Campus Serves As Shelter to Hundreds After Hurricane
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Pekar featured in Climate Change Webcast 3 . Kiely Hall to Get a Makeover 4 . ACSM Receives Vintage Steinways 5 . QC named a Best College Pick Again 5 Athletics Hall of Fame 6 Nobel Peace Prize winner visits QC CLICK HERE QUEENS COLLEGE FACULTY | STAFFf NEWSyDECEMBERi 2012 Campus Serves as Shelter to Hundreds After Hurricane Celebrating Queens College at 75 On October 11, 2012, the college (1985–94) then took turns at the On campus and off, QC has been that is often called “the jewel microphone, expressing pride in the helping the community to recover from of the CUNY system” observed college and their contributions to it. the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. its diamond anniversary with a Noting that “a college can never be Although classes were canceled from multifaceted convocation in LeFrak better than its faculty”—an observation October 29 through November 1, the Concert Hall, serving up music, she attributed to Muyskens—Acting college snapped into action right after speeches, and birthday cake. Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth the storm: Members of Buildings & QC Foundation Board Hendrey presented half a dozen Grounds and Security—some of whom member Gail Marquis ’80 acted professors who spoke or, in one case, spent more on travel than they’d earn in as emcee. At the conclusion of an played to the crowd: Assistant Provost that day’s pay—worked round the clock organ prelude played by master’s June Bobb (English) and emeriti Andrew to restore power, clear away debris, and student John Wolf, she introduced Hacker (Political Science), Leo Kraft repair damage. the faculty and President James (Music), Corinne Michels (Biology), In addition, these employees Muyskens—who entered to fanfares Mark Miksic (Physics), and Jimmy Heath provided services to the shelter that by Professor Emeritus Leo Kraft (Music), who let his the New York City Office of Emergency Working in collaboration with a group and Aaron Copland, performed by saxophone do most Management (OEM) established at QC, from the Rubin Museum of Art, students in the QC Brass Ensemble. Muyskens’ of his talking. one of 10 CUNY schools that took in Rikki Asher’s (SEYS) Methods in Secondary opening remarks were followed by a Switching Education for Art course (above) brought musical interlude featuring soprano genres from displaced people. OEM set up shop in puppet-making materials and taught children FitzGerald Gymnasium, the Dining Hall, at QC’s evacuation shelter how to make finger Grace Kahl ’13, accompanied by Youn jazz to classical, and the One Stop Service Center. At peak puppets with which they performed plays in Ju Namkoong (a musical preparation Professors Marcy occupancy, nearly 600 adults and children, a hand-made puppet theatre. With them is a pianist for the Copland School’s Opera Rosen and as well as their pets—birds, cats, dogs, a Mother Nature puppet previously created by Studio), and violinist Heesun Shin DMA Asher for another course and used to perform ’13 accompanied by pianist Misaki CONTINUED ferret, a lizard, a turtle, and a goldfish— ON PAGE 3 found refuge in these facilities, managed, with children in hospitals. Sekimoto, Advanced Certificate ’13. coincidentally, by two QC alums, Harry Then QC Foundation chair Carol Sigmone III and Diane Gilroy. (All QC students raised funds, donated food Hochman ’71 congratulated her alma residents were relocated to longer-term and clothing, and pulled night shifts at the mater, praising it as a true melting pot accommodations before Thanksgiving.) shelter before other volunteers could arrive. that provides a first-class education. Former QC presidents Saul Cohen CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 (1978–85) and Shirley Strum Kenny CAMPUS SERVES AS SHELTER - from page 1 Klein enlisted the help of family, friends, and members of his synagogue, Temple Gates of Nobel Laureate Suu Kyi Students from the Aaron Copland School Prayer in Flushing, resulting in significant of Music presented a concert for shelter contributions from local vendors: Oneness residents and staff; the Committee for Fountain-Heart Restaurant brought and Visits the College Disabled Students engaged a magician and served hot food to over 400 individuals in the a balloon twister—the latter also rendered shelter, while the Queens Health Emporium Voted into the Myanmar Parliament homeless by the hurricane—to entertain contributed several cases of water and snacks. last spring, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is kids. Other students participated in projects Of course, students are also among no ordinary lawmaker. A Nobel Peace to aid hard-hit neighborhoods throughout the people who suffered from the storm. Prize winner who spent 15 years under the city. “The investment, allocation, and executive house arrest in Rangoon, unable to see Meanwhile, QC employees drew committees of the Queens College Foundation her children or even visit her husband on their expertise and contacts. Human