Project PRIZE Program

September 3rd, 2020

Dear Project PRIZE Parent,

I hope this message finds you and your family safe and healthy!

It is with great pleasure that we are sending this communication to let parents and students know that the Liberty Partnerships Program, Project PRIZE (LPP-PP) was able to coordinate and offer an online Fall 2020 program. A variety of and engaging set of workshops has been scheduled for students, along with a series of workshops for parents and a series of college readiness workshops for seniors.

The fall 2020 program is Covid19 maintenance oriented and it intends to help students combat the fatigue they have experienced with online instruction, by providing continued practice and engagement, as they will have to advance by accessing online instruction, after schools and colleges reopen.

The Program is scheduled to begin on Saturday September 19^th and run through December 19^th. Please refer to the program dates attached. The schedule will be the same, 10:00am-2:30pm, with a lunch break from 12:00 to 12:30. Parents will be required to submit the attached consent form signed, for their children to participate in online workshops and meetings with their counselors only, if one has not been submitted in the spring or summer 2020. Every student is required to submit an admission application for every new program year. The registration schedule and the consent form can be completed at the Project PRIZE's website as well.

Attached you will find the schedule of workshops and their descriptions. Please select the workshops your child wishes to register for, select only one for the 10-12, and only one for the 12:30-2:30 timeslots, and return to us via email at LPP-ProjectPrize@qcc.cuny.edu . Registration starts on Tuesday, September 8^th, and will close on Wednesday, September 16^th, at 3:00pm.

Parents of children attending Campus Magnet, George Washington Carver, IS 192, and Forte Prep Academy partner schools do not need to upload academic records while completing the admission application. Students attending schools other than these, must upload their end of the year report card, transcript, and state test scores, while completing and submitting their applications. Students not submitting their academic records will not be registered.

Please be aware registration will be on a first come first served basis and classes will close as they fill. Please note that the selected workshops will be the workshops that the student will attend every Saturday of the fall term. No switching to other classes. Students will be able to register for different classes for the spring term.

As always, we expect parents and students to reach out to us with questions, or if they have technical or any other difficulties, or special circumstances and need to be out. Since we will be working remotely, I can be reached at Ynotalatif@qcc.cuny.edu.

Sincerely,

Yicel Nota-Latif
Director

It is the policy of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York, CUNY and of Queensborough Community College, QCC, one of its constituent colleges, to recruit, employ, retain, and promote employees without regard to gender, age, national or ethnic origin, alienage or citizenship, race, color, creed, disability, marital or veteran’s status, or sexual orientation. For students, it is the policy of the University to recruit, admit, and provide educational programs, access to financial aid, support services and athletics without regard to gender, age, national or ethnic origin, alienage or citizenship, race, color, creed, disability, marital,  veteran’s status or sexual orientation.

QCC is committed to providing all students with a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation or harassment.

No student will be subjected to harassment by fellow students at the Liberty Partnerships Program-Project PRIZE LPP-PP because of race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity).

QCC has in place multiple programs and policies designed to help overcome barriers to equitable access including an active Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, which is experienced in enabling accessibility of classes, and out of class services for students with a wide range of physical, learning, and other disabilities.

Any questions or issues regarding preventing or responding to discrimination or harassment will be directed to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. The office of Student Affairs has adopted the Taylor and Barnes (2009) approach to conduct management, which approach calls for:

1. A management program that is infused with conflict resolution pathways that are educationally based and meets institutions’ needs.

2. The establishment of a climate where each individual is respected and also accepts their obligation to the campus community.

3. Strict adherence to rules of moral, ethical, and psychosocial development to lay down the foundation for the development of young adults who are learning the values of integrity, judgement, compassion, personal responsibility, accountability and respect.

4. Viewing student conflict resolution and management not as an end in itself, but as a tool for affecting student growth and development to prepare students as productive, knowledge-generated and humane citizens of the world.

5. Upon hiring, all Project PRIZE staff will receive training on the LPP-PP Code of Conduct to discourage discrimination or harassment, raise awareness and sensitivity and ensure non-discriminatory instructional and counseling methods. They will be made aware that federal civil rights laws and regulations protect students from harassment by school employees, other students and third parties and will learn about the QCC and Dignity Act policy, including their potential responsibilities. In addition, the Research Foundation of CUNY, which employs all grant funded staff, mandates the completion of an online harassment training for all employees. LPP students, parents and staff will be invited to review the QCC-LPP-PP code of conduct posted in the LPP-PP webpage of the QCC’s website. Parents will receive a copy upon admission. Upon entrance to the program, all students and families will be informed of the LPP Code of Conduct, behavioral expectations and how to report any incidents.

The Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center and Archives is another resource for LPP-PP staff and students. One of the Center’s educational programs focuses on school based harassment, including hate crimes and uses the lessons of the Holocaust and other human atrocities to help students of all ages to fully understand these crimes committed in their schools or communities. The project is based on the belief that young people and adults who are taught how to manage inter-group conflicts, and promote peaceful relations within increasingly diverse society will ultimately become more culturally-sensitive community members and leaders of a society that values each and every human life. The Holocaust center is the only one of its kind in an educational setting in New York State. It serves 25,000 visitors and members annually, including QCC students, local residents, and the City’s public middle and high school students. Its mission is to educate current and future generations about the ramifications of unbridled prejudice, racism, and stereotyping. The center reaches out across Queens’ diverse cultures and languages to engage its communities and foster positive interaction among its residents, through in-school instruction, activities and visits. Project PRIZE will continue to schedule a visit to the center every year, where middle and high school students will learn alternatives to discriminatory or harassing attitudes and behaviors that increase awareness of and capacity to prevent and respond to acts of discrimination and/or harassment.

Thank you,
Yicel Nota-Latif
Project Director
Liberty Partnerships Program-Project PRIZE