UB enrollment is ever-increasing but the institution lacks money to fund and accommodate its growth, mostly due to cheap in-state tuition rates that the majority of students pay. The administration is serving up a solution: extending out-of-state tuition to include Long Island Residents.
"They live so far away they're practically international students anyway," said Chrissa Columbus, a senior geography major. "They can communicate to out-of-country international students the values that America and UB hold so dear: diversity and not judging people by the color of their skin-even if it is orange."
Columbus went on to say Long Islanders needed some extra English language classes anyway.
"I haven't a clue what they're saying," Columbus said. "It's like they have their own language."
President John Simpson explained that since it was an island and a large one at that, it was an easy region for the administration to axe.
"It's called Long Island, not New York Island," Simpson said. "We don't let people from Rhode Island get in-state-tuition here. This is where it ends."
If the plan is passed, Long Island residents will be paying over double what they pay now for tuition.
Ashley Shermanstein, a junior communication major, is concerned what the increase will do to her parents' bank account.
"I'm honestly going to be scraping $20 bills together just to eat. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to drink every night on Main Street," Shermanstein said.
Extra money is necessary to build up UB's resources in an effort to attract students looking for a more state-of-the-art institution, according to Simpson. The extra money will naturally be well spent, Simpson said."
"We could definitely use some more cement," Simpson said. "We might even construct a new academic building on one of those unused parking lots on campus."
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
