November 23, 2009 | Bronx Community College
Bronx, NY – BCC students are supporting a good cause when they deposit no-longer-used cell phones in a locked collection box next to the entry door at Meister Hall. The cause is a partnership between Verizon Wireless and the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence called the UHopeLine.
It’s an extension of the company’s exclusive HopeLine® wireless phone recycling program which places permanent collection points on college campuses. UHopeLine is designed to increase awareness of dating violence and encourage college students to help the environment by recycling outdated wireless devices. Proceeds from the UHopeLine program benefit local domestic violence survivors in the form of wireless phones with service and cash grants to domestic violence advocacy groups working to end domestic violence.
“This is a very important program,” stated President Carolyn G. Williams. These reconditioned phones, which are given to victims of domestic violence by community groups, help victims get their lives back on track. Three thousand minutes are placed on the phones which are issued to victims so that they can call their lawyer, find a job or call the police.”
According to a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene study released last year on intimate partner violence in New York City, women in their 20s experience the highest rate of intimate partner homicides, hospitalizations and emergency room visits when compared to other age groups.
In recognition of BCC’s participation, Verizon Wireless made a $1,000 donation to student programs aimed at combating relationship abuse. UHopeLine accepts wireless devices and accessories in any condition, from any wireless service provider, and then refurbishes or recycles them in an environmentally-sound way. The BCC collection box is one of eight UHopeLine boxes placed at key locations on CUNY campuses.
Press, Radio, TV
Please call: Bryant Mason
Media Relations Specialist
(718) 289-5208
bryant.mason@bcc.cuny.edu
Founded in 1957, Bronx Community College (BCC), the oldest of City University of New York’s six community colleges, serves as the engine for academic and economic mobility for motivated students from diverse backgrounds and preparations. More than 10,500 students from over 109 nations are enrolled in 30 associate degree and certificate programs including Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Computer Graphics, Nuclear Medicine, and Business Administration, Digital Arts, Computer Information Systems, Education Associate, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology, Electronic Engineering Technology, Liberal Arts, Marketing, Accounting, Human Services, Media Technology and Paralegal Studies. BCC’s 43-acre campus, high above the Harlem River, features architectural masterpieces of Stanford White and Marcel Breuer, as well as the Hall of Fame of Great Americans, the nation’s first hall of fame. BCC President Carolyn G. Williams is in her 13th year of leadership service to the College, which is located on a 43-acre campus at 2155 University Avenue at West 181st Street , formerly New York University’s uptown campus until 1973.
The College is home to initiatives not commonly associated with two-year institutions, such as the Center for Sustainable Energy, which promotes the use of renewable and efficient energy technologies in urban communities. The National Center for Educational Alliances (NCEA) is currently collaborating with South African Further Education and Training Colleges and universities to create linkages between these institutions. NCEA also coordinates the College’s international initiatives and the annual International Education Week.
The Center has also facilitated a campus wide effort to create BCC’s Center for Tolerance and Understanding. The Center for Teaching Excellence offers faculty development to promote student achievement and to stimulate discussions to keep the teaching and learning process vital and dynamic. Take a look at BCC’s website at www.bcc.cuny.edu