{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/ws8hd7pc40/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["William Tramontano Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWilliam Tramontano was appointed Interim President of Queens College on June 1, 2019, and will step down on June 30, 2020, when Frank Wu assumes the position of permanent President. Tramontano previously held a number of administrative positions at CUNY institutions including Hunter, Brooklyn and Lehman Colleges. He earned his Ph.D. in cellular biology at New York University and taught in the Biology Department of Manhattan College for 22 years prior to joining CUNY.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn this interview, Tramontano discusses his experiences in leading Queens College through the unique challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. He reflects on such diverse issues as helping students and faculty transition to remote learning; providing food and housing at The Summit dormitory for QC’s international students as well as displaced students from other CUNY campuses; and the brief time that Queens College was considered for use as a field hospital. He also speculates on what it will take to make the campus ready for in-person classes in Fall 2020 or beyond. Informing Tramontano’s views on this issue, particularly, are his own background in the sciences as well as his wife’s career in viral vaccine design. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Interview conducted as part of the Queens Memory COVID-19 Project."]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["bulk: March - May 2020 (temporal)","Queens College, Flushing, Queens, NY (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2020-05-14 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["William Tramontano (Interviewee)","Rebecca Rushfield (Interviewer)","Andy Poon (Photographer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOfficial photo of President William Tramontano: © 2019 Andy Poon; © 2019 Queens College\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/42961"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif; color: black;\"\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif; color: black;\"\u003eWilliam Tramontano was appointed Interim President of Queens College on June 1, 2019, and will step down on June 30, 2020, when Frank Wu assumes the position of permanent President. Tramontano previously held a number of administrative positions at CUNY institutions including Hunter, Brooklyn and Lehman Colleges. He earned his Ph.D. in cellular biology at New York University and taught in the Biology Department of Manhattan College for 22 years prior to joining CUNY.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif; color: black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif; color: black;\"\u003eIn this interview, Tramontano discusses his experiences in leading Queens College through the unique challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. He reflects on such diverse issues as helping students and faculty transition to remote learning; providing food and housing at The Summit dormitory for QC\u0026rsquo;s international students as well as displaced students from other CUNY campuses; and the brief time that Queens College was considered for use as a field hospital. He also speculates on what it will take to make the campus ready for in-person classes in Fall 2020 or beyond. Informing Tramontano\u0026rsquo;s views on this issue, particularly, are his own background in the sciences as well as his wife\u0026rsquo;s career in viral vaccine design.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background: white;\"\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background: white;\"\u003eOfficial photo of President William Tramontano: \u0026copy; 2019 Andy Poon; \u0026copy; 2019 Queens College\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/093/490/small/2019-06-12_Interim_President_William_Tramontano-01aviary.jpg?1593083342","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - WTramontano_FullInterview.mp3"]},"duration":2850.325,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/093/490/small/2019-06-12_Interim_President_William_Tramontano-01aviary.jpg?1593083342","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/093/490/original/WTramontano_FullInterview.mp3?1593082843","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":2850.325,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Interview Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=0.0,0.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nGoogle Voice message: Your call is now being recorded.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=0.0,2.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: OK, great. Thank you. Do you hear me?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2.0,9.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Yes, I do. Perfectly.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=9.0,11.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: OK. Before we get into the real topic, I have to ask you a few questions for sort of, I guess, so all the interviews are, can be cataloged the same way. Can you please pronounce and spell your name?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=11.0,28.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: OK, William. And then the last name is T -R- A- M- O- N -T- A- N -O. Tramontano.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=28.0,40.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: OK. And I'm Rebecca Rushfield. R- U- S- H -F- I -E- L- D.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=40.0,47.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Good to meet you, Rebecca.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=47.0,47.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Nice to meet you. I'm also supposed to ask you your age.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=47.0,53.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: 66\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=53.0,55.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Oh! We're about the same age, I'm going to be 66 in October.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=55.0,60.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Born in '54.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=60.0,62.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. Right. OK. And now I have to ask you, although you signed the consent form, I have to ask you to agree to the terms and conditions outlined in Queens Memory Informed Consent and Copyright Permission Form that was shared with you over email.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=62.0,79.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Yes, I do.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=79.0,80.