Following Monday's release of the
one-house budget bills, the SUNY Student Assembly is calling on legislative
leaders and the Governor to combine encouraging proposals from all sides to
produce a budget that benefits the 600,000 students of SUNY and all New
Yorkers.
Both legislative houses proposed the
expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) for part-time students, a
measure long supported by the Student Assembly. Under each proposal, TAP
eligibility would be expanded to include part-time community college students
meeting various criteria.
"We are pleased that legislators in
the Assembly and Senate recognize that we can't leave part-time and
non-traditional students out of the affordability discussion," said
Patrick Gareau, Treasurer and a former Community Colleges Chair for the Student
Assembly, on the TAP proposals.
The Student Assembly was pleased to see
Maintenance of Effort restored starting in 2018 in both the Assembly and Senate
plans, which would also include all mandatory and inflationary costs and make
the program permanent.
The SUNY Student Telecounseling Network
(SUNY STCN) is a new initiative spearheaded by the Student Assembly as a result
of collaboration with SUNY System Administration and Senate Higher Education
Committee Chair Ken LaValle. "We are incredibly excited to see the Senate
support the proposal and hope the Assembly and Executive see fit to support
this critical measure," said Rey Muniz III, the Student Assembly's
Legislative Director. "Lives are at stake."
Both chambers rejected the Governor's
proposed cuts to SUNY's childcare centers and restored the $1.1 million
allocation made in last year's enacted budget. The Student Assembly has
repeatedly advocated for increased funding for childcare centers and lauds both
houses for this addition.
The Student Assembly was again dismayed
by the refusal of the Senate to move forward with the DREAM Act, as it has done
year after year. Just one month ago, the SUNY Student Assembly called on the
Senate to pass the DREAM Act, a move supported by the Governor and the
Assembly, who went one step further to propose creating the DREAM Fund
Commission.
President Marc Cohen added, “As we have
called for time and time again, the State needs to provide adequate support for
SUNY’s institutions to maximize affordability without triggering harmful
spending cuts that undermine the University’s commitment to providing a
high-quality education to New York’s students.”
As the budget negotiations come to a
close, the SUNY Student Assembly will continue ensuring that all student voices
are heard in the process.
Source: SUNY SA
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