News

B-UMLA Team Presents at National Conference on Program Dedicated to Success of Black and Latino Male Business Majors
The BMCC Business Management Department and Urban Male Leadership Academy (UMLA), have been awarded $130,000 through the President’s Fund for Excellence and Innovation (PFEI) to establish B-UMLA, a program designed to close equity gaps in the academic success of Black and Latino male business majors and raise their retention rate as a group from 43% to 53% within two years. A presentation proposal by the B-UMLA team has been accepted for inclusion at the 2022 annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U), January 19-21 in Washington, D.C.

BMCC Pride Month Honors the LGBTQ+ Community
BMCC provides services to the LGBTQIA+ community with trainings, resources and more. Each October, BMCC also celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community with Pride Month. Whether you are a student who wants to talk about identity, popular culture and other topics, or a faculty/staff member interested in serving as a Pride Mentor, there is a Pride Month event set to create a supportive forum and connect you to the thriving LGBTQ community of students, faculty, staff and leadership at BMCC. View the full list of events here.

Announcements

Academic Coaching, Tutoring and Computer Labs Available at the LRC
Faculty and staff please inform students about BMCC’s Learning Resource Center (LRC), located in Room S-510 in the 199 Chambers Street Building. The LRC offers In-person Academic Coaching and Tutoring. Computer lab hours are also available for students who need to complete class work on campus. Students can email lrc@bmcc.cuny.edu or call (212) 220-1383   for more information. Help our students achieve success!

Take Advantage of Digital Signage and Communications on Campus BMCC continues to do its part to minimize its carbon footprint and the waste of paper by offices and departments on the BMCC campus. BMCC has many options to promote services and events using digital platforms such as the BMCC Calendar on the college website, BMCC's social media channels, video screens across campus and weekly e-newsletters distributed by Public Affairs (@BMCC) and Student Affairs (Panther Paw). Flyers and posters on easels are discouraged. They deface the college walls, block entrances to walkways and waste ink and paper. We are living in a digital and paperless world. There are many paperless ways of reaching out to the BMCC community. The resources mentioned are FREE and available to you. The Office of Public Affairs can assist you in finding the most effective way of reaching audiences and promoting your services and events. Take advantage and keep our campus clutter free!

BMCC Community Invited to Asian Heritage Month Planning Meeting: October 20 The 2021-2022 Asian Heritage Month Committee will meet Wednesday, October 20 at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom: Meeting ID 837 6276 8471; Passcode 422227. BMCC community members of all backgrounds are invited to join this multi-ethnic group of colleagues. The purpose of Asian Heritage Month is to increase awareness and appreciation of the Asian and Asian-American experience and to encourage understanding among all groups.

Encourage Your Latinx and Other Students to Join BMCC’s Conexiones Program BMCC’s Conexiones program builds community cohesion and cultural awareness with holistic student services so participants can persist and graduate. While the program is geared toward Latinx students, it serves all students from low-income households who are not participants in ASAP, the BMCC Learning Academy (BLA) or College Discovery. Please feel welcome to refer first- or second-semester students to the Conexiones program. Email connections@bmcc.cuny.edu with the student's name and CUNYfirst ID number, and the Conexiones team will reach out to them. Another option is for the student to complete this Conexiones & Connections Interest Form.

Department of Public Safety and BMCC Release Annual Security Report
BMCC’s 2021 Annual Security Report includes statistics for the previous three years related to reported crimes on campus, in certain off-campus buildings and on adjacent public property. These statistics are compiled from campus incident reports, as well as reports from Campus Security Authorities and the NYPD. The Annual Security Report also includes institutional policies and procedures. It is published each year by October 1 and distributed to all BMCC students and employees, as well as posted on the Public Safety page of the BMCC website. For a written copy, please contact the Public Safety Department at (212) 220-8075. Read the 2021 Annual Security Report here.

Resilience, Health and Wellness: A Comprehensive Website Supports the BMCC Community 
Faculty, students and staff focused on fitness, seeking support in a time of crisis and more can find resources in the Resilience, Health and Wellness website. Also, CUNY has partnered with the online program Kognito to provide training modules for faculty and staff on how to recognize signs of distress in students and connect them with support. 

BMCC Panther Pantry Open BMCC students facing a food emergency are welcome to visit the Pantry on Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and take home a three-day supply of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food. Contact the Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC) at arc@bmcc.cuny.edu or by calling (212) 220-8195 for more information.

BMCC Cafeteria/MBJ Food Services: New Hours of Operation  BMCC students, faculty and staff can enjoy a hot meal, snack or beverage in the BMCC Cafeteria at 199 Chambers Street. MBJ Food Services provides a variety of menu items at a reasonable price. The cafeteria is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on days when no classes are scheduled, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rest and refuel at tables throughout the lobby. Please mask up, when you're selecting and purchasing food.