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: OK. And the neighborhood in Queens that we're discussing in general will be Flushing where the college is? Or are we dealing with the whole borough and the effects of what's happening on all of the people who go to Queens College?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=80.0,96.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: I think it's a, I think it's a borough-wide effect.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=96.0,102.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: OK. I suppose that when you came in as interim acting president, you never dreamed you'd have to deal with anything that's so traumatic as closing the school.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=102.0,118.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: No, I mean, uh, the most traumatic event I did in my career was the closing of a school, of a private university, where I worked from 9-11.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=118.0,130.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: And how long was that closed for? Which one were you at?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=130.0,134.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: I was at a private institution in Riverdale called Manhattan College. It's a Roman Catholic institution. And I was the chair of the biology department at the time there. And, uh, we closed, I believe it was for... 9-11 was a Tuesday morning and I believe we were closed for a week. We went back the following Wednesday.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=134.0,162.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: OK. OK. So, if you can talk about how the decision was made to close Queens College. Was this something ...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=162.0,175.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Well, I think the one thing we must realize is that Queens College is part of the 25-member City University of New York system. So you know, individual decisions on the system are not made on the individual campuses. They are made at the Chancellor's Office. So...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=175.0,202.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Were all, were all of the heads of the colleges involved in this decision-making or...?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=202.0,211.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Um, no, I, I would, I would, I would think this is much more centrally done with close consultation with the Governor's Office.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=211.0,223.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: OK. So once that decision came down to close the colleges, that was on which day?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=223.0,230.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Oh, you're stretching my memory. You know, these days run into one another. It was somewhere around the, uh, you know, plus or minus a few days, around the 10th of March. Wasn't it right around that point?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=230.0,245.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Yes. Just about that. Now, once that happened, was each college given, each President or Acting President given the authority to figure out how things were going to proceed after it was closed? Or did that also come down?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=245.0,263.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: No, that was also a central decision that we were going to switch to a mode of distance learning. Right. You know, of online instruction, you know. So what we, what we did at that point is we, we, we closed. And then when, I mean, the word closed, I mean classes were not offered in any form. The faculty were given, uh, an opportunity to, um, transition to the mode of distance learning.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=263.0,299.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: And what about classes like lab classes, which are pretty impossible to transition to...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=299.0,306.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Well, just so you know this, you're talking to a cell and molecular biologist.That's what I am by training. So, um, of course it's not quite the same, but many of the, uh, many of the, um, parameters that we teach in the laboratory, uh, can be taught, you know, virtually with the, you know, the software that's available is just amazing right now. So, you know, there are, you know, some of the most prestigious universities in the world use part of the modality of, uh, of, uh, online instruction. Um, but certainly we, we want to be able to return, you know, when it is safe to a mode of in-person, especially not only the labs, in the theater, you know, and in the drama. And, uh, you know, those are the ones that...It's easy to teach accounting online, I think. But it's not as easy to do some of the sciences and the performing arts.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=306.0,379.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: So when the decision was made and when classes stopped, the campus was kept open for a while. Well, I know it's, I'm living across the street from the college. I know there were still people in and out of the college. I imagine it's security and...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=379.0,396.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Sure, sure. The, uh, you know, obviously we, uh, we had, uh, you know, there were a number of individuals that I needed to maintain the integrity of the 80 acres of Queens College. 80 acres and 40 buildings. So, um, you know, the staff from buildings and grounds, fantastic people, the staff from security, the staff from the, uh, IT, from the information technology center, um, you know, were, were there, you know, in maintaining safety with fewer numbers when possible. Some of the access points to Queens College were closed to, you know, we have a lot of ways to get onto campus.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=396.0,438.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. I know the field is closed and the track is.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=438.0,443.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Yeah. Those, some of those entrances were closed. And then we, uh, we, we had some staggered opportunities because some folks really just needed to get into their offices to get the stuff in their office to be able to convert to online instruction. So, um, you know, so we, we, we, we've done, uh, we, we did that during that, uh, during that first closed down period, while the, uh, this transformation was taking place.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=443.0,471.