News

Civic Engagement Event Help Students Understand Election Process
BMCC hosted the Civically Engaged event on November 1 in Richard Harris Terrace at 199 Chambers Street. Students learned about what’s at stake in the midterm elections and how to get involved at the community level. The event also showcased internship and career opportunities in city government or advocacy organizations. Among the organizations sharing information were NYC Votes, NYC Civic Engagement Commission, the Office of the Public Advocate and the BMCC Office of Internships and Experiential Learning. “We were thrilled to host the many great organizations on campus to share ways that our students can become more civically engaged,” said Doug Israel, BMCC’s Director of Government and Community Relations. “It was great to see our students show up to learn about the issues at stake in this November’s elections, but also to network with government partners and advocacy groups so they can find internships and job opportunities as well.”

BMCC Hosts Citizenship Now Application Assistance Event With NYC Councilmembers on Nov. 5
CUNY is holding an application assistance event for individuals interested in becoming a U.S. citizen on November 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the BMCC gymnasium at 100 Moore Street. The event, sponsored by CUNY Citizenship Now, will be hosted by New York City Councilmembers Carlina Rivera and Christopher Marte. For more important details and requirements, click here.

BMCC Criminal Justice Majors Tour John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Ten BMCC criminal justice forensic science students met with staff, faculty and a peer leader for a campus tour, including the criminalistics and ballistics labs, at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY on November 2. The event was made possible by a Title V grant John Jay received that seeks to improve transfer momentum among underrepresented STEM students. The students learned about graduate programs, internships and forensic science careers.

Making Headlines

For the first time in 16 years, BMCC volleyball team earns CUNY Athletic Conference Community College championship
November 3, 2022 — Amsterdam News

BMCC Business alumnus, entrepreneur and pioneer TV producer Rafee Kamaal (William “Bill” A. Easley), dies at 75
November 3, 2022 — Amsterdam News

BMCC President Anthony Munroe signs agreement of academic collaboration with Mumbai’s Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thakersey (SNDT) Women’s University
November 2, 2022 — Social News XYZ

BMCC and Trinity Church Wall Street help students in need of housing 
October 31, 2022 — Diverse Issues in Higher Ed

CUNY Chancellor cites BMCC nursing student Davea Smith-Hill in op-ed about SPARC Kips Bay project
October 31, 2022 — AM New York

Announcements

Faculty-Edited Journal, "Inquirer," Releases Fall Issue
Check out the Fall 2022 issue of the BMCC journal "Inquirer," in a new online format and residing on OpenLab. This issue contains excellent articles reflecting on the difficulties and lessons encountered over the past few years of the pandemic, as well as articles on the intellectual life of faculty and their work with students. Comments and questions can be directed to the "Inquirer" editors, English Professor Holly Messitt, hmessit@bmcc.cuny.edu, and Social Science Professor Elizabeth Wissinger, ewissinger@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Hispanic Heritage Month Opens Eyes, Hearts and Minds
Featured Hispanic Heritage Month events range from a film about living under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, to an evening with Garifuna activists who raise awareness of Afro-Indigenous peoples of Central America, and more. Hispanic Heritage Month will open perspectives, kick off dialogue and educate participants on a variety of important topics. View the full schedule of events here. Students who attend two or more events earn Co-Curricular Transcript verification. For more information, contact Rosario Torres, rtorres@bmcc.cuny.edu. 

Exercise Your Right to Vote: Early Voting is Ongoing and Election Day is Nov. 8 Election Day is November 8, while early voting in New York is ongoing through November 6. New York City voters can find their polling place here. Voters outside New York can check here. Also, New York City voters have four ballot proposals to consider.  Find out more about the candidates and ballot proposals at NYC.VOTE.

BMCC Brand Guidelines Build a Unified Message
The BMCC brand is expressed through messaging, visual elements, typography and colors that create a unique identity and set BMCC apart from other institutions. Brand guidelines for graphic, editorial and digital style and social media ensure the college community is using branding elements properly and consistently. Project request forms and logo and letterhead downloads are also available. Together, we are building a persuasive brand that enhances our effectiveness and supports the BMCC mission.

