PANDORA'S BOX FALL 2019 I EDITION

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Pandora’s Box

Serving York College of the City University of New York and the Surrounding Jamaica, Queens Community Fall Edition I: Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

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York Welcomes New President As The Community Calls For Changes

Interim President Eanes at a meet-and-greet with the campus community on her first day.

Photo Credit: Marcia Comrie

that I’ve ever had that doesn’t have anything to do with who I am now,” Eanes said. “Every experience gives you some lessons that help you go to the next experience. So, I’m going to have a little bit of every place I’ve been with me, but of course, with the understanding that York is unique. I don’t have a cookie-cutter approach to leadership because the campus culture and history are extremely important to pay attention to.”

Having worked closely in the Students Affairs realm to support student engagement, retention and transition efforts, Eanes has high hopes to help the college community to continue to grow as an institution. She also has confidence that she will be able to make York stand out for what the college truly is with the help of the community.

“York is in the process of strategic planning which is a community conversation and it is intentional in that it includes students, faculty, and staff, and it will be the guiding light for the work we have ahead,” Eanes said. “So, it would not be my change, it would be the change dictated by the plan that we’re putting in place.”

“Every institution in the CUNY system has to develop goals, on a yearly basis, so we always have our eye on something,” she added. “I think that we are going to be really focusing on making sure that we finish that conversation and that it’s really inclusive so we have a living strategic plan.”

Some of Eanes’ cabinet advisors seem to agree with her plan.

Vincent Banrey, the vice presi-

dent for Student Development at York, said that her first meetings with students, faculty and staff showed that she is going to have an inclusive style of working and will be cooperative working with the various constituencies at the campus.

“I think given her background in student affairs, both at CUNY and at Fullerton, plus the other experiences that she’s had, I think that she’s going to bring that as she’s taking over the leadership here,” Banrey said. “I think that she will enhance the services that students receive across the board to support student success.”

Donna Chirico, the Dean of Arts and Sciences, like many others, also hopes that the new change in leadership will bring good things for the college and the many departments that the college has. Especially, the Arts and Sciences which supports most of the academic programs, all general education as well as most of the faculty.

“Because of fiscal constraints over the past few years, the Arts and Sciences have not been invigorated with faculty as they should be to support all of that,” Chirico said. “I would like to see an insertion of a type of dynamic, newer faculty groups to address the concerns, especially of general education for incoming students.”

The 2018 Fiscal Year saw York enter into a $1.5 Million budget deficit that led to York administrators enacting a hard hiring freeze and budget cuts to various departments in an effort to reduce spending. Despite these efforts, the budget deficit is still projected to rise to $2.7 million

By Rachel Dalloo On her first day as the Interim President of York College, Berenecea Johnson Eanes hit the ground running by attending a meeting with all student leaders and a meet-and-greet with the entire campus community.

Eanes was appointed as the interim president of York by CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez after her predecessor, Marcia V. Keizs announced her resignation in June.

Settling into her new role, Eanes has already struck a liking with the campus and its community. She showed that by attending the annual club fair and interacting with the multitudes of students.

“I am absolutely thrilled and excited to be here at York,” Eanes said in an interview. “I started after Labor Day, and I have been very busy and that’s the way I like it. That’s the reason why I’ve always enjoyed higher education because it’s never boring. Every campus has its own energy and vibrant rhythms. So, I’m busy trying to learn the York way, and it has been wonderful.”

Eanes was previously the Vice President for the Division of Student Affairs at the California State University, Fullerton. She worked in her earlier career as Associate Director of the School of Social Work Doctoral program at Columbia University, and recently served as the Vice President for Student Affairs at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York.

“I have absolutely no position

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by the end of the 2019 Fiscal Year.

“First, I need an education on the details,” Eanes said when Pandora’s Box asked her for ideas on how to deal with the deficit. “Then, I need to have the context, because now we have a new chancellor, so that conversation is not the same conversation as it was last year, because someone else is in charge. That’s the person that I and the rest of the presidents have to work with to get help.”

“So, I think there are two big factors,” she added. “One is to get a clear understanding of where we are and then understand where we stand in the context of the CUNY conversation.”

Eanes said in the interview that engagement and belonging to a community are the most powerful things that are really important about a student’s experience.

“I am really hopeful that in my first semester I can facilitate a series of conversations that will get us to a shared expectation of what I will do during my interim period,” Eanes said. “I know a lot of people ask a lot of questions on ‘what is she going to do?’, but I want us to all agree on what WE are going to do, and for us to do it together.”

“I think we will make people feel much more stable, it will confirm that we are all in it together and that we’re agreeing on some things that need to be done. It will also confirm that we’re not going to do it all, and I am not going to do it all.”

She is hopeful that she will be able to expand on York’s

Official portrait of Interim President Eanes.

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community and get a lot done for the students, faculty and staff members.

“We are one York and we are going to be one York together. we’re going towards academic excellence, student success, increasing retention and graduation rates, and the overall community experience for all of us,” she said.

Eanes also introduced an open-door policy with the York community while adjusting to her new position at the college.

“I would ask students to do me a favor, to remember what it is like to be new, and if there is something that I need to know about, then they need to tell me,” she said. “My door is open, my email is open, and there are tons of people here to listen, drop by, don’t be shy, let me know. If there is something that you wish, someone told you about York, then you need to tell me.”

Angel Adegbesan also contributed to this reporting.

Rachel Dalloo is the Associate News Editor. She can be reached at rachel.dalloo@ yorkmail.cuny.edu Angel Adegbesan is the Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at angel.adegbesan@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

Photo Courtesy: York College

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York’s Cafeteria Reaches A New Low As It Shuts Down Yet Again

By Shanae Harte In a new twist on the old Yogi Berra line, “deja vu all over again,” the York College cafeteria was closed by the Board of Health when it wasn’t even open for business, subsequently given a clean bill of health and yet it still remains shuttered.

What began as a temporary closure because of an expired contract escalated to a full shut down when city inspectors showed up on Sept. 10 and ordered the facility unfit for sanitary food preparation.

The cafeteria had been closed since June due to a lack of contract between Aladdin Food Services, York’s main food supplier, and the the York College Auxiliary Enterprises.

According to Ismael Perez, the assistant Vice President for Planning and Budgeting, the original contract with Aladdin started in June, 2012 and ended in June, 2017. It was extended for one year through June, 2018 under terms similar to the original contract and again for an additional year under a revised agreement through June, 2019. “(The contract) was most recently extended for three months through September 30, 2019 under a modified agreement,” Perez wrote in an email response.

“We are currently discussing with Aladdin another extension through December 31, 2019, for grab and go food service at the Cardinal Café and catering services.”

The Sept. 10 inspection cited five sanitary violations that led to the closure of the cafeteria.

Health inspectors cleared the cafeteria violations as of Sept. 19 and it is no longer listed as closed on the department’s website.

According to a campus-wide email, the college will not be opening the cafeteria despite the

The closed gate of York’s cafeteria. Photot Credit: Richard Heaton

clearance as it continues its own internal review of food services.

“When the cafeteria is re-opened, it will be done in a manner consistent with our responsibility to ensure that such services are provided in a safe and healthy manner,” the email added.

Some of the violations included hot food not held at or above 140 degrees, evidence of mice or live mice present in the facility’s food and/or nonfood areas, food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service, facility not vermin proof, harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/ or allowing vermin to exist and plumbing not properly installed or maintained, anti-siphonage or backflow protection device not provided where required, equipment or floor not properly drained and sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.

Following the Sept. 10 closure, the campus did not immediately notify the college community until Sept. 13 after a news article on Patch.com about the closure was published on Sept. 12.

Attempts to get a comment

from the administration about the sanitary violations and closure were stalled until publication. However, the college sent out an email to the college community.

“As part of the College’s comprehensive review of its food services, please be advised that, as of Monday, September 16, 2019, there will be no food service available from either the first-floor cafeteria or the second-floor cafe,” the email stated.

“Individuals are advised to make alternate arrangements for meals during the course of the day. The cafe will continue to serve beverages and pre-packaged foods from outside vendors. Please be further assured that the College is taking all possible steps to address and correct this matter as quickly as possible, consistent with its responsibility to ensure that such services are provided in a safe and responsible manner.”

Although the cafeteria had been closed, a limited selection of food had been available to the college community via the Cardinal Café until Sept. 30 as well as through catering of events on campus. Perez told Pandora’s Box that a full food service is not sustainable for the college and Aladdin.

York Honors Keizs For Her Dinstinguished Service to the Community

By Angel Adegbesan The York College community held a farewell celebration for former President Marcia V. Keizs on Sept. 17. The event was a testament to her distinguished career.

Keizs announced that she was stepping down from her position at the end of Fiscal year 2019 on June 3. CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodriguez announced her successor, Berenecea Johnson Eanes, as the interim president on July 25.

Keizs said she was stepping down “return to her first love of teaching.” Keizs has been the President of York College for 14 years. Her career at CUNY started as an Assistant Professor of English at Queensborough Community College and she moved through five CUNY colleges and the central office before becoming president of York in February 2005.

“She was here for 14 and a half years and after that many years, she knew it was time,” said Mar-

“Toward the end of the first one-year extension of the original contract, Aladdin gave York 90 days’ notice that it would not renew the agreement due to its inability to achieve a profit during the 5 years of the original contract nor during the additional one year contract extension,” Perez wrote.

The City University of New York, in April 2018, initiated a process to find a single vendor that will provide food services throughout the University or to identify several vendors which will each serve multiple campuses. According to Perez, the extension through December 2019 with Aladdin would have been a temporary arrangement until the University-wide food service vendor has been chosen.

As of Sept. 26, the College announced that it will not renew its contract with Aladdin which expires Sept. 30. As a result, the cafeteria and the Cardinal Cafe will be closed until further notice, as of Oct. 1.

One student, Justin Capera, has always relied on food from the cafeteria. Capera said that he frequently bought food from the cafeteria, especially when he had long breaks between classes.

“The cafeteria being closed is very stressful (for me),” Capera said. “The Aladdin cuisines weren’t like that from a five star restaurant, but they got the job done. I don’t always want to go outside for food and it is inconvenient now because I have to plan my lunches rather than just easily grabbing something from the Aladdin kitchen.”

The College has also secured agreements with food truck vendors to be available on Guy R. Brewer Blvd to expand eating options. The food trucks will provide the campus with an assortment of breakfast and lunch food options for purchase every week from Monday to Friday.

“We understand this causes a hardship to the campus community and is disruptive to your daily routine,” a college-wide email on Sept. 27 stated. “Because of a CUNY-wide process to determine food services for all campuses, we cannot commit to a new long term contract as a campus. However, we are continuing to explore options to re-open the cafeteria and Cardinal Café as soon as possible to provide the college community with service once again.”

The college’s cafeteria has had a history of sanitary violations. Last fall the city slapped the college with a host of similar violations as the most recent batch. At the time one Alladin official blamed the college for not keeping the building and its plumbing up to code, while administration officials countered that many of the violations were the vendor’s fault.

According to the Health Department’s website, every restaurant gets two inspections.

If the restaurant doesn’t get an A for the first inspection, then it’s ungraded and another inspector will have to go unannounced to the location within a month. The second inspection is where the restaurant gets a final grade.

Angel Adegbesan also contributed to this reporting.

Shanae Harte is a staff reporter.

She can be reached at shanae. harte@yorkmail.cuny.edu Angel Adegbesan is the Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at angel.adegbesan@yorkmail. cuny.edu

News Briefs: By Staff The annual President’s convocation which marks the official opening of the academic year at the college was held on Thursday, Sept. 12 from 12 p.m to 1:45 p.m in the Health and Physical Education Gymnasium. This year’s convocation marks Interim President Berenecea Eanes’ first convocation at the college. The convocation welcomed incoming freshmen and transfer students to the college community.

