The event was close and came down to the final two races on day two at Queens College, but the Knights held off St. Thomas Aquinas 165-164.

“I told them give it your all, leave it all on the track,” said head coach Greg Welch.

The Knights did exactly that as they finished second in the 4×800 relay, meaning all they had to do was finish in the final event to win the championship.

“Winning the first championship at home was big for them,” said Welch. “I am very happy for the kids, they put a lot of hard work in.”

It was a team effort for the Knights. Day one was held on Saturday at Farmingdale State College, where the Knights sophomore Tyler Bay won the 10,000 meter race. In the field events freshman Angel Alers-Rosaria finished first in the Discus and Hammer Throw, while also finishing fourth in the shot put. His teammate junior Vincent Fratto won the shot put, finished second in the Discus and fourth in the hammer throw. The team also received contributions from senior Max Gazzarra and freshman Liam O’Connor.

Day two was held on Sunday at Queens College, where Kurt Samuel won the 800 meter with a time of 1:54:61. The team also received points from the contributions of Joseph Mayer, Nick Harran, Bay, Peter Krammer and Gazzarra.

While the Knights will have time to enjoy this feat, Welch is already looking ahead. “We start next season now,” he said. “We recruit all year long, always looking to fill in the blanks.”

In the beginning of this year the ECC announced the return of both Men’s and Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. This championship was the first one since the 2003-2004 school year.

In light of the generous donation, the CUNY Board of Trustees made a decision to rename The New Community College, The Stella and Charles Guttman Community College.

“CUNY is deeply grateful for the Guttman Foundation’s generosity,” Chancellor Matthew Goldstein said.

The donation, according to the chancellor, will help the school meet its goals of improving student’s graduation rates, maintaining academic integrity and successfully launching students into the next phases of their lives.

“The CUNY grant is the result of several years of research into how the Foundation could best advance the cause of making a college education available to the largest possible number of highly motivated, low-income public school graduates” the foundation’s president Ernest Rubenstein said.

The $25 million donation was divided into different parts.

The New Community College will receive a $15 million endowment which will help it establish the Guttman Student Success and Engagement Fund. The ultimate aim is to help improve low success and graduation rates of community colleges through paid internships, scholarships and student emergency funds.

Nine million dollars will go towards helping academically qualified transfer students obtain scholarships. These transfer students are transferring from the CUNY community colleges to CUNY senior colleges.

The students coming from the community colleges will receive grants of $2,000 a year for two years to complete their bachelor’s degrees. Within five years, the $9 million endowment is expected to provide more than 200 scholarships annually.

Lastly, $1 million will be used to expand the University’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) initiative. The aim of the program is to help community college students earn their degrees as quickly as possible.

The Foundation is a New York not for profit based corporation. It was organized in 1959 by Charles Guttman, a successful New York businessman. The foundation currently has over $50 million in assets and has contributed more than $58 million to charitable organizations.

The survey of 2,060 recent graduates and soon to be graduates, done by global management consulting firm Accenture, showed that these people, 51 percent of whom have student debts of up to $50,000, are in positions that do not require college degrees and are unable to obtain better jobs without further education.

Most of my friends, including myself, are going to graduate school not only because we feel it’s a necessary degree for the careers we’re pursuing, but also because we know there is a scarcity of jobs,” soon to be graduate Mary Napolitano said.

An additional report from the Economic Policy Institute showed wages of recent graduates as having dropped 8.5 percent between 2000 and 2012. Graduates from 2012 earned an average of $34,500 a year.

Lisa Maher, a 2012 graduate from the honors programs who has internships and a study abroad on her resume, makes $300 less a year than the average graduate with her teaching job and two side jobs.

“Even though I graduated with all the stereotypical ‘do this and you’ll get a job’ things, it was still near to impossible to find a teaching job,” Maher said.

With her salary from teaching, working as a stage manager, and doing copyright work, Maher is saving up to go to graduate school because the additional degree is necessary for a career in education.

“I think we’re all hopeful that by continuing our education, we will land a better-paying position and be able to pay these loans off easily, but I don’t think it’s going to be as easy as we’re hoping,” Napolitano said.

Stephanie Davis, a Borough of Manhattan Community College student, made headlines several weeks ago when she was told she would not be allowed to make up assignments due to pregnancy related absences. Davis subsequently was forced to drop the class and by doing so, lost her merit-based scholarship.

