SUNY's vision

From: POLITICO New York Playbook PM - Wednesday May 31,2023 08:56 pm

May 31, 2023

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SUNY Chancellor John King gave his inaugural State of the University address on May 31, 2023 in Albany, N.Y.

SUNY Chancellor John King gave his inaugural State of the University address on May 31, 2023 in Albany, N.Y. | Provided by SUNY

With historic increases in state funding this year, State University of New York Chancellor John King laid out his plans for the 64-campus system in his first state of the university address on Wednesday.

During budget talks, SUNY pushed for the state to pass an annual tuition increase that was ultimately rejected by the Legislature in favor of increased operating costs and investments in the system.

King is looking to spend the billions allocated to SUNY by the state in four key areas; student success; research and scholarship; diversity equity and inclusion; and economic development and upward mobility.

“In the coming year, we will leverage the state’s new SUNY transformation fund and the historic operating aid increase in this year’s budget to redouble efforts to ensure student success by introducing academic supports that enhance student learning and utilize proven, cost-effective methods to help students stay on track, addressing housing and food insecurity, and helping campuses eliminate transportation barriers,” King said during his speech.

Here are some of the initiatives he outlined in his policy agenda booklet:

$51 million to fulfill the state’s commitment to keep tuition flat.
$69 million of “flexible” support for eligible campuses in need.
$40 million for mental health resources, support for students with disabilities, internship programs, and to advance research.
$1 million address food insecurity.

King announced plans to expand student success programs system-wide, and SUNY plans to place a homeless liaison on every campus., as well as expand student access to SNAP benefits with an online forum to help student fill out necessary paperwork.
He also plans to appoint 15 diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice faculty fellows systemwide to facilitate the system's updated Diversity Equity and Inclusion content requirement for students.

During his testimony in budget hearings earlier in the year, King mentioned the system had 19 campuses in financial distress. The argument was that increased tuition would bring those campuses into better footing. While the tuition hike was beaten back, he said increases in operating aid and the commitment to continue such investment fulfilled the tuition request by SUNY in the budget.

“In times of financial uncertainty and declining enrollment we made sure we would not be passing the financial burdens of a quality higher education onto our students,” Sen. Toby Stavisky, chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said in a statement.

Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas applauded King’s initiative to place a homeless liaison on every campus: "I commend Chancellor King for touring the SUNY system to listen and be attentive to the struggles of students and that he has decided to prioritize their housing needs."

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From the Capitol

A rally was held at the state Capitol in Albany, N.Y. on May 31, 2023, in support of Good Cause legislation that would provide more protections for tenants.

A rally was held at the state Capitol in Albany, N.Y. on May 31, 2023, in support of Good Cause legislation that would provide more protections for tenants. | Joseph Spector/POLITICO

GOOD CAUSE PUSH: Advocates for Good Cause eviction protections made a last-ditch effort Wednesday for the measure after it failed to get approval in the state budget earlier this month.

While New York City officials and lawmakers are pushing for a housing package before the legislative session ends next week, tenant groups said any deal should include the Good Cause bill that would limit rent increases and make it more difficult to evict tenants.

They were also pushing for a housing voucher program during a rally on the Million Dollar Staircase at the state Capitol.

Neither one appears to be part of discussions between legislative leaders and Gov. Kathy Hochul, even as the sides consider some of the wants of the city – such as an extension of the 421-a program and office-to-housing conversions.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters Wednesday that any end-of-session housing deal should include tenant protections – which was one of the sticking points that thwarted a housing deal in the budget. — Joseph Spector

A message from Airlines for America:

From City Hall

HELP WANTED: The Adams administration signaled support Wednesday for a bill moving through the City Council that would require the city to create a uniform exit survey for employees who quit or retire.

“We agree with the spirit” of the legislation, said Stella Xu, the assistant commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

It’s part of an effort across city government to address major holes, tracing back to the pandemic, in the municipal workforce that have slowed down services and complicated local budget negotiations. The Council calculated a 7.9 percent vacancy rate for April, according to a report out Wednesday from the committee on civil service and labor. City Hall’s numbers from March 2023 put the number of vacancies at almost 24,000.

Hit hardest by the problem has been the Department of Small Business Services, with a 26 percent vacancy rate. The next two are the Department of Buildings and the Department of Investigations, both at 18 percent.

Xu said after a flurry of hiring halls, the city has secured 1,500 conditional job offers. She said she’d have a clearer idea later this week about how many of those offers have ended up filling vacancies so far.

Council Member Lincoln Restler also introduced legislation last week to publicly track staffing levels by agency. — Zachary Schermele

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On The Beats

HEALTH CARE: Retired city workers filed a class action lawsuit against the city Wednesday to block Mayor Eric Adams’ latest plan to transfer about 250,000 retirees into a Medicare Advantage plan.

The New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, which was established in 2021 to block the plan, as well as nine retirees, filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court. Walden Macht & Haran LLP, a New York-based law firm, filed the suit on their behalf. The defendants are Adams, schools Chancellor David Banks, the Department of Education and Labor Relations Commissioner Renee Campion.

Many of the retirees were teachers.

“As a former EMT who became sick working at Ground Zero, I feel disgusted and betrayed by the Mayor and union leaders, who chose to enrich themselves at the expense of elderly and disabled retirees,” Marianne Pizzitola, president of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, said in a statement. — Madina Touré

HOUSING: A 2019 city pilot program to convert basements and cellars in the East New York section of Brooklyn into legal apartments has been significantly hampered by the state’s multiple dwelling law and city zoning and building code, per a new report from the Citizens Housing & Planning Council.

The pilot has shed light on the array of outdated city and state rules that add significant cost and reduce flexibility needed to achieve conversions, the report said.

“It is possible to make units safe, but the Multiple Dwelling Law, along with zoning and building code, forbids it or makes it prohibitively expensive,” said Howard Slatkin, executive director of CHPC. The report comes as advocates for basement apartment legalization call for action in Albany, but with just a week left in the legislative session, the push faces long odds. — Janaki Chadha

ENERGY: Advocates are making a final push for the NY Home Energy Affordable Transition (NY HEAT) Act, which would align utility regulation with state climate regulations.

It would also cap utility bills for low- and middle-income households.

Better Buildings NY, a coalition that includes the Natural Resources Defense Council and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, said it will spend “five figures” on digital advertising to call for its passage as the legislative session winds down. But its prospects are currently looking grim. — Danielle Muoio Dunn

Around New York

— Federal prosecutors say a poultry distributor that sells to New York food carts confessed to cooking uninspected foods.

— Nauman Hussain, the man at the center of the fatal 2018 limousine crash outside Schoharie, was sentenced to at least five years in prison.

— That controversial CUNY commencement speech is becoming more and more politicized.

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