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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924
Volume XCVIX, Issue 2
FREE
NEW YORK, JANUARY 29, 2019
Minimum Wage Increases For Campus Employment Haley Burnside Senior Writer
238th Street: Back in Business Students welcome the return of the newly refurbished 238th Street Station, which opened earlier this January. BRIAN ASARE / THE QUADRANGLE
238th Street Station Repairs Completed Brian Asare
Photography Editor Stair replacement at the 238th Street subway station finally came to an end earlier this month, wrapping up what was nearly a semester-long inconvenience for Manhattan College students and staff. Construction began on Sept. 4 and resulted in the closure of the Manhattan-bound platform to 1 Train riders. It was officially reopened on Jan. 12., yet service did not immediately return to normal. The MTA opted to operate the downtown platform at certain times of the day in order to neatly wrap up repairs and construction. Freshman Chelsea Smith was just one student whose commute was slowed down by the station’s partial closure. “On a normal day without any delays, it took me about 40 minutes to get on to campus but ever since the competition of the repairs now it takes me almost about 25 minutes and I even get to class with a lot more time to spare before my classes begin,” said Smith. She continued.
IN NEWS:
Find out about SGA’s First Meeting on p. 5
“Prior to the 238th Street subway repairs’ completion I used the [Bx9] bus and got off at 238th Street bus stop, but times where I would use the train, I would use the Van Cortlandt Park-242nd Street exit ... and walk all the way to Leo [Engineering Building] mostly because that was where my first class was. When I was leaving campus, I sometimes used the 238th Street uptown entrance then switched to the downtown side when I get to the last stop because that was the train station I had to walk the least to.” Rob Walsh, the newly appointed senior advisor for strategic partnerships, hopes that the improvement of the station will not only stop at the stairs but also the surrounding area because of the potential it possesses. “The 238th Station is one that is heavily utilized by students, faculty and staff at Manhattan College. It will become even more important as we grow and strengthen our South Campus with the addition of a new wing on the engineering building, the new athletic center and eventually
IN FEATURES: The Return of Manhattan College’s Radio on p. 7
more housing,” said Walsh. He continued. “I would like to see the Transit Arts Team get creative and energize the station as they have done in so many others throughout the City - and of course a great big sign pointing riders to our south campus and Gaelic Park.” While Walsh is hoping for beautification of the station, Smith also commented on the lack of noticeable changes despite the months of work. “Apart from the stairs, I haven’t really noticed anything drastically different from how it was before mostly because I started school here around the time repairs started,” said Smith. “I feel like they should have focused more on the entrance section of the train station because, in my opinion, it looks really old and outdated.” According to the MTA’s website, downtown 1 Trains are now making regular stops at the 238th street station. __________________________ PHOTOS ON PAGE 4
The minimum wage for campus employment went up to 15 dollars an hour on the first for 2019. The increase, which has been a hot topic of discussion among student government and the administration alike for the past year, has drawn mixed reviews from the students themselves due to confusion about how their overall income will be affected in the midst of the wage increase and shorter work hours. The official minimum wage increase to 15 dollars per hour went into effect under the current student body president Jaycie Cooper, but she is quick to explain that the credit goes to her predecessor. “The Bishop administration were solely responsible for drafting and creating the minimum wage resolution. It was voted on and passed in both the assembly and in the Senate,” said Cooper. Under the Bishop administration of student government, the increase in minimum wage for campus employment jobs was added to the agenda after being initially proposed by government professor Margaret Groarke. Groarke sees the matter in a simple way. She believes that this increase in minimum wage for on-campus employment positions is an important action for the administration to take. “Students work to earn money to cover their expenses, and thus I think they deserve to be paid a fair wage. If Manhattan College students earn less working on campus than working at a local store, they will leave campus jobs for off-campus jobs,” said Groarke in an e-mail statement. Though this increase sounds beneficial to the student workers, it may not be as positive as it appears. Some student workers have complained about their hours being cut in the new year. Some students have reported
IN A&E:
Learn about Naomi Uy’s experiences in performing arts on p. 10
only a thirty minute difference in their hours from the past semester, while others have seen more drastic changes. The administrators in charge of scheduling have done this so that the departments do not go over their respective budgets. The Center for Academic Success (CAS) is one of the departments that limited employee’s hours. Sujey Ramos, the director of CAS, explained how the department approached scheduling under the new minimum wage. “Whether a student is making more or less than before the minimum wage increase was not most important to us. What was crucial was that no one lost their jobs, and that Manhattan College students continued to have adequate academic support, and we are happy to report that we’re delivering on both,” said Ramos. Ramos stated that, though there were obstacles, the department did not need to cut the staff or reduce the hours that students could access the CAS. “Not one student worker was laid off. But we still had to make sacrifices. We made slight cuts to the hours of students who were not directly involved in core educational services such as tutoring and we slightly altered our hours of operations,” said Ramos. Through this adjustment, Ramos emphasized that the CAS was primarily focused on considering the department’s mission. “For my department, please know that decisions regarding student hours were not made lightly. We’ve spent considerable time examining alternatives, analyzing data and crunching numbers to distribute hours in a way that serves everyone’s needs,” said Ramos. The budgets for student employment are apart of the budget for the department for __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
IN SPORTS:
Men’s basketball falls to Marist on p. 11