John Jay Alumni Association Newsletter (May 2010)

Rewarding Justice
"We are here this evening to honor those who have devoted their lives to helping individuals for whom justice seemed like a distant dream," noted Academy-Award winning actress Ellen Burstyn who served as mistress of ceremonies at the College's 2010 Justice Award Ceremony held on April 6. In a truly elegant affair attended by members of the John Jay community along with elected officials, public leaders and other officials, the College bestowed its highest honors on the The Innocence Project, The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, and Leymah Gbowee. The National Leader for Justice Award was presented to Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld of The Innocence Project by actress and activist Mia Farrow who noted that "with DNA testing as its weapon, The Innocence Project seeks to right the wrongs in our imperfect legal system by offering the wrongly accused a path to justice." Rossana Rosado, publisher and CEO of El Diario/LaPrensa, presented the Community Leader for Justice Award to Kara Hartzler of the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project for providing legal assistance and social services to those detained and awaiting deportation in Arizona. Burstyn presented The International Leader for Justice Award to Leymah Gbowee whose charismatic leadership and organizing skills led her to rally Christian and Muslim women in prayer vigils and demonstrations that promoted the peace talks that led to the end of the brutal civil war in Liberia during the regime of warlord President Charles Taylor. The ceremony was punctuated with musical interludes by soprano Indira Mahajan, baritone Eric Greene and internationally-acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell. The John Jay Justice Awards are made possible through a generous donation from Richard J. Tarlow, a member of the John Jay College Foundation.

Honoring Public Service
The Distinguished Public Service Award for outstanding contributions to public service was given to John Jay President Jeremy Travis by the School of Criminal Justice of the State University of New York at Albany. The award ceremony took place as part of the 26th Annual John E. Burton Lecture ceremony on April 20. Before his appointment at John Jay, Travis served as a senior fellow in the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center where he launched a national research program on prisoner reentry. From 1994 to 2000, he directed the National Institute of Justice. Prior to his service in Washington, he was deputy commissioner for legal matters for the NYPD, special advisor to former NYC Mayor Edward Koch, and special counsel to the Police Commissioner of the NYPD. Before entering city government, Travis spent a year as a law clerk to then U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg. His career in criminal justice began as a legal services assistant for the Legal Aid Society. The award recognizes notable individuals who have dedicated their careers to serving the people of New York.

Recent Developments in High-Rise Building Evacuation
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Sponsored by the Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies, this event brings together distinguished panelists to discuss the latest developments in this rapidly-evolving field. The topics are: "Use of Elevators for High-Rise Evacuation" presented by Professor Norman Groner of the Department of Protection Management; "New Code Provisions, Local Legislative Update, and New Technologies to Assist in Planning and Incident Response" presented by Jack Murphy of the Fire Safety Directors Association of New York; and "Security Risk in High-Rise Buildings" presented by Lieutenant Commander David Kelly of the NYPD Counter Terrorism Division.

For more information, contact Berlyn Morales at bemorales@jjay.cuny.edu or 646.557.4430.

John Jay College
555 West 57th Street, Room 614 BMW
New York City

Race & Justice Lecture Series
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 12:30 Noon - 2:00 PM

The Center on Race, Crime, and Justice; the Graduate Studies Program; and the Doctoral Program in Criminal Justice invite you to "We Are More Than Beads & Feathers: We Are the New Faces of An Ancient People" by John Sanchez, Associate Professor, College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University.

RSVP to Nicole Hanson at rcenter@jjay.cuny.edu or 212.484.1151.

John Jay College
555 West 57th Street, Room 615-616 BMW
New York City

Graduate Lecture Series
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 5:45 PM - 7:30 PM

The second lecture of the Spring 2010 series is "Ritual and Signature in Serial Sexual Homicide" presented by Professor Louis Schlesinger of the Department of Psychology.

For more information, contact Petula Bailey at pbailey@jjay.cuny.edu or 646.557.4518.

