College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and noncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly noncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Alana Gaymon
Staten Island CUNY BoT meeting
4/12/2021
To the trustees:
I have been on the faculty of the College of Staten Island since 1997. The current failures of leadership, especially regarding communication, have thrown the college into a state of disarray more complete than I have ever seen. The college President, whom, you may recall, the BoT appointed without conducting a search, has shifted from passive failure to active failure in the past two years. Until that time, President Fritz was content to deliver bad budget news with a shrug and “challenge” the college, as he liked to phrase it, to figure out how to manage itself in bad circumstances. To the unfunded proliferation of schools, he then added an unwarranted change to our NCAA status, a change he claimed repeatedly would be publicly assessed, but for which he has refused to share any financial analysis, offering vague numbers out of context in support of his decision. The imminent departure of our athletic director for a high school job out of state would speak volumes if the college were allowed access to any data. During the COVID crisis, college governance bodies and individuals in charge of programs begged the president and his equally silent provost for guidance, timelines, any kind of plan; we were met with silence. The silence about racial justice in 2020, especially given the college’s very public failures of equity, was equally complete. These disasters were compounded for those of us involved in the current accreditation process, where the failure to articulate and share mission and policies throughout the college has been thrown into stark relief. The result was a vote of no confidence in the president and provost in December 2020. Since then, the president has abruptly sent the college a revised governance plan, clearly cobbled together from a variety of sources since it is both incoherent in its own terms and fails to reflect the needs and practices of the college’s different constituencies. This practice of shopping for solutions rather than generating them organically was shared by the president’s superficial 3-week equity program, which he imposed despite various governance bodies asserting that the college needs a more completely integrated approach to racial equity, and those bodies (including our Institutional Planning Committee, which he now refuses to convene) having volunteered to create such an approach. The new governance plan, is, as has been acknowledged even by his own former acting provost in an emergency meeting of our College Council, a result of pique and hurt feelings over the vote of no confidence. The plan is incoherent, and the process of its rollout an embarrassment. The College of Staten Island, its staff and its faculty, will survive this disarray, as we have survived previous failures of leadership. I sincerely hope, however, that the BoT will do a real search and provide the college with a real president, and soon.
Alyson Bardsley
Associate Professor
Department of English
College of Staten Island Andrew Lambert Department of Philosophy College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I write to you in protest at the unconscionable and fundamentally anti-democratic actions of the executive leadership at the College of Staten Island (CSI) The actions of the CSI President, William Fritz, invite public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Andrew Lambert
To: The Board of Trustees From: Anita Aboulafia, adjunct lecturer, CSI, Department of English Date: 4/11/2021
I am writing in strong opposition to what President William Fritz has done in regard to his proposal to completely replace CSI’s governance plan with one that weakens meaningful faculty and staff involvement in the decision-making process.
President Fritz’s dramatic overhaul of the governance structure of CSI is antithetical to the principles on which The City University of New York was founded; that is, the “commitment to transparency and accountability.” Moreover, promoting collaboration and professionalism have been a hallmark of the university system, and his blatant power grab is a serious repudiation of these and other principles to which CUNY holds so dear.
This overhaul must soundly be rejected by the Board.
Most sincerely,
Anita Aboulafia [email protected]
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Anna Tam Adjunct Lecturer English Dept. 2S-218 College of Staten Island College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Anthony Casella, Adjunct Lecturer
April 7, 2021
The Board of Trustees City University of New York
Dear Members of the CUNY Board of Trustees,
This testimonial in reference to work being conducted with the College of Staten Island (CSI) and its partners, Wagner College and St. John’ s University in the 30,000 Degrees partners’ college readiness initiatives. Crystal Vera-Montalvo, CSI’s Director of the Office of Community Educational Engagement in the Division of Economic Development, Continuing Studies and Government Relations, has been at the center of this collaborative, and has coordinated a series of activities that have targeted institutional capacity, professional development, and external grants development.
I am Anthony DePass, President of DePass Academic Consulting and recently retired Professor of Biology at Long Island University. Over the course of my 28-year career, I have led efforts at the institutional, regional, and national levels that have provided training in research and education for those pursuing STEM related careers. These efforts have included my leading an NIH funded program (T36 MARC) grant that provided training to individuals from over 140 institutions, from the undergraduate to the professional levels. I am also PI and Director of the annual conferences on Understanding Interventions(UI) that Broaden Participation in Science, and the Publisher of the UI Journal. The UI conferences serve as venues for the dissemination of scholarship on interventions research and evaluation, as well as facilitating training activities for evaluators, interventions researchers, and program administrators.
Our efforts under the 30,000 degree initiatives consist of three major components. First, we are conducting an assessment of programs and efforts at the participating institutions to determine the impact of prior work to: (A) determine effective practices to leverage on future efforts; and (B) assess needs, institutionally and across the community, that will inform our efforts in garnering external grant funds and program design. Second, we have conducted professional development in grant- writing through a series of workshops (in- person and virtual), that has provided skills training for faculty and staff at the partner institutions and their colleagues in regional K-12 school districts in Staten Island. A number of funding sources and programs have been identified for which we are providing project directed assistance in the generation of grant proposals for external funding. Third, we have identified major programs for which we are providing support in the formation of inter and intra-intuitional collaborations for program developmental and external grant funding.
The efforts underlined have been undergirded by application of scholarship that has informed work aimed at broadening participation in STEM. The collaborative will be presenting this work at the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities in a workshop titled “Beyond 30,000 Degrees: Transforming Measures of Student Success for Transformative Educational Change”. This is intended to disseminate this model for STEM success beyond CSI and the collaborative.
Sincerely,
Anthony L. DePass, Ph.D., Director, Understanding Interventions, adepass@depassconsulting .com Address: P.O. Box 81 Kendall Park, NJ 08824 Phone: 917.548.3274 Email: [email protected]
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Artemida Tesho Adjunct Faculty
Ph.D. Program in English
365 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10016-4309 212.817.8355 [email protected] http://www.gc.cuny.edu
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY. In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email. Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures. As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Ashley Dawson Professor
Ph.D. Program in English
365 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10016-4309 212.817.8355 [email protected] http://www.gc.cuny.edu
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY. In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email. Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures. As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Ashley Dawson Professor
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
● Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By- Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Bianca Masilowsky
2800 Victory Boulevard Staten Island, NY 10314 T 718.982.2365 • F 718.982.2362
FOUNDATION, INC. www.csi.cuny.edu/foundation
BOARD OF DIRECTORS To the Board of Directors of the City University of New York, President Patrick F. McDermott Good day! I am Brian Laline, a member of the Board of the College of Staten Island McDermott and Thomas Foundation, and very proud to be part of this wonderful institution. Vice President Joseph A. Franzese ‘88 I was born on Staten Island, and am executive editor of the local Staten island ING Financial Services LLC newspaper and web site – SILive.com and the Staten Island Advance. I have been with Secretary Advance for 49 years, first as a reporter and now executive editor. Robert A. Catalano Revelation Software Executive, Retired So I know Staten Island. And I know the College of Staten Island from its beginnings Treasurer Frank Lombardo as a community college, to its merger with Richmond College, to its move from a National Grid small campus in the community of Sunnyside to the sprawling campus in the Cheryl Adolph community of Willowbrook. Executive Director CSI Foundation, Inc. and Institutional Advancement & I also know first-hand what was before on the grounds of what is now the College of External Affairs Staten Island – the tragedy of Willowbrook State School. Comfort Asanbe, PhD Faculty And I know the significance of the College of Staten Island to our community. College of Staten Island Marilyn Caselli Consolidated Edison of NY SVP, Retired Others will discuss the finances of the CSI Foundation and its successes over the past years, as well as how we have navigated the crippling pandemic that has touched Christine D. Cea, PhD ’88 NYS Institute for Basic Research every life in our city. Jay D. Chazanoff ‘65 Millennium Capitol Mgmt., LLC I’d like to talk about what the College means to our community. Joseph Conte, PhD Executive Director of the Staten Island I am a fervent believer in public education, because it was public education that Performing Provider System (SI PPS) turned my life around as a teen. Although I did not attend CSI – it was the NYC public Robert S. Cutrona, Sr. high school system that helped me -- I have always felt a CSI kinship because it is the Project-One Services, Inc. only institution of public higher education in our borough. Samir Farag Worldwide Electronic Corp. The College of Staten Island has touched countless Staten Island families since Staten William J. Fritz, PhD Island Community College launched in 1956. It has made higher education possible in President College of Staten Island families where parents who never thought a college degree for their son or daughter was possible because of staggering tuitions at other schools or even room and board Sergey Guberman Edible Arrangements fees at state schools. Brian J. Laline Staten Island Advance It welcomes anyone, from anywhere. From a teen to a 90-year-old. Dolores N. Morris HBO Executive, Retired And so importantly to me, it gives students who might have struggled a bit in high school a second chance. A chance to turn their lives around, through the school’s J. Michael Parrish, PhD Provost/Senior Vice President associate program. And then the bachelor’s. And then the master’s. And who knows for Academic Affairs after that . . . College of Staten Island Richard M. Prinzi, Jr., CPA ‘93 The school has made enormous strides under the leadership of Dr. Bill Fritz, first Certified Public Accountant when he was provost and now as president. I know this from personal experience Thomas Scarangello Scaran Oil Service Co., Inc. with my own son. He was one of those looking for a second chance. Carlos Serrano Assistant Vice President for Bill Fritz is not only the president of the College. He is an important part of the Staten Finance and Budget/CFO Island community, bringing his expertise to places like Snug Harbor Cultural Center & College of Staten Island Botanical Garden through membership on the Board of Directors. And at the same Sally W. Williams time, he brings the message of the College of Staten Island. Federal Government Executive, Retired
2800 Victory Boulevard Staten Island, NY 10314 T 718.982.2365 • F 718.982.2362
FOUNDATION, INC. www.csi.cuny.edu/foundation
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Fritz makes certain the College is part of the community, and he makes certain the school honors the community’s history. This is so true, for example, when it comes President Patrick F. McDermott to the Willowbrook State School story. Currently, for example, there is a program McDermott and Thomas underway to build a “Willowbrook Mile,” a walkway around campus with stops to Vice President explain the Willowbrook story. It is a project funded privately through donations. It is Joseph A. Franzese ‘88 essential to make sure we do not forget. ING Financial Services LLC Secretary There was a time when CSI was considered a safe bet for graduating high school Robert A. Catalano Revelation Software Executive, Retired students. “If I can’t get in anywhere else, at least I have CSI,” was the thought then. Treasurer Frank Lombardo No more. National Grid Cheryl Adolph I tell people all the time: The College of Staten Island is one of our best-kept secrets. Executive Director All it takes is a walk around campus, dropping into a science lab to witness the CSI Foundation, Inc. and Institutional Advancement & extraordinarily interesting and important research being done. Or the incredible External Affairs work of the computer science department, and the school’s commitment to Comfort Asanbe, PhD increasing the number of students who’ll benefit from that program. Faculty College of Staten Island I could go on and on talking about how students use what CSI offers to better our Marilyn Caselli Consolidated Edison of NY SVP, Retired hometown – nursing, education, sports management, journalism – and Division II sports! Students who might never had that opportunity if not for CSI. Christine D. Cea, PhD ’88 NYS Institute for Basic Research Jay D. Chazanoff ‘65 I have lived the Staten Island story for a lot of decades, and I have reported on Millennium Capitol Mgmt., LLC countless instances where the community is short-changed. Joseph Conte, PhD Executive Director of the Staten Island Sadly, I fear, CSI is one of those stories. Performing Provider System (SI PPS) Robert S. Cutrona, Sr. I assure you, the leadership of the College of Staten Island gets the most from every Project-One Services, Inc. penny the school receives, through government, through grants and through tuition. Samir Farag Worldwide Electronic Corp. I am continually amazed. William J. Fritz, PhD President College of Staten Island But I am also amazed on how much still could be done if there was an increase in resources. The College needs your help. Staten Island needs your help. Most Sergey Guberman Edible Arrangements important? The students need your help. Brian J. Laline Staten Island Advance The College of Staten Island part of the fabric of Staten Island. Other schools look across the country for its students. In my world, CSI is here for Staten Island and New Dolores N. Morris HBO Executive, Retired York. J. Michael Parrish, PhD Provost/Senior Vice President Anything you can do to help our school will only help the community it serves. for Academic Affairs College of Staten Island Richard M. Prinzi, Jr., CPA ‘93 Certified Public Accountant Thomas Scarangello Scaran Oil Service Co., Inc. Carlos Serrano Assistant Vice President for Finance and Budget/CFO College of Staten Island Sally W. Williams Federal Government Executive, Retired
April 12, 2021
The Honorable William C. Thompson, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Members of the CUNY Board
Dear Mr. Thompson,
You have probably heard by now about the efforts of the President of the College of Staten Island, William Fritz, to introduce a new governance plan at the College without first submitting it to the Bylaws Committee and then carefully working in a collaborative way to change the representative structure at the College.
