NEWS RELEASE

For release January 11, 2004  

STUDENTS TO GOVERNOR: FREEZE TUITION, NOT OUR EDUCATION

RELEASE NEW DATA SHOWING NEW YORK AT BOTTOM OF BARREL FOR PUBLIC FUNDING TO HIGHER EDUCATION

NYPIRG Board member and SUNY Binghamton student Laurie Wheelock holds a letter to Governor Pataki, urging him to freeze tuition in his upcoming budget proposal.

Dozens of New York college students took to the steps of the State Capitol Building today to ask Governor Pataki to hold higher education harmless when he releases his Executive Budget next week. Representatives from Buffalo to Long Island delivered 2,700 hand-written letters from students across New York urging the Governor to hold the line on tuition and at least maintain current funding in his upcoming budget proposal.

"Students are the future of this state, yet the Governor keeps making it harder and harder for us to attend college," said Joel Kelsey, NYPIRG Board Chair and SUNY New Paltz student. "Thousands of students from across the state are urging him to invest in our future by investing in higher education."

Kate Sabato, an out-of-state SUNY Binghamton student, saw her tuition increase by $2,000 last year. "Because of last year's tuition increase I had to take out additional loans and am really struggling to make ends meet," said Ms. Sabato, a junior. "If tuition goes up again, I will be forced to leave New York State."

These students also released new national data showing that New York continues to rank at the bottom of the barrel in terms of state allocations to higher education; they also asked that no further reductions be made to the state's colleges and universities in this year's budget request.

New data from the Grapevine Institute at Illinois State University show that in the past year New York has decreased support for higher education by 4.5 percent, a decrease greater than the national average and of other large states like Texas and Florida. The data also underscore that: …

In response to the report, students faxed a letter to the Governor urging for his increased support for higher education. They wrote, "as citizens of the great state of New York, we understand that tough fiscal times require tough budgetary decisions and that some of those tough decisions will affect colleges and students. However, as the data show, college students and their families have not been the beneficiaries of the relatively good economic times of the past few years and have faced increased costs and reduced services. We urge you to support New York's colleges and universities in a manner that ensures affordability and accessibility and be spared reductions in state support or hikes in the costs of attending college."

Governor Pataki is expected to release his Executive Budget on January 20. He has proposed tuition increases in four out of nine of his budget proposals and cuts to financial aid programs like TAP and the opportunity programs in at least six of his nine budget proposals.

For more information contact Miriam Kramer