COVID-19 at John Jay/CUNY: A Class Project
Focus
Our project analyzed the impact COVID-19 had on the lives of CUNY students and their communities. Our research focused especially on several themes: Work and Money; Education and News; Family and Relationships; and Health and Health Care. We also studied how each of these themes affected respondents’ anxiety and ability to cope. Data on these themes were gathered in spring 2020 as students experienced the initial wave of the pandemic in real time.
History
The idea for the project came as a result of a collaborative decision by our Law & Society senior capstone course at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Students had started individual capstone projects on various topics earlier in the semester. But when COVID-19 disrupted the U.S. (and the world) in March 2020, the COVID-19 at CUNY project was born. Prof. Michael Yarbrough and the students collectively decided to change to a class project that would focus on the impacts of COVID-19 on us and our communities in real time. The entire class was anxious to see how the remaining months of the semester would play out. The project aimed to shed light on how we, as students, adapted to the rapid, drastic changes caused by the pandemic, and how COVID-19 impacted not only our personal lives but also our academic year and the communities we come from. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution and Minority-Serving Institution with a diverse student body from throughout the N.Y.C. region, John Jay provides a unique and vital perspective into how the changes caused by the pandemic affected minority and immigrant communities, students from working class backgrounds, and first-generation college students.
Collection
Our project is a website with two major components. First, there is a timeline of video, audio, and written journal entries from students reflecting on their day-to-day experiences from March through May of 2020. Second, a set of thematic pages presents key patterns that emerged from individual interviews students conducted with people from our communities.
Form of Collection
The materials for the project were collected in the form of a digitized timeline during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, encompassing video and written diaries from the students. In addition, a section focusing on specific themes analyzes interviews we conducted with family and community members.
Emphasis
The data focuses on people who are a part of CUNY and their families and communities. At John Jay, we arrive from different boroughs in New York City, and different communities in the metropolitan region. Given the diversity within the John Jay College student body, this project allowed for a holistic view into all corners of the socioeconomic spectrum, specifically students from minority and immigrant communities, of working-class backgrounds, and many who are first-generation college students.
Time Period
The time period of the project, spanned from March 11, 2020 when John Jay College President Karol Mason announced that all classes would be conducted online for the remainder of the semester to commencement on May 27, 2020.
Public Access
To view our research online please see the following link:
https://johnjay.digication.com/covid19-at-cuny/home-1
Director
This Project was run under the guidance and direction of Associate Professor Michael Yarbrough from the Law & Society Department of CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The editorial team for the website included Kenny Baez, Paula-Camila Cáceres, Monica Guzmán-Reyes, and Sally Olivo.
Contact Person
Michael Yarbrough
Email: myarbrough@jjay.cuny.edu
Website: https://johnjay.digication.com/covid19-at-cuny/home-1