1. Reed makes several connections between the 1978-1992 retrenchment period and Covid-19 pandemic. For example, having to layoff 5000 staff and faculty. The same thing happened during the Covid pandemic. People had to be let go and lost their jobs. In both cases there were also many deaths. Deaths are being used as a metaphor in Reed’s text. Deaths being the death of opportunity and the deaths in covid being the deaths of people. During the retrenchment period, there were threats to close CUNYs such as Hostos and Medgar Evers. There was also a bunch of state and city budget cuts. All this were factors leading up to CUNY tuition not being free anymore. The Covid pandemic caused panic and less funding for CUNYs. People also lost their healthcare coverage. In both situations, people lost a lot.
2. Reed uses the term “Death cult” to indicate that the fact that CUNY is being harsh towards the minority because it isn’t free to attend anymore. It’s now the people who can afford it who attend the schools. CUNY used to be a place where everyone could attend. Everyone of all different types of ethnicities. People would attend CUNYs because they were affordable and open to them to continue education. But now, putting a price tag on education is now ending opportunities that people once had. It’s a death of opportunity. Hence the term “death cult.” It signifies how much CUNY has changed and an example of neo-liberalism. Something that used to be free and accessible is now something that’s limited to a lot of people.
4. The suggestions that Reed makes for anti-racist and anti-austerity groups at CUNY is to not quietly follow orders and “by forging active strategic collaborations across differences that can seize on this rare moment to attain multi issue transformations that were unthinkable even one year ago.” Basically using protests and labor movements to speak out about this.
CUNY of my dreams: https://jamboard.google.com/d/1k6rmztuIa9ll4KrsL_tCDaucLQHaInznoq2kRy_Itrc
I agree with you that we should have more classes on the history of POC because it creates more diversity in the curriculum. It is similar to the letter sent by the students of Lehman College.
I agree with you about having a vocational program, and I think that could help us a lot. Many college students are confused about studying, they are not sure what they really want in the future, which leads them to waste a lot of time, and these might be able to help them find their own path in life correctly.
I agree with you about CUNY needing more diversity in population as it used to be before the price tag became so high