March 2016 by The Campus Magazine at CCNY

OVER A CENTURY OF SERVICE TO CCNY & ThE HARLEM COMMUNITY

MARCH 2016

Damn City BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THOSE BUDGET CUTS

A PENNY FOR YOUR SMARTS: Cuomo's Budget Plans

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT:

Grove club projects snubbed

Champions in the Making: Women's BasketBall Team'S STRONG FINISH TO THE SEASON

刀䔀匀倀䤀䌀䔀簀䄀䐀匀倀䤀䌀䔀簀倀刀伀匀倀䤀䌀䔀伀瘀攀爀䄀䌀攀渀琀甀爀礀漀昀匀攀爀瘀椀挀攀琀漀䌀䌀一夀 ☀ 琀栀攀䠀愀爀氀攀洀䌀漀洀洀甀渀椀琀礀

䴀愀爀挀栀㈀㄀㘀䤀猀猀甀攀

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䠀甀洀愀匀愀礀椀椀搀愀 ☀ 䨀攀û 圀攀椀猀椀渀最攀爀 &Stacy Magallon ⨀䌀伀嘀䔀刀倀䠀伀吀伀䈀夀䐀漀渀䜀甀琀椀攀爀爀攀稀

夀伀唀刀䄀䐀䠀䔀刀䔀

䌀伀一吀䄀䌀吀唀匀一伀刀吀䠀䄀䌀䄀䐀䔀䴀䤀䌀䌀䔀一吀䔀刀㄀⼀㄀㄀㤀䌀䌀一夀䌀䄀䴀倀唀匀一䔀圀匀䀀䜀䴀䄀䤀䰀⸀䌀伀䴀䌀䌀一夀䌀䄀䴀倀唀匀⸀伀刀䜀

䌀䌀一夀吀䠀䔀䌀䄀䴀倀唀匀䀀䌀䌀一夀吀䠀䔀䌀䄀䴀倀唀匀䀀䌀䌀一夀吀䠀䔀䌀䄀䴀倀唀匀

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⬀⬀⬀ 一䔀圀匀

䰀椀昀攀猀琀礀氀攀

䄀渀甀渀攀砀瀀攀挀琀攀搀爀攀猀椀最渀愀琀椀漀渀 ⠀㐀⤀ 吀栀攀昀椀砀攀爀 ⠀㔀⤀ 䠀䤀䐀䤀一䜀䤀一倀䰀䄀䤀一匀䤀䜀䠀吀 ⠀㄀ ⤀

匀倀刀䤀一䜀䤀一吀伀䄀䌀吀䤀伀一 ⠀㄀㈀ⴀ㄀㌀⤀

䘀䔀䄀吀唀刀䔀匀

匀倀伀刀吀匀吀唀刀一䤀一䜀吀䠀䔀䌀伀刀一䔀刀 ⸀⸀⸀ 䘀䤀一䄀䰀䰀夀 ⠀㄀㐀⤀ 䌀䠀䄀䴀倀䤀伀一匀䤀一吀䠀䔀䴀䄀䬀䤀一䜀 ⠀㄀㔀⤀

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䔀䐀䤀吀伀刀ᤠ匀一伀吀䔀䘀漀爀琀栀漀猀攀愀琀䌀椀琀礀䌀漀氀氀攀最攀Ⰰ 椀渀挀氀甀搀椀渀最甀猀愀琀 믠攀䌀愀洀瀀甀猀Ⰰ 琀栀椀猀瀀愀猀琀眀椀渀琀攀爀猀攀爀瘀攀搀愀猀愀眀愀欀攀ⴀ甀瀀挀愀氀氀⸀ 吀漀最攀琀栀攀爀Ⰰ 眀攀ᤠ瘀攀眀椀琀渀攀猀猀攀搀琀栀攀戀攀最椀渀渀椀渀最漀昀渀攀眀猀琀漀爀椀攀猀愀渀搀琀栀攀攀渀搀漀昀漀琀栀攀爀猀愀琀䌀椀琀礀⸀ 圀椀琀栀愀猀栀椀១ 椀渀氀攀愀搀攀爀猀栀椀瀀漀渀ⴀ挀愀洀瀀甀猀Ⰰ 愀渀搀愀琀 믠攀䌀愀洀瀀甀猀Ⰰ 眀攀愀椀洀琀漀欀攀攀瀀洀漀瘀椀渀最昀漀爀眀愀爀搀愀猀猀瀀爀椀渀最搀爀愀眀猀挀氀漀猀攀爀⸀ 믠攀渀攀眀猀攀愀猀漀渀眀椀氀氀戀爀椀渀最眀椀琀栀椀琀愀搀椀û攀爀攀渀琀猀攀琀漀昀愀挀挀漀洀瀀氀椀猀栀洀攀渀琀猀愀渀搀漀戀猀琀愀挀氀攀猀昀漀爀䌀椀琀礀㨀昀爀漀洀琀栀攀猀栀椀១椀渀最漀昀琀栀攀琀椀搀攀猀昀漀爀猀瀀漀爀琀猀琀攀愀洀猀琀漀琀栀攀爀攀洀漀瘀愀氀漀昀挀氀甀戀氀攀最愀挀椀攀猀漀渀挀愀洀瀀甀猀Ⰰ 琀漀攀瘀攀渀琀栀攀搀爀愀眀渀ⴀ漀甀琀攀û攀挀琀猀漀昀 ␀㄀㐀⸀㘀洀椀氀氀椀漀渀椀渀戀甀搀最攀琀挀甀琀猀 ⠀戀攀挀愀甀猀攀猀漀洀攀琀栀椀渀最猀樀甀猀琀搀漀渀ᤠ琀挀栀愀渀最攀⤀⸀ 䄀猀昀漀爀 믠攀䌀愀洀瀀甀猀Ⰰ 眀攀ᤠ氀氀戀攀氀漀漀欀椀渀最琀漀琀栀攀昀甀琀甀爀攀㨀洀愀欀椀渀最猀甀爀攀琀栀愀琀琀栀攀猀攀渀椀漀爀猀琀愀û 渀椀猀栀攀猀猀琀爀漀渀最愀猀琀栀攀礀最攀琀挀氀挀氀漀猀攀爀琀漀最爀愀搀甀愀琀椀渀最Ⰰ 愀渀搀洀愀欀椀渀最猀甀爀攀琀栀愀琀琀栀攀昀甀琀甀爀攀漀昀漀甀爀漀爀最愀渀椀稀愀琀椀漀渀 ጠ 漀甀爀挀甀爀爀攀渀琀愀渀搀昀甀琀甀爀攀眀爀椀琀攀爀猀Ⰰ 攀搀椀琀漀爀猀Ⰰ 搀攀猀椀最渀攀爀猀Ⰰ 愀渀搀洀愀渀愀最攀爀猀 ጠ 椀猀攀焀甀椀瀀瀀攀搀琀漀瀀椀挀欀甀瀀昀爀漀洀眀栀攀爀攀漀甀爀猀攀渀椀漀爀猀琀愀û 氀愀猀琀氀攀១ 漀û⸀ 圀攀栀漀瀀攀礀漀甀ᤠ爀攀瀀爀攀瀀愀爀攀搀昀漀爀眀栀愀琀ᤠ猀愀栀攀愀搀Ⰰ 戀攀挀愀甀猀攀爀攀愀搀礀漀爀渀漀琀Ⰰ 椀琀ᤠ猀琀椀洀攀琀漀猀瀀爀椀渀最椀渀琀漀愀挀琀椀漀渀⸀

ⴀ 䌀⸀䠀攀爀渀愀渀搀攀稀

