, the maestro Hostos’ philosophy remains at the core of our institution’s efforts paving the way for student success. The drafted self-study report chapter describing how we support student learning experience starts with Eugenio María de Hostos’ thought: “Needs should not be debated; they should be met.”*

*“Eugenio María de Hostos: 50 Aphorisms - 50 Aforismos” p.27

Selection and translation by Dr. Orlando Hernández, Professor Emeritus.

INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS RESEARCH & ASSESSMENT

Submitted by Assistant Dean for Institutional Effectiveness, Strategic Planning, and Assessment & Middle States Accreditation Liaison Officer, Babette Audant, Ph.D.

Change of Season

Summer melt is real. My 6-year-old daughter’s handwriting has gone out of whack in the last few months. Capitals are mixed in with the lowercase, and the letters scrawl over the page. I’ve noticed that writing, unlike bike riding, does require some practice.

The same applies to written language, I’m finding. For me, the summer months involved a lot of concentrated attention to the self-study content, and the process is now turning back to ensuring the narrative arcs are strong and clearly defined. What’s been gratifying is how compelling and consistent those arcs are, and how they reflect the commitment to community, our community, that is woven across the institution and the emerging narrative. Hostos self-study writer, Prof. Kate Lyons, and self-study co-chairs, Profs. Kate Wolfe and Nelson Núñez-Rodríguez, are unearthing the lyricism in what is a compliance document first, and — very closely behind — a reflection of how we see ourselves. I’m very lucky to be part of this team.

The shifts back and forth between the technical to the storytelling aspects of the self-study emphasize how much this process is an orienting one: it forces us back into the archives to organize what we’ve done in light of where we see ourselves growing. True, the questions being asked of us are not always the ones we’d choose, but in the end, their fair questions — like our strategic plan, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education is focused squarely on students, and whether an institution lives up to its mission in the ways it serves its students. In the end, while the self-study report will respond to each criterion and sub-criterion required of us, referring our peer reviewers to evidence to illustrate that we meet the standards; it’s a story that is uniquely Hostos, and one that could only be written today.

GOVERNMENTAL AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

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

NYS Emergency Rental Assistance Program

Apply for those facing possible eviction

Due to two recent Supreme Court rulings, New York landlords can once again start eviction proceedings against their tenants. Previously, tenants were protected by both state and federal eviction moratoria since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. If you are facing a possible eviction due to nonpayment brought about by economic hardships related to the pandemic, the best thing to do is apply to the NYS Emergency Rental Assistance Program, also known as ERAP. You cannot be evicted while your ERAP application is being reviewed, and if you are approved you enter a one-year period in which you cannot be evicted.

ERAP may provide up to 12 months of rental arrears payments accrued since March 13, 2020; up to three additional months of rental assistance if a household spends more than 30% of its gross monthly income on rent; and up to 12 months of arrears payments for gas and electric bills.

Visit the ERAP website to apply or for more information, or call 844-691-7368 Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If you are currently facing eviction, you should seek legal advice. Bronx Legal Services has a Legal Assistance Hotline and may be able to offer free legal help. Call 917-661-4500 Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to speak to an intake officer in any language.

HOSTOS REOPENING UPDATE: WEEK OF AUGUST 30, 2021

Submitted by Esther Rodríguez-Chardavoyne, Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance and Interim Vice President of Student Development and Enrollment Management

What You Need to Know When Coming on Campus (Recurring notice)

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 is a communal effort, and these measures are most effective when layered together. So, when you’re on site, we ask you contribute to our community’s wellbeing by following some guidelines:

Have proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result from within the past 7 days to enter. Specifically for our students, faculty, and staff that means:
Fully vaccinated people should submit documents through CUNYfirst for verification to be exempt from testing.
Unvaccinated people must complete weekly PCR testing at one of 20 CUNY-run locations, such as our site in the Hostos Art Gallery. (This also applies to partially vaccinated people, and those who prefer not to submit vaccination documents.)
Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth in shared spaces.
Keep 6 feet apart from others whenever possible.
Make sure you’re scheduled to be on campus or have an appointment.
Limit elevators and bathrooms to 2 people at a time (or as posted).
Avoid spreading germs by washing your hands, covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, and practicing other hand and respiratory hygiene habits.
Remember to stay home if you’re sick.

For more details, check the COVID-19 Readiness page under the heading, “What to Know Before Coming: Campus Guidelines.” As things change, we’ll continue to update the website.

And don’t forget: you can email us with comments or questions throughout this process.

