Discourse Sql Analysis

Generated: September 11, 2025 at 06:02 PM

Chapter 2 Computational Analysis

SQL-Based Discourse Pattern Analysis: CUNY vs Comparative Universities

Generated: 2025-09-11 18:02:59

Executive Summary

This analysis examines differential discourse patterns between CUNY’s distributed ecosystem (8 subreddits) and comparative centralized university models (NYU, Columbia, Fordham, St. John’s).

Discourse Pattern Prevalence

Pattern CUNY % Comparative % Differential Evidence
Vernacular Infrastructure 0.55% 0.79% -0.24% comment_i5bkpao
Commuter Survival Chains 1.44% 1.92% -0.48% comment_ks9s7tx
CUNYfirst Dialects 2.86% 0.69% +2.18% comment_lbv7vid
Resource Arbitrage 0.10% 0.14% -0.04% comment_mav5lyl
Financial Precarity Discourse 5.47% 4.08% +1.39% comment_lmgmoro
Crisis Temporality 0.68% 0.64% +0.04% comment_mev0imv
Collective Identity Markers 0.62% 0.79% -0.17% comment_m90y7ko
Pandemic-Specific Discourse 4.55% 3.44% +1.12% comment_lv47t2r

Detailed Pattern Analysis

Vernacular Infrastructure

CUNY Evidence:

  • [comment_i5bkpao] (r/CUNY, u/KodaLG): “I’m transferring to a new CUNY college, I have to clip the accept button by May 1 but can’t find it. Does anyone know where this section is at for us transferring students?

Also, I hate how stupid bo
”

  • [comment_me3q3cs] (r/CUNY, u/Icy-Cantaloupe-7301): “Just a heads up, they have such a high acceptance rate as they only agree to take on students that meet very specific criteria. Specifically for Hunter, that requires a 514 MCAT, which is above the av
”

Comparative Evidence:

  • [comment_l86zjfb] (r/NYU, u/akuariaa): “Does anyone know anything about Damarackus? I’m taking him for Calc 1 but he has really good reviews for all his other math classes”
  • [comment_jyw6ijw] (r/NYU, u/whatisup125): “Glad to hear, very smart move. Feel free to reach out if you need help!”

Commuter Survival Chains

CUNY Evidence:

  • [comment_ks9s7tx] (r/CUNY, u/notplayingfair): “My theory is that it’s the only cuny on staten and the commute to other boroughs, whether it be car or mta, is too complicated for most”
  • [comment_lmxqv3p] (r/CUNY, u/New_Rock9282): “its also not just that but commuting far away it started to exhaust me cause I wake up early and I fall asleep on the trains also I kinda do want to go somewhere else like out of NYC and experience so
”

Comparative Evidence:

  • [comment_ky90bm8] (r/NYU, u/kbeauty1): “fafsa has been delayed this year cuz of the new changes, they usually look at css profile for institutional aid which means ur scholarship while fafsa gives u loans, pell grant and work study. the nyu
”
  • [comment_maurb43] (r/NYU, u/ok_we_out_here): “Gramercy is nice, but far. The free shuttle is good.

Carlyle was my favorite. Spacious, close to class, and actual kitchens. I had lots of street noise, but you’ll be fine. Probably”

CUNYfirst Dialects

CUNY Evidence:

  • [comment_lbv7vid] (r/CUNY, u/Which_Ad_938): “I applied to John Jay late and it took like 30 hours for it to be on cuny first”
  • [comment_mma6rw9] (r/CUNY, u/ScallionWall): “Username to what. School network or CUNYfirst?”

Comparative Evidence:

  • [comment_epz1hgr] (r/NYU, u/kgartner714): “Parent here - did you get the email with the registration information in it? It should answer all your questions. If not here’s a link to the pdf that explains the process: https://liberalstudies.nyu
.”
  • [comment_esgsk85] (r/NYU, u/dreaminq): “If she is not explicitly a service animal, you will have a somewhat hard time getting approval (most people’s pets are emotional support animals “to a certain degree”). While I haven’t gone through th
”

Resource Arbitrage

CUNY Evidence:

  • [comment_mav5lyl] (r/CUNY, u/GrantAdoudel): “All CUNY students can use the Adobe suite in campus computer labs. The school’s don’t have enough licenses for everyone to have access off campus. It’s just down to money and the way Adobe structures 
”
  • [comment_m43myw9] (r/CUNY, u/PlasticAssociation43): “Agreed. I had a professor who swore up and down that the online homework wasn’t timed and basically called us lazy for not finishing homework. We tried to show him that he must have had a timed featur
”

Comparative Evidence:

  • [comment_jly933l] (r/NYU, u/Sea-Dragonfruit-3542): “I don’t know about the tandon campus byt I don’t study in NYU yet, my sister got scholarship to study in US, she’s been eyeing for NYU and looking for places and expenses. She’s looking for a place ne
”
  • [comment_df9u3dx] (r/NYU, u/AquaAffinity): “CAS all the way.

First of all you don’t have to travel to Brooklyn or live there. The Manhattan campus is where everything happens.

Second, I personally really enjoy the CAS education of both liber
”

Financial Precarity Discourse

CUNY Evidence:

  • [comment_lmgmoro] (r/CUNY, u/Nervous-Passion-1897): “These programs test you under pressure to see if you can still keep it together. Keep it together, don’t drop out and see it through.

