Twice Lucadamo completed the myriad requirements for Hunter’s graduating students.  He received an English department adviser’s approval.  He visited the Office of Student Services to ok his General Education Requirements.  And he submitted his graduation audit to Oasis, Hunter’s student affairs office.  Twice his paperwork was lost.   

“My biggest problem is that there was no verification that my paper work was received,” Lucadamo, a creative writing major, said.  “There was no recourse for addressing mistakes.”   

Lucadamo, 30, said in a phone interview, that the help number provided by Oasis and listed on the Degree Audit Information and Instructions form did not reach either a person or a machine. This reporter was also unsuccessful with three calls on May 14, 15, and 17. Hunter’s 2005 graduation rate was 36.7 percent, according to www.collegeresults.org, an online database run by a nonprofit education watchdog organization, The Education Trust.  Baruch College’s was 58.7 percent.  The average for similar schools – based on price, location, size, and median SAT score – was 50.9 percent.   

English major, Alexis Martinea, 24, said he was misinformed by nearly everyone he questioned about graduation.  “I had to keep going back to the place I’d just come from,” said Martinea, who graduated spring 2006.   

The whole process, Martinea said, took him over three months.  “The major overarching problem,” Martinea said, “was the lack of coordination between departments.” 

Martinea also said no one seemed to care if he graduated at all. 

Samantha Rodbell, who graduated in fall, 2005, was still waiting for her diploma to be mailed at time of this article’s publication. She says she had the credits to graduate a semester earlier than she did, but that her department and her adviser did not inform her.   

“It was a pain in the [rear] to find all the stuff out,” said Rodbell, a “B” student.  “You have to go to the departments and ask to graduate.  I don’t know how it is at other schools.”   Rodbell worked so hard for her diploma, she said, she decided against trying to attend Commencement. 

“On the bright side,” Rodbell said, “[these difficulties] make you more responsible.”  

This reporter called Eija Ayravainen, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students; Michael Escott, Senior Associate Dean of Student Life; and Madlyn Stokely, Associate Dean for Student Support Services, but none were available for comment. 

Mary Michael, the help contact listed on Hunter’s Commencement webpage, was “away from the Office until Monday, May 21, 2007,” she said via email. 

Adriana Whittet is a young college student who has experienced sexual harassment at her part time job as a waitress in Staten Island, NY.The incident occurred as Ms. Whittet was bending down to look into a cabinet. She overheard her manager say to a waiter, “Look at where Adriana is” (implying that she was in a sexual position). As soon as Ms. Whittet’s manager made this comment, the waiter immediately walked over to her while she was still bending down, and stuck his crotch in her face. Once she realized what was going on, Ms. Whittet immediately stood up and was in shock that something so unprofessional and demeaning was happening not only in front of her boss, but with his participation.  The following day, Ms. Whittet complained to the owners of the restaurant, but her complaints fell on deaf ears. She reports feeling “brushed off” by her bosses and that, “the waiter was never punished for his actions.” 

According to the EEOC, a single incident is probably not sexual harassment, but repeated minor incidents can add up to it. Victims of unrelenting acts of sexual harassment are known to suffer when this conduct creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.  The Equal Rights Advocates Agency, (ERA) found that as a reaction to these unwanted incidents, 90 to 95 percent of sexually harassed women suffer from debilitating stress. Reactions to sexual harassment can include anxiety, depression; sleep disorders, headaches, weight loss or gain, sexual dysfunction and lowered self-esteem. After realizing that her bosses were never going to hold her harasser accountable for his actions, Ms. Whittet reported feeling severely depressed. “I could not stop thinking about what happened and how I was treated. I felt anxious all the time about going back to work and facing the man who took advantage of my personal space. I felt obsessed with being attacked again. My concentration at school was suffering. I soon after sought the guidance of a therapist,” Ms. Whittet says. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Sexual harassment includes many behaviors, which are those that are verbal, physical, nonverbal or visual. To be considered sexual harassment, the behavior must be unwelcome, severe and persistent.  

