Although recent standstill budgets have blocked the worse alternatives of actual cuts, mandated salary increases and inflation mean that standstill budgets continue the decline at a reduced rate. CUNY is being slowly, but surely, strangled. If the current trend continues, quality will diminish . The dedication of overloaded faculty and staff has kept us going, but it cannot do so much longer. People get tired.
Access is threatened as well.
Cuts in aid and increases in tuition forced thousands of students out of the University. Recent changes in remediation policy will deny access to the senior colleges to thousands more. The current budget surplus provides ample means to reverse this trend. The University must have the funds to counter past cuts, meet needed salary increases, rehire full time faculty and staff, and improve the situation of part time faculty. The funds would be wisely spent since The City University is a Great Bargain.