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Six Sets of Twins in LIU Post Class of 2021 Interviewed by News12

News12 Long Island stopped by the campus of LIU Post to interview six sets of twins in the freshman class, an unprecedented number in the University’s history.

The twins are all Long Islanders, with varied interest in academics and athletics, spanning the spectrum of majors and minors.

“Reviewing college admission applications is a highly-individualized process where we take into consideration the merits of the entire person, from academics and athleticism to artistic talent and leadership,” said Rita Langdon, Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions. “Imagine our surprise when 12 of our freshman who were admitted to LIU Post’s highly competitive programs in accountancy, business, health sciences, and education, turned out to be siblings – actually 6 sets of twins! We are proud to welcome, from Long Island, the Barrelli, Boyer, Ginty, Fevola, Pyros, and Zimmer twins to LIU Post’s Class of 2021. They join freshmen from 27 states and 19 countries.”

The twins stopped by Mullarkey Hall to take part in a fun photo shoot. LIU Post supplied them with matching University shirts and they posed for several pictures together. The twins intermingled, meeting each other and sharing stories of hijinks in their past of twin pranks and talking to one another about the comfort of having a familiar face (in some cases, identical) on campus.

News12 aired the segment at the 5 o’clock hour. To view the segment, click here.

 

Steve Israel, Chair of the Global Institute at LIU, Pens NY Times Op-Ed After Las Vegas Massacre

Former Congressman Steve Israel, the Chair of the Global Institute at LIU, published an op-ed in the New York Times giving readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into why mass shootings don’t lead to new gun laws.

After the gun massacre in Las Vegas left 58 dead and hundreds wounded when a gunman opened fire from Mandalay Bay Hotel upon a country music festival below, many looked to the government to make sense of the country’s gun laws. Referring to his distinguished 16-year career in Congress, Israel laid out the stark realities of the Congress’ refusal to make any significant changes in gun laws, even as the country witnessed 52 mass shootings in that time span.

He cited three main reasons:

“First, just like everything else in Washington, the gun lobby has become more polarized. The National Rifle Association, once a supporter of sensible gun-safety measures, is now forced to oppose them because of competing organizations. More moderation means less market share. The gun lobby is in a race to see who can become more brazen, more extreme.

Second, congressional redistricting has pulled Republicans so far to the right that anything less than total subservience to the gun lobby is viewed as supporting gun confiscation. The gun lobby score is a litmus test with zero margin for error.

Third, the problem is you, the reader. You’ve become inoculated. You’ll read this essay and others like it, and turn the page or click another link. You’ll watch or listen to the news and shake your head, then flip to another channel or another app. This horrific event will recede into our collective memory.”

Israel urges voters to take action by voting for members of Congress who will stand up to the gun lobby and pass actionable legislation to stem the gun violence epidemic that has become commonplace.

Click here to watch Israel discuss the NY Times piece on CNN.

 

 

 

LIU Post Professor Quoted in New York Times Article on Addressing Racism in the Classroom

Dr. Shaireen Rasheed, PhD, Professor of Philosophical Foundations and Multiculturalism in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education, Information and Technology at LIU Post, was quoted in the New York Times in a piece discussing how teachers across the nation are incorporating the events in Charlottesville, VA into their classroom discussions.

Rasheed was quoted saying:

“As a professor who teaches a course on ‘Philosophies of Race’ I plan on integrating what happened in Charlottesville as part of my curriculum.

I think it is imperative that as educators we ask ourselves the following pedagogical questions: Is it possible to teach in a way that people will not be violent toward one another? In an attempt to make students racially literate, how can educators begin to undo racism and future oppression through the classroom experience?”

In an email in late September, Dr. Shaireen Rasheed said she had just taught a class on civil disobedience and the ‘take a knee’ debate. ‘What a time to be teaching! It’s a gift,’ she wrote.”

Dr. Rasheed had caught the attention of the NYT in an essay published in the Huffington Post August 21 titled, ‘Charlottesville and the Myth of the Neutral Classroom: Racial Literacy in Age of Trump.’ In the essay, she discusses the need to eliminate the false equivalency like that perpetuated by President Trump when he alleged there were ‘many sides’ to the Charlottesville protest.

“Unfortunately classrooms continue to reinforce a multicultural framework of tolerance, where teachers often are hesitant to condemn issues of racism, sexism and xenophobia by adhering to a neutral lens taking into account the ‘let’s all get along’ approach,” Rasheed wrote. “As educators, we must confront the concrete political realities of our times in our classrooms. Only then can all marginalized students be truly free in the fullest possible sense.”

