Ivy League not just for the wealthy

As a graduate student, I must say that I am appalled at the writer who suggested that Columbia University students should have gone to a state school to "live within their means" ["Columbia's students not taught thrift," Letters, Jan. 29].

In essence, in this land of opportunity as we call it, these students are to take the cheaper route because of their socioeconomic status? I should mention that I am a graduate of SUNY Stony Brook and have realized the dividends of attending a superb state collegiate institution.

The real issue is the annual increases in tuition at many colleges and universities, which are sometimes double and triple the rate of inflation. While I do not condone the actions of these students, I sympathize with their position on the rate of tuition. With job opportunities few and far between for my generation, choosing any Ivy League school, if afforded the opportunity, could be the difference between a job you want or no job at all.

As a society, we need to reaffirm our commitment to higher education and cease the highway robbery of students through everlasting tuition increases.

Anthony Portesy

Selden