August 28, 2013

Volume 20 Issue 1

D.C. MARCH 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Journalism in the Interest of the Queens College Community

NEWS
THE

KNIGHT

theknightnews.com Breaking News & Video

SEE PAGE 3
PETRAEUS TEACHES AT CUNY, CREATES CONTROVERSY
SEE PAGE 4 SEE PAGE 3

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK LEVY

NEW CAMPUS MATRIX

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For general information contact Rachel Cohen at rachel@theknightnews.com

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Historic march celebrates 50th anniversary

News Reporter

August 28, 2013 | 3

ANDREA HARDALO

On Aug. 28, 1963, a bus full of young people from Queens Colleges student association and Congress of Racial Equality drove to Washington, D.C. to be a part of a movement, to be a part of something greater. The general tone, particularly among young people was hey the worlds changing and we can actually play a role, we can make a difference, Mark Levy, QC SA President from 1962-1963, said. Between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, around 200,000 people gathered to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Levy, who is now special assistant to the president for the civil rights initiative and was a QC SEEK teacher, describes the march as very peaceful and exciting. He compared it to a church service because everyone wore their Sunday best knowing that the whole nation was watching.

Although many people are more familiar and remember this day as when Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream speech, the impact of this day brought a massive change to the United States, from civil rights to the labor movement. People went for many different reasons; Kings I have a dream speech, he talks about the southern movement, Levy said. One of the things that gets forgotten when we talk about the march on Washington was that the demands around economic equity were primary. It wasnt freedom and jobs, it was jobs and freedom. At the time, jobs were scarce, especially for people of color. There was a struggle to obtain jobs and issues began to arise from all across the nation. Each city or region had its own set of issues which were related and they formed a coalition around that and the slogan was: jobs and freedom, Levy said, describing how the march got its name. Prior to the march in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court case,

August 28, 2013 celebrates the 50th anniversary on the March on Washinton for Jobs and Freedom.

Brown v. Board of Education, ruled that public schools were to be desegregated, but many schools in the south did not abide to this ruling. In June of 1963, QC students from Student HELP were making their way down south to partake in their summer tutoring project in segregated Virginia. After their project was over they headed back north and attended the march as well. Levy claims that the different QC groups were able to meet in Washington and bring together southern and northern issues. Fifty years ago, the environment at QC was extremely different than how it is today. For one thing there was no tuition and the college was not as diverse, barely

any students of color were present. In Rosalyn Terbong-Penns 2009 essay Queens College Black Students: Fighting for 1960s Civil Rights on Campus and Off, she says that as a black QC student in the sixties, she faced many prejudices at the college, including not receiving the grade that she deserved simply because of her skin color. We did not get it at first, because we had earned our acceptance into QC with high scores on the regents exams and high grade point averages, Terbong-Penn states in her essay, referring to why blacks were being treated unfairly in academia. Terbong-Penn trained QC students to head down south to Prince Edward County, Virginia to tutor other students. Referring to then-President John F Kennedy, Levy likes to quote the famous line from JFKs Inaugural address, Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country. I think the common theme from the march on Washington is that young people

and people sticking together can make a difference and change the world, Levy said.

andrea@theknightnews. com

Above is a button worn at the time of the march in 1963

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARK LEVY

Relief for Queens Hall students

News Reporter

CHARLES LESTER
A new campus matrix will go into effect this fall, increasing the time between classes to 15 minutes, according to the academic senate. The chair of the matrix committee, Dean Savage, motioned to adopt the new campus matrix in February after being voted on by the Academic Senate 45 voting yes and two voting no. The new matrix will change the bell times of classes, allowing more time between them. One of the contributing
The new matrix will give students a 15 minute break between back to back classes five minutes longer than the old matrix.
PHOTO BY ALI ABBAS

pass, John Andrejack, executive director of student development, said. Another free hour would have increased time by a third and opened up more possibilities. Another free hour would have helped clubs organize events by giving them additional time slots, Andrejack explained.

charles@theknightnews. com

factors to the push for the new matrix was the addition of Queens Hall to the Queens College campus. Since the spring 2013 semester, students were able to take classes at Queens Hall; however, they must walk passed the track field in order to get there, which often made them late for other classes if they were back to back. The new matrix

will give students a 15 minute break between back to back classes five minutes longer than the old matrix. Sarah Klarman, a senior, took a class in Queens Hall during the spring and had another class in Powdermaker Hall immediately afterward. It was a nightmare to

get there in less than 10 minutes, Klarman said. She knows students who had to drop classes because of how difficult it was to be on time. When the new matrix was first proposed, it had also included a new free hour on Thursdays, but it was removed before the motion passed due to its unpopularity

within

the

academic

senate.

