A Thank You from Civic Engagement

I want to first thank the panel, for they were the ones taking time out of their day to educate the students, who I would also like to thank. Without student interest, this event would not have been possible. Your drive to learn more about our community and the governing bodies involved which keep us safe is an important part of building a positive environment for everyone.

Finally, I want to thank the organizations who play even a minor role in making this a successful event. The Political Science and Public Justice clubs, Student Association, The Oswegonian, WTOP, the Public Justice, Political Science, and Communication departments, The Compass, Phi Sigma Sigma, Students For Global Change, The Office of Business and Community Relations, The Public Relations Office, The Point and Student Involvement, and WRVO.

The event was everything we planned and more. We were happy to see students asking important questions during the event, voicing concerns. But, the best part was watching students interact with the panel members after the event was over.

For pictures from last night check back here or on our Facebook page (facebook.com/sunyoswegocivicengagement) in the next couple of days. We hope to keep the ball rolling with more events and collaborative efforts to educate everyone in the near future, so stay tuned!

Have an idea for an event or want to collaborate? Email us at Civic@oswego.edu. We would love to hear from you.

Learning About the Affordable Care Act:

Whether you’re for or against it, the Affordable Care Act is here. Wondering what is all means? Here’s some information and links we received in an email from our friends at Rock the Vote.

“We get it. The Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) is confusing, and it doesn’t help that everybody and their mother has a different opinion about it. So here are the important facts you need to know:

• Are you under 26? You can stay on your parents’ health insurance. No sweat!
• Do you have a job? Your employer might have healthcare benefits available. Check to see if this is an option.
• Are you older than 26 and do not have healthcare through work? You can now enroll at www.healthcare.gov (and at a competitive price too!).
• Opting out? Starting next year, you will have to pay a penalty for not having health insurance. The penalty starts small, but will increase gradually over the next few years.

Over 19 million Americans ages 18-34 do not have health coverage. Don’t be a statistic. Enroll today and #GetCovered.

If you have questions, our friends at Young Invincibles have your back: Read up on some Healthcare FAQs.

Sincerely,

Heather”

National Voter Registration Day: Live Blog

 

Today we’re in the Campus Center celebrating National Voter Registration Day. We have registration forms and voter information to help you make an informed decision and cast your ballots correctly. Stop by between 10am and 1:30pm and we can answer any questions you have.

Here are some helpful website to check if you are registered to vote:

http://www.RockTheVote.com

http://www.Vote411.com

http://www.866ourvote.org

http://www.Elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html

National Voter Registration Day

Next Tuesday, September 24th from 10 am to 1:30 pm, join us in the Campus Center as we celebrate National Voter Registration Day!

See you there!We will have voter registration forms, information, and will be able to answer any questions you have about the voting process.

http://live.rockthevote.com/page/event/detail/4jvqb

Fall 2013 Newsletter

View this document on Scribd

Fall 2013 Events: Learning about your rights

Over the last decade or so we’ve seen a lot of changes in our world, and more specifically, in the United States. It’s hard to keep track of and it’s difficult to try and understand everything.

Laws get passed, wars start, analysts argue, and seemingly everyone is upset. But at the end of the day there’s one important question that isn’t answered, or asked, nearly enough: What’s changed and how will it influence my life?

This fall, our events will look to answer those questions and any other question you may have about civil or civic rights, laws, acts, and policies.

We’re going to bring in the people that know those laws the best and allow you to ask them questions. We’re going to have your peers help you understand the issues that really matter; the ones that affect you on a personal level and on a daily basis. We’re going to collaborate with groups from all across campus who have the same drive to educate their peers as we do.

And that, ultimately, is our goal: Education. So stay tuned throughout the summer as we continue to put these programs together and we look forward to seeing you in the fall.

If you want to help us we encourage you to email, tweet, or call us any time.

Email: Civic@oswego.edu

Twitter: SUNYOswegoCE

Phone: 315-312-5690 or 315-312-5745

The Supreme Court & the Voting Rights Act

We have embedded three videos that cover The Supreme Court’s ruling on the Voting Rights Act. The sources are Fox News, MSNBC,  and The Daily Show. All three share different viewpoints, none of which are shared by SUNY Oswego Civic Engagement. These videos are simply to educate those interested on this issue and the views expressed in the videos are that of the news source and not this site, its writers, Civic Engagement, or SUNY Oswego.

Fox News: Can Congress Fix the Voting Rights Act?

MSNBC: The Last Word

The Daily Show with Jon Oliver: The Voting Rights Act

Live Blog: Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy at SUNY Oswego

Disclaimer: Some of the views expressed here are that of the Lieutenant Governor and not of SUNY Oswego Civic Engagement.

The Lieutenant Governor was here today to talk about New York State’s new plan called, Start Up New York.

