FRIDAY, APRIL 25
SPRING 2025 | ISSUE 9
WHAT’S INSIDE:
A&C
SPORTS
OPINION
Cardinal Creatives Fest houses diverse artists
In The Cards: Cardinals trade skates for cleats
Coachella: an ever-shifting trendsetter.
MICHAEL PURTELL/Cardinal Points
Plattsburgh Professor of Theatre Kim Hartshorn speaks to the crowd to start the protest April 16.
UUP calls for federal change on campus BY MICHAEL PURTELL Editor in Chief
A megaphone, clappers and chants filled the air of Amitie Plaza as a crowd gathered to protest in support of the funding of America’s education system. The Plattsburgh chapter of the United University Professions held a protest on campus in protest of the Trump administration’s federal budget cuts April 16. The primary focus of the speakers was the cuts to the Department of Education, but members of the protest used the megaphone to express their dismay with cuts to the office of Veterans Affairs and the targeting of international students. Plattsburgh Professor of Theatre Kim Hartshorn hosted the event, and spoke first to the crowd of assembled faculty
and students. He spoke about how important it was to organize and protest so that individuals’ dissatisfaction can be felt and their freedoms can be fought for. Hartshorn reminded the crowd that they don’t just protest for themselves, but for the students and staff unable to do so. “It is those of us who are hidden and those of us who are vulnerable who will be targeted first,” Hartshorn said. Hartshorn and the UUP organized four speakers to rally for the cause.
MICHAEL CASHMAN
Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Michael Cashman was the first speaker to take Hartshorn’s place. He prepared a statement for the crowd, and stressed the importance of elected officials in making
themselves visible in their support of the wants of their communities. Cashman explained his college path through SUNY Plattsburgh and called to attention how TRIO programs acted as an investment in his potential. He said the program and programs like it “are essential in the North Country.” The Department of Government Efficiency’s cuts to the department of education have threatened the eight programs that make up TRIO, and without it many students are less likely to be able to afford a college education. Cashman also called for the revitalization of the Pell grant, as it no longer accommodates “modern costs.” “When we invest in education we invest in our democracy, workforce and economy,” Cashman said. “It is about
the investment in the collective. My heart breaks for those losing their jobs from the chaos-commander-in-chief. Do not relent.” Cashman had to leave after his speech, but Hartshorn thanked him for his appearance greatly. “From my conversations, our elected officials do stand on our side, on both ends of the aisle politically,” Hartshorn said.
HOLLY HELLER-ROSS
SUNY Plattsburgh alumna and Librarian Holly Heller-Ross spoke next. She restated Cashman’s point about the modern cost of a college education and how Pell grants have not grown to accommodate the new costs. UUP > 3
Stefanik considering run for NY governor BY SEUNG MIN KIM & ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press
Rep. Elise Stefanik, a member of House Republican leadership and onetime nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is considering a run for New York governor, according to a person close to her. The person was granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The state’s current governor, Democrat Kathy Hochul, was elected in 2022 and is running for reelection next year. Stefanik, a close ally and fierce defender of President Donald Trump, had been nominated to represent the U.S. at the United Nations. But her nomination was pulled last month amid concerns about leaving a Republican House seat vacant when the party has such a narrow majority in the chamber. Trump, in a Wednesday morning post on his social media platform Truth Social, wrote, “Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is GREAT!!! Stefanik, who represents a sprawling congressional district in northern New York, released a statement Wednesday afternoon that didn’t address a potential run for governor but lambasted Hochul as the “Worst Governor in America” and said “we must FIRE Kathy Hochul in 2026 to SAVE NEW YORK.” AP file photo If Stefanik does enter the race, she might face off Rep. Elise Stefanik testifies during a Senate Commit- in a Republican primary against Rep. Mike Lawler, tee on Foreign Relations hearing Jan. 21. who has been teasing a run for several months.
The last Republican governor in New York was former Gov. George Pataki, who served three terms and left office almost two decades ago. Lee Zeldin, current head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency and former congressman from Long Island, mounted a serious challenge to Hochul in the governor’s race in 2022, nearly landing what would have been a major upset in the heavily Democratic state. Asked by reporters about a possible Stefanik candidacy, Hochul said, “No matter the GOP nominee next year that I’ll be running against, it’s going to be an extreme MAGA Republican, and I look forward to that fight.” Hochul herself is expected to face a contested primary. Her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, earlier this year announced he would not run for reelection alongside the governor next year, hinting instead at his own gubernatorial candidacy. Rep. Ritchie Torres is also rumored to be considering a run and has emerged as one of the governor’s most pronounced Democratic critics.
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