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Annual Report 2021-2022

Previous year committee membership, including year when each member’s term ends

Prof. Chantale Damas, Physics, Chair (2022)

Prof. Noelia Diaz, English, Secretary (2024)

Prof. Kelly Ford, Business (2023)

Prof. Janet Franzese, Nursing (2023)

Prof. Sunjun Wei, Chemistry (2022)

Prof. Mohammad Javdan, Biology (2023)

Prof. Neeraj Mehta, Music (2022)

Prof. Stephanie Rost, History (2024)

Prof. Yusuf Gurtas (2024)

Previous year liaisons, designees

Vice-President William Faulkner, Liaison, President’s Designee

Mr. Benami Freier, Liaison, Services for Students with Disabilities

Mr. John Triolo, Liaison, Office of Campus Safety

Prof. Anthony Monahan (Health, Physical Education & Dance), Liaison, Steering Committee

Mr. Mel Rodriguez, Liaison, Environmental Health and Safety

Prof. Elizabeth Toohey (English), Liaison, Committee on Committees

Ms. Isabel Hocevar, R.N., Liaison, Office of Health Services

Prof. Clara Wajngurt (Mathematics), Chair, PSC Health and Safety

 

Prof. Angela Ridinger-Dotterman, Chair of the subcommittee on Accessibility

Upcoming year committee membership, including year when each member’s term ends

Prof. Stephanie Rost, History, Chair (2024)

Prof. Noelia Diaz, English, Secretary (2025)

Prof. Kelly Ford, Business (2023)

Prof. Janet Franzese, Nursing (2023)

Prof. Mohammad Javdan, Biology (2023)

Prof. Yusuf Gurtas, Math, (2024)

Prof. Dorith Brodbar, Counseling, (2025)

Prof. Changiz Alizadeh, Mathematics and Computer Science (2025)

Prof. Crystal Moscat, Advisement (2025)

Previous year committee officers

Prof. Chantale Damas, Physics, Chair (2022)

Prof. Noelia Diaz, English, Secretary (2024)

Prof. Kelly Ford, Business (2023)

Prof. Janet Franzese, Nursing (2023)

Prof. Sunjun Wei, Chemistry (2022)

Prof. Mohammad Javdan, Biology (2023)

Prof. Neeraj Mehta, Music (2022)

Prof. Stephanie Rost, History (2024)

Prof. Yusuf Gurtas (2024)

Upcoming year committee officers

Prof. Dorith Brodbar, Counseling, (2025)

Prof. Changiz Alizadeh, Mathematics and Computer Science (2025)

Prof. Crystal Moscat, Advisement (2025)

Committee Meeting Dates and times

The Committee on Environment, Quality of Life and Disability Issues met three times during the 2020-2021 academic year. The Committee met on Wednesdays at 12:10 – 1:30, but not on a regular schedule.

Meeting dates: All meetings were conducted via Zoom

Fall 2021: September 1, November 3

Spring 2022: February 23, April 27

List of Bylaws charges and notation of “completed” or “not completed” with reasoning for incomplete items

2021-2022 Bylaws Charge for Committee:

  1. Through a process that involves the administration, formulate and recommend to the Academic Senate policies and practices pertaining to the College environment in matters of health, safety, security, maintenance and allocation of facilities;
  2. Evaluate and report to the Academic Senate on the administrative response to problems in the College environment;
  3. Receive all proposals concerning naming and renaming campus facilities and make appropriate recommendations to the Academic Senate;
  4. Review and report on College Master Plan regarding facilities and the campus environment;
  5. Review the assessment of the campus with regard to services for students with disabilities and disability issues as the assessment relates and pertains to the campus environment and campus facilities and make appropriate recommendations to the Academic Senate.

