Office of the President Blog

Clarification on Recent Misinformation Regarding Student Activities at CCNY

Ramón De Los Santos — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:28:00 -0400

Dear City College Community,

We are aware of a recent social media post concerning the cancellation of an inter-MSA Jummah event planned for Friday, October 11th, on the South Lawn. We want to clarify that this narrative misrepresents City College’s policies and values: we are committed to maintaining an environment where all voices can be heard, respected, and celebrated.

First and foremost, City College has not banned Muslim students—or any students—from praying on campus. The allegation of Islamophobia is categorically false and contrary to our mission. The event in question was not approved because it did not go through the proper channels, which is a standard procedure required for all student events to ensure safety and compliance with city regulations (see our communications with club leaders). This policy is uniformly applied to all student groups to ensure fairness and safety, not as a measure to suppress any particular group. The recent social media post incorrectly suggests that this student club is being singled out, when in reality, the same rules are applied to all student clubs.

City College is proud of its diverse and inclusive community. Our commitment to fostering an environment where different perspectives strengthen us is unwavering. In alignment with this commitment, we have launched initiatives like our Sustained Dialogue series, partnered with the Human Rights Commission to host a series on dehumanization that discusses the lived experiences of our Muslim (Nov 7), Jewish (Nov 14), and people of color communities (Jan 30) and held two Interfaith Council meetings with 16 faith-based student clubs this semester.

For those interested in organizing events, we encourage you to familiarize yourselves with our Events Policies and CUNY Rules and Regulations for the Maintenance of Public Order known as the Henderson Rules, including our Student Demonstration Policy available on the college website and the student handbook. These guidelines help ensure that while you exercise your freedom of expression, you also support the uninterrupted operations of the College and the educational experience of all students.

Creating misleading narratives can also foster a hostile environment that goes against everything we stand for at CCNY. We urge everyone to approach such issues with a spirit of understanding and cooperation.

For any further information or to discuss how to properly organize events and demonstrations on campus, please contact the Office of Student Life. We are here to assist you in navigating these processes and to support your right to express and assemble peacefully and respectfully.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Regards,
Ramón De Los Santos, Ed.D.
Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs

Statement on ASRC Vandalism

Vincent Boudreau — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:54:28 -0400

Dear Members of the City College Community,

As many of you know, the ASRC building, located on our south campus, was vandalized during Monday's early morning hours. This building is a CUNY Grad Center building, and I have enclosed the message that the Grad Center President, Josh Brumberg, wrote to his campus community following that defacement. Nevertheless, the building also exists within the broader envelope of the CCNY campus, and we share responsibility for its protection, and the protection of the academic and research activities that take place within its walls.

In sharing President Brumberg's words, I would like to echo his approbation at the vandalism. Like him, I would like to express my support for free speech as a general principle, but say that acts of defacement and vandalism clearly cross the line of what is permissible on a college campus, and will be subject to the disciplinary processes of this campus and the criminal justice system.

We have a duty to protect the well-being of our entire campus community and to preserve an environment where everyone has unfettered access to campus resources in a non-discriminatory environment.

With President Brumberg, I denounce these acts as counter to those obligations, and urge our community to focus on the preservation of a more inclusive environment on campus, free of Antisemitism and discrimination of all kinds.

Sincerely,

Vince Boudreau
President

Dear Graduate Center community,

Hate has no place at the Graduate Center. Unfortunately, vandals broke windows and defaced the entryway of the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) early this morning. We are currently working with CCNY campus safety and the New York Police Department to investigate this hideous act.

While we will clean up the graffiti and repair the windows, the impact of this act will linger. Our buildings at 365 5th Avenue and 85 St. Nicholas Terrace are designed to be the homes of scholars investigating unknowns and expanding our knowledge of how humans interact with each other and with nature. Insensitive acts of vandalism seek to disrupt our work and make us feel unsettled in our surroundings; we must not let this happen. After the initial investigation wrapped up this morning, we reopened the ASRC at noon.

