There’s a long history of student activism and power CCNY. There have been large scale student protests over tuition hikes, historical anti-war and free speech movements. In 1969 came one of the most consequential student movements, Black and Latino students, then just 9% of the student body, demanded more students of color be admitted. They wanted open admissions. On February 6, 1969 the Black and Puerto Rican Student Community presented “Five Demands” to CCNY President Gallagher. In pursuit of those demands, more than 200 Black and Puerto Rican students closed the South Campus for two weeks. 

But, activism isn’t always reported or archived. There are thousands of CCNY student activists working hard on voting rights, racial, educational, and gender equality and inclusion, environmental issues, ecological issues, food insecurity, cybersecurity and privacy….the list goes on and on. Because the fight for equal representation and rights isn’t over!! 

The Five Demands defined what the students wanted then but that was 55 years ago!! What do CCNY students want today? What are the issues that most concern or impact the lives of students at CCNY?

For this assignment, you will research and write about an example of student activism or activist organization at CCNY. 

revising…

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The purpose of this assignment is:

• to inform (and entertain) an audience by composing a story about a specific issue that affects CCNY students today and an example of what’s happening (if anything) to address the issue  at CCNY (will accept CUNY),
• to practice with CCNY databases doing research,
• to conduct primary research, and
• to practice academic writing skills–APA citation and annotation

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Procedure:

Step one: Research and writing are always more enjoyable if the topic is something you’re actively interested in. We’ll be doing some groupwork and practicing some writing strategies  in order to identify a topic that interests you AND fulfills the assignment criteria: to inform (and entertain) an audience by composing a news feature on an specific example of student activism or activist organization at CCNY.

Since there is a requirement for at least one “primary” source, we’ll likely have to develop an individual research tool to use in the data collection process. You might need to develop a set of interview (OWL on interview) or survey questions (OWL on surveying). If you decide on an observation, you’ll need to figure out what to observe and how you’re going to record your observations (OWL on observing). (We’ll be doing a workshop on primary research on Feb 14th)

Next: Start researching your topic. You should always make sure you understand the assignment requirements when it comes to sources. Assignments almost always designate a range of required sources. We’ll be talking about what an “academic source” is and practice searching the CCNY library databases using filters. We’ll look at some (possibly) helpful tools like JSTOR Labs Text Analyzer. (We’ll be doing a workshop on using the library databases to find additional sources on Feb 21st).

 

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assignment requirements
Focus: The story focuses on a SIXTH DEMAND. The writer has identified an issue (problem), offers a solution, and advocates for change.
Purpose: The writer informs (and entertains) the audience by composing a story about a specific issue that affects CCNY students today and an example of what’s happening (if anything) to address the issue  at CCNY (will accept CUNY).
Style: A wide range of styles are good for this type of story, It can be written in a less formal, more conversational tone. You can include first person narrative in the story by including your own experiences and opinions.
Sources: You must have at least four sources for your story.
Source distribution is one  primary source (survey, field notes, interview etc.), and three “other” (peer-reviewed journal, newspaper/magazine articles, videos, biographies, social media posts, pamphlets, posters, flyers, images, etc.)
Length: The story should be between 1000-1250 words.
Design or arrangement: You must include visual elements in the story. It should have images, charts, or text design. Visual elements are great for communicating major themes or additional content especially for general audiences.