Certain groups of people are predisposed to having a severe infection. Children and the elderly come to mind, as both populations have immune systems that are not as developed. Those with preexisting conditions like asthma, diabetes, and hypertension are also at higher risk. Looking at the mortality data, there is evidence to suggest that minorities are disproportionately affected by severe COVID-19. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) readily addresses disparities in those affected by COVID-19, specifically when it comes to race and socioeconomic circumstances of patients. According to the CDC’s public report, “a total of 205 counties in 33 states were identified as hotspots. These counties have a combined total…
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QC Students talk in-person class experience during pandemic
The 2020 Fall semester is in full swing! Despite its historically unprecedented online instruction, Queens College faculty and staff are tirelessly working to ensure that students receive a quality education. With more students being infected by COVID-19 on college campuses across the nation, the fear of a local spike in cases still remains prevalent amongst members of the community. The majority of students are receiving synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination of both lecture types through diverse platforms such as CUNY Blackboard Collaborative Ultra, Zoom, Google Meets, Slack, Dropbox and others. But what happens to those students and professors who need access to science laboratories as per their major or minor…
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OP-ED: Are student activity and technology fees necessary for an online semester?
As fall began to roll around, it was clear to students that classes this semester were going to look extremely different. On July 22, 2020, Queens College announced on its Instagram account that courses would be primarily held online. This caused many students to double-check their financial aid and delve into their tuition breakdown, revealing that students were still being charged $162.40 in student activity fees and $125 in technology fees. Now this raises the question: Since students are not physically present to utilize these services, why are certain fees not being waived? Considering the unique nature of this semester, all extra fees, if any are to be required at…
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QC STUDENT RALLIES FOR UYGHUR RIGHTS
On Sunday, August 30th at 1:00 p.m., a group rallying for Uyghur right—led by Queens College junior Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum—positioned itself in front of the Isiah wall directly in front of the United Nations. The group included members of the Jewish community, as well as prominent Rabbis, political refugees of China, and Holocaust survivors, and they all gathered to express their solidarity and support for the Uyghur Muslims currently facing persecution in China. The Uyghurs, an ethnic Muslim minority that mostly live in northwest China, have faced discrimination from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for decades. The situation escalated dramatically in 2014, when the Chinese government, under General Secretary Xi…
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PSC-CUNY SUES CHANCELLOR MATOS OVER ADJUNCT LAYOFFS
Since the pandemic’s start, the catastrophic effects of the budget cuts against the City University of New York (CUNY) have trickled down to all corners of the community. Recently, CUNY laid off approximately 3,000 adjunct faculty members. This left many without financial stability and healthcare, among other basic needs. It’s worth noting that CUNY received $251 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). The CARES Act is a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill that was passed as a result of the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CUNY Professional Staff Congress (PSC) filed a lawsuit against the university’s upper-level administration, arguing that funds from the…
