Pace Students get an ‘A’ from NYS Assemblyman Tom Abinanti in Legislative Critique

PLEASANTVILLE, NY (December 22, 2016) – Students at Pace University learned that writing legislation isn’t only about good intentions.

Students in Pace University’s Environmental Policy Clinic received some straight-­shooting feedback from Assemblyman Tom Abinanti Tuesday when they lobbied the Westchester-based state legislator to support bills each created as part of their final exam for the fall semester. The Clinic, unique to Pace, is part of the university’s Environmental Science and Studies Department.

John Cronin, senior fellow at the Dyson College Institute for Sustainability and the Environment at Pace, explained that, as part of the coursework, each students must identify an environmental problem, research and write a bill to solve it. This semester’s proposed bills ranged from stronger control of pesticides to increased penalties for animal abuse.

“The Clinic is essential training for prospective environmental policy experts and lobbyists,” said Cronin, who teaches the course along with Michelle Land, director of Pace University’s Academy for Applied Environmental Studies. “Assemblyman Abinanti challenged our students with the type of tough questions they would encounter when lobbying real legislation, such as why should taxpayers pay for one student’s bill to why aren’t the penalties stronger on another bill. He put them through their paces.”

Abinanti said he was impressed with the students’ presentations and was going to review their bills to see if there were ideas that could be used by lawmakers. Last semester, the Clinic students wrote and lobbied the Elephant Protection Act, which passed unanimously in the New York State Senate.

“Democracy is dependent on educated citizens,” said Abinanti (D-Greenburgh/Mount Pleasant). “These Pace students are well informed and well educated and will be leaders in enhancing our democracy.”

Cronin said the Environmental Policy Clinic provides students with a hands-on education in environmental public policy as well as analytical, advocacy and communication skills. He said his class also recently met with former New York State Governor George Pataki who discussed his political career and his groundbreaking work on environmental policy.

“Providing this type of a real-world experience is unusual in an undergraduate program,’’ said Cronin. “Dyson College is committed to providing these opportunities. One of the best outcomes is that when it’s over, students say, ‘I can do that.’ This is another great example of what we call the Dyson Advantage of the Pace Path, which provides students the opportunity to apply classroom theory directly to real-world experience.”

The Pace Environmental Policy Clinic is housed within the Department of Environmental Studies and Science of the Dyson College Institute for Sustainability and the Environment at Pace University. The Clinic trains students in professional policy and advocacy skills through hands-on casework on real-world issues. Last May, The New York Times Editorial Board cited the Clinic for its work writing and lobbying the Elephant Protection Act, that was introduced by Sen. Terrance Murphy and passed unanimously in the New York State Senate.

Photo captions: Photo 1: Assemblyman Tom Abinanti and Pace Environmental Policy Clinic student Lee Allen. Photo 2: Assemblyman Tom Abinanti (left) and Pace Environmental Policy Clinic students with Instructors John Cronin (Right) and Michelle Land (far right).

About Dyson College Institute of Sustainability and the Environment: DCISE was established to address major issues in sustainability, resilience, the growing urbanization of the 21st century and the impact of these changes on the global environment, through multidisciplinary programs encompassing research, policy-making, education, and building greater community awareness and consensus on how to manage these issues.

About Dyson College of Arts and Sciences: Pace University’s liberal arts college, Dyson College offers more than 50 programs, spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and pre-professional programs (including pre-medicine, pre-veterinary, and pre-law), as well as numerous courses that fulfill core curriculum requirements. The College offers access to numerous opportunities for internships, cooperative education and other hands-on learning experiences that complement in-class learning in preparing graduates for career and graduate/professional education choices.

About Pace University: Pace University is a comprehensive, independent University with campuses in New York City and Westchester County. Nearly 13,000 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the Lubin School of Business, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, School of Education, School of Law and College of Health Professions. http://www.pace.edu ###