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A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND • SPECIAL EDITION
CSI Responds to COVID-19
CSI ALUMNI
Salute to Class of 2020: Video Celebrating This Year’s Graduates
Genetic Research on Covid-19:
Professor Chang-Hui Shen Collaborates with International Scientists
Pitching in during COVID-19
In a time and an academic year ahead like none other, CSI can rise to the challenges to position our students to stay on track and go further. But we can’t do it alone. We need you now, more than ever, to help us succeed. Annual Fund gifts from our alumni and friends make an immediate and meaningful difference by supporting areas of greatest need like:
• • • • •
Library e-textbooks and online resources Remote learning technology Research labs Programs that support student success And so much more
“Challenge and Opportunity” is our motto and our reality. Please join us. We are stronger together and strongest with your support.
Give Today You may also send your donation, payable to: CSI Foundation 2800 Victory Blvd. 1A-210 Staten Island, NY 10314 foundation@csi.cuny.edu
Volume 9, Number 1 Special Edition
COVER IMAGE
The electronic marquee at CSI’s front gate has been displaying messages of support for the CSI and Staten Island communities.
Faculty and staff salute the Class of 2020 (story on page 5).
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURED ARTICLES
Faculty Focus Page 7
CSI Faculty and Staff Come Together Virtually to Salute the Class of 2020 Page 5
Around Campus Page 10 Alumni News Page 17 Sports Highlights Page 21
EYE ON CSI is Online csitoday.com/publications Please let us know your thoughts at alumni@csi.cuny.edu regarding Eye on CSI.
Foundation Notes Page 24 EDITOR’S NOTES • The articles in this issue contain the or iginal publication dates to place them in histor ical context. • CUNY is maintaining an In Memor iam page, which lists the names of CUNY faculty and staff we have lost to COVID-19.
CSI Professor Louis Petingi Is Conducting RNA Research in the Battle against COVID-19 Page 7 CSI Biology Professor Chang-Hui Shen Conducting Genetic Research on COVID-19, Collaborating with International Scientists Page 8
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
I welcome you to a special issue of Eye on CSI, which reflects on how the College community has faced the COVID-19 pandemic.* For the most part, students, faculty, and staff have had to adjust to learning, teaching, and working remotely, which initially had its challenges, but has now become a smoother process. Students who lived in Dolphin Cove had to be relocated to other accommodations when the facility closed in late March. Although course instruction operated remotely, the College adhered to the principles of Scholarship-driven Education, a Strategic Priority of our Strategic Plan, Opportunity to Ascend, to ensure that exceptional educational opportunities remained available to our students to fuel their academic and professional success. Additionally, under guidance from the University, the College distributed Chromebooks and iPads to students, faculty, and staff who needed them to ensure that instruction and critical support services would continue to operate efficiently. In the spirit of Student Success, the first Strategic Priority, we offered support to our students in other ways—ensuring that the Counseling Center, the Health and Wellness Center, the Food Pantry, the Student Emergency Relief Campaign, and other services continue to provide assistance. Student Success instituted the EDUCares program to connect instructors with students who had lost contact with the College, and Student Life offered a wide range of activities to enrich and entertain students during the quarantine period. In addition, although a physical Commencement ceremony could not be held in May, the College community came together for a video celebration of the Class of 2020. Throughout the pandemic, CSI also followed the guidance of another Strategic Priority, Borough Stewardship, as plans were in place to create a field hospital for patients with and without COVID-19, a contingency that, fortunately was not needed due to receding numbers of diagnosed cases of the virus. The Small Business Development Center provided assistance to small businesses on the Island to help them weather the pandemic. Finally, as you will read in the pages of this issue, students, faculty, staff, and alumni stepped up to make a difference and help those in need. Through these trying times, and our uncertain future, the College of Staten Island has been, and will be, there for members of our College and Staten Island communities as we look forward to one day welcoming people back to our facilities. Together, we will continue to make this world a better place, regardless of the obstacles posed by COVID-19.
Sincerely,
William J. Fritz, PhD President *A collection of communications from the President to the College community regarding the pandemic and the College’s response is available online.
William J. Fritz, PhD President Cheryl Adolph Executive Director, Institutional Advancement and External Affairs Terry Mares Chief Editor and Writer George Davis IV Digital Media Manager Jennifer Lynch Associate Director of Annual Giving Michele Callahan Fellowship and Scholarship Advisor Office of Scholarship and Fellowship Opportunities Deserie Sammy-Guilarte CSI Foundation Development Specialist Janice Awerbuch Director of Design Services Anita Mrozinski Art Director Ann Rodberg Graphic Designer CSI English Language Institute Crystal Deosaran ‘04 Jennifer Durando Joe Foreman Jennifer Lynch Terry Mares David Pizzuto Staff Writers Vinnie Amessé Bill Higgins Photographers Additional photos by CSI Sports Information CSI Alumni Association Board of Directors Executive Committee, 2020-2021 Crystal Deosaran ’04 President Krystian Gargasz ’06 Vice President Nicole Liebman ’15 Treasurer Jacqueline Armani ’06 Assistant Treasurer Michael Massa ’14 Secretary
Created and produced by the Office of Design Services.
Eye on CSI is a publication of the College of Staten Island, provided to alumni and friends of the College of Staten Island and its predecessor institutions, Staten Island Community College and Richmond College. It is the policy of The City University of New York and the constituent colleges and units of The University to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and provide benefits to employees and to admit and provide services for students without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, legally registered domestic partnership status, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, alienage, citizenship, military or veteran status, or status as a victim of domestic violence. Sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination, is prohibited under the University’s Policy Against Sexual Harassment. If you have any comments, suggestions, or information for “Keeping Tabs,” please contact the Alumni Relations Office at 718.982.2290, alumni@csi.cuny.edu, or 2800 Victory Boulevard, Building 1A, Room 110, Staten Island, NY 10314.
EYE ON CSI SALUTE TO THE CLASS OF 2020
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CSI FACULTY AND STAFF COME TOGETHER VIRTUALLY TO SALUTE THE CLASS OF 2020
JUNE 15, 2020
When the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting closure of the College’s Willowbrook campus made it abundantly clear to the College of Staten Island Commencement committee that a physical ceremony would not be possible, they had to find a Plan B. Eventually, a subcommittee that formed to determine what that route would be came upon the idea of creating a video to honor the Class of 2020. The video begins with a message of support from CSI President William J. Fritz and ends with a
salute from Student Government President Fatu Amara. What comes between those two segments is truly special, as it is a series of photos of faculty and staff members holding signs that offered encouragement and congratulations. In essence, the campus was able to come together, virtually, to give our graduates the honors that they deserve for a job well done. Jennifer Borrero, CSI Vice President for Student Affairs and Alumni Engagement, said that although a virtual Commencement ceremony was considered, the subcommittee
rejected the plan because the College is still planning to hold a physical ceremony sometime this fall, if at all possible. Once they settled on the video concept, they asked members of the faculty and staff to send in photos of themselves holding signs with messages to the grads. About 50 photos came in, regardless of the fact that it was Finals Week and a lot was going on at the College. Amazingly, the video was ready in about ten days, due the hard work of subcommittee members, and the technical expertise of the
“You are embarking on a exciting new chapter in your life, and CSI has prepared you to meet every challenge and to accept every opportunity.” – William J. Fritz, Presidnt
Library’s Mark Lewental and Tony Gallego, as well as George Davis IV from the Office of Communications. Everything was ready for the release date of May 28, the day that Commencement would have been held. Feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive, according to VP Borrero. She said that once they viewed it, some students contacted her to say that they would like to participate if another video was planned. This isn’t going to happen, though, because the Committee has turned its attention to planning the formal ceremony.
