Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation requiring the supply of opioid antagonists. Opioid antagonists, such as Naloxone, can reverse the fatal effects of an opioid overdose.

In addition to ensuring all State University of New York and City University of New York owned or operated housing facilities stock this vital medicine, resident assistants and other designated employees of the colleges will be trained to administer these antagonists in the case of overdose emergencies.

This bill comes in response to the ongoing opioid epidemic crisis. Opioid overdoses have surpassed gun-related murders and car accidents as the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old, with as many as 64,000 people last year estimated to have lost their lives. New York State is no exception to this crisis, experiencing over 2,939 fatal overdoses in 2019.

Jamestown Community College

Governor Kathy Hochul announced $10.8 million to address child care deserts across SUNY campuses. This is the second phase of a broader initiative to ensure that students, faculty and staff on all SUNY campuses have access to high-quality child care centers.

JCC is one of six campuses that are included in $7.6 million of funding for expanded on-site child care services. At some State University of New York campuses, about 80 percent of students with dependents reported that they had trouble meeting their child care needs.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, the State University of New York served 650 student-parents with about 4,500 child care spots across the 46 SUNY campuses that have an onsite child care center. With the additional centers, another 350 child care spots will become available. The centers also serve faculty, staff and state employees, as well as the neighboring community — each utilizing about a third of total child care spots.

State University of New York Chancellor Jim Malatras (center) with Jamestown Community College President Daniel DeMarte (right) and North County Center and Career Advantage director Beth Starks. (Image courtesy of SUNY)

JAMESTOWN, NY – Jamestown Community College had a special visitor on Monday with an appearance by Jim Malatras, Chancellor of the State University of New York.

Chancellor Malatras was at JCC to meet with college administration and discuss a new program that would improve childcare opportunities for students and faculty at SUNY schools across the state, including here in Jamestown.

As part of the new program, Malatras said $625,000 will be dedicated to a paid internship program for students seeking a career in childcare, while also focusing on “childcare deserts” – communities that have a shortage of childcare and can’t keep up with demand. Specifically, the state funding will be used to identify and tap into an estimated two billion dollars in federal funding to help establish programs in over 40 different communities across the state that have a shortage of childcare options.

Jamestown is one such childcare desert community, which is why Chancellor Malatras felt it was important to make the announcement while visiting the Jamestown campus.

JCC Career Advantage program coordinator Beth Starks noted there are many families in the county who are wrestling with childcare challenges and who are unable to attend school because they are unable to find childcare providers. She said that one local accredited childcare provider has a waiting list over 40, with the earliest opening for new children not expected to be available until the spring of 2022.
Chancellor Malatras also said that once SUNY expands childcare options in a community, it would also be available to members of the general public, regardless if they are students or employees.

While talking with the press, Chancellor Malatras also commented SUNY’s effort to get students vaccinated for COVID-19, explaining that a month-long vaccination campaign effort is now underway and is showing signs of success. He added that SUNY can mandate to faculty and staff to get vaccinated, but is working with labor groups to identify ways to get all employees vaccinated before the fall semester begins. And he said the system is also ready for any challenges, including an increase in community caseloads due to the Delta variant.

Jamestown Community College

JCC shifted to remote operations in March 2020 and began the 2020-21 academic year in August using a flexible instructional format that has included online, hybrid, and in-person courses.
Additionally, all three residence halls on the Jamestown Campus will be accepting residents. The college will also aim to resume athletic events, club activities, and academic out-of-class experiences in accordance with the health and safety protocols.

DeMarte added that two new staff members will be added to help students navigate the on-boarding, registration, and start-of-the-semester processes.

The programs – identified as opportunities to train individuals for viable job growth in emerging, current, and innovative industry sectors – focus on agribusiness, culinary and hospitality management, robotics and automation, and clean energy.

“JCC is committed to serving the community and region by developing and offering programs that address current and anticipated workforce needs and economic development opportunities,” said JCC president Daniel DeMarte. “By conducting a feasibility study we are better able to align innovation and best practices into strategic directions for the college and Southern Tier.”

