Communication to the City Council · From Paula Crane Deputy City Clerk · Feb 4 2019

City of Cambridge IN CITY COUNCIL February 4, 2019 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui, Chair Councillor Craig A. Kelly Councillor Alanna Mallon Councillor Timothy J. Toomey Jr. Councillor Quinton Zondervan In City Council February 4, 2019 The Economic Development and University Relations Committee held a public hearing on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. in the Sullivan Chamber to discuss the formation of a city commission dedicated to providing a forum for exploring and addressing the concerns of undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate and other post-high school students in Cambridge. Present at the hearing were Councillor Siddiqui, Chair of the Committee, Councillor Councillor Mallon, Vice Mayor Devereux, Lisa Peterson, Deputy City Manager, Ellen Semonoff, Assistant City Manager for Human Services, Sarah Stanton, Aide to Councillor Siddiqui, Mark Gutierrez, Aide to Councillor Kelley, and Paula M. Crane, Deputy City Clerk. Also present were Sarah Gallop, Co-Director, Office of Government and Community Relations, MIT, Javin Pombra, Jack Reid, Skylar Deckoff-Jones, Chloe Morgan, Gwen Volmar, Burhan Azeem and Peggy Barnes Lenart. Councillor Siddiqui convened the hearing and reviewed the agenda of the hearing (ATTACHMENT A). She said other cities have university student commissions and she is excited to see what the need is in Cambridge. She stated that there are questions such as who would “own” the commission and what such a commission would look like as there are several models of such a commission. Councillor Siddiqui introduced Javin Pombra. Mr. Pombra gave a summary of a PowerPoint presentation (ATTACHMENT B). He stated that he thought of this idea in September when he realized that there is a need in terms of college students. He said that one-third of adults in Cambridge between the ages of 18-24 go to a post- graduate program. He noted that there are thousands of students over three major colleges with housing in Cambridge. He stated that some of these students will likely to stay in the city where they attended school. He said that when a student graduates, policies of the City affect them. He said that while there is a standing Economic Development and University Relations Committee in place, having a committee with college and university students will provide a unique perspective to the conversations. He stated that these students can reach other students in their respective campuses. He said that students have perspectives that differ from the views of their school’s administration. In terms of precedence of a commission Mr. Pombra said that given that there is a large population of university students, it would make sense to create a commission to obtain students’ views of housing,

transportation, and other important issues in the city. He explained that in Austin, Texas, The College Student Commission was established to represent this constituency of the city by serving as an advisory board to the City Council concerning issues affecting the quality of life of higher education students in the Austin area. He explained that in Keene, New Hampshire, The College City Commission consists of 14 regular voting members. He noted that this commission conducts activities to promote improved relationships between the college and city communities. He highlighted that these commissions provide opportunities for students to contribute to city culture and economy. Mr. Pombra said that as youth engagement typically happens at the state or national level, a commission could be used as a tool to create a bridge between students and government. Councillor Siddiqui said that she co-founded the Youth Council in the City of Cambridge sixteen years ago. She affirmed that engagement is key. She asked Ms. Peterson if this issue has come up in past. Ms. Peterson responded that the city wants to get young peoples’ voices into the conversations. She said that she does not believe that the city has thought particularly of having a commission of university aged students but noted that there has been increased focus on how to integrate the 18-35-year-old voices into the existing boards and commissions and planning efforts. Councillor Siddiqui requested data on the current city commissions who have university-aged or 18-35- year-old members. Vice Mayor Devereux added that one current student served on the Harvard Square Advisory Committee. Ms. Semonoff said that the city has seen some undergraduates participate. She said that the Family Policy Council had members who were Cambridge residents who then attended college in the city and later applied to be on the commission. She said that the purpose of what one is looking for would drive what makes sense. She said that if the purpose is to influence city policy, the focus should be on getting representation on existing commissions for bodies that address a certain issue. She said that the purpose is really important because if the goal is to influence specific policies, there may be more influence when working with the people who are proposing the policies. Councillor Mallon said that she has had discussions with Councillor Siddiqui regarding a Millennial Commission. She stated that unfortunately, the city does not hear a lot of youth or diverse voices. She said that as it relates to Ms. Semonoff’s comments regarding joining existing commissions, Councillor Mallon said that if we want more youth on those commissions, the city would need to provide a springboard towards those commissions. She referred to a Cambridge Digs Deep conversation that took place a few weeks prior. She said that there is a need to bring people to the table. She said that leadership positions need to be created to enable people to feel that they are participating in a real way. She said that she would like to see this commission fleshed out. She remarked that she feels that it would be great for the Mayor’s Office to feed this work. She said that the challenge is that the Mayor changes every two years, so the committee may need to “live” in a different department to ensure continuity. Councillor Mallon concluded by stating that there has been swell of students getting involved at the national level and there is the need for more students at the local level. Vice Mayor Devereux said that the committee must determine whether this is a commission composed only of university students or whether it should be a commission composed of young people. She said that as Cambridge struggles with income equality and race and class issues, there would be criticism if the commission focused only on university students. She said that this is an important first step. She said that it is important that members of such a commission are Cambridge residents. She said that it would be great to have a young adult group. Councillor Siddiqui said that there is a college success initiative and there are community college students in the City of Cambridge. She stated that a commission must be inclusive of all students, regardless of

