Over a Century of Service to CCNY & the Harlem Community
February 2014
Why Millennials Will Save the World.
CUNY'S NEW CHANCELLOR From Nebraska to New York City
THE YEAR AHEAD
A Primer for 2014 At CCNY
BASKETBALL UPDATES Midterm Report ccnycampus
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@ccnycampus
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Table of Contents 3 NEWS
CUNY Appoints New Chancellor Rachel Mines
4 OPINION
New Year, New Beginnings Kishan Singh & Anika Islam
6 ACTIVISM
10 FEATURE
The Real "Greatest" General-Us Rachel Mines
11 EVENTS
Black History Month Staff
12 SPORTS
Editorial Team
Editor in Chief Louis Oprisa Managing Editor Rochelle Sterling Opinion & Feature Nikeeyia Howell Sports Jeff Weisinger Lifestyle Natalie Renteria Copy Chief Hannington Dia Copy Editors Esme Cribb, Rachel Finley, Lucy Lao
Business
Join Business A Call to Arms
Hannington Dia
8 FEature
The Real "Greatest" General–Us Rachel Mines
The Campus
Tumbling Down the Stretch Jeff Weisinger
Creative Directors
13 Sports
Roberto Guzmán & Liz Fonseca
News Magazine
Greener Pastures Await Jeff Weisinger
Multimedia
Web Manager Rachel Mines Social Media Manager Natalie Renteria Video Editor Eitan Negri
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Hannington Dia
Editor’s Note
Business Manager Ashlee Schuppius Ad Sales Sandra Fisac Rodriguez
Faculty Advisor Professor Linda Villarosa
Advertising
In honor of Black History Month, The Campus campus stemming from last semester– has dedicated our February back cover to from student activism to technology the mural on 125 W 125th St. Expect to see upgrades (or a lack thereof ), as well as Internship experience - Salesonexperience Commission! the continuation of polarizing debates sports- and helpful lifestyle pieces.
Contact the business manager for any questions - Ashlee Schuppius General@ccnycampus.org - Ads@ccnycampus.org Come to our meetings if interested Thursdays 12:30-2 pm Nac 1/119
Cover Image
Team! Louis Oprisa & Roberto Guzmán
Join Business The Campus
News Magazine
Advertising
Internship experience - Sales experience - Commission! Contact the business manager for any questions - Ashlee Schuppius General@ccnycampus.org - Ads@ccnycampus.org Come to our meetings if interested Thursdays 12:30-2 pm Nac 1/119
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Team!
February 2014
CUNY APPOINTS New Chancellor President of University of Nebraska Leaves Post to Lead CUNY. By Rachel Mines │ Photo: University of Nebraska
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n January 15th, The Board of Trustees unanimously voted in former President of the University of Nebraska, James B. Milliken, as the new CUNY Chancellor. Milliken will replace Matthew Goldstein starting June 1st and is leaving his current post as President of NU for the new position, which he has held for nearly ten years. The 56-year-old is also an alma mater of NU, and after earning his law degree at New York University he served with the Legal Aid Society’s Civil Division, Chelsea Neighborhood Branch, and then later worked as an attorney with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft until 1988. He also recently represented the United States in the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogues conference in New Delhi with Secretary of State John Kerry, and has worked in Washington as a legislative assistant to Congresswoman Virginia Smith. While CUNY has seen an expansion over the past few years, along with growing graduation rates and increased academic standards, Milliken will be faced with tensions surrounding former Chancellor Goldstein’s push for the “common core,” and as the The New York Times wrote, “large pockets of impoverished and academically lagging students.” The Board of Trustees hopes Milliken is the solution to CUNY’s problems.