Due to major growth regionally and nationally, winemaking and viticulture, brewing and brewing science, and industrial hemp production are considered components of an agribusiness career cluster that could benefit farmers and entrepreneurs.

The culinary and hospitality management industry was identified as another program that could provide skills training for individuals working in the region’s hotels, resorts, and tourism-related fields, JCC’s new tourism and hospitality certificate program, recently approved by the State University of New York and State Education Department, could incorporate ecotourism, events planning, and other hospitality related components into its curriculum.

In response to a charge by SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson for SUNY to help institute clean energy practices, JCC plans to explore a program incorporating skills development in wind, solar, and compressed natural gas systems. JCC began offering a workforce readiness program in HVAC fundamentals two years ago.

Robotics and automation skills, with a focus on mechatronics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, will be the foundation of another program designed to address an occupational gap in the region.

“We are happy to support JCC’s efforts to explore the feasibility of these programs,” said Susan Dundon, a program officer for the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. “They align with our foundation’s strategic priority to provide opportunities for upward mobility to middle skill, middle wage jobs in western New York.”

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation is a grantmaking organization dedicated primarily to sustained investment in the quality of life of the people of southeastern Michigan and western New York. The two areas reflect Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.’s devotion to his hometown of Detroit and greater Buffalo, home of his Buffalo Bills franchise.

Prior to his passing in 2014, Wilson requested that a significant share of his estate be used to continue a life-long generosity of spirit by funding the foundation that bears his name. The foundation has a grantmaking capacity of $1.2 billion over a 20-year period, which expires January 8, 2035. For more information, visit www.rcwjrf.org.

Governor Andrew Cuomo (left) stands with Vermont Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during the unveiling of the Excelsior Program on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2017.

ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to offer free college tuition to low to middle income students in New York.

On Tuesday the governor unveiled the first signature proposal of his 2017 agenda: making college tuition-free for New York’s middle-class families at all SUNY and CUNY two- and four-year colleges.

The governor said New York’s tuition-free college degree program, the Excelsior Scholarship, is the first of its kind in the nation and will help alleviate the crushing burden of student debt while enabling thousands of bright young students to realize their dream of higher education.

“The Excelsior Scholarship, which says, very simply, free tuition to a state two-year school or a four-year school if you come from any family earning $125,000 or less,” the Governor explained during a special announcement on Tuesday.

The new initiative will be phased in over three years, beginning for New Yorkers making up to $100,000 annually in the fall of 2017, increasing to $110,000 in 2018, and reaching $125,000 in 2019.   More than 940,000 middle-class families and individuals would qualify.

According to the governor, the Excelsior Scholarship program will ensure that students statewide, regardless of their socio-economic status, have the opportunity to receive a quality education and gain the skills they need to succeed in our global economy.

“College is a mandatory step if you really want to be a success. And the way this society said, ‘We’re going to pay for high school, because you need high school,’ this society should say, ‘We’re going to pay for college, because you need college to be successful.'”

Cuomo also said that the initiative will work by leveraging New York State’s generous aid programs. Currently, the Tuition Assistance Program or TAP provides nearly $1 billion in grants to college students statewide and New York is one of only two states in the nation that offers this type of entitlement. Under the Excelsior program, eligible students would still receive TAP and any applicable federal grants. Additional state funds would cover the remaining tuition costs for incoming or existing eligible students.

Based on enrollment projections, the plan will cost approximately $163 million per year once fully phased in.

Governor Cuomo was joined by U.S. Senator and unsuccessful presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who made free tuition a platform in his unsuccessful bid for president. Sanders said that if the United States is to succeed in a highly competitive global economy, we need the best educated workforce in the world.

The proposal would have to be approved by the state legislature before going into effect.