Ms. Whittet continued to experience unwanted sexual harassment at her job after the first incident with her manager and fellow employee. She was often hugged by another waiter who was much older and larger than she. This man’s unwanted hugs made Ms. Whittet feel very uncomfortable, until she became determined to tell him she wanted his unnecessary hugs to stop. She explains, “I couldn’t get away from him fast enough. When he hugged me, I felt trapped in his tight grip.” 

Young women are not the only victims of sexual harassment. Last year, EEOC received 12,025 charges of sexual harassment. 15.4% of those charges were filed by males.  Surprisingly, no age group or gender is safe from unwanted sexual acts of discrimination in the workplace.

Examples of verbal or written sexual harassment include: comments about one’s clothing, a person’s body, sexual or sex-based jokes; requesting sexual favors or repeatedly asking a person out; sexual suggestions; and telling rumors about a person’s personal or sexual life.  Nonverbal sexual harassment is said to occur when one is subject to unwelcome stares, derogatory gestures, suggestive expressions of a sexual nature, or stalking.

 According to Patricia Araujo, a Federal Investigator for the U.S. Equal Employment Commission (EEOC) in the New York City District, sexual harassment occurs so frequently in the workplace because, “supervisors and managers lack the understanding of the law and the proper information.” Ms. Araujo believes that both education and training are essential for preventing sexual misconduct from occurring in workplaces. Ms. Araujo says educating employers is not difficult, and it can reduce the incidence of sexual harassment in the workplace.. According to Araujo, all employers have to do is make a commitment to educating themselves and their employees, informing them  that sexual harassment cannot be tolerated because it is against the law. As a free service to employers, business owners can easily download material on sexual harassment from the EEOC’s official website, http://eeoc.gov , which they can then distribute to their employees. Employers can also contact the EEOC and set up a training session about sexual harassment for themselves and their employees.

As a society, we should hold people accountable for their actions, and we should also make sure employers are taking appropriate actions to prevent objectionable behavior from occurring in their business. Ms. Whittet is now working at a different restaurant in her neighborhood. She decided to quit her prior job because she wasn’t willing to put up with those who harassed her anymore. Ms. Whittet is finally content with her new job, where she feels respected. She has decided to keep seeing her therapist to manage her depression and find ways of dealing with stress better, she says. Ms. Whittet is also doing significantly better in her classes than before, when her concentration and abilities to do well were suffering because of the ongoing harassment she endured.

In August of 2006, the Federal Drug Administration made the “morning-after” pill, marketed as “Plan B,” available over the counter to women who are 18 or over. The law states that women 17 and under still need a prescription and any stores caught providing the emergency contraception to a woman under 18 without a prescription will be reported to state pharmacy licensing boards, where they risk losing their license or face steep fines.

Women’s rights activists called it a start, hailing the move towards making Plan B more readily available. However, half of the women who need emergency contraception are under age 18. Three major pharmacies declined to comment on the change in legislation but Samantha Levine, media relations manager for Planned Parenthood of New York City readily agreed to talk to me. She said, “While we are pleased that the FDA ended its foot dragging and approved Plan B for over the counter access for women 18 and older, we remain troubled by the scientifically baseless restriction imposed on teenagers. New York City has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the country- anything that makes it harder for teenagers to avoid unintended pregnancy is bad medicine and bad public policy.” Samantha went on to refute the opposing argument, saying “Research shows that over the counter access to emergency contraception does not increase or encourage sexual activity among teens, and better access to proven prevention methods like accurate sex education and emergency birth control are the best ways to reduce the alarming rate of teen pregnancy in this country.”

An overwhelming number of scientists have attested to the safety of the proper use of the “morning-after” pill in women under 18. Yet, due to conservative political and religious ideology, the “morning-after” pill is being withheld from girls based on the unproven idea that emergency contraception will promote promiscuity and increase the number of teens having unprotected sex. Christian opponents argue that human life starts from conception, and they consider Plan B a form of chemical abortion.

