CUNY City-Wide Student Coalition
Item
CUNY CITY-WIDE
STUDENT COALITION
DEMAND
The Immediate Resignation Of CUNY Chancellor W. Ann Reynolds
(WAR)
- for violating her own guidelines and protocol for police
intervention on CUNY campuses in cases of non-violent protest.
The Elimination Of Tuition.
No State Budget Cuts To Education
- including; no cuts to faculty, staff, and student services.
The Restructuring Of The CUNY Board Of Trustees
-= to make it more representative, eliminate waste, and increase
efficiency.
The Rescinding Of The College P: ‘epatory Initiative
- to maintain epen exit 4
Student Seats On All CUNY Personnel & Budget Committees.
- aS a part of the budget review and negotiating process.
Student Seats On CUNY Central Budget Proposal Committee
The Restoration of Senior College Funding To Medgar Evers College.
The Implementation Of A Progressive State Tax Structure
_ = to provide a stable source of funding for higher education.
In recognizing the political correctness of the struggle for quality education for all,
being waged by the students, we further demand that CUNY Chancellor W. Ann
Reynolds (WAR) grant Amnesty to all students involved in the Non-Violent take
over of as buildings.
STUDENT COALITION
DEMAND
The Immediate Resignation Of CUNY Chancellor W. Ann Reynolds
(WAR)
- for violating her own guidelines and protocol for police
intervention on CUNY campuses in cases of non-violent protest.
The Elimination Of Tuition.
No State Budget Cuts To Education
- including; no cuts to faculty, staff, and student services.
The Restructuring Of The CUNY Board Of Trustees
-= to make it more representative, eliminate waste, and increase
efficiency.
The Rescinding Of The College P: ‘epatory Initiative
- to maintain epen exit 4
Student Seats On All CUNY Personnel & Budget Committees.
- aS a part of the budget review and negotiating process.
Student Seats On CUNY Central Budget Proposal Committee
The Restoration of Senior College Funding To Medgar Evers College.
The Implementation Of A Progressive State Tax Structure
_ = to provide a stable source of funding for higher education.
In recognizing the political correctness of the struggle for quality education for all,
being waged by the students, we further demand that CUNY Chancellor W. Ann
Reynolds (WAR) grant Amnesty to all students involved in the Non-Violent take
over of as buildings.
Title
CUNY City-Wide Student Coalition
Description
This CUNY-wide student coalition document outlined ten demands which included a call for Chancellor W. Ann Reynold's resignation, the elimination of tuition, no state cuts to education, student seats on multiple CUNY committees (including budget) and the implementation of a progressive state tax structure to provide a stable source of funding for public higher education. The students also demanded that Chancellor W. Ann Reynolds grant amnesty to all the students involved in the non-violent takeovers of campus buildings.
In 1991 a city-wide student coalition worked in solidarity with other groups to fight for the right to an education and against austerity and tuition increases. Strikes, demonstrations, teach-ins, and takeovers of multiple buildings across campuses were among the protest tactics used. The protestors also called for a restructuring of the CUNY Board of Trustees and implementing a progressive state tax structure.
In 1991 a city-wide student coalition worked in solidarity with other groups to fight for the right to an education and against austerity and tuition increases. Strikes, demonstrations, teach-ins, and takeovers of multiple buildings across campuses were among the protest tactics used. The protestors also called for a restructuring of the CUNY Board of Trustees and implementing a progressive state tax structure.
The 1991 CUNY strikes were part of the larger story of austerity measures imposed on New York City and the community efforts to resist those measures. On April 16th, students mainly from the Graduate Center Anthropology PhD program occupied the Graduate Center in solidarity with a broader undergraduate mobilization across CUNY against the threat of steep tuition hikes, massive budget cuts, and faculty layoffs. What began as a one-day strike turned into a ten-day take-over in which students and faculty practiced forms of participatory democracy, discussed the root causes of the austerity problems being faced, and debated actions for change. Students often drew on CUNY’s history as the premier urban, public institution of higher education in the United States to argue that education was a right and that the proposed measures threatened working-class New Yorkers' ability to receive an education.
Contributor
McCaffrey, Katherine
Date
1991 (Circa)
Language
English
Rights
Copyrighted
Source
McCaffrey, Katherine
“CUNY City-Wide Student Coalition”. Letter. 1991, 1991, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/1701