Long Island aviation students are being forced to pack up their dorm rooms and relocate just a week before the start of classes.

Dowling College aviation students have learned that the Brookhaven dormitories are closing. Students are now being moved to the Oakdale campus, which is a half-hour from classes.

Dr. Norman Smith, who became president of Dowling College in June, says he has to cut costs. He told staffers that Brookhaven dorms were only one-fifth full and says that closing the dorms, dining room and bookstore will save a half-million dollars each year.

Smith says he plans to expand the Dowling Aviation School in Brookhaven in the coming years by aggressively recruiting students from surrounding states.