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Interview With The Dean (cont'd) Michelle Pinkham – PM
Orlando Suazo – OS
OS: How did you know Nyack College would be the right fit?
PM: Well I have been keeping track of Nyack since I left, because it’s important to me. I started have experiences at other colleges, and found that professors all over the United States don’t invest in their students the way Nyack professors do. So I got out with all these great professors and great mentors, and I wanted to be apart of a school like that because I felt it was so essential my own becoming of an adult-ness. One exciting thing that draws us back is the campus mentoring team, and how we are moving more and more professors and staff members onto campus or close to campus. Cause’ I just think you need to watch people lives; you need to watch us live our lives so we can show you we are what we say we are. It not just something to emulate, but it also gives you something to say like, “Wow! I can be a human being. Wow! I can make mistakes. Wow! I can yell at my kids, and still be loved by God.”
OS: How do plan to improve relations between students and administrative staff?
PM: Well I hope I’m not in my office all the time. I hope people see me in the cafeteria and feel comfortable coming up to me, and say, “Here what I’m thinking about.” There are a couple of things I’ll like to do structurally with the SGA (Student Government Association). I would love us split SGA, Student Government and Student Activities board. You to have a group of student to come together and have a good time, but you also need to have a group come together a representing you. I don’t think as students you could be doing both at the same time. Not because you’re not smart, just because you’re busy. So I just think if we split those two things first we would have a great number of student that would get to serve in leadership positions which I think would be great, and second both of those things would get done. I hear open forum feels very static because a lot of the questions have to be asked in advance. I think one reason that is because it keeps that one person who as an agenda that no body wants to hear again, from monopolizing that entire conversation. So it actually helps the students get their voice heard. What it feels like is everyone is reviewing they are all trying to come up with the right answer, so that they can have the status quo. That’s not necessarily true, what it really is doing is keeping that one person from monopolizing the conversation that is not always worth your time, when you want to hear answers to your questions. What I would really like to do is meet in smaller groups, maybe in groups of 12 sitting around in a room having coffee talking about what they think students need, and hearing that. I view the student handbook as a living document and think it should change every year.
OS: (I laugh) the living word.
PM: Well I think the bible is a living document, and God is still writing the story of his people. So why can’t the handbook also be a living document? Why can’t it be something that is not static? That grows, changes, and moves depending on the student population.
OS: Do you believe you will be able to handle all the students with the many diverse backgrounds?
PM: (laughs) Well I’m pretty sure at the cafeteria in the kingdom of heaven people don’t sit at different tables. I’m pretty we are called to be a refection of the kingdom of heaven. Certainly when I came here Nyack wasn’t as diverse then as it is now, but also certainly when I came here, I came from a college of about three thousand students. We had one African American kid, some Asian kids of whom some where adopted. Then I came to Nyack and by best friend was Columbian, and her boyfriend was Cuban. Suddenly I was in New York City, one of the most diverse places on the planet, and it was the coolest thing I ever experienced. I even feel like I have a stronger body image then my friends who I went to school with in the Midwest because of Nyack College. Because of my friends who were Black, Latina, and la-la-la-la across the board. We were like whatever this is the way my body was made. So I love it (diversity), but one of the things that concern me is chapel. Like why are all the white kids up in the bleachers and all the black kids in the middle, then there is the Asian population in the right hand corner. Why are we all separated out? To truly be the body of Christ it means we have to learn from one another. It doesn’t mean we all have to be the same. I don’t believe in a melting pot where everyone becomes the same metal. That’s not ok. Unless we don’t interact with one another we can’t learn from the diversity that exists.
OS: Myspace friend or foe?
PM: I think it’s more likely foe, just because of how we use it. What I think students need to realize is when you go out to be employed and you have pictures of yourself on the web. Employers will Google you, they will find your myspace page, they will find your Facebook page. There is a way in, it is not private. So however you present yourself is the way employers will see you. So you can go in for a job and they will look you up, find you, and myspace you right out of the job. I just think that it gets a little used up on both sides. I’m not a fan of spying on Facebook and Myspace. I have a Facebook, but I don’t regularly go on other people’s Facebook to see what they are up to. Sometimes Facebook and myspace are way too impersonal. Its quick commutation, but I know quick commutation can also lead to quick mis-commutation, and that leads to drama that can last a long time. Rather then me getting up from a chair and talk to a person face to face.
-END
Getting into some action
 There as been some talk between Orlando Suazo, programming manager of WNYK 88.7, and Mrs. Suzanne Toliao, Assistant Director of Compass (formally know as the department of 1st year studies), getting together. “We want the freshman to have a blast when they get here,” says Orlando Suazo, programming manager. WNYK wants to host a dodge ball tournament, where prizes such a WNYK tee shirts, balls, bottles, grand such as DVD’s. Nothing is set in stone as of yet but things are looking up for the station. “Are main goal is to reach the younger audience, so we can bring back WNYK,” states Orlando. Being out for almost two year the station as lost much of its appeal with the students here at the college, some of who didn’t even know the school had a radio station. “ It’s time for a huge change that this school, and time to get more students involved.”
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Nyack, NY
Updated Tuesday, March 09, 2010 11:56 PM
Clear | 36°F | High: 52°F
Low: 36°F
Wind: 6 mph
Humidity: 75%
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Thursday
51° / 42° |
Friday
50° / 44° |
Saturday
49° / 41° |
Sunday
49° / 35° |
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| Nyack Warrior's End of the Year Review We all know that our teams haven’t done so well. The one thing we could say for all the teams are great sportsmanship, but there is one other, improvement. We have seen each team grow significantly over their season. This growth brings high expectations for next year. With the arrival of new freshman we are expecting this past year’s freshman turned sophomores to step up. We have seen a ton of freshman stars such as Eric Martinez, men’s soccer player, who led the freshman in Goals and Points. Kelsy McIntosh who led the woman’s basketball teams with 10 PPG, 3 RPG, and leading the team in 3 point shooting. We Can be sure to watch these and alike step up when it becomes game time. I am not seeing another championship, but maybe we will get close to it. |
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