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: What did you do about the students who were living on campus?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=471.0,476.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Right. Well, you know, they, they were, uh, they fall into different pots, so to speak. There're different subgroups. So many, many of the, many of the students who, um, you know, had the opportunity to go home, they went home. So immediately that gave you a lot of, uh, a lot more space in the dormitory. We do have some contracts with, uh, uh, with New York City where we do some housing, uh, foster care kids. And this is, this is their home. So they're enrolled in not only at Queens, but at other CUNY institutions. So they, they remained as well as some of the international students who, you know, were not able to travel back to wherever they needed to travel back to. But I think the important thing at this time was -- this is when the Governor, uh, was deciding, when we thought we were going to need so much more hospitalization in terms of the number of beds, right? This is when, you know, um, you know, nobody, nobody more efficient than the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Some of the Corps of Engineers came to Queens College. You know, they looked, you know, at our facilities, you know, to say what we could do and what we could contribute. And after the Corps made their, made their decisions, you know, they decided to take over part of Stony Brook, part of SUNY Old Westbury, one of the dormitories at Hunter, one of the dormitories at the College of Staten Island, and one of the dormitories at the City College of New York.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=476.0,588.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: So they didn't need.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=588.0,589.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: What happened, you know, but they didn't, they didn't take Queens. But what they told Queens was, you know, what you can do Queens and we opened our arms. You said, we have a lot of students who are in need and don't have other places to go. So what Queens became -- and it still is right now -- it, we took in students from other CUNY campuses, such as Hunter, John Jay, um, uh, College of Staten Island. Uh, so that, that is who's in our dormitory, you know, right now. And they will be through the end of the, uh, through the end of the semester. So we became the, uh, the holding ground, uh, for the displaced, uh, CUNY students, instead of being set up as a temporary field hospital or something like that. Right. Which God bless, we didn't really need in the end.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=589.0,647.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Yes. That's good. OK. So I guess there is some services going on. Or there's no food service on campus?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=647.0,655.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: There's no food service on campus, but what we did do is we contracted with a vendor to have meals delivered a day to a location where students would go pick them up. So don't worry, the kids aren't starving. They're getting three meals a day. And we did that through contracting with a vendor who delivers.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=655.0,678.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. In terms of the students who were never living on campus, but who now -- I was reading an article somewhere, I forget where, that some students who are veterans who get benefits when they're going to school and online doesn't count. I mean, how are you dealing with all of these issues and the issues of students who may not have great internet at home or all of the devices that are needed?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=678.0,710.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Yeah, well, let's, let's, let's approach, let's approach that one first. So one of the, one of the first things CUNY did as a large institution was to make this, um, humongous purchase -- and I don't remember if it was 30,000 or 40,000 devices. And those, you know, those devices were, uh, were proportioned out to the various colleges to give to their students who needed, who needed, uh, needed devices. And, uh, you know, truthfully speaking, the, you know, uh -- just so you know, I've worked at four CUNY colleges. I've worked at Lehman in the Bronx, Brooklyn College, Hunter, and now Queens. So I'm kind of the veteran of, uh, four of the five boroughs, right. You know, the need, the need for a lot of, for a lot of those devices was -- there was a need at Queens, but it was not as critical as, for example, the Bronx, Bronx County was, you know. And then, you know, good folks like the Verizon people, uh, opened up some more WiFi for us. So we were able right now -- right now, I don't think that there's a, a problem with a student having a device. I think it might be more of a problem at home for the student to find a nice, quiet place to do work.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=710.0,803.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. I know I'm like huddled in my kitchen to do this interview.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=803.0,807.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Yeah. No, I mean, I'm lucky I have a home office and that's where, that's where I am right now. But I think that turned out to be one of the, one of the problems is that, you know, students finding, you know, they miss the library. They miss that, they miss that place where they, they could get away from the confusion of brothers and sisters. And so that's one of the things I feel bad about, you know. But devices now we, uh, we took the bull by the horns and, uh, those kids, our kids are equipped.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=807.0,842.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. And in terms of the veterans and those issues?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=842.0,845.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Oh, now with the veterans, the veterans issues, um, you know, there is a -- and I don't know the veteran rules completely -- but I know that right now, the veterans this semester had no...they're being covered in full even though we made this. Going forward, we're, you know -- and I know there's a lot of people in CUNY. CUNY as a whole is, you know, as pro veteran an organization, as, as one, as one can find. Going as a whole, I, I have my great hope that those rules about, um, you know, veterans not being compensated, you know, for some of those online learning, I think that's a, that's kind of a, uh, you know, a reaction to, lot of those, let's say that they were, uh, not very scrupulous, uh, online institutions that have gone and folded and took a lot of the money. So, uh, it seems to me that, you know, we'll come to a point where, you know, you have a, you have a, you have a, a bonafide university, whether public or private, who has to do this online, but, you know, uh, I understand where some of that, you know, past history did come from.