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BY Nina Iandolo

Unexpected

RESIGNATION City College surprised after Dean of Humanities and Arts steps down. CCNY’s Dean of Humanities and Arts, Eric Weitz, shocked the community by resigning suddenly last month after being dean since 2012. He had arrived from the University of Minnesota, where he was a Distinguished McKnight University Professor of History, and the Arsham and Charlotte Ohanessian Chair in the College of Liberal Arts. Although he had expressed to those close to him that he has been struggling with his health lately, he said this was not the reason for his resignation. As dean, Weitz worked on interdisciplinary programs in human rights, offered opportunities for

for the Undergraduate School Government, Andre Desir, to discuss how the $14.6 million budget cuts City College was implementing would affect the division of Humanities and Arts. Weitz responded that his plan to handle the budget cuts would be increasing class sizes, letting go of around 25 adjunct professors, using philanthropic funds to help out, and having fewer classes offered in departments such as history, music, and philosophy. aspiring actors to study theater in London, created a partnership with Stanford University, and created a class called “Arts in New York City,” which allows students to become familiar with some of the countless masterpieces New York City has to offer. Weitz also supported the USG’s proposal to make an Islamic studies major/minor, which aims to help students clarify their views on the religion and the culture of those who practice it. Despite the tremendous effort to expand interest, enrollment in the Humanities and Arts has been steadily declining over the past few years. This has forced the department to cut spending by about $2 million. On November 16, 2015, Weitz met with the Vice President of Academic Affairs

