The Paw Print

A news publication created by Baruch's College Now high school journalism class

Manhattan

Girl Takes Third Place in Pi Memorization Competition

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In an amazing display of memorization, Annie Ma, a junior, took third place in the Pi Day competition this Monday at Baruch College Campus High School. Annie Ma had practiced memorizing the digits of pi after being selected to represent her advisory.

On the day of the competition, March 14, everyone gathered around Annie, watching intently while she was drenched in sweat, struggling to remember the digits.

“Guys stop crowding around me, my head is starting to hurt,” Annie said.

Everyone took a step back and made sure Annie had room to write down the digits of pi on the piece of graph paper. She had the whole advisory period, which consisted of forty-five minutes.

After five minutes and six seconds, Annie was finished.

“I didn’t do badly compared to the other junior advisories,” Annie responded.

Everyone waited with anticipation while the judge counted how many digits she had memorized. The results were in. The first place winner memorized an astonishing amount of 300 digits of pi. The runner up memorized 220 digits. Annie memorized a total of 188 digits of pi! The room was filled with noise.

“I can’t believe Annie remembered 188 digits of pi!” a fellow classmate said. “I can barely remember the first 4 digits!”

Pi day is a day where all the activities are pi related.

Justyn Diaz: Photography & Politics

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While standing on a large stereo within view of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, Justyn Diaz pictures himself on a podium inspiring a crowd of tens of thousands.

“I’d like to run for president,” he said. “Be the voice of the multitudes who have none.”

He pointed his Nikon d7200 at Bernie Sanders, carefully zoomed in, anticipated for the moment, and quickly, with a swift click of a button he took the picture. Immediately after, he hung his camera on his neck and raised his arm. Chants yelling “Bernie!” drowned the area. The night engulfed the ralliers, but with their passion they drove away the cold.

Earlier in the day, Diaz hastily left Columbia Secondary School (CSS) after the dismissal at 2:25, attempting to arrive at Washington Square Park by 3:00. He took the A train to West 4th and fast-walked to the rally, evading the Verizon employees on strike who were stationed on the corner of each block. He reached the volunteer sign up in time and met a man named Tom — a staff member for the day. Tom was eager to yell , but not out of anger. He was passionate, and Justyn liked that.

There were two young adults next to the stand. They yelled tirelessly, labelling Bernie Sanders as “sinful” and “against God.” Tom laughed at their religious dogma, and Justyn couldn’t help laughing either. Before joining the press team Justyn received a Bernie t-shirt, button, and stickers. He recalled the Bronx rally for Bernie Sanders that didn’t provide merchandise. No love for the Bronx he concluded.

Justyn’s passion for politics started early in his last year of middle school.“It began with Ron Paul during the 2012 election.” he said with an embarrassed look on his face. “I certainly don’t agree with the 2012 Justyn anymore, but I am thankful.”

In 2012, Ron Paul ran as presidential candidate against Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination. Libertarians regarded Ron Paul highly and were disappointed when he was not granted the nomination during the Republican Convention.

“During that time, in middle school, my attendance struggled, but politics inspired me.” he recalled. “Instead of going to Riverside Park every day after school I focused on my studies. Now I’m happy to be going to Bard.”

Justyn was also elected as President of his high school student government at CSS earlier this year. He described the feeling as being “incredible.”

During his academic resurgence Justyn picked up his first camera — a Nikon d70s. He looked at  it and smiled, pleased to have found a medium to express himself. The camera represented a positive change in his life, an inspiration to do something great. When the 2016 election came into view he quickly turned the corner.

“Hillary is another regret,” he said laughing. “She seemed like the best candidate, but Bernie began his candidacy.”

Since the day Sanders announced he was running Justyn has held unwavering support for him. On March 31, 2016 he volunteered at the Bronx rally, where he stood behind the podium Sanders was speaking on.

Photo taken by Justyn Diaz.
Photo taken by Justyn Diaz.