Plan B should not to be confused with RU-486, a pill that is used to terminate pregnancies in early non-surgical abortions. Plan B is a concentrated dose of levonorgestrel, the same hormone used in birth control pills. The emergency contraceptive works by delaying ovulation and preventing eggs from attaching to the lining of the uterus. Plan B cannot terminate a pregnancy and is therefore not an abortion drug. In fact, according to Planned Parenthood, emergency contraception has been responsible for approximately 43% of the decrease in the number of abortions from 1994 to 2003. However, it has nonetheless found itself in the middle of a moral debate, which has prevented its widespread circulation.

Emergency contraception becomes less effective with each passing day. Because the “morning- after” pill is 89% effective when taken within 72 hours, prescription restrictions on Plan B have significantly hindered the ability of women to obtain and use the pill effectively. Many women miss out on the opportunity to take the pill when it is most effective, because of the difficulty of getting a doctor’s appointment for the prescription. Some doctors offer a way around this. For example, a nurse who works in an obstetrics and gynecology office in Staten Island, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that it is their policy to always phone in a prescription if the patient cannot come in. However, they can only do this for existing patients. Any woman who has not been to the office before must come in for an examination, which of course presents a problem when appointments are fully booked.

Planned Parenthood has 860 health centers nationwide, and is the leading provider of emergency contraception in the United States. However, when I called their help line, I was told that the wait list to be seen to get a prescription was over a week long. By the time I got the prescription, it would have been too late to take the pill.

In 2000, Dr. Matt Wise launched the site getthepill.com, which created a way for women to get a prescription over the internet by filling out a short online form. The prescription would be immediately called in to the woman’s local pharmacy by a gynecologist. For a $25 fee, getthepill.com was a relatively cheap and simple way to obtain a prescription quickly. The site has since changed because prescriptions are no longer required for women over 18. The site now caters only to women over 18, offering one day shipping of the emergency contraception to women who can prove that they are of age. While getthepill.com may have been a resource in the past for women under 18, it now does nothing for the 1.7 million teens facing an unplanned pregnancy.

Nine states have maneuvered around the political and administrative bureaucracy and currently allow women of any age to be able to receive emergency contraception without a prescription. Surprisingly, New York is not one of those states. The most difficult states to obtain the “morning-after” pill are Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and South Dakota, where pharmacists have an option of refusing to provide emergency contraception if it conflicts with their own moral beliefs.

New York City’s cultural plurality attracts many new students to the city each year. Museums, places of worship, restaurants, playhouses, and concert halls all contribute to New York’s diverse and bustling atmosphere. Many students come to New York not only to witness what the city has to offer, but also participate in its uniquely dynamic artistic community. Nick Paliocha and Corey Dozier are two such students. Both Nick and Corey were attracted to New York because they saw a progressive musical community that they wanted to participate in. Nick, lead-singer and guitarist for art-rock trio Pieces, finds New York’s venues ideal for reaching the band’s already substantial fan base of students and young adults. Corey, on the other hand, sees in New York an opportunity to play jazz and contemporary bass with pioneers of his genres.

The excitement that the two men have about New York’s relevance is well founded. According to the Gotham Gazette, corporate consolidation of record labels and radio airtime has hindered the signing of new artists. However, live venues for shows in New York City have either stayed open or been replaced with newer venues. The closing of CBGB’s—while it was heralded as indicative of New York’s dying scene—was insignificant when considered in the context of newer venues in other neighborhoods, such as Northsix, located in the heart of hipster paradise, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The stability of New York venues indicates a consistent number of listeners.

New York’s live music is also kept well by sponsors like the College Music Journal, which hosts the Music Marathon, where over 1,000 artists, including famous bands, play shows over one fall weekend in New York. CityParks foundation hosts a similar series during the summer months called Summerstage, and has brought 2.5 million listeners to its concerts since 1986.

Nick also chooses New York for his home because many of his friends are college students , attending universities throughout the city. Nick is a student at Eugene Lang College at the New School. Nick doesn’t just look to indiscriminately expand his fan base in New York—he wants to keep the music that he makes familiar and accessible to his friends. Nick says, “I go to school in the city because I want to learn things. I came to Eugene Lang…for the financial aid—but I am staying for the way New York inspires my music and lyrics.” Nick sees New York as central to helping his band play live shows because there are so many opportunities to play. But he also wants to be a student. Nick finds his peer group and classes inspiring, and he believes that this combination of musical and academic opportunities can only be found in New York.

