Bernard M. Baruch College is a large business-focused public university located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, and is part of the 17-college City University of New York (CUNY) system. The Trustees of City College established the School of Business and Civic Administration in 1919, an institution that was completely free for students. In the 1930’s, the college allowed women to enroll in its business program. The name was changed to Bernard M. Baruch School of Business and Public Administration in 1953 to honor Bernard Baruch, the former trustee of City College and an economic adviser to Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Baruch became a part of the CUNY system in 1968. It is currently one of the most diverse colleges in the nation, representing 120 countries and 110 languages, and accommodates over 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The institution is particularly famous for its Zicklin School of Business, the largest higher education school of business in the U.S. The college also houses the smaller Weissman School of Arts and Sciences and School of Public Affairs. Although over 75% of undergraduates major in business-related fields, everyone has to take a two-year liberal arts common core curriculum.
-Jessalin Lam ‘10 and Alan Zeng ‘10 contributed reporting
Baruch College may not have a vast campus, but it is located at the heart of the Flatiron/Gramercy neighborhood of Manhattan. It is easily accessible from the 6 train stop at 23rd Street. This busy area is home to numerous small businesses and Fortune 500 companies, as well as very diverse restaurants and 24/hour transportation. One can find three bars that are always crowded with students, fast-food places, and small sushi and Mexican food joints within a three block radius of the school. A short walk away is the “Indian District,” full of authentic Indian eateries and fabric shops.
The major shopping centers of Union Square an 34th Street are about a 15-minute walk away. Times Square is also close by.
Alan Zeng ‘10 discusses some favorite Baruch haunts:
“There are plenty of places to hang out between classes or de-stress during exam season:
Of-age Baruchians treat Rodeo Bar as their second home. There’s free live music, such as country and bluegrass, that plays nightly along with karaoke on Fridays. With a great selection of margaritas, what more can you ask for?
Madison Square Park is located at the heart of the Gramercy/Flatiron District. The park is easily navigable, and includes a burger shack that is packed by noontime. Events, from book readings to green meetings, as well as concerts are held year-round, especially during spring and summer. One of the icons of the magnificent park is the statue of Admiral David Farragut, the first senior officer of the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. There’s also a fountain located in the middle where people sit and eat lunch when the water is off.
Where would college students be without a sufficient dose of coffee? The newly opened Grammercy Star Café is smack dab in the middle of the 17th Lexington building and the Vertical Campus, which almost every single student walks by at some point during the day. Whether it’s to grab a quick bite or coffee, Grammercy Café is a necessary pit-stop in a student’s day.
Another popular location for Baruch students to spend their free time is Vertigo. This bar has a sleek and modern theme, with a DJ continuously spinning tunes for its customers, who are well taken care of.
The Great Saloon is another fabulous hangout for students. This restaurant/bar has offered fine food and dining since 1880. With a great menu and group hosting events, the place is never quiet!”
Baruch is located in the heart of the Gramercy/Flatiron district, a bustling area of Manhattan. The college has two main academic buildings – the older 23rd Street building which houses the science department and some introductory freshman courses, and the impressive, ultra-modern Newman Vertical Campus (VC) built in 2001. Students take 90% of their classes in this 17-story structure, which is reminiscent of a cruise ship. Across the street from the VC is the renovated Newman Library and administration building, boasting the largest library facility in the entire CUNY system, with private study rooms and plush couches.
Baruch has no dorms and instead of a major dining hall, the college has a small cafeteria with two seating areas in the VC and the Newman Library building. During breaks, most students can be found in the two areas surrounding the VC, sitting on concrete benches or in the mini-student lounges.
Alan Zeng ‘10 writes about some of the places where students choose to spend time outside of class:
“The best hangout for any Baruch student is during club hours every Tuesday and Thursday between 12:40PM to 2:20PM is the third floor. Students are free to meet up in their clubs or organizations or attend academic events and corporate seminars. Most activity occurs at the 2nd floor lobby and offices as well as the third floor club, sorority and fraternity rooms.
Student lounges are also popular hangout areas. There are several of these lounges throughout the building on every floor, but they fill up quickly. There are also some stand-up computer consoles equipped with internet access, for productivity on-the-go. The busiest lounge is outside the 25th Street exit of the vertical campus, especially during spring when the weather is warm.
Students jam-pack the second floor lobby all day, every day. During peak hours, students struggle getting past the crowd and it’s a challenge to get in the elevators. There are tables set up daily to recruit students to organizations and become involved in everything school-related.
Contrary to popular belief, a library is a splendid place to hang out. With a cafeteria, four floors of study space and a computer lab, students make the most out of their time in the Newman Library.
The college’s sports complex is among one of the more popular hangout spots at Baruch, especially for sports and fitness junkies. The lower levels of Baruch house two gyms, a swimming pool, and a weight/ fitness room.”
Baruch is largely viewed as a commuter school where it’s hard to get the real “college experience.” In the past five years, the school has become noticeably more crowded, and it has become a real challenge to graduate in four years, as classes fill up quickly, and it’s virtually impossible to get a seat in the VC computer lab during registration. Overcrowding also makes it nearly impossible to get on the first elevator during afternoon rush hour, and the escalators only go up to the 5th floor (when they are running, that is.)
Baruch is one of the safest campuses in the city - no one can get past the security guards without swiping their id’s at the turnstiles, and there are never any physical altercations on campus.
Because Baruch is predominantly a business school, the Starr Career Development Center caters mostly to these students. It’s difficult to find internship listings in the arts or writing, and the internship binders for these majors are often empty. Students have to seek out their own internships in the publishing world and compete with the prestigious programs of NYU and Columbia.
College textbooks cost an arm and a leg, and the bookstore promises to buy back books at the end of the semester. Often, when students lug all of their heavy textbooks from home to sell them back, they are told that the brand-new version is out of print, or offer them a measly amount of money. It’s basically impossible to pass any class without buying a textbook at Baruch, and students are angry that publishing companies come out with minimally altered new issues of textbooks every year, seemingly just to rip students off.
A large portion of classes is taught by adjunct faculty or have teacher’s assistants. Adjuncts who supervised spring 2008 final exams protested during finals week at Baruch and four other CUNY schools over a pay issue For the first fourteen weeks of a semester, the adjuncts are paid three hours per week for each class administered. For the 15th week, however, all were paid for two, for the two hours that each final exam lasts, causing an uproar from all adjuncts at their respective schools. Adjuncts lose anywhere from $50, for one class, to $200 for two classes. This fiasco has yet to be resolved.
-Jessalin Lam ‘10 and Alan Zeng ‘10 contributed reporting
