Over a Century of Service to CCNY & the Harlem Community
March 2014
30 Tips for Surviving Midterm Pressure
GETTING HOPE ACQUAINTED SPRINGS
The Colin Powell Men's Baseball School's New Dean Preview ccnycampus
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TIME TO REFLECT
Honoring Women's History Month @ccnycampus
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Table of Contents
10 FEATURE
3 NEWS
CCNY–Last to CUNYFirst Michael Sanchez
Editor in Chief Louis Oprisa Managing Editor Rochelle Sterling Opinion & Feature Nikeeyia Howell Sports Jeff Weisinger Lifestyle Natalie Renteria Copy Editors Esme Cribb, Rachel Finley, Lucy Lao
Gina Daidone
4 Feature
12 Lifestyle
The Visionary
Pick Your Party
Anika Islam
Jennefe Adames
14 SPORTS
6 NEws
Business
Fresh Start
NYPIRG Reborn
Business Manager Ashlee Schuppius Ad Sales Sandra Fisac Rodriguez
Jeff Weisinger
Christian Hernandez
Creative Directors
7 FEature
Under Pressure
Cover Image
Carly Trunkwalker & Natalie Renteria
Liz Fonseca
Editor’s Note
Editorial Team
Staying Empowered
Midterm season is approaching soon, and all of us know what this means–stress! And lots of it! It's a great time to be in the coffee business! We face challenges keeping our sanity leveled,
Roberto Guzmán & Liz Fonseca
Multimedia
not to mention keep our minds productive and efficient. The Campus has compiled a list of 30 tips to deal with the stress of studying for your exams, and we hope it helps you.
Web Manager Rachel Mines Social Media Manager Natalie Renteria Video Editor Eitan Negri
your OPTIONS
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March 2014
CCNY–LAST TO CUNYfirst
To ease the transitioning process, student information on the eSIMS program will automatically transfer over to CUNYfirst. “Other than a few prompts when claiming their CUNYfirst accounts, students will not have to re-enter any information,” said Mr. Ballard. “It is vital that everyone claims their account as soon as they can and checks that the information is correct.”
After Years of Testing, City College will Finally Migrate to CUNYfirst. By Michael Sanchez │ Photo: Liz Fonseca
The administration began implementing phases of CUNYfirst in 2008. They are currently testing the program and training select students and faculty members in how to use it and assist their peers when CUNYfirst becomes operational. The Bursar’s office holds training sessions every Friday, which accounts for their recent limited service policy.
A change is coming in the way you search, register, and pay for classes. In April, City College and John Jay will join the other CUNY schools on CUNYfirst, the new system for most CUNY schools. CUNYfirst replaces eSIMS as the primary system for student administration and human resources.
The new program promises a more user-friendly and fully integrated system than its predecessor. It allows full access to student bills and payments, up-to-date schedules, and financial aid awards from one complete portal. Additionally, faculty will have easier access to Blackboard, contact information, and administrative purchases.
NY
“Students will have the ability to view, on demand, personal information and class history,” said Mr. Ballard. “They will also be able to search for classes by name, discipline, class number or other factors, displaying which classes are open or closed, often in real time.”
CC
Vernon Ballard, Director of User Support Services and Information Security, overlooks CUNYfirst’s integration, and explained the advantages of the new program over its eSIMS counterpart.
CUNYfirst’s most unique feature is its cross-CUNY capability. A CUNYfirst account serves as one universal account throughout all CUNY schools, allowing for easier class registration and transfers to other colleges. Employees from other CUNYs can also transition between colleges with little difficulty. CUNYfirst also updates personal information security. In the eSIMS program, social security numbers serve as student identification. With CUNYfirst, students and faculty have a personal EMPLID, which cover multiple roles throughout CUNY.
York
Lehman
While this is a new program to most of the college community, many transfer students have had experience with the system.
