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It’s Time to Do Away with SUNY’s Suffocating Fees


cropped suny

SUNY leaders (photo: @SUNY)


When I accepted my position to teach in the Anthropology department, I didn’t expect to be worrying about having enough to eat every day. 

Yet that is the unfortunate reality many graduate student workers in the State University of New York (SUNY) system face, where the combination of exorbitant fees and a meager stipend for our labor push us to the brink of poverty. 

At SUNY Binghamton, where I work as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I shell out approximately $2,000 a year in fees, which is nearly 13% of my stipend. 

These fees are purportedly for items like technology services and software programs that we need to use and access to do our jobs. There is no reason that we should be footing the bill for these expenses. Our employer is shifting the standard costs of the job to its employees. This has become even more outrageous during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we cannot even use many of the services we are being charged for. 

We should not be asked to maintain operations at our schools when we have been hired to teach and provide high-quality instruction to students. It makes remaining in our programs nearly impossible, and takes away from our work. That is why I support a current State Senate budget proposal that would phase out mandatory school fees for graduate workers like me.

$2,000 might not seem a lot to some, but it essentially amounts to a 13% pay reduction. As a result, I have been forced to take out loans and live in an apartment without heat to save money for other essentials, like food. Many of my fellow grad workers rely on the food pantry on campus because we simply do not have enough cash to buy groceries.

All of this can take a significant mental toll on graduate student workers. We cannot focus on our work if we are struggling to meet our basic needs like paying for food and rent. We are here to teach and learn but instead our energy is often focused on simply surviving. 

There is something fundamentally wrong with this dynamic. Graduate student workers should be treated with respect and dignity. And that means not paying to work. It’s time for the Legislature and the Governor to act and protect the integrity of our university system and the graduate workers who sacrifice so much for our state universities. 

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Ana Sanchez-Bachman is a PhD Graduate Worker at SUNY Binghamton.

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We Won the Fight for Better NYPD Transparency, Now Comes the Fight for Real Police Accountability


NYPD cadets salute

NYPD (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


Last summer, our state repealed 50-a, one of the worst police secrecy laws in the country, and required the NYPD to release previously hidden personnel records, that included officer misconduct and abuse cases. 50-a prevented parents like Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, from knowing whether the officers who killed her son by placing him in a banned chokehold and not coming to his aid as he pleaded to breathe had histories of misconduct. For years, it protected police from scrutiny at the expense of safety and transparency that New Yorkers deserve. I was proud to lead the fight alongside grassroots organizers for the repeal of that law, and earlier this month the NYPD made thousands of those records public.

We now have a clearer view of what “police accountability” in its current form looks like. In short, it’s a scary picture of officers facing few to no consequences for their documented misconduct and abuse. A closer look also demonstrates the need for District Attorneys who will hold police accountable for abuses.

Recent reporting on new data made public from 50-a’s repeal revealed that in more than 40 instances over the past five years, NYPD officers found guilty of abuse and misconduct by a police department judge had their verdicts voided by NYPD commissioners and faced no punishment. Despite the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) and NYPD judges evaluating evidence, hearing from witnesses, and finding these officers guilty of misconduct, they faced zero consequences because the police commissioner chose to reject those findings.

These stories are infuriating. We know that almost all Americans, over 95 percent, support accountability reforms that punish officer abuses. Over 95 percent of Americans agree that officers with multiple incidents of abuse of power should not be allowed to serve. But now that New Yorkers have the evidence, what’s next on actually holding law enforcement accountable?

The Manhattan District Attorney has not historically been an office that holds police accountable. Over the past decade, the District Attorney has prosecuted only a small handful of police officers who engaged in misconduct and broke the law. But the District Attorney’s office should be where officers face accountability -- the District Attorney’s is the most well-resourced office to handle cases of police excessive force and misconduct. The unfairness and injustice of a system that protects violent police officers is exactly why the next Manhattan District Attorney must be committed to fighting practices like this and holding police accountable.

This is not, and has never been, an easy fight. The NYPD has fiercely resisted change and reform for decades. Despite calls from every level of government, community organizations on the ground, and voters, the NYPD has defied efforts to increase accountability and transparency.

I know these fights -- I’ve gone up against the NYPD multiple times and won. In addition to repealing 50-a, I challenged the current Manhattan District Attorney, Cy Vance, when he wouldn’t release the names of officers that have filed false reports or lied under oath. Then-Public Advocate Letitia James and I also fought the NYPD and then-Commissioner Bratton to have officer body camera and dashboard camera footage released to the public, instead of classifying the footage as protected by 50-a.

The next Manhattan District Attorney will face enormous and immediate public pressure to enact real accountability measures when they take office. We have the evidence, and we know what steps to take, but who can the public trust to hold abusive police officers accountable for their misconduct? Manhattan needs a reformer, and for the past decade, I’ve led fights for reform from outside the District Attorney’s office and won. I’m the only candidate with a decade-long record of holding police accountable.

