Formal Institutions in Flushing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This study on the formal institutions of Flushing will focus mainly on institutions located in the Flushing commercial area which is centered around the Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue intersection. It is bound by College Point Boulevard, Northern Boulevard, Union Street, and Maple Avenue.

By comparing both the large and small institutions within each category, we learned that the Flushing downtown area does not service just those living in Flushing, but also services people coming from the surrounding Queens neighborhoods, the other boroughs, and even Long Island and New Jersey.

In general, the larger institutions reflected the overall demographics of the entire Flushing neighborhood, providing resources and services that can be used by a wide variety of people. The smaller institutions within Flushing were more ethnic-based, servicing a narrower scope of people, and reflected more the demographics of the Flushing downtown commercial area, specifically.

Research done by Grace Ko and Josel Ruiz

==Data and Methods==

Information, history, and demographics of each institution were researched through a compilation of interviews, internet research, physical visits, and personal observations.

For Flushing High School, we were able to interview several students. At Elite Academy, we were able to interview the head administrator.

For Flushing Library, we were able to interview many users from a variety of ethnicities, ages, and backgrounds

For Flushing Hospital Medical Center, we were able to interview a nurse who has been working in the institution for 32 years. We were also able to interview receptionists at both LNW Medical Office and URi Medical Clinic.

For the Flushing YMCA, we were able to interview the associate director of the New Americans Program. We were also able to interview the president and an office worker at the Taiwan Center.

For the Chinese Martial Arts Promotion Center, we were able to speak with the master and some of his students, and we were also able to observe a class. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain an interview with the executive director of Flushing Town Hall.

Those who were interviewed preferred for no photos to be taken and for their names not to be used.

 

==Schools==

===Flushing High School===

Located on Union Street and Northern Boulevard, Flushing High School ((Flushing High School. Web. May 2011. <http://www.flushinghighschool.org/>.)) is a beautiful, antique Gothic styled building which unfortunately, suffers from severe overcrowding. Like many New York City Public High Schools, overcrowding isn’t a new thing. Due to lack of educational budgets, more and more neighborhoods are being zoned to a single high school. Hence, in many local high schools, it becomes common to see what one would not expect to see.

Because this high school is located in the midst of a bustling Asiatown, we expected we expected floods of Asians to come out after school ended but what we saw were not Asians but Hispanics and Blacks. According to “Inside Schools”, Flushing High School is composed of 55% Hispanics, 22% Blacks, 19% Asians and a merely 4% Whites. Moreover, the graduation rate peaks at 51% and only 32% of the freshman class reads on level. ((Zingmond, Lauren. “H.S. 460 Flushing High School.” A Project of Center for New York City Affairs. Inside Schools, Nov. 2008. Web. May 2011. <http://insideschools.org/index12.php?fs=1070>.)) Moreover, for the 2009-2010 school year, Flushing High School received an overall grade of C. ((“Progress Report Overview 2009-2010.” Flushing High School. New York City Department of Education. Web. May 2011. <http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/25/Q460/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm>.))

How do we explain these statistics?

Normally, one would expect a neighborhood filled with Asians to have a better functioning high school. Interestingly, we found that most of the attending students did not come from Flushing itself but from surround neighborhoods such as Jamaica, Jackson Heights, and Corona. One student we interviewed came from Bronx. Most of these students chose Flushing High School because of its convenience with public transportation. Some said that Flushing High School and Flushing was safer to go to school in than the local schools in their own neighborhoods. Others said that Flushing High School turned out to be the closest local high school because other public high schools in their vicinity had closed down due to budgetary cuts. Moreover, most of the Asians in Flushing would either attend a specialized high school such as Stuyvesant High School or Bronx High School of Science or other equally competitive high schools such as Townshend Harris High School, which is located closer than the earlier two. As a result, in Flushing High School, Asians only occupied 19% of the school’s population and most of these Asians would be recent immigrants who could not apply to academically higher ranked schools. Also, the rest of the school’s population turned out to be mostly recent immigrants who knew very little English.

Notably, administration in Flushing High School has been taking steps forward into improving the quality of the education that they provide. One thing Flushing High School requires is that all freshman are mandated to double periods of English every day in order to improve English as their second language. As immigration continues, one can only hope that this school improves further.

 

 

===Elite Academy===

With most of the students living in Flushing attending specialized high schools or other preparatory high schools, it is natural for “cram” schools or “prep” schools to develop. These businesses offer extra academic help or exam preparatory help for students after school or on weekends. These type of “academies” are quite common in the Asian cultures as a method for students to get ahead of other students. Hence, in the heart of Flushing, there is Elite Academy whose motto is, “Where the Smart get Smarter.” ((“Elite Academy.” Elite Academy. Elite Academy. Web. May 2011. <http://www.eliteacademy.com/>.))