CUNY has since reached a settlement with Davis, 27, in which her scholarship was fully restored. The university also compensated Davis $3000 to cover expenses.

When Davis was first told by her professor that she would not be able to make up her assignments she appealed to the dean. She was encouraged by her dean to drop the class because her due date was at the end of the semester.

The National Women’s Law Center filed a complaint on behalf of Davis claiming the decision was a direct violation of Title IV of the Education Amendments. Title IV prohibits schools from penalizing pregnant students for necessary medical absences.

CUNY has also adopted a new policy to protect the rights of pregnant and parenting students. Colleges will also provide training to help ensure the policy is properly applied.

Many students who attend CUNY’s seven community colleges are young mothers. Davis is currently in her final semester at BMCC.

Bogus is the word the New York Police Department used in response to the numerous studies and reports that Queens College sociologist Harry Levine has made.

His recent report, “One Million Police Hours: Making 440,000 Marijuana Possession Arrests in New York City, 2002-2012,” details how much time and energy is invested by the NYPD on marijuana arrests. These numbers include the costs of the controversial stop and frisk policy.

The report, which indicates that more than one million police hours have been invested into marijuana arrests, comes as Floyd v. City of New York examines the legality of stop and frisk.

This is “the equivalent of having 31 police officers working eight hours a day for 11 years, making only marijuana possession arrests,” according to the report.

The structure of the NYPD and the way the city handles information and policy leads to these arrests, Levine said. “They have the power to keep doing what they want to do.”

A misdemeanor arrest for marijuana possession in New York City will take up two or three hours for one officer to four or five hours or even longer for multiple officers.

The average time one officer spends making an arrest is two and a half hours, which is a “very conservative estimate,” according to the report.

Collectively, those arrested from 2002 to 2012 for marijuana possession spent over five million hours in custody. This is also affected by the stop and frisk policy that the NYPD has, which — under Mayor Bloomberg — has increased more than 600 percent according to the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Stop and frisk is a policy where NYPD officers stop anyone under suspicion of committing a crime or has already committed a crime, asks them a few questions, and pats them down if they still seem uncooperative.

“It’s a major, major deal what’s going on down there,” Levine said.

One person who testified, State Sen. Eric Adams (D-NY), stated that NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly admitted that the stop and frisk tactic is used to “instill fear” in young men of color.

Moreover, Officer Pedro Serrano, an NYPD officer and whistleblower, recorded a conversation that was showed in court that had Deputy Inspector Christopher McCormack of Serrano’s precinct stating that officers should arrest “male blacks 14 to 21” to fill a quota.

“They have secrets; they have things they don’t want the public eye to see,” Levine said.

There has been no official response by either the city or by the NYPD that specifically addresses the work of Levine and his colleagues.

“No one seriously believes that marijuana arrests lower crime,” Levine said.

The report states that the arrests are not a sensible use of city resources.

“The future is up for grabs. Marijuana arrests are going to end one way or another,” Levine said. “Stop and frisks are going to stop as well, but we don’t know how long that’ll take.”

Jaqi Cohen, Adam Garfield and Enrico Purita, the project coordinators of NYPIRG, along with other members, helped organize the event. Their goals were to ensure that students, who represented their congressional district, were able to speak with their representatives on important legislation to help students. Affordable education and the DREAM Act were important topics that were discussed by students and representatives alike.

“The DREAM Act was reacted positively among politicians and students,” Garfield said.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act gives undocumented students a chance to continue studying in the U.S. if they are already in college or the military.

On Higher Education Action Day, NYPIRG fought on behalf of not only these students, but students who faced budget cuts.

NYPIRG had the benefit of meeting with groups such as the New York State United Teachers, Professional Staff Congress, United University Professors and the University Student Senate. They ran on a universal platform that called on behalf of change in both the CUNY and SUNY systems.

“It’s really important to work in coalitions to get work done together,” Purita said.

The platform had referenced increasing “capital investment at CUNY and SUNY and fully fund critical maintenance needs.” In addition, they wished to “make the Tuition Assistance Program work for all students — including CUNY and SUNY [students].”

“[We want] restructuring to TAP so that it’s efficient to help supplement financial costs,” Garfield said.

