This article was originally published on Sept. 19, 2012
When fall semester began this year at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Fiterman Hall opened its doors for the first time since the building was destroyed when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Students at Orange Coast College played a small role in the $325 million reconstruction project. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, OCC student leader Traci Travis Glassock raised funds to help the recovery effort. Rather than giving the money to a big organization, she wanted to "do something that means more." Traci decided to help the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), which had lost an entire 15-story building when the East Tower collapsed on the college's Fiterman Hall. Seven persons, including six students, lost their lives at BMCC that day. "It was heart wrenching," Traci said.
Jet Blue offered to fly Traci to New York City to present the $3,300 check in person. "It was an amazing experience. Our school reached across the United States to help another school." Although the check was a modest donation, it generated a lot of interest about the plight of BMCC. Soon, other donations began pouring in.
Today, Fiterman Hall overlooks the World Trade Center site and Memorial Park, with southerly, scenic windows spanning several floors. The 14-story building houses a world-class fine arts center and public café, as well as 80 "Smart" classrooms and computer laboratories, offices, library spaces, music ensemble rooms and a rooftop conference center. The building's grand staircase ascends from the lobby to the 4th floor, and there are two spiral staircases—one rising from the 4th floor to the 10th, another from the 5th floor to the 14th. Escalators and high-speed elevators add to the convenience of the new building, which increases BMCC's classroom capacity by about a third.