Misty Curreli is being recognized for her years of social justice work both in the local community and on campus, including the Undocumented Student Task Force and the LGBTQ Task Force. (photo courtesy of Misty Curreli)

The FA member excellence awards committee is proud to announce that Misty Curreli, associate professor of sociology, has been selected as the 2021-22 recipient of the FA award for community service and social justice.

While our annual awards & retiree recognition celebration has been postponed until later this semester, we want people to know about Misty's good work at the college and in the community. Below is my interview with Misty as well as her nomination.

Q — You were nominated because of your years of service to a variety of social justice programs both in the local community and here at SCCC. I know that you received the Suffolk County Women’s Committee Award in 2017 for volunteering as a rape crisis counselor. Talk about this critically important work that you did for 13 years.

A –I started volunteering for VIBES in 2006. This is a nonprofit organization that provides services for people who have been victims or survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, elder/child abuse or former military persons experiencing PTSD or Military Sexual Trauma (MST). VIBES provides free services such as counseling, legal advocacy and assistance with food, clothing, utilities, shelter, etc. A 40-hour training program prepared us to do rape crisis counseling primarily from a psychological and emotional standpoint.

Once trained and certified, rape crisis counselors (RCC) are put on a calendar for multiple 12-hour shifts per month during which you’re “on call” and ready for the moment that someone arrives at a police station or hospital in Suffolk County. I typically did two shifts a month and filled in where needed. When a call comes in through the system, you’re dispatched out to one of the Suffolk County hospitals, often times one of the three that have a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Center, which have private exam rooms with a set up better suited to this kind of work being done by forensic nurses. My role was to accompany the individual, most often starting in the ER and moving to one of these SANE rooms and sit with them as they went through the interview about what happened as well as through the physical exam. I’d provide them with new clothing if their clothes had been taken for evidence, provide toiletries they’d need to shower and connect them with VIBES services if they wished.

I’d comfort and support them throughout the process, often emphasizing that what happened wasn’t their fault. It’s important to note that this process happens with or without police involvement. It’s always up to the individual whether or not to involve the police, but the evidence collection and VIBES services happen even if they do not talk with the police. If they do involve police, I’d stay with them through that process as well.

I volunteered in this way from 2006 to 2019 and I hope to rejoin them again when I am able to. For a few years also, I worked part-time for VIBES to run group orientations for new clients and later I helped to coordinate and train other RCCs, manage the calendar, keep the SANE centers stocked, etc. While I was a rape crisis counselor, I was one of about 50 volunteers who did this work.

Q – On behalf of the FA, Misty, thank you for providing that important service in our communities. Because we’re both at the Eastern Campus, I know that you’ve been active on campus in so many different ways too. You helped organize World Hijab Days and the Tunnels of Oppression, you participated in the Student African American Sisterhood program… there are just so many to name. One that stands out is your work as an incredibly active advisor to the Stand Up Speak Out Club. Explain what that club was about?

A – I loved doing Stand Up Speak Out because it went in so many different directions. It was sort of an outgrowth of another club on campus, but I was more focused on adding education, advocacy, local community work and information about social issues. A group of students came up with the name, which we abbreviated as “SUSO”, and they developed a mission statement. Together we saw it as an opportunity to create a venue to bring in speakers, show films, engage other students in issues that matter to them and then really make that leap or connection from learning to also assisting and supporting the local organizations that work to end these social problems.

One our first initiatives was working with Maureen’s Haven Homeless Outreach. I had been talking with the students about how you can best assist community service organizations by calling them and asking, “What do you need?” and start from there. It was great because they asked us to do things I hadn’t imagined! They had said they could really use help organizing their donated clothes and that they’d like for us to do something festive for the holiday season. We went to their Lincoln Street office and did just that, organized clothing by type and size, which was a huge project, and then we decorated and ate cookies with Maureen’s clientele. We had also done a few fundraisers on campus (bake sales and such) so we gave them our monetary donation while we were there as well.

In addition to decorating the bulletin boards in the Peconic Building every April and October for sexual assault and domestic violence awareness months, we also fundraised and collected donations for VIBES. We spoke to the coordinator of the SANE program and got a list of clothing needed to stock the SANE centers, then raised money and purchased the needed items. The students called a local nursing home, and they asked us to simply come and play cards, so we did that one afternoon—and were quite surprised to see how seriously competitive the residents were!