Corey Dozier finds New York’s actual musical community to be more appealing than its ready fan bases. New York’s cultural significance as a musically progressive town is intrinsic to its history. New York music gave rise to jazz, the folk-alternative of the 60′s, punk rock and hip-hop. This vibrant music scene has attracted a large number of career musicians and student musicians to New York. Corey claims that the musical community is what sustains his interest in New York City. Corey says, “I couldn’t live with people who weren’t musicians—or at least artists. I need to feel as if I’m part of a community that is moving forward and making progress. I need to be living with people that are transcending their creative boundaries.” New York provides Nick with a valuable audience, and it provides Corey with a directed community.

Unlike Nick, Corey doesn’t find that he needs classes to inspire his composition and rehearsing. Corey sees his apartment with Nick, as well as another musician roommate, Matt from Houston, Texas, as inspiring enough to fuel his art. Corey says “I’ve known I wanted to be a musician since I was twelve. After I reached that conclusion—that I wanted to play music—all I needed to do was get there. A lot of the kids at the Jazz school are still learning the theory that I was crazy about in ninth grade…I’d say it’s about fifty-fifty. Some people come to the Jazz school ready to play with masters, but some of the other kids still don’t really know all of their scales.”

For Nick, the benefits are different. Nick doesn’t have the same conviction as Corey—he plays a host of different instruments, from drums to accordion to trumpet to guitar. Nick seeks to improve his musical abilities in New York, but also to learn as a student, so that should there come a day when he can’t make his money with music, he can make it with his degree. Nick comes to New York to learn and also to play live music, but he considers the two inherently linked. Nick feels that his learning influences his lyrics and music just as much as the fact that he lives with artists, and therefore seeks philosophy and literature classes which help him to tackle existential issues in his songwriting. The learning that Nick does improves his writing, which then helps him to reach new audiences.

Corey attends the Jazz School at the New School, while Nick attends Eugene Lang College, also a part of the New School consortium. Both young men approach their arts differently, even though both of them have chosen the same city for their explorations. New York offers Nick and Corey different ways of developing their art. For Corey, a specialist who concentrates on composition and technique for Bass and Jazz Bass exclusively, and who has already accrued admirable technical ability, the Jazz School is an access point. Though Corey doesn’t see his technique being actively changed by the school, he does see a community that he can advertise and interact in, that the school is closely tied to. Corey came from the Houston music scene, one that he considered “dead,” in order to participate in a more lively movement in New York.

Both Nick and Corey came to New York in order to reap the benefits of the lively artistic scene, as well as the numerous opportunities to play with other musicians. Their reasons for coming to New York reveal a few of the many reasons why student musicians come to New York. Whatever their reasons, Nick and Corey are both contributing to the lush musical history that New York has and will continue to offer.

By Mary Paz

In a 2006 report released by the Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), women were shown to make up 40% of the local news workforce. Hispanics overall constituted only 9.6% of the television workforce and 1.9% of radio news broadcasters. Noticing such a low percentage for the Hispanic population, the Latino Honor Society, a student run organization based here in Hunter College decided to hold the Latinas in Media Event. The event was held April 25, 2006 in Thomas Hunter Hall and was open to the entire Hunter College community.

The Latinas in Media Event consisted of a five person panel, which included journalists, filmmakers, and writers. The panel was moderated by Elisha Miranda, Co-Founder of Sister Outsider Productions, a multimedia production company geared toward an urban audience. Along with another panelist, Sofia Quintero, Miranda is also a founder and Board Director of Chica Luna Productions. Each of the five panelists described their work and the difficulties and discrimination they faced as Latina women.

