Students, Presidents, & Union Reps Discuss the Impact of COVID at Lehman
(Photo credit: Lehman College News Center)
By Emmet O’Boy
College students have seen their worlds change drastically throughout the COVID-19 crisis with dorms shut down, classrooms closed, and social lives screeching to a halt. This has prompted them to question the new academic order they find themselves in. “I think it is unfair of Lehman to charge their students the same price for arguably less engaging and effective online classes,” said Leah Benitez, a junior in the Lehman Scholars Program. “We pay the current rate of tuition for on-campus instruction, readily-accessible student services along with social and extracurricular opportunities. Not to sit behind our computers.”
Dr. Daniel Lemons, the interim president of Lehman College, acknowledged this complaint. However, when asked if tuition would decrease, he told the Meridian, “No, I don’t think it will… I think it is really hard to see how any reduction in tuition would work. I think it would hurt students.” He added, “Truth is we aren’t able to provide our students nearly what I wish we could provide. Our students deserve that but we can’t offer that.”
“We pay the current rate of tuition for on-campus instruction... Not to sit behind our computers.”
Students also raised objections to distance, or online learning, which has been the only viable option for CUNY’s almost 300,000 students during the fall semester. Asked whether this might change by spring Lemons said, “I don’t think I would even say possibly. We are looking to be fully online in the spring. There is nothing to suggest that we will have a different situation by January.”
The pandemic has also hurt CUNY’s finances. While the federal CARES Act allocated $118 million in funding solely for the students of CUNY, a 5.1 percent decrease in enrollment will cost $52 million, a loss that will add pressure to cut costs. This means that students are not the only group deeply impacted by COVID-19 on college campuses. Queens College’s, The Knight News stated that CUNY has laid off approximately 3,000 adjunct professors in response to the pandemic. When questioned about layoffs, Lemons redirected the conversation towards union issues Lehman has faced. “We also needed to get the agreement with the union to extend the amount of time during which employees could take their vacation,” he said. “The initial deadline was Aug. 31, and fortunately there was an agreement to extend that until December.”
Robert Farrell, the chair of PSC CUNY’s Lehman Chapter, told the Meridian that this fight was not so black and white. “In May, the PSC demanded that CUNY extend the deadline. It wasn't until August that management was willing to bargain on the issue and that after a major campaign from workers in July,” he explained. “The PSC wanted to extend the deadline into 2021, but management put forward Dec. 2020 again, after waiting several months and keeping staff in a state of suspense.”
COVID-19 has changed the shape of higher education, possibly forever. As the pandemic continues, Lehman students, faculty, and administration continue to redefine and debate what the best course of action is for universities to take. Until it is safe enough to go back to the classroom, there will be no more “normal” college experiences at Lehman for any community members.
Lehman Soccer Regroups After Playoffs Loss
By Emmet O’Boy
The Lehman Lightning. Picture courtesy of Lehman Athletics Page.
After three long months, Lehman’s men’s soccer season ended at the semifinals of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) playoffs.
After winning the playoffs two years in a row, “this loss was especially disappointing,” Lehman Lightning head coach Toma Gojcevic told The Meridian. On Gojcevic’s desk sit the two first-place trophies from 2016 and 2017 for the CUNYAC. Currently on his second term as head coach, Gojcevic looked up and sighed, “I thought we were gonna add a third one this year.”
Lehman Lightning finished the 2018 season with a 6-10-2, a record that earned them a spot in the playoffs. They had high hopes for another victorious season after winning the CUNYAC finals for two consecutive seasons. But after the loss of some team members, Gojcevic was skeptical about whether the team was prepared. He was not pleased with the results of the 2018 season and was frustrated at losing more than half of the games.
During the playoffs, Gojcevic’s fears came true when the Lightning suffered a 0-2 loss to Baruch College on Oct. 30. Defeat prevailed when Lehman received a handball, which resulted in a penalty kick that Baruch scored. Towards the end of the game, Lehman went on total offense and put most of their men forward to try to tie up the game. With about nine minutes left in the game, Baruch then got a long ball down the field and scored again.
Gojcevic already has his sights set on next year. During a rundown of the returning players, he talked about how the Lightning only has 14 players on the current roster for next season. “One of the hardest things for me as a coach was that I couldn’t get certain players to buy in.”
“No CUNY has ever won a game in the NCAA Tournament out of any CUNY school. We want to be the first team to do that.”
– Lehman Lightning head coach Toma Gojcevic
After losing Rafael Emiliano, Omar Moro, and Salh Alzubidi, Gojcevic is looking to “restructure the defensive line, and find new goal scorers.” He hopes to add new players who are willing to buy into the program he is building. Although it is a tall order, he and his coaching staff are already in the process of recruitment for next season.
With new talent also comes an increased need for leadership on the field, so Gojcevic is looking at his returning seniors for help. Rising senior Chris Mulholland is someone whom Gojcevic believes could take on this role. Originally a midfielder, Mulholland switched to the goal position for the Lightning because the former player was injured.
Gojcevic will not rest until he is back at the top of the CUNYAC. He wants to make an impact that exceeds CUNY schools and reaches national level. “No CUNY has ever won a game in the NCAA Tournament out of any CUNY school,” he said. “We want to be the first team to do that.”
CCNY Campus Goes on Lockdown After Another High School Shooter Scare
By Emmet O’Boy
The Towers at CCNY rest just a day after the school went into lockdown. Photo by Emmet O’Boy.
On the afternoon of Oct. 18, students and residents of the CUNY City College of New York (CCNY) Towers were told via email to stay indoors after students at the adjacent A. Randolph High School reported a possible shooter on campus. According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD)’s Twitter account, the male suspect, a student at the high school, had brought a toy gun onto the campus. After a female student reported seeing the gun, the NYPD was notified, and both campuses were sent into lockdown mode.
“The thought of [a shooting] is actually scarier than the situation itself, as I felt numb,” said Joseph Dankman, a senior at the Grove School of Engineering at CCNY. Dankman was sitting in class when he was notified of the possible threat. He added that students remained calm throughout the lockdown. He told the Meridian, “God forbid something were to happen, I would have had my guard down.”
Although the scare proved to be a false alarm, it marks a worrying trend -- American students are all too familiar with the event of a school shooting. According to Cable News Network (CNN), in the first 21 weeks of 2018, there were 23 school shootings, averaging more than one per week.
Despite these statistics, minors are still able to get their hands on weapons, real and fake. As of 2014, the Washington Post reported that there are 30 states where a child is still legally allowed to own or be in possession of a gun. With strong political views on both sides of the table, gun control continues to fuel debate across the U.S. Meanwhile, American students have to go to school every day facing the possibility that it may be their last.
Dankman said, “People use [these incidents] to defend the Second Amendment, and it can even be used as an empathetic route to get votes.”