PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Alexis Ramirez, Student Senator from Borough of Manhattan Community College & University Student Senate
1:26:41
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179 sec
Alexis Ramirez, representing Borough of Manhattan Community College and the University Student Senate, addressed the NYC City Council on student civic engagement and voting initiatives at CUNY. He emphasized the need for more resources to support student voter registration efforts and highlighted transportation costs as a barrier to student participation.
- Advocated for increased funding and staffing for student organizations involved in voter engagement
- Called for free public transportation for CUNY students to improve access to education and civic participation
- Urged elected officials to champion the belief that higher education should be free and accessible to all
Alexis Ramirez
1:26:41
Dear honorable counsel members, my name is Alexis Ramirez, and I would like to thank you all for having me here and giving me the opportunity to speak.
1:26:50
I represent a diverse and robust campus not too far from here in the heart of Tribeca.
1:26:56
I am a senator for the borough of Manhattan Community College, and I also serve as a delegate from the university student senate.
1:27:03
And I know my colleagues have touched on the subject, but we, as a body, have broken strides to encourage our fellow students to be active participants in our civilized society, to be active members in our democracy.
1:27:17
And In the spirit of community, camaraderie, and representation, I think we are here to declare our commitment to ensuring and fostering student civic engagement and ensuring that we have the resources necessary to register as many people to vote as we can.
1:27:34
And I know wholeheartedly that as a body and as a school community, we have done our part, but I know that more is possible.
1:27:42
And I know that organizations like nightberg and help America vote have broken strides and broken the glass ceiling to ensure that we as students are hurt.
1:27:51
And I think we're doing our part now and ensuring our our fellow peers are having their voices heard by speaking to our elected officials.
1:27:59
And in these unprecedented and obscure times, I ask my elected officials to encourage my fellow peers to unleash and yield the power that each and every one of us possesses what power you may ask the power to choose, but with such power comes great responsibility and the resources needed to tackle that responsibility.
1:28:21
A lot of our organizations are woefully underfunded and under staffed and require more resources by our elected officials.
1:28:29
A lot of these resources are tackling are tackling tough hours, are tackling, you know, the the inability to hire new people to to get more people to volunteer, and it's causing a lack in our ability to be heard as a student and as a demographic.
1:28:47
Touching on what some of my colleagues have mentioned, part of our plight and our struggle for fairness is the ability to commute.
1:28:56
The ability to be able to go up to our campuses without the fear that financial hurdles will get in their way.
1:29:02
In a city that's so expensive, in a city that many are facing food insecurity, the right to commuting is a necessity.
1:29:10
With that, We encourage our elected officials to champion our beliefs, to champion our cause, to give to champion the belief that trend that transportation and commute is a right.
1:29:22
And with that said, I would also ask my elected officials to champion the belief that access to an education is a right and not a privilege.
1:29:33
And with that, champion the belief that the people's university should be free of cost.
1:29:39
Thank you.