Before the return to in-person learning this fall, a group made up of staff and students at some Bronx-based City University of New York (CUNY) colleges, vowed to continue their “caravan” protest tactic of driving lines of vehicles past the homes of two CUNY college presidents, to continue to demonstrate their opposition to lay-offs of almost 2,000 adjunct professors that took place at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported.

The protestors say CUNY is sitting on $4.8 million in CARES Act funding and funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) which could be used to offset those lay-offs. They say the budget cuts have not only had a negative economic impact on the livelihoods of the adjunct professors themselves but have also negatively affected students in terms of their ability to progress with their education.

On Friday, July 23, faculty members and students who oppose the cuts gathered for the second time outside of Herbert H. Lehman College in Bedford Park, before jumping into automobiles or onto bicycles and driving past the Spuyten Duyvil home of Bronx Community College president Thomas Isekenegbe and the Fieldston home of Hostos Community College president Daisy Coco De Filipps.

Speakers, Alex Wold and Joan Beckerman, addressed the protestors outside Herbert H. Lehman College before the group set-off. Organizers said CUNY received $841 million in federal relief funding and that Hostos was given $15 million and Lehman $30 million from a private donation from the Mackenzie Scott Foundation.

Speaking before the caravan protest got underway, Cristina Morales of Hostos said, “Although hundreds of millions of dollars of federal relief remain unspent, nearly 2,000 adjunct professors who were laid off near the beginning of the pandemic have not been rehired.” Morales added, “Caravan participants demand the cancellation of all holds preventing students from registering for classes, reduction of student activity fees; the re-hiring of all adjuncts laid off during the pandemic; and a delayed return to campus if the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) does not determine it is safe.”

On Aug. 8, Beckerman, one of the event organizers, a member of the college’s PSC union, and chair of the Hostos Action Committee, told the Norwood News, “We held a spirited and militant motorcade. We had eight cars, including students, staff and faculty and drew much attention to ourselves.” Union members used yellow signs to outline their four key demands.

These demands are to cancel bursar’s holds and allow all students to register, to reduce activity fees, to rehire all adjunct professors and college assistants and to demand no return to college, without a safe return. After the rally, Beckerman said, “While we didn’t get to see the presidents, we feel our message got out. Our committee has been active over the past 18 months organizing to fight back against the racist austerity policies that have hit the Black and Latino student community so hard.”

She added, “The chancellor has agreed to begin some efforts at debt relief for our students. We have a long way to go. CUNY is swimming in funds, while our students are drowning in debt and thousands have lost their positions as adjuncts or college assistants. We are prepared to strike to win our demands and we will take this fight all the way!”

A request for comment to CUNY on August 16, was initially answered by Joseph Tirella at the communications and marketing department at CUNY, who forwarded the request to Richard Ginsberg, AVP for communications and marketing at Bronx Community College, who later told the Norwood News, “We have no comment at this time.”

Norwood News sent additional requests to Ginsberg regarding CUNY’s plan on reopening for in-person learning. We did not receive an immediate response.

Back on February 3, Frank Sobrino of CUNY provided the following statement, as reported at the time. “Since the federal CARES money was made available in May 2020, the university has distributed over $118 million in student emergency grants to more than 161,000 students,” he said. “An additional $118 million in aid to students will be allocated shortly, using federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act funds.”

Sobrino added, “The balance of CARES ACT and CRRSAA funding will be allocated directly to the campuses for student support and mental health services and to reimburse colleges for COVID-19 related costs, such as refunds, among other priorities identified by the university’s community and senior colleges and professional schools and programs.”

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.