After the permanent cut was implemented, Weitz felt that he could no longer represent the division in good conscience. On January 28th, 2016 he resigned as dean, effective as of the 29th. An emergency meeting was called by the faculty senate to discuss the dean’s surprising resignation, which was described as “very unexpected” by Provost Maurizio Trevisan, who attended the meeting. Doris Cintron, the Senior Associate Provost for academic affairs, assessment, and accreditation and City College alumna, has been named acting dean. She will not, however, have the power to change the current budget. Weitz will continue to teach at City College as a distinguished history professor.

Can CCNY’s New COO Solve the Financial Crisis? BY Rayvn Garcia

Photo by Mid-Century Mundane

Effective February 29, 2016, Leonard Zinnanti will take on the role of City College's new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and senior vice president for administration, managing and overseeing all financial decisions and, ultimately, making sure that CCNY does not get any deeper into debt. Last semester, City College announced its money trouble, beginning with a whopping $14.6 million dollar debt. As of now, this means that budgets are tight, building maintenance is poor, class sizes are larger than necessary, faculty and staff jobs may be threatened, and major departments that have been around for years are at risk of being erased. Kenny Soto, president of Undergraduate Student Government, says that facilities have taken a hit. "One of the concerns that's been given to us is about Compton Goethals Hall, the art building,” says Soto, a senior. “Some of their theater equipment is really old so students have been trying to find out how we can get new equipment. The lobby of the CG building too, it's still incomplete ever since the fire.”

With this understanding of our trying circumstances, does Zinnanti have the skill and ability to answer our prayers? On paper, it looks like Zinnanti can do the job well. With over 40 years of experience in this field, our new COO seems very capable. For 13 years prior to working at CCNY, Zinnanti was the COO and senior VP at Hunter College; his role there mirrors the duties and responsibilities he will take on here. From August 2013 until just recently, he was the University Executive Controller at CUNY and continued to manage the budgets. President Lisa Staiano Coico advocates for him. “Mr. Zinnanti’s extensive experience makes him highly qualified to serve as City College’s Acting Senior

“Does Zinnanti have the skill and ability to answer our prayers?” Vice President for Administration/ Chief Operating Officer,” she said in an email to the CCNY community. Soto is keeping his mind open about Zinnanti and what he can accomplish. "I hope that he joins the administration and there isn't a lapse or latency in between the transition so that things don't slow down," he says, "Now, for example, what we're seeing with student affairs is that there are specific things that we want to get done with club space. However, there is lack of communication between student affairs and facilities. Hopefully, in his role, he's able to solve problems like that

What has Governor Cuomo promised to CUNY? In his State Address back in January, Governor Andrew Cuomo promised to apportion $6.9 billion of his budget to the CUNY and State University of New York systems respectfully, according to The New York Times. Despite this investment, state financing has decreased overall in recent years.

A Penny For Your Smarts Taking a Deeper Look at the Economic Decisions Made for Us by Governor Cuomo BY Anthony Viola

Between email spam filters and conflicting accounts,

it’s hard for students to keep track of educational policy decisions — often made behind closed doors — in general, let alone those that directly affect them. From the local to the institutional, from City College’s administration to Governor Cuomo’s office, it’s important to keep track of the financial alterations to not only City College but the City University of New York (CUNY) system as a whole. To help you untangle the bureaucratic red tape, we’ve compiled some frequently asked questions.

How much of that money will be allocated to each CUNY school? Cuomo did not explicitly say how much each school will receive from that budget; however, according to Mayor de Blasio, Cuomo will be cutting $500 million from the state budget allocated to CUNY, expecting the city to pay the deficiency . This may be a result of tensions between Cuomo and the City University.

