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University Faculty SenateStudent Affairs Committee, UFSAnnual Report AY 2015 – 2016In September of 2015, the Student Affairs Committee prioritized its annual action agenda. Thefollowing items were hallmarked as action items for the current academic year:1. Continue UFS faculty liaison attendance at USS Sunday plenaries;2. Initiate campus advocacy, mentoring and advisement of Student Assembly and USSofficers and delegates; establish student senator training, and student governancecontinuities;3. Arrange a meeting between the SA Committee and Vice Chancellor for Student AffairsFrank Sanchez;4. Examine the impact on students from all cultures on the changing landscape ofacademic holidays; and,5. Support for the CUNY/SUNY Student Research Symposia.The following items were also considered but were not scheduled for committee deliberationor delivery in 2015-2016: Survey new changes to CUNY Bylaws particularly relevant to Title IX, involving studentand professional staff rightsIncrease faculty participation in the areas of recruitment, admission, enrollment,registration, advisement, and mentoring; and,Initiate survey of data studying ease of transfer from community colleges to seniorcolleges, especially with regard to current general education requirements.SA action item 1UFS-USS liaisonSenators Tai, Fernandez, and Trachman agreed to continue attending USS meetings and tofacilitate closer involvement between our two governance organizations. (Senators Tai andFernandez are the UFS representatives to the BoT Student Affairs Committee.)Recommendations: Monthly liaison reports to be furnished to the committee, and to beincluded in SA Committee’s annual report. UFS chair, SA co-chairs and SA liaisons to the USSshall encourage UFS plenary participation by USS officers.SA action item 2Student governance advocacy and mentoringThe committee discussed how to foster continuity and smoother leadership transition ofstudent governance, both at the USS and at each campus. Co-chair Lawton published acommentary in the UFS Blog (attached) asking UFS senators to become involved in thementoring and guidance of our elected student leaders, both in the local Students Assembliesand at the USS. According to Vice Chancellor Frank Sanchez: “There needs to be a consistentadvisor to assist with student government.”
Student Affairs Committee, 2015-16 2Recommendation: Resume this initiative in the fall, bringing a formal recommendation suitablefor consideration by all campuses. This recommendation will be presented in Fall 2016 to theUFS plenary.SA Item 3Conversation with Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Frank SanchezA meeting between Vice Chancellor Sanchez and the Student Affairs Committee was arrangedfor February 2, 2016, preceded by a conference call on January 29 between the SA co-chairsLawton and McElwaine and VC Sanchez. A very wide range of questions and topics underscoredthe critical connections that need to be maintained by the SA Committee to provide more thanits current informational function:Health and Wellness center offerings and hoursCenter hours vary widely across CUNY campuses according to their funding and centers areoften not open when student needs arise; late night and weekends. In addition, mentalhealth smartphone apps now in use, like Healthy Minds, althymindsapp/, require in- person follow-up and other best practicesafety guidelines.Disability ResourcesStudents with disabilities are offered services upon self-identification. New demands areemerging as courses move online. Even conventional systems with in-person classes needadaptation, specifically syllabi, communications, and texts that all comply with OCRprotocols. The SA co-chairs consulted with UFS Chair Martell on the disposition of theproposed faculty guide about students with disabilities.ChildcareNationwide, the average age of all college students is now 23, younger than ten years ago.According to research in The Atlantic magazine, more than 25% of all undergraduates havedependent children s/383636/).Do fewer students need childcare? Not at CUNY, according to VC Sanchez, especially if youtake into account the number of students who care for younger siblings. CUNY’s childcarecapacity is small. Can we outsource it?Veteran’s support mechanismsCUNY now has approximately 3,000 veterans. By national policy, all are self-identified.Veterans’ policies at CUNY, according to VC Sanchez, were last updated several decadesago, perhaps in 1952. Given the increase in National Guard and Reserve mobilizations andactivations, different grading practices for veterans may be advisable. Should CUNY followthe practice of awarding course credits given for military training? The ACE model(American Council of Education, ary-Studentsand-Veterans.aspx) is the university-wide baseline currently, but it is employed unevenlyacross CUNY. The committee chairs also recommended the inclusion of Veterans Day as aCUNY-wide holiday.
