PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
  1. Signatures
    445 out of 10,000
    Petitioning
    1. The NY State Senate (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The NY State Senate
      • The NY State House
  2. Created By
    Hunter College School of Social Work Students
    NY
About this Petition Petition Letter

We object to the proposed tuition hike of $1,000 per year for Hunter College School of Social Work (HCSSW) students. The content of this proposal and the process by which it was introduced undermine the ethical principles of the social work profession and contradict HCSSW's explicit mission of furthering social justice.

 

Recent Signatures

Hunter Social Work Tuition Increase

To Whom It May Concern:

We, the undersigned, object to the proposed tuition hike of $1,000 per year for Hunter College School of Social Work (HCSSW) students. The content of this proposal and the process by which it was introduced undermine the ethical principles of the social work profession and contradict HCSSW's explicit mission of furthering social justice.

On Thursday, November 11, 2010, HCSSW students learned by word of mouth that a public hearing was scheduled for Monday, November 15 and that the deadline to sign up to speak was 4:30 PM on Friday, November 12.

No notification of this "public" hearing was given to HCSSW students.

In 12 hours, more than 250 HCSSW students responded by signing a petition that was submitted to the CUNY Board of Trustees for consideration at the hearing.

At the hearing, HCSSW students voiced their concerns and read statements describing financial hardships that the tuition hike would exacerbate.

If approved, this proposal would raise financial barriers that discourage low-income potential students from applying.

This hike is accompanied by a proposed CUNY-wide 5% tuition increase, which would result in a total increase exceeding $1,300 per year for HCSSW students.

HCSSW students have been in contact with state legislators and have learned that CUNY has not received legislative approval to spend the additional money.

As of the creation of this petition, a vote by the Board of Trustees is scheduled for Monday, November 22.

We urge the Board to cancel the vote, or at the very least to postpone it. If the vote is postponed, the matter must be reopened in a forum that honors, in spirit and letter, the concept of "public hearing."

Finally, if this vote takes place and the proposal is approved, we intend to continue working with legislators in order to overturn the decision.

Please join us in our quest for transparency and accountability! Keep education affordable!

[Your name]

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