Basketball Bearcats sharpen their claws. Page 24. theBARUCH COLLEGE, THEticker CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK VOLUME 92 • ISSUE 10 WWW.THETICKER.ORG NOVEMBER 12, 2007 Talking Tablet heightens senses Major law BY LILLIAN RIZZO schools CONTRIBUTING WRITER Baruch College is known for its revamp business program, new building and its high academic standards. But there is something new to add curricula to this list. Now another notable characteristic of the school is that one of its staff is the fi rst to win the BY JACK TEBELE Touch of Genius award from the SENIOR STAFF WRITER National Braille Press, in partner- ship with the Gibney Family Foun- Many law schools around the dation. country have recently decided to Karen Gourgey, director of the change their academic curricu- Computer Center for the Visually lums. Some have changed fi rst- Impaired, along with Steve Landau, year requirements, added inter- president of Touch Graphics, have disciplinary electives or created been awarded for the invention of more clinical programs. Th is is the Talking Tactile Tablet. no small feat considering the fact Gourgey and Landau were rec- that almost all American Bar As- ognized for this award earlier in the sociation-approved law schools semester, and on Th ursday, Oct. 25, previously had almost identical they went to the awards ceremony fi rst-year curricula for fi rst-year at Massachusetts Institute of Tech- students. nology in Cambridge, Mass. Th e idea was that a student’s Th ere, the two received their academic performance in the award from the National Braille fi rst year of any law school could Foundation, as well as being hon- properly be compared and evalu- ored by the Gibney Family Founda- ated against any other law school. tion dinner. Th is award was thought Highly regarded law schools of by Frank Gibney, who Gourgey such as those of Harvard Univer- spoke of with gratitude. sity, Stanford University and Co- Receiving this award was noth- lumbia University have become ing short of wonderful for Gourgey SVGOPEN.ORG pioneers in this revolution and and Landau. “It was hugely gratify- have already made considerable The Talking Tactile Tablet, invented by Karen Gourgey, is a learning system for the visually impaired. changes to an otherwise estab- SEE GOURGEY PAGE 2 lished curriculum. Th e question that remains is why a curriculum would fi nally change after 150 years and why these changes are occurring in Gaunt wins the fi rst place. Th ese changes are the result of a report compiled by Blending business and social services the Carnegie Foundation, which Merriam Prize stated that what was being taught interests. “I got to see what it would be is not what is being practiced BY NICOLE LEE n Novel program Th rough AH, students are like to work for a non-profi t,” said in real world legal situations. SENIOR STAFF WRITER placed into internships that satisfy Blackwood, a NextGen scholar- Th e foundation believed that allows students their career interests. ship recipi- schools were taking the wrong Baruch College music profes- “I interned at AC- ent. approaches in teaching, and us- sor Kyra Gaunt was honored at to give back CION NY, in micro- More- ing material that may not even this year’s national conference of fi nance,” said Zoie over, the pro- apply in contemporary times. the Society for Ethnomusicology BY STACEY KOROLKOVA Blackwood, a gram grants In fact, there is such enthusi- on Friday, Oct. 26. Her book, Th e PRODUCTION MANAGER junior majoring Baruch stu- asm for reforming the curricu- Games Black Girls Play: Learning in political sci- dents direct lum, that Stanford will hold a the Ropes from Double Dutch to Up until now, the Baruchian ence. “I worked access to conference in December to fur- Hip-Hop, was the co-winner of the prototype has been devouring with the under- over half a ther discuss these changes. ten Society’s 2007 Alan Merriam Prize. Th e Wall Street Journal and hav- writing depart- million non- schools will be represented, and Michael Largey also won for Vo- ing heart attacks whenever the ment, provid- profi t em- will include the City University of dou Nation: Hatian Art Music and Dow Jones Industrial Average falls ing need-based ployees and New York School of Law, the New Cultural Nationalism. by a few index points. However, loans to immi- 342,000 volun- York University School of Law and According to the Society for as Tuesday’s American Human- grants.” teers. the University of Dayton School of Ethnomusicology’s website, the ics information session showed, Th e program taps “Th e profi cien- Law. Th e goal of this conference is Alan Merriam Prize “recognize[s] a growing number are also inter- into the tremendous cies and networks