CUNY's snooping

[Doug Henwood]

[This forward from Michael Eisenscher bounced.]

Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 08:16:00 -0700 (PDT)
Message-Id: <2.2.16.19980701081727.0e37416c at pop.igc.org>
X-Sender: meisenscher at pop.igc.org
X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 2.2 (16)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
From: Brodie Dollinger <bdolling at condor.depaul.edu> (by way of Michael
Eisenscher <meisenscher at igc.apc.org>)
Subject: CCNY Protest Letter...

The National Association of Graduate-Professional Students has written the
following protest letter against the recent actions against graduate
students at CCNY.  We are seeking co-signers.  If you or your organization
is interested in doing so, please let me know ASAP.  The letter has met
the approval of Brad Segal of CCNY.  For more info, please refer to our
web page at www.nagps.org.  We also urge individual phone calls, faxes,
and emails (see web page for info and sample letters).

Please disperse.

Brodie Dollinger, NAGPS
Employment Concerns Director

____________________________________________________________
July 3, 1998

President Yolanda T. Moses
The City College of the City University of New York
Convent Avenue at 138th Street
New York, NY  10031

Dear President Moses,

On behalf of the undersigned organizations and members of the higher
education community, I write to express our strong opposition to
your recent actions against the City College of New York's Graduate
Student Council (GSC) -- the hidden surveillance of student offices,
the subsequent shut down of the GSC, the lock out of office space
for the GSC, the closing of the graduate student newspaper, and the
invalidation of the recently held GSC elections (contrary to the
recommendation of Dean Paul Bobb and your own Student
Election Review Committee). These actions set a precedent which threatens
the rights of students at any college or university in the United States,
and these actions show blatant disregard for the fundamental principles of
a free society: freedom of speech and association. Students must be provided
with the same basic freedoms to associate in autonomous groups, and
organize independently in promotion of their interests -- rights which
are allowed other members of the University community. Students should
also have an environment conducive to open dialogue and cooperation
with University officials, to allow all members of the community to
work together towards strengthening education for all students. Your
actions against the GSC have brought an end to this meaningful
cooperation.

In order to restore an appropriate environment for learning and growth
at the City College, we believe that you should now take the
following steps:

*  End the lock-out of the GSC and the CCNY Messenger newspaper from
    their office facilities
*  Recognize the GSC as the official representative of CCNY graduate
    students
*  Cease any and all retaliation against CCNY students who exercise
    their fundamental rights to freely associate and speak
*  Stop all surreptitious surveillance of students
*  Seek input of students in all policy decisions which concern their
    education

Without actions of this nature, cooperation and dialogue between
University officials and CCNY students will be impossible, and the
quality of education you provide will suffer. We will not compromise
on principles fundamental to a free society and quality education, and
will continue to work to ensure that CCNY students are provided
basic freedoms essential to the pursuit of knowledge.

Sincerely,

Bryan Hannegan
President
National Association of Graduate-Professional Students

On behalf of the following organizations:
(cosponsors names go here)