We faculty, students, staff, and administration of the Hunter College community are committed to a progressive, inclusive, and democratic college. In this increasingly hostile and oppressive political climate, we are simultaneously dedicated to the following interrelated principles and objectives:

A. Advancing the mission and values of public higher education. We work to make quality public higher education open and accessible to people from all backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives, regardless of race, ethnicity, immigration status, religion, sexual orientation, gender and gender expression, disability, or financial means. We view education as the inalienable right of all, not the privilege of a select few. This principle goes hand-in-hand with our steadfast commitment to academic freedom, open scholarly inquiry, spirited and informed debate, and the participatory-democratic organization of our public colleges and universities.

B. Defending ourselves and our communities against the rising tide of discrimination and exclusion. We work to make public institutions of higher education places of sanctuary and inclusion for all who are studying and working to advance open inquiry, scholarship, and democracy. To this end, we support a broad based united effort to protect our Hunter College community and its constituents from the attacks they are facing—including community members (students, faculty, and staff) at risk of deportation, LGBTQ community members, community members of color, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault, and women facing bias attacks and violence, Muslim and Arab community members facing Islamophobia, Jewish community members facing anti-Semitism, and students struggling to afford their education. We will use our resources and talents to achieve these ideals in the face of those who would wreak havoc on our communities.

C. Promoting a progressive vision of democratic society. We are dedicated to building a progressive democratic society. Our institutions have, in the past, served as both strongholds for progressive democratic ideals and springboards to action geared toward affecting positive social change. We are recommitting to these ideals in light of our current political situation. We see a deepening crisis of values and priorities at different levels of government that is becoming more dangerous and extreme.

We, members of the Hunter College community, are committed to advancing these interrelated principles as we build a positive world around us, one that empowers all members of our great and diverse community. To this end, we are committed to these immediate goals:

1. We applaud Governor Cuomo’s commitment to keep the State of New York a “refuge” for populations under attack, and Mayor de Blasio's declaration that New York City will be a sanctuary city. We are committed to actualizing this. We call on the Chancellor of CUNY to declare a CUNY-wide sanctuary. We call on Mayor de Blasio to help fortify the Chancellor's resolve in pursuing this path and begin to prepare protocols for confronting repressive federal agencies.

2. We call on the Administration of Hunter College to more robustly declare its willingness to defend its students, faculty, and staff against attacks on either their person or their intellectual freedoms.

3. Now, more than ever, when attacks on public education are already swelling, we must consider concretely what it means to hold education to be a fundamental human right. CUNY administrators and the State of New York must cooperate to solve our immediate problems. We call on both parties to renew their commitments to full funding for public higher education and work to eliminate all barriers to access, including ever-increasing tuition.

This is a moment to encourage resistance, not stifle it. This is a moment to defend against all forms of bias attacks, but also to defend our public university in its service to all New Yorkers. Furthermore, this is a moment to empower ourselves and to build the society we value. The care of the future is ours.