Mass. Schools get a D- for Affordability
WASHINGTON, Oct. 02, 2002–Students in Massachusetts are paying more to attend public and private colleges in the state than students in most other states, according to a U.S. report card on higher education released Wednesday.
The report, issued by the National Center for Public Policy and Education, said families are paying 78 percent of their income for their students to attend private institutions in the commonwealth. This is well over double the 32 percent share that families pay in the top-performing states.
For those who attend state community colleges, their families are paying 21 percent of their income, compared with an average of 16 percent in other states.
Overall, the report gave Massachusetts a “D-” for affordability.
Stephanie Doussard, a Gloucester resident and student at Salem State College, was not surprised by these figures. Because of this year’s massive state budget cuts for public higher education, Doussard’s annual school fees have increased $900, and her college has cut back on a number of expenditures.
“Now I’m paying $900 more this year, and don’t even have books in the library to do my homework,” Doussard said.
Since Massachusetts cut its higher education funding in December by 6.2 percent, Salem State has cut back on scholarship awards, closed computer labs and discontinued purchase of numerous library materials.
“We have absolutely no new reference books,” Doussard said. “And instead of having 35 periodicals on the shelf, we have about six.”
Since the cuts in December, a large grassroots effort is emerging on campus at Salem State. Students and alumni have created an organization, Community Action Network, aimed at restoring state funding for higher education.
The organization has held a teach-in on campus and encouraged students and faculty to write to their legislators and to Governor Jane Swift, a Republican.
“Every generation has a way to stand up for what they believe in,” said Cindy McMahon, a junior at Salem State and a member of CAN. “This is our way.”
CAN is trying to alert legislators that students who attend public colleges in Massachusetts are likelier than students who go to private colleges to stay within the state and contribute to the economic well-being of the commonwealth when they graduate.
“We are trying to get the state house to realize that public higher education is the solution to our economic problems in the commonwealth,” McMahon said.
“We are in a desperate situation,” said Sarah Newcomb, a member of CAN and a student-elected trustee of Salem State College.
Newcomb said that those who cannot afford to go to a large private university depend on public institutions for an education.
“State schools are usually the only outlet to change their economic situation,” said Newcomb.
Wednesday’s report wasn’t the only one giving Massachusetts poor ratings for higher education.
In January, the Chronicle of Higher Education published a survey that rated Massachusetts second-to-last in state-sponsored funding for public higher education in fiscal year 2002.
In an interview on the rising cost of attending college, Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.), expressed frustration that North Shore students are struggling to pay for their education.
“It’s a shame that Massachusetts is 49th out of 50 states,” Tierney said. “It’s not the Massachusetts that people really think of. We always think of it as being right up there amongst the top.”
“I am a Salem State College product,” Tierney added. “I wouldn’t have probably been able to go to college anywhere (else) for financial reasons. My family just didn’t have the money.”
Though Tierney said he understood the budget crisis in Massachusetts, he was disappointed that higher education was not more of a priority for the State House.
“I don’t know who the people that are cutting it think they are playing to. If they think they’re being real fiscal conservatives playing to the business community, they’re not,” he said
In order to have “employable” people to contribute to the economic well being of the state, he said, students need access to quality education.
“And that means more than the ones that can just afford Harvard but the ones that can get an education by going through the public institutions too,” he said.
“There’s a lot of work to be done.”
Published in The Gloucester Daily News, in Massachusetts