The York Journalism Program presents “Afghanistan 18 Years Post-Invasion. How Has The U.S Media Done Its job?” This will be a panel discussion featuring York College alumni, students and military veterans. All members of the college community are welcome to participate, especially those with ties to Southeast Asian, Muslim and military traditions. The event would be in room AC-2A04 from 12 p.m to 1:45 p.m.

Former President Keizs at her farewell celebration with an award. Photo Credit: Parsram Stanley

cia Comrie, the Communications and College Relations Manager.

“Everyone reaches a point where they know it’s time and she was waiting for the middle states situation to be resolved and waiting to step down when she knows she has served York College with distinction.”

“And she left us in good hands and moved onto her first love of teaching,” Comrie added. “She wanted to retire as a professor which was what she started with

in her career and we wish her well.”

All proceeds from donations to the event were allocated to the Marcia V. Keizs Award endowment. The award will provide annual scholarships to undergraduate students majoring in English or Music.

Angel Adegbesan is the Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at angel.adegbesan@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

The Women’s Center at York is hosting a “Girl Talk” which is a Bystander Intervention Workshop co-sponsored by the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault. The event will be on Oct. 10 from 12 p.m to 2 p.m in room AC-3B04.

The Music program will be hosting a 2019-20 Lecture+Masterclass Series, featuring pianist and composer Aruán Ortiz on Oct. 10 from 12 p.m to 2 p.m in room AC-LL01. Students from the music program will perform selections for Mr. Ortiz, who will also talk about his experiences as a jazz musician both in NYC and around the world.

The Women’s Center at York will be sponsoring a Domestic Violence Health Fair & Panel Discussion. The event is Co-sponsored by the Office of Students with Disabilities & the Women’s Society in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The event will be on Oct. 24 from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.

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Pandora’s Box Recognizes Professors with Great Achievements

By Rachel Dalloo Pandora’s Box recognizes and highlights five professors with achievements in their fields.

Dr. Linda Gerena. Photo Courtesy: York College

Linda Gerena Linda Gerena, a professor of Teacher Education and the interim chair of the Teacher Education department at York, has been accepted to present at the upcoming Center on International Teaching Benchmarking (CIEB) Conference in Madrid, Spain. She will be presenting in October.

Gerena will be presenting two academic sessions. One session will be on effective practices and the second one will be on student perspective/student voice. Also known as student feedback, this is where students will be able to talk about how they feel about learning a foreign language.

“I feel honored, this is an organization in Spain that is dedicated to providing bilingualism education to all children in Spanish schools,” Gerena said. “Spain has a national curriculum and they started around 2002, where they set a goal for the country, to provide bilingual education.”

Gerena has also been asked to organize and chair a roundtable discussion on effective teaching practices in bilingual schools and classrooms. She has high hopes that the coordinators for the event will push forward with the plan of her organizing a roundtable discussion.

“What I hope to achieve is to share the research that I’ve done in Spain and the research that I’ve done here on bilingual effective practices for bilingual teachers,” she said. “So that when we plan programs, and when we teach, we are doing things that will increase student participation, increase their linguistic competency.”

In 2012, she received the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Award to research bilingual education in Madrid, Spain. As part of her Fulbright commitment, Gerena had spent the spring semester of 2012 working with the Universidad Autonoma in Madrid, Spain. She was there to support the teacher education faculty in bi-lingual education.

Gerena hopes to be able to take some of her students abroad with her in the future, so they can better understand the work of the bilingual study.

“I have spoken to Dean Becker and the Provost, and one of my

goals now with this trip is to see how we can create some type of study abroad program, even if it’s a short one,” she said. “I think I would start small. Hopefully I am working on getting a partnership here.”

Jacob Apkarian Jacob Apkarian, an assistant Professor of Sociology, has won a $1,000 award for having had “the best paper of 2018” in the journal Socio-Economic Review.

It was recently presented by the Society for the Advancement of Socio- Economics (SASE) at their annual conference. The SASE notes that Apkarian’s paper is “…the paper is an example of excellent integration of economic and sociological theory.”

“I am surprised, humbled and obviously excited,” Apkarian said about his reaction to his receipt of the reward. “The paper that I wrote, I wasn’t sure of the degree of interest in it, but the fact that this committee found it valuable enough to give it an award, that made me happy.

That shows that there is probably more in what I’m studying than I thought.”

Apkarian stated that the idea for his paper began during his dissertation in graduate school while earning his PhD when he had begun to study the topic in 2012.

Apkarian is interested in quantitative methods for research and he teaches research methods and statistics to sociology, anthropology, and political science majors. The type of research he does examines the conflicting logics in the bond rating industry and governance in higher education.

“So, the main target of this piece were folks that study finance from a critical perspective,” he said. “So that is largely sociologists, organizational scholars, political scientists and some critical economics.”

Portrait of Jacob Apkarian. Photo courtesy: Jacob Apkarian

Jillian Abbott

Beverly Horowitz. Photo Courtesy: York College

Beverly Horowitz Beverly Horowitz, the director of the Occupational Therapy Program has been invited to the State Society of Aging’s (SSA) annual conference. At the twoday conference, Horowitz will be receiving the SSA’s Walter Beattie Jr. Award in recognition of her work within the SSA in New York and as a New York State gerontologist.

She will be receiving the award on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

“It is an incredible honor to have SSA bestow upon me the Walter Beattie Award,” Horowitz said. “I have been active in SSANY since the early 1990’s and know a number of individuals upon whose shoulders I stand.

One of whom were my mentor at Fordham University, Marjorie Cantor. She was also a recipient of the Walter Beattie Award, and the fact that even after all those years, I think the award is incredible.”

The conference, to be held in Saratoga Springs from Oct. 29 to Oct. 30 will be under the theme, “New Ideas for the New Old Age.” It will explore several topics of current interest in the field of aging, including the role of technology in older adult services, the issues of human rights of older people and education and training for professionals in the aging field.

“At one point in time, prior to the last 4-5 years, many Americans thought we were making headway in regard to racism, and the “isms”, sexism, but ageism has not really gotten that much attention and given the demographics worldwide, I think it is important that ageism should be recognized as something we as a society should combat, for older adults and younger adults,” Horowitz said.

Jillian Abbott, an adjunct English Professor was able to secure a PSC-CUNY grant to attend an international conference on digital and immersive writing in the United Kingdom in July. This was made possible with the help and support of Heather Robinson, the former Chairperson of the English Department at York.

“I was really excited and I couldn’t wait to go and see what other people are doing, what best practices, what’s happening in the field,” Abbott said. “I was just really grateful to have that opportunity.”

Stella Wisdom, a digital curator at the British Library and Abbott put the panel together and British novelist Rosie Garland and Prof. Abbott “will discuss the ethics of writing in the digital realm.”

“The digital world has opened up so many options, and you get to see the experimentation, how people are experimenting in the digital round, and bending it and twisting it in order to tell a story,” Abbott said.

PSC-CUNY is a union that represents about 30,000 faculty and staff of the City University of New York. It is dedicated to advancing the professional lives of its members, enhancing their terms and conditions of employment, and maintaining the strength of the nation’s largest, oldest and most visible urban public university.

“I’m really proud to have that opportunity to work on that project in England, but I would love to do it over here,” Abbott said.

Abbott serves as one of the many PSC-CUNY delegates who advocate for higher increase in pay for adjunct professors.

“One of the things that was particularly gratifying to me is to be in a place where it’s okay to be an activist,” she added. “To be in an atmosphere where debate, disagreements, passion, where those things are not only welcomed, but encouraged. Creative writers are held in esteem. So, it was nice going from the lowest of the low to being respected. Even if it was for only a couple of days.”

Jillian Abbott. Photo Courtesy: Jillian Abbott

Magarett Alexandre. Photo Courtesy: Margarett Alexandre

Margarett Alexandre Margarett Alexandre of the Nursing Department and the School of Health and Professional Programs was the keynote speaker at the annual Haitian American Nurses Association (HANA) of Hudson Valley. She also received a service award from the organization in Suffern, New York.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized by an organization that not only works here in the United States, but they do local, regional, and international work,” Alexandre said. “I have presented with them before, so this is a true honor to be recognized by my peers.”

Alexandre was a huge part of the development of the first nursing elective and global nursing course in the department of Nursing at York in 2012. The course was NUR 450-”Assessment of Global Health Needs in an underserved community” “Right now, I would really like to see the Nursing Department to continue to evolve and to really be an integral part of the college,” Alexandre said. “For us to, with the resources, expand our admissions, because the demands are really great. Also, for us to do more work in the community and to work on our scholarship piece.”

For many years in the Nursing Department she has taken students to engage in service learning in Caribbean countries.

Earlier this summer, she also took a cohort of 10 students to Moldova, where they volunteered their nursing skills as well.

“I hope that students learned to be humble, to understand that there are areas that do not have what’s available in the United States,” she said. “To be grateful if anything. To be grateful for the opportunities that you have in the U.S. Be accepting of differences, and really not to be critical until you know where the person is coming from.”

Rachel Dalloo is the Associate News Editor. She can be reached at rachel.dalloo@yorkmail.cuny. edu

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York’s Music Program Intoduces New Initiatives for Its Students

By Angel Adegbesan

The Music program is announcing some new initiatives as the department of Performing and Fine Arts seeks to expand its offerings.

The program will be starting a new ensemble that will be known as the York College Chorus. According to George Lam, the co-coordinator for the program, this will be the third ensemble for the college.

The chorus would be a one credit course that will meet on Monday evenings starting in Spring 2020. Lam also mentioned that the chorus will have a mix of different music such as classical, jazz and pop.

“It’s exciting because York college has always had a chorus and it’s been dormant for at least the last ten years or so, “ Lam said. “And so, the faculty is very excited to bring it back.”

“We’re also in the process of searching for the new choir director, that is, the person that is going to teach the chorus so we’ll have everything in place for this ensemble by spring,” Lam added.

The course is not limited to

The red piano on the 2nd floor next to the Cardinal Cafe. Photo Credit: Angel Adegbesan

Music majors or minors as it is open to all interested students in the York College community.

Any interested student is encouraged to sign up to audition at the bulletin board at AC-1B11 for permission to enroll in the course. The classroom currently has a limit of 30 students, but Lam said if the demand is high, they will look for a different room. At the moment, the course currently has a cap of 30 students.

Another initiative would be the Lecture+Masterclass series for the academic year. According to Lam, this would be a music program series where music professionals are brought in to talk primarily with Music majors and minors but the talk would be open to everyone in the community.

“A Masterclass in terms of music and theater means having a master or mentor and have him or her teach someone else but have that be open and other people observe,” Lam explained.

“For example, if I teach you how to sing but then we have an audience who are people also interested in singing,they also learn and see how you respond to me and how I teach you etcetera,” Lam added. “So, that’s the Masterclass.”

The first Masterclass begins with pianist and composer, Aruán Ortiz on Oct.10. At this lecture series, a few music students will perform for him and get his feedback. The second Masterclass is planned for November with Toni Ann Semple, who is a singer-songwriter as well as a producer. She will listen to works and tracks from student producers and give them feedback and comments.

The faculty picks the master teachers and students sign up to play for the masters. The schedule for the Spring 2020 Masterclass series is yet to be finalized.

Part of the expansion would also include broadening the Music major and increasing its credits from 43 to 50 to complete the major. There is also a new minor starting this Fall in Music production that is available to all students and designed in such a way that Music majors could also minor in Music Production.

“So, there’s a lot of folks who are interested in being producers, making beats, making tracks, rapping, recording and they are already using some of the equipment in their homes,” said Lam. “They will be able to learn more about it with this course. So, you don’t have to major in Music to minor in Music Production.”

To build up college morale, the Music program has installed a pop-up upright acoustic piano on the second floor next to the Cardinal Cafe. The piano is open for anyone to play.

