Res 0099-2018

By Council Members Rodriguez and Brannan Whereas, Student loan debt is a major issue in the state of New York, where, according to the Institute for College Access and Success, the average college student in New York State graduates with $27,822 in debt Whereas, The average undergraduate tuition at CUNY for New York State residents in traditional four-year programs is $6,530 per year; and Whereas, These costs rise to $17,400 per year for out-of-state residents at those CUNY institutions; and Whereas, According to CUNY's pricing estimates for students who live away from home, housing costs approximately $10,386 for one year, in addition to the aforementioned cost of tuition; and Whereas, According to CUNY data, 48.8 percent of students at CUNY community colleges come from households where the annual income is less than $20,000 per year and 38.1 percent of students at senior colleges are the first in their families to attend college; and Whereas, According to CUNY, the cost of a MetroCard for the nine months of the year a student is $1,088; and Whereas, According to a report by the Center for an Urban Future (CUF), a 10% increase in CUNY Community College graduation rates would generate an estimated $689 million in economic activity over a decade; and Whereas, CUNY offers MetroCards free of charge to students in their Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP)-a three year program designed to support students seeking an associate's degree at CUNY Community Colleges-incentivizing students to remain enrolled; and Whereas, According to a February 2015 analysis from the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC)-an organization that periodically assesses the ASAP program-ASAP has nearly doubled graduation rates compared to students not enrolled in this program; and Whereas, New Jersey Transit offers significant discounts to college students in the tri-state region, including many in New York City, thereby demonstrating the demand for such a program as well as the operational capacity to employ it; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon CUNY to include in its FY19 budget and beyond, funding to provide MetroCards to all students enrolled in CUNY Colleges free of charge. RM/MK LS#4062/Res. 653 LS#847 12/22/17