VP Borrero summed up the significance of this video project by stating, “I think it was important for the College to send a message to the Class of 2020 that they aren’t forgotten, we are proud of them, we recognize their achievements, and also we know what an unusual semester and time it is in our nation. So, we just wanted to let them know that we’re here for them, and we love them.”
Fatu Amara, Student Government President
EYE ON CSI FACULTY FOCUS
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FACULTY FOCUS
CSI Professor Louis Petingi Conducting RNA Research in the Fight against COVID-19 JUNE 18, 2020
College of Staten Island Professor Louis Petingi, PhD, is presently performing research in Ribonucleic acid (RNA, which carries genetic information) prediction and structure, that can help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2013, he has been collaborating with a research group led by Tamar Schlick, from Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Chemistry departments from New York University. Schlick’s research group is composed of biologists, chemists, mathematicians, and computer scientists, and the team has been supported by several NIH and NSF grants. This group has currently taken a leadership
role in fighting the pandemic by conducting research on RNA structure, with support from an NSF grant. Dr. Petingi’s field of expertise is Graph Theory, one of the subfields of mathematics. “This area of research has been applied to study systems that can be modeled as graphs, such as social, communication, chemical, and biological networks (e.g., DNA, RNA, and protein networks). “My research was focused on the study of the reliability of communication networks (e.g., wireless, Internet, and satellite networks), but in 2013, I became very interested in RNA prediction and structure,” noted Dr. Petingi, “when I had the opportunity to write a paper in this area with Tamar Schlick.” Since then, he
has published several research articles on this area of research with Dr. Schlick and her team. According to Dr. Petingi, “as RNA secondary structures can be represented as graphs, we found how well-known graph-theoretical algorithms can be applied to partition RNAs into basic regions and allow classification and identification of complex structures called Pseudoknots. Many RNA viruses use Pseudoknots in the control of viral RNA translation, replication, and the switch between the two processes. One of the techniques used to destroy viruses is to inhibit the Pseudoknotted region of an RNA. The RNAs of the COVID-19 and SARS viruses are composed of thousands of basic elements called nucleotides, and the exact structure of the Pseudoknots have not been yet experimentally observed, and they have been predicted by algorithms. My current research goal is to
develop more precise algorithms using the graph-theoretical representation of RNAs to predict RNA structure.” Pseudoknots are also identified using other computational techniques (e.g., dynamic programming, and formal language theory), but Graph Theory offers a different perspective and an alternative research path to systematically investigate the structures of RNAs,” explained Dr. Petingi. “Collaboration with this group of researchers is not only giving me the unique opportunity to expend my scientific knowledge, but also to serve a higher purpose by helping humanity,” Dr. Petingi concluded.
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“The forecasts based on maximum and minimum social distancing efforts highlight the significant impact that – Professor Chang-Hui Shen policy has on disease spread.”
CSI Biology Professor Chang-Hui Shen Conducting
GENETIC RESEARCH ON COVID-19, COLLABORATING WITH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTISTS JUNE 25, 2020
Professor Chang-Hui Shen, who is also the Chair of CSI’s Department of Biology, is lending his expertise in the fight against COVID-19. “My research focuses on understanding the mechanism of gene activation,“ Dr. Shen explains. “This is relevant not only
to molecular biology but also to the field of biomedical research where current therapies are being used and developed that are specifically based on the regulation of gene expression. Since we are in the process of setting up the CSI Genomic Research Facility, we are also working with IBR [the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities] to develop projects to sequence the SARS-CoV-2
virus (COVID-19 virus) genome from nasal swab specimens to see if there is a correlation between the infection persistence and mutations in the virus genome, and to examine the role of exposure-induced perturbations in the respiratory microbiome and its contributions to COVID-19 susceptibility and disease progression.” Dr. Shen noted that he and the other researchers are working to secure funding for this
EYE ON CSI FACULTY FOCUS
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There are a number of methods that governments can take to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19. According to Dr. Shen, these include:
research from New York State and the National Institutes of Health. Recently, Dr. Shen participated in an international conference on COVID-19, Solidarity in Crisis: The Bridge to Bliss. Information Saves, Disinformation Kills, which was a virtual gathering of government officials, scientists, and influencers over 14 time zones and three continents to discuss the scientific and political implications of COVID-19. In addition, he conducted an interview with a Bulgarian television station. Dr. Shen stated that he and a group of scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, with whom he is researching the development of a biosensor to detect the presence of cell-damaging agents from chemical weapons, were selected to participate in the conference “because of our expertise in the development of biosensor and the genome research. We are developing a project to produce a device that can detect the presence of COVID-19 virus in the environment.” His research on COVID-19 susceptibility and disease progression was also a factor. Presenting a PowerPoint presentation titled, “The World’s Preparedness for the COVID-19 Pandemic and the COVID-19 Disinformation during the Pandemic,” Dr. Shen discussed why governments around the world were blindsided by the pandemic, the role of disinformation in exacerbating the spread of the virus, the origin and emergences of the virus, and what governments can do to invest in preventing biological risks and creating emergency response measures. In his presentation, he mentioned that it is possible that the COVID-19 virus went through the evolutionary pathway in animal hosts and acquired the key mutations that enabled it to adapt fully to humans, finally emerging as SARS-CoV-2 in humans. He added that determining the exact pattern and genomic ancestry of viral mutations is difficult, saying that it will be necessary to perform a far wider sampling of viral diversity in animal populations. Furthermore, studies into the history of respiratory infections can also give us more
insight. With the most advanced equipment and technology, Dr. Shen emphasized that the CSI Genomic Research Facility is in the perfect position to resolve these COVID-19 mysteries. Dr. Shen also opined on what we can expect this fall. “The forecasts based on maximum and minimum social distancing efforts highlight the significant impact that policy has on disease spread. According to these forecasts, if the U.S. were to practice its maximum observed level of social distancing for even a few additional weeks, new cases would drop to a much lower level of around 2,000 cases per day by the end of September. On the other hand, a complete return to normalcy would cause cases to surge for about two months. After that initial surge, cases would again reach a long-term plateau, although this would occur at a level that was more than double what would be experienced under current social distancing levels. Therefore, it is inevitable that following a brief period of exponential growth in the beginning of or after reopening, we would expect new cases to quickly settle into a prolonged period of stable, slightly declining levels of disease spread,” Dr. Shen stated.
