QView #136 | September 28, 2022

Faculty across CUNY were invited to submit proposals to the Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Initiative for projects in nine areas, including course and curriculum design and curriculum and syllabus decolonization; faculty research; student research; campus climate; and faculty publication. Ten proposals from QC were chosen, from over 500 applications university-wide. The recipients were invited by President Frank H. Wu and Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Diversity Jerima DeWese to a celebratory lunch and networking on Thursday, September 22. All the winners described their projects at this first-time-ever program at the college.

Taking time for a photo op are:

Second row, from left: Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson, Chief Diversity Officer Jerima DeWese, JV Fuqua (Media Studies, Women and Gender Studies), Natalie Vena (Urban Studies), Interim Associate Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs Meaghan Healey, Asian American/Asian Research Institute Interim Executive Director Soniya Munshi, and Zadia Feliciano (Economics)

First row left to right: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist Estefanie Lliguichuzca, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Director Poline Papoulis, Soribel Genao (ECP), President Frank H. Wu, Marcela Parra (EECE), Ji Young Kim (Asian Studies), and Namhee Han (Korean and East Asian Studies)

A distinguished delegation of Haitian rectors enjoyed coffee and cookies with QC educators in a meeting arranged by Francois Pierre-Louis (Political Science). The session was organized to build on partnerships forged by CUNY in the wake of the devastating earthquake several years ago, which heavily impacted colleges and universities in Haiti. 

First row from left: Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Patricia Price, Margarett Alexandre, President Frank H. Wu, Francois Pierre-Louis (Political Science), Narcisse Fievre, Jean-Elie Gilles, Associate Business School Dean Schiro Withanachchi

Second row from left: Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson, Chief Diversity Officer and Dean of Diversity Jerima DeWese, Jean F. Claude, Interim Associate Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs Meaghan Healey, Edouard Jules, Social Sciences and Business School Dean Kate Pechenkina, Jaira Placide, Paul Fadoul (ELL)

Steve Errera ’69 returned to campus last week to meet with some of his scholarship recipients. Errera established a scholarship for Economics students in 2009, and to date, 47 students have benefitted from his generosity. In addition to providing financial support, he enjoys meeting with the students and sharing stories about his career in energy futures. He also donated his papers to the archives in Benamin S. Rosenthal Library.

(L-R) Seniors Dina Travis and Carlos Ponce, Steve Errera ’69, President Frank H. Wu, Shirin Benyaminpour ’22

The Most Important Meal of the Day

At the September 14 Business Breakfast, longtime banking executive David Slackman ’70 encouraged everyone to get out of their comfort zone. If you missed the event, you can enjoy the high points—and see some familiar campus figures—by watching this video. The next Business Breakfast will take place on October 13; all students, alumni, faculty, and staff are welcome. These events are part of the continuing launch of the new School of Business at Queens College. Reserve a seat here.

Knights Tennis Players Joust for ITA Championship; Men’s Soccer Regionally Ranked

Several members of QC’s men’s and women’s tennis teams made strong runs at the Intercollege Tennis Association (ITA) East Region Championships, which took place from September 22–26 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

In the men’s tournament, Cameron Henricy had an impressive showing, winning five matches before falling to Southern New Hampshire University’s (SNHU) Jonathan Berling, 6-4, 6-4 in the finals on Monday. He is the first Knight to advance to the ITA Championship match since 2016. 

In doubles play, Mortiz Borges and Roni Rikkonen advanced to the championship match, winning four matches before they ran into Berling again and his SNHU teammate Fernando Torres, losing by a score of 6-1, 7-5. 

On the women’s side, Caroline Hany-Fawzy (singles) and the doubles duo of Maja Makal and Gabriela Sciarrotta also made a great showing, advancing to the ITA semi-finals.

In other Knights news, the men’s soccer team’s strong season continued with a 1-0 win over Roberts Wesleyan College on Saturday. They are now 7-3 on the season and ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Division II East Region poll. Women’s volleyball also earned their first East Coast Conference win of the season, defeating D’Youville University, 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-18) on Sunday. 

QC Pre-Law Advisory Program Enters Second Full Year

The Queens College Pre-Law Advisory Program has begun its second full year in 2022–23. Sari Kisilevsky (Philosophy), the program’s director, has been working hard to provide a number of quality services that can help put any aspiring lawyer on the path to law school. 

The 2021–2022 school year was full of success stories. Thanks in part to the advising and preparation they received at the QC Pre-Law Advisory Program, students received tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship offers from schools such as Fordham, Hofstra, Cardozo, St. John’s, and New York Law School, with some students being offered free rides. Phoebe Padget ’22 is one such example. She accepted a full scholarship to attend Temple University Beasley School of Law this fall. Many other students attended summer pipeline programs.

While some QC students have been already been accepted into law school, many others are making great progress in the application process. Since the Pre-Law Advisory Program began, 98 QC students have applied to law schools for entrance in the Fall 2022 semester. However, getting into law school is not necessarily the main goal of the Pre-Law Advisory Program.

Strengthening Success

“I try to make sure that students apply to law school from a position of strength,” explained Kisilevsky. “If that means taking extra time to make sure that they are fully prepared for the LSAT test, that is OK. High LSAT scores are the main tool that students have to negotiate scholarship offers. This goes a long way toward reducing their debt and giving them more freedom and control over their futures when they graduate. After all, no one goes to law school and takes on all that debt to close doors in the future.”

The Pre-Law Advisory Program offers many resources to help any QC student have the best chance at success, not just in being accepted into law school, but also finding a law school that will set them up for success in the future.