Lam said the idea was inspired in part by similar public pianos in the city like the one at Port Authority and in Madison Square park. The red piano currently features a “Play Me!” sign to invite students to utilize it.

“It’s part of our idea of sort of just creating a coffee house sort of cafe feel for that space,” he said. “This is a collaboration with Buildings and Grounds and the Office of Academic Affairs.”

“We’ll launch the project with a concert soon, sometime in the fall and we’ll kind of use it as a performance space,” Lam added.

“Maybe students can get together and just do a little concert or open mic at Starbucks which

The flyer for the new York College Chorus. Photo courtesy: George Lam.

will be completely new at York College.”

The program is also hoping the piano becomes a point of visual art interest where a rotating team of students can decorate the piano in a certain way, perhaps once a year. The piano, which has been used in a theatrical production on campus, is currently painted a light shade of red.

Lam says the program is looking to apply for grants to keep

the piano in tune and maintain it so it can be an ongoing resource for the community.

Angel Adegbesan is the Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at angel.adegbesan@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

York’s Customer Service Complaint Portal Off to A Murky Start

By Dwayne McBean More than seven months ago, York College announced the launch of its Customer Service and Complaint Portal in the Spring 2018 semester.

The Portal site would provide greater ease for members of the college community to report their concerns to the college’s administration. According to the college, submissions could include student concerns about their classes or professors, complaints of misconduct by York College employees, allegations of discrimination or sexual harassment and other concerns.

As per the Portal page, “students , staff, and faculty can use the portal to provide customer service comments electronical-

ly… in the form of feedback, questions or suggestions,” and “any response or actions required will be handled during normal business hours.”

An investigation by Pandora’s Box showed questionable concerns about the portal site.

One, the portal is not easily accessible on the college’s website. You can only get to the portal by searching for it on the website.

Two, the portal’s promise of anonymity is questionable. In order to provide comments, feedback, questions or suggestions, you are required to provide your first and last name as well as your Empl ID. Several requests for comments and information regarding the workings of the portal site and how the questions, concerns and suggestions are

handled, were stalled, and as of this publication, inadequately complied with.

Pandora’s Box reached out to administration officials, who referred the paper to Russell Platzek, the executive counsel of Legal Affairs and Labor Relations citing him as part of the implementation of the new system.

In response to questions about which department is in charge of monitoring the complaints and requests that come in as well as the anonymity concerns, Platzek wrote in an email that the college hoped the portal would make it easier for individuals to reach the administration with their concerns, assuring that all concerns are voiced and addressed.

“The complaint portal is intended to enhance, not replace,

current avenues for individuals to raise concerns, and individuals are always entitled to reach out to the administration in whatever manner they are most comfortable with,” wrote Platzek in an email.

Questions about anonymity and the department in charge remain unanswered.

Dwayne McBean is the Managaing Editor. He can be reached at dwayne.mcbean1@ yorkmail.cuny.edu York College. Photo Credit: Parsram Stanley

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Fresh Man Guide to College

By Asar John Going into your freshman year may seem like the scariest thing you have done since climbing the ropes to the ceiling in your middle school gymnasium.

My first year in college made me come to realize many things about myself, that I have yet to make improvements on. If I had made the time to get the change to work on these issues, I would have. However, it does not have to be so frightful if you come to campus with a few tips in mind.

Here’s how you can easily navigate your way around your first year in College: ● Working Many college students often fall into student debt. There are some students out there who have great time management skills, and know how to balance both school and some type of job, that they’ve managed to hold down since High School.

In my case, I didn’t want to fall into the category of being broke as a student, so I sought out a job. I made sure to arrange my schedule for five days per week, in which three out of those five days, I attend school. For everyday of the week, I was either attending school, aiding to my job, or both at times. My job was located in Manhattan, York is in Queens and I live in Brooklyn.

There were times of endless commuting hours back and forth between those three locations. It was hard for me to find time to write for the newspaper, study, interact with family & friends, and even eat full meals on time.

Overall, working a part time job is not something I would recommend unless you are in a financial situation that deems it necessary- especially during your first semester. ● Studying Studying well is not a skill we all have, but once you get into the groove of it, studying becomes so much easier. The key to a successful study session is by being in the right environment.

Try getting out of your comfort zone. Instead of studying in teh comfort of your bed or couch, try sitting at a desk or a table perhaps alone or with other students as well. Additionally, try keeping your phone at a healthy distance away from you. Everyone nows that 10-minutes on Twitter eventually becomes an hour. Keep it away from you unless absolutely necessary. Don’t study in a clutteres environment.

Having an organized space will keep your mind organized and on track as well. If there are still distractions at home, try staying on campus, head to your local library, or try going to another CUNY College Library that is near you. Remember, as a CUNY student, you have access to other CUNY libraries, not just your own. ● Campus Get to know the place you will probably be spending the next four years at. Make time after school or during your gaps

to walk around York’s Campus and get familiar with central locations, like the Atrium, the Library, and the Corridors of the building. This will come in handy when finding shortcuts within the school as you will able to know paths around the college like the back of your own hand. Most importantly, you can always use your new profound knowledge to assist others in navigating the building. ● Scheduling When I created my schedule for my classes in May, I wasn’t too sure what my ideal schedule would look like. I made my schedule to mirror the agenda I have been following for the past 13 years of my life. Five days per week, Monday through Friday.

On most days, I would only have one class and I would go home straight after. That’s not really the best way to spend my time, especially when I had started working in Manhattan. When it came to choosing classes for the Spring Semester, I had piled up all of my classes instead of spreading them out. By the time the Spring semester began, I had left my job and had more time on my hands to complete the activities I could have done the previous semester. ● Classes Your first day may have flown by like a breeze, please keep in mind for future first days, study your classes!! Mostly study the framework of the class, both literally and figuratively. When you arrive to class, figure out where is the optimal seat for you to be able to focus and absorb the material. Choosing the right seat will help you to concentrate better and absorb information differently. If your seating doesn’t work out for you, that’s ok! You have a whole semester to figure it out. Now, to studying the class figuratively, I cannot stress this enough, Please study the syllabus!! If you follow it week to week, you’re less likely to fall behind rather than relying on your professor to constantly remind you when assignments are due. Your syllabus will be your best friend! ● Morning Routine On the first day, I woke up 20 minutes before I had to leave my house, resulting in skipping out on breakfast, and ending up having to buy a smoothie from the convenience store. Often I forget my keys or headphones, because I am always in a rush, given the limited amount of time I have to get ready. You need to have a steady routine, especially if you have morning classes and will be in school for the majority of the day. I started doing activities like stretching, drinking a glass of water, practicing simple exercises like, (Tai Chi) and preparing a nutritional breakfast. I have dedicated an extra hour of my time to help myself. I have learned to stop pressing the snooze button and stop skipping out on meals. ● Organization Organization has always been something that I have personally struggled with, since I was

younger. Being in college has forced me to be very organized with doing everything that comes my way. When you are not organized, it makes simple tasks turn into hard ones. and it becomes harder to cope with the challenges that college life throws at you. Having an organized lifestyle in college, and outside, is the key to having an organized mindset. ● Self-Care Taking care of yourself is very essential to maintaining a good state of mind. Some of the things I mentioned previously throughout this guide, like eating a nutritious breakfast, exercising, and stretching all fall into the category of self-care. This tip is very important. If you don’t put yourself first, the work will take a toll on your body, which makes it 10x harder keeping up with everyday activities. ● Spare Time When the going gets tough, take some time off for yourself.

Always remember to catch a breather! It is highly important to not overwork yourself. Try and take a break in between homework assignments, to recollect your thoughts. Do not try and get everything done in one steady go, take baby steps, it will all get done eventually.

When you are under stress, it is ok to take a break during these endless hours of studying and essay-writing. Do an activity you can indulge in. Personally, one of my guilty pleasures is reading a Novel or getting into a Netflix show while eating a pint of ice cream! ● Finals If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, finals week are the hardest weeks of them all. Try making arrangements with your classmates from each class to form study sessions, in a quiet area. Whether it’s during school hours, or after class. Trust me, all the studying will pay off!

Prioritize what takes the most time to study, or the class that will help to give a good boost to your GPA. Dedicating your time to your studies will help you understand the topics much better, and will help you ace your finals!

To the Class of 2023, I hope you have taken my advice as a learning process, and realize that all things may not go as planned.

I hope you all know that this semester will be filled with several ups and downs, but you got this!

Asar John is the assistant Arts&Entertainment Editor.

He can be reached at asar. john@yorkmail.cuny.edu

5

Environment Health Column:

By Chelsea Khan

By Chelsea Khan In the world’s most tech- savvy era, it is hard to believe that our environment is still dated a “pre-historic” issue among some members of the community. No wonder the Earth’s ecosystems are on a rapid decline as nearly all of them have been greatly affected by human activities.

From the burning of coal for energy production that is releasing chemicals such as sulfur dioxide into our atmosphere to the destruction of natural habitats through over harvesting, there is no question that Earth’s ecosystems are suffering.

The atmosphere is not the only victim. Water pollution affects not only beaches but the entire ocean life. Pollutants found in both sewage and industrial waste can cause harm to microbes like plankton, which absorb these pollutants. The plankton are then consumed by fish, who may suffer injuries from the toxic chemicals ingested. I bet you did not think that having a green thumb matters these days? But don’t forget that humans rely on ecosystems for their food supply as well as other necessities for a healthy life including clean drinking water and purified air to breathe.

Unfortunately, human activities such as pollution, deforestation and emission of toxic chemicals have left our ecosystem fighting a losing battle.

The industrial processes used today release many toxic substances including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and other heavy metals as a consequence of combustion, smelting or water contamination. Pesticides used in agriculture and forestry to control or kill organisms can release toxic substances into the soil, air and water, making it unhealthy for people and their pets.

An example is cadmium.

Cadmium is a by-product of zinc production that appears as a soft silver-white color. It can be toxic to both humans and the envi-

ronment. The main evidence of environmental pollution by this element are super-phosphates, fertilizers used for cultivation.

Foods such as fruits and coffee produced in soils fertilized by super-phosphates contain high levels of cadmium. Likewise, meats produced from feeding the animals these foods have high levels also. The ingestion of these foods in high quantities can result in severe stomach irritation and even death in extreme cases.

Cadmium can also be found in batteries, cigarettes and cigarette smoke, metal coatings and emissions of fossil fuels. Long term exposure could cause lung damage and even cancer.

Industrial processes such as gas welding, sand blasting and smelting are all factors that can increase the risk of exposure, i.e. the inhaling of cadmium dust or fumes, when released from industrial factories.

Advanced countries like the United States has issued the value of 0.1m/mg3 as the maximum amount of cadmium allowed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also established a provisional tolerable monthly intake or PTMI of 5 parts per million as its maximum amount of cadmium that can be consumed to help reduce cadmium-related deaths.

Despite these, there are still steps that people within our community can take to reduce the emission of toxic chemicals to Earth’s ecosystems.

Chelsea Khan is a contributing writer. She can be reached at chelsea.khan@yorkmail.cuny. edu

If you have any feedback, concerns or story ideas you think Pandora’s Box should cover, send an email to the Editor-in-Chief at angel.adegbesan@yorkmail.cuny.edu.

ARTS

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Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

York’s Art Gallery Features Political Works

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What’s to Come with Disney Plus

The Art for the Body Politic, a metaphor for the country as a tangible being, featured in the College’s art gallery. Photo Credit: Asar John

By Asar John

Aileen Bassis appeared at the York’s Fine Arts gallery on Sept.

26 for a reception and talk about her collective work titled the Art for the Body Politic.

According to Bassis, the title of her work is a metaphor for the country as a tangible being. She hopes that through her art, people will start to think about the “body politic” that our nation exists as.

“I want people to have empathy for people who are making difficult choices all over the world,” Bassis said in an interview.

