On Monday, November 19th, 2012, Bernice Radle and Greg Conley went to the County Budget Meeting in Downtown Buffalo to speak on behalf of Young Citizens for ECC and building a bigger and better downtown campus.
The message is clear - Use the 7.5 million dollars to enhance the City Campus, not on the Amherst Campus.
We are urging our elected officials to not give 7.5 million dollars to an ill conceived plan for the Amherst location. ECC does not need an expansion in the Amherst site, it needs a new overall vision with the City Campus as it's core education hub. The 7.5 million dollars was given to ECC by Erie County for a new building on the Amherst Campus however, that money can and should be redirected to enhance the City Campus.
The City campus can and should be the largest campus that provides all educational options. This will allow for all students to have easy access using public transit, networking and internship opportunities in our regional core and will provide a unique environment for learning. The Amherst & South Buffalo sites should act as secondary satellites for the ECC City Campus, not primary locations.Considering the amount of recent public transportation cuts to both suburban campus sites, there is an even greater lack of access to students who are low income and without personal transportation options. Additionally, with a large increase of international immigrants coming to Buffalo every year, Erie County needs to provide a campus that is accessible and available to our newest citizens who want to go to college.
We are asking our elected officials to help create an ECC for the 21st Century, one that is urban, efficient and accessible to all.
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