Hostos celebrated National Voter Registration Day on September 27 by offering free voter registration services, plus an event that allowed the College to make its voice heard.
Approximately 100 students registered to vote on campus and kept students engaged, thanks to a collaborative effort between Hostos’ Student Government Association, Law & Social Justice Club, A.L.M.A Club, Public Administration Club, PSC /CUNY Hostos Chapter 100, and the Student Activities Office.
Hostos students and members of the ALMA Club (Assisting Latinos to Maximize Achievement) Jennifer Garcia, Maria Perez and Stephen Mnere spent most of their afternoon on the bridge encouraging everyone who walked by to register. A registration table was also set up outside the Memorial Garden.
Later that day, an interactive
“Text, Talk, Vote” (TTV) event was held in the Hostos Café. The technology-driven event provided an open dialogue about social and political issues that resonate with Hostos students.
Hostos Public Policy & Law Unit Professor, Héctor Soto (pictured above), served as the event facilitator and participated himself with table of three students. The dynamic and interactive TTV format separated attendees into small groups with one cell phone per table. Each group texted VOTE to the 42016. Messages that were received guided the groups through several discussion topics, including voting rights, immigration, and other issues college students across the country care about.
The data collected was compiled electronically by the National Institute of Civil Discourse and then provided to legislative candidates for consideration in their policy platform.
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique Student Success Coaching Unit provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.
Hostos offers 29 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.