Dr. Rasheed, who is a visiting scholar in the Department of Philosophy at Columbia University for the 2017-2018 academic year, participated in a panel discussion on this topic titled “Deconstructing Privilege in the Classroom: Teaching as a Racialized Pedagogy” at Teacher’s College at Columbia University on September 23. She is currently working on a co-authoring a publication on this topic as well.

Dr. Rasheed was also recently chosen to participate in the Fulbright Specialist program and will travel to Austria in November, when she will deliver a keynote speech at the University of Salzburg.

 

 

Newsday: LIU Post “among the area’s top destinations each fall” for foliage

A recent profile in Newsday of top Long Island fall foliage spots highlighted the arboretum at LIU Post as “among the area’s top destinations each fall.”

LIU Post is nationally recognized as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country. The scenic campus is famous for its magnificent formal gardens, rolling green lawns and 4,000 trees — some among the largest on Long Island. A 40-acre portion of the campus is designated as an arboretum which features more than 125 trees (some very rare).

Each tree is labeled with interesting horticultural facts and origin information. The trees are located along a self-guided walking trail that encircles the campus’ main academic buildings. One of the landmarks along the trail is the breathtaking Tudor mansion that was once the home of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. The arboretum is open to the public seven days a week from dawn to dusk, free of charge. The self-guided walking trail starts and ends at Hillwood Commons and lasts anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.

Arboretum Facts

Total Trees on Campus 4,000
Number of Species 120
Total Trees in Arboretum 126
Number of Species in Arboretum 71
Number of Tulips and Daffodils 75,000

 

To learn more about the arboretum, go to http://liu.edu/arboretum.

 

Brooklyn Paramount organ to be featured in final concert before renovation

One of the true treasures of LIU Brooklyn will be on display once more, when the one-ton Wurlitzer organ in the Paramount Gym – informally known as “the Beast” – will be played in a concert on Sunday, October 8.

Renowned organist Mark Herman will perform on the instrument – which includes more than 1,800 pipes and a 20-horsepower motor – in its last concert before the Brooklyn Paramount is restored to its former glory as a concert venue.

Click here to read more about the organ and the upcoming performance on New York magazine’s “Bedford and Bowery.”

Blackbird Baseball Featured on News 12 For Participating in Tunnel to Towers Run

Team Raises $2,286 for First Responders, Injured Service Members

From the LIU Brooklyn campus, you could see where the World Trade Center once stood, something does not go unrecognized by its baseball team. This week they found a way to give back.  The LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds baseball team was featured on News 12 Brooklyn for their participation in the 2017 Tunnel to Towers Run on Sunday, September 24.

The Tunnel to Towers 5k Run honors Brooklyn Squad 1 firefighter Steven Siller, who ran from the battery tunnel to the World Trade Center with sixty pounds of gear on his back after his shift ended on September 11, 2001 and gave his life saving others. Andrew Turner ‘18, infielder and senior, organized the event, telling News 12, “Being from New York, having a lot of New Yorkers on the team, it’s just something very important to us here.”

Turner saw the opportunity to run with the LIU Blackbird baseball team as a bonding experience for the team as well as a way to honor the heroes of 9/11.

“It’s a special meaning to be a part of something and give back to the people who sacrificed their lives. It means so much to do anything we can,” said head coach Dan Pirillo.

The team raised $2,286 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation which benefits first responders and catastrophically-injured service members.

 

LIU Post Student-Athlete John Pavacic Looks Ahead

The future looks bright for student John Pavacic ’18, who is studying climate change as an Interdisciplinary study in environmental science major, with a minor in mathematics.

Under the expert tutelage of the LIU Post environmental science faculty, Pavacic’s passion and curiosity for climatology and meteorology have grown exponentially.

The kicker/punter on the LIU Post Pioneers football team experienced a rewarding internship at Brookhaven National Labs that exposed him to a diverse range of science study and practice, helping to shape the focus of his study post-Post. He is preparing to pursue his PhD in planetary atmospheres after graduation.

“Basically, I want to look into studying the futures of crops and working for a company that delves into the production rates of crops, and determines how they will grow according to climate change,” Pavacic said.

While Pavacic’s internship at Brookhaven National Lab was in the renewable energy department, his curiosity took him all over the lab.

“What I really loved was that in your own time, you could explore other departments,” he said. “I wanted to check out the heavy ion colliders and talk to scientists and ask them questions.”

His work was mostly focused on the 32-megawatt solar farm, where he was immersed in field work, taking readings of solar radians or repairing instruments. He also learned a lot of computer coding at the lab, something he based a 10-week project on.

The internship experience definitely “helped shape my focus on where science is going and the technology behind it,” Pavacic said.