Bassis said that she was able to curate the exhibit through a grant provided by the Queens Council of Arts. Part of the grant required the work to be shown in Queens.

Once one of her pieces received funding, Bassis contacted different venues in the borough and eventually York offered her a solo exhibition.

“For that, I needed to add

some more work,” she said.

“Margaret Vendryes and I talked about it and I added other groups of work that I thought worked well together.”

One of those works, Time to Leave, was the one that secured Bassis with the exhibit at York.

This piece is a series of photo etchings that illustrate the hardships immigrants are trying to escape.

“I like how the words portray sadness and how the black and white theme shows some type of sorrow,” said Anna Lee Jackson, a Teacher Education major who visited the exhibit.

Bassis discusses another piece which are two handmade accordion books that document migrant struggles, in which some of them serve a purpose beyond being pieces of art.

“Some of them live on as teaching tools,” said Bassis. “A lot of times when I meet with the special collections curators, they say, ‘this is something we can use to spark a discussion with our students. It addresses issues that

we’re talking about in class.’”

Questions for America is another work of Aileen Bassis which details pictures of Midtown Manhattan and other parts of New York, appearing with different questions on each image.

Bassis’s inspiration for these 12 prints came from the questions she pondered about the United States after the 2016 election. Bassis said she delved deeper into poetry in the last two years and wants to inform the use of language in her work.

“I really felt like I didn’t understand this country anymore,” she added. “I was born here, lived here all my life, but all of a sudden it was like, what happened?”

The Art of the Body Politic exhibit will be open until Oct. 4.

Asar John is the Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at asar.john@yorkmail. cuny.edu

More Photos on Pg.9

Photo Credit: Sarah Dukes via Flickr

By Autumn Matthews

It all started with an announcement three weeks ago, and the new Disney Plus streaming service took off.

Disney Plus will be showing old Disney movies and shows as well as new shows, Marvel movies, and more. Disney Plus will be launched on Nov. 12 in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands. It will also launch on Nov. 19 in Australia and New Zealand.

Subscribers of the Disney Plus Streaming services will pay either $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. Viewers will be able to watch through TV’s, mobile devices, and more.

This new streaming services may become a big deal, especially when it comes to the current generation because sometimes viewers miss watching old disney shows like Proud Family, Kim Possible, That’s So Raven

and others. Now thanks to Disney Plus, viewers will be able to watch as many of those old shows and movies.

The service will also create competition between other online streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu when it comes to who has the best TV and movies.

It was only a matter of time before Disney threw their hat in the ring with streaming.

Autumn Matthews is a staff reporter. She can be reached autumn.matthews@yorkmail. cuny.edu

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7

Here Are Some of the Best Summer Movies You May Have Missed

Hobbs and Shaw, featuring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, is one of the best movies you may have missed. Photo Credit: Ali Ghafarpoor via Flickr

By Richard Heaton

It is tedious for everyone to keep up with all the movies that are constantly coming out. Over the summer, plenty of these movies were released. Here are six of the best that came out since the end of last semester.

(This list includes some films that you might have missed and should check out or blockbuster films that everyone should have seen.)

Crawl If you are a fan of horror and thrillers, then Crawl is a film

that you should give a chance.

It was produced by Sam Raimi, who is one of the most well known directors in the genre.

He directed the Evil Dead films and produced films such as Don’t Breathe and The Grudge.

Crawl is disaster flick meets horror as two family members are trapped in a crawl space during a hurricane with deadly alligators trying to rip them apart.

Rocketman Personally, I did not enjoy Rocketman all that much

because it was not what I had expected. I thought it would be a standard musical drama like A Star is Born or Bohemian Rhapsody but it seemed to be more humorous than drama. It ended up more like The Greatest Showman than anything.

Don’t get me wrong, The Greatest Showman was good, but, when you are expecting something really dramatic and even kind of thrilling, it was sort of a letdown.

But if you go watch this film knowing it is more of a silly film, then it is pretty good.

Even if you do not like the film itself, much of the music is very entertaining.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw Fast & Furious has gone a long way from where it started several years ago. The main films started the series off as a gritty series about car racing.

Then, it became far less serious and more colorful. Now, the series is just a blend of every genre possible.

This is even more true of Hobbs & Shaw, where the extravagant nature of the series reaches a whole new level with genetically enhanced soldiers and cars doing things that are not physically possible.

Ad Astra; A Family Drama Set In Space

Brad Pitt at a movie premiere. Photo Credit: Jonathan T Mare via Flickr

By Richard Heaton

Do not think of Ad Astra as a film about space. It is a film about the relationship between father and son that just so happens to take place in space.

The film which stars Brad Pitt follows an astronaut’s mission to the planet Neptune after finding out that his father, who has been presumed dead for years, might still be alive. Not only could he still be alive, but it is believed that his father is the cause of surges that threaten to destroy the entire solar system.

The mission is to destroy that threat, and with it, his father.

This leads to an interesting dilemma for Pitt’s character, Roy McBride, as he becomes the one to pursue the mission.

The film then briefly changes from a film about space to an emotional story about a father who became a national hero and who seemingly left his son. We also learn that not everything is what it seems in a heart-wrenching fashion.

It has been a while since we have had a truly immersive space story. The “Golden Age” of space films that were not focused on

fantasy was at the start of this decade. From 2013 until 2015, films such as Gravity, Interstellar, and The Martian were released.

Between The Martian and Ad Astra, First Man was the only such film to be released. So it was nice to be able to revisit the genre with a unique spin.

Seeing it in theaters, or even in a large format such as IMAX or Dolby makes the film even better.

There are plenty of scenes that take space exploration to a whole new level and really drives home the idea of how big, empty, and dangerous the universe is.

Right at the start of the film we see Pitt literally falling off of a space station in the atmosphere trying to repair something. We watch him fall for miles with the planet quickly coming into focus and not being able to tell which way is up for more than a second at a time.

After that, the film slows down a bit but is still wild ride of beautiful space shots and scenes that just make your heart stop. When you see his tiny pod passing through debris orbiting Neptune, you have to wonder if this is what it really looks like because of the immense amount

of detail put into creating the setting.

One amazing aspect of the film is that it teases all sorts of amazing advancements in civilization without explaining them. Ad Astra mentions what is new in the world and then passes onto the next topic, leaving the audience to wonder what the world was like. Space stations that start on the ground and reach miles into the sky, passenger rockets to the moon and paying for products by scanning your palm.

The film does not spend an hour talking about how these advancements came into existence or how they work, we only know about their presence and that’s it.

Not only is this a unique way of storytelling, but it’s all grounded in reality as well and it portrays a futuristic look into space that might one day be possible.

Another solid aspect of the film is the music and sound, or at least the lack of. Whenever there is a film about space, sound editors always do a great job at editing what we hear on screen due to the nature of space.

Usually in a film about space, you see the vast emptiness on screen and there is an absence of sound. Half the time, that will give you chills. Ad Astra was no different, making sure to use sound in ways that make it far more immersive.

Overall, Ad Astra is just as much fun as it is emotional and thrilling and it might even be Pitt’s best performance in years.

Personally, out of all the space films listed here, I would put it as second-best and give the film a 9 out of 10.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

However, the ninth film in the franchise was never meant to be taken seriously. It is a whole new adventure that just wants you to be in awe of what you just saw. It is supposed to be outrageous and cool-looking in the line of a Kingsman film or an Edgar Wright film by design.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Another film that wants you to be in awe is King of the Monsters. Like Hobbs & Shaw, this is one of those guilty pleasure films where you just want to see mayhem or laugh like a lunatic.

In King of the Monsters, the crew spared no expense in making everything seem literally larger than life. There are a number of scenes that look like they would fit right in an Avengers battle.

Whether it’s seeing the two alphas fight for the first time, the epic ocean chase, or watching Boston take a beating, there is no shortage of jaw dropping scenes.

The Art of Racing in the Rain Despite having a Rotten Tomatoes score of 43%, this film garnered an amazing audience score and became one of the most emotional films of 2019 so far. It follows the life of a dog and his owner as well as both of their troubles.

It is a beautifully crafted film

about love, death, passion, and a number of other themes that originate from these two characters and the people around them.

If you are a lover of dogs or are touched by emotional films to begin with, you should give this one a try.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood The newest Quentin Tarantino film has everything that a great film needs to succeed. It has great performances from its cast members, a compelling story, suspense, and a unique sense of humor.

The film follows actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. Dalton faces life as a successful actor who seems to be going downhill while Booth drives him around and has his own drama-filled adventure that is just short of

heart-stopping.

The film also goes into detail on Charles Manson and his

“family”, leading viewers to another classic Tarantino-style masterpiece.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

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York’s Annual Club Fair: A Colorful Display of Cardinal Spirit

By Pamela Garcia York College clubs celebrated the Fall, 2019 semester in full swing with the annual club fair.

Hundreds of students gathered on Tuesday, Sept. 17, to see the clubs that are currently available on campus and what they have to offer.

Students enjoyed music, games, performances , giveaways alongside refreshments as they stopped by numerous tables and checked out various clubs. The club fair was hosted by the York College Student Government Association to welcome freshmen, transfer and continuing students to become a part of the campus community

as well as show their cardinal spirit.

Clubs in attendance ranged from informative and educational clubs like the Accounting club and York College Human Resources club, to leisure clubs like the Anime club and the K.R.E.A.M (kpop club). There were more than 40 student clubs and organizations in attendance that added to the culture of the college.

Students like Arcadia Iglesia, a freshman at York looking for new experiences and ways to get more involved in campus life, said she found the club fair helpful. Iglesia made sure to use the club fair to not only become familiarized with what type of clubs are at the college but also

what activities and events would be beneficial for her.

The college has designated club hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00-1:50 p.m., so that club members can meet to connect with one another and engage fellow students on campus. With so many choices, there is a club for just about any major, interest or career path. All clubs have ongoing open enrollment, so it is not too late for you to show some love and join a club.

Pamela Garcia is a staff reporter.

She can be reached at pamela. garcia@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Photos by: Adisa Sobers and Parsram Stanley

yorkpbnews.net

Gallery PB Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

NYC Artist Showcases Politcial Collections in an Art Exhibit At York

Story on Page 6

Photos by: Asar John

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ARTS PB Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

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Former City College Student Pursues Her Dream of Singing

Miriam Sintim. Photo Courtesy: Miriam Sintim

By Dwayne McBean

Depression. That was Miriam Sintim’s wake up call to pursue her heart desires.

Sintim, a City College-CUNY graduate, teacher and singer had an unwavering conviction in her heart that she had a calling for music. However, the pressure from her Ghanian parents and family about the risk of failure became too much and it almost cost her her health.

Sintim, born and raised in the Bronx, says she has always loved music since she was a little girl of 11 years watching her two elder sisters sing in the choir.

When they joined the choir, I wanted to join but was told I was too young,” said Sintim.

So, she opted for the junior choir because she refused to take no for an answer. It was not until one Christmas show at her church, that she would perform an amazing solo of “12 Days of Christmas” to showcase her singing talent. And, prove to her sisters and the church that she was ready to join the big leagues.

“They heard me sing and was like, maybe you can join the

[adult] choir,” she recalls with a sense of pride.

In high school, Sintim got an opportunity to work on her talent when her teacher introduced her to the Broadway workshop, which allows students from NYC to be on Broadway for a day. In her junior year, she got to attend an $8,000 a semester performing initiative free of charge for two years.

But just like many African children, her parents were intent on not supporting it despite seeing her potential because they believed she would not be able to make enough living to support herself.

So, Sintim went ahead to major in a course that was “guaranteed” to earn her money.

After about eight months of her majoring in Biology at Daemen College, Sintim started to feel miserable. She recalls failing her classes from being too depressed about not being able to pursue her talent to being unable to physically attend classes. She recalls her peers telling her she does not look too good and that she was losing weight.

