April 16,2004 to Issue: III WHO WILL YOU VOTE FOR IN THE UPCOMING SGA ELECTIONS? Automotive Crisis Page 10 BCC Scientists H ead to Brookhaven Page 11 Elections will take place from April 26 through May 1, 2004 The CC Afterlife By Vladimir Matos Page 16 "t is your first semester here at should complete all sixty credits ing in hospitals, but there are other Bronx Community College. You required for graduation at BCC places were a nursing graduate with .are sitting in the cafeteria first. At the senior college, you can and A.A.S. degree may find jobs. munchini g away on one of those then concentrate on courses that These institutions include family three-dollar chicken wraps wonder- only pertain to the your major, for health centers, nursing homes, and ing what you are going to do with the most part. Furthering your edu- offices of doctors who are in private the associate's degree you will cation, not just to get a good job but practice. Nursing students should hopefully receive upon graduation. to learn more about your world, already know that graduates are eli- The truth is before your first semes- should be a priority. Students who gible to take the statewide R.N. ter began, you should ^_^_ Licensure exam (NCLEX- have already spoken to an RN) at the cost of approxi- academic advisor to plan mately $350; all students Page 17 out what degree you are required to be Basic would be seeking here at Cardiac Life Support BCC. If you plan well, (BCLS)-certified. Students your life post-Bronx also gain experience in Community College clinical settings at hospitals should be a successful and other institutions in the one. area. This not only gives One very important students the necessary fact that all students who experience in the field, but plan to immediately fol- also gives them an opportu- low up their education at nity to make connections BCC in a four-year col- with potential employers. lege is that your best bet is Once completed, this pro- to major in liberal arts, according to wish to pursue more specialized gram will help students become Communicator reporter by Geralde curricula at our college and go greater and more educated contribu- Parvilus. In this way practically all immediately into their respective tors to the medical field. * ij Javiis ^\rt Si your credits will be transferable to fields should know what kinds of The Paralegal Studies Program most four-year schools in the area opportunities exist out there in the is yet another excellent degree pro- as core requirements. If you play it world. gram offered at BCC. Once gradu- Page 24 smart, this translates into only The Nursing Degree Program ated with a A.A.S. degree in parale- attending a four-year school for here at BCC is one which has a gal studies, students may go work in only two or three years in order to great number of students enrolled. get your bachelor's degree. But you One only thinks of nurses as work- -Continued on page 3 THE COMMUNICATOR APRIL 16, 2004 Letter to the Editor Lack of Student, Faculty and Staff Attendance at the Friday, March 19, 2004 {went "Women in Music Past and Present" "Dedicated to Informative Excellence" t was very disappointing to my wife and myself to observe at last Friday's event that there were almost no The Student Newspaper of Ifaculty or staff members of BCC and very few students in attendance at the "Women in Music Past and Present" Bronx Community College of the City University of New York concert, sponsored by the Office of Student Activities. The performers were excellent. Annetta A. Aguilar and Located at: her String Beans combo performing Latin Brazilian Jazz W. 181st Street & University Avenue Bronx, New York 10453-3102 were equal to, if not better than, anyone you might hear at Colston Hall, room 605 an expensive jazz club in Manhattan. In addition, the food Telephone: (718) 289-5445 that was served free of charge was also very good. Fax: (718)289-6324 So the question becomes, why didn't more students, faculty and staff attend this event? After thinking about L-mail: [email protected]'dii this for a while and talking to my wife about it. who hap- It is the poliey of the City University of New York not to discriminate on the basis of race pens to be a musician -- we came up with this possible creed, national, origin, sex, age or handicapping condition in its educational programs, activ- answer: Most of the students, faculty and staff were ities, and employment policy, as required bj? law. Any person at BCC who believes he or she unaware the event was happening. If this answer is at least has been discriminated against should contact the BCC Affirmative Action Officer in partially true, the next question becomes, "Why is