On Saturday, I marched with 1000 students, teachers and community leaders in support of a fully-funded CUNY. Why? Because our district represents more CUNY undergraduate students than any other district in the entire state. Nearly 11,000 students from our neighborhood depend on CUNY for their college education. For them, and for me, this issue is personal -- and I’m ready to fight to give CUNY the New Deal it deserves in 2022.

The New Deal for CUNY is common sense, smart fiscal policy that would positively affect ALL New Yorkers. Most CUNY students stay in our city after graduating and contribute billions of dollars to our local economy. As we look for ways to recover from the COVID-19 economic crisis, what better way than to invest in a sure thing: our amazing public universities.  Our students deserve full time teachers, mental health support, academic advisors and buildings that aren’t falling apart -- and these investments would be key in the continued success of NYC and the state as a whole.

I graduated from CUNY. My parents graduated from CUNY. Our family knows how transformational a CUNY education can be, but only if we’re willing to fully invest in it. If you believe in a tuition-free CUNY with more full-time faculty, adequate mental health and academic support services, and modern campus buildings, please sign our petition to make your voice heard.

Thank you for standing with us. Please share this petition with your network so we can bring as many voices together as possible!

Sincerely,