John Jay College
445 West 59th Street, Room 1311N
New York City

Police Week Reception in Washington, DC
Monday, May 10, 2010 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

President Jeremy Travis, Alumni Association President Michael McCann (BA '74, JD), Washington, DC Coordinator Daniel Cabrera, Jr. (BS '88, MP '93) and the Alumni Board cordially invite all John Jay alumni to a special Open House during Police Week 2010 in Washington, DC. Professor David Kennedy, Director of John Jay's Center for Crime Prevention and Control, will be the guest speaker. Refreshments will be served.

RSVP to Jerylle Kemp, Director of Alumni Relations at jkemp@jjay.cuny.edu. Please be sure to provide your full name, degree(s), graduation years(s) and your email address. For more information, call 212.237.8547.

Casa Italiana Hall
595 Third Street, NW (at 3rd & F Streets)
Washington, DC

Lecture Series:
Justice and Injustice in 1950s America
Monday, May 10, 2010 7:00 PM

This series features some of the most distinguished artists and historians working in America today to explore the various efforts to achieve justice in the United States during the 1950s. The evening's lecture will be "Talk Back -- How Far Have We Come?" by Visiting Professor of Economics Michael Meeropol, PhD.

Admission is Free. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.

John Jay College
899 Tenth Avenue, Room 630T
New York City

Lecture Series:
Justice and Injustice in 1950s America
Monday, May 17, 2010 7:00 PM

This series features some of the most distinguished artists and historians working in America today to explore the various efforts to achieve justice in the United States during the 1950s. The evening's lecture will be "Summing Up" by Visiting Professor of Economics Michael Meeropol, PhD, who hosted this series.

Admission is Free. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.

John Jay College
899 Tenth Avenue, Room 630T
New York City

Ninth Biennial International Conference
Societies in Transition: Balancing Security, Social Justice and Tradition
Wednesday through Saturday, June 2 - 5, 2010

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in partnership with the Advisory Council of Human Rights of the Kingdom of Morocco and Hassan II University of Mohammedia Casablanca, is pleased to announce this biennial international conference in the City of Marrakesh. The conference, designed to promote an international and interdisciplinary understanding of justice issues in their broadest sense, aspires to bring together scholars, practitioners, government leaders, police officials, advocates and international organizations.

The conference will be held in the Royal Mirage Marrakesh Hotel. A block of rooms has been reserved for conference participants at a special rate. Full-conference registration (until May 1, 2010) is $350. Late registration (after May 1) is $400. Full registration includes reception, plenary addresses, sessions, three conference lunches and a gala dinner.

For more information about the conference, hotel rates, and to register, go to http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/ic/.

Royal Mirage Marrakesh Hotel
Marrakesh
Morocco

John Jay Alumni, Friends & Family Day
Staten Island Yankees vs. Brooklyn Cyclones at Richmond County Bank Ballpark
Sunday, June 20, 2010 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM

A Special Father's Day Outing! On Sunday afternoon, June 20, 2010, 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

Alumni Spotlight

Fabriana Araujo (BA '09), became the first John Jay graduate to win a prestigious internship at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Born and raised in Brazil, Araujo relocated to the United States with her family in 2000 and began attending John Jay in 2004 where she majored in international criminal justice. Araujo will be working in the Victims and Witness Unit of the court's Office of the Public Counsel for Victims, where she will develop policy papers, conduct research and analyses of political, legal and social issues as well as provide support, protective and logistical services to victims and witnesses who appear before the court. According to Professor Rosemary Barberet, interim director of the new master's degree program in International Crime and Justice, "Araujo's new duties will combine her training in criminal justice, her experience as a paralegal in the immigration law firm of Wildes & Weinberg, P.C. and her fluency in Portuguese, Spanish and English. She is very passionate about international criminal justice." Araujo hopes to attend law school following her internship at the world court.

In yet another first, sophomore MaryBeth Apriceno was the College recipient of the prestigious Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship. A second-year student in the John Jay Honors Program, Apriceno is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society and is an experienced community service volunteer who has also served as a guide or representative for a variety of college events. The three-year fellowship offers paid summer internships, mentoring and enhanced educational opportunities to New York City undergraduates who demonstrate exceptional promise, outstanding leadership skills and commitment to the common good. The fellowship program was established by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation in 1999 and this year, John Jay was one of only 12 New York City institutions invited to compete for 15 fellowship openings.