“I don’t see any difference,” said student David Coba. “Both CUNYfirst and eSIMS have the same components that everyone needs.” “Due to the initial lack of education on the CUNYfirst system, we weren't given the necessary tools to navigate the system properly,” said student Alixandra Williamson. “However, over time the system became more user-friendly. The CUNYfirst initiative shouldn't be that hard; just make sure everyone gets a fair chance to grasp the new interface and concept of it all. Great tip: choose a password you'll remember!” n
Hunter
Medgar Evers
Hostos Staten Island
CUNYFirst
City Tech Queens
CCNY student Danielle Del Priore said, “CUNYfirst is a lot easier to use, and more accurate. I didn’t have to go to a separate tab to check my bill; it always appeared as soon as I signed in.”
Baruch
John Jay BMCC
Brooklyn
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Feature
The Campus
The
New Dean Determine By Anika Islam │ Photo: Roberto Guzmån
W
hen Vincent Boudreau arrived at City College in 1991 as an assistant professor, City College looked very different from the one we know today. It had not yet recovered from the devastation of the seventies, when New York City hit the brink of fiscal collapse and the college had to pull funding from all but the bare necessities. The Great Hall had been shuttered for nearly two decades, Shepard Hall and the other Gothic buildings were covered in black netting awaiting restoration, there were no green patches of grass on the quad, and the NAC rotunda did not house seating let alone a coffee shop. In a sea of elderly professors, then twenty-six year old Dr. Boudreau looked more like a student than a professor.
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March 2014
Visionary
d to Lead Colin Powell School Towards Bright Future. From early on, Dr. Boudreau affected change on campus. With a small group of professors, one weekend Dr. Boudreau cleared out the room that currently houses the Honors Center in the NAC and created a makeshift lounge as a place for students to engage in political discourse. “We got a couch from The Salvation Army, and a couple of chairs, and a coffee pot and we faculty members all each bought a pound of coffee,” said Dr. Boudreau, now age fifty-one. “We all made a commitment, and not just the faculty but also two or three students, to a vision.” These days Dr. Boudreau has bigger dreams as the first permanent dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. All eyes are on him as he takes a $5 million donation from General Colin Powell and an additional $44 million raised by supporters of the initiative and creates a full-fledged school that houses five departments (anthropology, psychology, sociology, economics, and political science), and grants a third of all of the degrees awarded at City College each year. This is the biggest staff and budget he has had to handle yet.
His vision for the future is bold. “We will be the Kennedy School for northern Manhattan,” he says, referencing the prestigious Harvard program. His conviction is even bolder: “If I could do anything for City College, I’m doing it right now.” Yet, in the beginning, Dr. Boudreau questioned whether he should stay at City College. He did not want to take on more and more administrative roles if there was not a possibility that the institution could grow and become better. Ultimately, he says that he “didn’t want to be part of an educational system that stopped trying to deliver on the promise of City College.” However, by the late nineties, things were looking up for City College. Organized efforts were bringing philanthropic money into the college. City College began to hire energetic junior professors in substantial numbers. And as Dr. Boudreau discussed his plans for the future with his wife, CUNY Professor Antoinette Raquiza, she said to him that if he intended to build a legacy, City College could be platform to do so. She suggested that he start thinking more holistically about what students need, and become more engaged with the students. Asked how he knew then that he could make the big improvements City College needed, he reflected, “You never know when you start something like this where it’s going to go but it felt like it was worth taking a chance.” In 2002, Dr. Boudreau became director of City College’s “Center for Policy Studies.” Under his leadership, it evolved into the Colin Powell Center, which came to develop and manage substantial leadership and community engagement programs. “Whether
he gives a simple speech during orientation, or addresses the fellows about developments on campus, Professor Boudreau has a way of inspiring us,” said Nicholas Scoufaras, a Colin Powell Leadership Program fellow. “He's done an incredible job of putting together a great team and support structure for Powell Fellows.” Continuing the trend of enhancing the resources and programs for City College’s students, the Powell School itself was created last year by merging the resources of the Powell Center and the Division of Social Sciences. As the Dean of the Powell School, Dr. Boudreau’s mission is to change the face of leadership. “It would be a mistake to pursue our leadership mission as a program or curriculum,” he writes on the Colin Powell School blog. “Rather, we must regard it as an approach, geared to develop in students a habit of thinking through the relationships between their ideas, their choices, their skills, and their connections to one another.” Dean Boudreau is working to transform the Powell School into the go-to place for holding important conversations, a forum for the most relevant issues and people. “If you’re the mayor of New York or you write for The New York Times, this is where you come to have conversations,” he says. “We have to rebuild the bridges between our campus, its approach to social, and political, and economic, and psychological issues and the public discourse.” n
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News
The Campus
NYPIRG REBORN
Political Student Activists Still Fight for Students’ Right. By Christian Hernandez │Photo: Louis Oprisa
T
he year was 1985 and a young Barack Obama had just been hired for his first job since becoming a college graduate. You read that right - President Obama's first job after graduating from Columbia University was at the City College of New York, as Project Coordinator for NYPIRG. It was at CCNY that he organized students to fight for educational funding, and it was where he addressed environmental issues like mass transit and toxic waste.
