Guidance from CUNY Chancellor on ‘Our CUNY’ Initiatives, Policies, and Resources (August 2024)
Dear CUNY Students, Faculty and Staff,
I hope you’ve had a rejuvenating summer and are now ready for the Fall 2024 semester. As I begin my sixth academic year as Chancellor, I’m excited to welcome you back to campus.
We’re starting the semester with new developments from all corners of CUNY. We’re connecting more CUNY students to paid internship and apprenticeship opportunities. We’ve made measurable strides in our efforts to streamline the process for students to transfer from a community college to a senior college within the same major. Our enrollment continues to rebound from the effects of the pandemic and we’re coming off another strong year in fundraising to expand CUNY’s impactful faculty research enterprise.
We are returning together after a challenging year on campuses in our region and around the country. Conflict in the Middle East, and tensions within our own community, may persist. But we begin Fall 2024 more certain than ever that the best education is one that connects us as a community, where people of all backgrounds and perspectives can learn together and thrive.
Being home to one of the nation’s most diverse student populations has taught us the value of embracing our differences. We also know a lot about the qualities that unite us. Inclusion is more than just being in the same place; it is learning with and from each other to produce the kind of intellectual exchange that has put CUNY faculty and graduates at the forefront of solving some of the world’s most vexing problems.
Because real learning requires the ability to exchange ideas, even opposing ideas, with openness, curiosity and respect, we are committed to embarking on new educational initiatives that build a climate of mutual respect and inquiry and protect the rights of all students to be who they are without fear of bigotry or harassment.
New Educational Initiatives
We are expanding our ongoing anti-hate efforts with the launch of Our CUNY; Hate Divides Us, Diversity Defines Us, a student-developed campaign that celebrates who we are and provides support for creating campus environments that embrace the full breadth of CUNY’s diversity. This response comes directly from the feedback of our students on how best to address these challenging times and get through them together.
We will be conducting a systemwide campus climate survey this fall to assess students’ perceptions of issues surrounding inclusivity and experiences with discrimination. The results will be used to inform additional initiatives and programs and help CUNY to make measurable progress.
This summer, we announced the creation of a Center for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging, which will leverage systemwide resources, oversee training, strengthen reporting and bring consistency in our approach across our 25 campuses. Starting this fall we are also launching professional development opportunities and other trainings for faculty and student-facing employees, particularly on navigating difficult conversations on our campuses. Many of our schools have developed related programming, each addressing their particular culture and climate on campus.
With these efforts we want to reach across every facet of campus life, from the classroom to the music room to the laboratory, student organization and gym, because every interaction, every rehearsal or meeting or workout, is an opportunity to live our values of inclusion and respect in how we treat each other. We are taking these steps because they are an essential part of the stellar CUNY education that you deserve. Through these initiatives, we hope each of us will have a deeper understanding of, and commitment to, the value of diversity at CUNY as well as how we interact with and learn from each other.
Free Speech, the Henderson Rules & Title VI
Freedom of speech and vigorous discourse have long been cornerstones of our mission as a great public university, and I am deeply committed to protecting our community’s First Amendment right of expression. Here is a brief introduction to free speech that includes what forms of expression are protected and which aren’t under this bedrock principle.
To create environments in which people can voice their opinions and disagree but still respect each other, our community adheres to CUNY’s Rules and Regulations for the Maintenance of Public Order, known as the Henderson Rules. They are in place to ensure the safe operation of our University and its 25 campuses. We encourage everyone in our community to be familiar with them. They prohibit, for example, anyone from impeding access to educational facilities or occupying them without authorization, which by extension prohibits attempts to erect encampments on CUNY premises.
I also encourage you to stay up to date with communications from your campus leadership regarding campus rules and guidelines for public events, rallies and lawful protests. It’s important to note that restrictions may be placed on the time, place and manner of these activities. CUNY may limit the timeframe for an event so it does not interfere with a school’s core educational or administrative functions; designate specific areas for campus activities; or restrict the placement or size of signage.
I have stated this many times, but it’s worth repeating that our University does not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. There is no place on our campuses for antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian, anti-Israeli sentiment, or hate and discrimination in any form. I encourage students and employees who have been the victim of, or witness to an incident of discrimination or retaliation to report it through the University-Wide Discrimination and Retaliation Reporting Portal. I want to remind you of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color or national origin. This includes actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, and citizenship or residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity. Some examples include students of Arab, Hindu, Israeli, Jewish, Latino, Muslim, Palestinian, Sikh and/or South Asian descent, or any other faith or ancestry.
We Have Supports
The start of the school year can be stressful, and I urge students who need help coping to seek the support of counselors at the health and wellness centers on all CUNY campuses. You can find complete information by visiting the CUNY Mental Health Services webpage. Faculty and staff may reach out to CCA@YourService or call CUNY’s confidential employee assistance program provider at 800-833-8707.
In a richly diverse community like ours, we don’t all share the same views or identity, but we should have a set of shared values and must have a commitment to one another. We have so much to learn from each other. Let’s embrace those opportunities and grow together — as individuals and as a community. Thank you for all you bring to our great University. I wish you a successful and safe semester and academic year.
Sincerely,
Félix V. Matos Rodríguez
Chancellor