Rally at Governor-Elect Cuomo's

(Sorry: It said 2007! Odd error. Am taking it down and fixing it)



On November 22, The CUNY Board of Trustees voted to raise your tuition by 5% this spring and another 5% in the fall. That’s on top of 44% tuition increases, since 2003! That’s also on top of $200 million in state and city CUNY budget cuts over the past two years. And the 10% cutbacks currently slated for Baruch college and elsewhere that would result in layoffs of up to 65% of adjunct faculty and the creation of jumbo classes of up to 200 students. And further budget cuts projected for 2011. Simply put, the bankers and politicians that caused the economic crisis are passing its costs on to CUNY students in the form of deteriorating educational quality at an ever higher price, and on to full-time and adjunct faculty in the form of layoffs and course cuts, class size increases, and slashed programs and resources. (From a March4/October 7th committee email)

(more on increases)

Dwight Peter's Free CUNY Speech:

We want America and the world and everybody
To understand that education is a human right
In 1847
This great institution of ours
Was founded for the working class of New York
In 1847-1976
There was no tuition
In 1969
a coalition of African American and Latinos
Fought for something that is very sacred
And very, very beautiful…
For open admissions
They understood what the future of this nation was worth
They understood that the working class must be educated
And we today
Continue that fight
You want to know why
I keep talking about CUNY’s past?
The reason was
Because I’m afraid of CUNY’s future:
Tuition hikes
Overcrowded classrooms
Loss of professors
Where would this leave us?
We are tired of begging
We are tired of asking
Let it be known that we are demanding
Opportunity and life
Students,
Faculty,
Unions
All stand in Solidarity
We cannot rely on anybody else
We will create that world
Free CUNY!
[They say] that we are in an economic crisis
Our reply to that:
It’s not our fault
Tax the rich
Why should we
Clean up the mess?
Don’t we already clean up the mess?
We work hard
Some of us have full time jobs
And go to school full time
Some of us have kids
And go to school full time
Some of us do not get financial aid
We have to figure out how we’re going to pay for tuition next semester
…They’re cutting TAP
…See what’s happening in England?
See what’s happening across the world?
We stand with students all throughout the world
So let them know
It’s not just CUNY students fighting
It’s not just in New York that we’re fighting
This is an international movement
For a Free Education
Free CUNY!
Don’t give up
Some people are going to say it’s not worth it
They’re going to say there’s nothing you can do about it
But we know better
We know that people that stand up for themselves
Will be heard
You are not alone!
Free CUNY!
…Go back
To your campuses
Organize
Like you never have before
Students there
Need us to voice for them
International students
They’re facing a tuition hike as well
…Free CUNY!
Free CUNY!
Free CUNY!
Free CUNY!
When do you want it?
Now!
When do you want it?
Now!
When do you want it?
Now!
When do you want it?
Now!
Free CUNY!

NYPIRG Students Hold Vigil for COP16

After the third day of COP16, where government representatives once again are negotiating for the UNFCCC, NYPIRG (The New York Public Interest Research Group), which is comprised of student chapters throughout SUNY and CUNY, held a vigil across the street from the UN.


Students came out from various CUNY schools, some who are newcomers to this gigantic people's movement. Oxfam and Greenpeace organizers participated as well in discussing the concept of Climate Justice, that "non annex" countries are greatly more affected by Climate Change and could use financial help from "annex" countries, or wealthier nations, to survive.

CUNY Budget/Tuition Protest Tuesday December 14th

From a March4/October 7th committee email:

Tell CUNY…
NO TUITION INCREASE!

On November 22, The CUNY Board of Trustees voted to raise your tuition by 5% this spring and another 5% in the fall. That’s on top of 44% tuition increases, since 2003! That’s also on top of $200 million in state and city CUNY budget cuts over the past two years. And the 10% cutbacks currently slated for Baruch college and elsewhere that would result in layoffs of up to 65% of adjunct faculty and the creation of jumbo classes of up to 200 students. And further budget cuts projected for 2011. Simply put, the bankers and politicians that caused the economic crisis are passing its costs on to CUNY students in the form of deteriorating educational quality at an ever higher price, and on to full-time and adjunct faculty in the form of layoffs and course cuts, class size increases, and slashed programs and resources.

 It’s time to tell the CUNY Trustees, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo that enough is enough!
 It’s NOT too late, the proposed tuition increase CAN be rolled back... But we MUST raise our voices!

