REMARKS
Concerns about Jewish student safety at Baruch College
1:05:21
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126 sec
Council Member Julie Menin expresses alarm over safety concerns raised by Jewish students at Baruch College. She recounts a meeting where students reported that the college president couldn't guarantee their safety and mentioned issues with security infrastructure.
- Students reported that Baruch's president couldn't guarantee their safety
- Issues with broken security cameras and lack of security personnel were highlighted
- The Jewish caucus had previously written to the president demanding fixes for security cameras
Julie Menin
1:05:21
So on September 23rd, chair Genowitz, council member Wernicoff, and I met with students, Jewish students.
1:05:28
And I have to tell you, I was absolutely appalled by what I heard from the students.
1:05:32
The students told us that they met with Baruch president Wu and that that Baruch president Wu told them that he could not guarantee their safety.
1:05:42
That that basic statement goes against the fundamental tenet that you all, must honor, which is you've got a fiduciary responsibility to keep these students safe.
1:05:54
The students also told us that there were broken security cameras, there was a lack of security personnel.
1:06:01
The Jewish caucus wrote a letter to president Wu demanding that these security cameras be fixed.
1:06:06
And one of the responses we received back was that the president was going to be issuing an RFP.
1:06:12
Now once again, with this portal that chair Dynowicz asked you about, you talked about the fact that just today, ironically today, you are issuing an RFP for the portal.
1:06:21
My question is that I've reviewed the procurement processes of CUNY, and on average, it's 2 to 8 months, to finish the procurement.
1:06:30
This is a crisis.
1:06:31
I think judge Lippmann's report is crystal clear.
1:06:34
We've got a crisis around antisemitism.
1:06:36
Why are you doing the traditional procurement processes for both the portal and for security cameras?
Felix Matos Rodriguez
1:06:43
So let let me let me talk about the the the portal.
1:06:47
Right?
1:06:48
And and the portal is because the lesson learned from the portal we have now is to do it quickly, led to a product that we're not happy with.
1:06:56
Right?
1:06:57
So and even though the actual procurement might have gone out today or in this date, the whole process to be able to launch that has been in the work, for several months, to be able for us to get the kind of product that that we want.
1:07:10
So I just want to make sure that that is, that that that that is, you know, sort of considerate as you think about that element.
1:07:18
We wanna make sure that this time, we get the right product that has all the things that, people have been saying we need to be able to do.
Julie Menin
1:07:26
But, you know, when we have an emergency in the city, we are able to utilize different methods, like a no bid contract, when we have long time procurement issues.
