Published on August 07, 2015
From June 29 through Aug. 7, Eastern faculty, staff and administrators have guided more than 100 students through the Summer Transition at Eastern Program/Contract Admission Program (STEP/CAP). During these six weeks, students are living in High Rise Apartments and attending credit bearing classes in math and English, while participating in workshops focusing on study skills, time management and public speaking. All of the students are from Connecticut, from cities and towns such as Stamford, Danielson, Bridgeport, Norwich, Chester and Montville.
The students came to campus having read “Fire Shut Up In My Bones,” the memoir by New York Times columnist Charles Blow. They used the book, as well as other works of literature, to examine the role of race, ethnic origin and cultural differences in shaping points of view and perspectives on personal identity. On July 15, the students visited the Museum of Modern Art in New York City to see the exhibit featuring the Great Migration series painted by Jacob Lawrence.
In addition to daily work on math skills, reading and writing for the credit-bearing Introduction to Literature class, each student was asked in a workshop setting to submit a 10-page essay comparing and contrasting Blow’s memoir to Lawrences paintings. The students were also assigned to write reflections on how the paintings may or may not have illuminated scenes that were similar to their lives and the lives of their families. Successful STEP/CAP students will be admitted as full-time freshmen for Eastern’s fall semester.
Written by Dwight Bachman
