Homepage

SU Students Crochet for a Cause SU Students Crochet for a Cause

Students are getting through virtual issues to crochet for a cause

By Allison Weiss

Allison Weiss: ONE CLASS AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY IS USING A HALF-IN CLASS, HALF-VIRTUAL FORMAT TO DO SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO THEM: CROCHETING FOR A CAUSE. CROCHETING FOR A CAUSE IS A SEMINAR WHERE STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO CROCHET AND DONATE THEIR FINISHED PRODUCTS TO THE RESCUE MISSION RIGHT HERE IN SYRACUSE. THE INSTRUCTOR OF THE CLASS, SYEISHA BYRD SAYS MANY SYRACUSE STUDENTS WERE INTERESTED IN CROCHETING.

Syeisha Byrd: The students wanted to learn so I said hey this would be a way to teach students, and they also learn credit for it and it’s a way to give back to the Syracuse Community.

Weiss: HOWEVER, DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, SOME STUDENTS ARE HAVING TO LEARN THIS NEW SKILL VIRTUALLY. SYEISHA TEACHES CROCHET THROUGH A WEB-CAM THAT IS SEEN IN THE CLASSROOM AND VIA ZOOM. VANESSA LUANGAPHAY IS TAKING THE CLASS VIRTUALLY AND SHE SAYS THERE ARE SOME TECHNOLOGICAL BARRIERS THAT ARE CHALLENGING.

Vanessa Luangaphay: The biggest struggle is when she teaches me the new stitch and then she puts her hands – or she switches the camera and then she can’t hear if we have questions. So, we have to be patient and wait until she remembers about us.

Weiss: BUT VANESSA AND ALL THE STUDENTS ARE GETTING THROUGH THE TECHNOLOGY ISSUES TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR FINAL GOAL: DONATING WINTER ITEMS TO THE RESCUE MISSION. RESCUE MISSION VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR JILL WESTON SAYS THE CROCHET DONATIONS ARE VERY IMPACTFUL FOR THE PEOPLE RECEIVING THEM.

Jill Weston: That someone took the time to knit a hat for them and is thinking of them and the fact that they need these items.

Weiss: THANKS TO THESE STUDENTS, PERHAPS SOME OF THE SYRACUSE HOMELESS POPULATION WILL BE A LITTLE WARMER THIS WINTER. ALLISON WEISS, NCC NEWS.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) —  One hybrid seminar in the Renee Crown Honors Program offers an enjoyable and rewarding opportunity to SU students. In Crocheting for a Cause, students learn to crochet while helping the local community. The class crochets items like hats and scarves to donate to the Rescue Mission here in Syracuse. The Rescue Mission is an organization that provides shelter, food, and sometimes permanent housing to homeless people in Syracuse. The class instructor, Syeisha Byrd, said many Syracuse students were excited to learn how to crochet.

“The students wanted to learn so I said, ‘Hey, this would be a way to teach students,’ and they also earn credit for it and it’s a way to give back to the Syracuse community,” Byrd said.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, classes at Syracuse University look very different from past semesters.  This semester, classes can be either fully in-person, a hybrid, or online-only. Due to the hybrid set-up of this class, some students learn to crochet virtually. Byrd teaches crochet through a web-cam that is projected in the classroom and over Zoom. However, sometimes students both in the classroom and over Zoom have difficulties seeing her hands. Vanessa Luangaphay is taking the class virtually, and she said that some of the technical difficulties are challenging.

“The biggest struggle is when she teaches me the new stitch and then she switches the camera, and then she can’t hear if we have questions. So, we have to be patient and wait until she remembers about us,” Luangaphay said.

But Luangaphay, Byrd and all the students are working through the technology issues to accomplish their goal of donating winter items to the Rescue Mission.  The Census Bureau estimates that 31.8% of the population in Syracuse lives below the poverty line. Jill Weston, the volunteer coordinator for the Rescue Mission, said the donations mean a lot to the people receiving them.

“They just appreciate getting something from somebody. And knowing that it’s handmade, is just a little extra special. That somebody took the time to knit a hat for them, and is thinking of them and the fact that they need these items,” Weston said.

According to the National Weather Service, the average temperature of Syracuse in January is 28.4 degrees. Thanks to these students, perhaps some of the Syracuse homeless population will be a little warmer this winter.

Related Articles