According to the minutes, the free hour would not have been mandatory. Its unpopularity was rooted in the fact that it would conflict with some labs that could not be rescheduled for another time. I wouldve liked to see it

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The appointment of David Petraeus brings controversy

News Reporter

BRANDON JORDAN

After last years sex scandal ended with his resignation, former CIA director, General David Petraeus is now embroiled in a new controversy over his appointment in the CUNY Macaulay Honors Program. As a visiting professor of public policy, Petraeus was under fire originally for his $200,000 salary, though the significance of his appointment and what he will be teaching has also been criticized severely. Many individuals and groups from within and outside of the CUNY system have offered their insights over the appointment of Petraeus with caution, distress or praise. Through official statements, articles, leaflets, public speeches and public appearances, the reaction to Petraeus has not stopped and will continue as Petraeus will take the helm of his course this fall. In early March, thenChancellor Matthew Goldstein, with Dean Ann Kirschner of the Macaulay Honors College, appointed Petraeus to the position that originally listed his pay as $200,000. The salary was less than his annual military pension of $220,000. However, it was exponentially more than the average salary for an adjunct professor which is $3,000 without benefits. Beginning this fall, I know that he will bring to the classroom and the University, a rare perspective drawn from decades of mentorship and leadership, Ann Kirschner wrote in a message to Macaulay students. CUNY could not be reached for comment. Originally, the story was

reported by J.K. Trotter of Gawker after he obtained documents through New York Freedom of Information Act requests that released email conversations between Kirschner, Petraeus and Goldstein. When it was released, individuals and groups were outraged by the salary agreed by the trio. The $200,000 salary was then reduced $150,000 by Macaulay and CUNY officials and finally to $1. It is unclear whether the $150,000 offer was ever considered serious. The evidence shows that Ann Kirschner drafted a letter indicating the lower salary, and passed it around to other administrators, at the end of May. But that letter was very clearly never actually sent to Petraeus. In other words, while the letter was in fact drafted but never sent it was only publicized when CUNY came under criticism, Trotter said. The Professional Staff Congress the union that represents more than 25,000 professors in the CUNY system took issue with the salary. Barbara Bowen, President of the PSC and Queens College English professor, stated that neither Macaulay nor CUNY approached the PSC about salary. Half of the teaching at CUNY is done by adjuncts. Adjuncts earn about $3,000 per course. There are a significant number of adjuncts 2,000 even though they have work and they do a whole lot of teaching load at CUNY, she said. Dean Ann Kirschner felt the controversy was unfortunate as she stated to the New York Times on July 15th, though felt Petraeus stature would help students with their future. I sympathize with the

concerns about the salary, she said. But I also believe he is a valuable teacher for our students. Additionally, there is issue with what Petraeus will be teaching to students and his history as a general in the military.

Gen. David Petraeus has drawn criticism for his role as a guest lecturer at CUNYs Macaulay Honors College. Ive had other faculty and even students contact me about other things: his connection with war, drone attacks, detention policy [and] about the reason for bringing in a military general to talk to CUNY students. The PSC doesnt comment on the content on peoples course, but there has been a lot of discussion on faculty and why students should listen to him, Bowen said. According to Freedom of Information Act documents, he will teach 16 Macaulay Honors students three of which are QC students in his course titled The Coming North American Decade? that has already been criticized for its curriculum. Journalist Steve Horn of DeSmogBlog released his draft syllabus obtained in a FOIA request. It showed Petraeus will place heavy emphasis on pro-fracking papers and promotion of the Keystone XL

