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Youngbloods, Elders and Friends:
Tuesday, December 22 – Christmas came early for dozens of Hunter parents and children when a New York State Supreme Court Justice granted a temporary injunction (yesterday) preventing Hunter from converting one of four classrooms comprising the College’s childcare center into an administrative office.
While lawyers argued in state court to stop Hunter’s scheme to shrink its childcare center, a crowd of 60 student parents, their children and supporters held a vigil at Hunter yesterday afternoon to protest President Jennifer Rabb’s plan to begin construction on December 22 or 23 to convert a classroom used for childcare into an office for processing graduate school applications. As darkness fell, demonstrators outside erupted in jubiliation when they received word that Judge Emily Jane Goodman signed a last minute injunction preventing Hunter from starting any construction that would remove room 209 from its current use as one of four classrooms comprising the Hunter College Children’s Learning Center.
The CLC is a childcare center designed to provide parents who are Hunter College students with low cost childcare and is considered one of the finest childcare centers at any college in New York City. “Our kids could not have had a better Christmas present” beamed one of the participants at the demonstration organized by the Committee To Defend The Children’s Learning Center. Judge Goodman’s order prevents any construction in Room 209 that would interfere with its use as a childcare classroom until the judge holds a full hearing in January.
In the meantime, parents and kids are celebrating the Judge’s order and organizing support for a permanent commitment from Hunter to expand its childcare services to guarantee free or low cost childcare services for all student parents and staff. The press release and contact information for the Committee to Defend the Children’s Learning Center are below.
The fight to save Hunter childcare is part of the fight to provide free childcare services for all student parents at CUNY. Please contact Luz Schreiber 917-628-9751 or Leanne Tory- Murphy (516) 458- 3454 to find out what you can do to help.
Or send email to defendhunterchildcare@gmail.com
Dare to Struggle,
Dare to Win
Edited for style
To: defendhunterchildcare@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 12:35 AM
Subject: [Defend Hunter Childcare] Press Release: NY STATE COURT HALTS HUNTER COLLEGE’S PROPOSED CHILDCARE CUTS
NY STATE COURT HALTS HUNTER COLLEGE’S PROPOSED CHILDCARE CUTS
Press Contacts: Leanne Tory- Murphy (516) 458- 3454; Luz Schreiber (917) 628-9751; defendhunterchildcare@gmail.com
December 21, 2009 – At around 4:30 p.m. this afternoon, the New York State Supreme Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order that will prevent Hunter from starting construction planned during the holiday break to convert one of the four classrooms of the college’s Children’s Learning Center to administrative offices. The announcement came as over 75 Hunter students with children and their supporters rallied at the college. A video of the announcement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-NUy6RYl_o
Korima, a mother who uses the center, said, “Today was a success. The people we wanted to hear us not only heard us, but they saw us, and importantly, thanks to another member staying in court the judge ruled in our favor!”
The lawsuit was filed this afternoon by Hunter student-parents Luz Schreiber and Angela Molfetas on behalf of Hunter parents and their children, seeking to stop the college from cutting back the CLC’s quality childcare services.
Molfetas – who was in the room when the order was signed – said of the decision, “Today I got the opportunity to see a glimpse of justice. I am heartened by the judge’s decision to temporarily cease the construction. I hope that this is one step on the way to well-promoted childcare services that enable parents to access higher education.”
The peaceful afternoon rally was marked by aggression on the part of campus police. When some demonstrators moved to take their concerns inside, where the Dean of Student Services, Eija Ayravainen – a defendant in the lawsuit – stood watching, campus police roughly shoved the group, which included mothers and their children, into the entry ways and prevented them from entering the building. One person was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, as well as apparent riot charges. His case is pending. A video of police interactions with students.
The TRO will prevent CUNY and Hunter from reassigning Room 209 for use for any purpose other than childcare or undertaking any construction for the purpose of preparing Room 209 for any purpose other than childcare until the student-parents can be heard by the court at 4:00 p.m. on January 21, 2010 in Part 17 at 60 Centre Street. The student-parents and their children are represented by Gideon Orion Oliver and Ronald B. McGuire.
Student-parents and their supporters have opposed the taking of Room 209 for administrative purposes since the decision was announced during the last week of classes last May. They say Hunter should be expanding, not cutting back, these services, and that the administration has tried to cover up the losses of services that will result from the planned cuts. Their campaign has found a broad array of support from CUNY students and staff, including the Professional Staff Congress, CUNY’s staff union and has received letters of support from New York City Council Higher Education Committee members Charles Barron and Ydanis Rodriguez.
Raab initially refused to meet with student-parents and their children, and Dean Ayravainen called Hunter’s on-site childcare a “luxury”. In response, Mr. Barron declared, “Childcare is not a luxury, it is a necessity for struggling working families and students at CUNY. Maintaining and expanding childcare services should be a priority at Hunter College.”
Copies of the court papers are available upon request.
Background:
For 26 years, the Children’s Learning Center has provided high-quality, affordable childcare to Hunter students with children. The proposed childcare cuts run counter to Hunter’s tradition of supporting women’s education and serving a student body representative of the diversity of New York City. Almost 1 in 10 Hunter students are parents.
Since June, a petition to save Room 209 has garnered over 3,000 signatures. In October, a majority of the Hunter Senate voted against cuts to childcare space and services.
Many of the teachers at the CLC are graduates of Hunter’s renowned School of Education. Yet, the educational services and childcare provided at the CLC have been chronically under-promoted. “It saddens me to see that this administration is diminishing this model program, as opposed to upholding and promoting it for the precious gem that it is,” declared Charlotta Nutley at today’s rally. Nutley is a Hunter student and mother of two daughters who currently attend the CLC.