Purchase College students rally to demand state funding for campus repairs
Students say they are fed up with unsafe and worsening conditions in residence halls.
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Purchase College students rallied Saturday to demand state funding to address deteriorating living conditions on campus.
Students say they are fed up with unsafe and worsening conditions in residence halls. A coalition of students, advocates and lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Purchase College Library to push for a state budget that includes money for urgent repairs and upgrades.
They are calling for $1.46 billion in capital funding for SUNY schools and $2 billion for CUNY schools to fix ongoing infrastructure issues.
“From my personal experience, my room became freezing at a time when it wasn’t supposed to be freezing. When I asked for the heating to be fixed, it suddenly became scorching in it,” said Purchase College freshman Renee Jones.
“Just the first half of the semester, we’ve had water issues like pipe bursts, then the heat. We had problems with it in campus apartments and had to relocate those students temporarily,” added Purchase College senior Nellie Duggan‑Haas.
Students at the rally detailed additional problems, including burst pipes, broken heating systems and falling ceilings.
“Right now there’s tiles breaking off in our bathroom and broken tiles around everywhere you walk,” said freshman Daniel Ocasio.
In response, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office issued a statement saying: “Governor Hochul looks forward to negotiating with the legislature to reach a budget agreement that is safer and more affordable for all New Yorkers.”
Lawmakers at the rally said they would continue fighting for the funding needed to give students a safer living and learning environment.
