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With Special Thanks...
to Alumni Executive Board member, Chief Ronald Spadafora, BS'86, Assistant Chief, Chief of Logistics-FDNY, for a fascinating presentation on training young people in South Africa's Working on Fire Program (WoF) at the recent SEEK/UMI Orientation. The images of teamwork, discipline, emerging leaders, and joy at graduation revealed qualities common to both WoF trainees and John Jay students. The country's physical beauty as background for the training program was amazing. Thank you, Chief Spadafora, for giving back so generously to our students.
Jerylle M. Kemp, Director of Alumni Relations
Building the College's Future Brick by Brick
Join the growing ranks of alumni taking the unique opportunity to leave their mark upon the College by purchasing a brick ($250 or $500), a tree ($1,000) or a bench ($5000) on the Jay Walk, a 60,000 square foot esplanade that will link Haaren Hall to the new building on 11th Avenue. It's a way to both commemorate a significant person in your life as well as provide needed scholarships for our students through a tax-deductible donation. To learn more about this campaign, click here or call 212.237.8688.
Inconsistent Policy Causes Rights Violations
A study co-authored by John Jay faculty members Delores Jones-Brown and Jon Shane revealed inconsistent policies governing the use of confidential informants in New Jersey at all levels of government. Released by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project, the report found that such inconsistencies have led to violations of informants' rights and compromises in the integrity of criminal investigations. "Because the practice of using informants in criminal investigations has such a long history with support from state laws and judicial decisions, we were surprised to find that the policy governing informant use in the state is so disorganized," said Professor Delores Jones-Brown, lead author of the report and director of John Jay College's Center on Race, Crime and Justice. "Though our sample size was small, it was disturbing to find that more than half of the officers surveyed were unclear about the requirements for the proper use of informants."
Police departments across the country have come to rely on informants as a primary way to pursue drug investigations, but their improper use has led to serious problems. After seeing the sometimes-tragic outcomes in other states, including the deaths of innocent people, the ACLU-NJ in 2007 began to look into New Jersey's handling of informants, a group frequently utilized in law enforcement but rarely reported on in larger society. In some of those national cases, confidential informants gave false information under pressure, resulting in police busts of innocent people with guns drawn, sometimes with tragic results, or false arrests. The researchers discovered that some departments throughout New Jersey failed to put agreements in writing, circumvented search warrant requirements, used juveniles improperly, and insufficiently checked the reliability of information given by confidential informants, who can be motivated by financial incentives or fear of prosecution, among other reasons, to fabricate information. Worse, many departments reported their belief that no policies existed, including the mandatory protocols issued by the Attorney General.
Jones-Brown and Shane, who is also a retired captain from the Newark, NJ Police Department, issued recommendations to create uniform policies at all levels and to thoroughly train officers and prosecutors. In response to the report, at least three New Jersey counties – Morris, Salem and Cumberland – have already begun to reform their policies, starting after their review of an early draft.
John Jay College Alumni, Friends and Family Night with the Staten Island Yankees
Friday, August 5, 2011 7:00 pm
On Friday evening, August 5, 2011, the Alumni Association celebrates its 5th annual Alumni, Friends & Family Night with the Staten Island Yankees! On this day – which is also "Law Enforcement Appreciation Night" -- the SI Yanks take on the Brooklyn Cyclones! Our special ticket price -- $20 per person – includes your admission ticket ... AND ...
* ALL -YOU-CAN-EAT freshly grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, soda & water
* FREE limited edition Staten Island Yankees cap
* FREE Play Ball game program for each member of your group
* SPECTACULAR Post-game Fireworks!
* ALL KIDS (12 years & under) can run the bases for FREE after the game
PLEASE RESERVE YOUR TICKETS. SEATS ARE LIMITED! You may order by purchasing online (www.siyanks.com/groups ; password jjay ) -- or by calling the John Jay Hotline: 718.313.1346
For more information, contact John Jay Group Rep Evan Doyle (718.313.1346; Fax: 718.273.5763)
We look forward to seeing you there!
Richmond County Bank Ballpark
75 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301
John Jay College 9/11 Commemoration
John Jay College will commemorate the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 with a series of events at the College:
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Dedication Ceremony honoring
The 68 members of our community who perished that day.
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1:30 pm |
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Guantanamo Lawyers Panel
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5:00 pm
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Friday, September 9, 2011
The Cultural Panel
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11:00 am |
Saturday, September 10, 2011
The Historical Panel
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4:30 pm |
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Muslim-American Post 9/11 Experience Panel
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7:30 pm |
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9/11 After Ten Years: Cultural, Personal and Historical Perspectives
Friday, September 9, 2011 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
This conference will explore 9/11 in cultural and historical memory with three panels and smaller breakout sessions.
