Spring Edition 2 April 2018

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Pandora’s Box

“Let the truth be told though the heavens may fall”

Serving York College of the City University of New York and the Surrounding Jamaica, Queens Community Spring Edition II: Tuesday April 24, 2018

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York Holds Pep Rally to Honor York Alumna’s Participation in The Voice

By Angel Adegbesan Miya Bass, a 2008 York College Alumnus who earned a position on The Voice on NBC to compete in a singing competition, visited the college for a pep rally held for her on April 10.

Bass, 29, performed Issues by Julia Michaels at the rally. This was also the song she performed during her blind audition in the season premiere of the American reality television singing competition in its 13th season. Bass’ voice turned around only one coach Adam Levine.

“It was phenomenal working with Adam,” said Bass on the show after she got eliminated from Levine’s team and got stolen by Alicia Keys. “He’s amazing and he’s brilliant. And now, I’m super excited to work with Alicia now.”

Levine is one of the four coaches who compete to have their best artist win the singing competition. The Voice premieres with a blind audition where coaches have to listen to singers sing and pick their team of artists to mentor throughout the season. The other celebrity coaches for this season are Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson.

Miya Bass performs “Issues” by Julia Michaels in the Atrium. Photo Credit: Greis Torres During the next portion of the other coaches or be eliminated you. I’m going to make my choice show called “the battles,” where from the competition. based on a strictly good feeling “The two of you kind of encap- that I have. There’s just something two contestants from the same team duel in a duet, Bass per- sulate all that I love about music,” about this person that makes me formed Knocking on Heaven’s Levine said to Bass and Cole af- feel like I need to be connected to Door by Bob Dylan with Drew ter the singing duel. “The style, them and continue on.”

Cole. Levine ended up choosing who you are as vocalists and Bass majored in Movement Cole over Bass. This made Bass what you’re able to do together. Science while she was at York available to either be stolen by This is your wheelhouse, both of and took classes after graduation

to pursue a degree in Education.

She was also a college assistant in the Men’s Center. Bass starred as Aida in Elton John and Tim Rice’s musical Aida presented by the York College Theatre at the Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center in 2015. She continually works with the York College Gospel Chorus and York College Theater Programs.

“I have worked with her for several years and she continues to amaze me,” Jonathan Quash, the director of the Men’s Center and the York College Male Initiative program, wrote in an email. “I do truly believe that Miya has the talent and dedication to make it to the end, but regardless of wherever she finishes, she is a winner for making it this far. She is the perfect example of what someone can do post-York College or any college as long as you never give up never stop following your dreams.”

Bass is a resident of Jamaica, Queens who comes from a family of law enforcement. She followed in her family’s footsteps and worked as a NYPD police cadet.

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CUNY TV Receives Record 15 Nominations for 2018 New York Emmy Awards

By Anslem Joseph

1 CUNY TV took home two awards at the 61st New York Emmy Awards. Álex Lora Cercós piece, Sure We Can, won an award in the Environment category while Sarah Foudy, Diana Vargas, Carmen Vidal’s piece, Nueva York: D.C. Women’s March, won in the Politics/Government category.

CUNY TV had been nominated for 15 Emmy Awards beating their previous record of 11 nominations back in 2017.

“We are thrilled to represent The City University of New York in the number one television market in the country, as we continue our mission of educating and informing viewers throughout New York City and beyond,” said Vanessa Mouner a producer at Cuny TV. The CUNY TV nominations feature shows with a variety of genres like art, entertainment, and education. Nominees Tinabeth Piña and Sarah Foudy both gave their input on how they feel about receiving this Emmy Nomination.

Piña is the managing editor at

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CUNY TV and the senior producer of Arts in the City, and a reporter/producer for Science & U. She also is a reporter/producer for Asian American Life and the host of Study with the Best. Piña was nominated for three nominations and stated, “That reinforces the fact that I’m doing a good job! One nomination is for the show Arts In The City (AITC) and the other two are for segments that I produced. One was for AITC which is about dance photographer Jordan Matter and the other nomination is for Science & U which is about Chris Emdin a professor who teaches science using hip hop!”

Overall, she wants viewers to learn how to think outside the box and make a career out of it through hard work and effort.

Her goal for the future is to continue the work she is doing and to expand her work to a higher demographic of audiences.

Sarah Foudy, a director, producer and an editor for documentaries pertaining to discussions on social issues and independent films, received a nomination for a segment she and her team called Nueva York: D.C. Wom-

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en’s March. Foudy a BAFTA nominee, is also the winner of eight previous Emmy Nominations for her show Nueva York.

Sarah is proud of herself and her team for receiving another Emmy nomination this year for their segment Nueva York: D.C. Women’s March. When giving a description on her show she said, “Our show gives Spanish-speaking New Yorkers a voice, a place to express their unique hopes and dreams in a media market that often marginalizes. It teaches all of us about the diversity and richness of the NY Latino/ Spanish-language experience.”

Sarah feels honored for being recognized for a CUNY TV Nomination and hopes that even more Producers/Editors of CUNY TV get recognized. In the future she hopes to continue “developing and producing enriching, educational, and cultural programing for generations to come.”

Anslem Joseph is a contributing writer. He can be reached at Anslem.Joseph@yorkmail.cuny. edu

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York Exclusive Women’s Panel Highlights Importance of Female Leadership

By Angel Adegbesan York College hosted a panel of five accomplished women in honor of Women’s History Month.

The event gave insights on what it means to be a successful woman and a leader in a male-dominated world.

The Percy E. Sutton SEEK Program and the Office of Student Activities at the college worked together to gather experts from across multiple studies.

The panel consisted of Dr. Selena T. Rodgers, an associate professor and founding director of the Master’s of Social Work program at York College; Savitrie Rampersaud who is a technical sergeant materiel management craftsman in the United States Air Force; Julissa Contreras-Martinez, who is a specialist for the Office of Scholarship Enterprises; Jennifer Saint-Preux, Esq., who is a New York criminal defense attorney and Nicole A. Summers, the founder of Star Solutions LLC. The panelists shared their experiences with failure, and who their role models and mentors are.

Each woman shared her experiences and the challenges that she had faced in their various industries. Rampersaud shared her experience in the U.S. military where she had to perform her tasks better to receive recognition.

“You have to make sure that you put in a little bit more effort into everything that you do which in a way just pushes you as a person more while competing in anything,” said Rampersaud, who is also an administrative coordinator for Student Development at York College. “The greatest challenge for me is just being able to push myself more against males.

This is something that can’t really change it but you could always work to overcome it.”

The challenges sometimes lead to failures on the part of these successful women. For SaintPreux, it was an organization that was made defunct. She was the New York chair of the Young and

Powerful group in NYC and she asserted that the organization became defunct because she could not keep the organization afloat though she had the experience to do so. Other women also shared their experiences with failures and how they refused to let them define themselves.

The majority of panelists attributed their success to having strong mother figures as role models in their life. Summers and Rampersaud mentioned their mothers were their role models that pushed them into doing a lot of things that they had done.

Contreras-Marinez cited Maya

this alone.”

Saint-Preux, the criminal defense attorney, does not believe in the sentiment of role models.

