14 The QUEE NS Courier • JUNE 19, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Elmhurst says no to fourth homeless shelter BY SALVATORE LICATA Hundreds of protestors flocked to the Pan-American Hotel in Elmhurst to push back on the city’s initiative to house more homeless families in the neighborhood. “We must step up to the plate now and stop this from going any further,” Roe Daraio, president of the nonprofit THE COURIER/Photo by Salvatore Licata Attend Five Towns College’s Information Session in Bayside Are you looking for a small, affordable college with unique and diverse programs for today’s most exciting careers? If so, Five Towns College in Dix Hills, Long Island shares your passion and creativity by offering degree programs in Music, Music Business, Audio Recording Technology, Filmmaking, Theatre Arts, Mass Communication, Music Teacher and Childhood Education. Five Towns College welcomes new and transfer students to meet with an Admissions Representative on Wednesday, June 25 between 4-6:00 p.m. at Panera Bread located at 23-58 Bell Blvd in Bayside. Learn more about the college, our degree programs, internships and scholarship opportunities. Complimentary food and beverages will be served. Programs of Study The Film/Video program at Five Towns offers an exceptional opportunity for students to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (B.F.A.) in Film/Video. Students are able to access the college’s state-of-the-art equipment starting their first year providing a hands-on approach to filmmaking. The business management program leading to the Bachelor of Professional Studies (B.P.S.) degree is offered for business-minded students with concentrations in music business and audio recording technology. Students learn from experts in the entertainment field and are required to participate in various internships provided by our Career Services Department. A program in mass communication leading to the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree is offered with concentrations in broadcasting and journalism. Students interested in Broadcasting participate by creating their own radio show on our FCC campus radio station. Those interested in Journalism write for the school newspaper; The Record or the college yearbook. The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree in Theatre Arts offers a wide range of acting opportunities. Students perform in main stage musicals, comedies, fully staged children’s musicals and dramas, which are presented in the Dix Hills Center for the Performing Arts or in the Studio Theatre. Scholarship Opportunities Five Towns College is one of the most affordable private colleges in the region and financial aid is available to qualified students. Scholarships, grants and loans are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, financial need or talent. Transfer scholarships are available as well as scholarships for first time students. Internships The colleges Career Services Department will assist you with acquiring an internship with companies that will fit into your career goals. These internships are an excellent way to network and to make key contacts that can open the doors to a successful future. Our Career Services department offers internships to all students with a specific focus on placements in the music and entertainment industry. Five Towns College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. For more information about our degree programs, schedule a private tour or simply want to speak with an Admissions Representative, call 631-656-2110 or visit ftc.edu today! ADVERTORIAL Communities of Maspeth & Elmhurst Together Inc. (COMET) Civic Association and organizer of the June 17 protest, said to the crowd. “We must call to attention the issue of homelessness and how the city is choosing to deal with it.” In a plan that is supported by Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Comptroller Scott Stringer, nonprofit Samaritan Village proposed the Pan-American Hotel, located at 7900 Queens Blvd., to house 200 homeless people, including the 36 families already residing there. This is the fourth homeless shelter in Elmhurst and for residents of the community, it is one too many. “They did this without any input from the community,” Hilda Chu, one of the protestors, said. “We have three already and now they want to add a fourth. This is so unfair to us.” Councilman Daniel Dromm addressed the crowd during the protest and said he was disappointed by the Department of Homeless Services’ (DHS) lack of communication with local officials. He was outraged that he was given no advance notice that the closed-down hotel would now house homeless families, but said protestors must act civilly in their protest and engage in a discussion to figure out the best way to combat the situation. “Elmhurst is overburdened with the homeless,” Dromm said. “It is bad policy to bring that many needy people into one place.” Pan-American Hotel officials declined to comment on the subject. The DHS will provide the families with three meals a day until the agency can move them to an alternate shelter, the agency said. “As the number of families with children residing in temporary, emergency shelter grows, we must consider all available options to address our capacity needs and meet our legally mandated right to shelter,” the DHS said in a statement. “In the short term, DHS is using the Queens Boulevard facility to provide essential shelter and supportive services to families with children.”
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