Presenters include survivors and family members of 9/11:
* Reverand Myrna Bethke
* Gerry Bogacz
* Sally Regenhard
* Bruce Wallace
With scholars and writers including:
* Robert Jay Lifton,
* Charles B. Strozier,
* Moustafa Bayoumi,
* Louis Bickford,
* Karen Joy Greenberg,
* Susie Linfield,
* Karen Malpede,
* Sally Regenhard,
* Jaspreet Singh
* Amy Waldman
Sponsored by the Center on Terrorism, John Jay College, CUNY
terrorism@jjay.cuny.edu
In collaboration with:
York College, CUNY
United Sikhs
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies, John Jay College, CUNY
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
899 10th Avenue
Room 630
New York City
Free and Open to the Public
The 9/11 Performance Project
A counter-narrative of the past ten years with an acclaimed revival and two world premieres at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater. Each performance will be followed by a panel discussion.
Demolition of the Eiffel Tower
World Premiere
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Friday, September 9, 2011
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7:30 pm |
Saturday, September 10, 2011
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12:00 pm |
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| The Domestic Crusaders |
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| Saturday, September 10, 2011 |
4:00 pm |
| Sunday, September 11, 2011 |
5:00 pm |
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Another Life
World Premiere
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| Saturday, September 10, 2011 |
8:00 pm |
Sunday, September 11, 2011
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1:30 pm |
For further ticket and performance information, please visit:
www.jjay.cuny.edu/theater
In the 1970s, with New York City on the verge of economic collapse and the NYPD in the midst of a hiring freeze, alumnus Dennis Kessler (BS '70, MA '74) was forced to give up his dream of a career in law enforcement. However, the other path he chose has led him to become a prominent businessman and philanthropist. His company, Kessler Restaurants LLC, is one of the largest employers in Upstate New York.
According to Kessler, 63, until John Jay opened in 1964 there was really no academic curriculum for non-police to learn about law enforcement. "So much happened at John Jay in the 1970s," said Kessler. "Those were tumultuous days. We didn't have a home, but we had a really fine faculty. People were really dedicated to the growth of this nascent college." Kessler took the NYPD exam after graduating. While waiting for the department to appoint him, he completed a master's degree in Sociology. Kessler taught at Brooklyn College for the next five years and worked on a doctorate at New York University. But he never completed his dissertation. Instead, Kessler went to Yale Law School and graduated with a Master of Studies in Law.
"I left my desire to be a police officer, because of the hiring freeze and the 1970s," he said. "I got an opportunity to come to Rochester and go into business with my brother and open something new called a fast-food restaurant." In 1975, Kessler and his brother owned one Burger King. They now own 21 Burger King and 49 Friendly's restaurants. The company, based in Rochester, NY, employs some 3,000 people and is the 74th largest restaurant chain in America.
A Kessler Family Burn and Trauma Unit at the University of Rochester Medical Center, of which Kessler is a trustee, opened in 2004. He also heads the Department of Entrepreneurship at the Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester.
Recently, Kessler earned an advanced law degree at Northwestern University. "I remember some very fine faculty at John Jay," he said. "Dorothy Bracey, Marcia Yarmous, there were a lot of good people...I think very fondly of Larry Kaplan -– he was a very fine man."
Joseph Onwu, president of John Jay's Student Council, missed his own graduation ceremony in June for one very good reason: a five-week fellowship in Paris. The Humanity in Action Fellowship is just one of the special opportunities that Onwu, 20, has taken advantage of while at John Jay. In fact, he has received practically every scholarship and award that the College has to offer, including the Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship; John Jay's Thurgood Marshall Scholarship; and the Vanguard Scholarship. Onwu is also a member of the Law Society; the NAACP College Chapter; and the African Students Association. He will graduate with a GPA of 3.7. A native Nigerian who was raised in the Bronx, Onwu is graduating with a Bachelor of Art in Political Science and triple minors in English, History and Philosophy. After his five weeks in France, he will return to the United States for a one-year internship that is the second part of the fellowship. "You have a community-service project you have to design and implement it in a year's time," Onwu said. "There are internship locations in Washington, DC, and San Francisco at different government agencies. I have not decided where I want to go." As president of John Jay's student council, Onwu played an instrumental role in the College's Legacy 2011 project. All of this year's graduating seniors will give $1 to John Jay's Alumni Foundation and pledge to give another $1 for each of the next five years. "This initiative will strengthen the alumni relations at the college and inform the graduates that they are about to enter alumni status," he said. "That's something I'm really proud of. I will remember this as part of my legacy." Onwu, who plans to attend law school, said he hopes there is a future for him as a lawmaker in Nigeria.
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