She attributes this to the lack of African-American female role models in her household and said she was not taught about them in schools. Saint-Preux sees herself

From Left to Right: Julissa Contreras-Martinez, Jennifer Saint-Preux,Esq., Dr. Selena T. Rogers, Nicole Summers, Savitrie Rampersaud Photo Credit: Danielle Cruz

“The challenges will be there but you need to be able to find ways to overcome them because in your own right, you are leaders,” said Contreras-Martinez to the audience at the event. “To be a leader does not mean that someone has appointed you as a leader. It means that you have seen a need and created a space to meet that need. To focus on the negatives and the naysayers will bring you down but to say to yourself‘I see something, I can accomplish something, I can do something about that particular thing,’ you are already a leader because it is a mindset.”

Angelou as her role model whose poem I Rise had inspired her to pursue a higher education and do greater things. Rodgers cited her family and three mentors as a whole village who had supported her journey.

“What I’m saying to you is to get your circle,” Rodgers said to the audience as she shared her story. “Get your village that can kind of help you get to where you’re going because you don’t do it by yourself. I have my sister-warriors, I have my brothers who I reach out to get the positive re-affirmations that I need to continue to do this work. I don’t do

as someone who grew up without a role model because she felt the disconnect when people would make comparisons between herself and other women who did not look like her.

“I never bought into the role model thing actually because I have a flaw of comparing myself to others,” said Saint-Preux. “I didn’t want to fall into the trap of ‘I like this, I see this person, I want to be this person.’ I find that being a leader, you have to define it for what it means to yourself because you’re never going to be satisfied.

I knew myself, I would never be satisfied with what I’ve achieved

because I would say there’s got to be something more out there. But now, if I was growing up now, I would say Michelle Obama because I think she’s amazing.”

Role models or not, these accomplished women believe strongly in the value of mentorship. Contreras-Martinez cited her younger sister as her mentor who advises her to have three people in her life. The first is someone you can look up to who has already gotten to where you would like to be. The second is someone who is going on the journey with you and is on the same level as you. The third person is someone who you will bring along to pass every gained experience and learned lessons.

“I think mentorship is very important,” said Summers, the founder of Star Solutions LLC. “I feel like everyone needs a board of trustees because you want them to be your cheerleader but you also want them to tell you about yourself and speak truth to you. It’s very important because there may be things inside of you that you may not see but they can tell you about what you need to work on. Also, being a mentor for somebody else is important as well because you want to bring somebody up as well.”

Khadiza Khatoon and Lariya Garba are two freshman Nursing majors at York College who attended the event. From the event, Garba understood that the path to the women’s success was different. She noted from the women’s experiences that they did follow but also broke certain rules to achieve their accomplishments.

“If you want to do something, you don’t have to worry about the difficulties that you face,” said Khatoon. “Just do it.”

Angel Adegbesan is the Assistant News Editor . She can be reached at Angel.Adegbesan@ Yorkmail.cuny.edu

State Senate Critical of Governor Cuomo’s Business Development Plan

By Greis Torres

Republican state legislators renewed calls to shut down Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Startup NY program, a small business incubator which York College joined three years ago but has had limited success.

“They acknowledged that only 756 jobs have been created,” said John Flanagan, the senate majority leader at a press conference mid-February. “That alone should make us take a hard look and say ‘do we really need this program.’”

The Senate has criticized the economic development plan saying too much funding has been spent on ads claiming that the state is open to do business with almost no substantial results.

Based on the latest Start-Up NY annual job report released in 2016, the program has created a total of 1,135 new jobs with an investment of $44 million and almost $96 million in employment wages since it launched in 2014.

Between 2014 and 2016, a total of 212 businesses were approved for the Start Up NY program, and a total of $6 million in business and personal tax benefits were utilized by the companies.

“The program should be supported. It may provide advantages to CUNY schools to leverage the skills of the students,” said Lecturer for the Business and Economic department Wayne M. Forrester. “If you drive around the campus, you’ll see depressed economic areas so

if you employ more people in this area, the local economy will improve.”

“StartupNY” is an initiative implemented in 2013 to create tax-free work zones for new businesses in areas near CUNY and SUNY campuses. The program includes a $1.2 billion tax cut in taxes for businesses and utility bills offering new or expanding businesses the benefits of working in those areas taxfree for up to 10 years.

Employees working at those

tax-free businesses won’t pay taxes for the first five years, and for the remaining five years, employees will pay no taxes on income of up to $200 thousand; head of households won’t pay taxes on an income of $250 thousand; and $300 thousand for taxpayers filing a joint return.

At first designated only for SUNY campuses, the program expanded to also include CUNY campuses choosing one college for each borough. York College was selected to participate in this

program in 2014. The program was launched in 2015.

The eligibility requirements for a business to apply for this program are to be based on New York state, or looking forward to relocate to NY. To apply for the program, the company needs to find a program at a participating college that best fits for them, and then contact the college.

Retail, hospitality, law firms, medical practices, real estate, business administration, and energy production and distribution companies are ineligible to apply for the program.

Oslene Carrington, the interim executive director of the economic and workforce development office at York, said that since 2016 only 15 startup companies that meet the criteria to apply for the program at York.

Greis Torres is the News Editor. She can be reached at Greis.

Torres@Yorkmail.cuny.edu

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York Alumnus Shares Tips on How to be a Successful Working Student

By Greis Torres The entrepreneurship and marketing club held a Student Success Blueprint event hosted

by York College 2017 alumnus and Content Coordinator for the Shark group Matthew LeBris on March 15 in the Academic Core Building where LeBris shared advise on how to be a successful student.

LeBris, 25, majored in Entrepreneurship and had a minor in Accounting. During his time at York, he became the president of the entrepreneurship club for the 2016-2017 academic year prior to graduating, he also was an ambassador for CUNY StartUps where he and his team won the smart pitch competition mobile app invention and splitted $2,000 in cash. In addition to other academic accomplishments, he was the Dean’s List recipient three times and was nominated as York Excellence. He also interned at the Shark Group, a brand management and consulting agency, in the area of business development where he was hired after he graduated.

Despite his apparent academic success, LeBris started his presentation with the many challenges and obstacles he faced when he was younger.

He was told by family members to pursue sports as a career after he graduated high school.

As a senior he was told to play sports since he was good in basketball and baseball. In 2009, when LeBris was in the pitcher’s mound just two strikes away from striking out a batter, he tore the labrum in his shoulder.

“I called my coach and told him I was going to come out after I threw my pitch, and he looked at me and said you have one strike left. Just get through this,” said LeBris. “I’m not a quitter and I didn’t want to quit, so I threw the next pitch and dug out. I literally couldn’t feel my arm.”

As he was rushed to the emergency room, LeBris realized how quickly his baseball career came to an end.

In 2012, he faced just another failure. He failed out of Queensborough Community College. He admitted he never took school seriously until he came to York.

“I remember getting the letter to my house and my parents looking at me like what are you doing? We thought you were going to class all this time” said LeBris.

has learned from books. One of those tales was the story of the positive dog where a man from a small town wanted to go and see a wise man because he felt he had two hungry dogs inside of him. The man basically wanted to know which dog was going to win this internal battle. The dogs were named positivity and negativity. The wise man replied to the man that the dog he feeds the most would be the winner.

LeBris told the audience that any hurdles and challenges they may face will be easier to overcome if they surround themselves with positivity and positive people.

The short presentation was divided between four steps. The first step was about being prepared. LeBris added he has the 6 p’s: proper prior planning prevents poor performance, written on a board on his room.

“When you are prepared, you are golden,” said LeBris. “You have to prepare for a test and homework. This translates into the outside world as well.”

