Note:

THE BCC PROPOSAL TO TAKE STUDENT DEMONSTRATION OFF
CAMPUS, AND TO RECRUIT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IN THE
FIGHT AGAINST THE CUNY TUITION INCREASES

STATEMENT

Cuomo has resisted an increase in the state income tax,
saying it would hurt the economy.

Governor Cuomo has attempted to put himself on the side
of the angels by taking what looks like a principled
stand, based on what will hurt the economy.

The upstate tendency towards resentment against CUNY
however is playing an important part in this decision.
Witness the arrogant condescending manner he deals with
students’ concerns over the tuition increase.

Cuomo spokesman Tom Conroy . . . called CUNY, "a
tremendous bargain. If it’s not the bargain they
want it to bes, there’s no better deal across the
street."

CSource: New York Daily News;s April 14; 1991; peel

Obviously the concentration in Albany is on what the
state is giving.

MY “SPRATEGY SS oSIMPEE: Change the focus.

Concentrate on what the state is getting.

Do a cost benefit analysis.

Convince the public, and the politicians will follow.
Prove that the proposed tuition hike and budget hike
will hurt the economy, and we can hoist Masters Cuomo
and Conroy by their own petard.

Attached is a detailed battle plan to achieve this

objective.

Order buttons for supporters that can be used by all
students, faculty, administration, and communitys
citywide. It should be large, white, with green
lettering and one word, “ACCESS”.


THE BCC GAME PLAN FOR DEFEATING TUITION INCREASES IN THE CUOMO
BUDGET(S) NOW AND IN THE FUTURE

Governor Mario Cuomo and the upstate Republicans have turned a deaf
ear to CUNY petition and letter writing campaigns opposing the proposed
$500 tuition increases; 96 million dollar budget cuts, $500 million
dollar tuition increases, and $400 Tap cuts.

We are shooting ourselves in the foot by limiting ourselves to the
same old tired strategy of occupying campus buildings every time
there’s a proposed tuition increase. We need to take this issue off
campus to a larger constituency.

My strategy is designed to make an end run around Cuomo and the
upstate Republicans, we’re going to make them an offer they can’t
refuses based upon the following theory.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

From 1847 to 1976, tuition for all CUNY Colleges was free, even in
1929, during the greatest financial depression this country and state
have ever known. This was not largess, it was an intelligent long
range financial investment that paid dividends to the state. From 1847
to 1976; property taxpayers understood that a college education
increased the gross municipal product of the city of New York,
generated or attracted new business to the citys increased the
collection of taxes, levies and fees - from all sources —- without an
increase on the existing taxpayer, by producing the cash equivalent of
one new taxpayer with each graduating student who lived in New York.
What is mores this miracle investment decreased the budgetary pressure
for tax inflation that is normally associated with a population
increase, because it did not require the additional municipal services
increases normally associated with a population increase of 30 or 40
thousand new people annually.

In other words, CUNY IS A REVENUE GENERATOR FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK.

A prosecutable Securities fraud was covered up and concealed from the
taxpayers of the City of New York and was mislabeled "the Fiscal Crisis
oret7 74.”

CSource: THE STREETS WERE PAVED WITH GOLD]

CSources THE ABUSE OF POWER, Newfield and Dubrul, The Viking Press,
'Smeeepags. 176: —aA97)

The residents of the City of New York were defrauded of their system
of Free University tuition to coverup that fraud. The Myths of the
Fiscal Crisis of 1974 and the racial stereotypes that were part of the
disinformation campaign to cloud the public’s vision of CUNY’s
historical role as arevenue generator have gone unchallenged long
enough. It’s time we removed the cataracts from the eyes of our local
politicians and re-educate the public.

We need to prove to the taxpayers that education is still the [best
investment that the state could possibly make on behalf of the public
interest; in order to produce a consensus that it is the last item in
the budget that should be touched. In the present climate, its no
longer good enough to say that education is a good investment for the
state, we must prove it in a dramatic fashion.


2

Based upon the aforesaid premise, BCC STUDENT PROTESTERS FOR AN
INTELLECTUAL APPROACH AND A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO TUITION INCREASES AND
TAP DECREASES, propose the following strategy be used in solidarity
with all @1 CUNY colleges, and others, for a citywide strike.

1. That every campus demand that the administration provide
students with the data on the financial impact of attending their
particular colleges in order to develop documentary evidence of the
fact that incomes double after graduation. For example:

Average family income of BCC students in 1989 - 90 was 11,990
CSource: CUNY FINANCIAL AID OFFICE)

Average income of BCC Graduates entering the labor market in Spring
of 1989 was $24,500
CSource: BCC OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCHI

The comparison of income of entering students and graduates can be

seen on the following graph.

Family income of BCC
Entering Students

1989 —- 90 iS oe a ae eae

Income of BCC Grads

Spring 1989 PISLIISS III FELIS SS TITTIES TT
.@] & 8 le 1&6 20 24

NOTE:

A comparison of the differences in income taxes paid by entering
students and graduates must also be developed on the basis of a

statistical model size family or families. We should also demand that
the Mayor get on board by giving us his "official" estimate of the
consequences of operating revenues, since he has declared himself

sympathetic with our goals but not with the tactic of taking over
buildings.

me We use the aforesaid data in an intensive (and comprehensive)
media blitz, on every talk shows, news event, and for every photo
opportunity, that we can arranges taking care to maintain interest by
approaching the same issue creatively from different angles or
perspectives.

