2008 Woodie Awards
Tuition increase? OK, but the money should stay in SUNY
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Opinions
Originally published: 11/20/08 at 5:57 PM EST
Last update: 11/20/08 at 5:55 PM EST
Highway robbery.
At least, that is what it will feel like if 90 percent of our tuition goes toward fixing other state problems.
The SUNY Board of Trustees approved a tuition increase of $310 for the spring semester and $620 for next academic year. What they don't want though, is Gov. David Paterson's plan of taking a majority of that money.
Neither do we.
In a previous editorial we said a tuition increase was an inevitability.
With the world's economy faltering, our state government is short billions of dollars, and our school system is facing massive budget cuts. A tuition increase is necessary.
Yet to even suggest that SUNY receive only 10 percent of its own tuition money is a slap in the face.
New York wants to tax its college students, the so-called future, the generation that will be responsible for pulling the economy from a seemingly bottomless depth.
Good luck keeping us in-state.
Preliminary numbers for 2008 enrollment show there are 176,826 full-time students at four-year SUNY colleges. Going by just those numbers, that means next year's tuition would bring in more than $850 million.
Paterson's plan would leave around only $85 million for SUNY.
That doesn't even factor in community colleges.
What is the point of raising tuition if the students won't see an adequate return on their investment? That money should be going toward making sure SUNY still provides a high-quality college education.
College students are already strapped for cash, and the money we spend - people forget that not all students get a free-ride from their parents - should be used to maintain an effective system.
Out-of-state students - more than 11,000 according to SUNY's latest stats - would be paying to help a state they don't even live in.
Non-New York students will be paying 1.5 times the in-state tuition increase. They come to the SUNY system for an affordable education, not to help pay for New York's shortcomings.
Carl Hayden, the SUNY Board of Trustees president, said SUNY has already had $210 million in cuts.
If Paterson and the Legislature want to keep SUNY as a top public higher education system, there needs to be some way to offset those massive cuts. If not, SUNY's value will take a hit, and our level of education will too.
It seems like common sense, no?
At least, that is what it will feel like if 90 percent of our tuition goes toward fixing other state problems.
The SUNY Board of Trustees approved a tuition increase of $310 for the spring semester and $620 for next academic year. What they don't want though, is Gov. David Paterson's plan of taking a majority of that money.
Neither do we.
In a previous editorial we said a tuition increase was an inevitability.
With the world's economy faltering, our state government is short billions of dollars, and our school system is facing massive budget cuts. A tuition increase is necessary.
Yet to even suggest that SUNY receive only 10 percent of its own tuition money is a slap in the face.
New York wants to tax its college students, the so-called future, the generation that will be responsible for pulling the economy from a seemingly bottomless depth.
Good luck keeping us in-state.
Preliminary numbers for 2008 enrollment show there are 176,826 full-time students at four-year SUNY colleges. Going by just those numbers, that means next year's tuition would bring in more than $850 million.
Paterson's plan would leave around only $85 million for SUNY.
That doesn't even factor in community colleges.
What is the point of raising tuition if the students won't see an adequate return on their investment? That money should be going toward making sure SUNY still provides a high-quality college education.
College students are already strapped for cash, and the money we spend - people forget that not all students get a free-ride from their parents - should be used to maintain an effective system.
Out-of-state students - more than 11,000 according to SUNY's latest stats - would be paying to help a state they don't even live in.
Non-New York students will be paying 1.5 times the in-state tuition increase. They come to the SUNY system for an affordable education, not to help pay for New York's shortcomings.
Carl Hayden, the SUNY Board of Trustees president, said SUNY has already had $210 million in cuts.
If Paterson and the Legislature want to keep SUNY as a top public higher education system, there needs to be some way to offset those massive cuts. If not, SUNY's value will take a hit, and our level of education will too.
It seems like common sense, no?
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jamia
posted 11/21/08 @ 1:52 PM EST
What they said.
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