Should you feel uncomfortable in any way, feel free to reach out to ASRC and Graduate Center leadership or public safety at either CCNY (212-650-7777) or the Graduate Center (212-817-7777). Additionally, I would like to remind our community of resources that are in place to assist all members. Students, if something troubles you on campus, please reach out to the appropriate offices, including the Wellness Center, Office of Student Affairs, Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity, and Office of Compliance and Diversity. Staff, please reach out to Human Resources or the Office of Compliance and Diversity; and faculty, the Provost’s Office or the Office of Compliance and Diversity.

I will be holding my senior staff meeting in the ASRC executive conference room tomorrow morning as further evidence that we will not let ill-intentioned vandals impact the important work we are all engaged in.

CUNY has strict policies in place to protect all our community members and expects all community members to exercise their right to express themselves responsibly and respectfully.

Sincerely,

Joshua C. Brumberg
President

2024-2025 Reaffirmation Statement on CCNY’s Commitment to Diversity & Equal Opportunity in Employment

Vincent Boudreau — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 10:51:50 -0400

Dear All,

The City College of New York (CCNY) has a long-standing commitment to diversity and equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. Senior management fully supports policies and practices to foster non-discrimination, affirmative action, and diversity and inclusion, in the workplace and our community overall. CCNY is enriched by the strengths of the people and perspectives in our institution. Accordingly, I continue to be committed to our compliance with the CUNY Policies and Procedures on Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, and on Sex-Based Misconduct.

The Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy states CUNY's commitment to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and provide benefits to employees without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, partnership status, disability, genetic information, alienage, citizenship, military or veteran status, unemployment status, status as a victim of domestic violence/stalking/sex offenses, or any other legally prohibited basis in accordance with federal, state and city laws. Additionally, CUNY practices affirmative action for women, protected ethnicities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans consistent with federal requirements for employees in all title groups. Italian Americans are included among CUNY's protected groups.

Further, CCNY does not tolerate acts of hate or bigotry of any kind. This includes discrimination or harassment based on national origin or heritage – including shared Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, Muslim or South Asian ancestry – and/or the association with these national origins and ancestries. The College will promptly take all necessary and appropriate actions to address any such discrimination and remedy its effects. We encourage students and employees who believe they have been subjected to such discrimination, or who have information about an incident or situation, to report it to the College. Anyone who believes they have been a victim of harassment, discrimination or retaliation should use the University-wide Discrimination and Retaliation Reporting Portal.

CUNY desires to expand its inclusivity and accessibility to both students and employees with disabilities. As per Governor Hochul’s Executive Order 31, CUNY is developing a Strategic Plan to enhance recruitment, advancement, and support of individuals with disabilities. Any CUNY employee requiring one or more accommodations to perform their job duties should contact Human Resources as per our policy on Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments.

I invite you to visit the CUNY website to view the Non-Discrimination Policy in its entirety as well as the polices on Reasonable Accommodations and Academic Adjustments and Reporting of Alleged Misconduct.

CCNY’s executives and administrators are responsible for maintaining a work environment free from discrimination and harassment, and for promoting diversity and inclusion in their units. Sheryl Konigsberg, Chief Diversity and Compliance Officer, is the responsible official charged with assuring Equal Employment Opportunity compliance. I encourage all managers to contact them to discuss diversity and inclusion strategies that would advance unit goals. Additionally, any individual who believes they have experienced employment discrimination should contact Sheryl Konigsberg at (212)650-6310 or email skonigsberg@ccny.cuny.edu . They may also utilize the University-wide HR Discrimination and Retaliation Report Portal on the CUNY website.

I ask for your continued support to ensure equal opportunity, affirmative action, diversity and inclusion in all our employment practices at CCNY.

Sincerely,

Vince Boudreau
President
The City College of New York

President's Fall 2024 Welcome Message

Vincent Boudreau — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 15:53:31 -0400

I’m so pleased to be welcoming you back to a new academic year at The City College of New York. I hope that, if you’re a member of the faculty or staff, you’ve had a chance to recharge your battery over the summer, and are as excited as I am about the new academic year. To our students—both returning and new—please accept my heartfelt welcome back to campus. We’ve been waiting for you and are prepared to welcome you to an exciting new academic year.