As he prepares for his last year at LIU Post, he is reflecting on the deep well of knowledge and expertise he received from the professors in environmental science.

“I love everyone in my department,” he said. “They’re all really cool people. Dr. Demaria is really passionate about climate change and inspired me. Dr. Scott Carlin is so knowledgeable about the social and economic aspects of climate change and how they will affect the future. They are all beyond what I ever imagined what they could be.”

 

LIU Post Alumna Christy Gardner stars at Warrior Games

Christy Gardner starred on the LIU Post field hockey team before sustaining severe injuries as a member of the U.S. Army.

In athletics, business, and just about every other field of endeavor, those who chase success are told to “go for the gold.”

Christy Gardner got it. No fewer than seven times, in fact.

Gardner, an LIU Post alumna who starred for the Pioneers field hockey and track and field teams before going on to serve in the U.S. Army, won seven gold medals at the Department of Defense Warrior Games in July, along with three silver medals. The Warrior Games feature athletic competitions for wounded veterans from across the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to Australia and the United Kingdom.

Gardner, who lost both legs and two fingers after being severely injured while on duty with military police in 2006, was featured prominently in ESPN’s coverage of the Warrior Games, with both a video profile and an interview with Jon Stewart appearing on the network. She lived up to her billing by competing in 11 events, including track, field, swimming, and seated volleyball competitions.

Following her standout performance, Gardner – who draws on her own experience to teach adaptive sports to military veterans – hopes to one day compete in the Paralympics, either in sled hockey (which does not currently have a women’s competition) or as a thrower.

Click here to read more about Christy Gardner at ESPN.

LIU Post students perform more than 1,100 hours of service during 2017 Orientation

One of LIU Post’s fastest-growing traditions introduced students to the spirit of the LIU Cares Initiative, as members of the Class of 2021 joined in the First-Year Service Initiative over Labor Day Weekend. The First-Year Service Experience has become a cornerstone of LIU Post’s Orientation activities, exposing new students to the powerful bonds between the University and its neighboring communities.

Over the course of three days, LIU Post students joined forces with the Youth Service Opportunity Project for a variety of service projects throughout Long Island and New York City. Students assembled toiletry kits for the homeless, cooked a meal at a senior citizens’ center, and planted flowers at the Garden City Bird Sanctuary. In total, LIU Post students contributed more than 1,100 hours of service.

LIU Cares is a multi-dimensional initiative across the University’s residential and regional campuses, giving students, faculty, staff, and alumni expanded access to evolving and active partnerships with community agencies and organizations. The LIU Cares initiative is an extension of LIU’s long-held tradition of volunteerism and community engagement, both locally and around the world. LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn are routinely named to the President’s Honor Roll for Community Service, with students performing tens of thousands of hours of service each year. For more information, visit LIUCares.org.

Olympian Brendon Rodney stays in Brooklyn, stays connected to LIU

As a Northeast Conference champion, an All-American, and the first Olympic track and field medalist in LIU Brooklyn history, Brendon Rodney has demonstrated that he knows how to get somewhere in a hurry.

He’s just not in any rush to leave Brooklyn.

The Ontario native graduated from LIU Brooklyn in 2016 with his master’s degree in exercise science – and went on to win a bronze medal with Canada in the 4×100-meter relay at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro – but he’s still making his home in the borough, and training with Blackbirds head coach Simon Hodnett as he continues his track career as a professional.

“I’ve won some, I’ve lost some,” Rodney said in a recent interview with News 12 Brooklyn. “It’s not like college, because everybody’s on the same talent level.”

Rodney has continued to distinguish himself as one of Canada’s elite sprinters, winning silver medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Ottawa in July. In each race, he finished less than a tenth of a second behind Andre De Grasse, the Canadian record holder in the 200. He went on to represent Canada at the IAAF World Championships in London in August, competing in the early rounds of the 100-meter dash and helping Canada reach the finals of the 4×100, where his team finished sixth.

As he continues to compete, Rodney is adjusting not only to the level of the competition, but also the schedule.

“Your schedule is never set,” Rodney said. “Today, I could be [in Brooklyn], and tonight I could get a call saying that in two days I have to go across the world. I just have to do it, because that’s the job.”

While his job takes him around the world, and he represents Canada, Rodney still calls Brooklyn home. He’s remained involved in the community, bringing gifts to a local children’s hospital at the holidays, and talking with children about his experiences at LIU and at the Olympics.

“Every day, I represent them,” Rodney said of his adopted community. “I’m happy that they can acknowledge my accomplishments as much as I can acknowledge what they’ve done for me to get me to where I am.”

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