College grants students the opportunity to access more technology at home 

By: Sabrina Benet

Distance learning has become a more relevant method of education during these trying times. Credit: Eastgreenwichnews.com

Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, both SUNY and CUNY schools were forced to close classroom doors and transfer ongoing curriculums online. Due to the global pandemic, CUNY has chosen to use the distance learning model in order to continue this semester’s instruction.

 The distance learning model is an online teaching method where we practice getting an education while keeping a healthy distance away from other students and school faculty. 

The transition from our regular semester to online schooling has been a major adjustment for both the school faculty and students. During this difficult time, things are rapidly changing by the second, leaving us with little time to prepare for things such as access to technology to continue our schooling process.  

Luckily for students, the University informed the College of Staten Island that they are eligible to acquire a limited amount of devices to be used for online classes in addition to schoolwork. 

An email has been sent to our CUNY Outlook email accounts, urging students to sign up for a technology loan if needed. This email illustrated the guidelines and showed the school’s urge to further promote a positive and stress-free online learning experience for students. 

The following guidelines for technology loans are as followed, 1) You must be registered for the Spring 2020 semester 2) Be able to show a CSI ID when picking up the mobile device(s) and lastly 3) Meet criteria established by CUNY. 

The email also provides you with a form to fill out in order to receive your technology, students are chosen through a methodology established by CUNY. Though not everyone who fills out the form is selected to receive a technology loan from the school, the methodology used will sort out who is qualified. 

Diving into the technology loan form, it asks a few questions about your current academic and personal life, from basic information such as your first and last name to the names of your current instructors. 

The form also asks about your current technology situation, asking you to describe your present access to either a laptop or desktop within your home at this time. In addition to this, the email provides students with an overview of The City University of New York policy on acceptable use of computer resources. 

In addition to providing students with these resources, the CUNY aims to provide for its faculty in this department as well. Some being more fortunate than others, the union made the decision to provide for their workers and aid their online teaching experience by doing so. 

The union will continue to advocate for the faculty in need, giving those who rely on their CUNY salary to afford the tools necessary a greater chance to succeed during this transition.

During this time of social distancing and distance learning, it is crucial to make sure people in our CUNY community and the general community are given the chance to succeed in their work and thrive during this process.