Enrollment

Register Now for Fall Express Sessions
BMCC students can still register for the Fall 2021 8-week express session set for October 27 through December 21. This session is ideal for part-time students or new and continuing students who missed registration for the regular 15-week fall session. Please note, there will be limited course offerings in the express sessions and some financial aid limitations. Here are registration instructions. Students can register on CUNYfirst or meet with a Panther Station Specialists on Zoom, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact Academic Advisement at (212) 220-8315 or aatc@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Application Workshop Walks Students Through the Process 
Every Tuesday at 3 p.m., admissions specialists will explain how to complete the BMCC application or apply as a readmit student. BMCC uses the CUNY Application to admit new students, and in these virtual sessions, staff walk students through the whole process — from completing the CUNY application online to including transcripts and more.

Stay Connected with the Office of Admissions 
Students who prefer communicating via chat, can ask general questions about BMCC on Thursdays at 3 p.m., through one-on-one chat sessions.

Making Headlines

CUNY stakeholders gather outside BMCC to demand a say in use of COVID-19 emergency funds
October 6, 2021 — Queens Daily Eagle

BMCC Communication Studies alumnus Badr Alsaidi honored among 30 Under 30 awardees
October 6, 2021 — Arab America

Ethnic and Race Studies Adjunct Lecturer Remysell Salas speaks out about critical need for mental health services for students 
October 2021 — Clarion

Professor Jason Ostrowe, member of World Trade Center Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee, urges programs for 9/11-related illnesses to include uterine cancer
October 1, 2021 — The Evening Tribune

Professor Saavik Ford explains how Gen-Z students' familiarity with computer search functions lessens their ability to understand directory structure in STEM courses
September 22, 2021 — The Verge

Human Resources

BMCC Is Closed Monday, October 11 
In observance of Columbus Day, the college will be closed on Monday, October 12. For more information, view the CUNY Employee calendar.

Payroll Distribution October 14  Employees who do not have direct deposit can pick up their paper paycheck on Thursday, October 14 from 3 to 5 p.m. at 199 Chambers Street, Theater I, Lower Lobby. Please bring a pen to sign the registry.

Get the Flu Shot at BMCC on October 20  WorkWell NYC will bring a Flu Shot Clinic to BMCC on Wednesday, October 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Make an appointment here: username "nyc," Password "welcome" and location "CUNY Manhattan/Borough of Manhattan Community College" or call (866) 481-4391. Please bring the consent form made available upon registration and arrive on time to maintain social distancing and minimize your wait.

Full- and Part-Time CUNY Employees Must Complete These Trainings 
Part-time employees must complete by end of the fall semester, the Employee Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Response Course (ESPARC) and Workplace Violence Prevention Training (WVP). Full-time employees must complete both trainings — which are on Blackboard — by the end of the academic year. For more information, visit Compliance Training FAQs here or contact Maria Deckinger, mdeckinger@bmcc.cuny.edu or Loriann Mazzola lmazzola@bmcc.cuny.edu.

File Permanent Address Meeting Commutable Distance Standard by December 1
While working remotely, some BMCC employees have changed their permanent address of record to an area outside the University's commutable distance standard, which encompasses parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and upstate New York. Because CUNY is not set up as an employer beyond the commutable distance standard — and cannot withhold other states’ incomes taxes, participate in their unemployment programs or apply their localized state and municipality laws — employees are asked to submit a change of address form to officeofhumanresources@bmcc.cuny.edu, reinstating their address of record that met the commutable distance standard, by December 1.

Alumni and Donors

Give the Gift of Education
Your generous donations go a long way in funding scholarships, research and programs, and allow us to continue delivering quality education to our students. Ways to give include Direct Gifts, Gifts of Securities, Gifts of Real Estate and many more. For details, please visit the Ways to Give page on the BMCC website, call the Office for Institutional Advancement at (212) 220-8020 or email Lorna Malcolm, Vice President, Institutional Advancement at lmalcolm@bmcc.cuny.edu. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Take Action in 2021 on Charitable Deductions for Non-Itemizers
The CARES Act allows taxpayers who take the standard deduction to claim a charitable deduction for cash donations made to public charities. For 2021 only, the maximum amount that joint filers may deduct doubles to $600. (Single filers or married filers who file separately are limited to $300.) Please consider a charitable donation to Giving to BMCC Foundation. For more information, please call the Office for Institutional Advancement at (212) 220-8020 or email Lorna Malcolm, Vice President, Institutional Advancement at lmalcolm@bmcc.cuny.edu. Thank you for your support.

Calendar

Online Free Workshop: Test-Taking Strategies
October 8

Writing Center Workshop: Paraphrasing and Quoting
October 11

Career Development: Customizing Your Cover Letter for Success
October 12

Rad Reads: Environment and Climate Change
October 13

Out in Two Award Ceremony
October 13

Connect with BMCC

@BMCC is produced and published by the Office of Public Affairs.

Faculty and staff: Submit items for consideration in an upcoming @BMCC to publicaffairs@bmcc.cuny.edu by 12 noon, Wednesday.