Lehmanites React to New Fall 2021 Restrictions
(Photo Credit: Smug Photos, seasonal pictures of campus)
By Rebekah Gamble
Excited energy could be felt throughout the comments on social media as students embraced the idea that the campus would open. Hope that we could resume a sense of normalcy despite fighting a pandemic, was palpable and made choosing an in-person course or planning to visit the campus something to look forward to.
On August 12th, President Fernando Delgado sent out an email that described how our beautiful 37-acre campus would be reopening but not reopened. In the lengthy email he states “many campus student services will be available in-person for the first time since March 2020, you will not be permitted to remain indoors in campus buildings unless you have active business in them.” This came as a crushing blow to any forms of engaging in safe, socially distant conversations with friends during the cold months ahead.
Bradley Santana, a senior media communications major commented on the recent announcement made by the College President. “He should have said this a while ago. I understand plans take time to finalize but this is something I would have considered when choosing classes months ago.” Bradley wasn’t the only one who felt concerned about the direction the Fall semester seemed to be heading in.
With only 50% of courses being offered on campus, according to a webinar hosted by previous President Daniel Lemons, the intention is to increase this with time. The restrictions placed make some students wonder how their freedom could further decrease as the population grows. The library is only offering hour-long reservation times, the Student Life Building has 20 open club rooms, and Grab and Go Food can only be eaten outside or under heated tents in the winter.
Christopher Gabriel, a senior Biology major stated “I’m ready to graduate. If I have the option to take online classes for the remainder of my time here, I will. I’m grateful that they’re trying to keep everyone safe but eating outside in the snow will be annoying.”
Updates from CUNY, The Chancellor, and The President will continuously depend on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. With “The Delta variant of the coronavirus being much more transmissible than what we were dealing with last March” according to President Fernando Delgado all precautions have to be taken. Tough policies will be put into effect. One example is that unvaccinated students are no longer being welcomed on the campus during the Fall semester.
Leah Benitez, a Computer Science junior understood what was happening. “This is our new normal. Unfortunately, the campus life we saw in early 2020 may not happen again. If we all still find ways to connect with each other and stay safe, we’ll get through these uncomfortable times.”
It raises the question of what will come in future terms at Lehman College and how much of virtual learning is here to stay. The campus energy wasn’t as amplified as it once was and speaking with other students showed that we are all dealing with the stress of the pandemic in different ways.
One thing is for sure, Lehman College is doing the best it can to prevent COVID-19 cases from hitting the campus at all costs.
How Living Through Segregation Shaped Cynthia Reel
By Rebekah Gamble
With almost 14,000 students, Lehman College has a student body that is mostly made of minority students. With 53% of the population being Hispanic and 30.3% being of Black ethnicity, every degree awarded is a win for urban communities. Today, we celebrate education in a way that was illegal in 1896 when the court case Plessy v. Ferguson, ruled that segregation based on skin tone was legal.
From the 1st to 6th grade, Cynthia Reel, a sophomore Africana Studies major, learned in a segregated classroom where every face in the room looked like her own. For Cynthia, being raised in the South during a time when freedom for African Americans was still up for debate was challenging. The times when she should have been enjoying childhood innocence, she instead saw violence in the form of riots as the country reacted to change. It wasn’t until 54 years after the original court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, that segregation in schools was considered a constitutional violation.
Prior to sitting down to talk with The Meridian, Lehman College had the pleasure of hearing one of her poems “When I Look At Me” during the Audre Lorde Great Reads campus event held earlier this Spring. Cynthia opens the poem with 18 lines of pure unfiltered, vivid language of what she sees as a Black woman when she looks in the mirror. She states:
“I see a woman who doesn’t judge.
I see a woman who treats others with respect.
I see a woman who expects to be treated with the same respect.
I see a woman who is still finding herself.”
In high school, she exhibited academic excellence and skipped the 11th grade. Despite the societal norms that were expected of women during that time, she knew college was where she belonged. But when tragedy struck as her mother passed away when she was 19, she had to make a decision. Like many others who were forced to grow up too soon, it was either take care of her siblings or choose her own dreams. She chose her family.
The last lines of “When I Look at Me” are a tribute to not only the women in her immediate family but to her ancestors, all of the African Americans who cried out to be free and fought for the opportunities we have today.
“I see a woman who looks to her ancestors for strength and guidance.”
The struggles of those before her are a reminder that not only she, but women and African Americans, belong in all spaces. Cynthia expressed a desire to “not be labeled in a box of what she should be.” Like many of her peers, college was a stepping stone and a path to a new life.
