Vol 10 No. 1 York College of the City University of New YorkN Jamaica-Bayside January 29,1973 Urban Center Robbed King Park to be Closed? by Adele Zylber had been first discovered on by Gabriel Ceron Saturday morning when the center The Urbar Center was was opened for classes. "I im- Rufus King Park may be closed burglarized sometime during the mediately notified the police of the during the remaining of the winter night of Friday, January 5. The 203rd precinct," he stated. as a result of a suspicious fire items taken were two large electric When Detective Partland which destroyed the front steps of typewriters and some stereo-radio arrived, the only clue to be found King Mansion on January 17. equipment. Mr. Elias Page, was a broken knife blade lying on Employees of the park said that Assistant to the Director of the the floor of room 215. Mr. Page, teenagers congregate in the heated Urban Center, who informed the who is now working in close comfort station during the winter police of the robbery, is now cooperation with the police, stated, months and were seen on the steps working closely with Detective "This is the fourth time the of the mansion just before the fire. Mickey Partlard of the 16th building has been ripped off. In The damage at the Colonial Division burglar squad of the each instance, when we have been Mansion was held down con- 103rd precinct and Mr. Ricardo burglarized, it has happened at siderably, as the blaze was spotted Santiago, Chief of Security at night or over a weekend period." quickly by a nearby group of York. Mr. Santiago is certain that He went on to say, "I also feel that senior citizens and by fire officers the evidence indicates that whoever did this did not have a of the 50th Batallion who coin- whoever was involved in the car. Their limited carrying power cidentally were driving towards robbery had access to a key for the only allowed them to take the two their headquarters located several building. As of yet, there have typewriters and the stereo blocks away on Hillside Ave. been no leads in the case. equipment and walk off. Other According to park officials, this When night falls, King Park and Rufus King Mansion become the There were no outward in- than the broken knife blade, there fortunate occurance held the prey for criminals of every stripe. dications of the robbery. There is no other clue, but I feel there damage down to $300 to $400. was no broken glass or broken had to be at least two people to The new City Park Commission, The recent fire comes in the pulsive". locks. According to Mr. Santiago, carry off the typewriters." Richard M. Clurman made a brief wake of the appointment of Mr. If Mr. Clurman comes through "There were no signs of forced All the locks in the Urban inspection of the damage and of Clurman as the city's new Parks, on his promise, Rufus King Park, entry in the building. It had to be Center have now been changed as the comfort station where he was Recreation, and Cultural Affairs one of the scarce places in Jamaica someone with a key" since the a security precaution. There will told by a park employee how, every Administrator. He immediately where we are reminded that the door was found to be re-locked on still be no guard stationed per- day, teenagers come is apparently set-off something of a furor at his world does not consist solely of Saturday morning, when the manently in the building since, as to cut school and weather the cold. swearing in ceremony. Mr. concrete and asphalt, may be robbery was discovered. Mr. Santiago puts it, "There is no They "spread their coats on the Clurman (formerly of Time Inc. closed. An electric typewriter, valued at necessity for it." However, a guard floor with wine bottles and and the City Center) said the Parks Police Captain Glanven approximately $500 was taken will be patrolling the area in and everything." When the teenagers Department will "withdraw" its Alverange of the 103rd Precinct from room 103 (the secretaries around the urban center several are told to leave they refuse, and maintenance men and services promised more help in patrolling office). The burglars also took an times a night. Apparently, there their presence causes other people from public parks that are the park, where there were four electric typewriter valued at ap- had been a guard patrolling the to be afraid to use the station's repeatedly vandalized and where homicides last year. Several proximately $525 and some stereo- area around the Urban Center over facilities. When asked what he had there has been no sign of "com- months ago two men were mur- radio equipment worth $150 from the weekend, but there had been learned on the inspection tour the munity collaboration to keep dered in the park during the night room 215 (the office of Pandora's no sign of illegal entry. new commissioner said that facilities intact." Reaction to the causing faculty and students to Box). They gained access to the The police have already notified "apparently a new clean comfort statement was mixed. Manhattan express deep concern over the locked newspaper office by for- all pawn shops and repair shops station tends to be a gathering Borough President Percy Sutton proposed extension of classes until cibly removing some of the (one of the typewriters was in need place for vandals." complained that Clurman should 10 p.m. overhead ceiling riles from the hall of repair) in the area to look out The Mansion was built in 1750 first "upgrade the productivity of outside the office, climbing for the stolen property. The serial by Rufus King, a delegate to the his maintenance workers to a Captain Warren Otto, acting through to the office ceiling, numbers of the typewriters have first Continental Congress. In decent standard." William chief of the 50th Batallion said breaking several ceiling tiles in the also been distributed. March of 1964, the mansion was Buckley praised him in his column that if eyewitnesses can be found office, and jumping to the floor All that is possible is being done gutted and destroyed by a fire for being a "no-nonsense anti- the blaze will be reported to the from the ceiling. They apparently by the police at the present time to which caused more than $35,000 ideologue", and in the tradition of fire marshall's office for in- took only what they could carry capture the perpetrators. However, in structural damage and the loss Robert Moses. Mr. Moses, a vestigation. As of Monday January and walked out the door. the only information Detective of many valuable arltiuqes. At that former Park Commissioner and 22, fire officers at the 50th Mr. Page was first informed Partland was willing to disclose time the Mansion was closed for builder of many of the city's parks, Batallion reported no new in- about the robbery on Monday was that "there are no further two years while repairs were being blasted Clurman's policy as formation about the fire or its morning, although the burglary developments in the case." made. "utterly impractical" and "im- perpetrators. pay something for that special did were exceedingly large. When benefit. Such an answer cannot a very large percentage of the age survice scrutiny. First, it is not group attends, the prospect of more true that the personal unusual personal benefits benefits vis-a-vis societal benefits decreases while societal benefits Kibbee on Free Tuition are greater for those who attend increase. Today almost 60 percent college today than they were for of those graduating from high those who attended high school a school go on to college. In New A strong plea for continuation education financing policy. The universities. If most of these half century ago. The level of York City the percentage is 75. of tuition-free undergraduate Keppel Task Force is expected to decisions are considered by the education to which one aspires The Regents have proposed that education at City University of submit its recommendations by regional council before being does not control the benefit he by 1980 we should expect 80 New York and a recommendation mid-February. It includes ad- submitted to the Regents, a great derives from it as much as the percent to move on to post- for increased authority over higher ministrators from private colleges many of the problems might never percentage of his peers who have secondary education." education by Regents-appointed and from the State University. develop." the same opportunity. When only Dr. Kibbee emphasized that regional councils were among the Dr. Kibbee told the panel, "We Chancellor Kibbee hit hard at a few were attending college the New York City taxpayers con- points made by CUNY Chancellor applaud the advent of regional proposals to mandate tuition for potential benefits for those who Continued on Page 5 Robert J. Kibbee this week in planning and cooperation through CUNY undergraduates. He testimony before the Task Force to a system of advisory higher asserted^that the university's free Study the Financing of Higher education councils...The councils tuition policy "is an indispensable Education in New York State. Dr. should not only advise the Regents reality that speaks to the needs of Kibbee also urged formal ser- on proposed capital plans for the people, to the proper func- verance of CUNY's eight com- institutions within their regions, tioning of government, and to a munity colleges from formal they should review major changes proper understanding of wJiat has supervision by the State in curricula and programs and happened and is happening in our Sckeduk 4 University's board of trustees.