Justyn was finally inside of Washington Square Park. He was no more than 20 feet in front of Bernie Sanders. His task was simple; let the media through, but nobody would dare to attempt passing the thousands of Bernie supporters. So, Justyn didn’t have much to do. First came Vampire Weekend. They finished playing “A-Punk” and asked the New York University students and Columbia University students to forget their bourgeois rivalries tonight in, for Bernie Sanders. A number of speakers came on afterwards. Spike Lee and Rosario Dawson waved their support for Bernie Sanders.

He came on stage, what everyone was there for. Mr. Bernie Sanders for all to see. And he did not disappoint.

His speech contained the usual, but also the exciting prospect of a political revolution. Justyn was all about that. He agreed and he nodded his head continuously. The system needs change.

“He knows what’s wrong.” a fellow volunteer said.

Bernie Sanders ended his speech as usual: his hands in the air like a conductor, raising the atmosphere and noise. The night came to an end and Bernie Sanders proceeded to the car awaiting him. The crowd rushed to the gates that were stopping them from reaching their savior. The guards warned against having anything in their hands as they reached for a handshake. The chants began again. “Bernie, Bernie, Bernie!,” they sang. Justyn reached for Mr. Sanders with his phone at the ready. Bernie passed by quickly, but reluctantly at the hesitation of his guards. Mr. Sanders took notice of Justyn’s outstretched palm and dutifully shook it, and all the while Justyn filmed the interaction. He caught the essence of Bernie; happy, cheerful, friendly, trustworthy.

There he was: smiling, laughing, and feeling alive. Justyn lives for this.

 

Changes in NYC Summers

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Summer in New York Cityーin any urban centerーis uncomfortable. It’s sticky and smelly. Kids are out of school, and there seem to be more tourists. Sun bakes the sidewalks and human hair. People are irritable.

Finally, summer also seems to be getting even more unbearably hot. According to a variety of sources, it is. According to Weather Underground, average summer temperatures have been rising in every region since 1970, and in many regions, spring feels like summer.

Whether the spiking temperatures can be attributed to climate change, global warming, or natural fluctuations doesn’t matter to many people when deodorant and air conditioning feel useless. How are people staying cool this summer? Do they think the summers are getting worse?

Florence, aged 73, has lived in New York City all her life. She stated that when she was younger, she didn’t feel the heat as she does now. But she also attributes the change in her perception of temperature to “the atmosphere,” saying that “the cycle of the weather has changed a lot.”

During Florence’s childhood, she recalled, “We didn’t have fans, or air conditioners. It’s relaxed, you know. It didn’t bother us, really. I don’t recall anyone complaining about [the heat]. Maybe my parents did, or my older siblings did, but it didn’t bother me.”

Today, Florence has to have air conditioning, or a fan at the very least, to deal with the “smothering” heat and humidity. Though she doesn’t see this summer as worse than the last, Florence thinks, “You come right out of winter [and] spring comes for a few days, a few weeks, and then, boom. Here comes summer.”

Florence finds that summers are getting longer, with the heat starting in what were traditionally spring months. Michael, who has lived in NYC for 28 years, agrees.

He finds that “it’s getting hotter earlier.” When prompted to elaborate, Michael stated that in his opinion, the hottest and driest part of summer has become July, rather than August. An older man, his advice is to get blinds, carry around a battery-operated fan, walk in the shade and make sure the windows of one’s home face away from the setting sun. He also carries around a wet handkerchief. Today, Michael says, “I usually use the air conditioner more.”

To Michael, the worst of summer in the city are the subway platforms. In his experience, the modern air-conditioned train cars is a “treat,” as one was lucky if the subways of the 20th century had windows that could open. Yet, Michael expects better from the MTA, arguing that sweating commuters deserve air-conditioned platforms. In an 2012 article in Transportation Nation, the NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority addressed that issue: “Unfortunately, air conditioning of subway stations is not feasible due to the open nature of their construction and the impossibility of cooling an infinite space.”

There are many opinions on the use of air conditioners.

Jeff Strong was born and raised in New York City, and has lived in New York on and off for over fifty years. In his childhood, he was frequently at camp during the summers, but today, Jeff stays in the city for work. Working in business has opened his eyes to the sheer wastefulness that air conditioning can be.

