ENVIRONMENT ● Climate protest PSC members will march for action to curb climate larıon chaos. PAGE 4 CNEWSPAPER OF THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF CONGRESS / CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK SEPTEMBER 2014 ‘CUNY NEEDS a Negotiators for the PSC and CUNY management met over the summer the PSC was pressing management to do so. As Clarion went to press, RAISE!in bargaining for a new union contract. Demands from both sides were the union was preparing for a demonstration in late September,’ which discussed, and negotiators say that some progress has been made. But will be called if management does not soon put a viable offer on the CUNY has not yet made an economic offer – and as Fall semester began, table. See inside for details. PAGE 3 RACE & INEQUALITY PENSIONS ADJUNCT HEALTH ON CAMPUS The summer of New full-timers Sign up for new Open access our discontent must pick plan plan by Sept. 19 to learning This summer, African Newly hired full-time It’s a major union victory: City Tech builds community Americans took to the faculty and staff must as of Oct. 1, adjunct health with OpenLab, a teaching and streets to demand respect choose a pension plan insurance will come through learning platform where fac- for human rights and an end within their first 30 days the NYC Health Benefits ulty and students collaborate. to racist violence in all its at CUNY. Get the Program. Sign up before the They hope to expand the proj- many forms. PAGE 10 facts inside. PAGE 8 Sept. 19 deadline. PAGES 6-7 ect to other colleges. PAGE 2 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS ● AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS ● NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ● NYC CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL ● NYS AFL-CIO ● NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS 2 NEWS & LETTERS Clarion | September 2014 WRITE TO: CLARION/PSC, 61 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10006. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | EMAIL: [email protected]. FAX: 212-302-7815. CUNY IN BRIEF Molinaro not confirmed The State Senate ended its legis- CUNY conversations on climate crisis lative session without approving former Staten Island Borough Presi- ● The People’s Climate March of information cannot be gotten just the new State of New York evalu- pervasive in diminishing school dent James Molinaro to the CUNY September 21 in New York City is from television programs, but it is ation system for student teachers performance. Board of Trustees. Last December, of critical importance. It is very not difficult to get the statements of [see Clarion, May 2014]. However, Our US population is segregated Governor Andrew Cuomo nominat- good that PSC is supporting it. The Union of Concerned Scientists, the struggle is far from over be- by race, income and ethnicity. There ed Molinaro, who had crossed party Climate change is a problem about of 350.org, or of Friends of the Earth, cause basic attitudes have not are generally poorer performances lines to endorse Cuomo in 2010. which anyone looking seriously at to mention only some of the impor- changed significantly: national from immigrant groups and mi- “I didn’t hear from nobody. I don’t the evidence, and thinking ahead tant organizations. Even easier is and state leaders still see teachers norities for reasons of poverty, lan- know anything,” Molinaro told the more than five years, can only to get to the basic science-based as the problem, overlooking deep guage, and past and present racist New York Post in June, when he was come to the conclusion that radical sources: Statements of the National inequalities and racism in our so- and exclusionary policies. contacted about his failed confirma- new policies are urgently needed. Academies, The World Bank Report ciety. A recent Economic Policy The authorities are by no means tion. “I’m not surprised by anything.” Yet in the present situation the of 2012, and mainly the recent UN Institute report shows declining finished with us or with EdTPA be- Cuomo’s appointment of Molinaro, necessary changes will not happen Intergovernmental Climate Panel incomes over the last three years cause they want to deflect attention a Conservative Party leader, rankled without a push by a strong popular report. All these have easily read- in every income group except the from bigger problems by focusing on many Democrats and women’s rights movement. able clear summaries. top two-tenths. teachers at all levels as solely re- advocates. In a 2012 public address, My point in writing this letter is Adam Koranyi Teachers, however dedicated and sponsible for student performance, Molinaro repeatedly called pop that we at CUNY have a particular Lehman College well trained, cannot overcome deep rather than all the stakeholders