John Jay College Alumni Newsletter



		Together In Grief At all the entrances to the College, a photo of Imette Saint-Guillen with her beaming smile can be seen next to flowers and journals in which are inscribed hundreds of heartfelt condolences for her family written by fellow students, faculty and staff. The writings speak of her friendliness, her academic achievement, and how she touched the lives of so many. The 24 year old graduate student, just shy of graduation, was brutally attacked, sexually assaulted and killed on February 24 – her bound body abandoned along a parkway in a secluded section of Brooklyn. The death of Saint-Guillen not only shocked and saddened the John Jay community, but struck a chord throughout the country with the national news media extensively covering her murder. The benevolence of anonymous donors who are affiliated with the College, as well as John Jay student Ryan Kocher and his family, has enabled the College to post a reward of $30,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her assailant(s). On March 12, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced that DNA evidence linked her murder to Darryl Littlejohn, a career criminal, who worked as a bouncer at the bar where she was last seen alive. He was indicted on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder on March 22. At John Jay, Saint-Guillen’s life will be remembered through a scholarship fund established by the local chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the criminal justice national honor society. The Association for a Better New York (ABNY) and the New York Daily News have joined the College in co-sponsoring a $250,000 fund-raising drive to establish an endowed scholarship. The Rudin family, well known for its philanthropic generosity, has committed an initial $25,000 and the ABNY Foundation and The Daily News have also contributed $10,000 each to start the effort. Jules B. Kroll, President of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Foundation, has just announced a $25,000 commitment to the scholarship fund and Bear Stearns raised more than $10,000 in one day from its trading floor. President Jeremy Travis said, “This will be a living tribute, in perpetuity, to her great accomplishments at John Jay.” Those who wish to contribute to the fund should make their checks payable to the John Jay College Foundation/Imette Saint-Guillen and mail them to Tova Friedler, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, 899 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY 10019. There will be a memorial service for Imette Saint-Guillen on April 7 at 6:00 PM at the College, 899 Tenth Avenue, NYC. Reducing Disorder With support from The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the New York City Department of Correction, John Jay College will be engaged in a demonstration project that will specifically target inmates at Rikers Island who exhibit severe behavioral problems. Inmates who have borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently exhibit problematic behaviors including self-harm, violence towards others and failure to conform to institutional rules. The project, spearheaded by Professor Michelle Galietta of the Psychology Department, will culminate in the creation of two Intensive Management Units (IMU) within the Mental Health Program on Rikers Island. The primary interventions to be employed include a jail-based adaptation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Pharmacotherapy. John Jay will develop the IMU Program Manual and also provide staff training and program evaluation.


		Celebrating Black History Isabella Riojas was the proud recipient of a $1,000 scholarship presented at the 16th Annual Malcolm/King breakfast sponsored by the College’s African American Studies Department last month. Riojas, a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, received the highest GPA in courses that relate to ethnic studies. She is majoring in forensic psychology and expects to receive her BA in June. In addition to her course work, Riojas has worked with a number of at-risk populations. She has examined risky sexual behavior patterns among African-American females and, as an intern, recruited non-schizophrenic adolescent male cannabis smokers for a study on the interaction between marijuana abuse and the early onset of schizophrenia. Riojas has also worked with students who were at risk for dropping out of high school as well as providing support to female survivors of domestic violence. The event honored Dr. Basil Wilson, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and retired Vice President of Student Development Roger Witherspoon. The breakfast also featured the seven-time Emmy Award winner, Gil Noble, host and producer of the long running news show, “Like It Is.” Noble, who grew up in Harlem, described how the civil rights movement transformed him and the nation into a state of “wakefulness” about the true nature of the black experience in America. Shots Fired John Jay’s rifle team brought home the gold for the fourth consecutive year winning the Mid Atlantic Rifle Conference championship last month held at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. The Bloodhounds beat out Penn State by 21 points with a John Jay record of 2160 in the air rifle competition. They scored a second place finish in the small bore competition with a score of 2015. The Bloodhounds Co-ed Rifle Team, coached by Vince Maiorino, was led by Olena Byvalets, Fawn Gross, Evgenia Sklianskaya and William Birmingham.