It is apparent now, twenty-nine years later, that students still face many of the same problems. Some argue that these problems have only gotten worse. However, with Morganne Montana as the current Project Coordinator, it seems that NYPIRG's CCNY chapter is picking up where President Obama left off. NYPIRG, the New York Public Interest Research Group, is a student directed, not-for-profit advocacy group focused on effecting policy reforms and training students to become advocates and future leaders. NYPIRG works towards positive change, some of its main concerns being government reform, voter registration, public health, environmental protection, and higher education. Coordinating grassroots statewide campaigns, producing studies, and lobbying public officials are just a few of the ways that NYPIRG takes action. “We don't try here,” Morganne Montana, Project Coordinator of the New York Public Interest Research Group at City College, said. “We do, we fight, we win.” Last year was record-breaking for the CCNY chapter. NYPIRG registered 1,400 CCNY students to vote on campus. This year, NYPIRG has its eyes
set on bigger challenges, like rising tuition. With the cost of education becoming unmanageable, many students are forced to drop classes to make time for work. “This is the first time in forty years that TAP, the tuition assistance program, will no longer cover the cost of tuition,” Montana said. NYPIRG plans to fight for TAP reform. If successful, funding for tuition will not only be restored, but also extended to grad students, undocumented students and other demographics that are normally ineligible. Environmental protection is another big concern of NYPIRG members. Rachel Ariz, NYPIRG's fracking intern, passionately defended her cause and NYPIRG. “The earth is our future and if we don't take care of it we aren't going to have anything,” Ariz said. “NYPIRG works to bring people together to express their opinion, we need organizations like ourselves.” NYPIRG interns Nick Middleton and Kira Dibetta expressed the same passion. “We do stuff that's important, stuff that matters,” Nick said. “We make it so that people have the opportunity to go to college if they so choose, and I think that's a great thing. That's why I wanted to be a part of it.” For Kira, joining NYPIRG has helped in overcoming her fear of public speaking and give her the skills needed to be a successful advocate. NYPIRG interns and members learn to navigate the New York bureaucratic system, write news releases and letters to editors, reach out to the media, and organize mobilization in the community. If you’re interested in being a part of CCNY's NYPIRG chapter, you can go to NAC 1/120 – the very office where the President once worked. n
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March 2014
30 Tips & Tricks for Surviving Midterm Stress. By Carly Trunkwalter & Natalie Renteria │ Photo: Roberto Guzmán & Liz Fonseca
I
t’s no surprise that we constantly cope with stress as students. The majority of us at City College commute, which means we have jobs, families and added stressors on top of our college work loads. The more responsibilities we take on, the more likely we are to spread ourselves thin. We cannot eliminate stress from the equation of our lives, but the good news is we can practice positive techniques to deal with the lingering negative feelings that keep us from accomplishing our educational goals. The best way to manage your stress: Follow the advice below before what feels like an unmanageable amount of work makes you lose your mind during midterms!
