Juvanie Piquant

The CUNY Chancellor and students (photo: @CUNY) Graduating when the pandemic first hit New York City was hard for many students. To say that having access to a counselor during a time of increasing uncertainty and hopelessness was beneficial is an understatement - it was many students' lifeline. However, for countless students and peers, they are not so fortunate. The effect of the last year on CUNY students can not be overstated.

CUNY grads (photo: CUNY) I pay my City University of New York (CUNY) tuition out of pocket, and as a result, and it has not been easy to stay afloat and earn my bachelor’s degree at the New York City College of Technology. But if I had attended what is now called CUNY anytime between 1847 and 1975, I wouldn’t have paid a dime, and I wouldn’t be in debt. There is currently a national conversation about the feasibility and desirability of moving to a model of free public higher education.

We recently introduced in the Legislature a package of bills to end CUNY tuition and to mandate appropriate numbers of academic advisors, mental health counselors and full-time faculty in the CUNY system. We seek a shift from the reliance on underpaid and overworked adjuncts to full-time, tenure-track professorships that can once again offer the world-class education that has produced 13 Nobel laureates.