A 19-year-old John Jay College student, who worked for the NYPD’s intelligence unit under orders to bait Muslims into saying inflammatory things, denounced his work as a paid informant to The Associated Press on Oct. 23. American Shaimur Rahman, who is of Bangladeshi descent, was paid as much as $1,000 a month and was asked to work with the NYPD in exchange for covering up a string of minor marijuana arrests. The NYPD instructed him to use a strategy called “create and capture,” which involved starting conversations about terrorism or random radical acts in the name of Islam and then capture the response to send to the NYPD. He received…
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Jerry Seinfeld kicks off NY comedy tour at alma mater
Suited up and sporting a buzz cut instead of the curly hair that made him famous, Jerry Seinfeld took to the Colden Auditorium stage with a roaring “This is where I started the whole goddamn thing!” Jerry Seinfeld of “Seinfeld” fame — a hugely successful 90s television show — kicked off his latest comedy tour at Queens College on Oct. 18, with a packed audience of 2,200 people. Varying in age, the crowd began lining up for the 8 p.m. show as early as 6:30 p.m., enjoying wine and crackers as they waited for the show to begin. In true New York fashion, as traffic jammed the Long Island and…
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Summit with a case of the bedbugs
A room on the third floor of The Summit was emptied and fumigated in October because of a bedbug problem on a bed in one of the suites. The student, who will remain anonymous for fear of being ostracized in any way, complained to the staff on the morning of Oct. 19 and had transferred all her belongings to the laundry room by the afternoon for two thorough cleanings. Her belongings, alongside those of her two roommates, were put into garbage bags and stored in the shower until the following Monday, for a total of two days. Meanwhile, two of the three girls stayed in their rooms — their beds…
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Knight News Roundtable: rising through the ranks with Pedro Pineiro
Since moving to the United States from Puerto Rico at age seven, Pedro Pineiro, director of public safety at Queens College, has served in the army, interpreted for the National Security Agency, worked as a street cop and worked his way up in 33 years to Commander of Municipal security with the NYPD. Upon retirement 11 years ago, Pineiro applied to fill the position of director of public safety at QC and has been here since. Holding a bachelor’s in urban studies from Fordham University and a master’s in public administration from John Jay College, Pineiro attended night school while serving in the NYPD’s 40th and 42nd precincts in the…
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$1.3 million awarded to science efforts at QC
The environmental science department at Queens College received a $1.3 million grant to train teachers to instill a better understanding of science in elementary schools. The grant — awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sept. 25 — recognized the college’s work with Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment — NY Metro program. This partnership is part of a global initiative which aims to foster more scientific understanding and appreciation in students from primary to secondary schools. The project — Into the Woods: using student research in the urban environment to enhance elementary school environmental literacy — was awarded a total of $1,355,463. Awards were selected…
