Two Hunter students were chosen to participate in a mock debate on March 9 in the New York State Senate chamber as part of CUNY’s Model Senate Project at the 2025 Somos New York Conference in Albany.
Ana Rosa and Angel Delacruz debated the “Housing Is A Human Right Act,” a bill sponsored by Bronx Assembly Member George Alvarez that would establish a New York state affordable-housing czar and a task force on affordable housing.
Hunter’s participation in the mock debate, in which students assume the roles of actual lawmakers, exemplifies the college’s commitment to serving as an anchor institution advancing civic engagement and political participation in New York City.
Rosa, a junior and Bronx native majoring in political science and minoring in economics, played the part of Senator Liz Krueger (D-Upper East Side) — the district where Hunter is located. She said that, although she did not personally agree with the bill, she argued in favor of it because she was expected to vote along party lines.
“I recognized that establishing a centralized state authority to address the housing crisis was a step in the right direction, but I also understood that it fell short of tackling the systemic issues in the real estate market that drive housing inequality,” said Rosa, who is in Hunter’s Pre-Law Program.
She said the experience gave her insight into the role of party unity in political solidarity and how to navigate policy compromise without sacrificing her core values.
Delacruz, a mathematics and political science major from Queens, acted as Senator Siela A. Bynoe (D-Garden City) of District 6 in heavily suburban Nassau County.
A volunteer for the Street Homeless Advocacy Project, which places unhoused people into temporary housing city, Delacruz understood that affordable housing might not be the top priority of his home-owning constituency.
So, he appealed for the bill as a necessary measure to address inadequate rental-law enforcement and delays in case processing by the state’s Division of Homes and Community Renewal.
“I focused my speech around a general New York identity of openness and inclusion, rather than using specific anecdotes from residents of my district,” he said.
The Model Senate, a partnership with the New York State Assembly and Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, has trained more than 1,400 students for careers in public service over 27 years.
Designed to teach future leaders about policy, politics, and advocacy, the project each spring takes students into an intensive, two-week training course featuring seminars and lectures.
At the start of the program, 45 CUNY and 18 SUNY students are each assigned to one of New York’s 63 State Senate districts and given a party affiliation based on the district’s current representative. For the next two weeks, each student learns about their constituents and immerses themselves in the district’s unique social, political, economic and demographic dynamics.
The program culminates with a trip to Albany, where the 63 CUNY and SUNY students debate public policy in the Senate Chamber and use their research and concepts gleaned from the program to take a position on the proposed legislation and prepare remarks to justify their vote.
The Model Senate also plays a key role in CUNY efforts to prepare students for professional success after graduation. The Somos CUNY Summer Internship, a paid program available to CUNY students who complete Model Senate, assigns students to the district offices of state legislators on the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force Executive Committee. For six weeks, interns gain firsthand work experience in elected offices, supporting critical services such as community outreach and constituent affairs.
More than 60 CUNY alumni hold elected office across city, state, and federal governments.
