Letter to the Editor: SUNY 2020 Plan "Not There Yet"

After careful review of both the oral and written NYSUNY 2020 proposals made to Governor Andrew Cuomo by Stony Brook University President Samuel Stanley, and of the NYSUNY 2020 bill proposed in the state legislature, I am announcing that I cannot give my full support to the plan as it stands now.

I understand the need for a tuition increase, but I question the plans for implementation and how much of an increase is necessary. The university president and the governor seem concerned about students being able to reasonably plan for their tuition needs over all four years. I share in their concern; however, I think a different approach would be better for the students. I would feel more comfortable with tuition rates growing at a slower rate for a longer period of time. This would give families an easier time to manage the expenses their child will incur while still allowing for SUNY campuses to plan sufficiently for the future.

These are hard economic times; we, as a state and as a university, have some difficult decisions to make regarding our spending, but I do not believe that the brunt of these economic woes should fall on the students. I find a tuition increase of 8 percent each year for the next five years to be excessive and not in the best interests of the students. Additionally, the bill should outline that any tuition increase should return strictly to the students for the purpose of their education and that the SUNY system should not be given less money from the state in lieu of a tuition increase.

I sincerely hope that the university presidents, SUNY Chancellor Zimpher, Governor Cuomo, and the members of the state legislature take these concerns into consideration as they move forward with NYSUNY 2020.

Mark Maloof
University Student Government President