1. Government investment on preventing biological risks – Prevention, detection, and reporting Governments should take action to address health security risks. Leaders should closely coordinate and track health security investments to increase the capacity. Health security capacity in every country should be transparent and regularly measured. We also need to recognize that science plays a very important role in protecting public health in the face of the pandemic. Governments must invest in the biological research. Governments’ scientific institutions should be led by experts protected from political influence. The goal is to create an environment in which physicians, scientists, and other experts are free to communicate evidence-based, factual information without fear of retaliation or retribution. Also, data sharing should be transparent and efficient so that we can prevent disinformation, which can delay the response and cause damage. 2. Governments’ emergency response Governments should improve or set up interlocking coordination among sectors so that we can improve the political system and increase government effectiveness. For example, operational links between security and public health authorities, in response to highconsequence biological events. Countries should test their health security capacities on a regular basis. By holding regular simulation exercises, countries will learn whether they have a functioning system, and they can transparently demonstrate that their response capabilities can function in a crisis and can identify areas for improvement.
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AROUND CAMPUS
fresh produce and dairy items from the College, which was used to ease the growing food insecurity among community members in need.
CSI Dining Services Donates Much-Needed Food to Project Hospitality APRIL 14, 2020
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, staff from CSI’s Office of Dining Services continued to serve the College’s students and essential personal who remained on campus for as long as possible. As strict socialdistancing rules, announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo, necessitated the closure of the College’s Dolphin Cove residence halls on March 27, there was a surplus of unused food. Robert Kee of the Office
of Student Life, who also manages the College’s food pantry, sought out SI Project Hospitality and coordinated an effort to donate the surplus to the local charitable organization. On Wednesday, April 1, the Reverend Terry Troia and an assistant from SI Project Hospitality arrived at the College’s loading area where they were greeted by Kee and Jodi Merendino of Dining Services. SI Project Hospitality received more than 50 cases of
CSI President William J. Fritz noted that “this is but one example of the College’s commitment to Borough Stewardship, one of six Strategic Priorities of CSI’s Strategic Plan, Opportunity to Ascend, in addition to possibly serving as a site that will provide medical support to the Island in the midst of this crisis [later deemed unnecessary]. Through this pandemic and beyond, the College will continue to work tirelessly to not only provide our students with an affordable, high-quality education, but we continue to strive to bolster the economic, social, and cultural needs of all Staten Islanders.”
hungry, homeless or otherwise in need in order to work with them to achieve their selfsufficiency — thereby enhancing the quality of life for our community. Project Hospitality seeks to realize its mission both by advocating for those in need and by establishing a comprehensive continuum of care that begins with the provision of food, clothing and shelter and extends to other services which include health care, mental health, alcohol and substance abuse treatment, HIV care, education, vocational training, legal assistance, and transitional and permanent housing.”
Merendino reports that “We will continue to remain in contact with SI Project Hospitality and will organize additional donations as they become available.” According to its Website, “It is the mission of Project Hospitality, Inc. to reach out to community members who are
Some of the food donated by Dining Services in a Project Hospitality truck (Photo Credit: Robert Kee)
Small acts make a big difference!
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Josh Schneps, a longtime SBDC client, who is the CEO and co-publisher of Schneps Media, described the value of his relationship with George Telmany, a senior certified business advisor at the SBDC with extensive disaster experience. “I am enormously grateful for your support and the support of the SBDC during this terrible time. You have been there for me to answer questions critical to our decision making and guided me with the application process, which enabled me to get funding promptly. During difficult times is when you are needed most and I can’t thank you enough for all you have done and continue to do.”
SBDC staff, from left to right: George Telmany, Angela Chuppe, Megan Ernst, Joe Muller, Joe Bottega. In back: Dean Balsamini and Ed Piszko. (Photo Credit: Jamie Love Photography)
SBDC at CSI Assists Staten Island Small Businesses during the COVID-19 Crisis APRIL 20, 2020
During this Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the Staten Island Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the College of Staten Island is dedicated to the NYS Mission of providing customized solutions through advisement, education, research, and advocacy for entrepreneurs, innovators, and the small and medium enterprise community. Their team of certified advisors is experienced in Disaster Relief Counseling and they are available remotely to provide small business owners with the guidance they need in these trying times of uncertainty. On a “normal” day, the SBDC provides counseling and advisement on writing a business plan, conducting market research, developing marketing strategies, managing financial statements, obtaining procurement opportunities, and most importantly right now, creating disaster and cyber security plans. With active grant and loan programs being offered through the Small Business Administration and NYC for COVID-19
financial support, many small business owners are requesting guidance to navigate through the various forms and documentation required for these applications. The SI SBDC Team has handled more than 600 inquiries so far from the small business community, requesting assistance on how to keep their businesses alive and how to support their staff. Borough business owners are happy for the SBDC’s assistance. Dave Fazio, owner of Deville Auto on Staten Island and a client of the SBDC who was counseled by senior certified business advisor Ed Piszko, commented, “Ed has guided and channeled me through the maze of paper work involved in the application process for the various COVID-19 assistance programs. It is great to have one go-to person who is available to assist, as opposed to having to reach out to several people. With the SBDC’s assistance, I have been accepted and approved for a PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] loan from a local bank. I have a valuable relationship with the SBDC and look to maintain it.”
The SI SBDC Team is also actively working with local resource partners and political representatives to keep the community connected with vital resources. By producing Webinars with the latest available information, including one with more than 200 attendees in partnership with the SBA, hosted by Congressman Max Rose, the SBDC remains on the forefront of this situation on behalf of small business owners throughout the 11th Congressional District. Webinar offerings will continue to expand over the next few weeks. Considering the extent of the SBDC’s assistance during this difficult time, SBDC Director Dean Balsamini said that he “is proud of the hard work my team has been doing on behalf of small businesses during this crisis, as they have smoothly transitioned to a work-at-home environment.” Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, all services provided by the SBDC are at no cost to the small business owner. Interested business owners may email SBDC@csi.cuny.edu or go to the SBDC Website to connect with an advisor. As more information becomes available, updates will be circulated via email and on Facebook, as well as posted on www.sisbdc. org/covid19-assistance. For more state-wide information and to find a center nearest to you, please also visit http://nysbdc.org/ covid19response.html.
