Brian Lair on WNYC, now we continue our election series, 30 issues in 30 days with issue number 21,

should CUNY be free again as an issue in the New York City mayoral race. It's

relevant because of Ramabdani has been among those in the state legislature supporting that idea.

You know, for decades, the City University of New York was free, and that was a point of pride

for a city that saw higher education as a public good, full disclosure,

my own parents, who both grew up poor in the South Bronx, both went to city college for free

and wound up in the middle class, to my advantage, of course. Could their parents have paid any tuition?

I don't know, but I don't think so. But since the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, CUNY students have

paid tuition, and over the years, that tuition has crept up, even as the system's public funding

has gone down. Now, some New Yorkers want to bring back the idea of a free CUNY as an investment

in the city's long-term future, But not everybody thinks it's a good idea.

There are multiple sides to this, which is why it hasn't passed the legislature.

State Senator Andrew Garnardis has been one of the leading voices pushing for that return.

He has argued for years that a tuition-free, well-funded CUNY is a way to lift families into

the middle class today, strengthen the local workforce, and keep more talent right here in New York.

But the idea obviously comes with a price tag, either worth the cost or not, when New York

has so many other urgent needs.

So can we afford to make CUNY free again?

And what would that actually

look like in practice? So joining us now for, in this case, an advocate segment, is State Senator Garnardis,

who represents New York's 26th District and co-sponsors the New Deal for CUNY Bill, as they call it,

which would restore free tuition and expand support

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