The coronavirus has already had a deleterious effect on the academic lives of our graduate students. With classes being conducted remotely, archives and libraries closed, labs shut down, travel curtailed, and no clear sense of when research can commence as normal, many students will need more time to finish their degrees than originally anticipated. They should not have to do so without financial support from the university.

 

We are urging you to do the following before the end of the day:

1. Personally sign this letter calling on CUNY to extend emergency funding to all students for the 2020-2021 academic year
2. Contact the faculty you are close to (advisors on your dissertation committee, colleagues in your departments at the GC and on the campuses) and ask them to sign the letter as well. It is important to have as many faculty members as possible sign on to this letter. This will maximize our pressure on the chancellor and the GC president.

 

In Solidarity,

 

The Graduate Center PSC Chapter Executive Committee