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NEWS RELEASE

COLLEGE STUDENTS TO GOVERNOR: DON’T CUT AND RUN

URGE TO SIGN STUDENT-FRIENDLY HIGHER EDUCATION BUDGET

New York State college students hung banners across the state today urging Governor Pataki to sign the legislature’s higher education budget.

The banners read “Gov. Pataki: don’t cut and run; sign the higher education budget.” Last week, Governor Pataki received the Senate and Assembly joint budget for higher education for 2006-2007 and has ten days to respond. The governor has been recently quoted in the media saying that the budget spends too much and that he might veto some aspects of their budget.

“The future of New York’s college students is now in Governor Pataki’s hands,” said Miriam Kramer, NYPIRG’s policy analyst. “The governor has talked a lot about the need to increase New York’s brainpower to enhance the state’s competitiveness; it’s now time for him to put his pen and money where his mouth is and sign this budget into law.”

"The investment in SUNY from this present budget will finally do great things for students with no tuition increase, more full-time faculty leading to greater class availability, and the restoration of critical financial aid programs such as TAP,” said Brian Fessler, President of the SUNY Student Assembly and student trustee on the SUNY Board of Trustees. “We strongly encourage the governor to do the right thing and fully support this budget for higher education."

The Senate and Assembly budget proposals differed from the governor’s Executive Budget recommendations in a number of key areas. Most notably, the legislature’s budget rejects the tuition hikes proposed by the governor and strengthens the Tuition Assistance Program, which Governor Pataki proposed cutting. The legislature’s budget also provides an additional $167 million for SUNY and CUNY operating funding, increases funding for the state’s community colleges, and increases opportunity program funding by 10 percent.

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