As the year is winding down the NYC Student Union has been planning projects for this summer and next year. Here is a short description of each of the projects:

SUMMER 2007
SUMMER COURSE
The NYCSU is working with ICOPE for any interested students, middle schools, high school, college, public, private, elementary school kids. All are welcome if they have the time, independence and interest. It’ll be about creating an idea of an ideal, human-rights based school, and then figuring out how to apply that vision to the NYC public school system. Anyone interested is encouraged to get involved, even if they won’t be around for the July meetings. The project will be ongoing, and will be flexible to fit anyone’s schedule. The course will take place at the National Center for School and Communities at Fordham University.

ONGOING PROJECTS
NYCSU WORD
The NYCSU is creating the first ever student run blog about the NYC DOE and its schools. The blog is called NYCSU WORD. NYCSU WORD will be a blog on which NYC Public High School Students can post opinions and stories about their individual schools and the education system as a whole. Submissions may be sent to seth@nycstudents.org

THE NYCSU STUDENT GOVERNMENT PROJECT
The NYCSU will be researching the state of student governments in schools around the city and helping develop SGOs or other student advocacy organizations in schools that don’t have them already. Effective SGOs are extremely important in the fight for students’ rights and more student involvement in NYC’s schools.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE 2007 NYC YOUTH CONGRESS
On May 18th 2007, The NYC YOUTH CONGRESS passed the following resolutions:
Resolution #1 Metro Card Extensions 2 rides per day until 10 pm
Resolution #2 High School Senate attached to Department of Education
NYCSU Members ran the committee that produced the second resolution and were instrumental in the passage of the two resolutions. Over the next year members of the NYCSU will be working closely with FVAP to fight for these resolutions.

more to come…

–Seth Pearce

There will be NYCSU meetings at 50 Broadway between Exchange and Morris at 5 PM on Monday May 21 and Monday May 28.
At these meetings we will be talking about NYCSU plans for this summer and next year.

To get to 50 Broadway:
Take the A,C to Fulton St.
or
Take the 2,3,4,5 to Wall St.
or
Take the J,M,Z to Broad St.
or
Take the R,W to Rector St.

All NYC public high school students are welcome. Email union@nycstudents.org if you need more info or just to let us know that you are dropping by.

–Seth Pearce

Hey all,

I just wanted to give everyone a quick summary of what NYCSU has been working on since the last posts.

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On May 18th, representatives of the NYCSU will be leading the education committee, one youth politics subcommittee and one environment subcommittee at the New York City Youth Congress. In the past this annual congress has lead to the creation of peer courts and the birth of a City Council bill which would lower the municipal voting age to 16. We hope to make an impact at this years congress and look forward to working with ‘Future Voters’ in the future.
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On March 22nd, 18 NYCSU members met with Governor Eliot Spitzer’s policy director Peter Pope for our first run at lobbying the Campaign Against Student Apathy. We are currently planning to lobby CASA to other politicians and hope to stay in contact with Mr. Pope. More to come…
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In early February, the NYCSU met with Class Size Matters’ Leonie Haimson who spoke to the union about the issue of Class Size in New York City’s schools.
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Also in February, The NYCSU, in coordination with Future Voters of America, organized a forum on youth involvement in the education system at Pace University. Panelists included Chairman of the City Council’s Education Committee Robert Jackson and representatives from the Department of Education as well as CUNY Professor Stanley Aronowitz. The forum shed light on some important factors in youth organization and was overall a very successful event.
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During Regents Week in January, 6 NYCSU representatives led workshops for eighth graders in both general and special education programs at MS 51 in Brooklyn. The workshops centered around how the students could make a difference in their school now and when they get to high school.
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In addition to preparing for the Youth Congress and internal restructuring (see last post) the NYCSU is in final planning stages for several projects to be announced soon.

– Seth Pearce

On May 7 2007, the NYCSU drafted the following constitution for the NYC Student Union:
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THE NYC STUDENT UNION CONSTITUTION

MEMBERSHIP
Any NYC public high school student present at an NYCSU meeting or event is a member of the NYCSU.

ORGANIZATIONAL POSITIONS
All positions must be filled by NYCSU members.

FACILITATOR
- Runs NYCSU meetings according to a predetermined agenda
- Maintains order during meetings
- Moves for a vote
- Determines parameters for voting if consensus cannot be reached
- Encourages mass participation in discussion
- Rotates Monthly
- Volunteers are voted on by the union each month

SECRETARY
- Records minutes at NYCSU meetings
- Compiles the agenda for the next meeting
- Responsible for informing members of the time and location of upcoming meeting
- Responsible for distributing notes from the previous meeting to members
- Responsible for distributing agenda for next meeting
- Coordinated by a pool of secretaries
- Volunteers must commit to a term of one semester
- Volunteers are voted on by the union
- Volunteers may be approved at any time

OUTREACH REPRESENTATIVES
- Coordinate outreach efforts of the union
- One representative per borough
- Volunteers must commit to a term of one semester
- Volunteers are voted on by the union at the beginning of the semester
- May not prohibit other members from outreach

PROJECT MANAGER
- Manages an NYCSU project
- Rotates by project
- There may be multiple project managers at any time
- Volunteers are voted on by the union
- Projects are voted on by the union

HISTORIAN
- Maintains permanent records of the NYCSU
- Said records include but are not limited to: minutes from every meeting, records of NYCSU actions and projects
- Volunteers must commit to a term of one semester
- Volunteers are voted on by the union at the beginning of each semester

DOT.EDU
- Maintains the public image of the union through the website and outside press
- Maintains NYCSU email address
- Coordinated by a pool of members
- Volunteers must commit to a term of one semester
- Volunteers are voted on by the union at the beginning of each semester

WEBMASTER
- Maintains the NYCSU web site and listserv
- Volunteers must commit to a term of one year
- Volunteers are voted on by the union at the beginning of each school year

UFT LIASON
- Contacts the UFT to arrange space for NYCSU meetings
- Volunteers must commit to a term of one year
- Volunteers are voted on by the union at the beginning of each school year

VOTING
The goal of NYCSU decision making is consensus. Consenus is reflected by a unanimous vote of the members present in which there may be abstensions. If consensus on an issue cannot be reached, it is the facilitator’s responsibility to determine the parameters of a vote or putting aside the issue until the next meeting.

AMENDMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
Any amendments to this constitution must be approved by a consensus of the union in three consecutive meetings.

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This draft was approved according the regulations of the constitution for Voting and Amending by 1 meeting of the NYSCU. To be ratified, the constitution must be approved at the next two meetings.

- Seth Pearce