Bearcat Buzz – March 1, 2024 - Student Affairs

Academic Calendar Reminders

The 2024 Commencement Ceremony

Free Legal Services

Women's History Month

Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987. In 2024, our theme of Women’s History Month is “EmpowHER: Empower and Include Her“. The theme was designed to highlight the struggles and successes of women in their pursuit of equal rights, opportunities, inclusivity and representation in various fields. Look for us @baruchwhm_.

Events are subject to change. We will be posting events in the newsletter weekly. For a list of all events visit the Student Life website.

2024 Phenomenal Women Nominations

The Women’s History Month Planning Committee is currently accepting nominations for students, faculty, staff, and alumni who self-identify as women and are currently impacting Baruch through their leadership on campus. The nominees will be celebrated at the Celebrating Her: Women’s Appreciation Brunch on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

If you, or someone you know is contributing significantly to the Baruch community through their extraordinary leadership, please complete the nomination form. Nominations will be accepted through March 18, 2024, at 11:45p.m.

Opening Ceremony
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
12:30 – 2:30 PM | NVC 2nd Floor Lobby

Kick off the month-long celebration with club tabling, cookies and the opportunity to be a part of the EmpowHER mural project.

Women’s Power Lunch
Thursday, March 7
12:40 – 2:20 PM | NVC 4-125

A panel discussion showcasing the stories of women who have found their way to emerge, flourish and thrive in various industries.
Hosted by Hillel at Baruch.

Brushes & Threads
Thursday, March 7
5:00 – 8:00 PM | NVC Multipurpose Room, 1-107

A unique arts and crafts event led by the president of the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA). Unleash your creativity while honoring the rich contributions of Women throughout history.
Hosted by Baruch’s Graduate Student Assembly.

CUNY Discrimination Complaint Portal (Equal Opportunity & Compliance)

Support from the Counseling Center

The Baruch College Counseling Center offers free and confidential services. Through culturally responsive and trauma-informed counseling and psychological services, the Counseling Center assists students in achieving their academic and personal goals.

Individual Counseling: Please visit the Counseling Center’s website or email counseling@baruch.cuny.edu.
Group Counseling: Two sessions of Relationship to Self and Others meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00–2:00p.m.. To participate on Tuesdays (on Zoom), email Brittany.Wesnitzer@baruch.cuny.edu to participate on Thursdays (in-person), email Febrian.Moten@baruch.cuny.edu.
BIPOC Relationship to Self and Others Counseling Group: The group will be in-person at the Counseling Center, Tuesdays from 1:00-2:00p.m. To participate please email Shenette.Scille@Baruch.cuny.edu.
Coping Skills Group: Using evidence based and mindfulness practices, this group will focus on building skills to cope with everyday stressors that impact our mental health and wellbeing. The group is Wednesdays from 2:00-3:00p.m. in-person at the Counseling Center. To participate please email Jael.Amador@Baruch.cuny.edu.
NEW Group!!! LGBTQIA+ Group Counseling: This group is led by a LGBTQIA+ therapist and provides a safe, supportive and confidential space to explore topics such as connecting and building community with other LGBTQIA+ students at Baruch, navigating family dynamics related to your LGBTQIA+ identity, exploring your LGBTQIA+ identity, exploring your LGBTQIA+ identity in the context of your religious or spiritual identity and getting support for coming out. If interested, please contact Nic Bensmiller at Nicholas.Bensmiller@Baruch.cuny.edu.
Black Mental Health Matters: Support Sessions foster and support the growth, networking, collaboration, success, and wellbeing of Black students. Starting on Sept. 29: Fridays, 2:00–3:00p.m. via Zoom. To participate, email Jael.Amador@baruch.cuny.edu from your Baruch student email account. In solidarity and support, Drs. Amador & Dillon.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

Baruch’s third annual Mental Health Awareness Week will be Monday, March 4, through Friday, March 8, 2024.

The theme will be “Caring for Self and Others”. Please make every effort to join us for these upcoming events.