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Free Online English Classes with the English Language Institute APRIL 27, 2020
The English Language Institute (ELI) at the College of Staten Island is offering free English classes via Facebook Live videos and Zoom meetings. These free short sessions are offered to any student around the world who may want to learn or practice English. There are even sessions explained in Spanish and English at the same time to help Spanish speakers understand the class. Many English language centers around the world are closed and not many students will have the chance to return to face-to-face English classes or have the means to attend online instruction. According to the British Council, two billion English learners were expected for 2020, more than a quarter of the world’s population. Many students who wanted to come to the United States to learn English have canceled their plans amid the COVID-19 health crisis. ELI switched its 2020 Spring semester to online instruction. The students who were already learning English on campus are now on Zoom classes with ELI teachers. The great benefit is that they continue to have synchronous instruction and the same courses. Every day, ELI teachers are live with students covering topics such as reading, writing, conversation, and a TOEFL preparation course. Students are from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, China, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Ivory Coast, Japan, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, South Korea, and Ukraine. ELI also wanted to help students who were about to arrive in New York this summer and those who had their English classes canceled in their home countries. ELI organized short classes on its Facebook page and with Zoom meetings, and the first class immediately had nearly 1,000 views. ELI teachers will cover different topics every week and for different English levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced).
ELI Director, Gonzalo Villena, was surprised with the first class audience. “We had students watching from Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Poland, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and even different cities in the U.S.,” according to Villena. “Our goal is to help everyone who wants to practice some English, help those who had their English classes canceled in their countries, or whoever wants to have a good time during quarantine at home,” he added. Since the first class was really successful with Spanish speakers, ELI extended an additional class explained in Spanish and English simultaneously. “The classes are explained 100 per cent in English on Tuesdays and half Spanish, half English on Wednesdays,” Villena mentioned. The goal is to reach as many students as possible and provide help using online instruction. Classes are broadcast live on the ELI Facebook page and Zoom every week at 3:00pm, New York time, but students in different time zones can watch the class any time since they are recorded and they have free access on the Facebook page. ELI is also uploading the class on its YouTube channel so anyone can enjoy the topic they want to see. The first class is already available in this YouTube link. If you want to subscribe to the YouTube channel and receive notifications of new classes, you can always go to its channel. ELI invites everyone to watch the next class. If you want to join from Facebook or Zoom, you just need to see the events posted on ELI Facebook, ELI Instagram, ELI Twitter, ELI LinkedIn, or on the CSI or CUNY Websites. For those who want to join with Zoom from a computer or laptop, they just need to click on the Zoom link and watch the class directly; those who join with Zoom from their cell phones need to download the app and add the meeting code number (number posted on Facebook and other social media posts). By the English Language Institute
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EDUCares Connects Students and Faculty in Uncertain Times frustrated with technology challenges. At the launch of this project, more than 600 students were identified by faculty in the first two days alone.
JUNE 1, 2020
As students and faculty at CSI faced a new distance-learning reality in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Advising and Academic Success (CAAS) saw a significant increase in email and phone communications from students, many of whom simply needed help connecting with their instructors. At about the same time, CAAS started to receive similar requests from faculty members who needed to contact their students. As a result, CAAS formed EDUCares, an academic care unit, coordinated by the Center’s Jennifer Durando, with the goal of keeping CSI students engaged and connected to their academics, faculty, and CSI. The EDUCares team is comprised of administrative staff and professional advisors from all divisions who work to unite faculty with students, or students with necessary resources. Faculty members simply email the EDUCares team (EDUCares@csi. cuny.edu), identifying students with whom they have lost contact or anyone who is not sufficiently engaged in the remote learning environment, as well as students who seem
The team structures the outreach to students using Navigate, the Center’s recently launched student advisement and communication system. Veronica DiMeglio, the project co-coordinator of CSI Navigate, and EAB staff, developed and implemented a system structure and workflow, and then trained the EDUCares team with the goal of maximizing contact opportunities with students. By Day Five, there were nearly 1,200 students identified, and the team needed to be restructured to accommodate the workload. Nina Delgatto, from the Provost’s Office, joined the team as coordinator to assist with workflow and case management. With the staff and mechanics in place, the College was also able to learn a considerable amount about the systemic challenges that students and faculty were facing. Specifically, the EDUCares team learned that most of the challenges were technology-related: students needed devices, and access to Wi-Fi, Blackboard, email, and email addresses. All of these students received help quickly, directly, and personally through an EDUCares advisor, or through avenues that directed students to resources to help them.
classroom, which had an immediate impact on their academic performance, rapidly crystallized into themes. These could be quickly communicated to faculty members, fostering an increased understanding of the full range of difficulties that their students were facing. That impact was immense. By mid-April, the EDUCares team assisted many more of our students in need—sending more than 5,000 text messages and hundreds of emails. As the semester moved on, EDUCares evolved, creating a Progress Report campaign that invited faculty to identify students at risk of academic and technology challenges. Follow-up through the EDUCares team again connected students to resources, with more than 1,000 students identified as being in need of tutoring and an additional 100 students who needed devices. As this challenging semester draws to a close, the EDUCares team’s critical work will continue and, in fact, increase. The new goal will consist of contacting all students who are eligible for the CR/NC (Credit/No Credit) Flexible Grading Policy implemented by CUNY in response to COVID-19, as well as helping students with fall registration. By Jennifer Durando
In addition, the various challenges that students were facing outside of the
WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
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The CSI Food Pantry remains open during the pandemic, working to serve CSI and local CUNY students in need.
CSI Food Pantry Is Open and Ready to Serve Students in Need MAY 14, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic might have had its effects on the College of Staten Island’s Willowbrook campus, but the CSI Food Pantry is still open, ready to assist the growing number of CSI and City University of New York students (who live on Staten Island) who are facing food insecurity. Jennifer S. Borrero, JD, CSI Vice President for Student Affairs and Alumni Engagement, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our students academically, emotionally, and financially. We see a far greater need now than during the Great Recession or Superstorm Sandy. The CSI Food Pantry is a necessary resource for our students and their families. No student should have to worry about their next meal.” Established in 2016, the Food Pantry provides non-perishable
food assistance for all CUNY students who need it. At this time, the Pantry is accessible by appointment only, but Pantry staff have doubled the hours when students can pick up food, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:30am to 1:00pm. Students can schedule an appointment online. According to Carol Brower, Director of Student Life, the Pantry has been having a significant impact, serving food to more than 80 families since the College closed. The problem, however, is ensuring that there is enough food on hand. “Our primary challenge has been keeping the food pantry stocked,” Brower noted. “Inventory is extremely low in supermarkets and delivery is not available for the demand we need. Our staff has been shopping as needed, and some members of the CSI community have made food donations.” Those who would like to lend a hand to keep the Pantry stocked may make monetary donations online.
CSI thanks our first responders, medical and health workers.
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The CSI Counseling Center: Support in the Midst of Crisis This workload isn’t an issue for the Center’s Assistant Director, Mary Murphy. “I absolutely think this is a wonderful service that we have,” she said. “As counselors, we are privileged to be doing this work and to be able to help students.”
