The 2024 Upstate Campus Tour
Tour Dates: March 4th-8th, 2024 + March 28th, 2024
The annual Upstate Campus Tour kicked off on Monday, March 4th when Executive Director, Emily Rubino and Student & Campaigns Coordinator, Margaret Engel set off from NYC to visit 7 upstate campus chapters and 4 PANYS community chapters over the course of 4 days in Bronxville, Geneseo, Buffalo, Niagara, Syracuse, Potsdam, and Albany. Additionally, we added an “extension” to the tour to visit 2 campuses on Long Island on March 28th!
This yearly tour around New York State is an opportunity for our PANYS state office staff to strengthen our multigenerational organizing network across the state, hear from PANYS chapter leaders about the work they’re doing in their local communities, and build connections with our student organizers who are paving the way for the future of the peace movement.
It was amazing to visit with our PAFNYS Campus Chapters, PANYS Community Chapters, and affiliated allies upstate.
Read on for a brief recap and to view photos from the trip!
DAY 1 | March 4th: Bronxville + Geneseo
Sarah Lawrence College, SUNY Geneseo, Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (GVCP)
Left & Center: We visited Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY and met with the PAFNYS Campus Organizer there. Members of the student chapter at Sarah Lawrence College have been consistently volunteering with Hearts & Homes for Refugees, and this year have participated in campus-wide walkouts calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Right: We gathered over dinner with activists from Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (GVCP) and Peace Action Geneseo, the campus chapter of SUNY Geneseo. During the 2023-2024 school year, Peace Action Geneseo and GVCP have partnered to hold demonstrations to protest the genocide in Gaza, as well as for events surrounding the 3rd anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
DAY 2 | March 5th: Buffalo
Canisius College / Western New York Peace Center (WNYPC)
Left & Right: We headed north to Buffalo, where we joined Deidra EmEl and Vicki Ross from the Western New York Peace Center (WNYPC) in visiting with the PAFNYS Campus Organizer at Canisius College. WNYPC continues to serve as a cornerstone of dialogue, action, and advocacy in Buffalo and the surrounding region. Recently, they have been active in hosting demonstrations and events to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
DAY 3 | March 6th: Niagara + Syracuse
Niagara University / Le Moyne College / Syracuse Peace Council
Left: Niagara University’s campus chapter has found its home in the campus’ new Justice House, a space for student organizations to collaborate on projects surrounding social, political, and economic justice issues!
Center: In Syracuse, Peace Action Le Moyne (PALM) has been hard at work this year organizing on campus. They have been promoting cross-campus collaboration throughout Syracuse and work closely with the Syracuse Peace Council.
Right: The Syracuse Peace Council continues to promote denuclearization and recently launched a high school outreach initiative.
DAY 4 | March 7th: Potsdam + Albany
Clarkson University, Siena College, Upper Hudson Peace Action (UHPA)
Left: All the way north in Potsdam, the student chapter at Clarkson University has been active on campus and in the Potsdam area by hosting panels on various peace and justice issues and collaborating with other on-campus organizations.
Center: At Siena College in Loudonville, the student chapter recently held a fundraiser for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund and continues to host Justice Circles for students and faculty on campus. Recently, students wrote over 150 letters that were sent to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand urging them to support a Ceasefire Resolution.
Right: We wrapped up our tour in Albany, where we joined the Campus Organizer from Siena College and activists from Upper Hudson Peace Action (UHPA) for dinner! UHPA has been continuing to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza, and recently, they hosted a presentation on the political and historical landscape of Kurdistan.
EXTENSION | March 28th: Long Island
Stony Brook University, Hofstra University
Left: On March 28th, we embarked on a “Long Island extension” of our 2024 Upstate Campus Tour! We started by visiting with our Campus Organizers at Stony Brook University. Recently, some of our Stony Brook chapter members engaged in a peaceful sit-in at a university administration building for SUNY BDS’ Day of Action that resulted in the arrest of seven students, one alumnus, and one community member. During our March 28th visit, we had the opportunity to sit down with chapter members and hear about their experiences with the protest, university police, and the response from students and faculty. Later this month, the Stony Brook chapter plans to host a peace gala featuring local artists and performers to fundraise for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund.
Center & Right: Margaret Engel was invited to speak to a class at Hofstra University by her former professor. While PAFNYS does not have an active Campus Organizing chapter at Hofstra this semester, we hope this could help us recruit a new organizer there!