BMCC With Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies Addresses Students’ Housing Insecurity
Housing insecurity can mean many things — “couch surfing,” living in a vehicle or shelter, needing to escape domestic violence and more. A collaboration between BMCC and Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies addresses the needs of students experiencing housing insecurity by providing them with the opportunity to live in The Towers at The City College of New York (CCNY) CUNY for one to three years while attending BMCC. These dorm rooms will be offered to BMCC students taking at least nine credits and maintaining a grade point average of at least 2.0. Faculty and staff who know students needing help with housing can submit this BMCC Housing Referral Form. Students with housing needs can also email the Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC) at arc@bmcc.cuny.edu, call (212) 220-8195 or drop by the ARC offices at 199 Chambers Street, Room S-230.

BMCC Cafeteria Open for Fall The BMCC cafeteria (MBJ Food Services) at 199 Chambers Street serves hot meals, salads, healthy snacks, coffee and more. Fall 2022 hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Office of Public Safety Offers Resources and Services The Office of Public Safety ensures a safe and comfortable learning environment at BMCC through resources including free trainings for faculty, staff and students in C.P.R., A.E.D./First Aid, and Campus-Community Emergency Response. Public Safety also trains staff as campus fire wardens. Watch the video, Run. Hide. Fight.® to learn about surviving an active shooter event. To report a crime or emergency, call Public Safety at (212) 220-8080 or 911. Blue call boxes are located throughout campus. For more information, visit the Public Safety website.

BMCC Panther Pantry Assists Students Facing Food Insecurity BMCC students facing a food emergency are encouraged to visit the Panther Pantry and take home free, pre-packed bags of nutritious, non-perishable food, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hot meals are distributed Thursdays from 1 to 2 p.m. The Panther Pantry is in the Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC),199 Chambers Street, Room S-230. For more information, please contact arc@bmcc.cuny.edu or call (212) 220-8195.

Enrollment

Fall 2022: Admissions In-Person Open House is Back
Hosting the first evening, in-person Open House in BMCC’s history, Admissions rolled out the welcome mat on Thursday, October 27 to over 300 prospective students and their families. Faculty, staff and administrators joined forces to showcase the best of BMCC. Guests enjoyed dinner, toured the main campus building, heard from over 10 academic areas, saw a quick performance from “Animal Farm” (BMCC’s Speech, Communication and Theatre department’s Fall production), and collected information from success programs and dozens of campus services. The event also featured faculty from over 20 different academic programs who engaged students in interactive mini-lessons to give them a feel for what their future classes will be like.

Be Part of the Spring 2023 Open House
The BMCC Admissions Office thanks everyone who helped welcome students to campus. We couldn’t do it without your enthusiasm and expertise! Students, faculty and staff who want to take part in the Spring 2023 Open House can contact Admissions at admissions@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Winter & Spring 2023: Advisement Open, Registration Opens November 7
Students value the advice and support of BMCC faculty and staff. As trusted influencers, please encourage students to meet with their advisor to track their academic progress and set a plan for success. Things to know: All students must meet with their advisor before registering. Students can register on CUNYfirst or meet with a Panther Station Specialists on Zoom. When choosing classes on CUNYfirst, students should pay close attention to the class meeting mode (in-person, online or hybrid), as well as the class session (15, 8 or 7 weeks). Students attending in-person or hybrid classes must upload proof of vaccination. For more information, visit the Registration page or contact Academic Advisement at (212) 220-8315 or aatc@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Human Resources

Open Enrollment for Flexible Spending Accounts Ends November 18
The City of New York offers its employees a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) program through Internal Revenue Code section 125. The program allows City employees to deposit a portion of their pre-tax income into accounts maintained by certain health and dependent care expenses. Please refer to the FSA website for any updates to the HCFSA/DeCAP program and information on how to submit forms.