MAY 28, 2020
When the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated CUNY’s transition to distance-learning, the more than 12,000 students enrolled at CSI continued their courses online for the remainder of the Spring semester. This meant that the more 150 students who visit the CSI Counseling Center each week would not be on campus for nearly three months, and potentially for far longer than that. For Counseling Center Director Ann Booth and the rest of the counselors, it also marked the beginning of their efforts to bring the Center’s services online. Soon after the announcement of the transition to distancelearning, the Counseling Center had moved to an online platform and was offering virtual sessions to students, but just one week later, the majority of CUNY employees, were told not to report to work and to begin the process of working from home. Booth credits being able to begin moving online ahead of the campus closure with easing the shift from conducting sessions in-person to doing so remotely. Although the counselors have all become much more acclimated with conducting sessions online, the inability to meet with students face-to-face has not come without its challenges. “Philosophically, the art of therapy is a human connection,” Booth said. “Nothing can replace a face-to-face meeting.” However, Booth and the rest of the counselors have worked hard to replicate the in-person meetings that have formed the foundation of
The CSI Counseling Center continues to serve students online.
their relationships with students as they offer both telephone and video counseling to those seeking support. Most students have opted for the video. The issue of students finding the privacy required to conduct sessions has also become an obstacle. It hasn’t been unusual for welcome guests such as pets to join students during their sessions with counselors, but in other cases, siblings and family members have made it very difficult for students to receive therapy in private. Booth describes this issue as “the biggest challenge we are seeing right now,” and says that “there have been a lot of distractions and prohibiting factors for students reaching out for help.” For the approximately 125 students who have been able to participate in virtual counseling sessions each week, the pandemic has almost always been a part of the discussion. According to Booth, “the stress that students are experiencing right now stems from the upheaval in their daily routines and their
lives, being disconnected from social supports, and financial struggles.” On top of that, she says that more than half of the students she has spoken to have been directly impacted by the virus. “Some have loved ones who have died. Others have loved ones who are sick. There is also the fear of contracting the virus as well. We’re working with students to identify the areas of their lives over which they have control.” Challenges stemming from the pandemic have not only impacted students who seek the services of the Counseling Center. The counselors who have been working to support them have experienced a great departure from their typical routine as well. Sharing the feelings of many students who are missing life on campus, Booth says, “we miss the campus too, and we miss each other.” Like many who have made the transition to working from home during the pandemic, Booth and the rest of her staff have also found themselves working more hours than ever before.
In an effort to provide students with additional informational resources, the Counseling Center has started an Instagram page, csicounseling, and launched a series of presentations, “Tuesday Talks” and “Wednesday Wise,” both available at their Webpage. The Counseling Center also continues to offer nearly all of their previously existing services online including individual counseling, couples counseling, medication services, a monitored email account that provides appointments for same-day virtual counseling, and a 24-hour telephone counseling service for those in need of immediate support. These services, confidential and free for all students, can be accessed by contacting the Counseling Center at counseling@csi.cuny. edu, and emergency support is immediately available by phone at 718.982.2391. The counselors look forward to the return of walk-in services that will come with the reopening of campus, but Murphy encourages those in need of support to get in touch now. Booth’s message to those who feel they may require support at this time is a simple one: “You do not have to suffer alone. We are here for you.”
EYE ON CSI AROUND CAMPUS PAGE 16
Virtually Overnight: CSI Student Life’s Digital Footprint Is Growing to Serve Students I was doing some social media, it’s definitely not as much as I am doing now,” said Taub. “At Student Life, we had a lot of communication with students every day in person, and when we lost that, we had to refocus getting that back through our social media pages and I got to work a lot more with it.”
Natalie Taub MAY 28, 2020
Natalie Taub had a feeling it was going to be a good year. Fresh off of graduation, the student leader had applied for and received a CUNY Counseling Assistantship Program (CUNYCAP) position in the Office of Student Life, an area with which she was very familiar as an undergraduate at CSI. Things were going great until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, closures started, and the Student Life office was thrust in a completely new direction. At first just a general assistant, Taub is now working side-by-side with staffers like Director of Student Life Carol Brower and Associate Director Debi Kee to revamp Student Life offerings in this whole new, virtual world. “Before the closure, I was helping Student Life primarily with CLUE programming (designed to acclimate students to the College environment after completing orientation), entering names into databases, managing the monitors in the Campus Center, and although
Student Life has long had an online presence, but the loss of in-person classes and campus closures put a heavy weight on the unit to transition their operation to the virtual world and fast, and there’s where Taub felt she could fill a void. Brower understands first hand just how important being virtual is now in the digital age. She attests that although the in-person student involvement never fully wanes, more and more students aren’t just amenable to online programming, they depend on it, and the COVID-19 pandemic brought that more into light. “We’re learning that there is less and less tolerance for students to sit in a confined space for long stretches of time, so we are looking at connecting with students digitally in short waves, learning from them what works and what doesn’t. We dove head-first into the measure and Natalie has really helped us catch up on the social media front.” A student herself, Taub was a Sociology major with a minor in Disability Services during her time at CSI, and she recognizes the importance that Student Life had for her. In today’s world,
being at home and attending classes at the same time may be new and exciting for some, but it can also become monotonous and mundane if left alone. She contends that Student Life is offering opportunities for students to lend themselves to something other than what the typical classroom dynamic has to offer. “I think just in terms of being more consistent with what we are doing and putting stuff out there more regularly has been the key,” said Taub. “We’re gaining more followers and more awareness, and our social media went from being something we weren’t using a lot, to one of our main ways of contacting and messaging, and I’m proud of that.” One of Taub’s first orders of business was to create an interactive routine, and a daily theme was created to stay on task. Examples include “Tips of Success Mondays,” which discusses tips on how students can succeed during distance learning and how to stay on track, and “CSI Flair Wednesdays,” a big hit, when faculty and students can show off their talents in front of the screen. Students have appreciated the changes, too. Taub says she has seen a nice boost of activity on Student Life’s social media pages across the board. Student clubs have also gotten involved. Recently, the Pre-Medical Society held a COVID-19 Trivia Tournament, the Japanese Visual Cultural Club continued their popular anime film series, and the Black Women’s Initiative hosted a virtual talent competition.
Turning things around digitally has come with its share of challenges of course, and a few have popped up for the Office of Student Life. Having to log on and account for presence at events, digital hosting, technical support and hiccups, and the marketing of some events come with added duties to which the office has had to adapt. Still, the program has done a great job, not one lost on CSI Vice President for Student Affairs Jennifer Borrero, who oversees Student Life as part of her vast division. “I’ve been most impressed by how quickly the team at Student Life came together to support our students during this time,” said Borrero. “They familiarized themselves with the technology much faster than I expected and they transitioned all of our events rather seamlessly.” With courses remaining online through the summer, Taub knows that her appointment as a CUNYCAP will continue in this same way for some time. She is completing her first year of the Graduate Program at Hunter College, studying Special Education, and plans to stay with Student Life next year if they will have her back. She contends that even though Student Life feels good about what it is doing in light of the pandemic and closure, there is plenty still to do, and the office is constantly brainstorming and developing new ideas. If the future is anything like the present, then CSI students can take comfort knowing that Student Life will continue to meet and surpass their needs. By David Pizzuto
EYE ON CSI ALUMNI NEWS PAGE 17
ALUMNI NEWS
CSI Alumnae Help Each Other from 3,000 Miles Away times—providing area medical facilities with much-needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. It began when Qimei Luo ’11, Head of Marketing and PR at Lino Network in Cupertino, CA, took it upon herself to fundraise among her friends and connections on social media to secure the equipment from Asia, which includes N95 masks, so that it could be redirected to medical facilities in the U.S. that desperately needed them.