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Activism
The Campus
1. Stop Worrying The more time you spend freaking out about the assignment at hand, the less time you have to actually do the assignment. 2. Divide & Conquer Be methodical and tackle one class at a time to keep from getting overwhelmed. 3. Just do It Instead of procrastinating, get something done right away. 4. Don’t Use Stress as an Excuse “I’m so stressed out,” shouldn’t be a reason to avoid getting schoolwork finished. 5. Create a Routine That way, you’ll develop good habits you can stick to. 6. Reduce Clutter Being disorganized produces stress. Clean up your physical space and organize computer files. Online, try a free organizing tool like Evernote. com or Google Drive. 7. Make a List Once you’ve checked off a few things, you’ll feel more in control. 8. Don’t Worry About Being Perfect There is never enough time to get everything done just the way you like it. Of course avoid
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mistakes and typos, but don’t let perfectionism stop you from starting or finishing an assignment. 9. Find a Calm Place Give yourself time in the library or quiet spot outside of your home. You’ll get more work done alone or near motivated people. 10. Designate real time Wear a watch and give yourself at least an hour of solid, focused time. 11. Unplug Seriously, put your nose to the grindstone instead of texting or checking Facebook. During study time, use the internet for research and homework only. 12. Take Breaks After a few hours of intensely reading, your brain needs a break. So give yourself some mental relaxation. 13. Make Time to be Social Total deprivation will make you feel angry and stressed. 14. Walk Past the Vending Machines Sugar and candy may give you a quick pick up but will lead to fatigue and food cravings later on. 15. Don’t Rely on Coffee and Energy Drinks Overdoing it will make you feel too buzzed and more stressed and anxious. Substitute herbal tea or green tea for a little caffeine kick. 16. Avoid Chips, Fries, and Other Junk and Fast Foods Empty carbs and foods that are high in fat content and sodium do nothing to boost your mood or sustain energy levels. 17. Eat Right Before a study session choose a meal that is high in protein and low
March 2014
in sugar like salmon or chicken on a salad, tofu with veggies and beans. Snack on nuts and vegetables. 18. Drink Lots of Water At least eight glasses a day. Dehydration makes you feel tired. 19. Alcohol and Studying Don’t Mix. Avoid drinking and drugs as stress-busters. Save the partying for after your exams and projects are finished. 20. How About a Quick Workout? Go for a walk, run, or take a quick gym break. Physical activity boosts your mood. 21. Stand-up and Stretch If you don’t feel up to a full workout, get up, walk around, do a few stretching exercises every hour to keep blood flowing. 22. Close Your Eyes Pay attention to your body; if you are exhausted take an hour nap. 23. Reward Yourself Devote a little time for yourself to de-stress. You can practice deep breathing, meditation or relax in a hot bath with aromatherapy. 24. Make a Study Playlist Having music to help you get through tasks like studying and writing papers can be beneficial. 25. Get Enough Sleep Arrange your schedule to include at least seven hours of sleep, so
Handling It Students talk about how they battle their course-work stress: slacking on your sleeping schedule doesn’t catch up on you. 26. Try Positive Self Talk Stay in the moment and avoid selfdefeating language like: “If I flunk, I’ll have to drop out of school and then I’ll be homeless.” Instead, how about “I won’t allow that to happen to me, because I’m capable!” 27. Be Kind to Yourself. Know you’re doing the best you can. 28. Call a Supportive Friend To let off steam during a study break, but don’t stay on the phone too long. 29. Seek Help If you’re struggling go to the writing center or find a free tutor. You pay for those services, so use them. 30. Talk It Out with a Pro If you feel out of control, contact the Counseling Center in Marshak J-15. (212.650.8222; ccny.cuny.edu/counseling). It’s a free resource, speaking with a counselor will help.
