TThe Political Arts h Magazine of ir the College d of Staten Island | SummerR 2002 | awww.ThlrdRallMag.com il a w e l c o m e ;, STUDENTS & SCABS . C S I , ldoeSn'+ o a r e i abouf your HEAljQi & ' ■ X r , ■■ ... t £ t % ‘f, -<'i . • > «* ! f. > 4 1 ^ 1 ■Crf"'- f ■/'' ■rjJf ^1^ I jif®- ' -sr-' a « ■' , '5 m w l #» F /S '.v i’.j;/; - ' m ■ M THE LATEST FRAGRANCE FROM CALVIN KLEIN CATCH A W HIFF » ru E in 8 M E R WWW. EDITORIAL COLLECTIVE N eil S c h u l d in e r J eff M c G r a h a m THIRD G e o r g e S p r in g e r C o lle en M c G r a h a m D A I f STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS Olusoji "Suji" Oluwole Anthony Gargiso Timothy Jen Melissa Molina Shawn Fishe Kelly Reinhart Perri Dresnic . c o m Boris Koyfman Peter MARS^ Nancy Fama A. Venesky Rachel Richards Frank Duffy • « # «•■ Waheed Khalaykh ■'B^: PRODUCTION LAYOUT I DESIGN | COPY EDITING Neil Schuldiner 1 Anthony Gargi Jeff McGraham MORAL SUPPORT Kathy Mchugh 1 Maria Vell/^ Frank Duffy Professor Ira ScHOR Ronald B. McGuire, CUNY Student Legal Defense Project This issue is dedicated to the offici STUDENT LIFE. THANK YOU CAROL BRC -OR TREATING STUDENTS LIKE SHIT AND ING AWAY THE KfYS TO OUR OWN OFFl COMMENTSSUBMISSIONS & Third Rail welcomes all COMMENTS, CRITICISMS & SUBMISSIO Please send them via: E- m a il : ' s r / B S S e W * mail@ThirdRailM ag.com W orld W ide W eb: i ThirdRailmag.com \ \ S nail M a il : \ Third Rail magazine \ c /o College of S taten Island \ \ 2800 ViaoRY Boulevard I \ Campus Center Room 2 0 7 \ S taten Island, NY 1 0 3 1 4 \ : Drop Off In Person: \ \ \ Room 231 in the Campus Center \\ Tel: (718) 982-3105 \ \ Fax: (718)982-3104 CSIZ CUNY Students To Pay More Money CSI President Marlene Springer In Favor Of increased Fees by Peter Hogness O n February 25, the CUNY Board of Trustees approved an computer labs and librarians all able, accessible higher education to end to its decade-old “last semester free” program, urged the Board to adopt the fee New Yorkers.” -though most said they did so with The vice chair for disabled stu­ under which students receiving a bachelor’s degree regret. dent affairs at the University Stu­ were not charged tuition for their fmal term. “We just “How can we com­ dent Senate, Passantino closed by can no longer afford it,” Chancellor Matthew pete in the job market arguing that if this fee was imposed, Goldstein told the Board of Trustees The Board when we’re using CUNY’s 9,000 students with Windows 95 or disabilities should have a propor­ also voted to impose a “technology fee” of 98, and now tional share dedicated to making $75 per semester for full-time students, Windows XP is computer services accessible. and $37.50 for those who attend part-time. out?” asked Donna The most fundamental argument Quinn, majoring in against the tech fee came from a Both changes were opposed by the end of “last semes­ computer information tongue-in-cheek presentation from Professional Staff Congress. ter free” in part by systems at John Jay. Hunter student Liam Flynn-Jam- “Ending ‘last semester free’ has been pointing out that since beck, calling it “an ingenious way under discussion at 80th Street for the policy was adopted in COMPUTER HELP to raise money.” She went on: “This over two years,” said PSC Secretary 1992, the City Council estab­ “For the price of a moderately fee thing seems kinda cool .... I’m Cecelia McCall. “The fact that the lished the Vallone scholarship priced textbook,” the fee will not sure if you know, but many stu­ Chancellor now wants to ‘self-fund’ program that gives a 50% re­ double the amount of money for dents use the bathroom at some certain budget items is being used as duction in tuition to students with a computer services at City College, point during the day and they don’t an excuse to push it through.” “B” average or better. However, said Douglas Troeger, chair of pay a dime for this. I thought a little Goldstein said that the additional Mayor Bloomberg has called for ax­ CCNY’s Computer Science $55 per semester bathroom fee semester of tuition was needed to ing the Vallone program. Department. Improving computer would be appropriate. But why stoD pay for more full-time faculty. But Students in the audience were both Guardia, help facilities is especially impor­ there?... Let’s face it, chairs aren t the PSC warned that there is no amused and irritated by Goldstein’s represent­ tant at City, said Troeger, who said free, and students