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Q&A
Council Member Brannan questions CUNY leadership on work study, budget needs, and student loan support
1:13:34
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145 sec
Council Member Justin Brannan engages in a Q&A session with CUNY leadership, primarily Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez, on various topics related to CUNY operations and student support. The discussion covers the importance of work study students in college libraries, potential additional budget needs, and support for students with defaulted loans.
- Work study students are crucial for staffing college libraries and supporting their education
- CUNY did not have any additional new needs that were not included in the executive plan
- CUNY is providing information and guidance to students and staff regarding the resumption of student loan collections
Justin Brannan
1:13:34
I just have a couple more questions.
1:13:38
Every college library in the country is staffed by work study students.
1:13:42
Right?
1:13:49
Right.
1:13:58
So what what would it mean to our libraries if we lost all those work study students?
1:14:37
And were there any additional new needs that CUNY requested from OMB that were not included in the executive plan?
1:14:44
Anything specific?
1:14:51
No.
1:14:51
Okay.
1:14:52
And lastly from me, May 5, the US Department of Education began collecting on defaulted student loans again.
1:15:00
What support and guidance is CUNY providing to students or alum who may have defaulted on on student loans?
1:15:56
Thank you, chancellor.
1:15:57
I'm gonna turn over to chair Dinovitz.
Félix Matos Rodríguez
1:13:45
I mean, I think I mean, not just by
1:13:49
Work study students.
1:13:50
I mean, that that that's one of the positions where normally many of the campuses work studies are located among many other things they do on the campus too.
1:14:02
Well, mean, so two things.
1:14:04
The work study, a, there's an impact to the student because that is part of the financially packaging.
1:14:10
Right?
1:14:10
So that student could potentially have to stop.
1:14:14
Right?
1:14:14
Because they don't they're counting on that work study position to be able to support their education.
1:14:19
So there's an impact there.
1:14:21
And then also the work studies are part of the work that we do.
1:14:25
So I I don't have a precise number from divers.
1:14:28
We can do that deep dive if you want.
1:14:31
But that'll be sort of the the generic answer to that question.
1:14:34
Okay.
1:15:07
So there we, you know, we were very happy with some of the forgiveness programs before.
1:15:13
Many of our students benefited from actually, not just of our many even members of the CUNY staff, right, benefited from those loans.
1:15:23
So, I mean, on our end, we've been making sure that people have the right information.
1:15:27
I mean, as you know, in this landscape of forgiveness and things, there's been a lot of confusion.
1:15:33
So we've been working with our students, letting them know the financial aid offices on the campuses.
1:15:38
But we've also been, as an employer, talking to our staff members who might be in that situation so that they know exactly, a, that the clock started ticking again, and then what are some of the programs and alternatives they might have to be able to deal with that.
Sherif Soliman
1:14:48
No.
1:14:50
No?