Wagner students talk college
safety with elected officials in Albany
By ROB HART, Staff Writer
Staten Island Advance, Thursday, April 26, 2007
ALBANY — A contingent of students from Wagner College spent a second day at the state Capitol yesterday to meet with elected officials and address a number of issues with lawmakers — including school safety.
David Martin, the chief of staff at the Grymes Hill college, said they were looking to discuss the needs of a new dorm, and “because of recent events (with the shooting at Virginia Tech) we want to see what the Legislature is going to do with safety and security.”
Senate Democrats have proposed college safety measures like public address systems and panic buttons, while Senate Republicans will hold a public hearing on security issues following the massacre on the Blacksburg, Va., campus last week, when student Cho Seung-Hui gunned down 32 people before killing himself.
“We’ve been talking about funding issues for the school, financial aid, capital funding to do new building projects, and just making sure they’re familiar with us,” said Stephen Brooker, of Eltingville, a junior majoring in government and history.
Allie Rivera, a sophomore English major from Clinton, Conn., said lawmakers were “all very willing to talk to us and hear what we have to say.”
Rob Hart covers state government for the Advance. He may be reached at rhart@siadvance.com.
Copyright © 2007 Staten Island Advance. All rights reserved.
