Dear Members of the State Legislature,

I am a SUNY student and I speak for all 464,981 of us when I say that we cannot

afford any more cuts to our colleges and universities.

If New York State is to have the economic turnaround that it needs, we need to work

together to SparkSUNY. Help us put the spark of education back into the people

of New York. Help us spark our economy by providing quality higher education at

an affordable price. Help us spark research, service and communities through our

system of higher education.

New York State is in no doubt in serious financial trouble, but higher education must

not, and cannot, fall victim to the politics of scaling back. Access to higher education

is the key to economic revitalization and for some the only opportunity New

Yorkers have to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get back to work.

Members of the Legislature, if SUNY continues to be cut, we will lose our competitive

edge. The rising costs of higher education cannot be met if we are not supported

by the state. Our classroom sizes will increase, our programs will begin disappearing

and our students will leave SUNY in search of other colleges that will meet their

needs.

Members of the Legislature, last year alone SUNY’s budget was cut by $146

million dollars. Each campus had to decide where to cut back, whether it was a

teaching position, funding for research or services provided to students. Then Governor

Paterson issued an executive order to cut $90 million mid-year. On top of that,

you, the legislature, passed the Deficit Reduction Plan, which slashed an additional

$69.3 million from SUNY. When will it end?

Members of the Legislature, you raised our tuition bill last year by $610, only to

keep 90% of it for the state. Our campuses received pennies, while the state coffers

grew.

Members of the Legislature, the Govenor’s proposed budget slashes SUNY by an

additional $136.4 million, taking away from students’ education. Community college

students were hit especially hard with a mid-year reduction in support and now

face another cut of $285 per student, which won’t be covered by federal stimulus

money. If we continue to undermine student’s ability to access affordable higher

education, New York State’s workforce will be uneducated and under qualified.

Members of the Legislature, help us to SparkSUNY by securing the resources

SUNY needs to provide a quality education to all its students. Help SparkSUNY by

investing in the state’s best resource: Education.

Sincerely, The Petition Signers