Hillary Clinton to join Gov. Cuomo at ceremonial bill signing of N.Y.s new free tuition program

[George II]

Source: NY Daily News

Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 9:15 AM

ALBANY — Hillary Clinton will join Gov. Cuomo Wednesday morning to help launch the state's new free tuition program.

The former Democratic presidential candidate will take part in a ceremonial bill signing at 11 a.m. at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Cuomo administration officials told the Daily News Wednesday morning.

The free-tuition plan was included as part of the state's new budget, which lawmakers adopted over the weekend. It offers free tuition to SUNY and CUNY students whose families earn $125,000 a year or less.

Students must agree to remain in New York after graduation for the same number of years that they received assistance or they will be required to pay back the money they received.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hillary-clinton-join-cuomo-n-y-free-tuition-bill-signing-article-1.3047004

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Great job Andrew, your father would be proud! And thanks to Hillary for still working for her platform planks even though she got cheated out of the Presidency.

[Tom Rinaldo]

1. A great day. Glad she is part of it n/t

[riversedge]

2. agree.

[nikibatts]

4. I believe that was her plan, was it not.

No matter it is a good move.

[George II]

6. Yes it is.

[Tom Rinaldo]

7. Not quite the one she ran on in the primaries, but essentially what she ran on in the general

It's all good. She certainly deserves credit, as does the Governor and the legislature. Providing Democratic leadership for the nation.

[George II]

13. Yes, but this is state legislation, not national. It can't be a one-size-fits-all...

....and I like some of the modifications that they hammered out, like a residency requirement, a "default" clause (if you don't complete your degree you pay back the tuition), etc.

[Tom Rinaldo]

15. I'm not complaining, 'tis cause for celebration

Nary a negative word do I have to say about this nor Hillary's role in it.

[Sunlei]

31. Does Canada have free college? or are Canadian colleges about the same price as USA colleges?

Do they price gouge to increase 'profit' or are tuition prices much lower in Canada?

[George II]

34. I have no idea.

[Sunlei]

36. ok, I saw your l'Unifoli and thought you would know

[Sunlei]

27. yes, after primary Hillary & Sanders teams worked together & firmed up 'free community college' plan

'free community college' plans a la Clinton/Sanders. They worked together very well.

If Hilary won, free community college tuition would have been an early White House, first 100 days= National plan by now.

[brer cat]

3. K&R

[sheshe2]

5. This is wonderful!

A great day for NY students and for Andrew and Hillary for all their hard work to make this happen!

[yallerdawg]

9. In case a particular thought crossed your mind - as it did mine:

In 2016, Vermont charged the second highest tuition in the nation for four years, $61,000 for in-state students, to $147,000 for out-of-state students. This compares with an average of 34,800 nationally for in-state students.

[sheshe2]

10. Now that is something I did not know, yikes... second highest!

Thanks so much for that info, yallerdawg.

[Sunlei]

28. If Republicans didn't steal the election, Hillary would have had free college plan in first 100 days

[still_one]

8. Thanks George. K&R

[crazycatlady]

11. And people say Cuomo's not progressive

[Deb]

12. We!come to NY!

NYers are looking forward to the population and skilled workforce increase.

[George II]

14. That's true. The good thing about this plan is that there is a residency requirement...

....after graduation.

[iluvtennis]

16. I like it..thanks for posting the article.

[Equinox Moon]

17. Very nice!

May this become a sweeping 50 state norm.

[JTFrog]

18. K&R! nt

[R B Garr]

19. K&R! Great news. A New York Senator and a Democrat

together with the New York Governor celebrating a policy goal that shows some compromise to make it actually achievable.

This should be getting lots or recs!

[Scruffy1]

20. it is actually a tuition increase.

In order to get the "free" part their are conditions that a large percentage won't be able to meet. This includes class load and GPA requirements. Nobody reads the fine print, anymore.

[That Guy 888]

22. Can you post a link outlining the fine print?

Cuomo seems a little more concerned with press conference results than positive real world results IMO, but I'd like to know if that's justified here.

[StubbornThings]

23. Here's a good link that explains in detail the flaws of the bill.

It looks like it would help the middle class much more than the poor.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/nyregion/new-yorks-free-tuition-program-will-help-traditional-but-not-typical-students.html?_r=0

Because Excelsior is what is known as a “last dollar” program that kicks in on top of other scholarships and grants, its benefit to the poorest students would be limited. Tuition bills at the City University of New York or SUNY — already among the lowest in the country, with two- and four-year tuition roughly ranging between $4,350 and $6,470 — are often covered by Federal Pell grants or state aid. What those students most need help with — living expenses, books and fees — will not be covered by Excelsior.

[Sunlei]

25. always flaws. When someone is really poor, they can always start with one class.

[StubbornThings]

26. No they can't. They have to take a full load to qualify.

Did you actually read the post I linked? It's the the paragraph right above the one I inserted.

To qualify, students must attend school full time and be on track to graduate within two or four years, depending on the degree they are seeking. But low-income students often must interrupt their studies to work. At the state’s community colleges, more than 90 percent of students would not qualify for free tuition based on those requirements. Even at its four-year colleges, 60 percent would be ineligible.

[Sunlei]

30. I'm not saying to use the new bill "free four years" Take one class that is priced low enough or

is free for people with no money at all. Many basic college classes are two nights a week and do NOT "interrupt their studies to work"

[StubbornThings]

32. True, but we are talking about the bill and it's flaws.

And, shouldn't we hope that it would be better for poor people?

[Sunlei]

33. I don't see any "flaws" in the "free college tuition" plan.

[StubbornThings]

35. Then why did you say, "always flaws"? nt

[Sunlei]

37. a 'wisecrack' by me about your use of word "flaws"

sorry

[That Guy 888]

41. Thanks! Much appreciated.

Seems like a typical 1990's program. Pretends to help poor students in the headlines, actually just eases the financial burden of those that can already afford it. I wonder how many students are able to go to college that weren't able to go before.

[stonecutter357]

21. K&R!

[Sunlei]

24. To agree to stay for only four years for free college is an excellent deal for NY and the student.

[lunamagica]

29. K&R. Thank you, George

[marybourg]

38. I'm sure there are many here who got a free CUNY

education pre-1976. I did.

[George II]

39. You're right, I would have gotten one if I didn't get a free education from The Cooper Union.

Unfortunately that went south sometime in the 1980s or so, and CUNY isn't SUNY.

[marybourg]

40. It's a shame about Cooper Union. nt