“I’m already skinny now,”

said Sintim, “so imagine me losing more weight. That’s how stressed I was.”

After her third semester, Sintim left Daemen for City College where she double-majored in English with a concentration in Literature, and Theatre with a concentration in Acting.

She would later go on to graduate in 2018 and pursue teaching as a “Plan B”.

Still uncontent and battling depression she sought solace in her love for the arts, on the side. She started posting videos of herself singing on Instagram videos and entered into the Apollo Music Contest this summer where she was the runner-up.

She says she knows music runs through her blood but the Ghanian way is the way of education and securing a solid career.

“I have family members that want to become musicians but they have families to feed,” Sintim said. “I have aunts and uncles that if I asked them if they’re happy they wouldn’t say yes right away.”

Currently, Sintim is continuing her masters in Education but she is working on her first official single. Sintim believes in her music career, herself, and her tenacity but she does not want to be a starving artist.

Although teaching isn’t her first love and her family encourages her to leave the silly dream behind, she refuses to give up on herself.

“You disrespect the people that believe in you when you stop trying,” Sintim said.

Sintim says she is always available to collaborate and feature with other artists.

Dwayne Mcbean is the Managing Editor. He can be reached at dwayne.mcbean@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Rihanna Versus Victoria Secret: Incredible!

By Aleah Cole Rihanna hosted, presented and performed at her own exclusive fashion show: Savage x Fenty lingerie line during New York Fashion Week and Victoria’s Secret is not feeling good about it.

The 31-year-old singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, businesswoman and fashion designer hosted her own fashion at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sept. 10. The singer celebrated in style as she presented her line with a diverse array of female models in all sizes. Rihanna had designed her show to give models the opportunity to share their own stories as well as to send a body positivity message to other lingerie brands that size is indiscriminate.

Models, singers and influencers such as Slick Woods, Cara Delevingne, Halsey, Ashley Graham and others attended the show to support the fashion mogul for writing a new course

Rihanna’s lingerie brand challenges the world’s top lingerie brand, Victoria Secret.

Photo credit: Eric Smith via Flickr

in the lingerie world. Rihanna’s show challenged top womens’ lingerie brands like Victoria’s Secret, that tend to only feature women of certain sizes.

According to Bloomberg, two days after Rihanna’s exclusive fashion show, Victoria’s Secret

decided to rethink their identity.

“The once-dominant lingerie brand is retrenching as new rivals present clear and focused messages that are resonating with consumers,” read the headline of the Bloomberg article.

According to Fashionista, Rihanna’s show featured people of all different shapes, sizes, skin tones, genders and abilities who were no less impressive for their approachability.

In Rihanna fashion, her show was not just about her new line, it was also a concert. The singer performed and had rappers, pop singers and entertainers like Normani, Migos, Rick Ross, and Halsey, perform as well.

Aleah Cole is the Online Editor.

She can be reached at aleah. cole@yorkmail.cuny.edu

yorkpbnews.net

The Creative Corner

Moon Dust

By Shaquille Profitt

Rain has come

The evening breeze barked Blue streak rain poured We quivered. The wind shivered. The night glistened.

The sea whispered good night.

Thick boisterous clouds roar in dullness.

Every drop over the pungent marigolds.

We see our future in the distance drawn.

You were always mine to keep, and I was always yours to love.

Your arms enveloped me, and in a whisper, my words escaped.

Waves lethargic in their liquid robes drifting to the moonlight.

You were always mine to keep, and I was always yours to love.

Sun has come

The marigolds drooped and roots parched.

We see our future in the distance drawn.

You brought me sunshine, when I saw rainbows Your eyes reached mine in the wilderness of love Your muscles pressed against your shirt as if the sun sparked through the shining pearl.

When the first air went silent, and the branches called And the birds stalled You were always mine to keep, and I was always yours to love.

Night has fallen

Gazing at your hair like a river of curls.

The breeze froze. The trees strung up from a diamond You kissed my cheeks with your bee-stung lips And gave me wings to fly Shells to discover and recover.

You didn’t fall in love; you rolled in it.

Not even the mockingbirds or the nightingales could wake you up from your dreams of fear.

You were always mine to keep, and I was always yours to love.

Day has come

The sun rose; the sky—new.

I looked to the heavens and beyond.

The breeze—mute in its fondness.

You were always mine to keep, and I was always yours to love.

Questions complete and incomplete.

Give it time to climb; give it time to rise.

Above the hills, beneath the deep blue sea.

A waiting instrument Just waiting, and waiting, and waiting For you to play it.

Here she goes lost in the tides Good Night.

Shaquille Profitt is a contributing writer. He can be reached at shaquille.profitt@yorkmail. cuny.edu

If You Have a Poem, Essay, Letter or Short Story You Would Like to Publish in Pandora’s Box, Send It to The Editor-in-Chief at angel.adegbesan@yorkmail.cuny.edu.

The IT is Back Again!

By Emiree Campbell Director Andy Muschietti and Writer Gary Dauberman have done it again as It Chapter Two was absolutely terrific. It is an American supernatural horror film that serves as the sequel to the 2017 original and is based on parts of the 1986 novel

by Stephen King.

The film follows Pennywise the dancing clown, who resurfaces after 27 long years to seek revenge on the town of Derry, Maine. People start mysteriously disappearing and The Losers Club, those who defeated Pennywise as kids, reunite to stop him again.

In the first movie, as kids, they all went their separate ways, except for Mike, who stayed in Derry and is the one who brought the club back to-

gether when he noticed Pennywise resurfaced.

Unfortunately, each loser seems to be fighting a never ending battle of some aspect of their past. Bill (James McAvoy) is still sad about losing his younger brother Georgie. Eddie is still terrified of germs and infections.

Beverly is still struggling with memories of her father. Richie however is able to change his life around completely, a clean new slate.

They each must overcome their deepest fear in order to destroy Pennywise who is now stronger and deadlier than ever

Emiree Campbell is a contributing writer. She can be reached at emiree.campbell@yorkmail. cuny.edu

ARTS PB Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

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The Time Has Come For Fall Fashion Ideas

It is the time of teh year for pumpkins and sweaters Photo Credit: trs125 via Flickr

are definitely back in style and bright lip colors are certainly out. Pairing your all black outfit with a simple smokey eye, preferably dark green or dark orange (because it’s autumn, duh) with a matte or glossy nude lip will add a pop of colour to your vampy and sophisticated fall look.

Mini skirts in, midi and maxi skirts out.

One of the most attractive autumn outfits is patterned high-waisted mini skirts and bandeau tops paired with leather blazers and knee high or over the knee boots (heeled or flat).

This outfit can be fancy with just a gloss and hoop earrings. It is fashion-forward, quick and easy to put together when you want a look that stands out but requires little effort.

When it gets colder, snuggle in a sweater This season is the season of cozy nights at home with fluffy socks, knee-high socks, warm robes and for some panache in the home, pumpkin spice candles. While you savor in everything yummy and pumpkin flavored, you can also enjoy oversized tee shirts or fluffy sweaters with knee-high socks while you re-watch The Office again on Netflix. For those who require pants to sit and watch TV, you can pair a long sleeved

t-shirt or sweater with trendy super soft joggers, not forgetting your animated fluffy socks that probably have evil Halloween pumpkins or floating ghosts on them. Trendy sweaters to purchase this season are open-back or designed back ones. Because it is not quite cold and we are not ready to bundle up just yet, many stores and designers have sweaters that have open-back designs that are very flattering and bless us with the opportunity to show some skin skin without freezing to death.

When in doubt, jewelry You can also keep in mind that jewelry, notably earrings, are a great way to pep up your fall looks. Wear them now because before you know it, you are pulling out those knitted hats and earmuffs.

You should know this autumnatically- Be kind The greatest fashion tip for the season is for us to remember that seasonal depression may start to kick in so let us be kind to one another and most importantly wear what we feel the most confident in.

Jessica Defreitas is a contributing writer. She can be reached at jessica.defreitas@yorkmail.cuny. edu

Kim Shui Uses Her 2019 NYFW show to Embrace Her Chinese Heritage

By Aleah Cole The 2019 KIMSHUI fashion show presented a new seasonal collection - KIMSHUI SS20 in New York City and the outfits embrace a “new-femininity” The show took place at Spring Studios in New York City Sept.

10 during the New York Fashion Week of 2019.

The host of the show was none other than the designer, Kim Shui, a Chinese -American Womenswear designer, whom Forbes has labeled as one of the most influencing “under 30” fashion designers.

Shui’s woman’s womenswear brand was founded in 2016 in New York. Most of her designer outfits are worn by celebrities such as Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Cardi B.

The Creative Corner

for the day. The echoes of my chronic euphoric neighbors compete with arguments of my discontent parents. Threats, Broken concrete, broken bargaining, and crying set in a roads, broken glasses of 40’s, broken loop, a scratched record broken speech, broken lives, I found in my broken home. was born and raised in a city I am sent away to school that was broken. with broke pockets filled with I’ve spent a quarter of my lint and a crumpled dollar bill. life in broken school systems.

Making pit stops at corner Underfunded institutions that stores owned by people who do serve as a penitentiary to watch not look like me.Their eyes lock children for, what I believe, on me as I walk in and out of to be eight hours a day. Stuck their stores but their gazes are in these windowless desolate not the ones I worry about. walls with broken clocks. Text- Avoiding all eye contact with books torn and worn, teachers the ghouls who loiter outside vexed and stressed. Working the public stores. Looking at underpaid and underappreciat- them in their eyes is a promise ed, ingesting their caffeinated for aggression. Territorial creaantidepressants, preaching a tures fighting over a corner they false gospel of hero colonizers do not even own. Coming from to kids they may outlive. homes they do not own.

I live in a broken neighborThese same aggressive squathood littered with stray cats ters observe the fullness of my and addicts. The community pockets. Viewing what I wear, suffocated with liquor stores how much I weigh, how tall I and FAT food restaurants. am, if I am fidgety or tense, if Churches on the same block as they recognize my face in the these liquors stores with more neighborhood. All prerequisite dollars passing over the counter to whether or not they will on bottles than in the offering attempt to break my face, a plate. Basketball courts and solution that temporarily fixes playgrounds infected with drug their broken egos. deals and gang activity rather This is my life in East New than children’s laughter.

York. A community in need of Living in a battered home fixing. But despite it’s broken riddled with creeks in the floor- parts, this is home, forever boards, faulty plumbing and attached to my memories. But discoloured paint on the wall. in the minds of the power at be, Non-raisen pellets coating my in order to fix the community, cabinets and bookshelves. The they have forced the “broken” kitchen, living room, bathroom out and we are replaced by and bedroom conjoined mirrorwhite vultures who settle ing the same size of my classin our now vacant homes. I room. Doing my homework, guess they thought we were watching tv, and eating food the problem, that we broke all in the same spot merely ten Brooklyn. But we never had feet away from drug dealers, the tools to destroy our commuand gang members, separated by nities, the drugs, the liquor, the a thin layer of concrete. Those guns, these were all supplied whom I call neighbor. from outside. They come from a My alarm clock substituted world that pretends to be fixed, for the screaming matches that but is broken, and proceeded to breaks through the concrete break my home as well in the walls by these anxious neighwake of their negligence denial. bors. Neighbors who don’t politely ask for a cup of sugar Barrington Brissett is a conbut rather for a light. Though tributing writer. He can be the dust across their top lip and reached at barrington.brissett@ boost in energy tells me they yorkmail.cuny.edu have had enough sugar intake Brokeland

By Barrington Brissett

By Jessica Defreitas The end of summer is undoubtedly a sad moment for many summer lovers. We can no longer go to the beach, enjoy a cute crop top or allow our toes to bask in the sun while we wear flip flops.

