Hundreds of students rallied on the lawn of Farmingdale State College Thursday morning, chanting “no cuts” as part of a statewide protest against a $90 million mid-year cut to the overall SUNY budget proposed by Gov. David Paterson earlier this month.
“Today is all about you,” said state Sen. Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson). “Education is the solution, not the problem.”
The impact to Farmingdale specifically from the proposed cut could be more than $1 million. Students wore Band-Aids to represent the injuries they expect from such a large loss—like not getting the classes they need to graduate.
“We will not stand for this,” said Farmingdale senior Joe Lapredo. “These cuts are unacceptable and could threaten everything we’ve all worked so hard for.”
Full-time enrollment at the Farmingdale campus has increased 67 percent since 2000—one of the largest increases in the SUNY system. Students fear a hiring freeze that could result in a smaller staff and smaller programs.
“I’m one voice, but you’re not,” state Sen. Charles Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick) said urging students to speak up by calling the governor’s office. “There are more than 7000 students here.”
SUNY students have already been hit with a $620 annual tuition increase this year to help eliminate the budget gap. Assemblyman Joseph Saladino (R-Massapequa) told students this tuition hike was “a grab for your pocket.”
“We got dissed and we’re not going to allow ourselves to get dissed again,” he said. “This isn’t about Democrat and Republican anymore—it’s about respect.”
Dick
Really, no cuts? Who is going to pay for the already subsidized education these students are receiving. Perhaps they should quit school, work and save for a few years and then go back. Perhaps then, they will begin to understand how hard it is to make money and they’ll appreciate the sacrifice that the rest of the people in this state make so each of these students can have a chance at a better life.
Times are hard, the pain has to go someplace.
I notice that none of the scum who put the economy in this mess seem to be suffering much. I noticed no one is being prosecuted or persecuted for drag down the entire economy and making this pain neccessary.
It’s about time for a little class warfare. Start in the hamptons and on the Upper East side and work your way out from there.
If we don’t fix it soon, the economy is going to fix us.