Mindful Monday Reset
Monday, March 4 | 12:00–12:30p.m.| Virtual
Register to attend Mindful Monday Reset

Mindful Monday Reset is a half-hour weekly virtual gathering that provides an opportunity to slow down, get present, and be intentional about the coming week in a safe and welcoming space with others in our Baruch Community. It is organized by the Office of Health & Wellness and the CUNY DEI Incubator at Baruch. All are welcome.

Treat Yourself!
Monday, March 4 | 1:00-2:00p.m. | NVC 2nd floor lobby

Self-care is often seen as a cliche term, yet it is such an essential tool for our mental health and sustaining our well-being. Join the counseling center in reclaiming self-care, personalizing what self-care looks for you, and learning different tips and tools of caring for yourself.
Presenter: Baruch Counseling Center Staff

Depression Screening
Tuesday, March 5 | 12:15–2:30p.m. | Lobby of the Newman Vertical Campus (use the Plaza entrance to the NVC)

Please join us to get screened for depression and meet and chat with counselors from the Baruch College Counseling Center. We hope to see you there!
Students are able to get a better understanding of their mental health by completing a screening form that has markers for depression at our table.
Counselors will then briefly meet one-on-one with each student to provide feedback and help them to connect to the Counseling Center at Baruch or outside counseling as needed or desired.
Presenter: Baruch College Counseling Center Staff

Body Positivity Celebration
Tuesday, March 5 | 12:15–2:15p.m. | Lobby of the Newman Vertical Campus (use the Plaza entrance to the NVC)

Let’s celebrate Body Positivity! Come to speak with staff from the Baruch Counseling Center to learn about eating disorders, complete a screening and learn about resources for support. Create your own body positive poster using craft materials provided at the table, then take it home to provide you with inspiration!
Presenter: Baruch Counseling Center Staff

Pet Therapy with Gallagher
Tuesday, March 5 | 1:00-2:00p.m. | NVC Multipurpose Room 1-107 (1st floor)

Come meet Gallagher and experience pet therapy. Pet therapy can create enhanced self-esteem, improve relationships, create a more positive environment, and give a sense of purpose. We hope to see you there!
Presenter: Baruch Counseling Center Staff

Teaching the Whole Student Series, Session 1: Creating Classroom Community
Tuesday, March 5 | 12:30- 2:00p.m. | Virtual
Register for Teaching the Whole Student

Presenters: The Center for Teaching and Learning at Baruch, Baruch Counseling Center Staff and Baruch Faculty Members
In this interactive workshop for staff and faculty, presenters will share teaching approaches that support student mental health, socialization, and connection. Attendees are invited to share their own helpful approaches to supporting students as well as share challenges.

Breaking the Cycle: Workshop on Intergenerational Healing
Wednesday, March 6 | 12:00-2:00p.m. | NVC 3-215

Please join us to learn about Intergenerational Trauma, how it may be affecting you, and steps to take for healing. Come be part of the conversation as we start to heal together.
Presenters: Lynn Kaplan, Psy.D. Associate Director Baruch Counseling Center, Veronica Kim, MA and Jan L Martinez, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Baruch College Office of Student Life, in collaboration with the USG.

Treat Yourself!
Wednesday, March 6 | 1:00-2:00p.m. | NVC 2nd floor lobby

Self-care is often seen as a cliche term, yet it is such an essential tool for our mental health and sustaining our well-being. Join the counseling center in reclaiming self-care, personalizing what self-care looks for you, and learning different tips and tools of caring for yourself.
Presenter: Baruch Counseling Center Staff

Mindfulness and Stress Reduction Workshop
Thursday, March 7 | 1:00-2:00p.m. | NVC 2-125

Stress is a natural part of life. However, in these difficult times, you may find that it is more difficult to manage stress. In this workshop, you will learn to identify stress and learn how to effectively manage it using mindfulness techniques and other coping strategies.
Presenter: Jael Amador, PhD

Treat Yourself!
Thursday, March 7 | 1:00-2:00pm | NVC 2nd floor lobby

Self-care is often seen as a cliche term, yet it is such an essential tool for our mental health and sustaining our well-being. Join the counseling center in reclaiming self-care, personalizing what self-care looks for you, and learning different tips and tools of caring for yourself.
Presenter: Baruch Counseling Center Staff

Connect to Mental Health Resources at Baruch

Please click this link to the Baruch Counseling Center Website to start the process to make an appointment. Please click this link to NYC 988 to connect to resources outside the Counseling Center.

