John Jay Alumni Association Newsletter (July 2010)

More than 2,800 students "walked the walk" across the grand stage of the Theater at Madison Square Garden during two commencement ceremonies on May 27. The newest group to enter the ranks of John Jay's alumni consisted of 62% female and 38% male students. According to data compiled by the Registrar's Office, 24.4% are white, 23.2% are black, 28.8% are Latino and 7.4% are Asian /Pacific. The class gift was given to Living Beyond Belief, an organization committed to saving lives by fostering HIV/AIDS prevention education. Honorary degrees were awarded to: Professor Taylor Branch of Goucher College whose award winning books have provided an in-depth history of the civil rights movement; Seymour Hersh whose investigative reporting has uncovered government abuse and cover up including the massacre at My Lai during the Vietnam War, CIA spying on American citizens, and the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison; and playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith whose work has created a new form of theater that is fundamentally committed to social justice and advancing community dialogue. The valedictorian, Gina Pagano, and salutatorian, Yulia Gracheva, who both graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA, are profiled in this month's Student Highlights below.

iPhone App

There's an App for That
John Jay is the first CUNY college to have a mobile app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. With this app you will be able get the latest sports news; check out the events, lectures and seminars; find a professor, read Alumni News and In The News (monthly faculty highlights); view our extensive library of videos on both iTunes U and You Tube; and much more. For details, click here . To get this free feature on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, download it from the iTunes Store by clicking here.

Summer Reading
Need a good read this summer? Why not try the latest issue of the College's J Journal? In the latest issue you can read about a woman who observes a man who may be a murderer; another woman, seemingly on the sidelines of life, is captivated by the deeds of a serial killer; as well as a man who enters a prison to conduct poetry-writing workshops, carefully observing incarcerated men at work. In this fifth issue of the journal, many of the pieces are about outsiders who carefully watch and listen. The critically acclaimed J Journal is the emblem of the creative connections between literature and criminal justice. To purchase a copy, or to subscribe, click here.

Events

John Jay Alumni, Friends & Family Day
Staten Island Yankees vs. Brooklyn Cyclones at Richmond County Bank Ballpark
Saturday, July 24, 2010 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

On Saturday afternoon, July 24, the John Jay Alumni Association celebrates its fourth annual Alumni, Friends & Family Day with the Staten Island Yankees with a special rate for all alumni! In the Battle of the Boroughs, the SI Yankees take on the Brooklyn Cyclones at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. The park is just a short walk (3 min.) from the FREE Staten Island Ferry and is easily accessible from the Verrazano Bridge (10 min.) or the Goethals Bridge (10 min.). Here's what you get for the special John Jay rate of $18:

* ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT freshly grilled hamburgers, hot dogs,
chicken sandwiches, soda & water
* FREE limited edition Staten Island Yankees cap
* FREE PlayBall game program for each member of your group
* All kids 12 years & under can run the bases for FREE after the game

For more information, please contact Sunil Persaud at 646.557.4674 or cpersaud@jjay.cuny.edu.

Richmond County Bank Ballpark
75 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301

Communities & Justice Conference:
Partnerships & Challenges for the 21st Century
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 8:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Thursday, July 29, 2010 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Sponsored by John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, and the Manhattan Borough President's Office, this two-day conference will focus on national trends in prosecution, crime prevention and criminal justice strategies. Panelists will include prosecutors, academics and community advocates from across the country. The event is free and is open to the public.

For conference details and to register, go to http://manhattanda.org/conference . For more information, call 212.335.9006 or email conference@dany.nyc.gov

John Jay College
899 Tenth Avenue
New York City

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Sunday, September 12, 2010 9:00 AM

Did you know that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime? You can help make a difference. Join us in the fight against breast cancer by participating in the 2010 Komen Race for the Cure. The JOHN JAY JAYWALKERS are once again registered as a team. Alumni, faculty, staff and students have participated in this worthwhile event for the past 17 years. In 2006, 2007, and 2009 the JAYWALKERS had the largest team in the College/University category.

Click here to sign up.

For more information, contact the JAYWALKERS Team Captain, Irene O'Donnell, at iodonnell@jjay.cuny.edu or 212-237-8540.

Central Park West
New York City

Alumni Spotlight

Captain Ed Carrasco (MA '99) of the NYPD just graduated – from Harvard's MPA program that is. He is one of a select cadre of officers to have received a public service fellowship from the Kennedy School through the department. "The NYPD tries to place at least one person into this program each year," he says. The program is highly competitive and one needs to apply to Harvard for acceptance. Carrasco notes that NYPD recipients have to have a minimum of seven years in service and must be in the supervisory ranks -- sergeants and above -- to qualify. What makes the NYPD's participation in this program unique is that, unlike other police agencies in the U.S., the department offers a paid educational leave to attend the Harvard program without a break in service.

Carrasco had just started his master's degree at John Jay when he joined the police department. He had attended St. Francis College as an undergraduate. "I wanted to go into law enforcement and when I asked my professors at St. Francis where I should go, the name that kept coming up was John Jay so I figured I'd go to the school that is the most internationally well known in criminal justice." And it was that decision that also kept him in the ranks of New York's Finest. "Going to John Jay for a master's was the reason I didn't go to the feds. I met so many people at the College from the department and made a lot of contacts. My classmates were older than me when I first started and many had been with the department for 10-15 years. I made a lot of friends. I still keep in touch with a few of them even though they have now retired. These people encouraged me to stay in the department. They guided me. They were mentors who shaped my career." It's now 15 years later and Carrasco says he made the right choices.

Carrasco describes Harvard's program as very well rounded. It has representatives from different industries, government officials, foreign nationals in government service, and academicians. "The program gives us different perspectives on how to approach problems, not just from a police point of view, but from the private sector viewpoint as well. We learn from one another and I am very grateful that the NYPD allowed me to have this wonderful opportunity."

This year's valedictorian, Gina Pagano (right), and salutatorian, Yulia Gracheva (left), both have a perfect GPA of 4.0. Pagano, who majored in forensic psychology, is interested in working with sex offenders and with those coping with trauma. The Queens native hopes to go on to a PhD in clinical psychology after first obtaining a master's in forensic psychology at John Jay. "I've always been interested in helping people," she says. "I feel people deserve if not a second chance, then at least a second look." Gracheva, who came to the U.S. from Russia in 2003, chose John Jay because she always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. She majored in political science and says she is particularly interested in taxation law and constitutional law. With her family in Russia, Gracheva notes that she "had to learn to count on myself and believe in myself." She credits the Writing Center with helping to improve her English and added that she has been "so blessed to have had great professors."