Paterson’s University “Empowerment Plan” Labeled Cruel Hoax
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February 8, 2010
ALBANY, N.Y. - A significant section of Governor David Paterson's plans for higher education is being called a cruel hoax; that was part of the message at Friday's protest of the governor's proposals. About 300 students, faculty and education union members gathered in front of the Capitol in Albany for a rally that called on lawmakers to increase higher education funding. Paterson has proposed chopping another $118 million from the State University of New York (SUNY) system, but he claims a new "Empowerment and Innovation Act" will grow the schools and bring jobs.
Phil Smith, the president of United University Professions (UUP), which represents 35,000 SUNY academic and professional faculty members, has major doubts about the proposal.
"Nobody is clamoring to build things on SUNY campuses and things like that. So I think it's a cruel hoax that's being perpetrated on the public, that this is going to create thousands of jobs - it just isn't realistic."
SUNY's chancellor is backing Paterson's plan that would allow the State University system to lease land and enter into public-private partnerships, but opponents fear it will simply open the door to higher tuition. Governor Patterson's latest estimate now pegs the state budget deficit at just over $8 billion.
The empowerment plan would allow each SUNY campus to set its own tuition rate. SUNY says there is a cap on potential increases that would protect students, but Smith says tuition could go up by as much as ten percent. He says Paterson's plan already pushes tuition over the $5,000 limit for students to qualify for New York's Tuition Assistance Program, known as TAP.
"The TAP cap is $5,000; this tuition already puts the kids out of the ballpark for TAP support, so this isn't fair either. "
At their Delegate Assembly on Saturday, more than 300 delegates of UUP unanimously passed a resolution opposing the governor's Empowerment and Innovation Act.