pipeline starting in the Alberta tar sands and passing through the United States to the Gulf Coast to transport to refineries to be delivered in the international market. If you took a neutral professor who saw it objectively, they would see problems with the syllabus and see it as a blatantly pro-business, pro-corporate point of view, Horn said. Additionally, Horn stated that the course description reflected Petraeus job description as an advisor, as he will also be working for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a Wall Street firm. He felt that the courses content and course title demonstrated how much of a believer Petraeus was in American exceptionalism. His course is illustrative of his position in Wall Street. Its very troubling that David Petraeus is using his position of power and authority to brainwash young students, Horn said. George Hendrey, head of the QC Earth and Environmental Science department, stated that while Petraeus could talk about anything he wished while teaching, he should be recognized as a military officer turned politician. When students are sitting in his class or reading anything else, they should recognize he is a politician, not [an] expert. So yes, I think it is very appropriate for him to [teach], he said. Overall, it is evident that the situation from CUNY and Macaulays standpoint was one of enthusiasm for the arrival of Petraeus as the FOIA documents indicate. [Kirschner] wanted to see her name next to Petraeus in The New York Times, Trotter said. All

of which is fine and good if you believe that proximity to power, to a network of individuals who control the behavior and bodies of others, amounts to enlightenment. But it doesnt, it cant, because a real education should produce individuals willing to challenge power, not accommodate it.

brandon@theknightnews. com

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August 28, 2013 | 5

CUNY professor debates stop and frisk policy

ALI ABBAS News Reporter New York Citys stop and frisk program is considered by many to be inherently problematic and racist. According to data by the New York Civil Liberties Union, 532,911 people were stopped in 2012, of which 87 percent were black and Latino. The program has come under fire from minorities, civil rights groups and academics, including CUNY professors. In July, John Jay College professors Delores Jones-Brown and Brett Stoudt launched stopandfriskinfo.org, a website containing articles, videos and reports that provide information on stop and frisk policies. The site is the collaborative effort of John Jays Center on Race, Crime and Justice, Communities United for Police Reform and the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, which Harry Levine a Queens College sociology professor directs. Dr. Delores Jones-Brown, author of the book Race, Crime and Punishment and professor in the law, police science, and criminal justice administration department, stated that programs like stop and frisk are racist. Such racist policies remove individual character and responsibility. You cannot tell a persons criminality based on race, religion or looks, she said, criticizing both stop and frisk and NYPD surveillance of Muslim communities. She further stressed that among those stopped, the criminals are far and few in between. According to the NYCLU, 89 percent of those stopped and frisked were innocent. Despite the statistics, not all are against stop and frisk. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly stated that the NYPD concentrated officers in minority neighborhoods that experienced spikes in crime. Jones-Brown rejects the claim that academy graduates are minorities, with a very high rate of female Hispanics, he said. Hasibullah Mir, president of QCs Muslim Students Association, remains undecided about stop and frisk practices. I have mixed feelings for the stop and frisk policy, he said. I dont think its fair that people can be searched without any probable cause other then how suspicious the individual looks but on the other hand, I feel like it may help the streets become a safer place. If you dont possess anything illegal, why worry? You have nothing to hide. On August 12th, United States District Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled that stop and frisk violated minority rights, adding that the policy could only continue with stronger limitations and with the oversight of a federal monitor.

According to the NYCLU, in 2011 89 percent of people who were stopped and frisked by the NYPD were innocent. Photo by Ali Abbas

policing best benefits minorities. She and other critics of stop and frisk believe there needs to be reform within the NYPD and a body that overlooks the police. The NYPDs Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, Lt. Eugene Whyte, argued that the program is not, stop and frisk but rather stop, question and frisk. It is a tool to protect officers,

for them to ask questions and the frisking is done as a protective measure, he said. The frisking is said to be done in order to find concealed weapons. Defending against claims of racism, Lt. Whyte said that the majority of victims of crimes are minorities and that these measures are for the protection of victims. Many people are not aware that a large number of police

ali@theknightnews.com

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Queens College plans for new rain garden

News Reporter

S T E P H A N I E CHUKWUMA

On May 21, 2013, Queens College received a grant from the Department of Environmental Protection to begin planning for another rain garden installation on campus. The rain garden will encompass the 18,000 square foot Dining Hall Plaza, which is between the Dining Hall and the I Building. It will include a combination of rain gardens and permeable pavers. According to the DEP, a rain garden is a man-made bio-filter, which contributes greatly to the hydrological cycle. The rain garden collects and stores excess rain water from roofs of buildings, driveways or parking lots thus preventing this run-off from polluting streams, causing flooding and erosion of stream banks. The rain garden uses natural means to store, process and filter water before infiltrating it into the groundwater table below the rain garden. This

Along with aesthetic appeal, the rain garden prevent flooding in specific areas and increase biodiversity on campus.
Photo by Ali Abbas

ground water then feeds springs and streams, according to the DEP. The rain garden mimics the natural hydrological process found in native grasslands and woodlands. This installation must also include permeable pavers, which allow water to infiltrate through surfaces that would normally be impermeable, such as asphalt or portland cement. The rain and snow that accumulates onto these pavers recharges the groundwater table the underground surface where rocks and soil are permanently saturated with water and is able to provide clean water to rivers and streams.

