TO: Vincent Boudreau

FROM: Kenneth A Gumana

DATE: February 27, 2023,

SUBJECT: The Obsolete Classrooms of CCNY Is Putting Students at Risk

As you know, the infrastructure of the CCNY campus is diverse, ranging from the founding of the college in the 19th century to the present 21st century. It brings life to the campus and the students, but what is the point of having this infrastructure if it prevents the students and faculty from gaining and providing education? 

Recently we faced a crisis that the world is still recovering from covid, but during that time, students and professors shifted from in-person to online learning. The pandemic caused a difficult situation for students, faculty, and the campus, as only some were using the classrooms and adapting to this situation. As we re-emerge from this pandemic and re-populate the campuses, we face problems. Students are unwilling to attend classes as they either favor online courses or fear a re-emergence. This puts CCNY students’ education at risk as some studies try to compromise by simultaneously being a hybrid of in-person and online classes. However, the article “Refurbishing for hybrid learning” states, “However, most university classrooms are not designed to deliver the voice of instructors and classroom students to online platforms. This change in modality requires universities to invest in infrastructure and technology.”(p.1) Even if we try to help students in hybrid classes, the classrooms themselves are not equipt for this learning style. 

We should try and capitalize on this type of learning style to accommodate students presently enrolled and future students. It benefits all of us “Through hybrid learning, universities can control student density in classrooms and on campus; additionally, this hybrid model can be perceived as more environmentally friendly since it reduces students’ commuting needs and disposable COVID-related waste, such as facemasks.” (p.3) Providing more flexibility to students will help them greatly in their personal life, and upgrading our infrastructure for online classes will be a significant investment. This will provide education to more students, and more courses will be available for students to take. 

Thank you for your time in reading this. 

Sources

1. “Refurbishing Classrooms for Hybrid Learning: Balancing between Infrastructure and Technology Improvements.” Marey, Adhem June 6, 2022