Co Winner of Vol. 71, No. 40
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, November 12, 2020
$1.00
2020 Budget shortfalls plague Manhattan College DECISION Full Coverage
A new world
School employees face furloughs and pay cuts amidst a deficit upward of $10 million, caused primarily by loss of room and board revenue
By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
It’s one of the school’s largest academic programs, but there’s one face inside Manhattan College’s communication department office nearly every student and faculty member knows: Bob Coleman. Essentially the department’s jack-of-alltrades, Coleman is known to troubleshoot technical issues, rent out equipment to media production students, and even teach a class from time to time. But the communication department is now without his help, at least for the foreseeable future. Coleman was one of more than two-
dozen employees furloughed by Manhattan College. It comes as the private Bronx school faces a budget shortfall of as much as $10 million. And it’s all courtesy of the coronavirus pandemic. According to college industry news website Inside Higher Ed, furloughs are nothing new to post-secondary schools this semester. Big-name institutions like Clemson, George Washington, Tufts and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst all had to temporarily send employees home and implement other cost-cutting measures like pay reductions just to keep their heads above the water. Manhattan College was no exception. The pandemic dealt a severe blow to the college’s
budget, more than 80 percent of those losses attributed to the near non-existent room and board. Students have the option to take all classes remotely this semester, and many took the college up on the offer. That not only saves them from exposure to the coronavirus, but it also saves them nearly $17,000. All of that has forced Manhattan College leadership to find ways to close the budget gap. The initial cuts were made to line items like operating, utilities and contracting costs, spokesman Peter McHugh said. But it just wasn’t enough. Cutting employees — even temporarily — is difficult, McHugh said. But ultimately it MANHATTAN COLLEGE, page A4
Desperate need of TLC?
Jamaal Bowman heads to D.C., but is this the beginning of much more change to come for Democrats? Page A5
Seasons of change Voting was a whole new experience in New York. How do we make it even better next time? Page A3
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
What can be done for a community center in disrepair? Daris Jackson, chair of Community Board 8’s housing committee, is trying to get some money to fix up the Marble Hill Community Center, which has struggled to repair a leaking roof and broken heater for years.
Party future Andrew Cohen is now set to become a judge. But what does that mean for the Bronx Dems power structure? Page A6
Center struggles, but community board steps up n Daris Jackson believes Marble Hill deserves home without leaks, broken heaters By KIRSTYN BRENDLEN kbrendlen@riverdalepress.com
There is usually a time and place for community boards to talk about participatory funding — the rather longshot method of convincing city council members to fund specific neighborhood projects. But Daris Jackson isn’t waiting for all
that. Instead, Community Board 8’s housing chair is ready to push now for the necessary funds — possibly from the board’s own bank account to make the Marble Hill Community Center a destination again. Located on the bottom floor of Marble Hill Houses on Broadway, the community center is home to programs for youth and senior citizens alike through the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center. Kids come for everything from homework help to prep for standardized tests and college applications. They also come for fun. In normal years, neighborhood youngsters — especially
from the New York City Housing Authority complex — could dance, play sports, and hang out with their peers at the community center. Among the adult programs run by MMCC are English language classes, work force development, and tenant education workshops. But while the community might enjoy the programming, the physical structure holding the community center is far from enjoyable, Jackson said. It’s something he’s discovered when the center hosts the occasional community board meeting, or a gathering of the Marble Hill Tenants Asso-
ciation meetings. “One of the things we noticed when we had a meeting at Marble Hill last year was that there were some infrastructure issues with plumbing, the pipes. There were issues with the roof,” Jackson said. “The structure of the roof is compromised, and that causes leaks. And there’s a concern about mold. There are a number of issues they are facing.” But that was the beginning of 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic sent community board meetings online and shuttered most activities at the center. MARBLE HILL, page A4
Think crime is bad today? It was a lot worse in the 1970s n The 50th Precinct reports a little more than 800 major crimes this year. It used to be in the thousands
THEN
&NOW
Part of an ongoing series celebrating the 70th anniversary of The Riverdale Press.
By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@riverdalepress.com
W
e’ve all heard it one time or another. “In my day, no one in the neighborhood locked their doors. Everybody knew everybody, and crime was just something no one had to worry about.” That could have been the life in Sheriff Andy Taylor’s fictional town of Mayberry. But in reality, gramps might have better luck selling the grandkids his story of marching to school uphill in 10 feet of snow. There is never a convenient time for crime,
especially when it’s one of us or someone we know or love is the victim. A perusal of 50th Precinct statistics reveal more than 800 crimes through the first 10 months of the year led by grand larceny, felony assault, and grand theft auto. But was it really better back in the day? Were families going to bed throughout Riverdale, Kingsbridge and Marble Hill without worrying if the front door was bolted shut? OLD CRIME, page A4
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JOSHUA BRIGHT / File
More than a decade before Dermot Shea became the top guy at the New York Police Department, he was the commanding officer of the NYPD’s 50th Precinct. Crime was already down by the mid-2000s, after highs in the 1970s, ‘80 and ‘90s.