The Latest on Campus News and Resources 

By: Olivia Frasca

Plans to build a temporary hospital at the Willowbrook campus in response to the outbreak have been suspended. Credit: silive

On April 14, President William Fritz sent an email to the CSI community and announced that plans to build a temporary hospital at the Willowbrook campus have been suspended. The decision is consistent with reports of decreasing hospitalizations from COVID-19 in recent days.  

Governor Cuomo visited prospective sites to convert into temporary hospitals as cases of the virus approached their peak.

The state approved the construction of a 1,000-bed field hospital in 1R and Parking Lot 6 at the end of March to handle the projected influx of patients. Construction is currently not necessary as Staten Islanders adhere to the lockdown and social distancing measures. 

As of 2:00 pm on April 28, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported 157,713 positive cases of COVID-19 and 40,578 hospitalizations due to the virus throughout the five boroughs. 

The rate of infection relative to the population of Staten Island is currently 2,293 per 100,000 people. The data show that overall cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19 are resembling a flattening curve in New York City. 

It’s been nearly two months since CSI students and faculty made the transition to online learning for the remainder of the semester. The outbreak has drastically affected student life at CSI, with most events becoming virtual or canceled altogether. 

Vice President of Student Affairs Jennifer Borrero sent an email out to students about refunding their paid activity fees.

“For all students, the Board resolved to waive (i) twenty-five percent (25%) of the Spring 2020 student activity fee for students enrolled on a fifteen (15) week calendar; and (ii) fifty percent (50%) of the student activity fee for students enrolled in those University schools and colleges on twelve (12) or six (6) week calendars, in recognition that some services relating to such student activity fees could not be performed by the University.”

The CUNY system also adopted a grading policy that allows students to choose a credit/non-credit option for courses completed this semester. “Courses taken for a letter grade will continue to be included in the semester and general GPA, while courses taken for a Credit/Non-credit grade will be excluded, just as is the case with such courses taken at a student’s home institution,” confirmed Vice President Borrero.

Students are reminded that the CSI Food Pantry is open by appointment from 10:30 am – 1:00 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. The Office of Student Life sent a link to students’ CSI emails to make an appointment. Contact studentlife@csi.cuny.edu with any questions or concerns. 

The Office of Academic Support also offers online tutoring in a variety of subjects every day. Students can simply click on the day, time, and tutor available to enter the tutoring room on Blackboard Collaborate. 

CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez announced that June commencements are postponed. In addition, all summer classes will be held online. Visit the Coronavirus Update page for CUNY announcements and resources as they come in. 

The suspended construction of the field hospital at CSI is optimistic news for Staten Islanders and New York City as a whole. The state will remain on PAUSE until May 15.

Governor Cuomo said that plans to reopen New York will come in phases, likely beginning with low-risk businesses and involving the cooperation of upstate and downstate counties.