{"id":31907,"date":"2024-10-11T20:14:45","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T00:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/?p=31907"},"modified":"2025-12-10T22:13:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T03:13:21","slug":"first-in-a-series-of-articles-about-students-dealing-with-pressing-issues-in-the-start-of-the-2024-fall-semester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/first-in-a-series-of-articles-about-students-dealing-with-pressing-issues-in-the-start-of-the-2024-fall-semester\/","title":{"rendered":"First in a Series<\/strong><\/span><\/small>
What Say Some Hunter Students at the Start of the Fall Semester About Issues They Are Facing in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Top Issues in Student Affairs in 2024 \u2013 Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA).<\/a> What senior leaders in student affairs across the higher ed landscape view as most important to their institutions in 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Hunter Student Body Characteristics: 72.6 percent of undergraduates are minorities. Thirty-three percent are immigrants; 34.2 percent are transfers. 51.7 percent <\/strong>are alumni who live in the city. The Five Borough Breakdown for Undergraduates: 9.9 percent live in the Bronx; 23.3 percent live in Brooklyn, 10.6 percent live in Manhattan, 23.5 percent live in Queens and 3.5 percent live in Staten Island.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Three students \u2013 Walter Weis, 69; Hengyu Cao, 19; Tony Ayala, 23 \u2013 were interviewed by this reporter about what they considered the most pressing issues in their lives at the start of the fall semester.<\/p>\n

Walter Weis, 69, is majoring in media studies with a focus in journalism. He said he was concerned about healthcare in America. He\u2019s a junior who lives in Queens. The interview took place in an hallway on the fifth floor in the North Building. \u201cHealthcare is awful. We need universal healthcare in this country,\u201d said Weis, wearing a green shirt and blue jeans. \u201cThere\u2019s too many sicknesses and chronic diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Hunter has its share of campus protests. Archive Picture.<\/p><\/div>\n

Weis also spoke about how the U.S. government could help with this issue. \u201cThere\u2019s two ways. They should extend Medicaid to 60 year olds instead of 65 year olds. Secondly, under the Affordable Care Act, you can\u2019t get Medicaid up to 138 percent of income. It must be increased to 200 percent above the poverty line for more people to be eligible for Medicaid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHealthcare has affected me by keeping me healthy,\u201d Weis said. \u201cI can go to the doctor and get things fixed. It\u2019s very fortunate for people between the ages of 40 and 50 to have a doctor.\u201d \u201cThe first time I got a checkup I was at 26 years old. The doctor said my cholesterol was 235. I just modified my diet and now my cholesterol is 180 with no medication.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said Weis, \u201cPeople who don\u2019t see a doctor do not have the luxury of information regarding their health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"

Picture by Assistant WORD Editor, Lamont Jackson.<\/p><\/div>\n

Hengyu Cao, 19, picture right, a major in chemistry and a sophomore who lives in Queens, spoke about the war in Gaza. \u201cI don\u2019t have much of an opinion,\u201d he said, responding to questions about political issues he was concerned about. \u201cPalestine is very bad for the people.\u201d Cao was alluding to the mass murdering of innocent Palestinians by the Israel Defense Forces. \u201cOne of the fastest ways is to stop the war that is happening,\u201d said Cao. “You have to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

This interview took place in the North Building, on the fourth floor in the lobby. Cao wore a black hoodie and black sweats.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael should stop bombing,\u201d Cao said. \u201cInnocent people are being endangered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI support the anti-Israeli government protests,\u201d Cao said. \u201cWe live in an age where people don\u2019t want World War III. Students are doing something about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Picture by Sandra Cambrelen<\/p><\/div>\n

Tony Ayala, 23, a senior and media studies major with a focus in journalism, lives in Great Neck, Long Island. His interview took place in Room 470D of the North Building where he wore a green shirt and white shorts. \u201cI\u2019ve never been interested in politics. I\u2019m only interested in sports,\u201d Ayala said. In high school he played soccer in a league in Astoria, Queens.<\/p>\n

He was asked if health was an issue in sports. \u201cYes! I watch baseball and mixed martial arts,\u201d he said. \u201cWatching your favorite athlete get injured impacts the team. There\u2019s also a loss of pay if you\u2019re injured. It\u2019s very significant. Injuries are not being taken care of properly in sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere should be more emphasis on protecting athletes,\u201d Ayala said. \u201cIf a player went out with an injury, he couldn\u2019t be subbed back in. There must be an emphasis on preventing injuries from happening. It\u2019s physically and mentally demanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assistant WORD Editor LaMont Jackson can be reached at LAMONT.JACKSON20@myhunter.cuny.edu<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHealthcare is awful. We need universal healthcare in this country,\u201d said Walter Weis, 69, majoring in media studies with a focus in journalism. \u201cThere\u2019s too many sicknesses and chronic diseases.\u201d Other interviews are in the works. \u2013 Article 1 by LaMont Jackson, Assistant Editor<\/p>\n

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