One journalist, Maria Alvarez from the New York Post, said the only time she would be recruited to write a story, was when a Spanish speaker was needed to communicate with the family. In an interview I conducted with her after the event Alvarez told me “It was hard to speak to the family members while they were still mourning the death of their son who was killed in a drive-by. I felt like I was intruding but I also knew it was my job to cover the story.” She went on to tell me that she stuck by it because she realized it was the only way for her to eventually cover stories that showed another side of the Latino community besides drug abuse and gang violence.

The panel discussion lasted two hours, followed by a short question and answer period. When asked by a student in the audience whether or not they felt pressured to cover Latina/o issues, there was a mixed response among the panelists. Erica Gonzalez, Editor of the Op-Ed page for El Diario newspaper, felt it was important to inform the public about Latino issues, because if they didn’t, no one else would. However, Michelle Herrera Mulligan, author of Border-Line Personalities: A New Generation of Latinas Dish on Sex, Sass, and Cultural Shifting had a different point of view. She believed that they shouldn’t be expected to cover only Latino issues just because they are Latinas. This is why Mulligan has published work in several different genres. The panelists all agreed they felt additional pressure to prove themselves as journalists, capable of covering other subjects.

I spoke to several students after the event in order to get their feedback and opinions. One of the females I spoke to was Monique Rivas, a junior here at Hunter, and she told me “I was really surprised to see how successful these women are in each of their fields. In news broadcasts today you see very few Latinas and it really gave me hope that as a minority I still have a chance of being successful in fields where we’re underrepresented”. Another student Esperanza Urbaez, a senior and journalism major, played a large role in organizing the event. When I spoke with her several days later and she said, “It’s reassuring to see that women like myself can be successful in the media field. In a few months I’ll be looking for a job and it’s nice to see that there are good role models out there doing what I strive to do”. I asked her if she had done any internships during her time here and she told me that she found all her internships on her own. Esperanza said, “Most of my contacts I made through conferences I attended or summer programs I participated in”.

However for those students who are less likely to go out to conferences, the Office of Student Services here at Hunter offers internships in several fields, including journalism. Many students visit the office, located on the 11th floor of the East Building, looking for opportunities to gain experience in their fields. One student I spoke to was Maria Ann Cruz. Currently working in the Accounts Payable Department at Fox News, she shed some light on the experience of past internships. Maria said, “At MTV I was limited to handing out scripts, standing there looking cute, and getting coffee for my superiors. Here at Fox it’s just a little more hands on. Last year they had their own intern pit, and responsibilities tend to vary based on the department. But all in all I’ve enjoyed my time with Fox a lot more”.

For those students looking to find paid jobs, the Career Development Center on the 8th Floor of the East building is a good place to start. It’s important to start gaining experience early and making as many contacts as possible because networking can make a difference. Knowing the right people can often give you the extra edge you need to get that internship or job, no matter what field you are interested in. Summer Journalism Programs are usually geared towards high school students, but major newspapers and television stations offer internship opportunities for college students. Internship information is available through their websites. Students that attended the Latinas in Media Event came away not only with contacts in the print media and filmmaking industry, but with encouragement. Whether you are a female, Latina, Black or all three, the panelist showed that if you fought hard enough for it, there was a place for you in the media field.

With one more year left before graduation, students are already making future plans for their living arrangements. Many propose to live with their parents until they can save enough money to finally rent an apartment on their own. This is especially difficult in New York City where the neighborhoods are dynamic, changing, and rents are always rising, even in affordable neighborhoods.  According to a May 10, 2007 New York Times article on rent in New York, rent shot up a record 8.3 percent since 2006.

Craigslist, is a great resource for anyone seeking apartments in the New York City area. This is the website both Sharp Entertainment’s Production Manager Tiffany Williams and Story Producer Jason Cavanagh used to find apartments. Through Craigslist, Cavanagh was able to find 2 apartments (the first in Park Slope, the second in Williamsburg) that he sublet a few years ago. Williams also found an apartment in the Upper East Side that she shared with a roommate, cutting the cost to $800 apiece. Both offered the same advice to those finishing college: live with your parents for as long as it takes to save enough money to be able to finally afford rent. It seems that many college seniors plan to do just that.

