EDITOR’S NOTE: Op-Eds detail the views of their writers and are not representative of the stance of the paper. Publication of Op-Eds is not tantamount to an endorsement of their content.
Time and time again, problems begin to arise in Queens College and the Administration keeps them behind closed doors.
The most egregious example can be found in two different anonymous threat “hoaxes,” on March 13th and March 25th. The former was made toward the Summit Apartments, and though a sweep was conducted, the campus was not informed there even was a threat until the Administration sent out an email stating it was resolved approximately 9 hours after the initial search. The March 25th threat was toward Kiely Hall during the Middle States readout, and the anonymous threat email was sent out prior, calling for the removal of Frank Wu, Troy Hahn and Joseph Loughren, “before fireworkz show at 10:30 [that day].”
Joseph Loughren, Assistant Vice President of Budget and Finance, had been unceremoniously let go from QC by the point this email had come out. The decision was announced back in 2025, but during the Administration’s luncheon with The Knight News, President Wu stated it was a chance to promote those “within the administration.”
No one on campus had been informed that the threat was happening. It was deemed not credible, but it was certainly credible enough to prompt the Middle States readout to pivot to Zoom, an evacuation of Kiely Hall under false pretenses and the relocation of the guests at LeFrak Concert Hall to the Goldstein Theatre. President Wu released a video two days later, which misquoted the threat email and downplayed the severity of the situation.
Regardless, QC’s most consistent issue has been the rate of enrollment, which has been declining over the last five years. Low enrollment has meant low quality building and restroom conditions, understaffing and numerous other detriments.
The Administration’s response was to create The Academic Renewal Initiative (ARI), spearheaded by a Working Group whose objective is to suggest possible courses of action to address the issue of struggling programs. The Working Group is painted in a tentative light, with specifications made to show it is not a decision-making body. However, it fails to pivot away from the truth, which is that the ARI’s plans boil down to consolidation or complete program cutting. On the webpage, there is no real insight on the outcome that students, professors, and faculty will be facing once these actions are taken.
Then there’s issues with the buildings on and off-campus. On Friday, May 30th, 2025, The Delany Hall Envelope Project underwent replacement of the building’s exterior and windows. Soon enough, SEEK workers in Delany Hall suffered from numerous respiratory issues as a result of the hazardous presence of Asbestos. Both requests for air purifiers and complaints about the disruptive construction were completely ignored.
As a result, most of SEEK’s resources and members were forced to relocate themselves to Rosenthal Library. Their health and work were put at risk, and they were given radio silence. However, it was only when The Knight News reported on the matter that some response was finally given, in the form of a letter from Interim Assistant Vice President Denese Gordon. It claimed the article promoted misinformation, but conveniently did not acknowledge numerous concerns found within said article.
Even The Student Union, a hub for numerous clubs and organizations, announced closure through February 3rd, 2026 because of several issues with heating, flooding, and infrastructure. It proceeded to stay closed up until February 9th, reopen for one day, then shut down, and remained shut down until mid-April. Several teams were forced to scramble to get their gear and belongings out of the building, then had to account for cancellations. For the several months that the Student Union remained closed, the Administration failed to give an exact reopening date.
Kissena Hall, which has served the campus for decades, has closed down as a result of QC’s continued financial decline. Numerous clubs were forced to relocate elsewhere.
One would’ve thought that the Administration would seek to uphold the standards that QC claims to have, but it appears the public remains uninformed on matters that impact it. People are concerned about problems that they haven’t been told are occurring. The Administration must start prioritizing transparency if the public is to trust them.
