December 15, 2022
Volume 79 | Issue 4
the pace press Est. 1948
www.thepacepress.org
“Honesty and Objectivity”
University to fully modernize One Pace Plaza by 2026
Adjunct advocacy with University Professor Eve Becker DEC. 12, 2022
continued on PAGE 8
BY ZOE POULIS, Features Editor
DEC. 10, 2022
University President Marvin Krislov announced that the lower levels in One Pace Plaza East and Maria’s Tower residence hall will begin renovations starting in 2023 and are slated to finish in early 2026, as announced in an email to the student body on Dec. 8. The Board of Trustees approved the construction on Dec. 7, which includes the creation of modernized academic spaces for the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and a “state-of-the-art” Performing Arts Center for the School of Performing Arts that will also act as a community gathering space for the University community. Talks to replace the Schimmel Center Theater have been confirmed in the latest construction outline, which includes a new proscenium theater for the School of Performing Arts, more theaters and supporting spaces, alongside modern classrooms and creative arts spaces similar to the aesthetic of the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of One Pace Plaza West. Doing so will displace administrative offices found on the second and third floor of One Pace Plaza East, most notably professors’ offices and sciences laboratory in the West Wing of the third floor. To that effect, Krislov clarified that the University will “continue to work with those units…to find good solutions.” “This provides the up-to-date instructional, creative and performances spaces we need, and it keeps our large gathering space–used by the entire University and the border community–at the center of our campus,” stated President Krislov in the email. Maria’s Tower will be upgraded to include more residential spaces to compensate for the overflow of prospective freshman students in conjunction with current upperclassman residences, reflective of this year’s approximate 480 residences. The surplus dorm rooms, with the addition of 15 Beekman scheduled to be finished by Fall 2023, will enable the University to end its lease with 55 John St. residence hall and no longer provide it as a student housing option. Financially speaking, the University is confident they will be able to fund the construction through a number of avenues, like the University’s construction fund, issued debts, a $25 million commitment from New York State to be distributed over five years after including the Performing Arts Center as part of the renovation, a pending $5 million federal appropriation for the 2023 budget and a fundraising campaign targeted to raise a minimum $50 million. The final details surrounding specifics related to the construction are still in the developmental stages, however, Krislov noted that the University is obligated to meet the code work via the new construction plan by 2027, “regardless of whether we complete this major renovation.” The University will be hosting open forums for students, faculty and staff to contribute their thoughts on the construction and what else to include that will benefit the University community. This is a developing story that The Pace Press will follow closely as more information becomes readily available to the public. BY MANDI KARPO, Editor-in-Chief
Credit: Graphic by Josh Ilano
It is no secret that the teaching profession is undervalued and severely underpaid, but when adjunct professors are brought into the equation, that simple truth becomes much more complicated. The Pace Press has investigated the plight of adjunct professors before in former Features Editor and current Secretary Gia Sparacino’s article “Adjuncts: the underappreciated, underpaid, unseen academics of American universities.” This time, we get a look at the current situation through the eyes of Eve Becker, an adjunct English professor at the University. As a former Middle School teacher, Becker has always had a heart for teaching. She has been teaching at the University since 2021 while also maintaining a position at Columbia University as a Student Teacher Supervisor. Outside of this, she is a best-selling author of many young adult novels, a Pushcart Prize-winning personal essay writer and the founder and director of an organization Eve Becker that hosts writing retreats for educators. Adjunct Professor of English, Dyson School of “I love my job, this is not to Arts and Sciences make you feel sorry for me. I’ve chosen my career path,” Becker assured my class on a day she dedicated to adjunct advocacy. This is a Creative Nonfiction course, so to raise awareness of the topic, we read personal essays by adjunct professors. “But I didn’t know the extent of adjunct working conditions when I came in and it was stunning,” she added.
“Pace adjuncts are some of the lowest paid in the city.
University students tackle food insecurity on campus DEC. 12, 2022
Food prices have risen in the University’s Cafe 101, leaving many students scrambling for a way to come up with extra funds as rising inflation has exacerbated food insecurity on campus. In response to this increase, Kat Reed, a junior Political Science major, recently spearheaded two petitions to lower the food prices in the cafe. So far, the change.org petition has amassed over 1,000 signatures. Reed and four other University students, Jacquie Keesee, Marley Thomas, Sam Weisz and Becca Samuelson, hosted a meeting to discuss student concerns with the administration on Dec. 2. During the meeting, multiple issues were addressed, especially regarding price transparency. According to Clifford Mondesir, the Executive Director of Auxiliary Services, before the cost of food is decided for the academic year, a meeting takes place in which the proposed cafe prices are verified and compared to rates around the area to take inflation into account. Despite this, many students have voiced their frustrations with these prices, with some still insisting it is cheaper to shop for food off campus. This isn’t the first time Chartwells, the school’s food service provider, has come under scrutiny. A 2015 case with the Washington D.C. Public School District resulted in the company issuing a $19.4 million settlement. A whistleblower complaint revealed that the school district was being overcharged for the food due to mismanagement. Chartwells isn’t the only food provider with controversy under its belt; a New York Times article published in 2012 mentioned a student boycott that occurred at the University due to the cafe’s failure to pass inspection requirements. Most recently, Cafe 101 passed its inspection in February 2022 by only five points–enough to still receive a letter A. While the food quality was mentioned during the meeting with the University administration, its primary focus was to discuss food insecurity among the student body. When asked about the prevalence of food insecurity during her time as a student, Reed said, “I think food security is always an issue on college campuses, however, it has been exacerbated this BY JULIANNA LAMOURT, Contributor
INSIDE @thepacepress
year due to inflation and the extremely high prices of food in the cafeteria. More people are suffering from food insecurity this year and other options, such as the food bank, are running low on food.” Dr. Denise Belen Santiago, the coordinator of the Provisions Food Pantry at the University, confirmed Reed’s assertion regarding the increased use of the food pantry by stating, “We opened a few months prior to COVID-19 being declared a pandemic and then we closed for several months. Lately, however, there’s been a steady increase of guests.” Dr. Santiago went on to discuss the potential consequences of food insecurity and stated that “education/awareness is key… folks need to know that some people have to decide between a MetroCard or buying meal[s], some don’t know where their next meal is coming from, others risk pilfering to get nourishment.” Santiago highlighted an unfortunate reality for the estimated 40 percent of college students in the U.S. who are food insecure, Reed being one of them. When asked how food insecurity has directly impacted them, they stated, “Unfortunately, there have been days where all I can eat is snacks from meetings or clubs I go to.” “The food bank has been a tremendous help, as well as the community fridge, but there are still days when I wonder how I’ll afford to eat even just one meal. I know so many others in the same situation, which is such a sad predicament,” Reed said. These frustrations have been echoed by many on University gossip accounts on Instagram, with numerous posts expressing outrage about the price of food in relation to the cost of tuition. Student accounts on Instagram like @Iamfreefood, have been purchasing food for students at no cost in an effort to spend dining points that won’t transfer over to the next semester. Food prices everywhere have risen about 11 percent in the past year. The war in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and disrupted global supply chains due to the pandemic are still affecting the price of food. Despite this, data shows college students have been struggling with food insecurity for the past 10 years and issues with Cafe 101 aren’t new.
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