1. Reed makes some connections between the 1978-1992 “retrenchment period” at CUNY and similar decisions being made now, through the pandemic. One example is that in both instances, many adjuncts were and are being treated unfairly. As Covid became an issue, many adjuncts were fired, leaving them jobless, without healthcare or any security. Another example is the financial struggles of CUNY students. In the “retrenchment period” many CUNY students could no longer afford tuition costs that CUNY put in place, leaving them unable to continue their education. Similarly, during the pandemic, many students face food insecurity, housing insecurity and evictions, and higher tuition costs that make it very difficult to both get an education and have necessities.
2. Reed uses the term “death cult” to describe CUNY and its actions that hurt many students and faculty. CUNY was a free university, but during the retrenchment period, its prices increased, many faculty and staff were laid off and a lot of budget cuts were made, causing the “death” of cuny. Neoliberalism touched CUNY as well, and made it into a “death cult” since it attracted many people for education, opportunity and affordability, later destroying all of those things.
4. Reed suggests that anti-racist and anti-austerity groups at CUNY should come together and push with their demands in unity. They will have a better chance to stand up for problems at CUNY if they work together, so more people will hear and support the causes, and CUNY can get some real change. Reed says that if the demands from anti-racist groups are combined with the demands of anti-austerity groups at CUNY, “then we could activate them altogether instead of continuing to silo them as ‘racial justice’ or ‘economic justice’ issues respectively.”