Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced plans on Oct. 20., for a Science Park and Research Campus to be built in place of Hunter College’s Brookdale Campus Residence Hall on East 25th Street and 1st Avenue in Manhattan, which is scheduled for demolition.

The dormitory, also known as the Brookdale dorms, is slated for demolition in as early as 2024.

The building normally houses up to 700 undergraduate students and is one of the cheapest housing options in the city, with costs ranging from $6,625 to $9,385 for a full academic year.

Alternative housing options, including Hunter’s apartments on 79^th, are nowhere near as cost-effective, ranging from about $14,000 to $16,000 for the academic year.

CUNY has not yet announced plans to offer an affordable housing option to Hunter students in place of the Brookdale dorms.

A cost-effective option should always be available for students who dorm, many of which come from different states and countries. Although construction isn’t planned to begin until 2026, the city, state and CUNY should have notified students of this change prior to the announcement.

Hunter College’s Undergraduate Student Government said that it had no prior knowledge of the planned removal of the Brookdale dorms and was therefore unable to protest until after the decision was made.

“We are asking YOU to advocate for the low income, international, and fellow students of yours who NEED affordable housing options,” the caption on a post stated on Hunter College’s USG’s Instagram page.

Students are urged to share their apprehensions regarding the demolition and advocate for more affordable living spaces.