Since you are currently the Chief Administrative Officer at a firm that manages municipal bonds, and you formerly served as Comptroller for the city, where you managed the city employees’ pension fund, and since you were also the chairman of the State Housing Finance Agency some years after the 2008 mortgage crisis, I believe you value the principles of good management, fiscal responsibility, and verifiable results.
It would be far better if all the groups at the College concentrated on teaching, research, and preparation for the College’s upcoming Middle States certification review, rather than spending time redoing a governance plan that was just revised three years ago. That new plan primarily concerned including representation for the Business School, the Health Sciences School, and the School of Education, all of which were newly created. The CUNY Board approved that plan, and it has worked.
The real problems at the College are not its governance structure. Instead, they begin with a paucity of full-time, research faculty, starting in History, where four crucial historians in African- American history, Chinese history, Middle Eastern history, and Indian (South Asian) history have recently retired, as well as in Biology, where there have also been major depletions due to retirements. This hinders students from getting the classes they need, and faculty are too short on time to develop new courses on the latest topics. A second problem concerns library resources. Prior to the pandemic, my students found that cuts in library hours and the cancellation of certain journal databases (including a large collection published by Cambridge) impeded their studies. Third, the graduation rate must be improved. A recent study conducted by the USC Race and Equity Center found that the graduation rate for Black students at CSI is only 24.4%, compared 46.4% for all students. This is the lowest Black student graduation rate among the CUNY senior colleges.
Lastly, the College needs to prepare for the fall semester when most classes will again be online. Having now taught eight classes online, I can tell you exactly where the problems lie. Tech support for students who are locked out of their email and other e-learning tools must be faster. First-year students need better campus orientation so they know how to study, how to avoid plagiarism, and where to get tutoring and counseling. Low-income students need to be informed sooner about how they can apply for loaner laptops and tablets. The “Re-Entry Committee” (which deals with re-opening the campus) needs to pay attention to the portion of the CSI community (40% according to NYC transportation data) who travel to the campus by bus and subway. Close quarters on buses and subways increases the risk of COVID transmission.
I personally know professors and students whose family members have died from COVID. Our precious time should not be spent working on a new governance plan or trying to adapt to a new one, should it be imposed. It should be spent on solving the above-mentioned problems.
Sincerely,
Bryan Averbuch, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History College of Staten Island
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Castleigh Johnson, CEO and Founder of My Home Pathway and a participant in the College of Staten Island Tech Incubator for the 2020 Winter Cohort. We are an early stage Fintech platform guiding minority and millennial home buyers from unqualified to getting approved for home ownership. We were honored to be accepted into the program with the goal of providing more access and opportunity to businesses and communities I am passionate about.
The program provided great mentoring opportunities that shared their experience and ways for each entrepreneur to enhance various aspects of our businesses. The core of the program involved self assessment and guidance from the program Director Jeff Derose and team as needed.
As a result of participating in the program we have enhanced our business development strategy and our consumer marketing approach that have resulted in our ability to land a pilot program with a large financial institution and our traction on the consumer side continues to grow.
I am a strong supporter of this program and I hope the city not only continues to fund but enhance the resourcing and funding to enhance the support this program can give to businesses like ours to bring more jobs and revenue to our local economy.
Yours Truly
Castleigh W. Johnson CEO and Founder My Home Pathway Inc. College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
April 8, 2021
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees April 12, 2021 Staten Island Borough Hearing
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am writing as a concerned member of the College of Staten Island community to inform you that CSI is currently in crisis. In an unprecedented and uncivil disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has unilaterally put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the College’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all, CSI’s President has made an insufficiently clear promise to honor the results of the required referendum. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders fail to respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the College of Staten Island community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its national reputation. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Cate Marvin, Ph.D. Professor of English
My name is Kathy-An Glynn and I am a student at the College of Staten Island. I wanted to share my experience as a student in the 1199 Health Careers College Core Curriculum Program, or HC4 which is a partnership between the College and the 1199 Union. This program allows 1199 union members to earn college credits in prerequisite classes towards a degree in the health fields. Through the financial assistance provided by my union and the counseling provided by both the union and CSI, I have been able to attend college, which has always been a dream of mine.
I started with the program in the spring of 2019 and now am happy to say I have completed 22 credits and am currently enrolled in Biology and preparing to take my next steps and apply to the Nursing program at CSI. This has not been an easy task to get to this point, but I am committed to the plan and know that I will achieve my goal of becoming a Registered Nurse.
I have been fortunate to study at CSI as a member of the 1199 HC4 Program. The experiences I have had in the classroom, the instructors and support I have received from the 1199 Program Staff both at CSI and the 1199 union have helped contribute to my success. Small class sizes and being able to attend class with other working adults like myself has provided me with a unique opportunity to pursue both my educational and professional dreams.
I know the College of Staten Island and the 1199 HC4 Program will help me to make my dreams into reality. There will be no better feeling than becoming a Registered Nurse and graduating with a degree. I cannot thank both the College and the HC4 Program enough.
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees April 12, 2021 Staten Island Borough Hearing
I am deeply concerned about the sudden proposal for a total Governance overhaul put forward by CSI President Fritz on March 3, 2021. In the elaboration of this proposal, no input has been sought from the faculty of the College of Staten Island using appropriate channels, that is, the By-Laws Committee stablished in our current Governance. This faculty committee has already identified multiple flaws in the proposal. In addition, there has been no effort by the President to articulate the reasons for the deep changes to our working Governance rules. Unfortunately, this plan is about to be considered for referendum after some appearance of proper consultation in the form of online input gathering and a town hall meeting preceding the vote.
The implementation of a governance plan unilaterally elaborated is bound to foster mistrust and tension instead of the desirable collaboration among all parts involved. Therefore, I urge the Board of Trustees to reject this proposal in its entirety.
Sincerely,
César Arenas-Mena
Associate Professor College of Staten Island and the CUNY Graduate Center
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Chiara Ferrari Associate Professor, Italian Studies Department of World Languages and Literatures College of Staten Island
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Chris Conidis – Assistant Professor of Mathematics College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees April 12, 2021 Staten Island Borough Hearing
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am writing as a concerned member of the College of Staten Island community to inform you that CSI is currently in crisis. In an unprecedented and uncivil disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has unilaterally put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the College’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all, CSI’s President has made an insufficiently clear promise to honor the results of the required referendum. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders fail to respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the College of Staten Island community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its national reputation. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Christina M. Hagedorn, PhD, CCC-SLP, TSSLD
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Christopher Santiago Ph.D.
OPPOSITION TO WORKING WITH MCKINSEY
April 12, 2021
Dear CUNY Board of Trustees.
A a member of the CUNY community, the news that CUNY is considering signing a $ 2.974.800 contract with McKinsey on reopening the campuses is, at a minimum, ill conceived and misguided. The BoT must be aware of the dire financial situations CUNY has endured over the years, especially during Covid in the last three semesters. Many CUNY campuses have terminated adjunct positions and many staff positions, especially College Assistants who have always been the backbone of our campus communities. Most of our students have suffered under these austerity measures, with limited access to classes, oversize online classrooms, limited services and the inability to get the help they need and deserve, adding to the hardship many already have to endure due to Covid.
The news that CUNY is going to work with McKinsey, a consultant firm that has recently been fined over $600 Million to settle their role in the opioid crisis, is shameful. In New York, it is reported that McKinsey's relationship with Governor Cuomo is somewhat related to the under- reporting of NY nursing homes deaths. It is unethical and foolish to work with this consulting behemoth. It is also an absolute insult to the CUNY community and the citizens of New York, that public money will be spent on such an unsupervised, and unproductive project.
With apt leadership, talented constituents of CUNY can devise fair and workable reopening plans that fit the specificities of the 23 CUNY campuses. I know that many of my colleagues have already spent countless (oftentimes, uncompensated) hours working on the reopening of their campuses that would ensure the safety of all involved and to further the educational goals of CUNY.
This is also a wake up call for college administrations to reevaluate their dependence on consultants. They are outside for-profit entities that do not know our culture and our values. To build strong institutions, we all need genuine respect for all the people who build and run these institutions. We are all more than ready to contribute to the lofty goals of CUNY, to serve the people of New York City and beyond.
Sincerely,
Cindy Wong Professor Department of Media Culture College of Staten Island College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
If President Fritz’s pushes through his one-sided governance plan, without respecting the current bylaws and practices, without showing any respect to the myriad college constituents, CSI would encounter many more difficulties with demoralized constituents who would know that their voices will never be heard. President Fritz’s way of pushing for his plan, even if succeeded through his use of absolute power would not produce a productive institution that is essential in serving the students of Staten Island and New York City.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Cindy Wong Professor Department of Media Culture
April 12, 2021 Dear CUNY Board of Trustees, I am Professor at the College of Staten Island, and currently serve as chair of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, School of Education. I am writing to vehemently oppose the governance plan proposed by President Fritz. I oppose many of the substantive changes in shared governance the plan includes. To an even greater degree, I oppose the process by which the President is attempting to force this upon the College community, without adequate time for deliberation and input, and without the commitment to abide by a referendum on the proposal. I urge you to oppose adoption of this plan and encourage President Fritz to proceed in a manner that is more informed and collegial. Sincerely, David Allen
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
David Jacobsen Loncle
Board of Trustees April 12, 2021 Staten Island Borough Hearing Staten Island Small Business Development Center (SI SBDC) College of Staten Island
During this COVID-19 Pandemic, the Staten Island Small Business Development Center (SI SBDC) at the College of Staten Island (CSI) has been dedicated to the NYS Mission of providing customized solutions through advisement, education, research, and advocacy for entrepreneurs, innovators, and the small and medium enterprise community. These services were proved vital during the COVID-19 Pandemic, as businesses needed help now more than ever to survive.
This team of certified advisors are experienced in Disaster Relief Counseling and are available remotely to provide small business owners with the guidance they need in these trying times of uncertainty. With active grant and loan programs being offered through the Small Business Administration, NYS, and NYC for COVID-19 financial support, many small business owners are requesting guidance to navigate through the various forms and documentation required for these applications.
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at CSI experienced record-breaking outcomes in the most recent fiscal year. In handling requests from small business owners on how to keep their businesses alive and how to support their staff and families, the SI SBDC Team has handled more than 1,100 COVID inquiries, put in more than 15,000 counseling hours, helped generate over $25M in economic impact, and supported over 1,900 new and existing jobs.