Take Mandatory Workplace Violence and Employee Sexual Misconduct Prevention Courses on Blackboard or Zoom
Both CUNY-mandated, 2022-2023 Work Place Violence (WPV) and Employee Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Course (ESPARC) trainings are available on Blackboard. Log into your Blackboard account and select the BMCC ESPARC or WVP training under “My organization." Starting November 22, both trainings will also be available on Zoom and will take two hours to complete as they are presented consecutively. For questions, reach out to your campus Compliance Training Administrator. To schedule a Zoom training reach out to Josefa Larios (jlarious@bmcc.cuny.edu). Here are the dates:

• Tuesday, November 22 at 10 a.m.
• Tuesday, November 29 at 2:15 p.m. 
• Friday, December 2 at 10 a.m. 
• Tuesday, December 6 at 2:15 p.m. 
• Friday, December 9 at 10 a.m. 
• Tuesday, December 13 at 2:15 p.m. 
• Friday, December 16 at 10 a.m. 

Diversity-Related Programs Available to BMCC Employees
The CUNY University Training Office is offering diversity-related programs this Fall 2022 semester. Before registering for any professional development course, BMCC employees must receive written approval from their supervisor, then complete the Fall Course Registration Form. Next, the BMCC employee and their supervisor will receive a confirmation email from University.Training@cuny.edu within seven business days. Seats are limited, so please register as soon as possible.

Reminder: Pay Stubs Are Only Available on NYCAPS
To access or create your account use the Employee Self-Service account pdf.

Donors and Alumni

"Invest in a Future" Gala – A Night of Full Engagement
BMCC and the BMCC Foundation Board hosted the College’s first in-person gala in two years on Thursday, October 27 at Tribeca 360. The event, attended by nearly 400 guests, featured Leadership Award winner Brian Ruane, Award of Excellence recipient Sandra Lindsay and BMCC Student Scholars who shared stories of personal triumph. The night was a tremendous success! With additional contributions still streaming in, BMCC moves closer to expanding its resources to propel students forward in their academic journeys and careers. To learn more about our scholars and the evening’s event visit Gala 2022 Journal – BMCC (cuny.edu). On behalf of the College and BMCC Foundation, thank you to our guests and all our supporters.  We hope to see you again next year!

L–R: Leadership Award winner Brian Ruane, Award of Excellence recipient Sandra Lindsay and BMCC President Anthony Munroe

Sports and Wellness

Nov. 9 Health and Wellness Fair Will Provide Information and Inspiration
The BMCC Health and Wellness Fair set for November 9 in Richard Harris Terrace at the 199 Chambers Street campus will provide interactive activities such as yoga classes led by the Athletics department, an introduction to biofeedback from the Counseling Center, information on health insurance and resources for food insecurity from the Advocacy and Resource Center, information on women’s health, smoking and nutrition from the Women’s Resource Center, safety tips from Public Safety and more. External vendors at the fair will include the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Lenox Hill Greenwich Village, Mt. Sinai Institute for Advanced Medicine, the Gay Center, the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault, and others. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to drop by and explore health and wellness from these many perspectives.

Five BMCC Men's Soccer Team Members Named to NJCAA All-Region Team Members 
Five BMCC men's soccer players were selected to the 2022 NJCAA All-Region 15 team: El Hadji Ady Gaye and Ademola Opesanwo received All-Region First Team accolades, and Abdul Mumin Seidu and Alassane Koroma grabbed All-Region Second Team honors. Michel Mendoza also grabbed All-Region 15 Honorable Mention and Carlos Auquilla landed on the All-Region 15 Sportsmanship team.  

Three Panthers Post Their Finishes of the Season at CUNYAC Cross Country Championships
BMCC men's cross country freshman runner Trent Santoro and his teammates captain Tatenda Chikanyairo and Christian Maldonado closed out the Panther's inaugural season on a high note recording the best finishes of their careers in the 8K in the 2022 CUNYAC Cross Country Championships on October 30 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Follow the Panthers The BMCC athletic program leads eight varsity teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level. For more news on the Panthers, visit the official site of BMCC Athletics, and follow the Panthers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Calendar

Veterans Resource Center: U.S. Military Flag Display/Thank You for Your Service 
November 7

Tabling Event for International Stress Awareness Week
November 7 - 11

Boosting Your Skills Outside the Classroom – Certifications, Badges, Licenses and Extracurriculars 
November 8

Online Free Workshop: Test Taking Strategies (Students Only) 
November 8

Allied Health Information Sessions at CUNY in The Heights 
November 9

Connect with BMCC

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