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NOVEMBER 2019 THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SUNY OLD WESTBURY #569 Free T H E [email protected]“IGNITING THE MIND” OldWestburyCatalyst.org The Persistence The Return of the Micro-Credentials of IT Problems Arrive at SUNY By Brianna Knibbs and Missing Panther OW Jalen Michael By Selena Valentin “All audio-visual equipment in the college classrooms not just the NAB or Micro-credentials are now avail- the library is in working order and func- able at SUNY Old Westbury and are tioning,” according to Evan Kobolakis, available for non-degree students. assistant vice president of information Micro-credential are a digital form technology services and chief informa- of certification that indicates compe- tion officer. But staff, faculty, and stu- tency in a specific skill or set of skills, dents disagree. according to the National Education Professor Lee Blackstone, associate Association (NEA). To earn micro-cre- professor of sociology, said, “Not much dentials, educators identify competen- has improved, that I can tell, from my cies they want mastered and students last interview. I still experience prob- complete the requirements to earn lems getting the video projector in my them. “Because micro-credentialing is room to ‘respond’ to the main console Leonore J. Walsh, director of athletics The Panther a relatively new model of professional on occasion, so I’ve had to work around By Brian Ramanand learning, there is very little existing that (i.e., finding a DVD video I was contract language or policy documen- If there is one thing students at fans, the beloved mascot is not only going to show) or on YouTube instead tation codifying implementation,” the SUNY Old Westbury share, it’s their returning but is also getting revamped. NEA notes. and praying that the streaming speed Panther Pride. However, students have For the first time in years, the panther A micro-credential certifies that a won’t be too slow.” quickly noticed that the panther mascot mascot is going to get a brand new student has attained a specified com- A professor in the American Stud- has been missing this semester. Early design. The mascot, known as petency or skill set, generally by com- ies/Media and Communications reports of the missing mascot came “OWWIN” [Old Westbury- WIN], was pleting a group of two to four related Department, who wished to remain after the SUNY OW homecoming 2019 first introduced to the campus on Octo- courses with a grade of B or better. anonymous, twice had to move class- shirt distribution. ber 14, 2008 during the opening cere- Once the requirements of a micro-cre- rooms this semester, disrupting stu- The panther did not appear on the mony for the inaugural Panther Pride dential are completed, a student is dents, because the audio/visual equip- logo, leaving many to wonder: where is Week, according to oldwestburypan- issued a digital icon that can be embed- ment didn’t work. Such equipment is the panther? thers.com. ded in social media or an electronic still broken in some NAB classrooms. Well, no need to panic panther Director of athletics at SUNY OW, résumé. Stony Brook University and the Laura Chipley, assistant professor (Cont. on page 3.) University of Buffalo are among the of media and communications and universities that are already using co-director of the Media Innovation micro-credentials. Center, said that she has to bring her Director of the School of Profes- sional Studies Edward Bever, who is own adapter to the library to plug into How Internships Add to a directing the micro-credential program, the school issued computer via HDMI. Student’s Experience said, “We’re just starting our first set The malfunctioning of newly-in- and the School of Business has two in stalled printers –which department and Future Employment its graduate accounting program in tax- secretaries, in particular, say are not ation. So they can have people come in necessary and are difficult to use -- per- and take two or three classes with them sists with one SUNY OW employee By Ghadir Razeq and get a micro-credential for that and recalling a recent incident in which a then the person might decide to go on professor trying to print received only Every semester SUNY Old West- learning experiences that involve a real and get the full masters degree here or blurred pages. This printer is one of bury media and communications stu- work environment and workplace they may just come and take the couple sixty-two multifunction printing devic- dents gain valuable work experience expectations. According to the Associ- of classes.” es on campus which, according to through internships. ation of American Colleges and Uni- The School of Business is offering a business taxation micro-credential and Kobolakis, “Reduce the cost of printing They learn new and appropriate versities (AAC&U), seventy-three per- an estate, gift & trust taxation and copying and offer added function- skills and gain knowledge, preparing cent of employers