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=845.0,921.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: If I can ask, what's the plan for the summer? Will there be a full summer school offering?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=921.0,926.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: We have -- this is very important -- we have four summer sessions going on, you know. And, uh, incredibly but not really when you think about it, we have an increase right now of over 1,200 more summer registrations than we did on this exact date last year.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=926.0,947.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Wow.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=947.0,948.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: And, um, you know, a lot of those are in the sciences. A lot of those are in business because that's where kids seem to want to major in a lot today. And I think that sciences and health is going to see certainly even more, uh, more input. Um, but you know, you know, we are trying to find out, you know, going through -- are those our kids, you know? I use the word \"kid\" as a term of endearment. There's no disrespect. I know. Are those, are those Queens College students? Are they students from other CUNYs? Um, are they students who -- you know, there's a lot of debate about their, about you know whether or not I'm going to be able to go to Binghamton and live there. Whether or not I'm gonna go to, uh, Fordham and be able to afford the $50,000 tuition, you know. So, um, we're also seeing a, an increase in the number of freshman applications.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=948.0,1015.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Really! I can understand because if you're not going to have the college experience might as well go to the less expensive, but good school near home.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1015.0,1020.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Right. Right. Why, why, why spend that money? But, uh, you know, SUNY, SUNY is hoping that they can open up, uh, you know, with some sort of in -person, but no decision, No decision has been made, you know, go going forward. Right.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1020.0,1041.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: You are a scientist. Can I ask, how do you see the, the arc of the pandemic and will things like classrooms conceivably be able to go on in the fall? If, if...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1041.0,1057.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: No, I, I would, I, uh, I should also tell you one other thing. Um, my wife, uh, is recently retired from Pfizer pharmaceutical company and she's a viral vaccine designer. And she designed viral vaccines. So I kind of know a little bit more about COVID than, you know, even most scientists. Uh, you know, seriously, um, I truly believe there are going to be multiple, multiple really, really good credible vaccines that will be out there. The question is when, you know. And in that, in that meantime, you know, until not only do we get the vaccine, we manufacture the vaccine, um, you know, and, you know, being able to, uh, uh, you know...Just think about how crazy it is to be able to manufacture 100 million little vials of glass that are sterile that you could put the vaccine in. There's all sorts of, there's all sorts of supply chains that are involved with this. But, you know, going forward, um, if we're still in this type of situation, you know, and, and looking to maintain distancing, uh, then, you know, we're, we're, we have lots of different potential scenarios where some students could come in on some days, others on other days to keep the number of kids on the campus limited at, on particular times. You know, you, you'll, you'll take a room and you'll look at the, you look at the square footage of the room and see what you can, what you can safely, uh, put in it. And I think one thing that's really certain is that, you know, what might work at Queens, you know, which has 80 acres, you know, and 40-something buildings, my life at Hunter was life in a sardine can where, you know, we were, you know, basically had 24,000 kids at Hunter. And, you know, when we, when we had a class switch, boy it was, uh, you know, worse than, uh, the subway on the rush hour. How everybody can distance is not uniform at CUNY.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1057.0,1206.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Queens could go back to putting up temp buildings in Quonset huts and tents.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1206.0,1211.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Well, I mean, we just, we just, you know, might say, you know, a room that used to hold 50, now we can safely hold 20 and keeping the kids six feet apart, you know. That's why the, it's very important like you know, some of the strongest members of my team right now are the facilities folks. You know, that we know, you know, what each room looks like and what can each room hold safely if we are working under, under guidelines. Uh, and you know, to me, to me, we don't return to whatever was until the entire population is vaccinated which will take over a year.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1211.0,1254.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Will the decision whether to have in-person classes also come down from the top.?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1254.0,1259.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Oh yeah. Yeah. I think, I think, uh, you know, and I think that the top there really is not only the Chancellery, uh, but also, you know, the health, the health commissioner of the state. You know, working, working with the Governor. Have we met all of those, you know, metrics that the Governor has because you saw the Governor's reopened, uh, three regions of the state, so far. The Finger Lakes, Central New York, and the Southern Tier. But again, like the Governor says, I have some counties that have more cows than people.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1259.0,1292.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: That's true.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1292.0,1293.