Assemblyman Cahill: SUNY Should Not Raise Tuition

“Haven’t they learned their lesson?” Assemblyman asks

November 18, 2009

Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D-Ulster, Dutchess) expressed his concern and disapproval at the proposal approved by the SUNY Board of Trustees to raise tuition for the second consecutive year. The two percent tuition hike is part of SUNY’s plan to seek annual tuition increase tied to inflation.

"I was dismayed when the board made the unprecedented and ill-advised decision to unilaterally raise tuition last spring, despite not having the authority to spend the increased revenue," Assemblyman Cahill said. “This proposal of perpetual tuition hikes does nothing but ensure an ever increasing financial load on students. Their so-called rational tuition policy is anything but. It includes no guarantee that any additional revenue generated from this plan will be placed into the university system, nor can it assure that the State contribution will keep up. In fact, our experience is that the contrary is likely.”

Despite facing a $21 billion deficit, the largest in state history, the Legislature did not cut the SUNY budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Instead, the State Budget that was approved in April provided a slight increase to SUNY overall while maintaining full funding for the Tuition Assistance and Educational Opportunity Programs. Any cuts that SUNY has been forced to endure are the result of unilateral across the board spending reductions the Governor ordered all state agencies to undergo in order to reflect the severity of the current economic crisis.

“The decision to raise tuition should come as an absolute last resort and should be done in consultation with the Legislature,” said Assemblyman Cahill. “SUNY advocates like me hold out for every last dollar we can get for the public university system before turning to tuition dollars to make up the difference. By turning to tuition first, the trustees are once again flipping that model on its head and severely diminishing our opportunity to garner a greater share of resources from the state’s general revenue fund.”

Assemblyman Cahill (SUNY New Paltz, ’77), a member of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, is one of the strongest advocates for SUNY in State Capitol. He successfully fought for increased support for expanding fulltime faculty, new programs and facilities, as well as the restoration of full base aid to our community colleges. On the SUNY New Paltz campus alone, Assemblyman Cahill has secured capital grants for the first ever overhaul of the Student Union Building and a new Science Building, along with renovations to the Main Building, Van Den Berg Learning Center, the Sojourner Truth Library the Health and Wellness Athletic Complex. Assemblyman Cahill has introduced a number of pieces of legislation specifically to make public higher education more affordable.

“It is unfair to ask students and their families to shoulder this disproportionate burden in this time of great need,” Assemblyman Cahill said. “Accessible and affordable public higher education is our surest path to economic success. I remain committed in my support for SUNY and I will be working with my colleagues in the Legislature to restore funding in the next budget. My hope is that the trustees will come together with us to achieve that goal.”

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