What do you mean by “tensions” between our governor and our university? Since Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans to create a site uniting Memorial Sloan-Kettering and CUNY back in 2012, Cuomo has shown reluctance in state participation, given his poor relationship with our previous mayor . This relationship roots back into other sectors involving the city, including tourism and transportation. Cuomo was not involved in planning of the press conference for announcing the partnership, and although invited, he did not show up. Since then, the plans remain in effect and construction is underway. CUNY was originally a crucial factor in the site’s existence, but has since remained out of most of the decision-making since Cuomo’s executives “bawled them out,” according to PoliticoNewYork.

Have these tensions come to light in the last few weeks? Another announcement that Cuomo has made is that he is setting a minimum wage of $15 per hour for SUNY employees while excluding CUNY employees from this pay raise . Barbara Bowen, President of CUNY’s Faculty and Staff Union, said in a statement, “Singling out CUNY’s workers on the state payroll for exclusion is a monumental failure.” He has also failed to sign the Maintenance of Effort Bill, leaving nearly all full-time CUNY employees without a contract for more than five years. The bill passed last summer with bipartisan support and the Governor will have ten business days to either pass or veto it. It has yet to hit his office, but rallies continue to help encourage Cuomo to sign it.

What else does Cuomo have planned for us ? In his State Address, Cuomo also mentioned a proposition to extend NYCUNY 2020 bill that is currently being enforced, which seeks to increase tuition every year by $300, according to the 2016 State of the State Book found on the New York State official website.

Is there anything else…? The New York Post also broke news of official speculation regarding Cuomo’s alleged plans to merge the CUNY and SUNY systems. Although no timeline or official press release has been given or confirmed , this could have serious implications for both systems, given the different populations for whom they provide. Sources claim that this idea arose from the poor use of taxpayer money for CUNY’s administrative costs, including the $400,000 given to previous Chancellor Goldstein for sabbatical he took towards the end of his tenure. The idea of combining the two school systems are designed to lower such costs, according to the New York Post’s source.

Photo by Getty Images ‘09

Illustration by Huma Sayiida

Ouch!

Last semester,

Unkind Cuts BY Tiffany McKay & Demi Rodriguez

How the CCNY financial crisis is affecting students and faculty this semester

Tuition shoots up. Resources go down. This is the life of City College students Spring semester. Last semester, CCNY students and faculty found out that the college would have to deal with a $14.6 million budget cut, thanks to a drop in enrollment and decreased funding from both the state and university. On top of that, Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed a $485 million cut to all of CUNY senior colleges, asking the city to make up the difference. With the million-dollar-budget cut in full swing, students and faculty alike feel the strain. To save money, many departments have cut sections and adjusted by making packing more bodies into existing classes. Andrew Carter, a student new to City College, received a not so warm welcome to one of his courses. “One of my classes doesn’t even have enough chairs for students,” said the music major.

Gervoni Brockington, a psychology major, noticed that students have fewer options when deciding on courses. “My professor last semester said he was only teaching one class because of the budget cuts,” the senior commented. The budget not only puts a strain on classrooms but also affects the facilities and maintenance. “The fact that there was a toilet paper shortage is simply embarrassing, and does have an incredibly negative impact on everyone’s education,” said Lucy Parks, a member of the advocacy group City College Students for Educational Rights (SER). “It’s also important to note that CCNY buildings are definitely not in compliance with accessibility laws because elevators and escalators are often out of service – meaning that students who can’t use stairs literally cannot get to class.” Students aren’t the only ones feeling the sting of the cuts.

Professors have a list of woes brought on by the lack of resources and funds. Salary is a hot topic. “ We haven’t gotten a raise in years and the union has been negotiating in good faith,” says James Juszczyk, a fine arts professor. Juszczyk believes that the university needs to rethink how it’s allocating its funds. “The new chancellor makes $600,000, and we pay $19,000 a month for his apartment on the Upper East Side,” he adds. William Behnken, who teaches studio art and art history, strongly believes the budget cuts are unfair. “They’re raising tuition and packing classes?! We now have 40 and 50 students per classes,” Behnken states. “You can get frustrated that you can’t do your job.”

