Pandora's Box Dec. '22 Issue

Soccer Stadium Fate Uncertain Club With Contract “Reviewing its Plans”

By Ilvea Lezama and Sara Martinez

After weeks of refusing to comment or grant repeated requests for interviews about the fate of the proposed soccer stadium on York’s campus, Pandora’s Box received a terse email saying only that the agreement to build the stadium, “remains in effect.”

Despite public assertions about transparency by their administrations, CUNY and York officials are keeping the campus community in the dark about the machinations behind the unusual deal with the Queensborough Football Club (QBFC).

The 7,500 seat stadium, announced with fanfare in April 2021, originally resulted from CUNY officials awarding a contract to build a temporary athletic facility in the lumpy, unusable field behind the Health and Physical Education (HPE) building.

The 280-page agreement stipulated that the stadium would be shared by the QBFC teams and York’s student athletes. At that time CUNY and York officials declared the stadium would be ready for use by York athletes by Spring 2022.

After preliminary work ground to a halt, York’s Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration Charles Bozian announced that the project was delayed but moving forward.

“QBFC has been acquired by the New York City Football Club, a larger major league soccer team in Queens,” Bozian said during the September 2022 meeting of the college senate. Bozian assured student and faculty senators that the administration was holding weekly meetings, on the weekends, to move the project forward.

“They (NYCFC on behalf of QBFC) will facilitate the final funding and actual

building of the facility,” said Bozian at the same senate meeting. Bozian went on to say that York officials expected to receive $1.8 million dollars from the deal over the next year.

Then, on Nov. 16, NYCFC announced they had struck a deal with New York City officials and Mayor Eric Adams to build “the city’s first professional stadium” in Willets Point, also located in Queens. The NYCFC promised to pay for the construction of a 25,000-seat stadium, which is estimated at $780 million, according to The New York Times.

On the same day of that announcement, York President Berenecea Eanes sent out a college-wide email and web-posting announcing that York had received a, “$7.5 million transformational gift from the New York City Football Club for the benefit of York College as it carries out its vital mission of acces-

sible, high-quality education for the citizens of Southeast Queens, New York City, and beyond.”

There was, however, no mention of the proposed stadium. In the email and web posting, Eanes wrote, “The $7.5 million unrestricted gift will give the Foundation and York College the discretion to use the funds where the needs of the College are greatest…”

There was no differentiation between the Foundation, which is a separate non-profit entity, and the college itself.

Student-athletes, especially the soccer teams, have been wondering since before the announcement last year when construction would start on the soccer stadium. The 2022 soccer season ran from September to November.

“Let the truth be told though the heavens may fall”

President Berenecea Johnson Eanes of York College, Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez of CUNY and Jonathan Krane, owner of QBFC posing for a photo-op at the annoucement of the stadium. Photo courtesy of cuny.edu

EDITORIAL BOARD

• Editor In Chief: Niko Balkaran niko.balkaran@yorkmail.cuny.edu

• News Editor: Alejandra Hernandez alejandra.hernandez@yorkmail. cuny.edu

• Assitant Arts and Entertainment

Editor: Ilvea Lezama ilvea.lezama@yorkmail.cuny.edu

• Sports Editor: William Meija william.meija@yorkmail.cuny.edu

• Faculty Advisor: William Hughes whughes@york.cuny.edu

WRITERS

Tonia-lee Haughton toniahaughton@gmail.com

Sara Martinez sara.martinez1@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Shemiza Basdeo shemiza.basdeo@yorkmail.cuny. edu

Sierra Ryan sierra.ryan@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Alexandra Halloran alexandra.halloran@yorkmail.cuny. edu

Teesha Baburam teesha.baburam@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Yasser Saleh yasser.saleh@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Soccer Stadium Fate Uncertain

Without a field to practice or play home games on, the men’s and women’s soccer teams have had to practice for their games at Detective Keith L. Williams Park on the corner of Liberty Avenue and 172 Street, approximately 20 minutes from campus.

“It takes us thirty minutes to get there,” said Ahmed Elwadany, a midfielder for the men’s soccer team and Aviation Management major. “If you do your best and run, then about fifteen minutes. Sometimes we have to cut it short to make it back on time for the two o’clock class.”

The mens and womens teams have been without a field in Queens for their home games for years. Instead, the teams make the approximately 30-minute drive to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.

Elwadany said that he thinks the lack of a home field to play on has disengaged and discouraged the student population to show up and support their home games during the season.

But Courtney Boothe, the head coach for the men’s soccer team at York, remains optimistic.

“I believe that if we build a good facility and develop the infrastructure, it will improve recruiting,” said Boothe. “There needs to be more investment on that side of campus.”

Boothe has been the head coach since 2021 and has 20 years of experience coaching soccer. “The optics were good,” Boothe said of his initial thoughts of the stadium. He thought it was favorable because of the impact it would have on his team and the Athletics Department. “The campus has the real estate for these projects, but the space has not been properly maintained,” he said. “Because of this, the team is obligated to practice at public grounds that don’t have the appropriate spacing.”

Meanwhile, state officials are moving ahead with plans to rehabilitate York’s existing and defunct track and field site which has been left unused for decades on Liberty Avenue just a block west of the proposed stadium site.

Last month the state agency that oversees CUNY construction projects accepted bids to repair and reconstruct the track and field, which developed sinkholes because the original contractors failed to properly excavate and fill the site. They also left contaminated oil tanks and soil which now have to be removed and remediated.

The estimated cost of the cleanup and reconstruction was posted at between $5.1 and $5.7 million. Five bids came in ranging from $5.8 million at the low end to $ 10.9 million at the high end. The state’s website has yet to post whether the contract has been awarded.

As for the stadium behind the Health and Physical Education building, many remain skeptical that it will ever be built.

“The site is so freaking small, the first question is, can it even fit?” said Neil deMause, an expert in the construction of stadiums all over the United States. “It is really, really small for any type of soccer stadium. It seems more like a place where you can pretend to put a stadium on than to actually build something.”

DeMause, who co-authored the book Field of Schemes, is an expert who has testified before Congress on the politics and financing of sports stadiums. He has followed the story of the QBFC deal on his website fieldofschemes.com, where he posted an article linking to the 280-page contract between CUNY and QBFC after waiting nearly four-months for CUNY to produce it under the Freedom of Information Law.

DeMause highlighted several questionable aspects to the deal whereby a private football club with non-transparent financial backing managed to get a

public university to ram through a deal with no environmental impact studies among other deficiencies in oversight.

Officials from NYFC and QBFC did not respond to requests for interviews. CUNY officials deferred all requests for information to York officials.

Reporters from Pandora’s Box made multiple requests to both York officials for clarification about the issue. An initial interview meeting in November was canceled, a subsequent request was deferred for ten days, which came and went with no response.

Rather than granting an interview, on Dec. 8 York’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Communications Kathryn Cousins, who’s hiring was approved by the Board of Trustees in October at a salary of $213,000 per year, replied to the official college newspaper with the following email:

“As you know, CUNY on behalf of York College entered into an agreement with QBFC for the construction of a temporary modular stadium at York College. At this time, that agreement is in effect. We are aware of the changing environment in New York City for its professional soccer teams, as well as QBFC’s recent statement that it is reviewing its plans following the announcement by NYCFC that it will be building a soccer stadium at Willets Point. We remain in regular communication with QBFC and should there be a change in its plans moving forward, we will keep our community informed as we ourselves receive this information.”

The “recent statement” by QBFC is nowhere to be found on the club’s website, nor is there any mention of their acquisition by NYFC or the recent developments related to York College.

Similarly, there is no mention on the NYCFC website about their acquisition of QBFC or their $7.5 million donation to York College.

“Thesiteissofreakingsmall,the firstquestionis,canitevenfit?”

-NeildeMause

York’s broken track and field.

Photo by Niko Balkaran

The park where the soccer teams practice.

Photo by William Meija

Hostos Students Protest Lack of Cafeteria

By Jonathan Custodio, THE CITY

This story was originally published on Dec. 1, 2022 by THE CITY. Sign up here to get the latest stories from THE CITY delivered to you each morning.

The cafeteria at Hostos Community College closed when the pandemic shut down New York. Nearly three years later, it remains shuttered — and hungry students who have returned to campus want it back.

Hostos students demanded the college reopen its school cafeteria on Wednesday at a rally inside a campus building, saying their waning energy levels due to lack of access to nutrition on campus have made it harder to get through classes.

The cafeteria has been closed since spring 2020 when the COVID-19 struck New York.

Students at the rally at the Bronx school said the closure limits available healthy options. Their alternatives include fast food restaurants on the often busy 149th Street and Grand Concourse in Mott Haven, bodegas, a popular halal cart in front of the campus or whatever’s available in the nearest vending machine.

“The vending machine is not enough. You can’t put no sandwich in the vending machine,” said 22-year-old radiology student Sulenny Dominguez, one of the rally’s organizers, who added that they had to face combative campus security guards that stood outside the dining hall as students sat with rally signs.

The students protesting had previously been asked to leave a different campus building by security as they marched and protested. “If you don’t have a full stomach, you don’t have a happy heart.”

A Hostos spokesperson said the cafeteria will reopen in the coming spring 2023 semester and that its procurement office is in the final stages of solidifying a contract with a food service vendor, attributing the holdup to the previous

one leaving much of the equipment in the cafeteria in poor working condition.

