A reminder of two events this week related to battles we need to wage for the integrity and the future of CUNY and of our college. Also, beyond this week’s events, we note the challenge posed for all activists and all members of the PSC by the threat of cuts to the university and by a resolution calling for mobilizing the entire union to defend CUNY and our college in the face of budget deficits.
The first event is a city-wide town hall on a funding proposal to be unveiled for CUNY, the New Deal for CUNY. That town hall zoomeeting takes place on Wednesday, December 2nd, at 7 PM. Please register here for this important meeting to show your support for full funding for CUNY, and to hear details of a campaign to assure the future of CUNY funding by, among other things, increasing the tax on the wealthy and super-wealthy.
An online event to discuss the CUNY Rising Alliance and proposed legislation: New Deal for CUNY Town Hall
Elements of A NEW DEAL FOR CUNY:
- Make CUNY tuition-free: eliminate tuition for in-state undergraduate students and replace tuition income with public funds.
- Increase the number of mental health counselors to meet the recommended national standards.
- Increase the number of academic advisors to ensure student success.
- Hire 5,000 additional full-time faculty to increase the ratio of full-time faculty to students. Professionalize adjunct compensation.
- Invest in capital renewal plan to address urgent issues of health and safety, accessibility, energy and maintenance of CUNY buildings.
Register for the Town Hall meeting Wednesday evening here.
Also, join us on Thursday during the community hour for a panel discussion on anti-Black racism, and the struggle against racism at CUNY, in New York City, and beyond — co-sponsored by the John Jay Chapter, PSC, Africana Studies, and the Black Student Union.
Finally, you hopefully have received an email from Barbara Bowen updating you on the overall strategic tasks in the coming months for the PSC, and a brief explanation of the resolution recently passed by the union’s Delegate Assembly. The resolution calls on the union to mobilize its membership to prepare in the event the leadership calls for more militant action to ‘Save Lives, Save Jobs, Save CUNY.’ Given the CUNY Board of Trustees’ and the Chancellor’s willingness to impose even further austerity measures ‘at the drop of a hat,’ the union must be prepared should drastic action be required to resist major program cuts, further large-scale firings of academic workers, further increases in academic workload in the form of larger class sizes and reduced staffing. The John Jay Chapter will be initiating a campaign of one-on-one phone conversations with members. To participate in this mobilizing campaign, you can sign up here.
see you there!
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