PSY 324 Collaborative
Spring 2020 That time the virus hit...
March 11, 2020. National Museum of the American Indian. The last day we were out.
Introduction
This was the first semester that PSY 324 Environmental Psychology, an elective, upper level class in the Department of Psychology of the College of Staten Island was taking place at the St. George campus. It was our hope to have a series of field trips bringing our understanding of the dynamic between peoples and places outside of the classroom. We only managed to do one such trip, but nevertheless, the seed was planted. As a class we understood that there was more to psychology than power points and tests. Collaboratively, we started creating a curriculum that tried to use our shared knowledge of the world together with the conceptual complexity of environmental psychology theory. Quickly our task had to move online where we figured out how to move forward in our quest, without leaving behind those of us who are sick, taking care of sick people, working dangerous jobs, or have lost jobs due to the pandemic.
In this site, we hope to document our experiences of this unique point in time.
(scroll down)
In this site, we hope to document our experiences of this unique point in time.
(scroll down)
Dr. D.
I must start by admitting that the idea took a long time to come to fruition. Afraid to “do the wrong thing” I never dared to bring my environmental psychology class outside of the classroom. A short stint as the Psych Dept. deputy chair and the support of my chairperson Dr. Cumiskey, gave me the confidence to teach my class at the St. George campus of CSI. My plan was to take my students via ferry to Manhattan and visit specific behavior settings where we could attempt to understand their boundaries, program, and staffing, in real time. We were also going to research the development of the North Shore of Staten Island -the neighborhood surrounding the St. George campus and the ferry station-. We partially completed this plan as we managed to sneak in one field trip on the last day that the CUNY campuses were open (pictured above) and for one of our assignments students interviewed neighborhood residents about their views on the development of the St. George neighborhood. This class was run as a participatory course. We designed together all but one of the assignments for the class and each rubric used to grade them. For our fourth assignment I asked students to document their experiences of the pandemic. Their responses are on this page. It has always been my goal to showcase the talent of CUNY students. I realized a couple of years ago that keeping students' papers "hidden" in a digital file was not a good thing for the world. Every year when I teach this class, I hope to have my students' intellectual and artistic production shine and remain beyond the semester we spend together. I am very grateful to be a CUNY professor and to have the opportunity to meet and work alongside such talented people. Whenever I want to feel hopeful about the future of the planet, I think of my students.
Jason Rodriguez
Surviving a Pandemic
Staring out my window at an empty lot
Things changing in a way I never thought
Living in a world during a pandemic
Is something I never expected
Nonstop spinning screeched to a halt
Fingers pointing at those who are at fault
“Wash your hands” and “wear a mask”
Unsure how long this virus will last
The healthy become sick and the sick are not here
Losing people, work, and homes; a reality we fear
Hospitals now more of a place of fear than hope
Struggling to find a way to cope
To avoid the sickness, many forced inside
Those considered essential needed outside
Heroes emerge to keep the world on track
Even though our “normal” may never come back
Things changing in a way I never thought
Living in a world during a pandemic
Is something I never expected
Nonstop spinning screeched to a halt
Fingers pointing at those who are at fault
“Wash your hands” and “wear a mask”
Unsure how long this virus will last
The healthy become sick and the sick are not here
Losing people, work, and homes; a reality we fear
Hospitals now more of a place of fear than hope
Struggling to find a way to cope
To avoid the sickness, many forced inside
Those considered essential needed outside
Heroes emerge to keep the world on track
Even though our “normal” may never come back
Olivia
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, my family members and I are all quarantined at home. I have stayed at home since March 14 and my parents don’t even allow me to go to the hallway. My life suddenly changed to the single player mode as I am no longer able to hang out with my friends. By this, I finally got time to finish these loz blocks. At first I was thinking about recording a video on how I built them. However, I changed my mind when I took almost seven hours to finish the Sailor Moon (The character on the left). I found that building blocks is a good way to spend your free time during quarantine. You will be so proud when you see the result and also, it helps to practice you to be more patient.
