Buffalo State supports the DREAM ACT

On Wednesday  March 6^th New Public Interest Research Group at Buffalo State (NYPIRG) hosted an informational event based on the New York State Dream Act. The Dream Act is a legislative proposal that extends TAP to undocumented students. D.R.E.A.M. stands for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors. The event kicked off with a short documentary made by Ashleigh-Ann Sutherland and a few of her friends just discussing how we felt about the Dream Act. 

After the showing of the video, we began to discuss the Act among ourselves and how we feel about the Dream Act. At the end of the event each individual put their hand in a batch of paint and stuck their hand onto a banner that read “Buffalo State Supports the Dream Act:" to show their support of the act.A few students and myself will be walking with the banner in Albany on March 12, 2013 during Higher-Education Lobby Day. Look out for NYPIRG’s next event!  

Hunger and Homelessness

 Hunger and Homelessness is a growing problem, each year, more than 3 million people experience homelessness. This includes 1.3 million children (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2010).

In 2011 there were an estimated 5,050 people who experienced homelessness in Erie County. In the annual report for 2011 shows that majority of the homeless in the Erie County were Black or African American which is 54.5 percent of the Black population. According to the Department of Health and Human Services in 2012, a American family of four must make less than $23,050 a year to be considered living in poverty. The U.S. poverty rates have risen from 12.3 percent in 2006 to 15.1 percent in 2011, which is the highest in 18 years.


           NYPIRG is in a unique position to offer help and support to those who are hungry, homeless, or at risk of hunger. We plan to have events and bring awareness to the campus while also helping the people in need. NYPIRG is working to gather many other individuals to take action and make a difference for your community!

Aquasia White

Don’t Major in Debt

By: Wilherne Benjamin

 

College financing is a severe issue. College tuition has reached an all-time high and continues to climb. Student all around the country are forced to take out loans that will set them back decades to come. But then again who doesn’t have school loans and how bad could it be if everybody is in debt?

Over 37 million Americans hold an outstanding student loan debt. Student loans now outweigh credit card debt in America and more than 60 percent of senior college student in 2011 graduated with an average of $26 thousand  in debt. What can we do to protect ourselves from debt and how can we help those pay back the loans they have already borrowed?

Since Nov. 2011 The Campaign Don’t Major in Debt has been working to raise awareness on this issue of funding higher education and making informed financial decisions. They have also been working on directional national public serve announcements (PSA).

The PSA campaign publicizes The National College finance Center (NCFC). The NCFC is a free and unprejudiced resource to help educate students, parents and families about how to evaluate their financial options and repay student loan debt. The website also has information about scholarships and grants. They also give guidance on the variety of available student loans option.

With NYPIRG and your help we can spread the give hope to many students.  We need you to promote the NCFC, building a coalition end outreach to student, and spread the word using social media networking .Visit Facebook.com/DontMajorInDebt and Twitter.com/dontMajorInDebtto share new stories and daily basis and dynamic members of our social media network to the NCFC.

Forty years of building student power

2013 marks the 40^th anniversary of New York Public Interest Research Group’s advocacy efforts. Students, the leading force behind NYPIRG, have worked throughout that time to successfully fight and win on more than 150 different campaigns including reinvestments into the Tuition Assistance Program, establishing a nickel deposit on plastic water bottles, and protecting all New Yorkers from unsafe gas drilling.

Since its start in 1973, NYPIRG has grown into the largest statewide student-directed advocacy organization.  On 20 campuses all across New York State, including right here at Buffalo State College students with NYPIRG have worked and continue to work on a variety of important and exciting statewide and local grassroots campaigns through the on-campus internship program and club chapter. NYPIRG was established to empower and train students to make positive changes in their local and state governments through grassroots organizing. Our goal is to Build Student Power!

This last semester was a great example of how we can continue to effect change for years to come. 30,000 students statewide were registered to vote through NYPIRG’s outreach efforts. Nearly 1,600 were registered here on-campus! Those numbers speak volumes to those who we elected this past November. It means we have a strong voice. It means the issues that are important to us such as preserving the environment, campaign finance reform, and affordable higher education can no longer be ignored. Together we have an opportunity to create lasting change in our community and our state.

NYPIRG offers real world experience in public speaking, writing for advocacy, media outreach, coalition building, event planning, and much more. Strong leaders and motivated individuals are necessary to carry on the success that we have experienced over the last four decades.

NYPIRG meets every Tuesday during Bengal Pause, 12:15pm-1:30pm, in Campbell Union Room 419.