Despite extreme differences in career paths, the concern about affordable housing seems unanimous among those approaching their senior year in college. Let’s face the facts: some jobs may never pay enough to keep up with rising rents. Take media production for example: an unstable field of freelancers, who often work without healthcare. These jobs are mostly located in big cities like New York. Williams notes that unemployment in media production is practically inevitable at one point or another. And unemployment is (understandably) what landlords do not want. A simple search on Craigslist found this. A  $2,100 per month apartment in Astoria is requiring tenants to have “stable employment.” How many recent college undergrads can say that they qualify?

Let’s say a recent grad does, indeed, hold a media production job for over a year. Will this job support an independent lifestyle, with disposable income, and savings that will afford the opportunity to buy a house or, perhaps, an apartment? Highly unlikely, according to Tiffany Williams, who received financial aid from her father when she was living in the Upper East Side, despite working full-time. According to the Certified Compensation Professionals’ analysis of survey data, the median expected salary for a production assistant (the essential entry-level position for those pursuing a media production career) in New York City is $30,879 per year. This figure corresponds with Williams’ estimation that PA’s typically receive $500-$600 for at least a 50 hour week. Williams says she “knows a lot of people who have a second job just to pay for the rent!”

Don’t forget that most freelance positions, do not offer health insurance. So, on top of barely having disposable income, good health is essential.  One doctor’s visit can use up a good portion of your savings.  Can you imagine paying in full for each physical or dental check-up?

Tasha Wright, an associate producer currently at Sharp Entertainment, worked at VH1 for an entire year before finally qualifying for health insurance. During her 13th month, her project ended at VH1, leaving her with only one month to enjoy her health insurance.

With all this in mind, Tiffany Williams is right on target when talking about how nearly impossible it is for a recent college grad to comfortably afford housing in the city. A recent article in the New York Times, by Christine Haughney, touches briefly on situations where students are advised to sleep on friends’ couches or at the school library to help save money! In her article, Haughney speaks of apartments in Manhattan that are under investigation for overcrowding, and the fact that housing is becoming scarce in the city. According to Property and Portfolio Research, at the moment, available housing in Manhattan is 3.7 percent and is expected to drop to 2.9 percent by 2011!

Current college seniors are starting to look for housing in Queens and Brooklyn, and even New Jersey. However, the outer boroughs, where everyone seems to be grabbing the good deals, are becoming less affordable as well. Phil Toh, a senior at Hunter College, notes how rents in “Williamsburg and Park Slope are increasing, whereas Upper East Side and Midtown have now reached a plateau.” Although many students belong to families that are financially comfortable, Haughney finds that the students “said the area rents were so high they [the families] could not afford both housing and tuition.”

The dynamic real estate market leaves no time for hesitation or settling down. Today, Park Slope apartments are just as expensive as Manhattan apartments. Just two years ago Cavanagh was able to afford his first apartment in this neighborhood. A search on Craigslist shows that right now,, Astoria and Queens have the best deals for apartment rentals. Williamsburg and the Upper East Side are recommended, although apartments there  have now become quite costly. Quite a few of those apartments require the tenant to have a broker which is “way more expensive,” as Cavanagh puts it.

In all the interviews with students, including those with hands-on real estate-hunting experience, not one person mentioned the affordable apartments in Washington Heights and Inwood. One-bedroom apartments in these neighborhoods are posted on nycdwellers.com for $800 monthly, about the cheapest of any apartment (whether shared or single) in Manhattan. So, unless upon graduation you are able to fork out $800 a month for rent, as well as still have money for utilities, food, and transportation, the best advice is to live with your parents for a while.

One more piece of advice: beware of landlords raising rents! Cavanagh fell victim to this, causing his first move from Park Slope to Williamsburg.  Cavanagh also suggests, “search Craigslist like it’s your job.” But, check nycdwellers.com as well, for deals that may not be offered on Craigslist. Start speaking to friends and family about living arrangements and get a head start on working, saving, and learning to drive (as Long Island and New Jersey are becoming more desirable areas to live). And, with the best of luck, may you find a home in the city!