encourage colleges ality [such as] printing, copying and micro-credential on the graduate level, them for jobs. But the reality for many to emphasize the ability to apply and on the undergraduate level the scanning.” These devices were pur- is far away from what they were knowledge and skills to real-world set- Department of Psychology is offering chased for $168,000 under a five-year (Cont. on page 3.) expecting, as for many students find- tings through internships. the micro-credential in foundational ing a job after graduating is not easy. “Internships provide an opportu- (Cont. on page 3.) That is why SUNY OW students need nity for a student to learn about the to consider doing internships as career area of their interest from the inside,” investments that can help them said American Studies/Media and FASHION explore employment opportunities Communications Professor Karl Gross- SPORTS after graduation. man, who began and supervised PAGES Employers and organizations internships in journalism at SUNY Old PAGES across the country offer internships to Westbury forty-years ago. Since he ini- 7-8 provide students with career-based tiated the internship program, more 15-16 (Cont. on page 3.) THE CATALYST TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Editor: CAMPUS NEWS Selena Valentin PAGES 1-6 THE PERSISTENCE OF IT PROBLEMS THE RETURN OF THE MISSING PANTHER Managing Editors: MICRO-CREDENTIALS ARRIVE AT SUNY OW HOW INTERNSHIPS ADD TO A STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE Brianna Knibbs and AND FUTURE EMPLOYMENT Jalen Michael SUNY OLD WESTBURY HONORED WITH HIGHER EDUCATIONEXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY AWARD SGA OPEN FORUM THE SEARCH FOR A NEW PRESIDENT Web Editor: SUNY OLD WESTBURY’S NEWEST SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR: NICOLE SASU-TWUM Eric Landro IS OUR CAMPUS SAFE? MEET THE CHARTWELLS CREW: MARIA GRANDE JIMENEZ Layout Editor: MOLD PROTEST ARTIST STATEMENT: MARIANA OSPINA Joseph Wood OPINION Contributors: PAGE 7 NEW YORK COMIC CON AGAIN AMAZES FANS Laura Francavilla REVIEW Derbie Pierre-Louis Cedric Pompey PAGES 7, 10-13 POST MALONE’S “RUNAWAY TOUR” RECAP Megan Ramanand HOW THE ADDAMS FAMILY USES REAL WORLD Simran Sood POLITICS TO ITS ADVANTAGE THE INSTITUTE JOKER Interns: “SHARP OBJECTS” Alyssa Allwood MOVIE PICKS OF THE MONTH (OCTOBER) Lauren Deleon DOCTOR SLEEP WORLD WAR JOY TOUR COMES TO BARCLAYS CENTER Michael Devlin LIFESTYLE Brian Ramanand PAGES 8-9 TOP FIVE JAPANESE BRANDS TO KNOW ABOUT Photographer: FASHION TRENDS Anthony Bruno SPORTS PAGES 15-16 Faculty Advisor: JOELLE DESROSIERS NABBED HER FIRST WEEKLY John S. Friedman HONOR OF THE SEASON SWIMMING COLLIDES WITH LEHMAN 2 www.oldwestburycatalyst.org THE CATALYST 223 Store Hill Rd. Old Westbury, NY, 11568 (516)876-3208 CAMPUS NEWS Cont. from page 1 The Persistence of IT Problems contract that covers toner, support and much of the equipment can be as the network administrator left in cannot compete compensation wise, maintenance, Kobolakis said. replaced. A source close to the IT October and his responsibilities fell on with financial services firms, hospitals, This amount could have replaced department warned that if there were a the remaining staff. or private colleges,” he said. “While our AV equipment in at least ten classrooms network breakdown the school’s tech- Employees are reportedly dissatis- budget has increased and positions at a cost of between $12,000 to $15,000 nology would be crippled for many fied with the ITS management style. A were added, the salary gap still remains each. days due in part to a lack of trained source, who has since resigned, com- deep and wide.” Furthermore, maverick drones personnel. plained that the management lacks were purchased, according to a source, The main duties of a network communication and has a demeaning but are not being used, and the use of administrator include being responsi- approach to the staff. the virtual reality lab installed in Room ble for analysis, design, implementa- But Kobolakis states that the depar- 106 of the NAB about three months ago tion, maintenance and support of ture of employees is due a high turn- is unclear. SUNY OW’s infrastructure. But the around in IT positions caused by highly Kobolakis says that the school senior system administrator left earlier competitive labor markets with a high needs to replace its networking before this year. Then the person who followed demand for IT services. “[SUNY OW] Cont. from page 1 How Internships Add to a Student’s Experience and Future Employment than 3,500 journalism students have and told of being offered a job—but completing my work,” Ms. Parasco participated.This semester thirty-one working in the mail room at CBS. “He said. “I only spoke to my advisors and students are taking part. spoke of not wanting this, of seeking to they never told me what I should do “At the start of every semester, I be a producer,” Professor Grossman besides choosing my classes.” devote a good part of my first or recalled.