NEWS FROM THE OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Submitted by Acting Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Charles I. Drago

The Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to welcome Dr. Babette Audant as the newest Dean of Academic Affairs

Dr. Audant joined Hostos Community College in 2018 as the Assistant Dean for Institutional Effectiveness, Strategic Planning, and Assessment. In this role, she provides executive leadership and direction in the areas of college-wide strategic planning, assessment, continuous improvement, and institutional effectiveness. She manages the College’s operational processes, including the implementation and assessment of progress toward the College’s five-year Strategic Plan priorities, initiatives, and indicators of success. Dean Audant serves in the Cabinet, is a member of the self-study Steering Committee, and serves as a member of several College-wide entities including the Committee on Sponsored Programs and Grants (CSPG) and the Community Advisory Council.

Prior to her appointment at Hostos, Dean Audant was the Director of the Center for Economic and Workforce Development at Kingsborough Community College, where she earned tenure as Assistant Professor of Culinary Arts. She served on the President’s Cabinet, the Middle States committee, and contributed to the development and implementation of the College’s Strategic Plan. Dr. Audant focused on innovative programs that link credit and non-credit efforts on creating partnerships with faculty in a variety of disciplines as well as collaborations with partners across CUNY.

She earned her Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the CUNY Graduate Center, a Master’s of Public Administration from Baruch College, an Associate of Occupational Studies from the Institute of Culinary Arts, and a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Letters at Wesleyan University.

Spotlight on Faculty Work and Achievement

Professor Ian Scott Recognized for His Contributions to the World of Art

Hostos Professor Ian Charles Scott, a recipient of The Alastair Salvesen Scholarship in 1992, Scotland's highest art award has paintings in major museum art collections in U.K., Germany, and Japan. After moving to New York, Scott was nominated for the Handel Medallion, the Mayor's highest award given to individuals for their contribution to the City's cultural and intellectual life.

Scott’s specially produced art was auctioned in May 2020 to raise money to provide protective equipment for frontline health workers who were in desperately in need at the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scott is currently working with the Drawing Room's Gallery in New Jersey, creating a new book of his paintings and promoting his work on Artsy, the world’s largest online art marketplace. He is also collaborating with the Green Kill Gallery in Kingston, New York and moving towards a physical exhibition with them.

On the teaching front, Scott announced that former Hostos art student Osaratin Charles, who Scott has continued to mentor over the years, is one of the artists in a group representing U.S.A. during the 59th Venice Biennale, which runs from April to November 2022 and is the world's most important art event.

And, on August 26,2021, Scott announced that student Ester Reid (Spring ’21) was selected for the "Viridian 31st International Juried Competition,” which is based in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.

Submitted by Chairperson of the Education Department Professor Jacqueline DiSanto

Adjunct Professor Marcella Mandracchia Wins President’s Award

Professor Marcella Mandracchia, adjunct assistant professor in the Hostos Education Department, was selected as the winner of the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching by Adjunct Faculty in the School of Arts and Humanities at Queens College. She works within the Linguistics and Communication Disorders Department in TESOL Education. This is in recognition of her dedication to her students. President Wu will give out the award and $2,500 prize at the Queen’s College State of the College Address in October 2021.

Submitted by the CTL and EdTech

Fall 2021 | 25 Professional Development Workshops (Recurring entry)

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the office of Educational Technology (EdTech) continue working together to bring the latest trends, topics and solutions in the teaching and learning process. The CTL Offers faculty and staff pedagogically and technologically professional developments workshops.

This coming fall semester, the CTL and EdTech will offer 25 professional development workshops — CTL covering pedagogical discussions, EdTech covering existing and emerging digital tools, showcasing best practices, reviewing the user experience, to optimize the educational learning tool.

The CTL and EdTech faculty led professional development workshop calendars can be found here.

“Are You Ready?” | EdTech Student Course (Recurring entry)

Currently, all registered students are automatically enrolled in this course.

“Are You Ready?” is an online, self-paced course available on Blackboard consisting of a self-assessment survey, a few brief videos, quizzes, a practice assignment, and a certificate of completion. “Are You Ready?” takes about 30 to 45 minutes to complete. It assesses a student’s readiness for online coursework and covers topics such as working remotely and hybrid, on-campus services, and support, using content management systems and environments like Blackboard, Netiquette, CUNYFirst, Zoom, ePortfolios, Excel, PowerPoint and Word. Link to the EdTech Student workshop calendar here. Additional resources can be found at the student section of the EdTech website.

As a course, ”Are You Ready?” was adopted and adapted by Bronx Community College, Guttman, Kingsborough, Lehman, and York College.

CAIMAN CLUES

WEEK TWO

Students: Every week, for the academic year, read the Caiman Clues for helpful tips and reminders.