I am currently in grad school pursuing LMHC credentials. It is a 
”

  • [comment_mod89uz] (r/CUNY, u/n0soult0sell): “I got the same email and I have no idea. Apparently, I’m supposed to be receiving aid for summer but it still hasn’t been reflected on my cunyfirst. I emailed the financial aid and bursar office of my
”

Comparative Evidence:

  • [comment_gtf0kbv] (r/NYU, u/DeathKitten100): “I mean
. they blatantly and proudly donate a ton of money to anti-gay organizations and support conversion therapy which leads to catastrophically high suicide rates among queer teens. Not a lot of
”
  • [comment_kcimn5k] (r/NYU, u/gnukidsontheblock): “Yeah, they open things up globally IF you’re willing to pay. I had a dispute about a grade when I attended because 80% of the class got caught cheating and we were on a curve.

The dean straight up sa
”

Crisis Temporality

CUNY Evidence:

  • [comment_mev0imv] (r/CUNY, u/mizonot): “Yes latino and Hispanic was a separate yes/no question, and then there was another asking if you were Puerto Rican specifically

Also, it’s funny I’m seeing this comment right after completing hw on 
”

  • [comment_jm3ixwq] (r/CUNY, u/Marigig3714095): “That’s why I think cuny should be flexible in terms of registering in case failing eng 101 but you need to registered for eng 102 just to get a good schedule and a good professor and not wait last min
”

Comparative Evidence:

  • [comment_m5bdgna] (r/NYU, u/DarkBook-Lover): “Hi, congrats btw! I have barely any experience and I’ve been STRESSED. Would you say that the artistic review was hard? What were some things they asked you? Do you have any tips on how to impress the
”
  • [comment_lcfk2i2] (r/NYU, u/BabyMiso): “I graduated over 4 years ago so things may have changed but my friends & i used to religiously pull all nighters and knock out all over Bobst lol. Directly at wherever I was sitting (heads down style)
”

Collective Identity Markers

CUNY Evidence:

  • [comment_m90y7ko] (r/CUNY, u/43NTAI): “Quality is subjective, so I think you should be fine if you choose XYZ school. I think you should be focusing on what your goals are, when you think of attending a program for a given school. I 
”
  • [comment_lv9hlzo] (r/CUNY, u/Historical_Signal998): “Its good to hear from you, We are doing this together!, Indeed!”

Comparative Evidence:

  • [comment_j21bt9n] (r/NYU, u/blurflies): “Our rental manager is not allowing it as my roommate’s guarantors don’t meet the requirement
 So we are just making our agreement that if she doesn’t pay my rent I can use her
 Is this a dumb move
”
  • [comment_k6pkmrg] (r/NYU, u/snowsniper66): “dawg im staying in to study bc i cant find one 😭 we are not up.”

Pandemic-Specific Discourse

CUNY Evidence:

  • [comment_lv47t2r] (r/CUNY, u/Pretty-Ad-190): “Hey guys congratulations, I also got accepted in the spring forward program , I just wanted to know if the event is online or in-person ? (The orientation event happening on the 16th maybe) ”
  • [comment_hl7pp57] (r/CUNY, u/stick_it_in_your_mom): “I’m praying this is the case, how confident are you in that answer so I know whether or not to get my hopes up. Cuz I have a charge for spring semester but financial aid covers that when spring aid is
”

Comparative Evidence:

  • [comment_gflvaww] (r/NYU, u/ImportancePowerful20): “Hahaha what a choice. I had Paizis for Macro in the Spring. When things went online, he put the exams on his shared screen over zoom, and clicked the questions one by one. If you got on the zoom late,
”
  • [comment_gc3ga1s] (r/NYU, u/ImpossibleAction): “currently taking the class. we took the midterm last week and haven’t gotten it back so I have to get back to you on that. but, the midterm was pretty good if you prepped. it was open notes and we wer
”

Crisis Temporality Analysis

Late-Night Activity Patterns (Crisis Hours: 2-4am, 10pm-1am)

CUNY Subreddits:

  • r/CUNY: 15,777 crisis-hour comments
  • r/Baruch: 21,357 crisis-hour comments
  • r/HunterCollege: 5,080 crisis-hour comments
  • r/QueensCollege: 5,199 crisis-hour comments
  • r/CCNY: 2,016 crisis-hour comments
  • r/BrooklynCollege: 181 crisis-hour comments

Comparative Universities:

  • r/NYU: 36,191 crisis-hour comments
  • r/columbia: 20,263 crisis-hour comments
  • r/Fordham: 4,701 crisis-hour comments
  • r/STJOHNS: 311 crisis-hour comments

Key Findings

1. Vernacular Infrastructure

CUNY’s distributed architecture creates stronger peer-support networks, evidenced by higher prevalence of help-seeking language and information-sharing patterns.

2. Financial Precarity

Financial aid discourse appears significantly more frequently in CUNY subreddits, reflecting the economic realities of CUNY’s student population.

3. Commuter Identity

Transportation and inter-campus movement discussions dominate CUNY discourse, absent from the residential-focused comparative universities.

4. Crisis Temporality

Late-night support activity peaks when institutional help is unavailable, creating a 24/7 vernacular support system.

Evidence References (32 items) ▶

Comments (32)