Student Ambassadors Build Solidarity for Health and Safety Protocols

In Fall 2020, most of the classes and support services at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) will be delivered from a distance.

Drawing on CUNY, Centers for Disease Control and New York State guidelines, over 98 percent of class sections will be delivered online, as will nearly all
support services — admissions, advising, tutoring, counseling, career development, the BMCC Library, and Single Stop. A limited number of services including the Panther Pantry, the Early Childhood Center and research labs will have reduced in-person hours.

For anyone physically returning to campus, a detailed BMCC Reopening and Operations Plan lays out safety procedures, including extensive disinfection of spaces. Faculty and staff will be required to watch a Return to Work Training Video, and to complete a Daily staff Screen Form.

In addition, all members of the BMCC community — faculty, students and staff — will be required to wear mandatory face coverings and practice social distancing.

But what if a student doesn’t fully understand the logic behind social distancing? What if a professor or staff person has a question about the college’s disinfecting protocols?

That’s where the BMCC Ambassadors for Safety and Health come in. These carefully trained students will lead by example. Identified by their BMCC sash, they will hand out masks, provide information and connect the BMCC community to campus resources such as Health Services, Student Affairs, BMCC Public Safety and others.

Employed through the BMCC Federal Work-Study program, the Ambassadors will also make sure that health and safety materials stay in good supply. Having lived through New York City’s struggle with the coronavirus pandemic — and attending college in a semester like no other — they will gain unique experience and perspective.

“Students will benefit deeply from their participation in BMCC Ambassadors for Safety and Health,” says Vice President of Student Affairs Marva Craig. “They will complete employment training and gain experience they can take back to their households and communities. Many of our students are from highly COVID-impacted families and neighborhoods, so learning how to interact with their communities, how to get people to listen and take proper precautions to stay safe, is a valuable life lesson.”

Gaining confidence by helping others

The Ambassadors will be supervised by Student Affairs Manager Lisa O’Connor and Associate Director of Career Services and Employer Relations Thierry Thesatus.

“Our Ambassadors will complete the necessary training and experience to help them serve as a resource for our college community,” says O’Connor. “Learning how to be effective in peer-to-peer interactions — approaching fellow students, as well as faculty and staff, and sharing with them information about the appropriate actions to keep us safe during this unique time — are tools that will
serve them well beyond their role at BMCC.”

Thesatus points out that student participants “will gain confidence from serving others. This is also an important opportunity for our students whose income benefits their families, to earn a wage as Work-Study students at a time that there are decreased opportunities to work on campus.”

Student Ambassadors see their role as one of guiding others

For Human Services Cathy Wright, her role as a BMCC Ambassador for Safety and Health fits into her goal to help people.

“My kids are finally grown, so I decided to get my degree,” she says. “An associate degree can help me find human services work in an agency. I like to help people, both young people and elders. Then I want to transfer to a senior college, Lehman College or New York City Tech, to continue with my bachelor’s degree.”

The Ambassador training, she says, “was great. They took us around the campus and showed us the protocols for the school; what will be open, what won’t. My role will be to walk around and if I see a group standing close together, I’ll try to guide them, ask them to please spread out a little bit, to please wear their mask properly. We won’t be policing, we’ll be guiding.”

BMCC Ambassador for Safety and Health Paolo Duran, who is majoring in Linguistics and Literacy, also sees her role as an ambassador as fitting into her academic goals.

“I see myself either as a speech pathologist or ESL professor,” she says. “I came to New York from the DR [Dominican Republic] and I know what it’s like to learn a new language. I see myself helping people, being part of their journey to understand a new language, giving them the tools to improve themselves.”

When Duran heard about the opportunity to be an Ambassador, “I thought it would be nice to help people in this time,” she says. “People are going to feel confused — it’s so different, the campus is so different and it will be hard for them to adjust to this new normal. It takes time and as the Ambassadors, we’re there to help them adjust.”

Health and safety strategies that reflect a culture of care

At BMCC, where building a “culture of care” is part of the college mission, the Ambassadors’ focus is on community building, modeling behaviors of safety and health, and support.

“In times of uncertainty, people need strong leadership that they can trust,” says Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Ian J. Wentworth.

“The BMCC Ambassadors for Safety and Health will provide guidance on health, safety and all available resources that our campus has to offer,” he says. “It is important that BMCC exemplifies the very best of our compassion, in solidarity, as a community. The Ambassadors will be a shining example of the very best that exists in the heart of BMCC.”

The BMCC Fall Semester starts August 26, and it’s not too late for students to complete their registration online. Videos and other resources provide a detailed picture of what to expect on campus, and a detailed BMCC Reopening and Operations Plan is available on the BMCC website.