50,000 students, 13,000 faculty and staff, and operated with an annual budget of $2.3 billion. Under his leadership, NU reached a twenty-year high enrollment rate of 50,705, as well as record high donations of $236.7 million. Although the Board of Trustees voted unanimously (14-to-0), skeptics may point to his lack of background as a New Yorker as cause for concern. The Nebraskan comes from a family with four generations who attended NU; CUNY students may wonder whether he can effectively identify areas of need and improvement for a population he’s never served before. Another point of possible contention is Milliken’s salary: $670,000 plus a university car and residence. In a statement to NU, Milliken said, “This university (NU) is poised for great things. While it is difficult to leave, I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve as the chancellor of CUNY, a university that plays such a vital role for the nation's largest city and the entire country.” n
As President of NU, Milliken oversaw the school’s four main campuses,
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Opinion
The Campus
What to Expect These Upcoming Semesters. By Kishan Singh & Anika Islam
Anything can happen at The City College of New York. And 2013 was no exception.
tuition will match the tuition fees of most SUNY universities or even more,” says student Rolando Ignace.
City College has had one heck of a year: Named a “Best Value” college by the Princeton Review, visited by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, stirred by dozens of student protests, as well as numerous on campus events.
Luis Camejo, another student, says, “At this point it is an issue of respect and decency. When you increase tuition by $300 on a student with loans, who commutes, and has to juggle five classes; you have a situation that can potentially ruin your time in school and your transcript.”
Now that the ball has dropped in Times Square and it is officially 2014, what should students expect to happen on campus this year? The Campus has a few things that you should be on the lookout for: Tuition Rising For the fourth straight year, CCNY students can expect to see another increase in tuition. This is a direct result of a measure approved by the Board of Trustees in 2011, which raises tuition $150 per semester or $300 annually. By 2015, tuition in all fouryear CUNY colleges is expected to be $6,330 per academic year. “It's unfair that students choose to go to CUNY universities such as City College because of affordability, but then the direction it's heading towards now is crazy. I feel sooner or later CUNY
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Wi-Fi’s 11th Hour Ask any CCNY student trying to connect to the internet or attempting to download the latest iOS update on campus and they`ll probably tell you, “the Wi-Fi is terrible, I can’t do it.” For years, CCNY has suffered from a poor digital infrastructure, prompting faculty and students to vent their frustrations. In March 2013, the Office of Information & Technology sent out an email to faculty, staff and students, in which it promised that beginning in Fall 2013; it will implement a campus wide wireless upgrade. However, nothing came to fruition. In response to this, the Director of the Office of Information & Technology,
Vern Ballard, told The Campus that, “The Office of Information Technology will be implementing a comprehensive upgrade of the Wi-Fi network beginning in 2014. This upgrade will improve the Wi-Fi network by deploying additional access points, especially in areas currently experiencing poor coverage. This expansion will also enable more devices to access the Wi-Fi network.” Continued MSCC Fallout In October 2013, the college community witnessed the closing of the MoralesShakur Center, formerly located in NAC 3/201. The space, which was won as a result of the 1989 tuition hike protests, housed many activist groups on campus. CCNY officials argue that the space was needed to expand the Careers and Professional Development Institute, originally located on the first floor of the NAC. Alyssia Osorio, director of Students for Educational Rights (SER) says, “I think that this [closing of the MoralesShakur Center] is a direct attack on free speech on campus. We were effectively organizing out of that center.” In recent discussions regarding the center, CCNY President Lisa Staiano-
February 2014
"…to build a CUNY-wide movement that will unite all progressives in the battles against tuition hikes, gentrification, for safe spaces in CUNY, for CUNY to be accessible to the communities of NYC... essentially, to build a movement that will liberate CUNY for the people." –Tafadar Sourov RSCC Student Organizer at CCNY "…to become an integral part of the City College community. We hope to recruit one hundred tutors and offer weekly professional development workshops."
Coico, called for the development of a City College Urban Center, which would serve as a substitute for the Morales-Shakur Center. Osorio however, is not impressed. She adds, “President Lisa's response was unsatisfactory. The urban center doesn't make sense; why not give back what was wrongfully taken from us in the first place? ” Expansion of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership In November 2013, former U.S. Secretary of State and CCNY Alumnus, Gen. Colin Powell, donated $5 Million to CCNY for the recently established, Colin L. Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. Recent plans call for the renovation of the Alumni House, a townhouse owned by City College in the Hamilton Heights Historic District, to expand the Powell School`s services. The townhouse was left vacant after it was damaged by a fire in the 70s. Upon completion the building will host workshops, leadership training and professional development for students, and interactions between campus and community leaders.