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: So it's easy to open, uh, some of the other ones, but, but in some of those counties, the biggest employers are the SUNY colleges, you know, and they worry about residentials because so many of them are, are, are literally completely residential. The community colleges are more commuter in the SUNY system . But, uh, you know, the, Cortlands the Brockports, the Binghamtons, the New Paltz, they're all residential. So you have to think about, you know, how do you maintain, you know, you know, safety when you have communal bathrooms, for example.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1293.0,1336.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. Right. Can I ask you in terms of the faculty of Queens College and how they're functioning. Were they given the choice of how to structure their online courses? Like may some just record lectures and then have the students respond in writing or whatever? And others do Zoom classes? Or there was a structure given down as to how classes have to function?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1336.0,1362.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: No, there was a, you know, I think, you know, in the, in the quick transformation that we were obliged to do, uh, there was a lot of leeway given, certainly in terms of, you know, who's just, who's just recording the lecture, giving that, uh, giving that to students, um, what the university has mandated going forward now, starting with summer school that the faculty who will be teaching are going to be obliged to take, um, some sort of, of course, in developing, uh, online instruction.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1362.0,1396.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/63","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: And we have, we have, we have this course for faculty on, on Queens. We do it locally, but CUNY also does it centrally. And I know right now in the month of May they, they're, they intend to train 500 faculty each month for, uh, you know, during, during the summer, uh, you know, to really, you know, do, uh, you know, show all the capabilities and limitations of online, online instruction. So we're going to be, you know, we, you know, we get, we get authorized by the New York State Education Department, you know, how to offer our courses. And of course the State, uh, gave everybody a pass, you know. In all -- public and private -- gave everybody a pass because we had to make this dramatic switch literally midway through the semester. Um, you know, I think the State and the Education Department will be looking with a little bit more detail at, you know, making sure that we're meeting our, our learning outcomes and that the kids are getting what we really think they should, the kids should be.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1396.0,1468.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/64","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Can I ask? I'm sorry to jump around. Things like graduation. I feel so sorry for the class that was going to graduate now, who...I don't know if they care about graduation, but parents or grandparents...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1468.0,1480.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/65","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Oh, no, they do. They do. Like I said, being around, being around so many CUNYs, um, you know, being at Hunter and seeing Madison Square Garden filled. Being at Brooklyn and seeing the Barclay Center filled and, uh, uh, at Lehman to see thousands of people on the lawn, you know, bringing in six members of the family. This is a big deal for so many of them. And, and it's, and it's, it's tragic that, you know, this had to be taken away. But we're using the word that we have not canceled commencement and, but delayed commencement.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1480.0,1518.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/66","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: So it could happen, let's say, in the fall sometime.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1518.0,1520.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/67","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: You know, from my, from my mouth to God's ears. Let us be able to gather by October, I'll do an October commencement for the, um, for the class of 2020. You know, I know some schools are planning to do two commencements -- not in CUNY. Some other schools are planning to do two commencements in the spring of '21. One for the class of '20. One for the class of 21. You know, so all we're doing right now is that I, I keep telling the kids, cause you know, sometimes their naivete is so cute. But I said, you really don't understand that? They think that if they don't walk at graduation, they don't graduate. And I said, no, no, no, no. The most important thing -- I keep writing all these memos -- it's the conferral of the degree. And if you made all the, and if you made all the courses and I can check all the boxes, you are a Bachelor of what.You are a Master's of what. You got it. You know. Um, but the, the formal celebration doesn't, you know, so we're doing a virtual graduation booklet that really just has a few photos, but, um, you know, a message, a message from me, uh, all their names will be, will be in there. Probably even a little brief by Senator Schumer because he always speaks.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1520.0,1611.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/68","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: It's always the same speech. I've been to three commencements. It's the same exact speech. And he had the choice of the fellowship or the girl and he chose the girl and then she dumped him.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1611.0,1622.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/69","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Yeah. Yeah. I think I've heard it 70 times, but, I forget when, when my, when my niece was graduating from, um, uh, Sienna College, a Catholic college up by Albany, and there's the Senator and I started giving this, I started giving the talk and the people looking next to me, they go, how do you know what he's gonna say? I say, well, you know, and he's so funny, the Senator. I love him to death. He's, he's, uh, he's got the Bishop of Albany there all dressed up in his regalia. And he said, this is Joe. He used to run the parish in Queens, in my district. Like Joe, Joe O'Brien or something like that. And he goes, now he's a Bishop. This is Joey. And I said, only in New York, I said it was a perfect New York moment. It really was.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1622.0,1678.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/70","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Yes. Now you must be working with the incoming president on all of these things.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1678.0,1683.