Students currently have a space to eat in the dining hall that’s connected to the closed cafeteria.

“Hostos Community College makes the health and well-being of its students a high priority. Despite many challenges during the past two years, the College has gradually re-opened many crucial services for its students,” said spokesperson Diana Kreymer, highlighting interim microwave ovens and vending machines that have hot coffee and tea, salads, hot sandwiches and breakfast foods.

“During each phase of the College’s re-opening, the seating area in the cafeteria was accessible, for both day and evening students, who brought their meals to campus,” she said. “We look forward to working with a vendor to secure food service in the near future.”

Kreymer added that the demand for on-campus food services was not high pre-pandemic, as students preferred to bring food from home or grab meals from fast food restaurants nearby, resulting in vendors losing money.

No Time, No Food

Complaints have piled up in recent months for CUNY schools, especially in the borough. Bronx Community College has had issues heating its buildings and both students and faculty have criticized the university’s Covid protocols that disallow testing at non-CUNY sites.

Mariam Ouederaogo, a 23-yearold liberal arts student who attended Wednesday’s rally, has two early afternoon classes that are only half an hour apart. The limited time to have lunch would be easier with a nearby cafeteria, she said, but she has to leave campus for meals.

“I don’t have enough time to sit and eat,” she said. “I’m usually late for class.”

Food insecurity can lead to academic difficulties for students in the classroom, according to a survey from Healthy CUNY and the CUNY Graduate School for Public Health and Public Policy published in 2018. About one in five CUNY undergraduate students experience food insecurity, the survey found.

That study measured students’ level of food insecurity based on campuses that had access to a full cafeteria. While it underlined that lack of money is a major reason for the insecurity — campus cafeterias don’t offer free food — students also reported having gone hungry for lack of convenient access to meals.

Michael Partis, executive director of The Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative, a local economic development organization, told THE CITY Hostos has “a tremendous opportunity” to “reimagine, especially at a public university, what is our relationship to food,” including prioritizing ethically and locally sourced food and Bronx businesses.

“This could be an opportunity for that instead of going with a major corporation,” said Partis, noting that limited contract visibility, months-long delays in payments and expensive liability insurance often limits small businesses from obtaining contracts with large institutions like CUNY.

Partis added that the contract could be an opportunity for what BCDI calls economic democracy, building wealth for Black and Brown Bronxites and a system where they begin to scale up food supply and source local vendors who could reinvest in workers in a “cooperative system.”

Students and faculty alike suggested solutions. Liberal arts major Allan Casas, 23, proposed an on-campus garden big enough to feed campus-goers. And both Partis and math professor Lauren Wolf pointed to community kitchens.

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“What I’d like to see, ideally, is a mutual aid kitchen to come in here and feed our students,” Wolf said.

THE CITY is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.

Hostos Community College students are entering their second year of in-person classes. But they still have to go off-campus for food.

Hostos Community College students protest a lack of access to the school’s cafeteria, Nov. 30, 2022.

Photo by Jonathan Custodio/THE CITY

Hostos student Sulenny Dominguez holds a sign reading “Unite and Strike” in front of the community college’s shuttered cafeteria.

Photo by Jonathan Custodio/THE CITY

Xenophobia and Financial Struggles Surge during Age of COVID-19

By Alexandra Halloran

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic nearly all businesses outside of those providing medical services have suffered. But small business owners, especially those of Asian descent, have suffered disproportionately.

Along with the financial hardships suffered by all small business owners, the fact that the coronavirus seemed to have originated from China, the resulting xenophobia seems to have intensified the negative impact against Asian owned and operated businesses.

Hannah’s Laundromat on Metropolitan Ave has been in business for nine years and like many other businesses, they were heavily affected financially. Before the pandemic, they were just like every other business, doing their job and making a good income due to people needing to wash their clothes every once in a while. The laundromat had about 4-5 workers to spread out the workload and make it easier for everyone working there until the pandemic hit. Then everything got worse and everything changed in a blink of an eye. The COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 and everything shut down. Hannah’s Laundromat was no exception.

Claire and her sister Grace have been running their business for nine years and have been struggling since the beginning of the pandemic. And while many small businesses saw a rebound over the past six months, they are still struggling.

The sister received nearly $14,000 in federal assistance, but their business hasn’t gone completely back to

normal. Claire estimates that it’s back to 75 percent of the pre-pandemic level, but people are still scared of catching Covid or coming into contact with other people.

When it comes to COVID-19 mandates, Claire and her sister are very strict. Several signs hang around the shop advising customers to wear a mask and to sanitize hands before using the machines. Grace and Claire say that it annoys both of them that some people don’t follow these man-

that they were at high risk for infection.

“The people that used to work for us both had medical problems so after covid started, we didn’t fire them, they just didn’t come back,” Claire said.

This was another reason business went down since they were down two workers, had to spread the hours between the two sisters, then they had to cut down the hours they were open which caused them to have even more financial problems.

Hannah’s Laundromat isn’t the only

in Manhattan and Flushing showed declines in consumer spending over a month before the pandemic hit, but when the pandemic did hit, it hit hard. These two neighborhoods suffered with customer spending going down to 70 to 82 percent which is upsetting when compared to the citywide decline of 65 percent, according to The Asian American Foundation report Small Business, Big Losses.

Research done by the foundation concluded that 57 percent of businesses owned by Asian American residents received PPP loans. Small business owners who were suffering applied for government assistance but were then declined for some unknown reason. Those that applied for loans either didn’t receive anything, received very little compared to other business owners and/or weren’t able to due to the language barrier that some people struggle with, especially in the Asian American community.

dates despite the several signs around the shop. Even with these mandates in place, the business hasn’t been doing any better, along with the fact that they have been two workers short since the beginning of the pandemic because of the risks they would suffer, assuming

Asian American-owned small business that has experienced these kinds of struggles throughout the pandemic. Small businesses in Flushing, Queens and Manhattan Chinatown have been hit the hardest even before the pandemic hit New York. Chinatown

However, COVID-19 isn’t the only struggle Asian American small business owners suffered with. A study done by UCLA further shows that businesses owned by those who are Asian Americans experienced heavy xenophobia due to the virus’s Asian origins which led to Asian Americans being impacted by COVID-19 much earlier and “more deeply because of the racialized blaming.” Not only were Asian Americans experiencing xenophobia on top of the coronavirus pandemic, but the unemployment rate also rose much faster and quicker compared to white people.

Hannah Laundromat

Photo by Alexandra Halloran

CUNY Enrollment Drops, Executives Salaries Rise

By Niko Balkaran

Enrollment across the City University of New York is down but many executive salaries went way up this semester after the Board of Trustees approved several sizable pay hikes for administrators at their October meeting.

Hector Batista, CUNY’s executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer, is now making $420,000 and Derek Davis, the senior vice and general counsel’s salary is now $390,000.

Both received a $90,000 pay raise.

The story was first reported by the New York Post’s Melissa Klein on Nov. 12.

Vice-chancellors Doriane Gloria and Maria Junco Galletti also got a 15 percent increase.

CUNY enrollment is down 28,000 students from 2020. Closer to home, York has had a decline in enrollment

by over 2,300 students from 2018 to now.

Earlier this year, Gov. Hochul approved a $1.2 billion budget for CUNY. According to Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodriguez Rodríguez, the money would “enable the University to make major strides for our students.” These strides include allowing part-time students to apply for TAP and hiring more full-time faculty. It also included “capital funds for needed improvements and critical maintenance of facilities” on campuses.

Despite this, CUNY campuses have been plagued by various issues amidst the university’s push to return to campuses.

Hostos and York remain without a cafeteria, Baruch’s cafe was closed and Bronx Community College canceled classes after a month without heat on the campus.

Students at Hunter were trapped in

an elevator earlier this semester and students there also held a sit-in to protest discriminatory dance teachers.

York College’s track and field is radioactive. The college’s soccer teams are without a home field. They have to travel to a public park 15 minutes away from the college to practice during club hours while leaving enough time to return for classes at 2 p.m. Their home games are played in Brooklyn.

“We are in a challenging job market and CUNY recognizes that it must remain competitive in order to recruit and retain talented leaders particularly as we work to boost pandemic-related enrollment drops and get New Yorkers the help they need to return to college,” a CUNY spokesman told the New York Post.

The salary increases are routinely listed in the CUNY Board of Trustees monthly packages, but only list the new salary and not the old one.

YorkCollege’strackandfieldis radioactive.Thecollege’ssoccerteamsarewithoutahome field.Theyhavetotraveltoa publicpark15minutesaway fromthecollegetopractice duringclubhourswhileleavingenoughtimetoreturnfor classesat2p.m.

At the same meeting the board approved the hiring of a new vice president for communications at York College, Kathryn Cousins, at an annual salary of $213,000.

The CUNY Logo Photo from cuny.edu

Disability and Voting: A Breakdown

By Teesha Baburam and Yasser Saleh

Despite the major societal setbacks brought on by the pandemic, one positive outcome seems to have been the laying bare of long-standing disparities between disabled and able-bodied individuals.