A major upgrade to the Hunter College security system, scheduled for 2008, will include new closed-circuit security cameras and the installation of turnstiles at each of the major entry points on campus, according to the Department of Public Safety.

The $2 million project was “ready to go out for contract bids,” said Lou Mader, Director of Public Safety, but he refused to offer any concrete details.

In a post-Virginia Tech world, security has become a priority as students around the country asked: “Could it happen here?” Hunter College is unique in that it is the only Manhattan school with an open campus, according to an article published in the Hunter Word online.

But as Hunter takes steps to improve safety, students and faculty question whether new turnstiles will be enough. And as far as on-premises incidents go, who really commits the offenses, outsiders or Hunterites themselves?

“Hunter is the only college campus that is a major subway stop and there have been problems,” said Elizabeth Beaujour, professor of Slavic and Russian Studies.

In April, Adam Ruducha, a Hunter student was arrested after violently threatening a female classmate. He was intoxicated but unarmed.

In January, Anton Frolov, also a Hunter student plummeted to his death off the roof of the west building. He had been escorted off the roof by security guards but later sneaked back up and jumped.

“Security advised me today that a perp was arrested for stealing books who had student ID cards for most of the CUNY campuses requiring them. In that context, Baruch ID cards, as most others, can readily be faked or ‘borrowed’ to get access,” said sociology professor Claus Mueller, in a November 2005 post to the Hunter-L email forum.

“To be effective you need guards checking the cards before swiping. Thus we need more guards in addition to the growing security force we have already.”

This reporter’s laptop, external hard drive, and digital camera were stolen from a room in the Brookdale dorms, presumably from someone who had access to the building.

Although the school’s administration claims that the turnstiles will make Hunter safer, their installation has been steadily opposed since the idea first came about shortly after 9/11.
“I think it will make Hunter feel more like an educational business and less like an educational community ⎯ especially if there’s not major monies spent beautifying and expanding other public spaces in the college,” said political science professor John Wallach, in an email interview.

“The added concern with security and identification may do more to dampen a sense of freedom and openness than enhance a sense of safety and security,” said Wallach, who passed a Hunter Senate resolution to form a committee to supervise construction of the turnstiles. The committee was never implemented.

Wallach said that given financial and human costs, the turnstiles could be counter-productive, creating logjams at entranceways. Any malfunctions could become seriously disruptive, he added.

Others have taken to more extreme measures of dissent, like CCNY professor Bill Crain who, in 2004, jumped the turnstiles at Baruch in protest of a closed CUNY and was subsequently arrested.

Despite resistance, at this point the turnstiles seem inevitable. Last year the college issued the Hunter One card to all students, an I.D. that validates identity when swiped and can also be used to make purchases around campus.
In March, Public Safety adopted a policy at the dorms requiring anyone entering the Brookdale dormitories after 9:30 PM to swipe their card at a small scanner attached to a computer at the front desk. A trial period, perhaps, before the turnstile hardware is permanently installed.

Liz Arce, Ava Berman, and Ianna Owen, all Brookdale residents, appeared at this semester’s final Senate meeting to object to the swipe-in policy. Calling the policy an invasion of privacy, the students argue that because the computer can be set to store information about when a student enters and leaves the building, it can be used to track that student’s whereabouts.

Historically, security comes with a certain level of secrecy, but is it necessary to keep things hush-hush at Hunter?
John Jay hosted a roundtable discussion, at the request of state senators Eric Adams and Toby Stavisky, where CUNY and SUNY administrators and Public Safety personnel discussed campus security.

Topics on the agenda included overall emergency strategies like using text messaging as a communications tool, mental health and counseling services, and external relations with the police, hospitals, and other organizations.

But the discussion was behind closed doors, according to Elizabeth McCabe, from John Jay’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Shouldn’t the public be involved in the dialogue regarding their own safety?

In his 2004 album “The College Dropout,” a cynical Kanye West rapped: “The concept of school seems so secure.” In that same vein, the installation of turnstiles at Hunter can make one wonder about the greater priority: Making the campus safer, or merely making people feel safe?