TAP gives financial aid based on income and need by students in New York State. According to NYPIRG, “all 375,000 TAP recipients had their awards cut by $75 in 2010.” In addition, “rule changes built into the state budget have reduced or eliminated TAP awards for graduate students, dependents or retired workers and students who were struggling with grades or federal student loans.”

With such issues in their minds, members of NYPIRG felt the entire day was a tremendous opportunity that showcased the power of lobbying when discussing with their representatives.

“It’s a great opportunity to let your concerns be known to the people who represent you,” said NYPIRG member, Robbie Sheikh. “It’s also a great opportunity to meet and interact with students from other CUNY schools that may be in the same boat as you are, with regards to financial aid, among other issues.”

The project coordinators were proud that such an event could allow students from the CUNY and SUNY system to speak with their very own representatives on issues that mattered to them.

“It’s their first time being in a politician’s office, so it’s a great experience. They were guaranteed to speak with their representative,” Purita said.

Members of NYPIRG cherished their experience and felt they had made an impact by speaking with their representatives.

“Higher Education Day was a great experience for me,” said member and geology major, Kevin Clinton. “I was able to talk to my elected officials about subjects that affect students such as myself, on rising tuitions, the lack of TAP funding and the DREAM Act. It’s about time that Albany starts looking out for the students more.”

The New York State poet laureate read from past and current volumes of poetry, followed by a Q&A session led by Stefanie Lipsey—a Queens College MFA alumnus—and ended with a book signing.

The event was sponsored by the MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation along with The Poetry Society of America.

“We hoped that both faculty and students would find the evening engaging and enlivening, especially since the interview revealed so much about her writing process, her beliefs about writing and the work poetry can do in the world,” director of the MFA program, Nicole Cooley said.

“I love Marie Howe,” said senior, Kayla Kirshenbaum. She will be attending Sarah Lawrence College next fall where Marie Howe teaches. “[Howe] captures what people in real time do,” she said.

John Rice, MFA alumni, knew he had to go to the event when a friend of his said that Howe’s book “What the Living Do,” “taught her how to stay alive.” This volume focuses on Howe’s brother John, who died of AIDS. Rice described the poetry in the book as stripped down.

Howe revealed a great deal of information about her writing and revision process. “I write a lot of poems and I throw about 80 percent of them out,” she said. “If any of you do that, you are my brothers and sisters.”

She also emphasized the importance of having an extra set of eyes on your work, admitting that she always had her brother and close friends read her work to get feedback. “My brother John was my greatest critic,” she said.

Howe also mentioned that she is a fan of the oral tradition, often times speaking lines of poetry into a tape recorder to see if she likes it. She encourages the use of this technique in her classrooms at Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University and New York University where she teaches creative writing.

When asked about her teaching philosophies, Howe said, “reform is everything.” She creates a community amongst her students where everyone is encouraged to study and learn from each other. “The hierarchy is shot,” she said.

Despite Howe’s success in academia and as a poet, she claims her work is not good. “I’m not being falsely humble; I really do write a lot of bad poetry,” she said. Her words immediately connect her to all the aspiring poets in the room. She even admitted to throwing out 25 pages of a book, shortly before it was supposed to be published. Howe’s revision style is unique, but she does what works for her and encourages writers to do the same.

“You have to know your own nature and what satisfies you.”

Wolfe, after seeing an invitation to a fundraising party for the Black Panthers, noted the RSVP number down. On a whim, Wolfe, who had not been invited, called the number and told the person who picked up “My name is Tom Wolfe and I accept.”

Later, when he went to the party, his name was on the guest list and so he was able to produce the first half of “Radical Chic and Mau Mauing the Flak Catchers.”

Wolfe visited campus on April 16, 2013 as part of the Evening Reading Series to share a section of his most recent work, “Back to Blood.”

“Back to Blood” is one of Wolfe’s works of fiction, but, as a writer, Wolfe started out working on newspapers. Eventually, he transitioned to writing for magazines and then to writing books.

From a young age, Wolfe wanted to be a writer based on his mistaken assumption that his father, an agronomist, was a writer. His father would sit at his desk scrawling notes out on a yellow legal pad and this motivated Wolfe’s career ambitions.

While his father may have done his writing at a desk, Wolfe advises all young writers to “leave the building. That’s the beginning of wisdom.”

As research for his most recent novel, Wolfe left the building to peruse the streets of Miami in his ever-present white suit.

“I don’t want to stand out, but I don’t mind being noticed,” Wolfe said about his clothing choice.