The history of police officers engaging in violent misconduct and not being held accountable has been a recurring problem in New York City. Past prosecutors-turned-District Attorneys have not held these officers accountable and brought about much-needed reform of our criminal legal system. As District Attorney, I will prosecute officers who use excessive force, lie under oath, and file false reports. I will release the names of officers who have proven to be untrustworthy, and I will always use my platform to advocate for comprehensive police reforms.

I’m running for District Attorney to make Manhattan safer for everyone. With the repeal of 50-a and the thousands of NYPD records released earlier this month, there will be more stories of officer misconduct and abuse disclosed to the public. And this June, Manhattanites have the opportunity to choose a proven reformer, someone who is best equipped to hold the NYPD accountable for these abuses. We can and we must build a New York that keeps everyone safe, and police accountability is a critical piece of achieving that safety.

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Dan Quart represents parts of Manhattan's East Side in the New York State Assembly. He is a candidate for Manhattan District Attorney. On Twitter @AMDanQuart.

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State Democratic Party Launches Ethics Reform Committee


Jay Jacobs Andrew Cuomo Dem Party

Jay Jacobs, Andrew Cuomo, Anna Kaplan  (photo: Cuomo campaign)


The recent sexual harassment accusations against Governor Andrew Cuomo underscore the pervasiveness of a toxic work environment, especially for women. Lindsey Boylan, Charlotte Bennett, and Anna Ruch all came with receipts – contemporaneous emails, text messages, and photos – to corroborate their allegations against the governor. It took an immense amount of courage for them and other accusers to come forward. But simply applauding them for their courage does not do their bravery justice, nor does it change the environment that gives rise to these situations. We must act.

The #MeToo movement has succeded in centering a public discussion about sexual harassment and assault, especially their relation to power dynamics. Cuomo’s pattern of alleged behavior and overall scandal make it clear that more must be done to prevent sexual harassment and create a safe, independent space for people to come forward without fear of retaliation. We can start by creating that space in our own Democratic Party.

In 2019, several members of the New York State Democratic Committee and several County Committees reviewed the ethics process at both the State and County levels. What we found was a badly-flawed process that lacked the necessary independence required for such work. For example, in the current rules of the Democratic State Committee and Manhattan County Committee, the Chair directly nominates the panel that adjudicates ethics complaints and can remove any member for undefined reasons. Furthermore, the current ethics rules have no procedures for, or language about, sexual misconduct or discrimination and no ethics rules binding on all elected members of the State Committee.

With the help of sexual harassment experts, reform of New York Democratic Party ethics rules was proposed with five key objectives:

Creation of an ethics process independent of the Chair and other political actors.

Inclusion of specific language regarding sexual harassment, misconduct and discrimation.

The application of ethics rules to all State Committee and Executive Board members.

A centering on restorative justice and accountability in response to violations.

And, requiring an independent expert review of our ethics rules and policies, with a $10,000 budget.

These changes to the ethics rules were introduced in July 2020, but were not adopted. Instead, the State Committee tabled the discussion of ethics reform until the next meeting, which was held last October. At that meeting, the State Committee voted to establish a committee that would review the party’s ethics rules in depth, with the current proposal as a starting point. As of Monday, this Committee has been formed with a mandate to make our New York State Democratic Party a safer and more inclusive institution.

It is important to highlight that the proposed reform is not limited to sexual harassment, but gives all its members a way to report discrimination and/or ethic violations of any kind. It gives members of our party a way to have their grievances heard and adjudicated in a fair and impartial setting. It provides transparency and accountability and furthers our goals of making ours a more equitable party.

In the wake of the initial allegations against Governor Cuomo, New York State Democratic Party Chair Jay S. Jacobs released the following statement:

"I consider the Governor a friend. He has done and continues to do a lot of good for the people of our State. Nonetheless, these are serious allegations that require a fair, thorough and independent investigation. An independent investigation will best serve those making the allegations, the Governor and the people of the State of New York."

This is exactly why we need to establish independent investigations for sexual harassment and misconduct all egations. We cannot allow bad behavior to be swept under the rug, but without a safe, transparent process victims will fear retaliation and resolution will be dictated by political maneuvering. If a person can exercise their power to influence outcomes, no victim will feel safe enough to come forward. Perpetrators of harassment or assault - even powerful leaders - need to know that they can’t use their power to avoid justice.

Now is the moment for our New York Democratic Party to change so it can better reflect our ideals. In this Ethics Reform Committee, Chair Jacobs has the opportunity to back an open, transparent, and safe process within one of the key institutions for promoting people to power in New York State. We urge him to do just that.

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Ben Yee is the Democratic State Committeeman for New York's 66th Assembly District and former Secretary of the Manhattan Democratic Party. Vittoria Fariello is a district leader from Lower Manhattan and a partner at Balestriere Fariello, a trials and investigations law firm that has prosecuted claims for sexual harassment, human trafficking, and other complex claims. On Twitter at @yben & @VittoriaNYC.

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