Reflection Paper

1. College Aide Reflection Paper
Dennis Huang

2. College Aide Reflection- Department of Buildings
Introduction: Job Title and Description
I began as a College Aide with NYC Department of Buildings on June 13, 2017 at New
York, NY. The most important attribute throughout my duration was having good social skills.
It is very important to be able to talk to different people and show myself as being competent and
confident at the Department of Buildings. The most important concept throughout the duration
was gaining leadership ability. By gaining leadership abilities, I learned about each unit tasks and
goals during the Staff Summit and College Aide Summit, and networked with other units
employees.
My Supervisors
Marcus Guash, Felisha Torres, Bernalyn Jones, Rachel Flores, and Shamonda Graham
Duties and Projects
During the duration as a College Aide. I had been assigned to Manhattan Operations, B-
Scan Unit. The first few days started out as a lethargic day. I was assigned to Manhattan
Operations Unit-B Scan. I learned how to search for microfilms when the customer’s request the
information, helped on creating spreadsheet on Microsoft Excel for off-storage inventory on old
documents, helped prepped documents coming in and scanning documents using ScanPlus
system. Later during the duration as a College Aide, I was reassigned to the Administrative
Enforcement Unit, where I learned how to read summonses and inputted information into the
BIS system. This task required me to be detailed oriented and make sure the information being
inputted had no errors.
NYC Buildings Staff Summit

3. On June 14th
, 2017, I went to the Staff Summit event. During the event, guest speakers
from various units in the agency spoke about their unit and what types of projects they have done
and what their future goals are. The first speaker was from the Development Team. The
Development Team discussed about the Hudson Yards project. The Hudson Yards project is in
building and planning phase, in a goal to completing a vibrant location for both tourists and
residents on the West Side. One of the projects they discussed was the Cultural Shed and the
Vessel which can impact the community with public spaces to sit, and walk. Another project
they were talking about was Brooklyn’s water-front; the projects they were discussing were the
Green-Point Landing, WeWork in Red Hook, Pier 1 Hotel and the Pier 6 Residential Towers.
These developments will benefit the local community.
The next speaker was the Licensee Disciplinary Unit; the unit’s tasks are to discipline
individuals that are in violation of construction laws, another task they are in charge of hearing
settlements in court. The Licensee Disciplinary Unit discussed about cases, one of the cases they
mentioned was the 2nd
Ave Gas Explosion. The Licensee was arrested and his registration was
surrendered. The third speaker was the Analytics Team, the Analytics team discussed about the
GIS program. GIS stands for Global Information Systems, this system allows you to create maps,
for example you would upload information that comes in a zip, tif file. These maps allows you to
analyze data on trends, the Department of Building uses the maps to tell which buildings are in
violation, which construction sites are active, and lets employees to know how the construction is
going and to inspect the construction sites. The Analytics team also generates data, and
mentioned the rates of the complaint backlog. The complaint backlog is down 58%.

4. The fourth speaker was from the Customer Service Unit, the Customer Service Unit is the
main line for the public, and they assist the public with their inquiries. They discussed about the
IVR, Integrated Voice Response which is the system used to assist the public and direct them to
the unit that can help with their inquiries. The fifth speaker was from Queens Development
Team, the Queens Development team discussed about the expansion of Queens businesses,
apartments and houses. They also mentioned that the highest demolition is in Brooklyn, and
Flushing Queens. Next they talked about NYC Buildings history; most of the buildings in SOHO
were built before 1905 which made it the oldest buildings in NYC.
The final speaker discussed about the DOB Now Initiative and its safety. This initiative
was implemented in 2016, the plan is to phase out papers, and have most of the application done
online.
College Aide Summit
I went to the College Aide Summit; there were many guest speakers that spoke about their
previous experiences in Government. Some of the guest speakers started out as a College Aide
and became full time employees with NYC Buildings. Later in the day we had group activities,
one of the group activities was a test case, where we were employees at the Licensing Unit and
had to see what types of problems the Licensing Unit employees face and what ideas would work
better than the test situation. Overall the Summit was a learning and networking experience.
Conclusion
Overall, throughout the duration of working as a College Aide with DOB, I had explored
many opportunities within the department and networked with co-workers and other

5. departmental employees. I played an important role, such as scanning documents into ScanPlus
system for the public, and DOB employees to view the application being filed virtually. This is
important because it helps staff to assist the customer in any way possible. I have also worked on
a project with helping Manhattan Operations Office to update the filing systems by generating a
report on old cash reports and storing the reports into boxes for off-site storage. Another task I
have done that played an important role was entering summonses, some of the summonses range
from elevator malfunctions to construction sites not in compliance to laws. Entering summonses
information helps other units and the customers look up the information virtually. I will continue
to use my insight at DOB and explore it to other career opportunities.