Pataki proposal to raise CUNY tuition comes under fire

Legislator, CSI president and others say governor's budget could deny college education to students

Staten Island Advance - February 11, 2005
 

If Gov. George Pataki's proposed budget passes unchanged, many students could be denied a college education, Assemblyman Michael Cusick charged yesterday.

During a press conference at the College of Staten Island with students and college president Dr. Marlene Springer, Cusick (D-Mid-Island) urged the community to tell the governor that slashing funds meant for higher education is unacceptable and fiscally imprudent.

"For people who send their children, or spouses, or cousins, or whoever to CSI, we need to get the word out about how we will not stand by quietly and allow these cuts to happen," said Cusick, who is a member of the Assembly's Higher Education Committee. "There are many students who pay their own way to go to CSI. If these cuts come through, they're not going to be able to go."

Pricing people out of college diminishes their ability to contribute as taxpayers in the future, he said.

Under Pataki's proposal, tuition would increase by $250 this fall at City University of New York schools and by $500 at State University of New York schools. Pataki also called for withholding one-half of students' Tuition Assistance Program financial aid awards until they graduate.

The college's operating budget -- which was cut by 2 percent last year -- is also on the chopping block, said Dr. Springer.

The money crunch could scale-back or eliminate such essentials as child care and the college's highly successful SEEK (Searching for Excellence in Education and Knowledge) program, which helps support struggling students. Renovations on a building intended to house classrooms for the rapidly expanding student body also could be brought to a halt, she said.

"Prices are not going down, they're going up," said Dr. Springer. "We want to make sure our operating budget is restored."

After an $800 rise in tuition two years ago, students will not be able to shoulder another increase, said student Daniel Botting of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG).

"It's like a one-two punch for students," he said. "The hardest hit are going to be the neediest students."

Student Kate Freitig, also of NYPIRG, called upon the governor to consider the lives involved in his decisions.

"We're real people, we're not just numbers and dollar signs," she said. "I work a part-time job to be able to attend college. As tuition goes up, my income doesn't."

By Deborah Young
Reprinted here with permission from the