QUEENS COLLEGE–“QUEENS COLLEGE IS TOXIC,” read the fliers posted across campus by members of the Professional Staff Congress, a CUNY union that serves over 30,000 CUNY faculty and staff. On Monday, Nov. 17, members of the PSC organized a march at the flagpole behind Jefferson Hall to protest the Queens College administration’s mismanagement of the construction at Delany Hall.
The goal of the Delany Hall Envelope Project, a construction project, is to replace the exterior of the building with environmentally friendly materials, replace the windows and address asbestos in the building. The construction, which started on Friday, May 30, has since left faculty and students displaced over the health and safety issues caused by the renovations.
One week prior to the march, the Queens College PSC chapter had announced on their Instagram page that over 1,100 signatures of their petition to demand health and safety protections for faculty in Delany Hall were delivered to President Frank H. Wu’s office on the 12th floor of Kiely Hall.
“President Wu refused to speak to us, instead locking his door and sending 4 security officers to greet us, and a surrogate to accept the petition,” said the PSC in their Nov. 11 Instagram post.
Protestors held up signs reading “Student Health Matters,” “Respect Health & Safety,” and “Justice for Delany Hall,” as they chanted, “An injury to one is an injury to all. It’s time to clean Delany Hall.”
