To the Editor:
January 2023 began with a message from Governor Hochul to students: you need to pay more to get your degree. I think I speak for everyone at Cortland when I say that proposed tuition hikes are the last thing we need.
SUNY has already experienced years of stagnant state funding threatening accessibility for too many, and limiting the resources available for students. This is
all despite the fact that the state receives $8 in benefits for every $1 invested in our campuses.
As one of the greatest economic equalizers, college should be affordable for everyone. That’s why on February 28th NYPIRG and UUP will go to Albany for Higher Education Action Day to fight back against these tuition hikes.
We’ll be leaving in the morning, and NYPIRG will provide lunch and a request letter to excuse you from class. Students will get the unique opportunity to sit down with legislators and advocate for more funding for SUNY and the resources we need to excel in school.
NYPIRG students have prevented tuition hikes in the past, and we must do it again. Decisions are made by those who show up, and we need to make sure that the SUNY Cortland voice is heard loud and clear on February 28th.
To join us in Albany on 2/28, click this link (https://forms.gle/bsNbzZKzLvFyJ14W9) or the link in our Instagram bio @sunycortlandnypirg. You can also find us tabling on campus or speaking in your classes.
We’ll also be hosting a Welcome Party on 2/15 at 6 pm in the Corey Exhibition
Lounge to showcase all the other things we work on, like hunger and homelessness and democracy.
Building student power begins with you.
Daniel Clesse
New York Public Interest Research Group
Intern, SUNY Cortland
daniel.clesse@cortland.edu