SIUH staff members display some of the PPE that they received. (Photo credit: Phuong Nguyen)
APRIL 20, 2020
Two alumnae from the College of Staten Island and the Center for Global Engagement, one near San Jose, CA and the other on Staten Island, connected to achieve something very special during these difficult
Winnie Brophy of CSI’s Center for Global Engagement learned of Luo’s initiative via social media and connected Luo with Phuong Nguyen ’04, ’08, a nurse at Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) North Division-Northwell Health. Nguyen then contacted her supervisors who okayed receipt of 3,000 PPE. If there is continued need at SIUH, Luo will continue to work with Nguyen to forward additional supplies. Besides SIUH, thanks to Luo’s efforts, South Beach Psychiatric Center gained 900 masks, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in Manhattan received 1,000 masks. Luo also secured masks for Montefiore Medical Center ICU in the Bronx and the Lehigh Valley Health Network in PA.
Wash your hands! It only takes 20 seconds!
One of the professionals to directly benefit from these efforts is Robert Miller ‘11, a social worker aide at South Beach Psychiatric who is also a Center for Global Engagement alumnus. He commented that “It’s been a tremendous help to have the support of CSI alumni. Qimei has been running around getting thousands of masks donated across the country! I’m so thankful for her and all of her donors coming together at a time like now to make sure hospital workers have the protection they need to do their jobs. Its inspiring to see so many examples of compassion right now!” Commenting on the efforts of Luo and Nguyen, Brophy said, “I am very proud of our CSI alumni, Phuong and Qimei helping each other over 3,000 miles away. I am proud of their initiatives of helping each other, especially since I knew them since they were freshmen. It always makes you feel good when you know you’re helping. It is wonderful to find how ordinary people are working together to do extraordinary things. It doesn’t matter how big or how small!” Luo has so far raised more than $40,000 toward this effort and has supplied PPE not only to medical institutions in NYC, but also in Los Angeles and MA. She continues to raise funds to keep this effort going.
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School of Business Alum Starts GoFundMe Page for 3D-Printed Facemasks simply donating and we could do our part by providing expertise and labor.”
APRIL 21, 2020
Kevin Ferger, who graduated with honors last year from the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business, has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for his company to 3D print facemasks during the COVID-19 crisis.
So far, fundraising has been going well with a total of almost $2K raised. Ferger stated then that “We’ve been at it for a week or so and have printed over 400 face shields. We have plans to print 1-2K face shields in total but if the demand is still there after that, we will of course continue. We really hope that we don’t need to though and would like for this pandemic to pass.”
Ferger is the head of Marketing at Staten Island-based Solvelight Robotics, and also the founder of Maxim Blu LLC, where he serves as a consultant to help high-growth firms maintain their growth strategy and overcome the obstacles associated with rapid expansion. Ferger explained that the social entrepreneurship effort at Solvelight started when “My good friend, and also the head of Finance, at Solvelight Robotics, Ruvin Fidman, came up with the idea. He has a great knowledge of 3D printing and very quickly realized that we could convert our 3D printer inventory to equipment and start printing masks. A lot of us at Solvelight Robotics have many friends and family in the healthcare industry and so we really all felt a certain need to do what we can to help out. We pitched the idea to Richmond University Medical Center and they were on board to have their infection prevention department test our masks. They passed inspection and we began distributing.”
Now that Solvelight is producing the masks, Ferger said that “We make regular shipments to Richmond University Medical Center, a variety of smaller local healthcare practices on Staten Island that requested to not be named, Marbletown Fire Department, and the Wayne County Jail/Sheriff’s office. We’ll be releasing a full list on our GoFundMe page once we get permission to use the names of everyone we’ve donated to.”
Kevin Ferger (Photo Credit: @sir.robot)
This is where Ferger came in with GoFundMe. “We really just figured that if we wanted to help out this badly that there must be other people we could work with to make an even bigger difference. The idea was that we wanted to make it easy for anyone to help out during this crisis. So GoFundMe was perfect because people can help a lot by
Those who are interested in supporting Ferger’s efforts to keep people on the front lines of the pandemic safe can visit his GoFundMe page.
CSI SALUTES OUR
ALUMNI NURSES working on the frontlines in our time of need.
We are grateful and we thank you!
EYE ON CSI ALUMNI NEWS PAGE 19
CSI Alumni Association Gives Back during COVID-19 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have so many negative consequences, the CSI Alumni Association (CSIAA) has stepped up to help our students, and our community. Last spring semester, the CSI Division of Institutional Advancement instituted a Student Emergency Relief Fund to assist students who were facing housing and food security, and to provide them with the necessary resources to complete their classes. The CSIAA generously donated $1,000 to help this critical effort, benefitting future alumni. The CSIAA has also had the Staten Island community’s
best interests in mind. They contributed $2,000 to Project Hospitality, a local not-for-profit that lends assistance to the hungry, homeless, and others in need. In addition, the CSIAA has provided a total of 1,080 PPE to front-line workers at Staten Island restaurants and members of the general public in an effort to keep Islander’s safe from the virus. The custom PPE was branded with the College’s Dolphin logo and the hash tags #CSIAlumni and #StatenStrong. Many of the restaurants that received the PPE are also Savor the Flavor participants, which included Beans and Leaves Coffee and Tea Café, Burrito Bar &
Restaurant, Cake Chef Bakery, Cake Chef’s Piece-A-Cake, Canlon’s Restaurant, Cookie Jar, Don Chucho’s Mexican Restaurant, Flagship Brewery, Ho’ Brah Taco Joint, J’s On The Bay, Jimmy Max, Juicy Lucy BBQ, Kettle Black, Leo’s Deli, O’Henry’s Publick House, and Panini Grill. CSIAA President Crystal Deosaran said, “It was important for the CSIAA to support our community during these difficult times. We wanted to help as many people as possible; that’s why we chose Project Hospitality. They offer such a large range of services that help so many Staten Islanders. Our Savor the
Flavors participant restaurants have supported our scholarship fundraising efforts throughout the years; it was time to give back to them as well and do our part to keep the economy going.” This is only the tip of the iceberg for the Association’s philanthropic endeavors. Every year, the CSIAA supports a wide variety of events, fundraisers, and initiatives, such as Savor the Flavors, #CUNYTuesday, the Celestial Ball, Dolphin Cove Move-In Day, and the CSI Food Pantry, to benefit the students, faculty, and staff at the College. A comprehensive list of CSIAA’s giving is available online.
CSIAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Crystal Deosaran ‘04 President Krystian Gargasz ‘06 1st Vice President Jacqueline Armani ‘06 2nd Vice President Paulina Matlok ‘17 Treasurer
[Top row: L to R] CSIAA Secretary Michael Massa distributing PPE around Staten Island, Leo’s Deli, Flagship Brewery [Bottom row: L to R] CSIAA 1st Vice President Krystian Gargasz handing a $2,000 donation to Project Hospitality’s Terry Troia; CSIAA Board Members distributing PPE around Staten Island (Left to Right CSIAA Secretary Michael Massa, CSIAA 2nd Vice President Jacqueline Armani, and CSIAA President Crystal Deosaran)
Michael Massa ‘14 Secretary
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Alum Offering Free Marketing Clinics to Food and Beverage Businesses desperately needed assistance to small businesses in the food and beverage industry through Volunteer Marketing Clinics.
Jonathan Saquicili (Photo Credit: Andre Salazar Photography) APRIL 23, 2020
Jonathan Saquicili ’15, an alumnus of the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business, and currently Project Manager at Merkle, an NYC-based marketing agency, has decided to use his expertise to lend
According to Saquicili, he “started the Volunteer Marketing Clinic as a way to give back to the community. The agency I work for is helping its clients prepare for once this pandemic clears and I want to do the same for the small businesses that may not be able to afford the [marketing services of] the WPPs or Dentsus of the world. I understand that businesses need money to keep afloat, but I believe that a good marketing strategy can help them get back on their feet as well.
“The clinic,” Saquicili continued, “is made up of close friends I’ve made while working in advertising. These folks have worked on beauty, automotive, financial, travel, and entertainment clients. We offer audits, best practices, and strategies gained from our experience with our clients. Right now, we are able to consult on organic and paid social media, email marketing, content marketing, audience strategy, and advanced analytics.” So far, Saquicili reported, the clinics are going well. “As we work to ramp up our client roster, we are seeing some positive results. One of our
clients received an organic social strategy that has now had them rank in the top results for their niche. We’re even seeing engagement increase by more than 200%.” Looking to the future of this effort, Saquicili said that “Through my @meetmeinmytummy [Instagram food] page, I am hoping that I can provide a limited number of businesses with a complimentary photo shoot to highlight their staff and menu items. I believe this will allow me to connect with local businesses and help me tell their story. The bonus here is that I am multilingual and can publish content in different languages.”
Macaulay Alum’s Company Supplying Facemasks MAY 8, 2020
As a response to the COVID-19 crisis, CSI and Macaulay Honors College alumnus David Kleyman ’16 has transformed his company, Wooter Apparel, into a distributor of facemasks and medical supplies, under the name CovCare. Explaining the history of Wooter, Kleyman said, “I started Wooter halfway into college with my two partners Alex Kagan and Alex Aleksandrovski in 2014. We built that up into a $5 million/year business, selling fully custom sports apparel. We sold custom basketball/football/baseball uniforms to schools, colleges, rec. leagues, etc., and even had some of the most iconic athletes wearing our stuff like Kawhi Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, and Master P.” However, when the pandemic hit and shut down the sports scene, Kleyman found that no one was buying uniforms. Then, he had an idea. “My wife is a nurse, so I
got a pretty good look at what was going on early on. We both got Corona in late March. During this time, my team leveraged all of the connections that we’ve built up in China over the years to create a supply chain to import masks. This is what started CovCare.” With his new company, Kleyman opted to partner with SI-based nonprofit organization Project Protect, which, he explained, “was started by a childhood friend of mine, Benjamin Bokser. He had some family friends who were nurses in Staten Island hospitals. Hearing some horror stories from them, he naturally wanted to help. We started a GoFundMe that raised over $30,000 and donated over 15,000 masks to Staten Island University Hospital.” Kleyman noted that “This has been a life-changing and humbling experience. I can’t even begin to describe how it feels to be able to help with such an important problem on a global scale.”
Staten Island nurses who have benefited from David Kleyman’s efforts
Regarding his future plans for this effort, Kleyman said, “Our goal is to supply America with one billion facemasks this year. This is audacious, but I am confident that we can do it.”
EYE ON CSI SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS PAGE 21
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
From the Field to the Front Lines: CSI Dolphins Alumni Work to Defeat COVID-19
nurse since November 2018, his role has changed over the last month as he deals these days almost exclusively with coronavirus patients. He says that the COVID-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves through his entire workplace, whose nurses now deal with hundreds of patients a day, sometimes dozens an hour.
APRIL 17, 2020
“Typically, as a nurse, we’re dealing with six patients at a time or in a typical tour, but since COVID we’re up to ten and as high as 16 at any given time,” he said. “It reminds you that you’re one of the many moving parts that make up a system, like your typical team on the field or in the pool. Everyone is working to the same end. We huddle before shifts to game plan on how to be more efficient. Everyone has a role, and no one complains because you know what’s at stake. You realize immediately how being a part of a team in the past has paid off.”
When the going gets tough, the tough get to thinking, namely about the happier times. For some healthcare workers and first responders in our community, those times were spent in a CSI Dolphins uniform not too long ago. “There are definitely some moments nowadays that I take for myself after four or six hours straight wearing a mask when I’m able to splash some water on my face to just reset like I used to do after a big race,” says former CSI swimmer Chris Sorensen. “It does bring me back to when I played. As an athlete, I developed an internal voice that I still use to bring me peace during stressful times, now especially more and more.” Sorensen is one in a long list of CSI alumni who are busier than most these days, as a nurse at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. As a pre- and post-operation
Chris Sorensen now calls Maimonides Medical Center his home away from home these days.
Sorensen is not the only one. CSI claims one of the nation’s finest Nursing programs, and the academic discipline at CSI has created dozens of nursing professionals from former members of its Athletics program who have been put to work now more than ever on Staten Island, the neighboring boroughs, and in other parts of the state and country. Other Athletics alumni join these healthcare professionals as EMTs, firefighters, and
Just weeks into her permanent appointment at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Lauren Smith was immersed in COVID care.
EYE ON CSI SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS PAGE 22
police officers during this time. They share a common thread of having built leadership and resiliency trademarks through athletics at CSI, and now, they are drawing from their years as Dolphins to get through the hours they spend on their current, professional, teams. “On the soccer field, the objective is to score goals and win games, and here it’s about getting people healthy so they can go back to their families, but the same principles still apply,” said Lauren Smith, who saved the only multi-goal scoring game of her career for the CUNYAC Championship in 2018, a highlight of her tremendous four-year career. Like Sorensen, she’s moved over from surgical nurse to shifts on the front line of North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. Her fellowship there led to a permanent appointment in January, right when COVID-19 started gaining worldwide attention. Now it’s the dominant part of her work. She now relies on her athletics training to guide her in her profession.
upon a lot of the education she received at CSI during these challenging times, some of which never came from a textbook, classroom, or laboratory, but rather on the playing field.
her studies remotely since CSI switched to its current, distance-learning, model. She admits that as much as she loves what she is doing, she longs for the “normalcy” of being a student-athlete.
