8 The QUEE NS Courier • JANUARY 15, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Obama’s call to make community college tuition free gets an A from Queens students By Eric Jankiewicz [email protected]/@EricJankiewicz Students at Queensborough Community College are hopeful about a proposal that President Obama made to make community colleges free. Samuel Yun, who goes to school full time and has to work a part-time job to help cover his costs, including tuition, was happy to hear the government may be picking up his college tab. “That would totally help me,” Yun, 20, said as he left his class at the Bayside campus. “It’s difficult for me because I’m taking six classes so it holding down a job gets in the way of me getting school things done on time.” Obama unveiled the plan on Friday. It will need the approval of the Republican-controlled Congress to go into effect, but White House officials say they expect some bipartisan support. If the whole country participates, Obama’s idea could help about 9 million students per year and save them around $3,800 in tuition, according to the White House. In Queens there are two community colleges — Queensborough Community College and LaGuardia Community College. Combined, the two schools have more than 30,000 students that would benefit from free tuition. In Queensborough Community College, there are more than 16,000 students, according to the school’s records, enrolled in associate degree programs and another 10,000 students attend continuing education programs at Queensborough Community College, all of whom would be eligible for free tuition. LaGuardia has a student body of more than 50,000 students from more than 150 countries. “At LaGuardia we see the impact that a college education has on our students and their families,” said Gail Mellow, the school’s president. “Each year thousands of our students get the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in today’s economy.” For Yun, he would be saving around $3,200, and the proposal would allow him to also quit his job as a waiter to focus on his dream of becoming a computer engineer. Nearby, Isaac Masty, who just started his first semester, waited for his friends to finish class. “If it gets passed, it would be a real boost for people coming from other countries,” the 18-yearold said. “Foreign students have such a hard time when they come here and if they were able to get a free start to their education, it would really go a long way for them.” HOLLYWOOD GIVES HISTORIC FOREST HILLS MOVIE THEATER LAST CHANCE BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ [email protected]/@ericjankiewicz More than 85 years of Forest HIlls history hangs on the success of one weekend. The Cinemart Theater opened in 1927, and for the last eight years, owner Nicolas Nicolaou spent thousands With the viewing of American Sniper, the owner of the Forest Hills theater is hoping to ensure its future LAGUARDIA NOW $2 OFF Expires 01/31/15 With coupon only $2 OFF Any Ride To Manhattan/Queens Minimum $20 Not to be combined with any other offer THE COURIER/Photo by Eric Jankiewicz NEWARK NOW $5 OFF Expires 01/31/15 With coupon only KENNEDY NOW $3 OFF Expires 01/31/15 With coupon only 23-03 Astoria Boulevard • Astoria • 718.204.5861 “LI# B01506” of dollars operating an obsolete theater that didn’t have the technology to feature first-run films. But after making a $300,000 investment to add digital projection — the industry standard — to the theater, Nicolaou is getting a second shot from Hollywood to feature the industry’s latest movies. “After all these years I was ready to throw in the towel, but I was finally able to get another chance for the theater,” said Nicolaou, whose family has owned the place since the 1960s. On Jan. 16th, the historic theater will be featuring Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper,” and if Nicolaou sells enough tickets, the future of the theater will be ensured for another 85 years, the owner said. But if the movie doesn’t draw a large enough audience, Nicolaou may have no choice but to close his five-screen theater since Hollywood studios will likely issue him no other first-run films. “This movie will make or break this theater,” he said as the 11th hour approached. “I hope at the end of the day we will be there and the community has supported us overwhelmingly.” For the past few weeks, Nicolaou has been caught up in a flurry of activity as he prepares the theater and reaches out to the community to increase ticket sales. When the dust settles next week, he will know if the movie made enough money to become a first-run theater again. Nicolaou attempted to save the theater in the early 2000s by renovating the theater and creating the Theater Café with a bar, cozy fireplace and sidewalk café. But the renovations and cafe weren’t enough as the industry shifted to digital and the theater lost its right to screen new movies. Forest Hills and Rego Park have witnessed the closure of the Trylon, the Forest Hills, the Drake and the Continental (UA Brandon), according to reports.
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