The new systems of voting born out of convenience including early voting, same-day registration, mail-in voting and drop boxes catered to the needs of disabled voters in ways like never before. Given the chance to exercise their rights to democracy with minimal disturbances to their everyday lives, the disabled community seized the opportunity and made their voices heard.

According to the Population Survey and Registration Supplement, voter turnout surged among citizens with disabilities in 2020. The U.S. witnessed a turnout of 17.7 million, an increase from 16 million in 2016, a change largely attributed to mail-in ballots intended to accommodate citizens during the pandemic.

Before the pandemic, disabled folks relied on Access-A-Ride for transportation to get to voting polls—a service that is notoriously unreliable. York college student Habib Olowu, who uses a wheelchair because of spina bifida, explained his frustration with the company. “It’s not flexible but it’s affordable,” said Olowu. “I have to wait 20 minutes or 30 minutes for them. They don’t wait around for 10 minutes for me, I don’t live in Queens so I can’t make emergency appointments.”

In their day-to-day lives, it is a tiresome journey for many disabled folks to travel from one destination to another, so it’s no surprise they do not physically turn out to the voting polls en masse.

Senior Director of Student Wellness and Resources at York College

Charmaine Townsell took note of the positive outcome and emphasized the importance of activism within the community. Townsell arrived at York with the intent to restart the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities, or the CCSD—a university-wide student group that represents more than 11 thousand students with disabilities in the CUNY system.

Over the years one of the main goals of the CCSD has been to improve voting, “It is important for any group that you have representation at the ballot box,” Townsell said. “The wonderful thing is that CCSD works in partnership with our disability service directors, who are required to help students with disabilities by encouraging them to register the vote.” She credits the pandemic for introducing a new form of voting in New York City— the Ranked Choice Voting system.

“The Board of Elections did not have enough staff to train the entire community on what ranked choice voting was. So we were fortunate that they partnered with the university and asked folks who were interested in learning. So they could share that information with others and CCSD stepped up and said we will do it.”

CUNY students banded together and established online forums explaining what ranked choice voting was and how it worked. The emphasis for the CCSD was on accessibility.

Townsell shares, “In the past, you had to meet certain criteria to mail in your ballot and submit an absolute value. The pandemic leveled the plane field for people with and without disabilities but it was hugely important for disabled folks.” Townsell continued. “Throughout the universities like CCSD and USS University Student Senate, there was a huge emphasis on accessibility at the polls.”

Kevin Korber, the Disability Accommodations Specialist at York College

thinks migrating onto digital platforms will open more accessibility doors for disabled individuals that otherwise weren’t there. He predicts that the implementation of electronic voting machines will further encourage this demographic to participate which will in turn garner the attention of politicians.

“We want people to register to vote because there are a lot of issues that impact the disability community as a whole,” Korber said. “ And that needs to be a voting block because it gets politicians to pay attention to issues if there is a block of voters that they can count, as constituents, as reliable people to turn up in November. So the more vocal they are and the more registered they are, the more impact they have at the ballot box, the better the disability policy will become.”

September 12 kicked off National Disability Voter Registration Week. Every year the REV UP campaign is responsible for organizing the National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) to garner political power on behalf of those with disabilities by sharing resources and urging folks to

register to vote.

The efforts of people like Townswell, Korber and others within the disability community help students bridge the gap and gain access, especially regarding the ability to vote. Progress was made in regards to disabled people voting with a strong emphasis on community and togetherness. As access for disabled people becomes more widely available their participation will continue to rise. It will not only benefit individuals with disabilities but also people who may otherwise be too constrained to vote on-site.

These subsequent changes help disabled people gain a sense of autonomy and recognize that they have a voice in elections. In the past years, that was not the case because of a lack of resources. However, with the noted increases and participation through mail as technology advances with applications that become integrated into the voting process. Disabled people’s participation in elections will keep increasing as these improvements become more widely available.

A voter exiting a polling station in Queens with the International Symbol of Access (ISA) in view.

Photo by Niko Balkaran

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

WHY YOU GOTTA BE SO HEARTLESS, YE?

By Allison White

American rapper Ye, formerly Kanye West, has reached a new milestone in his nearly two-decade-long career: he has sent it plummeting to rock bottom after posting an antisemitic comment on Twitter where he claimed he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” in response to another controversy that took place five days earlier. The tweet reached the popular social media platform on October 8th and has since sparked conversations about celebrity accountability, ethics and morality. It shined a spotlight on the evidently present antisemitic behavior that remains in our society.

Just five days before Ye’s viral tweet, on Oct. 3 the rapper made headlines with a political stunt at Paris Fashion Week where he adorned a “White Lives Matter” sweatshirt at the high-end fashion show. The anti-Black Lives Matter and pro-White supremacy slogan caused a ripple in social media where users commented on the ethics of displaying said garments with a hate-speech-specific slogan. Celebrities took to voice their opinions, from actor Jaime Lee Curtis to fellow rapper Sean Combs. The ripple turned into a tidal wave when Ye first turned to Instagram, then Twitter, to share opinions of his own about the entertainment industry, which he believes to be monopolized by Jewish corporations.

This isn’t the first time West made antisemitic comments. Ye has allegedly paid a settlement to an ex-employee for voicing anti-Jewish conspiracies and praising late genocidal leader Adolf Hitler in the workplace in 2018. The ex-employee was backed by six other employees of the rapper. In an NBC News Reports write-up, one of the employees claims there was “more than one incident in which Ye praised Hitler or Nazis in business meetings.” NBC declined to state the date of the settlement. However, the incident shows that his recent antisemitic rhetoric is not the singular occasion that shows his problematic views.

“I mean a lot of my friends who are Jewish, they immediately felt unsafe,” said Ren Smith, a 25-year-old student who witnessed Kanye’s tweet firsthand. “It was a difficult situation to see because how do you showcase your support and make your friend feel they are wanted and it’s okay to be Jewish, you know? How do you make them feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation? It was just out of the blue; but at the same time, it was not a shocker… cause it’s Kanye, or Ye, as he goes by.”

Smith referenced Ye’s past controversial behavior and affiliations. In 2018, the star showed his support for then-President Donald Trump. Trump ran a notoriously divisive presidency from 2017-2021 and helmed a slogan that successfully became a symbol for his presidency and in turn, the Republican party called: MAGA (Make America Great Again). In a report from CNN on October 11, 2018, Ye stated, “There was something about putting this [MAGA] hat on that made me feel like Superman,” despite the overwhelming disagreement that spawned from items

donned with the slogan and the man who created it.

Twitter is a social media platform that, according to the Business of Apps website, allows 206 million active users—38 million of whom are in the United States—to share their opinions how they see fit, if they follow Twitter’s policies. However, these policies are expected to soon transform and fit the new company’s owner’s plan for expanded freedom of speech.

“There’s too much freedom on Twitter, especially now that Elon Musk is the owner of Twitter. Like don’t get me wrong, people are entitled to their feelings and thoughts, but when you’re like Kanye West and you’re making those types of comments, and so many people are backing you up, that is when you take the time to step back and be like ‘maybe not, maybe not.’ And I think it’s insane that so many people are getting away with this,” said Smith.

Ye’s viral Twitter post, though since deleted, has affected not only the Jewish community in general but also the younger generation in the community—this includes Danielle Ben-Israel, a 16-year-old Jewish student, who voiced her opinions on the issue. “I’m starting to get scared because if this guy can go up there and say stuff— and this is before Adidas had left him, and all the brands were blacklisting him—I was like ‘Okay, are more people gonna start saying things like this now? Are people gonna think it’s okay? Are they gonna believe this stuff? Are we gonna see another wave of antisemitism?’ You know it was pretty serious… a pretty big concern for me.”

Another cause of concern that derives from Ye’s antisemitic tweet lives in the middle, where he claimed: “The funny thing is I actually can’t be antisemitic because black people are actually Jew also,” successfully dragging the Black community into the spotlight alongside the Jewish community.

In response to the Black community’s unwilling addition to the antisemitism rhetoric, Ben-Israel stated, “He’s just trying to pit these communities against each other and like, not in terms of comparison or anything, but both groups have been through traumatic events, and instead of pitting them against each other, we could be

like supporting each other and fighting the common enemy of whatever it is. And he’s just trying to create more tension and more hate, and I’m like ‘We don’t need more of that from anywhere right now.’”

The inclusion of the African American community opened fresh wounds that first appeared materialized with Ye’s Anti-Black comment about slavery in May 2018. During an appearance on the entertainment site TMZ, Kanye said, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice.” The rapper faced backlash online from both peers and users of famous social media engines like Twitter and Instagram, ranging from musician Will.i.am to director Spike Lee who pleaded for the rapper to “WAKE UP” in a lengthy post on Instagram.

Ye’s alleged connection between the Black community and the Jewish community inspired insight into the relationship between the two communities that existed well before the rapper’s comments.

“All of these other companies, all these other races, all these other ethnicities, they are nowhere to be found when something happens to black people, and that’s so unacceptable. And no one is calling them out for that,” remarked Omar McDonald, a Black 35-year-old airplane mechanic and former fan of Ye. “We need to call them out. Like alright cool. This guy says one thing about you guys [Jewish companies], and you guys literally destroy his life. He said the most disrespectful s— in American history towards black people. ‘Slavery was a choice.’ And nothing was done about that. So, no, I actually don’t care how you feel… because he has done worse. America has done worse, and America has never spoken up.”