Getting into the Pipeline

The Pre-Law Advisory Program has also done extremely well in placing students in pre-law pipeline programs. Pipeline programs are free programs designed to help foster underrepresented students’ interest in becoming lawyers. The programs are generally for students earlier in their college career and introduce students to lawyers and law professors, connect students with other applicants from across the country, and offer free LSAT instructions and support. QC’s Pre-Law program is very active in promoting these programs to eligible QC students. Every student who was advised last year and applied was accepted into a pre-law pipeline program.

“Many of our students have been accepted to national pipeline summer programs and have had extremely positive experiences with them,” added Kisilevsky. “Many students don’t know about these opportunities.”

Aiming for Advising

Students get the opportunity to receive individual advising on pre-law decisions. This includes guidance through the pre-law process, careful reading of their applications, detailed discussions about where to apply to law school, advising on negotiating scholarships, and financial education on debt management.

For any aspiring lawyer, attending law school will be one of the biggest investments of their lives, with tuition costs potentially exceeding hundreds of thousands of dollars. Without being properly prepared, pre-law students are at risk from predatory admission practices.

“The whole law school world is kind of dangerous,” noted Kisilevksy. “Parts of it are really immoral and predatory in how they accept students. One of my main priorities is to reduce the number of students applying to law school with a low score. They are at very high risk of either not completing their degree or having a degree that is going to put them underwater in debt. My main goal is to make sure our students are best positioned for success in law school.”

LSAT Prep

The program guides students on the right path in preparing for the LSAT exam, which is the most important part of the application process and determines how much scholarship money they are eligible for.

“I always explain to students how important the LSAT is. The main function of the LSAT for them is funding. Scholarship money is determined by the LSAT,” Kisilevsky added.

Events and Workshops

The Pre-Law Advisory Program also hosts a range of workshops and events through Queens College, and connects students with resources and events across the pre-law community as well. On October 6, there will be a Résumé Writing Workshop with Liz O’Connell of the QC Career Engagement Center. On October 18, students can learn how to highlight strengths and find their voice at a Personal and Diversity Statement Workshop with Marco Navarro of the QC Writing Center. And on October 14 and 15, QC will be present at the Law School Admission Counsel (LSAC) In-Person Law Fair at the New York Hilton Midtown. At the fair—a free event open to anyone interested in attending law school—students can connect with law schools from across North America and learn more about financial aid and the admission process. A CUNY-wide pre-law meeting at the fair is being organized by Kisilevsky.

For further information about the Pre-Law Advisory Program, visit their website or sign up for their newsletter.

Supporting Recovery from Hurricane Fiona

Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic were devastated by Hurricane Fiona, and CUNY is eager to help. Right now, the university encourages people to make monetary donations to either the Hispanic Federation or Hurricane Fiona Relief. Food and clothing cannot be accepted at this time. Students who have been affected by the hurricane are welcome to talk to a counselor. Should there be any questions or if further assistance is required, please contact Emanuel Avila, associate director of Judicial Affairs/Disaster Relief coordinator, at Emanuel.avila@qc.cuny.edu, or visit the Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management in Room 327 of the Student Union.

Long-term Effects of Hurricane Sandy

Ten years after Superstorm Sandy, families are still coping with its impact. Yoko Nomura (Psychology) has made headlines with research, published last week in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, that identifies earlier onset and higher rates of developmental psychopathology among children whose mothers were pregnant with them during the hurricane.

Nomura and her team compiled longitudinal data by conducting annual evaluations of children at ages 2 through 5 and their parents. Sixty-six children in the study were exposed to the superstorm in utero and 97 were not.

The latest paper documents a higher incidence of mental health issues among children born to pregnant women exposed to the hurricane. The child’s biological sex determined specific patterns of elevated risks. Males had a greater risk of attention-deficit/disruptive behavioral disorders; females had elevated risks for anxiety disorders and depressive disorders, including seasonal affective disorder, generalized affective disorder, and dysthymia.

Nomura’s work has received significant media attention, including coverage by ABC Channel 7, the Boston Globe, The Hill In utero exposure to natural disasters linked with high rates of childhood anxiety, depression, Medical Express, Newsday, and Newsweek.

John Dennehy (Biology) was cited in a Nature World News article Polio Spreads in the U.S. for the First Time in Decades, Should You Get Vaccinated? about the recent spread of polio . . . . Soribel Genao (ECP) is speaking about authentic inclusion on Thursday, September 28, as part of the Focus on Research series held by the University of Toronto’s Center for Leadership and Diversity . . . . Interim Associate Provost of Innovation and Student Success Nathalia Holtzman and Ted Brown (Computer Science) were awarded an almost $1.5 million NSF grant for supporting computer science majors, with a focus on transfer students . . . . Adam LaMotte, an ACSM-trained violinist who founded the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, was featured in More than a switch-hitting violinist: A conversation with Adam LaMotte by Oregon Arts Watch . . . . Imani Mosley, an alumna who teaches musicology at the University of Florida, wrote about the music to be expected at Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral in the New York Times . . . . Kevin Shih (Economics) got publicity on Twitter after the Department of Homeland Security issued a final ruling to preserve DACA, citing his paper "Do human capital decisions respond to the returns to education? Evidence from DACA" in American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 12, no. 1 (2020): 293-324. as evidence of the important benefits of DACA on the educational attainment of undocumented youth . . . .  

John Waldman (Biology) published an op-ed on insights to be gained from historical ecology in the New York Times . . . . 

President Frank H. Wu was cited in a Nature article Convictions reversed for US chemical engineer accused of hiding China ties about the reversal of three of four convictions of a chemical engineer accused of hiding ties to China.