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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924
Volume CII, Issue 4
FREE
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
Manhattan Caucus: What Issues Will Matter Most in This Election? Sophia Sakellariou & Kyla Guilfoil
Senior Writer & Staff Writer
Career Fair Goes Remote As MC gears up for a virtual career fair, banners around campus announce the event to all Jaspers. KIERSTEN THOMPSON / THE QUADRANGLE
Manhattan Faculty Speak on the Return to School Jilleen Barrett & Jocelyn Visnov Asst. A&E Editor & Staff Writer
Heading into its fourth week of classes, Manhattan College is teaching its students something it never has before: how to get a higher education during a pandemic. With some on campus and some in remote locations, the student body is adjusting to learning mostly online. But students aren’t the only ones learning. Faculty members, who are usually at the front of the classroom teaching, are figuring out how to instruct their students under these abnormal circumstances. Heidi Laudien, an associate professor of English, sees
her students in person as well as through Google Meet when she teaches her hybrid classes. She described herself as quite enthusiastic when she teaches, but this year she has been disappointed at the lack of connection she finds between her and her online students. “My students who are remote often do not have their cameras on so the students in class have no sense of who they are,” Laudien wrote in an email to The Quadrangle. “Often when I ask for virtual participation, it is met with silence.” In addition to what some percieve as the awkwardness of online learning, many in-person members of the community have witnessed some complications during the planning process. One particular issue
IN FEATURES: Manhattan Caucus #MeToo Mondays Return on p. 8 Continues
IN NEWS: on p. 4
arose on Aug. 31, the first day of classes, when several classrooms in Leo Hall did not have plexiglass shields installed or enough sanitation wipes. Ira Gerhardt is the chair of the Council for Faculty Affairs and a professor of mathematics. In an email to The Quadrangle, Gerhardt explained what he knew about this situation and how it was handled. “I heard from many on-campus faculty during the first couple days of the term regarding unsafe teaching conditions such as classrooms with no sanitizing wipes and Plexiglass partitions on the floor leaning against the wall,” Gerhardt __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Social justice, climate change, and healthcare policy are a few issues that have always been at the forefront of candidates’ agendas. However, this year these issues have taken on greater significance as 2020 has proven to be tumultuous in all three areas. With a global pandemic, raging wildfires on the West Coast, and an economy comparable to the 2008 financial crisis, this year’s candidates have a lot on their shoulders. Where each candidate stands on each issue and their plans of action not only determine whether or not they are elected, but how their choices will have lasting effects on our nation’s future. Healthcare After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the country over six months ago, President Trump has faced great backlash in the way he handled the situation. The United States has one of the highest number of recorded cases and the poorest response of the world’s wealthiest nations. This has led to great criticism of how Trump has handled the situation, especially after information surfaced that he purposely downplayed the virus, claiming that he knew how bad it was in an interview with renowned journalist Bob Woodward. In the beginning, Trump continually compared the virus to a flu that would go away in warmer weather and even as death tolls passed 50,000 near the end of April, he undermined its devastation by claiming it would simply “go away.” According to an article in Everyday Health, Trump’s COVID-19 efforts have been focused mainly on rural areas, providing federal funding to tele-healthcare providers in 38 states and supplying $225 million for testing in healthcare clinics. However, as death tolls
IN A&E:
continue to climb, Trump’s response is viewed as a failure by critics. Even though he signed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package back in March that included direct cash payments to Americans, additional funding for hospitals, and $500 billion in loans to the economy, it proved ineffective as many people remain unemployed and uninsured long after the aid was halted. Democratic nominee Joe Biden has a five-pronged plan for fighting COVID-19 which includes providing free testing to all and hiring 100,000 contact tracers, ensuring enough personal protective equipment, supporting science-backed vaccines, safeguarding at-risk populations, and ensuring that re-opening measures are effective and safe. “The virus spread to me is the issue that matters the most since it has affected all parts of our nation,” said Diane Yomkil, a senior and treasurer of the Black Student Union. “My vote will be based on which presidential candidate can actually lead us through this crisis, protect our families and do everything he can to find us a cure.” The candidates also differ in their views of the Affordable Health Care Act, or Obamacare, that Trump has vowed to eliminate since his election in 2016 and something Biden vows to bring back. “Healthcare is a very important issue,” Margaret Groarke, a professor of political science, said. “We have one candidate, Joe Biden, who was part of the team that got us the biggest healthcare reform since the establishment of Medicare in 1965, and he has said that he wants to work more on that and make that work for more Americans. That has led to more people being covered, it’s also led to more complaints about the cost of healthcare, and on that issue, the other candidate, Donald Trump, who’s running for reelection, ran saying he wanted to get rid __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
IN SPORTS:
MAAC Movie Nights on Campaigns for the Quad Reappear on p. 10 Social Justice on p. 12