“I see a woman who dreams to be free like the spirits before her. So you see it doesn’t matter what you see when you look at me.”
History has painted an image of hopelessness when it comes to being of color and like other Lehmanites, Cynthia refuses to accept this as her fate.
Of all the major accomplishments she’s obtained, having the opportunity to attend Lehman is one that she is most proud of. While Cynthia has returned to college after 45 years, she is also the mother of two college graduates. Her own college experience has been rewarding and she completes each semester with more knowledge, passion, and friends.
She doesn’t know where her degree will lead her but each semester, whether online or in-person, she treks toward the finish line. Not anything, including the stroke she survived, the uphill battle of learning how to speak again, or the death of her loving husband could deter her from becoming all that she can be.
The CUNY system has become a symbol of the educational opportunities available to those from marginalized backgrounds. Our campus is thriving on educating, empowering, and serving low income students.
Now 65 years old, Cynthia Reel has lived a life that pushes against the notion that African Americans are just statistics. As Cynthia continues on to the next phase of her life, she’s determined to make her own happiness and find herself. She embodies what you can accomplish despite your background and how you are never too late to conquer your dreams.
Students and Staff Anticipate an Open Campus This Fall
(Photo Credit: Lehman College's Facebook page)
By Rebekah Gamble
As registration for the Fall 2021 semester approaches, Lehman College students are forming opinions about the upcoming semester. When the 37-acre campus closed in March 2020, it was the last time that thousands of students laid foot in the college.
The Spring 2021 semester included 90% of all classes being taught online but the approaching Fall 2021 semester will allow for more in person classes.
In an email to faculty sent in March, Interim CUNY Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost, Daniel Lemons stated, “The occupancy of each space will be adjusted to its particular characteristics. Some of our spaces have 100 percent outside air entering and high room air changes per hour, allowing higher than 50 percent occupancy. Other rooms may require lower than 50 percent occupancy due to their size and air distribution pattern.”
For some, this is exactly the news they were waiting to hear. Christopher Cabrea, a 21-year-old junior Exercise Science major, stated, “I’m nervous but I can’t wait for in person classes because I learn better.” When asked how he felt about wearing a mask for long periods of time he stated “I don’t mind wearing a mask since I’m used to it. I just hope other students can say this so we have a better chance at staying safe everywhere on campus.”
Whether the community will be safe for return is a concern for other students as well. The New York Times reported, that due to proactive safety measures as of April 8th, there were 4,178 cases. This is 20% less reported cases than the previous 14 days.
It begs the question of how a campus that previously had up to 15,000 excited students, plans to comply with NY safety standards, once 50% of classes are held in person. This will largely be the responsibility of staff members to make the departments safe environments.
Some of the busiest departments include Bursar, Financial Aid, and The Admissions Departments. Abigail Laryea, an Undergraduate Admissions counselor, expressed her own feelings of caution and anticipation for the Fall 2021 semester. She stated “My department will allow for staggered schedules so that we are complying with the CDC guidelines at all times. I trust that the precautions I plan to take in regards to sanitizing and the administration as a whole will promote safety.”
Which classes are offered in-person are a top priority for Rebeca Aragon, a junior Biology major. She stated, “I’m so thrilled that our campus is finally going to open. Until everyone is vaccinated we should still take safety precautions. I look forward to having my labs in person, but I’m still not comfortable being in a large lecture setting yet.”
One thing is for sure: it will take a collective effort to make the campus a safe space for everyone.
Lehman Students Fear the Impact of Justice Ginsburg’s Death
(Photo Credit: Sebastian Kim / August)
By Rebekah Gamble
The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18 devastated many Americans. For Lehman students, 68 percent of whom are female, the news caused a wave of uncertainty regarding the future of gender equality.
Samantha Didonato, a Lehman junior majoring in Anthropology, Chemistry, and Biology and a visible advocate against racial discrimination and for LGBTQ rights, cringed at the thought of what a more conservative supreme court could do to the country. “As a woman, I have the right to get an abortion right now if I felt it was necessary for me,” she said. “I think that if we have a Conservative appointed to the Supreme Court, I will likely lose that right.”
At stake with Ginsburg’s newly confirmed replacement, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, is the ability for a woman to exercise her right to an abortion. With the Supreme Court already leaning to the right with a 5-4 conservative to liberal vote, a sixth conservative justice can set back progressive change decades at a time. With conservatives in power, a woman’s right to choose an abortion could become illegal, and this could increase the number of children born in the US without tackling poverty and the lack of educational resources that are prominent in minority communities.
