CSI Professor is up for an Oscar: Ming Xia served as translator and guide for documentary about the 2008 Chinese earthquake
SI Live - Ming Xia, a political science professor at the College of Staten Island, still remembers his feelings while visiting his home town in the rural Sichuan Province of China after the 2008 earthquake that killed 70,000 people, including 10,000 children, for a documentary.
"It was heartbreaking seeing all the devastation," said Xia, who's been living in Willowbrook since 1997, said. "It was a heartbreaking experience."
Last Monday, the documentary that Xia worked on as a producer and translator, HBO's "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province," was one of five films nominated for an Oscar in the short documentary category.
Xia got involved with the project after his friend, Peter Kwan, saw pictures of China on Xia's Web site and asked him to join the four man team to China. The team set out 10 days after the earthquake to try to document the devastation afterwards. He worked as a translator - speaking the local dialect - and cultural guide for the crew.
"We went through two days and did not get any human stories," said Xia, instead only finding rubble. On the third day, they asked villagers for stories and were told by one of a school that collapsed, killing 120 students - mostly fourth and fifth graders.
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Greetings!
Annual Staten Island Borough Hearing
The Board of Trustees of the City University of New York welcomes testimony and statements from concerned individuals about University issues on Monday March 15 in the Center for the Arts. |
Campus Events Celebrate Black History Month
 From lectures to films to concerts, the College of Staten Island is celebrating Black History Month during February.
Commenting on the events, CSI Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Jerald Jones-Woolfolk said, "The College of Staten Island has planned a wide array of educational and entertaining programs to celebrate the contributions made by African American to this country. Among the programs planned is the College's first Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation to be held on Wednesday, February 17 in the Center for the Arts Recital Hall. The keynote speaker will be the first African American to hold elected office from Staten Island, the Honorable Councilwoman Debi Rose."
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CSI Is Flu-Ready It's a new semester at CSI, but, unfortunately, it's still cold and flu season, including the possibility of an outbreak of H1N1 virus, better known as Swine Flu. However, members of the College community can rest assured that College officials are on the case to prevent widespread illness on campus, and have been since last spring.
The College's plan to deal with an H1N1 outbreak is based upon the CUNY plan, which follows the guidelines set by the New York State Department of Health and the national Centers for Disease Control (CDC), according to Linda Conte, director of the Health and Wellness Services. . Read More> |
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President Morales Hosts Legislative Breakfast
![[L-R] Dr. Tomás Morales, Nick Iambrone, and Deborah Rose at last week's legislative breakfast](http://www.csitoday.net/story_img/images/legislative_breakfast_020810.jpg)
Area legislators and their representatives were updated on the state of the College of Staten Island, its future plans, and the CUNY budget last week at a breakfast hosted by CSI President Dr. Tomás Morales.
Underscoring the fact that CSI "is one of the very few institutions in American higher education that enjoys an extraordinary level of support from both sides of the aisle from our city, state, and federal legislators," Morales began the meeting, which included a PowerPoint presentation that not only provided news of the College's latest achievements. Read More>
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Students Mobilize to Help the Homeless Braving the cold January weather, 41 CSI students joined a total of 91 volunteers from around the Borough early last Tuesday morning to bring aid to homeless and unsheltered individuals on the Island, while also taking a census to give the New York City Department of Homeless Services an idea of the extent of homelessness in the borough. The Staten Island volunteers teamed with Project Hospitality on the Island, although the initiative, Project Hope, was a City-wide effort. Read More> |
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Academy of Retired Professors Makes Strides at Latest Reunion
Members of the CSI Academy of Retired Professors (ARP) gathered in the Campus Center Park Café to chart the course of the organization, and find ways of growing its membership. The overall atmosphere of the meeting was warm and responsive. Read More>
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