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Q&A
Housing challenges for CUNY School of Medicine students
1:01:04
·
3 min
Dr. Green discusses the significant housing challenges faced by CUNY School of Medicine students, emphasizing the impact on their studies and well-being. The lack of nearby affordable housing affects students' ability to study effectively and raises safety concerns.
- Many students face long commutes, which interferes with their study time
- Safety concerns arise for students traveling late at night after rotations or long study sessions
- The school recognizes that student success is closely tied to having adequate housing
Gale A. Brewer
1:01:04
What about housing?
Carmen Renée Green
1:01:07
You've got apartment building?
Gale A. Brewer
1:01:10
But I I mean, I know it's I'm trying to actually in doing some ULIPs to try to get some housing, some for Macauley students as an example.
1:01:18
So but I would say for your students working long hours, even housing, graduation.
1:01:24
So I'm just I don't know how you're dealing with it.
1:01:26
It's a big problem for CUNY in general, but I would say for your students, particularly hard.
Carmen Renée Green
1:01:31
Thank you for that question.
1:01:34
One of the things that deeply concerns me, first of all, that they commute so far.
1:01:44
And, you know, when you're on the subway or the bus
Gale A. Brewer
1:01:48
Those big, heavy books.
1:01:50
Yeah.
Carmen Renée Green
1:01:50
With big heavy books, can you really study?
1:01:53
No.
1:01:54
1.
1:01:56
2, medical students tend to study for very long periods of time.
1:02:01
We've tried to make things nicer for them as we've come in.
1:02:06
In order because we know that.
1:02:07
They'll stay for 24 hours.
1:02:10
So, this is a problem.
1:02:13
When I got there, they were running across the street at midnight or the night before, or I mean, after, getting cups of coffee, because there was no coffee in the place.
1:02:24
You know, this is a big city.
1:02:28
I, as a dean, worry.
1:02:30
I'm a mother, I worry.
1:02:31
That's our job, to worry.
1:02:34
And so we've done things like when our students have rotations and there's no nearby, you know, bus stop or subway stop, you know, you're coming off call.
1:02:46
It's midnight or 2 I'm concerned about their personal health and safety.
1:02:52
Right?
1:02:53
Even if we just have a car that takes them to the subway, I'm still concerned.
1:02:58
So getting to your question, I would like for you, I know you love Macaulay, but I'd like to see a little love coming this way.
Gale A. Brewer
1:03:04
Only live in my district.
Carmen Renée Green
1:03:06
Well, you know, I understand that.
Gale A. Brewer
1:03:08
But you do need, you do need housing.
Carmen Renée Green
1:03:10
We absolutely need housing.
1:03:12
And we we need housing.
1:03:14
There's no place where, that I know, where there isn't housing.
1:03:19
Right next to it.
1:03:19
We believe that student success is intrinsically intertwined with housing.
1:03:27
And, you know, we would You know, we're not talking about, the Ritz Carlton.
1:03:34
What we're talking about is a room that's clean.
1:03:37
Just like when I was a medical student.
1:03:38
I didn't come from a lot of money.
1:03:39
Right?
1:03:40
So, there was a room, a pull out bed, desk.
1:03:45
We shared a bathroom.
1:03:47
And that's what they need.
1:03:48
And we would actually prioritize that in such a way that we would say after a certain year that you would have to because we think that is so important.
1:03:58
And, you know, and then when you look at the fact that our students are working, we need housing.
1:04:04
And some of the Colley kids, we understand that.
1:04:07
And with our new pathways programs, there's gonna be probably linkages to that.
1:04:11
Right.
Gale A. Brewer
1:04:11
So I would suggest wherever you're looking for new space, that housing should be should be part of it if possible.