Harpur Alumni Advise Aspiring Attorneys

Alpern `69 and Moss `75 described their education and careers to students interested in law at Harpur's annual Lawyer's Roundtable.

On October 25, 2002, Richard Alpern `69 and Glenn Moss `75 gave frank advice to a group of students at Harpur College's annual Alumni Lawyer's Roundtable. Alpern is Special Counsel at Sullivan and Cromwell and recently received the Glen Bartle Distinguished Alumni Award from President Lois B. DeFleur. Moss (profiled below) is Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Affiliate Relations at Court TV.

Rich Alpern '69 was honored with the Glenn G. Bartle Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Excellence Awards dinner held on campus on October 24th, 2002. The university-wide Bartle award is bestowed annually on an alumnus who has demonstrated distinguished service to the university community. The award serves as a memorial to Dr. Glenn G. Bartle, the first president of Harpur College.

A dedicated Harpur College volunteer, Alpern is one of the founding members of the Harpur College Alumni National Law Advisory Council, established in October 1995. He has served as its Chair since inception. In addition, Alpern serves on the Harpur College Dean's Advisory Council and is the Chair of the Public Relations subcommittee. He received the 2001 Harpur College Alumni Award in the Division of Science & Mathematics for his distinguished service to Harpur College and his commitment to the lasting value of a liberal arts education. Alpern, along with his wife Sandy `70, are committed supporters of Harpur College and its programs that benefit the Law Council internship and the Harpur College Faculty Development Fund.

Alpern is a graduate who exemplifies Harpur College excellence.

Each alumnus described the paths of their careers. Alpern said his was "traditional;" he went directly from college to law school, then to a job in a big firm. He graduated from New York University Law School in 1975 and currently specializes in ERISA, a federal statute that regulates workers pension and retirement benefits.

Moss, on the other hand, said his path to law school was anything but traditional. He originally had planned to pursue a Master's degree in city planning at the University of Pennsylvania, then decided to take a year off from school and work. When Penn did not provide enough financial aid, Moss took a friend's advice and applied to the law school at Case Western Reserve University. He graduated in 1980 and his first job was at the New York State Office of TV and Motion Picture Development. He described it as a "perfect fit" for him.

Alpern stressed that a law degree offers many career opportunities that span the fields of education, social work, and business. Moss agreed; "You come out of law school knowing how to solve problems, and you can go anywhere with that. Law school teaches you how to express yourself in speech and writing."

Students at the Roundtable asked the alumni many questions. One inquired about the availability of legal positions in today's competitive job market. Alpern agreed that the economy is not strong, but he also noted that law school lasts three years. "Hopefully the market will have recovered by then," he said, "But, if you really want to practice law, don't let the economy stop you."

Another student asked the alumni to describe the difference between undergraduate level work and the work they did in law school. Alpern explained the traditional "case method" that most law schools use, where students read judicial decisions and discuss them in class. He noted that students in law school tend to be more serious because they usually know what they want to study, while students in college are still unsure. He also said that joining a good study group is important.

Moss said that law school offers a narrower curriculum than college; everyone takes the same classes, especially in their first year. Students also compete intensively over class rank and job interviews. "I saw a lot of relationships change over those things," he recalled.

A student asked about the benefits of taking a year off between college and law school. Having done it himself, Moss said a hiatus from school was a good thing for him and made him a better, more focused law student. Alpern added that most law schools do not disapprove of the practice. Both alumni agreed that having work experience not only helps build a resume, but also teaches students about the business world.

Dean Mileur, who sponsored the Roundtable, then remarked that during the 1970's, Ivy League law schools would not even accept students who had just graduated from college; they wanted students with some work experience.

Alpern said that law schools value diversity and individuality and college activities help distinguish an application. Heather Struck, Harpur College's pre-law advisor, also noted that admissions committees value students who have different interests and backgrounds.

One student, who was an accounting major, asked if she should do her next internship in accounting or law. Struck answered, "Both!" Dean Mileur advised the student to pursue whatever internship will give her the most meaningful work experience.

"What's something you wish you'd known in college that you know now?" asked another student. Moss answered that he regrets not writing for Pipe Dream, the student newspaper, "and I would have changed how I approached women," he joked. Alpern advised students to take a speed-reading course if one is available.