The second step was to get a mentor. LeBris encouraged students to take advantage of the resources they already have on campus and to establish connections with their peers, professors and faculty at York. He asked Professor of Business and Economics Olajide Oladipo to become his mentor when he was an undergraduate student.

“Find a mentor. Is either the person next to you it doesn’t matter race, sex or religion,” said LeBris. “A mentor is going to guide you through all these obstacles, challenges, and whatever else you face. They will be able to guide you through tests, homework, internships, jobs, how to do interviews, so it’s important to have someone in your corner, to have a support team.”

One tip he shared is to go to their department and talk to a professor they have taken class with, but if they could also find someone outside of campus, that would be great as well.

LeBris has worked closely with Daymond John, the founder of the Shark Group and a New York Times bestseller, and he said that John believes mentorship is the number one reason why businesses succeed.

The third step was networking. LeBris said that talking to anyone at York could be helpful because “you don’t know if you

“When I was at York, I felt I was a big fish in a little pond, but after I graduated I realized how small the fish I am in a really big ocean.”

- LeBris.

Two things helped him to get back on track: the big ideas he had on his head and his mom’s battle against cancer. LeBris felt challenged to continue his higher education and get a degree.

“We all go through things and is about how we perceive them and how we grow through them,” said LeBris.

Throughout the presentation, LeBris shared tales and stuff he

could be sitting next to the person who develop a successful social media platform like Facebook, or the next Elon Musk of the world.”

“When I was at York, I felt I was a big fish in a little pond, but after I graduated I realized how small the fish I am in a really big ocean,” said LeBris. “Take the opportunity now while you are in a close environment where people are always next to you no matter

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ABOVE: LeBris explains step by step how to become a successful student.Photo Credit: Greis Torres

what.”

The final step was to set goals.

According to LeBris, 83 percent of the population doesn’t have set goals. He told students to write down their goals and to be very specific.

“The way I set my goals is that I have some goals that expire in six months. I have two goals that expire in five years, and I have another one that expires in 10 years,” said LeBris.

He added he lays out his goals that way because the goals that will expire in six months and five years will help him achieve the 10 year goal. He writes down his goals and keeps them on his wallet and said he got that idea from comedy actor, Jim Carrey, who grew up in a poor family, dropped out of college when he was 15 years old, moved to L.A. Calif., to pursue his dream and wrote himself a check of ten million dollars and kept it on his wallet.

“Every time he went into his wallet he saw that check, and just so happens the first check he got was 20 million dollars,” said LeBris. “So he doubled his goal and that’s the power of goal setting.”

The President of the marketing club Tyniece McKelvey shared she also keeps her goals in her wallet because she believes in the

BELOW: LeBris Answers student questions. Photo Credit: Greis Torres

law of attraction which dictates that we have the ability to attract anything we envision.

“I want to be a publicist so I know that’s my goal and I keep that goal written in my wallet,” said McKelvey. “It’s like setting it into stone and putting it out to the universe.”

LeBris told the students to get an internship since there is a higher chance companies won’t consider you if you don’t have internship experience. At his job, LeBris interviews people who applied for an internship at the Shark Group, and he said that interviewees stand out more to him when they have prior internship experience.

Not only he recommended students to have an internship related to their major, but to also intern in a different area to know what they really enjoy.

“You might be a finance major, but you may like to intern at a business department or you may want to intern at a graphic design department,” said LeBris.

He has brand marketed his blueprint student success event through social media and added that LinkedIn is one of the social media platforms he uses the most.

“LinkedIn has helped me a lot of time. What I would like to say is that imagine if you could find

jobs in your sleep, you actually can with LinkedIn,” said Joshua Jimenez, the president of the entrepreneurship club.

Jimenez added that even if a person doesn’t have much experience to show, they should pursue their hobbies and work on any talent they have.

There was a Q&A after the presentation were students asked LeBris what did he do as an intern at the Shark Group that subsequently helped him to get the job.

LeBris said that he talked to everyone at the brand management consulting agency and let them know that he was there to put in the work.

“I made sure that if I didn’t walk away with a job, I would have contacts that would help me get one,” said LeBris. “If I had a deadline, I would surpass that deadline. I would always underpromise and overdeliver.”

Samantha Rojas, a senior marketing major, said she felt inspired

by LeBris’ presentation to keep on working on her blog and to start her own YouTube channel.

Greis Torres is the News Editor. She can be reached at Greis.

Torres@Yorkmail.cuny.edu

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York Honors Alumna That Competed On The Voice CONTINUED From Pg. 1

She made a decision to leave her job and pursue a career in singing. In the past year, Bass quit her job singing with an 11-piece funk band called Funktion 11 while being a struggling New York City artist until she gained attention on The Voice. Quash wrote that she intends on applying for the new Master’s of Social Work program at York as soon as she can.

“I don’t know her personally, but I’m proud of any Cardinal that is working on their dream as hard as Miya has,” said Brunilda Almodovar, an associate director of the Academic Advisement Center. “I was extremely happy when Alicia Keys stole her. It will give her the opportunity to continue to shine.”

As The Voice moves along in its season, contestants have to be eliminated by coaches until it gets to the live segment of the show. The contestants will be voted to stay in the competition by viewers as the show airs live.

“I’ve been waiting and I’ve been waiting and I’ve been waiting and then here you come, with this magnificent queenliness from Queens,” Alicia Keys said to Bass when she was transferred to her team on the show. “There’s an edge to you and we can explore all kinds of places that would be unexpected and its totally unlike anything that I have right now on my team.

And I’m ecstatic!”

Unfortunately, Bass was knocked out of the competition by Alicia Keys on Monday, April 2. Keys advanced Johnny Bliss, Bass’s opposition, to compete in the live playoffs where the audience begins to vote for artists to remain in the competition.

Angel Adegbesan is the Assistant News Editor . She can be reached at Angel.Adegbesan@ Yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Masters in Social Work Program Will Begin at York in Fall 2018 Semester

By Angel Adegbesan York College’s Social Work Department has started the process of expanding its baccalaureate program. The Master’s in Social Work program has been approved for Fall 2018. The M.S.W. program would specialize in health and mental health.

After the each successive mass-shooting incident in the U.S., there have been a growing number of calls for improving mental health institutions.

A report by the World Health Organization says that health systems have not yet adequately responded to the burden of mental disorders. As a consequence, the gap between the need for treatment and its provision is a worldwide issue.

The report states that in high-income countries, between 35 and 50 percent of people with mental disorders receive no treatment. In the low

and middle-income countries, the range jumps to between 76 and 85 percent.

“In our profession, we don’t wait to see that some horrific incident or traumatic situation has

Professor Selena Toberts at her office. Photo Credit: Greis Torres

transpired for us to get involved and to be proactive and responding to incidents of health and mental health,” said Selena Rodgers, the director of the M.S.W. program and Associate Professor of social work. “We have to begin to have the conversation because if people only have one lens or one frame of reference of what they understand when they hear mental health or illness, then they only can go off of what they have been naturally conditioned to understand. It is important that we raise awareness on so many different levels and not just when horrific things happen in the world.”

Rodgers explained that social workers have the obligation to be responsive and the responsibility of providing the right information to others to make an informed decision.

York’s social workers do not need to go outside of the college to see the different impacts or the implication levels of mental health that really impact students on campus.