entertainer Lady Gaga “a slut”; he responsibility in this matter to- inequalities and entrenched and including parents, students, and has also expressed a desire to slash wards our students. I think it is our growing racism. There is an almost leadership itself. funds for unwed teenage mothers. duty to reach out to them and en- Inequality and education perfect correlation between school They want a cheap way out, and a The Post reports that it was un - courage them to educate themselves ● Our union, united with the UUP, test scores, student performance, smokescreen that hides underlying clear whether Cuomo withdrew about climate change and about NYSUT and others, successfully and teacher accomplishment with problems. Molinaro’s nomination or the the popular movement aimed at won college students in education socioeconomic status. Such in- Jack Zevin State Senate refused to take up his keeping it under control. Sufficient an 18-month reprieve from EdTPA, equality is difficult to solve while Queens College appointment. Teach, learn and revise on OpenLab By SHOMIAL AHMAD In terms of OpenLab’s use with later in the semester. “It reinforced courses, Smale says, the aim was the critique process, which is a huge Faculty and staff at City Tech were to create a pedagogical tool, not a part of the design process.” dissatisfied with existing software course-management tool like Black- This year Spevack has worked on for higher education – so they built board. She says the “openness” of making the site more mobile-friend- their own. The result is OpenLab, a OpenLab has advantages and it’s a ly. The group is also looking at ways collaborative tool for teaching and nice option to have. to continue funding the project once learning that’s now widely used at “It’s a place for work to take the current grant ends next year. the college. place and not to just be stored,” City Tech Coordinator of Library Smale remarked. “In some sense, NEXT STEPS Instruction Maura Smale, one work just ends up on Students who choose to publicly of the first directors of the ‘It really Blackboard. It’s less of a display their e-portfolios and other initiative, says they set out to encourages place where work is ac- work on OpenLab find that this can create a site that would help tively happening.” help when trying to score a job or students feel more connected a sense of OpenLab takes inspi- internship, according to Damon at the commuter campus. Ev- community.’ ration from other CUNY Baker, an assistant professor who erything from the back-end initiatives, like the CUNY teaches on interactive entertain- development to the airy site design Academic Commons developed at ment. Baker, who uses OpenLab to the OpenLab logo was created by the Graduate Center. Both sites for all his classes, says he’s seen City Tech faculty, staff and students. were developed by the same lead students take projects that they “It really encourages a sense of developer and use a WordPress did in class and translate them to community, because you can see platform that connects its pages the start of a career. One student what’s happening, what courses with the online social networking posted a short video that showed are going on,” Smale told Clarion. tool BuddyPress. the successful result of his project “We’ve had students say they’ll and gave a short explanation of how look at other courses in their pro- COLLABORATION he accomplished it. gram just to see what those students Compared to the Commons, “the “He had rigged up a drum kit, are doing in the class.” OpenLab’s main difference is that OpenLab is Pat Arnow so if he played the drums it would emphasis on collaboration makes more course-centered” says Jody OpenLab Codirector Jody Rosen at a campus workshop, where City Tech faculty trigger LEDs that he’d built inside it well suited for this kind of cross- Rosen, a co-director of the OpenLab explored ways to use OpenLab in their courses. of it,” Baker told Clarion. “Now he class connection, or for a joint proj- project. “There are a few courses does this for theatrical and some ect that two or more classes might that are taught on [the Academic In one learning community, project, says an important aspect of commercial display systems.” work on together. Commons], but by and large it’s not where the same students were the platform is teaching the process The architects of OpenLab hope to OpenLab is part of a five-year really course-focused – it’s more taking classes in both hospital- of design, with her students learn- expand it beyond City Tech to other City College initiative funded by interest-group focused.” ity management and English, they ing to “revise, revise, revise.” colleges and CUNY campuses. That the federal government with a grant Rosen used OpenLab last Spring created “#TheGuide” for other could mean packaging the open- that ends next fall.