"How do I learn about all the different areas of law?" one student asked. Alpern advised the student to ask attorneys about what they do. He also said that the second and third years of law school offer more specialized courses. Moss added that taking specialized courses is a good way for a student to learn what he or she does not like. "I took a tax law class and learned it was not for me," he said.

Finally, one student asked how taking the bar exam changes an attorney. Alpern said that passing the bar marks the end of being a student. "It takes a while to see yourself as a working adult," he said. Moss agreed and described the finality of the bar exam. After you pass the bar, and you start practicing law for real, the legal advice you give impacts clients' lives, pocketbooks and careers.

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Dean Mileur Weighs in on Liberal Arts

Fred Weiss, professor of Theater, gave the Dean's Distinguished Lecture

Fred Weiss, professor of Theater, presented "The Art of Making Dance for Musical Theater" at the Dean's Distinguished Lecture in Casadesus Hall on October 30.

He explained the history of musical theater and how dance has been used as a "pressure cooker" to build the audience's excitement and make them feel more involved in the show. Weiss' own dance students illustrated his speech with several short performances, including the well-known audition from "A Chorus Line," the bottle dance from "Fiddler on the Roof" and the fight scene from Michael Jackson's "Beat It" video.

Weiss spoke at length about his own career, from landinig on Broadway after one single audition to his professorship at Harpur College. He also showed video footage of his most recent University project, "Free Beer, Hot Sex and the Weight of Gravity," which was about the effect of 9/11 on student life.

Weiss has directed and/or choreographed over 100 theatrical productions including "Don Giovanni," "La Boheme," "The Barber of Seville," "Candide," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "West Side Story." Several prominent theaters have produced his work, including The Ahmanson Theater and Mark Taper Forum at the Los Angeles Music Center.

Jean-Pierre Mileur, dean of Harpur College, (pictured left) addressed a group of emeriti and current faculty and alumni "founders" (those who graduated between 1948 and 1961) at a luncheon before the annual Dean's Distinguished Lecture on October 30. Dean Mileur's presentation, "The Future of a Liberal Arts Education" described his personal views about the discipline, as well as what he sees as its future.

"It's a very exciting time in liberal arts," said Mileur. He called the liberal arts a "mind expanding field" and described how Harpur College has grown to include new areas not always considered part of traditional liberal arts, such as Asian and Asian American Studies, Africana Studies, and several new foreign languages.

Mileur said many of the new topics Harpur College offers are the direct result of faculty research. He remarked, "I am proud of how our faculty has risen to the challenge of translating research into the classroom."

"I am optimistic about the liberal arts and their enduring appeal," said Mileur, "What we teach here has an lasting impact on students." The number of alumni who choose to continue studying in their fields impresses him.

Mileur said when he started out as an English major, "you were either dedicated to a life of the mind or you were a sellout." But today, said Mileur, employers want liberal arts graduates for their strong communication skills. Mileur is pleased to see so many Harpur College alumni working in the business world.

Mileur noted the high number of students and alumni from the New York City region. "Because of our relationship with New York City, I see constant movement between New York City and our campus." He said our relationship with New York City is beneficial to Harpur College because of the availability of good job and educational opportunities there.

Mileur said he always enjoys events with emeriti faculty and founding alumni. "Harpur College is young enough to see its history in one room. It's remarkable that we built this terrific institution in 50 years." Mileur stressed that Harpur College has always been more than an "ivy wannabe" because it has remained committed to access and affordability. "It's not always economically feasible to maintain small departments and classes, but we keep them going," he said.

"We want our legacy of liberal arts to continue, but we must rely on private support or else it will slip away," said Mileur, "We look to a joining of generations -- enduring support from private sources -- to help today's students." Dean Mileur said he sees state support of higher education continue to erode and therefore, liberal arts' ultimate challenge is simply to survive.

Editor's note: Dean Mileur will present "The Future of Liberal Arts in a Public Research University" on November 14 at 4:00p.m. in University Union West, Room 324, sponsored by Binghamton University's Graduate School.

