Public colleges in New York need the state’s support

Dear Editor,

Beginning in 2011, nearly constant hikes have raised tuition rates by more than 42 percent. When factoring inflation, the automatic tuition hikes at both SUNY and CUNY have far exceeded the growth in the economy. These significant increases in tuition have resulted in students shouldering more and more of the costs of running

New York’s public college institutions. While New York’s financial aid and opportunity programs have shielded some students from these hikes, there are too many who fall through the eligibility cracks or who cannot apply for reasons outside of their control.

The erosion of state support and the creation of growing funding gaps is translating into an erosion of student services and quality of education. Students have experienced firsthand the difficulty in getting into the classes they need to graduate, limited services such as library hours, and advisement gaps across the CUNY and SUNY systems. According to a CUNY survey, over a third of CUNY students reported not being able to register for a course they needed for their major. Of those students, half couldn’t register because there were not enough seats available.

New York State must ensure that college be affordable for all, to provide access to one of the greatest economic equalizers for any individual who seeks it. With proper state funding, SUNY can regain its reputation as one of the driving forces in New York’s economy, and students can live the future that we deserve!

Chet Guenther The writer is a student at SUNY New Paltz