According to Dave Gosine, director of facilities design, construction and management, the project is currently in the design phase and the construction phase is anticipated to start in late 2014. It will take somewhere between six to eight months to finish, he said. A contractor has not yet been selected to construct the rain garden, but Gosine says that is the next step as soon as the design has been completed. He also assures that the rain garden will provide a host of benefits, which include reducing the amount of water run-off from the campus into the combined sewer

overflow area of the Flushing Creek Watershed, eliminating flood prone and ponding areas in and around the Dining Hall Plaza, increasing areas of planting with greater biodiversity, less maintenance and providing a more aesthetically pleasing space for campus users to eat, study and socialize, therefore improving the quality of space and life within the college. Additionally, the rain garden complements sustainability efforts. QC is participating in Mayor Bloombergs PlaNYC, which is committed to reducing carbon emissions associated with energy consumption by 2017. QC pledges to promote water conservation initiatives and encourage local sourcing and other sustainable practices in their dining services. When asked about major concerns regarding the construction process, Gosine said the disturbance during construction to student and faculty activities in the area, the protection of existing infrastructure and underground utilities are main issues. Numerous measures are being taken to make sure that

installation goes according to plan, he said. The project design is reviewed and approved by the DEP and during construction by the QC office of facilities design, construction and management, which is staffed with architects and engineers. Safety plans are also reviewed and implemented prior to the start of construction. Last year, water flooded parts of the Quad and Remsen Hall due to a water main break during construction of a rain garden. President James Muyskens together with DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland officially opened the rain gardens located near Remsen Hall, Kiely Hall and Rosenthal Library last October. This will be the fourth rain garden installed on the QC campus.

stephaniec@theknightnews. com

QUEENS COLLEGE RANKS 37 ON RECENT SURVEY OF GRADUATES RETURN ON INVESTMENT

News Reporter

KATIE PINZEL

Queens College ranked number 37 in terms of their return on investment, according to Is College Worth it? co-authored by former secretary of education, William J. Bennett and David Wilezol, which analyzed 3,500 colleges nationwide. ROI is calculated by dividing the return of an investment, in this case the salary of a job received after graduation, by the cost of the investment or tuition. The result is then expressed as a percentage or ratio. The book cited PayScale, a company that researches and compares salary data, where QC achieved an annual ROI of 7.6 percent and a ranking of 37 in its surveys, topping some of the countys most well-known and revered schools, such as the University of CaliforniaBerkley and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. When the ROI was calculated with financial aid included, QCs ROI was 10.7 percent annually. This ranking could aid in the decision process for many students who feel overwhelmed with the number of colleges to choose from, especially those for whom tuition costs are a major concern.

deadlines and the developed ability to disagree when ones values comes into question. QC graduates know the value of a diploma especially considering its relatively low tuition rates. I chose to go to QC because of the schools reputation and its proximity to home, said Mary Pipinias, an alumnus who received a bachelors degree in elementary education in 2006. After graduating with my bachelors degree, I continued on for my masters and began teaching in a NYC elementary school. When people hear that I received my teaching degree at QC they are impressed. I think my decision to go to QC was worth it, as the cost for the education I received does not compare to the benefits I am reaping years after my graduation. This is not the first time the college has been recognized for its With this ranking Queens College topped many well-known private educational institutions. affordability. It is annually listed in Photo from The Knight News the Princeton Review as one of the Since the job market is so With the economy in trouble that in her opinion it is really the countrys 100 Best Value colleges. unpredictable and its tough to get and the job market difficult to break entrepreneurial spirit that pays We know that a college employed where you really want to, its into, the value of a college degree is off much more than a college education is the ultimate portable definitely worth it to go to QC and get an extremely relevant concern. Many education, said Judith Krinitz, asset, QC president James Muyskens a quality education for cheaper than a students question spending tens of assistant director of student life. I said. Its great to get confirmation lot of other colleges and universities thousands of dollars if they wont be disagreed. I argued that a college that students can bank on QCs would be, said Jill Nickerauer, a senior able to find a job in their desired field education demonstrates to potential reputation. who hopes to get a job in publishing after graduation. employers commitment, drive, after graduation. A friend recently told me determination, the ability to meet katie@theknightnews.com