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Sixteen Harpur Faculty Win Dean's Research Awards

Dean Mileur has granted 16 Harpur College junior faculty from 11 departments a semester break from teaching so they can focus on research. The professors may take a full course reduction either in the Fall 2002 or Spring 2003, or as an alternative, divide their course reduction between both semesters. They still keep their departmental responsibilities, such as advising students and leading workshops.

Sungdai Cho, German, Russian and East Asian Languages: He plans to publish a book, titled "Introduction to Korean Linguistics." This is Cho's third book and provides a detailed survey of Korean linguistics, and also covers the general background of Korean language, phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, historical linguistics and language acquisition.
David Clark, Political Science: He is writing a book on the sources of interstate military crises, focusing in particular on how uncertainty and incentives to misrepresent information (bluff) shape when and whether crises arise and whether they escalate to war.
Fa-Ti Fan, History: He plans to complete a book on European scientific imperialism in Qing China. Fan will also be working on a new project on the intersections of nature, nation, and modernity in Republican China.
Thomas Glave, English: He is writing a nonfiction book on racial profiling that will describe and explore the April 23, 1998 events involving four men of color who were stopped on the New Jersey turnpike, fired upon and seriously wounded by two white state troopers. The text will regard the phenomenon and dynamics of "raced" police brutality toward an understanding of what makes such human rights infractions possible.
Joseph Graney, Geological Sciences: He is investigating the processes controlling the emission and migration of vapor phase mercury at several Department of Defense storage facilities in the northeastern United States. Graney will present his results at the Symposium on Air Quality Measurement Methods and Technology in November 2002.
Scott Handy, Chemistry: He is continuing to develop a class of compounds called room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) as new, environmentally benign alternatives to the conventional organic solvents currently used in synthesis. Handy is also developing collaborations with industry to eventually commercialize these new solvents and writing proposals for long-term federal funding of this research.
Wulf Kansteiner, History: His project focuses on the representation of National Socialism and the Holocaust in German television. He studies how television makers and television audiences in the Federal Republic have tried to make sense of the Nazi period, what factors they identified as the historical causes of the event, and how they negotiated the problem of the political and moral responsibility of the contemporaries of Nazism and their descendants.
Wendy Martinek, Political Science: She will work on a project examining how state courts of last resort respond to the potentially conflicting pressures they face from the U.S. Supreme Court and their state political environments. Martinek would like to learn whether such courts are more faithful to the dictates of the Supreme Court or the preferences of the state electorate. Her project will examine decision making in several areas of law, including various issues dealing with criminal procedure.
Neil Christian Pages, German, Russian and East Asian Languages: His research is part of a larger book manuscript on commemorative practices. It addresses the construction of public memorials and monuments and their implications for the (mostly urban) spaces they occupy and explores the import of these projects for discourses of national identity, ideology and memory.  Pages' manuscript examines Holocaust memorials in Vienna, war monuments in Copenhagen, memorials to the workers' movement in Berlin, and the redevelopment plans for Lower Manhattan in New York, including the recently completed Irish Hunger Memorial.
Ravi Palat, Sociology: He has completed a book manuscript titled "Miracles of the Day Before? Capitalist Restructuring and the Pacific Rim".
Florenz Plassmann, Economics: He plans to develop a model of iterative estimation of land values in built-up areas, and to test its accuracy by estimating land values in downtown Portland, Oregon. The project is expected to lead to a method of assessment of land values that is more accurate and cheaper than assessments that are usually made by professional assessors.
Scott Oliver, Chemistry: He is studying the synthesis of new cationic open-framework metal oxides for anion-based applications. These solid state materials are highly stable and potentially useful for trapping anionic pollutants, separating anions or catalyzing chemical reactions.
Steven Scalet, Philosophy: He is interested in writing a series of papers on liberalism as a political philosophy, where "liberalism" is understood in the classical sense of securing and protecting a range of individual rights. Scalet is particularly interested in assessing philosophical arguments that defend liberalism based on the claim that "reasonable people" would choose these types of political arrangements.
Andrew Scholtz, Classics: He is writing, "A Goddess at the Margins: Political and Social Resonances of Cult to Aphrodite Pandemos." The manuscript asks what it means to address or worship Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and other things, by the epithet (added name) "Pandemos"?
Dawnie Steadman, Anthropology: Her research project combines skeletal evidence of disease, malnutrition, diet and trauma with archaeological evidence of population density, subsistence strategy, social stratification and ecology to reconstruct adult and subadult health in a skeletal sample from the prehistoric Midwest.
Lisa Tessman, Philosophy: She is completing a book manuscript in which she explores the usefulness of neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics to critically accompany political struggles for social justice.