Established in 1986, Elite Academy is committed to strengthening and enhancing students’ academic capabilities by providing programs to supplement the education students receive in school. These programs include preparatory classes for SAT, SAT subject tests, entrance exams for specialized high schools, and other types of standardized tests as well as courses in math, reading, writing, and science. ((“Curriculum.” Elite Academy. Elite Academy, n.d. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://www.eliteacademy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=2>.))

Students Taking A Scholarship Test

Students in Class

Elite Academy services about 300 – 600 students per year. ((“About Elite Academy.” Elite Academy. Elite Academy, n.d. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://www.eliteacademy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=34>.)) In its beginning, all students were either Korean or Chinese. News of the Elite Academy traveled through and remained in the Korean and Chinese  social networks of Flushing by informal suggestions. Over the years, the student population diversified due to the progression of technology and the internet, allowing information of the institution to reach people outside these informal Flushing networks through various media. Today, students are predominantly Asian: Korean, Chinese, South Asian (e.g. Indian and Bangladeshi), and some Southeast Asian. However, in recent years, non-Asians, especially Caucasians, are attending in more significant amounts. Although Elite Academy is mostly Asian, some classes now have a majority of non-Asian students. African Americans also participate in Elite Academy, however, in small percentages.

Elite Academy's Administrator

Elite Academy's Office

Students hail mostly from the New York City area. Historically, most students come from Queens, however, more and more recently are commuting from Manhattan. Some students come from Long Island and very few travel from New Jersey and Connecticut. These students range from ages 4 to 18, however, most stop attending Elite Academy after junior high school upon finishing taking the specialized high school entrance exams. Although every cram school varies on price, most cram schools charge between $2500 to $3500 for each semester. Because sending children to these academic institutions is not cheap, most of these students come from families ranging from middle to upper class, including those of the professional-working class.

 

==Libraries==

===Flushing Library===

Contrary to Flushing High School and Elite Academy, Flushing Library is an institution that serves hundreds of people every day from hundreds of different ethnic backgrounds. Located on Main Street, Flushing Library is a four-floored institution covered in glass panels. ((“Flushing Library.” Queens Library. Queens Library. Web. May 2011. <http://www.queenslibrary.org/index.aspx?page_id=44&branch_id=F>.)) It is modern in architecture but historical in the books that it contains.

 

The basement has an Adult Language Learning Center with books for grammar and vocabulary. There is also, an auditorium that holds events and sometimes concerts for all library users.

The first floor has the check out and returns station with five or six librarians moving the lines at a fast pace. There are information centers on every floor with librarians staffed to help people find books or learn more about the programs offered in the library.  The first floor also has a children’s center filled with children’s books and of course, children.

The second floor has an Electronic Resources Section with CD’s and DVD’s available for borrowing.

 

There is also a Teen Center, which is quite loud compared to the rest of the library and is filled with teenagers playing various board and video games and reading books or doing homework.

The third floor has an International Resource Center with books, magazines, CD’s, and DVD’s in many different languages such as Bengali, Chinese, French, Gujarati, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu. ((“Flushing Library.” Queens Library. Queens Library. Web. May 2011. <http://www.queenslibrary.org/index.aspx?page_id=44&branch_id=F>.))  Window on Korea

There is also a small section dedicated to Korean books and another larger section dedicated to Chinese books.  Korean Books Chinese Books

Each floor has a computer lab allowing many library users to use the Internet for their own needs.   Cyber Center

Interestingly, this library had tables with individual electric outputs so that people could bring their own laptops for use or charge their phones. It was a unanimous agreement between all those who were interviewed that Flushing Library was one of the best-resourced and aesthetically pleasing libraries in New York City.

As a result, many of the people we interviewed were not from Flushing but rather from neighborhoods close by such as Bayside, Fresh Meadows, and Jackson Heights. When asked why Flushing Library over other neighborhood libraries, many said because Flushing Library was large and could occupy many people, also because it was convenient regarding public transportation.

Many of the young teenagers we interviewed used the library to borrow books, socialize with friends, and meet new friends. The library acted as a safe after school location for children to meet people and learn new things in.

 

In one of the interviews with an Asian student who attends Queens College, she said that she had been coming to this library for more than five years and used the library as a place to study. In another interview with a male Asian college student attending Queens Community College, he said that he was from Atlanta, Georgia and compared to the libraries there, this library was by far most impressive with the construction and the resources they provided. His friend, a female Hawaiian college student attending Nassau Community College said that she had volunteered in Flushing Library previously and she felt that this library came second to Manhattan’s Public library in accessibility and preference. She said that although there are many Asians that come here, there is still diversity because people come from all over the area.

