All views expressed in this article are the author\u2019s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board, the Macaulay Messenger, or CUNY Macaulay Honors College.<\/em><\/p>\n Incoming Macaulay students understand the impact of budget shortfalls. They do not have access to a laptop or MetroCards like their peers did before them. However, Macaulay cuts are unfortunately a manifestation of the funding issues plaguing the entire CUNY system. <\/span>D<\/span>ue to New York City\u2019s Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) budgetary savings initiative, <\/span>CUNY has faced $95 million<\/a> in cuts per fiscal year since January 2022.<\/span> This austerity is atrocious and in desperate need of fixing.<\/span><\/p>\n Like many government programs, cutting spending on education inhibits its efficacy. <\/span>CUNY\u2019s lack of funding has severely limited its resources. <\/span>300 unfilled faculty and staff positions have been eliminated due to the recent cutbacks, and only<\/span> 8% of CUNY buildings<\/span><\/a> are in good repair. <\/span>In addition to a <\/span>hiring freeze<\/span><\/a> and dilapidated facilities, cuts thwart potential expansion to programs like CUNY ASAP, which provides<\/span> financial assistance, tutoring, and support services to help students complete their degrees. More <\/span>funding, not less, is necessary so that CUNY can simply provide adequate services to its students.<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond losing the bare minimum provisions, it is criminal that CUNY is now first on the chopping block. If we take into account its social value, it should be the number one funding priority. This is because CUNY provides<\/span> a unique socioeconomic benefit: it closes the economic gap between the wealthiest and poorest among us. Those with a CUNY associate degree earn on average<\/span> 67% <\/span><\/a>more than prime-age New Yorkers (30-54) with only a high school degree.<\/span> That number climbs to <\/span>106%<\/span><\/a> for <\/span>those with a CUNY bachelor\u2019s degree. <\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, the boost from CUNY degree earnings is different from any other university because many of these gains go towards relieving economic inequality. A <\/span>greater proportion<\/span><\/a> of CUNY students than the national average come from lower-class backgrounds. The combination of low-income students and high earning potential is why <\/span>six of the top ten<\/span><\/i><\/a> colleges<\/span><\/i> nationwide <\/span><\/i>for bottom-to-top economic mobility are CUNY colleges. Even more shocking, a <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> from the Equal Opportunity of Opportunity Project found that CUNY propels nearly <\/span>six times as many<\/span><\/a> low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined.<\/span> Austerity for CUNY rips up the one ticket to the middle class that low-income New Yorkers have.<\/span><\/p>\n To reverse this troubling downsizing of education, the City Council should cease its budget cuts and the New York State Legislature needs to pass <\/span>the \u201cNew Deal for CUNY,\u201d (<\/span>S2146A<\/span><\/a>\/<\/span>A4425<\/span><\/a>). This bill would establish new requirements for robust full-time faculty, advisor, and mental health-to-student ratios and <\/span>allocate capital<\/span><\/a> to investment in CUNY\u2019s infrastructure. It would solve the budgeting issues that have limited the quality and quantity of CUNY resources. CUNY would finally have the funds necessary to make the student experience the best it can be. Imagine how much more successful CUNY graduates could be with sufficient full-time staff for their educational, mental health, and career needs.<\/span><\/p>\n On top of that, the New Deal for CUNY sets up a New York State <\/span>tuition reimbursement fund<\/span><\/a> which would make CUNY tuition free. <\/span>One reason that <\/span>half<\/span><\/a> of CUNY students have to work while in college is to pay the cost of tuition and <\/span>fees. Working more than twenty hours per week during college is <\/span>associated<\/span><\/a> with lower grades and retention rates. With the <\/span>removal of the tuition burden, many students would no longer have to work part-time, quickening their graduation time and enhancing their focus on their studies. This will ensure that finances never get in the way of education for those who need it the most.<\/span><\/p>\n