THE BRIDGE Burton Louis-Charles, Coordinator, Evening, Weekend, Day & Off-Site Studies • blouis@sunyrockland.edu Fall 2013

Connecting adjunct faculty to Rockland Community College

Weekend Breakfast • Fall 2013

On October 5-6, weekend students, adjunct faculty and staff were invited to a hot breakfast. The weekend breakfast is held every semester and hosted by Dr. Cliff L. Wood, President and the Weekend Office. Dr. Roger W. Davis, Associate VP of Instruction & Academic Services, and representatives from Academic Services were available to help students learn about the Library and CAPS and gain feedback.

A special thank you to Dr. Cliff L. Wood and members from Academic Services for their time and support.

l to r: Michael Francesco, Dr. Wood, Dennis Dale, Dr. Roger W. Davis, Marion Dale and Jannelle Satiago.

First-Year Student Convocation

The First Year Student Convocation was held on Tuesday, Sept. 24, in the Cultural Arts Theater at 12:30 pm. It was an opportunity to bring together all students who are taking the First-Year Seminar Class this semester. There were motivational faculty speakers and the 2013 First-Year Experience Scholarship winner Gabriella Marano served as the Mistress of Ceremonies. There were about 300 First-Year Seminar students and their instructors in attendance. The Interlude Poem "IF” was read by student trustee Mendel Taub. The First Year Advocate Award was given to Martha Rottman. The Keynote Speaker was Dr. Cliff L. Wood (President); and Dr. Arlene Clinkscale (Board Trustee Chair) presented her speech, "The Occasion," as a motivational model for students to finish their degree programs and graduate in 2015. White tassels with 2015 were distributed to all students as they departed.

Adjunct Faculty Edwin Susskind

Weekend students enjoying breakfast.

LOCATION & CONTACTS:

Accessibility Services Technology Center, Room 8150

t 845-574-4541 f 845-574-4594

Monica R. Jackson, Director mjackso4@sunyrockland.edu

Ydania D. Santos, Assistant Directorysantos@sunyrockland.edu

Alicia McDonald, Ed. Support Staff

Shonda Berry, Hourly Professional

WHAT WE DOAccessibility Services (AS) works collaboratively with the College community to facilitate equal access for students with disabilities to the educational programs, services and facilities of Rockland Community College. *In addition, AS is a resource to students, faculty, staff and community services to provide education, consultation and guidance regarding disability issues. *In compliance with Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the ADA.

GOALS• Provide reasonable accommodations and support services• Empower students toward self advocacy• Promote achievement of students’ educational and career goals• Offer training and support to faculty and staff regarding the needs of students with disabilities• Organize and coordinate campus-wide disability awareness• Provide guidance regarding the development of college policies, procedures, programs and curriculum to ensure equal access and foster an inclusive educational environment

D E PA R T M E N T S TO K N O WAccessibility Services

One week Guided Tour of London January 6th -12th 2014 - Open to the Public

Chair of RCC’s Art Department Emily Harvey guides a one week tour of London, England. The tour focuses on art and will be offered during Wintersession. Students can earn 3 credits in Art History or may audit the course. Enrollment is open to friends, family, and community members.

HOW TO ACCESS SERVICESIt is the student’s responsibility to notify Accessibility Services of the need for accommodations and to provide appropriate disability documentation, which is kept confidential. Eligibility for services/accommodations from Accessibility Services is a separate process from Admissions. Students should first complete an Admissions application to the College before requesting services/accommodations from AS. Students are encouraged to contact AS for further information regarding the accommodation request procedures.

Officer Joseph Arius

College ID pictures can be taken in the Lobby of the

Technology Center at the Security Booth.

Please call 845-574-4217/4227 for days & hours of operation.

Please join us for

SPRING 2014 Adjunct Faculty Start-Up

Tuesday, January 14 • 4:30 pm Technology Center Ellipse

RSVP Burton Louis-Charles

845-574-4789 or blouis@ sunyrockland.edu

Adjunct Fest • Fall 2013On August 21, 2013, we had a great turnout for the adjunct startup meeting, aka “Adjunct Fest.” The meeting focused on Academic Services, FERPA and a presentation on safety training by Bill Murphy, Director of Public Safety. Dr. Cliff L. Wood, President and Dr. Sue Deer, Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs & Student Services were on hand to speak to our new and current adjuncts about the upcoming semester.To celebrate the end of Summer and the beginning of the Fall semester, our adjuncts were treated to a great barbeque.The following are some attendance statistics:STEM and Health Professions =27Humanities, Social & Behavioral Science = 45Business & Information Technology = 9A special thank you to the volunteers from Academic Services and Carlos Mercado from Pearson Publishing for their time and support.

A DJ U N C T AC H I E V E M E N T SJanice Cori Cobb, adjunct, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, was invited to present, “The Effect of Adrenalin on Memory,” at the International Organization of Social Science & Behavioral Research. This event was held Oct. 14-15 in New Orleans, LA. Angelo Parra’s play, The Devil’s Music: The Life & Blues of Bessie Smith appeared for a special, one-night-only performance at RCC’s Cultural Arts Theater, September 21.

