CUNY's Climate Pledge Leaves Campuses Inaccessible Than Ever

Unexpected shutdowns of escalators at Hunter College are known to create overcrowding between the fourth and third floors of Hunter West

After 66 years, Julia Fineman once again finds herself at the gates of Hunter College. Anxious, the 90-year-old looks around the classrooms of Hunter's West Building and asks students for directions as she races against time on her first day as an auditor. For Ms. Fineman – who now uses a walker – the two to five-minute commute from campus entrance to her German class on the fourth floor often becomes a 20-minute affair.

“I like how things have changed around here, but I really hope they make this part of the building more navigable for people like me,” says Ms. Fineman – comparing attending classes in Hunter West in her senior year versus what has become of it decades later. While she appreciates the growing diversity at Hunter, the outmoded state of elevators makes her concerned about her daily commute on campus. “The elevator by the main building is unbelievably slow,” says Ms. Fineman.

Like Ms. Fineman, most Hunter students are not taken aback by the weariness of campus accessibility services such as escalators – only available in Hunter West – and elevators throughout the campus. Out-of-service escalators, and jammed elevators are some of the common sights students and faculty at all CUNY schools come across.

Recent conditions of campus accessibility services, however, can be explained as part of CUNY’s ambitious climate commitment. Out of 820 action plans designated by Sustainable CUNY, an agency spearheading the campaign, 214 initiatives aim to decrease energy consumption at 13 colleges.

Energy sustainability continues to remain a top priority in CUNY's climate-friendly policies (Image Source: Sustainable CUNY)

According to a statement issued by a Sustainable CUNY spokesperson, planned shutdowns of accessibility services aim to “reduce strain faced by city’s power grid,” which is becoming less reliable due to city’s slow transition to renewable energy.

But despite working towards a common goal, approaches taken by each college differ. Whereas Baruch College has upgraded to energy-efficient escalators and elevators, Hunter and Queens College are attempting to reduce energy consumption by occasionally turning off these services.

The move, embraced by Sustainable CUNY, is proving unpopular in general as lack of transparency over the timings of closures leaves students and disabled people like Ms. Fineman with uncertainty.

Although Sustainable CUNY claims that some escalators and elevators are only “powered down during Hunter’s off-peak season and on evenings and weekends,” personal accounts of students tell a different story.

“This has been going on for more than a year now,” says Leonardo Mantilla, a junior at Hunter College. An Emerging Media major, Mantilla says that escalators descending from the sixth to the third floor are often turned off most of the day, leading to congestion during lunch hours.

Meanwhile, at Queens College, it is impossible for students with injuries to access upper levels of library without the only functioning elevator in the building.

Michelle Obisanya, 20, a sophomore at Queens College recalls the time she saw a student with crutches walking away from elevator doors after reading a shutdown notice. “I just felt bad for him. The campus is spacious but… yeah things like elevators are pretty much broken,” she says.

At Queens College, stairs and elevators are the only options available to students and faculty to access upper levels of campus buildings. Elevator closures, however, are presented as a way to save electricity and promote a healthy life.

While CUNY receives 60% of its operational funding from the state government, budget cuts led by declining enrollment rates have caused an uproar among campus communities. Although this year’s state budget includes a modest increase of $62 million, it will take “billions of dollars to fix infrastructure at all campuses,” adds Ms. Gaboury.

The colleges also face possible cuts from city funds. According to a recent report released by the City Comptroller’s office, the city’s financial commitment to CUNY is expected to be trimmed down to an additional $41 million in the next three years.

The CUNY Chancellor and Mayor’s Office of People of Disabilities are yet to comment on approaches planned to accommodate disabled communities amid existing conditions of campus accessibility services due to climate goals.

According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, public entities such as CUNY are required to make buildings accessible for people with disabilities.

As CUNY’s financial woes continue, its ability to provide reliable campus accessibility hangs in balance.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how Ms. Fineman manages to adapt present conditions for rest of the semester, with narrow, slow, and outdated elevators testing her resilience and strength on each step she takes at Hunter.