News

Darfur, Sudan, located in northeastern Africa, has experienced a disruptive conflict between Arab Muslims and black Muslims due to tension caused by lack of natural resources.

Sudan gained independence in the 1950s and has been plagued with clashes between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) who are loyal to the open-minded Islamist leader named Hassan al-Turabi.

According to the Activism for Africa’s website, in the late 1980s, Turabi wanted to unite the country of Sudan with the Islamic faith. However, the present Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir overthrew Turabi and his fighters. Bashir and the SPLM/A agreed to end the civil war with a peace agreement in 2005.

As of September 4, HVCC’s Recycling Program has been expanded, adding cans and bottles to their existing list of paper, cardboard, books and packing materials. Exactly 32 indoor can and bottle recycling receptacles, 22 indoor paper recycling receptacles and 14 outdoor can and bottle recycling receptacles have been added to the preexisting 585 recycling receptacles added in 2007.

According to Clem Campana, operations assistant of HVCC’s Physical Plant, the Recycling Committee was established in 1993 as a one man operation. Campana said, “In 2007 the committee was energized with an influx of new members and that’s when we got working on expanding recycling.” In the 2007-2008, the committee has recycled 56 tons of paper from the campus. That is double the amount of the 2006-2007 year. From the time of the programs establishment, the committee has concentrated on the paper products that made up the majority of the college’s waste as there were not enough containers.

Are you a veteran? How about a new member of the Armed Forces? Or just someone who wants to learn about military life? Then the following club on campus is for you.

The Armed Forces Club is small now, but it has the potential to transform into a large camaraderie of military service members and civilians at HVCC.

According to Carrie Farley, advisor of the club, there are 600 veterans on campus in the fall, spring and summer semesters. The group’s primary goal is to be available for any veterans on campus. The club’s brochure also states that they want to “supply information and assistance that will enable veterans to get the maximum use of relevant educational, vocational and medical benefits” and “Share specific veteran experiences that will facilitate social relationships and camaraderie” as well as “Educate the public, regarding veteran issues…” and “Facilitate the participation of members in other school activities and clubs.”

On October 13, 2008 Alfredo Balarin will assume the position of Assistant Director for Student Life. “He’s got lots of ideas and he is ready to hit the ground running,” said Planning Committee member Ann Carrozza of Balarin.

After the recent resignation of Jonathan Winnicki from the position of director of student life, the Search Committee and Faculty Student Association Board of Directors (FSA) began a search to fill the position. They decided unanimously on Balarin. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany with a Master of Science in Education Administration. He also has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Latin American Studies.

Our government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, prohibiting the acquisition of alcohol for people under the age of 21. In all states, the act raised the age limit to purchase and possess alcohol from 18 years to 21 years of age.

Since July 2008, one hundred and thirty chancellors and presidents of institutions of higher levels of education across the U.S. have signed a public statement, known as the Amethyst Initiative, declaring that negligent and reckless drinking has continued to be an issue among our nation’s young people. The statement is a call for the government and state officials to reconsider the drinking age requirement.

With many students going on vacations and long trips over spring break next week traveling safely becomes a high priority for many people, especially as many trips this time of year tend to be over-seas and involve long flights.

With Hudson Valley students taveling during Spring Break there are a few tips the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA), has issued regarding safety, and saving time getting through the security check points at most airports.

• • Have your Boarding pass and photo ID ready, boarding passes can be obtained at the airline's ticket counter.
• • Keep all personal electronic devices in a bag or case that can be set aside at the metal detectors.
• • Avoid wearing any clothing with metal in it, ie: jeans with rivets, jackets with zippers, and so on.
• • Pack jackets, coats and other heavy clothing in main baggage and not with carry on luggage.

Students who may need to take some classes this summer can now fill out an application and possibly receive funding for summer session if the student did not use all of their available funds for the 2007-2008 academic year.

The application can be picked up the Mastrangelo Financial Aid Center and must be returned no later then June 2. The student must be matriculated into a degree program and be in satisfactory academic progress after the spring semester. Registration is a least three credit hours to receive grant funding and a minimum of six degree applicable credits are required to receive loan funding.
Summer financial aid is awarded on a reimbursement basis, with students paying the fees up front and being reimbursed at the end of the summer semester.

For more information contact the Financial Aid Office at 629-7150.

The Collegiate Academic Support Program (CASP) held a luncheon entitled “The Path to Success” February 22, providing newly appointed peer mentors the chance to recognize the mentors who brought them this far and gave students the opportunity to network with others who attended.

The luncheon was made possible with a $100,000 grant from the MetLife Foundation to Hudson Valley’s Foundation and is being split between the Learning Assistance Center and CASP to help students succeed academically.

“The grant is a wonderful opportunity for us to concentrate on a series called ‘engagement theory’,” said Kathleen Quirk, associate dean for instructional support services and retention. According to Quirk, students who are retained are students who are involved on campus. “The grant is [meant] to create a network of contacts. If we build connections between the students and faculty, we can help retain [them],” said Quirk.

The Hudson Valley Purchasing department will be holding it’s annual Surplus sale on Tuesday March 4 at the Hy Rosenblum Administration Center gymnasium.

For those not familiar with the Center, it’s the old brick building next to Dunkin’ Donuts and diagonally across the intersection from Taco Bell, and the gymnasium is in the back of the center.

The sale will be of excess equipment left over from the schools yearly upgrades. Most of the equipment will be electronics related, such as computers, printers, and stuff of that nature.

However, some of the surplus usually includes furniture, including chairs and couches. According to the Director of Purchasing Mary Ellen Lajeunesse, “There will be a large quantity of computer towers at the sale” many of which are only a few years old and still in perfect working order. They are being sold because they have been replaced in the last round of campus upgrades.

Students from Hudson Valley’s Civil Engineering Technology department are designing a floating sculpture for Albany’s 60th Annual Tulip Festival.

The twenty-two students involved in the project are in the department’s hydraulics and drainage class. Last semester, the department Chairperson, Dr. Christine LaPlante, was asked by the city of Albany’s Daniel Bauer to help with the design. The students started the actually designing this semester.

There are two parts to this sculpture. The main element is a 15 foot steel tulip that will float on the lake in Albany’s Washington Park. The second component will be floating steel lily pads. These will border the lake and are supposed to hold fire. On Tuesday, February 5th, the sculpture’s layout was presented to Mayor Jerry Jennings.