Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF students may notice a little less help coming their way from New York State if Gov. George E. Pataki’s executive budget is passed by the New York State Legislature.

Pataki announced his budget yesterday, which included a 35 percent increase in State University of New York schools’ tuitions — down from the 41 percent increase proposed by the SUNY Board of Trustees, a cut of one-third of the Tuition Assistance Program and an $18.7 million cut in direct institutional aid, said State Budget Examiner Mary Kogelman.

Kogelman said the cut in direct institutional aid will be focused on those seeking post-graduate degrees and will not affect students seeking an undergraduate degree. She added that all programs in the budget took cuts due to the $10 million deficit the state faces.

Direct institutional aid is money given to private universities by the state to be distributed to students through things such as grants.

Syracuse Assemblywoman Joan Christensen said this tuition increase coupled with the decreases in aid is too much for a majority of students, who will not be able to make up the difference on their own.

“I don’t like what he is doing,” she said. “He is cutting students at the knees just as they are trying to stand up and do something.”

Sean Vormwald, project coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group at SU and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, said today’s budget would be atrocious for SU and ESF students. As a result of the problems this increase would cause, NYPIRG will begin lobbying members of the Legislature who must ultimately approve the budget before it becomes finalized, he said.

Blair Horner, the NYPIRG legislative director, said the budget should serve as a wake-up call to students to become involved in politics.

“I don’t think the governor was making up that there is a deficit, but it seems like those who don’t vote and those who don’t make campaign contributions were hit hardest,” he said.

Christensen said one of the problems with the budget is that Pataki talks about technology and jobs, but by making it harder for New Yorkers to receive the training necessary for these jobs he is taking the economic opportunities they present away from residents.

“He keeps harping on jobs but minimum wage, no benefit jobs don’t help us. Maybe they help big business but not us,” she said.

Horner said it does not make sense to say the future of the state is brainpower and then cut the funding to that resource. There were other options open to Pataki that he chose not to accept, such as partially reducing President George W. Bush’s tax-cut plan within the state, he said. If the tax break for people making over $150, 000 was reduced, the state could raise between $1 billion and $2 billion that could replace the $2 billion in cuts made to higher education.

Christensen agrees that Pataki’s budget seems to favor the wealthy. Any student whose family makes less than $80,000 per year is eligible for TAP; these students would see a decreased amount of aid, she said. Those students whose family makes more than $80,000 are not eligible for TAP, but the family will receive a tax credit, Christensen said.

Geri Weinstein, a senior history, education and political science major, said Pataki’s budget would cause students who may already be struggling with the cost of tuition to either take a leave of absence or be totally unable to return to school. She said the last time there was an increase in tuition in 1995 approximately 30,000 students had to leave school, and she would not be surprised if the same thing happens again.

Christensen said common sense will show it is not reasonable to think people will be able to afford an increase of about one-third in education.

“A modest increase perhaps but to sock it to them in this way with people already struggling just isn’t right,” she said.

Published on January 29, 2003 at 12:00 pm