After closing last November, New York City high schools have reopened for in-person instruction. While high schools in West Harlem have welcomed students back, many community members have expressed concern over safety measures to protect students, teachers, and their families from COVID-19.

Over the past decade, Morningside Heights and West Harlem community members have watched as high-rise towers and luxury developments have popped up throughout their neighborhoods. And amid rising rent prices and fears of overdevelopment, residents have increasingly looked with concern toward vulnerable property sites in the area.

Students living in Hartley Hall received an email from Cristen Kromm, the dean of undergraduate student life, and Dr. Melanie Bernitz, the senior vice president of Columbia Health, last week notifying them that several Hartley residents had tested positive for COVID-19 and that a potential building-wide lockdown was being considered.

Ever since the ninth grade, Alondra Carmona had dreamed of attending Barnard College. When she first heard that Columbia had a sister school right across the street, she looked into Barnard’s campus and programs and immediately fell in love. Nearly four years later, she was elated to read the word “Congratulations” when she checked her application status. However, her celebrations were soon tempered by doubts about being able to afford her tuition.

Phillip Le, CC ’24, is moving across the country for the first time without his family, but he does not know when to book his ticket from Lawndale, California to New York City.