As an advocate for equal rights, the “Notorious RBG” was known throughout her career for her fiery dissents and powerful opinions. She did not hesitate to speak up for both men and women.
In the 1973 court case of Frontiero vs. Richardson, she became an outspoken leader against discrimination based on sex in the workplace. Before the determination that this violated the Fifth Amendment, the right to due process, women were not allowed the same benefits as men, and they could not report violations to their male supervisors.
In the 1975 case Weinberger vs. Wiesenfeld, Ginsburg fought for the rights of a father who lost his wife and needed social security benefits. When he went to apply for the benefits typically granted to widows, he was denied on the basis that he was male. According to The New York Times, “although he was caring for his child in an identical situation as a widow would be, [the benefits] were payable only to women and not to men.”
Through this case, Ginsburg sought a world where sex was not a reason to deny someone the right to an opportunity-filled life. During her tenure on the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act was challenged but never defeated.
Jean-Luc Thomas, a computer science junior at Lehman, said: “I look forward to fatherhood in the future, and I would feel more comfortable knowing that this country would support my child and me. I want paternal rights, and if the new nominee is the opposite of Ginsburg, we’ll all be in for hell.”
Some Lehman faculty reflected on how Ginsburg’s career paved the way for future generations, one court decision at a time.
Political Science Professor Ira Bloom stated, “Both as a litigator and later as a judge and then a Justice of the United States Supreme Court, she was one of the people at the forefront of expanding the scope of opportunities available to many of the people in succeeding generations.”
City Communities Feel Unheard with Schools Reopening
(Photo via LM Otero/AP)
By Rebekah Gamble
New York City schools reopened on Sept. 21, 2020, after Mayor Bill de Blasio promised that its 1,606 public schools would offer “blended learning,” a hybrid of in-person and remote learning. Parents and guardians remain concerned that their children’s health as well as their education will suffer.
“I don't believe young children will be able to follow the rules and wear their masks all day long,” said Dania Miguel, a Lehman senior majoring in Music and obtaining her Multimedia Performing Arts BFA who is concerned about her sister starting school.
According to the medical journal Health Line, “The average adult touches their face 16 times an hour.” However, small children have even less awareness than adults about germs and the threats they pose. According to journalist Beata Mostafavi, it’s been proven that children older than age five may carry the same amount of the respiratory virus as an adult.
Although the DOE has tried to offer options regarding learning styles, parents and teachers still feel frustration. For parents, it is difficult to teach elementary school and handle their course work or jobs simultaneously. “I felt I had to choose between her education and mine,'' said Carina Xique-Tello, a Lehman senior working toward her sociology degree. “There were times when I had to multitask, and it was hard to balance our schedules.”
Xique-Tello’s younger sister will be learning remotely beginning Sept. 21. She especially found it challenging because she, like many others, has parents who are not fluent in English and the teaching methods change with time.
Remote learning was also found to be difficult for children who did not have exposure to technology before March. One Rockland County high school teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, has children of her own who didn’t adjust easily to being taught at home, despite her experience teaching younger grades. “My kids needed a lot of attention and their teachers were not available most of the time. They were never taught how to use the technology either, so they were often frustrated.”
Jessica Colon, a Lehman psychology major and junior stated, “This is horrible. My siblings did not understand how to use a computer, and there were times when we couldn’t reach the teacher.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo acknowledged concerns about safety for the students and teachers, CNN reported. "When we came to the reopening of the economy, I've said I'm not going to put someone in a dangerous situation. There is no money on the planet that can pay for a life as far as I'm concerned, so it's a balance, and the same is with schools."
The blended learning model which includes only 2 to 3 days of on-site teaching will be unique and face its own set of challenges. Some Lehmanities still see a brighter side to all of the disruptions.
“This is horrible. My siblings did not understand how to use a computer and there were times when we couldn’t reach the teacher.”
“My thoughts and expectations for the upcoming school year include positivity coming from myself and my children,” said Jessica Mills, a senior Africana studies major with two children, aged five and seven. She has managed to adjust while being Coordinator at the Herbert H Lehman Food Bank and serving as a Senator of the Student Government Association.
“I'm working on maintaining a now tight schedule and dedicating my time and energy to the needs of my children,” she explained. “I also expect my academics to be well maintained as it is very important to me. I wish for not only my family, but everyone to remain mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy as well this school year.”