Over the years, we did just so much. The students were very industrious about coming up with ideas and they were passionate about their causes. We arranged trips into the city to see shows and visit museums, we brought in speakers and films such as Shelby Knox and community outreach reps from VIBES and LIGALY to give workshops on gender identity, healthy relationships and so much more. They won Outstanding Student Organization in 2016 for the vast amount of work they did to enrich the campus and serve the community. We also worked from the basic idea of going to the source and asking what kind of help is needed. Then you can be sure you’re contributing in a way that truly helps.

Q – Your nomination notes that you’ve also made considerable contributions to SCCC through your service on two college-wide committees, the Undocumented Student Task Force and the LGBTQ Task Force. Could you describe your work on the Undocumented Student Task Force?

A – The Undocumented Student Task Force is a committee that coalesced based on a concern that undocumented students may face obstacles in an increasingly fearful environment. It’s a larger committee, as anyone at the college can join and, as such, we have representation from faculty, administrators, counselors, admissions, student activities, librarians and students. The chairs are Dr. Patty Munsch, vice president of student affairs, and Jill Santiago, director for Center for Social Justice and Human Understanding. The goal is to examine potential barriers for students to take classes at SCCC and seek ways to remedy those issues.

By listening to students and understanding their experiences, we have revised forms, added extra guidance to the admissions process and clarified which scholarships at the college require students to hold a documented status (very few do). We’ve partnered with many local organizations to bring workshops to the college that assist students and their families with knowing their rights and applying for citizenship status. We have also created a website that contains up-to-date information about federal and state programs such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), immigrant rights, Temporary Protective Status and more.

Recently, we launched a fundraising campaign the features the college’s “You Belong Here” slogan on bright blue tee shirts. We’ve been focused on created an inclusive environment here and have frequently hosted workshops at Professional Development Day. In a presentation I co-taught with members of the committee, I presented some ideas for visibly demonstrating our support of undocumented students. One of those ideas was a syllabus statement, which garnered a lot of attention and excitement from the audience. Later, the task force created a subcommittee that worked alongside the Title IX office to draft our Diversity and Inclusion syllabus statement and later got endorsements from the Diversity Council and the LGTBQ Task Force.

Q – And you serve on the LGBTQ Task Force as well! 

A – I do! Much like the Undocumented Student Task Force, the LGBTQ+ Task Force developed from a need to create a welcoming environment at the college and increasing equity and inclusion—this time for the LGBTQ+ community. And much like the other task force, its initiatives are wide reaching and comprehensive. Since I began serving on the committee in 2016, I’ve seen so many projects spring forward, including the designation of all-gender restrooms on each of the three campuses, the chosen name policy and the Braver Spaces LGBTQ+ ally training program, in addition to a slew of book discussions, speakers, films, “open hours,” print media campaigns and other events that bring employees and students together in forums of learning.

I was trained in the very first ally education program which was developed by members of the task force and now has now trained nearly 100 faculty and staff who have become part of the ally network. The six-hour training program is designed to increase awareness and understanding about the LGBTQ+ community and includes two sessions: Foundations and Identity and Allyship. When you complete the training program, you receive a Braver Spaces Ally office sticker that signifies to students and others in the campus community that you’re an informed person who can help someone in need.

Again, much of this work requires listening to students. For example, when I was the advisor of the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) on the Eastern Campus, a student approached me with the idea to create an educational campaign about the all-gender bathrooms. We worked with the LGBTQ+ Task Force and Paul Turano (media services) to produce five short public service announcements addressing common myths about gender-neutral bathrooms. Students wrote the scripts and starred in the videos, which featured the tagline “Gender Diversity is Welcomed Here.” Those PSAs were shown on the video screens throughout the whole college and it’s something the students were quite proud of.

I remember some of the legwork behind the chosen name policy when I was part of the sub-committee that examined every screen in the Banner system that students use in order to compile a list of every place that one’s name or gender was shown. I believe it’s called mapping if you pretend that you are a student and try to walk through the processes of applying for college, registering for class, getting a student ID, etc., in order to get a sense of what they see and experience.