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STUDENTS AND FACULTY QUESTION THE VALUE OF UNPAID INTERNSHIPS

News Reporter

August 28, 2013 | 7

EVA CARRILLO

According to a student survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers 63.1 percent of paid interns receive at least one job offer as compared to 37 percent of unpaid interns. Those unpaid interns dont fare much better than the 35 percent of students without an internship that get offered at least one job. Vernessa Joseph, 25, a paid intern at Queensborough Community Colleges technology department, believes that although unpaid interns still get experience and education, they are disadvantaged if it doesnt lead to a position. If nothing is coming your way from all of that experience, if no one is going to look at it and say oh, I can hire this person because theyve done this and that, then its not really worth it, she said. The Department of Labor has created guidelines that lawful unpaid internships must follow. The criteria states that the internship despite including actual operation of the facilities of the employer is similar to training that would be given in an educational environment, is for the benefit of the intern, the intern does not displace regular employees but works under close supervision of existing staff, the

During the regular school year, this empty bulletin board is filled with flyers for internships and job opportunities.
Photo by Ali Abbas

employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded, the intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship and the employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship. If the employer abides by the criteria, then an employment relationship does not exist under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the intern is not able to receive minimum and overtime wages. Controversy has risen concerning the value of unpaid internships, leaving the debate of whether unpaid internships are fair at all. In October 2011, Eric Glatt, a production intern, and Alexander Footman, an accounting intern, filed

a lawsuit against FOX Studios. While working on the set of Black Swan, they received neither pay nor college credit, although they worked 40 to 50 hours a week. A judge ruled that those interns were considered employees and should have been paid. Whether or not an intern gets paid may also determine their motivation to stick around. Joseph claims that she certainly feels motivated when she gets paid. When Im there and Im working, Im like oh okay, every hour that passes Im getting something for it, Joseph said. She believes that if an unpaid intern receives nothing at the end of the day and recognizes that the odds are against them in finding a job, they may run out of reasons to continue the internship.

Lincoln Dulaurier, 39, a senior at Queens College, works full-time as a pharmaceutical manufacturer and technician at Novartis, a health care manufacturing company. He states that the interns at his company are often given more work than the employees. After we trained them up, we just sat back and watched them work but that was [Novartis] way of recruiting people and eventually [the interns] got their pay. Dulaurier thinks it depends whether or not internships are worth it, saying In certain companies, its worth it. Fiserv is a Fortune 500 company, so I think that the quality of the company will go through with the pay, but at a mom and pop shop, you might learn the overall process of something like that but theyre going to take full advantage of being an intern. Ricky Zhu, 25, is an unpaid intern at City College. Fresh out of college with a bachelors degree in biology, Zhu realized his job outlook wasnt looking too great. I decided to reach out to professors in a number of nearby colleges. I asked them if I could work in their labs to gain experience so that I could be able to say six months of experience at etc., performing etc. procedure on my resume, Zhu said. He eventually got an unpaid internship with Amy Berkov, a CCNY

professor. A year later, he is still unemployed. Working at Flushing Library to keep himself afloat, Zhu decided that more schooling was his best option. He used his internship experience to apply to grad school and was accepted. So, in a sense, my internship at the Berkov lab was initially supposed to be for buffing up my resume, but ended up being the icing on the cake for my grad school application, Zhu said. He believes that his experience as an unpaid intern was extremely worthwhile. It showed me how much I didnt know about biology. How incomplete my knowledge was after undergraduate graduation, he said. An internship hones your value and bolsters your worth.