McDonald’s remarks echo the consensus made by the public that Ye did not face enough proper repercussions following his anti-black comment on slavery in 2018. One month after his comment, his then-new album entitled ‘Ye’ was released and quickly certified platinum in the United States of America by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) because of 1 million certified units sold.

His latest album ‘Donda’ was also certified platinum, while the two albums after ‘Ye’ were certified Gold. On top of his music success, the rapper put out a three-part documentary on streaming service Netflix titled ‘Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’ on January 23, 2022 and received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary Series. Ye’s comment on slavery did not bruise his career, but instead was lost in the hype of his cultural iconography.

“No more Kanye in the household, no more Yeezus, we’re not f—ing with you,” continued McDonald. “And then we have to take what we know in the popular outlet, social media, and stop using his name. Stop talking about him—or, you know what, let me not even use ‘him’ anymore. Let’s stop talking about ‘them.’ Whoever ‘they’ are that are detrimental to the culture. We gotta stop using our profile to you know let ‘them’ live. Every time we say ‘their’ name, we’re letting ‘them’ live. We have to write ‘them’ off completely and just eradicate ‘them.’ ‘They’ don’t deserve to be even in our presence or even be spoken on. We just gotta erase these people and keep on pushing.”

One of the mutual reasons observed in the public concerning Ye’s previous evasion from repercussions that affected his career in terms of profitability and credibility is his bipolar disorder—a disorder that affects 2.3% of Americans. In an interview with American television host David Letterman that debuted on Netflix in May of 2019, Ye opened up about his diagnosis which was made in 2016. Ye said, “When you’re in this state, you’re hyper-paranoid about everything… Everyone is now an actor. Everything’s a conspiracy. You pretty much don’t trust anyone.” Whether his mental disorder influences his thoughts, behavior, and speech remains a complex concern.

Smith laments, with a sigh: “I think that he just needs to seek help and learn that his actions have consequences, and he is learning that now with the amount of losses that he’s currently receiving. And does he deserve it…?”

The answer is up to you. Does he?

Kanye West performs at The Museum of Modern Art’s annual Party in the Garden benefit.

Photo by Jason Persse on Wikimedia Commons

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Streaming Services are Becoming More Like

Cable Television in a Post Pandemic World

By Niko Balkaran

The COVID-19 pandemic changed consumerism in America. Whether for good or bad, it is too early to tell. In the early days, some people realized they could capitalize on those in need by selling products at higher markups.

Hand sanitizers, electronics and even toilet paper were being sold at double the regular cost and sometimes even triple. This was because goods became scarcer as factories shut down. And so, scalpers began to stockpile items to resell at exorbitant prices.

People took to social media to share their stories. Many stories told a similar tale of trying to purchase something but could not because of the high prices. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, when quarantine rules were strictly in effect, the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X were released. These were the next generation of gaming consoles that offered the promise of having fun while stuck indoors.

Of course, everyone wanted one. But as quickly as they were announced, they were sold out. They popped up again on sites such as eBay, Mercari and StockX. The difference is they were being sold for prices ranging upwards of $800 when the regular retail price was $499.

Sony helped consumers trying to get their hands on the PS5 by using human verification systems. This helped to prevent bots from buying up inventory in seconds. But this supply issue was further agitated because of a semiconductor chip shortage. This made companies unable to keep up with demand.

Even today, some two years after these systems’ release, it is still difficult to get your hands on one. Price gouging is nothing new, as anyone in the sneakers industry can tell you, but it was made more apparent during the pandemic.

Prices from even the regular retailers went up. Sony has even raised the cost of the PS5 in certain international markets. The supply chain issue did not just affect electronics.

Physical copies of books are also becoming more expensive.

“In the first half of 2021, book sales increased 18.5 percent over the previous year, with adult and young adult fiction leading the way,” according to a Reader’s Digest article written by Laurie Budgar, a lifestyle reporter covering finance. “But publishers are struggling to produce as many books as we want to read due to paper shortages, labor challenges and shipping struggles.”

Goods that were in demand and could help pass the time were and are, for the most part, becoming more expensive. This is something that affects everyone, but college students are hit particularly hard because of their limited budgets.

And consumers stuck in their homes for months had a natural tendency to turn to the Internet for entertainment. It’s the home of podcasts, music, movies and television. Nowadays almost everyone has access to a smartphone, tablet, laptop or gaming console. Through these devices it has become easier to connect to the Internet and keep yourself occupied. After all, who hasn’t gone down a rabbit hole reading wiki articles or lost hours to TikTok?

“People were trapped in a small space such as home for over three years of COVID,” said Professor Aghajan Mohammadi, a professor in the Department of Business and Economics. “Families needed some sort of entertainment and engagement, especially kids. Therefore, there were a lot of demand for streaming.”

Streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus gained a surge in customers who now had more free time on their hands. In just the second quarter of 2020, Netflix had an increase of 10 million subscribers for a total of 193 million, according to an article by Peter Kafka for Vox. The article’s main idea is that the pandemic was good for Netflix. This is a notion that experts on the matter agree on.

Streaming subscriptions around the world passed $1 billion according to an article in The Wall Street Journal.

“Covid has massively accelerated the demand and subscriber growth in

streaming services during the pandemic,” said Annisea Wong, a professor of Consumer Marketing at York College.

But it is because of this spike in new subscribers across streaming services that they had to start competing with each other in a way unlike before. Disney Plus brought popular Netflix Marvel shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones to their platforms. These shows, which initially premiered on Netflix, were canceled due to licensing rights issues with Disney according to an article from Tech Crunch. On the other hand, Netflix had shows like Stranger Things and movies with high-profile celebrities like Red Notice with Ryan Reynolds.

These hit shows helped to break the monotony the pandemic brought with it. These streaming services were also “a way of escaping reality after a long day of college work,” said Stanley Sanchez, a sociology major.

Sanchez transferred from LaGuardia Community College to York this year. He also plans to change his major to Occupational Therapy. Sanchez prefers Disney Plus because he is a fan of the Marvel shows on the platform. Disney Plus was also one of the streaming services he got during the pandemic. Additionally, he got HBO Max during the pandemic.

But with new subscriptions came the price increases. A majority of the popular streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime raised their prices steadily over the last few years. “Exclusive or Licensed content and carriage fees” plays a role in these increases, according to Wong. However, they also remove content from the platforms, which causes fear of missing out. Consumers would then have to spend additional money to either purchase a show or movie they want to watch or spend money on a newer streaming service. Sanchez had to wait to continue watching Friends after it left Netflix and moved to HBO Max.

Netflix could justify another price increase if “they actually put the shows they removed back on,” said Omar Faiteau, a York student and Environ-

mental Health Science freshman.

Consumers are forced to pay a higher cost to keep up with prices increasing and content being divided among the various streaming platforms. One in four U.S. adults “spend more than $75 per month on streaming services,” according to a survey of 1,000 respondents in Finance Buzz.

This is $13 less than a “Verizon Trio Bundle with HBO and ShowTime, which was only $89 per month in 2010,” according to Wong. “An equivalent Trio Bundle with less TV channels costs $179 a month now.”

But could it be considered price gouging with these price increases from streaming services?

“Higher demand comes with higher operating costs,” Professor Wong added. “These streaming service companies are not like those traditional cable companies like Verizon and Spectrum where they monopolized the market back then when there were very little options.”

Streaming services initially gained popularity because they offered content for lower prices without ads. Now, with all of them, streaming services have become just as expensive. To gain more subscribers, Netflix has created an ad-tier version of its subscription and plans to start the rollout next year. Disney Plus has teamed up with Hulu and ESPN to offer a combination package to consumers.

In essence, streaming services have become like cable, only without the monopolization. Streaming service bundles similar to cable bundles can work, “as long as the bundles and packages are customizable,” said Wong. However, she is “not hopeful that streaming services/Internet TV will become more affordable.”

As for Sanchez, he is prepared for one possible, if not likely outcome. “If someone is able to put all my favorite movies and shows together in one place, then they will take all of my money.”

The Netflix Logo. Photo from netflix.com

Miss Pat: An Iconic Record

By Ilvea Lezama

Descended from an East Indian father and a Chinese mother, Dorothy Patricia Williams was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on September 20, 1937. “I am Chinese but Jamaican first; my parents were happy to put us with other natives. We felt like we were one; we did not feel like we were any different. That’s why our slogan in Jamaica is “we are one.”

Her father named her Dorothy Patricia after a movie star he admired. As the oldest of two siblings, she knew early on in life that she had to be an example for them. Her hustle mentality started when she was very young. Her father worked arduously at a store, allowing her to get bulks of rubber bands and marbles for a cheaper rate.

“I used to sell them at school for lunch money because we were very poor. Fifty years ago, marbles and rubber bands were our toys. We did not have toys back then. Those were our toys.”

That’s how she got her first taste for entrepreneurship.

Her love for music started with the “clap-hand church.” It was called the “clap-hand church” because there was no actual building where Sunday’s service was held. But instead, Sundays’ service took place on a main road where people would “sing and shake their tambourines.” That became a weekly routine for Williams and her sister. That weekly routine became a foundation for what was to come.