sit on chairs in al­ guarantee as to how the money will insistence that the move “is in no ing the that students spend too much time most every classroom. Let’s do a be used: while the BOT resolution way a tuition increase.” When the National Action “sitting stymied at the terminal.” $20 chair fee .... What about a $10 on the tech fee specifies that those Chancellor explained that the Network at a But Queens College student Don­ door fee?” funds must be spent on improving Governor has not requested nor is BOT hearing ald Passantino said that the tech fee “Budgetary cannibalism from computer services, the resolution the Legislature expected to pass any February 19. At the including “amounts to a back-door tuition within our University serves no ending “last semester free” leaves change in tuition this year, a student public hearing, most president, hike,” one that asks students “to one,” declared Valerie Vazquez, stu­ the use of that money wide open. called out, “If we pay more money, who spoke on “last Marlene shoulder the burden of two decades dent government president at CUNY spokesperson Michael it’s a tuition increase!” Some Albany semester free” opposed Springer. of disinvestment.” He noted that the Queens. “We need to work together Arena told Clarion that the union legislators expect Pataki, if re-elect- ending the program. The Those who work fee would fall most heavily on the to find a better way!” had no cause for concern. “The ed, to ask for a tuition hike next opposite was true for the new most closely with poorest students: “Unlike actual tu­ Assembly Higher Education Chancellor has indicated that re­ year.) technology fee, though UFS ob­ CUNY’s comput­ ition hikes, the burden of these fees Committee Chair Ed Sullivan has plenishing full-time faculty is his “We know from research that the servers said that 80th Street has ers formed a large and vocal con­ cannot be offset by student financial introduced a bill that would limit highest priority,” Arena said, “and major reason students drop out of made many calls urging people to stituency in favor of the $75 per aid.” Most importantly, he said, the CUNY and SUNY fees to no more the Board has voted on that. I think CUNY is not academics, but eco­ speak in its support. semester charge: students and fac­ tech fee “moves CUNY yet another than 15% of tuition. that’s a very strong statement.” nomics,” said Lawrence Rushing, Five CUNY college presidents ulty in computer science depart­ step farther from its long-standing From the April edition o f the Clarion. CUNY management justified the professor of psychology at La- spoke in favor of the tech fee, ments, administrators in charge of commitment to providing afford­ IThirdRailMag ________ T h i r d R a i l M a g I COM fr , tf«- <«»'# ;>'‘r. x*..-'5t >. ; Vv s : » , • ' , ; A ., ' j ' . , , V ■ ' ' . rA "- ^ '-. ' T 3 Kz:^ Cj ^> CD O CIX> o > ^ ■ .\:cr: — m i < D «*:•' . L..1.-# .? .v -V ________ • < S ‘- 7 a '-> -- D M V Ef® '\as^e^ ^ m p o G . 1 = km -^\G \\iy\S\0\\^^^ KT VLkST'(iV^-Vs/UOVe ■■-■ ■ ’ • W tW K\)TW t^(KmtS- M IG ^ t } : l . " ^ f\s 1 ^ t \ ] 6 v ( t ^ t ^ ' s o ^ 'L i o v ’d :! U \^’c - , . -.U Vt''*' - i’" ' ^ 4 „ * > 5 -%#■'' ..> « ■'"■ , :^‘ ^ViT"KSlNN,OV£ O ? ^ ■■•I t f O N & s ^ M\^\^ M d US a f . , ■ " M Y O snVXKt Cv ^ R V'^S^V-UQVDS SW^S^ N N oi^m stT'A O St SVtCTkCVlS If- ,. ,■•■■: . :-v’l ^ u ^ J ^ & ) ^m fM ... ':' ,i| M F.S R A N H u n d r e d s COLLEGE ST(0 ENTS I I H ^ * r S Ik. ■ f Fed up with years of multiple c s i i f S i i budgetary onslaughts by city and state administrators to CUNY fund­ favor of militaristic measures, such ing, about 1,000 CUNY high as the building of youth prisons, school, undergraduates, graduate racial profiling and funding war. students and supporters, organized “Education Not Bombs” read one by the CUNY 4 All coalition, staged sign in the colorful and spirited a lively rally and march from Union crowd. Square to City Hall, despite an The purported “war on terror” unsympathetic rainstorm. held additional significance for Although protestors emphasized many CUNY students, who also the threat posed on their education demanded an end to the tuition hike by budget cuts, the demonstration levied on undocumented students at expressed a broader predominant CUNY, who are now charged the theme—the injustice and peril of out-of-state rate of $3,400, rather downsizing public education in than the in-state rate of $1,700.