CSI’s SBDC served more than 2,000 NYS small businesses with one-on-one counseling, and trained more than 1,200 small business owners in 48 online and in-person events. These results were the highest the organization has ever seen in its 27-year history on Staten Island.
The area serviced by CSI’s SBDC parallels the 11th Congressional District. This encompasses all of Staten Island and the Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, and Dyker Heights sections of Brooklyn. Balsamini and his staff are extremely proud of these efforts for the small business community, and to be integrated with the College of Staten Island.
______Dean L. Balsamini Regional Director Staten Island SBDC College of Staten Island [email protected]
Dear CUNY Board of Trustees,
Please see the note I wrote below to the staff of CSI's Options Program for Mature Learners:
December 10, 2020
Betty/Angela/Crystal:
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the great job you did in pulling off the Fall Semester of the Options Program. It was a tremendous undertaking and an overwhelming success. We had never used Zoom before and weren't considering registering because we didn't think we'd get much benefit from these online classes. Well I'm certainly glad we reconsidered because we couldn't have been more wrong. We had something to look forward to every day and as my friend who lives alone said we felt like we had company in our home.
We also want to express our appreciation to the instructors. We've been attending Options classes for six years and have to say that these were the best classes we ever attended. I know many of the instructors were also new to this format but they handled themselves like pros. They each went over and above the call of duty sharing their knowledge in a very engaging and collaborative manner. They gave us an appreciation for the arts we didn't have before, helped us deal with these stressful times and opened our minds to aspects of history we hadn't considered. What we thought we'd engage in as a mere distraction became such a tremendous learning experience.
Lastly we want to express our appreciation for extending the Spring Semester into January. You certainly had no obligation and are taking on a lot more work to do this. I know that you're doing it from the heart. It is such a service to the Senior community who has been asked to shelter in place, many who are suffering from tremendous loneliness, to engage with friends, keep their minds active and have much to look forward to every single day.
Debbie and Joe Coscia
Dilmi Fernando’s testimonial for the Carrier Development Center.
I am Dilmi Fernando, a Senior at the College of Staten Island. I am double majoring in
Accounting under CPA track and Finance and minoring in Business Data Analytics and graduating in Spring 2021.
Since my graduation was closer, I was looking for internships to gain experience. The
Center for Career and Professional Development helped me improve my resume and cover letter.
They recommended me to a local accounting firm and helped me throughout the application and interview process, which ended in me successfully getting the position. I would like to especially thank Joanne Hollan; Associate Director, John Kesaris; Campus Career Specialist, and Casey
Gardiner; CSoC Peer Leader for helping and guiding me. All of them were super friendly, supportive and replied to my emails quickly even in this pandemic situation. I look forward to continuing working with them on my future career plans and recommend others who need help, do the same.
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and breathtaking disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes (including those stipulated by the existing Governance Plan) at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth McNelis College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees April 12, 2021 Staten Island Borough Hearing
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am writing as a concerned member of the College of Staten Island community to inform you that CSI is currently in crisis. In an unprecedented and uncivil disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has unilaterally put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the College’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all, CSI’s President has made an insufficiently clear promise to honor the results of the required referendum. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders fail to respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the College of Staten Island community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its national reputation. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Ellen J. Goldner, PhD
Emily Ida The City University of New York, College of Staten Island
Written Testimony Submitted to the Board of Trustees Staten Island Borough Hearing April 12, 2021
My first year of college started off quite typically at my former college. As a freshmen
student, I recall the excitement of moving into my residence hall, meeting my neighbors, saying
goodbye to my parents for the first time, and beginning my dream of becoming an orthopedic
doctor. The rest of the semester was anything but typical, especially for someone who did very
well in high school. Although I studied frequently, attended group study sessions with my peers,
and never missed a class, none of my efforts worked and I finished my first semester of college
with a 1.6 GPA. I did not give up and tried again to do well my second semester. However, I still performed poorly and was threatened with academic dismissal. It was during this first year of college that I learned that I am not a person who gives up easily. I decided to transfer to the
College of Staten Island (CSI) for my second year of college. This decision changed my life.
When I was accepted into CSI, I applied to the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs
(ASAP). Unlike other students who applied to the program, because of my previous grade-point average, I was asked to meet with Dr. Ivan Scott Lee, the program director, and was accepted into the program on academic probation. I shared with Dr. Lee my story and the challenges I faced. Dr. Lee offered me the opportunity to be a part of the ASAP program, providing me with academic and career support services, which was exactly what I needed to make improvements.
In this program, I was paired with an academic advisor with whom I had to meet with twice a month and a career counselor. My academic advisor, Matthew is the principal reason I have become a successful college student, about to graduate with a 3.7 GPA. In my past four years in the ASAP program, he has inspired me to do what is best for me, given me honest advice about changing my major, and never made me feel judged for switching paths. He motivated me when
I did not have the courage to keep going and is always proud of me when I succeed. I now have the confidence in myself to be a successful, independent, and resourceful student. My advisor
Matthew, my career counselor Brittany, and every staff member of the ASAP team has inspired me to pursue a career in student affairs administration. I want to make a difference in students’ lives, who may be having difficulties succeeding in college, just like ASAP did for me. My goal is to inspire and support students using my personal experience and show them that with the right tools, success is possible.
This academic year, I was accepted into the Emerging Leaders Program directed by
Robert Kee. This experience is my first step in becoming a successful leader in student affairs administration. Every workshop I attend makes me feel like I can become an effective leader, who can inspire students, just like the ASAP staff and Robert have inspired me. I have always been very involved on my campus, attending various events hosted by Jeremiah Jurkiewicz, the coordinator of the LGBTQ Resource Center, the Campus Activities Board, and ASAP. Two of my proudest moments include speaking in a discussion involving LGBTQ+ issues and speaking as a panelist in the “Major Talk” presentation, hosted by ASAP. I am also proud to have worked as a notetaker for the Center for Student Accessibility and as a student representative for the
Middle States Reaccreditation Self-Study. Before attending CSI, I did not have the confidence to even speak to my professors. Now, I have the assurance to speak in front of crowded auditoriums, thanks to all of my experiences and the staff at the College of Staten Island.
Currently, I am finishing my last semester at the College of Staten Island and I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Science, Letters, and Society with minors in
American Sign Language and Psychology. As I reflect on my time at CSI, I remember the outstanding professors with and from whom I have had the opportunity to learn. I am also
especially grateful for meeting the staff of the American Sign Language department, who have
opened my eyes to the Deaf community. I am excited to begin the next chapter in my life, as I
have been accepted with a scholarship to Binghamton University’s dual degree Master of
Science in Student Affairs Administration and Master of Public Administration program for the
Fall 2021 semester. I have also been selected for the Graduate Assistant position at Binghamton
University’s Services for Students with Disabilities office. My experiences studying with Deaf
professors and working for the Center for Student Accessibility have motivated me to accept this
position for the upcoming Fall 2021 semester. I believe that the dual degree program in Student
Affairs Administration and Public Administration at Binghamton University will strengthen my skills as a leader-practitioner, where I will acquire techniques in how to help students in higher
education. My dream is to be someone who sees the potential in all students and offer the
supports necessary to help them succeed, without judgement. ASAP has been a community for
me to turn to in any area of academic support; whether it was what classes I need to take next
semester, a second set of eyes from the career specialist on my resume, or a criticism-free zone
to talk out future career paths. The community at the College of Staten Island was there for me
when I needed it most. I want to be a part of a community that endeavors to help and support
students because I know the value of having a positive place to turn to in times of need.
The HC4 program, or the ‘Health Care College, Core, Curriculum’ is a program is designed to help members gain the core required courses on their road to getting their undergraduate degree. They typically take 12 to 24 credits, though we offer around 34 credits worth of courses. These are your foundational courses, such as English composition, biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and psychology, to name a few; these are courses that you would take if you wanted to pursue a degree in a field of clinical health care. It has become the established freshmen year for around 2,000 members since the founding in 1995.
Classes are in times and places convenient for adults working full time, and they take courses in cohorts of fellow 1199 members, and are able to form communities of learning for mutual peer support. We also provide in-depth case management, tutoring, counseling, supplementary workshops, all with the goal of providing better guidance and support for the students.
For Anatomy & Physiology, a particularly difficult course for new students, as an example 59% of HC4 students were getting grades of A & B, verses only 44% of the general population. And on the other end of the spectrum only 9% of students in HC4 failed or withdrew from this course, as oppose to 27% of the general population.
To highlight a particular program we began with the College of Staten Island in 2015 when we introduced a 1 credit hybrid course called “Issues in College Life” that members took in conjunction with English 101. The course assists adult learners in making a smooth transition into college, and introduces the students to the culture, challenges, and rigors of higher education.
More recently, in 2018 the city eliminated the CUNY Compass test for adult students, a decision we very much applauded. However, while we could assist student who clearly fell below college readiness, there were a significant number of students who academically speaking were on the cusp. The College of Staten Island was able to assist our members a new 2-hour zero credit course called English 505 which provided students with supplemental instruction of integrated critical reading and academic writing to help them succeed in English 111. Students in this course learned writing strategies, critical thinking, and broadened their vocabulary to the Standards of Academic American English. While we continue to refine our college transition models, this course has helped ensure that our students have been able to successfully bridge into doing college level work.
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
April 10, 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Filippo Fabbricatore ([email protected])
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Francisco Soto, Professor
RE: President Fritz’s new governance plan for the College of Staten Island
April 9, 2021
To the members of the Board of Trustees:
I would like to voice my very strong objection to President Fritz’s new Governance Plan proposal. Any change in college governance should go through channels consistent with the existing governance plan, which President Fritz himself approved. His effort to bypass faculty and to reduce faculty input in an institution in which they are key players can only further damage the climate for teaching and learning at the College of Staten Island. Though there may be some parts of President Fritz’s Plan that have merit, his flouting of democratic process and the negative impact he has had on the trust between his office and the faculty and staff at the College will only be exacerbated if the Board of Trustees allows President Fritz’s plan to become a reality. I urge you, in the strongest turns, to reject President Fritz’s new Governance Plan for the College of Staten Island
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Gene Fellner, PhD School Education College of Staten Island City University of New York [email protected]
College of Staten Island
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees April 12, 2021 Staten Island Borough Hearing
Dear Board of Trustees,
I am deeply concerned about the viability of the College of Staten Island. I have been a faculty member at CSI for 18 years and have served in several administrator positions (including interim Academic Dean). I am writing to inform you that CSI risks failure- not only in our upcoming Middle States visit but also in attracting students for Fall 2021. The College is in crisis. This state of affairs has been the result of severe mismanagement by the administration. The President and Provost have chosen to not lead through this pandemic. Instead of decision-making, they have chosen silence. They do not communicate with the College community; they do not respond to pleas for policies or decisions, and now, in an inexplicable move, they claim that their management failures are the fault of a governance plan that has been in effect for decades. In an unprecedented and uncivil disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has unilaterally put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the College’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
I am most concerned by President Fritz’s statement that he may not honor the results of the required referendum vote. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders fail to respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
The move by President Fritz, if it succeeds, will resonate throughout academia. The reputation of CSI and CUNY rests on an irresponsible and seemingly out of control president. I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its national reputation. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself— is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Gerry Milligan Professor Italian Director of Macaulay Honors and Verrazzano Honors
4309 - , Ph.D.
of Italian and Italian of
8176
Program in Comparative Comparative in Program Avenue Fifth 365 www.gc.cuny.edu Officer Executive [email protected] Literature 10016 NY York, New 212.817. Lombardi Giancarlo Professor Literature Comparative
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, the President has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a senior member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Giancarlo Lombardi Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature College of Staten Island/CUNY The Graduate Center/CUNY
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Giuliana Ammavuta College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Grace M. Cho Associate Professor Department of Sociology and Anthropology
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and non-collegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly non-collegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As an immigrant from Turkey, I personally experienced the dangers of authoritarianist tendencies at the government and societal levels. I signed a petition that criticized Turkish state’s cruel warfare on the Kurdish people, and because of that I cannot go back to my own country since 2016. What is happening at CSI under the current leadership reminds me Erdogan regime and how academic freedom as well as quality of education are in danger moving forward with the current administration. I am a tenure-track faculty, and hoping to continue my career at CSI. I love my students and I love our college community. Please do not let the current administration to ruin this special relationship we have at CSI.