Where: Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo’s office @ 120 Broadway, between Cedar Street and Pine Street (A, C, J, Z, 2, 3, 4 or 5 to Fulton St.)
When: 5 pm, Tuesday, December 14
Sponsored by: March4/October7th Committee.
For further information, contact: march4ny@gmail.com

Water Justice Phone Call

If you want to stop Hydrofracking, you can join this phone blitz. This bill will give us another 6 months to build the movement.

Action:

Tuesday 11/23 (and everyday until the Assembly passes the bill), please call and ask the Speaker, influential members of the Assembly and the Governor to attend the Special Session in Albany and “bring the Sweeney hydraulic fracturing moratorium bill A11443B to the Assembly floor for a vote and pass the bill!”

Essential calls: (If the phone lines get flooded, send an email or fax!)

• Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver 518-455-3791, or, 212-312-1420 or mailto: Speaker@assembly.state.ny.us
FAX HIM @ 518-455-5459

• Assemblyman Herman Farrell (Chair of Ways & Means Committee)
518-455-5491, or, 212-234-1430, or, 212-568-2828 or mailto: FarrelH@assembly.state.ny.us

• Your Assemblyperson!
Find Them Here

• Governor David Paterson
518-474-8390 or email Paterson here

Students Disrupt CUNY Board of Trustees Meeting

The CUNY Board of Trustees held a public meeting at Baruch College on 24th Street to vote on certain items such as raising Tuition. What began as a modest protest of twenty five people in front of the campus, escalated into a disruption of the meeting, police force to remove the students, and a rally of up to fifty people in the lobby, held back by police, but witnessed by many curious students.

Unlike a similar protest at a previous public hearing with the Board of Trustees, this protest caught the attention of students that were unaware that tuition was on the verge of going up 5 to 7%. Of course these increments often don't seem like much to the average student, but to others they are yet another addition to their own stuggle, and the protesters made it very clear that tuition has already gone up 44% since 2003.

Adjunct professors and professors fought as well. With the movement came Hunter, Lehman, La Guardia, and other schools. Alumni attended as well.

RALLY OUTSIDE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES TOMORROW!

Tuition has gone up 44% since 2003.
Now the CUNY Administration is doing it to us again with a proposed
5% tuition increase for Spring 2011, and 2% tuition increase for Fall 2011

Rally outside the CUNY Board of Trustees meeting
Monday, November 22, 3:30 pm

Meet in the GC lobby on Monday at 2:45pm to walk to the rally together.

Rally location and details:
Baruch College, 55 Lexington Avenue (corner of 24th Street), Vertical Campus.
We will rally outside from 3:30 to 4:00, then go into the Board meeting,
which starts at 4:30 and is in room 14-220 of Baruch's Vertical Campus.

For more info, contact TheAdjunctProject@gmail.com

Raucous at CUNY Budget Hearing

Students brought noise to a public hearing with the board of trustees of CUNY on CUNY's budget and tuition today. Many of the testifiers were faculty, many of who supported the proposed 5% tuition hike for the sake of the quality of the education. Testifiers could hardly take this stance without much vocal opposition, such as chanting during the hearing in the filled room of some seventy people.

Patrick Krug, chairperson of NYPIRG and student at BC, won over the support of the vocal crowd by opposing the tuition hike, but also fought to keep TAP and PELL (financial aid) as well, which he said are unlikely to remain secure.

A representative of the Internationalist Club went further to demand no tuition at all and an abolition of the Board of Trustees.

Chancellor Goldstein, who has been a very controversial figure amongst student activists in the Education Movement, left the hearing before all the students could be allowed in, which was towards the end of the hearing. The students pointed this out to the board as the meeting ended in a vocal attack from students at the board, which generally left without comment.

Protest for Schools

From a March 4 NY email:

*** Please forward widely ***
47 Schools Slated for Potential Closure - Its time to stand up to the attack on public education

Protest Michael Bloomberg and Joel Klein`s puppet school board, the Panel for Educational Policy. This administration has overseen the school-closing assault and promoted other attacks on our public school system, including:

. Increasing the number of charter schools colocated with our public schools, causing increased overcrowding.
. Cutting school budgets while NOT providing the support schools need to help students.
. Promoting the use of standardized testing as the only method of evaluating students progress and teachers effectiveness.
. Threatening to publish teachers test scores, despite scandals exposing the tests as inaccurate and flawed.
. Increasing the number of quality teachers in the excessed ATR pool who are denied seniority rights.