Construction is set to begin in early 2014. Student Clubs & Organizations Website Initiative With over 200 clubs on campus, many students find it difficult to contact organizations that they are interested in over the years. This is the result of changing executive boards, new email addresses, etc. Beginning in 2014, the Office of Student Life & Leadership Development plans to implement a new club website initiative in which a club’s information will be available to all students. This includes their respective websites, emails, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. “I think that the website initiative will be beneficial to students on campus,” says student Charnae Betton. “We are a commuter school and a lot of students whether freshmen or senior don’t get involved and don't know what opportunities exist on campus. This could be another way for students to have an easier way to get involved at CCNY through clubs, despite having to travel to get here.” n
–Abin Sajan President, The City Tutors “…to host an awesome policy conference addressing equal justice policy or environmental policy issues while creating innovative policy solutions for our community and to establish partnerships with local high schools to teach students about policy.” –Angela Choi President, the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network at CCNY “In August, the City College Center for Discovery and Innovation will open the largest undergraduate research program in the New York metropolitan area. The new research center will become a gateway to the south campus, which also will feature the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center.” –Deidra Hill Vice President, Communications and Marketing at CCNY
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Activism
The Campus
A Call to Arms
Why is CUNY shifting from an open-minded, academic atmosphere to a militaristic lock-down? By Hannington Dia │ Photo: Archives & Special Collections
Officers stand guard as they watch students give their voice during a 1960’s protest. Their presence is needed to ensure students' and public's safety.
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ilitarization. Ugh! “Why can't these protesters just drop their signs, quit the yelling, vote and then go blog about it at Starbucks, like real liberals?” you ask. “Calling this 'militarization’ is straight BS.” Au contraire.
generations of student struggle and rising faculty response. So let's steal a DeLorean and rewind the dial to 1966, during the Vietnam War.
Given recent actions, including the hiring of David Petraeus and resurgent military recruitment on campuses, it seems CUNY is fostering an environment more conducive to military ideas and hostile to anyone challenging them.
According to the December 15th Campus edition from that same year, with colleges utilizing class rankings to determine draft statuses of male pupils, CCNY students staged a sit-in at the school's placement center. In response, the administration suspended thirtyfour students. Two years later, over one hundred students sat-in at Steinman Hall, protesting Dow Chemical employment recruiters on campus.
That transformation didn’t happen overnight–it is deeply rooted in
One of the chief manufacturers of Agent Orange in Vietnam, Dow was indirectly
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responsible for at least 4.8 million citizens being exposed to the chemical and 300,000 children born with birth defects there, according to the Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CCNY suspended thirteen students involved in the sit-in. As the 1969 CCNY shutdown won black and Hispanic students their demands for greater minority access to CUNY, and CUNY scholars acquired more victories through militant action, the administrative response exponentially increased as well, going beyond simple suspensions. In April 1989, CUNY students protested then-Governor Mario Cuomo's
February 2014
