January 20, 2022 FacebookTwitterInstagram
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GAINS

GAINS Program Builds on Students Strengths, Turning Academic Probation Into Time of Growth 
Gaining Academic Insight and New Strategies (GAINS) is a President’s Fund pilot program that helps students who are on academic probation for the first time, reconnect with their strengths, grow in the areas that need support and regain their good standing at the college. GAINS uses a cohort model and other strategies proven to raise student success.

GSACS BMCC Students Present Findings at Global Conference
Six BMCC students participated in the Global Scholars Achieving Career Success (GSACS) Fall 2021 Student Conference held December 2021. GSACS is a multi-campus program that foregrounds United Nations sustainable development goals and career readiness in class-to-class virtual exchanges between students from five CUNY colleges, including BMCC, and four universities in the Middle East. The three BMCC presentations were Clean Water in Bethlehem and New York City (Science Professor Jian Zhang Ichraq, Engineering Science majors El Abdi and Truthful Ward, and Science major Collins Uchechukwu Isidiho); Examining Inequality Through the Arts (Music and Art Professor Yan Yang and Psychology major Ydanelkis Reyes) and People with Disabilities in Jordan and the U.S.: Laws, Experiences and Needed Advocacy (Human Services Professor Khusmand Rajendran and Human Services majors Stephanie Rivera and Nujhat Nishu). “Our student presenters demonstrated how a cross-cultural exchange can really enhance what they are learning in the classroom,” said Jessica Levin, Experiential Learning and Study Abroad manager said.

Instructions for Uploading COVID-19 Booster Verification
BMCC students, faculty and staff can now upload their verification for the COVID-19 booster on CUNYfirst. Here are the steps on how to proceed:

  1. Sign on to your CUNYfirst account
  2. Select “Vaccination Verification” from the CUNYfirst Menu
  3. Click on the “Add New Record” button

For more information on how to upload verification for the COVID-19 booster, click here for students, or here for staff and faculty.

All CUNY faculty, staff and students are also eligible for free COVID-19 testing at 20 CUNY university locations, including BMCC.

VAX Students Taking In-Person or Hybrid Classes Must Upload Proof of Vaccination or Register for Strictly Virtual Courses
CUNY mandates all students taking in-person and hybrid classes to upload proof of vaccination to CUNYfirst was January 18. For details, click here, read these Frequently Asked Questions or visit the Student Guide to Vaccination Verification. Please note that students will still be able to upload vaccination records after they are dropped.  If they are fully vaccinated by the first day of classes and if their documents are approved by LVA’s, they will be able to re-register for in-person/hybrid classes until February 3. However, they may not get their original schedule back. Students who are not vaccinated should register for online classes only. Students who are in the process of getting their vaccination doses and will be fully vaccinated by March 28, are encouraged to consider BMCC’s Spring 8W2 Express Session which will begin on March 28.

Random COVID Testing Required for Vaccinated CUNY Employees and Students
To help contain the spread of coronavirus, vaccinated CUNY employees and students chosen for random, mandatory COVID testing will receive an email from noreply@cleared4work.com with instructions to complete testing within seven days at a CUNY test site — no appointment necessary; test results in 48 hours. The BMCC test site is in the café at Fiterman Hall, 81 Barclay Street. For more information, visit the CUNY testing site location page or Safe Circle Testing FAQ.

Regular COVID Testing Mandated for Unvaccinated Faculty and Staff  
CUNY provides on-site COVID-19 testing at 20 University locations. Faculty, staff and students who (1) have not submitted proof of COVID-19 vaccination in the CUNYfirst system, (2) are unvaccinated or (3) have undisclosed vaccination status, must register on CUNYfirst and make a selection under the vaccination status box, then click the “submit” button at the bottom of the page. This generates an email with a personalized link to make an appointment at a CUNY testing location.

Monitoring and Reporting Positive Cases

Visit the Reimagining BMCC website for more information on returning to campus.

Announcements

Resilience, Health and Wellness

BMCC Community Encouraged to Take Advantage of Resilience, Health and Wellness Services 
Students, faculty and staff are invited to visit the Resilience, Health and Wellness website to explore resources and strategies for physical fitness, mental health, food insecurity, nutrition, financial support and other vital areas. With a focus on health and wellness, BMCC builds a diverse and connected community that supports its members every day.

