Participatory Budgeting at Queens College spent many months developing proposals to help improve Queens College. Now, students will vote on them at tables from April 18 to 21. Students will vote on 12 proposals worked on by the four committees—Sustainability, Accessibility, Technology and Buildings and Grounds. Students are each allowed to vote on a maximum of three ideas. They can vote at tables located in Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library, the Dining Hall and the Student Union. One popular proposal from the sustainability committee is adding more flowers on campus; specifically near the Colden Auditorium. Adding these flowers would cost an annual $2,500 to replace those already near the auditorium, and…
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Participatory budgeting begins at Queens College
Participatory budgeting first began in 1989 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Citizens voted on projects proposed by other residents. Projects with the most votes received funding. Since then, the practice was exported across the world from Spain to the United States. Starting this semester, participatory budgeting will begin at Queens College after students requested it. Participatory budgeting is democratic as a community creates ideas as projects. It chooses popular ideas and enacts it with available resources. Melissa Appleton, project manager at the Participatory Budgeting Project, said the organization she is with would help the process if any questions come up. “Participatory Budgeting Process is pleased to provide technical assistance to Participatory…
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Sunny times ahead for Queens College
Queens College announced it would build a solar-storage system near the Fitzgerald Gym later this year. The Department of Energy’s Sustainable and Holistic Integration of Energy Storage and Solar PV program awarded half of the funds for the $6.3 million project. Its goal is to create technologies that are both affordable and accessible for users. But the college is not working on the project alone. Sustainable CUNY, the New York Power Authority and the Electric Power Research Institute will help too. In fact, EPRI will provide $3.2 million to building solar panels that are a part of the project. Adam Rockman, vice president for Student Affairs, said the solar panels…
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MTA Brings A New Change—Select Bus Service
The Q44 underwent a change Nov. 29 after running on the Select Bus Service, which certainly affects Queens College. First introduced in 2008, the Select Bus Service program is different than a local or Limited Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus. It includes vending machines at each stop, a new bus layout, a quicker route and more. Riders at the machines are given a receipt, which officer Fawaiz Clemons from Public Safety said must be held. “There are undercover inspectors to check upon you. If you don’t have the receipt, you get fined a $100,” Clemons said. QC’s Shuttle Bus to Jamaica was relocated to 146th Street and Jamaica Avenue in response…
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MSA chapter at QC helps during Charity Week
The Muslim Student Association’s chapter at Queens College raised the most money for Charity Week, which provides funds for people in need. Charity Week is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization that functions under Islamic Relief and unites young people to raise money. In late October, more than 20 volunteers organized events like a tennis tournament and a competition with the FIFA video game series. Khalida Jalili, organizer with MSA, learned about Charity Week from Dr. Muhammad Wajid Akhter. “I was inspired that university students in various parts of the world were enthusiastically and diligently cooperating together in raising money for their little siblings around the world,” Jalili said. Since Charity Week began in 2000,…