Sincerely,
H. Ege Ozen
Assistant Professor, Political Science and Global Affairs College of Staten Island, CUNY College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
After receiving a Vote of No Confidence from the Faculty Senate on 12/17/20, in an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures. Again, it appears his actions are in retaliation to the Vote of No Confidence.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Holly Block Assistant Director for Recruitment College of Staten Island College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Hosu Kim, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Sociology and Anthropology College of Staten Island College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Hugo Fernandez Professor LaGuardia Community College Senator – University Faculty Senate At-large Member of the Executive Committee of the UFS
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “believe you can and you’re halfway there.” His words have inspired me to go back to school to get my high school equivalency diploma. With a little faith, nothing is out of reach. With that being said, I would like to set an example for everyone that wants to give up. I’d like to show my family that it is never too late to achieve your dreams.
Because of the ALLP program at CSI, I believe that I will achieve my goals while inspiring others to do the same.
I am currently studying at the College of Staten Island, something I didn’t think would be possible under the current circumstances. Covid-19 has affected the whole world in different ways. It has put a halt on the entire world. When the world went into lock down, I thought to myself “great, now I am going to have to wait even longer to go back to school.” However, I was surprised to find out that the College of Staten Island offers online TASC classes. I was even more surprised to find out that they offer night class, which works out great for my busy schedule. So far, I have taken the TASC test two times. The first time that I took it, I passed everything except for math. This discouraged me and wanted to quit, but the staff at CSI encouraged me to keep going. I then took the math portion for a second time. Although I scored higher than my first time, I did not pass. I know that I will eventually pass math and complete this journey in my life. I refuse to give up.
The staff at CSI also helped me to take this huge step in my life. Mrs. Santoro, the lead case manager for the Adult Literacy and Language Program has worked closely with me. Since I do not own a laptop, she was able to send me a loaner laptop to my home address. Having a laptop has made it much easier for me to attend my classes and complete my homework. She also reviewed my resume to make sure that I am prepared for life after the HSE program. In addition, all of the instructors that I have encountered are super nice and extremely
helpful. They have gone above and beyond for me. They constantly reach out to see if I need any
extra assistance with my classwork, and they tutor me whenever I feel that I need more help.
Because of them, I have learned so much.
The support that I receive from the ALLP program is never ending. Once I pass my
TASC test, I will participate in a program that they have arranged with Workforce 1.
They will help me to update my resume. They will then assign me a recruiter that will help me
find a job that is suitable for me. Once I complete the program, I can get a job in my community
at Staten Island University hospital North. I am extremely excited for all the new opportunities
that they are presenting me with.
What more could I want? I have the dream team on my side at CSI. So far, my
experience with the Adult Literacy Program at the College of Staten Island has been wonderful. I
recommend it with all my heart. If you have goals, don’t hesitate to contact CSI’s ALLP
program. It is never too late, so don’t give up on yourself.
I would specifically like to thank these people:
Mrs.Sonia Santoro of Lead Case Manager Adult Literacy & Language Program
Mrs. Hawa Conteh
ALLP/CLIP
College Assistant
My instructors:
1-Mrs. Kerri Machin
2- Mr.Emmanuel Gbemudu
3- Mr.Michael Santiago
4- Mr.Victor Miller and whoever I’ve missed on this list.
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees Staten Island Borough Hearing
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am writing as a concerned member of the College of Staten Island community to inform you that CSI is currently in crisis. In an unprecedented and uncivil disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has unilaterally put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the College’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all, CSI’s President has made an insufficiently clear promise to honor the results of the required referendum. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders fail to respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the College of Staten Island community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its national reputation. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
James Hession
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Janet Ng Dudley Professor Dept of English
College of Staten Island, CUNY 12 April, 2021
Statement to the Board: Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April, 2021
The Research Committee of the College of Staten Island (CSI), a committee of the College’s Faculty Senate, wishes to express its alarm at recent actions taken by our President to unilaterally replace CSI’s current Governance Plan. As we have expressed to the Board before, breakdowns in shared governance in recent years have resulted in a degradation of CSI’s research mission. The wholesale and unilateral replacement of the current Governance Plan with one that, among other things, removes faculty from heading college committees, elevates this from a breakdown to a crisis.
In CSI’s current governance plan – a document nearly ten years in the making and in place for only three years so far – the Research Committee is defined as follows:
Purpose: Review and assess the research policies of the College, recommend directions for research development, and advise the Administration on encouraging and expanding research opportunities. Membership: The Chair shall be elected by and from the Research Committee at the first meeting of the fall semester; two representatives from each Division and one representative from each School elected from the full-time faculty of that unit by the full-time faculty; two members-at-large elected by and from the full-time faculty.
Under the proposed policy, crafted without faculty consultation of any kind, the committee is defined as follows:
Purpose: Reviews the research policies of the college, encourages best practices to foster a culture of compliance, supports researchers in their work, reviews proposals for institutional funding support, and makes recommendations on awards. Institutional funding will be contingent on availability of funds. Makes recommendations to the provost. Membership: One faculty member elected from each division/school, one representative appointed by the provost, and the chief research officer who serves as chair.
The Research Committee takes issue with both the unusual, inappropriate, and uncollegial manner in which the current governance plan was put forward. We also take issue with the more administrative and clerical nature of the committee’s duties under the new plan, and especially the clearly diminished role of faculty in it (including the reference to a “research officer” who chairs the committee – no such position currently exists, nor is one described in the unilaterally-crafted proposal).
The Research Committee at CSI, created by and serving under a Governance Plan that was carefully crafted in a shared-governance framework, urges the Board to reject any proposal it is sent that circumvents this framework. Faculty at CSI are more than willing to work with our administration on any amendments to the Governance Plan they would like to present. But these amendments should be made in good-faith, and should not reject the collegiality and cooperation that is codified in our By-Laws and our current Governance Plan.
Submitted to the Board by the Research Committee of Faculty Senate, CSI College of Staten Island, CUNY 12 April, 2021
Prof. César Arenas-Mena (Biology Department) Prof. Jason Bishop (Linguistics Program, English Department) Prof. Soon Ae Chun (Information Systems and Informatics Program, Marketing Department) Prof. Liqing Tao (Curriculum and Instruction Department) Prof. Lana Karasik (Psychology Department) Prof. Allen Tesdall (Mathematics Department)
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of elections, referenda, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Jason Bishop Associate Professor of Linguistics & Chair of the Research Committee of Faculty Senate College of Staten Island, CUNY April 9, 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am writing to you out of concern for the crisis unfolding at The College of Staten Island, where I have worked since 1999 and where I co-founded the Department of Media Culture.
In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed established democratic processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly un-collegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined to comply with the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related constitutional procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to work within the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Professor Jason Simon Department of Media Culture College of Staten Island, CUNY
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Jay Rosen Professor, Dept. of Mathematcs College of Staten Island
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Jean Halley, PhD Professor of Sociology Sociology and Anthropology Department College of Staten Island and the Graduate Center City University of New York College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Jeanne-Rachel Leroux Lecturer and French Program Coordinator College of Staten island City University of New York
April 12, 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI. In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, instead of first sharing this proposal with the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps worst of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how damaging it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the risk this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Jennifer B. Wagner, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Psychology College of Staten Island, CUNY 2800 Victory Boulevard (718) 982-4092 [email protected]
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Jessica J Burke [email protected]
April 7, 2021
Dear CUNY Board of Trustees,
The Melissa Riggio Higher Education Program (MRHEP) is a partnership between AHRC NYC and The City University of New York. The program is a fully integrated Day Habilitation program housed on a college campus and is supported through the Office of Community Educational Engagement. The MRHEP program opened its doors on the College of Staten Island campus in 2008. In the past 13 years, the program at CSI has served 66 students. The MRHEP program is a post-secondary education certificate-based program for students with intellectual and development disabilities. The goal is for students to have the full college experience, on a non-matriculated basis, so they may become full members of their community. The program is divided into four components: academics, student life, career exploration, and self-advocacy. All components are supported by peer mentors, who are also students of the college themselves, and are paid and trained by AHRC.
Through the strong collaboration between AHRC and the College of Staten Island many opportunities have opened for the students throughout the years. In the summer of 2019, the MRHEP partnered with the Center for Global Engagement and sent a student to study abroad in Florence Italy. This was the first time this has been done in CUNY’s history. The student, alongside his mentor, had the experience of a lifetime. (https://csitoday.com/2019/12/melissa- riggio-student-studies-in-italy/)
In March 2019, like all students in the CUNY system, Melissa Riggio students’ semester was suddenly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a matter of days, students and mentors were required to pivot to a distance learning model. Distance learning created obstacles to implementation of universal design for learning and disrupted student access to campus life. Despite these obstacles, MRHEP students have displayed tremendous resilience and have created for themselves several new opportunities.
In Fall 2020, a new partnership between MRHEP and CUNY Start was developed. The student enrolled shared the same expectations as all matriculated students did enroll in this program. He successfully passed all components of this program with limited accommodations. Due to his positive participation, other students have been invited to participate in the future. This too, was another first for the relationship between CUNY and AHRC. Another pilot revisited was a collaboration with the Adult Literacy and Language Program. Three students are currently on their journey to achieve their High School Equivalency Diploma. Through their success, other students within the program have been motivated to follow this same path.
Upon the four years of inclusive learning, MRHEP students, graduate alongside their peers. They transition to alumni-based programing, through AHRC, where they work solely in the
community. Here they use the skills they learned from college and translate them into the real world. Through this year, finding meaningful employment becomes the focus and students continue to receive supports from their peer mentors.
Sincerely,
Jessica Giorgio Program Director – AHRCNYC Melissa Riggio Higher Education Program College of Staten Island | Borough of Manhattan Community College (646)599-1877 [email protected]
To whom it may concern,
My name is Joana Dhima, I am a sophomore at the College of Staten Island. Originally, I came to the United States from Greece in 2017. Growing up in Greece has been an important factor in my life for numerous reasons. The biggest reason is the most obvious, that English is not my first language. Even growing up in Greece, it was Albanian that was my first language since I was the child of immigrants in Greece. Nevertheless, I had an otherwise normal school experience followed by the beginnings of a career in the nursing field before receiving a visa to move to the United States with my family. The family decision to leave Greece was the hardest choice that I had to make in my life so far. I gave up so much of my life by moving overseas to a country that I had never been to before moving. Arriving in the United States, my brother and I were the only partial English speakers since my parents had not learned any English in school. However, my basic instruction in English was not sufficient for me to move forward in this country. I needed to learn more English and go to college in order to make something of my life here in the US. That was when I enrolled in the Adult Literacy & Language Program offered by CSI, which then led me into the CLIP program. It was a tough beginning for me, and it was made harder by the lack of ability to communicate with any of the people in the program since they were not Greek either. Still, I was able to succeed in the program and passed the test to join the CLIP program. I owe a lot of my success in English and early confidence to my first instructor and student advisor, Dean DeRenzo. He helped me apply and prepare for CLIP during my time at ALLP and continued to support me throughout my experience at CLIP as well. CLIP not only helped me to learn the English language, but it also helped me to prepare for my academic studies here in the US. I was also able to finally communicate with my classmates and to form my first real friendships in the United States. The program was not always the easiest thing for me since I was also working nights while enrolled in the program. However, I was able to get through the program with the continued support that my first instructor and advisor, Dean, was able to provide for me. He was a big help in getting through the sometimes confusing process of school, work, and adjusting. Now, I am enrolled as a student in CSI as a Biology Major and I am looking to continue on to medical school one day. I believe that CLIP prevented many of the problems with English that I would have experienced had I not gone through the program. I am proud to say that my grades in my college English classes have been all excellent. I believe that CLIP was the college preparation that opened up my future to me and let me pursue my dreams.
