Crossing the T’s of tuition

Nassau Community College, known for its “high quality, low cost” education, is following suit behind a number of nationwide universities that plan to increase tuition because of reduced state aid next year. The board adopted a budget that calls for a spending decrease, but a proposed $258 tuition hike.

The county has not approved the budget yet, including the tuition increase, and could recommend changes before it is finalized, according to NCC spokesperson Reginald Tuggle.

Valley Stream Central High School seniors Shawnice Lloyd and Manny Molina will both be attending Nassau in the fall. Both of them agree that the increase could have negative affects. “I am not sure that increasing [tuition] would be good,” Molina said.

Molina, 19, said he chose Nassau because parents and friends recommended it as a good school. As of now, tuition is nearly $2,000 per semester for county residents, and he thinks that is a fair number. But if tuition did go up, it could upset some people, he added. “It could affect everybody,” Molina said, “because people are so used to paying a certain amount every year…that could be one of the reasons that they are there because of the lower amount compared to other colleges.”

And Lloyd, 18, wonders if all students would be eligible for financial aid, like government grants. “What about people who don’t qualify for it?” she asked.

She added that students might not have enough money to spend on textbooks and transportation if tuition goes up. In fact, the low cost is one of the reasons she chose Nassau, along with her mom wanting her to go to a top school in New York. She is looking forward to the “college experience” and meeting new people, she added.

Valley Stream resident Elie Karkini said the tuition change could be positive. “I think it would be good if things were better for students in school,” he said.

Karkini, 19, who is also a Valley Stream firefighter, graduated last week from the college. He chose Nassau to save money and major in architecture, he added.

Spending the extra cents is not making total “sense” to all residents. Carin Melchert said she cannot afford to pay an increase. “It is just hard right now,” she said. But she believes Nassau is a good college, and plans to finish her courses despite the proposed increase.

That increase would be $129 per semester, bringing annual tuition to $3,990. The amount would have been greater if the state Legislature had not been able to restore a portion of the spending cuts that were first proposed in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s original state budget. Nassau will lose $2.75 million in aid for next year, and more than $8 million has been cut since December 2009.

Other budget cuts included are $1.3 million in reducing contracted services for building and grounds maintenance, a cap on non-salary related expenses, and a more than 11 percent cut in salary expenses for non-unionized administrators, which were implemented last July. “These are tough times,” said Nassau Community College president Donald Astrab. “And it is only through the cooperation of all parts of the campus community that we will be able to continue to deliver an affordable, high quality, higher education to the residents of Nassau County.”

Jeff Andersen, a 20-year-old Valley Stream resident, said the increase could be an improvement or a hardship. “The tuition increase could be an advantage to the students if we are given a wider variety of tools and resources to better our education,” he said.

As a now former student athlete at NCC, Andersen said it was not easy working and playing sports while attending school full-time. Also graduating last week, he added that the increase could cause more financial stress for students and parents. “Nassau Community College is known for [its] great teaching,” he said. “But if the tuition begins to increase, its reputation for being a financially sound school for Long Islanders may be on the line.”