Summary
Listen to Radio Project by JoseT on #SoundCloud
https://on.soundcloud.com/udaj7
Host Intro: With the fall semester in full swing, students have comfortably settled into their schedules. Many students at Baruch are unsatisfied with the quality of life aspects of the school. For some of these issues, Baruch is trying to make improvements, but external conditions might make it take longer than students would want. Jose Tirado spoke with various students at Baruch.
Ambi: Background chatter and sounds at Baruch college.
Track: I'm here with Scott Saunders, a teacher that is taking classes between Baruch and NYU. He describes his problems in returning to school.
Act 1 Scott: Some problem is the bureaucracy of the school. It just takes forever to get an answer, or when you submit a form or application it takes forever.
Track: During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were hiring freezes due to state-imposed budget cuts. This might explain some of these difficulties in trying to get answers.
Act 1 Scott: I've already took English, and I had to take English before my History class, and it took a month to get someone to agree to that.
Track: Another student, Dimitri Danyl, a senior at Baruch offered similar complaints to Saunders.
Act 2 Dmitri: How difficult it is to get some academic advisement. I resort to having conversations with my major department heads, as they are more accessible.
Track: Baruch has hired 34 new full-time faculty for fall 2022, which would be a step in the right direction for danyl.
Act 2 Dmitri: I would fix it by simply hiring more academic advisors, that way each student can have a dedicated advisor, or have someone who is usually accessible.
Track: Despite Baruch recently renovating its elevators, one of the most common complaints among students is its elevators and escalators.
Act 3 Montage: our elevators don't go to all floors, like the express ones. (Faiza). The main problem with Baruch might be the different ways to access different floors of the college. (Edward). I would say the elevators. (Nicolas).
Track: A lot of these criticisms from current Baruch students are echoed in a Baruch Blog post from 2013. This post explains the historical rocky relationship between students and the elevators.
Act 3 Montage: they are crammed every morning when we have classes, and you have to wait a long time, that makes you late for class. (Faiza). The main stairways and the escalators are often packed when class is over. (Edward). sometimes you would be caught waiting for the elevators for like 10-15 minutes. (Nick).
Track: Student, Jason Chen not only offers an individual problem with Baruch but a problem most CUNY students might face.
Act 4 Jason: I hate the lack of communication between the professors and students regarding classes and assignments.
Track: Chen offers his reasons as to why the communication is poor.
Act 4 Jason: The system we're currently using, CUNY First and Blackboard is very inefficient.
Track: Baruch signed a ten-year contract with Blackboard in 2012, which they sought to renew in late 2021. This makes an alternative unlikely, which Chen thinks is necessary.
Act 4 Jason: To solve this, we need a better communication system. I don't know what that system is, but there is a dire need for students and professors to be on the same page to help students in the long run.
Track: With all these grievances with the way Baruch operates, it remains to be seen whether or not students band together to make their complaints heard. For Baruch College's word on the street, I'm Jose Tirado.