Tired of the education deform onslaught against parents, students and teachers?

Make your voices heard! Join the Real Reformers. Protest the Panel for Education Policy. This will be the first of an ongoing series of actions to protest the disastrous educational policies that are trying to dismantle public education

Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Meet at 5:30pm
Brooklyn Technical High School
29 Fort Greene [Place] Brooklyn, NY 11217
[G train to Fulton (at So. Portland Av.); C to Lafayette Av. (at So. Portland Av.); Q, R or weekday B to Dekalb Av. (at Flatbush Av. Extension); 2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St. (nr. Fulton St.); D, N to Pacific St./Atlantic-Pacific (on 4th Av.); LIRR to Atlantic Ctr./Flatbush Av.; map: http://bit.ly/cInRhJ -t.]

Sponsored by the Grassroots Education Movement - http:// grassrootseducationmovement.blogspot.com

Come help plan our action -
Join our Schools Organizing Committee at the Skylight Diner on Thursday, Nov 11th at 5:00pm, 34th and 9th avenue.

Save CUNY... InYourClass.com

There will be a public hearing for CUNY on Monday, November 15th in which students are welcome to come, testify, listen, meet people. A obvious hot item on the calendar is the CUNY budget and any student can testify to their own situation or their general view of affordable education, et cetera. Anyone that wants to testify must call before 4:30 tomorrow to be on the list of speakers.
See the Face Book event here.

Also, a product of the CUNY Institute for Virtual Enterprise, InYourClass.com is a social network for CUNY students launched by City College Students last year. Check out this promotional video they have recently created.

Struggle Marches Through Harlem to CCNY

As part of a national day to defend education, New Yorkers marched half way across Harlem from the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building to City College. Hospital workers, teachers, high school students, and allies protested in solidarity with student strikes in California and similar actions across the country as a continuation of the March 4th Movement. In New York, activists protested the consistent cuts to New York public schools and rise in tuition -according to an email blast, "Over the past six years, tuition fees have increased 46% at SUNY and 44% at CUNY,"- charter schools -"In the name of excellence they are creating islands of exclusivity," said second grade teacher, Brian Jones,- cuts to hospitals and they protested gentrification.



The March 4th Coalition of New York City demands:
*No budget cuts, school closures, tuition hikes, layoffs, privatization, or union-busting.
*A restoration of all education funding.
*An elimination of systems of racism in the publics school system.
*Real education, not testing
*Smaller class sizes.
*Cancel all student debt.
*Equal pay for equal work and job security for all faculty and teachers
*Free and equal access to quality education from kindergarten to university for all
*No MTA fare hike
*Money for education - not war and incareration

The coalition invite all to join the ongoing struggle and organizing. Find out more at DefendEducationNYC.wordpress.com or contact March4NY@gmail.com.

LGBTQA Vigil

LGBTQA Alliance of City College, the Office of Student Life and other allies held a vigil in response to the recent suicide of Rutgers University student, Tyler Clementi as well as, Asher Brown (age 13), Seth Walsh (age 13), Billy Lucas (age 15), and Raymond Chase (age 19). It may seem curious as to why so many LGBTQ related suicides occurred recently, but according to Hector Martinez, "LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to commit suicide than their strait peers" and that "twenty to forty percent of the homeless population in New York City is identified as LGBTQ." The story that brought these other other similar tragedies into such a light was unique in itself. The story is that Tyler Clementi's roommate secretly filmed him on a webcam being sexually active with another man, leading to the event in which Tyler jumped off the George Washington Bridge.



Vigils in solidarity with the LGBTQ community and youth, occurred all across the country. At CCNY, it was emphasized by the representatives of Student Life, Student Government, The Wellness Center, the affirmative action office, the office of the campus minister, and the study abroad office that these are all places where students can to talk about various such issues. The staff member of the study abroad office, who did not appear to be too much older than the average student, shared that he would be a good person to talk to, that he came out while in college, and that it was not easy. It was noted that there is a Coming Out Group for LGBQ People forming, Tuesdays from six to seven-thirty PM at the Psychology Center in the NAC 8-101.

