The Macaulay building, or Macaulay central as it is colloquially referred to by students and faculty, stands on West 67th Street, just a block away from Central Park. The closest campus, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is only a 15-minute walk away. In contrast, the farthest campus, the College of Staten Island, is an hour and a half away, requiring transfers on both the bus and train. What, then, makes the commute worth it? Is it worth it?
Lately, Macaulay students don’t seem to think so. Throughout the Spring 2024 semester, the Reading Room and Commons areas of the building were noticeably sparse, and attendance at the weekly Student Lounge Volunteer (SLV) events was minimal.
Macaulay offers a wide array of clubs, ranging from Macaulay Business Club to Macaulay Art Tank, that students can join to meet their professional and social needs. On a typical day at Macaulay, you may find a few students studying and completing assignments in the Reading room, sipping on coffee or tea that the SLVs have put out. In the Lecture Hall, groups such as the Macaulay Diversity Initiative or Peace Action discuss identity and current events. Downstairs in the Commons, SLVs host video game nights, board game nights, arts & crafts, and movie nights, depending on the day of the week. In the Cabaret, you can hear Theater Club or the Musicians’ Collective practicing their newest number.
While plenty of events are hosted at Macaulay central, few students are showing up. This drop in attendance could be attributed to a lack of effective advertising. Macaulay has notably utilized the Club Macaulay app to advertise events and opportunities for students. However, this resource is left untouched by many students, with some not quite understanding its purpose.
John Jay student Josie Valerius (‘27), who frequents the building at least once a week during the school year, noted that she “was never really told what Club Macaulay was.”Another student in Valerius’s cohort explained that she never uses the app, claiming “it’s useless.”
However, Macaulay club e-boards learn how to use the app to advertise their events. Baruch student Michelle Cheng (‘27), an SLV and Peer Mentor/Orientation leader, says she utilizes the app “to register for events or create posts.” Similarly, Queens College student Fiona Chang (‘27), the social media/communications coordinator for the Macaulay Pre-Law club and the Macaulay Asian-American Pacific Islander Student Society (MAPSS) event coordinator, says she “uses Club Macaulay often to look for events to go to.”
In contrast, those never introduced to the app steer away from it, missing out on countless community-building opportunities. One way to increase student awareness and use of Club Macaulay would be demonstrating the app at first-year orientation.
Another strategy could be an aggressive social media campaign focused on recruiting upperclassmen who might not have encountered the app. As Cheng explained, “To foster more involvement on campus, I think Macaulay should continue to utilize their social media platforms more by creating and posting content. This is a great way to share upcoming events and opportunities that students can participate in. There are various creative ways to go about content creation, which can attract more students to want to join specific clubs or programs on campus.”
A Baruch student who serves as an SLV and Peer Mentor at Macaulay suggested increasing engagement by “making one event required for each year to attend at the Macaulay building itself.”
Cheng noted a difference in student attendance depending on the size of the event, with CUNY-wide annual events yielding higher attendance than the smaller weekly ones, saying that she “love[s] that Macaulay holds many big events throughout the year that help bring the community together. These events include Finals Wellness and the Halloween Party. I find that these events tend to have the most involvement in the building.”
Another possible reason Macaulay students might not be engaging in student life is their focus on academics.
Cheng mentioned the career-oriented opportunities hosted at the building as well, such as “professional workshops that we can attend to better enhance our skills and gain more experience in our specific fields.”
While some students eagerly take advantage of these professional workshops, others feel more wary about Macaulay’s focus on academics and careers. A Scholars Council representative from John Jay stated that Macaulay should “encourage more students to let go of the Macaulay label and just be themselves without talking so much about academics, career, school, etc. and talk about their life outside campus.”
As a highly selective honors college, Macaulay is home to academically motivated students who stress over their grades and tend to be very career-oriented. Macaulay can be a great place for these students to further their professional development and career goals. At the same time, Macaulay fosters a supportive environment, offering free therapy to students through the Wellness Center and hosting events such as Finals Wellness that focus on student well-being.
Macaulay clubs can also serve as an outlet for students to take a break from academic pressure, with an interviewee mentioning the “freedom” and “lack of pressure” in Macaulay clubs compared to the competitive club and academic environment at Baruch. Furthermore, Valerius praised Macaulay’s small size, stating that she “like[s] the fact that things are so small. It gives it more of a family feel.”
It’s clear that while students have mixed feelings about what exact events they want Macaulay to offer, they all seek a welcoming, supportive community. Student life provides opportunities for students to engage and collaborate with peers from other campuses in fulfilling and fun events in which they otherwise would not get the opportunity to participate. With better advertisement and increased student awareness, Macaulay’s eight CUNY cohorts can come together and engage in an active and rewarding student life.