STUDENTS CONTINUE TO HIT THE BOOKS

News Reporter Students prefer using traditional printed textbooks over electronic books for academia, according to a study by Queens College humanities librarian, Nancy Foasberg. According to the study, courserelated reading was paramount and usually took place in a print format. Participants in the small study were mostly under 25, an age closely associated with being technologically savvy. Foasberg wanted to do this study because a previous survey on reading habits found that students used different reading formats for different reasons. I wanted to figure out when they would use one over the other and

MEGAN WILLIAMS

why, Foasberg said. The study will be published in September 2014 in the College and Research Libraries journal. It collected information about the reading habits of 17 students using a diary method, where students recorded any readings they did that exceeded 10 minutes. During the two-week study, students also recorded what format they used to read, the length of time and their reading location. According to Foasbergs study, There are several reasons that readers and students in particular, may choose one reading format over another. With all of the technology and new media present, some may think that paper books are old-fashioned, but many believe they are better for studying. Foasberg cites several reasons

why students tend to gravitate towards printed books for academic studying rather than eBooks. Many of them said they have difficulty taking notes in electronic format...they were much more likely to take notes and annotate when they were using a print text, she said. Results show that students took notes or annotated in 42 percent of their reading sessions with nonelectronic formats, while students only engaged in note taking in 16 percent of reading sessions with electronic formats. Some students have an issue with concentrating while using the eBook format. While Foasberg is unsure of what effect eBooks have on concentration, she gathers, it probably varies based on the person. However, she says that when people

wanted to concentrate, they used print. Students also report that posture and eyestrain are factors in their choice to use print books over eBooks. With summer ending and classes resuming for the fall, this is the time of year when students are buying textbooks. The financial aspect of choosing a book format can also determine the purchase of an eBook or a printed book. EBooks are usually cheaper than printed books and are not as heavy. The feel of turning pages is more authentic to me, but the technology makes it convenient to carry a ton of books at my fingertips, QC student, Dominique Francis said. With the different formats to choose from, it is ultimately up to the student to choose their preference. When it comes to academia they

prefer printed formats, but there are some advantages to eBooks. Eric Duran, student and a student ambassador for the McGrawHill book publishing company at QC, says, In my honest opinion, I dont mind using an eBook. His opinion mirrored what Foasberg found to be common points among the students who participated in this study, that eBooks are cheaper and that they have the same material as printed books. And when finished using printed books, they can be sold back.

megan@theknightnews. com

8 | August 28, 2013

THE KNIGHT NEWS EDITORIAL

www.theknightnews.com

Change is a constant. We all know that. We began the spring 2013 semester excited to unveil our multimedia news organization. However, life had other plans. A number of factors did not add up and we were left with a disjointed and fractured news outlet. Most importantly, our relationship with our readers, the wonderful Queens College and CUNY community, suffered. This is why we have decided to go back to basics: The Knight News will once again be a biweekly newspaper and publish articles online. As the world of journalism grows and changes, our paper will as well. Were glad we tried a new format and were happy with the content, we just believe our paper is better suited with consistency. We hope you will continue to support us!

Mission Statement: We aim to serve the Queens College community through a tireless pursuit for truths that may be hidden, obstructed or otherwise unknown, to empower our readers with the information they need to inspire change. Editor-in-Chief: Andrea Hardalo Executive Editor: Amna Shams Managing Editor: Stephanie Davis Business Manager: Rachel Cohen Photo Editor: Ali Abbas Reporters Brandon Jordan Charles Lester Eva Carrillo Katie Pinzel Megan Williams Stephanie Chukwuma Phone: 347-450-6054 info@theknightnews.com Logo by: Konrad Meikina

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Gen. Petraeus Teaches at CUNY

