Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 34
As the new academic year kicks off, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the heads of New York colleges met behind closed doors on Monday to try to prevent the turmoil that hit campuses after the Israel-Hamas war broke out last October.
Over 270 officials representing higher education joined the virtual call, including SUNY Chancellor John King and CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez, sources told NY1.
Hochul has said she wants to make sure everyone feels safe on college campuses and eradicate antisemitism — but some say, the meeting could serve as a warning that the governor continues to watch university leaders.
“We wanna know your safety plans. ‘What are you doing to protect your students on campus?’” Hochul explained on Aug. 15 during a press conference, when asked by NY1 about how state government is helping students feel safe on campus.
“Quite frankly, for a lot of Jewish students, their back to school list includes anxiety and even pepper spray,” State Assembly of Queens Nily Rozic (D) said.
Meanwhile, some, like New York University, already updated its student code of conduct.
“I commend a lot of the colleges and universities who have taken it upon themselves to take that first step in changing their discrimination policy,” Rozic said.
“But the bottom line is: it shouldn’t take federal investigations, it shouldn’t take a report from Judge Lippman to make these universities do the right thing,” she told NY1, adding that state lawmakers should not only conduct public hearings on antisemitism but also consider curtailing taxpayer funding to universities that don’t enforce strong anti-hate policies.
Now, all eyes are on the future.
Source: Spectrum NY1