She planned to become a nurse to help the ill like her idol Mother Theresa. However, while studying for her entrance exam to go to the University College Hospital of the West Indies in Jamaica, she met “a handsome young man by the name of Vincent.” Vincent was a driver for her grandparents’ bread van. With the characteristics of a typical “bad boy,” Vincent was known for skipping school and smoking marijuana. A type of young man no parent would want for their daughter. But she was instantly attracted to that bad boy persona.

After receiving her acceptance letter from University College, she packed all

her stuff and moved to the campus. Being on campus meant she had no supervision from her parents. That gave her more time to see Vincent.

Her father saw Vincent for what he was - trouble. But she saw him as a handsome young man who would travel two hours by bike to visit her. “We were in love; I knew he was the one for me.”

A few months into her studies, Dorothy became pregnant and had to leave school when she could no longer hide her pregnancy. When her father found out, he was angry, and refused to talk to her. He was mad at the fact that she was repeating history. Her parents had gotten pregnant with her before marriage. And her father wanted something different for her.

In March of 1957, Vincent and Dorothy tied the knot. They moved in into a small rental apartment to settle down as a family. In no time, Gregory Chin was born, who unfortunately lived a short life due to an illness. Amid being heartbroken over her son’s sudden death, she knew she had to stay strong for the other little one she was already carrying. Christopher Chin was born later that year.

Vincent eventually stopped being the bread delivery man for her grandparents. Instead, he started working at a Jukebox company owned by Mr. Joseph Issa. Vincent was surrounded by music, and he loved it. Dorothy would travel with him around the island to service the jukeboxes and collect money. Watching peoples’ reactions while seeing him walk in holding the records was priceless.

The reggae culture had yet to start. “Jamaica was not identified for its music or culture, but Jamaica was only known as the pot island.” Most Jamaicans listened to American R&B, gospel and country-western singers like Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke. In the 50s, Jamaica only had one radio station, which mainly played foreign artists and little of local artists.

Dorothy came out with the idea of selling old records from Vincent’s jukebox job. Coming up with a name for their upcoming business wasn’t that difficult. Vincent wanted to call the record store

“Randy’s Record Mart” after Randy Wood. Randy Wood was the owner of a Tennessee station that Vincent used to listen to. At that point, they had the records and the name of the business, but they were missing a crucial piece; a place to operate their business.

They found a small space inside a grocery store, and in 1959 Randy’s Record Mart opened its doors. Because the business was starting to pick up, Vincent kept his job with Issa at the Jukebox company while Dorothy ran Randy’s Record Mart alone. Eventually, they ended up moving Randy’s Record Mart to a more vibrant commercial district.

It was a small space inside a restaurant - a restaurant they ended up buying with the help of her father. There were some music producers already doing business in the area. The new location was a magnet for anyone in music, such as singers, producers, musicians and schoolboy DJs. The relocation bought a lot of business for them. The business started evolving within a year. By then, Vincent had left his job with the Jukebox company and worked full-time for his business.

Back then, you had to go to two different places to make a record—one place to do the recording and another one to do the mastering. With many existing studios charging high fees, the Chin’s decided to make a full-house production studio. They had help setting up the studio, and Vincent traveled to the States for needles, turntables mats and anything else they needed to record music.

The name of the Studio was simple and straightforward; Studio 17. One of the first local artists that Vincent produced was a Calypso singer named Lord Creator, who had come from Trinidad and Tobago. At first, radio stations did not play his single, “Independent Jamaica,” but they quickly gave in and started playing it for the locals.

In no time, Studio 17 became a hit for artists who would stop by to record and socialize. Back then, if an artist needed to record, they would sign a contract on a little piece of paper and head to the studio, a very uncomplicated process.

The sixties were an exciting time for Jamaican music and Randy’s Record Mart. By that time, Jamaican radio stations were playing more local artists. The business exceeded their expectations, but it was undeniable that Jamaica was going through some tough political trouble. This trouble caused many Jamaicans, including the Chins, to leave the island for a better and safer life in America, Canada and England.

The Chins made the tough decision to move to New York. The move was challenging for them. The couple were already in their 40s and had taken so much time and effort building Randy Record Mart, from the ground up.

On a warm summer day in 1977, Vincent, Clive (Vincent’s son from a previous relationship) and Christopher arrived at JFK to take their first steps on this new journey. While Dorothy, now known as “Miss Pat” in the music industry, stayed back in Jamaica with their two younger children, Angela and Randy. She had to stay back to take care of the Record store. Vincent did all paperwork to get them to New York.

While in New York, he searched for a place to call their home. Vincent scoured all boroughs until finally deciding on Queens, a thriving area. At that time, Queens had a majority population of white people. Race was not an issue for them as they were accustomed to living among different races in Jamaica.

They opened VP Records in a small rental store on Jamaica Avenue in Queens. As the new kids on the block, they sent out flyers and through word of mouth to let New Yorkers know that VP Records had access to any Jamaican titles available.

Customers started to reach out; they missed home. They missed their Island and the unbeatable Jamaican music. Miss Pat was still running Randy’s Record Mart from Jamaica and helped to distribute Jamaican music. When she would travel to visit Vincent and the children, she would bring records in her luggage.

Inside of VP Records.

Photo by Ilvea Lezama

Miss Pat: An Iconic Record

Cont’d from p.9

VP Records would initially make as little as $30 a day and sometimes just $130 a week. Americans only knew Bob Marley’s reggae. They didn’t know much about other artists. Names that were big back home in Jamaica did not exist for Americans.

Finally, the family became one again when Miss Pat and the two younger children arrived in New York. She admitted to having a hard time in the beginning, “getting used to the different accents, culture and the people.” She felt out of place, like she had one foot back home in Jamaica and another here in America. With the cultural shock and the children growing and heading their ways, Miss Pat had a lot on her plate, but as the matriarch of her family, she managed it all.

Major American companies like Best

Buy and Walmart did not want to carry album releases. However, that changed when a prominent artist named Sean Paul came aboard. VP Records signed a distribution deal with Atlantic Records and a decision needed to be made for that talented reggae’s star next move. They needed to decide which song would make a hit music video. Miss Pat left that decision up to her granddaughters, the next generation of VP Records. They landed on “Get Busy,” and they were right.

In 2003 Vincent passed away. He lost his battle to diabetes and other related complications. In his honor Miss Pat and her Children kept the music going. Pushing through the tears, the family was committed to continuing even as the paperless era of doing business emerged.

Christopher, the oldest of the children, was doing everything to get VP

Records artists better exposure, bookings, and promotional events. As a result, VP Records was the first of its kind also to attract big hip-hop and R&B artists.

The following year, Miss Pat gathered every artist that worked with them since day one for the 25th Anniversary of VP Records. The big names included everyone from Shaggy, Bennie Man, Elephant Man, and many more. For one night, reggae music took over an iconic American landmark --- the Radio City Music Hall.

“I am blessed to have many good friends. Knowing the artist personally and professionally. A big community of artists and friends and music lovers and that keeps me young and a lot of prayers. I am very blessed; I am very blessed.”

There is no doubt that Miss Pat has impacted the industry as the first female

pioneer in a male-dominated industry as the company matriarch and Grammy-winning label co-founder. Yet, she is still thriving for more after so many years of legacy. She founded the V and P foundation, with its primary goal being to preserve Jamaica’s music history. The foundation’s name is a combination of her late husband’s and her name.

VP Records has been in the music industry as an independent record label for 60 years. “We have been in the music industry to showcase new singers and we have been doing that in the last 60 years. Jamaica has been gifted with music and we need to keep spreading it all over the world. While traveling, I have found out how much people like reggae music and it makes me very proud that a little island in Jamaica is producing so much music.”

York Students Comment on Next Year’s Grammys

By Sierra Ryan

With the Grammy nominations list being released, many people have mixed feelings about the Grammy’s choices.

The Grammys are considered one of the biggest nights to celebrate music. But many music fans feel that the categories in which artists are placed are different from their music. In addition, some said they think that the academy often overlooks artists.

“I don’t think they pick good people at all,” said Maya Jacob, a psychology major. “I feel like it’s overhyped,” Jacobs, a senior, continued.

The Grammys are known for snubbing many artists. For example, despite being nominated ten times, Niki Minaj has never won a Grammy.

In 2021 the Weeknd announced that he would no longer allow his record label to send music for recommendation after the Grammys had snubbed his album “After Hours.” The singer tweeted,

“You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency ….”

This led many fans to feel that the Grammys were rigged. As a result, fans and artists began using the term “Scammys” to refer to the Grammys.

When it comes to the genres of music that are nominated, there wasn’t a lot of variety.

“Dance Hall music should be added. I listen to a lot of Caribbean music, and I feel like that would be a fire category,” Jacob said.

“There should be way more cultures’ music like Trinidadian instead of just pop or country, which are mostly like white-dominated genres,” said Hope Straker, a freshman art major.

The Grammys have a history of ignoring artists of color.

“A USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study unveiled Tuesday found Black performers represented about 38% of all artists on Billboard Hot 100 from 2012 to 2020, but they only received about 27% of top Grammy nom-

inations during that span. And just 24% of this year’s top Grammy nominees are Black,” according to a CNN Business article.

“I want some Puerto Ricans to be recognized,” Ella Ramos, social work major, commented.

albums out,” said Jacob.

And on the other hand, some students think the Grammys has no merit.

