Townies want universities, even students, to pay up

Since local residents called for Princeton to give its money away in April, more townies have been demanding greater (monetary) contributions from private universities to support their communities, according to an article in the New York Times.You guys, it's the economy!And it's not just that the locals want tax-exempt universities to make "voluntary payments" from their crumbling endowments.

In Providence, R.I., Mayor David N. Cicilline has proposed charging students at the city’s four private colleges and universities, including Brown, a “municipal impact fee” of $150 per semester.And in Worcester, Mass., one elected official has gone so far as to propose a tax on dorm rooms, an idea that is gathering support as layoffs take place.

The Providence Business Journal reports that the cost of this "municipal impact fee" will be added on to tuition. And that Mayor Cicilline thinks students will be more than happy to pay it.Because, you know, Obama!

Asked about the reaction from student leaders with whom he had spoken, Cicilline – himself a Brown graduate – said: “I don’t think [adults] give young people enough credit. I think this is a new generation of young people that understand, in this post-Obama world, that everyone is being asked to do things differently and think about the collective well-being of the community. And I think young people understand that.”

Incidentally, Mayor Cicilline is running for re-election next year.