Upcoming Events
“East vs. West” Basketball Game
Long Island vs. Brooklyn
December 5, 2008.
6 p.m. (women); 8 p.m. (men)
Danzi Athletic Center
Long Island Campus
* Transportation available from Brooklyn Campus.
[More]
Men’s Basketball Alumni Day
December 7, 2008. 11 a.m.
Danzi Athletic Center
Long Island Campus
[More]
“A Very Special Home for the Holidays” Benefit for Madison and Jack Lewinger
December 8, 2008. 5:30 p.m.
The Parlors, Tuohy Hall
Brooklyn Campus
[More]
Career Networking Seminar
February 19, 2009. 6:30 p.m.
McGann Conference Room
Long Island Campus
[More]
Quarterlife Crisis Workshop
“Who am I, What do I want and How do I get it?” Author and Speaker: Christine Hassler
March 25, 2009. 6 p.m.
McGann Conference Room
Long Island Campus
[More]
Calling All Alumni
The Office of Alumni Relations is gearing up to plan its Second Annual "Day on Wall Street" this spring and is looking for alumni to host students interested in careers on Wall Street at their places of business. If you are interested in participating in the 2009 "Day on Wall Street", please contact the Alumni Office at 718.636.6882 or email alumni@sjcny.edu. Thank you for your continued support!
Finish this sentence: You’re a true SJC Alum once you’ve…
Submit your most memorable or most humorous experience as an SJC student. Your answers will be used to create a Top-ten list (one for each campus) that will be shared with our students, on the website, on flyers, and in emails to encourage them to fully experience all that SJC has to offer. (i.e. Once enjoyed free food 5 days in one week!)
Email your answer to Daria Tator at dtator@sjcny.edu
No Break From Learning This Summer
By Melissa Gonzalez
A typical summer break may include heading to the beach with a bathing suit and towel in tow, but for students in the Office of Global Studies at SJC, the summer included packing up first aid kits and work boots and heading down the dirt roads to the indigenous community of Sutiaba in Leon, Nicaragua.
Affected by a neighboring dump and the chemical run-off from local factories, the Sutiaban community needed help in providing a safe and clean environment for their children to learn and play. SJC has answered that call.
In March 2007, students from a service learning class at the College embarked on a journey to Sutiaba to construct a house for a needy family and help the village women. In January 2008, students from the College’s chapter of Amnesty International returned to the area with plans to build a one-room daycare center, refurbish a schoolhouse and create a playground.
Unfortunately, they were unable to build the daycare center and playground, mainly because of a lack of operable land. They were, however, able to redirect their service efforts and focus on the women of the area, who worried about the lack of job opportunities, training and daycare. These issues, along with other concerns of personal loneliness and isolation, led to the formation of cooperative foundation for a sewing effort.
"The core concept of service learning is to support the community’s ability to identify issues they want to address within their own neighborhood, as well as solutions they want to implement, and then facilitate their ability to do so,” said Ellen Clyne ’08 and contributor on all three trips. “We work them to generate positive change in their community.”
In May of 2008, a group of students from the Office of Global Studies also traveled to Sutiaba – this time to organize a sports league for children and to cultivate the already existing sewing effort in order for the women to start creating clothes that will generate income for their families. SJC donated sewing machines, fabric, thread, hooks and yarn to this project. As an added benefit, daycare is provided by women of the community for those who teach and learn about sewing and crocheting.
With sports equipment donations from SJC, women in the community were also able to organize a kickball team representing Sutiaba. The kickball team competes against other local teams and goes by the name San Jose, in honor of the College. While in Sutiaba, SJC students were able to attend a game and cheer for the team they helped to form and see the smiles they helped create.
The visiting SJC students also painted a school and created a mentor-based tutoring program, in which local Sutiaban college students tutor school children in various subject areas in exchange for installments of their tuition, which is approximately $30 per month.
As a result of their annual expeditions, SJC has developed a profound relationship with the people of Sutiaba and will continue to support its efforts in improving the area.
“The interest [from the students] is so high and the energy is so amazing that we plan to offer this service trip twice every year,” explained Dr. Judy Phagan, associate professor of English and faculty advisor for Amnesty International at SJC. Dr. Phagan accompanied the students on their January 2008 trip to Nicaragua. Future trips to Sutiaba will occur in both January and April 2009.
If you would like to join in the efforts and support SJC’s community service trips to Nicaragua, please email Thomas Petriano at tpetriano@sjcny.edu or Antoinette Hertel at ahertel@sjcny.edu.