Kaity Madrid
Nostalgia kind of Sucks
(last photo taken before quarantine)
The last thing I did before the state of the world began to spiral was visit The National Museum of the American Indian. CUNY closed all schools later that day and my job ultimately closed later that week. Reflecting on pre-quarantine life is inevitable when the only place you can go to is another room in your house. So, as I move from my bedroom to the living room, the feeling of nostalgia lingers. Now 7 weeks (I think?) into quarantine I’ve gotten used to this feeling and our “new normal”. Admittedly, some part of me doesn’t want quarantine to end, not because it’s allowed some of us to sleep in and catch up on our favorite shows, but solely because thinking about life post-quarantine requires creating a new plan for the future. These last couple weeks, being reliant on “concrete” future plans or some sort or stability is something that has been a challenge to maintain, and I’m sure this feeling of uncertainty can be felt nationally. This pandemic was a major curveball and it is okay to be nostalgic and it is completely valid to dwell over what was taken from us, however, if there’s anything that I’ve grown to accept is that plans change and for many of us, the future is not an entitlement. In the meantime, perhaps instead of putting all of our focus on life pre-quarantine, we can make new plans, and refocus on what’s currently important in our lives, and what we should be giving our attention and effort to.
Memie
Life as we know it has changed drastically due to this pandemic. Being deemed an essential worker means taking a risk to provide goods and services to customers all over the world. For most essential workers, these last few months have been hectic. Waking up everyday and working 10 hour shifts not only take a toll on the body but also its mentally exhausting. Even Though social distancing is advised, most workers run the risk of contracting the virus because warehouse equipments are not fully sanitized. Everyday at 5am we get an alert of new cases found in the warehouse but we are however still expected to show up to work or risk a possible termination. Others tried to protest but that ended up on deaf ears. The compensation for all the hard work is a shirt with a note. Government needs to ask these companies to create a worker hazard package because most of the “essential” workers do not have the option of staying home because they are the sole providers for their families.
Deondre Williams
My quarantine has been the same everyday and every night. I wake up between 4pm-5pm, I do some homework, and my normal duties. After all of that I get on my game at 10:00pm and stay on the game until 7:00am. Seeing the same faces and dealing with the same routine hasn’t really bothered me yet since we have no other option but to deal with it. I wrote a poem a few days ago, out of boredom and I wanted to share it with you guys. “Don’t @ me”
I feel like an animal locked in a cage, hopeless and helpless for being brave.
I fought for my rights and I want my justice, authority always wins which makes me feel disgusted.
Brutally beaten all the time, since everything is considered a crime.
It’s not our fault we’re not to blame, this is all a part of the government’s game.
I feel like an animal locked in a cage, hopeless and helpless for being brave.
I fought for my rights and I want my justice, authority always wins which makes me feel disgusted.
Brutally beaten all the time, since everything is considered a crime.
It’s not our fault we’re not to blame, this is all a part of the government’s game.
NiaSimone Smith
|
|
|
As a way to capture my life in quarantine, I filmed a day in the life youtube video. check it out !!
Nayeli Moran
A big portion of my quarantine has been about mending with my family. Due to our busy schedules before the pandemic we had become disconnected. Coming into this idea of having to adjust to this “new normal” kinda had scared me . At the beginning it was overwhelming, weirdly enough making iced coffee has kept me sane, knowing that this was something I used to buy everyday before class.
Throughout my poem I've tried capturing my feelings of being overwhelmed while still trying to find ways to include what I’ve been doing during the quarantine to get me through it. This all included re-watching old cassette tapes and looking through photo albums. We’ve also been painting, singing, editing, taking photos. You could say we’ve been getting creative.
Nicholas D’Egidio
My Corona Experience
So I have started everyday of these past 8 weeks (or has it been 9?? I am losing track of time) by working out. I am trying to use this time to be a bit more proactive as opposed to being lazy. Since I have free time right now I am trying to use it for good to develop a more healthy routine and lifestyle. Honestly, in the beginning, working out was completely out of boredom but now its regularly apart of my day and it is one of the only things keeping me sane during this time.
I have been trying to avoid friends and family just for everybody’s safety, but it just gets difficult after a while. Not being able to get haircut is probably the thing that I miss most. Life is just different, but luckily I have my beautiful girlfriend to be quarantined with. We are constantly trying to try new things, for example the other day we drank Mimosas on my balcony- a “sunday brunch” type. Anything to keep my mind occupied. One other thing I would like to add, last week I hiked the Delaware Water Gap, it is a difficult hike- so be prepared, but it is something to get up to do and it is a lot of fun and there really are some amazing views.