" I have a punching bag in my apartment... and I use it" A. Zeno Enriquez " I make sure I do something I want to for at least one hour every day" Samantha Oliveras " When I'm stressed about school, I like to go for a walk along Riverside Park, usually while listening to my iPod. The fresh air and music helps clear my head." Chrisinda Lynch " For me, the past two semesters I only had two midterms and one final. I don't have stress" Nicole Fabre-Hernandez
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Staying Empowered The Campus
How CCNY Students Are Celebrating Women and By Gina Daidone │ Photo: Archives & Special Collections
Aspiring to become educators, female students attend Frederick B. Robinson's public speaking lectures, one of the first courses offered at City College.
M
arch is National Women's History Month, a time to highlight the struggles and achievements of women past and present while providing inspiration for future generations. This year, the NWHM theme is Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment, women who despite social and legal constraints refused to give up the fight for equality. March 8th is International Women's Day and now more than ever, women are making their presence known on the world stage. As we look back, let us appreciate that having just one month to celebrate empowering women is not enough. On March 3, 1913, thousands marched on Capitol Hill protesting in favor of women's suffrage, eventually winning the right for women to vote in 1920. American society would see both progress and setbacks throughout the Great Depression, World War II, and the turbulent 1960s, when a second wave of feminism arose to continue
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fighting for civil liberties. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the declaration that designated March as Women’s History Month. As a nation, we have come a long way, but in the global fight for women's rights, we are lagging behind. In October 2012, a 15-year-old Pakistani girl named Malala Yousafzai was shot on her way home from school, targeted for advocating education equality in a country where the Taliban use intimidation to prevent girls from attending school. Internationally, young girls like Malala face violence and discrimination in their everyday battles. It is crucial not to take for granted the privilege to receive an education. To honor historical women's work, while celebrating those who continue to inspire, students at City College are taking an active role in acknowledging women's accomplishments and informing others about the obstacles women still face in their communities.
The Office of Student Life is hosting Diversity Week March 10-14, to celebrate the many cultures represented on campus. A number of events will honor women. There will be games, guest speakers, panel discussions, artistic expressions, and the chance to interact with fellow CCNY students from diverse backgrounds. The Sister Circle Collective The community group formed by students frequently hosts discussion sessions. In addition to collaborating with Student Life on upcoming events, the SCC supports creating safe spaces on campus. According to their statement, they express the need to recognize strong minority women often overlooked in mainstream society such as "the voice of revolutionary, indigenous women and Women of Color who fought and continue to fight against hetero-patriarchal structures inherent in imperialist and racist systems of oppression."
mpowered Their Accomplishments.
Students have formed a committee that is campaigning to establish a Multicultural Gender Resource Center at CCNY. The purpose is to enable students of all gender identities, nationalities and ethnicities with information and counseling on topics of health and wellness, sexuality, and sexual violence. Students will be able to attend workshops on various cultural and gender-based topics, while receiving academic assistance and peer mentoring from trained personnel. Although this project is still in its early phases, there is a growing desire among students who want more resources designed to support their personal needs and interests, not just their academic or career paths. CCNY student Natalie Pena, a committee member and a member of the SCC believes that such services are essential for continuous dialogue about social issues: "Our community needs the MGRC because we shouldn't just have these conversations about gender, class and race in safe spaces during Women's
History Month, these issues do not live in a vacuum and neither do we." The existing Women's Studies program at City College is offered only as an undergraduate minor. Available courses are limited, likely from lack of resources. Nonetheless, the current curriculum, headed by adjunct instructor Patti Ackerman, has generated much enthusiasm. “Women students need a place to analyze, process, critique, plan and dream," Ackerman told the CUNY Clarion online, regarding potential expansion of the program. Influences from mass media and pop culture are present in our daily social and technological interactions. Advertisements include unrealistically high standards about body image, health and relationships, which tend to exaggerate gender stereotypes by imposing popular opinion. This generation has an obligation to make the future a better place; that begins by
continuing the work of brave women and allies past and goes beyond settling for one month a year to commemorate. Regarding NWHM, the official Presidential Proclamation from the White House press secretary acknowledges that women “face a pay gap at work, or higher premiums for health insurance, or inadequate options for family leave," evidence that there is still much work needed to be done. Women's History Month is an opportunity to recognize the contributions and build on the achievements of America's great women's rights pioneers. More information, including a list of this year’s NWHM Honorees, can be found online at womenshistorymonth.gov. n
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Lifestyle
The Campus
Pick Your Party Staff Picks for Things to Do on St. Patrick’s Day. By Jennefe Adames │ Photo & Illustration: Roberto Guzmán
E
ven though St. Patrick’s Day lands on a Monday (March 17) this year, and most college students either have to go to school or to work, there are still opportunities to rejoice in the biggest and oldest established parade in New York City. The St. Patrick’s Day parade starts at 44th Street and 5th Avenue and ends at 79th Street and 5th Avenue, starting promptly at 11 AM. Here’s a list of other options for you on St. Patty’s Day. If you’re going to drink, please drink responsibly.
