New Jersey City University students protest state cuts in education funding that have boosted tuition costs and burdened working families

Wednesday, October 27, 2010
By JEAN-PIERRE MESTANZA
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Angry over state cuts they say have resulted in tuition hikes, about 10 student leaders at New Jersey City University led a protest at the school's Jersey City campus yesterday.

"They have made it all the more difficult for the working students here to achieve their dream and get a college diploma," Carolina Garcia, a criminal justice major, said about the cuts.

The state cut $173 million from public colleges and universities for the 2010-2011 year, resulting in a 4 percent spike in tuition at NJCU for the year, according to the NJCU's figures.

The protest was staged in front of the Education and Professional Studies Building. En route to their various classes, dozens of students paused to listen to the speakers.

The March Forth Committee of NJCU, a member of the Better Choices for New Jersey Organization, organized the event.

"The policies of the state are negatively impacting working families the hardest," criminal justice Professor William Calathes said. "We have been losing funding for years."

Students especially objected to cuts in the Teaching Assistance Program, which helps students pay for tuition at state colleges. Statewide, the grant normally amounts to about $9.2 million, but this year was cut to $1.7 million.

"I struggle to make my tuition each semester," said Asheenia Smith, a senior majoring in economics. "Funding higher education is the best investment that New Jersey can make in the future of our state."