This turned out to be true in an interview with a 59-year old Chinese-Dominican Republic male from the Bronx. He had been living in New York City since the 1960’s and chose Flushing Library because the Q44 took him straight home. He said that he has attended some of the events the library holds but mostly comes here to use the Internet, do research, and borrow DVD’s.

In an interview with a white grandmother who has resided in Flushing for more than 20 years, she said that this library has improved immensely. She said that the library used to be old and rundown and offered very few programs that promoted culture and diversity. However, now, the library is more user-friendly with special events promoting different cultures. She also said that her grandchildren enjoy the children’s center where they can read books and play with other children. However, she felt that many parents misunderstood this center and used it as a day care center because parents would just leave their children unattended. She felt that it was unfair for the librarians to take on the roles of babysitters.

Despite that, she said that this library offered a lot of technology with computers and the electronic resource center. She also said the librarians are excellent staff and do all that they can to help everyone. Regarding demographics of the library, she said that 20 years ago, the neighborhood consisted of more white Jewish and Italians however, after 9/11, there were more Asians moving into Flushing. One of the reasons for that, she said, could be because after 9/11, Asians wanted to be in a safer location than downtown Chinatown. She said that because of the increased usage of public institutions, the neighborhood itself seems to have become safer.

While many of those interviewed expressed gratitude towards the library and its resources, one Muslim retired ESL teacher was very dissatisfied with the library and the neighborhood. She had lived in Flushing for more than 20 years and has seen many changes. She said the library, because of the major Asian population, caters mostly to the Chinese with its events and resources such as the Chinese section on the third floor. She also, said that after 9/11, because she dressed Muslim, she felt targeted by everyone in the library. She would see anti-Muslim books displayed on the lobby and she felt personally offended. She said although she uses the library quite often, she still doesn’t feel as comfortable as before 9/11. She said that demographically speaking, there used to be mainly white people 20 years ago, now, there are more Chinese people. She said that the Chinese are more involved with politics than other Asians, and hence, the Chinese strive for policies that favor their race. She hopes that the library will become more user-friendly to all races and a more comfortable place to relax in.

Overall, the Flushing Library was a great place for children to interact, for students to study, for adults to find some quiet time, and for everyone to find a place for themselves.

 

==Hospitals/Health Centers==

===Flushing Hospital Medical Center===

Flushing Hospital Medical Center, established more than a century ago, was the first hospital in Queens. This complex today is a 293-bed voluntary, not-for-profit teaching hospital. Flushing Hospital has an outstanding reputation in servicing people in the most culturally diverse borough of the city ((http://flushinghospital.org/generalInformation/history.html))

Most patients come from the local Flushing area. The second greatest population of patients come from the surrounding Queens neighborhoods, which include Jackson Heights, Corona, Astoria, and Long Island City. A smaller number of people come from Bayside, College Point, Whitestone, Forest Hills, and Kew Gardens.

Overall, patients are from a mix of socioeconomic backgrounds, mainly from the working class up to the middle class. They also provide services to the undocumented population who are usually uninsured by trying to provide financial aid programs and emergency Medicaid.

The most prominent ethnicities of the patients include Hispanics, Latinos, and Mexicans. The next largest ethnic group is Asian, more notably the Chinese, Korean, and South Asian (e.g. Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi). Whites and African Americans also attend the institution in significant numbers.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center has also recently opened up a satellite institution in the Flushing Downtown area, TJH Medical Center, which was established to cater more to the needs of the growing, diverse, Asian population in Flushing.

===LNW Medical Office, PLLC===

Located on Northern Boulevard, this medical clinic specializes in internal medicine, family medicine, cardiology, nephrology, and women’s health.

The health clinic works mainly with senior citizens and has close ties with the senior citizen institutions in the vicinity. Patients, often from the working and lower middle classes, are mostly from the Flushing neighborhood and some even travel from Long Island.

The patients are almost entirely Asian with few white. About 90% of the Asian patients are Chinese. Other Asian ethnicities include Korean and Filipino. The clinic has noticed a trend in a growing number of Korean patients entering the institution since 2007.

Because of the great number of Chinese, the language most spoken in this facility is Mandarin, followed by Cantonese and then Korean. Most of the doctors and staff are first generation Chinese and Koreans and that can speak at least one of these languages

===URi Medical Clinic===

This decade-old health clinic offers services in internal medicine, psychiatry, dentistry, podiatry, urology, opthalmology, chiropractics, physical therapy, oriental medicine, and various tests and exams.

URi Medical Clinic mostly works with senior citizens. Patients come form all types of income levels and are mostly Korean and Chinese. Early in its history, the clinic had mostly Korean patients. Over the years, more and more Chinese gradually entered the institution.