List of Steering Committee charges and notation of “completed” or “not completed” with reasoning for incomplete items

1. The brief report from the Subcommittee on College Accessibility Chair (Prof. Angela Rindinger-Dotterman) is as follows:
  • The subcommittee is developing UDL support workshops for faculty.
  • The subcommittee will reach out to the SSD office to see if students have been surveyed on how successful, or not, the services provided by the office are. If no data exists, the subcommittee will explore how to seek it.
  • The subcommittee sought clarification on the adequate protocol for captioning videos for online courses.
2. Vaccination status was integrated into both the ID cards and parking tags enabling easy and safe access to campus. This was due to work conducted by the IT department (both within QCC and CUNY) and Public Safety.
3. The new food vendor replacing Metropolitan Food did not finalize the contract and QCC will take charge of operating the food services (Staten Island has this model as well). Mr. Oseas Peralta, who previously worked with food services for twenty years, is overseeing this transition. Work on the Cafeteria Capital Project should begin in summer 2022 to be completed in ~ 18-24 months.
4.Thanks to the new approved budget the proposed childcare center for students, while probably still a year away, is back on track.
5. The PSC’s Committee on Safety created a short report of the temperature fluctuations taking place on the Physics, Math and Biology departments, as well as ventilation concerns.
6. The PSC also created an advocacy support team focusing on bullying incidents. While the committee can’t enforce any sanctions, it can direct the person/s towards the appropriate channels to formalize a complaint. The PSC is also working on trying to have bullying prevention incorporated into the next contract.

Summary of actions not covered by above

Updated Committee Addendum:   Committee Guides are no longer required. Only an addendum needs to be submitted. Stephanie Rost and Neeraj Mehta volunteered to lead this effort and shared their draft with the committee for feedback. She will finalize this work fall 2022. EQLD Committee members met on 3/4/2022 with Steven Dahlke to discuss the new addendum. The minutes of this meeting and addendum draft can be found in the EQLD Dropbox folder.

Committee recommendations for upcoming year

  • Advocate for a campus environment that communicates openness and trust to the student body
  • Follow up on measures taken to ensure that all members of the community are safe with resurgence of new variants/COVID-19. QCC will follow both Chancellor and Governor’s guidelines and recommendations. The PSC will continue to participate on discussions to ensure the safety of employees and students.
  • Continue to monitor progress on ADA compliant restroom conversions, fire door upgrades in campus buildings including Science and Medical Arts.
  • Continue to inform the QCC community of Committee activities with regular reports to the Academic Senate and the Steering Committee
  • Support, and communicate with, the subcommittee on College Accessibility issues. The subcommittee reports to EQLD. As some classes are still online, the work of the subcommittee is still essential.
  • Follow up on the renovation updates. Once the Academic Master Plan is completed, it will inform the Facilities Master Plan. Among the spaces the EQLD will follow up on is the Academic Senate approved Child Care Center for students.
  • Follow up on guidelines of allergens on campus, in particular on the Cafeteria. The committee will seek clarification on the guidelines and procedures for the cafeteria.

Individual member contributions and thanks

The Committee Chair would like to acknowledge the important contributions of several individuals:

Prof. Noelia Diaz, Secretary, for her commitment to every aspect of Committee function.

Vice President Bill Faulkner, President’s Designee, for his support to the Committee, attending and providing important and relevant information at every meeting.

Prof. Clara Wajngurt, Chair, PSC Health and Safety, for her important work on the PSC Health and Safety Committee, attending and providing important and relevant information from PSC and for organizing the walkthroughs on Campus. 

Profs. Steven Dahlke, Jannette Urciuoli, and Zivah Perel Katz, Steering Committee members, for guidance and support throughout the year.

Profs. Stephanie Rost and Neeraj Mehta for their work on the addendum.

Respectfully Submitted,

Prof. M. Chantale Damas, Chair

Committee Links

Campus Cultural Centers

Kupferberg Holocaust Center exterior lit up at nightOpens in a new window
Kupferberg Holocaust Center Opens in a new window

The KHC uses the lessons of the Holocaust to educate current and future generations about the ramifications of unbridled prejudice, racism and stereotyping.

Russian Ballet performing at the Queensborough Performing Arts CenterOpens in a new window
QPAC: Performing Arts CenterOpens in a new window

QPAC is an invaluable entertainment company in this region with a growing national reputation. The arts at QPAC continues to play a vital role in transforming lives and building stronger communities.

Queensborough Art Gallery exterior in the afternoonOpens in a new window
QCC Art Gallery

The QCC Art Gallery of the City University of New York is a vital educational and cultural resource for Queensborough Community College, the Borough of Queens and the surrounding communities.