Bx. CUNY college feels the big chill

Gov. Hochul and Mayor Adams — turn on the heat.

CUNY’s Bronx Community College has canceled most in-person classes because of a lack of heat on campus — and the school’s faculty union is blaming government leaders for the long-festering maintenance problem.

The deep freeze was revealed this week by BCC President Thomas Isekenegbe, who said students will have to learn and work remotely until at least Thanksgiving.

“Bronx Community College continues to experience intermittent heating issues. As a result, all classes except for lab courses and clinicals are being moved to an online format effective Wednesday, Nov. 16, through Wednesday, Nov. 23,” Isekenegbe said in a Nov. 15 email blast to students and staff. “We are currently working on fixing the heating issues in time for when students, faculty and staff return after the Thanksgiving Holidays.”

James Davis, the president of the CUNY faculty union, the Professional Staff Congress, fumed, “BCC can’t keep the heat working because years of delayed maintenance and underfunding have left CUNY short-staffed and unable to keep our buildings in safe, working order.”

New York City law requires heat be provided from Oct. 1 through May 31. When the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees, inside temperatures are required to be at least 68 degrees.

“The cold that BCC students, 93% of whom are Black and Latinx, felt in class this week was a chilling reminder of how little regard the political establishment has for our communities. And Mayor Adams, who cut CUNY’s city funding by 3% last year, is cutting another 3%!” Davis said.

BCC biology professor Yasmin Edwards said the complaints about the heat at the campus were registered since early October.

Staff and students even filed complaints with the city’s 311 system.

But it’s become a pressing concern with temperatures dropping close to freezing in recent days.

“Please, we need heat! We’ve had thermometer readings of 57 [degrees] in classes,” she said.

“We have an ancient boiler. I don’t know how the authorities allowed this to happen. It’s egregious. It’s unconscionable,” Edwards said.

In the meantime, Edwards added, space heaters are being distributed to lab classes that require in-person instruction.

A spokesperson for Mayor Adams responded Friday, “We are in communication with CUNY on the heating issues at Bronx Community College.”

Gov. Hochul’s office had no immediate comment.