CUNY tuition to shoot up 25 percent
By Heather Cottin
Students in the New York City community
college system are facing a 25-percent tuition increase next
year.
The tuition hikes are devastating news for the working-class
youth and adults who attend the city's two-year colleges.
Second-year La Guardia student Jose Legaspi is worried. He
says, "A great majority of students will most likely drop out
because they cannot afford to pay their bills and the increased
tuition." He might be one of those students, he notes.
For the many immigrant students, financial aid is not an
option. And they already pay higher tuition fees at New York
colleges than students from this country pay.
Venezuelan student Charly Doumat says, "I don't have a job
and I cannot apply for financial aid since I don't qualify for
it. After the rise I may have to drop out of school. It is very
frustrating to know that you have so much to contribute to the
society, and that you are an excellent student but you cannot
get an education because you are poor."
The New York City tuition hike follows a rise in subway
fares and a jump in sales taxes.
All of these tax the poor, who are facing record
unemployment and low wages in the job market.
And this is happening not just in New York State.
In over 30 states tuition costs are rising at two-year
colleges.
In California tuition is shooting up more than 100 percent.
The state anticipates that 40,000 students may drop out of the
community college system.
Budget cutters in California, anticipating a drop of
possibly 200,000 students in the California system of higher
education, crowed, "The fee increase is likely to trim
community college enrollment [which is] a reason for reducing
the state appropriation" for education.
Oregon and Missouri are slashing community college
appropriations 10 and 11 percent. Kentucky, Massachusetts,
Rhode Island and Connecticut have made cuts of up to 24 percent
to the state college systems and more are planned for next
year.
As the tuition increases place a college or university
education out of reach for so many students, military
recruiters are all over the campuses.
No wonder that a common slogan on demonstrations these days
is: "Money for education--not for war.
Reprinted from the June 19, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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