Action Alert: Fri, 8/28: Help Support Free CUNY Tuition This Friday!

Although I'm not making any formal endorsement for any mayoral candidates yet, I love the idea of a FREE CUNY again.

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This is James Trimarco, Communications Director for Tony Avella's campaign for Mayor of New York City. I wanted to make sure you know that Councilman Avella supports working towards the reinstatement of free tuition at CUNY. No other Mayoral candidate this year comes close to Tony in terms of supporting CUNY. As Friday is the first day of classes, we'd like to have Tony stand outside Hunter College—his alma mater—with a group of CUNY students who support free CUNY Tuition, and talk about the history and importance of this issue. This event will get media attention and help raise awareness about CUNY issues. Do you think you could come out and join us at Hunter College this Friday at 11:00 am? We are looking for many students to stand with us, and also for one or two who'd like to speak about their struggles with rising tuition costs. If you would like to be involved, please write me at james@tonyavellaformayor.com. You can learn more about our campaign at http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TonyAvellaForMayor/1d1f4f821c/b8316e9d67/779bad278d. Let's Stand Together, James Trimarco Communications Director Tony Avella 2009

Forward this message to a friend (718) 855-7035 http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TonyAvellaForMayor/1d1f4f821c/b8316e9d67/68d1a138cc

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Tony Avella For Mayor 2 Prince St Suite 6006 Brooklyn, New York 11201 US Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.

NYC Council restored $27 million in funding to CUNY

Another reason we want Speaker Christine C. Quinn re-elected. I received the following letter from her.

Sincerely,
Jerin Alam
National NOW Young Feminist Task Force
National Organization for Women (NOW)


----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "Quinn@council.nyc.ny.us" <Quinn@council.nyc.ny.us>
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 11:47:04 AM
Subject: NYC Council

July 21, 2009

Dear M. Alam,

Good news! Backed by you and thousands of other students, faculty and staff across the five boroughs, the New York City Council successfully restored roughly $27 million in funding to the City University of New York (CUNY) in this year's budget.

I would like to extend a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone, especially my colleagues Council Members Charles Barron and Peter Vallone Jr., who campaigned so vigorously on behalf of CUNY and its students.

Thanks to this amazing outpouring of support, we were able to restore a significant portion of the budget cuts that were originally planned for CUNY's six community colleges in this year's budget.

We also added $2.75 million in funding to the Peter Vallone Scholarship. This, along with the $6.75 in baseline funding for the scholarship that we successfully fought to include in the budget year after year, will bring the total level of funding for this program up to $9.5 million.

And we fully restored funding for the Center for Puerto Rican Studies ($470,000), the Dominican Studies Institute ($470,000) and the Murphy Institute Center for Worker Education ($250,000), keeping these widely-used resources open and available to all students.

The Council and I realize more than ever how important it is for us to invest in CUNY and the programs and services that students need.

While we did a really good job rallying together to protect funding for CUNY in this year's budget, we still have a tough road ahead of us. By all estimates the City's budget gap could reach $5 billion by 2011, and we will have to fight just as hard (if not harder) to help keep the dream of a college education within reach of all New Yorkers.

To that end, I would like to invite you to sign up for Council "Enews." These issue-based e-mail updates will be an important way for us to stay connected and engaged with you and other New Yorkers about the budget, Council hearings and events, and other important issues affecting our City.

To sign up, please log on to www.council.nyc.gov and click on the "Sign-Up for Email Updates" link at the top of our website.

Thanks again for helping us win this important victory. Your strong support for CUNY and its students truly made a difference!

Sincerely,
Christine C. Quinn
Speaker

CUNY-wide Sexual-Assault Policy Public Forum

We need YOUR help

Wednesday, April 29, 1pm – 3pm, HW 603
To view the policy visit: http://cunypolicy.blogspot.com/


Direction to Hunter College: 695 Park Avenue | Take 6 train to 68th Street/the West building is on the southwest corner


If you cannot make the forum, email comments to the blog, contact wrc-usg@hunter.cuny.edu or
stop by The Women’s Rights Coalition clubroom at TH 309

*****ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT, IF NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT PROJECT THE WOMEN'S RIGHTS COALITION & YOU WILL BE INVOLVED WITH IN COLLEGE.****

Did you know CUNY does not have a university-wide sexual assault policy?
You can help change that. We are in a historical time because a task force has been assembled with CUNY faculty, staff, administration, Public Safety & students to create this policy, which WILL go into effect next year for all 450,000 students.

****1/4 WOMEN IN COLLEGE WILL BE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AT LEAST ONCE. PLEASE COME AND SHOW THE TASKFORCE STUDENTS CARE ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC****

Make it a policy that reflects YOUR voice. Come to a public forum & tell the taskforce what you want to see on the policy. In attendance: Vice Chancellor of Legal Affairs for all of CUNY & other taskforce members, including women's rights coalition pres. Jerin Alam. FREE Food!

****WHAT WE WILL BE ADVOCATING FOR********
1. Mandatory prevention education, without which the policy will be uselss
(not having mandatory education, and only holding voluntary workshops will attract the people who probably don't need those workshops to begin with. Most people will not think of this until it's too late.)
2. anonymous reporting, found in the good campus policies in other schools

Posted by,
Jerin Alam
National NOW Young Feminist Task Force
National Organization for Women (NOW)