Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles: Purposefully Engaged & Connected – February 17, 2023
February 17, 2023
Colleagues,
SUNY Westchester Community College has a role in providing a holistic learning experience and environment for students to grow and thrive. This includes events and activities in classrooms, lectures, conversations, and beyond where we help students better understand the world around them and ways they can impact and influence what happens in the world.
In 2018, SUNY WCC joined the ranks of over 231 campuses in 37 states and the District of Columbia when designated a “Voter Friendly Campus.” The initiative, led by national nonpartisan organizations Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project (CVP) and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, engaged participating institutions in documenting their planning and implementation practices that encourage students’ voter education and engagement activities.
The Voter Friendly Campus designation bolsters efforts that help students overcome barriers to active civic participation. Campus plans about voter registration, education, and turnout — all of which occurred in the face of the upheaval caused by a global pandemic – informed our selection as a Voter Friendly Campus.
Tiago Machado, the Student Involvement team, students, and volunteers throughout the college community have worked tirelessly to fulfill the mission and advance our Voter Friendly Campus engagement initiatives – with huge success! Our designation as a Voter Friendly Campus was valid through December 2022 and our team needs your assistance and participation to continue this distinction for SUNY WCC as a leader in this area. Contact Tiago Machado at Tiago.Machado@sunywcc.edu to learn more about the All In Democracy Challenge and how to connect your students and work with this exciting initiative.
Just this week, six members of the SGA attended the SUNY Student Assembly Advocacy Day in Albany. There were about 70-80 students representing SUNY and meeting with legislators. Here are the SUNY SA talking points that our students assisted with advocating for on behalf of SUNY students:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17tb3M3zG9qDpN0WdLaH7LOX65s8Eg1qJ/edit . This work complements efforts underway by the 64 SUNY campuses, the Faculty CCC, and SUNY trustees to advocate for securing “floor funding” (2021-2022 levels) as well as a 4% increase in operational aid to offset the impact of inflation and enrollment shortfalls. Without these resources, we will face reductions in critically needed services and staffing at SUNY WCC and across the SUNY system.
A 2020 Brookings Institute article states that, “as one of the few social institutions present in virtually every community across America, schools can and should play an important role in catalyzing increased civic engagement. They can do this by helping young people develop and practice the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors needed to participate in civic life.”
I applaud our students and their faculty advisors for taking on these challenges, especially as they grapple with their own studies, employment/financial situations, and other personal circumstances. If the need arises, please encourage students to access the mental health support available to them, on and off-campus, by visiting www.sunywcc.edu/mentalhealth and following the Department of Mental Health & Counseling Services on Instagram @wccmentalhealth. Similar resources are also available for faculty and staff through the Employee Assistance Program. To learn more, visit https://mentalhealth.westchestergov.com/. #WCCHereForYou
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President