The M.S.W. program is divided into a two-year program for undergraduates with a degree in anything but Social Work that is related to the field and a oneyear accelerated program for undergraduates with a degree in Social Work called the Advanced

Standing class.

“Our students wanted to pursue a graduate degree and they were asking why we did not have a graduate program because it will make our work easier,” said Gila Acker, the chair of the Social Work Department. “It is something that we saw at some point that we would want to have.

There are some M.S.W programs in the city but not so many are public, so it felt like it was not a bad idea.”

The overall employment of social workers is expected to grow by 16 percent between 2016 and 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Rodgers said those statistics drove the decision to expand the college’s offerings to include a master’s program that will specialize in health and mental health.

“That is where there is going to be job availability,” Rodgers said. “If you are talking about a career in social work, you want to be able to sustain yourself. So, this was the reason why we went in the direction of health and mental health. People are really coming out to learn about the program because they are excited about the profession.” ”The M.S.W. program will have internships for students every semester. Rodgers said that the difference be-

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tween the internships of both sections in the program has to do with the types of program placements.

First year students have more generalization and flexibility. They could be placed in a school setting or do management services for agencies.

Second year students have to be placed in a specialized setting related to health and mental health.

“This is the same thing as our students in the undergraduate program,” said Acker on the differences between the internships of the sections in the M.S.W program. “Undergraduates also have a full year internship that they go to twice a week in their senior year. The students of the first year of the master’s program do the same number of hours. For the second year which focuses on the specialization of the program, they do their internships three days a week and at least 600 hours a year.”

David Tobo, a junior who is in and proud of the Social Work baccalaureate program, said that the M.S.W program is a great addition to the college.

“My hope is that the M.S.W program will shed more light on how programs such as this are imperative to York’s future,” said Tobo, who also serves as president of the Student Government Association at York College.

Sadat Rahman, a Sociology major at York College who is interested in pursuing a master’s degree in Social Work, is very excited about the new program. He thinks it is a very good idea.

“I really like the idea of York’s advancement in creating new graduate programs,” said Rahman. “But I feel like they should improve more on it.”

Angel Adegbesan is the Assistant News Editor . She can be contacted at Angel.Adegbesan@ Yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Bring your ideas into existence at the CUNY Hackathon

By Joshua Jimenez You build partnerships, receive mentorship and receive training directly from Google, Facebook, and IBM. CUNY Startups sponsors a platform for CUNY students from all 24 campuses to guide their ideas from concept to existence.

Last year, a small group of York and Baruch students from distinct backgrounds met at the 2017 Fall CUNY Hackathon and made it to the finals out of 55 teams. The top 15 teams presented their project to a panel of judges from tech companies to compete for prizes and a chance to gain acceptance into the upcoming CUNY Accelerator, which is a 4-month program that will lead CUNY students to launch their ventures.

The York college participants were recent graduate Brian Mesa (Computer Science), Edwin Hadaway (Computer Science, Information System Management -ISM), Fayyoz Nasimov (Computer Science), Joshua Jimenez (Business Administration), Karan Patel (Computer Science, Cyber Forensics) and Tanzim Ali (Computer Science). The Baruch participants were Kusum Neupane (ISM) and Dewitt John (ISM).

Their idea came to fruition after brainstorming for ideas that would appeal to all three challenges presented by utilizing IBM Watson, applying Google’s API and granting natural disaster relief for JP Morgan.

“It is essential to implement real world interactions like marketing, finance, and project management teams. I realize more efforts need to go into design and project management than coding for the project,” said Hadaway.

Their determination resulted in the creation of “Beacon” an application that can potentially save people in crisis. In times of a natural disaster, if communication is impaired, “Beacon” uses existing technology.

This app has potential to save numerous lives.

First “Beacon” integrates with cell service to provide an alternative messaging service if cell towers go down before losing service. Additionally, “Beacon” integrates with cell service provided if cell towers stop operating. “Beacon” then reports your information through uploaded pictures, Bluetooth, geolocation, and text. “Beacon’s” GPS accuracy is approximately within 10 meters plus it picks up other nearby users by updating its database in the state of evacuation with the user profile, last known location, and status. Lastly, “Beacon” was combined with a Chatbot called Dr. Disaster then deployed on Facebook.

“To be honest, my expectation was very minimal. I went to the hackathon just to observe, not to compete as I felt I was not ready enough to compete in a hackathon yet,” said Ali. “But after meeting with my friends from York, I decided to compete. The experience, knowledge and especially the connections that I gained from the

hackathon are truly remarkable.”

Their experience was challenging at first; overflowing with ideas, opposing views, and the internet network crashing. They had to get to know each other very quickly and identify their strong points in the midst of attending workshops and competition. Brian Mesa specialized in JavaScript, Front-End Web Development and enhancing User Experience.

Edwin Hadaway focused on research and databases. Fayyoz Nasimov concentrated on IT and software development. Joshua Jimenez offered his marketing experience.

Karan Patel coached the coders, provided additional resources and did Back-End development. Tanzim Ali developed new skills and arranged the teams GitHub. Kusum Neupane and Dewitt John examined the online databases and extracted open-source data.

After the exciting event, the team was further refined and more confident in their abilities. These students are eager to participate in the Spring ‘18 Hackathon April 27-28 at Baruch College, and all majors are welcome to partake in this competition. RSVP online ASAP at https:// www.cunystartups.com/hackathon

before all available slots close.

“I met a lot of recruiters, heard about a bunch of internship postings,” said Ali. “The “Beacon” project caused my LinkedIn account to flourish and paved the way for my future career development.”

“The Hackathon provides career insight for college students; it’s a great avenue to begin getting your name and skills recognized. The competitive factor motivates me to build and succeed. I witnessed how many people wanted to learn, and I developed a passion for teaching,” said Brian Mesa, York College.

“Freshman and Sophomore be-

ginner coders or anyone interested in computers should go learn what’s out there. These opportunities are available to prepare us with real-work experience.” Karan Patel, a York College student.

The CUNY Hackathon is an incredible transformational experience surging with information.

Each workshop provided great value accompanied by on hand mentorship from professionals. Win or lose, develop consistently and never lose team spirit.

Joshua Jimenez is a member of the York College Hackathon.

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Student Artist Spotlight: Music and Sociology Major Ariana Thoms

Ariana Thoms a music and sociology major hopes to use her degrees to become a music therapist. Photo Credit: Danielle Cruz

By Danielle Cruz It was in the fifth grade that Ariana Thoms, a graduating music and sociology major at York College, was introduced to the flute.

Like most middle schoolers her music teacher made her choose between either learning to play the recorder or the flute, but unlike most of her classmates, she didn’t stop playing her flute after her schooling.

“It was either I played the recorder or the flute so I turned to the shiny thing, it was that simple,” said Thoms. “I liked it immediately because it sounded more melodic to me than the recorder.”

For Thoms, music has always been a part of her life. Although she comes from a family that is more medical and science oriented, she grew up with music in her life.

“Yes, without me realizing it music was a big part of my life, my older brother is a singer and I have a lot of cousins who can play instruments as sing as well. I tried to do biology but that wasn’t working out so in the end I was like nah, so I told my mom that this is just not my life.”

Now Thoms can play the flute, piano and guitar. She may have learned to play the flute at first, but she says that the piano is her favorite instrument to play.

Butterfly Waltz by Brian Crain is a classic and one of Thoms’ favorite song to play on the piano as she says she feels as though the

song’s soft melody is a personification of herself.