proposed tuition hikes. This eventually resulted in students occupying thirteen CUNY schools. Three years later, then-CUNY Chancellor Wynetka Reynolds established a peace officer team for the system, apparently to better police its campuses. It wasn’t long before the team made an alarming power move. According to a 1999 Village Voice article titled “Big Guns On Campus,” CUNY's security department purchased 100,000 rounds of ammunition– including 4,000 rounds of hollow-point bullets, 390 shotgun rounds and nine Glocks with night sight–from August 1995 through January 1998. CUNY spokeswoman Rita Rodin defended the purchases by noting the weapons were mandated by a training course six officers took to receive firearm certification, remarking, “The FBI requires whoever is taking the trainer course to learn the entire curriculum, not just the firearms they'd need to use here." Rodin, however, failed to answer the million-dollar question: On campuses that have seldom seen violence, let alone any instances necessitating lethal force, why have your officers undergo firearm training to begin with? Does Rodin know that hollow-point bullets expand upon entering targets to maximize organ damage? Or that shotguns can produce enough force to break the user’s shoulder, if the user isn't strong enough? Despite Rodin’s statement, the 1998 CUNY Classified Civil Service position description for peace officers does not mention mandated firearms training in any of its informative sections. Neither does the 2011 examination notice for peace officer positions. So again, why? The mere fact that these purchases were made sends a downright politically intimidating message. A similar reaction can be seen in how
“ I would not have arrested the students... Not all decisions are whithin one's control.” – President Lisa Staiano-Coico CUNY reinstituted the ROTC, after students uprooted it during the Vietnam demonstrations, to “contribute significantly to the racial, ethnic and geographic diversity that makes our Army strong” (the fact that this happened around the same time Petraeus debuted should not be taken lightly). Given the U.S Marine Corps' 2012 marketing campaign to rein in more African-American officers, and the Pentagon's plans to diversify the army through 2017, one can't help but wonder whether this is a disguised attempt at averting the school-to-prison pipeline and making more minority youth expendable. This militarized response is also evident in the taking of the Morales-Assata Student & Community Center, which often espoused anti-military sentiments. You can see it in how Tafadar Sourov and Khalil Vasquez, students who led the fight for the center, were not only suspended on questionable allegations of inciting riot, but in how CUNY pressed legal changes and had them arrested before their studentdisciplinary hearing. As Ronald McGuire, a veteran CUNY activist and their lawyer, noted at the hearing, the administration has lost control. “What’s happened is security is now dictating to the administration, not the other way around,” McGuire said. “When I was in CUNY, it used to be the administration told security what to do.
that’s a security threat,” he added, referencing how CUNY security, and not the people supposedly in charge, decided the hearing's location. “We’re being told that security is making these decisions.” Back in his day, McGuire claimed, security took orders from school deans during hearings. Even President Lisa Staiano-Coico implied at a recent faculty-senate meeting that orders to close the center and have Sourov and Vasquez arrested came from higher powers. “I would not have arrested the students,” Staiano-Coico said. “This was 180 degrees different from the way I would’ve handled it. Not all decisions are within one’s control. I didn’t want the students hurt or arrested.” There’s been a clear shift from CUNY mildly tolerating student uprisings against the military to fostering an environment where students who speak against it are repressed, viciously assaulted and criminally charged before even standing trial. One word comes to mind, which is militarization: “to imbue with militarism” or the “glorification of the ideals of a professional military class.” If CUNY’s actions aren't preparing students for war, then they at least appear to be promoting views favorable to our special forces. But hey, guess people who believe that are just nuts, guided by their “half-read Chomsky articles.” Right? n
“Now the security’s saying that they can’t allow you in a large room, because
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Activism
The Real
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“Grea The Campus
atest” Generation– US
February 2014
Why millennials will save the world. By Rachel Mines │ Photo: Roberto Guzmán
The Generations
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Greatest Generation Born before 1928 This is the hard-working group that survived the Great Depression, fought and won World War II.