There were two perspectives given to look at the oppression of LGBTQ peoples and solutions to it, at the vigil. One was that the problem is systemic, that homophobia is encouraged by the larger context of our society. The recent legislative actions taken that don't allow gays to marry, to be openly gay in the military and other forms of discrimination feed homophobia into domestic settings. A political movement to change these things would then be an answer. The other perspective was that we can reverse the tide by simple acts of kindness, by making sure people know that we care about them. Actions of neither sort may include going to a vigil, or by going to a meeting of the LGBTQA Alliance.

Vigil & Strike

Candle Light Vigil to Remember the Victims of GLBT Bullying & Harassment
Wednesday, October 6 · 12:00pm - 1:00pm
NAC Plaza
LGBTQA Alliance of City College

"Join the CCNY community as we remember the lives of the young men who committed suicide due to homophobic bullying and harassment in recent days. This event will reaffirm our commitment as a college and community to creating and nurturing an open and accepting campus where everyone is cared for and everyone is safe." - from Fb page


Strike! to Defend Education
Thursday
As a continuation of March 4 to Defend Education, the struggle continues. As part of Strike! October 7th, CUNY students and others will rally at the Harlem State Office Building, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. & 125th Street. Actual strikes will occur in California and similar rallies all over the country for public education at all levels and types.

What Happened on Education/Earth Day?

As mentioned previously, the Education Rally had to conflict with Earth Day. Last year a big education rally was on April 22nd because it was the anniversary of that very successful action in 1969. Two years ago was the first Earth Day at CCNY, April 22nd also being Earth Day, but Earth Day at CCNY last year was really done on the 23rd so it worked out. This year it wasn't going to work out because the real Earth Day fell on a Thursday, when there are club hours.

The rally also conflicted with the Caribbean Students Association's Festival. There were other disorders too such as permit situations. The action on March 4 might be looked at as taking organizing time or energy from April 22nd, but I think mostly it helped establish the presence of the struggle this semester when the annual Walk Out was going to be limited for several other reasons.

For me, there was a feeling of complete mystery because I didn't know what was going to happen but I think the SER more or less knew because unlike last year, I didn't see posters all over the wall, exceeding the bulletin board limits, and on doors, et cetera, preceding April 22nd.

There wasn't exactly a rally, but in the first hour of club hours, as Salsa Mambo had the stage, Cort of SER's band performed allowing speeches to interlude each song. Hundreds of people witnessed this and that is a good thing. It was something. Also, allies from the Maribol Sisters Community Center took to the mike and spoke as well. None of this was disruptive of CCNY Green or the various other tables and awareness raising going on.
So that's how it went on April 22nd.

New President: Kenroy Cherrington

Many people know him as that guy who says, "Vote for Kenroy!" by the escalator. People listened. Many people do know him though, for who he is and his values. What might it mean that he will be your new USG President?

I first met Kenroy in the fall of 2006 when I first came to CCNY, and it was in the NYPIRG office. My first impression was that this guy had no self consciousness at all and an unforgettable sense of humor. Because we were both in NYPIRG I know his deep knowledge on everything about TAP, financial aid and tuition, as well as everything else that they work on like the environment- but he also interned for the state assembly in Albany for a semester so he's been there to lobby for lower tuition and he's been there getting to know people from the inside, which could come to our advantage eventually.

He was the first person I've ever heard say "Oslat," as in, "I'm working for Oslat!" A while later I realized he and then others were talking about OSLLD, formerly known as Finley, now the Office of Student Life and Leadership Development. This is good experience for a president to have had, because he knows everything about OSLLD. Historically USG has had a sometimes adverse relationship with OSLLD so perhaps this will restore harmony with them.

He is a Political Science major. Mostly he talks about politics/current events, and whatever internship or project he has at the moment. He has been running for some time and now he is a senior, super experienced, president and I should say, when I met him in NYPIRG, someone else was there. Our current, CAC president, Irene Castro was there.

Come to DC

The 4th free bus is nearly filled so it's your last chance to register for that bus, to join the Climate Rally/march/concert in DC on April 25th, Sunday. http://action.earthday.net/t/10584/signUp.jsp?key=5015

Just ask me if you want to know more, ShannonAyala@Rocketmail.com or 516-458-6966

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMKPh4RW0no

Everything's Going to be Okay on E-Day?

SER, CSA & CCNY Green are all sharing the NAC Plaza on Earth Day, which means a concert/rally, a pot painting festival and something caribbean will all be going on. I haven't able to get all the details yet...

Destined Conflict!