We are doing some of this work currently as we examine forms for both students and employees. The committee is currently chaired by Susan Wood (library) and it’s comprised of faculty, staff and students across the college, which I’ve been so proud to be a part of.

Q – As if all of the above isn’t enough, you’ve been active in FA too! I know that you participated in the New Member Discussion Series and the Organizing Institute in preparation for the Janus decision. You’ve helped the FA stock the Eastern Campus food pantry each fall and you co-chaired Making Strides with me the first year it was held here at Eastern. What does it mean to you to be an FA member, knowing that social justice is a core union value?

A – My initial thought when coming to the college was relief, actually, knowing that it’s a unionized environment. I quickly realized that because of the FA and because of the faculty on these committees, I knew people would be working their tails off to bring these issues to light, to the forefront. I mean, we’ve seen real change, actual results, from the administration on many of these issues, like the all-gender restrooms. That doesn’t always happen at other institutions. We faculty can work to understand the issues, the inequalities, that impact our community and know that people who care will put it on the agenda—and we know it won’t  get lost in the bureaucracy even at the largest community college in the SUNY system. We know that when we do this good work, the FA wants to help.

Q – You’ve been at SCCC since 2014, and in addition to being an effective, engaged educator, you’ve clearly made significant contributions to the college and community as well. I know this is partly why you received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service in 2018. What advice do you have for colleagues about how and why to be so involved in the life of the college? 

A – There is a part of my training in sociology that affects this. I’ve spent so much of my time reading and researching and thinking about social problems. To sit with that and not do anything about it would be very dissatisfying to me. When you spend so much time intellectually invested in understanding these social programs—which are very real to people’s experiences, and you’re seeing that humanity and the harm of the suffering that’s happening—you want to be able to help the individuals being harmed. But as a sociologist our work is to examine these problems at the institutional level as well. What forces in society shape these inequalities?

There are a lot of different inroads to get involved here. For example, we can and should buy and donate sweatpants and socks for the SANE centers and volunteer to support and advocate for others who have experienced hardship. There is great need to do the work that attempts to lessen—even just slightly—the harms that people have experienced.

And there’s also a need to prevent those individuals from being at the SANE centers and needing those clothing items to begin with. In the clubs and committees that I’m part of, we can use our platforms to educate and bring awareness of those social issues to the campus or broader community as well as examine the systems that create or perpetuate those harms. So, by bringing a speaker to campus, we may inform people about the red flags of abusive relationships or how to intervene if you see others in those relationships. We can talk to students about any obstacles that they face while applying for college and registering for classes and work to improve that process. Likewise, we can talk to students and learn about ways to make the campus environment more inclusive and attuned to the needs of our diverse student body.

I guess what I’m saying is that all of this work is needed: helping victims, educating the community and changing the system. Even small contributions help, and I guarantee that you will find others at SCCC who will want to team up with you for this work.

Also, I just want to say that it’s really enjoyable working with students and encouraging and facilitating their aspirations. I’ve worked with really lovely, energetic, mission-centered students, who are now continuing to make change at other institutions of higher education on the Island and beyond. It’s truly been a rewarding experience.

Award: Community Outreach & Social Justice
Nominee: Misty Curreli, Associate Professor of Sociology

Their youngest clients were babies. Their oldest clients were senior citizens. For over a decade—starting when she was a graduate student at Stony Brook University—Misty Curreli volunteered to do what would be unimaginable to many people. She served as a rape crisis counselor for two 12-hours shifts per month with VIBES (formerly VIBS Family Violence and Rape Crisis Center). This means she was on call for notification of any type of sexual assault or rape and had to report, no matter the time of day or night, to assist the victims of this horrific crime, providing them with absolutely critical and timely information, advice and comfort. For her work in this role, Misty was honored by the Town of Brookhaven with a 2017 Women’s Recognition Award for outstanding service to the community as a volunteer.

Having started full time at SCCC in 2013, Misty continued her amazing, selfless work in this area for years. But while I believe this work alone would merit the FA member excellence award for social justice and community outreach, Misty’s commitment to standing up and speaking out for others continues in a number of other arenas as well.