hose of us who were born anytime between the 1980s and the 2000s have been called “Generation Y” or, more recently, “millennials.” Unfortunately, publications like Forbes, The New York Times, Fortune, Business Insider, and Christian Science Monitor have recently taken to bashing our generation, describing us as lazy, entitled, lacking direction and incapable of settling down. Google “millennials ” and you’ll find more of the same: narcissistic, coddled, unhappy—“trophy kids.” Time Magazine has been the harshest in a (cue the air quotes) groundbreaking article titled “The Me Me Me Generation” in June 2013. In it, author Joel Stein says, “Not only do millennials lack the kind of empathy that allows them to feel concerned for others, but they even have trouble intellectually understanding others’ points of view.” I beg to differ. Those of us in our teens and twenties are open-minded, environmentally and socially conscious, politically aware, educated, and tech savvy. We didn’t create the train wreck that our country and the world have become. We didn’t pollute the water and air and melt the polar ice caps. We didn’t trash the economy and destroy the job market or invent reality TV. So hey, parents, you’ve got some explaining to do. Instead of playing the blame game and ragging
on our generation for being lazy and for not buying houses or getting married and having children as young as you did, you might want to think about this: Our generation is poised to get us out of this mess. We’re going to change the world. Let’s not forget the time when Elvis’ hip gyrations were as scandalous as Miley Cyrus’s twerking. And the music that boomers were listening to in 1969 was thought to be as destructive as our habit of instantly uploading selfies to Instagram. But I digress. Critics accuse millennials of needing instant gratification and constant praise—everybody plays, everybody wins, and deserves a trophy. Instead, I say we are resultsdriven and have the know-how to produce—compared to the political parties controlled by older people who put our government in gridlock because they can’t get along. And lazy? Perhaps it has something to do with job market, or lack thereof. What looks like laziness is caution as we inherit an uncertain economy. For us, it has become less a question of effort and more “Where do you put that effort?” Entitled? I agree. I say we are entitled to a world where freedom and expression are the norm and the status quo is not. And we do express ourselves well. Sure, we may take a few frivolous
Silent Generation Born 1928-1945 These are children of the Great Depression and World War II. The “silent” label refers to their conformist and civic instincts. Baby Boomers Born 1946-1964 The name comes from the spike in fertility that began right after the end of World War II and ended just after the birth control pill went on the market. Generation X Born 1965 to 1980 Sometimes called the “baby bust,” Xers are often depicted as smart, entrepreneurial loners. Millennials Born after 1980 The first generation to come of age in the new millennium, this techsavvy, pop-culture literate generation survived 9/11 and the Great Recession. Adapted from the Pew Research Center
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Feature
The Campus
THE NEW FACE AMERICA THE NEW FACEOF OF AMERICA Millennials (ages 18-29) Millennials (ages 18-29)
61% White 19% Hispanic 14% Black
pictures once in a while and some of us have too many tattoos and piercings. But there is a silver lining –our ability to instantly update the cybersphere on our whereabouts and activities has made our generation more competitive and more eager to collect experiences over objects.
61% White
5% Asian
1% Other
When we do shop, we do it wisely.
19% Hispanic Boston Consulting Group surveyed a group of millennials to learn a 14% Black little more about our habits as
5% Asianconsumers. Much of what they Adults (ages 30 or older) 1% Other found was not particularly shocking–
Total of 830 people surveyed.
THE NEW FACE OF AMERICA
70% White 13% Hispanic 11% Black Total of 830 people surveyed. 5% Asian 1% Other
Total of 11,90 people surveyed.
Millennials’ Priorities Millennials’ Priorities %s reflect what is most important in life %s reflect what is most important in life
52%
52% Being a good parent Being a good parent Having a successful marriage 30% Having a successful marriage 30% 21% Helping others in need 21% Helping others in need 20% Owning a home 20% Owning a home 15% Living a very religious life 15% Living a very religious life 15% Having a high-paying career 15% Having a high-paying career 9% Having lots of free time 9% Having lots of free time 1% Becoming famous 1% Becoming famous Total of 830 people surveyed. Total of 830 people surveyed.