According to the New York Times, the temperature set for most offices is based on a 1960s formula that took into account the working office population of the time: middle-aged males wearing formal or business attire. As a result, younger, more lightly dressed, and/or female office workers are chilled by the temperature. Some bring sweaters and heaters to work. To Jeff, it is the height of ridiculousness.

He also takes offense at the open doors of many air-conditioned stores that blast cold air into the streets, even going as far as to close the doors of those guilty stores one in a while. That is not to say Jeff doesn’t appreciate air conditioning. He just advocates that the temperature be set in the 70s rather than the 60s.

Evey, aged 54 years, disagrees. Evey, like Florence, has lived in NYC all her life. She described the summers of the 1960s and 1970s as “beautiful,” saying “the summer was the summer” and “we never [had] these drastic heat waves.” She also stated that she sees the changing temperatures as a result of “[what’s happening] with the ozone layer and all those diesel fuels. Now, she says summers are “stifling” and added “I would definitely say there is less spring and fall.” Her only advice was to dress appropriately and turn up the AC.

It’s clear that when most people try to think of solutions to the heat, their minds immediately go to air conditioners. Ironically, it is the air conditioners that are part of the larger causes of global warming and climate change: the rapid consumption of fuel.

But there seems to be few other solutions. For example, the sight of fire hydrants being illegally tampered with to produce water sprays for desperate children used to be common in low-income communities. Today, fines and greater awareness of the dangers of tampering has curbed this practice. No solution is completely without consequences.

City Council Pushes for More Accessibility of Parks and Recreational Facilities for People with Disabilities

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CITY HALL – On July 23, the New York City Council voted 41-0 on a bill that would demand an annual report on the compliance of park and recreational facilities with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

 

Mark Levine, New York City Council member and chairman of the Committee of Parks, is not only the prime sponsor of the bill, but also a strong advocate for equality.

 

Policy plays an important role in obtaining equality for all New Yorkers. “How quickly are we making progress toward the critical goal of 100 percent accessibility in our parks facilities? Until now the council and the public have had no way to answer that question. Intro 558A is … designed to change that, by giving us for the first time regular reports on accessibility assessments and retrofitting plans,” says Levine.

 

According to Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, 889,219 individuals live with disabilities – that is 11 percent of New Yorkers. “If our park system is truly going to be for all New Yorkers then that surely must include those New Yorkers with disabilities” says Levine.

At the Council Meeting, Levine said, “The report would detail whether each assessment was done during the course of regular construction work or as the result of a complaint as well as what work was done and what work will be done to bring such facilities into compliance during the calendar year when the report is issued. It would also include a updated list of Parks Department Facilities that are specifically designed for use by disabled persons.”

Selling Mix Tapes in New York

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“I think in the 90’s it made sense to sell CD’s but now Target even barely sells CD’s,” said rapper P-Rob, better known for being part of the duo Analog Rascals, describing how he feels about rappers selling mix tapes in New York City.

 

In Harlem and on 42nd Street, street corner mix tape sales are still going strong. The informal general consensus in New York City is that it is annoying, especially if you’re in a hurry when people selling mix tapes stop you. Many New Yorkers never respond to these artists because the seller often use con man tactics to get one to buy their mix tapes. Many tourists, on the other hand, don’t know any better and get suckered into buying a CD. Often, they end up with a blank disc or, worse, one with mediocre music.

 

Mix tapes are an integral part of Hip-Hop culture spanning back decades. According to James Bell in the Daily Californian it started in the 70’s when New Yorkers recorded popular DJs’ shows on cassette tapes. Then in the 80’s, due to Hip Hop’s hustle mentality, DJs began recording their own live shows and selling the tapes. In the 90’s mix tapes changed again. due to DJs like Ron G creating blend tapes.