where they attend school. Skylar Deckoff-Jones said that the majority of graduate students are residents of Cambridge and often live in the city from 5-7 years. Jack Reid stated that even with undergraduates, it would not be difficult to find students who are registered to vote in the city. Ms. Peterson added that the city could also do a better job when there are openings on various boards and commissions. She said that more targeted communication towards students would be beneficial. Ms. Semonoff said that it is important for the city to understand the needs and interests of the 18-24-year- old age groups versus the 24-30-year-old age groups. She said that she imagines that the interests and needs of those 18-24 who are not in a post-secondary opportunity may be different from the interests of the 30-year old grad students. She said that it could be a rich conversation but the purposes of people coming together may be quite different. Sarah Gallop said that a recent example that came to mind when Vice Mayor Devereux was speaking was when the City asked MIT if they would like to recommend people to serve on advisory committee that would look at the issue of South Mass Avenue safety improvement. She said that they went to the Graduate Student Council and asked for a representative to serve. She said that it was important to have a student’s view. She noted that the student was an asset to the committee. She said for MIT tries to have an undergraduate and graduate representative on their task forces or committees. She said that there is more interest among the graduate students to serve as opposed to the undergraduate students because a graduate student tends to feel more like a resident as they have an extended period of time in the city. She said that it has worked well. She said that it is important to MIT to hear the students’ perspectives around policy matters. Councillor Siddiqui said that it is important that the City hear the student perspective as well. She asked Javin Pombra if he did any survey assessment among his peers. She asked him what is the appetite that he is seeing as it relates to “plugging into the city.” She said that there is no specific program to introduce students to city organizations or city government. Mr., Pombra responded that many students live in the “Harvard or MIT bubble.” He said that we change the narrative as it relates to undergrads by specifically reaching out to them. He said that it should not only be university students. He said that a consistent commission that meets regularly ensures that members will bring information back to the school community. He said that many students that he spoke with do not know anything about the function of the City Council as they are focused on national and state politics. Vice Mayor Devereux asked Mr. Pombra if he reads The Harvard Crimson. She said that the MIT student newspaper does not cover the City Council while The Harvard Crimson does. She encouraged Mr. Pombra to encourage the students to read The Harvard Crimson. Mr. Pombra said that The Harvard Crimson reporting is more reactive with not as much pre-coverage. Vice Mayor Devereux said reading The Harvard Crimson gives students the opportunity to know what issues are being discussed. Councillor Mallon said that the creation of any such commission should include all young people. She said that she, Councillor Siddiqui and Mayor McGovern are working with the Youth Council to help them work on issues that are important to them. She stressed the importance of this connection. She said that when the city has issues on the City Council agenda, the people they hear from are pro or against said issue. She said that if The Harvard Crimson reports after the fact, this does not allow the opportunity for student input. Councillor Siddiqui asked Burhan Azeem for his thoughts. Mr. Azeem stated that they want more ways to be engaged but added that he has does not have a concrete idea to facilitate engagement. He said that if there is a way to bring conversations closer to campus, more people would get involved.