Evan Klein, adjunct, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, wrote an article in the Oct. 2013 issue of Firsts: The Book Collector’s Magazine, “It’s Not Over When It’s Over: Post-apocalyptic Fiction.

Patricia E. Doucette-Szobonya has been given a tenure track position of Assistant Professor of Paralegal Studies and Criminal Justice.

QUICK CURRIED TURKEYKatherine Hickey, Adjunct, English Stove to table time 15 minutes.Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 lb pkg ground turkey• 1 jar tomato sauce • 1 bag spinach (I use fresh, but can use frozen defrosted with water drained• 2-3 tsp curry powder

Brown the turkey in a relatively deep pan.Sprinkle generously with curry powder (to you taste) and add about a cup of water. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Add the spinach and sauce. Cook until the spinach is fully wilted and stir until somewhat uniform.Serve over rice or quinoa

TART= Tasty Adjunct Recipe Tips Recipes from our own adjunct faculty

CROCK POTBALSAMIC CHICKEN

John Boyle, Adjunct, EMT Here is an awesome recipe fantastic with brown rice, or baked sweet potatoes. Ingredients: • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 1 teaspoon dried basil • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon pepper • 2 teaspoons dried minced onion • 4 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 24 ounces) or breasts • sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley Combine the first five dry spices in a small bowl and spread over chicken on both sides, set aside. Pour olive oil and garlic on the bottom of the crock pot. Place chicken on top. Pour balsamic vinegar over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Sprinkle with fresh parsley on top to serve.

Adjunct LoungesAcademic I, Room 1224Academic II, Room 2330

Technology Center, Room 8302

Dear Adjuncts, Do you have any tips or helpful ideas that your local adjuncts need to know? If so, please send them to me at blouis@sunyrockland.edu and I will post them in our future newsletter. Hope to hear from you and as always, thank you for your help and support. - Burton

When did you start teaching at Rockland Community College? I started teaching at RCC in the Fall of 2008. I was only 21 years old at the time.Describe your teaching style.My teaching style is as follows: Learn to laugh, laugh to learn. It is important to have someone who can reach the struggling students and present the knowledge in a way that they can relate. Implementing techniques into my lectures to ensure that everyone can relate and comprehend the material at hand is a very high priority. Whether the person is a kinesthetic, auditory, or visual learner, every student can learn in a lecture and lab setting.How did you become interested in teaching this subject?While attending a class at RCC, I decided to take a Human Sexuality class with Leslie Kingseed, and the rest as they say was history. From that point on, I was hooked. Ms. Kingseed, my long time mentor and my biggest inspiration, is responsible for the facilitator I am today. Her knowledge of the subject matter and her kind words have put me where I am today. As I was completing my first MS in Education, I was recommended by Ms. Kingseed to instruct lab classes. After a glowing recommendation from Ms. Kingseed and a careful interview process, Dr. Baker gave me my first shot at instructing a class.

What are your top three expectations for students at the beginning of the semester?A) Good note taking abilities: what I have seen is that students come in without the ability to take proper notes. It is all about writing down everything from the PPT instead of being able to decipher the pertinent information. I try to account for that by creating guided notes that help outline the notes for the students.B) Reading Comprehension: This skill is crucial for all sciences. You need to be able to read chapters, PPTs, and guided notes and comprehend the material.C) Responsibility: One of the things I like to tell my students is that there needs to be a great deal of autonomy in college. We are fortunate to have class sizes of 24 or less in the science field, but that is not always true in bigger colleges. The idea at RCC and my class is to create readiness not only for the next sequence of classes but for four-year colleges, and life in general. Taking responsibility for your actions is a big step to success.

What additional resources do you recommend if I want more information about what you are teaching?I have spent most of my years developing and perfecting my interactive web site: HelpMeMrR.com that includes all of my outlines, power points, pictures, videos and more information. A video of my practical review is also available for students to download on iTunesU. I have had many emails and comments sent to me from other students in different colleges. It gratifies me to know that I have helped not only my students but other students in a different demographic as well.Throughout the semester I also offer Anatomy and Physiology I and II review sessions in the Science Learning Center. The SLC is an amazing resource for students. They have all the models used in class and the iTunes videos on the computers.

Jeremy RodriguezAdjunct, Science

CETL offers a Professional Development Program with a variety of workshops and presentations throughout the year. We encourage adjunct faculty to attend these professional development opportunities and to offer them as well. An adjunct faculty member who offers a CETL workshop will receive a small honorarium of $50.We welcome workshop proposals from both full-time and adjunct faculty. (In early April, an invitation will be sent outfor these proposals.)If an adjunct faculty member wishes to offer a workshop during the semester, he/she should contact Lynn Aaron, laaron@sunyrockland.edu or Colleen Scanlon at 574-4705.