Sober St. Patrick’s Day!
A Family Friendly Alcohol-Free Party New York City Party: World-class musicians, dancers, comedians, and celebrities Date Monday, March 17th, 2014 (Parade Day in NYC) Time 4 - 7:30PM Place Cathedral H.S. 350 East 56th Street, NYC Ticket Price General Admission $20 Students (under 21) & Seniors (62+)$15 Children (under 10) $10 All NYC tickets are purchased online at soberstpatricksday.org Snacks, Fruit, Baked goods, and Soft drinks will be served.
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Webster Hall Irish Fest
Description of event from goldstar.com On a weekend in March, the luck of the Irish comes to New York with the annual Irish Fest at Webster Hall. Held at Webster Hall, Irish Fest features drinks and live entertainment. Come dressed in green and watch live Irish music and even a bagpipe troupe. With Irish food and brews there’s something for everyone at this celebration of Irish culture. Tickets to the Irish Fest at Webster Hall cost about $10 per person.
Black 47
Irish rock band performs at 7pm at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill 237 West 42nd Street New York, NY 10036 Tickets available online bbkingblues.com
St. Patrick’s Day at Turtle Bay
Description from website New Yorkers looking for a great celebration of the Emerald Isle head to St. Patrick’s Day at Turtle Bay NYC. St. Patrick’s Day at Turtle Bay NYC’s Green Eggs & Hammered breakfast includes different options for an Irish breakfast and unlimited mimosas and draft beers from 8-11am. Additionally, there are 25 HDTVs to watch the parade on as you happily chow down on some tasty grub. St. Patrick’s Day at Turtle Bay NYC tickets start $20 for Green Eggs & Hammered and drink deals during non-breakfast hours include $20 Green Yard Glasses, and $2 brunch drinks (mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, and Coors Light). Turtle Bay is located in Midtown and is accessible by subway.
