Rez Hall Issues Continue An In-Depth Look at Conservatives at BC p. 3 p. 8-11 vANGUARDTHE BROOKLYN COLLEGE Fall 2019, Issue 6 thebcvanguard.com Wednesday, October 16 NATIVE TONGUE INDIGENOUS STUDENTS DECRY COLUMBUS DAY IN THIS ISSUE: p. 4 Late Biology Chair Campus Play Address Vinny the Goat #1 Memorialized Police Brutality A New Weekly Comic p. 5 p. 13 p. 16 Photo Credit: Chloe Abosch 2 / THE VANGUARD NEWS OCTOBER 16, 2019 vANGUARD USG Update: Senators Fill Vacated Seats General Inquiries [email protected] By Ryan Schwach Managing Editor Club Hours 118 Roosevelt Hall T h e Monday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Undergraduate Student Tuesday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Government senate held its routine meeting Editor-in-Chief Tuesday Oct. 15 during Quiara Vasquez common hours and [email protected] addressed normal Managing Editor business, including Ryan Schwach future events and [email protected] committee reports. Also, the Senate passed Business Manager a resolution expelling Farhad Rahman a member from Senate [email protected] meetings and appointing two new members Layout Editor after seven members Camila Dejesus The Undergraduate Student Government’s Senate meeting. / Ryan Schwach have resigned since the [email protected] election on top of this were unavailable the body briefly before and confirmations the Digital Editor week’s expulsion. for comment before being confirmed. Silver USG Senate discussed Moises Taveras The USG Senate, press time) Although, heard about the seat other internal business [email protected] which was previously Milich sees this as an vacancies USG as trying including a series of the Student Assembly opportunity to increase to fill from Senator workshops for members Section Editors under CLAS, acts as student government Devorah Shifrin, who on how to operate within News: Kevin Limiti the legislative body for participation by bringing currently sits in the rules the body taught by [email protected] the government, and new people into its and ethics committee, other members such as Features: M.A. Rahman does much of what any ranks “I want to bring but at the time “Didn’t workshops on drafting [email protected] legislative body does awareness and activism know much about it legislation, funding Opinions: Edmund Zhen including voting on to student government,” [USG].” He later decided clubs, and planning [email protected] issues and resolutions, he said. to join the senate, with events. Arts: Jack Coleman organizing events, and Before today’s meeting some goals in mind such As far as the events [email protected] Sports: Conrad Hoyt keeping the executive the senate had nominated as implementing more that affect students [email protected] branch in check. “It’s and confirmed seven new food options for students are concerned USG is also a training ground,” members to the Senate dealing with allergies on gearing for the Fall Fest Columnists said Ethan Milich, who and at Tuesday’s meeting campus (Silver himself at the end of the month, Michael Castaneda provides over the senate added two more into the is allergic to gluten and Finals and Chill (Which Ryan Gleason as USG Vice President. fold, bringing the new dairy), as well as working will feature puppy Rendy Jones Last May the total to 22 members, still on the Library’s open therapy), and also the Mo Muhsin student body elected three short of the max hours and making sure it new initiative meant to Allison Rapp 20 students to the USG number of 25, which is always a quiet place for increase outreach where Senate, which went Milich hopes to rectify. students to work. “We students are asked to Staff Writers down to 13 after seven Among the newly should enjoy being here, take pictures with USG Tasha Balkaran Bobbie Bell chose to abdicate their appointed Senators we are here for a long members wearing their Gabriela Flores positions for various is Brandon Silver, a time,” he said. government shirts for a Isley Jean-Pierre unknown reasons. (All sophomore pre-med Apart from the chance to win tickets to a Carolann Lowe of the resigned members student who addressed member expulsions New York Jets game. Milette Millington Rachel Ninomiya Carmen Saffioti Maya Schubert Annah Valenti Natalina Zieman Photographers Chloe Abosch Aricka M. Davis Faculty Advisor Anthony Mancini The Undergraduate Student Government’s Senate meeting. / Ryan Schwach OCTOBER 16, 2019 NEWS THE VANGUARD / 3 Rez Hall Floods, Students Forced to Move (Again) By Maya Schubert sewage water. Staff Writer The residence hall’s office was empty because Last weekend, it was the weekend, so it the first three floors was Tuesday by the time of the Residence Hall the Fernandez and his at Brooklyn College roommate spoke with a flooded, displacing a staffer. They requested number of students and to move out of the adding to rising tension building