From 2014 (just one year after starting her first full-time job) to 2017, Misty was faculty advisor to the Stand Up Speak Out student club, which was deeply engaged in a variety of activities on the Eastern Campus, some of which overlapped with her service as a co-advisor to the Gender Sexuality Alliance from 2016 to 2017. Her students’ actions ranged from fundraising for homeless individuals, survivors of sexual assault, and students in need of feminine sanitary supplies in women’s restrooms to posting notes of positivity across campus to taking trips into the city to see shows like Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home.

Misty also worked with a former student to host World Hijab Days on campus in 2015, 2016 and 2017, inviting faculty and students to experience different cultural practices by seeing what it’s like to wear a hijab for a day. She has served on our campus multicultural diversity committee run by Jim Banks since 2018 as well, assisting Jim in a broad variety of activities.

As a result of that participation, Jim invited Misty to serve as a faculty mentor for the Student African American Sisterhood program, for which Misty was paired with racially minoritized women students to provide one-on-one advice and support to better ensure their retention and success. She was a mentor for Guided Pathways as well, and as with most things Misty does, she became one of the most sought after mentors on our campus. It was never an unusual sight for me (pre-pandemic) to see students lined up in the hallways outside Dr. Curreli’s door.

In addition, Misty has provided key leadership on several high profile collegewide committees. She has been a central figure on both the Undocumented Student Task Force (2017 to present) and on the LGBTQ Task Force (2016 to present). These committees have accomplished a great deal at SCCC in recent years, and I know from several deans and faculty colleagues who sit on those committees that Misty’s contributions have been invaluable. Misty contributed a great deal of research and brainstorming ideas for the brilliant “You Belong Here” syllabus statement that has been deployed across our campuses.

In a similar vein, Misty was a member of the Long Island Immigrant Student Advocates' Educators Committee, from 2018 to 2020, that worked to support students who were in the process of gaining citizenship. Led by Osman Canales, the group was comprised of both high school teachers and college professors, and they brainstormed ways to take action to address issues commonly associated with noncitizens, including bullying, language barriers, transportation issues and the need for scholarships.

For the collegewide LGBTQ Task Force, Misty did much the same intense levels of research and advocacy for the development of all-gender restrooms and all of the critical associated college policies regarding their use. For example, since I teach HUM116: Gender and the Humanities and work with gender-diverse students every semester, I personally remember engaging in a conversation with Misty about whether the task force should publish a map indicating where the all-gender restrooms are located on each campus. Misty’s work on that task force was consistently supported by data and her rock solid ethics. She contributed to the creation and implementation of the chosen name policy as well and continues to advocate for its full, proper implementation that will actually benefit students. There’s always work to be done, and Misty is the one rolling up her sleeves to do it.

Looking at your committee’s list of possible topics for the social justice/community outreach award—domestic abuse, substance abuse, education justice, hunger and poverty, immigration reform, labor solidarity, racial justice, women’s issues, LGBTQ solidarity—I can see only one for which I cannot immediately call to mind some good contributions Misty has made. But I have like a dozen more examples of Misty’s good work: she was a Tunnel of Oppression facilitator in 2017 at Ammerman, then facilitated again and helped create the tunnel at Eastern in 2018 by creating posters, the resources packet and more. Misty and I attended the ERASE Racism Gala in 2019 to contribute not only financially to this important antiracism organization but also to learn from the keynote by Dr. Beverly Tatum Daniel. Misty ran our campus Teaching and Learning Center from 2017 to 2020, bringing important workshops to colleagues.

For the FA, Misty has participated in the new member program by contributing to the New Member Discussion Series, the first and second Organizing Institute to brainstorm strategies for the Janus Supreme Court decision, she has contributed to and volunteered with the FA to help fill our campus food pantry every fall for as long as it’s been open (e.g., you can see her in photos in The WORD in 2015 and 2017), in fall 2017 Misty and I co-chaired the Eastern Long Island FA Making Strides team and she has served as a trained conflict mediator for our Conflict Mediation Program since 2015.

Given all that Misty has done for Suffolk County (VIBES rape crisis counselor, immigration reform), the college (LGBTQ Task Force, Undocumented Student Task Force), our campus (faculty advisor and committee member for several social justice related groups/topics) and for the FA, I believe Misty is most deserving of the FA member excellence award for social justice and community outreach.