CSI Closes Doors to Students and Prepares Temporary Hospital?

By: Valerie Gonzalez

The CSI dorms abruptly close to potentially prepare a temporary hospital. Credit: google.com

On the evening of March 23rd , the students of CSI woke up with an alarming email  asking all the students that live on campus to leave.

 “We ask that you move out of Dolphin Cove by this Thursday, March 26th. We had hoped that campus life would return to normal before too long, but recent developments have made clear that this crisis is likely to get worse and that it is therefore imperative that students go home and stay inside for their own health and safety as well as those of everybody.” 

More than 400 students were forced to leave campus in less than a week.

I decided to interview one of the students that had to leave campus and how this unexpected email took all the students at the Dolphin Cove for surprise.

“I had gone home for an appointment and figured I would be returning to live on campus so I had left my things there but was out on Long Island when I got the email… We needed to free up a weekday within three days of the notice to be able to act on this request to leave.” 

When the students were ready to move out of campus they had to do it by themselves while abiding with the social distancing rule, which made the moving out process a little traumatic and an overall horrible experience for most of them- let alone the chaos and uncertainty of what the future holds for them and their roommates

 “I am a senior and have lived in the Dolphin Cove for four years, this was the worst way to go: alone and nervous.”

Most students that go to CSI don’t dorm, but the people that choose to dorm are very close. They are what you call family away from home, and for them to see their school get evacuated all in less than a week without being able to say goodbye must have impacted them in a way we will never understand.

 A large amount of students that were residents were also international students that were obligated to fly back to their native countries with all their belongings. The only option CSI gave them was to consolidate “some” rooms for those who were not able to leave right away.

 “Moving the remaining dormitory residents into one building will allow CUNY to serve these students most effectively by consolidating food, staffing, and supply deliveries. Additionally — and most importantly — Governor Cuomo has asked private and public universities across New York State to be ready for the possibility that dormitories might need to be converted into temporary medical emergency centers.”

Keep in mind that we are all transitioning to online learning and as overwhelming as it maybe many students had to evacuate their home in under a week.

 I hope that everyone is staying safe and that the school will have some kind of refund for all the students in dorms that need some economical help in this time of crisis. Stay safe everyone!