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Hunter College Student Wins Marshall Scholarship

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Hunter College Student Wins Marshall Scholarship
Marshall Scholarship winner Faiza
Masood, Hunter College Class of
2017.

Hunter College student Faiza Masood, Class of 2017, has been selected as a recipient of one of the most prestigious academic honors, the Marshall Scholarship, it was announced today.  She is one of only two students in New York State to receive the Marshall this year, and a first for Hunter College.  The Marshall Scholarship, which provides for graduate study at a United Kingdom institution in any field of study, goes to up to 40 students a year, and is often compared to the Rhodes Scholarship. The other winner selected from a New York school this year attends West Point.

The Marshall Scholarship is one of the most prominent of nationally competitive post-baccalaureate scholarships. Typically, more than 800 seniors in the United States apply each year.

City University of New York Chancellor James B Milliken said, “We are immensely proud of Faiza Masood’s well-deserved achievement. This is a testament to her talent, drive and hard work, as well as to the quality of her education at Hunter College. Faiza, like so many students at Hunter and CUNY, is the children of immigrants and an example of the gifts they bring to our campuses. She is the seventh CUNY student to be awarded this great honor. Immigrants and their families have always been among our most outstanding students and they go on to make great contributions to New York. I’m sure Faiza will do the same.”

“We are so proud of Faiza and very pleased that her hard work both in and out of the classroom is being recognized by this prestigious program,” said Jennifer Raab, President of Hunter College, part of The City University of New York. “In Arabic, Faiza means winner, and Faiza certainly is one.”

At Hunter College, Masood majors in religion in the Special Honors Program with minors in Arabic Studies and Asian American Studies.  She already won summer fellowships to study Arabic, which is not her native language, in Jordan and Morocco.

In the fall of 2015 she was chosen to attend the Harvard Divinity School’s Diversity and Explorations Program.  The Marshall will enable her to earn a Master’s degree at one of the British universities.

Masood plans on focusing her studies on Islamic Law and efforts to ensure it is flexible and adapted to modern societies. The fact that it has changed with the times gives her reason to believe it can keep evolving. “It is very much time for Islamic scholars interpreting sources to come up with new law that is appropriate for this new modern context,” says Masood.

Masood’s parents immigrated to New York from Pakistan and have worked hard to provide for their family. Her father worked in candy stores for most of her life and her mother is a homemaker. They have never taken a vacation, focusing instead on saving for their children’s education. Masood attended a small religious school in Queens with 10 girls in her graduating class. She has three older sisters, including one, Hajara, who is also studying religion at Hunter.

When Masood got the call that she had been named a Marshall Scholar, she was in the middle of planning an event for the Interfaith Club she started at Hunter.

She hopes to go on to get a PhD in Islamic Studies and return to teach “in a public institution like Hunter,” because that’s what changed her own life.

The Marshall Scholarship, founded in 1953 by an Act of Parliament in honor of U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, commemorates the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan.

Marshall Scholars receive funding for one or two years of graduate studies as well as an annual book grant, thesis grant and a research and daily travel grant.  In addition, they receive money for university fees, cost-of-living expenses, and fares to and from the United States.

The City University of New York is the nation’s leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847, the University comprises 24 institutions: 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the CUNY School of Medicine, the CUNY Graduate School and University Center, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy.

FDA takes action against four tobacco manufacturers for illegal sales of flavored cigarettes labeled as little cigars or cigars

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FDA takes action against four tobacco manufacturers for illegal sales of flavored cigarettes labeled as little cigars or cigars

SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued warning letters to four tobacco manufacturers — Swisher International Inc., Cheyenne International LLC, Prime Time International Co. and Southern Cross Tobacco Company Inc. — for selling flavored cigarettes that are labeled as little cigars or cigars, which is a violation of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The companies received warning letters for products under the “Swisher Sweets,” Cheyenne,” “Prime Time” and “Criss-Cross” brands in a variety of youth-appealing flavors, including grape, cherry, wild cherry and strawberry.

“Flavored cigarettes appeal to kids and disguise the bad taste of tobacco, but they are just as addictive as regular tobacco products and have the same harmful health effects,” said Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “Because about 90 percent of adult daily smokers smoked their first cigarette by the age of 18, continued enforcement of the ban on cigarettes with characterizing flavors is vital to protect future generations from a lifetime of addiction.”

The Tobacco Control Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by the President in 2009, banned cigarettes containing certain characterizing flavors, such as candy or fruit flavors, to reduce the number of youth who start to smoke and who become addicted to dangerous tobacco products. The FDA began enforcing that provision in September 2009.