However, instead of being sad, we can relish in the thought that Autumn is probably one of the most fashionable times of the year. Autumn is the season of trendy booties, thin scarves, burnt orange nails and all styles of spicy stockings.

You can still wear shorts (Don’t put them in the back of the closet, just yet.)

Autumn allows us to keep some of our summer clothes out without putting them all away just yet and not bringing all our winter clothes in either. During the early stage of the autumn season, you can still show some skin because there will still be 75 degree days that you will want to take advantage of.

A handy tip for these days will be to keep your shorts out.

You can easily pair a cute denim shorts with high boots and top it off with your choice of sweater for regular days. And for the hotter days, a slinky camisole and a cardigan. On these hotter days you can also anticipate the sun to blaze and for that we recommend a dainty pair of cat eye sunglasses to coincide with the season. At night, you can pair your shorts with a pair of heeled boots or booties for extra sass and green smokey eyes.

Sandal heels are leaving, Bootie heels are back If you have not done so already, soon you will have to put away your sandal heels but don’t worry, you will soon be enjoying a good old pair of bootie heels.

On a night out, you can still enjoy your little black dresses but now, you can pair it with stockings, a thin blazer if needed and a high heeled bootie. To add to this seasonal look, smokey eyes

11

The SS20 - Spring Summer 2019 collection was presented at this year’s New York Fashion Week and the concept had an “Asian-Twist” since most of her creative work tends to span over a wide horizon. The show featured a lot of silk, black and gold diamond accessories, and short mini dresses that had an Asian inspired look for SS20.

According to Fashionista, the designer shared that she wants her summer outfits to be more “sexier” for the summer time.

“I feel like there was a point where wearing a super tight body-con dress was so silly,” She had said. “I mean obviously, the guys are going to think it’s hot but my real goal was to make the woman wearing it to feel hot.”

Although, her collection embodies and embraces her Chinese heritage, Shui said that everyone can wear it without the

cause of alarm for appropriation because it’s a celebration for her as long as they like the style.

A lot of influencers and recording artists like Kehlani, Nikita Dragun, and Rico Nasty were reportedly in attendance.

They got to experience live music during the fashion show and enjoyed watching the models strut the runway.

Aleah Cole is the Online Editor.

She can be reached at aleah. cole@yorkmail.cuny.edu

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ARTS PB Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

12

Marvel Presents What’s Next After Avengers

Game of Thrones and Fleabag Steal Show at Emmys

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Marvel presents Phase 4 and Phase 5. Photo credit: Tkh/ieyasu via Flickr

By Jessica Defreitas Get ready Marvel fans because the next 5 years are going to be epic. This new phase of Marvel has been said to be the biggest of all in history and we have so much to look forward to including movies, shows, and new cast members.

At the D23 event earlier this year, it was announced that there will be She-Hulk, Moon Night and Ms Marvel live action. There have also been rumors that suggest a horror twist to the upcoming Doctor Strange movie. Part of the twist ties in the upcoming WandaVision show as a part of the movie.

To add more fuel to our excitement, Simu Liu is being introduced as Marvel’s very first Asian superhero starring in the all-new “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”.

Additionally, Natalie Portman has been cast as the lead in the newest Thor movie.

Skipping ahead to phase five we can expect the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie and Carol Danvers’ reappearance in Captain Marvel 2. Here is a timeline of what we can look forward to in the future with Marvel.

In 2020, we can look ahead to Black Widow, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and The Eternals.

In 2021 we can expect, ShangChi : And the Legend of the Ten Rings, Loki, WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, What If...?, Thor : Love and Thunder and Hawkeye.

Of these, fans are particularly excited for the Black Widow Movie as it has been long anticipated.

The movie’s intended release is May 2020 and fans can await an alluring trailer by the end of this year.

Quite a few shows have been

streamed on Netflix including Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, The Defenders, and The Punisher. These shows only lasted two to three seasons and viewers are wondering if it is the end. Fans are also interested in knowing how the Loki show will play out and how his character as an antihero will be portrayed. Will we love or hate him is a question of curiosity.

Marvel will also be retouching the Avengers Movie which we can expect after 2022. In addition, there is speculation of an X-Men reboot.

Wolverine who was a favorite back in the day may have lost the interest of viewers over time which turned out to be not much of a tragedy. Fans have Stan Lee to thank for all the previous years of excitement and thrill that brought us to this phase and introduced us to superheroes that we have come to know and love. Phase 4 now being in development by Disney will be another chapter for us to add to the history books of these amazing characters. Brace yourselves!

It is gonna be a blast, no doubt.

Jessica Defreitas is a contributing writer. She can be reached at jessica.defreitas@yorkmail.cuny. edu

Spider Man is Back in The MCU For Two More Movies!

Tom Holland is back playing Spiderman in the MCU for two more movies. Photo Credit: Ma_Co2013 via Flickr

By Cristina John Spider-Man’s time in the MCU is being cut short.

We all know and love Spider-Man; our friendly neighborhood superhero. However, it seems like all the Marvel fanatics out there will no longer be able to see Spider-Man alongside his fellow companions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.

First, what exactly happened between Marvel and Sony?

Originally, Marvel signed over their film rights to Spider-Man and gave it to Sony.

They have done the same with

X-Men and Fantastic Four (Fox owns them now). With their new character, Sony made great movies starting with the Tobey Maguire-led ones.

However, their streak of great movies did not continue after later movies did no’t do too well.

With some of their characters missing, Marvel found it difficult to make films.

In 2015, Marvel and Sony made a deal which consisted of an agreement about the distribution of Spider-Man. The Washington Post had reported that Kevin Feige would guide Sony’s films, using his muscle and the flex of the whole Marvel cinematic universe. Disney would get merchandising revenue and the chance to use the popular Spider-Man in its own movies.

And Sony, which would be releasing the films, would benefit from the promotion that came from appearances in another studio’s blockbusters.

So, wherein lies the problem with their renewal?

The negotiation between Sony and Marvel seemed to be going off the deep end as they could not meet each other in the middle concerning Spider-Man and where they stand. So, they decided to end their partnership.

This came after Spider-man: Far from Home was released and did an amazing job at the box office,

making $1.1 billion worldwide.

With the agreement Sony and Marvel had with one another, Disney made a small percentage of the money earned in the box office of Spider-man movies that were standalone. However, Disney asked for a higher percentage and in exchange they will pay a share of the production costs.

While Disney owns the merchandise for Spider-Man, Sony only gets money from the movies they make with Spider-Man and that potentially makes Disney more successful regarding the toy sales.

As of Sept. 27, the two sides agreed to an extension that will allow Spider-man to appear in two more MCU movies, but after that, nothing is known.

Cristina John is a contributing writer. She can be reached at cristina.john@yorkmail.cuny.edu

By Richard Heaton Game of Thrones and Fleabag stole the show with a total of 20 nominations and six victories at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards held on Sept. 22.

Game of Thrones ended its eight-season journey with 14 nominations and two wins.

And, in addition to winning Outstanding Drama Series for the fourth time in a row, Peter Dinklage won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

It was his fourth time winning the award.

The critically acclaimed drama also received three separate nominations for directing. The episodes “The Iron Throne,” “The Last of the Starks,” and “The Long Night” were all nominated but all lost to Jason Bateman for the Outstanding direction of a drama series.

Four of the six Outstanding Supporting Actress nominations went to the Game of Thrones cast including Gwendoline Christie, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, and Maisie Williams.

Game of Thrones also won ten Creative Arts Emmys, which were awarded the week before this ceremony and is the technical side of the Primetime Emmys. In total, Game of Thrones

received 32 Primetime Emmy nominations, which broke the record for the most in a single year.

Fleabag, the Amazon original, which concluded after two seasons, was nominated for six awards and won four of them.

The show won Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress, Outstanding Directing, and Outstanding Writing. Phoebe Walker-Bridge, who created the show and stars in it, won Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Writing.

Other major winners include Jodie Comer as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Billy Porter as the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as Best Variety Talk Series, Saturday Night Live as Best Variety Sketch Series, Bill Hader as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch as Outstanding Television Movie.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

PUMA X TMC By Nipsey Hussle is Out

“The Marathon” honors Nipsey Hussle’s Legacy. Photo Credit: Zennie Abraham via Flickr

By Aleah Cole PUMA’s collection with Nipsey Hussle, PUMA x TMC, hit the stores and online websites on Sept. 5 in tribute to the Mic Controller, who was shot to death in March.

Since his untimely death in front of his store, “The Marathon” in Los Angeles, California, his fans and family confirmed that they would continue to collaborate with Puma to dedicate the rapper’s vision and mind.

Thus, the collection comprises of 19 pieces of sportswear gear called “MARATHON”.

In addition, the collection consists of work jackets with matching pants and sneakers in the colors of black and red that says, “MARATHON” on it.

According to TheSource, it

was stated that Nipsey had the whole set in mind when he was alive. He had reportedly been directly involved, working with the PUMA brand ambassador team. His death shocked the African American community, his friends, families and rappers and heartfelt praises went out of perseverance and hard work. He was 33 years old.

The profits of PUMA x TMC will be donated to the newly established, “Neighborhood Nip Foundation” in honor of the late rapper to help the youth who are interested in music and other programs that are still underway.

As of Sept. 27, the entire collection has been sold out.

Aleah Cole is the Online Editor.

She can be reached at aleah. cole@yorkmail.cuny.edu

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The Wild West of South Queens: A Transportation Hub in Disarray

By Wayne Dawkins The city council is responsible for making legislation to govern the way in which commuter vans, popularly called dollar vans, operate, however, in the past 5 years they haven’t seem to be making a difference. While bills have been passed, not much has been put in place and the industry of drivers pretty much work the same as it would be if it were in the Wild Wild West.

In Jamaica Queens an arguably informal sector of transportation exists. It involves a large number of Caribbean people in an informal setting. The agreement between commuters and drivers along streets such as Merrick Boulevard and Guy R Brewer Boulevard begin at Jamaica Center, or somewhere there- since only people who know what the vans do and where they go congregate there.

Bills are legislations which when signed become turned into law. The last three bills introduced and signed by the council have sought to force drivers to operate vehicles with the bill of rights printed in the vehicle.

This bill, enacted since 2009, has seen a 1 in 5 compliance rate at Jamaica Center. When we asked passengers whether they cared about the bill of rights many responded by asking what’s in it.

At Jamaica Center, few passengers of the dollar vans are aware of their rights in the vans, however, it should be printed in the bill of rights- a document which highlights the role of passengers and operators in the commuter van system- the constitution of passengers and drivers.

Another enacted in 2006 asked dollar van drivers to have a manifesto of people in the vans. The manifesto was designed to have drivers declare all the passengers in their van.Without a full list of passengers, drivers would have to answer to a judge.

Many drivers laughed at the premise of the bill,.

“That is the dumbest bill a politician could sign.,” said Marcus a driver for 17 years. “Most of us drive (commuter) vans because we can barely do those read and write jobs; how we going to get a manifesto written daily?”

One passenger, who said she takes the vans for the swiftness they provide, quelled that “I have no time to be signing a manifesto, let the guys do business how they always do it. Quick!”

The passenger seemingly as pressed for time as every other person who boards the van could not answer any more questions as she squeezed into the sidedoor to get to the back seat. “I have to get to work,” she said.

Another act which was passed last year, the commuter safety act amends the disparity legal drivers face with rogue drivers who are not licensed- the act also says that the city will be studying ways to ensure that drivers cannot run on routes that the MTA serve.

Private and the congregation of drivers laugh as they discuss

why the city doesn’t show care for their transportation entrepreneurs.

Michelle, a driver for 3 years being more perceptive, chimes in that “some of the MTA route is the best routes to (drive her van) on. If they had history serving people in these communities well then we wouldn’t be here right now.”