unanimously decided to allot up to $100,000 on his deathbed, she personified the Resources collected donations and to help students affected by the hurricane,” struggle for democracy in an isolated supplies, and fielded phone calls from the says Laurie Dorf (AVP, Institutional nation ruled by a military dictatorship. community. “Some calls were from people Advancement). “It was a very easy decision. So her appearance at a pair of back- looking for their relatives,” explains We want to help students with housing, food, to-back events at QC on September Susan Mavrelis (HR). “Others were from and transportation issues to ensure that they 22—part of her first trip to the United individuals and local companies who just remain enrolled in school and take the same States in about four decades—drew wanted to help in any way they could.” number of courses.” Grants will be available capacity crowds. The Division of Education worked through June 30, 2013. Suu Kyi started the morning at with the PTA at PS/IS 499 to buy LeFrak Concert Hall, where she was supplies for children temporarily placed welcomed by QC President James at that school. Career Counselor Mark Muyskens, Congressman Joseph Crowley ’85, and New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Alumna Carole King serenaded her, Storm Help for leading the invitation-only audience in an impromptu version of “You’ve Faculty and Staff Got a Friend”; Anjelica Huston read a portion of Suu Kyi’s essay “Freedom from Fear” in her honor. Suu Kyi's Faculty and staff need assistance, too. CUNY set up an annual leave bank eloquence was also in evidence in The Professional Staff Congress (PSC) is for the benefit of personnel who have her response to a student’s question Top: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with canvassing members who live in evacua- not accrued enough leave to remain on about her rationale for becoming a Congressman Joseph Crowley. Below: tion zones to learn about their situations. payroll while they take days off to handle legislator in the government that had Suu Kyi holds a Unisphere replica she “Through our affiliate federation, New storm-related emergencies. Full- and received from Crowley. To her left are York State United Teachers, we offer part-time/hourly employees, including persecuted her and so many others. “I President James Muyskens, Carole King, don’t believe in professional dissidents,” small emergency grants to our members,” adjuncts and those who do not normally City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, reports Ben Chitty, QC’s HEO delegate. she explained. “I think it’s just a phase, and Anjelica Huston. accumulate leave, are eligible to apply like adolescence.” “We are distributing some respirators for up to five days of paid leave, which Next, Suu Kyi went over to Colden She also had the chance to hear them. for members to use in their own cleanup can be used from November 1, 2012, Auditorium to address members of Before she walked on stage, a reporter efforts, along with guidelines that the to February 28, 2013. Full-time, salaried the Burmese community in their native for a Burmese-language newspaper led New York Committee on Occupational noninstructional employees who accrue language. Some had driven hundreds the attendees, some 2,000 strong, in a Safety & Health, a labor coalition, devel- leave may donate up to five days. For of miles and waited outside overnight rapturous call-and-response of “Long oped for cleanup work.” Information information about donating or requesting for the opportunity to hear her speak. live Mother Suu Kyi!” about the grants is available at http:// days, go to https://myqc.qc.cuny.edu/ www.psc-cuny.org/relief-fund. AdminServices/HR/default.aspx. FYI DECEMBER 2012 | 2 QUEENS COLLEGE AT 75 - from page 1 Pekar Part of Al Gore’s Webcast on Climate Change With Governor Andrew Cuomo’s post-Sandy admonition—“Anyone who thinks there is not a dramatic change in weather patterns is denying reality”—still reverberating in the news, Steve Pekar (SEES) joined more than 100 scientists, policy experts, environmentalists, explorers, heads of NGOs, filmmakers, and business and political leaders participating in Al Gore’s marathon webcast Al Gore listens intently to polar expedition leader Doug Stoup (center) as QC’s Steve devoted to climate change, 24 Hours of Pekar looks on. They were discussing climate Reality: The Dirty Weather Report. change lessons being learned in Antarctica. “Al Gore’s event was amazing,” says Pekar, “with terrific in-depth content, high- melt. We only need 5 percent of the ice to tech production, renowned experts in many melt to cause catastrophe.” fields, and over 16 million viewers.” In hour- Originating from studios in New York long segments spotlighting climate-related City, which was still reeling from the issues in every part of the globe, this program unprecedented flooding likely made worse began 8 pm, Wednesday, November 14 and by rising sea levels, the webcast returned Current faculty in the orchestra seats stand to acknowledge the speakers and concluded at 8 pm the following day.