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Student Spotlight: Gesardo Rios `04
An Interview by Kai Ho "Richard" Tang `04

Meet Gesardo Rios `04, a junior majoring in Financial Economics at Harpur College. He transferred here from SUNY Buffalo last year and calls Brooklyn, NY his home.

What is your favorite class in Harpur College?
Financial Economics. I am learning what I might be working on after I graduate from college. It gives me a really good opportunity to practice and prepare for my career.

Who is your favorite professor?
Graham Lemke (PhD `00), visiting assistant professor of Economics. Professor Lemke is great. He explains the materials really well in class and is very knowledgeable. He knows the subject from front to back!

What are your plans for the future?
I'd like to go into investment banking. The reason is simple -- I like making money!

Do you have any special memories of Harpur College?
When I first transferred here from S.U.N.Y at. Buffalo, I went to the office of Residence Life and was told that I will be living in Holiday Inn. I was really surprised and worried due to the distance away from the University. However, it turned out to be an interesting experience for me. It is my second year living there now.

Who at Binghamton University has left the greatest impression on you?
Well, I met the love of my life here!

What do you enjoy about Harpur College?
It's the most well rounded school at Binghamton University. You have the greatest variety of majors to study, and there are many options open to you in Harpur.

Tang is a work study student in the Harpur College Dean's Office.

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Alumni Spotlight: Glenn Moss `75

Being a lawyer doesn't always mean having a traditional desk job or arguing cases in court. Consider the legal career of Harpur College alumnus, Glenn Moss `75.

Glenn Moss `75 (pictured right) graduated from Case Western Reserve University Law School in 1980. Law School did not occur to him right away. He recalls hearing many freshmen in college talking of their plans to attend law school after graduation; he could not understand how they could have made such an important choice so soon in their lives, and especially when they just arrived at the campus. When he was a senior, he even applied to the University of Pennsylvania for a Master's in City Planning. Then, during a two-year hiatus from school, he learned that Penn would not give him the financial aid he needed. A friend in law school then told him about the range of opportunities that a law degree could offer and urged Moss to apply to law school. He chose Case Western because he wanted to leave New York City and because Case Western gave him generous funding, including some valuable work-study components. Law turned out to be the right choice. Moss, however, thinks that taking two years off from school helped being at law school feel "right."

His first job after he graduated was in the New York State Office of Motion Picture and TV Development. It was an advocacy office on economic policy whose mission was to show state legislators and regulators how the state's economy and future growth was shifting from a manufacturing to communications/information base. "It was a break," recalls Moss. "Once I started working in communications and entertainment, it felt like I had found my professional home." Moss said he hit the ground running in his first job, learning as he went, and has never left the communications industry since. He added that he has never had a "traditional lawyer job."

After a brief stint as a tax writer, Moss secured a job at the WNYC Communications Group, then consisting of New York City owned AM, FM, and TV stations). He was the agency's first in-house counsel and learned the nuts and bolts of radio and TV production and operations. He remained there for six years. In 1991, Moss started working for Cablevision Industries in Liberty, NY, then one of the ten biggest cable companies in the nation. He was the "Number 2" lawyer for the company handling day-to-day operations for all departments. But the job involved a daily commute from New York City, and after 16 months the commute proved too much and he left the company and worked independently as a legal consultant for the telecommunications industry. He found less satisfaction in working on his own and missed working as part of a team.

In 1995, Moss obtained a job at Court TV, which he describes as "a perfect fit." Hired as assistant general counsel, Moss now serves as senior vice president of business affairs and affiliate relations. He does, "a bit of everything" in his job which requires him to help close deals in which cable, satellite, and web-based companies distribute the Court TV network or other Court TV product. He also assists the production staff with copyright and intellectual property questions, and works with operations and engineering staff on various technological issues.