BY LUIS HENRIQUES
Recently CUNY has hired former General and CIA director, David Petraeus. He is to teach this semester at the Macaulay Honors College. In addition to Petraeus hiring some campuses are reintroducing Reserve on the Call (ROTC) programs. These recent additions, along with many other measures have indicated a steady trend toward the militarization of the CUNY institution. The USA is the worlds foremost imperialist superpower with close to 761 known military bases worldwide. This militarization of CUNY is at the benefit of the ruling capitalist class (so-called 1%) at home, at the expense of the worlds majority. Petraeus track record is that of a loyal head of the US imperialist system. In his 37 year military career he has been in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was part of a NATO (de)Stabilization campaign in Bosnia. From the period of 2003 to 2008 he took top leadership positions of the US forces in Iraq. Petraeus oversaw the deadly white phosphorus bombing of the city of Fallujah (which produced more birth defects then Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were atomically bombed). He also was responsible for inciting ethnic conflicts between Sunni and Shiite Muslims by setting up Shiite death squads to indiscriminately torture anyone. Anyone familiar with US involvement in Latin America knows how the CIA trained and funded death squads for US backed right wing military dictatorships. In Afghanistan he took command of US forces and intensified drone attacks which have killed mostly civilians by the thousands. In 2011 he then became director of the CIA but left his post due to an extramarital scandal. What he did in his bedroom is of no importance, but his crimes against humanity are what he should be scorned for. Given Petraeus status as a war criminal it is truly appalling that CUNY would pull such a move. The US is a white supremacist capitalist-imperialist oppressor nation which has a military and economic foothold on oppressed nations worldwide. By allowing criminals such as Petraeus it gives legitimacy to the idea that the US deserves to militarily and economically dominate other countries. US imperialism has been involved in many nations of the world stretching from Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the Phillipines. In a multinational city such as New York City and nationally diverse campus such as Queens College our parents are the product of wanting to seek better opportunities away from our national homelands. There were no opportunities back home however because our countries were economically exploited for the benefit of US imperialism. In certain CUNY campuses (York, Lehman, City, Medgar Evers, and College of Staten Island) military recruiters in the form of ROTC is returning. Both the appearance of Petraeus and ROTC are an assault to the CUNY students who are mostly of a proletarian and oppressed nationality background. But this assault takes a deadlier turn by pitting proletarian youth of all nationalities in this city against working class people worldwide to fight wars of aggression. In response to this assault, a city wide student movement uniting faculty and community groups must be constructed in order to smash this militarization of CUNY. I am part of RSCC (Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee). RSCC is an anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist and proletarian feminist CUNY based organization which is fighting to revolutionize the content of our education. It is our view that the education of the current institution is for the purpose of reproducing this capitalist imperialist class society. It is fundamental for students and the community to take institutional control of the CUNY system to bring a revolutionary education to working class and oppressed peoples to understand the world in order to revolutionarily change it. We have recently launched a campaigned called Stop the Militarization of CUNY campaign and we encourage all who are interested to contact us. Im also a member of Students Without Borders at Queens College, an anti-imperialist, anti-fascist student club which is opposed to wars of aggression. Both our organizations view Petraeus hiring, restoring ROTC, even at Queens College, with its stepping up on security personnel, cameras, ID scanners as slow methods of militarizing the campus wholesale. I will be completely honest with the reader. To stop the militarization of society will require a revolutionary struggle which this government has never seen before. But I view struggle as a protracted process increasing from lower to higher stages. A CUNY struggle which ousts Petraeus and ROTC will be a significant victory.

*All op-eds and letters that are sent in are published unedited.

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Matthew Goldstein resigns after fourteen years as CUNY Chancellor

News Reporter

August 28, 2013 | 9

STEPHANIE DAVIS

After over a decade of service, Matthew Goldstein has stepped down as chancellor of the CUNY university system. As a City College graduate and former president of Baruch College, the CUNY Research Foundation and Adelphi University, Goldstein used his academic experience to enact a series of reforms aimed at improving the Universitys standards and reputation. Under his authority, over 2,000 new full-time faculty have been hired and the University

has seen record enrollments. However, not all of Goldsteins changes were met with approval. Over the years, students, faculty and staff opposed the proposed tuition hikes as well as the Pathways initiative, amongst other issues. Many times, the opposition called for his removal from office. While this timeline does not include the benefits and controversies surrounding Goldsteins entire run as chancellor, it provides some of the changes implemented while he was in office. Currently, CUNY is the largest urban university in the

United States, consisting of 24 institutions. William P. Kelly serves as interim chancellor.

stephanie@ theknightnews.com

Former chancellor, Matthew Goldstein, resigned after 14 years. Photo courtesy of CUNY Newswire

1999
1999 appointed chancellor September 1st; the first CUNY graduate to lead University 1999 ended open enrollment at the major four-year colleges 1999 - implemented Exit From Remediation Policy

2000
2000 implemented Nursing Task Force 2000 introduced the Performnce Management Process, an accountability plan that ensures University-wide review of goals, achievements and progress

2001
2001 launched William E. Macauley Honors College, formerly CUNY Honors College

2002
2002 announced that CUNY will add 30 full-time faculty to its nursing programs in order to graduate more nurses and help address the nursing shortage

2003
2003 CUNY Productivity initiative created with two main goals: to achieve the same or greater work product with lower costs and to generate new revenues 2003 opened CUNY School of Professional Studies

2004
2004 CUNY Graduate School of Journalism opened which was based on his proposal 2004 launched CUNYs first capital fundraising campaign which raised over $1.4 billion. Today, the campaign is in its second phase with a goal to reach $3 billion.

