The last time CUNY faculty and staff worked with a contract? 2010. The last time they saw a pay raise? 2009. After another year without progress in contract negotiations, the Professional Staff Congress, the union representing all CUNY staff, told its members to prepare for actions this fall—including “disruptive mass action.” Barbara Bowen, president of the PSC, wrote an email to all members on Aug. 27 about stalled negotiations and, consequently, upcoming actions for a contract. She blamed James Milliken, CUNY chancellor, for failing to “offer a single dollar for raises or back-pay” since his appointment last year. “We have all been patient long enough. Starting on this first day…
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Queens College Evening Readings begin with Emily St. John Mandel
Emily St. John Mandel read from her fourth novel, “Station Eleven,” on Sept. 29 evening, for the Queens College Evening Readings series in the LeFrank Concert Hall. The audience, mostly women, seemed eager and interested to see Leonard Lopate, the host, interview Mandel. Mandel is the author of three other novels: “The Lola Quartet,” “The Singer’s Gun” and “Last Night in Montreal.” “Station Eleven,” released on June 2, was a finalist for the National Book Award and is a national best seller. “Station Eleven” is a dystopian novel about a Shakespearean Theater company, The Travelling Symphony. The theater troupe roams the wasteland 20 years after an apocalypse and performs for…
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“Mistress America” challenges myth of idealism in a stable world
“Mistress America” is a hilarious and clever film, but shows a profound message about finding one’s place in a wild, hectic world and coming to terms with compromise. The film contains sharp and witty dialogue likened to Wes Anderson and is able to keep the frustration and dread genuine. The film’s sobering portrait of American ambition heightened by a nuanced character could change a person’s perspective, all while laughing. The film follows Tracy Fishco, played by Lola Kirke, a college freshman and aspiring writer. She is utterly uninspired, unsatisfied with her classes, lonely and rejected by the coveted Literary Society, who pretentiously eat cheese and drink wine. This is until…
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Solution to free printing not black-and-white
Student Association, for the 2014-15 fiscal year, proposed and implemented unlimited printing at Rosenthal Library. Although, over the course of the new program, “it was clear that there was a small group of students who were printing an inordinate number of pages and a majority of students were not benefiting at all from the service,” the Student Technology Fee Plan Summary for 2015-16 found. “There were a lot of things that weren’t accounted for and, instead, was very hasty. This time around, our committee is thinking to have a contract set in place so that student can still print but we won’t have the same situation where one student prints…
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Baruch hazing death changes attitudes toward Greek life
Queens College’s Greek life faced a culture shift since Chun Hsien (Michael) Deng’s tragic death in the Baruch hazing incident during December 2013. Deng’s death brought national attention to hazing. QC administration officials implemented guidelines and workshops to keep hazing under control. All Greek students are required to participate in an anti-hazing program this November and sign an anti-hazing form. The form gives a definition of hazing, while prior forms did not include one despite asking students to sign it Judith Krinitz, assistant director of Student Life, said. “Hazing doesn’t have to be physical. It can be emotional or mental,” Krinitz said. QC, under the umbrella of CUNY, prompted more…
