Four.
Don’t compromise.
We, as students, have the greatest stake in this struggle. We have the most to lose. That being said: we must be uncompromising in the face of this bald-faced attempt at essentially privatizing the public school system. It is not our job to pitch “politically feasible” options. It is our job to fight for what we are owed and continue fighting until we get it.
We are not the politicians. We are the targets of this legislation. Let them deal with the compromising and let them deal with us. The Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA) reduces an affordable public education system to a public frame with private organs. As tuition rises (a projected 6-7% annual increase) and the state budget is cut, the SUNY system will float amongst the private competition where it will behave much like a private school in order to maintain revenue.
No longer insulated from the private sector, the SUNY system will needfully place revenue above education as a primary concern. The SUNY Board of Trustees are not academics. They are not students nor are they faculty. They’re CEO’s and investors. The PHEEIA simply gives these profit-hawks an open door to place the cost burden of education on the backs of students and families while hashing out public-private partnerships to maximize income.
We don’t want to pay twice as much for half as much. We will not pay twice as much for half as much.
Like the banners in California say: “We Want Fucking Everything” and before we get anything we need to stick to our guns and ask for it all. We want a great education with a strong state budget. We want student power and no private encroachment of our public school system! Do not compromise. Organize.
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