Volume 22, Issue 3

PAGE 3 PAGE 11 TIMELINE OF MMC BEDBUGS IN THE THERESA SECURITY LANG THEATRE THREATS VOLUME 22, ISSUE 03 MARYMOUNT MANHATTAN COLLEGE’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER November 12th, 2019 MEMEHATTAN/ MMC CONFESSIONS By Elena Maldonado-Dunn Staff Writer Page 2 MMC’s The Monitor LETTERfrom the EDITOR Dear Readers, Welcome to another year at Marymount, and if it is your first year, I hope you are enjoy- ing your time in the Upper East Side. Thank you for taking the time to read The Monitor, we appreciate your readership and the discussions that may come from our articles. This year we have welcomed many new faces and I am excited to introduce their talents to print. Speaking of new faces, we have also welcomed a wonderful new advisor, Professor Tatiana Serafin, and her amazing talent and knowledge within journalism realm. We are incredibly lucky to have both Professor Serafin and Professor Tropp advising us this year, and I hope you all get to ex- perience a class with either of them during your time at Marymount. This issue we discuss the Climate Strike in NYC, the new ID system that has revolutionized how we get in and out of school/dorms, and much more. Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook by looking up MMC’s The Monitor. Our new website will be up and running within the following weeks, and we hope you choose to take a look. I hope you enjoy reading this issue and I wish you luck this year with your studies. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns for The Monitor, please email us at [email protected]. Megan With Arnold Love, Editor-in-Chief MMC’s The Monitor is the entirely student run newspaper of Marymount Manhattan College. It is published 6 times each semes- ter, with the exception of January and Summer sessions. MMC’s The Monitor has a circulation of 1,000 and a shared readership. MMC’s The Monitor is funded through the Student Activity Fee supplemented by generous, local businesses purchasing ad space. Singe copies are free to Marymount Manhattan College students, faculty, staff, and community members. For advertising information, or for comments, questions, suggestions, or letters to the editor, please email MMC’s The Monitor at [email protected]. MMC’S The Monitor Staff 2019-2020 Editor-in-Chief, Megan Arnold Copy Editors, Gabrielle Fiorella, Shelby Hall, Seamus Fallon, Print Managing Editor, Meghan Masseron Aryana Lee Layout & Design Editor, Averee Nelson Proofreaders, Carnelian Polich, Elena Maldonado-Dunn Website & Social Media Correspondent, Imani Ri- Staff Writers, Cross Nelson, Madeline Nortz, Gabrielle Fiorella, Ray- vera iah Ross, Averee Nelson, Elena Maldonado-Dunn, Seamus Fallon, Ana Advisor, Laura Tropp & Tatiana Serafin Coakley, Ariana Contreras, Gwen Attridge, Neil Gunnion Head Copy Editor, Alex Fiorella Photographers, Ethan Haug, Ana Coakley Page 3 News MMC’s The Monitor FOLLOWING THE TIMELINE OF SECURITY THREATS By Neil Gunnion and Shelby Hall In light and ran downstairs. The cops came with me, and claims that they asked security about it, and that Staff Writers of the swept the station and said he wasn’t there...they several times people were told that nothing was stalking, thought that he’d fled out the other side of the happening (or happened), but told others that threats and campus closures of the last few station.” Godfrey then boarded the Q train with there was one incident that was solved. God- weeks, students and faculty alike have expressed a friend , when Johnson entered their train car. frey eventually took an Uber home, and the se- their concern, ideas for improvement and feel- Godfrey claims that Johnson made a smile that curity notice officially went out after midnight. ings. Students who were present during the evac- “...the only way I’ve been able to describe this Writer and Copy Editor Shelby Hall uation all have strong feelings surrounding this smile is that it looked like The Joker--like, it lit- asked Graham Ciraulo, the College’s Vice Pres- topic, as do faculty and staff who saw it first hand erally looked like that. He kept walking and went ident for Institutional Advancement and Pub- and are still dealing with how to improve today. to the next car, but looked through the subway lic Information Officer for a summary of the Nick Godfrey, a sophomore at Mary- glass at me and flipped me off and then came events as they occurred over the past month. mount, encountered the man who would later back into the car and got close to me...one to two He gave her a response, where he summarised be identified as Esias Johnson