News

Four Innovative Ideas Win Campus Round of Blackstone Launchpad Competition
Five BMCC students—Communications major Katerina Lewis Archer, Financial Management major Arian Burgos, Human Services major Gesy Duran and Business Administration majors Geoffrey Mandell and Deep Sukhadwala—have won the campus round of the Fall 2022 Blackstone Launchpad Ideas competition. The four projects will receive $1,000 and advance to the Blackstone LaunchPad Network Round to compete for $5,000 in additional prize money they can use to further develop their entrepreneurial ideas. Winners of the Network Round will be announced on December 6.

BMCC Community Invited to Participatory Budgeting Session Nov. 14 
BMCC and CUNY in The Heights will host an idea generation session for The People’s Money, New York City’s first citywide participatory budgeting program on November 14 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at CUNY in The Heights, 5030 Broadway (between 213 and 214 streets), New York. The participatory budgeting program allows New Yorkers age 11 and older to decide how to spend $5 million of mayoral expense funding. Idea generation sessions provide residents the opportunity to engage in fun activities, learn more about the city budget, and work on project proposals. Click here to RSVP.

BMCC Hosts Health and Wellness Fair
The Division of Student Affairs hosted the BMCC Health and Wellness Fair November 9 in Richard Harris Terrace. Students could interact with 20 different health and wellness representatives including the Mount Sinai Institute for Advanced Medicine, the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault as well as an array of campus support services. BMCC Health Services in collaboration with Mount Sinai’s Young Adult Sexual Services clinic offered free Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing as well as information about PrEP and Pep (pre-exposure prophylaxis)—a once-daily prescription medicine for adults and adolescents at risk of HIV.

Urban Studies Program Hosts Launch Event
BMCC’s new Urban Studies Program hosted a launch and information event where students could learn about career possibilities, meet the program’s faculty and staff and learn about the Urban Academy on November 10 in the Murray building. Students in BMCC’s Urban Studies program are part of the Urban Academy, a collaboration between the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies and partnering community colleges including BMCC. For more information about the program, contact program coordinator Professor Shirley Leyro at sleyro@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Panther Partners Hosts National First-Generation College Celebration Day Event
A National First-Generation College Celebration Day was hosted by BMCC’s Panther Partners program on November 9 in the cafeteria at 199 Chambers Street. Since 2017, colleges, corporations and other non-profit organizations have celebrated and highlighted contributions made within their communities by first-generation students, faculty, staff and alumni. The BMCC event included games, giveaways and ice cream. Learn more about Panther Partners, a cohort experience program serving first-generation students at BMCC.

Making Headlines

BMCC alumna, Gala Award of Excellence recipient Sandra Lindsay talks about her role as VP of Public Health Advocacy at Northwell Health
November 3, 2022 — HealthLeaders

BMCC Early Childhood Center Executive Director Cecilia Scott-Croff, BMCC Professor Jennifer Gilken and educational coach Serene Stevens examine the benefits of reflective practice
November 4, 2022 — Exchange.com

BMCC alumna and Kaplan Educational Foundation Executive Director Nolvia Delgado Named to Crain’s NY “40 under 40” list
November 7, 2022 — Yahoo News, Crains NY

Announcements

Live Theatre at BMCC: Animal Farm: The Musical The BMCC Theatre Department invites students faculty and staff to see "Animal Farm: The Musical," directed by Charles Anthony Burks. In this new musical from the classic George Orwell story "Animal Farm," the musical tells the story through song of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free and happy. The show opens November 16 and runs through November 20 in Theatre 2 at 199 Chambers Street. Admission is free and open to the public. For other details including showtimes, click here.

Faculty & Staff Invited to Join Women’s Herstory Month Committee—Deadline Nov. 16
BMCC will celebrate Women’s Herstory Month (WHM) in March 2023. Faculty and staff who are interested in joining the WHM committee which will work on the logistics, planning and organizing of the month are invited to submit an interest form. The deadline to submit the interest form is November 16. For questions email Tammie Velasquez, manager of the Women’s Resource Center at tavelasquez@bmcc.cuny.edu.

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.

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

Winter & Spring 2023: Advisement and Registration Open
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.

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.

Donors and Alumni

Sports and Wellness

Calendar

Media Arts & Technology Advisement & Registration (Online Session)
November 15 

Career Development: Using LinkedIn for Online Networking
November 15 

Hispanic Heritage Month: Decolonizing Mental Health – Understanding Wellness Through an Anti-Oppressive Framework
November 16

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