Student Affairs Committee, 2015-16 3Emergency food, finance, and medical housing for indigent studentsThe Carroll and Milton Petrie Student Emergency Fund, ol, provides emergency funding forNYC students. CUNY is also in contact with the Bill and Melinda Gates s-Familiesand-Children-in-Washington-State, to plan assistance for CUNY students who become homeless,similar to the programs now serving Washington State. In collaboration with NYC FoodBanks, http://www.foodbanknyc.org/food-poverty-in-nyc, Hostos Community College, KingsboroughCommunity College, Guttman Community College and John Jay College have establishedfood banks. CUNY Law School and Brooklyn College food banks opened in January. LehmanCollege food bank will open soon. In addition, 600 local McDonald’s now have a tuitionassistance program for CUNY. Starbuck’s baristas have on-line education through ArizonaState. VC meeting with Starbuck’s representatives this week since the Arizona contract isrunning out. Cultural partnerships in NYC and its students are found at the Whitney,Metropolitan, and MOMA as well as Shelley and Donald Rubin Museum Foundation, a USSpaid partnership for students and faculty.Campus orientation practiceUniversity-wide discussions about orientation began last year. There are concerns withquality. Freshman orientation differs significantly from transfer orientation. Shouldorientation better emphasize the differences between high school and universityattainments and practices? Can we address this through more text in syllabi?Gender equality in CUNY athleticsDoes gender bias occur in athletic program funding at CUNY? Several senators spoke to thisconcern at the January meeting. The co-chairs will request further information from theincoming UFS Chair this summer, and pursue questions and possibilities.Some discussion of gender bias in CUNY campus mascots also arose. The Queens CollegeKnights’ mascot was singled out. Co-chair McElwaine will pursue this discussion at Queenswith the newly appointed Committee on Athletic Programs.The amount of information summarized above indicates the importance of maintainingexcellent communication between the SA Committee and the VC’s office. We look forward tocontinued collaboration with this CUNY office.Recommendation: It was suggested that we invite VC Sanchez to address an upcoming plenary.That suggestion was delivered to Chair Martell by Executive Committee Liaison Fernandez andis under consideration.In regards to the inclusion of Veterans Day in CUNY holidays, the SA co-chairs will author aletter to be forwarded to the Professional Congress for their support.SA action item 4Changing HolidaysThe current schedule of religious holidays observed at CUNY rotates around only a fewtraditions, and makes no formal acknowledgement of Muslim and Asian (Lunar New Year)observances. As of 2015, New York City’s public schools now observe the Lunar New Year, as
Student Affairs Committee, 2015-16 4well as Eid al Adha and Eid al Fitr. The rapid diversification of both New York City and CUNY arecreating an environment of necessary change and re-incorporation.The committee deliberated on recommending a change in CUNY’s scheduling, considering thedifficulty in resolving multicultural calendars, especially any combination of calendars drivenvariously by solar years, lunar years, and lunar months. We are confident that NYC’s change ofholidays will help resolve CUNY’s current lack of response to this cultural change.Recommendation: The SA Committee will formulate a motion for presentation to the plenary inthe early fall, for subsequent action by the Board of Trustees or the Professional Staff Congress.SA action item 5CUNY/SUNY Student Research SymposiaEach year since 2010, about 40 to 50 selected CUNY student researchers join a similar numberof SUNY student researchers for a poster show at the Legislative Office Building in Albany onFebruary 24. This year’s event occurred February atalbanyresearchevent) CUNY students were introducedon the floor of the Assembly on its opening day. Since SUNY’s participation next year isdoubtful, committee discussion centered on the possibilities of moving this celebration ofstudent research and creative endeavor to a suitable venue in New York City.Recommendation: Coordinate with Chair Martell, Senior VC Hershenson and other interestedparties to promote the continuation of this event.UFS Student Affairs Committee 2015-2016Vera Albrecht, LaGuardia Community CollegeWilliam Crain, City CollegeLisa Ellis, Baruch CollegeHugo Fernandez, LaGuardia Community CollegeTheodore Henken, Baruch CollegeJane Katz, John Jay CollegeLaroi Lawton, co-chair, Bronx Community CollegeJames McElwaine, co-chair, Queens CollegeEnid Steuben, Kingsborough Community CollegeJulie Trachman, Hostos Community CollegeAlia Tyner-Mullings, Guttman Community College
Student Affairs Committee, 2015-16 5Attachment ADo You Know the Student Leaders on Your Campus?By Professor Laroi LawtonThe UFS Committee on Student Affairs is asking faculty representatives to the University FacultySenate to meet with their student counterparts: student governance leaders who represent theStudent Association on your campus, and who may represent your campus as senators inCUNY's University Student Senate (Link to website, at http://www.usscuny.org/ would beprovided by hyperlink).According to its website, "THE UNIVERSITY STUDENT SENATE was founded in 1972 with themission of preserving the accessibility, affordability, and excellence of higher education withinthe City University of New York; the organization is charged with protecting the rights of thestudent body, furthering the cause of public higher education and promoting the generalwelfare of its student constituents and the University."CUNY's Faculty and Students have shared interests in encouraging Governor Cuomo to sign BillA5370A-2015/S281A-2015, the bi-partisan bill passed by the New York Legislature to supportMaintenance of Effort Funding for CUNY. Faculty Governance leaders can be an importantresource for student governance leaders, as well as partner members of any campus sharedgovernance body.Please consider reaching out to your campus's student governance leaders, and finding outwhat issues matter to them. If you aren't sure who your campus's governance leaders are,please contact the UFS office at cunyufs@gmail.com-published in the UFS blogFall 2015
Initiate survey of data studying ease of transfer from community colleges to senior colleges, especially with regard to current general education requirements. SA action item 1 . UFS-USS liaison . Senators Tai, Fernandez, and Trachman agreed to continue attending USS meetings and to . the average age of all college students is now 23 .
