Universities Force Hidden "Taxes" on Students
Have you ever looked at your itemized college bill and noticed all of the things you're charged for but NEVER use? I did and I called
the Student Accounts Office to have these fees removed and I was told that the
“University” decided that everyone would pay these fees whether or not they
needed the services. I was wondering who
exactly is the “University?” I am a student at a University and I didn’t get
to decide. So I sat down with the Chief of Staff at a University and learned that politicians told Universities in NY they couldn't raise their tuition but they could raise their fees. NYS even told SUNY schools they could not raise tuition but they can add another fee, an Academic Excellence & Success fee instead. That way on paper, it looks like their tuition is still low, but in reality you're paying more. The legislature is called NY SUNY 2020.
Hmmm...sound familiar??? You may remember learning that in 1764 British Parliament levied taxes against the colonists. When colonists refused to purchase products from Britain, such as tea, King George forced them to pay taxes anyway, even if they were not using the good. Remember those extra fees on your college tuition bill from the services you're not using? That's the same thing! You're being forced to pay taxes camouflaged as fees that go directly into the pockets of the University so they can make more money.
Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in 1819 based on the idea that education should be free and available to everyone. Since 1819, Universities have turned education in a big business. My extra fees total $500 per semester, multiply that by the 15,000 students attending and that's $7,500,000 per semester, or $15,000,000 per year plus the summer and winter semesters. Remember that's only the extra fees, you're still paying tuition on top of all of that.
Sign this petition to show you stand behind the ideas of our Founding Fathers and help turn higher education back into education and not a big business.
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