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Of great concern is that President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures. Unsurprisingly, due to both the undemocratic process the president has employed , and its anti-democratic content, the plan has been repudiated by the college community. At a special session of our College Council in mid-March, we had 340 attendees over the span of 2 hours. At the end, a straw poll was held. Fewer than 5% of the nearly 200 attendees at that time voiced support for this plan or the process being pursued. Of the 25 departments, 15 have written resolutions of opposition (compiled here https://csi-covid19.github.io/CCFS/Mar- SpecialMeeting/); there is not a single resolution of support. The leadership of the professional staff, part of the voting body, has also expressed their deep concerns. A successful referendum requires broad participation (at least 30% of the full-time faculty, part-time faculty, professional staff, and administrative personnel) and a majority in support.
I ask that the president be firmly reminded that any plan with a failed referendum from the College of Staten Island will not be considered for the agenda of the Committee of Faculty, Staff and Administration or the agenda of the CUNY Board, as no action it could take would allow the adoption of such a governance plan for legal reasons. Such consideration would be in stark contrast to the current board-approved plan, that it would most assuredly be opposed by the PSC and the AAUP, at the expense of the institutional reputation of the University.
Sincerely,
John Arena Associate Professor of Sociology Department of Sociology & Anthropology
John Dixon Department of History, 2N–208 College of Staten Island, CUNY 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, New York 10314 April 12, 2020
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
John Dixon Associate Professor
2800 Victory Boulevard | Staten Island, New York 10314 www.csi.cuny.edu John Lawrence, Ph.D. Professor Psychology Department College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
John Lawrence
John Verzani College of Staten Island
April 9, 2021
Dear Members of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York, As Chair of the College Council at the College of Staten Island and as a faculty representative 2 board subcommittees, I write to further update you of troubling developments at the College of Staten Island. As mentioned in a previous letter of last month On March 3rd, the President of the College announced his intent to hold a referendum on a wholesale replacement (https://csi- covid19.github.io/CCFS/Mar-SpecialMeeting/CSI-proposed-plan-3-3-2021.pdf) of the current governance plan of the college. I wrote that this proposal was so outside the norm of shared governance. You might hear that the origins of this proposal come from the governance plans of Baruch and Lehman, but that would only be a small portion of the story. Unlike plans at those institutions, this proposed plan systematically isolates the president from any meaningful interactions with elected faculty or staff representatives, in stark contrast to the current governance plan which affords opportunities for consultation with both elected faculty and staff. This is plan produced by a president running away from the faculty who voiced their displeasure through a vote of no confidence that took place this past fall. As with Medgar Evers, the faculty at CSI expressed to the board and the Chancellery its strong concerns about the operations at the College of Staten Island. We hope to avoid the enrollment woes and adverse publicity that have befallen Medgar Evers. Votes of no confidence are not taken lightly by those involved. I hope that in hindsight, it is seen that the faculty at MEC were on the right side of their issues, as I’m convinced the bulk of the faculty at CSI are. Regardless of thoughts on the plan, and the reasons for the plan, the process being pursued by President Fritz is even more troubling. The president wishes to have a wholesale replacement of a plan that has served the institution well since 2002, with adjustments made along the way. He has brought in not one campus stakeholder to participate in the drafting of this replacement, only members of the campus who work directly at his pleasure. He has set out an extremely rushed time table for consideration, with barely time for discussion at departments or other regularly scheduled meetings. Though he paused this a bit, by any objective measure, his timeline remains extremely rushed. Matters as significant as a wholesale change of governance that touch on the interplay of the entire
campus community should be expected to stretch out over a period of at least 1-2 years. In fact, this president reviewed a modest set of proposed amendments to our current governance plan for over one year before agreeing to allow the campus to move forward with a referendum just this past December. In this current process dictated by President Fritz, there won’t even be two months of input before a referendum will be called. A motto I learned from my Midwest grandfather was “let them make their own mistakes.” You might feel that way too. It is clear to me that any fairly run referendum will fail. At a special session of our College Council in mid-March, we had 340 attendees over the span of 2 hours. At the end, a straw poll was held. Fewer than 5% of the nearly 200 attendees at that time voiced support for this plan or the process being pursued. Of the 25 departments, 15 have written resolutions of opposition (compiled here https://csi- covid19.github.io/CCFS/Mar-SpecialMeeting/); there is not a single resolution of support. The leadership of the professional staff, part of the voting body, has also expressed their deep concerns. A successful referendum requires broad participation (at least 30% of the full-time faculty, part-time faculty, professional staff, and administrative personnel) and a majority in support. Neither will come to pass. As requested in my last letter to the members of the board, I again ask that the president be firmly reminded that any plan with a failed referendum from the College of Staten Island will not be considered for the agenda of the Committee of Faculty, Staff and Administration or the agenda of the CUNY Board, as no action it could take would allow the adoption of such a governance plan for legal reasons. Such consideration would be in such stark contrast to the current board-approved plan, that it would most assuredly be opposed by the PSC and the AAUP, at the expense of the institutional reputation of the University.
Sincerely,
John Verzani Chair, College Council of the College of Staten Island Executive Committee member University Faculty Senate Faculty Representative to Committee on Audit (alternate), Committee on Fiscal Affairs, Subcommittee on Investment April 12, 2021
Dear Members of the CUNY Board of Trustees,
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
We are elected governance leaders from among the two governance bodies at the College of Staten Island.
We write to express our grave concerns about actions currently being taken at the College of Staten Island.
As you are aware, President Fritz is seeking to institute a wholesale replacement of the College's governance plan. Though this is a president's prerogative, under our current plan, the process in which he is choosing to undertake has several issues:
• The College has structures in place to address deficiencies in our governance. Just this past December, the president approved moving ahead with a select set of amendments through these processes. Just a few years ago, the board approved substantial changes to the current plan; changes produced through these processes. Rather than work - or even attempt to work -within these structures, the president, in a clandestine move, hos demonstrated his disdain for process and his approved system of governance, by unilaterally announcing his plan and setting a completely unreasonable time frame for consideration of said plan.
• Rather than seek to produce a plan which involves input from all major components of the campus, this plan has been written in secret, the sole person claiming ownership is the president himself; for members of the college to submit a written statement they must go through the email [email protected]. This is the work solely at the direction of the president, and does not respect the roles of all other entities within the college community. These are roles we have been elected to ensure are functioning. These actions are antithetical to the board's expectations of inclusion of major components of college stakeholders in such significant matters.
• In the process of pitching said plan, the president has said to several different bodies that he is not bound by the results of any College-wide referendum, which require participation of at least 30% of the eligible votes and a majority of those voting, voting in affirmation. These thresholds are required by the current by laws of the College. This refusal to respect the board-approved rules dangerously threatens the credibility of the University.
The Board should not let stand such remarks speaking to a disregard to the foundations by which the University operates by a college president within CUNY. We ask that President Fritz be reminded that the Board will not consider any proposals for amendments to the CSI governance plan which have not satisfied the requirements stated within the current plan.
We thank you for your time and attention in this matter.
John Verzani, Chair, College Council Jane Marcus Delgado, Chair, Faculty Senate George Emilio Sanchez, Vice Chair, College Council John Wing, Vice Chair, Faculty Senate Cindy Wong, Secretary, College Council Deborah DeSimone, Secretary, Faculty Senate Susan Imberman, member, Faculty Senate
April 12, 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
John T. Wing, Ph.D. Chair, Department of History Vice Chair, Faculty Senate
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am a student at the College of Staten Island (CSI), and I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI. In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to CSI’s Governance Plan. This new plan: weakens meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at CSI; was crafted in secret and without consultation with faculty, staff, or students. Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures. Sincerely, Josie Wong College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Juan M. Saborido Adj. Lecturer World Languages College of Staten Island
To the distinguished members of the Board of Trustees:
My name is Julia Anderson and I serve as the program manager for higher education engagement at The Democracy Collaborative. I oversee the Anchor Learning Network (ALN), which is a learning community of over 30 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada seeking to maximize their impact through the anchor mission—a place-based approach that intentionally applies economic power and human capital in mutually beneficial partnerships with communities. Supported in partnership with the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), ALN assists its members’ advancement of anchor strategies in the areas of hiring, workforce development, procurement and supplier diversity, small business development, affordable housing, and community investment.
I am writing to you on behalf and in celebration of the College of Staten Island, which has played a significant role in building the field of university anchor institutions that are seeking to engage in community economic development differently. The insights and knowledge drawn from programs like 30,000 Degrees, the Public Interest Technology University Network, and the Community Based Leadership doctoral program have been integral to the learning and support of our network’s members. As a “steward of place,” College of Staten Island is an excellent example of living the anchor mission holistically and is uniquely positioned to bridge the intellectual capital of our national network with their community engagement efforts in order to generate systemic solutions that can disrupt racial and economic inequities experienced on Staten Island.
I am extremely grateful for the commitment and contributions from College of Staten Island to our collective work in ALN. Their continued participation and leadership will be essential to advancing the adoption of the anchor mission and eventually transforming the public’s perception of higher education. Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I write to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which causes me profound sadness and concern for the well-being of our students, faculty, the college, and the wider Staten Island community.
Our faculty is the most valuable resource at the college, yet the president treats us like cogs in a wheel. We are dedicated, hard-working, caring teachers and scholars. Despite heavy work-loads, we achieve world-renowned scholarship. We uphold the three columns of our profession: teaching, research, and service, devoting our time, expertise, and collective intelligence to making the college a better place. I may disagree with my colleagues on occasion, but I always respect and admire their dedication, intelligence, and compassion. The president is completely out of touch with this wonderful community of scholars and teachers he has ready to be engaged and led through the democratic process.
I have been at the college for over twenty years. In the time President Fritz has been president, he has been unable to balance our budget while demonstrating lack of knowledge and understanding of faculty community. Before the pandemic, over several years he increased the size of the administration with high-paid personnel who passed through within 2-3 years as they moved on to “better jobs,” using CSI as a stepping stone. At the same time, for over a year, he reduced the custodial staff. The restrooms were so unclean I had to walk across campus to the headquarters building to find a clean stall in a clean restroom. The toilets in the women’s restrooms in 2S were completely filled with excrement on both restrooms. Further, the ceiling tiles in the classrooms were missing, and one day a mouse fell out of the ceiling while I was at the lecturn. The poor mouse missed my head by a few inches, and caused many of the students to stand up on their chairs screaming as it ran around the room in terror. Imagine this happening now, post- pandemic? We are lucky no one became ill from these medieval conditions in which the underlings tolerated filthy bathrooms while those in the headquarters buildings remained clean as ever. Never once have I seen President Fritz or the provost, on campus, walking around, checking out the moral and welfare of the students and faculty as other presidents have done. The onus is on us, if we want him or the provost to know who we are, to attend one of their “teas.” I share these details because I want to demonstrate why I think he is out of touch with the rest of the college. I know he cares about keeping his job, but I do not know what else he cares about. I do not know why he wants to be a college president. He does not seem interested in all the wonderful people and activities that are taking place at the college. All I have ever heard him talk about at faculty senate is the budget and why we cannot hire more faculty. The only faculty he mentions are our new distinguished faculty. I know them well, as they come from the English department. Yet, he does not seem to be aware of the sustained and wonderful work the rest of us our doing in our fields. You may think that I have no place critiquing a college president, and that is perhaps true. I have never been one, nor do I wish to be. But I do know what good leadership is and I know what effective leadership can achieve without spending a dime because I have seen it done at the college. Good leadership depends upon knowing and caring about your people, knowing your mission, setting clear goals and uniting people around those goals.