FOR EXAMPLE: Governor Mario Cuomo, former mayors Ed Koch
and Abe Beam all graduated and benefited from a TUITION FREE CUNY
College. (Get a copy of Cuomo’s senior yearbook picture for effect).

NOTES: Research how many other city and state legislators are CUNY
Alumnis and how many business leaders, especially those who oppose us
and embarrass them into silence, i.e. neutralize them by exposing their
hypocrisy.


3

Bia Qn a target date yet to be agreed upon by the proposed citywide
coalition of CUNY protesters, we rally to a central location in
Manhattan to provide a photo opportunity for the media to witness a
signing of a Petition by the representatives of the Protesters of the
21 CUNY Colleges, and honorary guest speakers, and;

FIRST: we march on the City Council to present our Petition and demand
for a legislative declaration that the 21 Colleges of the City
University of New York are an important source of new operating
revenues for the City of New York (projecting the tax consequences on
these double incomes over the life expectancies of statistical models,
and adjusting for inflation); and,

SECOND: also require a legislative declaration that the proposed
tuition increases and budget and TAP cuts are counterproductive threats
to the general welfare, that act as an economic barrier to the city’s
present and future long range plans to produce sufficient operating
revenue to retain decision-making powers over financial aspects of city
life, independent of the Emergency Financial Control Board and others.

NOTE: These declarations are predicate actions to provide the means
for legal or lobbying efforts to stop the tuition increases in the
short run, and; as a predicate for a new referendum of the voters for a
system of free tuition in the long run.

4. On a target date as yet to be decided by the proposed citywide
coalition of CUNY PROTESTERS, we obtain buses from the college
administrations in order to take the City Councils legislative
declarations, our data, and the compilation of the Mayor’s data to
Albany in the format of a State Petition, where we can lobby each and
every legislator to defeat the Cuomo budget and restore Free Tuition;
on the grounds that Governor Cuomo’s budget threats against CUNY are a
penny wise and pound foolish approach to budget slashing that will
devastate the economy of the state and the subordinate jurisdictions in
the State of New York.

ie The University Student Senate (USS) can form committees within
its organizational structure to undertake the task to contact each and
every public and private college in the state of New Yorks to urge them
to join our struggles follow our example, and or at least determine the
consequences of the TAP cuts; elimination of Regents Scholarships,
Abolition of the Empire State Scholarships etc., on their student bodys
and on the local economy if it is significant. USS can then make a
compilation of all their responses for the trip to Albany or for future
litigation, if any.

é. If Cuomo’s Budget passes before we finish our process, then we
will look for a creative way to file a law suit on behalf of each of
the Colleges on whom we have collected data; (so we should agree ona
standard format for financial impact data and additional data can be

discretionary). We will try to find a legal theory that will allow us
to enjoin the enforcement of the provisions of the Cuomo budget that
will impact negatively on CUNY. [see page 2(1) ...(taxpayers action to

prevent waste?)]


4

he By utilizing this unifying strategy, CUNY Colleges that do nof
want to participate in the tactic of taking over campus buildings but
do want to protest the Cuomo Budget, can join this protest movement by
just suspending club meetings, and using those hours to work on
organizing and compiling their data, and prepare their students for the
rally; the march and the lobbyings in Albany, while still attending
classes.

This is an ambitious project; but so was building the Panama Canal.

It’s time we taught these old political hacks some new political
tricks. Students must make a preemptive strike on next years budget,
and not wait to react each year or recoil in horror or defeat to these
ritualistic annual demands for tuition increases and TAP decreases.

Stress Kills.
CONCLUSION

What we want is a new deals what we need are legislators who can count
and who know how to balance the budget before the money is spent.

We must also reach out and make common cause with the beleaguered
property taxpayer; and others; who are tired of hearing once a year
that their taxes are going up, and their standard of living is going
down because the State or City governments are overdrawn on their
respective checking accounts. We don’t just want the state to balance
the budget, we want the state to live within the means of the average
taxpayer.

Until they learn how to live with our means, or until hell freezes
over; whichever comes first, CUNY students need a Permanent Long Term
Solution to these problems. Let us prepare the ground work now for a
NEW referendum to Freeze or (for) Free CUNY tuition.

If East Germany can tear the Berlin Wall down,
East Harlem can send a New referendum up.

The slogans are : “FREEZE OR FREE"
or "AGCESo .«.. ACCESS <2. ACCESS"

The demand is: No tuition increase and no budget or TAP decrease.

This strategy is wholly the invention of:
Ms. Sidney Royce, BCC Senator; Chairs,
BCC COMMITTEE FOR AN INTELLECTUAL APPROACH TO TUITION INCREASES

SGA Campus contact number: 367-7474

{Copyright 1791) Sidney Royce