SUNY and CUNY students say: State not paying its fair share
Kelly Fay
A coalition of students, faculty and teachers' unions are demanding the state reform its financial aid system, pass the DREAM Act and increase funding for SUNY and CUNY colleges to alleviate the financial burden on students.
In his Executive Budget, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans to expand challenge grants for the state's public colleges, more predictable tuition increases, stable General Fund support and increased spending authority for SUNY and CUNY schools. However, members of the Coalition to Reform the NY Tuition Assistance Program said the Executive Budget falls short in helping college students. In particular, they say the budget relies heavily on student tuition increases to close funding gaps and the financial aid system needs to be reformed so that it better serves those in need.
"Unfortunately, the Executive Budget for this fiscal year has very little in it that we can smile about," said United University Professions President Frederick Kowal. "The reality is that SUNY's mission is to provide quality, affordable and accessible education for all of New York's students but it's becoming increasingly difficult for SUNY to fulfill this mission because the state simply is not paying its fair share of the cost of high-quality education."
Kowal said SUNY schools have had a flat budget for the last three years, leaving students to pay an increasingly larger share of what should be a public good. He encouraged the creation of an endowment fund for the hiring of full-time SUNY and CUNY staff — something he says many other states and private institutions have already put in place.
http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2014-03-03-87014.113122-SUNY-and-CUNY-students-say-State-not-paying-its-fair-share.html