“Most of the artists that everybody likes don’t have a Grammy. So, they’re not going to care about it, and it doesn’t make sense to any of us at this point,” Straker said.

While the performances list has yet to be announced, students had a variety of artists who they thought should perform.

“I want to see Steve Lacy, Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Burna Boy and Lil Uzi,” Jacob said.

As for the people nominated, some said that they shouldn’t be because there are other artists who deserve a nomination instead.

“Some of those aren’t real rappers because DJ Khalid doesn’t even rap like that. Gloria is somewhat new. I would say Kendrick Lamar is the best one cause Kendrick Lamar put a lot of

Straker said she would love for Niki Minaj to have another performance. But, for Ramos, the choice was obvious for Bad Bunny to take the stage.

Students agreed that the Grammys as a whole could be better. But diversity should be at the top of the organizers’ priority list.

“They can definitely do better at making the nominees diverse,” according to Jacob.

Miss Pat’s new book detailing her journey.

Photo by Ilvea Lezama

“Theycandefinitelydo betteratmakingthe nominees diverse.”

-Maya Jacob

Life of Student Veterans at York

By Tonia-lee Haughton

York College provides many services on campus to help students of unique situations, one of which is The Office of Veteran’s Affairs. The OVA’s mission is to help veterans smoothly transition from military life to York College, where they can pursue a college education and seek a desired career afterward.

The OVA takes care of the financial needs of veteran students by providing scholarship opportunities and benefits they receive in the military. These services ensure they can focus on their education and careers as they transition back to civilian life. While these educational milestones are challenging enough for civilian students, these are proven more difficult for students recently leaving the military.

Veterans face many difficulties as they transition back into regular life.

“Transitioning from the military life to civilian life is hard for most veterans. When you’re in the military, everything’s done for you from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep. Your dinner’s already made, your job is already set, you know exactly what you’re doing. You get up at 4 am and you go to bed at 8,” Larry D. Eaton, the Veteran’s Affairs Manager, explained.

“If you’ve been indoctrinated with that for 4+ years when you come out, you’re kind of in the wind. You don’t have any direction,” he continued.

Eaton explained that he works, as-

sisted by his two interns, to help veterans adjust to their new life as civilians and to lessen the difficulties they often face while doing so. He mentioned that the Veteran’s Affairs office also provides housing, assistance with transportation costs, internships, jobs, and financial assistance with tuition and books.

Growing up as a child of an Army woman, Eaton had secondhand experiences of military life as he and his mother traveled from base to base. From that, he understands the challenges veterans face, which motivates his desire to help veteran students.

One firsthand experience of military life comes from a York College student veteran, Corporal Antonio Velasquez. He joined the Marines after graduating high school. Today, he is 25 years old, majoring in business marketing while interning at the Veteran’s Affairs Office. After graduation, he hopes to become a business owner of his own marketing company.

When asked about his experiences transitioning from the Marines into college, Corporal Velasquez showed gratitude and optimism toward his experience. “I felt like it was beneficial to my college experience and that’s because I learned a lot of discipline and I learned a lot of my work ethic. I gained a lot of knowledge from service that helps translate into college and definitely pay attention to detail. You know, just being on time and all the little things helped me with my transition into school.”

Corporal Velasquez implied that his experiences with the Marines were helpful toward his time in college as they taught him life skills that college students need to succeed. He mentioned that his Marine life helped him grow into an adult faster than his civilian peers.

Eaton shows great passion for helping students like Corporal Velasquez. Not only is he interested in taking care of veteran students’ basic needs. He also wants them to enjoy life as they transition into college, so he encourages them to join the extra-curricular activities on the York College campus. He mentioned that York College provides over 40 clubs.

“I didn’t join any clubs when I first joined York. Honestly, I was just focused on my goal, which is my degree, and I feel like that was also due to my military background. I was so goal-oriented that I had tunnel vision on one thing. At first, I thought that was my military mindset, so I didn’t have any clubs my first couple of years,” Eaton said.

Though Corporal Velasquez didn’t show interest in club activities, his hobby is playing the video game Call of Duty. He says that’s his favorite game to play because he resonates with its military theme.

The OVA hosted a Veteran’s Day event where they honored York College alumnus Captain Laquasia L. Carrasco. She was the first ROTC cohort on campus. According to Eaton, Captain

Carrasco obtained the rank of Officer after she graduated college because of her ROTC experience on campus. Students who join the military after participating in ROTC will have a better start in their military careers than those who joined the military right after high school.

Being a student veteran is understandably difficult when one considers transitioning from a life of the structure in the military to being a college student. Corporal Velasquez advises young people interested in joining the military to “do some research on a job that you actually wanna do.”

“I was lucky that I didn’t get put in a job I hate, but it wasn’t anything that I saw myself doing forever. I probably could have done a lot more research on that and got put in a field where I was a lot more comfortable,” he continued.

His advice to students is that they should choose military life only if they’re passionate about it because it’s a challenging job.

Despite the struggles, Corporal Velasquez also said he enjoyed his time in the Marines because he met different people in his field, like sailors, airmen, and soldiers, and learned about their lives. In addition, he enjoyed receiving gifts from families and nearby locals as gratitude for their services. While these students have faced difficulties as veterans, they made it clear that they had some great times in the military, and they wouldn’t change a thing about it.

York’s Veteran Affairs Office

Photo by Niko Balkaran

The Holiday Season at York

By Shemiza Basdeo

Christmas is a widely known holiday that is celebrated amongst all kinds of people all over the world. It is a time when people honor and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by giving gifts, going to church, spending time with family and friends, while eating good food and sweets. Many families have their sacred and intimate traditions and customs that they take part in for this holiday. It is a time when happiness, joy, and love spread like wildfire and engulf you in the holiday spirit.

Professor Clare Masullo, a faculty member in the Teacher Education department expressed how she is going to spend Christmas in her new home and how she is looking forward to decorating her house both inside and outside to feel the vibes of Christmas. She said that Christmas day is dedicated to spending time with her loved ones so she is going over to her parents’ home. Masullo also said that on Christmas Eve, she plans to stay home and watch Christmas movies all day long. She hopes for a calm and quiet Christmas this year with her loved ones.

Asha Narain, an early childhood education major, explained that her family and herself takes off from work and spends the day with each other. Narain also spends Christmas day with her inlaws, and said they would all cook a dish and take it to her in-laws. The foods that they cook are Guyanese culture-based foods, like duck or goat curry, with rice or roti. The desserts are either flan or cakes. In addition, Narain explains how they all buy gifts for everyone and after eating, they all sit together and open their gifts. Narain believes that Christmas day is meant to spend with family, eating foods that compliment their culture, and giving and receiving gifts.

Anjali Rafaqat, an english education major, said her family starts Christmas day by yelling “Merry Christmas!” to each other. Then, they run downstairs to their Christmas tree and tear open their gifts. She explained her family cannot contain their excitement or eagerness, so before they do anything,

they open their gifts to see what they all received. Rafaqat explained how afterward her family takes out pictures of themselves in their festive pajamas to always have the beautiful memories of their annual Christmas mornings. After taking pictures, her family prepares a big Christmas dinner, and invites other family members and friends to come over to eat and spend the day with each other. Lastly, their tradition is to end the night by playing Christmas songs, chatting with each other, and eating desserts. Rafaqat says that “Christmas is one of the best times of the year.”

Professor Lisa Dunn-Lockhart, a faculty member in the teacher education department, explained that her mom flies in from North Carolina and her dad will face time from Jamacia. She said that Christmas night is when all of her family members come together to have a big dinner, play fun games, and spend quality time with each other. One of her ongoing traditions for Christmas day is that each year one family member is given the responsibility to hosting Christmas night. She loves to give out souvenirs to her guests to commemorate the holiday.

Aarti Maharaj, an English major and an education minor, explained that she spends Christmas day with her daughter. Maharaj states that as a new mother, she is trying to come up with new traditions and customs to make the holiday meaningful for her daughter. She makes sure to put up the Christmas tree and read Christmas stories to her daughter each night.

Additionally, to making sure her daughter gets the most out of the holiday, Maharaj also said that she loves giving back to her community. For instance, she likes to participate in donations to help out kids.

“As a future educator, I want to instill values in my daughter that Christmas is not about receiving but more about giving, said Maharaj.

To end the semester, York’s Student Government Association had its annual holiday lighting ceremony. Members of the SGA lit up a Christmas tree and a candle on the Menorah for Hanukah.

-Nish-HoaMullings

Professor Andrew Jackson held a presentation on the meaning of Kwanza during the ceremony. According to Jackson, Kwanza is not a religious practice but rather a cultural celebration. He went on to say that everyone can be a part of Kwanza by following the seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work or responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

“We may share different traditions during this period but at York, we try to be inclusive so that everyone leaves with good memories,” said Nish-Hoa Mullings, president of SGA.

“Wemaysharedifferent traditionsduringthis periodbutatYork,wetry tobeinclusivesothat everyoneleaveswith goodmemories.”

York’s Christmas Tree Located in the Academic Core atrium.

Photo by Niko Balkaran

An Introduction to a New World

By Ilvea Lezama

Have you ever wanted the study abroad experience but closer to home?

