One of our assignments this semester was a memo. The memo created by me is directed to City College Of New York President and the Chair of the Mathematics Department. The issue prompting this memo is a frequent occurrence in which the college cancels or drops a specific class very close to the start date of the semester, leaving the students who were registered for that class to figure out the situation on their own. My memo is suggesting collaboration between students and the college to figure out a system that works for all involved.

The memo here is the final version, with changes made to it to reflect the comments from my professor.

My memo is below:

TO: Dr. Vincent Boudreau; President of City College of New York 

       Thia Pignataro; Chair of Mathematics Department 

FROM: Domenico Gioffre, Transfer Mechanical Engineering Major 

DATE: February 15, 2021 

SUBJECT: Scheduling and Late Cancellation of Requisite Math Courses 

To Whom It May Concern 

Many Groove students believe that there is an issue regarding requisite math courses and their scheduling. There are many mathematics courses that are requisites for many students in the City College of New York who are planning applying to Groove. Unfortunately many students are left in the dark with regards to sections being canceled just before the semester begins, then they are left to manipulate their schedule to fit another math section, if one is even still available by then.  

This has happened to me personally during my first semester at CCNY, Fall of 2020. I registered in advance for a Calculus II course only to have it canceled the week before the semester began. I emailed the math department about this, and they told me to change into another section still on the Fall schedule. I followed suit and asked for confirmation that the section I had registered for was not going to be canceled. I received no response. I only received a confirmation when I sent an email this time adding the department chair to the conversation I was already having with representative. 

Situations like this occur every semester. I also believe it is in the interest of CCNY to resolve this situation. Students are becoming intolerant to occurrences such as this. Simply tolerating these issues makes less sense in the world of increasing tuitions for conventional colleges and increasingly affordable online educations. This is especially true post COVID, where many more courses may remain online. In the best interest of the future of CCNY, and its students, changes must be made. 

Making modifications to one’s schedule is not easy. Many students work jobs and create a CCNY schedule in coordination with a work schedule. Modifying a college schedule is already difficult but modifying a work schedule is borderline impossible. The situation becomes more perilous when you recall that many students have financial aid that is dependent on fulfilling certain requirements, some of which involve taking certain classes.  

I believe a coalition effort between students and some of the executive staff can successfully terminate these issues. Possible solutions include but are not limited to; a limit to how close to the semesters start that specific section can be canceled, or an early warning system if a section is being considered for termination. If a section is being considered for cancellation, then a simple email sent out to the students in it would suffice. This works for both the students, and the college, as it absolves CCNY of any responsibility. A deadline for canceling sections that leaves students ample time before the semester start is a great compromise that can only benefit all involved.  

I would love to help resolve this issue, so please feel free to contact me via phone at 347-223-5938 or email at dgioffr000@citymail.cuny.edu to discuss these issues in further detail.  

I appreciate your time and attention. 

Best regards, 

Domenico Gioffre