Author: MARK MORALES

1. Exploring the effects the coronavirus has had on the job search for students. Some companies canceled their internships all together, while others have turned virtual, but without pay. I was thinking of interviewing my older brother, which would allow me to get some better footage and a friend over a video call.

2. My second idea was the impact of online courses has had on seniors graduating. It has changed what their last semester looked like by a lot. It could look into how they feel emotional and how it’s impacted the future considering they were likely to enter the workforce after graduating.

Link: https://soundcloud.com/mark-morales-885394178/finalradioproject

Host Intro: On March 11th, Trump announced a Europe ban to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, giving everyone little time to make a big decision. Amongst those people, were students studying abroad. With little time to take action, they had to decide whether they should stay in a foreign country or go back home. As classes around the world transition from in-person classes to online classes, students have to adapt to a different style of learning.

AMBI1: Room Silence

AMBI2: It’s four in the morning and I have class in a few minutes. I did an all-nighter to finish a project and I’m really tired.

TRACK1: In the 2017-2018 academic year, over 340,000 (341,751) students participated in study abroad programs in the U.S\. I am speaking over the phone with Katherine Martinez-Valdez, a junior at Baruch College because of social distancing as her classes transition from in-person classes at Paris Dauphine University to online learning in New York. There is a six-hour time difference between France and New York.

ACT1: “I didn’t know about online class till the day before. I thought maybe that the time difference wouldn’t be that bad. Until I realized I had my first class at 5am in the morning. 5 am in the morning is not fun at all. I ended up taking a nap during class but thankfully the professor didn’t want to use video or microphone.”

TRACK2: The situation becomes even more challenging when you have to complete group projects. Between New York and Singapore, there is a 12 hour time difference.

ACT2: So I have to do a video project for my marketing class and it’s very interesting but my group members are in Singapore, which is not something I ever had to do a group project so far away. It’s way harder than I expected because when I’m sleeping, they’re awake, and there are no apps or websites to edit a video with more than one person.”

TRACK3: This impacts the quality of education and takes a mental toll as Katherine needs to stay awake to avoid being penalized. As an international business major, she is required to study abroad, but due to the virus instead of immersing herself in a new culture, she needs to spend her mornings in front of a computer.

ACT3: “When it’s really early in the morning and they don’t have any excitement in their voice and you’re listening to anything that interesting you just happen to fall asleep. Then your friend has to text you if she calls on you and you’re quiet and then she’ll be like ‘Oh she not here anymore, then she’ll mark you absent.’ That’s why you always have to be paying attention. It’s just so hard to wake up that early and be expected to stay awake for that amount of time.

TRACK4: However, not all students left. Jesselle Ramierez, junior at Baruch College decided to stay in Bangkok, Thailand despite the fact that the country is in lockdown. She is currently attending Chulalongkorn University taking four online classes pursuing her bachelor’s in Marketing.

ACT4: At first, we were in a residence with about 150 maybe 100 study abroad students and the majority of them left. So let’s say Like 20 remained.

TRACK5: Study abroad programs are meant to be a unique experience, but now the experience has become memorable for all the wrong reasons.

ACT5: It definitely completely changed the dynamic especially since the end of March everything has been quarantined, so all the malls shut down, the pool in our residence closed and things just got more depressing, to say the least. It was very difficult to say goodbye to your friends because you thought you’d get to see them and get to know them until May.

TRACK6: Despite the lockdown, Jesselle does not regret her decision.

ACT: I decided to stay here because I would rather be quarantined in Bangkok than back home. I guess it was a good decision since New York is one of the worst cities in the world when it comes to the virus.

OUTROTRACK: New York State currently has more confirmed cases than any other country in the world, with an estimated total of 190,000 compared to 2,500 cases in Thailand. With the semester coming to an end, students are still learning how to adapt and make the most out of their situation regardless of what country they are in. For Baruch College, this is Mark Morales in New York City.

I want to focus on the educational impact that the coronavirus has had on students studying abroad as those classes have transitioned into online and been suspended. So, I want to interview a friend that was studying abroad in France and get her thoughts and experience when she first heard about the travel band and the questionable airport check once she arrived to New York. It seems that many people still don’t understand the severity of the issue, so I would like to compare her experience to how the situation is being handled in the US.

Script

Host intro: The coronavirus is a worldwide epidemic that has made its way into New York. Many rely on the public transportation system. Businesses, workers, and students have all been affected. Students at Baruch College have felt the impact as CUNY has refused to close schools. Mark Morales spoke to two CUNY students about their concerns with attending Baruch College.

AMBI1: (This is where your scene-setting natural sound will go, and it will fade down under your track.)

AMBI2: (As the nats fade down, this is where your room tone will come in. You’ll keep it at a normal volume behind all of your narration.)

TRACK: “I’m here with Megan, a senior at Baruch College. As a daily user of the MTA she feels uneasy as CUNY has refused to close schools forcing students to make difficult choices regarding their education.”

ACT: “I think the school doesn’t really provide us with the correct information right now. Then the way they are doing it right now is letting us come to school and then have our regular schedule. Well as the other schools are shut down because of the coronavirus and they try to give them online courses. I literally feel like I’m not being protected by the school, so whenever I come to school I feel so scared because I need to take public transportation to get here.”

TRACK: “The virus has caused hysteria and it shows. Jiayu shares her experience and what people she knows have gone through over the last couple of weeks.”

ACT: “My roommates and I all wear masks which is another story because now that we are in New York in other parts of the country are treating people who wear masks racially and friend of a friend, one day he was walking on the street on the upper west on Manthan and a black teenager walking towards him spit on him, which is ridiculous because he was wearing a mask.”

TRACK: “As the confirmed cases continue to grow, CUNY students hope that the CUNY Chancellor or the New York State will take the virus more seriously and be more proactive about the situation.”

Track: “For Baruch College, this is Mark Morales in New York City.

I will conduct a radio story on the Conversation Partners Program at Baruch College. The program pairs native and non-native speakers together. The program looks to help nonnative speakers gain confidence in their English speaking abilities and receive support academically and professionally. Native speakers have the opportunity to develop their communications when there are language barriers. I’ll be able to attend their events as a member of the program. The CPP at Baruch hosts multiple events in the semester, and they have cultural themes. The next event is on March 17th.

https://markmoral21.exposure.co/35th-annual-half-moon-sword-dance-ale2020?source=share-markmoral21

Scavenger Hunt by Mark Morales on Exposure

The event I will be selecting for my photo essay is the Thirty-Fifth Annual New York Sword Dance Festival in New York City. It is a two-day event that will feature 12 teams from across the country. The event is a free event open to all and takes place February 15th and 16th in various different locations. I expect to take action shots of the different sword dances and focus on the dress wear of the dancers as these performances are a part of English tradition. The event should provide visually appealing pictures.