It was also the first song she played at her senior recital on Mar. 20.

One of the requirements for a graduating music major is to put together their own recital. This means they are in charge of everything from choosing the members of their band to choosing the music and musical arrangements for their recital.

Thoms’ recital was held in the Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center at York. She performed a total of eight songs with eight of her fellow York music majors: Daijha Rabalais on the violin, Leonna Prithwipaul on the bass, Jay Bratton on drums, and Bayo Fayemi and Adrian Sugrim on guitar.

“They were all friends I had made throughout the year, so it was easy to pick and choose who I wanted [to be apart of my recital],” said Thoms.

Besides playing Butterfly Waltz Thoms performed an interesting array of music for her recital. Thoms started off playing songs like 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman and Stand By Me by Ben E. King to ending her recital with Back in Black by ACDC When asked about the music she choose to perform, Thoms said while the songs she played during her recital had some sort of meaning to her although they were not her first choice.

“At first I had picked different songs and it had been a lot of international music but I was like the music was too hard [to play],”

said Thoms. “So I changed it and I decided to do these songs because I like the lyrics and I liked the music, but I also feel connected to them. Plus everyone already knew the songs so we had a lot of fun practicing.”

The recital was an intimate event with a small crowd placed on the stage in the performing center so they could be closer to the musicians. In attendance were also professors from the music department who showed up to support Thoms and praise her for the completion of her recital and major.

Thomas Zlabinger, a music professor at York, said that he was extremely proud of the progress she has made throughout the years and how she had learned to come out of herself and express herself better through music.

“I remember when she auditioned for big band two years ago,” said Zlabinger. “She’s still a quiet person but you can imagine she was even quieter back then.”

Thoms has also recently started composing music. While she didn’t perform any of her original compositions at her recital, Thoms said ever since she took a course on music composition last semester she’s begun to compose regularly.

“I just really started making music last semester,” said Thoms “So whatever comes to my head I’ll just either write it out or just play it out and if I hate it I’ll just say no... and if I like it I’m still going to say no because I’m picky.”

Along with a music degree,

Ariana Thoms performed at her senior recital alongside fellow York College Musicians. Photo Credit: Danielle Cruz

Thoms will also be graduating with a degree in sociology. While some may find this an odd combination of degrees to Thoms sociology and music go hand in hand.

“I chose sociology because I wanted to know how people react with each other in like a social setting either as a group or as an individual. I choose to get a music degree also because I just loved music in general and I felt connected to it,” said Thoms. “Also sociology and music go hand in hand because when people talk to each other and interact with each other usually people start off with, ‘what is your favorite this or what’s your favorite that?’”

Thoms plans to use her dual degrees to become a music therapist at hospitals so she can interact with and calm down those

who need her help. She said that she had discovered this profession randomly when looking up ways to use both her degrees and she knew instantly that this was what she wanted to pursue.

“I was like, if I’m doing music what can I do with it that fits me personality wise? I wanted to help people while also interacting with them either on a one-on-one setting because that’s how I feel comfortable interacting with people,” said Thoms. “I am mostly a listener not a talker. So it actually worked out when I read up on it and I was like, ‘oh this is cool and this is something that I can see myself doing.’”

Danielle Cruz is the Arts and Entertainment Editor, She can be reached at Danielle.Cruz@Yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Logic Drops His Seventh Successful Mixtape: Bobby Tarantino II Review

Photo Credit: Nick Mahar

By Joshua Samuel Maryland born rapper Logic’s newest project is not for every-

body as he transforms into his alter ego Bobby Tarantino for his newest sequel mixtape.

Bobby Tarantino II is Logic’s first project after he released

his breakout album Everybody, which included his highest charting single to date, 1-800-2738255— a conceptual song about a suicidal teen who calls the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Logic came from the underground as a skilled lyricist and reached stardom as a rapper with a message.

He even gave rousing speech at the VMAs and Grammys about equality, no matter your gender, race or sexual orientation. This was a focal point of the album that resonated with fans and allowed him to reach new mainstream heights. Bobby Tarantino II however, should not be typecast or pigeonholed into a singular style, as he goes for a fun, melodic, playful sound on this mixtape.

The introduction is a skit with Rick and Morty from the titular Adult Swim series which Logic guest starred in. Morty wants to play Logic on their spaceship and Rick questions whether he wants to play Mixtape Logic or Album Logic because he is not in the mood to hear a whole message about “how can I be whatever I want” and would rather hear an ignorant club record to ‘turn up’ to.

He tells Morty to meet him in the middle and play some Bobby Tarantino, and the mixtape begins its first song Overnight. I

thought this was a hilarious start to the album and it set the mood for exactly what project Logic wanted to make.

This is a mixtape that may not be as deep as his album music, but it is enjoyable music with catchy bars, smooth flows and banging beats. Logic is not battling the beats with intense flows on this album on tracks such as Overnight, Contra & BoomTrap Protocol, he is simply riding the production and using his voice as a melodic instrument. I had a great time listening to the smooth beats and hearing Logic glide effortlessly on them.

Yuck has the most hit potential from my first listen, and in the last verse, he morphs into lyrical attack mode and throws shots at one of his detractors, rumored to be upcoming rapper Joyner Lucas who accused the rapper of stealing his concept for 1-800-273-8255. To hear Logic effortlessly change styles and flows like a chameleon on this song is the most exhilarating moment on the album.

Indica Badu was a standout track due to the chemistry between Logic and Wiz Khalifa.

Logic even attempts to do Wiz’s laugh and calls it iconic and its moments on that where you can tell he is genuinely having fun. Long fans of Logic may have criticisms about his more

relaxed style of lyricism on this project, but on the song Warm It Up, he unleashed his third alter ego Young Sinatra with a hungrier delivery, insane flows and punchlines they might be hoping for.

Overall, the project reminded me of Drake’s 2015 mixtape, If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late and fans of that mixtape will enjoy this. It’s a mixtape you can leave on at a party and you can play through while driving in your car without having to skip a track. The energy never slows down, and you can tell Logic isn’t out of his element but is simply diverse.

Shortly after the release of this mixtape, Logic announced a divorce with his wife, which shocked fans. This may or may not be his inspiration to create something more introspective and personal for his next album, but projects like Bobby Tarantino II prove when he’s just chilling and having fun, he’s still capable of making enjoyable music that matches that mood.

Joshua Samuel is a staff reporter. He can be reached at Joshua.Samuel@yorkmail.cuny. edu

Korean Boyband BTS Releases Their Third Japanese Studio Album

BTS becomes the first Kpop group to have their Japanese album chart on Billboard 200. Photo Credit: NewsInStar

By Danielle Cruz South Korean boy group, BTS (Bang-tan Son-yeon-dan) released their third Japanese album on Tuesday, April 3.

The album titled Face Yourself included five new original songs as well as the Japanese version of several of their Korean title tracks and b-side tracks.

As expected, the album did well in Japan with the band sell-

ing over 100,000 albums on the first day as well as rising to No. 1 on the Japanese Oricon chart and Japanese iTunes chart.

Perhaps one of the more unexpected, yet unsurprising results of the release of their new album was how well it did internationally. Typically most international fans don’t bother to buy the Japanese version of a Korean album.

However despite this, it rose to number one on the iTunes chart in

over 50 countries. The album also rose to No. 2 on the US iTunes All Genre chart and No. 1 on the US iTunes Hip-Hop/ Rap album chart, making Face Yourself the group’s highest-charting Japanese album.