Well, York College has the perfect class for you; PE 178 ‘Outdoor Living’ taught by Professor Joseph Parrinello. As a New York State Licensed Mountain guide, he takes York students to explore the outdoors and disconnect from reality for a few days.

“I learned the importance of slowing down and clearing my head of all problems,” said Divad Smith, a physical education major. “I tend to take in the little moments I see in nature, like sunsets or just flowers blooming.”

Professor Parrinello is an alumnus who took the class 50 years ago, eventually came back as a volunteer and has been an instructor for the past 35

years.

“If a student can walk, then they can hike,” said Parrinello.

The accelerated class meets three to four Saturdays before the big trip. But it all depends on the size of the class. At the beginning of the semester, students are advised to walk at least two to three miles just to get in the rhythm of things, according to Parrinello.

Students get a taste of what their hiking trip will be like when they go to local parks approximately 45 mins from York College. There, they practice team-building activities and learn basic things like how to travel in the woods, prepare food in a single pot, light a camp stove, read the compass and basic map reading skills. York College provides students with most of the needed equipment, such as sleeping

bags, pots and water filters.

“This course presents a unique opportunity for students to gain some skills not just from the outdoors but for life in general,” said Parrinello. “The structure of the program provides them with security while challenging students to participate in activities well beyond their comfort zone. It is in the conquering of these challenges that they gain confidence and inner strength.”

He also has seen students who have experienced the class be encouraged to go on more extensive travels and even study abroad. “I feel that students leave this class more self-aware, more tolerant of others, more introspective because they are allowed to view their current lifestyle in contrast to the life they live in the woods. Life in the woods is simple and being unconnected to

social media gives students a different perspective to life,” he said.

An introduction to a new world close to home is how he wants students to view this course. And he said he hopes to continue to do this for many years. He recommends this course for students who need a break in their daily life and an interval to revise their life.

“PE 178 is a great place to feel connected to York, fellow students, and nature. Students leave the course rejuvenated, with a new group of friends and looking for more outdoor opportunities.”

The class is offered to everyone, regardless of their major, during the Spring and Fall semesters by the Health and Human Performance Department.

A Heartfelt Journey of Grief and Loss Through the World of Wakanda

By Tyler Onna

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever tells an incredible story of overcoming loss with superb acting. It doesn’t fully stick the landing in the end; however, it marks a satisfying end to Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Making a movie is a difficult enough task to ask of someone. Being asked to make a movie without the person who was the soul of the first when they unexpectedly passed away is nearly impossible. Those were challenges bestowed upon Ryan Coogler while making the sequel to Black Panther. And he mostly succeeds.

The main draw of Wakanda Forever and its strongest aspect, undoubtedly, is the acting on display. Coogler took the genuine grief of these actors and applied it to this movie- the result is some of the best acting in a superhero movie to date.

Angela Bassett gives a performance that will be starting up awards contention. Her regal portrayal of the Queen Mother is even more powerful, and it feels as if she really is leading a nation as a grieving mother. Letitia Wright is fantastic in the film. She gives a standout performance as Shuri, and her raw

emotions of grief, anger and vengeance resonate through the screen.

Newcomer Riri Willaims is a welcome addition to the MCU. While she is underused in the movie when she is on screen, Dominique Thorne’s portrayal of her is charming and makes viewers want to see more of her.

The other breakout star in Wakanda Forever is Tenoch Huerta as the antagonist, Namor. The character is equally as compelling as Killmonger. Huerta radiated Namor’s power and compassion as a god to his people. Namor is one of the best villains the MCU has seen in recent memory.

The story Coogler went with for this movie was great. He combined the story of grief and loss in one nation with another nation fearing invasion. And the two go well together. Namor’s army was intimidating and they made the audience genuinely worried about the characters on screen.

A major criticism of the first film from 2018 was the poor CGI in the final battle. Fortunately, history does not repeat itself in this sequel. The visuals in this movie, for the most part, are beautiful. All of the locations and environments look incredible. Some of the green screen could be improved, but

compared to the visual stumbles in this phase, complaints are minimal.

With a runtime of 161 minutes, this movie has a mostly excellent pace. For the first two hours or so, the film does a great job of being a grounded emotional story, but the third act was rather disappointing. It was just another Marvel final battle when what we watched for two hours prior was trying to be the opposite.

Martin Freeman makes his return, and he is charming as always as the Wakandans’ “favorite colonizer.” His role in the movie this time around is as damage control. Freeman’s character serves as a way for the audience to remember that the Wakandans have some allies while hinting at setups in future Marvel phases.

There is only one mid-credit scene for this movie, as opposed to the usual two for MCU movies. The scene ensures that the legacy of Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of King T’Challa will continue in future Marvel movies. This fits right in with the previous movies and shows of phase four of Marvel, as the running theme seems to be passing the torch to the younger generation.

Most who fell in love with the first movie and this world will undoubtedly

walk away from Wakanda Forever, getting what they came for. The film has incredible acting and beautifully pays tribute to Chadwick Boseman while paving the way for a very exciting future for the world of Wakanda.

Movies Releasing in December

12/15

Avatar: The Way of the Water

12/22

I Wanna Dance With Somebody Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

12/23

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

12/25

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical

Professor Parrinello and his students taking a break.

Photo courtesy of Divad Smith

Will York Ever Get a Cafeteria?

By Alejandra Hernandez

York College has lacked a cafeteria even before the pandemic. The cafeteria was closed in Sept. 2019 after health inspectors found mice and parasitic insects. Health Department records said inspectors found 51 violations in the cafeteria for mice, vermin, poor plumbing and foods at unsafe temperatures and left unsafe from contamination.

Pandora’s Box covered this issue about York’s cafeteria back in Oct. 2019, where it was said that “the cafeteria had been closed since June due to a lack of contract between Aladdin Food Services, York’s main food supplier, and the York College Auxiliary Enterprises.”

But from the pandemic’s shutdown to today, there seems to have been enough time for York to have thought about a way to offer its students healthier and a good variety of food options.

And although for a very short time, there was a food truck in front of the college, many students heard about them when it was too late. This semester, the

Interim Vice President of Finance and Administration,

said there would be a food truck on campus two days a week to help alleviate the college’s food woes during the first Senate Plenary. He also promised to extend it to more days should it prove popular. But the schedule of the food truck was erratic at best.

Many students complain about the lack of food options there is at hand. And the options around campus are unhealthy, not to mention how unsafe the neighborhood has become. It becomes very inconvenient for some students.

Even with the Cardinal Cafe and the newly introduced individual pizzas, there are few food options. Moreover, since the options are the same weekly, the rotation from meal to meal can become repetitive.

York’s president and her staff should be more aware of the services many students are in need of. Having a decent cafeteria is not something students should be worrying about, especially since a good amount of CUNY students

pay out-of-pocket for various campus services. It is only natural for a senior CUNY college to have a cafeteria.

In a different Pandora’s Box story mentioning plans for the cafeteria, Bozian said “that a food court would possibly be built in an as-of-yet incompletely funded building.”

It seems that York’s students’ eating is contingent on the construction of a new building. It’s outrageous to think about putting a food court in a building that has not been officially approved.

At the State of the College address in Oct., President Eanes said that the cafeteria was in “need of millions of dollars of renovations before anyone would be able to come and be a cafeteria vendor.”

The college now has a “7.5 million transformational gift” plus more than 100 thousand because of Giving Tuesday.

The lack of students enrolling at York College might have to do with the very limited services offered, not to mention the lack of concern shown by academic

resources offices. Many students have voiced dissatisfaction with many things in the York Cardinal app. Many also post questions that offices should have answered.

York College has been lacking accountability and transparency. Requests for interviews or even answers to simple questions take days for a response if there is a response at all. In the president’s cabinet, the head of communications for what is a public college gets paid $213,000 a year from taxpayers. But then students have to wait ten days for them to take ten minutes to speak with a reporter from the college newspaper?”

Could it be that York College students have to protest like students at Hostos Community College to get some acknowledgement? The better question would be, would a protest really change anything?

Why Can Trump Run For President Despite The Harm He’s Done?

By Alejandra Hernandez

Trump announced he will be running for the presidential election in 2024. Even though there are signs that he won’t be winning this time since many of his Republican runner-ups lost in the midterm elections last month. And in addition, some of his followers have said the U.S. would be better run by another Republican representative instead.

How can Trump be allowed to run for president again?

Trump running for president has to be the biggest shock for many people, especially after the Jan. 6 riot he caused. This is in addition to all the misinformation he often gave during his speeches and tweets. He also has many criminal investigations going on at the moment as well.

There is one by the Justice Department for his declaration that Biden stole the 2020 election and for the misuse of

classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, his Florida residence. The Washington Post said, “his company is also in the middle of a trial for criminal tax fraud and the New York attorney general filed a lawsuit that could freeze the company’s operations.”

Anyone in their right mind has to admit that Trump caused a lot of damage and encouraged outrageous behavior from many people. Most of all, he has shown that America is still very racist. This can be seen with the growth of the Proud Boys, a self-described “western chauvinist” men’s club that was established in 2016 by Gavin McInnes. They should be seen as a street gang due to the very violent methods and language they use to “express” themselves. And it is very questionable as to why they are not in gang databases.

Could it be related to their skin color?

“A 2006 FBI report found that some American police officers sympathize or even actively collaborate with far-right

militias or white power groups,” which includes the Proud Boys, according to the Guardian.

