We, the undersigned, believe that all CUNY campuses should follow City College's lead and ensure that any student enrolled in the fall semester, who is in good academic standing, should be able to enroll in the spring semester. City College's grant and interest-free loan program is a model for all CUNY campuses to follow. It works to ensure that students have access to CUNY colleges in an era when student retention and access to higher education, including CUNY, is in jeopardy, given the current tuition increases and the severe recession impacting the nation. (See letter below from City College president Lisa Staiano-Coico to the City College student body.) We ask that you implement a similar program at our campus in order to ensure equitable access to education.

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 December 1, 2010 Dear Students, Many of you have shared with me the fact that the raise in tuition instituted for the spring semester represents a hardship - particularly as you have had so little time to plan for it. Today I want to give you the College's commitment that no CCNY student in good standing will have to leave school for the Spring 2011 semester because of an inability to meet the tuition differential. The College is in the process of establishing a grant and a zero-interest loan program designed to ensure that all students can bridge the difference between the current and new tuition. They will be open to all CCNY students in good academic standing who register for the spring semester, whose tuition is not fully covered by TAP and/or Pell or scholarship, and who have paid their fall tuition. It will take us a little time to set these programs up; they will be in place by December 10, allowing you to apply and pay your tuition bill. While we are on the subject of emergency financial support, you should know that the College already offers grant and loan programs that offer aid for students who face extreme hardship because of such things as the temporary loss of a job, a fire, theft of essential belongings, emergency medical bills, travel home because of illness or death in the family, and other crises. The one-stop shop for all of this support - both "bridge the gap" tuition assistance and other emergency assistance - is the Office of Student Affairs, Admin. Room 204. Please call 212-650-5426 to make an appointment. Good luck on your finals - and have a wonderful holiday! Sincerely, Lisa Staiano-Coico President