As we embark on the 2024/25 season, I’d like to ask that we all take a moment to remind ourselves why we are on this campus, and what makes our time at CCNY so special. Together, our community constitutes one of the greatest engines of social change and mobility the United States has ever seen. For almost 180 years, students have come to CCNY freighted with ambition, creativity, and a vision for their future—and used their time on our campus to change the trajectory of their lives, and often the entire trajectory of their families. All of us on this campus are stewards of this tradition, and it no less describes our work today than at any earlier time in our history.

That status was recently reaffirmed by Degree Choice, which again ranked of CCNY America’s number one national university for producing change in the lives of its students. I hope if you’re a student this fact will be deeply encouraging, and if you’re on faculty or staff, you’ll appreciate your contribution to this accomplishment, and know how deeply that contribution is valued at every level of our college. Just this week, we announced the results of our new economic impact study, which estimates the annual impact of CCNY in the ten counties closest to campus at $3.2 billion dollars. Taken together the story is clear: we are demonstrating that the greatest possible economic dynamism comes when you concentrate on making sure that everyone has a chance to prosper.

A key element of our capacity to produce that social mobility is our open embrace of diversity. That means both that we draw in students together from every conceivable background and that the experience we cultivate on campus is enriched by widely divergent perspectives and life histories. For generations, an essential component of the City College experience has been that this diversity strengthens and expands the mindset of those who study among us. Diversity is important to us just not as an end in itself, but because it contributes to that profound intellectual dynamism. I hope you’ll all take this to heart—confident in the value of your own contribution to our debate and attentive to the gifts that your colleagues and classmates have to offer.

That also means, in the current political and social climate, that we are an increasingly rarified kind of place. Social mobility itself is a vanishingly rare state of affairs in America, but it flourishes among our graduates. Diversity and inclusion are increasingly and explicitly in the crosshairs of various political campaigns and policy initiatives, and across the nation institutions and corporations are caving. Our political and social discourse nationally has also grown so polarized that we seldom seem able to agree on basic empirical facts, let alone their interpretation in the crafting of something better. In each of these particulars, however, CCNY has been set up as an antidote—a place where our work together, underpinned by mutual respect and the quest for more inclusive understanding, can advance human progress.

Hence, and in addition to welcoming you back to campus, I’d like to take this opportunity to ask each of you to safeguard this community. Let us enter this year with a desire to more fully understand one another, and to preserve the space where we will all benefit from protecting the physical and intellectual safety of those around us. Let us be watchful of our companions in the understanding that we live in anxious times: anxiety, fear, and vulnerability often present as aggression or anger—but we all have an interest in recognizing vulnerability for what it is, and offering support and reassurance in that encounter.

This is work that we may all undertake individually, and I hope you do. But the college has also been assembling a menu of programs to help us all better support one another, engage in constructive conversation even when difficult, and identify and address anxiety in ourselves and those around us. In the coming days and weeks, be on the lookout for programmatic announcements and the launch of a webpage on our site curating these programs. I hope you’ll all avail yourself of one of these programs, and in so doing, help shoulder the responsibility of preserving our community.

Please allow me to wish each of you the very best for an engaging, exciting and productive year. I’m so happy to once more be with you on the verge of another chapter in the CCNY story, and I know that together, we will write a passage to be proud of for years to come.

Vincent Boudreau
President
The City College of New York

8th Annual Outdoor Leadership & Team Building Retreat with the CCNY Outdoors Project

CCNY Outdoors Project Team — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 11:27:46 -0400

Interested in camping, hiking, kayaking, or simply gazing at the stars near a beautiful lake this summer? Please join The CCNY Outdoors Project for our Annual Outdoor Leadership and Team Building Retreat! This year, the retreat will take place from August 5th - 8th, and is an exclusive sleep-away experience at the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Stephen & Betsy Corman Harriman Outdoor Center. As a part of an outdoors initiative, Dee Dee Mozeleski, Ashley Mastroddi, and Akasha Solis have specially crafted this summer retreat for students to once again join what is now an 8-year-old tradition. What started as a program for Colin Powell Fellows and alumni, has now extended to students of all levels and majors.