“For me, it’s been the frantic pace of time that I liken to athletics,” she says. “When I was playing and studying at CSI, it was 12-hour days just going full speed, nonstop, and you learn very quickly to adjust to that type of pace. I’ve learned so much how to
Now more than ever, athletics has provided that foundation for Iannariello. Her shifts on the ambulance over the past several weeks have been among the most grueling of her young career.
“As an athlete in those high-pressure situations, you learn pretty fast that you have to work together to get results,” she explained. “Everyone plays a vital role and just by doing the smallest things, you’re helping a situation. You learn as an athlete that no small thing goes unnoticed, and it translates to what I am doing here as part of the team against this illness.” Fellow nurse and soccer alumna, Melissa Gelardi, agrees. An NCAA record-holder for assists on the pitch, Gelardi won a CUNYAC Championship during her playing days from 2011-2014 and has been stationed locally at Staten Island University Hospital’s North campus, doing what she said she was born to do. After a year in the Natal Intensive Care Unit, she has been working labor and delivery for the past two years. While still stationed in maternity, like her cohorts, her focus has shifted to COVID patients as well. “You have to have strength and courage because we’re experiencing a lot. You have patients who are really sick who are alone and just need support, someone to talk to or a hand to hold. You hate to see this happening, and it’s a reality we have all had to get used to quickly.” Gelardi calls
Cassidy Iannariello’s days as an Emergency Medical Technician are extremely challenging, these days.
balance that, thanks to my days as a student playing soccer.” Cassidy Iannariello, a former three-year standout in Women’s Volleyball who has since doubled on the Track and Field team, has been an EMT with Richmond University Medical Center on Staten Island, working per diem shifts while going to class and playing sports at CSI. When the outbreak first hit the U.S., Iannariello was perfecting her work throwing the javelin, now she is trying hard to manage her demanding shifts next to completing
“It’s one of those things that you don’t truly understand until you see it first-hand,” said Iannariello, who gets a lot of calls for respiratory ailments connected with COVID and for cardiac arrests. “As an EMT, you have to stay composed to help people, and the adrenaline rush does take over when you’re doing it, but when it’s over and the magnitude begins to hit, I just want to cry,” she explains. “We’ve gotten so many COVID calls, and you’re trying to do all you can to help people who are sick while also trying to stay safe yourself. It’s overwhelming at times.”
EYE ON CSI SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS PAGE 23
Born to be a nurse, Melissa Gelardi gets a lot of support from her brother, Angelo, and sister, Nicole.
Iannariello uses her athletics experience as a vehicle for normalcy in the wake of what she does helping others on Staten Island. And of course, CSI is doing its part institutionally as well. On top of managing an entire Athletics program and the many intricacies it carries, Director of Athletics Charles Gomes has been a mainstay on campus, serving as a liaison with campus officials and Governor Cuomo’s office in potentially turning the Sports & Recreation Center into a makeshift hospital, both in the gym and in the adjacent facilities. While trying to stay COVID-free, it’s been a sobering deeper dive into the front-line work that is happening in response to the virus, even if the possibility of building those facilities has lessened thanks to the flattening of the COVID curve on Staten Island. “An important element of our College’s Strategic Plan is borough stewardship and our administration has lived up to that with a commitment to serving Staten Island by offering our campus as a potential site for a temporary hospital. Recent data from the Governor suggests our campus will no longer be utilized but we know that this entire situation has been fluid and our
campus remains prepared to assist in any way possible,” said Gomes. While Gomes is happy to assist in the outreach effort, he deflects to CSI’s litany of student-athletes who have been instrumental in the front-line fight against COVID-19. “I know I speak on behalf of the entire CSI campus when I say I couldn’t be more proud of our Athletics alumni who are serving our community as first responders, healthcare professionals, and in a variety of other ways during the current pandemic,” he stated. “They are literally on the front lines of this effort and supporting the entire community as true role models. Hearing them reference the impact that being a student-athlete had on them and knowing they are part of our alumni base makes everyone associated with our program smile, even during the most difficult times.” For now, these CSI alumni who are in the field saving lives amid the pandemic are acting in place of those who would be on the field of play at CSI grabbing the athletics headlines, and slowly but surely, it is a fight they are winning, thanks largely in part to the education and experience that they’ve received at CSI. They’re happy knowing
that they still represent CSI and a piece of Dolphins Athletics history in their daily battles. “I’m meeting new people all the time and I’m constantly being asked where I studied and I love to tell people I went to CSI,” said Smith. “I love being able to tell them more about it and making people aware of how great the program is and the people who supported me in Athletics are.” “I am so proud of where I came from,” says Gelardi. “CSI taught me so much, and there’s no way I would have gotten through the tough Nursing program without the help of my directors and coaches and teammates. We got so much support and CSI was always a home for us. I’m so glad I get to offer that support back now doing what I am doing.”
EYE ON CSI FOUNDATION NOTES PAGE 24
FOUNDATION NOTES
FOOD EXPENSES
CSI College Community Responds to Student Needs with Emergency Relief Fund Campaign JUNE 10, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a point of unity for the CSI College community in the form of the Student Emergency Relief Fund campaign, an effort to support the growing numbers of students who are facing economic hardships as a result of the crisis. Jennifer Lynch, CSI Associate Director of Annual Giving, stated that when students began to suffer from the vast economic fallout of the pandemic, the Division of Institutional Advancement responded immediately with a pivotal shift from its regular fundraising campaigns to the Emergency Fund to address food and housing security, and to provide access to resources so that students could continue their studies.
Lynch reported that the response, so far, “is unprecedented for one of our crowdfunding appeals. It says so much about the cause and our campus/alumni community wishing to help.” As of this writing, more than $31K has been raised, which exceeds the initial goal of $25K by 128%, and allows the effort to reach even further. Lynch expressed gratitude for the many donors and organizations that have stepped up to support our students and the inspiring messages they have posted on the crowdfunding platform. Examples include: · The support of Student Government President, Fatu Amara, Class of 2020, who is featured on the site · The Friends of CSI’s $2K donation to seed the campaign and kick it off · A $1K donation from the CSI Alumni Association
· $10K from an anonymous donor, with $5K initially and a $5K matching challenge that was met in a week · Many large gifts in the hundreds and thousands of dollars · Many first-time donors Cheryl Adolph, Executive Director of the Division, said that “the quick and generous response to the campaign demonstrates that the College community will always be here for our students, especially when they are facing extremely difficult times.” Those who are interested in supporting our students in need, and ensuring a brighter future for all, may visit the CSI Student Emergency Relief page.
Stay Strong, Staten Island!
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