He started by thanking what SUNY system has done for New York State, President Deborah Stanley for her hard work and dedication, and Mayor Gillen among many others.

What is Start Up New York? (Click here for the full explanation)

START-UP NY will foster entrepreneurial-ism and job creation on a large scale by transforming public higher education through tax-free communities across the state, particularly upstate.

Details of the START-UP NY legislation include:

Tax-Free: Participating companies in START-UP NY will not pay any taxes (e.g. business/corporate taxes, sales taxes and property taxes) for 10 years. Employees in participating companies will pay no income taxes for the first five years. For the second five years, employees will pay no taxes on income up to $200,000 of wages for individuals, $250,000 for a head of household, and $300,000 for taxpayers filing a joint return. The number of net new jobs eligible for personal income tax benefits will not exceed 10,000 new jobs per year.

Business Eligibility: In order to locate into a START-UP NY tax-free community, a business will need to be aligned with or further the academic mission of the campus, college or university sponsoring the tax-free community. Businesses participating in the program will need to have positive community and economic benefits. Every business must create and maintain net new jobs in order to participate. Businesses must:

• Be a new start-up company;
• Be a company from out-of-state that is relocating to New York State; or
• Be the expansion of an existing New York State company – for example, a company creating a new line of business or opening a new advanced manufacturing facility – as long as it can demonstrate that it is creating new jobs and not moving existing jobs.

According to Duffy, this economic plan is important to the vitality of New York’s economy and its future.

Duffy’s PowerPoint explained how efficient this government has been, passing 3 budgets on time and not adding any new taxes for New York residence. He also spoke about the new teacher evaluations and marriage equality being at the head of Governor Cuomo’s initiatives.

Duffy also said that the administration is looking towards making social change in New York while also showing fiscal responsibility, starting with finding other ways to fixing the issues face by local economies;ways that do not include “simply throwing money at it.” This project is headed by the financial restructuring board, which helps local governments in times of financial stress.

Lieutenant Governor Duffy concluded his talk with how much he cared about upstate [New York]. As former Mayor of Rochester and long time resident of the Central New York area, he understands the hardships that many residents are dealing with. This program, Duffy said, will help revitalize the cities that house SUNY schools and private universities around the state, giving internships to current students and jobs to post-graduates.

Click here for Governor Cumo’s press release regarding Start Up New York

Getting involved with Civic Engagement:

Civic Engagement only works if we are engaged with our students on a daily basis. Last year, we were able to, in large part to the people who volunteered countless hours, engage, involve, and educate students by being a presence on campus. Without committed volunteers, we would not have been able to do our job.

What did we take away from our success? “We could do even BETTER.” This is where you come in.

We’re sending out a call to anyone who can commit any amount of time with our projects, programs, events, and any other crazy idea we come up with. We want you to engage your peers through education, giving the entire campus an opportunity to learn more about what will influence their future.

So, how can you help us? We made it easy. Join our Street Team!

The Street Team is a vehicle for members to pursue and make changes as well as to help advocate for civic education as an important part of student life at SUNY Oswego. Members will play a major role in promotion of events that it puts together in conjunction with the Coordinator of Civic Engagement, the Civic Engagement Graduate Assistant, and the Civic Engagement Coalition. The Street Team will also help in the recruitment of new members to help grow our numbers and expand our possibilities. Finally, members of the street team will be an important part to the Civic Engagement Coalition. Members will be invited to participate in monthly meetings and are encouraged to share ideas and suggestions from a student’s perspective.

Similar to the Coalition, this team will be a unification of students from across all academic disciplines, such as Education, Graphic Design, and Art, to History, Math, and Computer Science. The more diversified our team, the more perspective we will have in putting together successful campaigns and events.

We hope you will consider joining our team in our effort to expand what we are capable of doing at SUNY Oswego. If you want to know more about what the Street Team is all about, click the Civic Engagement Street Team link above to see the manual and brochure.

Thrive Presents: Oswego County CARES Expo

 

The expo will showcase a wide range of human services available to Oswego County residents, as well as several mini seminars of community interest.

The CARES Expo was created in partnership with the Rural Health Network’s Co-Morbidity Task Force and is co-sponsored by the Office of People With Developmental Disabilities Family Support Services Council.

It will be held on May 9 from 1 to 6 p.m. at the SUNY Oswego Campus Center Arena.

“This is a great opportunity for community members and our students to learn what programs and services are available to them in our county for any needs that may arise for themselves or their family members,” said Tammy Elowsky, assistant director, Office of Business and Community Relations at SUNY Oswego. “It will also provide lots of fun for children with an inflatable obstacle course, face painting, story time, and arts and crafts so that caregivers will have the opportunity to explore the expo and even take advantage of some of the mini classes we will have available that day. This is a part of our Thrive Community Incubator initiative and is our way of ‘paying it forward’ in our community.”

All are welcomed and encouraged to attend. See you there!