Now, in an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, President Fritz released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email. This is not leadership.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Katharine Goodland, Ph.D. Professor of English Coordinator, MA in English
My name is Kathy-An Glynn and I am a student at the College of Staten Island. I wanted to share my experience as a student in the 1199 Health Careers College Core Curriculum Program, or HC4 which is a partnership between the College and the 1199 Union. This program allows 1199 union members to earn college credits in prerequisite classes towards a degree in the health fields. Through the financial assistance provided by my union and the counseling provided by both the union and CSI, I have been able to attend college, which has always been a dream of mine.
I started with the program in the spring of 2019 and now am happy to say I have completed 22 credits and am currently enrolled in Biology and preparing to take my next steps and apply to the Nursing program at CSI. This has not been an easy task to get to this point, but I am committed to the plan and know that I will achieve my goal of becoming a Registered Nurse.
I have been fortunate to study at CSI as a member of the 1199 HC4 Program. The experiences I have had in the classroom, the instructors and support I have received from the 1199 Program Staff both at CSI and the 1199 union have helped contribute to my success. Small class sizes and being able to attend class with other working adults like myself has provided me with a unique opportunity to pursue both my educational and professional dreams.
I know the College of Staten Island and the 1199 HC4 Program will help me to make my dreams into reality. There will be no better feeling than becoming a Registered Nurse and graduating with a degree. I cannot thank both the College and the HC4 Program enough.
Kerri Gerson Registrar City University of New York, College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Boulevard Staten Island, NY 10314
Re: CSI Proposed Governance Plan
Dear Chancellor Matos Rodriquez,
I am the Registrar, a HE Officer, at the College of Staten Island, reporting directly into Provost, Dr. J. Michael Parrish. Tonight, I write to tell you that I am appreciative of the work that our President and Provost have done in drafting a new governance plan.
The President and Provost have repeatedly expressed that this plan is a proposal. Therefore, unlike many, I see this as an opportunity to offer suggestions for improvement and believe they will be considered wholeheartedly.
This document provides an opening to broaden the scope of participation in the governing bodies of the College. It is a chance for greater diversity and inclusiveness, which would be reinforced by term limits. While some fear the loss of historical knowledge with the enforcement of term limits, I believe that fear is unfounded as we have an abundance of faculty and staff that have worked at the College for decades. We must instead encourage their active participation in critical discussions and empower them with voting rights.
I have suggested some areas in which the plan needs revision. For example: • Retention of the HEO Steering Committee • Further expanding the voting rights of HEOs, particularly in bodies where decisions are made that impact our budget (creation of new programs/departments/schools which we will inevitably support) • Allowing all Academic Departments to participate in the Course and Standing Committee (especially because we rely on members to share information on important academic policies with colleagues which is always a challenge, but critical to help maintain compliance)
And although there are more, I believe we should continue to offer suggestions, work together, come to an agreement, and move forward.
Thank you in advance for your support,
Kerri Gerson Registrar College of Staten Island, City University of New York
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Kerri Deitch Ferretti-Adjunct Lecturer College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Kevin Hughes Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities, I am a student at the College of Staten Island (CSI), and I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI. In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to CSI’s Governance Plan. This new plan: weakens meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at CSI; was crafted in secret and without consultation with faculty, staff, or students. Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By- Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures. Sincerely, Krista Marchisella
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Lara Saguisag Associate Professor English College of Staten Island April 9, 2021
Lee Papa, Chair Department of English College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees April 12, 2021 Staten Island Borough Hearing
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
The English Department of the College of Staten Island, which is comprised of over 130 faculty and staff, approved and released the statement below on March 11 in response to CSI President William Fritz’s proposed governance plan. The chairs of the academic departments of CSI have respectfully requested that President Fritz postpone any referendum until at least Fall 2022 in order to hear from and carefully consider the opinions of the different campus constituencies. We also asked that he respect the result of any referendum, as the current bylaws clearly require. If his proposal comes before you prior to these steps being taken, we urge the Board to reject this unjustified, unexplained, and unnecessary change to a governance plan that was approved by over 85% of the voting instructional staff of CSI and by the Board of Trustees in 2018 .
Thank you for your time,
Lee Papa
March 11, 2021
The Department of English College of Staten Island, City University of New York
Statement of Opposition to President Fritz’s Proposed CSI Governance Plan
The principles of academic freedom and shared governance have defined the modern University and ensured its integrity for over one hundred years. The American Association of University Professors first published its “Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure” in 1915. Its “Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities” appeared in 1920. Academic freedom assures that faculty may pursue their research and teaching free of fear or favor. Shared governance further protects that principle by assuring that curricular and other decisions that go to the heart of the intellectual life and health of the institution are shared with faculty, who have the subject matter expertise and pedagogical experience to build a strong curricular foundation for students. The premises of these documents have been reaffirmed and adopted by most major scholarly and academic organizations time and again. All efforts at the College of Staten Island, instructional or otherwise, should be undertaken with these principles in mind. Anything that undermines them has no place in this institution.
President Fritz’s proposal violates these principles in both process and content, jeopardizing the well-being and reputation of the College of Staten Island.
In his haste to push the proposal forward, he has bypassed existing structures including the Institutional Planning Committee and the Bylaws Committee when they stand ready to engage in governance revision. He seeks to remove faculty from positions of authority in standing committees, especially in matters of curriculum, instruction, and research, trampling on the principle that the intellectual life of a university is the charge of the professional scholars and educators who staff it. His proposal threatens a strong tenure and promotion system, the very thing that is essential to protecting academic freedom and preventing intimidation and arbitrary dismissal.
When a university abandons its commitment to academic freedom and shared governance, it ceases to be a credible institution of higher learning. The English department rejects the current effort to circumvent established processes and meaningful consultation, and to curtail faculty voice and participation in channels of governance. We demand President Fritz respect the tenets of shared governance, rescind the current unilateral proposal, and open a meaningful and collegial conversation about governance structures using those procedures currently in place at CSI.
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI.
In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Lucas Marchante-Aragon Associate Professor of Spanish College of Staten Island College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
YU-TSUI LIN
To whom this may concern:
This is Marcus Allen, founder at marcusallendesign.com and friend of the CSI Tech incubator. As a freelance designer, my business runs on relationships, networking, and constant learning. Working with the program has helped in all aspects. I love what they are doing and how they are helping local small businesses and entrepreneurs like myself.
Before the pandemic I participated in a few workshops at the Bay Street space. One in particular was the Google workshop. It was great to meet someone from Google and even better she was providing valuable information on all the free google tools I did not know about. This absolutely helped me streamline some of the essential functions in my business.
But even during the pandemic I still work with the incubator. The Program Director, Jeff Derose, provides me with mentorship and resources for my business. Anytime I have a question, he has a solution or can refer me to someone who does. I also attend his monthly Tech Talks event. It is great hearing insights from successful founders of all types of businesses. Also, great that I can chime in or ask them questions directly.
In all, I truly support what the CSI Tech incubator is doing. They have helped me and I know they’re a great resource to many startups and small businesses in my community.
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
April 8, 2021
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees April 12, 2021 Staten Island Borough Hearing
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am writing as a concerned member of the College of Staten Island faculty to inform you that CSI is currently in crisis. In an unprecedented and uncivil disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has unilaterally put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement of the College’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all, CSI’s President has made an insufficiently clear promise to honor the results of the required referendum. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders fail to respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the College of Staten Island community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its national reputation. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Maria Rice Bellamy, PhD Andrew Rathod Testimony on behalf of The College of Staten Island – Office of Workforce Development April 12, 2021
Good afternoon. My name is Andrew Rathod and I’m a 21-year-old future Registered Nurse. I’m determined to pursue my dream career, which is why I’m writing today to testify on behalf of the College of Staten Island’s Office of Workforce Development and Innovation, where I completed Pharmacy Technician training last year. You may be wondering why I enrolled in a Pharm Tech training program when my ultimate goal is to become an RN.
First, nursing school is expensive, and I have to work to earn enough money to support myself and pay (at least part of my) tuition. So, instead of working in fast food or retail, I wanted to train for a job where I could actually obtain experience related to my long- term career. CSI Workforce has a number of Allied Health programs to choose from, but I chose the Pharm Tech Program after speaking with CSI staff, since it best met my personal needs. The Pharm Tech program was very affordable, met virtually two evenings a week and I was done with the class in two months.
Second, nursing school is tough. I wasn’t confident I could succeed in a nursing program right off the bat, or even get in! To be honest, I was even a bit wary of the Pharmacy material. You have to learn the top 200 drugs prescribed in the U.S., how to interpret prescriptions, and calculate doses. And there is a lot of math involved. But the instructor was terrific. He broke everything down in a way we could all understand it. He has a clever way of making class discussions interesting while helping us to master the material. So without even realizing it, you are learning drug classifications, nailing the metric system, and all the calculations you need to pass the certification exam—which, I recently did.
What’s more, my instructor nominated me for a Statewide achievement award, which I won! This month I’ll be accepting the Vanguard Award, which commends “outstanding students who are enrolled in Tech and Career programs that are not traditional for their gender.” That certainly helped my nursing school application.
Finally, after the program ended, my instructor hosted a workshop to help interested Pharm Tech graduates with CVS Pharmacy’s lengthy assessment and application. I am happy to say that shortly after the workshop, I was hired by CVS!
Thanks to CSI Workforce, I have taken bold steps that I never imagined and am excited for what lies ahead.
If everything looks OK to you, kindly submit your testimony at this dropbox link. I have attached a Word document for you to use for this purpose.
Testimony of Lori Burkard, Northwell/Staten Island University Hospital Staten Island Borough Council April 12, 2021
My name is Lori Burkard, and I am the Phlebotomy Quality Assurance Manager at Northwell/Staten Island University Hospital. Although many are unfamiliar with the term “phlebotomy,” it is an essential specialty in the medical field, as phlebotomists draw blood samples from patients. There are blood tests available to check everything from your heart to your kidneys. Every day, researchers are discovering toxins and new diseases in blood. This means that the importance of blood screenings continues to rise. As more tests come into use, the phlebotomist role becomes more critical.
Northwell/SIU Hospital has partnered with The Office of Workforce Development and Innovation at the College of Staten Island to run a successful Certified Phlebotomist program for the last decade, training up to 50 phlebotomy students a year! Through our partnership, adults receive didactic or theoretical classroom instruction through the college and then complete their clinicals at Northwell – where students have to successfully “stick” 200 people under the guidance and supervision of Northwell phlebotomists before they are qualified to sit for their credentialing exam. And even now, despite our current and uncertain times, Northwell is presently hosting clinicals for Workforce Development phlebotomy students and is preparing for its next cohort of students to begin training this summer.
Our current phlebotomy training cohort includes career changers, high-school graduates, folks laid off from the travel and hospitality industries, all whom are eager to get a leg up in the medical field. I tell my students that phlebotomy is a great career choice if you want a relatively short educational commitment and the ability to find employment quickly. Of course, there are many for-profit training programs out there. But CSI’s Office of Workforce Development, as part of the CUNY system, keeps their tuition affordable, ensures quality training, provides clinicals at a major healthcare employer, provides credentialing exam preparation and job development support.