Because it is a slightly larger institution that LNW, URi is able to receive patients from all five boroughs. However, most of their patients usually are from the Flushing area and the surrounding Queens neighborhoods.

URi Medical doctors come from all ethnicities. Typically, they are 2nd generation English-speaking Chinese and Korean. The clinic hires translators in order for the doctors to understand their patients who often don’t speak English.

==Community-Outreach Centers==

===Flushing YMCA===

The Flushing YMCA strives to provide free or affordable community service, information, and resources that help families. These families are usually from the lower middle class, since a fee must be paid to join. In such families, parents, because they work, don’t always have the time and resources to send their children to private institutions for physical, educational, and social enhancement. The Flushing YMCA mainly services those from the Flushing and Bayside neighborhoods. Like most YMCAs, this branch provides a gym, swim classes, free family events (e.g. Halloween), childcare, and other services aimed to benefit all members of the family. This particular branch is also networked with 3 local elementary schools and a number of nearby middle schools to provide after school programs for their students.

The most unique feature of this particular YMCA is its New Americans Welcome Center. We interviewed the program director of the New Americans program at Flushing YMCA to learn more. The goal of this program, specifically designed for recent immigrants, is to provide free services and resources that they need to live in the U.S. and serve as a “stepping stone” for recent immigrants to assimilate. The main focus of this program is on classes, but it also provides referral services for healthcare, job placement, and food stamps. Flushing YMCA serves about 600 students per year. Most of these students are new immigrants, ranging from ages 16 to 70, and are usually of low economic standards.

Users of this branch of the YMCA speak many languages aside from English, most prominently Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. Most members are Chinese, Korean, and Hispanic and another significant group are the South Asians, which encompasses Indians, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi.

===Taiwan Center===

The Taiwan Center is currently celebrating its 25^th year. The Taiwan Center provides language classes in Taiwanese, English, Chinese, Japanese, Hokki, and sign language. They also have yoga classes, computer classes, ping-pong club, and karaoke, and also give a variety of educational presentations to its members. In addition, the Taiwan Center provides space that can be used for dances, meetings, and weddings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very little English is used in this institution. Chinese is mainly used throughout the facility. Therefore, all the members are either Taiwanese or Chinese. About 80% of the members are from Flushing and the remaining 20% are from Manhattan and Long Island.

The first thing one notices upon entering the institution are the many senior citizens. The majority of the members are senior

citizens, and the Taiwan Center often combines its programs with a local senior center. Some teenagers do attend the institution, mainly to play ping-pong, and in the past, the center used to have street dance classes for youths as well as a student club. According to the interviews, there used to be more young members in the Taiwan Center.

The overall atmosphere of this institutions is very welcoming and friendly. It is a place for leisure and catching up with friends, most importantly amongst senior citizens.

==Cultural Centers==

===Chinese Martial Arts Promotion Center===

Established in 2007 by Master Shaolong Qin, the Chinese Martial Arts Promotion Center seeks to share the technique, culture, and spirit of Chinese martial arts to people of all ages and ethnicities. This center provides over 5,000 square feet of classroom space dedicated to training and classes focusing on wushu, taichi, and kickboxing. ((“Home.” Chinese Martial Arts Promotion Center. USA Chinese Martial Arts, n.d. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://usachinesemartialarts.com/index.html>.))

Most of the students at this institution are second generation. In general, they joined the center out of interest and curiosity as an after-school activity. Although the center services many ethnicities, most students are Asian, particularly Chinese. Some of the students only understood English. Although the master mostly spoke Cantonese, there wasn’t so much a communication barrier between the students and the master. The atmosphere of the studio and the class was very relaxed, friendly, and welcoming. In one class of about 15 students, there was a range of levels, and the ages ranged from toddler to adult. Despite the varying levels and ages, the students were able to interact comfortably with one another.

 

===Flushing Town Hall===

Flushing Town Hall is a historical NYC landmark built in 1864. Before it came under the care of the Flushing Council of Arts in 1990, the building fulfilled numerous functions, serving as a site of Union soldiers during the Civil War, a jail, a bank, a grand ballroom, a courthouse, and a place for public offices, and much more until it fell into ruins. The Council then sought to renovate the place. Through extensive construction, funding, and efforts, the building was fully restored and by 2004, it was acknowledged by and became affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution. Today, it is home to the Flushing Council of Arts. ((http://www.flushingtownhall.org/about/profile-history.php))

Today, Flushing Town Hall is a major cultural institution bringing the arts closer to the people of Queens and even people from the other four boroughs. One of the primary goals of the Council is to promote the arts through education. They provide programs and workshops for all people: young and old, novice and expert. Such programs include school performances, summer programs in both the fine arts and the performing arts, and professional development for artists and educators seeking to enhance their technique and experience. ((http://www.flushingtownhall.org/education/index.php))