{"id":740,"date":"2025-04-24T10:28:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/shahana-hanif\/?p=740"},"modified":"2025-04-28T11:16:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T15:16:11","slug":"were-close-to-the-end-on-the-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/shahana-hanif\/2025\/04\/24\/were-close-to-the-end-on-the-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Letter to New York City College and University Presidents"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City Council<\/a> \u2013 Progressive Caucus<\/a> | April 24, 2025<\/p>\n

We write this letter as the New York City Council Progressive Caucus representing over 3 million
people, many of whom are students, faculty and staff at your institutions. As federal authorities
carry out an extreme MAGA agenda that threatens to re-segregate and defund our institutions
and disappears countless students, we call upon you to step up and defend our constituents.<\/p>\n

We were heartened to see many of you sign Tuesday\u2019s statement pushing back against the
Trump administration\u2019s authoritarian actions, and we know the difficult position you are under
with federal funding and your principles on the line. It is not always easy to say and do the right
thing, but we need you to stand with your students and faculty. We call on you to commit to the
following principles:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Defend academic freedom and student expression. <\/strong>Protect the right of all students,
    faculty, and staff\u2014regardless of political viewpoint or national origin\u2014to engage in
    peaceful protest, organize, and express dissent without fear of reprisal or surveillance.
    Reject efforts to dismantle cultural studies curriculums.<\/li>\n
  2. Refuse collaboration with immigration enforcement on campuses. <\/strong>Do not voluntarily
    comply with ICE or other federal immigration authorities seeking<\/li>\n
  3. Support immigrant and international students. <\/strong>Expand legal and financial resources for
    undocumented and international students who may face retaliation, visa threats, or loss
    of housing or employment due to federal policy shifts.<\/li>\n
  4. Uphold labor rights on campus. <\/strong>Engage in good faith bargaining with unionized student
    and faculty and staff workers, who often bear the brunt of instability in higher education
    and are essential to university functioning.<\/li>\n
  5. Advocate for federal research and education funding.<\/strong> Use your platform to push back
    against attempts to defund the NIH, NSF, and other critical agencies, which
    disproportionately harm public institutions and the communities they serve.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We recognize the critical role you play in our city and will fight alongside you against federal
    overreach and cuts in this critical moment. We have your backs and will work to identify funding
    at the city and state level to fill any gaps created by the Trump White House.<\/p>\n

    As administrators who are tasked with educating the next generation of our country\u2019s leaders, we
    urge you to stand with immigrant students, to stand with student workers, to stand with the
    democratic principles upon which many of your institutions were founded. We cannot allow this
    President and his extreme agenda to divide and conquer, starting with the most vulnerable of our
    communities.<\/p>\n

    As members of the New York City Council, we stand ready to help protect academic freedom and
    freedom of speech. Failure to protect student speech may violate Article 1, Section 8 of the New
    York State Constitution. New Yorkers need you to not remain idle. An injury to one is an injury to
    all.<\/p>\n

    Sincerely,<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Sandy Nurse<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Shahana Hanif, Brooklyn College alumna<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Progressive Caucus Vice Co-Chair Carmen De La Rosa, Fordham University alumna<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Jennifer Guti\u00e9rrez, SUNY Albany alumna<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Alexa Avil\u00e9s, Columbia University alumna<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Tiffany Cab\u00e1n, J.D., New York Law School alumna<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Majority Leader Amanda Farias, St. John\u2019s University alumna<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Crystal Hudson<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Rita Joseph<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Cooper Union alumnus<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Chris Marte, Long Island University-Brooklyn alumnus<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Lincoln Restler<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Althea Stevens, Long Island University-Brooklyn, Hunter College alumna<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Carlina Rivera, Marist College alumna<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Nantasha Williams, Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center alumna<\/p>\n

    \/s\/ Council Member Julie Won, Syracuse University alumna<\/p>\n

    [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n