This retreat will be accompanied by AMC guides who are outdoor professionals trained in Wilderness Medicine, outdoor skills and natural history. Our guides will lead students through the woods, while providing a relationship-building environment that is safe for all. Students will engage in leadership and team-building activities led by our guides. You will have plenty of free time to hike, kayak, swim, hang at the beach, or relax at camp.

Lodging Details: We will be staying in cabins with shared bunk rooms (2 bunks per room). The restroom and showers are located a short walk away from the cabins. Rooms are assigned ahead of time, but everyone is welcome to switch roommates, etc. after check-in. Should you require any special room accommodations, please contact Ashley Mastroddi at amastroddi@ccny.cuny.edu .

Transportation: Roundtrip transportation will be arranged through the Office of the President at CCNY. The drive from CCNY to Harriman is approximately one hour long. More details on transportation will be provided after applications are accepted.

Packing List: Will be provided by The CCNY Outdoors Project once applications are accepted.

Note: All lodging, meals, and transportation are funded by The Office of the President at CCNY. If your application is accepted, we will provide a link to make your non-refundable $25 participation fee.

To Apply: You must be a current student at CCNY and all applicants are required to fill out attached forms to be considered for this opportunity. Please email your application to outdoorsccny@ccny.cuny.edu . Once our team has reviewed your application, we will be in contact with you.

Thank you!!!

The CCNY Outdoors Project Team

Ashley Mastroddi, City College Outdoor Programs & Partnerships Manager Akasha Solis, City College Special Projects Manager outdoorsccny@ccny.cuny.edu

Reaffirming Our Position Against Hate of Any Kind

Félix V. Matos Rodríguez — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 11:33:45 -0400

Dear CUNY Community,

As we reach the midpoint of the summer session and look forward to the Fall 2024 semester, I want to reaffirm that the physical and emotional well-being of our students and employees is always a top priority at CUNY. That obligation to ensure the safety and protect the rights of all members of our community is especially important in these polarizing times.

I want to remind everyone that CUNY does not tolerate acts of hate or bigotry of any kind. This includes discrimination or harassment based on national origin or heritage – including shared Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, Muslim or South Asian ancestry – and/or the association with these national origins and ancestries.

I also want to be clear that the University will promptly take all necessary and appropriate actions to address any such discrimination and remedy its effects. We encourage students and employees who believe they have been subjected to such discrimination, or who have information about an incident or situation, to report it to the University. Anyone who believes they have been a victim of harassment, discrimination or retaliation should use the University-wide Discrimination and Retaliation Reporting Portal.

CUNY has rules and regulations in place to maintain public order through an atmosphere of mutual respect, civility and trust on our campuses. These rules apply to everyone and you can read about them here.

As we have seen during these times of political conflict, deeply held views can sometimes devolve into statements or actions of antisemitism, Islamophobia or other forms of bigotry against individuals with opposing views. But as I have said on numerous occasions, intimidation, harassment, retaliation or any form of discrimination against those with opposing convictions cannot be the way we as a community respond in times of conflict and crisis. The University will not be tolerant of anyone in our community who violates this very fundamental principle.

As a further response, I urge anyone who is impacted by these events and needs help to access the support available to them. All CUNY campuses have health and wellness centers with professional counselors on hand to help students work through anxiety, grief and other overwhelming feelings and personal concerns. You can find location and contact information for all campus counseling services and learn how to access additional services by visiting the CUNY Mental Health Services webpage.

Faculty and staff may reach out to CCA@YourService, CUNY’s confidential employee assistance program provider, which is available 24/7 by calling 800-833-8707 or logging on to www.myccaonline.com with the company code “CUNY.”

CUNY has long been committed to supporting our diverse community in an environment of mutual respect. We are proud of the culture of civility that has guided us for generations, even as we remain steadfast in our commitment to freedom of expression and vigorous discourse that are central to our role as a leading institution of higher education.

