“The New York Public Interest Research Group’s (NYPIRG) Student Empowerment Series will offer regular forums that bring local community leaders or issue experts to BMCC to enrich the student experience outside of the classroom,” said Megan Ahearn, the NYPIRG at BMCC Project Director.
The first forum will take place on Feb. 22nd at 2pm with a 10 minute presentation by Political Science Professor Ronald Hayduk, and then a 30-45 minute presentation by Senator Liz Krueger, State Senator from Manhattan (26th Distict) and member of the Senate Higher Education Committee.
The New York State budget has increasingly depended on rising tuition prices to offset weakening state support for higher education. State support for CUNY has declined by 17.5% in the past 12 years, this leads to an overburdening of New York students and families. Keeping education affordable and accessible to as many people as possible is critical, especially for a full-opportunity community college such as BMCC. “This forum is an opportunity for BMCC students to hear about how to protect higher education from one of New York State’s key policy makers, Senator Liz Krueger,” said Ahearn.
First elected to the New York State Senate in a special election in February 2002, Liz Krueger is currently the Chair of Minority Program Development and the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Standing Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development. She is also a member of five other committees: Banking, Consumer Protection, Finance, Higher Education, and Rules.
Senator Krueger is a strong advocate for tenants’ rights, affordable housing, improved access to health care and prescription drug coverage, social services more open government and campaign finance reform, more equitable funding for public education, including higher education, and animal welfare.
In a September 17, 2006 New York Times Op-ED, titled “Too Poor to Graduate,” State Senator Krueger wrote that according to a “recently released study by the Department of Education, paying for college is a greater burden for New Yorkers than in any other state. The costs for low- and middle-income students to attend public universities and community colleges here represent nearly 50 percent of their annual family income. Furthermore, a new study on higher education put out by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a nonprofit group, gave New York a failing grade for affordability.” Kreuger urged Albany, “to encourage college graduation rates by increasing scholarships and student aid, lowering interest costs on student loans and instituting loan forgiveness programs for students who commit to public service careers in fields where the state faces shortages, like teaching, nursing and firefighting.”
Professor of Political Science Ron Hayduk’s research centers on political participation, elections and voting, race and ethnicity, immigration, and social movements. Formerly a social worker, Hayduk worked in government as the Coordinator of the New York City Voter Assistance Commission, and has been an expert witness in several court cases, including NAACP v. Harris (the 2000 election), in Rodriguez v. Pataki (a redistricting case in New York), and in Green Party v. The New York State Board of Elections (ballot access case. He is the co-founder of The Immigrant Voting Project; a member of the Editorial Board of Socialism and Democracy; and a member of the Board of Directors of The Brecht Forum. He is active in democracy reform and social justice efforts, particularly in New York.
Founded in 1973, The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) is a statewide, student-directed organization which focuses on teaching students civic engagement skills, developing student leaders, and advocating on issues ranging from protecting higher education funding, working for a clean environment, hunger and homelessness outreach to voter empowerment. NYPIRG has chapters at 21 colleges and universities across New York State, including the chapter here at BMCC which was started in 2004.
This semester, NYPIRG at BMCC will focus on advocating for legislation to promote recycling, the Bigger Better Bottle Bill, which expands the current Bottle Bill to include non-carbonated beverages such as water and sports drinks. It will also be training students through our Small Claims Court Action Center, continuing to advocate for affordable and accessible higher education, and fighting for safe, reliable, and affordable public transportation through NYPIRG’s Straphangers Campaign. “It will maintain on-going projects such as our community service drives and our on-campus internship program which teaches BMCC students advocacy, organizing and leadership skills. It also students offer a competitive Legislative Internship Program in Albany,” added Ahearn.
NYPIRG Project Coordinators at BMCC, can also be reached via phone or email at: 212-349-6460 x1150, or mahearn@nypirg.org and thartshorn@nypirg.org. Find NYPIRG on the web at http://www.nypirg.org.
