HIGHER ED TODAY
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR SEPT. 25-OCT. 1, 2020 15
How and when
to vote in Nov.
You can locate your early voting site
on the NYC Board of Elections website at
fi ndmypollsite.vote.nyc. You must wear a
mask or face covering and maintain six
feet of distance from others when at your
early voting site.
The third voting option is to cast
your ballot in-person on Election Day,
Tuesday, Nov. 3. You can fi nd your Election
Day polling site at fi ndmypollsite.
vote.nyc. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9
p.m. You must wear a mask or face covering
and maintain six feet of distance from
others when at your polling site.
Lastly, if you haven’t already registered
to vote or changed your voting
address, you can do so by fi lling out
a voter registration form located at
www.elections.ny.gov, in either English
or Spanish, and mailing it to your
County Board of Elections. You can
also request a voter registration form be
mailed to you at www.elections.ny.gov or
by calling 1-800-FOR-VOTE. Your voter
registration form must be postmarked
no later than Oct. 9 and received by
the Board of Elections no later than
Oct. 14 for you to be eligible to vote in
the November election.
If you have a New York State-issued
ID from the DMV, you can register to
vote or change your address online at
dmv.ny.gov until Oct. 9.
If you have any questions regarding
voting this fall, you can always reach out
to your local Board of Elections or contact
my offi ce at biaggi@nysenate.gov or
718-822-2049.
Remember — your vote, your
voice!
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
BY SENATOR ALESSANDRA BIAGGI
Dear Community,
As we continue to adapt to the challenges
of the COVID-19 pandemic, my
colleagues and I passed several laws to
safeguard every New York voter’s access
to the ballot box this November — including
my legislation to expand eligibility to
vote by absentee ballot amid the public
health crisis. This year, New York voters
have three options to safely and easily
cast their ballots: by mail (absentee),
during early voting, or in person
on Election Day. However you choose
to vote, I urge you to plan ahead
now so your voice is heard in the
upcoming election.
The fi rst voting option is by mail,
also known as voting by absentee ballot.
This summer my legislation S.8015D
was signed into law to allow all New York
voters to vote absentee this November due
to the ongoing pandemic. You can request
an absentee ballot online by fi lling out the
application form at absenteeballot.elections.
ny.gov, or by mailing a copy of the
form, which can be downloaded in English
or Spanish at www.elections.ny.gov,
to your County Board of Elections. If you
are voting absentee due to concerns about
COVID, you should select “temporary
illness” as your reason for requesting an
absentee ballot on the application form.
If you plan to vote absentee, I encourage
you to request your ballot as
soon as possible, to ensure you have
time to receive it and return it. Your
application must be postmarked no later
than Oct. 27, or delivered personally to
your County Board of Elections no later
than the day before Election Day, Nov. 2.
In order to be counted, your ballot must
be postmarked no later than Election
Day, Nov. 3, and received in the mail no
later than seven days later, Nov. 10.
Voters will also be able to drop
off their completed absentee ballot at
their: (1) County Board of Elections offi
ce, (2) early voting site from Oct. 24 to
Nov. 1, or (3) polling site on Election Day.
New York City voters can track the status
of their absentee ballots by visiting www.
nycabsentee.com/tracking. You can fi nd
more information about requesting a ballot
and vote by mail deadlines at www.
elections.ny.gov/votingabsentee.html.
The second voting option is voting
early in-person between Oct. 24 and
Nov. 1, during the following times:
Senator Alessandra Biaggi
Photo via Biaggi4NY.com
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 - 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020 - 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020 - 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020 - 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 30, 2020 - 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Just days into the fall semester, the
City University of New York’s ability to
propel students up the socioeconomic
ladder was recognized in a series of national
rankings of institutions of higher
ed.
The Wall Street Journal named Baruch
College and City College of New
York as the country’s top two “Best
Value” public colleges, respectively.
Those schools were also listed, along
with six other CUNY colleges, among
the top public schools in the northeast,
and also among the nation’s most affordable
and diverse.
CUNY’s quality and affordability
were also recognized by U.S. News &
World Report, which named 10 CUNY
senior colleges among the top performing
public institutions of higher education
in the northeast. The magazine
listed six CUNY schools among the top
25 in promoting social mobility, and six
whose graduates have the least student
debt. And Business Insider, Money.com
and the Princeton Review each also
touted CUNY’s value and affordability
in their rankings, while a study published
earlier this year by the Brookings
Institution affirmed CUNY’s effectiveness
in lifting low-income students into
the middle class.
Our community colleges were also
recognized for their quality in the 2019-
2020 school year, when three were selected
as candidates for the prestigious
Aspen Prize, putting them in league
with the top 15 percent of community
colleges nationwide. Earlier this year,
Borough of Manhattan Community College
was named a finalist for the $1 million
prize.
This all serves to underscore CUNY’s
tangible impact on the city and region,
its economy and residents. Its greatest
impact can be stated in two words: social
mobility.
CUNY’s 25 campuses anchor their
communities, helping all residents of
our city to meaningfully contribute to
the city’s evolving economy. Now, the
University is marshaling its resources
to help the region build back even better
from the economic fallout of the pandemic.
To ensure that our graduates continue
to drive the area’s economic resurgence
for years to come, we have
collaborated with industry partners
and created career readiness programs
for students that will culminate in tens
of thousands of well-paying jobs for the
city’s economy.
of some of the largest employers in New
York will create career pathways for
25,000 CUNY students with a focus on
low-income and Black, Latinx and Asian
communities. The New York Jobs CEO
Council will have a direct impact on the
economy, creating a pipeline of skilled
CUNY workers to the growing workforce.
90-day Upskilling challenge, which is
providing free skills training and includes
course partnerships with Google
and IBM to connect students to employers
who are hiring during COVID-19.
-
ing CUNY in the state’s historic $9 million
Workforce Development Initiative
to support job training opportunities
across New York. The federally funded
program will support job training opportunities
across the state, and will
benefit CUNY colleges including Lehman,
Kingsborough Community College
and LaGuardia Community College,
helping our students adjust to a post-
COVID market.
-
tural Corps, a proven-successful program
that provides a pipeline to careers
in New York City arts and cultural sectors
for students from underrepresented
communities. With new support from
the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,
CUNY will be able to place hundreds of
additional students in internships and
give them access to the training and exposure
to pursue fulfilling careers in
the arts.
These initiatives represent the kinds
of work-based learning programs that elevate
students and inspire informed observers
to acknowledge our efficacy, and
the benefits are long-lasting. As of summer
2018, we estimated that 1 million
people who graduated from a CUNY college
in the previous half century were
living in New York State, and 82 percent
of those — or 840,000 CUNY grads —
lived in New York City.
From CUNY’s operations and procurement,
research, construction and
student and alumni activities, our colleges
annually generate billions of dollars
for the regional economy, as two
studies noted earlier this year.
When I was appointed Chancellor
in May of 2019, I brought an agenda that
focused on increasing access for traditionally
underrepresented groups. The
COVID-19 pandemic compelled us to
quickly pivot to distance learning, but
it didn’t alter my priorities. It only made
them more urgent.
After all, when we provide a path upward
for all New Yorkers, we are moving
the city forward. I can’t think of a better
cause to get behind in these uncertain
times.
/tracking
/www.elections.ny.gov
/www.elections.ny.gov
/dmv.ny.gov
/ny.gov
/www.elections.ny.gov
/votingabsentee.html
/Biaggi4NY.com
/Money.com
link