MSE students returned to campus from spring break on Thursday, May 2nd, a day later than planned, following an unexpected day of online school after the removal of a pro-Palestinian encampment erected by CCNY students the previous week. Some students had been closely following the demonstrations on college campuses across the country on the news and social media, while some first learned about it through emails from administration. Either way, we all trudged into school to find a large number of police officers, rows and rows of fences, and no access to the quad or the rest of campus — a place unrecognizable from the one we had left almost two weeks earlier.

While some students expressed a sense of security with the increase of protection following the campus demonstrations, others viewed the heightened security as unnecessary, inconvenient, and even unsafe. Annalie Merkel (’26) spoke about how, “As someone who grew up in NYC and takes the train every day, this protection made me feel uncomfortable and restricted.” Ocean Hiller (’26) said, “I find it dystopian that there are so many police officers, even a ‘counterterrorism’ unit. It doesn’t make me feel safe.” Benjamin Cohen (’26), felt differently. He expressed how “Initially, I was worried that there would still be people on campus that were protesting violently. Once I realized there were all the barricades set up, police everywhere, and no one allowed on campus, I have come to feel safe.” Still, Benjamin added, “it is jarring how empty and locked down the campus has been and the fact that the police have needed to go to these lengths is a major issue.” Since that first day back, campus has gradually opened back up; the police presence has been reduced and MSE students are allowed back in the quad. But the gates that still frame campus are a reminder that it might be a long time before things feel normal again.