State Relations
NYS Student-Community Townhall
On September 10, leadership from the Cornell University Office of Student Government Relations joined peers from Niagara University, Stonybrook University, Syracuse University, and the University of Rochester to discuss how their roles and responsibilities as student leaders have evolved during COVID. Creating transparency and clear lines of communication not only from college administrators, but also from students themselves is crucial to supporting a successful fall semester for students and college towns across New York State. Stay tuned for more information about regional conversations hosted by OSGR coming soon.
New York State Joint Legislature Virtual Public Hearing
The New York State Letter’s first demand––A Public Hearing on the Needs of Students––has been addressed by the New York State Senate. The virtual public hearing took place on July 28, 2020
A Public Hearing on the Needs of Students: New York students have been uniquely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual public hearing enabled collaboration between elected student representatives and government officials in Albany.
The Recorded Hearing
In order for the New York State elected representatives to examine the impact to higher education institutions, students, and faculty in Spring and Fall of the 2020 semesters, the hearing took over seven hours to complete. The Senate committee page with details about the hearing as well as the full recording of hearing can be found at the button below. On the video, Cornell student speakers appear between 5:15:12 and 5:44:02.
The OSGR’s Testimony
The Office of Student Government Relations’ full testimony on the behalf of Cornell students negatively impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic can be found below. Read from a a diverse array of student voices who have been uniquely impacted by the Pandemic. The categories in which the testimonial has been divided are as follows:
Students impacted by high rent
Student beneficiaries to the Education Opportunity Program (EOP) and Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP)
Student recipients of the Excelsior Scholarship
A tribute to eligible DACA students that fall under the New York State DREAM Act should be granted financial assistance through a subsidized loan program.
New York State Student COVID-19 Response Letter - June 15, 2020
Representatives of over half of New York State college students came together to urge the New York State Senate, New York State Assembly, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to better support the long term needs of New York state students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As college campuses closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic across New York state, students lost more than access to libraries and lecture halls; they lost jobs, their ability to pay for housing, and the resources to support their everyday lives. Income earned by students is crucial: 43% of full-time students and 81% of part-time students reported being employed prior to the pandemic. Coronavirus layoffs are disproportionately impacting New York residents, with students losing the jobs they rely on to make ends meet.”
New York State Higher Ed Coalition
The undersigned representatives of New York student governments hereby join together to form the Coalition of New York State Student Governments (CNYSG). The Coalition represents students from across New York State in order to increase collaboration and networking among student government organizations and to serve as a collective voice.
Signed by:
Joseph Anderson, Cornell University, Student Assembly President
Lawson Castaldo, Niagara University, Student Body President
Justine Hastings, Syracuse University, Student Association President
Raj Kittusamy, New York University, Student Association President
Abigail Murtha, Ithaca College, Student Governance Council Senate Chair
Patrick Kohn, St. John’s University, Student Government Inc. President
New York State Response
Find more New York State resources here:
Economic Impact of COVID19
Students, as all other Americans, will be tremendously impacted by the virus and its subsequent response. To help this population and the large economy more needs to be.