While taking a smoke break, the loader man, undisclosed argues that “the city is greedy, they don’t know how to make more money from us so they going to find a way to take our spot one day.”

Since much of the dollar van service is underground, the way in which they operate is usually between the lines of legal and illegal. Mike works from 10am to 10pm loading vans. He seemingly cannot read or write but can regurgitate information his colleague of drivers says. Mike has been loading vans for many years; he used to be a legal driver but the city gave him many tickets rendering his licenses “dead.”

I wasn’t sure if I should assume it’s had been suspended indefinitely, but I am not sure since he said he can’t legally drive again.

A dollar van driver, who identifies as Private argues that “I’m just doing a service to my community but the lines of legal and illegal (is) very blurry, I can be legal-ish and not get a ticket from the police but the guy who’s fully legal is gonna get a ticket for the same thing I do.”

The understanding between legality and trying is blurred.

This makes it hard for TLC and police officers to enforce the laws the City council seems to be passing that make only some sense.

Its either not enough thought is being put into these drivers who serve more than a million New Yorkers per week or the city will allow them to act with impunity because they are not able to facilitate a modern industry.

Private, as one of the drivers who border legal and illegal call himself, says the same thing most drivers do- They all take out paperwork which shows that they are legal drivers, operators or something close. One driver, fully legal surmises that the situation is such that “in reality, legitimate drivers get more tickets than the illegal, or rogue drivers. When I go to court, the judge throws out the case which is alright, but then I miss a whole day of work.”

A dollar van operator, who manages a fleet of more than twenty drivers, argues that “the police don’t enforce any of the laws consistently. If they did my guys wouldn’t just be out there operating for some food, they would be trying to expand and widen their business.”

The fight for legitimacy started in 1995, when dollar van drivers took to the New York Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court. The Institute of Justice which carried the state to court on behalf of drivers argued that “standing in their way are the powerful New York City public transportation unions allied with opportunistic politi-

A commutter van in Jamaica, Queens. Photo Credit:

cians and bureaucrats. Under the unions’ influence, the New York City Council from 1994 to 1997 vetoed 98 percent of all new van licenses, keeping competition for commuters to a minimum” Since then the state has made attempts to give vans legitimacy.

When they saw that their basic laws of even defining dollar vans were inaccurate, they passed the job on to the Taxi and Limousine commission and City Council which essentially governs the vans such as giving them legal definition and laws that will govern how they function.

Drivers are given licenses to drive on their routes by operators. Operators file for routes with the TLC and the city who gives them the right to give drivers the right to drive.

The City Council has passed many legislations attempting to legitimize and regulate the dollar van industry but have only put down cowboy legislation; laws only the sheriff can interpret and enforce. It was only last year, 2017, that the council updated legislation to consider vans, carrying more than twenty passengers, commuter vans meanwhile vans with more than 20 passengers have been on the road for more years. The city’s attempt to facilitate the dollar van drivers have loopholes which are exploited, possibly because while the city can’t formalize their relationship with the industry.

When taking dollar vans, passengers go on the street of routes that the van drives on.

Much like a bus operating as taxi, the van stops on his route to a specific location to pick up many passengers to get to a terminal place. The TLC’s study highlights that Dollar van drivers are not allowed to pick up at the bus stop, however they are also not allowed to pick up when hailed.

The question becomes how do they pick up passengers to do business? In this dollar vans may end up being considered illegal until the MTA decides to bully them off the block.

The office of Councilman Mill-

er said that the councilman “has sought to ensure that commuter van companies and their drivers adhere to the law”.

Dollar vans however cannot follow the law if their business is essentially still in the capricious realm of legality.

Councilman Miller, an MTA bus driver for 20 years and MTA advocate for 5 more, says that he “continues to advocate for targeted and sensible regulations to promote safety within the commuter van industry and responsible operators.”

Councilman Miller and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, serve districts where dollar vans operate. They have recently been sponsors of bills to legislate dollar vans but they have more work cut out for them than they are currently doing. The office of Jumaane Williams is aware of the dollar van drivers and considers themselves to be a staunch supporter of the industry.

Both politicians and actors, such as the MTA, within the dollar van legislative debates, seem to only focus on asking the drivers to stay out the way of their routes and to serve the community of people who are still willing to take the dilapidated system. A further inspection of the dollar van industry shows lack of access and recognition for our cities’ entrepreneurs. Access would be encouraging drivers and operators to be an ambitious part of the transportation system and allow them to serve in areas where the MTA is failing.

Access and recognition are important when dealing with what Councilman Miller calls “small dollar entrepreneurs” despite a million-dollar industry as stated

by Dollarides.com. Dollarides is a startup company trying to formalise dollar vans.

The Mayor of New York City, Bill De Blasio, sought to acknowledge the dollar van drivers previously, highlighting their importance to the communities they serve. In 2012, hurricane sandy ravaged most of the city, more so Staten Island and during a spat

with the governor, who had shut down funding for the dilapidated transportation system during the storm the city’s entrepreneurs were more than willing to make safe trips to transfer nurses and doctors to nurses across Staten Island. The informal system of dollar vans worked for mayor Giuliani. The drivers I spoke with still talk about their part in facilitating transportation during New York City’s toughest times. When listening to them you would imagine that a city which reflects the diversity and community it serves, encourages inclusion in the overall operational projects of our city all year round.

If dollar vans are to be studied then they should have a central location of study and one can’t imagine that taking place informally in front of York College.

The dollar van drivers have a somewhat centralized location to park and pick up passengers because they have been a New York staple for more than 50 years. Lack of organization and disregard for our institutions by drivers, and subpar observance by our elected officials has left the Wild Wild West of South Queens in disarray as the vans are now parked beside York College with diplomatic immunity of the no standing zone and obvious bus lane.

Wayne Dawkins is a contributing writer. He can be reached at wayne.dawkins@yorkmail.cuny. edu

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York Student Reviews Best Performances at the MTV VMAs Normani Kordei, who goes by her stage name, Normani. She is a former member of the girl group “Fifth Harmony”. The 23-year-old, R&B singer, made her debut at the VMA’s by performing her debut solo single, “Motivation”, making it the first solo single from her without having a featured artist. The single was released 3 weeks prior to being performed in front of a live audience.

Missy Elliott. Photo Credit: Noa Magger via Flickr

By Aleah Cole The 2019 Video Music Awards (VMA) was “shut-down” by three black women. Missy Elliott, Normani and Lizzo through their phenomenal performances.

First, let us start off with Missy Elliott. The 48-year-old singer was awarded the “Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award” at the VMA’s, shortly after delivering her astonishing performance.

“This Michael Jackson video vanguard award means so much to me,” Elliot said. “I have worked diligently for over two decades. And I never thought that I would be standing up here receiving this award. So it means so much to me. I promise you it doesn’t go unnoticed that the support and love that y’all shown me over the years.”

Her performance had left the audience shocked, when she performed her most famous

songs, which included, “Throw It Back,” “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It,” “Pass That Dutch,” and “Lose Control.”

Even though, her “big” performance was just like going to a Missy Elliot concert back in the early 2000s, many thought her performance was too short. Her performance was approximately seven minutes in contrast to Beyonce’s 20 minute VMA performance back in 2016, which made me disappointed.

I truly think that Missy Elliott deserved more time for her performance, since she is one of the most influential black female rappers to shift and shape the black culture in music. With today’s tough hip hop music industry, Elliot still manages to find her own style within the crowd to make her stand out, and sends a message to other black females out there.

The next VMA performer was

The influence of “Motivation” goes back to the early 2000s. Her style tells it all, hoop earrings, tank tops and studded skinny jeans which instantly reminds me of Beyonce’s 2003 hit, “Crazy in Love”. Her performance had left the audience stunned by showing off her amazing dance moves, and rhythm that kept everybody moving and even getting their jaws to drop. At the end, she was awarded “Best R&B Video”. It was her first MTV VMA nomination and win as a solo artist.

Finally, American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress Lizzo’s performance at the VMAs left a strong message to all women of color in all shapes and sizes. Size does not matter and you must love yourself.

The 31-year old singer, made her MTV debut in 2016 when she was one of the hosts of MTV’s short-lived 2016 live music performance series “Wonderland.”

The same year, Lizzo had struck a record deal with Atlantic Records. Where she had released her first major-label extended play, “Coconut Oil” on October 6, 2016.

The “Truth Hurts” singer was nominated for two awards at this year’s VMA ceremony. She was

nominated for “Best New Artist” and “Push Artist of the Year”.

Lizzo performed “Truth Hurts” and her 2016 released, “Good as Hell”, two of her top songs till date, at the 2019 Video Music Awards. One of which currently remains in the Billboard Hot 100 song for four weeks.

Lizzo was the ultimate showstopper at the VMAs with her beaming confidence and strong character. As a black woman who is not afraid of being herself, and loving who she is, she wants others to feel the same too, about their attitude, body and mind.

With that, Lizzo famously uses “Truth Hurts” to remind us all that we are our own picture of female empowerment.

Her dancers and stage set transcended her performance by a “Sir Mix A lot” concept to carry her voice even further. Her performance made everyone look

at her, possibly wishing to be at a concert of hers, instead of the VMA’s.

Lizzo wants everyone to remember that there is only one you, and that you love yourself because you are as real as anyone could ever get.

“Let me talk to y’all for a second,” she said. “It’s so hard to love yourself in a world that doesn’t love you back. Don’t stop fighting for your passion because your time is coming.”

Aleah Cole is the Online Editor.

She can be reached at aleah. cole@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Lizzo at one of her performances. Photo Credit: Dan Garcia

The Amazon Rain Forest Is Burning Out of Control

By Shaquille Profitt In recent news, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil which comprises of more than half of the world’s forests has had a record-breaking number of forest fires.

The fires “puts not only animals but indigenous tribes at risk, and the fires can be devastating in the fight against climate change,” said Dawn Roberts-Semple, a professor in Earth and Physical Sciences department at York who specializes in air pollution and climate change.

According to the National Geographic Society, the Amazon renowned for its biodiversity, produces 20 percent of the earth’s oxygen, hence its nickname the “lungs of the earth.” It also has a far-fetched rich ecosystem, and around 400-500 indigenous Amerindian tribes call the rainforest home.

A myriad of environmental organizations contend that humans are to blame for the fires and that most of the fires are caused by people preparing the land for planting and development. These fires are set in areas that had already been deforested in previous years and are now being cleared for agriculture.

While fires are common in the

Amazon rainforest burning in 2013. Photo Credit: Noelle Elizabeth Jones.

dry season, according to climate scientists, this one is far from the norm.

In the first 9 months of 2019, there were 74,000 fires, with images from space showing the smoke warping much of Brazil. According to the nonprofit Rainforest Alliance, the Amazon is one of many forests around the world that are under assault— and each year, an additional 32 million acres are wrecked because of the expansion of agriculture, caused by human activities.

Deforestation has caused the Amazon to emit more carbon than it absorbs. Researchers say that deforestation reduces global carbon emissions by nearly a third.

“The tropical rainforest is important in creating a balance

in the world’s temperature and carbon dioxide. It is a large sink for carbon emissions and a buffer against global warming. The rainforest does not regenerate quickly; it burns in hours but takes many years to replenish.

That disruption is problematic.”

Roberts-Semple said.

Deforestation may also wreak havoc in regional precipitation patterns, and it has been linked to drought in Brazil’s southeast. In addition to rising temperatures and droughts, which contributes to the death of trees in the forest, concocting a cycle that may lead to further destruction. Places like Sao Paulo, 1,700 miles away, have inhaled some of the burning forest’s smoke. Images show the sky pitch-black, making it difficult for residents to breathe.

Under Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, there has been an astounding increase in deforestation rates this year alone. Bolsonaro blames advocacy groups of starting the fires to damage his presidency although he vowed in January to develop the Amazon region for farming and mining. Individuals and companies continue to profit from desolating and exploiting natural resources and authorities are limited in their capacities to track and hold those culpable.