CUNY encountered a huge budget cut. City College had taken the biggest brunt of the cut, losing $14.6 million of their budget. The student body was informed that the loss of money would result in bigger class sizes, fewer class selections, and less professors. A month into the Spring semester, and CCNY students are weighing in on the changes. "I didn't entirely know about the budget cuts that the school

was facing, however I did hear certain details about it over the past couple of semesters. I heard about how we spent billions of dollars on a system that a lot of students are unhappy with. Last semester I heard about how my department, The Grove School of Engineering, was hit by the budget cuts. It made registration pretty difficult due to there being not enough sections for students to enroll into. The only changes that I see are, classes that are way too large, so instead of a class that was supposed to be about 50 students, one of my sections was expanded to over 80 students. Later that class had to be divided into two sections and I had to switch the section I was in with a different professor. Also there aren't as many sections for classes that many students need to take, so there are students who are being delayed in their academic curriculum because they are unable to take the classes they need." - Nick Poyser, Mechanical Engineering major "You notice the effects immediately in your first class. Either the classroom itself isn't properly maintained, or the class itself is over capacity of what it should be. The workshop classes for the English majors have more people than they are, ideally, supposed to, forcing professors to adjust their courses accordingly to accomodate for the increase in students. The struggle is felt from academics to athletics: team's having to pay out of pocket for certain, basic things like player equipment and traveling, vans at-risk of breaking down without the ability to properly fix them, a gym with one of, if not the, worst lighting in all of CUNY.After a while, you kind of just have to figure a way around everything. However for basic things like a wellmaintained campus, working shuttles and proper class sizes, having to 'just deal with it because of a poorly maintained budget' shouldn't be a thing that the students should 'just have to deal with.'" -Jeff Weisinger, English major

"Any classes that I've had to get into have much less sections, much less classes, or there are larger sections, and fewer of them. I'll have a math class; instead of it having a range of 30 people, it'll have a range of 120 people to cut back on the amount of teachers they need to pay for each class. It kind of takes away from the quality of education. You can't really speak to your professor one on one about complicated stuff if they have a class of 100 people, and they have to keep track of everyone." - Nick Middleton, Bio-Chemistry major "I have most definitely seen major changes when registering for classes this semester. There was a limited amount of classes, bigger size of the students in the class, and on top of that—there were only two 400 level classes to choose from. Two 400 level classes are required for English majors to graduate. If the times allotted for the classes are inconvenient for students, well, it’s too bad. It’s frustrating how we are the major that requires the least amount of money to continue-- English majors basically only need paper, and even that is regulated through the 1000 page limit—yet they are limiting our resources." - Aeriel Badiola, English major "As an English major, I was quite perplexed at the lack of options while attempting to find, and register for my Spring 2016 English courses. Not only are the classrooms small & crowded with no windows, but the classes have almost doubled in size from last semester. It is a little distracting and overwhelming. Students need to voice their frustrations with the budget cuts that affect us all! Whatever it takes, protests, consistently calling the government, etc. City College as a whole cannot stand for this and needs to fight for all students, and professors. Not just for the recent semesters, but for the future of our school. As for the government, I just hope that we go out and vote. Vote for someone who stands for change in our education system. Hint... Hillary Clinton." - Ramze Pilat, English major "Most of my economics classes that I took ranged from 80-250 students for one class. We might as well be teaching ourselves since the professors can only do so much to teach over 100 students. I think City college should distribute their budget more efficiently. They spend so much money on fixing escalators that will always mess up. We can make our engineering students do [an] internship at fixing the escalators and spend some real money on getting more professors to teach smaller classes so everybody can have a better learning experience." - Yaser Himen, History and Economics major

Image by Christian Hernandez

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT WHERE HAVE THE ENGINEERING CLUBS GONE?

Emancipation

BY Elihu Fleury

display its best student work. Is it logical then, to render some of our best clubs invisible?

He also explains that the projects’ storage has cramped their workspace, which will cause them to throw out some of their previous efforts.

Students like those in the ASME HumanPowered Vehicles Club (located in the cellar of the Grove School of Engineering) have grown frustrated by their presence being swept away by the college.

The CCNY Society of Automotive Engineers felt similarly: member Ahsin Shabbir expressed that “[the projects’ display] shows we get hands-on experience, as well as classroom experience.”

