Dear Governor Paterson, I am a SUNY student. I represent all 439,523 of us when I say we cannot afford any more budget cuts to our colleges and universities. We're all here because of the great education SUNY schools offer at a price that is affordable for us. If you continue to cut SUNY funding, our class sizes will increase, our facilities will fall into disrepair and our programs will be cut. We'll be forced to leave the SUNY system in search of better schools to ensure we can provide for ourselves and our kids. And honestly, we probably won't come back or encourage our kids to attend SUNY schools. Did you know that 80% of SUNY graduates stay in the state after graduation Governor Paterson, our schools are still reeling from last year's $146 million cuts. Each campus was affected and we're slowly but surely recovering. Another blow to our campuses might mean the small accounting program I'm enrolled in might not be able to continue or the health services available to me might be cut. Governor Paterson, not only did you raise my tuition by $610 last year, but you're making it harder for me to pay for college. By cutting the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) by over $26 million it's going to be harder for regular students like me to find the money to go to college. 123,060 of us SUNY students receive some form of TAP funding. How will we pay for our education if you keep cutting scholarships and funding Governor Paterson, the SUNY system isn't an expense for the state, it's an investment. It's how our teachers become great and go on to educate our children. It's how our engineers become great and go on to innovate for the future. It's how our doctors and nurses become great and go on to provide health care for all of us. It's how our politicians become great and go on to fight for citizen's rights in the future. Don't you see Governor Cutting the SUNY system is like cutting future generations of New Yorkers. Please Governor Paterson, don't cut the SUNY budget any further. Sincerely, [Petition Signers]

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