On April 22nd, 1969, City College students participated in the latter part of the perhaps 15-20 year Civil Rights movement by fighting for an affirmative action policy that would open the school to students from all sorts of neighborhoods, that grew up in all sorts of conditions, people of color. I think this says something about the people that were able to get in with closed admissions but still wanted to open it, about their world view, and this story should be told to children.

Exactly one revolution around the sun later, April 22nd, 1970 was the first nationwide Earth Day. 20 million Americans participated in rallies from coast to coast. They were protesting all sorts of pollution, commercial development and loss of wildlife. Over the years Earth Day became more soft core but what with Ozone loss, in 1990, 200 million people globally participated in events on Earth Day. Now it's about Climate Change and this is where it gets messed up with City College.

The first CCNY Earth Day was 2008, during club hours. CCNY Green was brand new and I went to one meeting of the Student Engagement Committee with Jason Self and Nkem Stanley. I had a NYPIRG table at our Earth Day and so did Green Planet Society. In 2009, the committee tripled, and we made Earth Week (WE ACT @ CCNY was around too). April 22nd was a Wednesday so we did it on Thursday instead. We made Wednesday Green Political Action Day or something and left that time open for the first Walk Out commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Strike for Open Admissions.

This year is the most deadly, destined year, the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day because it falls on a Thursday and therefore CCNY Earth Day and the Education Rally are same time, same place!

For a while I knew about this but it was resolved because ED wasn't starting until 2 and the concert/speak-out/rally was at 12. But CCNY Green, being out of the loop even though I tried to keep everyone in the loop, pushed it back into club hours. I went to SER about this and they said that that actually, their concert is 12-2 and they are walking out at 2. So it's a huge mess.

My agenda is to go to the rally, whenever it is and then do some action with the Amp Up Environmental Student Network in the subways during rush hour. Then Sunday go to the Earth Day Climate Rally. BTW, the bus is free on April 25th to DC but you have to register this week. Please register right away, http://action.earthday.org/campaigns/drive-campus-action.

Gentrification

Those posters that said Gentrification CUNY, I went to that workshop. Maribal Sisters Community Center and Students for Educational Rights came together in NAC 1/211 to discuss a common cause, Gentrification, or, the G word.



The Maribal Center is on 142nd Street and Broadway. They are basically a tenant rights group. The workshop began with a session by Maribal, focusing on the Columbia U expansion, the scale of gentrification in Northern Manhataan and the actions they have taken. Next, SER spoke about G here at CUNY and what the students have done and are doing about it. Lastly, we all discussed questions and comments. Cort from SER translated.

A man from Maribal said some 80,000 people have been displaced in the last 20 years. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who I've discovered to be very active in the food and green movements, is part of the process to "beautify" Harlem from "river to river."

A woman testified that her landlord or other, had "racist ideas" that her and her family was "illiterate and things like that." She went to Maribal, who basically took care of the eviction situation. They have many stories of winning in court.

Margie from SER spoke alongside Ana. She explained that the school was mostly white until there was a strike in 69 and we obtained an open admissions policy. She described the process that pushes minorities out of school as "sneaky." Part of the sneakiness is the raising of standards for admissions.

Ana went on to say that the SATs are considerably racist. A professor Crane or Krane, spoke as an expert on the subject, saying that SATs predict your race and income, that both parts do not correlate with previous grades and (what made everyone gasp) was the items in which black and Latino students do well are removed from the tests. He also said, there has always been suspicion since women always did quite poor in comparison to men. Therefore, he said, as opposed to hoses and dogs, people of color are kept out by more subtle and sneaky tactics.

They elaborated that the price of tutors, Kaplan preparation, et cetera, are evidence of racism. Kachet, an attendee from League for a Revolutionary Party, said those considerations exist for the whole of the educational system. She alluded to all sorts of things, that neighborhoods have bad schools, there are private schools, parents may or may not be available to help their children, children have to take care of the family. These are all considerations in the discussion of remedial classes and open admissions. It is considerable because the school is capping admissions for the first time since way back (if not ever) and is raising admission standards.

Cort, a founding member of SER in 88, experienced a CCNY with a larger immigrant population. The drop out rates have been escalating and more out-of-state students, who pay higher tuition have been admitted. More things like, that students are forced to pay more to take more labs, were discussed.

We discussed the hotel supposedly being built on top of the Harlem landmark, Victoria Cinema 5 (originally a burlesque theatre), the Greek Collegiate Diner being closed and the Subconscious chain store appearing across the street.