 

Bell said in the 2000’s mix tapes began to resemble what they are today — rappers trying gain attention from labels, air beefs, and connect with fans on a personal level. Mix tapes became a medium for the rapper’s persona and brand, more than the DJ’s music. In the mid 2000’s artists began to use the Internet to distribute mix tapes. This made it easier to promote one’s music because you could do it in from the comfort of your own home. This caused a surge of mix tapes and made the tapes a viable way to gain attention and create a fan base.

 

Meeco Suave, who was born and raised in New York, offered insight on mix tapes in the modern age. “I don’t knock anybody’s hustle but with new technology it’s easier on the artist and consumer for the artist to sell music through the Internet. If you’re trying to work smarter not harder, the Internet is a better solution especially with sites like Sound Cloud, YouTube and Band Camp” he said. When asked how he feels about people trying to sell him mix tapes, he said that he is a struggling artist, trying to spread his own music, so he can’t really help anybody else.

 

Rapper Patrick Robinson said,  “It’s annoying and without a online presence it’s useless.  The best way to get big is networking and creating a fan base online.” Robinson went on to discuss “the romanticized idea of hustling by selling mix tapes in the back of your trunk and starting from nothing to making it big in the end,” a notion from the 90’s and 80’s. We spoke about the cost of making music and how many artists are just trying to make their production cost back.  “Pure music is the best way to make money,” he said. “I spent two years making my last album, Summer Sucks My Soul. I sold it for $8 each. I went to a nice club to celebrate finishing it and the cocktail I ordered cost $8. I’m selling my two years of work for the same cost of some alcohol that took a minute to make. But the money didn’t matter it, was about spreading my music not short term money.”

 

Rapper AJ Reynolds, is known as Optimus Rhymes to some. When asked about selling mix tapes in New York he said, “Some do it for creation; others do it for profit. A lot of people are trying to make a quick buck, but that’s the culture of hustling in New York City. It’s a culture of trying to make quick money rather than make money in the long run. If you’re really trying to spread your music Sound Cloud, Spotify and YouTube are better alternatives.”

When asked him how it is it to sell mix tapes, he said, “Early in college I made a really —–y mix tape. I got some speakers and played my best song so people got a sample of my music. I sold 250 copies for a dollar each. I no longer had to sell them, they were sold when they heard my music.” He added, “If you’re not willing to play some of your music before people buy your mix tape, it’s probably trash”

 

Many people in the modern day do not even have a CD player. The idea of selling mix tapes without an online presence and becoming big is nothing more than a fantasy perpetuated by teens and young adults with romanticized ideas about hustling and starting from the bottom.

 

 

New York Tech August 2015 Opens Door for High School Students

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From left to right: Miranda Cheikan, Taylor Li, Leslie Bresnahan, Anya Hargil, Gianna Gomez

Every month, professionals from all parts of the New York technology community meet up to support the growth and diversification of the city’s technology industry at New York Tech Meetup. NYTM is a community-led organization supported by its members, who created it to allow companies to network to further their businesses. On August 4th, 2015, another meeting took place at the NYU Skirball Center For The Performing Arts, where in two hours, more than ten companies presented demos on new apps or devices that could be used by the public eventually.

Different companies joined to present live demos from companies developing new technology in New York. Some companies were developing applications that performed a variety of tasks such as providing treatment for addiction and dependence disorders or apps that develop text-to-video technology that allow publishers to make informative video summaries in seconds.

While the Tech Meetup helps publicize companies like Wibbitz, the meetup also allows high school students to present their demos as well.

Students from Stuyvesant High School presented Vynl, and TLDR.

Vynl is an application created by Eric Z. Chen, Andrew Fischer and Daniel Zabari, that takes the role of a DJ, while allowing users to collaboratively create playlists at a social gathering. During their presentation, three students provided the audience with a link to demonstrate how many people can contribute to one playlist at the same time with ease. The song choices brought some in the audience to laughter, as many added works by Fetty Wap or Neil Young.

TLDR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) is a chrome extension that allows users to have articles summarized and saved for later reading, or studying created by Leslie Bresnahan, Miranda Chaiken and Anya Hargil. This extension highlights key words and saves them defined as a study tool. Afterwards, the young women said that their idea was inspired by the workload they were given. “We had this teacher that would assign us like 40-page readings in one night,” said Bresnahan, who will attend Brown University in the fall.