Do You Have a Profile on a Social Networking Site? %s reflect generations who have one
41%
All
75% 50% 30% 6%
Millennials (aged 18-29) Gen X (30-45) Boomer (aged 46-64) Silent (aged 65+)
Source Pew Research Center
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we use technology on the spot to compare prices and models, we prefer spacious stores with ambient music, and we like our store clerks to be fashionably dressed. The most interesting preference though was our emphasis on social responsibility. Millennials are more environmentally conscious, more culturally aware, and (for the most part) have no problem boycotting bad companies (Wal-Mart) and supporting the good ones (Toms). We have also utilized technology to support causes and even one
another on an individual level (Kickstarter, GoFundMe, etc). So even though we are criticized for our excessive use of technology, our attachment to our iPhones has a bright side. Our generation used Twitter to broadcast and call attention to the uprising in Egypt, and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Meanwhile, 49-year-old Anthony Weiner sent pictures of his penis to the Twitter-sphere. Who is making better use Wof technology now? Our generation celebrates diversity. We pushed for the legalization of gay marriage and immigration reform and elected a black president. Compare that to our parents’ generation which barely accepted women into the workforce. Millennials will save the world through our open minds and the tips of our fingers - whether we tweet it, instagram it, or text it. Sorry you’re having a hard time keeping up, parents. n
February 2014
Black History Month Check out these events at CCNY and Harlem Exhibit Harlem is… Activism
Profiles of 30 individuals whose dynamic lives and meaningful work helped define the Harlem community. Aaron Davis Hall lobby January 7 – February 28th
Exhibit
Portraits of a People: Historical Figures presented by the Black Student Union. Windows on Amsterdam: CCNY Community Arts Gallery, NAC Plaza near Amsterdam Avenue and 137th Street. Reception, discussion and unveiling of the images 12 noon – 2 pm Thursday, February 7th
Exhibit Hip Hop and the New Old School: Works from the House of Art Gallery
Works by Justin Bua and Dan Ericson. Reception 6 – 8 pm Wednesday, February 20th Center for Worker Education, 25 Broadway, Seventh Floor February 1 – 28th
Art Show Edge Art: Black-Latino(a) Artists, an Inter-Caribbean Dialovgue
Works of major Afro-Caribbean artists
plus BFA & MFA candidates from the CCNY Department of Art. Featured artists: Daphne Arthur, Clintel Steed, Lawrence Grahm Brown, Leonardo Benzant, Philippe Edner-Marius and Richard-Oliver Marius. Artist talk moderators: Erica Ageyman and Sherman Edmiston. Curator: Tod Roulette. Opening reception and artist talk: 6 – 8 pm Tuesday, February 5th Artist talk: 6 – 8 pm Tuesday, February 19th. Closing reception and artist talk: 6–8 pm Thursday, February 26th Cohen Library Archives Gallery February 4 – 28th
Film
Good Hair A comedy/documentary, with Chris Rock asking what defines good hair, according to black Americans. Rifkind Center, NAC Room 6/316 12 noon – 2 pm Thursday, February 7th
Open House
Apollo Theatre Open House Weekend–An Apollo 80th Anniversary Celebration Events will include historical tour of theater, cultural musical workshop, and gospel concert. For more info visit AppolloTheatre.org. Appollo Theatre Saturday, February 8th & Sunday, February 9th
martPitch Challenge INSTITUTE FOR
VIRTUAL
ENTERPRISE
Film
James Baldwin: Down from the Mountaintop
A one-man play written and performed by Tony Award nominee Calvin Levels depicting the rich and impassioned life of the esteemed novelist, playwright, essayist and civil rights activist James Baldwin. Theatre B, Aaron Davis Hall 6 pm Thursday, February 14th
Film
Glory Road In 1966, Texas Western University coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting lineup for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship. Rifkind Center, NAC Room 6/316 12 noon – 2 pm Tuesday, February 19th
Student Club
Come Meet the Black Student Union (BSU). Learn about the Black Student Union at its spring informational session for all students who are interested in learning more about this student organization. NAC Room 1/209 12 noon – 2 pm Thursday, February 21st
$25,000 in prize money
Have a great idea for a business?
Join us! smartpitch.org
Sports
The Campus
Mid-year Men's & Women's Basketball Report. By Jeff Weisinger │ Photo: Jeff Weisinger
This season wasn’t exactly what we thought we’d see from both the CCNY men’s and women’s basketball teams. In fact, it seems more like a step backward. Both teams have won a combined eight games throughout the 2013-14 campaign (8-16 overall combined) with the women’s team (5-8) slightly edging the men’s team (3-8) in the wins column. The men’s team had high expectations coming into this season after recording their 2012-13 campaign that saw their first double-digit win total in the last five years, while also rebounding from a 2-23 season the year before. The Beavers showed their potential talent despite a 2-2 start to the year, which included both a buzzer-beating three pointer by point guard Che McCoy in the season opener against The College of New Jersey, and a heartbreaking five-point, overtime loss at John Jay, both of which saw CCNY come back from behind. But after defeating Medgar Evers 97-83 back on Dec. 6, the Beavers dropped five straight as they continued to struggle offensively, scoring 80 points or more just twice during the skid. After ending the skid on Jan. 11 with a 69-65 win at home over Lehman College, the Beavers suffered their biggest loss of the year two days later, falling to NJIT 99-60.