Before July 2015 their projects, along with those of other Grove clubs, were on display near the windows of the school’s lobby. At the time, school administrators told these students the lobby would be renovated to replicate Grove’s outdoor plaza. The projects were removed, and put in the clubs’ workspaces for storage.

To compensate, the club has expended themselves in emails, personal invitation, word-of-mouth, and the like. Otherwise, as Mr. Mino said, “they [most of their current members] would have never tried to look for us.” Their executive board is also reaching out to local high schools, to gain exposure in greater Harlem.

Since then, over six months have gone by, but except for temporary furniture, “the space...is still not being used”, says HPV club member Mauricio Mino. To him and club chief engineer Kris Thomas, “there was really no purpose of bringing [the projects] down.”

For its part, the administration is skeptical that the display’s removal caused any drop in club enrollment. “I would love to see if there’s any data [showing such],” Assistant Dean Dr. Lola Brown said. “We’re engineers, right? So we have to go with the data.” Dr. Brown further explained the project’s removal was part of an extensive overhaul of the Grove Building, called the Steinmann Cleanup Initiative. The window space was needed to make it completely holistic. Regarding the decrease of available work space, Dr. Brown stressed that “we have over 2,000 students in this building,” which makes space a challenge. She felt the clubs

Like any school, City College strives to

This development has vexed the club. For them, the projects’ display was good publicity, particularly for freshmen and sophomores. Otherwise, as Mr. Mino expressed, “they don’t even know if there are clubs.” Mr. Thomas felt the projects helped motivate engineering students by showing off the fruits of their peers’ labor.

Artist of an

could negotiate with each other for space without the administration’s involvement, and for any concerns they could speak with Dean Gilda Barabino, who “is very amenable to listen.” To her, better communication would bring a solution.

[The projects’ display] “shows we get hands-on experience, as well as classroom experience.

”

— Ahsin Shabbir, CCNY Society of

Automotive Engineers

A member of the HPV Executive Board (who requested anonymity) did agree that for communication, “it’s a fault on both sides.” They also countered that given the clubs’ busy activity, they don’t have time to constantly pursue the Dean. Furthermore, the club member said that outside of town hall meetings, the Dean isn’t available to talk. In fact, they don’t know how the Dean affects the clubs’ daily affairs, and thus doesn’t see the purpose of seeking her out. A disconnect between student clubs and administration seems to exist that remains unresolved for now. However, all of this will come to a head at the end of 2016, when the lobby renovation is supposed to be finished. Dr. Brown did not clarify whether the projects will return upon completion.

BY Edwin Amador Photo by Edwin Amador

How a CCNY professor fought for love and citizenship, and discovered his talent as a playwright. TWO DECADES AGO, Pablo Garcia Gamez, an aspiring writer from Venezuela, immigrated to the United States following the love of his life. “My (now) husband and I decided to live together,” says Garcia Gamez, who teaches Spanish at City College. “Little that I knew that I will age with him and in the pathway, he will push me to become a professional playwright.”

end of May.

Garcia Gamez, 52, survived a long immigration battle to stay in the United States and married his partner, Santiago Ortiz, in 2011. Garcia Gamez has now written a number of plays, and had them produced in theaters in Puerto Rico, Argentina and the United States. He has also won many prizes, including the top playwright award from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors [HOLA] and an ACE award nomination. His new play, “Yo No Soy Lupita,” will be featured at The Blackbox Theater in Manhattan at the

His most famous play, “Noches Tan Linda” (“Beautiful Nights”), was inspired by a true event. “In 1989 I saw in the TV how the federal police shot the citizens ruthlessly while the anchor news reported another story saying those rebels created violence and that the police acted according to the law,” he recalls.

Garcia Gamez’s talent was obvious since his childhood. “At four years old, one day my entire family surrounded me and praised the fact that I knew already how to write poems,” Garcia Gamez says. “As I grew up, I found my inspiration to write my work based on the news, images from Caracas and my living personal experiences.”

and command the stage,” says Garcia Gamez about his main character. “Once he felt prepared, he leaves his town where he is much respected and moves to the city where he suffers a lot of discrimination. The first day of his show as an official drag queen, he gets caught in the middle of the boycott and we don’t know what happened with him.” Garcia Gamez would like to leave behind the legacy of being a great writer. “As an artist, I want people to live life without labels,” he says. “Be and express yourself, not everything is white and black. As a gay man and illegal person, I lost my freedom. I have been marginalized twice just because of my identity.”

