COVID University New York
COVID University New York (CVNY) aims to uplift the voices of communities hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and preserve the stories of these vulnerable groups in a historical record. We talk to students, staff, and faculty at the City University of New York community and dive into everything from death and essential workers to protests and theater. CVNY will serve as an archive and a way to remember the experiences of people whose stories won’t make headlines. CVNY is a co-production of Racecar Radio and the Gotham Center for New York City History. Share your story with us at: coviduniversity@racecarradio.com
Episodes
9. The Residents
Leaving home to move on to a college campus is all about new connections – living with roommates, going to classes, joining clubs, playing sports, socializing, dating… all of which, of course, are either severely curtailed or banned outright under COVID protocols. So what is it like to live in a dorm right now? In … Continued
LISTEN →8. The Vaccine
It’s 2021, and we finally have several viable vaccines for COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean the pandemic is over. They need to be manufactured, they need to be distributed… and even then very real cultural obstacles exist to vaccinating enough of the population to allow social distancing to end. In this episode, we hear from … Continued
LISTEN →7. The Unhoused
Many of us don’t often associate college with homelessness, but as many as 14% of CUNY students have no fixed address – some living on couches, and many relying on shelters or living on the street. How does someone manage to work and study with that kind of personal instability? What if you’re also trying … Continued
LISTEN →6. The Voters
The 2020 presidential election is only days away, and everyone agrees the results are going to have momentous consequences for the country, but the importance of this election only serves to underscore serious systemic questions about participatory democracy in the US – who votes? who doesn’t? and why? and how? In this episode, we hear … Continued
LISTEN →5. The Essential Workers
Along with doctors, nurses, and first responders, COVID’s media “heroes” included an unlikely and previously unheralded group, the “essential workers” – custodians, supermarket employees, delivery drivers, and other solidly blue-collar, often underpaid and under-respected men and women who all of a sudden seemed to be the only ones holding society together. What has this sudden … Continued
LISTEN →4. The Thespians
Theater is big business in New York, and central to its cultural identity, but the novel coronavirus has brought it to a standstill, and thousands of actors, directors, writers, technicians, and support staff are left scrambling to figure out what the next couple of years might look like, and if their industry will survive at … Continued
LISTEN →3. The Caregivers
Nursing homes were some of the first and hardest-hit centers of COVID-19 infection, and have remained extremely challenging places to live and work in the face of the pandemic. Queensboro Community College nursing students Adam Kern and Kristen Rodriguez have been on the front lines of this battle for months now, caring for the residents … Continued
LISTEN →2. The Protesters
Protesters marched for weeks following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. The demonstrations sparked a national conversation about the role of police in society — and protesting in the middle of a pandemic. All this and more in my conversation with community organizer, and incoming Graduate Center student, Shadley and Brooklyn … Continued
LISTEN →1: The Memorializers
More than 160,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the country, with over 32,000 of those fatalities in New York. There’s no way to measure the emotional and financial toll so much death has taken on the nation. But THE CITY, a nonprofit news organization covering New York, is dedicated to honoring the thousands who … Continued
LISTEN →Meet the Host
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Char Adams
Char Adams is a race and identity journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, Teen Vogue, PEOPLE Magazine, and more. She is the digital editor of SUM, CUNY’s official website for research, books, and art works.
She is a Philly native who enjoys community organizing and watching reruns of Seinfeld.
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Episodes
9. The Residents
Leaving home to move on to a college campus is all about new connections – living with roommates, going to classes, joining clubs, playing sports, socializing, dating… all of which, of course, are either severely curtailed or banned outright under COVID protocols. So what is it like to live in a dorm right now? In … Continued
LISTEN →8. The Vaccine
It’s 2021, and we finally have several viable vaccines for COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean the pandemic is over. They need to be manufactured, they need to be distributed… and even then very real cultural obstacles exist to vaccinating enough of the population to allow social distancing to end. In this episode, we hear from … Continued
LISTEN →7. The Unhoused
Many of us don’t often associate college with homelessness, but as many as 14% of CUNY students have no fixed address – some living on couches, and many relying on shelters or living on the street. How does someone manage to work and study with that kind of personal instability? What if you’re also trying … Continued
LISTEN →6. The Voters
The 2020 presidential election is only days away, and everyone agrees the results are going to have momentous consequences for the country, but the importance of this election only serves to underscore serious systemic questions about participatory democracy in the US – who votes? who doesn’t? and why? and how? In this episode, we hear … Continued
LISTEN →5. The Essential Workers
Along with doctors, nurses, and first responders, COVID’s media “heroes” included an unlikely and previously unheralded group, the “essential workers” – custodians, supermarket employees, delivery drivers, and other solidly blue-collar, often underpaid and under-respected men and women who all of a sudden seemed to be the only ones holding society together. What has this sudden … Continued
LISTEN →4. The Thespians
Theater is big business in New York, and central to its cultural identity, but the novel coronavirus has brought it to a standstill, and thousands of actors, directors, writers, technicians, and support staff are left scrambling to figure out what the next couple of years might look like, and if their industry will survive at … Continued
LISTEN →3. The Caregivers
Nursing homes were some of the first and hardest-hit centers of COVID-19 infection, and have remained extremely challenging places to live and work in the face of the pandemic. Queensboro Community College nursing students Adam Kern and Kristen Rodriguez have been on the front lines of this battle for months now, caring for the residents … Continued
LISTEN →2. The Protesters
Protesters marched for weeks following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. The demonstrations sparked a national conversation about the role of police in society — and protesting in the middle of a pandemic. All this and more in my conversation with community organizer, and incoming Graduate Center student, Shadley and Brooklyn … Continued
LISTEN →1: The Memorializers
More than 160,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the country, with over 32,000 of those fatalities in New York. There’s no way to measure the emotional and financial toll so much death has taken on the nation. But THE CITY, a nonprofit news organization covering New York, is dedicated to honoring the thousands who … Continued
LISTEN →