So I have started everyday of these past 8 weeks (or has it been 9?? I am losing track of time) by working out. I am trying to use this time to be a bit more proactive as opposed to being lazy. Since I have free time right now I am trying to use it for good to develop a more healthy routine and lifestyle. Honestly, in the beginning, working out was completely out of boredom but now its regularly apart of my day and it is one of the only things keeping me sane during this time.
I have been trying to avoid friends and family just for everybody’s safety, but it just gets difficult after a while. Not being able to get haircut is probably the thing that I miss most. Life is just different, but luckily I have my beautiful girlfriend to be quarantined with. We are constantly trying to try new things, for example the other day we drank Mimosas on my balcony- a “sunday brunch” type. Anything to keep my mind occupied. One other thing I would like to add, last week I hiked the Delaware Water Gap, it is a difficult hike- so be prepared, but it is something to get up to do and it is a lot of fun and there really are some amazing views.
Layyy
This is what life has come to. For about 2 and a half months, healthcare workers couldn’t provide care without wearing PPE (personal protective equipment). In the beginning of the spread, I was not sure what to expect, especially being that this was going to be my first time able to comprehend everything happening around me. In regards to other historic events that have happened in my lifetime, such as 9/11 and the market crash in 2008, I wasn’t mature enough to understand what was actually happening during those times. In the beginning I tried to mentally prepare myself as much as possible, reminding myself that I won’t be able to see my extended family, friends, or significant other for a while now. There was one thing that was going to remain the same for me, since I work in a nursing home I am considered an essential worker and I was able to keep my job, which I was entirely grateful for knowing that most people are out of jobs. Being able to work during this pandemic has been a blessing but also mentally and physically challenging, especially when we were beginning to hit the apex. This was the first time I’ve ever experienced countless deaths at once. We lost 23 patients to Covid-19 over the course of 2 ½ weeks. Furthermore, we were understaffed on every floor because staff members were getting ill as well. Not to mention, my father had also caught the virus but he’s now fully recovered, thank God. This pandemic has taught me a few lessons; as much as a crisis scares people, it also brings people together. Not to mention that tomorrow is never promised or that anything can happen at any given time. On a better note, the worst is over and I couldn’t be happier, day by day the amount of infected people are decreasing so that goes to prove that social distancing is working. I’ve also tried to encourage the people around me to take care of their physical and mental health since both are at risk of becoming harmed. Yoga has kept me calm and relaxed, I highly recommend trying it! As we continue social distancing, it is imperative that we take care of ourselves and be kind to one another. There is no right way to feel at the moment and you never know what battles your peers are facing, so check on them! Also, I’ve been practicing faith and speaking positive things into existence even though I don’t see it happening, to ensure that better days are ahead.
Kai Xavier
Bored in the House (Acoustic Original by Kai Xavier)
Here is a little song I wrote about being in quarantine using TikTok as inspiration!
Here is a little song I wrote about being in quarantine using TikTok as inspiration!
Y. A.
When coming to the notion that we are to be in quarantine for an unknown period of time, especially after a few weeks, trying to be productive I thought is important to stay “mentally healthy”. Across a few blogs that I have read, one noted a really good point in how there are two myths to productivity, in that there is a certain way we should use this time and that we are now stuck at home, we have more time. However, that is not the reality of it. I believe that everyone already has their own things to do, whether that is being an essential worker, suffering from an illness or mental health, caring for loved ones, last but not least schooling their children. Not to mention, job losses, shortages of food/supplies and lack of social interaction. Despite the majority of us being home, we tend to have the thought that we have more time, when really we have less time to be doing the things we need to, because we are busy adapting and/or trying to manage to this new reality filled with the unexpected and unpredictable changes that are coming our way. I believe that everyone has their own way of being productive, there is no right way, whether that is sleeping all day or doing things all day. We each have our own way of dealing with things. Especially during such time, we should be forgiving ourselves. The images above are an insight to how I chose to manage such. Whether that is planting, trying new baking recipes and working on my art. Earlier this quarantine, I thought I finally had the time to do the things I like, however, after a month and more I almost see this as my coping method due to not being able to socialize with others, getting laid off my job, transitioning to a new learning method, last but not least acknowledging and planning future plans and/or goals knowing one day that this might happen and not make them realistic.