A highschool student discussed how he feels, losing the student metro cards, talk of charter schools, maybe having to pay eventually for school. He came "from a country that is being destroyed by this country to this country," translated Cort.

An alumni said he was here in the SLAM days, (Student Liberation Action Movement). He explained that we won the fight to open admissions in 69, but the community, faculty and more students were involved. We lost, he said, when there was no community involved. (He also noted an upcoming Hunter action).

Margie said she feels not enough students get involved. 1st of all, if I may, they outnumbered the 350 climate rally in the education movement by about 4 times. Davey said something about our Edu movement that echoed my thoughts on the Climate Justice movement, that the students just don't feel it yet. In the community, gentrification is felt. A woman said, "We could talk about the [G] issues all night."

Big Environmental Actions in April

There are 2 big actions that I know of, on Earth Day, April 22nd (way after the Education Rally) and in DC on April 25th.
There is now a big, official network of student environmental groups from around NYC called Amp Up. We had one summit, we have a Ning site, and we're going to be having forum events, et cetera. Right away, we're taking action. On Earth Day we're going to be in the subway doing something, but it's not all worked out yet. The point is, we don't want people feeling like Earth Day was all about consumerism, like it came off last year in the media. The original Earth Day was serious, it was a day of protest. We're bringing it back.
3 Days later free busses are going down to DC for a huge Climate Rally, policy neutral, organized by Earth Day Network. I've become their NYC Point Person, so I am the person to ask about it.
This is the DC registration page: http://action.earthday.net/t/10584/signUp.jsp?key=5024 .

Before you just launch out into any of this business with us, there are some educational things you can do first. On April 15th, Students for Environmental Justice is hosting Those Most Effected Part 1: Teach-In on Climate Justice. The room is TBA but it will be 12-2 at school.
Then on April 16-17 is Youth Summit on Climate Justice: Our People, Our Hoods, Our Future (www.uprose.org) I think at the Point in the Bronx.
Of course CCNY Green will have some informative things going on after the Education Rally at 2 but I don't know much about it. Students for Food Justice and City Ag Network might be participating in bringing folks to our student/community garden at Saint Luke's Church at some point and we might organize a Toxics and Treasures Tour around the neighborhood with WE ACT for Justice.

CCNY Site Hides the Good Stuff

If you click on About CCNY on the site, you'll read generic mission statement stuff. Click on history, and read a version of CCNY's history that I don't recommend, and I've read a few versions of it. The protests to open admissions, I could not find at all so of course the protests to stop tuition implementation, I could not find. But there is a tab called Share your Memories, and there is much better writing there. I haven't read them all, but this was a student here, who graduated in 1968. Check it out.

Ron Sternfels (Chem '68)


Where do I begin? My life at City College began the day after the Harlem riots in 1964. Baskerville was still the chemistry building and I remember one day when the bomb squad came to remove an old bottle of a chemical that had become unstable. One lab was being remodeled and beneath the wood floors was found 300 lbs of mercury. I remember taking swimming at 8:00 am in winter at the Wingate pool (bathing suits were forbidden) and then having to run to South Campus for my next class, stopping only to buy a pretzel from Raymond the Bagel Man. I remember the anti-war rallies, the fight to preserve free tuition, Ravi Shankar's weekly concerts and "House Plans" where I made the best friends I ever had. I remember Leadership Training and “T-Groups” that taught me so much about myself. I remember that my first semester fees were $23 total. Most of all I remember the education I received that was second to none and the respect I have had through my career when people find out I went to City College. I'm so proud that New York has preserved the the campus so that students in years to come can feel the presence of those who passed before them.




Posted: 2007-11-05 23:50:30

What's Your Stance on Activity Fees?

USG is going around getting votes to put increasing student activity fees on a referendum. I was asked by 3 different people to sign it and every time that I said, "No" they launched into their, "It goes towards clubs" routine and every time I said, "And it raises tuition." Then they said, "Are you in any clubs?" I said, "I'm in several but I don't use funds." I confessed that I wasn't totally sure what my stance was but that I didn't clearly see what the need was for and that it seemed more important to me to keep tuition down. Obviously this is where my mind is.
(Photo: Original CCNY, the Free Academy on 23rd Street).

