Music Program Students Shine in Debut Performance at Perelman Performing Arts Center
BMCC music majors showcased a wide variety of talent during a debut performance on the lobby stage at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in lower Manhattan on September 27. An audience of downtown community members, tourists and BMCC students filled the seats in the lobby of the stunning new performance space, which opened earlier this month. The students performed an array of original and contemporary music including jazz, indie and bluegrass as well as pop. Enhanced by a civic alliance between BMCC and the Perelman Performing Arts Center, the event highlighted a commitment to the community's cultural enrichment. Performers included Elias Solomon, Jaime Diazgranado, Stephanie Marrow, Mike O’Donnell, Amaree Bowen, Gabriel Kerolle, Amaree Bowen, Ndeye Niang, Xandra (Eli) Salazar, Owen Sheehan, Jasmin Daley, Samuel Tejada, Josue Tejada and Diamond-Jo Heckstall. They were accompanied by Professor Jee Eun Ahn. The event’s producer was Music Professor Quentin Angus. See photo gallery.
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BMCC Pride Month Kicks off with October 4 Brunch
BMCC will kick off its annual LGBTQIA+ Pride Month with a special brunch on October 4 starting at 10:30 a.m. in Richard Harris Terrace. Additional events throughout the month include the Pride Mentoring Network, Let’s Talk Pronouns, A Discussion about Labels, Pride Podcasts, and much more. Although New Yorkers celebrate Pride month in June, BMCC’s Pride was moved to October more than ten years ago so more students could take advantage of on-campus events. Learn more about this year’s Pride Month activities here. RSVP for Pride brunch here.
Show Your Appreciation: Nominate Your BMCC LGBTQIA+ Hero
As part of Pride Month, faculty, staff and students are encouraged to nominate your LGBTQIA+ Campus Hero. For example, is there a student, faculty or staff member who has given you the courage to be "out" in your department, program or classes—by their own example? Who has shown sensitivity to national attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community and how it impacts your career or higher education plans? Who has shown they understand the challenges and joys of having intersecting identities, such as race, immigration status and others, along with LGBTQIA+ status? These are just a few of the many examples of what might qualify someone—a student, faculty, staff or administrator in the BMCC community—as an LGBTQIA+ Campus Hero. The LGBTQIA+ Campus Heroes' photos and titles, as well as the name of the person who nominated them, will be featured on campus TV screens and social media platforms. Show your appreciation. Nominate your LGBTQIA+ Campus Hero with this online form. |
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Staff and Faculty Encouraged to Get a Free Flu Vaccine October 12
BMCC’s Office of Human Resources will be offering free flu vaccines to faculty and staff from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on October 12 in the faculty and staff cafeteria in Room S-344 at 199 Chambers Street. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone over the age of six months gets this flu season’s vaccine by the end of October. |
“These vaccines are updated with new strains for each flu season and help the immune system to fight off the influenza virus,” explained Health Education Professor Yuliya Shneyderman. “The flu vaccine lowers the risk of getting sick at all by 40% to 60% and for people who do get sick, those who are vaccinated typically have less severe disease.”
A flu vaccine also provides a layer of protection to the more vulnerable people around us, including the elderly, people with chronic health conditions and younger children, Professor Shneyderman said. She adds that it’s not possible to develop the flu by getting the vaccine because of the way the vaccines are manufactured. Some people do experience temporary side effects after being vaccinated, including soreness, headache and sometimes a fever.
“Once you get your shot, be sure to practice other preventative behaviors like washing your hands,” she said. “If you do feel symptomatic, cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing (this can include wearing a well-fitting mask) and taking a flu antiviral medication if your doctor prescribes it as well as staying home when you are sick.”
Appointments for the October 12 flu vaccine clinic are available here. Consent forms are available here.
BMCC/CUNY in The Heights Hosts Open House
BMCC/CUNY in The Heights hosted an Open House on September 23 where community members could learn about applying to BMCC, career and educational training as well as many student support service programs. BMCC/CUNY in The Heights is especially focused on promoting its Allied Health and healthcare related programs. For more information, please email cith@bmcc.cuny.edu or visit CUNY in The Heights – BMCC.