They haven’t publicized the extension in their school, but they did expose it to many developers who can help them improve or spread their creation. They were asked if they had spoken to Zohar Dayan, the CEO and co-founder of Wibbitz, who made a similar app that takes written word and makes it into a video in order to summarize it. They were yet to speak with him.

The New York Tech Meetup allows people to network. Who knows whether TLDR will get tips from the CEO of Wibbitz? Who knows where it can take someone? Whether it be at a job in Google or IBM, the New York Tech Meetup has much to offer to those who attend. The meetings occur monthly, and regulars and newbies will meet once again next month on September 9th, 2015.

National Night Out Against Crime: Harmony for a Day?

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Come on, it is a summer event in New York City. Try not to steal or rob on this day, because police officers are everywhere.

Tuesday Aug. 4,  the 32nd National Night Out Against Crime once again starts in NYC. About 22 police precincts in Manhattan host this “against crime and danger party” around neighborhood.

At 4 P.M. in Columbus Park, there are about 5 to 8 police officers setting up booths. Some are preparing free snacks and free drinks for parents and their children. Others are preparing to hand out safety flyers. Also, there are two inflatable facilities which children could play and jump inside there.  

Less than half an hour later, many parents, children and citizens gather around the park to enjoy the party that NY police officers prepare for them.

The purpose of this activity is to promote the relationship between the police and citizens. To show that police officers are not always serious, they can also be social and communicable.

A police in a white shirt says, “The purpose of this is to let us come together with the community, to let citizens know about our job.”

In the park, police officers are talkative and friendly. They play with children and discuss the NY police duty with parents. Many police officers believe people’s lives are their priority, and it is their responsibility to protect them.

They think their main duty is to create a “peaceful New York City” where less accidents may happen. And this is why police patrol every street of NYC everyday from morning to night. 

Flyers they hand out in the park are about NYC Biking Laws and the safety procedure of driving. They are translated into several languages, such as Chinese and Spanish. Since most citizens live in Chinatown speak Mandarin and Cantonese, there are several bilingual police officers who translate for them.

On the driving flyers, it says: “in a city with 8 millions, accidents are everywhere. But car accidents can be prevented”. To reduce the risk of car accidents, citizens should be careful of a car that is about to do a U-turn. Drivers should slow down when they see people across the street.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote on Twitter that the event is: “A promising symbol of how we can come together for the common good.”

However, some citizens think this event is just a temporary “harmony.”

On the Town hall website, “NYC ‘National Night out’ Seeks to Strengthen Police, Citizen Relationship” article by Cortney O’Brien points out many skeptical concerns about whether the police can truly protect communities.

Perhaps police can only be nice for certain period and then bring the fear back again after this party.

Such as in the past years, O’Brien mentions “the controversial and deadly altercations in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City, and Baltimore.” These cases are familiar to all in the United States.

Whether the National Night Out Against Crime is a “one day harmony” or a relationship bridge between police and citizen, we will see the result in the future.

Chinatown Residents Angered by the Sale of Counterfeits

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“Get off the damn sidewalk! Beep, Beep! Go somewhere else!”

This is one of the many angry comments made by people of Chinatown on a daily basis about the lack of sidewalk space. The presence of sellers who sell counterfeit bags to tourists overcrowds the sidewalk and residents are fed up.

The sellers are usually women who wear fanny packs and loiter in front of areas where tourists tend to frequent. With an earpiece in one ear, the seller’s eyes shift from potential customers to the end of the block, making sure the police is nowhere in sight. If one gets close enough, one could hear them mumble names of several brands such as Gucci and Prada.

They have potentials customers meet them in an area without many police officers and give the latter a piece of papers with pictures of products they offer. Once the customers make their choice, the vendors contact the supplier to deliver the goods.

However, many residents of Chinatown start to find it a burden on their daily lives especially as the number of vendors and tourists grows. Some sellers harass people who simply walked pass them.

