[PC-12] Mayor Cicilline's "Student Usage Fee"

Dear Students of the Providence College community,
 
    Last week Mayor Cicilline, the mayor of Providence, contacted members of Student Congress in order to gain feedback on a proposal he will present to the City Council.
 
     Mayor Cicilline's plan focuses on implanting a "student usage fee." The fee would apply to all students at the four private universities in Providence (Providence College, Johnson and Wales University, Brown University, and Rhode Island School of Design). Currently, this proposed fee is set at $150 per semester; $300 per year. This fee would bring $8 million to the city of Providence, and go into the general fund. His reasoning is that since private universities are tax exempt, students residing in Providence do not pay money directly to the city of Providence. The "student usage fee" would aid in funding fire and police protection, transportation, and sanitation.
 
      While the mayor has stated that 49% of the land in Providence is tax exempt, because it is home to hospitals and schools, and other not-for profit institutions, there is another point to be considered. Providence college and the other three colleges in the city of Providence comprise only 9.6% of this land combined. The four universities in Providence have already agreed to voluntary PILOT payments (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) which stipulates that they pay $48 million to the city of Providence over a twenty year period that began in 2003. Providence College will contribute $6-7 million to the city of Providence over that period of time.
 
      After meeting with the mayor on Friday May 1, along with student government representatives from Brown, Johnson and Wales, and RISD, Student Congress learned that the mayor plans to introduce a bill regarding implementing the "student usage fee" within the next week. While Student Congress, and other student government representatives expressed our desire to come up with a different, creative, non-monetary solution, the mayor did not change his mind. Father Shanley has noted that Providence College also stands in strong opposition of the proposed "student usage fee."
 
      Below is the statement our respective student governments have drafted in opposition to the fee:
 
We, the student leadership of Brown University, Johnson and Wales, Providence College, and RISD, are members of the Providence community. We work and live here. We volunteer in the city's public schools and nonprofit organizations, as well as initiate and run programs that serve local needs. We also own property, spend money at local stores and restaurants, and pay taxes. We understand and are deeply affected by the current economy and believe that students can make a positive difference. We strongly disagree with the idea of imposing a new tax on students and believe that there are better solutions for student involvement than taxing the students. We are fully committed to working with the Mayor on finding creative and sustainable ways to improve the financial future of the city.
 
     The Providence Journal has run an article, and the New York Times will also be running an article in the near future. We ask that you voice your opinion!
 
Email, or send letters to the mayor, local representative for the Providence College area:
Senator Dominick Ruggerio: sen-ruggerio@rilin.state.ri.us
Representative John DeSimone: rep-desimone@rilin.state.ri.us
 
If you email your representatives please include:
- Your name, school, graduation year
- Our statement
- Emphasize the ways you give back to the city of Providence (volunteer, service, unpaid internships.. etc)
- Give a suggestion as to another way the city could connect students to their environment
 
Thanks for your time! And remember EVERY VOICE COUNTS! We need to fight this together!
If you have any questions, comments or concerns do not hesitate to contact your Executive Board.
Sincerely,
 
- 60th Student Congress
 
Andraya Pulaski
apulaski@providence.edu
President

All messages archived at:
http://homer.providence.edu/archives/lists/pc-2012
Received on Sat May 9 05:41:05 2009