Ms. Gallop said that the Envision Cambridge process would have been an interesting way to get students involved. She said that Envision was a long-term planning process that encompassed many topics. She asked Mr. Azeem if he had a general idea of how many students voted in the Participatory Budgeting process. Mr. Azeem said that he is aware of students voting in the Participatory Budgeting. Ms. Gallop noted that students are always welcome by neighborhood groups and associations. She said that the City listens to all these groups and this could be another avenue of involvement. Gwen Volmar said that Northwestern makes it mandatory for all students to vote. She said that this may be a way to get students better involved. She said that if you have people in the room who have access and power to make issues concrete, it would be worthwhile to consider. Ms. Gallop explained that Sloane has a program where students work as a team with non-profit agencies. She said that this is a volunteer opportunity where course credits are earned. She said that this is a natural place for synergies. Vice Mayor Devereux added that two Harvard students founded Y2Y Harvard Square which is a shelter for young adults in Harvard Square. Councillor Siddiqui stated that it would be helpful to have a clear policy as it relates to where a student can vote when attending undergraduate or graduate school. She said that Cambridge does have a transient population and the idea of something consistent where people can plug in is important to think about. Mr. Pombra said that at the very least, more engagement of youth is needed. He said that university students like it when things are close by. He said that the best way to get to youth is through youth. Ms. Semonoff asked if we are talking about all youth of a certain age or is it university student focused. She said that the purposes might be different for each group. She said that the decision point about which direction to move in really depends on the goals. She said that what is trying to be accomplished would drive the population that is most likely to be engaged. She said that one way that the City has gathered information is when the Mayor or City Council hosted a Town Hall Meeting which provides an opportunity for some speaking on the part of the Mayor or city leaders and smaller groups to have conversations about specific topics. She said that this could help to figure out the best structure that might help drive this work. Vice Mayor Devereux agreed that a Town Hall Meeting could be an interesting way to get at this issue. She said that she feels that this could be an extension of the Youth Council. She said that her understanding is that each year, the Youth Council has a project that they focus on. Vice Mayor Devereux said that Find It Cambridge grew out of the need to better inform families of course selection. She said that this was an unmet need until the Youth Council worked on this issue. She said that a City commission, in most respects, is used in an advisory capacity and they do not usually take a position. She said that it is more of an input and engagement committee and does not have a direct-action approach. Emily Dexter stated that the School Committee is interested in post-secondary outcomes and people. She said students that grew up in Cambridge and go to college are in a very unique position. She said that engaging these people as ambassadors to the universities would be a good idea. She stated that some people in the 18-29 age group have children in the Cambridge Public Schools. She said that The Harvard Crimson used to cover many topics in Cambridge and in the Cambridge Public Schools. She noted that she has not seen any reporters or coverage at the School Committee meetings. Mr. Azeem said that may be worthwhile for institution specific engagement. For example, Mr. Azeem said that there are 10,000 students at MIT. He said that if there is a focus on life experiences of these students, it is more worthwhile to have it on campus. He asserted that if you provide give people an easy platform, you will hear more input. He said that if a City Council meeting were to take place on the

grounds of MIT once or twice a semester, more students would be engaged. He said that having events on campus provide for a good vehicle in which to obtain information. Councillor Mallon said that she likes the idea of a Youth Town Meeting to determine if there is an appetite for this type of engagement. She said that two Harvard University students recently ran for the City Council and this speaks to the idea of young people who want to affect change. She said that we cannot assume that students are too busy. She said that interfacing with city leadership is an opportunity to make connections and work on specific projects. Vice Mayor Devereux took the opportunity to inform the attendees of the City of Cambridge State of the City address that will take place this evening. She noted that this address will be livestreamed, and all are welcome to attend. Ms. Gallop said that the City Council sets goals each year. She said that they evolve to reflect the current need of the community. She said that these goals will give a sense of the City’s current focus. Emily Dexter stated that it would be helpful to have an infrastructure in place so that City Hall could interface with student groups. Mr. Pombra said that the students have a lot of opportunities to learn from the City Council. He stated that need to find a bridge between the opportunities and the youth. He said that there needs to be some way to get more people and students involved and attend these meetings. He said that there is a limited amount of outreach and understanding as to what the opportunities are. Vice Mayor Devereux affirmed that it always comes down to a communication issue. Peggy Leonard said that this is a good conversation. In terms of students who are interested in sustainability and how it integrates with other City goals, she advised that there is an advisory committee that will meet with the City Manager over the upcoming year. Gwen Volmar noted that there is now a Harvard Graduate Student Union. She said that it may be an interesting point of contact for the committee and the conversation as a whole. Javin Pombra noted that within the colleges and universities there is typically a group of students that are appointed to act as student liaisons. He said that if these groups could meet with the City Council and come to City Council meetings, it would be great. He said that they could then report on the meetings and send out informative e-mails which could be a first step in outreach. Ms. Gallop said that most City Councillors have newsletters that are quite information. She said that signing up for these newsletters would be beneficial to learn about important issues around the City. Councillor Siddiqui said that she would like the committee to continue discussions on this issue. She stated that it is important to look at better ways to communicate with students. She said that she likes the idea of Town Hall Forum. She indicated that she will continue to chair meetings on this topic and will continue to work with those students present. Councillor Siddiqui thanked all those present for their attendance. The hearing adjourned at 1:12 p.m. For the Committee,

________________________________ Councillor Sumbul Siddiqui, Chair Economic Development and University Relations Committee