CUNY is one of the most diverse universities in the country and among the nation’s greatest engines of social mobility. This makes us uniquely positioned to be a model for these times: an inclusive educational institution where all can learn, create knowledge, feel safe and supported, and thrive together while recognizing and appreciating our differences.

Sincerely,

Félix V. Matos Rodríguez
Chancellor

CCNY Libraries will resume normal hours starting Mon, May 13th

CCNY Libraries — Fri, 10 May 2024 14:49:41 -0400

The CCNY Libraries will return to normal operating hours on Monday, May 13th. At this time, only people with a current, valid CCNY ID will have access to the building and the libraries. Check out our website library.ccny.cuny.edu for more information or to reach out to us if you have any questions. We look forward to having you back!

Welcome back to campus - Resumption of normal class and exam modality

Tony Liss — Thu, 09 May 2024 17:09:17 -0400

Beginning on Monday, May 13th we will return to our normal modalities for classes and exams. All classes that are normally held in person will return to campus for the last three days of the semester. Final exams will also be held as they normally are, in person and on campus according to the posted schedule. Shuttle buses will also resume normal routes and hours of operations.

I fully understand that returning to campus after the events of the past two weeks will be stressful. I hope that the normality of the final three days of classes next week will ease that stress as we welcome you back to your campus.

There is a heightened security presence on campus that is here to keep everybody safe and to restrict entrance to the campus to City College students, faculty and staff. Please remember to bring your City College ID with you to campus and expect it to be checked by our security guards at the entrance to campus and at the entrance to campus buildings. Entrance to campus is only available at the north and south ends of Convent Avenue.

Finally, I am grateful that the Psychological Center on campus has offered their services to help the campus community through this difficult time. They have set aside the times and Zoom link below to meet with anyone who wants to talk. Please don’t hesitate to take advantage of this resource.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89837256630?pwd=HhVkc1jfG3Pnp00kyr9N34wO27DOTe.1
Meeting ID: 898 3725 6630
Passcode: 527556

Monday, May 13 from 2:30 - 3:30 pm (Students)
Tuesday, May 14 from 8:30 - 9:30 am (Staff/Faculty)
Wednesday, May 15 from 3-4 pm (Students)
Thursday, May 16 from 2-3 pm (Students)
Friday, May 17 from 9-10 am (Staff/Faculty)

Student Town Hall, May 8, 2024 Update

Vincent Boudreau — Wed, 08 May 2024 10:56:14 -0400

Dear CCNY Students,

I am inviting you all to a town hall today to speak with all of you, centering mainly around encampment related events. I’d like to spend some time spelling out a timeline for events and unpacking my thinking around the actions we took in relation to the protest. We do not have the staff right now to support an in-person meeting, so we will be online.

The town hall meeting will be held today Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 4pm. The meeting will be via Zoom. You can find the details below:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://ccny.zoom.us/j/81333854033?pwd=MVVPTzJPSllDSmgzNU54VjJPb283UT09

Meeting ID: 813 3385 4033
Passcode: 257171

Following the session, a recording will be available online for those who are unable to attend.

Please note that in order to join this meeting, students must sign into their CCNY Zoom account.

If assistance is needed, please contact the following IT Support groups.

Service Desk
Phone: 212-650-7878
Email: servicedesk@ccny.cuny.edu

Zoom Conferencing Support Bridge
(see iMEDIA website for operational hours)

Zoom: https://ccny.zoom.us/j/2126505480
Email: iMEDIA@ccny.cuny.edu
Phone:

Dial 646-558-8656 or 646-931-3860 and follow prompts
Meeting ID: 212 650 5480
Meeting Password / Passcode: 5480

Sincerely,

Vince Boudreau
President

Shuttle bus service

Facilities Department — Wed, 08 May 2024 09:20:35 -0400

To the campus community:

Shuttle bus service has resumed and will be running from 630am to 10:00pm, making all regular stops on Convent Avenue.

Thank you.

Facilities Department
The City College of New York
Compton Goethals, Room 04
(212) 650-8675
Facilities@ccny.cuny.edu