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/71","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, and I've been, I've been briefing, uh, you know, uh, Frank Wu, who is the incoming President, you know, so, um. You know, he's coming from a law school. So, uh, this is a very different type of, uh, different type of a life. But, uh, you know, Frank is a very humble man and he knows, he knows he has a ton to learn. And what, what made it easy when, when the Chancellor told me, you know, I always tell people CUNY's like the Army. I go where they send me. And cause I've been around the block of CUNY, when the Chancellor asked me to go to Queens to hold the seat for a year, I said, that's fine. One of the reasons it was an easy decision for me because the, the cabinet, the people, all of the Vice Presidents at Queens, I knew all of them. I knew all of them from my years at CUNY. And I knew what a great team it was. So, um, you know, my transition to Queens was absolutely seamless, you know, because of my knowledge of CUNY and the great team. So Frank's transition will, he'll have a little more on the learning curve, but, uh, I I'm really, I really think they made a great choice and, uh, it'll be very, very beneficial for the, for the college in the long run. Regrettably though, the job Frank applied for is not the job he's getting.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1683.0,1777.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/72","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. Right. Right. I'm thinking it's very hard to raise money now, in the economy...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1777.0,1785.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/73","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: We have a separate foundation called the Queens College Foundation, right. And we, we established this critical needs fund which is, um, you know, seeing lots of, uh, lots of money come in. So, uh, people have, uh, people have opened their, uh, their hearts and their, and their wallets to us in this point. But, you know, everyone must realize that we get our money from the State -- not the City. You know, we probably get 1% of our budget from the City and the rest of it comes from New York State. And, you know, New York State is in a, you know, a big hole in terms of the amount of revenues that the state has not collected during this, uh, during this. So it is going to be a, it is going to be a, a very challenging year, you know, in terms of, um, you know, the budget because we have to be smart and we have to perhaps do things a little bit, a little bit differently. But again, I always say to Frank, this isn't the job you thought you were getting, you know, but that, that, that's true for, uh -- even, even some of the new faculty that we had already hired, you know, they're coming into a different situation.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1785.0,1866.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/74","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Sure. Sure. Are you finding that, like faculty who might have been on the edge about retiring have decided this is the time to retire? Or...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1866.0,1879.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/75","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Uh, we, we, we, we had a, we had a large number, somewhere just shy of 30, of faculty who were planning to retire already. Now, um, I think people will wait and see till the end of this semester. And it, it would not surprise me if some more of the people, uh, you know, did decide to retire. And the CUNY system is generous. It gives you a, it gives you a little period of time to decide, well, I want to unretire. So, you know, some people might look at their, uh, TIAA CREF and, you know, say, you know what, maybe I should, uh, uh, stick, stick it out. I think some faculty, you know, undoubtedly...I always wonder what I would do if I was in this position because I really last taught in the classroom when I was Provost at Lehman. And that was in 2007. I wonder what I would do. If I would want to do this online stuff, or I would just say -- cause, you know, my life was the lab and getting dirty with the kids and everything, you know. And I don't know if I would, if I was at that stage of career. I'm, I'm happy I'm where I am career-wise. Some faculty might, might opt to say, you know, this is not for me. And it's time to retire.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1879.0,1969.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/76","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Where are you being sent next by CUNY?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1969.0,1973.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/77","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Um, I'm still, uh, I'm still at that fork in the road. And like Yogi Berra would say, when you come to the fork, the fork in the road, take it. [Laughs] You know, I have, I have the option of, because I'm 39 years between CUNY and the private, I can certainly retire. Uh, or I could go to, you know, one or two other CUNY institutions. I'm not at liberty to say, but, uh, I'm still, I'm still deciding, you know. I think, I think I definitely would have gone somewhere in a different set of circumstances, but, you know, you know, with everything that is so uncertain right now, it's almost like saying, you know, you got to think about this.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=1973.0,2019.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/78","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. I'm trying to think. I don't want to keep you because I know you're a man with many, many demands, but is there anything else you want to say about how COVID-19 has affected the college and education and student life and faculty and demands on faculty?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2019.0,2043.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/79","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Well, I, I really think that, you know, this has, uh, you know, the potential to change many things. You know, many, many, many things. And, you know, you could do knee-jerk responses and say, oh my gosh, you know. Um, we could do so much virtual. This is such a different model. You know, it's such a different expense. You know, but, um, you can't minimize seeing the -- you know, I can, I can walk around my class and I knew who was getting it and who wasn't getting it, you know? And I would walk up to a kid and go, \"Johnny, what don't you understand? Tell me now.