Student Life

LIBI in Partnership with the IRS

Students who volunteer on campus as an IRS-certified tax agent get real-world tax preparation experience, boosting their qualifications and resume.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, or VITA, is an initiative that offers free income tax preparation assistance to people who make $55,000 or less (per year), persons with disabilities, or persons with limited English, who need help preparing their tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers use electronic filing systems to provide free basic income tax returns for qualified people.

The VITA program provides valuable firsthand experience to students who act as IRS-certified volunteers, which looks good when applying for jobs. It also builds their confidence – having provided a service to the public. Finally, it is ethical to offer help to low to moderate-income taxpayers who need assistance.

Diversity at LIBI

LIBI is deeply committed to building a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated faculty which will enhance everyone’s learning experience. The college aims to provide both a learning and working environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. LIBI welcomes all people – including you – and includes individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

If you’re a low-income student, first-generation collegian, or student of color; you’ll find belonging at LIBI – after all, that’s the majority of our student body. That’s why our college goes the extra mile to create an environment of unique collective inclusivity for these groups. LIBI staff provide extensive financial counseling and academic guidance when potential students think about enrolling at the college.

Diversity has always been the bedrock of LIBI. Graduates leave the college with enhanced cultural competencies and the ability to work in diverse groups – skills increasingly critical to success in the modern workplace.

The Student Store

The Student Store offers an opportunity for students to get practical work experience and to gain credit towards their degree program while giving back to the LIBI community. The store provides community members with fresh coffee to start the day, a quick snack to tide them over until dinner, as well as school supplies. Miguel Negron, who works in Admissions, wrote the motto which states “Because you don’t want to go outside!” This motto truly reflects what the store is all about.

All things start as tiny seeds that with hard work and nurturing grow to greatness. That is the story of The LIBI Student Store. This “seedling” came into being because our community was tired of going off campus to get overpriced snacks and supplies. The Retention Committee members, faculty, staff, and students met to plan and gather supplies for the store. Our staff came together to get the store up and running. Many people pooled their resources to get supplies, cash registers, display cases, LIBI book bags, and more. They also lent their expertise in a given area to ensure the store become a success.

The store’s student volunteers gain valuable work experience while using skills acquired from their studies. They also receive three Adult Education Unit (AEU) credits for working five hours per week for a full semester. The store’s student volunteers balance working at the store with their courses, jobs, and personal schedules. These dynamic full-time students embody the LIBI spirit by selflessly giving of themselves. All proceeds from purchases go to school events. However, more importantly, the store provides a place for community members to share information, a kind word, and a smile. With continued support from the LIBI community, the seed planted on June 6, 2016, now a thriving seedling, will grow into a great, mighty oak for semesters to come.

Interested students, staff, and faculty can sign up to work at the store by contacting Linda Buncom, Ronald Murray, Diane Orderson, or Julia Scalia.

LIBI C.A.R.E.S

LIBI C.A.R.E.S. stands for College Action Results in Empowerment & Strenght, which was created by Ronald Murray.

The LIBI C.A.R.E.S philosophy is apparent when you consider the following set of “we” statements:

• • We Care – We CARE when donating to, advocating for, and playing an active role in the walks to fight diabetes, autism, suicide prevention and making strides against breast cancer.

• • We Strive – We STRIVE as educators to ensure that our students embark on careers that reflect the skills they have acquired at LIBI after graduation. It reveals how well we’ve done our jobs to prepare our students to move ahead, whether they decide to work or continue their education.

• • We Discover – When we help our students to realize their goals, it is crucial that they DISCOVER certain things for themselves. Through Job Fairs and Transfer Fairs, sponsored by the Career Services Department, and on educational trips where students explore for themselves what lies ahead, we help them better understand what they will encounter once they graduate.

• • We Build – This also helps to BUILD character, not only through hard work in the classroom but also through community and hands-on involvement such as by working in the student store or becoming IRS-certified to prepare taxes through the VITA program.

• • We Support – We SUPPORT our students by providing well-trained members of the college community who are experts in their fields. We further support, strengthen, and guide our students through special events like, ‘I Commit 2 Complete’, and by welcoming visiting professionals who visit classrooms to talk with our students.

• • We Grow – We all GROW (and we’re not only referring to our students – we mean everyone!) as students advance to the next level in pursuit of their educational goals, becoming accepted to the many senior colleges with which LIBI has articulation agreements. Our faculty members are elevated through professional development and faculty convocation workshops, where they are given the opportunity to meet famous authors like James M. Lang. LIBI continues to be at the forefront by providing our students and the entire college community with important information assuring them that “you’re not alone” on issues like domestic violence, dating violence, FERPA, Title IX, and the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.

• • We Lead – We LEAD the way in working with organizations like the Family Justice Center, New York Asian Women’s Center, the Foundation for A Drug-Free World, and internal workshops.

• • We Motivate – At LIBI, we work diligently to set up innovative events to MOTIVATE students and to make learning fun. The saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” is taken seriously when we boost college spirits through class trips, purely for fun, along with helping everyone in the college community, especially our students, to realize that…

• • We Have Talent – WE HAVE TALENT! That is especially obvious during LIBI’s annual art show.

Arts & Culture

Arts and Culture play a significant role in our student’s life at LIBI. We give the opportunity to attend off-Broadway productions, visit important and representative authors and musician houses, backstage of opera house and theatres, and enjoy exhibits at museums in New York and other cities.

In particular, the art show helps to cultivate a community of artists made up of students, faculty, and staff who actively participate as creators of works of art, as well as judges of the pieces presented by their peers and colleagues. By turning our classrooms and hallways into galleries, we provide a unique space where imagination and diversity of cultures converge to create a moving experience.

Student Involvement and Leadership

LIBI offers a wide array of co-curricular activities and internship opportunities to our students. These educational and leadership activities enrich the LIBI community and encourage our students to develop their leadership abilities.