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NYC Dept. of Veterans Services Names BMCC Veterans Resource Manager Wilfred L. Cotto Community Changemaker
The New York City Department of Veterans Services (DVS) has named BMCC Veterans Resource Center Manager Wilfred L. Cotto a community changemaker for September. The DVS Veteran Community Changemaker Series is the department’s way of highlighting Veterans, spouses, caregivers, civilian volunteers, and other practitioners who actively support the NYC Veteran community. Mr. Cotto served in the Navy from 1977 to 2005 completing multiple deployments in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. For more information about the changemaker series, visit the DVS webpage. |
BMCC Community Members Participate in Four-Hour Read-In
On September 22, more than 40 BMCC students, faculty and staff gathered on the fourth floor of 199 Chambers Street, for a four-hour read-in of text from W.E.B. Du Bois’ “The Souls of Black Folk”. The event, organized by the Voicing Poverty faculty team—Economics Professor Sangeeta Bishop, Economics Professor Christine Farias, Philosophy Professor Cara O’Connor, Business Professor Mahatapa Palit and American History Professor Jamie Warren—was a preview of the upcoming Students Giving Voice to Poverty conference set for November 10 in Richard Harris Terrace. The event is part of a larger project Voices and Experiences of Poverty—a new interdisciplinary curriculum housed at BMCC that's funded by a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) and co-sponsorship by the BMCC Student Government Association and the BMCC Media Center. For more information on how to participate in the conference, watch the video at this link or email voicingpoverty@bmcc.cuny.edu.
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October Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
BMCC will recognize Domestic Violence Awareness with resources and activities presented throughout October. Please take advantage of the college's partnership with the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, which is hosting virtual workshops including Domestic Violence 101, as well as a webinar/half-hour lunch-and-learn that will address NYS Executive Order #17, and the protections of New York's Gender-Based Violence and the Workplace Policy for state workers, as well as the resources and accommodations that may be available. Keep a lookout for more events throughout October.
2023 Annual Security Report Now Available
In compliance with the Clery Act, the BMCC Annual Security Report has been released and is posted on the BMCC Public Safety website. Policies, crime statistics, reporting procedures, codes of conduct, complainants' rights and other topics are detailed in the report, which can be viewed online here.
Trainings on “Understanding Muslim Experiences and Combating Anti-Muslim Bias” and “Understanding Jewish Experiences and Antisemitism”: October 2 and 23 in Person: Virtual Sessions offered November 17 and November 28
The Office of Compliance and Diversity invites BMCC students, faculty and staff to attend two trainings presented by the New York City Commission on Human Rights.
- Monday, October 2, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Fiterman Hall, Rooms 1404/05/06: “Understanding Muslim Experiences and Combating Anti-Muslim Bias” will address anti-Muslim racism, introduce Muslim beliefs and practices, and outline best practices for working with Muslim New Yorkers.
- A virtual session of “Understanding Muslim Experiences and Combating Anti-Muslim Bias” will be offered on November 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Monday, October 23 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Fiterman Hall, Rooms 1404/05/06: “Understanding Jewish Experiences and Antisemitism" will address antisemitism as well as its impact on Jewish New Yorkers and the larger society. It will introduce Jewish history and practices and outline best practices for working with Jewish New Yorkers.
- A virtual session of “Understanding Jewish Experiences and Antisemitism” will be offered on November 28 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The workshops will also elaborate on protections for Muslim and Jewish New Yorkers against discrimination under the City Human Rights Law. Please fill out this form to register for the trainings. 
Deadline to Register for Free Naturalization Clinic is Oct. 27
The BMCC Advocacy and Resource Center has partnered with City Bar Justice Center and Fragomen to sponsor a free naturalization clinic designed to assist currently enrolled BMCC students who are Permanent Residents to complete a U.S. Citizenship Naturalization application on November 8 from 12 to 3 p.m. in Richard Harris Terrace. Students will meet with a licensed attorney to complete the application. Registration by October 27 is required; space is limited. To register, visit the Advocacy and Resource Center Office, 199 Chambers Street, Room S-230, email ARC@bmcc.cuny.edu, or call (212) 220-8195.
BMCC Transitions and Transactions Conference April 5-6
BMCC’s English department invites faculty to submit paper and panel proposals for the seventh annual Transitions and Transactions conference scheduled for April 5-6, 2024. The Transitions and Transactions conference is dedicated to helping community college teachers of literature flourish and excel as they envision, invent and expand ideas. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2024. For more information and submission information, visit the event’s web page.
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