We’re spreading the word about the NY State budget and some actions you can take before April 1:

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Tanya Agathocleous <tagathoc@hunter.cuny.edu>
Date: Thu, Mar 23, 2023, 3:27 PM
Subject: Fw: NYS Budget Advocacy–NOW IS THE TIME!
To: <ENGDEPT-L@gc.listserv.cuny.edu>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>
Dear all,

 

I’m forwarding an email from Associate Provost Monica Varsanyi about the state budget, which will be decided imminently (April 1). Alongside the information from Monica below, here are some related action items.

 

• If you’d like to send an auto-generated letter to your representatives, here’s a link:https://cunyrisingalliance.org/
• Student representatives from CUNY Rising and ND4C want to come talk to your classes so that more students become aware of what’s at stake for them in the New Deal (free tuition! more full-time faculty!). If you teach at the colleges and would be open to a visit, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdX9Q3-O3yWKZoZHN2Mv5pa177ujvq4LOsAPd_DsWkcPY6aEw/viewform
• And finally, The National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education is located right here at CUNY and they’re holding their annual conference  this Sunday-Tuesday (flyer attached) in case you’re interested.

————

From: Monica Varsanyi <Monica.Varsanyi79@login.cuny.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2023 9:28 PM
To: Monica Varsanyi
Subject: NYS Budget Advocacy–NOW IS THE TIME!

State budget negotiations are in high gear, and the state constitution mandates approval of the budget by April 1.  So now is the time to make a final advocacy push for CUNY and the Graduate Center.  Gov. Hochul’s proposed budget neglected CUNY, but the NYS Senate and Assembly have just released their own versions of the budget (“One House bills”) that include significant funding for CUNY, including in the Assembly bill $7m for doctoral student stipends.  If you live in New York State and are so inclined, please, please take a moment today, tomorrow, or soon to contact your elected officials and ask for their support for CUNY and for the doctoral student stipends.  I’ve included a sample letter/email below.  Please feel free to embellish/revise as you wish.  And please feel free to forward this email.

Also attached is the Chancellor’s message and attachment re: the current budget negotiations.

———-

Links for finding your elected reps:
https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator

https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/

Dear Senator/Assemblymember X,

As a member of the X College faculty, a member of the doctoral faculty at the CUNY Graduate Center, and as a constituent in NY Senate/Assembly District X, I’m writing to urge you to offer your strong support to CUNY in the current budget negotiations.  I’m very happy to see that both the Senate and the Assembly has incorporated significant funding for CUNY in their One House bills.

[[if to an Assemblymember]] As the final NYS budget is being negotiated, I’m writing to ask that you strongly support the $7 million in funding that is slated for Doctoral Student Stipends in the current Assembly One House Bill.

[[if to a Senator]]. The Assembly’s One House Bill includes $7 million in funding for Doctoral Student Stipends.   I’m writing to ask that you strongly support including this $7 million in funding in the final NYS budget.

CUNY is one of only 20 universities in the US that are both Research 1 (R1) and Hispanic Serving Institutions.  Over twenty percent of full-time graduate students at the GC identify as underrepresented minorities, compared with (for example) SUNY Buffalo (10%) and Stony Brook (12.7%).  Our graduate students are doing cutting edge research, teaching undergraduates across the CUNY system, and training to be in the diverse workforce of tomorrow.  Many of our graduate students will remain in New York State in the future and contribute to its economy.  They deserve our support.

 

We’re spreading the word about the NY State budget and some actions you can take before April 1:

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Tanya Agathocleous <tagathoc@hunter.cuny.edu>
Date: Thu, Mar 23, 2023, 3:27 PM
Subject: Fw: NYS Budget Advocacy–NOW IS THE TIME!
To: <ENGDEPT-L@gc.listserv.cuny.edu>
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>
Dear all,

 

I’m forwarding an email from Associate Provost Monica Varsanyi about the state budget, which will be decided imminently (April 1). Alongside the information from Monica below, here are some related action items.

 

• If you’d like to send an auto-generated letter to your representatives, here’s a link:https://cunyrisingalliance.org/
• Student representatives from CUNY Rising and ND4C want to come talk to your classes so that more students become aware of what’s at stake for them in the New Deal (free tuition! more full-time faculty!). If you teach at the colleges and would be open to a visit, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdX9Q3-O3yWKZoZHN2Mv5pa177ujvq4LOsAPd_DsWkcPY6aEw/viewform
• And finally, The National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education is located right here at CUNY and they’re holding their annual conference  this Sunday-Tuesday (flyer attached) in case you’re interested.

————

From: Monica Varsanyi <Monica.Varsanyi79@login.cuny.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2023 9:28 PM
To: Monica Varsanyi
Subject: NYS Budget Advocacy–NOW IS THE TIME!

State budget negotiations are in high gear, and the state constitution mandates approval of the budget by April 1.  So now is the time to make a final advocacy push for CUNY and the Graduate Center.  Gov. Hochul’s proposed budget neglected CUNY, but the NYS Senate and Assembly have just released their own versions of the budget (“One House bills”) that include significant funding for CUNY, including in the Assembly bill $7m for doctoral student stipends.  If you live in New York State and are so inclined, please, please take a moment today, tomorrow, or soon to contact your elected officials and ask for their support for CUNY and for the doctoral student stipends.  I’ve included a sample letter/email below.  Please feel free to embellish/revise as you wish.  And please feel free to forward this email.

Also attached is the Chancellor’s message and attachment re: the current budget negotiations.

———-

Links for finding your elected reps:
https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator

https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/

Dear Senator/Assemblymember X,

As a member of the X College faculty, a member of the doctoral faculty at the CUNY Graduate Center, and as a constituent in NY Senate/Assembly District X, I’m writing to urge you to offer your strong support to CUNY in the current budget negotiations.  I’m very happy to see that both the Senate and the Assembly has incorporated significant funding for CUNY in their One House bills.

[[if to an Assemblymember]] As the final NYS budget is being negotiated, I’m writing to ask that you strongly support the $7 million in funding that is slated for Doctoral Student Stipends in the current Assembly One House Bill.

[[if to a Senator]]. The Assembly’s One House Bill includes $7 million in funding for Doctoral Student Stipends.   I’m writing to ask that you strongly support including this $7 million in funding in the final NYS budget.

CUNY is one of only 20 universities in the US that are both Research 1 (R1) and Hispanic Serving Institutions.  Over twenty percent of full-time graduate students at the GC identify as underrepresented minorities, compared with (for example) SUNY Buffalo (10%) and Stony Brook (12.7%).  Our graduate students are doing cutting edge research, teaching undergraduates across the CUNY system, and training to be in the diverse workforce of tomorrow.  Many of our graduate students will remain in New York State in the future and contribute to its economy.  They deserve our support.