There are plenty of people on both sides but I'm sure most of the school isn't in on the conversation. My view is this. The argument, that our school has relatively low student activity fees, is a poor argument because it's poor to compare something sad to something more sad and then say we should make it sadder. I'm in my fifth year of college and I've thought about this for a long time. A lot of these students are telling me the same thing, like, "Unfortunately money makes the world go round and we need money." So I'm telling them, "Why doesn't our generation have any Utopian hope? Why do we rely so much on money? We sound like 40 year olds! Don't you know there's no money in a Utopia?" I feel like my generation has no ideals, like we've given up or have never even tried. When you say free school to students, they act like you're from another planet but my friend in Sweden goes to school for free. I think the recession has jaded people, honestly.

In related news, the usual Walk Out (Annual Walk Out was the original idea) will this year be a concert and platform for voices on April 22nd during Club Hours at 12-2 and strangely, CCNY Earth Day will be right after at 2. Then, I think there's going to be a big Environmental Action during Rush Hour.

NYC Environmental Summit at CCNY this Saturday

Students for Environmental Justice, Food Justice, City Ag Network (which might change it's name to Food for Life, inspired by Relay for Life), and CCNY Green have been organizing with Columbia U, NYU, Queensborough Community College, Bronx Community College and other schools for this 60 or so person summit at CCNY. Ever hear of Power Shift? That was where 12,000 young folks all came to 1 conference in DC for the environment, at least the one in March 09.

This is like that man, except it's more immediate, NYC students, to create a network. Usually, groups are doing their own thing. SEJ goes to radical environmental rallies and wonders where the other students are. NYPIRG is the only example of an environmental network in NYC where students come from all CUNYs to rally or lobby together, but that leaves out private schools and groups like SEJ that are minority based and don't believe in carbon trading. Serious protests and actions will come out of this summit right away. We want to do something on Earth Day, (maybe later during Rush Hour).

There shall be Hydro Fracking Protests (anti-gas drilling), more coming together for Climate Justice at Last (that's my hope), and finally New Yorkers take a substantial stand against Mountain Top Removal (I've never heard of such an event). There will probably be frequent forums following this or even against nuclear. We are for something, renewable energy. The point is we will have a substantial new network.

It's free and open and there will be some vegan food so come! Search Amp Up Summit on FB, contact ampupnyc@gmail.com or just register here, https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGU4SW5NcXd0Wk82ZE1fY284dEQ2YlE6MA

Somebody is Against this Publication?

(Rewrite) My new idea about the posters being taken down for CCA is that there was never a club name on them. They were stamped but there is no CCA club. So the new poster says, "For authorship contact Shannon of Students for Environmental Justice." That way it doesn't look like SEJ owns the entire thing.
The administration is still under suspicion for taking us down though.

Post March 4 and City College Activist

This is a video from the second trip to Albany this semester that CCNY Students had access to going to to lobby for CUNY and SUNY. From City College, Davey Czyzyk from SER (Students for Educational Rights), me (Shannon from SEJ or Students for Environmental Justice) and Lisa Liu from USG were the CCNY students that went as well as Stanley Fritz, our new NYPIRG chapter project coordinator.

How was March 4th?

Click for CNN Photo Gallary of March 4

Click for CNN video archive of March 4, including us.

Our video captures the party/rally in the rotunda where I think we reached and appealed to more students than before with this new indoor/festival tactic. More students got involved. Our video doesn't capture the march that went across town to FIT. It was beautiful, the sun was setting as we crossed the major avenues with our signs.



We were in the middle of the march. When we got to the hearing at FIT we found ourselves stopped by a barricade that separated us from the front of the March. We couldn't hear the speeches, we were cut off so cars could go down 29th Street and the rally could be suppressed or made to look smaller. We begged the police to let us over. The concept of hopping over the gate was in the air but the police could arrest us. A woman encouraged us to go back and go around to the rally but after we started doing that the police gave up and opened the side gates. Still, when it was dark, they refused to let us into FIT to fight for the student metro cards and cuts to transit. We cheered, "Let Us In!" We found ourselves blocked again, this time trapped in front of FIT behind the barricade. We pushed the gate and the police pushed back. We pushed back and forth until finally, again, they let us out but as far as I know there was no ability for the crowd to get into FIT. There was mostly confusion at that point.

On Wednesday there will be a post March 4th general activism meeting in the Hoffman Lounge. All activist groups on campus are invited to discuss what we all are doing these next 2.5 months and how perhaps, we could support each other, or at least not compete with each other.