Ping
The effect of the epidemic brought more serious conditions here, even if someone else feels that it is normal flu that usually occurs in this period. Until we all accepted the notice, we had to stay home to protect ourselves. Therefore, we save time to move to other places, and it should be an easy way to manage our own time in studying or working schedules. In addition, I have more time to talk with my family. They were worried when they listened and heard a lot of terrible sounds from the news. They don’t want me to go outside at high frequency, even if I told them that I prepared enough living supplies.
In fact, I spend a lot of time at home, I may be warm up later than before, and I did everything for my course requirement in peacetime. Of course, I never did design subjects on weekends, because I want to have a short break. On some Fridays, I would go to the supermarket to buy fresh fruit or vegetables, which have a short time to store. If I don’t want to walk and feel more stress at home, I would walk around with a mask. Near my neighbors, there are many animals. Most neighbors feed dogs, so they must walk the dogs to make the pets have good psychological emotions like humans. Additionally, a few people pet cats, while more cats were living in this area without owners. I had pictures that I took for a walk in one weekend, they are never afraid of others taking pictures of themselves. From the “stay home” plan, I rarely see cats collect together when I go for a walk. In other words, did their behavior suffer from our impact? Like the government said: “the 6-inch of distance for our social safety distance?” That's such a funny phenomenon in nature.
In fact, I spend a lot of time at home, I may be warm up later than before, and I did everything for my course requirement in peacetime. Of course, I never did design subjects on weekends, because I want to have a short break. On some Fridays, I would go to the supermarket to buy fresh fruit or vegetables, which have a short time to store. If I don’t want to walk and feel more stress at home, I would walk around with a mask. Near my neighbors, there are many animals. Most neighbors feed dogs, so they must walk the dogs to make the pets have good psychological emotions like humans. Additionally, a few people pet cats, while more cats were living in this area without owners. I had pictures that I took for a walk in one weekend, they are never afraid of others taking pictures of themselves. From the “stay home” plan, I rarely see cats collect together when I go for a walk. In other words, did their behavior suffer from our impact? Like the government said: “the 6-inch of distance for our social safety distance?” That's such a funny phenomenon in nature.
During this period, my boy-friend mother occasionally calls me to get lunch with them, or send some food to me. Everytime, my attention also focuses on the pet that my boy-friend has fed for years. His pet name is “fish-ball”, which is“chinchilla”. Why am I called “fish-ball”? It looked like a balck-white shaggy ball, and I felt it's weight has never decreased. Hi, there are two pictures between the first time I see(left side), and last time I see (right side).
On weekends, I plan the games, which they belong to “Cultivation games”. One is more fun, it's called “Animal Crossing”. That's the new game I played, because friends told me it was so funny. The most important reason was social connection like our real life, it helped us to get on the own island with friends, or get new friends in their land.
Xing Jie Chen
(Life During Quarantine in New York)
I collected some of the pictures online about life during quarantine in New York that I felt deeply touched my heart and arranged the series of pictures into a sequence SlideShow movie. I want to use this way to encourage everyone to stay positive during the pandemic. We can deal with pandemic and we can get through it because we are New York Tough❤️
Tips for handling anxiety in the time of pandemic.
I collected some of the pictures online about life during quarantine in New York that I felt deeply touched my heart and arranged the series of pictures into a sequence SlideShow movie. I want to use this way to encourage everyone to stay positive during the pandemic. We can deal with pandemic and we can get through it because we are New York Tough❤️
Tips for handling anxiety in the time of pandemic.
- Eat well
- Get enough sleep
- Find things you enjoy
Miguel Navarro
Being under quarantine has been an odd experience; at first it was kind of pleasant, it became a nice break from normal routine. I had more time to spend with family and surround myself in home projects that needed to be done. I dug up a garden in the backyard to plant vegetables and be a little more self sustainable. I also learned new recipes to cook. Put the air fryer to good work by making chicken nuggets, onion rings, buffalo cauliflower; at one point I even made Chicken rolls with homemade bread dough. At first the break was great, but now it feels odd. In regards to school work I have been feeling like there is no pressure to get anything done. As the school term is coming to a close, there is a lot of stress and anxiety to get everything done. I did enjoy the first half of the quarantine, it gave me time to try things I would not regularly do.
