Argumentative Research Essay

profileA+ Work Needed
ProQuestDocuments-2020-11-221.pdf

FREE TUITION DOESN'T MEAN FREE COLLEGE Students Point Out Thompson, Carolyn . The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education ; Paramus  Vol. 27, Iss. 8,  (May/Jun

2017): 14-15.

ProQuest document link

ABSTRACT (ENGLISH) Or Buffalo State College junior Avery Edwards, who despite similar financial aid expects to owe $20,000 after

collecting his degree next year. All differ from independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' no-tuition plan, which

became a major issue during the presidential campaign. The New York program also comes with a push to get

students to tap into existing state and federal financial aid programs that could lower their costs even more.

Associated Press writers Karen Matthews in New York City and Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this

report. * The New York program also comes with a push to get students to tap into existing state and federal

financial aid programs that could lower their costs even more. SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher estimated New

Yorkers leave $174 million of federal aid untouched each year. . at around $6,500 a year, is just about a third of the

typical four-year students... FULL TEXT Buffalo, n.y. (ap) - They don't mean to sound ungrateful, but...New York public college students who would stand to

gain from the nation's most ambitious free-tuition proposal are quick to point out a sobering reality from their own

meager finances: Free tuition doesn't mean free college.

Take Brooklyn College senior Florencia Salinas, who despite having her tuition nearly covered in full through

scholarships and grants, still expects to graduate with a daunting $50,000 in debt. Or Buffalo State College junior

Avery Edwards, who despite similar financial aid expects to owe $20,000 after collecting his degree next year.

That's because tuition, at around $6,500 a year, is just about a third of the typical four-year student's total public

college bill in New York. Room and board are the bigger-ticket items at nearly $13,000 a year, and student fees and

books tack on another $3,000.

Those extra expenses would not be covered under Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Excelsior Scholarship

proposal, which would pay only the difference between financial aid and tuition at State University of New York or

City University of New York campuses for full-time students from families earning $125,000 or less.

Students interviewed by The Associated Press said that any tuition help is welcome, but they could also use help

paying for the many other costs of a college education.

"It's less that my parents would have to pay. It's less that I would have to pay," said Nigel Peters, a sophomore at

Buffalo State College, part of the state's sprawling public college system, which includes 64 State University of

New York and 24 City University of New York institutions.

But "enough?" he said. "No, not at all."

The 19-year-old's parents in Queens work overtime to keep the financial burden off of him and his twin sister, who

attends college in Delaware. His mother, who already juggles positions in accounting and retail, recently picked up

a third job, at an arena box office. They make too much to get aid now, he said, but "we don't make enough so that

my parents don't have to work their behinds off to put me and my sister through school."

He would welcome tuition help, he said, especially with plans to pay his own way his senior year. But even if it's

covered by then, Peters said, he still will likely work at his minimum-wage job over breaks and need loans to pay for

everything else.

Most of Salinas' debt comes from housing costs, so the Cuomo plan probably wouldn't have helped her graduate in

better financial shape. The 22-year-old computer science major said she would rather see the state put the money

into the faculty and facilities at CUNY.

Cuomo's proposal, which still faces approval by lawmakers, is one of an increasing number of plans across the

country that seek to address the nation's suffocating $1.2 trillion in student debt.

Democratic Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimo ndo has proposed making two years of community college or the final

two years of a four-year degree free at a public college in that state. A plan from Democratic Colorado

gubernatorial candidate Mike Johnston would require volunteer service as a condition of two free years of college

or job training.

All differ from independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' no-tuition plan, which became a major issue during the

presidential campaign. Sanders' plan would have eliminated tuition at public universities and colleges, while

Cuomo's "last-dollar" approach pays the tuition after awards from the state and federal sources of aid are applied.

It's a distinction that troubles advocates for lower-income students, who say the program, while expanding aid to

the middle class, won't improve anything for them because their tuition is already covered. They warn it might hurt

needy students if it takes away some of the flexibility they now have to use federal Pell awards for expenses other

than tuition.

"Our goal is to provide the most students with the greatest opportunity," Cuomo spokeswoman Dani Lever said,

"and that goal is met by the Excelsior Scholarship program."

The New York program also comes with a push to get students to tap into existing state and federal financial aid

programs that could lower their costs even more. SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher estimat. ed New Yorkers leave

$174 million of federal aid untouched each year.

Lawmakers at a budget hearing earlier this year also worried that the $163 million estimated cost of the New York

proposal is too low. Cuomo budget officials said they based the estimate in part on free community college

programs in other states. The program would also draw on the state's existing $1 billion Tuition Assistance

Program.

SUNY enrolls 403,000 undergraduate students and CUNY 245,000 students. Based on 2014-15 enrollment, about

40,000 students who meet the criteria would begin to have their tuition paid.

Said state Sen. Kenneth LaValle, a Long Island Republican: "All the bean counters say there's no way."

Associated Press writers Karen Matthews in New York City and Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this

report. *

Sidebar

The New York program also comes with a push to get students to tap into existing state and federal financial aid

programs that could lower their costs even more. SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher estimated New Yorkers leave

$174 million of federal aid untouched each year.

Sidebar

. at around $6,500 a year, is just about a third of the typical four-year students total public college bill in New York.

Room and board are the bigger-ticket items at nearly $13,000 a year, and student fees and books tack on another

$3,000."

AuthorAffiliation

Written by

Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press DETAILS

Subject: College students; Political campaigns; Tuition; Costs; Presidential elections; Student

financial aid; Scholarships &fellowships; Community colleges

Location: New York Delaware

Company / organization: Name: Buffalo State College; NAICS: 611310; Name: Associated Press-NYC; NAICS:

519110

Ethnicity: Hispanic

Publication title: The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education; Paramus

Volume: 27

Issue: 8

Pages: 14-15

Number of pages: 2

Publication year: 2017

Publication date: May/Jun 2017

Section: MONEY MATTERS

Publisher: The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education

Place of publication: Paramus

Country of publication: United States, Paramus

Publication subject: Education--Higher Education, Hispanic, Ethnic Interests

ISSN: 10542337

e-ISSN: 24716448

Source type: Magazines

Language of publication: English

Document type: Feature

Document feature: Photographs

ProQuest document ID: 1903884266

Document URL: https://ezproxy.pgcc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/190388426

6?accountid=13315

LINKS

Database copyright  2020 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions Contact ProQuest

Copyright: Copyright The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education May/Jun 2017

Last updated: 2019-09-30

Database: Education Database

  • FREE TUITION DOESN'T MEAN FREE COLLEGE Students Point Out