LOCAL OFFICIALS COMMENT ON EXCELSIOR PROPOSAL

Senator Catherine Young (R-Olean)

Chautauqua County’s representative in the Senate, Cathy Young (R-Olean), is the chair of the Senate’s finance committee. Following the announcement by Cuomo, Young released the following statement:

“The State Senate has been very supportive of higher education and tuition assistance programs because achieving a college education can open the door for countless opportunities and an enhanced quality of life. Like every budget proposal, this idea will receive intense review, analysis and discussion. Not only do we need to have the infrastructure for access to high-quality education, but we also need to protect our taxpayers and our economy from being suffocated by a heavier tax burden. We look forward to receiving more information when the State Budget is released by the Governor.”

Jamestown Community College officials say the Excelsior program would be great news for current and prospective JCC students.

JCC president Cory Duckworth said in a media release that if the proposal is approved, JCC would expect to see many more students engage in its educational programs.

Duckworth also noted his interest in examining the plan’s details which are said to encourage college enrollment and promote preparation for college and consistent progress toward degree completion once enrolled, saying that these are currently three of the biggest challenges JCC faculty and staff face every day in their work at the college.

“A reduction in student debt will lift a huge burden from the backs of our graduates who are struggling to get started in life,” said Dr. Duckworth. “In addition, the extra earning power they gain from their degrees will propel them forward economically in very substantial ways.”

Tuition at JCC is currently $4,630 while tuition is $6,470 for undergraduate programs at SUNY and CUNY.

Meanwhile, Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi also supports the proposal.

“In order for New York to remain a leader in today’s global economy, we must support our middle-class families and ensure the young men and women of this state have the tools needed to succeed in the 21^st century economy. By providing a tuition-free college education to eligible New Yorkers, Governor Cuomo’s proposal will transform our business landscape by giving hundreds of thousands of bright and promising students the opportunity to make their dreams a reality. I commend the Governor for this groundbreaking proposal and always fighting to rebuild our middle-class,” Teresi said.

WRFA also reached out to Assemblyman Andy Goodell on Tuesday night, but he was unavailable for immediate comment.

Adopted by the SUNY Board of Trustees, the plan includes a Chief Diversity Officer for every SUNY campus as well as strategic plans to increase diversity among students, faculty, and staff. In addition, there will be a new tool to provide students with an opportunity to voluntarily self-identify their sexual orientation and gender identity.

“New York has a long and proud history of embracing diversity, and our world-class SUNY system is no exception,” Governor Cuomo said. “With this new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy, we are once again sending a strong message that the Empire State is a national leader and a beacon of inclusion for all students.”

“As the public university system serving one of the nation’s most diverse states, it is essential that SUNY adapt to the evolving needs of all students,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “Diversity is interwoven throughout our strategic plan, and now, as we implement a Completion Agenda with the goal of awarding 150,000 SUNY degrees per year by 2020, our commitment to diversity must be stronger than ever before. Thank you to the Board of Trustees and to all those who contributed through the Diversity Task Force for ensuring that SUNY will continue to be a national leader on important issues of equality.”

The new policy broadly defines diversity to include race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, age, socioeconomic status, status as a veteran, status as a student with a disability, first-generation students, and international students or those transferring between colleges. The policy aims to improve services and support for these students, ensure that SUNY’s student, faculty, and staff populations mirror that of New York State, as well as ensure that SUNY’s commitment to being welcoming and inclusive to all diverse populations is clear.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that the State University of New York (SUNY) will put in place a comprehensive system-wide uniform set of practices to combat sexual assaults on SUNY campuses.

The Governor attended Thursday’s meeting of the SUNY Board of Trustees, and at his urging the Board passed a resolution to establish a set of policies that will be adopted by every SUNY campus regarding sexual assault prevention and response.

The resolution includes implementing a uniform, system-wide definition of consent that is required between participants before engaging in sexual activity; an immunity policy to protect students coming forward to report sexual assault; a statewide training program for campus police and administrators; a public campaign to increase awareness; and a uniform Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill of Rights.