Hopefully we can return back to school next semester. The quarantine has lasted too long in my opinion.
Hopefully we can return back to school next semester. The quarantine has lasted too long in my opinion.
Monique Mitchell
Reflecting over the past two more months of quarantine, it’s been a lot of trial and error with regular everyday activities. It sounds quite dramatic, but in order to function to your best ability, your mental health needs to be regulated. At first everything felt overwhelming, from making breakfast in the morning to even attempting to do what I love most, exercise. I can remember on several accounts having urges to get up and do assignments and tasks around the house that needed to get done, but there was no escaping the virus as it’s been engraved in my thoughts permanently. Although the first couple of weeks have been tough, I learned to make the best out of our current situation by becoming positive. I learned to think that quarantine has become a blessing in disguise for my life as I am receiving the time and opportunity to do things I always wished I had time for. I began teaching myself how to draw by practicing portrait pictures of my parents and brother who live with me. Along with drawing, I picked up on baking which has been difficult for me as I began baking as a vegan over a year ago; Baking as a vegan can be difficult trying to find the proper substitutes and takes a lot of time and effort. I ordered a book filled with vegan desserts and drinks to make and so far have made cream cheese pound cake, blondies (brownies), lemon cake, sweet potato glazed donuts and more. Learning new things made me feel good and not want to waste my time any longer sitting around letting time pass by. I have a list of skills I hope to learn and look forward to accomplishing them.
Kam...
Quarantine has been like how anyone else feels. It’s almost depressing seeing people in masks. Elderly and young people. For once, something in this world affects all people, rich or poor. The lines are only getting longer and longer. Places that people never really go to even have lines. Once this pandemic hit, my job no longer existed. My co-workers and I grew so close, we never had the chance to save each other’s numbers or plan something in the future. Most of my friend’s birthday’s fall in the summer. We can’t celebrate without being six feet apart and wearing masks.
One of my biggest realizations was that this pandemic is bigger than what I thought it could be. No one knows really how long it will last or it’s real origin. People can’t bury their loved ones or if they do, they’re all alone. People are getting anxious, wondering when their next check will come to put food in their house. I’m just ready for the pandemic to be over.
One of my biggest realizations was that this pandemic is bigger than what I thought it could be. No one knows really how long it will last or it’s real origin. People can’t bury their loved ones or if they do, they’re all alone. People are getting anxious, wondering when their next check will come to put food in their house. I’m just ready for the pandemic to be over.
Lamarana Diallo
This is the Answer!