Moss now spends his spare time with his 15-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter. His wife Gail is a psychotherapist. He also writes poetry and fiction. "I've always seen myself primarily as a writer," he says. "I like using language to convey ideas, and legal writing is just that. My legal writing tends to be as plain and straight forward as possible."

Moss believes his education at Harpur College prepared him well for both law school and his career. "It was a place where I could dive into anything that caught my attention," he says. "It reinforced my love for language, reading, and different kinds of people. A liberal arts education helps you figure all that out."

Moss also remembers taking Elizabethan and Jacobean literature with Al Vos; Professor Vos allowed him to write a play instead of a research paper. To this day, Moss enjoys using his creativity and believes that remains at the heart of any good work.

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Harpur Friends & Family

In response to your much-appreciated feedback, the Harpur Hotline has developed a regular feature of alumni news. Please send us anything you want: publications, promotions, marriages, babies, graduations, retirements, etc. Many thanks to everyone who shared their stories. Here's what some of your fellow Harpur alumni and friends are doing:

In July 2002, Professor Sandro Sticca lectured on European medieval theater at the University of L'Aquila, Italy, during a week-long festival dedicated to reenactment of medieval plays: the French Jeu d'Adam, the Latin Dulcitius by the 10th Century German nun, Hrotswitha of Gandersheim, and the Montecassino Passion, a 12th Century Latin passion play discovered at the monastery of Montecassino.

1960: In 1994, after retiring from a 32-year career in Information Systems at IBM, Thomas Hull began a second career in local politics. He is now in his 8th year as Broome County's 6th District Legislator and is currently running uncontested for re-election. Hull serves on Binghamton University's athletic committee (his son, Ted Hull `79, is in our Athletic Hall of Fame) and the boards of several county organizations.

1975: Art Kelly (M.A.T. `77, M.A. `79) and his wife Maria Mosca just celebrated their first wedding anniversary! The couple resides in Manhattan where Mosca is director of student information systems at Columbia University and Kelly works for the New York City Transit as manager of the Customer Relations Center.

1984: In his native Thailand, Thanet Aphornsuvan (Ph.D. `90) is assistant professor of history at Thammasat University. However, he is back in the USA as a visiting scholar in the Southeast Asian Studies Program at Cornell University. Aphornsuvan returned to Harpur College on November 5th to present "Ideas of Freedom and Rights in Modern Thai History," sponsored by the Asian and Asian American Studies and History departments.

1985: Lee Jacobs has been working for Jergens in Cincinnati, OH recently moved to Palo Alto, CA, thanks to a promotion that will make him responsible for one of the company's most important national accounts. Jacobs also just got engaged and will be married this summer.

1986: Craving cookies? Najla R. Aswad can help! She will be on campus November 7 - 13 offering free samples of her "Najla's Gone Chunky" brand of all-natural cookies at the Library Tower Coffee Kiosk. Aswad's Chocolate Walnut Espresso Cookie was recently selected by the National Association for the Specialty Food trade as a finalist for the Produce Awards Competition in the Outstanding Desserts Category. She has operated a local catering business for 15 years. "Najla's Gone Chunky" brand is available at over 20 New York City and Long Island food stores, King's Supermarkets in New Jersey, and over 100 independent food stores nationwide. Aswad is married to Steven E. Goldberg, M.D. (MBA `98).

1989: Laura Maffei received an MA in screenwriting in 1992 and an M.F.A. in creative writing in 1995 from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently teaching literature at Wagner College and St. John's University. She is the editor of American Tanka, the only US literary journal devoted exclusively to contemporary English-language tanka poetry.

1998: Adam Rosen graduated from Case Western Reserve University Law School in May 2001 and passed the New York State Bar Exam. Since last year, he has worked in New York City for Gettman and Associates, a boutique firm specializing in corporate immigration law. Rosen also serves on the Committee on International Trade of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He has a forthcoming paper due in the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review of Temple University Law School, titled "Slaughtering Sovereignty: How Congress can Abrogate Sovereign Immunity to Enforce the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment."

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Harpur College Development Team Mission Statement:

The Harpur College of Arts and Sciences Development Team encourages alumni, students, faculty and friends to identify with Harpur College's past, present and future by engaging them in events and programs that connect them to the college. We facilitate ways for our constituents to enrich Harpur College through their financial contributions and personal talents and resources.

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