Caiman Clues —Your Hostos Helping Hand to Success

NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

The Skills To Do The Job Profiles

José Juncos is a Navy Veteran who also worked for the criminal justice system until he retired after 28 years of service. He then decided to pursue his passion for serving the community. In the Fall of 2020, Juncos completed the CEWD Credentialed Alcohol & Substance Abuse (CASAC) Program. He is currently working at a Brooklyn-based addiction treatment center. “I had a good experience at Hostos,” he shared. “It was challenging, but I would do it all again if I had to because helping people is my calling.”

Continuing Education & Workforce Development | Virtual Open House

Saturday, October 2 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. or 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Thursday, October 15 | 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Saturday, October 23 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. or 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

15th Annual Scholarship Fund Golf Outing Classic

The Hostos Community College Foundation will host its 15th Annual Scholarship Fund Golf Outing Classic on Thursday, October 7, 2021.

Grab your clubs and your cleats because we are hitting the green!

The event will take place at the Pelham Bay & Split Rock Golf Courses in the Bronx. Come enjoy a round of golf while supporting student success at Hostos Community College.

While this event provides an occasion for comradery and friendly competition, it also helps to enable empowering opportunities for the incredible students of Hostos to persist and achieve their academic goals.

Your support ensures that the enlivening power of higher education remains accessible for all at Hostos.

Information regarding sponsorship opportunities and their associated benefits, as well as photos from previous outings, are available here. You may also contact Development Officer Idelsa Méndez to discuss ways in which you can support our students through this event.

Please register today and mark your calendar for the much-anticipated, in-person return of the Annual Scholarship Fund Golf Outing Classic! We look forward to seeing you on the course!

To learn more visit hostosgolfouting.com.

Catch Development Officer Idelsa Méndez in New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Meeting of the Minds program on BronxNet talk about the Golf Outing and Hostos Community College.

BRAVO NEWS

Arocho to Head the Hostos Center for The Arts & Culture

On August 30, Félix M. Arocho was appointed as the new Director of the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture.

An integral part of Eugenio María de Hostos Community College / CUNY since 1982, the Hostos Center is recognized nationally as a leader in Latino/a/x and African-based programming and is dedicated to the development of emerging artists and the creation of new work.

Prior to his new role, Arocho worked at the Center for twenty years, where his duties included planning events and performances, developing budgets, raising funds, negotiating contracts, and overseeing finances to bring events to diverse audiences.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Felix to his new role as Director of the Hostos Center for Arts and Culture,” said Hostos President Daisy Cocco De Filippis. “He brings to the job his knowledge of the institution and what the Center means to the community.”

Arocho joined Hostos in 2001 as Theater Manager and Campus Space Coordinator, working under the Arts Center’s founding director Wallace I. Edgecombe. During this time, he helped expand activities by marketing the Center’s two theaters and art gallery to new and returning customers, oversaw the Box Office, Front of House, Audience Relations and convened the College’s former Campus Space Committee.

"I am thrilled to enter this new role at Hostos. I look forward to working with the College and the talented team of the Arts Center to expand on past accomplishments by engaging and including our students, faculty, staff, and the greater community to the culture and arts programming relevant and meaningful to their lives," remarked Arocho of his appointment.

He was promoted to Performing Arts Manager in 2014. He prepared the Arts Center’s first operating budget, booked the theaters to high-profile users, such as NBC/Universal, Billy Crystal, and Victor Manuelle, and handled the day-to-day operations of the Arts Center, including its finances, artist relations, payroll, and contracts.

“I know Felix will continue to lead with the same passion and commitment he has demonstrated over these many years and look forward to the new cultural works we will achieve with him as Director,” President Cocco De Filippis added. “His commitment to the Center – and to Hostos – is palpable.”

President Daisy Cocco De Filippis Featured on Massachusetts Higher Education Podcast

Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson, Provost Emerita and Founding Director of the Center for Higher Education Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP) at Bay Path University in Massachusetts, recently interviewed President Cocco De Filippis for the IngenioUs podcast. The podcast is a blog series featuring leaders who help Higher Ed professionals stay ahead of the curve with insights and resources about best practices, industry trends, and leading-edge thinking.

President Daisy Cocco De Filippis Appointed to Central Connecticut State University Advisory Board

On August 20, 2021, President Zulma Toro of Central Connecticut State University appointed President Cocco De Filippis to the University’s Advisory Board for her experience in higher education, compassion for underserved populations and the vulnerable, which will help her bring valuable insights as they determine next steps for growing the intellectual, cultural, and economic health of CCSU, their communities, and the state of Connecticut.

VIRTUAL EVENTS

Office of the President | Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

Thursday, September 9, 2021, at 1 p.m.

Please join us, alongside Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Senator John Liu, and

other guest speakers to be announced closer to date.

Join the event here.

Office of Academic Affairs | Memorial for Professor Isabel Li

Monday, September 13, 2021, at 12:00 p.m.