The agency has determined that, although labeled as little cigars or cigars, the products meet the definition of cigarettes in the Tobacco Control Act, because they are likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as cigarettes based on their overall presentation, appearance, and packaging and labeling. Additionally, since the products meet the definition of a cigarette, the FDA determined that the products are adulterated because they contain a natural or artificial characterizing flavor, or misbranded if they only purport to do so.

The FDA has requested the manufacturers respond to the warning letters within 15 working days of receiving the letter. Failure to obey federal tobacco law may result in the FDA initiating further action, including, but not limited to, civil money penalties, criminal prosecution, seizure, and/or injunction. The agency expects many of these products to remain available for purchase by consumers at retail establishments while the FDA works with the manufacturers to ensure the products are in compliance with the requirements of the law.

Consumers and other interested parties can report a potential tobacco-related violation of the FD&C Act by using the FDA’s Potential Tobacco Product Violation Reporting Form.

Congresswoman Clarke Calls on President Obama to Pardon Marcus Garvey

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Congresswoman Clarke Calls on President Obama to Pardon Marcus Garvey

 

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on a letter she and seventeen other members of the House of Representatives sent to President Obama calling on him to pardon civil rights leader Marcus Garvey.

“Marcus Garvey, born in Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, has inspired generations of leaders, from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to President Nelson Mandela. His efforts to organize the African Diaspora across nations in support of freedom and self-determination were critical to the movements for independence in Africa and the Caribbean and to the Civil Rights Movement here in the United States. When Marcus Garvey formed the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, most of the nations of the Caribbean were colonies of the British Empire, and African Americans in the United States – nearly forty years after the end of the Civil War – were effectively denied their human rights. Marcus Garvey offered to his people a different vision for the future and, even as we continue to work toward his dream, he would have been proud to witness our achievements.

Yvette Clarke

“Despite that legacy, however, Marcus Garvey has never been fully exonerated from racially-motivated charges of mail fraud. Recognizing that prosecutors and the government mishandled the case, President Calvin Coolidge commuted the sentence at the earliest possible opportunity. We believe that Marcus Garvey meets the criteria for a posthumous pardon, based on his efforts to secure the rights of people of African descent and the utter lack of merit to the charges on which he was convicted. We ask therefore that President Obama work with the Department of Justice to secure a pardon for this man of accomplishment and high distinction.”

 

Children’s Services Commissioner Gladys Carrion Resigns

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Children’s Services Commissioner Gladys Carrion Resigns

By Laura Nahmias, Politico.com

Administration for Children’s Services Commissioner Gladys Carrion is resigning from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, City Hall confirmed Monday.

In a letter dated Dec. 12, Carrion wrote that she decided to resign “after much thought and deliberation,” having come to the conclusion “that it is best for my well-being.”

“After 40 years of working on behalf of children and families, it is time for me to retire,” she wrote.

Carrion, who was well-regarded by many children’s welfare advocates, had come under increasing scrutiny in recent months after the high-profile deaths of two children who were involved with ACS: Six-year-old Zymere Perkins and three-year-old Jaden Jordan.

Carrion wept openly at a public City Council hearing in October this year as she discussed the Perkins case, which is under investigation by the City and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

De Blasio vowed reforms in the aftermath of Perkins’s death, and also defended Carrion against calls for her resignation at the time.

In a statement Monday announcing he had accepted her resignation, de Blasio said “Gladys has spent four decades serving the public with excellence and an unparalleled commitment to the children and families of New York. Gladys’ leadership and reforms have ushered in a heightened level of accountability and performance at the Administration for Children’s Services.”

The mayor said that a search is “already underway” for a successor, and “New Yorkers can rest assured that the Administration for Children’s Services will continue to be led by a passionate reformer who demands results.”

In her letter of resignation, Carrion wrote that “my decision in no way negates the tremendous strides that we as an agency have made.”

This year, ACS has been criticized in two separate city reports. A May report from the Department of Investigation identified problems with how the agency handles child abuse investigations. And a June audit by City Comptroller Scott Stringer identified 30 cases in which children under ACS supervision had died because of what Stringer identified as poor oversight and bad investigative work.

In a statement Monday, Stringer called Carrion “a dedicated public servant,” but added that the city is “failing our most vulnerable children. Whether its kids being put in dangerous foster care homes, cluster sites with serious violations, or commercial hotels where there are no services, the status quo is unacceptable.”

“City Hall must breakdown agency silos and put forward a clear, transparent plan for reform,” he said.

