Res. No. 500

Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation entitled The New York State College Safety Act to require that all campuses of The State University of New York and The City University of New York permit autoimmune and immunocompromised students and faculty to learn and teach via remote instruction in as many courses as feasible whenever students or faculty are dealing with an unpredictable or temporarily debilitating impact of their condition.

By Council Members Joseph and Schulman

Whereas, According to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Autoimmune Disease Research, approximately 8 percent of Americans, or more than 25 million individuals, have an autoimmune disease, with almost 80 percent of those affected being women; and

Whereas, According to the Workers with Autoimmune Ailments Alliance, about 1.5 million of those individuals affected are college students; and

Whereas, There are between 80 and 150 conditions that are classified by various sources as autoimmune diseases, which produce chronic and sometimes debilitating symptoms and which have no known cure; and

Whereas, Some autoimmune diseases, such as Addison’s disease or type 1 diabetes or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, target a specific organ while others produce symptoms throughout the body, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus; and

Whereas, In addition to being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, individuals can become immunocompromised as a result of a variety of medical situations, such as being treated for some cancers or receiving an organ transplant; and

Whereas, Autoimmune and immunocompromised individuals who take or teach college courses can find themselves, at least from time to time, in need of remote instructional arrangements to protect their health, such as during flare-ups of an autoimmune illness or when dealing with the side effects of necessary medications; and

Whereas, Putting pressure on college students to attend class on campus or on college faculty to come to campus to teach class when they are dealing with a serious immediate impact of their condition is both inhumane and potentially dangerous to their well-being; and

Whereas, If introduced in and passed by the New York State Legislature, The New York State College Safety Act, initially proposed as a broader piece of federal legislation by the Workers with Autoimmune Ailments Alliance, would alleviate that pressure on both students and faculty and would ensure that their heath is not further jeopardized by coming to a class in person; and

Whereas, The New York State College Safety Act would require that all campuses of The State University of New York and The City University of New York permit autoimmune and immunocompromised students and faculty to learn and teach via remote instruction in as many courses as feasible whenever students or faculty are dealing with an unpredictable or temporarily debilitating impact of their condition; and

Whereas, The New York State College Safety Act would require that The State University of New York and The City University of New York adopt clear regulations and policies regarding how remote instructional arrangements would be made for students and faculty on their campuses, including the length of time any such accommodation may last and an explanation for any courses in which class sessions cannot from time to time be taken or taught remotely; and

Whereas, The New York State College Safety Act would include an annual reporting mechanism to the State Legislature and a delineation of penalties to be incurred by The State University of New York and The City University of New York for noncompliance with the Act’s provisions; now, therefore, be it

                     Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation entitled The New York State College Safety Act to require that all campuses of The State University of New York and The City University of New York permit autoimmune and immunocompromised students and faculty to learn and teach via remote instruction in as many courses as feasible whenever students or faculty are dealing with an unpredictable or temporarily debilitating impact of their condition.

LS #17040

7/12/2024

RHP