Latest in CUNY Struggle...

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Tue, 16 Jun 98 17:30:52 CDT
>From: Bill Capowski <billcapowski at hotmail.com>
>To: Multiple recipients of list <can-fac at pencil.math.missouri.edu>
>Subject: The latest in the CUNY Struggle
>
>The CCNY students who exposed the secret camera at CCNY issued the
>following press release yesterday:
>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
>        CUNY ADMITS SECRET POLITICAL SURVEILLANCE AT CCNY
>		STUDENTS ALLEGE RETALIATION
>
>* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
>A secret surveillance camera discovered by City College students
>outside their meeting room was deployed by campus security officials
>who suspected that the students were planning a demonstration at
>CCNY's graduation ceremonies, according to an affidavit filed in
>court by a City University ("CUNY") security official. Meanwhile,
>City College Officials shut down the Graduate Student Council
>("GSC") after three GSC members exposed the secret surveillance
>and filed a federal lawsuit.
>
>In an affidavit filed in court dated June 10th, City College
>Security Director Timothy Hubbard admitted that a secret camera
>was placed outside of the students' meeting room on May 29th,
>three days after the CUNY Board of Trustees voted to end all
>remedial courses at four year colleges at a tumultuous meeting
>where 24 people were arrested, including over a dozen faculty
>members and a state assemblyman. Hubbard's affidavit states
>that he authorized the secret camera after another City College
>official expressed fears that the students "might be planning
>to take over the building around commencement on June 2, 1998"
>to protest the CUNY Board's decision to end remedial courses.
>
>"We never planned a takeover or any illegal demonstration",
>said Ydanis Rodriguez, one of the students who discovered a
>hidden camera transmitting a signal to an electronic surveillance
>station in an office adjacent to the room the students and
>community groups use for their meetings. The students claim
>that security took over a faculty member's office to set up
>the surveillance equipment and changed the lock on her door
>without notifying her. "We want to find out who authorized
>this and make sure that CUNY security stops spying on students",
>said Mr. Rodriguez, one of the plaintiffs in Sigal v. Yolanda
>Moses, 98-Civ-3940 (SDNY) (TG), a federal civil rights lawsuit
>filed last week to order CUNY to stop the political surveillance.
>A hearing on a preliminary injunction will be held before
>Judge Thomas Griesa on Friday, June 19th at 4 PM in courtroom
>26B at the federal courthouse at 500 Pearl Street in Manhattan.
>
>On Monday, June 15th college officials locked the students out
>of their office denying them access to their computers and fax
>machine when College officials suspended the operation of the
>Graduate Student Council ("GSC") and refused to certify the
>results of student government elections in which the three
>Sigal plaintiffs were elected to the GSC. "This is an attempt
>to silence us and punish us for filing a lawsuit to protect
>our Constitutional rights," said Mr. Rodriguez.
>
>FURTHER INFORMATION: 	Ydanis Rodriguez, David Suker, Brad
>			Sigal (212-650-5008)
>
>The students are represented by Ronald B. McGuire, Esq.
>			201-795-0342
>