for the representatives to share the most distinguished, published ested in social policy and devel- New York City nonprofi t I am developing through their thoughts, ideas and tech- English-language monograph in opment. sector. Th e sector hosts over this internship will defi nitely help niques for improving the current the fi eld of ethnomusicology.” Th e Th e American Humanics pro- 27,000 organizations and agencies. me reach my goals [of starting an system. All of the talks will culmi- award is given to a book published gram, according to the website, Its combined budget is $43 billion organization of my own],” said Ja- nate with the creation of another within the past two years. is the only national organization and it serves over 2.2 million peo- mie Darrah, senior, who interns report in 2010. “I was absolutely fl oored and certifying undergraduate college ple everyday. in communications and develop- Two specifi c problems that delighted when I heard about re- students in nonprofi t manage- “Th e American Humanics pro- ment for AH. various law schools have found ceiving the Merriam Prize,” said ment. Th is program provides gram at Baruch may open new Th e program is still new and included the need to understand Gaunt. “I learned in that moment competency in all aspects of man- career opportunities in the non- relatively small at Baruch. Where- and be familiar with foreign laws that my offi ce in the Vertical Cam- agement, range from Human Re- profi t sector for students that share as the American Humanics pro- and legal systems, and second, pus is sound-proof because I was sources to fi nance for non-profi ts. nonprofi t organizations’ vision of gram started 50 years ago, the Ba- the need to be able to advise po- screaming at the top of my lungs Th is fl exibility allows even the service to humanity,” said Stan Alt- ruch chapter is only one-year-old. tential clients on the relevance diverse pool of business-minded man, Baruch College’s campus di- SEE PROFESSOR PAGE 3 Baruch students to satisfy their rector of American Humanics. SEE AMERICAN PAGE 3 SEE LAW PAGE 2 INDEX OPINION ARTS LEISURE ADVERTISING Opinion . 6 Fred to Fred: Business . 8 Your presi- To place an advertisement, Features. 12 dential fate contact Edward Drakhlis at Arts . 15 is already (646) 312-4713 or e-mail Band on brink of breaking up Watch out! Your epidermis is Leisure . 18 decided. [email protected]. has great music. showing. Calendar . 21 Sports . 23 Page 6. Page 15. Page 18. NewsPAGE 2 I THE TICKER NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 2007 Bill may make supermarkets go green Gourgey wins Touch of BY STEVEN ORTIZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER Genius Prize Th e New York City Council in- troduced legislation last week that ß CONTINUED FROM FRONT would require supermarkets and stores larger than 5,000 square feet ing to win this prize; it was a vali- to set up in-store recycling pro- dation of years and years of work,” grams to collect plastic, carry-out Gourgey stated. shopping bags. Th e Talking Tactile Tablet con- Council Speaker Christine nects to one’s computer through a Quinn made the announcement USB port. Instead of braille, tactile regarding the “New York City Plas- pictures are described auditorily. tic Carryout Bag Recycling Law.” Th e audio instructs the use the Th is law, if enacted, would require entire time and Touch Graphics has store operators to provide bins for created numerous programs to use collecting plastic bags printed with with it. One can do an oral cross- the words, “Please Return Th is Bag word puzzle or look up a place on To a Participating Store For Recy- a map, in which the person touches cling.” Th ey would also need to be portions of the map and it an- in letters three-inches high, sell re- nounces what place it is. usable bags not made of plastic or Th ere is also a statistics program paper and submit annual reports to that Touch Graphics worked with the department of sanitation on the VICTOR CHU I THE TICKER the Computer Center for the Visu- amount of bags they have collected, ally Impaired in order to create. transported and recycled. D’Agostinos is one of the supermarkets beginning to implement environment-friendly changes. Visually impaired students usually Th e bill would apply to over 700 have trouble with the subject due to stores and aff ect some retail stores the graphs. as well. Penalties will be issued Th is can help students by touch- to any stores that do not comply, return the bags to any participat- ceries, which can be found near the plastic bags. Th is new law presently ing the tablet and being verbally which could result in fi nes of up to ing store, regardless of where they front of the store.