PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Pitt students protest tuition hike
by Andy Mulkerin Sunday, Sep. 01, 2002 at 5:45 PM

As the University of Pittsburgh's Board of Trustees convened to discuss the merits of raising tuition for the 8th year in a row Monday, students and activists gathered outside to tell the board and the public that another tuition hike could be credited to corporate greed.

As the University of Pittsburgh's Board of Trustees convened in Wesley W. Posvar Hall to discuss the merits of raising tuition for students for the 8th year in a row Monday, a group of concerned students and activists gathered outside on Forbes Avenue to tell the board and the public that another tuition hike could be credited to nothing more than corporate greed.

Members of Pitt's Students in Solidarity organized a rally of 10-15 people chanting radical cheers and educating passers by about the University's policies on same-sex partner benefits and a living wage.

Students held signs saying things like "Tuition Hike + Capital Campaign = Corporate Greed" and suggested that Chancellor Mark Nordenberg could be compared to a welfare queen.

The tuition hike, 14 percent for in-state students and 10 percent for those from out of state, comes one month after the University announced the wild success of its capital campaign, which raised its goal of $500 million one year before that goal was scheduled to be met. The capital campaign has been extended in hopes of raising $1 billion by 2007.

The student activists pointed out that while the fundraising goal was exceeded, the money is not being used to keep tuition costs down- enabling more low-income students to attend Pitt- or to pay employees of the university a living wage. They also noted that while low-wage full time employees who also take classes at the university were given a slight pay raise last year, the cost of their computing fee went up too, rendering the raise essentially pointless.

Another matter tackled by the protestors was the fact that Pitt, unlike many other local employers, does not offer health benefits to same-sex partners of its employees. Earlier in the summer a special committee appointed by Chancellor Nordenberg announced that, while same-sex benefits were a viable option for the future, it would not be "prudent" to offer them at this time. The reasoning behind this decision was that state legislators may not like the idea of giving same-sex benefits, and therefore would pull funding from the university.

More on the Students in Solidarity living wage campaign can be found at http://www.pitt.edu/~leftists/livingwage.html. Past IMC coverage is located at http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=179322&group=webcast.

www.indypgh.org

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