Message from Students United for a Free CUNY

I am enjoying the new round of activism in our nation. Here is a letter circulation from a Mark A. Torres. He is part of an organization called "United for a Free CUNY". The letter raises some interesting points including the $600,000 a year salary received by the CUNY Chancellor who is advocating for tuition increases, even though he was a recipient of a free CUNY education. It is a shame we're going backwards as a society!!!! Let me know where you weigh in on the debate?

Gregory
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Message From Students United for a Free CUNY

Sisters and Brothers,

Below is a message from Students United for a Free CUNY:

Tomorrow, Thursday, December 1, 2011, 1:30pm, Mathew Goldstein, Chancellor of CUNY, is coming to John Jay College.... He just voted to raise our tuition again on Monday...

Goldstein, gets paid a "compensation package" of $600,000 a year from our taxes; THAT'S MORE THAN OBAMA, yet he states there's no money and that they need to raise tuition. He graduated CUNY for free before tuition was imposed on us, yet he has shown students nothing but contempt through his policies.

John Jay had $3,900,000 left from its budget, AN EXCESS OF MONEY yet, again, they sent us an email saying there's no money and that these hikes are necessary. And while they rush to trivialize our struggle and tell us not to worry, they don't mention that financial aid is being cut along with aid to SEEK, TAP, etc. Why don't they cut their paychecks????

What we see is a systematic effort to cleanse the working class from CUNY. Within a generation people of color, especially from Black and Latino communities, will no longer be able to afford higher education.

IT'S TIME FOR STUDENTS, STAFF AND COMMUNITY FOLKS TO STAND UP AND FIGHT BACK!

We have THE RIGHT to an affordable education! This is about our future not their profit! Our time is now! Don't wait, participate!

Every generation has an obligation to ensure that CUNY provides ACCESS AND EXCELLENCE to our youth today and those coming after us. We're here because of the many struggles waged for us, including in 1969, 1975-76, 1989, 1991 and 1995. We have won in the past and you can make our current CUNY movement militant, strong and successful!

Join Us, Work with us, Make history with us!
This is your future...it's our future!

Students United for a Free Cuny- http://studentsunitedforafreecuny.wordpress.com/
Local chapter JJAY Rising- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002980418629&ref=ts

* Join us! Help organize against the tuition hikes, keep CUNY open to us!
* Sign the petition opposing the tuition hikes!
* Talk to your classmates, professors, friends and family!

Thank you,

Mark A. Torres
People Power Movement
peoplepower@live.com
(212) 348-5732