Time to debunk the false rumors regarding the status of CSI’s pool.

By Gabriel Acevedo

Photo Credit: College of Staten Island Athletics

Throughout campus, waves of rumors have spread about the sudden closure of the Sports Recreation Center’s pool for the semester. 

Luckily for students, that rumor is false. 

This might leave many confused and questioning how this rumor was able to make a splash in the campus’ community.

On February 6, an email from the athletics department was sent out to students, stating that “the CSI Sports & Rec Pool will be CLOSED for the Spring semester for the student/staff body.” 

The link provided in the email led students to general information regarding CSI’s community and pool offerings. However, no specific details regarding the reasons for the pool closure were noted, aside from a bold, red statement on the center’s website: “no open swim hours for CSI Students, Faculty, and Staff during the Winter and Spring 2023 semesters.” 

When searching “College of Staten Island Pool” on Google, one of the first results is a CSI Dolphins article from November 2018, which states that the pool was again open for use after a similar period of inactivity. 

For a while, campus students believed that the pool was entirely closed for the spring semester because of the mass email.   

Ultimately, the true change made for the campus pool was the decision to cut intramural student swim lessons. Aquatics Director Michael Ackalitis, coach of the men and women’s swimming and diving team, was able to comment further and clear up the waters regarding the status of the pool.

“For the 2023 Spring Semester we do not offer the free intramurals student swim lessons,” says Coach Ackalitis. “We had a new local team rent the facility at the time that was being used for the fall semester lessons and the former instructor was not available at any of the new open times. I think students took this to mean that the pool was closed.” 

The campus’ aquatic center may be overlooked by non-athletic students, but for many teams in Staten Island and even Brooklyn, it is their home. 

The pool is also used by most, if not all the private schools on the island, and student groups are permitted to reserve time in the pool by contacting the department. In the past, they have also worked with the Dolphin Cove to connect with students and make them aware of the pool at their disposal. 

Coach Ackalitis also stressed how the pool is not only a great place to exercise, but an important way to improve oneself. He hopes that with this, he can clear up any misconceptions and encourage students to take a dive into the pool. 

“The department will work to send better emails with schedules and programming so that the students know when and how they can use the pool,” said Ackalitis. 

Any student interested in using the pool or receiving any more information is urged to contact Coach Ackalitis at Michael.Ackalitis@csi.cuny.edu.