March 2014
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Sports
The Campus
New Look Beavers Aiming High in 2014. By Jeff Weisinger │ Photo: CCNY Athletic Department 11-58. If there’s any set of two numbers that can describe the struggles, trials, and downright embarrassment that the CCNY baseball program has suffered, the record explains it all perfectly: 11-58. That, by the way, is all of 11 wins in the last two seasons (70 combined games), including a 2013 campaign (or nightmare if you will) where the Beavers struggled on almost all aspects of the game. CCNY finished 2013 with a 5-29 record, starting the season 0-8 before defeating Maritime College 11-2 on March 17th in the first game of a doubleheader. For the record, they lost the second game of the doubleheader 4-3. Here’s more food for thought: the Beavers haven’t won an Opening Day game since 2010, where they started the season 5-1. That was also the last year CCNY finished with a double-digit win total, going 13-20. In fact, the Beavers have regressed the last three years, winning seven games in 2011 and six in 2012 on top of the five from last year. “This year I think we’ll be a lot better than what we have been,” said baseball head coach Steve Macias, who’s entering his third season at the helm of CCNY baseball. CCNY batted just .229 as a team in 2013 and was no better on the mound as the Beavers staff recorded a 7.43
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ERA, second-worse in the CUNYAC to Yeshiva’s 13.49 ERA, allowing 301 runs combined in 242.1 innings pitched with just 200 of those runs earned. However,
one bright spot with the Beavers staff is the fact that they actually led the CUNYAC in fewest home runs allowed, allowing just five in 34 games. Catcher and relief pitcher Mike Smith, who’s been the lone consistent bright spot offensively for the past three seasons, batted a team high .311 with
five home runs and 27 RBI in 2013. He was the only Beavers starter to bat over .300 for CCNY as Emmanuel Nwokelo hit just .269 and Jaquan Murphy batted .264. “For a guy like Mike, he’s really excited about the year,” Macias mentioned. “For him to hit .300 over the last three years, for what he’s done, is really a credit to his talent. He’s one of those guys who put a lot of pressure on himself to be successful, and he handles it pretty well.” Andrew Mulvey led the Beavers pitching staff with a 3-7 record in 10 starts for the Beavers in 2013, recording a 6.75 ERA in 54.2 innings pitched. He struck out 29 batters while walking 11 and allowed 57 runs, 41 earned while allowing a .340 batting average Defensively, the Beavers committed 119 errors, again second worst to Yeshiva’s
Emmanuel Nwokelo First Baseman
138, and turned a conference low 10 double plays as CCNY recorded a .895 fielding percentage. Four Beavers recorded 10 or more errors for CCNY last year, committing a combined 59 out of that 119 error total. Long story short, and numbers aside, 2013 wasn’t anything anybody around the CCNY baseball program thought would happen. It wasn’t anything close to what now third-year head coach Steve Macias thought he’d get. However this year seems to be much different. After a “failed” recruiting class in 2013, the Beavers are turning to a more veteran approach for 2014, adding more transfer students than true freshmen. “We were rebuilding over the last two years,” Macias explained. Think of it as a sort of free agent route, compared to building from the ground up. Again. Leading the “2014 free-agent” class of sort is Stony Brook transfer Gabriel Pena. Pena, a twenty-one year old infielder, Bronx native and Lehman High alumni,
was a member of the Cinderella Stony Brook baseball team that upset LSU in the NCAA Super Regionals to advance to the 2012 College World Series. Not only did the fourth-seed Seawolves upset LSU in 2012, they also beat Miami (FL) and UCF en route to the big win. Stony Brook went 52-15 (21-3 in the America East Conference) in 2012. Pena made his first career start on Feb. 25 that year against Alabama State and had a pinch-hit, bases loaded triple against Yale on Mar. 18. He finished that 2012 campaign with a .175 batting average in 26 games with five RBI. In three years at Stony Brook, he batted .177 in 46 career games for the Seawolves with nine RBI. “He knows what it’s like to be on the grandest stage of college baseball,” Macias said. “The kids look to him and talk to him about what it’s like. Even I talk to him because that’s where you want to go. That’s the pinnacle.” To complete Pena’s homecoming, the Beavers also recruited his brother Adrian this off-season as well. CCNY opens their 2014 campaign at Yeshiva University in a doubleheader on Sunday, Mar 2 starting at noon. The Beavers split a double header with them last season, losing game one 6-5 and winning game two 16-2. They are 3-1 against the Maccabees in Macias’ two years at the helm, and 6-3 overall in the last five years. n
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Untitled G.P. Hector, Oil on Board
Untitled Mom Premier, Acrylic on Board
Dance of the Guedra Jacqueline Bishop, Mix Media
The Black Studies Program & CCNY Libraries presented
Syndey Van Nort Chief Division of Archives & Special Collections of the Morris Raphael Cohen Library
Shots, Strokes, Threads Volume 3
Cheryl Sterling Associate Professor, English & Director of the Black Studies Program Jo-Ann Hamilton Assistant Professor & Curator