Since his election, President Bolsonaro has cut the budget of the nation’s environmental enforcement agency by $23 million and it has been reported that Bolsonaro’s promises may have threatened ranchers, loggers, and farmers to seize hold of the rainforest.

Roberts-Semple suggests that awareness is imperative as a first step in combating climate change. For instance, reducing greenhouse gas emissions through public transportation or riding a bike rather than driving a car. Other initiatives such as advocating for bike lanes in local communities; conserving electricity by turning off electronic appliances when not in use; carpooling; and using green are unpretentious ways in which citizens can save the planet from further devastation.

“We should elect officials who support energy conservation and other efforts to combat climate change,” Roberts-Semple said. “We contribute to the problem when we don’t hold elected officials accountable for their blatant disregard for research.

They need to read, observe and understand the facts.”

It is unequivocally important for elected officials to take into account the seriousness of climate change and its deleterious effects on the environment. What is happening in the Amazon rainforest is happening across the world at a rapid rate—the Amazon rainforest fires are only going to get worse if we don’t act.

If President Bolsonaro and leaders around the world including President Donald Trump, do not retreat from the course they are on, researchers warn us that the Amazonian fires could burn out of control. Then, it will be a catastrophic “tipping point” that will alter the world’s ecosystems.

Without definitive and permanent changes in policies in Brazil and other parts of the world, there may be irreparable harm because the worst fires are yet to come.

Shaquille Profitt is a contributing writer. He can be reached at shaquille.profitt@yorkmail. cuny.edu

OP ED

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Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

yorkpbnews.net

York Students Voice Concerns Over the Shooting Epidemic in the U.S.

By Shaquille Profitt There have been at least 19 deadly mass shootings in the United States so far in 2019, which had claimed the lives of innocent civilians. Ostensibly, what is certain is that these types of shootings are often carried out in analogous ways: a gunman, working alone or in a pair, targeting vulnerable people and places: Shopping Centers, Nightclubs, Churches, Synagogues, Elementary and High schools and countless of other places. According to the “Centers for Disease Control”, “39,773 deaths by firearm were reported in 2017.”

While gun violence increases, white supremacists are emboldened by repugnant discourse that continues to promulgate through 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, an avenue that is supposed to be considered a safe haven for American civilians. Trump’s recent objections at recent rallies and before last year’s midterm elections are the genesis of this upheaving dilemma, President Trump announced to his supporters that the border was under attack, “You look at what is marching up, that is an invasion! That is an invasion,” he asserted.

Nine months later, a white man, walked into a Walmart, in El Paso, Texas, killing 20 innocent people and wounding dozens more after writing a detailed manifesto paling behind Trump’s rhetoric—“This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” the 21-year-old, writes.

Albeit the El Paso shooting suspect has been indicted on capital murder charges, the lives of those lost cannot be replaced—their

A sign at the March For Our Lives student protest for Gun control. Photo Credit: Fibonacci Blue via Flickr

loved ones continue to mourn, mired in sorrow, salvaging all that they can to remember what was.

America, the land of the free and the home of the brave—when does this stop?

The gradually entwined threat posed by gun violence and white nationalist have wreaked havoc in our fine nation—a baleful threat that is being exhilarated by Donald Trump’s presidency—a presidency concocted on hate, fearmongering, separation and divisiveness. And let us not overlook his earlier immigration policies: In the wake of the San Bernardino shooting, Trump banned Muslims from entering the country. In light of the Orlando nightclub shooting—fifty casualties; he called for the banning of refugees from countries that have “terrorist presence.” With his wonted grandiosity, President Trump seems to side with white supremacist organizations and the National Rifle Association, an avid supporter of

his, in the wake of a widespread gun epidemic. Of the 50 deaths caused by domestic extremists in 2018, “White supremacists were responsible for the great majority of killings,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. There are plenty of bipartisan pieces of legislation and executive action that could be put into effect immediately to reduce gun violence, but the President and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell keeps blocking gun reform laws, saying gun control legislation is “up to the president” and refusing to cancel the chamber’s August recess to hold a hearing on the senate floor.

The President of the free world should stop reassuring white nationalists that they have a platform to disgorge hate. The actions of the right-wing are discernibly undermining the security of many American people. Americans should not be fearful to walk out of their homes without being shot by a deranged person, who hates

certain kinds of people. We simply can’t continue to allow this to happen. No more small talks about what should be done; no more calling for gun control; Americans need to be reassured that their lives will not be cut short by an AR-15.

President Trump seems to backtrack on expanding gun background checks in defiance of millions of Americans across party lines who vehemently support law enforcement to provisionally seize weapons from troubled individuals and expanded background checks for gun buyers. Although speaking in favor of stronger background checks, Trump revised his stance on this position after he met with a leader from the National Rifle Association.

He, once again, receded and silence triumphed. It has always been a trial to determine President Trump’s position on key issues; Trump is not doing enough for the American people, he is not making American’s feel innocuous. The power that he holds is fueled by corruption. We don’t see it in his action. He is not serious about gun control and lacks basic conviction. His outright policies on gun control are nebulous and it is said that weeks after mass shootings, his administration moves on like nothing happened and he continues to tailor potpourri of lies after lies and gun control talks crumble while innocent civilians die.

Amid the perils, all of this is inconsequential to Trump because he believes that this troublesome epidemic is about mental health, not guns. What is troubling about that is, we forget the lives lost, we don’t call domestic terrorism by its name, we don’t hold people culpable, we filibuster about what

needs to be done; instead of what has to be done, we listen to the National Rifle Association instead of constituents, we refuse to sign bipartisan gun control policies because we simply don’t care.

Thoughts and prayers are not the jobs of a politician—making law is. Americans repeat the cycle of mourning ad nauseam. It must stopped! Politicians must act.

From Synagogue shootings, school shootings, movie theatre shootings, and college campus shootings, I believe if we don’t gun for love or prowl after affection—our country will become a slaughter-state—where an eye for an eye will be the new narrative— the new end. We have to speak to each other about our differences, we have to go about the world with our differences. Senseless violence is not the way to heal our deepest fears, our deepest trepidations, our deepest inadequacies—it ravages life’s purpose to live a good life in longevity without fear of dying, without blood on the shirts or hands of heroes, who risk their lives to save people from gunshot wounds, in the greatest nation in the world.

I want all, who are in power to remember the crying, the begging and endless screams from the mouth of innocent Americans and beyond. Let that sink in. Let it sound through the body, breaking hearts until something is done—until love conquers fear— until this stops.

Shaquille Profitt is a contributing writer. He can be reached at shaquille.profitt@yorkmail.cuny. edu

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Emiree Campbell emiree.campbell@yorkmail.cuny.edu Shaquille Profitt shaquille .profitt@yorkmail.cuny.edu Cristina John cristina.john@yorkmail.cuny.edu Jessica Defreitas jessica.defreitas@yorkmail.cuny.edu Chelsea Khan chelsea.khan@yorkmail.cuny.edu Wayne Dawkins wayne.dawkins@yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Friday, Sept. 27, 2019

Brooklyn Cyclones Win Championship

By Richard Heaton In early September, the Brooklyn Cyclones won back to back “Win or Go Home Games” to win their first undisputed championship in their 19 year history.

After missing the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, the Single A affiliate of the New York Mets finished the 2019 season with the best record in the New York-Penn League and their first first place finish since 2010.

The Cyclones playoff lineup included some top talent, that had players who were recently drafted by the Mets and players who were injured and rehabilitated with the Cyclones.

Their first big game of the playoffs came on Sept. 5. They played against the Hudson Valley Renegades, and were one loss away from being eliminated. Playoff series are best of three, so if a team wins two games, they win the series. The Renegades had already won the first game of the series.

The Cyclones were already in a hole as they had to win each of the next two games to advance and they did so in style. The second game of the series was the first to be played at home next to Coney Island and the Cyclones won by a score of 1-0.

The game was highlighted

by Jed Lowrie’s home run. Low-

Brooklyn Cyclones Dugout at MCU Park during playoff game. Photo Credit: Richard Heaton.

rie was signed by the Mets prior to the 2019 season and paid $10 million for the 2019 season but injured himself before the season started. He spent more than five months away from baseball while recovering and this game was his first with the Cyclones before returning back to the Mets a few days later.

In addition to Lowrie, another highlight was Matthew Allan, who pitched two perfect innings.

He is a highly touted prospect

who was drafted in the third round of the 2019 draft by the Mets.

The next day, the Cyclones beat the Renegades by a score of 5-4 to advance to the championship, where they faced the Lowell Spinners. The Cyclones won the first game, which was played in Massachusetts and played the next two games at home in front of hundreds of fans.

They lost the first home game on Sept. 9 by a score of 3-1 and

Looking at the Most Cost Efficient New York Baseball Players

By Richard Heaton Wins Above Replacement (WAR) has been the hottest way to keep track of baseball players over the last few years. This stat measures how many wins a certain player has influenced over a regular replacement level player at the same position.

One fun way to mess around with the stat is to compare a players WAR to their salary and see how much each win really cost.

At the time of writing, there are still a few games left so individual WAR will probably not change. Here, we are going to look at the most efficient New York baseball players by looking at both their WAR and how much they were paid in 2019.

According to Fangraphs, the New York Mets have six players with a WAR of three or higher.

This list includes Jacob deGrom (6.7), Pete Alonso (4.8), Zack Wheeler (4.5), Jeff McNeil (4.4), Noah Syndergaard (4.1), and Michael Conforto (3.2).

The Yankees have seven players with a WAR of three or higher. This list includes DJ LeMahieu (5.4), Aaron Judge (4.3), Gleyber Torres (3.9), Brett Gardner (3.7), James Paxton (3.6), Masahiro Tanaka (3.2), and Gio Urshela (3).

The total WAR of the six best Mets players is 27.7 for an average of 4.6. The total WAR of the seven best Yankees players is 27.1 for an average of 3.9. For the Mets, most of their success comes from pitching (15.3 WAR). For the Yankees, most of theirs comes

Todd Frazier is one of the most expensive baseball players regardless of productivity or injury. Photo Credit: Sports Crazy via Flickr.

from hitting (20.3 WAR) Of those 13 players, only six of them cost under $1 million per win. Alonso only made $555,000 in 2019 and earned $115,000 per win. McNeil made $567,000 in 2019 and earned $128,000 per win. Torres made $605,000 in 2019 and earned $155,000 per win.

Judge made $684,000 in 2019 and earned $159,000 per win.

Urshela made $555,000 in 2019 and earned $185,000 per win.

Gardner made $2 million in 2019 and earned $540,000 per win.

Some of the more expensive players who have produced include Tanaka ($6.88 million per win), Paxton (2.38 million per win), LeMahieu ($2.22 million per win), and Syndergaard ($1.46 million per win).

The most expensive players regardless of productivity or injury include Giancarlo Stanton, J.A. Happ, Wilson Ramos, and Todd Frazier.

Stanton made $26 million against a 0.3 WAR for an insane $86.666 million per win. Happ made $17 million against a 1.1 WAR for $15.45 million per win.

Frazier made $9 million against a 1.8 WAR for $5 million per win, and Ramos earned $7.25 million against a 1.5 WAR for $4.8 million per win.

If a team is made entirely of players with Happ’s and Frazier’s productivity and salary, it would cost that team more than $1.3 billion to win 90 games in a year.

Richard Heaton is the Arts and Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

they won game two by a score of 4-3 the next day to win the championship.

The Cyclones have been playing extremely well at home all the way up until the end of the season. Including their three playoff wins at home, they won 16 of their last 19 games when playing in Brooklyn.

In addition to this championship, the Cyclones were considered co-champions during the 2001 season. The championship

round never took place following the 9/11 attacks.

Richard Heaton is the Arts and Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

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