FREE TUITION

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers has long established free access to educational opportunity as one of its fundamental principles; and

WHEREAS, the City University of New York has pioneered, first through its free tuition and later through its open admissions policy in fulfilling the promise of free and equal educational opportunity; and

WHEREAS, budgetary pressures from the City and from the State have forced the imposition of tuition at the City University of New York, thus ending a 129-year tradition of tuition-free, quality education for the young people of the city; and

WHEREAS, the imposition of tuition and erosion of open admissions at CUNY constitute a reversal of a trend toward the expansion of educational opportunity:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers condemns the actions of the City and State of New York and the Board of Higher Education in imposing tuition and restricting open admissions; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT calls upon the Mayor and City Council of the City of New York and the Governor and State Legislature of the State of New York, to provide the public funding necessary for the restoration of free tuition, open admissions, and quality education at the City University of New York and their extension to the State University of New York.