three times on the feet close to my face and told me he didn’t do events chronologically and explained why the night of October 22nd, 2019. Nick sat down with anything. I tried to cause a scene, and said stop College closed, saying: “The College was con- Neil Gunnion, a Staff Writer for the Monitor, for harassing me, stop harassing me. At that point, fident that these calls were made by the same an interview. Godfrey said his first encounter oc- the subway doors opened at 57th and 7th...me individual who was harassing students; how- curred around 6:45 PM, and that Johnson had ac- and my friend got off, and he followed us off the ever, NYPD needed to conduct a thorough in- costed another student (whom he did not name) train, shouting after us. The last thing I audibly vestigation to be able to legally link Johnson... 15 minutes prior to his encounter. The 6:45pm heard him say was something along the lines of I The College closed from October 1 through 6 encounter happened outside of the 72nd Street still see you...don’t think I can’t find you--I know while this investigation was being conducted.” school entrance, in which Godfrey described what you look like now--I know where you go Esias Johnson, the person of in- that Johnson “was implying that if I was not nice to school. My friend and I ran out of the station terest, was arrested on October 22nd and charged to him--to essentially watch my back,”. Godfrey and hid in the back of a nearby Starbucks, where with aggravated assault and making terroristic called campus security, causing Johnson to flee. I called campus security and she (his friend) threats. However, questions and concerns from He began to notify his close friends about the en- called 911.” The police took a statement, and he the student body still persist about what specif- counter, and gave a statement to security before and his friend began walking to the 55th Street ically the faculty was doing to improve security, walking to the 72nd Street subway station.He Residence Hall. Godfrey also told the Monitor and why they seemed to avoid being forthcoming spotted Johnson again on the platform, at which that after the police took a statement, he re- as these events unfolded. In his interview, Nick point he backed up and called security again. Se- ceived a call from Carol Jackson, who he says Godfrey also informed us that the announce- curity informed him that the police were on the was “very supportive”Jackson offered to help ment made over the P.A. System in the campus’ way, and would meet him at the station. Godfrey him get an Uber home so that he wouldn’t have Starbucks, which he was in when the evacuation says that the police arrived within ten minutes, to risk taking public transportation. Godfrey de- was announced, could not be clearly heard. Some but before they arrived, Johnson had returned cided to stay with his friend for the time being. students were told by security that the evacua- to the top of the stairs. Godfrey told the woman Upon arriving at the Residence Hall, they went tion was a drill instead of an actual evacuation. in the ticket booth what was happening, before to tell the guards what had happened. “They said Godfrey recalls that at the first student forum, Johnson began to confront him again. As God- that they hadn’t heard anything from the school which was held after the initial October 1-6 clo- frey summarizes: “...[h]e was trying to say that at all about the man being present once again. sure, faculty and staff “constantly reassured us... he wasn’t the person I thought he was, that he Their words to me were “oh, we would probably that they’d be more prompt with getting informa- wouldn’t do anything--that he was innocent. I hear within a few hours.’’ All of these encounters tion out to students”. After speaking to all parties, asked him to go away, at which point he said that with Johnson occurred between approximately students and faculty alike want to make prog- he was leaving...that he saw that I was scared to 6:45 PM and 8:30 PM. Within the time frame ress on issues of security and transparency. That take the train and that he felt bad and wanted of these encounters, no formal security notice progress could come in time, but students and to leave so I could go home. I didn’t trust that. was issued. Some of Godfrey’s friends had heard faculty alike will have to work together to make Megan Arnold He heard a train coming... hopped the turnstile through him and others what was happening. He a safer environment for everyone at the college.

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