Ying, a former Chinatown inhabitant, commented, “My cousin told me that one day he would just gather a bunch of them [the sellers] and claim he is going to buy a lot of stuff…then call the police on them cause they block…the sidewalk.”

It seems a little harsh but illustrates the frustration among Chinatown residents.

Amy, a teenager, commented “I don’t mind the sellers…it is actually fun to watch them try to argue with the tourists about prices….but it does make it hard to walk.” She later added that the situation is caused by increased tourism in Chinatown. Some vendors even made alliances with tourist companies so the latter would bring tourists into certain areas of Chinatown that are known for counterfeit sales.

According to the American Bar Association, New York City Council Member Margaret Chin, who represents Manhattan District 1, is working to reduce the demand of counterfeit goods especially on Canal Street. The street is known internationally as the destination for purchasing counterfeit handbags and watches.

Chin introduced a bill that would provide stricter punishments for people involve in the the illegal sale of counterfeit goods. The bill, Title 18 United States Code Section 2320, punishes vendors with a fine up to $2,000,000 or 10 years of imprisonment.

Despite city crackdowns and City Councilwoman Margaret Chin’s effort to pass a bill, many people continue to break the law. In recent years, some residents notice that the initial business has moved away from Canal Street and has spread to other areas of Chinatown to avoid detection by the police. The new places include Elizabeth Street and Mulberry Street.

Police are even going undercover, using civilian vehicles to smoke out several operations in the aforementioned areas but this has only caused more disturbances.

On August 1st, police and vendors clashed on Mulberry Street. A street filled with both tourists and Chinatown residents as they watched an officer in a brown civilian car calling out to the group of vendors, causing the latter to drop their goods and break into a run. However, instead of chasing them, the officer stepped out of the car, picked up the goods and left.

These chaotic events are becoming more common in this area and civilians are tired of the continuous chaos.

“Sometimes, I just wish it was happening in some other place…you know?” said Henry, a teenager who lives in Chinatown.

 

Imprisonment on the Island

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A prison in the past, Roosevelt Island is now a progressive residential neighborhood. However, the difficulty of communing may at times make some of 12,000 residents feel like they are in prison.

Constant delays and construction on the F line, the only line stopping on this island, as well as thousands of new residents settling in the new buildings create overcrowding and longer commute for the islanders who need to travel to other parts of the city.

“F train has just been ridiculous during the last couple of weeks,” said a long time islander, Alex. According to Straphangers Campaign’s Subway Line Profile, F train has a below-average regularity which means that less F trains arrive on schedule.

Despite a tram that goes across the bridge, many residents prefer F train. So, in the rush hours, the Manhattan platform fills up in five minutes. When a delayed train comes, “some people cannot even get on,” says Alex, and are forced to wait for the next train. Sometimes the next trains comes in one minute, sometimes in 20 minutes.

6999587547_8c5fca6b5d_zWhen it’s clear that the train has been delayed, many try to take a tram. But, even here residents face challenges. “That’s another $2.75 you have to pay,” says Jessica because “no one is compensating us” for the swipe for the F train.

Additionally, the tram imposes challenges for disabled residents because the only two elevators on the Manhattan side have been broken for 3 weeks already.

Current construction on the F line has made things more complicated. “With this construction, we are stuck on the island almost every weekend,” says Jessica about MTA’s weekend construction that makes F trains go over the E line-skipping Roosevelt Island- almost every week. When Queens- bound trains don’t stop on the island, one has to go to 47-50 Rockefeller Center station and switch over to the Queens-bound train. “It adds close to an hour,” says Alex with weekend slow service and delays.  8066376643_005517bb92_o

Roosevelt Island has two bridges- Queensboro and Roosevelt Island bridges. However, both of them have specific commute challenges. For example, Roosevelt Island bridge only goes to Queens and the neighborhood where it ends has no train stations for avenues.

Queensboro bridge has no connection to the island at all. In order to get to Manhattan by car- which not every islander has- a driver has to first go to Queens and then, through a series of avenues, take Queensboro bridge to Manhattan. This might add up to 40 minutes to travel time.     

