“Get that laptop out of my face,” is just one of the many complaints voiced every year during elections when students are pestered by committee members from their respective parties to The Student Association recently considered adopting polling stations like those used in U.S. presidential elections. “We’ve heard complaints by students about our current election system,” Karamvir Singh, president of SA, said. “I thought it would be better for students in general; less harassing and complaints. It would also provide less strain on students running for positions.” The elections committee rejected this idea for polling stations, but voting days have been reduced from seven days to five. “It’s probably for the best,” sophomore, Maria Doumas said.…
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Emergence of swastikas on campus
Swastikas were seen on walls inside Powdermaker Hall during the week of Kristallnacht, an annual event that calls awareness to Nov. 9, 1938, when the Nazis coordinated an attack on Jews and their property in Germany. “The discovery of swastikas on campus particularly during the week commemorating Kristallnacht and the start of the Holocaust is disturbing,” said Steven Appel, assistant director of the Center for Ethnic, Racial and Religious Understanding at Queens College. “As someone who lost family members in the Holocaust, I am pained by the news.” Uri Cohen, the executive director of QC’s Hillel, said such behavior is a step back on what is typically a peaceful and…
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Kristallnacht spreads movement against hatred
The message of peace reverberated within the Lefrak Concert Hall on Nov. 18, as the fifth annual Kristallnacht commemoration held at Queens College, gathered supporters to combat anti-Semitism and hatred in its many forms. Kristallnacht, which means “night of crystal,” refers to a series of attacks against Jews during the time of Nazi rule in Germany, from Nov. 9 to 10 in 1938. During this time, the streets were littered with glass shards from Jewish owned businesses, homes and synagogues. Due to this, it has come to be known as “the night of broken glass.” The director of the Center for Jewish Studies at QC, Prof. Mark Rosenblum, noted that…
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Fitzgerald Gym no longer a Sandy shelter
The evacuation center for victims of Hurricane Sandy located at the Fitzgerald Gym in Queens College, which housed up to 550 people over its course of 22 days in operation, officially closed on Nov. 18. Fitzgerald Gym served as a safe haven for people from Queens who lost their homes or did not have electricity temporarily. The shelter provided citizens with constant clothes, food, toiletries and sleeping space. There were nine other shelters set up at CUNY schools, all of which have been shut down over the course of the week. The gym is slowly getting back on its feet with the aquatic center that opened its doors on Nov.…
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Higher education forum talks tuition
Two candidates vying to represent the 16th Senate District — including Flushing — debated on tuition costs in higher education, during a forum hosted by the New York Public Interest Research Group. State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) and Republican candidate J.D. Kim visited Queens College’s Rosenthal Library on Oct. 23 to discuss their goals for the district and college education. The event began by spotlighting the greatest issue facing higher education: the national student debt, which has exceeded $1 trillion. Kim — an attorney from Flushing — admitted that his limited knowledge on higher education was quite limited, but like many others, he is at the mercy of paying back…