Being the kid that never outgrew her chemistry set, I’m living my lab career dream, but there were certainly many times last year that my dream felt like a nightmare. In all my years of serving the community as a scientist in healthcare, I have never witnessed such frightening and concerning times. I’m sure I don’t have to convince you of the importance of training frontline healthcare workers during a pandemic. Throughout 2020, Northwell relied heavily on our trained professional laboratory workforce. I come to you for support at this critical moment, when we need to strengthen the pipeline of phlebotomists at Staten Island’s largest hospital.
CSI’s Workforce Development students can quickly find a job with a decent salary, job security and advancement opportunities. They can even become LPNs, nurses, or Lab Technicians. And for all of these reasons, I applaud Workforce Development and Innovation for its dedication and integrity to the borough.
Thank you.
April 12, 2021
The Honorable William C. Thompson, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Members of the CUNY Board
Dear Mr. Thompson,
You have probably heard by now about the efforts of the President of the College of Staten Island, William Fritz, to introduce a new governance plan at the College without first submitting it to the Bylaws Committee and then carefully working in a collaborative way to change the representative structure at the College.
Since you are currently the Chief Administrative Officer at a firm that manages municipal bonds, and you formerly served as Comptroller for the city, where you managed the city employees’ pension fund, and since you were also the chairman of the State Housing Finance Agency some years after the 2008 mortgage crisis, I believe you value the principles of good management, fiscal responsibility, and verifiable results.
It would be far better if all the groups at the College concentrated on teaching, research, and preparation for the College’s upcoming Middle States certification review, rather than spending time redoing a governance plan that was just revised three years ago. That new plan primarily concerned including representation for the Business School, the Health Sciences School, and the School of Education, all of which were newly created. The CUNY Board approved that plan, and it has worked.
The real problems at the College are not its governance structure. Instead, they begin with a paucity of full-time, research faculty, starting in History, where four crucial historians in African- American history, Chinese history, Middle Eastern history, and Indian (South Asian) history have recently retired, as well as in Biology, where there have also been major depletions due to retirements. This hinders students from getting the classes they need, and faculty are too short on time to develop new courses on the latest topics. A second problem concerns library resources. Prior to the pandemic, my students found that cuts in library hours and the cancellation of certain journal databases (including a large collection published by Cambridge) impeded their studies. Third, the graduation rate must be improved. A recent study conducted by the USC Race and Equity Center found that the graduation rate for Black students at CSI is only 24.4%, compared 46.4% for all students. This is the lowest Black student graduation rate among the CUNY senior colleges.
Lastly, the College needs to prepare for the fall semester when most classes will again be online. Having now taught eight classes online, I can tell you exactly where the problems lie. Tech support for students who are locked out of their email and other e-learning tools must be faster. First-year students need better campus orientation so they know how to study, how to avoid plagiarism, and where to get tutoring and counseling. Low-income students need to be informed sooner about how they can apply for loaner laptops and tablets. The “Re-Entry Committee” (which deals with re-opening the campus) needs to pay attention to the portion of the CSI community (40% according to NYC transportation data) who travel to the campus by bus and subway. Close quarters on buses and subways increases the risk of COVID transmission.
I personally know professors and students whose family members have died from COVID. Our precious time should not be spent working on a new governance plan or trying to adapt to a new one, should it be imposed. It should be spent on solving the above-mentioned problems.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Lewis, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History College of Staten Island CUNY Graduate Center
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Martin Cloutier English Dept. Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am writing to you to express my grave concerns about the crisis unfolding at the College of Staten Island. In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. This occurred despite the fact that CSI completed a revision of its governance plan via a democratic shared process with President Fritz in 2018, a plan that was approved by this Board. President Fritz has not shared with the campus any meaningful explanation for his proposal, nor has he indicated that he would HONOR the results of a referendum vote, should his proposal be voted down.
I am inclined to leave my comments focused on the disrespect of process and collegiality that President Fritz’s decision embodies. However, the terms of the proposal, itself, are also dangerous for the credibility of our institution and the well-being of students. Reducing faculty participation in these areas is more than insulting; it is a recipe for academic disaster.
I would like to make clear that I do not have a long held axe to grind with my administration. I joined the faculty at CSI in January of 2019, as a full professor of English and the Writing Program Director. In my capacity, I’m deeply invested in GE, in First Year Writing, and in the professional development and careful cultivation of a stable adjunct teaching staff. I came here looking to WORK WITH my administration, not take stands against them. Until this proposal, I had few opinions about the upper leadership of my campus, except concern at their invisibility during the pandemic and the fact that neither the President nor Provost have ever inquired about my programmatic work at the University. I have however, had strong support from my Dean and Associate Provost, for which I’ve been grateful.
I urge the Board to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. As a faculty member of long experience and one whose research includes institutional politics and academic freedom, I find the current events chilling. Should this abandonment of shared governance be left to stand, I cannot imagine how CUNY will continue to attract and retain the caliber of scholars and researchers that have long made it a great public institution.
Sincerely,
Mary Boland Co-Chair, CUNY Writing Discipline Council Writing Program Director/Professor Department of English College of Staten Island College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Matt Brim Professor of Queer Studies College of Staten Island City University of New York
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Miguel A. Aragón Studio Art Program Coordinator Associate Professor in Printmaking Dept. of Performing & Creative Arts
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Mikael Vejdemo-Johansson
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Nora O’Connor Adjunct Assistant Professor College of Staten Island English Department
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Nuria Morgado, Ph.D. Professor College of Staten Island & The Graduate Center [email protected]
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees April 12, 2021 Staten Island Borough Hearing
I am writing as a concerned member of the College of Staten Island community to inform you that CSI is currently in crisis. In an unprecedented and uncivil disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has unilaterally put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the College’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all, CSI’s President has made an insufficiently clear promise to honor the results of the required referendum. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders fail to respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the College of Staten Island community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its national reputation. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Christina Tortora, Professor of Linguistics, City University of New York Department of English, College of Staten Island, and Program in Linguistics, The Graduate Center
New York, April 9, 2021
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Oswaldo Zavala, Ph.D. Professor of Spanish Department of World Languages and Literatures College of Staten Island, CUNY College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it —was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By- Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Ozlem Goner Associate Professor Department of Sociology and Anthropology College of Staten Island College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI P e iden ha bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI P e iden elea ed he ed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you the Board to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society and like the rule of law itself is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Paola Ureni Dr. Patricia Brooks Professor of Psychology College of Staten Island, CUNY 2800 Victory Blvd. 4S-108 Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Patricia Brooks
2800 Victory Boulevard Staten Island, NY 10314 T 718.982.2365 • F 718.982.2362
FOUNDATION, INC. www.csi.cuny.edu/foundation
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Hello, I’m Patrick McDermott, President of the College of Staten Island Foundation. On President behalf of the Foundation, I take this opportunity to update last year’s report to the CUNY Patrick F. McDermott Board of Trustees. McDermott and Thomas Vice President The mission of the CSI Foundation is to secure philanthropic support for CSI to reach its Joseph A. Franzese ‘88 ING Financial Services LLC highest level of academic excellence as one of CUNY's senior colleges and the only Secretary institution of public higher education in the Borough. The members of the CSI Robert A. Catalano Revelation Software Executive, Retired Foundation Board and I are proud to work closely with Dr. Fritz to support his vision for the College; its students, faculty, and staff; and our Borough. Treasurer Frank Lombardo National Grid Although the pandemic has made this a trying time for everyone, on a positive note, I Cheryl Adolph would like to share today some of the Foundation’s recent accomplishments: Executive Director CSI Foundation, Inc. and Institutional Advancement & -So far, in Fiscal Year 2020-2021, the estimated dollar amount of internal scholarships to External Affairs be awarded this academic year is $483,870 and the number of scholarships to be Comfort Asanbe, PhD Faculty awarded is an estimated 240. As a result, from 2015 to 2020, the Foundation has provided College of Staten Island more than $1.1M in College support, more than $1.9M in scholarships, and $71K in Marilyn Caselli Consolidated Edison of NY SVP, Retired Commencement awards. Christine D. Cea, PhD ’88 NYS Institute for Basic Research COVID-19 has dealt a severe economic blow to our students, as many of them have lost Jay D. Chazanoff ‘65 loved ones, jobs, and financial security. To fulfill our mission to provide support to our Millennium Capitol Mgmt., LLC students and ensure that they can remain in school and pursue their degrees, the Joseph Conte, PhD Foundation established a Student Emergency Fund to address this economic crisis, and Executive Director of the Staten Island Performing Provider System (SI PPS) hosted a virtual fundraiser, “Giving from the Heart.” I am happy to report that as of Robert S. Cutrona, Sr. March 2020, the Fund has raised $79,321.77. This includes two separate appeals on Project-One Services, Inc. behalf of the Fund, as well as the proceeds from the virtual fundraiser. Samir Farag Worldwide Electronic Corp. The Foundation’s Adopt a Bench Campaign continues to attract contributors for the William J. Fritz, PhD College’s greatest needs, as we strive to reach our fundraising goal of $1M. The President College of Staten Island Campaign offers donors the chance to beautify the College’s 204-acre campus by Sergey Guberman adopting an attractive bench or Solar Dok, a solar-powered picnic-table that provides a Edible Arrangements shady place to rest, study, or talk during the day, and a lighted area in the evening. To Brian J. Laline date, we have raised nearly $250K. Staten Island Advance Dolores N. Morris HBO Executive, Retired Given the heightened awareness surrounding diversity, the CSI Foundation adopted the following resolution at its September 2020 board meeting: J. Michael Parrish, PhD Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs The CSI Foundation resolves to support the goal of board membership that reflects the College of Staten Island ethnic makeup of the student body of the College of Staten Island. Richard M. Prinzi, Jr., CPA ‘93 Certified Public Accountant Thomas Scarangello We are all hoping for a light at the end of the pandemic’s tunnel and a time when we can Scaran Oil Service Co., Inc. return to a semblance of life the way it was pre-COVID-19. No matter how long that Carlos Serrano takes, the CSI Foundation will continue our efforts to support the College of Staten Island Assistant Vice President for Finance and Budget/CFO and its students, not only keeping them on track to graduate, but providing the support College of Staten Island they need to affect positive change in our Borough, and our world. Sally W. Williams Federal Government Executive, Retired
SOCIAL SCIENCES Medical Arts Building, Room 104 Bayside, NY 11364-1497 Telephone 718-281-5038
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 19 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
It should be of grave concern to the Board of Trustees that the protocols and process set in place by the Board of Trustees through its Bylaws and its approvals of Governance Plans are being treated with disdain by the current President of the College of Staten Island (CSI).
CSI President William J. Fritz authored a replacement for the Governance Plan in a clandestine manner without consulting with or involving members of the college community. The Board of Trustees has required the inclusion of the major components of all CUNY colleges in the governing bodies and for the governance plans that so include them in the process of shared governance. President William J. Fritz has proceeded to ignore the very heart of the Board of Trustees mandates for community involvement in shared governance at all CUNY units.
Furthermore, in an unnecessary and highly inconsiderate gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of the CSI governing structures, President William J. Fritz released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
I share with many of my colleagues in CUNY and at the College of Staten Island my grave concern that there is a crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
The CSI President has disregarded the processes at the College which are authorized under the Board of Trustees approved Bylaws and approved Governance Plan and in their stead has unilaterally announced his plan for a referendum for a sweeping replacement of that Governance Plan. His actions are as disrespectful of shared governance in spirit and in letter as they are non- collegial and divisive of the sense of community in the college.