Entrepreneurship Social Entrepreneurship Training and Seed Money Available to Students: Registration Deadline February 18
The BMCC Office of Internships and Experiential Learning and BMCC Economics alumnus William Franklin, Founder and Director of the non-profit Equitunity, invite BMCC students in any major to the Spring 2022 Entrepreneurial Economics Workshop Series, which runs eight weeks and is limited to 25 students. The registration deadline is February 18. The same series in Fall 2021 awarded a student participant $500 in seed funding to launch a small community cooperative enterprise in one of New York City’s ten most impoverished communities. Student teams are also welcome to take part in the series. For more information, contact Director of Internships and Experiential Learning Sharon Reid sreid@bmcc.cuny.edu.
Library Submit Your Ballot for the 2021-2022 Employee Appreciation Awards by May 6 
BMCC students, faculty and staff, show your appreciation for staff (non-faculty) who demonstrate outstanding achievement and creative contributions through their role at BMCC — beyond what is normally expected of employees. SUBMIT ONE BALLOT with a detailed nomination in any or all categories: Leadership, Inspiration, Innovation/Technology, Rookie of the Year and Team Achievement. 
Cafeteria BMCC Cafeteria Announces Winter Session Hours
BMCC students, faculty and staff can enjoy a hot meal, a healthy salad or a delicious sandwich in the BMCC Cafeteria located on the second floor of the main building at 199 Chambers Street, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. MBJ Food Services provides a wide variety of food items and beverages at a reasonable price. 
Pantry BMCC Panther Pantry Assists Students Facing Food Insecurity
BMCC students facing a food emergency are welcome to visit the Panther Pantry and take home pre-packed bags of nutritious, non-perishable food. The pantry will distribute bags of food, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hot meals will be distributed on Thursdays from 1 to 2 p.m., in S-230 located at 199 Chambers Street. For more information, contact the Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC) at arc@bmcc.cuny.edu or call (212) 220-8195

Enrollment

Express Session

Register Now for Spring Express Sessions
BMCC students can register for the Spring 2022 Express Sessions (seven-week session is Feb. 7 – March 23; eight-week session is March 28 – May 24). These sessions are ideal for part-time students or new and continuing students who missed registration for the regular 15-week session. Please note, there will be limited course offerings in the express sessions and some financial aid limitations. Here are the registration instructions. Students can register on CUNYfirst or meet with 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.

Remind Students Registering for Spring: Mandatory Zoom with Advisor, Proof of Vaccination
Faculty and staff, please encourage students to go online and schedule their mandatory Zoom meeting with an advisor to discuss spring registration. Remind students they can register for classes and upload proof of vaccination on CUNYfirst. Drop-in advisement is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. via Zoom link; Meeting ID: 863 5332 0349/ Passcode: ADV.

Enrollment Assistance Available on Zoom and by Phone
For Enrollment assistance, students can meet with a Panther Station Specialist on Zoom, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Making Headlines

Trinity Church awards $2 million to BMCC to provide shelter to up to 50 students
January 14, 2021—The Broadsheet

Human Resources

Employees Must Complete Workplace Trainings
All BMCC employees must complete the 2021-2022 Employee Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Course (ESPARC) and 2021-2022 Workplace Violence Prevention (WPV) trainings: part-time employees by the end of the spring semester; full-time employees by July 22. Both trainings are available via Blackboard. To learn more, visit Compliance Training FAQs or contact Maria Deckinger, mdeckinger@bmcc.cuny.edu or Loriann Mazzola, lmazzola@bmcc.cuny.edu

Join Weight Watchers' Most Personalized Program Ever
BMCC employees are invited to discover WW’s new PersonalPoints™ Program to drop pounds while enjoying meals on a personalized, healthy plan. Learn more and join today with the City of New York-employee discount for as low as $7 a month.

Register Now for Deferred Compensation Retirement Fund Webinar January 25
The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan (NYSDCP) will host a webinar for employees thinking of enrolling. The NYSDCP is a supplemental retirement plan also known as a 457(b) plan. The NYSDCP mission is to help state and local public employees achieve their retirement savings goals and bridge financial retirement gaps in. One employee can have both a 403b and 457b plan.

Donors and Alumni

Taukahou Alumni Now: Uladzimir Taukahou
Accomplished cinematographer and drone pilot Uladzimir Taukachou (Media Arts and Technology ’11) specializes in documentary, fiction, short and feature films. Taukachou, who is the founder of UT Cinema Film Production, moved to the United States from Belarus in 2005. In 2009, he enrolled at BMCC despite having already completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at Belarusian State Technological University in 2003. After completing his A.S. degree at BMCC, he went on to earn a masters degree in documentary filmmaking from The City College of New York, CUNY. Taukachou has won several awards over the past few years, including a 2021 best cinematography award at the Milan Independent Film Festival, a 2018 best documentary award for his short film “Hardball Legend Brought Back to Life” at the iChill Manila film fest, and the award for best drone footage for his short film "La Îles de la Madeleine" at the American Film Award Film Festival in New York City. Taukachou, who also works part time for the Voice of America media company, says, “A few of my favorite professors at BMCC were Media Arts and Technology Professor Philip Gries — we still work together on some projects — and Media Arts and Technology Tassos Rigopoulos, with whom I worked on a feature-length documentary film about artist Lucas Samaras.”

Read more about other inspiring BMCC alumni. If you know high-achieving BMCC alumni who have entered careers and could be candidates for Alumni Now, please let us know by emailing publicaffairs@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Calendar

The Dream U.S. Scholarship Workshop
January 21

BLA – CUNY Transfer Application Workshop
January 25

Understanding Financial Aid: A Panther’s Guide to Financial Success
January 26

The Dream U.S. Scholarship Workshop
January 31

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