Call to Action
Take action to benefit your neighborhood! Get a college near you to offer free and professional college counseling by hosting the College Advising Core. Select your neighborhood and sign our petition.
Below you can view our letter template for the petitions, which we'll send to Columbia University, Pace, Fordham University, The New School, the CUNY System, the Cooper Union, St. John's College, and Stony Brook with your help. All you need to do is sign!
Petition Template
To whom it may concern,
We are a group of students from [insert neighborhood] who are reaching out to urge a partnership between your institution and the College Advising Corps. This collaboration will leverage your current initiative [ insert initiative related to the CAC ] to bring more guidance counselors to our community.
72.8% of New York City's public school students are economically disadvantaged and have limited resources outside of school. The lack of adequate school counseling within public schools exacerbates this disadvantage. Although the recommended student-to-counselor ratio is 1:250, the ratio in New York is 1:331. The abnormal caseloads demonstrated by the ratio limiting counselors' ability to effectively advise students and provide individualized plans to further their postsecondary plans.
In light of this prevalent issue, we ask universities to act by partnering with the College Advising Corps (CAC). The CAC is an independent nonprofit organization with a national network spanning 15 states and 30 university partners advising students in 691 high schools. The program has yielded a 53% increase in student enrollment for students who meet with a CAC advisor compared to those who don’t in the same high school. They have served thousands of students, and with your institution’s support, they can extend their efforts to [ ] high schools and fill the gaps in school counseling students encounter.
Developing a partnership between your institution and the CAC will allow NYC schools to effectively advise their students and support their post-secondary plans. Furthermore, the initiative will maximize students' academic potential and facilitate access to higher education through high-quality advising.
Finally, we urge you to forge a partnership with the CAC to bring this necessary program to high schools in your area. The CAC will help alleviate the deficiencies of the current college counseling system. Your support will enlighten and empower bright minds from underserved communities by giving them access to the transformative power of education.
Sincerely,
Students of the Freedom and Citizenship program, on behalf of the [ ] community.