By Corey Tarreto

Buffalo, NY— Students made their case against Governor Paterson’s proposed cuts to higher education in Buffalo State College’s Butler Library today. A petition signed by 1,747 students was presented at the event and then delivered to representatives from Assemblymember Sam Hoyt and Senator Antoine Thompson offices, asking them to reject the governor’s plan to cut student financial aid, shift public dollars away from SUNY and authorize tuition hikes.

“The governor wants to leave students out in the cold,” said NYPIRG’s higher education project leader and first-year education major, Sara Garfinkle. “Stunted economic growth and reduced access to higher education—that’s what we’ll have if we cut financial aid and cut SUNY again. After the tuition hike we just suffered and the $425 million SUNY lost in the last two years, students can’t bear another round of cuts and we can’t afford to pay more.” 

Governor Paterson’s proposal, if enacted, would cut SUNY by $152 million, and authorize a tuition hike of almost 10% this year. It would also allow tuition to increase in subsequent years by more than twice the rate of inflation.  Students at certain campuses and in certain majors could also pay extra under his plan.

Additionally, every Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) award would be cut by $75 and TAP for graduate students, dependents of retired workers, and students who are struggling with federal student loans or grades would be reduced or eliminated if the governor’s plan is enacted.

Bill Nowak, Policy Director for Senator Thompson, gladly accepted the almost 2,000 petition signatures. “We will be taking these [petitions] back to Albany with us to help show other legislators how important it is for us to protect higher education in this state,” said Nowak after receiving the petitions.

Garfinkle and other students working with NYPIRG will continue to press their legislators to reject the proposed cuts to higher education.

“Enough is enough,” said Garfinkle. “Instead of cutting higher education again, the legislature should fight for the funding SUNY needs to protect quality and avoid another tuition hike.