CUNY SOCIAL FORUM PLANNED TO FIGHT FOR GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND DEMOCRACY AT CUNY

New York, NY – The CUNY Social Forum will be held at the City College of New York from Friday, October 17 to Sunday, October 19, 2008. Workshop sessions will take place throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday and plenary sessions will be held in the evening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Social Forum is planned by students, faculty, staff and alumni from CUNY and concerned members of the New York City community. Inspired by the World and U.S. Social Forums, we have come together to fight for a CUNY that is accountable to students and the surrounding NYC community, is accessible to all New Yorkers seeking higher education, and is truly democratic, where students, faculty, and the community have meaningful decision-making power.

Workshops will be planned and run by groups and individuals from CUNY and the greater NYC community. Sessions will include interactive workshops and cultural events that address problems, reflect on alternative visions, and create concrete strategies for action. A list of the workshop proposals that have been submitted so far can be found at www.cunysocialforum.com/submitted.html.

A central goal of the CUNY Social Forum is to lay the foundation for a cohesive cross-CUNY student movement that addresses CUNY-specific issues and interrelates them with local struggles for social justice and democracy. In the face of a rapidly changing New York, we want to ensure that the City and State stop the pattern of disinvestment in CUNY and in public education.

Childcare will be provided for attendees for the duration of the conference, and food will be available throughout Saturday and Sunday. A musical program will take place Friday and/or Saturday night.

The CUNY Social Forum is being sponsored by the following academic departments and community groups: the Black Studies Program, City College; the Anthropology Department, City College; the Hispanic and Latina(o) Studies Department, John Jay College; the Women and Gender Studies Department, Hunter College; the Graduate Center for Worker Education, Brooklyn College; the Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, Brooklyn College; the Women's Studies Department, Brooklyn College; the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Medgar Evers College; the Guillermo Morales/Assata Shakur Community and Student Center, City College; Bluestockings; We Got Issues!; and Eradicating Racism.

For more information, please visit our website at www.cunysocialforum.com.

# # #