\" And, you know, I don't see that. Um, I don't know if we can deliver all of that, but certainly, um, you know, their having some more of virtual instruction is probably to our students' benefit because, um, you know, again, these kids aren't going, going away to a, you know, a fancy residential college which this is all they're doing. They have complicated lives. Right. You know, um, and, you know, having some more virtual ability I think is, is good. But, you know, I'm kind of the person who would probably think that, you know, if you do one quarter virtual and three quarters in person, I'd be happy with something like that. But, you know, it gives you the chance to get to know the students because, you know, a lot of times they depend on us for the next stage of their career. I mean, I think I'm probably responsible for 1,000 MDs that I had to write letters for, you know, during the course of my, uh, career as a medical advisor. Um, you miss that, but I think, you know, I think about a large company now. I saw on the news last night, that Google was telling a lot of their employees, you can work from home from now on. Uh, you know, what does that mean about real estate? What does that mean about construction? What does it mean about a home where you live? Right. You know, houses, the houses have to be built or, you know, apartments that are constructed with bonafide offices in them.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2043.0,2190.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/80","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: But what does it mean about the serendipitous things that happen when you bump into people at work? I mean, I work at home all the time, so my life is unchanged except that now my husband's working home and my son is unemployed. Um, but I miss -- I made it a point to go out at least once a week and meet with a colleague just to have those interactions, those you know, so...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2190.0,2219.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/81","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: I loved my, I loved my life in the Bronx because I used to go with the colleagues to the famous, uh, you remember, Rebecca, the area called Arthur Avenue? You ever hear of that?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2219.0,2233.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/82","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Yes. Yes.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2233.0,2233.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/83","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Of course. You know. And I have so many colleagues who work at the Zoo and at the Botanical Garden up in the Bronx. That was, uh, you, you miss that. And, uh, certainly when I was working at Hunter, the vibrancy of being, you know, in the, in the city and going to the museums or going to the park, or going to the Met. There are a lot of things that we do, uh, you know, that we certainly do miss and you miss the collegiality, uh, which, I always thought was my strongest point in, in leading, leading a group was just, you know, making everybody feel like guys, you know, just because I'm the President or the Provost doesn't mean anything different. Uh, you know, I have, you know, I'm here to serve you, you know, that's the, uh, that's the model that my education, you know, taught me. So but, we do miss, we do miss that. And hopefully we're going to come back to, uh, what I, what I think is a compromise. It will be a little bit more of, um, a little bit more of online instruction in the overall curriculum for all the majors. But then again, there still has to be, you know, this hands-on...How could I run my nursing program at Hunter without...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2233.0,2316.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/84","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. Bodies.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2316.0,2316.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/85","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: You know, there, there are certain things, uh, and, and you really, you, you can't keep these sciences out of the labs cause that's where these discoveries are, are being made. You know, so we, we, we have to get back to, we have to get back to something. Uh, and certainly I'm just hoping it's, uh, it's this compromise where we give the kids a little bit more flexibility and we then return to being able to talk to one another. The, the conferences are taking, took a beating. All of the, you know, science conferences are taking a beating. And that's the place where ideas are exchanged. And it's not quite the same as just doing it on the internet.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2316.0,2368.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/86","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: No. No.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2368.0,2368.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/87","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: So I mean, you know, people, people miss, uh, certainly miss that. Um, but you know, this too shall pass. That's what I believe. And....\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2368.0,2380.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/88","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Well, your wife as a, as a research virus and vaccine developer said...\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2380.0,2387.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/89","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: She was one of the, she was one of the makers of the FluMist of the, of the flu thing to inhale. And also the one we take at our age, the Prevnar, the pneumonia vaccine. Yeah. So, um, luckily this is a, this is a much more stable virus than many of the other viruses that really mutate dramatically. So that's why, um, you know, I have, I have great hope and, uh. Um, this is an interesting story. I grew up in Brooklyn, literally a hundred yards away from Tony Fauci.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2387.0,2432.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/90","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Oh wow!\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2432.0,2432.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/91","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Yeah. We were, we were Dyker Heights kids. Bay Ridge kids in Brooklyn. And, uh, uh, one of the things I did at Brooklyn College when I was the Provost there about four or five years ago, I gave a, I gave Tony a, an honorary degree. Not because he had anything to do with CUNY, right -- he went to the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts -- but because he was the son of the city, he was the son of Brooklyn and he has done more for, for AIDS research, you know. And so, sometimes you can find the, you know, I know, I know we did on the Queens site, they put this picture of Tony and I together in our, in our robes when I was giving Dr. Fauci the honorary degree. And now I look back and I said -- you know, I, I've met him a number of times -- I said, God, you know, not bad for two little kids from Brooklyn, who grew up, you know, uh, you know, uh, and, uh, and then in a neighborhood, you know. Went to the same church. Went to the same pharmacy. His father was our pharmacist. So it would be even more, more real New York stories. Right?