The deaths of Perkins and Jordan came as the city is opting to send fewer and fewer children into foster care. In Fiscal Year 2016, that number declined 10.6 percent from the previous year, from 11,098 in 2015 to 9,926 in 2016.

Perkins was allegedly killed by his mother’s boyfriend in late September. The boy’s mother, Geraldine Perkins, had been the subject of five separate ACS investigations over the course of her son’s life. ACS has suspended five staff members, pending the outcome of investigations into the circumstances that contributed to Perkins’s death.

Jordan, the three-year-old from Brooklyn, died last week after lingering in a coma following a severe beating from his mother’s boyfriend in late November this year. A tipster called to report suspected child abuse at the boy’s home, but gave the wrong address to ACS investigators.

City data shows that the caseload for ACS child protective workers has been increasing in recent years, from an average of 8.7 cases per worker in Fiscal Year 2012 to 10.6 in FY 2016. And the number of reported abuse or neglect cases also rose slightly last year, from 54,926 in 2015 to 55,329 in 2016, after declining for several years.

In a joint statement Monday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council General Welfare Committee chair Stephen Levin thanked Carrion for her work in the city and said, “In light of recent tragedies, it is clear that ACS must fully commit to working with the City Council to enact needed reforms to save lives and better protect families.”

Carrion will stay on until a replacement is found and she is not taking another position, so her departure is effectively a retirement from government, a city hall spokeswoman said.

 

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Extends Homeowner Protection Program By $20 Million

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Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Extends Homeowner Protection Program By $20 Million

By Kelly Mena

Yesterday at the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York State Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman joined elected officials and advocates to announce an additional $20 million in funding toward the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) to help struggling families avoid foreclosure rescue scams. The new grant program will go toward education, community outreach and referral services to New Yorkers struggling to meet their mortgage obligations.

“We are in the middle of a foreclosure crisis, and for many New Yorkers things are getting worse. New York State has the highest rate of homes in foreclosures in the nation at this time,” Schneiderman went on to state, “whenever people are in hard times, desperate people are primary targets of scammers…Foreclosure rescue scammers are swooping in, promising relief to foreclosure and a fresh start to families that are just worried sick. But what the home rescue scammers actually deliver is heartbreak and some even still homes from right under the rightful homeowners.”

Foreclosure rescue scams according to Schneiderman, tend to target minority groups and neighborhoods, particularly Black and Latino homeowners. They gain their confidence through offering the struggling homeowner(s) relief by offering to pay off their debt in return for the deed of their house. They then turn around and attempt to evict the original homeowner(s) in a bid to sell the property at a much higher price.

The new grant will specifically target education and awareness throughout New York state so that current at-risk homeowners will become more knowledgeable to the foreclosure rescue scams before they fall victim to these scammers.

Emilio Dorcely, President and CEO of Bridge Street Development Corporation, attributes the vulnerability of struggling homeowners not only lack of knowledge but also to homeowners own personal feelings of shame and pride in not being able to afford their home. “On a daily basis we see homeowners, in particular who are in trouble and need assistance from our counselors and without this much needed funding, we wouldn’t be able to provide that counseling. The other thing too is that the outreach is extremely important too because no matter how many people come to our offices, we find that we need to have very innovative and creative strategies to try to meet people where they are because a lot of people are embarrassed and ashamed about the situation they are in. Instead of reaching out for help, they sometimes don’t and that makes the situation even worse.”

Education seems to be the way to go according to Schneiderman and advocates who feel that all New Yorkers should be aware of their rights and options as homeowners.

Executive Director of the Neighborhood Housing Services of Bed-Stuy, Richard Trouth echoed these sentiments, “The foreclosure crisis has not gone away, and in some cases it has gotten worse…One thing’s that we found that was very effective was working with our churches. Working with the churches, they are able to go to their congregations and pastors, have a relationship with them where they [at-risk homeowners] will come out and let us know they’re in trouble…Being here at Cornerstone Baptist is a excellent and is going to be a big plus for the community…as Council Member Cornegy Jr said, Cornerstone will be the model and get out to other churches in the community who need to do this in order to reach suffering homeowners.”

HOPP was launched back in June of 2012 as a response to the high rate of foreclosures that were overwhelming New York state homeowners. The program has helped fund counseling and legal services and as well as free foreclosure prevention services to any at-risk homeowners, including direct advocacy with lenders, financial counseling and assistance preparing the complex documentation that homeowners need in order to submit applications for loan modifications, among many other services.

Schneiderman went on to state, “The key message today is that we are not going to stand by and let this happen. As long as I’m the Attorney General, I have a commitment to providing whatever resources we can and doing everything that we can to make sure no one loses their home.”

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