Photo by Robert Mecea Maryana Zubok of Queens College Student Association, opposes the the Board of Trustees' resolution to eliminate remedial classes at four-year CUNY schools. Photo by Jim Cooper Despite all CUNY's problems, there is widespread optimism that the new chancellor, Matthew Goldstein, will be able to move the system forward. The CUNY Conundrum City University, so key to New York's future, is torn by conflict over admissions standards.
Money is scarce and morale is low.
By Clara Hemphill T HE CITY University of New York is facing its deepest crisis in decades. A contentious and highly political debate over admissions standards has polarized the faculty and the trustees. Political support has eroded precipitously, and both the mayor and the governor openly attack the institution, which cannot survive without the government funds they approve. Two decades of budget cuts have decreased state appropriations to CUNY by 40 percent and city appropriations by 90 percent. The number of full-time faculty members is half what it was 25 years ago, when student enrollment was about the same.