On a sunny Saturday morning, March 29, student government leaders, clubs, and groups from across CUNY campuses joined University Student Senate (USS) chairs at the Brooklyn Borough Hall steps to rally together for the March in March to advocate for the BUILD Agenda.
The march focused on the BUILD Agenda which priorities the following:
- Basic Needs & Student Well-being: Expanding the CUNY CARES Project to support food insecurity, housing instability, and health services.
- Unlock Academic & Career Potential: Strengthening academic and career advisement services to help students succeed academically and professionally.
- Improve Access to Transportation: Advocating for free MetroCards for all CUNY students to reduce financial barriers.
- Leverage Resources for Student Support: Increasing staffing for disability services, adaptive sports, and accessibility across CUNY campuses.
- Drive Innovation and Technology: Enhancing IT infrastructure to better support the learning environment for all students.
“We have a lot of students who care deeply about the school that they go to, and wish to see changes,” USS Chairperson, and CUNY Trustee, and CUNY SPS student Daniel Reden said during the event. “[The] BUILD Agenda goes through the CUNY budget request, [for] specific things [that] align with the mission of the USS and the students,” he explained.
It was indeed a high turnout from students who, after arriving at the meeting point, began marching across Downtown Brooklyn chanting protest rhymes on the way to the City Hall steps. The impactful event finished up with a conference and speakers before gathering for a group photo with students chanting more verses, “One CUNY. One Voice.” uploaded as a reel on USS CUNY’s Instagram page.
The USS would be advocating for free Metrocards to get fully funded in addition to everything else. This proposal is three years in the making, Reden said of the free Metrocard initiative. The USS included it in the CUNY city and state budget requests, he added.
“80% of these people who go to these public high schools in the city go to CUNY! When they go to public higher education, why do they not receive the same support they have been receiving their entire life?” Reden said. “Students shouldn’t have to choose whether [they] eat today or get to school.”