Title track of the album Don’t Leave Me also saw success with it rising to No. 6 on the US iTunes All Genre Song chart and No. 2 on the US iTunes Hip-Hop/ Rap song chart.

A heavily EDM influenced track with a subtle violin instrumental in the background, Don’t Leave Me was composed by BTS for the original soundtrack of the Japanese remake of Signal a popular Korean drama from 2016.

The album also had BTS re-releasing Crystal Snow— a later album released in early December of last year as a sort of Christmas present to their fans.

The other original tracks on the album included two that were oddly titled Intro: Ringwanderung and Outro: Crack. Both these tracks we’re no longer than two minutes and both were perceived as remix versions of the bands other released songs.

At first listen Intro: Ringwanderung sounds like a remix of their Korean song Best Of Me, but after listening fans realized that the only similar lyrics these songs have is the line “you got the best of me.” Not only that but curiously enough the instrumental version of the song is remixed with the band members’ voices sounding as though they have been slowed down and the pitch lowered a few octaves.

Outro: Crack on the other hand comes off as a remix version of Let Go, another original track

off of this album. It’s a Lo-Fi HipHop track, with very few vocals which left many fans startled as this was the first time BTS had produced a track in this genre of music.

Let Go was perhaps the most well received track from the album. It’s a sad yet hopeful song about letting someone you love go so you both can grow into the people you are meant to be. The singers declare that saying goodbye is not enough to move on but they must both let go of the memories of each other in order to move on and learn to be happy once more.The lyrics also played into the theme of BTS’s last album Love Yourself: Her which talked about the importance of learning to love yourself before loving others.

Though the release date for their upcoming Korean album has not yet been announced, fans of BTS have perceived Face Yourself as a preview of the quality of music the band has yet to release.

Danielle Cruz is the Arts and Entertainment Editor, She can be reached at Danielle.Cruz@ Yorkmail.cuny.edu

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York College Women’s Center Hosts Poetry Slam In Honor of Women’s Month

Photo Credit: Danielle Cruz

By Danielle Cruz In honor of Women’s History Month, the Women’s Center at York College hosted their first ever poetry slam, A Celebration of Women’s Poetry, on Tuesday, Mar. 20.

The poetry slam was held in the African American Resource Center and moderated by Cassita Charles, a college assistant from the Women’s Center. The poetry slam was made to celebrate Women’s Month and give students a platform to showcase their

poems and spoken word pieces that were centered around the theme of uplifting women.

The event started with Charles playing a clip of Maya Angelou performing her poem Still I Rise, before the three students in attendance went up to deliver their poems and spoken words.

The first poetess to perform was Camryn Bruno, who performed a spoken word piece she had written for a campaign on domestic and gender-based violence in the Caribbean.

It was a moving spoken word where she called for action to stop the abuse that women face on a daily basis.

One of the lines from her spoken word read “This is more than just a trending hashtag to raise awareness.

It’s a peek into the day of a woman’s life through 140 characters. You cannot join in on catcalls and then retweet the hashtags.”

Bruno said that she had written her spoken word poem to help raise awareness on gender based violence, women’s rights and other social issues.

“I’m very close with gender based violence because I used to go into schools in Trinidad and Tobago where we taught schools and teach the young girls and the young boys about gender based violence and how to sense it and what to do about it,” said Bruno. “So in light of that I decided to write this poem.”

After the other poets presented their work, Bruno then went back up to the front of the room and read her second spoken word which was on society’s supposed recipe for the “perfect woman.” There she talked about how men and society constantly dic-

Alicia Vikander is the Tomb Raider

17 Years Later Tomb Raider Returns to the Big Screen With Reboot

tate how women should act and how the degrading music lowers the self esteem of women and makes them question their worth.

One of the stand out lines from her reading was, “Disguise wrongs and tell her they are her rights. Force her to stand for them. Force her to stand. Force her to eat. Force this recipe down her throat. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t like the flavor.”

The second poetess to showcase their work was Amy Lay who performed an original spoken word where she asked for someone to challenge her intellectually and help her learn new things.

Afterwards Cassita Charles read Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou, a poem she believes personifies her personality and her quiet confidence.

“This one is more kind of like quiet confidence which personifies my personality,” said Charles. “It speaks to how I feel, I may not be the prettiest or the most desirable but it doesn’t matter because it’s all in your confidence and how you love yourself and that’s more attractive than any amount of makeup or tight dress or anything else

and people respond to it.”

Folashade Olatunde also performed an original poem called Love Yourself. The poem asked the question of what does it mean to love yourself and included simple ways to show love to yourself. The last sentence of her poem ended with her saying, “loving yourself, is it simply just saying you love yourself?”

Olatunde said that she had written the poem spontaneously one night after thinking about how so many people, including herself, fail to truly love themselves.

“A lot of us want to love ourselves but we don’t know how,” said Olatunde.

While it may have been the first poetry slam hosted by the women’s center Charles confirmed that she hopes that in the future they could do it again and hear some more amazing poems and spoke words.

Danielle Cruz is the Arts and Entertainment Editor. She can be reached at Danielle.Cruz@ Yorkmail.cuny.edu

Jessica Jones Season 2

Keep Watching Jessica grow through conflict

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr.com

By Marc Torres When I found out Hollywood was in the process of rebooting the Tomb Raider film franchise, I asked myself one question. Why? The first two Tomb Raider films were made back in 2001, and 2003. They starred Angelina Jolie and were box office successes. However, they did not do too well with critics because of the senseless plotlines and emotionless performances.

The new Tomb Raider, which stars Alicia Vikander, is vastly different from the earlier films.

After watching it I realized why Tomb Raider was being rebooted, because Lara Croft is an amazing character that people need to be more familiar with.

Croft is the protagonist of the video game series that shares the same name as the films. She was one the first female characters people were able to play with on the Sony Playstation I, and she was represented as incredibly intelligent, athletic, dangerous, and attractive. Croft is an archaeologist and somewhat of a treasure hunter, which makes her want to explore things like ancient tombs around the world. The game was a success commercially, and at the time was pushing the envelope on game mechanics and sto-

rytelling within them.

The first two movies were bad, but the reboot redeems them. The writing for the reboot is good, the acting is great, and the directing is surprisingly amazing.

In this film we follow Lara Croft as she embarks on a journey to find her missing father, whose last known location was by an ancient tomb on a mythical island off the coast of Japan. We later find out that she is responsible for saving the world because of things that happen that are beyond her control.

Of course we get a bunch of action (since this is a big budget action film), but they’re very well crafted action sequences that genuinely make you feel worried for Lara Croft’s safety. They make you wonder how she’ll get out of the situations she gets herself into, and if it’s even possible, even when you know that she’ll get out just fine.

The film shows how smart Lara Croft really is. Her father leaves behind loads of clues, maps, and puzzles, to find the mythical island he had been searching for and where he ultimately vanished. Lara has to solve these puzzles and use the clues to find the island, just like her father did. She’s quick at figuring out what she needs to

know because she’s constantly thinking, and we get a sense that she’s very well educated. The scenes during which she has to solve a puzzle or use a clue are a nod to the video games since in the video games you have to sometimes solve a puzzle or two to get to another level.

