Digital Commons Network^™

From Ballooning Rents To Skyrocketing Student Debt: College Educated Millennials’ Expenses Are Keeping Them From Saving Money, William Johnson

Capstones

My capstone is a study of recent graduates' inability to save money.

Closing Up Shop, Rachel Green

Capstones

The pandemic has wreaked havoc across the world. One of the hardest hit types of business was restaurants. New York City is a hub for restaurants and bars. Many restaurateurs and bar owners have been struggling to survive throughout the year. This capstone will look at specific examples of struggling business owners and see what happened when COVID-19 hit the city. https://capstone-rachel-green.webflow.io/

A Learning Nightmare For An Immigrant Family, Arlyn J. Sorto

Capstones

Just two years after settling in Texas, a Honduran mother and her two kids must grapple with the hardships of remote learning due to limited access to the internet and a language barrier during a global pandemic.

As Pandemic Endures, Impact On Households Is Here To Stay, Amanda J. Glodowski

Capstones

Covid-19 has uniquely and disproportionately impacted women. Nearly 60% of those who have lost their jobs are women. Women who stayed working had a higher likelihood of serving on the frontline during the height of the pandemic as essential workers. With most schools not fully back in-person, homeschooling responsibilities have increased and endured longer than expected. These tensions ripple through families. Fathers are finding themselves with front-row seats to the mounting pressure working mothers face, causing household dynamics to shift. As the intricacies of households come to light, fathers are willing to renegotiate their roles with their partners as well …

A Pandemic Revolution For Workout Devotees, Their Instructors, And The Gyms They Used To Frequent, Erika Wheless

Capstones

It used to be that going to the gym was the epitome of health - taking time out of your day to stretch, run, and crunch away stress. But the coronavirus has made this a selfish, even narcissistic, act. It has forced consumers to bring the gym into their living rooms. Now that many Americans have adapted to workouts without the gym, yoga studio, or spin class, it’s hard to imagine that we will return to our previous gym routines. The coronavirus won’t be the death of gyms, but it has permanently changed the industry.

Link: https://eawheless.medium.com/a-pandemic-revolution-for-workout-devotees-their-instructors-and-the-gyms-they-used-to-frequent-2ad4bdecd74f

Early Prison Releases And Hotel Placements Produce Unexpected Outcomes During The Pandemic, Buzz Von Ornsteiner

Capstones

The transition from prison to the harsh realities of New York City is seldom easy. Finding employment and housing is always a huge challenge but in 2020 COVID-19 has shadowed the incarcerated. As returning New Yorkers, their stories are unique. Ironically, the added obstacles they face have also brought them benefits in the form of the housing they need to survive during a deadly pandemic.

Early Prison Releases And Hotel Placements Produce Unexpected Outcomes During The Pandemic, Buzz Von Ornsteiner

Capstones

The transition from prison to the harsh realities of New York City is seldom easy. Finding employment and housing is always a huge challenge but in 2020 COVID-19 has shadowed the incarcerated. As returning New Yorkers, their stories are unique. Ironically, the added obstacles they face have also brought them benefits in the form of the housing they need to survive during a deadly pandemic.

‘The Struggle Is Real’: Nyc’S Black-Owned Businesses Face Grim 2021 Outlook, Dalvin Brown

Capstones

Black restaurant owners are among the hardest hit by the pandemic in NYC. They are twice as likely not to survive the outbreak, and that is primarily due to institutional racism that was present well before the coronavirus hit the U.S.

Black restauranters benefited less from government programs, have had a harder time accessing funding and say they are left out of many mentorship opportunities. Meanwhile, their patrons face economic uncertainty and are curbing discretionary spending.

Many haven’t been able to pay rent and face commercial eviction. Others say the doors are still open thanks to a flood of support …

Fed Up, Desperate And Daring Enough To Unionize, Suzannah C. Cavanaugh

Capstones

This is a long-form story that outlines the hazards of restaurant work that predated the pandemic, among them wage theft, racism and sexual harassment. The story focuses on three restaurant workers pushed to unionize after Covid-19 worsened working conditions by cutting take-home pay and creating new safety hazards for employees. Legislation and employer resistance are stacked against them, but for many workers organization is the only solution.

Link to Capstone: http://fedup.tilda.ws/

Jornada, Mary Conlon

Capstones

Jornada, which means "day" or "journey" in Spanish, is a short documentary following a day in the life of volunteers at a food pantry during the pandemic. La Jornada is the largest food pantry in Flushing, Queens, providing food for 10,000 families across the borough each week. Angélica is one of 400 volunteers who keep the organization running, and our protagonist in the film. Through her eyes and others, we see the cost of what it takes to provide for the community during this time of need, in what was the epicenter of the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. …