Campus Community Connections

CCE student newsletter
Sept. 1, 2020 | Volume 11, Issue 1

Volunteer and internship opportunities

Some community engagement opportunities will be limited this fall due to prioritizing the health and safety of our students and community members. There will be some in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities available for students, though. Students can visit the Service Listings and our website to find current opportunities.

Browse volunteer opportunities in the Service Listings

Note on in-person volunteering

Students are welcome to participate in in-person community engagement opportunities, but will be required to comply with all safety regulations set by the state and the site at which they're serving, including guidance set forth by the Department of Health, which may include wearing personal protective equipment (PPE/masks).

Find virtual volunteer opportunities on the CCE website

Are you ready to vote?

Students may stop by the CCE (UU-137) during normal business hours for assistance with registering to vote or requesting an absentee ballot, or to drop off completed forms. There is also a secure drop box outside the office for voter registration forms and absentee ballot requests, which is accessible anytime the Union is open. All forms brought to the CCE will be delivered to the Broome County Board of Elections.

CCE staff can also provide virtual assistance with voting questions. If you need assistance, email the CCE or call us at 607-777-4287. Visit our voter engagement page for relevant forms and deadlines.

NEW absentee voting provisions in N.Y.

The New York legislature has passed temporary provisions to make it easier to vote absentee in the November general election. All N.Y. voters may vote absentee in November using the "temporary illness" excuse and can submit their request form now. Voters may request their ballot electronically from the Board of Elections (BOE) in the county they are registered through email, a web portal established by their BOE, mail or fax. Absentee ballot request forms submitted electronically do not need to be signed.

If you want to submit an electronic absentee request, we recommend completing an online PDF version of the absentee request form, or using a web portal if your BOE has created one. Once you have received your ballot, the deadline to postmark your absentee ballot has been extended to Election Day.

Become a poll worker

America is facing a nationwide poll worker shortage. Poll workers are often over 60 and recommended to stay home due to COVID-19. A lack of poll workers leads to polling stations closing, which makes in-person voting much less inaccessible, as many people can't wait in long lines or travel far to the few polling stations that are open.

If you're registered to vote in New York state and attend a (paid) training, you can become a poll worker on Election Day. This is a paid position and a great way to ensure fair and safe voting for the whole county. Sign up online.

2020 Census Reminder

The Census Bureau has issued guidance that college students should still be counted at the residence they lived at while attending school in spring 2020, even if they returned home, are living at a different address this year or have graduated. If you lived off campus in spring 2020 and have not responded with your Binghamton address, you need to take action now to respond. Students living on campus in spring 2020 have been counted by Residential Life and do not need to take further action.

If you lived with roommates, you should work together to submit just one census form for everyone at your address. If this is not possible, you should still respond on your own and include as much information as you can about everyone you lived with in spring 2020. The census will remove duplicates if your roommates also respond. If everyone at your apartment returned home before receiving the census instructions in the mail, or you no longer have access to those instructions, you can still respond by entering your address.

Learn more on our 2020 Census webpage.

Events

A Conversation with Anthony Ray Hinton: Diversity, Unity and Justice

7 p.m. Sept. 2
Explore racial inequality and systemic oppression in our criminal justice system, activism, resilience and building relationships to create a more just world. Anthony Ray Hinton of the Equal Justice Institute, represented by Bryan Stevenson, walked out of the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Ala., a free man on Friday, April 3, 2015, after spending 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit.

The event will feature a virtual keynote talk by Hinton followed by a Fireside Chat hosted by Student Association President Khaleel James and Black Student Union Vice President Kendra Gourgue. Attendees are encouraged to read Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson and watch the documentary 13th by filmmaker Ava DuVernay ahead of this event, though it is not required for participation. All students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members may register online.

For questions, email Tanyah Barnes, MRC associate director. The event is sponsored by the Multicultural Resource Center, Student Affairs Student Success and Residential Life.

Constitution Day 2020

4-6 p.m. Sept. 17
Join your peers from across the SUNY system for a virtual public deliberation on the history, problems and future of voting in the United States. Discussion of these topics will take place in small groups via Zoom. Register online as a student.

Thursday, September 10
Start	End	Event	Location
4:30pm	5:30pm	B-Engaged & CCE: Service Hours & Tracking	https://binghamton.zoom.us/j/99454975298

Miscellaneous

Survey on healthy family planning

If you are 18+ years old, you are eligible to answer our anonymous survey about awareness of resources and risks related to raising healthy families.

It should take 10 to 15 minutes, and your answers will be kept anonymous. No personal identification information will be collected. Complete the survey.

This study has been approved by the Binghamton University Institutional Review Board. Contact First-year Research Immersion Program Community & Global Public Health Research Assistant Professor Jodi Dowthwaite with questions or concerns.