We also get very satisfying emotional performances that let us know the softer side of Lara Croft. From the earliest scenes we see and understand how she’s never gotten over the case of her missing father. She refuses to accept that he’s dead, and it solidifies her motivation to look for him.

Overall, Tomb Raider isn’t a particularly great movie, but it has some good scenes that make it worth watching. You really want to see this movie for Lara Croft though, because she’s an action hero that we don’t really get to see all the time. Lara Croft is a woman, a fighter, and a genius. Hollywood doesn’t give us enough female protagonists or female action heroes, so I’m glad this reboot happened.

Marc Torres is the Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor.

He can be reached at Mark.Torres@Yorkmail.cuny.edu

Photo Credit: Jana Lynn French

By Marc Torres Marvel’s Jessica Jones returned with its second season this month.

The series, which stars Krysten Ritter, made its debut in 2015 and was met with positive reviews and commercial success.

The second season that was released this month was almost as good as the first. It starts off with Jessica Jones returning to work as a private investigator after murdering Kilgrave (David Tennant), the villain from the first season.

We quickly figure out from the first episode that Jessica Jones is still a raging alcoholic with issues she still hasn’t confronted.

We also find out that she’s gotten more popular as “super” human, which she doesn’t seem to like.

The whole second season serves to answer the question, who is Jessica Jones?

Jones is unsure of how to answer that question. Her guilt over murdering Kilgrave, and acting as a vigilante makes her question everything she knows to be true about herself. She doesn’t believe heroes kill people, and she’s not sure if she even wants to be one.

Jessica Jones’ drinking habits have worsened in the second season, as have her anger issues.

It gets so bad that she end up at-

tending anger management at one point in the season.

The first half of the show is slow and gives much insight into Jones’ repressed memories. The second half of the show is a bit more exciting, since it gives us the superpower fights we crave so much.

In the second half we also see Jones’ realizations about herself and her support system, which sums up why she’s such a great and complex character. The show really does take its time to develop her and let us know exactly who she is. We get to know the origin of her powers, we get to know what she thinks of herself and the role she plays as a person with superpowers, and we get to see where she’s headed next.

While season two isn’t as action packed and full of shocking surprises as the first, it’s definitely worth watching. Jessica Jones stays intriguing because she’s such a three-dimensional character. She’s not always the perfect hero and she’s still exploring who she is. That’s why the show continues to stay fresh, and why we should keep watching.

Marc Torres is the Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor.

He can be reached at Mark.Torres@Yorkmail.cuny.edu

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Senioritis Exposé: Managing Editor Talks Fears of Life After Graduation

Photo Credit : Unsplash.com/ Cole Keister

By Brittany Wright One of the most dreaded things people ask me after it tell them I’m graduating in the spring is, “What are you going to do when you graduate?” I hate that question! Just ask me what I’m getting my degree in or something. I can speak for everyone but I don’t have an answer.

Don’t get me wrong I have ideas and goals. But I haven’t secured a job that is just waiting for me to graduate. Do I know exactly what I’ll do with my degree after June 1st? Nope and I feel like that’s ok.

But one thing I can say is that

I’m glad I took my classes seriously and actually learned what I could while I was in college and the luxury of financial aid. Many times I would ask myself- while striving to get an A in my classes, “Does my GPA doesn’t matter? because employers will only look for my degree they aren’t going to ask for a copy on my transcript.”

I was always one to try and make the best of and learn what I could from even the most boring classes. Because even if employers aren’t looking at my grades me having function-able knowledge of things and skills will give me a leg up over other candidates

going for that same job.

Another thing I wish I had taken advantage of earlier is doing more networking. Today a lot of the people you meet and the connections you make with them can land you your job after graduation.

There are many ways to network. From speaking with alumni to meeting with professors and other people interns you may meet while doing an internship, these are all opportunities to make valuable contacts that you may need in the future.

A bit of advice for Freshman and sophomores, declare a minor

(or even two like I did) or at least take classes that will supplement your major and give you a skill set that will make you more marketable. You may not know what you want to do as of yet, but thats okay. Pick something you think you like and go with that.

When I first started college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in either. But I knew that I liked writing, so I decided to go with English and then later I changed my major to Journalism, because unlike English journalism allowed more for interaction with people, which I preferred.

Later I discovered that I want to

work in public relations, which is a career that many journalists embark upon.

I am definitely ready to graduate. But I don’t know if I am prepared. There are some things I wish I still had time to do and opportunities I wish I had taken better advantage of but its never too late. I am trying to enjoy my senior year as best I can because I will never see it again.

Life isn’t going to end if you don’t know what you’re going to do after you graduate. Learn to embrace life as it comes.

#MarchForOurLives on Social Media Needs to Focus on Racial Biases

Photo Credit: Unsplash.com/ Joanna Nix

By Samuel Cruz #MarchForOurLives has taken over social media thanks to countless interviews by the Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School students who survived the school shooting. Time magazine recently revealed a cover with the notable MSD students: Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Jaclyn Corin, Alex Wind, and Cameron Kasky, who all have verified accounts on twitter.

On March 24th, many high school students were joined by supporters of the hashtag to march at rallies all over the globe.

Protesting for gun reform, gun

control, and school safety. Most importantly though, people were marching for the idea that students should not fear losing their lives or a loved one because of a school shooting.

Although this is all in good taste, I must remind everyone that we have to remember people of color as well. We must be inclusive. What do I mean by this?

Let’s start with the facts. The New York Daily News reported that Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is 60% white, 20% Hispanic, and 11.5% is African American.

The only reason why I am bringing up race is to show how racial bias in the media is still an issue

that needs to be tackled.

A couple years ago, teenagers in Ferguson were not glorified

by CNN or other media outlets.

They were not given a televised town hall meeting with their local government officials. Protesters in Ferguson were not given free Lyft rides to attend protests, free food in the local area, or even free lodging for people that live out of the area. There was no 60 Minute interview, NBC interview, or Time magazine cover. What peaceful protesters in Ferguson, a predominately African American community, met were tear gas and heavily militarized police officers. When I would watch the news during the Ferguson riots of 2014, all I saw were police officers in riot gears and clouds of smoke covering protesters. It looked like a battlefield.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas students that were featured on the Time magazine cover have become the poster children for gun control. They are also white/ white passing. The incredible amount of support has risen them to stardom in weeks because of their activism. Many people have compared them to other school protesters from the 60s and 70s, most notably Oprah Winfrey took to Twitter to compare them to the Freedom Riders. She also

pitched in $500,000 for the March for Our Lives movement, matching George and Amal Clooney’s donation. My question is, where was this support a couple years ago? When African Americans and Hispanics were unfairly detained for peacefully protesting for better gun control.

I am not coming out of a place of hate because I am for promoting gun control, but the fact that the media has catapulted this specific group of privileged kids to become the face of gun control is ridiculous. Black voices come second and it is not something newly established either. Some of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas students have recognized their privilege, with David Hogg saying that the biggest mistake the media has done with covering the school shooting was “not giving black students a voice.” David Hogg also gave out a statistic during an Axios event before his D.C rally speech, “My school is about 25 percent black, but the way we’re covered doesn’t reflect that.” It is great how Hogg is able to recognize his privilege, but if they really want to elevate black voices, why not sit out interviews and photo opportunities? Alex Wind, another student featured on the Times cover, said during his speech at the Washington D.C

rally that “it isn’t about race.” Implying that it is an American issue, the problem is that it is all of a sudden an American issue when white people are falling victim to gun violence.

