Numerous studies, including those by CUNY
sociologist David Lavin ana NY State
Comptrolier Carl McCall, praise the enormous
success of the Open Admissions policy, not
just for the life of students, but for the eco-
nomic welfare of the City.

Ignoring this track record of excellence,
CUNY’s governing body, the Board of Trustees
(BoT), has stepped up the battle to eliminate
Open Admissions. On May 26, 1998, under pres-
sure from Mayor Giuliani, the BoT voted to elimi-
nate remediation at the senior colleges. One
trustee, Richard Stone, a Columbia University
law professor, voted to end remediation at
CUNY, while Columbia continues to offer reme-
diation. Hmmm?

According to CUNY’s own study, 55%
of Latino, 51%of Asian, 46% of Black and 38%
of white students would be excluded
from the entering class of 1999.
That adds up to 46% of the entering class!
But the battle ain‘t over yet. On
August 10, a state judge ordered CUNY to
temporarily cease any preparations to end
remediation at its senior colleges because he
found that CUNY had most likely violated the
state Open Meetings law aft their May 26th
meeting. Even though the BoT is supposed to
work for us, the opposition to their plans was
so unanimous and intense, they needed to
kick the public out and vote in private.
During the Spring of 1998, students
consistently mobilized themselves in support
of Open Admissions. Along with CUNY faculty
and community members, students organized
rallies that grew to over 800 students by the
April meeting of the BoT. This along with peti-
tions, fax zaps and visits with trustees, helped
to rally the city in support of Open Admissions
and repeatedly postponed the Trustees vote
to end remedial courses. We proved that uni-
fied we can win.
And now, the battle continues... for
more information, call (212) 77Z- 426|

An Open Admissions
Program for a
Democratic University

CUNY Coalition
for Open Admissions

1. Defend and Extend Open Admissions

2. Stop the Plans to Stratify CUNY by
Race and Class

3. Full Academic Support for
Incoming Students

4. Full Financial Support for
Full and Part Time Students

5. Full Support for
Public Assistance Recipients

coz)

. More Full-Time Quality Instruction

7, Democratic Election of
CUNY Trustees

8. Appropriate Assessment of
CUNY Students

9. Improve Public School Education

10. Celebrate Open Admissions: April
22nd Will be Open Admissions Day

HUNTER SLAM! USG
(212) 772-426|



What is the Real Story on
Open Admissions?

pen Admissions began in 1970 as a result

of the 1969 student strike at City College

demanding an increased enroliment of

urban, working class people, and specifi-

cally Blacks and Latinos, into the university.
This policy was intended to provide social and
economic opportunity for people who other-
wise would not have access to college. The
result was an example to the world; a university
of mothers, immigrants and young people. For
once, an institution of higher learning that mir-
rored the city.

CUNY students transformed our
University through taking action. The student
strike and a larger need in society for college
educated labor, forced CUNY to adopt a pol-
icy of Open Admissions. This policy guaran-
teed all graduates of NYC high schools place-
ment in one of the CUNY colleges. Enroliment
skyrocketed. For once, students who were
under-serviced by NY City high schools would
still have access to higher education. The
SEEK program was instituted to ensure that
remediation and aid helped get all students
up to speed. The glory years didn’t last long.
Just as the college opened up to all people,
drastic reductions in the quality of public pri-
mary and secondary education and cuts to
student support programs at CUNY threat-
ened the mind and spirit of our people.

First came the implementation of
tuition, surprisingly just as CUNY became
majority people of color. Then, the cuts got
more specific. SEEK, the program that gave
meaning to Open Admissions, was dimmed to
a shadow of its former self. With skyrocketing
costs and support programs gutted, students
dropped out by the thousands.

The politicians claimed students could-
n't cut it, but they weren’t even given a knife.

Myth #1: Giuliani Says Cuny
Has No Standards

The Reality : %

Students answer Giuliani

1. CUNY awards more master’s degrees to
Black and Latino candidates than any other
institution in America.

2. CUNY offers nearly all its courses for 3
credits each. Exactly comparable courses
are offered at NYU for four credits each. This
puts an additional burden on the number of
courses students at CUNY must complete to
obtain their degrees, currently 40 for CUNY,
oniy 30 for NYU.

3. City College is the 3rd largest source of
Bachelors degree recipients who have gone
on to earn doctorates and Hunter College is
the 3rd largest source of women who earn
doctorates.

4. City College alone has graduated eight
alumni who went on to win Nobel prizes,
more than any other institution in amerika.
5. Over the past 11 years, 178 CUNY faculty
have been recipients of National
Endowment of the Humanities Fellowships
and 34 are Gugenheim Fellows.

6. In 1991 CUNY conferred 1,011 Master's
degrees to Black and Latino students while
SUNY awarded only 233.

Myth #2: Giuliani says
entrance exams
improve standards

The Reality

Tests do nothing to prepare students for
College, they only exclude those most in
need of an education. Real preparation at
the high school and primary school levels
raises quality. Most New Yorkers support qual-
ity public schools, so the mayor is trying to
justify his program cuts by blaming students
for the failure of schools to teach them.
Entrance exams exclude students, they
don‘t teach and don’t raise quality. They are
really an admission of failure, not a program
for improvement.

M

&
Reality

What wala don't know is alot

In fact, no other community college sys-
tem in the country has an admissions
exam. Most people are civilized enough to
know that the job of schools is to teach.
Throwing students out guarantees they
won't learn. Strong remediation and
enough financial aid to ease the work bur-
den will encourage students to excel.

Myth #3: Giuliani says endi:
ediation at me

senior olleges fond
ior c an
reducing beng
community colleges
will improve the schools

The Reality

Hello!? What world does this guy live in?
Let’s go over this one last time... Schools
teach people things they don’t know. The
purpose of the community colleges is
preparation for the 4-year colleges. They
can‘t make up for 12 years of over-crowd-
ed, under-funded schools in 6 months.
Many students come into the senior col-
leges prepared to do work in their major,
but with a weakness in a different area.
Should young scholars who never got
geometry be denied their chance to learn?
Hundreds of Hunter College students were
expelled in January, yet most had passing
GPAs. This is what Giuliani’s madness does
to our lives. Only we can stop him.