In the play, a gay man, Jose Macario, wishes to become a famous drag queen. “La Lupe, another drag queen trains him how to sing, act, dance

Spring into

ACtion Free & cheap events in March BY EbonyAnderson-Brown Anderson-Brown By Ebony For many, March doesn’t seem like an eventful month. The harsh winter only gets worse, making it harder for people, like broke college students, to get out of bed. Fortunately it’s not the end of the world; March can be just as eventful as any other month in the year. We can’t forget St. Patrick’s Day – and this year, Easter follows right after. You don’t have to be Irish to have a good time, and if you’re stuck trying to find things to do over the next couple of weeks, here is a list of events happening in your backyard!

St. Patrick’s Events

Arts & Entertainment

Caught the luck of the Irish? Here are some things to enjoy on St. Paddy’s Day!

New York is known worldwide for its art. Whether it be on stage or while on an extreme easter-egg hunt, here are a few entertaining events to keep your eye out for.

St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl - Mar. 11, 12, 17

Go out and drop into some of the best bars in New York City. Tickets from pubcrawls get you entry for all three days of this event with a discount!

Sober St. Patrick’s Day NYC - Mar. 17

Salsa Mambo Club – ongoing from Mar. 1

Learn some new dance moves with the Salsa mambo club. Lessons are free and instructed in the NAC Ballroom (Beginners: 4pm - 5:30pm, Intermediate: 5:30pm – 6pm).

EXXence: Defining Femininity (CCNY Women Make Art 2016) – Mar. 3 - Mar. 25 Just in time for Women’s History Month, the CCNY Women Make Art 2016 exhibition can be seen in the Cohen Library Archives Gallery of the NAC. According to its Facebook page: “Through this exhibition, artists attempt to define the dynamic meaning of feminine in today’s society through taking control of the artistic representation regarding the ever-changing role of womanhood.”

Una Vida Dos Paises (One Life, Two Countries) – Mar. 24 CCNY Professor, Tatyana Kleyn, will premiere her documentary film “Una Vida Dos Paises” in Aaron Davis Hall at 6pm. “Una Vida Dos Paises” focuses on the youth in the US who return their country of origin, Mexico. The film illustrates the realities, and challenges and opportunities they face living, studying, and adapting in two nations.

WCCR: City College Radio Rip The Runway – Mar. 31

WCCR’s Ashley Tiffaney will be hosting a showcase/ fashion show for urban street wear, with artists featured on her radio show Stay On.

The Blue Man Group is back in the New York and will be performing for the next six months at the Astor Palace Theatre. Discounted tickets are currently going for $58.

A Raisin in the Sun – Mar. 12

St. Patrick’s Day Parade – Mar. 17 11:00am

Go and see the many flowers gathered from around the world on exhibit at the Macy’s Flower Show at Macy’s State Street, floor 9. Free admission.

St. Paddy’s Day Irish Whiskey Tasting at Camaje Bistro & Lounge – Mar. 17 6:30pm to 8:30pm

There’s always something to do on campus. So why not come out and show support for a classmate or faculty member?

Blue Man Group – Mar. 5 - Sept. 25

A family-friendly event for all ages to enjoy! Stuck watching your younger brother or sister? Take them to Sober St. Patrick’s Day Festival. Where everyone can get the benefit of catching the luck of the Irish, and you won’t have to be cooped up in the house all day.

New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 5th Avenue between 44th Street and 79th Street. Beginning at 11:00 AM. Prepare yourself before the day arrives! Be sure to buy all the green face paint and four-clover leaf shirts in time for the St. Paddy’s Day Parade!

On-Campus Events

Live at the Harlem Repertory Theatre, catch the classic drama, A Raisin in the Sun, starring Sidney Poitier. Discounted tickets are going for as low as $15.

Macy’s Flower Show – Mar. 20 - Apr. 3

Full Bunny Contact - Mar. 22 -Mar. 27

Take part in an extreme Easter egg hunt. FBC includes photo opportunities, a bunny joust with music , and an onsite bar. Some sessions are labeled “family hours.” Tickets are $5 for admission and $25 for admission for the day of and for three of four of FBC events.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Camaje Bistro & Lounge is having a whiskey tasting from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Get into the holiday spirit, and remember drink responsibly!

