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Q&A
CUNY's implementation of Lippman Report recommendations
1:22:22
ยท
166 sec
Council Member Eric Dinowitz inquires about CUNY's progress in implementing recommendations from the Lippman Report on combating hate and discrimination. CUNY officials detail various actions taken, including centralizing policies, creating a new center for inclusivity, conducting policy reviews, and providing extensive training.
- CUNY has created a Center for Inclusivity and Equal Opportunity to ensure system-wide compliance
- An outside consultant has been hired to conduct a full policy review
- Extensive Title VI training has been provided to relevant staff across campuses
- CUNY is seeking additional funding from the state and city for full implementation
Eric Dinowitz
1:22:22
While testifying at the oversight hearing in November regarding CUNY's response to the recommendations from the Littmann report, chancellor Matos Rodriguez stated that CUNY would require additional funding from the state and the city to be able to incorporate the feedback.
1:22:38
Can you please update us on the status of this?
1:22:42
Was any funding allocated from the state or in the mayor's preliminary budget for this purpose?
Sascha Owen
1:22:49
Sasha again.
1:22:50
Thank you, councilmember.
Gale A. Brewer
1:22:51
Thank you.
Sascha Owen
1:22:52
As you know, and I think the chancellor has stated repeatedly, he, you know, welcomed the feedback from the Littmann report, welcomed the recommendations.
1:23:01
All our work to combat hate and discrimination is ongoing, and we always want to hear from experts and others who can help us achieve the goals of making sure everyone feels safe on our campuses.
1:23:12
We have been implementing the recommendations from the Littmann Report.
1:23:17
We have either implemented some of them, some of them have already been implemented or they're in process of being implemented.
1:23:24
I can highlight some of those for you now.
1:23:28
And of course can get you more detailed information afterwards.
1:23:31
I think I've gotten some of that to you already.
1:23:32
But you know, one emphasis of the Littmann report was about centralizing our policies and our complaint process.
1:23:42
So we are doing that.
1:23:43
We've created a center for inclusivity and equal opportunity whose responsibility is going to be to ensure compliance system wide at all campuses with state, local, and federal law, ensure that policies are implemented consistently and again up to standards at all campuses.
1:24:03
We also have brought on an outside consultant to do a full policy review.
1:24:09
This was another recommendation in the report.
1:24:11
So hopefully in the coming, hopefully weeks or months, will have some results of that policy review.
1:24:17
We did extensive training around Title VI in the fall.
1:24:22
All of our chief diversity officers, anyone who could ever be relevant to Title VI work on campuses was trained.
1:24:32
We created a web page around Title VI.
1:24:33
We have a guidebook was created for all of our campuses, a video guide as well, training.
1:24:40
So we have done a lot of work to implement.
1:24:43
And those are just some of those highlights from the Littmann recommendations.
Eric Dinowitz
1:24:46
Thank you.
1:24:48
Did you want to Okay.
1:24:49
At the hearing
Sherif Soliman
1:24:50
From the budget
Sascha Owen
1:24:51
On the city
Sherif Soliman
1:24:52
We don't have an enacted budget yet.
Sascha Owen
1:24:54
Yeah.
1:24:54
We don't have an enacted budget yet.
1:24:56
We seeking funding for the center from the state, and we would welcome that from the city council as well.
1:25:03
But, you know, we do not have an enacted budget yet.
1:25:05
But that's stopping us from implementing the recommendations now.
Eric Dinowitz
1:25:08
Thank you.