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2432.0,2513.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/92","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Yes. Well those are the great ones, especially for oral history.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2513.0,2517.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/93","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Oh yeah. I mean, it's like a, you know, I always tell people that, you know, especially in oral history, growing up in, in a, you know, a different type of multicultural Brooklyn, you know, in those days when, you know, it was Italian, Irish, Jewish, a few Puerto Rican and a few other. We loved each other. You know, I went to a, uh, I went to a high school which is now Medgar Evers College. That was a, that was a Jesuit high school for 100 years before it became Medgar Evers. So, yeah, we were, uh, we were just Brooklyn kids, you know. And we, you know, we, we could, you know, fool around with each other and it was just a great time.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2517.0,2565.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/94","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Alright. I will let you go. Has your wife been interviewed a lot about all of this or not?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2565.0,2572.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/95","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: No. She, you know, when she retired, she kind of pulled the plug on that, but we, we are keeping up. There's just numerous, numerous podcasts that are out there by, by the best virologists in the world -- some of which we know personally. And it's, you know, it's fascinating to read the science behind this. Um, you know, I think I read last night -- it's, it's just amazing -- there's been something like 14,000 articles published on this already. You know, there are, there are servers dedicated only to COVID, you know. But, um, I think the one thing that, you know, that Dr. Fauci preaches and I'm with him a hundred percent, we're going to get there, but we can't rush it. And we got to know which one of these things really works. And that's why we can do these. We have to do the trials and what the, and what the companies are all doing. And I think that's the great thing is, um, you know, they're getting ready for, for number two, before number one is finished. So they're getting ready for number three, before number two is finished. So they could just move, move things up and get things out as quickly as possible. But again, uh, as Dr. Fauci says, we need the data, that we need to know which one of these things works. And, uh, the medical community will, will just tell you that there, you know, there were so many things that we're seeing with the virus that, you know, it's not like a typical respiratory virus is. You know, it can affect your kidneys. It could affect your, um, your blood supply. We see what's happening with these kids and these rashes, and, you know, it's a, it's amazing science, but you don't like it when, you know, you see so many people suffering like that.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2572.0,2688.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/96","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: Right. I'm going to be speaking to your chief of staff, Meghan [Moore-Wilk] in about 15 minutes. Are there any questions you think I should ask her? The things she's dealing with?\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2688.0,2699.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/97","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Um, Meghan is, um -- I've known Meghan since my days at Lehman. Since 2003. So that's why I was so eager to, to bring Meghan with me. We, we've been buddies, we've been buddies for a long, for a long time. Meghan is the operational wizard. So, you know, when we had to do all these things about moving the kids around, Meghan was the person to do this. We had to help to think about ways of, you know, distributing, uh, distributing the, uh, the, some of the laptop devices, mailing them out, you know. Meghan is just an absolute gem and treasure and her organizational skills, uh, you know, have made this whole transition, you know, a lot easier, you know, and made us get through COVID a lot easier.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2699.0,2752.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/98","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: So I can ask her about all of the operations. OK. Thank you. That will help.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2752.0,2757.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/99","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Yeah. Yeah. She's, she's wonderful like that. And again, because she came from CUNY Central. She was the Director of, of, of Space at CUNY Central in the facilities group. So she probably knows more about the 330 buildings that comprise CUNY than anyone else. So she's, she's the one who understands that the problems at Queens are different than the problems at Hunter or Baruch or...So she really has that other like, like me, the broad, broad CUNY knowledge, which I think has really helped us in this, in this time. And I'll say one last thing. You know, we, uh, are, are hoping, you know, that, uh, additional funds will come in, uh, through, uh, another, another version of the Federal Stimulus Act, um, to help us, to help us keep, uh, keep going, you know. And again, I'm going to be the, the, the eternal optimist and, uh, and believe that both sides will come to some sort of compromise, which, uh, which, uh, helps, uh, helps us all.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2757.0,2839.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/100","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nRebecca Rushfield: OK. All right. It's been wonderful speaking with you.\n\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2839.0,2843.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490/transcript/20657/annotation/101","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"\t\nWilliam Tramontano: Thank you, Rebecca. Good luck with the project. This is amazing. OK. All right. Bye bye. Stay safe.\n","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/150/collection_resources/26444/file/93490#t=2843.0,2850.325"}]}]}]}