While in Miami, Wolfe attended the Columbus Day Regatta, a sailing race that ends in a night of partying and debauchery for Miami residents.

“I don’t know if it was because of my age or because I wore a shirt with a collar, but boys kept death bombing me,” Wolfe said about the boys who would jump off deck and aim their splashes toward Wolfe. “And that’s okay, at least I was noticed.”

The result of his time in Florida is Wolfe’s first novel in eight years, though he did spend part of that time working on a history of the theory of evolution. His conclusion? The theory is dead.

Theory put to the side, one thing is sure: Wolfe will aim to entertain with his future works.

“That’s the one thing you should expect from a novel,” he said. “That it will entertain you.”

A report by a coalition of civil liberty groups has detailed the impact of the surveillance program by the NYPD on Muslims not only after the 2011 AP reports, but after Sept. 11 as well. The report, “Mapping Muslims: NYPD Spying and its Impact on American Muslims,” was released in February and examines how the NYPD sent informants to mosques, organized groups and even the CUNY schools, to spy on Muslims.

The report details how even after the 2011 release by AP on the surveillance program, the NYPD continued with their acts, with the justification of stopping “terrorist plots.” Officials have stated that “14 terrorist plots,” had been thwarted as a result of the surveillance program, however the report states that “of the 14 plots listed on the NYPD website, only three were actual potential terrorist plots and not one was prevented by the NYPD.”

Muslim Student Associations across the CUNY system were listed as areas “of concern” for multitude of reasons, such as militant paintball trips, politically active students or even speakers invited to events. Informants were sent by the NYPD and were even recruited as students with the promise of money in return. Knowledge of these informants created suspicion among students not only in the MSA, but throughout the Muslim community.

The report features how profound the surveillance program has affected Muslims and their livelihood from the way they speak to how they appear. One Queens College student, going by a pseudonym, stated how others felt when learning she went to QC.

“They say ‘don’t you go to Queens College? Isn’t that where all the terrorists are?’ They saw it on the news that they were spying on us,” Sameera said.

Such repression was criticized by the report as creating “a pervasive climate of fear and suspicion, encroaching upon every aspect of individual and community life.” In addition, it states that the program had “severed the trust that should exist between the police department and the communities it is charged with protecting.”

One of the organizations that assisted with the report, The Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility project, advocated for “Know-Your-Rights” workshops and “other rights-awareness campaigns” in communities and colleges to further understand the rights of Muslims against such a program by the NYPD.

Overall, the program had led to distrust among many Muslims of the NYPD and their actions with one student from Brooklyn College speaking about how the term “Muslim” might be perceived by the NYPD and others.

“It’s as if the law says: the more Muslim you are, the more trouble you can be, so decrease your Islam,” said Sari, speaking under a pseudonym.

A federal judge ruled on April 5, that the contraceptive drug, Plan B, can be purchased over the counter without a prescription, regardless of age. Plan B is a pill that is effective in preventing pregnancy shortly after sexual intercourse.

There is a large amount of controversy surrounding this decision. Many people are against the idea of women having such easy access to Plan B, especially young girls who no longer need a parent to buy it.

“The Catholic Church is against Plan B, the church believes and holds that life begins at conception,” Father Paul Wood of the Queens College Catholic Newman Center said. “What Plan B does is that if conception has already taken place it dispels the ovum [a human embryo] and acts as an anti-implantation function that prevents a possible fertilized ovum from being implanted in the uterine wall. The final result would be the expulsion and loss of the embryo.”

Wood firmly believes that people should remain abstinent until marriage. If a woman were to become pregnant, he feels they should explore other options such as adoption rather than resort to a method such as Plan B.

“That would be what the church would hold and therefore that’s what I hold,” Wood said.

This ruling could also mean giving college women another option in preventing pregnancy and possibly having to drop out of school. A recent study by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University found that as many as 24 percent of college women experience an unplanned pregnancy while in college.

“It is a good thing in general since it means more girls have a bigger opportunity to avoid unwanted pregnancies,” junior, Tamela Jean said.

Not all students agree with the court’s decision to make Plan B so easily accessible, especially to women under the legal age limit.

“I’m not completely against Plan B being made available to the public, however, I do believe that there should be certain regulations put into place,” senior, Danielle Chaim said. “It should not be readily available for younger girls.”