Russell Barlow

Indo-European Studies

B.A. expected June 2013

Home College: Brooklyn

Mentor: Prof. John Van Sickle, Classics, Brooklyn

Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship

Mary Costas Award, Outstanding Performance in Ancient Greek

Court Trinity Award

Tow Undergraduate Travel Stipend

Study Abroad Scholarship Association Travel Grant

Alice E. Kober Award

DAAD Graduate Scholarship

Fulbright U.S. Student Grant 2013

Russell Barlow began his undergraduate studies in the film department at Wesleyan and graduated in 2006 with a B.A. Immediately after he accepted a teaching job in Seoul. “Within a week of graduating I found myself studying the Korean alphabet on a plane. Although my plans at the time were uncertain, I knew at least that I wanted new experiences,” he says.

So began his travels and teaching experiences in Chicago, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Mongolia, Italy, Greece, Turkey, China and Japan. In the course of his travels, he realized he wanted to study Classics and Linguistics and eventually become a professor.

He came to Brooklyn College in 2010 to pursue his second bachelor’s degree in Classics and has immersed himself in the study of Greek and Latin since then, fashioning his studies into a degree in Indo-European Studies, a field that “demands interdisciplinary thought,” he explains. He started working right away with Professor Van Sickle who says of Barlow, “Having him as a student is a privilege. He shows distinctive intellectual maturity and promise.”

Barlow has recently been awarded a Fulbright Grant to conduct independent research combining historical linguistics with classical philology. (To accept the Fulbright, he had to decline the DAAD Graduate Scholarship.) He will enroll at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster, Germany in fall 2013, having previously participated in the university’s Classics and German program, an initiative designed to facilitate scholastic communication between Germany and the U.S. After that eight-week program, despite not having previously studied the language, Barlow was able to place into an advanced-level German course at Hunter College.

Upon his arrival in Germany, Barlow will participate in a seven-week intensive study of German at WiPDaF, a nonprofit language institute affiliated with the university. Then he will collaborate with Professor Michael Janda to research the relationship between Proto-Indo-European culture and ancient Greek metaphysical concerns, discovering cultural ideologies shared across different ancient linguistic groups. He says “I want to explore the undiscovered parallels among ancient Indo-European texts. Specifically, through linguistic analysis and comparison of Greek origin myths with Germanic and Indic traditions, I’d like to place Hesiod and the Homeric Hymns in a broader Indo-European context. My research will culminate in a dissertation revealing common metaphysical beliefs that underlie various Indo-European cosmogonies. My work in Germany will provide a unique opportunity for cultural and intellectual exchange, not possible by studying domestically. Not only does Germany lead the field of Indo-European Studies; it offers perspectives quite unlike those of the United States. I hope to bring to Germany an American linguistic perspective and to return to the U.S. with a German cultural perspective. The synergy of these viewpoints could lead to great advances in our understanding, not only of our earliest linguistic ancestors, but of billions of people living, thinking and speaking today.” Barlow plans also to continue studying Latin and Greek there and to begin to learn Sanskrit.

Barlow completed his degree with courses from Brooklyn and Hunter in Greek, Latin, German and Linguistics. He was awarded Brooklyn College’s Leonard and Claire Tow Undergraduate Travel Study Award to conduct research in Germany during winter 2013. He is graduating with a 4.0 GPA.

http://alh.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/2/441.full?keytype=ref&ijkey=oVzUUfpCcrij3Mz

Professor Allred has been at Hunter since 2005. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in nineteenth- and twentieth-century American literature, modernism, and literary theory, in addition to more specialized topics, such as “Documentary in Literature and Film,” “ABCs of Modernism,” and “Art/Work: Labor and Culture in the 20th Century US.”
Professor Allred’s book, American Modernism and Depression Documentary (Oxford University Press, 2010),  surveys the uneven terrain of American modernity through the lens of photo-documentary books, including work by James Agee/Walker Evans, Richard Wright, and Erskine Caldwell/Margaret Bourke-White.

He is the recipient of several grants and awards, including the Foerster Prize (awarded annually for the best article in American Literature), a year-long fellowship at the CUNY Center for the Humanities, and a Duncan Fellowship at the Ransom Center for the Humanities, and a Hunter Fellowship in Teaching and Technology grant for developing new web-based pedagogy.  He is currently working on a book manuscript entitled ABC of Modernism and “Novel Hacks,” an essay examining the history of the novel genre in light of the ongoing migration in reading from print to screen.

We are proud to have him as a CUNY Baccalaureate mentor!

April 2013

Participatory Budgeting in New York City (PBNYC) is seeking student interns to help implement this groundbreaking effort at participatory democracy and community engagement. Student interns are needed in the Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 semesters (or both if schedule permits) for City Council Member Interns. These positions will be coordinated by The Participatory Budgeting Project, and New York City Council Member Offices.

