Testimony from the CUNY Board of Trustees Hearing – May 11, 2026

Annie Tummino, Head of Special Collections & Archives, & Assistant Professor, Queens College

“Austerity and disinvestment have led to hiring freezes, limited services, crumbling buildings, and low morale. Our students don’t get the timely help they need because basic services like immigrant student support, counseling, IT, and registrar are so understaffed. Our library can no longer purchase books unless it’s paid for with grants or donations.”

Thomas Lee, Director of Administration, Music Department, Queens College

“We are now down to 2 music education faculty members when we used to have 5, we don’t have a full-time piano faculty [member] and we don’t have an orchestra conductor. We are a premier music school within the CUNY system. Our faculty also teach at Mannes, Manhattan School of Music, Julliard and Curtis; these are major accomplished musicians. We are a boon for the college university, and yet there is more time and attention on developing the school of business instead of working to develop our own existing, well-established programs.”

Natalie Bump Vena, Assistant Professor, Queens College

“Queens College & CUNY leaders must collaborate to secure funding to fully staff an array of campus offices that are critical to student success, retention & safety, including counseling services and the immigrant student support initiative. Shamefully, only 3 full-time counselors will serve our thousands of students next year.”

Walter Lucken, Professor, SEEK Program, Queens College

“Our building is a living document to the legacy of the civil rights movement. Every single time that our students come in to learn and work with us, they are taking part in that legacy. Disrespecting that building is disrespecting that legacy.”

Erica Doran, Lecturer, Queens College

“We currently have only 3 mental health counselors to serve over 15,000 students at a time when mental health issues are at crisis levels. Reports of incidents, including physical altercations involving students who are clearly unstable and in need, are growing week by week.”

José Miguel Martínez-Torrejón, Distinguished Professor, Queens College

“[Undocumented] students don’t trust anybody with their stories as much as they used to, and Queens College has established an immigrant student support initiative where help is available. It was a good idea, yet all the college could come up with is a part-time position for 15 non-teaching adjunct hours a week. The low wage and the few hours are very telling about our priorities. It turns out that the position is vacant because nobody wants it – not surprisingly – so there will be no support for at least a month after commencement.”

Charmaine Thornhill, Administrative Coordinator, SEEK Program, Queens College

“I don’t think they did the right thing by… not letting us be moved somewhere else before they started construction. Right now, we don’t know when we are going to go back into the building, so we are displaced, the students are displaced, faculty are displaced, counselors are displaced…”