this so?" Based on our mutual experience (we both teach classes Language Hall, Room 31. at the college), we noted that no one ever came around to EDITORIAL BOARD our classes to inform the students about this event. And, President/Editor in Chief: Peter Salas within this same context (except for a flyer I received Vice President/News Editor; Fernando Lopez • Advertising Manager: Nadia Merhai through the college mail a few days before the event), we observed very few billboard posters around the campus Secretary: Oeralde Parvilus • Treasurer: Karen Rodriguez advertising the event. Faculty Advisor: Andrew Rowan • IOC Representative: Justin Shaw To check out these observations, 1 asked students in my class today if they were aware of last Friday's musical STAFF WRITERS event. Not one student indicated they were aware it was Amey Lachland • Anthony Perez • Aubeen Lopez • Geralde Parvilus happening. This was not a scientific survey, but it is a pret- Gwendolyn Diaz • Gyonogyi Ginger Suzchs • Jenise Decasseres • Rosa Gaston ty valid observation related to this problem. Veronica Feliciano • Vladimir Matos • Zioness Dawn As such, we would strongly suggest that the sponsors of CARTOONIST: Robert Perez events of this type, in the future, pay more attention to "getting the word out," to taking the time to visit class- GRAPHIC DESIGNERS rooms and letting the students know what is happening Peter Salas • Miguel De La Cruz • Hector Casado and, finally, coordinating musical events with the BCC Music Department that have faculty engaged in teaching Any BCC student or staff member can submit articles and photographs to The Communicator. and producing music, who could perhaps encourage their Please send them to us at Colston Hall 605, or use the envelope on the door. students to attend. What to do about faculty attendance? That's another question for which 1 have no answer or sug- All submissions are subject to review, and publication is not guaranteed. gestions. The Valerie Capers Ensemble will perform for the BCC Community Thursday, April 29, 2004 12-2PM Gould Memorial Library Auditorium ••''•I'll- i.u.nT: w am fa J-U * I? i J.m'L':.<hWi-la Ui:>l/Mii'/:':Hi'i,:-'•',;'>/&;•; -•/••,///;, Conic and hear one of BCC's own perform some of the best jazz you will ever hear played by an internationally acclaimed group led by BCC' Professor Emerita Valerie C'apers on piano and vocals. This concert is sponsored by BCC's Department of Art and Music and BCC, Inc. THE COMMUNICATOR APRIL 16,2004 The Syllabus: Friend or Foe? Afterlife Or Why Using Your Course Syllabus Can Improve Your Overall Grade. i»___»___^__=^___ By Sophie Saint-Just, Writing Fellow law offices (of course), banks, accounting and brokerage firms, insurance ome are a couple of pages long, time to look at your syllabus? Think of offices, the courts, schools, legal-aid offices, and government offices, among spelling the days of the week it as a contract you are bound to for others. Paralegals do much of the clerical work in offices, which makes them Swhen the class meets; they line only fifteen weeks. Any breach of con- an essential part of an office setting. It should be noted that this program has up dates and dreaded words like tract, such as systematic lateness or been approved by the American Bar Association. An excellent internship pro- "quiz," "midterm," "presentation," passivity, may have consequences on gram is also offered by this program. Another program which prepares you for "final exam" and "research-paper due your final grade. Ignoring your class careers in a business office-type setting is the Accounting Program (A.A.S. date." Others are as thick as a course syllabus can be a recipe for disaster, while reading it thoroughly and sys- degree). Graduates may go on to work as bookkeepers, cost-accounting clerks, package, with double-sided pages tematically can guarantee you greater junior accountants, and tax examiners for Uncle Sam. Furthering your educa- detailing class expectations and assign- ments. Dotted with lengthy recommen- academic success. Besides the usual tion at a four-year institution in accounting may lead you to become a Certified dations, they even offer scoring sheets suspects: course title, professor's Public Accountant. A solid internship program is also offered by the and clear grading criteria. Regardless name, meeting dates, class times and Accounting Program to allow students to gain priceless work experience. of their length, the syllabi of my early location, changes in schedule, holi- The Business Administration Program (A.S.) prepares students to be lead- student life ended-up at best in a neg- days, and assignments, here is what ers in a corporate environment.