25 Student Summit on the Role of Humanities in a Just Society
The Student Advisory Board planned the Student Summit on the Role of Humanities in a Just Society, a full-day virtual conference to be held on May 5, 2023. The Student Advisory Board developed the call for proposals for the Summit and reviewed applications. The Summit provided CUNY students a platform for sharing their vision for a more just and equitable academic environment.
Below is a brainstorming document the advisory board used to envision their ideal student conference.
At the Summit, 174 people came together to think about what their college community needs most, and to imagine resources that would improve their social learning experience and academic life. To dream of safe spaces where respect, communication, and transparency are valued. To envision a stripped-down version of the faculty-student relationship, where faculty are better resourced themselves to be able to put students’ needs first. To conceive of concrete ways in which CUNY administration can better respond to issues raised by students.
After the Summit, students were encouraged to share their projects in different media formats and partake in short reflective interviews on their participation in the Student Summit:
“I’d just like to say thank you so much for your guidance throughout my TLH journey. It has been a pleasure working with you both, and I’ll cherish my time on the student advisory board forever. I had an excellent time participating in the summit and I enjoyed our meetings. I truly feel like we have made change and I can continue to help change the world of education and pedagogy. Will definitely be checking in with you both.”
Student Advisory Board Member
Summit Presentations
Students were given the opportunity to have their projects published as part of this OER (Open Educational Resource). Their work will be memorialized and shared as part of a better CUNY we all envision through this grant.
Project #CUNYCleaned:
Project #CUNYCleaned: Litter and Pollution Campus Equity by Litter and Pollution Campus Equity by Kennedy Pazos
Care Off Campus:
Critical Pedagogy:
Critical Pedagogy and Our Syllabus by Selma Sihali
Student Clubs:
Student Clubs: Improving the Extracurricular Experience by Emanuela Gallo
STEM and Social Studies:
STEM and Social Studies: Online Education By Fatimah Asad
The Need for Ethnic Studies:
Nontraditional Students:
Yin and Yang – Nontraditional Students
Mentoring:
Manifesto Design:
Manifesto Design by Vincent Hadwin Tanujaya
Embroidery:
Embroidery by Guilia Baldini
Project 19:
Post Summit Interviews
After the Summit, students were given the opportunity to participate in a reflective interview. Below you can find the questions and select answers from students:
What was it like serving on the Student Advisory Board?
“Serving on the student Advisory Board was a scary moment for me. I didn’t know what to expect at first but meeting the fellow board members was very relaxing, and I felt very welcome. I found out that this was going to be a journey of meeting new people and I will be able to explore new ideas and what I signed up for was not in vain. What I was not expecting was to enjoy and be thrilled by being a member of the advisory board.”
Tahisha Fields
It was a really great experience getting to interact with fellow students who were going through it with me. The group setting was comprised of other students of different backgrounds and diverse experiences. I learned more about what college is like for other people and how that dictates how I experience it.
Holliday Senquiz
What was your favorite moment of the Student Summit?
“My favorite moment was when everyone started to present, and I saw how well everyone was coordinated and how all the ideas could be utilized for my campus and others.”
Joey Poon
How would you describe the university you want?
“For me, I accredit CUNY to this – I’ve been able to be a part of a lot of social justice groups and that really shaped my view on universities. I want a university that is free and doesn’t just see students as a bank, pressing them for money and ensure that every student has access to every resource they need – and that makes sure that when you’re struggling financially, they have scholarships and grants available. Every student is heard; the admin and faculty know students. Not where only a select few students are awarded and praised because there is disparity between students who are acknowledged for their work and those who are just pushed aside.”
Onyekachi Okeke
What was your greatest takeaway?
“Realizing I’m not the only one who sees these issues (presented at the Student Summit) and that faculty and students agree that students need more financial aid and resources. Others also want to create this change, make school more accessible, and it’s very reassuring to know that and plan to make a change in the community.”
Yanira Rivera
“One thing that stood out was about the experiences of those first-generation or coming from another country, how hard it is to integrate into collegiate experience. Colleges think they’re helping and students seek help, but there’s a disconnect – sometimes it’s pride. It still needs to be addressed, so people can get assistance they need.”
John Flack
Tell me a little bit about how you prepared for this event. What was the mentoring process like for you? How did you come up with your idea for your presentation?
“I based my presentation on Paulo Freire Pedagogy of the Oppressed and I didn’t have solid plan before meeting with Yuma (Carpenter-New). I then got the idea for a syllabus and ran with it. After that, Christina (Katapodis) helped with adding interactive ideas for my presentation. Both Yuma and Christina helped when I had a raw idea but not an executed plan.”
Bahia Selma Sihali
What skills did you practice and use that will be useful to you in your career and life?
“English is not my first language, so I have difficulty with engaging, which is really important for becoming a lawyer. I got to work on presenting and engaging at the Summit. I’m very glad I participated.”
Byran Tapia
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to do a similar project?
“I would say if you find yourself being stuck with where to go and where to start, look for student organizations that are centered on change. I was able to get ideas and help from a lot of organizations – it helps with bridging gaps and makes you feel like you’re not alone. If you’re hitting resistance with peers or administration, don’t let it stop you. That’s what I faced, and I wish I didn’t let that deter me for a while. Remove yourself from these spaces and sometimes It’s good to work alone. Gather your thoughts and see what it is you want to do – you’ll be surprised to find out there are a lot of people who are interested in your project. It can take a while, like it did for me, but the Summit let me show people my project and it inspired me.”
Onyekachi Okeke