COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION College Student Commission Recommendation Number: (2025MMDD-XXX) (XXX is the agenda item number): Renewing College Food Insecurity Grant Program WHEREAS, The College Student Commission passed Recommendation 20210122-3b: College Food Insecurity Grant Program in January 2021; and WHEREAS, The College Student Commission passed Recommendation 20230324-10: Continuing College Food Insecurity Grant Program in March 2023; and WHEREAS, there are over 100,000 college students in the City of Austin, living across all 10 council districts, including students at Austin Community College, Concordia University, Huston-Tillotson University, St. Edwards University, and the University of Texas at Austin; and WHEREAS, the College Food Access Grant Program is designed to allow applicants to address food access in the manner that will best support their campuses through mini-grants; and WHEREAS, learning from student experiences is crucial to addressing food insecurity, and the program model is designed to facilitate student input in grant proposals; and WHEREAS, the College Food Access Grant Program was allocated $50,000 in direct support and $7,500 to support administration as part of the City of Austin's FY 2021-2022 Budget; and WHEREAS, the College Food Access Grant Program was allocated $100,000 in direct support and $7,500 to support administration as part of the City of Austin's FY 2023-2024 Budget; and WHEREAS, the Central Texas Food bank administered the College Food Access Grant program during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years, providing funding to 4 colleges; and WHEREAS, food insecurity continues to affect Austin-area college campuses with rising costs of food, housing, and other resources; and WHEREAS, throughout the previous periods, colleges experienced higher than expected use of food pantries funded by this program; and WHEREAS, this program was not renewed in the FY 2024-2025 budget, leaving food pantries on some campuses struggling to maintain an adequate supply of food; and WHEREAS, creating a more equitable and affordable city is an ongoing process, and current students are in need of immediate relief; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the College Student Commission recommends Austin City Council allocate $107,500 in ongoing funding for the College Food Access Grant Program for the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget. Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: Attest: _____________________________________________
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION College Student Commission Recommendation Number: (2025MMDD-XXX) (XXX is the agenda item number): Designating Austin’s Public Libraries as “Book Sanctuaries” WHEREAS, the State of Texas has routinely been a national leader in the number of books banned from libraries and school curriculums throughout the state; and WHEREAS, as of October 2024, PEN America found 538 instances of book bans across Texas; and WHEREAS, the Texas Legislature passed the READER Act, HB 900, during the 88th Legislative Session, which requires school libraries to remove books based on vague standards; and WHEREAS, across the nation, book bans predominantly impact books written by or featuring characters who are members of minority groups or the LGBTQIA+ community; and WHEREAS, books that have been banned throughout the state overwhelmingly deal with topics such as race, gender, and sexuality, as well as literature critical of authoritarian governments; and WHEREAS, access to knowledge and creative works, especially those that the government finds objectionable, is an essential facet of a free society; and WHEREAS, access to varying points of view is an essential aspect of higher education, where students of different backgrounds ought to be free to be exposed to diversity of thought. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the College Student Commission recommends that the Austin City Council designate Austin’s public libraries as “Book Sanctuaries” and guarantee that the city’s libraries will continue to offer for public access books that have been banned in K-12 and higher education curriculums or otherwise removed from libraries throughout Texas. Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: Attest: _____________________________________________
REGULAR MEETING of the COLLEGE STUDENT COMMISSION April 25th, 2025, AT 3:00 PM AUSTIN CITY HALL, Board and Commission Room 1101 301 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701 Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once, either in-person or remotely, and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register please contact Dr. Chiquita Eugene by email at chiquita.eugene@austintexas.gov or by phone at 512- 972-5003. Some members of the commission may be participating by videoconference. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Mariama Mbacke, Austin Community College Elisha McGreggor, Austin Community College Andrew Lyons, Austin Community College Aidyn Ogle, Concordia University Lorian Lopez, Concordia University Carson Domey, University of Texas at Austin Halle Kocian, University of Texas at Austin Mariana Ponce, University of Texas at Austin Caleb Brizuela, Huston-Tillotson University Dominic Polidor, Huston-Tillotson University Prisca Dhital, Huston-Tillotson University Charlie Mossberger, St. Edward’s University Jake Hamerslough, St. Edward’s University AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the College Student Commission Regular Meeting from April 4, 2025. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Introduction of new commissioners and assignment to working groups. Presentation from City of Austin 3-1-1 department on services their department provides and how college students can utilize 3-1-1. Chair and Vice Chair Elections. Update on the College Student Commission bylaws meeting requirement. Discussion on the status of food pantries on all campuses; voting on recommendation. Discussion on banned books; voting on recommendation. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 7. 8. Update from TRANSPORTATION working group on if they were able to meet. Update from MENTAL HEALTH working group on campus services. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Dr. Chiquita Eugene at the Youth Initiatives Office, at (512-972-5003), for …
