Austin Texas College Student Commission

We did it!

Tonight, the Austin City Council officially adopted our Commission's College Food Insecurity Grant Program, at the rate of $50,000 ongoing beginning in FY21-22. This marks the first recommendation of our commission to be passed by the Council, no small feat after over a year and a half of hard work. We could not have gotten this done without the support and help of many in our community, including Councilmember Kathie Tovo, student organizers who spoke up in favor of our recommendation, and the support of other boards and commissions who answered our call when we presented this recommendation to them. Now begins the real work of getting these dollars out and into the hands of organizations on campus to start implementing their ideas to reduce insecurity among their communities.

The urgency of this recommendation could not be made more apparent except by the rise in the delta variant and in the aftermath of a winter storm which left many college students without power and easy access to food. Moreover, as students return to campus, we understand that the need we saw before the pandemic is no less than before, calling on us to work with anyone who is willing on this issue. We can't wait to get back in session to start discussing where we go from here and working with our administrative community partners.

www.austintexas.gov

As the Texas Legislature stands poised to send HB1927 to the Governor's Desk, the many lives of young people taken by gun violence this year alone weigh heavily on the minds of the commissioners. More guns in the hands of more people do not make our students safer, but rather imperil their sense of security on campus.

In the interest of the students we represent, we view this moment as the beginning of a crucial discussion on our campuses, and one that must be had before students return next Fall. On Friday, the Commission released its statement on the epidemic and provided solutions to the institutions we serve, and that serve us, in anticipation of a world where anyone will be able to carry firearm in public. Read it here:

CSC Statement on Gun Violence (2021)

The College Student Commission will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 21, 2021 via videoconference.

The agenda is posted here: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=360278

Support for a “College Food Insecurity” Grant Program at the City of Austin

On January 22nd, 2021 the College Student Commission unanimously approved recommendation #20210122-3b to advise the Austin City Council to establish a College Food Insecurity city grant program. This grant program is intended to finance projects, programs, and initiatives that aim to provide resources for food-insecure college students at their respective campuses. This program is to be created by, and applications are to be reviewed by, the student representatives that make up the College Student Commission at the City of Austin.
SIGN THIS PETITION TO ENCOURAGE THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL TO ACT ON THIS RECOMMENDATION.

Students across Austin deserve to be fed, healthy, and supported by their colleges/universities. The basic needs of students are even more at risk given the health and economic devastation that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Obstacles to the development of proper campus resources are most frequently related to funding. By signing this petition, we demand that the Austin City Council take responsibility for the well-being of the college students that they represent, and create a system designed to address these complex issues by supporting tailored community-led solutions.

The full recommendation with background and data can be found here: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=354083

If you represent an organization, coalition, student group/club, city office, or board/commissions, and would like to have your group represented as an official supporter for this recommendation, please fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/bJt1WMnajppzfWzb8

Email the Austin City Council to express your support here: https://www.austintexas.gov/email/all-council-members

Have you seen this petition yet? 64 signatures are needed! Support for a “College Food Insecurity” Grant Program at the City of Austin

The College Student Commission will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, January 22, 2021 via videoconference.

The agenda is posted here: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=353404

The College Student Commission will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 4, 2020 via videoconference.

The agenda is posted here: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=346183

On July 06, 2020, the College Student Commission unanimously approved an Official Statement on Austin ISD’s School Resource Officers and University Police Department Officers.

http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=343371

The College Student Commission will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, July 6, 2020 via videoconference. The agenda is posted here: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=342687

On June 15, 2020, the College Student Commission unanimously approved Recommendation Number 20200615-001b: Addressing the History of Austin Police Department's Police Brutality and Its Effects on College Students.

The College Student Commission will meet at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, June 15, 2020 via videoconference. The agenda is posted here: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=342011