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CCNY still has time to rebound, but the offense needs to be consistent if the Beavers want a shot at the CUNYAC tournament. The Women’s team had a less than stellar start to the season, dropping their first four games before defeating the USMMA 71-69 back on Dec. 4 for win number one. The Lady Beavers are 5-4 since the 0-4 start, trading pairs of wins with pairs of losses, recently defeating NYU-Poly 60-51 on Jan. 13 after dropping two straight prior against Rivier and Lehman. The Lady Beavers have already surpassed their win total from the 2012-13 campaign and with six of their next seven games being conference matchups, the Lady Beavers can make up ground in their hunt for a CUNYAC tournament spot. The women’s team has not won more than five games since 2009-10 when they won nine games, and in the 200809 season when they finished 13-13. n
February 2014 What he got himself into was a team that was permanently damaged from the point-shaving scandal of the 1950 NCAA Champion CCNY Beavers, and a program that had just blemishes of relevancy, in a school that barely noticed the athletic department. (“Wait, they play sports at CCNY?”) Green couldn’t do any better in Year One. After being hired in late August of the 2011-12 campaign, the inability to recruit anybody had the Beavers win just two games in 2011-12. “That season in particular was a tough one. There were a lot of losses and a lot of learning,” said current junior Jordan Ortega, who was a freshman on that two-win squad two years ago. “First year we were probably competitive in ten games,” Green added. “We just didn’t have enough firepower to complete games.”
Greener Pastures Await Why Tom Green is the Right Man to Lead CCNY Back to the top. By Jeff Weisinger │ Photo: Jeff Weisinger
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efore Tom Green reached the top of the hill at 137th and Convent Ave, aka The City College of New York, the Beavers had one season with ten-ormore wins: the 2006-07 season where they went 12-16 overall, 7-6 in the CUNYAC. That was also the last time to date that CCNY had a winning record in the CUNYAC. But before Green hit CCNY, he was out of coaching for two years. Where was he before his two year hiatus? Oh, he only became the winningest head coach in the history of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s
Men’s Basketball program (407-351), bringing what was once a struggling program back from the dead with seven twenty-win seasons, four NCAA tournament bids and two NIT bids. The year before Tom Green arrived, CCNY had three wins--for the entire season. Yes, 3-22, after starting the year 2-0. That’s right, they lost twentytwo of twenty-three games to finish the season. “My first year here, I really did not know what I was getting myself into,” he says as he reminisces about Year One in his office above Nat Holman Gymnasium.
In Year Two, with a full recruiting class, Green led the Beavers to a 10-16 season, their first ten-win season in five years, and an appearance in the CUNYAC tournament, where they would eventually fall to the Baruch Bearcats in the quarterfinals, 85-58. “I don’t know too many programs that go from two wins to ten with just one recruiting class,” Ortega mentioned. “This year, it’s kind of established that we’re a team out there. People are hearing about us. It just kind of transformed the atmosphere around campus where basketball’s something to be interested in.” So it’s almost fitting that the college that wants to revive its basketball program brings in the man who’s literally done the same exact job for twenty-six years in New Jersey at FDU. Time will tell if Green can structure another rebuild at CCNY, but the students are already hopeful that something special is happening at Nat Holman Gym. For all intensive purposes, he’s been given the green light to lead the basketball program to an era of consistent competitiveness. Maybe, just maybe, other CUNY campuses might be hearing about us. Hell, it’s already happening. n
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CCNY
The Campus
30 The accidental career that was. By Hannington Dia │ Photo: Jeff Weisinger It’s funny; this is the thirtycolumn that shouldn't have happened. Let me explain. Back in August 2011, when Linda Villarosa enlisted me to join The Campus, it was only for independent class credit. As far as I was concerned, my mindset was to come in, do some articles, and leave for good.