The internships are excellent opportunities for students interested in planning, policy, government, and community work. Students will develop knowledge and practical skills related to public spending, civic engagement, local politics, and community development.

Background on Participatory Budgeting
Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. PB gives ordinary people real decision-making power over real money. The process was first developed in Brazil in 1989, and has spread to over 1,500 participatory budgets around the world, most at the municipal level. They generally follow a basic process: needs assessment, deliberation, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation. First, community members identify spending ideas and priorities, and select budget delegates to represent their neighborhoods. With help from public employees, the delegates transform the initial ideas into concrete project proposals. Community members then vote on which projects to fund, and the city or institution implements the top projects.

Overview of Participatory Budgeting in New York City
PB in New York City (PBNYC) is an annual process that enters its third cycle in September 2013. Over eight months, residents in at least eight City Council Districts will exchange ideas, work together to turn ideas into project proposals, and vote to decide which proposals get funded. At least $1 million in discretionary funds will be allocated in each district.

PB will involve four main phases:
● Neighborhood Assemblies (September-October 2013) Residents in each district learn about the available budget funds, brainstorm initial spending ideas, and select volunteer budget delegates.
● Budget Delegate Meetings (October 2013 – March 2014) Budget delegates meet in issue committees to review project ideas, consult with technical experts, develop full project proposals, and prepare project posters and presentations.
● Voting (March-April 2014) Residents vote for which projects to fund in their districts.
● Evaluation, Implementation, and Monitoring (April 2013 on) City Council members work with the City to implement the projects that receive the most votes. Budget delegates, staff, District Committee and Steering Committee members evaluate the process and monitor the implementation of projects.

Internship Positions
City Council Member Internship
Interns will be exposed to the work of elected officials and their offices, and through PB will gain a unique perspective on the implementation of government reforms. They will learn how to lead public meetings and interact with community members in a civic setting. Student interns will work directly with City Council office staff and be supported by The Participatory Budgeting Project, the lead technical assistance partner for PBNYC. Interns will support implementation of participatory budgeting through the following activities:

Responsibilities:
● Conduct analyses on participating neighborhoods, develop or revise neighborhood profiles, and assist in the development of a strategy for outreach and public meetings
● Assist in coordinating local outreach committees
● Conduct canvassing and organizing activities to engage and mobilize community members, including working on social media and email campaigns, maintaining website and online participation platforms, and designing and disseminating outreach materials
● Facilitate public meetings and budget delegate meetings
● Document, compile, and organize project ideas submitted by the community
● Assist in determining project proposal eligibility, costs and feasibility with district staff
● Develop and maintain committee databases and Google Group
● Provide logistical support and staffing for public assemblies, budget delegate meetings, project expos, and voting
Ideal Candidate Profile
● flexible schedule, availability for evening meetings
● strong interpersonal skills
● volunteer coordination experience
● strong interest in community engagement and participatory democracy
● strong communication, writing, and organizational skills
● experience or interest working with local government
● strong skills working with Powerpoint, Word, Excel, Google Apps, and other relevant software and platforms
● ability to work independently
● proficiency in languages other than English

Additional Information
● Time commitment: 10-15 hours/week, with availability during evening and occasional weekend hours. Placements will begin in early September. Ideally, students will serve as interns for both the Fall and Spring semesters.
● Locations: The offices of City Council Members and partner organizations, and sites within the participating districts.
● Training and Oversight: All interns will attend an orientation in late August/early September, and participate in regular meetings and conference calls, which will be led by mentoring organization.
● This position is unpaid.
● For more information on PBNYC, see pbnyc.org

How to apply
If you are interested in these internship opportunities, please send a resume, cover letter and short writing sample to Pam Jennings at info@participatoprybudgeting.org by Friday, May 31. Please specify which NYC borough(s) or participating City Council District you prefer to work in.
We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds, including women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

Preference will be given to students who apply before May 30th.

The City University of New York (CUNY) is proud to partner with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to support the efforts of public housing residents in their pursuit of higher education at CUNY colleges.

Since 2005, the NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship Program has aided several CUNY students in achieving their professional goals. Annually NYCHA awards $1,000 scholarships to eligible residents who are enrolled full-time at CUNY colleges through two scholarship programs: The NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship Program and the Regina A. Figueroa Memorial Scholarship for NYCHA residents with disabilities.

If you are a NYCHA resident attending a CUNY Community or Senior College, you may be eligible to receive a $1,000 NYCHA – CUNY Resident Scholarship or the Regina A. Figueroa Memorial Scholarship.