As a gesture that threatens shared governance at all CUNY units if permitted to stand by the CUNY Board of Trustees President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of a referendum as is required by the CSI By-Laws.
It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member with over 47 years of service to CUNY at Queensborough Community College and through the University Faculty Senate I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations.
The CUNY Board of Trustees cannot allow the foundations for the operation of the University as established by its Board to be so flaunted and undermined. The credibility and stature of the Board of Trustees has been placed into the arena of public attention for judgment. The order under which this University has operated is threatened by the actions of President William J. Fritz. The Board should not let them stand.
Respectfully,
Philip A. Pecorino
Professor Philip A. Pecorino, Ph.D. Queensborough Community College City University of New York [email protected]
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Maryann Feola, Ph.D. Professor or Renaissance Literature and Women’s Studies English Department College of Staten Island, City University of New York Delegate to University Faculty Senate
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and un collegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly un collegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Professor Kimora Executive Committee, CUNY University Faculty Senate [email protected]
Rafael de la Dehesa Associate Professor of Sociology College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314 April 11, 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Rafael de la Dehesa College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Reece Peck Associate Professor Department of Media Culture College of Staten Island, CUNY
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
To the Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at The College of Staten Island (CSI), which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
What the President of CSI has done has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. This not only weakens weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan was created without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee.
The worst, however, is the behavior of President William J. Fritz, who has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Grosso
Adjunct Professor – The College of Staten Island
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI.
In an unprecedented and non-collegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement by faculty, HEOs and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted without consultation with even so much as CSI’s By-Laws Committee and simply released to the entire College community via email without any forewarning.
In addition, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, the President has twice declined to offer any promise to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like any other institution in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Robert Brandt Higher Education Assistant CSI/CUNY
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Russell S Rosen, PhD Department of World Languages and Literatures
To: CUNY Board of Trustees From: Ruth Powers Silverberg, Ed.D. Chair, Department of Educational Studies College of Staten Island Re: CSI Pres. Fritz Proposed Governance Plan
I write this to express as strongly as possible my opposition to the Governance Plan distributed to CSI Faculty by Pres. Fritz without any consultation with faculty. This represents an authoritarian takeover of what has been and should be an institution of shared governance.
The work environment has become increasingly challenging for CSI faculty and staff over the past several years, and this move has exacerbated the ill will that dominates the college climate. The Council of Chairs, of which I am a member, respectfully requested that Pres. Fritz withdraw his proposal and work with faculty, including but not limited to our Faculty Senate and College Council leadership, to find solutions to the issues he says he is addressing. Our offer was rejected.
I believe that Pres. Fritz sees conditions and structures he truly believes need to change. Those changes can be pursued in a spirit of cooperation, but will be unsuccessful if delivered unilaterally to the faculty and staff of CSI.
I strongly urge the Board of Trustees to require President Fritz to withdraw his proposal and move change forward in cooperation and collaboration with faculty.
Thank you.
Respectfully submitted, Ruth Powers Silverberg, Ed.D.
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I’m sure you have been hearing about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY. Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you in protest and with an expectation of redress for the unprecedented move made by CSI’s President to undermine faculty governance.
With a complete and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, President Fritz has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in what can only be explained as a gesture of gratuitous incivility to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, the proposed plan was released to the entire College all at once, via email by the President.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, and for CUNY at large, President William J. Fritz has twice been asked point-blank if he intended to abide by the results of the referendum (which, according to our By-Laws, are binding) and both times he refused to indicate that he would do so. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Saadia Toor Associate Professor College of Staten Island
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Dr. Sarah E. Berger Professor of Psychology Director, Child Development Lab
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Sarah Pollack, PhD Associate Professor of Spanish Department of World Languages and Literatures College of Staten Island and the CUNY Graduate Center
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
I am a student at the College of Staten Island (CSI), and I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI.
In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to CSI’s
Governance Plan. This new plan: weakens meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at CSI; was crafted in secret and without consultation with faculty, staff, or students.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-
Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
Sincerely,
Savion Watson College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Sean F. Edgecomb Associate Professor of Theatre and Performance
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Sergio Alves, Adjunct Lecturer.
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly dismissive gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely, Professor Sherry Millner Department of Media Culture College of Staten Island
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan—again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it —was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Solmaz Lee French Adjunct Lecturer Department of World Languages & Literatures College of Staten Island (CUNY) College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Soon Ae Chun Soon Ae Chun Professor, Information Systems & Informatics Program CUNY College of Staten Island College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Tinny Yung-Chun Lai
April 12, 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities:
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI. In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. A move such as this is a disgrace to CUNY and to any institution of Higher Education. As a member of the CSI faculty since 1992, I can attest that the proposed governance plan excludes voices and eliminates processes falling far short of what President Fritz describes as a “new and refined governance plan.” He claims his plan improves upon our current governance plan by addressing four key areas: trust, respect, collegiality, and accountability. An examination of his proposed plan shows that instead of adding strength in these four areas his plan weakens them:
The way in which he presented his proposed plan evidences distrust and disrespect. Instead of working through current standing committees normally involved in a referendum (e.g. Bylaws committee; Executive Committee of the College Council and/or Faculty senate; Committee on Organization), President Fritz ignored the current governance plan and simply delivered a completed document.
The proposed governance plan is as uncollegial as the means through which it was introduced. Through vote restructuring and changing committee composition, the plan weakens meaningful representation from a number of marginalized groups (e.g. eliminated adjuncts, excluded elected HEO voices, reduced student voices) and weakens faculty voices on several committees.
By abolishing eight committees integral to strengthening the institution through assessment the proposed governance plan cripples the accountability process. The list of committees President Fritz abolishes includes: the Budget Committee (therefore, no more checks and balances), the Committee on Organization (therefore, no more oversight on nominations and elections); the Research Committee (no more direction for research opportunities and expansion); and the HEO Steering Committee (NO collective voice from the HEOs).
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders fail to respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the College of Staten Island community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its national reputation. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Tyehimba Jess Distinguished Professor, Department of English
Valerie Tevere Professor Department of Media Culture College of Staten Island / CUNY 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Professor Valerie Tevere The HEO Steering Committee of the College Council of the College of Staten Island, CUNY, as elected representatives of the Higher Education Officer series employees at CSI, strongly disagrees with many of the changes proposed in the President’s replacement for the current Governance Plan. In many ways, the proposed new governance plan perpetuates and even strengthens current schisms between and among faculty, administration, and professional staff, and provides opportunities for the intimidation, coercion, or mistreatment of professional staff in particular. We urge the President to withdraw his proposal and engage in meaningful, deliberative discussions with appropriate representative bodies to address any issues that are identified with the current plan. We list below some of our strongest oppositions to the proposal:
• The proposed plan entirely eliminates the HEO Steering Committee, our sole representative body. • The proportion of the HEO professional staff on the main legislative body is reduced from its current level of approximately 10% of the body to 7%, even though HEOs comprise around one third of the full-time instructional staff of the College. • Opportunities for HEO participation on governance committees are reduced considerably. • The language of the proposal leaves open the possibility that the membership of almost all committees and bodies could be the result of appointments, rather than elections. • Committees are not permitted to select their own Chairs. • The Executive Committee of the proposed Council, whose members “shall be taken from the College Senate membership,” includes the Chief of Staff, who is not listed among the Senate members. • Terms for all committees are set at two years of service, with a limit of two consecutive terms. This risks destroying the institutional memory and the functionality of some committees. • There is no differentiation of the term length for students. Many students may be unwilling or unable to commit to a two year term. • Many legislative bodies that perform functions which are crucial to the fair, open, and efficient operation of the College are eliminated. • Current committees that are discharging their duties effectively and efficiently under the current governance plan were not consulted regarding their operational needs. A straw poll taken at a meeting of HEOs, with more than fifty persons in attendance, saw an overwhelming majority of participants voting against accepting the proposal. All attendees who voiced their opinions at this meeting called for the administration to engage in negotiations to develop a proposed plan that respects the instructional staff of the institution, as well as the established practices of its current governance bodies. Fundamentally, we insist:
• That elected HEO representation be maintained or expanded on College-level governance bodies, at appropriately proportionate levels. • That existing committees be consulted if a change to their charge is being considered, or if it is proposed that their responsibilities are to be replaced by another body. • That committees be allowed to elect their own Chairs. • That no staff be required to serve on a governance committee with their immediate supervisor, or the Cabinet-level executive who oversees their office. • That all positions on all committees be elected by the bodies that they are representing, except for ex officio seats.
The HEO Steering Committee of the College of Staten Island / CUNY
April 12, 2021 Wilma Jones, Professor Department of the Library
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities:
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI. In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. A move such as this is a disgrace to CUNY and to any institution of Higher Education. As a member of the CSI faculty since 1992, I can attest that the proposed governance plan excludes voices and eliminates processes falling far short of what President Fritz describes as a “new and refined governance plan.” He claims his plan improves upon our current governance plan by addressing four key areas: trust, respect, collegiality, and accountability. An examination of his proposed plan shows that instead of adding strength in these four areas his plan weakens them:
The way in which he presented his proposed plan evidences distrust and disrespect. Instead of working through current standing committees normally involved in a referendum (e.g. Bylaws committee; Executive Committee of the College Council and/or Faculty senate; Committee on Organization), President Fritz ignored the current governance plan and simply delivered a completed document.
The proposed governance plan is as uncollegial as the means through which it was introduced. Through vote restructuring and changing committee composition, the plan weakens meaningful representation from a number of marginalized groups (e.g. eliminated adjuncts, excluded elected HEO voices, reduced student voices) and weakens faculty voices on several committees.
By abolishing eight committees integral to strengthening the institution through assessment the proposed governance plan cripples the accountability process. The list of committees President Fritz abolishes includes: the Budget Committee (therefore, no more checks and balances), the Committee on Organization (therefore, no more oversight on nominations and elections); the Research Committee (no more direction for research opportunities and expansion); and the HEO Steering Committee (NO collective voice from the HEOs).
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders fail to respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the College of Staten Island community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its national reputation. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Wilma P.L. Jones, Ph.D. Professor and Reference/Instruction Librarian
College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10314
Statement to the CUNY Board of Trustees, Staten Island Borough Hearing, 12 April 2021
Dear Board of Trustees and fellow members of the CUNY and NYC communities,
Like many of my colleagues at the College of Staten Island (CSI), I am writing to you about the crisis unfolding at CSI, which is reaching the status of a scandal and public embarrassment for CUNY.
In an unprecedented and uncollegial disregard for shared governance, CSI’s President has bypassed all normal processes at the College and put forth for referendum a wholesale replacement to the CSI’s Governance Plan. In addition to weakening meaningful involvement of faculty, HEOs, and students in nearly all decision-making processes at the College, the newly proposed plan— again, a complete replacement of the current plan rather than an amendment to it—was crafted in secret, and without consultation with even CSI’s By-Laws Committee. Moreover, in an unnecessary and highly uncollegial gesture to the faculty, HEO, and student members of our current governing structures, CSI’s President released the proposed plan to the entire College all at once, via email.
Finally, and perhaps most chilling of all for our institution, President William J. Fritz has twice declined promising to honor the binding results of the referendum required by our By-Laws. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous it is to the credibility of institutions when their leaders signal that they may not respect the results of referenda, elections, and related procedures.
As a member of the CUNY community, I write to urge you—the Board—to recognize the danger this situation poses to CUNY’s future, and to its regional and national reputations. A CUNY college, like all institutions in our society—and like the rule of law itself—is only as strong as our willingness to submit to the policies and regulations that we have put in place together.
Sincerely,
Ximena Gallardo Professor of English LaGuardia Community College