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But something unexpected occurred during my first few months here. This wasn't just a cadre of student journos cutting their teeth; it was much more: An electrically-charged atmosphere, larger-than-life personalities and tons of NC-17 talk. It spoke to me. Almost like it was saying, "Hannington-you belong here! That crudely drawn picture of
Why the f**k is he holding a machine gun and looking out the window like that? –Hannington Dia
Batman's penis you randomly found behind the computer was made especially for you!" (Really? Uhhhh) Anyways, The Campus became more than just a place to write stories–it was great hanging with all the staff and seeing their personalities in action. Though I'm not terribly proud, my first cover story was about where students can do genital slams on campus. Things only got better from there. I engineered the first–and likely last–Top 10 news recap issue in the publication's history. Eventually, I developed a reputation as the go-to-guy for investigative stories. Per what I've been told, a running joke developed from this. Whenever people came to the office looking to have a story done, and I wasn't around, people would say, “Give it to Han!” It's pretty awesome that my work ethic spawned these reactions, and won my colleagues' trust. Even my technique for sneak recording all matter of CCNY citizens, from security guards to admins, has apparently gained folklore status amongst my peers. And no, I'm not sharing it here. Sorry. As I acquired more clips, I managed to snag a Copy Chief position in 2012. That didn't come without its issues though, as editors accidentally took the wrong versions of my edits and placed them into the final layout. Once we developed a system to avoid that, it began feeling more professional-like at The Campus. Seeing my name in each issue, whether I wrote an article or not, was absolutely amazing. Still, I tried not letting it go to my head.
Whenever a new issue hit stands, I immediately thumbed through it to make sure the copy was as clean as possible. “Are there spaces where there shouldn't be?” I asked myself. “This comma looks like it should be replaced by a semi-colon.” “Why is Waldo balancing atop that period?” The questions of life. Though I retained my usual awkwardness through it all, one event this year struck a chord: seeing the Morales-Shakur Center taken, and news outlets attacking students fighting for it. It irked me. I read the Daily News editorial where an anonymous writer mocked the babysitting that went on in the center and called works the students read “nutty manifestos.” I saw amNew York's response, titled, “CUNY Purges Radical Ghosts.”
be compromised, and I'm done keeping my mouth shut. Which gives us a perfect segue to answer that burning question in the back of your head: Why the f**k is he holding a machine gun and looking out the window like that? First off, that isn't a real gun, so don't worry. Second, because just like Malcolm X, the man who I'm paying homage to in the picture, I've finally accepted my so-called “radical” status. Oh, and one last thing. To all others with similar politics, don't be afraid to share your views. For instance, I fully believe the 9/11 attacks were inside jobs, and am against the alarmingly fascistic atmosphere President Obama (and many of his predecessors) has cultivated during his time in office.
There were many journalistic pieces slamming these freedom fighters. Yet, almost none stood up for them. So I decided that if no one else would do so, I would. I did my best to cover every single story and development in the Center-CCNY saga. My days often went to covering the protests and crafting pieces supporting the struggle. The students needed backing, and I did what I could to fill the void. After all, if you're not doing anything about the problem, you can't complain.
Never back down from publicly questioning a system that tells civilians to be peaceful while it sends cops to our neighborhoods to be anything but, kills innocents with drone strikes daily and hoards vital resources at the expense of the majority. Always be critical of a world where anyone who speaks out against the order of things is labeled crazy and dangerous. If anything, you may be the sanest person in the room.
I also became more outspoken about my beliefs around this time. The Campus office would frequently become the setting for ideological debates between me and fellow writers. Considering how I'd previously kept quiet during editorial meetings, this surprised even me. Through it all, I've come to accept that many people will not agree with them, but my take on society is mine; it will not
Either way, it's been fun, guys. I thank each and every one of the staff for making these past two years extremely memorable. And while I'm officially leaving the editorial side of things, look out for future contributions on The Campus' website.
Or, if you're like me, probably not.
Watch out for pearl necklaces when you get there. n
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Photo: Roberto Guzmรกn
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