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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924
Volume CIV Issue 2
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021
Library Reduces Semester Hours Lauren Raziano Social Media Editor
Hurricane Ida Devastates NY The Major Deegan Expressway experienced major flooding leading drivers to abandon their vehicles. MATT SWEENEY / COURTESY
Historic Storm Causes Campus to Close Down
Jilleen Barrett & Megan LaCreta
Managing Editor / A&E Editor & Staff Writer While the storm that hit New York City Wednesday night was only the remnants of Hurricane Ida, the impact throughout the city was severe. Manhattan College and its surrounding area were not excluded from the storm’s trail as the community received a flash flood warning and later, a tornado warning. Sean Curley, a third floor resident of Overlook Manor, had issues with a severe leak in his apartment resulting in a hole forming in the ceiling. “Around 9:30 pm our ceiling started to leak,” Curley said. “I went downstairs to report it to public safety and they told me I was the 5th person to tell them that a room was leaking. Public
IN NEWS: Hurricane Ida Disrupts Campus on p. 1
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safety wrote my name down and told me there was nothing they can do till [the next day].” Since no one was able to help them, Curley and his roommates attempted to do something about the leak themselves. “We tried stopping the leak ourselves and even went to the apartment above us,” he said. “We think that the window above us was leaking on the floor above us ... We ended up just putting a container down to catch the water and some of the ceiling that fell through the night. We ended up sleeping in the living room in case the leak got worse.” Curley mentioned that several workers came to fix the leak as well as their air conditioner, which was affected by water damage. The Quadrangle reached out to Physical Plant about how the storm affected their work otherwise but they did not respond in time for pub-
IN FEATURES: James Patterson Award Recipients on p. 5
lication. Commuter Gustavo Aguilar had similar issues in his own residence in Yonkers. “During the heavier parts of the storm [Wednesday night], I was also in the mix of trying to pump out all the water from my basement as many others were doing,” Aguilar said in a message to The Quadrangle. “We were fortunate enough that we weren’t completely flooded in and that we were able to get ahead of the flooding.” The subways being shut down affected commuters and professors’ travel plans for getting to campus the next morning. Despite the college being prepared for a day of in-person classes after a delay until 11 a.m., the campus had to be closed for the day according to Provost Steven Schreiner. “The storm impacted the __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
With more students returning to campus, many rely on the 24 hour library access to internet and quiet for studying, but O’Malley Library has made the decision to cut its operational hours. William H. Walters, PhD, FCLIP, the Executive Director of the Manhattan College Library sent an email on Aug.31 to the Manhattan community stating that the Library will scale back from its previous 24/7 open access. This Fall, the library building will be open Monday through Thursday: 7:30 am to midnight, Friday, 7:30 am to 9:30 pm, Saturday, noon to 8:00 pm, and Sunday, noon to midnight. In the email it mentioned the change in hours as a response to low overnight use of the building (as indicated by hourly headcounts). Walters wrote in an email to the Quadrangle, “We looked at the headcounts of the past few years—not just the most recent year. We considered the absolute numbers, the trend over time, and the overnight headcounts relative to the daytime headcounts. In particular, we relied mainly on pre-COVID data when making this decision.” “The College and the Library are always evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the services we offer, with the goal of operating efficiently and lowering our operating costs. In this case, there were several main considerations.” Walters wrote. A high end operating cost is also Manhattan College’s location, “A key factor here is that both labor and maintenance expenditures are especially high in New York City. In contrast, many other library expenditures don’t vary much (if at all) based on location.” Walters wrote. Louis Giacomo, a senior civil engineering major, is disappointed in this change. “I am directly affected by the noon opening on weekends, as I run the steel bridge club out of the library on Sat-
IN A&E: Movies on The Quad Return on p. 8
urday mornings. This now means that the rest of my day is delayed by having to wait to use the software necessary for the club. It is unfair to students who need to use the library in the morning on a weekend.” Louis wrote. Giacomo offered a possible solution, “The library hours will definitely affect my academic and extracurricular activities. If the school doesn’t have enough money, they should keep at least two floors open rather than running the whole library 24/7 and nobody using it. That way the school can save money on resources and still provide students with an equal library like most other colleges have.” Emilia O’Neill, sophomore, major in Psychology and double minor in Spanish and Digital Arts & Humanities, said that limiting library hours may impact students studying because the 24 access allows for a quiet place to focus at all hours of the day. “ Although I understand the reason for limiting the hours, I think it is a loss for many students. Personally I feel way more focused and determined when I’m working in the library and if there are people in your room it can be hard to stay focused on your studies. The study rooms, the alumni room, honestly even the chairs scattered around the library, all were very instrumental to my success, as well as my friends last semester. “ O’Neill said. The future of the library hours “ will be determined later in the semester. There’s an excellent chance that we’ll have extended hours during finals and the week before, but I’m not yet sure about midterms and other times.” Walters wrote. O’Neill thinks that others students may struggle with completing their tasks because the library provides students who prefer to study at later hours. “I think for some students who have difficulty with time management or who are overly tempted to spend time with __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
IN SPORTS: Kerri Gallagher in New Role on p. 10