		Khalfani (Keith) Omari Fullerton (BS ’83) Kalfani (Keith) Omari Fullerton was always an activist. As Vice President and then President of the Student Council, he wanted to leave a legacy after his graduation in 1983 – something that would benefit future students. That legacy is John Jay’s Children’s Center, which has provided services to student parents for the last 21 years. At the time, an increase in the student activity fee had been proposed. Fullerton, along with his slate, would only lend their support for the increase if money was set aside as to start the program. Providing day care was a new and revolutionary idea back then. “Some students opposed it,” he recalled, “They told me I would probably lose the election.” They were wrong. But Fullerton’s activism didn’t stop at John Jay, he also advocated for child care services on other CUNY campuses as well. “If you are truly going to have access to education, you must make it easier on students who have young children,” he said. At John Jay, Professor James Malone and Assistant Vice President Rubie Malone were his mentors – a relationship that continued throughout law school. Fullerton attended Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Knowing he would probably start becoming actively involved in student politics from the outset, the Malones urged him to spend his first year concentrating on nothing but his studies. That advice, he says, allowed him to do extremely well academically. But by year two, Fullerton just couldn’t resist the pull of student government. He ran for President of the Student Bar Association and won. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1988 within the top 3 percent of his class. His academic honors include: Law Review, Moot Court Board, Dean’s List, American Jurisprudence Award for the Highest Grades in Civil Procedure and Property, and Who’s Who Among Law Students. These days Fullerton has molded his activism into a thriving law practice that provides legal services to many immigrants. As an immigrant himself arriving from Jamaica in 1974, he has a firsthand understanding of the difficulties faced by those who want to make the U.S. their home. “I enjoy representing poor families,” he notes, “I watch them come in and eventually I see them achieving the American dream.” Fullerton’s law firm also helps companies that need foreign professionals such as researchers and academicians in higher education. He is also the president and principal shareholder of a company that provides health care services to the elderly and disabled. It should come as no surprise that he received the President of the United States Volunteer Service Award in 2005. Calling Houston his home, Fullerton often reminisces about his John Jay days. “It was just great – one of the greatest educational experiences I’ve ever had. I don’t regret one day at Jay.” It would be particularly difficult, if not impossible, to forget the College in the Fullerton household since his four year old son has a John Jay sweat shirt that he refuses to take off. “This is my college,” his son says proudly.


		All Alone in the World: Children of Incarceration April 3, 2006 6:00 – 8:00 PM John Jay’s Women’s Center, Women’s Study Committee, and The Prisoner Reentry Institute along with Justice Works and the New York City Initiative for Children with Parents in Prison invite you to a discussion and book signing with author Nell Bernstein on her research with children of incarcerated parents. John Jay College Gerald W. Lynch Theatre 899 Tenth Avenue, NYC The Arabian Nights April 4 – 7, 2006 John Jay's Department of Speech, Theatre and Media Studies and the John Jay Theatrical Players present The Arabian Nights by Mary Zimmerman and directed by Dana Tarantino. April 4th and 5th performances at 12:30 pm and 8:00 pm April 6th and 7th performance at 8:00 pm All performances are free and are general admission seating. John Jay College Gerald W. Lynch Theater 899 Tenth Avenue, NYC Memorial Service for Imette Saint-Guillen April 7, 2006 6:00 PM It is with great sadness that John Jay marks the passing of graduate student, Imette Saint- Guilllen, who died on February 24. Please join us in remembering her life and achievements at this memorial service. John Jay College Gerald W. Lynch Theater 899 Tenth Avenue, NYC Graduate Lecture Series Tuesday, April 11, 2006 5:30 – 6:30 pm The Graduate Forensic Science program is pleased to host the Spring 2006 Lecture Series "The Integration of the Forensic Sciences in Investigation." Charles S. Hirsch MD, Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, will be the guest speaker. John Jay College 445 West 59 th Street, Room 1311, NYC Annual Job Fair Thursday, April 27, 2006 4:00 – 7:00 pm The Office of Career Development is pleased to invite alumni to participate in the Job Fair. Participants should wear traditional business attire and bring at least 10 copies of their resume. The Office of Alumni Affairs is seeking alumni volunteers to conduct mock interviews and provide immediate feedback to students. John Jay College 445 West 59 th Street, NYC Contact Tom Doyle 212-237-8441 for further details about the Job Fair or Tricia Garcia 212-484-1103 or Ellen Kiernan at 212-237-8964 to volunteer. International Criminal Justice Lecture Series Friday, April 28, 2006 3:15 – 5:00 PM The Office of the Provost and the International Criminal Justice Major are pleased to host “Outsmarting Terrorists” with Distinguished Professors Ronald V. Clarke of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and Graeme Newman of the State University of New York, Albany John Jay College Multipurpose Room, 2 nd Floor 445 W. 59 th Street, NYC For details contact Dr. Mangai Natarajan at 212-237-8673 Graduate Lecture Series Thursday, May 4, 2006 5:30 – 6:30 pm The Graduate Forensic Science program is pleased to host the Spring 2006 Lecture Series "The Integration of the Forensic Sciences in Investigation." Peter A. Pizzola, PhD, Director for the NYPD Police Laboratory will be the guest speaker. John Jay College 445 W. 59 th Street, Room 1311, NYC The John Jay Book & Author Series Wednesday, May 10, 2006 5:30 pm The John Jay Book & Author Series is pleased to present Mobsters, Unions, and Feds: The Mafia and the American Labor Movement by James B. Jacobs. John Jay College Gerald W. Lynch Theater 899 Tenth Avenue, NYC Alumni Day Reunion Saturday, June 17, 2006 Save the Date! The 2nd Annual Alumni Day program is designed to offer formal and informal, thought provoking, reflective and entertaining events which will appeal to John Jay alumni of all ages and interests. Alumni will be able to opt in or out of events as they wish and may want to use the day as an ideal opportunity to meet up with old friends on an informal basis. Families are welcome. Invitations will be mailed Spring 2006. Call 212-237-8547 or 212-484-1103 for further information. Have you moved? Don't forget to contact us with your email and mailing address.