Despite existing challenges, recently opened buildings and other being planned for the future will attract thousands of people who could further overcrowd every form of transportation on the island. A new luxury building, Riverwalk 7, was finished last month. Already 40% percent of 266 apartments have been rented and some newcomers already moved in. This will probably mean more crowded buses, trains and trams.

According to the local newspaper, the Main Street Wire, Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) has hinted at the building of two more luxury condos right near Riverwalk 7. Although the process has not started yet, RIOC plans on starting it soon. New buildings will add a16081116347_8cafb32e08_on estimated thousand new residents to the island by 2019.

Residential buildings are not the only buildings on the island. Cornell University is building its new campus- Cornell Tech- on Roosevelt Island as well. According to Cornell University, this campus will include 2 million square feet of buildings, over 2 acres of open space, and will be home to more than 2,000 graduate students and nearly 280 faculty and staff. The campus is set to open in 2017. This addition to the island might mean even more overcrowded train and trams.

As a possible solution, AM New York once wrote about a ferry that will stop at three locations: Roosevelt Island, Long Island City and 34th street. “That would be great,” says Jessica.  

Daily News reports that that MTA plans to speed up the time on the 6,7 and F trains. The plan includes shorter audio announcements that might help trains leave the station in shorter time and 100 platform controllers who will help people get off and get on faster. This might mean less delays on the F line and, as a result, better commute for the Roosevelt Island residents.

The Baruch College Experience: Social and Satisfied?

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Is Baruch College worth it? To many, what makes a college experience worthwhile are the friends one makes there.

As incoming freshmen this summer ready themselves to spend the next several years at their matriculated colleges, the fear of not being able to meet people remains. Baruch College, a well-known commuter school, has its own story.

According to U.S. News & World Report, 100% of Baruch students live off-campus, and only 2% of students live in college-owned, operated, or affiliated housing. Those planning to apply to Baruch know very well the stereotype that commuter students who live far away don’t hang around after class.

That view is supported by Mohammad, a sophomore majoring in Finance, who claims that Baruch students are just there for the diploma, and see clubs as a way to stick fancy titles on a résumé rather than an opportunity to make friends. Instead, Mohammad had found his friends freshman year by hanging around the edges of the campus looking for a smoke. Today, Mohammad no longer smokes, but the common ground of a shared vice brought him and his companions together.

To Anushka, a senior who had transferred into Baruch, it’s all about networking. She held a full-time job until this spring, so it wasn’t the forty-minute commute from Upper Manhattan that obstructed her from making friends, but her financial responsibility. Instead, she builds friendships through shared classes and staying in touch. Anushka continued by saying that “It [took] me forever to realize that college’s not just about getting a good GPA or whatever…you have to get connected, you have to network.”

Anushka acknowledged it would be easier to connect to people if Baruch was a residential college. After all, dorms are well known for forcing roommates and suitemates to bond, perhaps even over the roaches and the lack of space.

Franklin, a junior who transferred from Hofstra University, lives in Queens, with a fifty-minute commute. On a bad day, it can take a hour. However, Franklin says “I feel [Baruch] is more social [than Hofstra]. I feel like there’s more things going on right here than there ever was back at the other university, [where] I used to commute as well.” Franklin also stated that “most” students at Hofstra live in a dorm (according to U.S. News & World Report, 47% of Hofstra students), so the university would cater to those who lived nearby. Those who lived off-site, then, had a significant disadvantage. At Baruch, everyone lives off-site.

For Joe, an incoming freshman who has to commute about an hour and a half from Staten Island, the commute does present a problem. However, he thinks that joining clubs would allow him to meet the people he wouldn’t otherwise. According to U.S. News & World Report, Baruch has 172 registered clubs and organizations, so it should not be too hard to find a niche.

“If you let it, it can provide a lot of opportunities, like if you go and set up schedules with your friends to leave at the same time every morning, and get to school around the same time, or take the same trains, then there’s a lot of opportunities,” said Joe.