Turning the Corner ... Finally

Photo courtesy CCNY BeaverBeat

BY Jeff Weisinger Senior Sports Editor Ever since head coach Tom Green took over as the head coach of the CCNY Men’s Basketball program, the program itself has failed year after year to get past the first round of the playoffs. The story was the same this year. Despite achieving their best record in the Tom Green era (13-13), and their highest seed in the CUNYAC tournament (sixth), CCNY failed again to notch that first playoff win, losing 74-71 against seventhseed York, who came back in the second half down 17 points. Not only was it the first home playoff game for the men’s side in nearly a decade, it was a chance to show the home crowd that the program was finally making strides going forward. However despite the struggles and the newest one-and-done chapter to add to the story, seeing how CCNY fought back in the final minutes -- just missing a game-tying three at the buzzer by David Solano that would’ve blown the roof off of the Nat Holman Gym – is actually hope and a foundation of sort for this team to

build on going into the 2016-17 season and possibly beyond. The advantage that Green and company will have next year is experience. The Beavers lose seniors Blake Borysewicz and Fran Kilinski, however City should still be a very veteran and experienced team going into camp and the year ahead. The sudden awakening by CCNY also makes them an interesting landing point for some potential Division III recruits this spring and summer, giving the Beavers a much-needed sense of depth throughout the starting-five and the bench that this team has never truly had during Green’s time as the head coach. The question now, is can this team, that will be led by top-scorer Khalil Hamer, center and captain Ram Chadha and three-point specialist David Solano capitalize on the momentum that was built in the 2015-16 campaign. The top schools in the CUNYAC – Baruch, Brooklyn, Lehman and Staten Island – are all losing a solid core of their

team to graduation. City’s upcoming senior core should be able to guide this team into its first semifinal, even finals, appearance since 2003 – the last time the Beavers won the CUNYAC. Going one-and-done again was a heartbreaker to say the least, especially when all the eyes were on the program for the first time in a very long time. However sometimes a loss like that can serve as motivation for the returning players on the team going forward.

Champions in the Making

Photo courtesy CCNY BeaverBeat

By Curtis Ashley Assistant Sports Editor How does a team go from being nearly the worst in its conference, to one of the most fearsome? If one was truly looking for an answer to this question, they would have to consult with the City College Women’s basketball team about the strides they made in the 2015-16 season.

Seeing how far they’ve come this season is a very positive sign.

We’re talking about a team that went 5-21 overall in the previous season, and 3-13 in the CUNYAC. They placed eight in the conference, narrowly making it into the CUNYAC Tournament. There, they faced the top-seeded Baruch Bearcats, falling 61-104 in the quarterfinals.

Now to hope that this recent campaign wasn’t a “one-and-done” kind of thing.

The ‘15-‘16 squad was in no way comparable to that team. In the first part of the season, the Lady Beavers were still trying to find their shot. They opened the season with two straight wins, then lost to Brooklyn College in their first conference matchup. From then, to the Keiser University Tournament in Florida, to the narrow

loss against Misericordia University, the girls were handed some tough losses. The 63-61 loss against Misericordia sparked something in the team, as they became an almost entirely new team from that point on. They won nine of the final 11 games to finish the regular season with a 16-9 overall record, their first winning record since the 2002-03 season when the team finished 16-11. City also had their best conference record in ages, putting together an 11-5 record in the CUNYAC, earning the four-seed in the playoffs. The team’s offensive production improved dramatically from last season as they averaged 64.4 ppg while holding their opponents to just 56.4 ppg. The team learned how to share the ball more as well, averaging 15.2 assists in each game, an increase from a season ago.

Coach of the Year award, something no CCNY coach has received since the ‘92-‘93 season. They even made history in the postseason, winning their first playoff game in 14 years against the York Cardinals in the quarterfinals in a landslide 80-30 -- the largest postseason win in the team’s history. Unfortunately, CCNY couldn’t build on top of that postseason success, falling to Lehman 84-79 in the semifinals. While the team certainly missed out on a great opportunity to restore honor to the program by winning a championship, the general consensus is that they can, and will, get there next year.

Such improvement in the team even got Head Coach Jaime Angeli the CUNYAC