We are pleased to announce the open application period for both scholarships. Approximately 10 scholarships will be awarded to eligible NYCHA residents. Completed applications must be received by NYCHA no later than June 14, 2013.

Eligibility Requirements

Scholarship applicants must:

• Be an authorized NYCHA resident
• Have a documented disability (only for Memorial Scholarship applicants)
• Be a sophomore, junior or senior student enrolled full-time in a CUNY Associate or Baccalaureate degree program
• Have a minimum 3.0 GPA
• Demonstrate financial need
• Submit a 500-word autobiographical essay

Go online to get an application.

www.nyc.gov/nychacunyscholarship or

www.cuny.edu/nychascholarship

The one-year fellowship begins August 2013. Fellows are paid a taxable stipend and receive a choice of paid health insurance plans. (Housing is not included.)

Fellows, who in addition to meeting all other stated requirements, must have one year service related work experience are paid a taxable stipend of $45,768.

• Eligibility Requirements 
• 2013 Application Timeline 
• Frequently Asked Questions 
• Instructions for Online Application 
• Link to the Application

NYC Service Fellowship
NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services
1 Centre Street, Rm 2425
New York, NY 10007
For additional information or questions, email us at:  urbanfellows@dcas.nyc.gov

AREAS: In the areas of media/multimedia, music/arts/culture/entertainment, politics/community/civic engagement, health and wellness, literature/writing, event production, and education.

DATES: Internships begin Monday, June 3 and conclude Friday, August 2.

COMPENSATION: No pay but you will receive college credit with proper paperwork from your school.

REQUIREMENTS: Must have good communication skills (both spoken and written), know how to research and organize, must possess serious leadership qualities and ability to learn quickly, and must be able to do 15-20 hours minimally each week.

For an application please email gee@bknation.org.

About Kevin Powell:http://www.kevinpowell.net/about.php

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, a public service sorority, was founded in 1913 on the campus of Howard University. There are over 200,000 predominantly African-American, college educated women in more than 900 chapters located in the United States and beyond. Brooklyn Alumnae was chartered in 1949. Each year, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter (BAC) provides over $30,000 in scholarship awards to qualified high school and college students who reside in the borough of Brooklyn. Most of our awards are renewable four-year scholarships, for those enrolled as full-time students with grade point averages of 2.5 each semester based on a 4.0 system, or its equivalent. A full Scholarship Application must be received by May 28, 2013.

Thomas Stathes

Historic Media Research and Conservation

B.A. expected June 2013

Home College: Queens

Mentor: Prof. Robert Kapsis, Sociology, Queens

Thomas Stathes is an internationally recognized collector, archivist and historian of early animated and silent films. Like most young children, he had a strong affinity for animated cartoons. His intense fascination with the art form moved him to begin researching the history behind it at an early age—even before starting preschool.

“I’ve had an almost lifelong fascination with film, especially animated and silent-era films. As a history buff, my interests in film are dynamic and pertain not only to the films themselves but also the times, climates, societies and production environments out of which all forms of media have been produced. My major focus on early animated films during childhood presented a problem; this was a field where there had been little or no major archiving efforts and thus works from this period remained difficult or impossible to study. I’ve made it my work to not only research this aspect of film history for my own enjoyment, but more importantly to locate early animated films and artifacts (1900-1928) and make them available to researchers and the general public. To date, two undertakings of which I’m most proud are the Bray Animation Project, an online research resource launched in 2011 and dedicated to a leading early animation studio, and a silent-era animation program I curated and provided for Turner Classic Movies in 2012.”

In 2011, Fox News Latino reported on Stathes: “The world’s largest collection of early [silent] animated films isn’t in a museum or library; it’s stored in the closet of a 21-year-old Cuban-American college student…”  He regularly supplies early animation to fans and scholars through his Cartoons On Film website, as well as through his “Cartoon Carnival,” 16mm film screenings held around the NYC area.

Stathes started college at Queensborough Community taking courses in Digital Art and Design and Visual and Performing Arts. He came to CUNY BA to build on his intelligence and skills and earn a degree directly related to his work and interests. “The program allowed me to take various courses related to film and history, as well as plenty of elective courses in different subjects, in a process and sequence that would have been difficult or impossible in a standard degree. The CUNY BA experience has been the only time when I felt my academic studies could be tailored to my unique intellectual interests, and for that I am highly grateful.”

Stathes has been a guest lecturer and substitute teacher at the School of Visual Arts, an intern at the Museum of the Moving Image, a consultant for The Library of Congress, and a volunteer for the Queens Historical Society. He completed his degree with undergraduate and graduate courses at Queens College. His post-degree plans are varied. He plans to continue his film history work and translate it into one or more professional practices or careers, including self-employment, in distributing historic films, teaching and working in archival and museum settings.

[photo credit: Joel Esquite]