As Queens College students navigate the academic year, they may find themselves confronting a frustrating reality: there is no direct way to contact the college’s Registrar or Financial Aid offices; both lack a clear phone number listing. Although QC has finally appointed Jomy George as registrar this past August, there was no dedicated Registrar’s Office at QC since before the pandemic.
Instead, the QC Hub — located in the dining hall and accessible only through an online ticketing system — is the only point of contact for these essential services. Students are increasingly left frustrated, with many dealing with long wait times and a general lack of support from a system meant to address their needs.
In an online review of the QC Hub, Mohima Alam, class of ‘27, shared her experience: “I had been trying to reach out for assistance in an important matter for over two weeks. No response to my emails and calls every time. I finally received help a long time later but elsewhere. This is not fair and very unprofessional as I know there are many other students who also may need assistance but are not getting any. I would appreciate quicker responses and not having students wait for weeks on end.”
In interviews with students, a clear sentiment emerged — frustration with a system that seems more like a barrier than a support structure. The QC Hub claims to be a “principal point of contact” to address student needs, but how are students supposed to contact them without a direct phone number or email?
On Oct. 23rd, The Knight News sent a request for comment with questions for the QC administration on behalf of the student body about the QC Hub’s purpose, the rationale behind dismantling the Registrar and Financial Aid offices, and whether it is intended to permanently replace the Registrar and Financial Aid offices. Additional questions addressed the lack of direct contact options, and whether there are plans to restore them. This inquiry has yet to be answered as of Nov. 18th.
One likely reason for the lack of direct contact options could be because of the resignation and retirement of several key staff positions. According to QC’s Self-Study Design proposal, “Queens College has also experienced the ‘Great Resignation’ … with key staff retiring or resigning to take other positions (Chief Operating Officer, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Registrar, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, and numerous professional staff … among others).”
“Replacing them, training new personnel, and retaining existing staff presents a significant challenge for the institution,” the proposal states. Filling the position of registrar was one of these challenges prior to this semester.
QC is the only CUNY campus without a standalone Registrar’s office, as shown in CUNY’s list of campus registrars. While other campuses offer direct phone lines and emails for these essential services, QC students are left guessing.
On QC’s webpage, the QC Hub is listed as open from 10 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Mon. – Thurs. It was unclear until recently whether or not this referred to the Registrar or Financial Aid Office. Since The Knight News has inquired about this, the QC website has been updated with new pages, including ones for the registrar that contain new information.
Many students are dealing with time-sensitive issues that would benefit from direct support from the Registrar or Financial Aid offices. Common needs include verifying enrollment status for financial aid, addressing holds on accounts, correcting registration errors, and obtaining transcripts. These are not matters that can always be resolved via an impersonal online ticketing system or by staff whose training may not cover the complexities of these issues.
QC’s self-study emphasizes that its mission is to “provide support so that students can complete their courses of study.” But with the QC Hub often redirecting students to other offices and lacking an immediate way to reach crucial resources, the college’s current setup seems to be failing in that mission. This system has raised questions among students about how much the administration values their time and education, given the obstacles they now face in obtaining support.
Students have voiced concerns over wait times, inefficiency, and a lack of direct support, and with no answers from administration, the frustration only grows. As it stands, the QC Hub is leaving students to wonder if and when Queens College will address their need for a responsive and accessible Registrar and Financial Aid service.