The NRA did not protect black armed men when they were killed because of police brutality, like Philando Castile who was murdered on video by a police officer. Gun control has to be for minorities as well for it to work.

Black gun ownership is important especially in a country where systematic racial bias is still living and breathing. Let’s be inclusive and make sure that newly proposed gun control laws do not disproportionately target African American/Hispanic communities(where fewer mass shootings occur).

Minorities can not allow white liberals to dictate who their heroes or saviors are. We must also try and promote black activists that barely get the platform that they deserve. With further inclusion of minorities, this idea of “uniting America” can actually happen to a certain extent. So when you hear or see #MarchForOurLives, also march for the black lives lost to the systematic and institutional racism that runs rapid in the nation still to this day.

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Why Not Homes for the Homeless Using Modern 3D Printing Technology?

Photo Credit Unsplash.com/ Ali Morshedlou

By Annoor Ahmed The less fortunate, should be given some of the same benefits most of us have, the comfort of our own homes.Some technological developments might make those dreams for the less fortunate possible, now more than ever. Eastern China, amongst other places in USA, are now reshaping the world with its newest devel-

opment,3D printed houses.

Chinese company Win Sun has this giant machine thats 22 ft tall 30 ft wide 490 ft long printer that could print out 10 homes within 24hrs. Slowly the US started getting into that too, which now includes Texas and San Francisco. If they are able to do it, we should be the ones doing it next.

With 3D printing on the rise many can have cheaper living

costs ass well. Just to build one home it’s only 5000 dollars. If compared to how they making homes right now the costs are 100 times cheaper.

Recently I spoke to some people that are homeless.

One of them said “We would love for that to happen, because that would give us our own home,”she also said “if it means our kids grows up in a home we would do anything

Pandora’s Box EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief: Anthony Medina Anthony.Medina@yorkmail.cuny.edu Managing Editor: Brittany Wright Brittany.Wright@yorkmail.cuny.edu News Editor: Greis Torres Greis.Torres@yorkmail.cuny.edu Assisant News Editor: Angel Adegbesan Angel.Adegbesan@yorkkmail.cuny.edu Arts/Ent. Editor: Danielle Cruz Danielle.Cruz@yorkmail.cuny.edu Assistant A&E Editor Marc Torres Marc.Torres@yorkmail.cuny.edu Sports Editor Richard Heaton Richard.Heaton@yorkmail.cuny.edu Online Editor: Ashleigh Brown Ashleigh.Brown@yorkmail.cuny.edu Layout Editor Pedro Bermejo Pedro.Bermejo@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Faculty Advisor: Bill Hughes

for it” Another man that I spoke to said “As a veteran who doesn’t have a home, I would definitely wish for me and for other veterans too, that this 3D printing thing actually works out.”Says Andrew Hayman.

He also added “I mean common man I am living in train station, and showering in McDonalds bathroom, so, of course I would love my own

home.”

Honestly NYC should start doing this same thing as other cities such as Texas and San Francisco because that would really bring the number of homeless people down in our city. That might even give them the hope of getting a job too and make something of it.Which could eventually be turned into something more.

PB

w.hughes@yorkpbnews.net

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12

PANDORA’S BOX SPORTS

yorkpbnews.net

Tuesday, April. 24, 2017

Pitchers With Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Gear Up for 2018 Comeback

Mets starter Matt Harvey Throws Pitch. Photo Credit: SLGCKGC for Flickr

By Richard Heaton This week, Matt Harvey of the New York Mets will be making yet another attempt at a comeback from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, along with many other pitchers.

It’s not as easy as recovering from other injuries as TOS and the New York Mets pitcher learned that the hard way. Harvey was first diagnosed in June 2016 and since then, not only faced time on the disabled list, but saw poor performance as well.

While some think Harvey can rebound in 2018, many are aware of the toll the injury takes on a pitchers body. Many players who were diagnosed with TOS over the past decade played poorly post-surgery and would go on to retire within a couple of years.

One example would be Chris Carpenter, who played for the Toronto Blue jays and the St. Louis Cardinals. He was diagnosed with TOS in June 2012, at the age of 37.

After a quick rehab session, Carpenter was able to play a few games at the end of the season,

but ended up missing the entire 2013 season due to the injury and related complications and then was forced to retire.

The term thoracic outlet syndrome has been used for more than 60 years, but cases concerning baseball players, especially pitchers have only begun appearing very recently, over the last five to seven years

“I don’t think we’ll see that performance of old, where he’s firing strikeouts left and right, but I think based on what we’ve seen so far, he’s going to be the guy that knows how to get those outs a different way.”

Some experts believe that the injury is affecting players more frequently as a result of pitchers throwing much harder in recent years, which puts more stress on their shoulders.

In this sense, TOS is compared to another shoulder injury, in which cases have also been spreading at an alarming rate.

This surgery is known as Tommy John.

The one big difference between TOS and Tommy John is the recovery time. Someone who requires Tommy John surgery usually needs about a year before playing again, and if they don’t get the surgery, might not be able to play again.

Someone recovering from Tommy John needs their shoulder to be active in order to experience symptoms, such as pitching.

This is why players need long recovery periods so the symptoms don’t act up.

Those with TOS are able to recover much quicker, but can suffer in many ways off the field.

Symptoms of TOS can appear at any moment, even in your normal day to day life, making this injury much harder to deal with.

Depending on how much the injury is acting up, doing regular household chores can be a pain, even simple activities such as cutting food.

Doctor Daryl Rosenbaum of Wake Forest Baptist Health says that there could be between 3 and 80 cases of TOS per 1000 people. This suggests that tens of thousands of regular people, if not millions suffer in some way from the disease.

For baseball players, however it’s much worse because being active and using their shoulders is their life. Off the field, players such as Harvey could experience

the same nuisances, but once they begin trying to rehab, it is going to start acting up again.

This is why TOS is one of the most complicated injuries to deal with, especially for players.

There does seem to be one recurring pattern that could be a good sign for Harvey. Many of the other players to get TOS were well past their primes, into their 30’s and at least a few years older than Harvey.

Due to his younger age, extended rehab and more cautious playing time has always been an option for Harvey, who is almost two years removed from surgery.

Many fans believe Harvey has in fact been on the right track and that he’s due for an epic return.

Even when Harvey played poorly, there was a silver lining.

One hopeful fan, Stephen Josiah commented on his poor performance against the Yankees saying, “There’s a lot he needs to work on but the velocity was there.”

There are also those who think Harvey will bounce back but won’t be the same as he was before the injuries.

A Metsmerized Online writ-

er, Christina Cola says, “I don’t think we’ll see that performance of old, where he’s firing strikeouts left and right, but I think based on what we’ve seen so far, he’s going to be the guy that knows how to get those outs a different way.”

New Mets manager Mickey Callaway is also hopeful that 2018 could be the bounce back season that Harvey needs and that he should be able to stay healthy the entire season.

Here in New York, all eyes will be on Harvey, but there are players coming back from TOS all over, including multiple on the San Diego padres.

Another such example is Tyson Ross, who went from being one of the best pitchers in baseball to one of the worst thanks to the injury and is looking forward to a strong 2018.

Throughout the country, players such as Harvey and Ross are getting ready to re-audition for baseball.

Richard Heaton is the Sports Editor . He can be contacted at Richard.heaton@Yorkmail.cuny. edu

P B Infographic: Pedro Bermejo & Richard Heaton

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