May 13, 2020
May 13, 2020
TOP FIVE REASONS WHY
MORE TESTING IS THE ANSWER
IN THE FIGHT OF COVID-19
1. We can quickly identify cases
2. It easier to get treatment
3. We can determine who needs to be isolated
4. It Helps track who came into contact with the infected individual
5. Lastly, it lets us know how many are infected and which communities are the most affected.
MORE TESTING IS THE ANSWER
IN THE FIGHT OF COVID-19
1. We can quickly identify cases
2. It easier to get treatment
3. We can determine who needs to be isolated
4. It Helps track who came into contact with the infected individual
5. Lastly, it lets us know how many are infected and which communities are the most affected.
Oyinade Ademodi
Life during a global pandemic
For me the beginning of lockdown was very repetitive, i was stuck for a while on what to do and how to adapt into this new form of living, i guess i was used to always being on the go and active, waking up to go the gym around 6 before class at 10 , going out to my favorite calamari spot after class, meeting up with my friends for a chat or a drink some school nights, going to my job on weekends or going to execute another photography idea when i had the time, all these came to a halt early March. And for the longest time i didn't know what to do. Although you would think all these time available would be appreciated, even though i had all the time physically, mentally my mind was packed up with worries and everyday briefings of Coronavirus stats on Tv, the amount of death and people infected in a whole always made me very anxious and unable to focus on school work or even anything important. But as time went on and reality gradually set in place , i was able to start taking steps to adapt to these new way of living, started exercising at home to Chloe Ting’s workouts, very effective i should say, i might just stick to it even after gyms open up, started baking also which almost everyone i know delved into as a form of therapy. Music has always been a big part of me and that really helped me a lot when i felt overwhelmed. I also took this time to pause my constant taking pictures and learn more about my art, photography, go back and editing old pictures seemed to help me connect back to happier times and just improved my mood and gave me insight that although life may not get back to a “normal” it is important to live everyday with intention. With time things do get better and I hope we can all look back at this one day knowing we went through it gracefully. What this lockdown has taught me is to be kind to myself, don’t force productivity,let myself feel every emotion in order to work through it instead of bottling up, try to maintain healthy routines.
Here is a picture of one of the things I learned to bake :). Stay Safe.
Here is a picture of one of the things I learned to bake :). Stay Safe.
Banana bread.
Ariana Hernandez
Quarantine Dayz
The epidemic has changed everybody’s lives so drastically. In all honesty, at first I barely felt like my lifestyle changed at all. Sure, I stopped experiencing being in a bus for an hour and half but I still had to go to work and had to do plenty of assignments, which meant I had no time to work on my hobbies. I currently work in a Mexican deli but sell Mexican groceries as well, making me an essential worker. However, the transition did cause extreme stress as soon as things got bad in New York. Wearing a facemask for several hours while cleaning every few minutes is enough to give someone a headache.
The pandemic has caused a lot of problems but I’m still fortunate enough to manage it well. However, the pandemic has been hitting my social life pretty hard. I didn’t celebrate my 21st birthday because everything is closed and I can’t hang out with my friends like I used to. My health has been good though, I’m working out several times a week and I stopped eating certain meats because I can’t afford it anymore. Academically, it's been difficult to learn in class since the best way I learned was showing up in class. I can’t complain though, I’m truly lucky to have my loved ones remain safe and healthy at all times.
I’m fortunate enough to say that the worst thing to happen to me this semester was working on Cinco de Mayo. It was so bad for Mexican food places that the local newsite had to write how terrible it was for everybody. Lately, my quarantine experience feels like I'm an animal in a cage that can leave at any time. Even though you can leave whenever you want, you still feel trapped enough that you have to stay inside to remain safe.
The pandemic has caused a lot of problems but I’m still fortunate enough to manage it well. However, the pandemic has been hitting my social life pretty hard. I didn’t celebrate my 21st birthday because everything is closed and I can’t hang out with my friends like I used to. My health has been good though, I’m working out several times a week and I stopped eating certain meats because I can’t afford it anymore. Academically, it's been difficult to learn in class since the best way I learned was showing up in class. I can’t complain though, I’m truly lucky to have my loved ones remain safe and healthy at all times.
I’m fortunate enough to say that the worst thing to happen to me this semester was working on Cinco de Mayo. It was so bad for Mexican food places that the local newsite had to write how terrible it was for everybody. Lately, my quarantine experience feels like I'm an animal in a cage that can leave at any time. Even though you can leave whenever you want, you still feel trapped enough that you have to stay inside to remain safe.
My dog Coco getting comfy in his bedroom
Dee
Tiffany Clayton
Since this quarantine started life these days has done a whole 360. You are not allowed to be anywhere with more than 10 people. You must be stay 6 ft away from people although some people break this rule. You are not allowed into or around others without a mask. I already stayed home but being forced to stay home has gotten boring, I really want to go outside. You must wash your hands multiple times a day, also my preference in my family is to spray yourself down when you come in from outside. Depending if it is long you must shower without laying or touching anything in your house that can spread germs. I work at amazon now and you must always wear a mask. You will be denied on the bus and stores without one. At work we must stay 6 feet apart, first there were 16 stations per wall now there is only 8. People must use every other section to work at due to social distancing. You must use hand sanitizer; they give us new masks walking into work every day. We must use gloves at our station. Since we have not been able to go outside, I haven’t seen my family in 1 place since February. School has been closed since March and I kind of miss sitting in a class. Some professors became better online, while others needed to be in class learning because online became harder for a few.