CPL Creates Collaborative Community Guidelines

On Friday, September 13, 2024, the CUNY Peer Leaders met over Zoom for their second meetup of the 2024-2025 academic year. We began with some announcements about upcoming events like former CPL Facilitator Kelsey Milian’s invitation to attend a Hip Hop symposium, “Critical Minded. A Celebration of 20 Years of Hip Hop Scholarship,” on Friday September 27 at the Graduate Center in the Elebash Recital Hall. There was also a call for volunteers to speak about the CPL program at an upcoming Futures Initiative event.

Following a brief entry ticket activity, when every person took a turn sharing a little bit about themselves to get to know their fellow peers, CPL Director Melendez introduced an activity to collaboratively create community rules. Leaders entered breakout rooms to share the most important things to them when they share this community space. In small groups, Leaders created three guidelines for conducting yourself in this community. Below is a sample of some of the guidelines that the Leaders created:

Respect the commitment you made to the program. Be mindful of other people’s time.
Respect the diversity of fellow peer leaders.
Be open and open-minded and know it is okay to respectfully challenge each other.
Respect People’s Identities (name, pronouns, etc)
Take into account people’s emotional and mental circumstances (wellness checks)
Practice self-awareness (knowing when to take a step back, and give other people the room to speak) and clear communication
Be considerate and think before we speak. Do not cut people off when speaking.
Be as present and engaged online as you would be in person.
Teamwork is essential for groups to work well. Volunteer to help people and not “stay away.”
Stop being judgmental. “Don’t yuck my yum.”
If you’re typically someone who talks, try to take a step back and practice listening; if you are a person who typically listens, try to practice speaking. Utilize all the ways you can engage, including the chat for virtual meetups.
No unconsented touching, maintain boundaries, no body shaming.

At the end of the meeting, CPL Director Melendez spoke about the upcoming blog post prompt. The monthly blogs required for the program can take the form of a written reflection, a poem, a research report, a short film, a vlog, a music piece, a short story, an art piece, a series of photos, or any other form of creative expression. The prompt the Leaders will be responding to this month is:

“How would you envision a more equitable and more enticing CUNY? Please think of this in terms of the campus you attend and the changes you would make for it to accommodate more students’ needs and be better suited to serve the community it’s in.” Keep a lookout for new blog posts from the Leaders!

The prompt is there for those who need one, but the floor is open for alternative post topics, including academic writing, something creative, artwork, and presentations, or something that might help to elevate you when you pursue whatever comes next for you. CPL Director Melendez also welcomed the Leaders to send a draft to her, CPL Facilitator Sunisa Nuonsy, and CPL Coordinator Jackie Cahill for feedback.