Trump has praised their patriarchy and has encouraged them to keep on going with their actions.

If the U.S. lets Trump run for president, it is telling its citizens that no matter if their past actions result in police officers’ injuries or even deaths, they will not be held accountable for their crimes.

Furthermore, the U.S. is letting a racist person run the country once again, endangering many people’s lives. Not only did his lies make people get killed, harassed, discriminated against and bullied, but it also made many people distrust the media.

Our generation and those following behind have to ensure Trump or anyone similar to him stays out of office. He had a very out-of-date mindset. And it is shown by his slogan of “Make America Great Again.”

Did he mean that America should go back to a period that only benefitted white people? Like during segregation, where black people and minorities were treated like they were some kind of aliens. So many of Trump’s ideals of America could be compared to Hitler’s Nazi Germany, of people with blond hair and blue eyes.

Trump will destroy all of the advances America has made. Young people should start thinking about their future and even the future of their kids.

College students have the opportunity to make a significant change. They can let their family members and friends, even their social media following, know about the importance of one vote. While many people say they don’t like being political.

I say it’s necessary to be political.

Charles Bozian,

Why hasn’t there been any talk about opening a new cafeteria, especially with the generous amount of donated money that has been coming in this semester alone?

York’s cafeteria has been closed since before the pandemic. It would take millions to fix, according to President Eanes.

Photo by Niko Balkaran

A Field Desperate For Repair SPORTS

By William Meija

York College men’s and women’s soccer teams have no athletic field for home games. As a result, York soccer teams are forced to play their home games at Aviator Field in Brookyln’s Floyd Bennett Park. This has been an ongoing situation for the past 20 years.

“It would feel more at home if the field was closer, so fans can come to support the team,” said Stanley Sanchez, a men’s soccer team member. “Having a bigger support from school fans would definitely boost player confidence.”

As reported initially by Pandora’s Box in 2014, the problems with the field went back almost 12 years since then. Now it’s been 20 years, and nothing has changed. The athletic field – located at 160th Street and Liberty Avenue behind the Health and Physical Education building has had numerous problems, such as sinkholes, electrical issues and other damage.

More recently, “CUNY, on behalf of York College, entered an agreement” with the Queensborough Football Club (QBFC) to build a “temporary modular stadium” on the athletic field. This further prevented the teams from practicing on what was already a damaged field.

“There were some talks about fixing the field,” said Taylor Bellmon of the york’s women’s soccer team. “It was originally planned to be built in 2022 but plans changed to 2023,” Bellmon added.

In April of 2021, it was announced by York and QBFC, an expansion club of the United Soccer League (USL), that the stadium at York would be the site of

its home games for the inaugural season in spring 2022. It was planned to be the first-ever stadium built by a professional team in New York City. According to a public statement on the York College website, the announcement has been a long time coming for many fans, who have been highly anticipating the news and are eager to welcome a home soccer stadium to Queens.

CUNY awarded QBFC the contract in the Summer of 2020 to build the new stadium. Their goal was to support the

university’s academic and athletic mission to enhance the college experience for students, create local jobs and grow neighborhood businesses, according to York’s website.

QBFC also launched The 1909 Club, where fans could purchase seasonal tickets and place deposits to be lifelong club members.

“The City University of New York is proud to partner with Queensboro FC in bringing a professional soccer stadium to York College in Queens, a place

world-renowned for its cultural and linguistic diversity, and for its love of el fútbol,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodriguez on the York College website. “This new stadium is a great addition to the York College campus and will benefit not only CUNY students and the local community, but all New Yorkers and fans of soccer.”

But the announcement of the Willets Point soccer stadium between New York City and the New York City Football Club called into question whether or not the stadium on the York campus would be built. This is because the same day, York received a “7.5 million transformation gift from the New York City Football Club.” Additionally, QBFC was acquired by the NYCFC, according to Charles Bozian, Interim Vice President of Finance and Administration, at a Senate meeting in Sept.

“At this time, that agreement is in effect. We are aware of the changing environment in New York City for its professional soccer teams, as well as QBFC’s recent statement that it is reviewing its plans following the announcement by NYCFC that it will be building a soccer stadium at Willets Point,” said Kathryn Cousins, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Communications at York College. “We remain in regular communication with QBFC and should there be a change in its plans moving forward, we will keep our community informed as we ourselves receive this information.”

Stanley Sanchez Leads York Men’s Soccer Into Victory

By William Meija

NEW YORK-- York College men’s soccer finished the season with a win from a game-winning goal by Stanley Sanchez in a non-conference match against the City College of New York Beavers. York earned their third shutout of the season with a 1-0 win in Randall’s Island Field, ending the season with a 3-9-1 record.

The Cardinals challenged CCNY goalkeeper Carlos Garcia in the first half as Emre Sahin landed a shot on target for the first attempt of the game at 2:12. Stanley Sanchez launched a corner kick before Doston Abdigaffrov executed a header at Garcia for the save. York held a 6-2 shots advantage during the first half as neither team did not score. It was a competitive game going into the second half before 2022 CUNYAC All-Star Stanley Sanchez scored the game-winning goal at 49:48 of the second half – assisted by Kervin Mondesir.

This marked Sanchez’s third goal of the season. York added three more shots on target but was unable to score.

York men’s soccer goalkeeper Ricardo Dorcil – stopped three shots to secure

his second clean sheet of the season.

York held the advantage in shots (12-4), shots on target (9-3) and corner kicks (6-2).

The Cardinals are expected to bring back players ready for next season. Meanwhile, York seniors such as Abdigaffarov, Dorcil and Djelili Okoro are graduating and leaving the program.

Per York Athletics, York men’s soccer head coach Courtney Boothe feels great about next season. “We have a good core to build on for next year and it starts in the spring. Our offseason workouts will set the tone for Fall 2023.”

“It felt amazing to score the game-winning goal on our last game of the season,” said Stanley Sanchez. “It was a great way to close off all of the hard work my teammates, coaches and I put towards the team,” Sanchez added.

The biggest thing that Sanchez learned throughout the season is to work collectively and stay consistent despite external factors that lead to distraction.

Aviator Field where York’s soccer teams’ home games are played. Photo by Niko Balkaran

York’s Newest Women’s Volleyball Member: A Nitaye Riley Profile

By Alejandra Hernandez

While growing up, Nitaye Riley said she always weighed more than the other kids. Because of this, she wanted to join a sports team to prove that she was more than just a heavy kid. But because she was so out of shape, Riley was intimidated by being surrounded by athletic kids, which caused her to never try out for any sports team.

Riley says it wasn’t until one of her cousins, who was also overweight, joined the volleyball team in high school that she was motivated to join as well. Seeing her cousin on the court encouraged her to join a team. She’s been interested in volleyball ever since.

Born and raised in Queens, Riley is a York College freshman and part of the women’s volleyball team.

“I had the absolute best time with my team this semester. I had never done college sports before and was nervous about not being good enough to make the cut,” said Riley. “The coaches and the team were very open to newcomers that didn’t have much skill. They took me in with open arms and helped me

develop my skills. I wouldn’t change anything about it.”

Being on the women’s volleyball team has pushed Riley to work hard on herself. She always wanted to be fit and play sports so that she’ll look good to others. But, getting on the team, practicing hard, and playing harder, made her realize that she loved the feeling. It became more about making herself feel good than looking good to others. This new mindset has helped her work on her self-esteem and work to improve other aspects of her life as well.

As a social work major, Riley’s career goal after graduation is to become a licensed clinical social worker.

“I honestly have never thought about a connection between my interest in volleyball and social work. However, I would say that social work is all about self-improvement. There are so many ways that people can start to feel overwhelmed with the things going on and there’s always room for someone to be there to help with the burden. I want to be a social worker because I want to be able to help people, but that starts with being able to help myself and volleyball

helps me to work towards that,” said Riley.

She expressed she never really had any serious sports role models but respects her coaches. They are the ones who have encouraged her to push herself and watching them push her teammates has resulted in gratitude for their hard work and dedication to the team.

“Even if I never play for them again,” says Riley. “I will always remember them as my first coaches and the beginning of a new part of my life.”

While talking about sports and teammates, Riley said she knows everyone wants to win. “Yet, if winning is all you care about, then you won’t enjoy the sport to the fullest,” according to Riley.

She said that the main goal for every game should be to play their hardest and do the best they can. Riley emphasized that no matter the result of winning or losing, student-athletes should leave every game feeling great about the work they’ve put in next to their team and know they should aspire to practice and play harder than they did for the next game. According to Riley, you should work hard, play harder and

enjoy it all.

“Practice like you’ve never won; play like you’ve never lost.”

Riley’s greatest accomplishment is getting points for her team solely based on what she does. It’s not always the big plays that are the most acknowledged moment in a match. She loves being a part of her team and helping. But knowing she can score points for her team makes her feel great.

As Riley talked about her team, she recalled a special moment.

“We’ve lost every game this season. A team has to win three sets to win the game. We usually lost every set of every game. However, in one of our last games of the season, we won a set. That was the first time we ever won anything,” says Riley. “That feeling of excitement and pride and getting to scream and hug my team as we cheered was absolutely amazing. We lost the total game, but that was still the best thing that had happened and I wish I could relive that feeling.”