2005
2005 launched Decade of Science initiative to increase student proficiency in STEM disciplines, enhance research and build and upgrade science facilities, including new CUNY Advanced Science Research Center

2006
2006 announced plans to create a collaborative School of Public Health, which would bring together the Universitys four public health programs with Hunter College as lead institution. School was accredited the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College in 2011.

2011
2011 approved University-wide $300-per-year tuition increase for the next five years 2011- announced plans to seek funding for adjunct healthcare in State budget request 2011 - initiated system-wide Pathways to Degree Completion program

2012
2012 Stella and Charles Guttman Community College opened, formerly the New Community College

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August 28, 2013

SPORTS

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Volleyball
9/10 vs Georgian Court 9/14 Felician 9/14 St. Andelm 9/24 Mercy 9/28 Southern Conn. St. 10/1 Molloy* 10/5 LIU Post* 10/10 Dowling* 10/24 Bridgeport* 11/5 NYIT* 11/16 Daemen* 11/17 Roberts Wesleyan*

Womens Tennis
9/12 Molloy* 9/15 Le Monye* 9/18 LIU Post* 9/27 Roberts Wesleyan* 9/28 Daemen* 10/17 Georgian Court 10/18 St. Thomas Aquinas* 10/19 Dowling* * indicate conference games
Photos courtesy of Carla Pennolino

www.theknightnews.com

August 28, 2013 | 11

Queens College student returns as head baseball coach

Sports Reporter

STEPHANIE DAVIS

Former Queens College Knights pitcher, Chris Reardon has returned to lead the baseball team. As head coach, Reardon hopes to restore the team to top-player status. The team hasnt had a winning season since 1998, he said. I want to change the culture and get it back to when my partners and I were here. In 1998, when Reardon was a member, the Knights were one of the highest ranked teams in the region, according to QCs athletics website. That same year, Reardon was selected to the All-Conference team. When asked about his goals for the upcoming season, Reardon had two main objectives: to have a winning season and make it to the playoffs. I want to have a successful

program that motivates the players to work harder and do better. Getting to the playoffs would be a good start, he said. While he graduated QC with a degree in History, coaching baseball was always his desired career. Before college, Reardon coached at Middle School 74 in Bayside. He also held several coaching positions in New Jersey, which included Caldwell College, NJIT and Boonton High School. As Caldwells head coach, Reardon led the Cougars through five winning seasons, two CACC championships and three NCAA Championship appearances, as mentioned on QCs athletic website. His leadership also produced 37 All-Conference honorees and a team that ranked fifth nationally in the ERA. Coaching or bust is Reardons motto. When asked to return to QC as head coach, Reardon felt he was

the right person for the job. Im truly, truly excited to be here, he said. I went to school here. Its a bonus that I get to coach here. I cant wait to get started. In addition to being a toprated player as a QC student, Reardon covered baseball as a reporter for The Knight News.

s t e p h a n i e @ theknightnews.com
When Reardon attended Queens

College, the baseball team was one of the highest ranked teams in the region.

Photo Courtesy of Chris Reardon

Mens Soccer
9/5 Bentley 9/7 West Chester 9/10 New Haven 9/14 Felician 9/25 Bloomsburg 9/28 Molloy* 10/16 Dist. Columbia* 10/22 Georgian Court 10/26 Dowling* 10/29 Bridgeport* 11/2 LIU Post*

Womens Soccer
9/11 Adelphia 9/15 Georgian Court 9/26 Felician 9/28 Molloy* 10/10 Nyack 10/26 Dowling* 10/30 Bridgeport* 11/2 LIU Post*

KNIGHT NEWS SPORTS

Queens College alumnus heads baseball team

SEE PAGE 11

Fall sports are back in season, with each team eyeing the East Coast Conference Championship. Check out the teams home game schedules inside.