November 7, 2005 (Vol. 2, No. 5)

New Faces at Lehman

Rossi Ali, Manager, Posman Collegiate Bookstore

Rossi Ali is not new to the Posman Collegiate Bookstore on the Lehman campus, but he has big shoes to fill. His predecessor, Jon Reischer, managed the store for eight years. Ali served as the bookstore's assistant manager for three years, and in 2004 became a buyer for the company. His duties include purchasing merchandise for 15 stores.

"I would say the transition in management has so far been a smooth one," says Ali. "One of the challenges is striking a balance between being everyone's friend and boss, but we work as a team here and we're all very respectful of each other."

Prior to joining the Posman staff, Ali served as a liaison between the Katherine Gibbs School and the bookstore located there. Unlike his predecessor, he will not be directly involved in purchasing books. Recent Lehman grad Sherlyn Santana will be taking on this new responsibility.

Merrill Parra, Director of Special Student Services

When visitors first enter the office of Special Student Services in Shuster Hall, they are met with a peaceful, yet orderly environment. It's an environment that new Director Merrill Parra will tell you is natural, but quite deliberate.

"We have students with needs ranging from Adult Attention Deficit Disorder to vision impairment," she explains, "so we make a concerted effort to offer an environment where these students will feel that their needs will be met."

For almost 30 years, Parra has been helping disabled students successfully negotiate college. Before joining the Lehman staff, she served as a TRIO director of a Special Student Service program, and the director of the National Model Homebound Program at Queensborough Community College, where she was instrumental in implementing new methods of course delivery.

"When I first started in the homebound program, we used telephones to help disabled students communicate in class," says Parra. "By the time I left, we were offering them Realtime broadcasting via computers."

She says that one of the benefits of working in her field has been seeing how assistive technology can help disabled people live fulfilling lives. Over the years, she has worked with students who have moved on to successful careers, including one student who went on to become the first licensed special education teacher with cerebral palsy.

In addition to providing students with such tools as tape recorders, books on tape and zoom text for the visually impaired, the office also helps students and their families become self-advocates. Agencies like CBVH (Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped) and VESID (Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities) sponsor eligible students in pursuit of higher education.

"I find it very rewarding," Parra says, "to work with these students and see them graduate and move on to lead successful, independent lives."

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