Hiring Bearcat Peer Advisors

CUNY Inclusive Economy (CIE) Initiative For Communication Majors Applications (Rolling Basis)

2024 Spectrum Scholars Applications Are Open

Calling All Tech Enthusiasts! TLDP

Baruch Access to Interstride: Employment Opportunities for International Students

File Your 2023-2024 FAFSA Today

Vault Career Intelligence: Your Source for Career and Internship Rankings, Reviews, Advice and More

CUNY Clash - APPLY NOW

National and Prestigious Fellowships & Scholarships – INFORMATION SESSION

Athletics

CUNY Votes: Presidential Primary Election

The Right to the City: Public Space on Film January 29-March 1

Student Health Care Center

Health insurance

Moratorium on Pledging and Rush Activities in Social Fraternities and Sororities

Warning! Alert Regarding Scam Messages

Email Hoaxes

It has come to our attention that students at Baruch College and other CUNY campuses have received a message with the subject “Important Message from College Finance Department.” The message offers a “covid-19 financial aid grant.” The message is NOT from the College; it is a scam designed to get students to divulge their personal information. If you have received this message, please delete it. If you responded to the message and provided your personal information, please contact helpdesk@baruch.cuny.edu for assistance with changing your passwords and taking further action, if necessary.

Remain Vigilant Against Scams and Phishing

The College has distributed previous warnings about email scams. Please keep the following in mind regarding any message you receive:
– Do not provide personal information (home address, user names, etc.) in response to emails, text messages, or websites that come from someone you do not know or from a suspicious email sender.
– Never provide your password in an email.
– Do not deposit checks from unknown senders.
– Do not click on links or open attachments in suspicious emails.
– Be wary of messages requesting urgent action.

While we work actively to identify and prevent these messages, our ability to keep users secure is critically dependent on the Baruch community being educated and skeptical about fraudulent messages. Please remain alert, as scams can happen at any time and dupe individuals of all ages and backgrounds and all levels of tech sophistication.

Job Scams

This is a reminder to bring your attention to recent job scams and email hoaxes. Although it is not from Starr Search, we want to bring it to your attention. Here is the latest job scam that we received: Job Scam. If you received these types of job scams, please delete it immediately and flag it as spam in your Baruchmail email system. Do not engage in any correspondence with the sender. Please read this announcement to on how to look out for warning signs and to better protect yourself against these hoaxes and scams.

Warning Signs
Look out for the following warning signs in any job posting you encounter:
·    Hiring manager promises a large salary with minimal work required.
·    Hiring manager offers you a position without any sort of interviewing process being conducted.
·    Hiring manager is using a personal email or an address that doesn’t match the company name.
·    The position expects you to transfer wire funds between accounts.
·    The company sends you a large check and requires you to cash it using your personal account.
·    The company/hiring manager asks for personal information like social security number or bank account.

Remember:
·    Do not deposit any check before you start working at a new job
·    Do not lend any money or pay fees to prospective employers
·    Do not share any personal information unless it is submitted to a trusted source
·    Be aware of any free checks or calls that look questionable and ask for personal information
·    Apply for jobs directly to company website, Starr Search and any other trusted source

For more information visit The Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information on Job Scams.

Resources for Reporting Suspicious Employers and Fraudulent Job Postings
Are you the victim of a fraudulent job posting? Please see the following resources available for you to get help.
·    Starr’s resources on how to avoid job scam.
·    Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Unit accepts reports of job scams and provides instructions for ﬁling a complaint.
·    U.S. Department of Justice accepts reports of job scam incidents that have occurred over the Internet.

Remember to trust your instincts. If communication with an employer or company feels suspicious, end the communication immediately. Report fraudulent activity to us immediately. Please contact us at careerdc@baruch.cuny.edu.