entirely, but among residents. were told that their year- On the morning long contract could not of Saturday, Oct. 5, a be shortened. running toilet caused a A month earlier, in water main break that his second week in flooded the third floor Brooklyn, freshman and leaked down into Valentino Coniglio was the second, first, and in a similar predicament. basement levels of the His toilet overflowed building at 1 Kenilworth after running overnight Place. Residents of and water spread across flooded rooms were his floor, damaging quickly moved to empty belongings on his floor, rooms. including his backpack. The flooding came Coniglio stayed in the only about a week after room, however, and it students on the sixth eventually dried. Several through eighth floors of weeks later, he was told the Residence Hall were to move, along with moved to the lower five the other residents of due to renovations. the sixth, seventh, and Among the students eighth floors. He moved affected by the flooding to a downsized room on was Brooklyn College the second floor, across freshman Jorge the hall from Fernandez’s Fernandez. On Saturday future alternate room. afternoon, Fernandez Both Fernandez and returned to his dorm Coniglio feel the flooding after a night out with and displacement has friends and found his affected their school apartment flooded with year. Fernandez didn’t sewage water. Leaking attend classes the first had begun from the few days after his move, Flooding at Brooklyn College Residence Hall/ Maya Schubert bathroom ceiling, and tackling homework that the water spread across had backlogged over Hall at Brooklyn College Hall @ Brooklyn College” privately owned and the dorm. As Fernandez his hectic weekend. over the past few stands unchanged, and outside the school’s began trying to clean the Thankfully, his professors years. In 2017, student on Brooklyn College’s oversight. The hall bathroom, a leaky piece were understanding. filmmaker Chris Omar website, the residence itself seems to be run by of ceiling plaster fell on One of them suggested began documenting the hall is still labeled young RAs and student his head. he call 311 and find out conditions of the dorm on the campus map. employees. “It was stinky—like what rights he held as a rooms on YouTube. He Advertisements for the “It’s just a bunch of full of pee and water, like resident in the hall. later chronicled a sexual residence hall are all over teenagers,” said one dirty water,” Fernandez “This tag of ‘Residence assault at the building the Boylan cafeteria. resident. said. Hall at Brooklyn College,’ in an award-winning In wake of the flooding Excluding security, An off-duty RA told it just sounds like they’re short documentary, “You and renovations, the only employee who Fernandez he and his trying to say, ‘Hey, this is Found a Home.” Omar frustration runs high is not a student is the roommate, who was a place where students also petitioned Brooklyn among the residents, office book-keeper, who away for the weekend, are welcome. This is a College to break ties most of whom are was not available for could switch rooms place where students will with RHBC. The school Brooklyn College comment. temporarily while the get to meet, spend time, complied in March of students. They’ve The owner of flooding was cleaned, study,’” said Coniglio. “ this year, announcing become accustomed RHBC Management so Fernandez moved I’ve barely had time to do it would retract all to the running pattern Corporation, Yosef Zvieli, his and his roommate’s that. I’ve been so caught advertisements and allow following each disaster at visits his establishment belongings into a smaller up in fixing everything its lease with RHBC to 1 Kenilworth. Students only several times a room on the same that’s been literally falling expire in Spring 2020. have complained to year, according to an floor. He left only his apart around me.” Almost six months later, Brooklyn College more employee. Zvieli was not roommates’ shoes, which A list of scandals has however, the building’s than once about RHBC, available for comment. had been destroyed by stalked the Residence sign reading “Residence but the building is 4 / THE VANGUARD NEWS OCTOBER 16, 2019 Students Denounce Columbus Day at Protest By Kevin Limiti and Latin Studies major News Editor and representative of the Puerto Rican Alliance. The day after Sanabria helped lead the Columbus Day, a silent march, holding a Puerto procession of students Rican flag. Onlookers paraded through campus watched and took photos holding signs and as the group moved banners that read, “Thx through campus. 4 Killing My Ancestors,” When the protest moved “Decolonize Puerto in front of the library, Rico,” and “No walls, Sanabria began with a no bans on stolen land,” land acknowledgment protesting the holiday for the Lenni Lenape, an meant to celebrate the indigenous people who explorer.