February 19, 2013
Deputy Majority Leader, State Representative Juan Candelaria and member of the legislature’s Higher Education Committee condemned a proposal by Connecticut university officials to raise the cost of college for in-state students by 5.1 percent next fall, in addition to new fees that students may be required to pay.
“This move to increase in-state tuition by university officials is detrimental to our minority students who are already struggling to keep up the already high costs of attending college,” Candelaria said. “I happen to believe that one of the reasons for declining enrollment is the fact that many families are dealing with the current economic crisis and trying to afford college tuition at the same time.”
Candelaria noted, “Many students take loans to help pay for college. Unfortunately, for many minority families saving for college ahead of time is not an option. As a matter of fact, many of these students trying to graduate college are first generation students. We cannot expect to try and help close the budget gap by passing the burden on to our students.”
According to the proposal, the average cost for Connecticut students living on campus will increase by at least $778 and for out-of-state students the costs will decrease by $170 and for all other students not living on campus the fees will increase by more than $400 a year at some state universities.
“If we are serious about education and helping our students achieve their educational dreams, then our goal should be making college education affordable, not the other way around, particularly when the current budget proposal by the governor includes a $4 million reduction in accessible scholarships for Connecticut students. This is simply unacceptable.” Candelaria said.