Editorial Op-ed
The pandemic presents an
opportunity to rethink educational
resources to better serve students
BY RENE SING
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically
changed the face of higher
education. I know this fi rsthand—as
a photography student at LaGuardia Community
College, my education has been
turned upside down. While many have
focused on the logistics of distance learning
and eventual reopening of colleges, the
pandemic also presents a ripe opportunity
to more systemically reconsider and reconfi
gure our education system to better serve
students like me. If leaders gain a deeper
understanding of what it is to be a student
in the United States today, they can more
effectively broaden access to higher education
and the educational resources students
like me need to succeed.
In the United States, the cost of higher
education is notoriously—and often prohibitively—
high. This is truer than ever,
as the pandemic-plagued economy has led
to fi nancial insecurity for many students.
At the center of the problematic cost of
college is the absence of widespread affordable
education resources (textbooks, media,
software, etc.). Expensive resources make
it even harder for already-cash-strapped
students to get what they need to learn
effectively. Plus, too often, students have
limited access to and input on the design
of the educational resources they pay so
much for.
Since the pandemic hit, students participating
in the Accelerated Study in Associate
Programs (ASAP) at LaGuardia Community
College had to overcome several hurdles
to make use of their bookstore accounts. In
many cases, they did not get the required
texts due to a complex purchasing process
aggravated by the pandemic. In truth, the
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
bookstore account was already a problem
before the pandemic; it was unresponsive to
the need for dynamic content and it locked
students and teachers into a narrow grid of
corporate suppliers.
In addition, not all students are positioned
to adequately participate in distance learning
courses—as they may lack access to the
Internet, devices, or other equipment—all
of which calls attention to deeper socioeconomic
inequities. The emergency shift to
distance learning during the pandemic has
highlighted the importance of ensuring that
resources respond to a wide cross-section
of student needs and realities, especially in
a world confronted by deep systemic stress.
As a photography student, not having
access to studio space has been my most
serious pandemic-related constraint. I’ve
had to be creative about fi nding alternatives
to studio time and complementing
our instructor’s guided online sessions
with freely available, openly licensed resources—
from videos to texts. These open
educational resources allow me to shape
my own learning experience, contribute my
own knowledge and perspectives to them,
and have permanent access to them—with
no expiration date to worry about.
The current moment calls for a deep
exploration of what educational resources
should look like and do in the digital age,
and open educational resources are one
viable path forward worth exploring. The
tall order of the day is to take advantage
of this time of massive change to address
the longstanding inequities of higher
education. It is critical that we do so with
students as speaking part actors. It is learning
resilience through resilient learning.
Sing is a student at LaGuardia Community
College in Queens.
‘Defund’ doesn’t mean devastate NYPD
Already there is panic among some
New Yorkers who hear the protest
mantra ‘Defund the NYPD’ and
think it’ll mean the NYPD will cease to
exist. That’s just not true.
It’s not an appeal to destroy a department;
it’s an appeal to strengthen the city.
First of all, there will always be an
NYPD in New York. This city needs them
to protect and serve the public and provide
safety. There can be — and there must be
— reforms made to uphold and enforce the
law equally not just in New York, but all
across this country.
The city will always make sure the
NYPD is well-funded and has the proper
resources not just to fi ght crime, but to
also prevent terrorist attacks. The NYPD’s
counter-terrorism program is second to
none in the world, and because we are a
target for evildoers, we must always be
prepared if and when they strike again.
Which isn’t to say that New York can’t
“defund” the NYPD. Defund, in this
context, means shifting some (not all) resources
from the department to education
and youth programs to open up greater
opportunities to New Yorkers in disadvantaged
areas.
It’s not just protesters who support a
“Defund the NYPD” movement.
“To help the kids of our city, I’m 1,000%
behind shifting some funding from the
police to youth programs,” Police Commissioner
Dermot Shea tweeted on Monday
morning. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to
dig down and do what’s needed.”
Last week, City Comptroller Scott
Stringer called for an 18.6% reduction in
the NYPD’s nearly $6 billion budget. Much
of that reduction comes through cost savings
such as reducing the roster via attrition
and a 5% cut in overtime. These changes
would bring the NYPD roster down to
35,000 cops — the total it had between
2011 and 2016.
We’re not talking about gutting entire
bureaus within the NYPD or weakening
their ability to keep the city safe, as some
critics believe. The billion dollars shifted
from the NYPD will go a long way toward
programs that will help close the racial
divide in education and public services.
Let’s not fall for the word games played
by opponents of change who have stalled
the path of progress before. Let’s embark
on a real effort to make New York more
equal, just and safer for everyone.
Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now,
Downtown Express and Manhattan Express
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8 June 11, 2020 Schneps Media
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