Christopher Labial describes his youthful self as a “military brat.” Growing up in a military family, he went to international school and first studied in the U.S. in 2008 at Benjamin Cardozo High School. Now he is the President of F.L.I.G.H.T., which stands for Filipinos Living to Instill Growth, Honor and Tradition, and is also a member of different clubs on campus, including the Queens College Dream Team and the iTones, an acapella group. In general, Labial feels at home at QC. “I’ve come to appreciate everyone on this campus,” Labial said. Labial, a junior and an English major, is running on the Students For Change ticket as the successor…
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IA candidate challenges incumbent party over policies and transparency
Junior Mohammed Hassan is the presidential nominee of Independent Alliance, which was formed last April by students and former members and officials of Students for Change and United People, to create major changes on campus. “We want students to feel comfortable to be involved with student government,” Hassan said. Hassan will be running against Students For Change’s nominee Christopher Labial and independent candidates Andrew Millan and Luis Cuadros. IA, Hassan said, is not a centralized party, but one where many people can work with one another with no “low or high members.” “The party stands for an independent group of people. Each group of leaders thinks for themselves and we…
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Spotlight on CERRU: The Center for Ethnic, Racial and Religious Understanding
CERRU is a non-partisan organization that facilitates cross-cultural events to enhance understanding across the Queens College community. “Queens College is an incredibly diverse campus, often cited as the most diverse campus in the country. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean everyone comes together and engages with each other naturally, often times people stay in their own groups,” Associate Director Sophia McGee said. “CERRU is supposed to provide a space to bring people together, to engage with each other and also to discuss difficult issues that are affecting us on campus and in the community.” CERRU’s events create a safe outlet for students to voice their opinions and hear the voices of others. They discuss topics such as issues…
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Mock Trial Team sets the bar high in court competitions
The Queens College Mock Trial, formed in 2013, enables students to learn how to argue cases, examine and cross-examine witnesses and be comfortable in the courtroom setting. Although the trial is simulated, the knowledge gained from these exercises is invaluable. “We are given a fictitious case by the American Mock Trial Association and the goal is to work with the case material given to construct an argument for the case and compete against other colleges and universities with that argument,” member Victoria Tan said. In their last case – Lee Park vs. Duran, a case of intentional shooting versus parental negligence – Tan won the Outstanding Attorney Award. In addition,…
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Documentary reveals political turmoil in post-apartheid South Africa
The Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens College hosted a screening of the documentary “Behind the Rainbow” on March 16 as part of the Year of South Africa. Jihan El-Tahri directed the documentary, which was released in 2009. El-Tahri, who is Lebanese, is a producer and news correspondent for Reuters. “Behind the Rainbow” shows the reality of life in South Africa after apartheid. The film chronicles the political history of the African National Congress party that rose to power after apartheid. In 1994, after South Africa’s first democratic elections, ANC came to power. The first challenge for the party arose when they debated how to properly purge the governmental ranks of the…
