SUNY Students Ask for Tuition Hike

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Well, now we can all say for sure that the tuition increase is going to happen. According to an article in Cardinal Points, the student newspaper at Plattsburgh State University, the Board of Trustees for SUNY voted on Tuesday to approve a tuition increase of $310 for the spring semester, $620 for the 2009-2010 academic year, and then further increases tied to the inflation rate of the Higher Education Price Index every year until 2013. (Maybe by then, we'll be living in happier times).
According to Benjamin Pomerance, presumably a student, who wrote the article, this plan is very similar to the rational tuition plan endorsed by the students of the Student Assembly. He quotes the president of the student assembly as saying the Board's plan was very close to the student's plan that the above Times Union article talks about, with the main exception being the mid-year increase of $310.
Pomerance also quotes the president of the Board of Trustees saying he was sorry to announce that tuition is going up in such bad economic times, but it basically just had to be done. Thank you, Mr. Preisdent. Glad you are sorry. I bet you're also glad you're not the student who has to spend their Christmas break figuring out how to pay $310 more next semester, or the parent who has to find away to help their student do the same thing with money they didn't think they had to spend.
Someday, America's financial situation will get better, but not now. Not with rich people in government pulling the strings that effect "the common man" far more than it will ever effect them.

Robert from UAlbany of NY 1:54PM November 21, 2008

the students did vote on it, i am here now at the conference and was witness to the vote. and the money is going to more than just professors checks. they help keep classes small, keep a variety of classes available, and other long term effects.
not to mention, 4% each year is not 16% over 4 years is 16.985856%.

chris s. of NY 1:25PM October 18, 2008

I am incredibly disappointed that the SUNY SA executive board has voted to endorse a "rational tuition plan." Students do not want annual tuition hikes, we want the state to deliver its promise to support and fund NYS higher education!
Research shows that of the 6 states that have passed similar tuition plans (Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio) where tuition increases are set to an index like the CPI or the HEPI- ALL of the states have seen annual tuition increases far above that index.
At Ohio State University alone tuition was raised by 13% from the '03-'04 academic year to the '04-'05 academic year, even though the index ranged from 2.1% to 4.6%.
According to NYPIRG, New York already neglects to pay its state mandated one-third of community college funding and the state's public community colleges are the third most expensive in the nation. New York State has failed to deliver adequate financial support to SUNY and CUNY!
SUNY students deserve a leadership that defends their interests on the statewide level. They should vote down the ir"rational tuition plan"!

Concerned SUNY Student of NY 10:07PM October 15, 2008

Check your facts. Faculty in medical and business fields may be making over $100,000 but liberal arts faculty salaries are much, much lower. $50,000 - 70, 000 depending on rank and years in the system. Additionally, these profs have hefty student loans themselves.

RU kidding? of NY 2:10PM October 15, 2008

I would think that US News readers would be more aware of some of the obvious economic principles behind this story.
SUNY has been moving to a self-funded model for a while: "state-assisted" rather than state-funded. Therefore, like private institutions, revenues are primarily achieved through tuition and, to a lesser extent, fund-raising and endowment management. Albany, however, while demanding that the system rely on tuition over tax-payer monies, determines the tuition dollar amount. This socialized price-freezing makes it so that tuition does not even keep in line with the rate of inflation. And the limitation of tuition rates guarantees the system's over-reliance on tax-payers. Ironically, if Albany had the intelligence to follow through, tuition increases can lead to NYS tax-payer relief.
Common Sense of NY: SUNY students get a bargain, yes. If market forces were truly in play, SUNY tution would be higher. But the systemic problem that prevents the campuses from controlling (and keeping) their tuition revenues will not be fixed by what is effectively a rate hike.
Don of RI: Some faculty make that much (though that is _very rare_) because of (again) market forces. Top level researchers and instructors in medicine, technology, and business can demand higher pay from the private sector as well as better funded public sector institutions. These highly paid individuals allow for NYS under- and graduate students to get the training and experience so that they, too, can get similarly well-paid jobs: ideally, a critical mass of such people spurs innovation and economic growth. That's why SUNY and its equivalents are a benefit for the state.
If parents don't want to pay the SUNY tuition, there is a wide market in post-secondary education. If your child, your student, is capable, there are many other opportunities. We live in a meritocracy.
AlanInNYC of NY: Yes, but the manner in which that deliberative body works, even an executive committee initiative is still a student effort. But, yes, it might still lose on a floor vote.

Financial of NY 12:45PM October 15, 2008

For many years now I have seen the common complaint that professors are overpaid and receive excellent benefits. However, as an assistant professor who has 14 years teaching experience (5 at the level of assistant professor), I earn less than $50,000/year and I pay over $100/month for limited benefits. Please tell me another profession where after more than 7 years of advanced education (BS, MA, PhD) someone earns a similar wage? I am not looking for pity or negative comments, I just wanted to set the record straight about salaries at the university level.

Lori of NY 12:37PM October 15, 2008

Putting an end to the game of "Tuition Roulette" is exactly what New York's State University needs. SUNY's mantra of providing a quality education at the most affordable price is not balanced. The quality of its education can not be strong is the state does not even cover cost of living increases over time.
The legislature has used tuition simply as a political tool at the sacrifice of NY's future leaders. Sure it sounds great to keep tuition flat for over 5 years, but the reality is that they have also not increased state funding in any major way for the same period. If no new money flows into SUNY, the strenth of the education offered and overall worth of the degree drops. This not only effects today's students but all of SUNY's alumni.
It is sad the SUNY's own students have to advocate for a strong and competitive University System. State leaders should be assumed. They have allowed State University to become nothing more then a political football. One of NY greatest assets is its higher education system and its good to see that at least some of NY's future leaders are willing to admit that if the state wont support SUNY that they will.

UpstateAlumni of NY 11:33AM October 15, 2008

The idea behind the plan is not that it will solve the $210 million deficit - no tuition plan can protect against state budget cuts when you are a public university.
However, right now SUNY tuition stays the same for 5-10 years, and then raises 30-40%. That's not a fair increase for parents or students when its unpredictable.
What rational tuition DOES do is spread that 30-40% increase out so its predictable and affordable over the long term. At the end of the day, the point of this plan is not to reduce the cost of tuition, it's to reduce the burden on families who need to better plan for their financial future, especially in these harsh economic times.

Student of NY 10:15AM October 15, 2008

So a small tuition increase each year will somehow solve a %30 budget deficit for this year? Excuse me? That doesn't make any sense..

SUNY Lover of NY 11:27PM October 14, 2008

As a SUNY Student, and a student body president, I would prefer to pay a minimal tuition hike every year rather than be hit with a 25-30% tuition increase every couple of years. It helps for better financial planning for families.

Student of NY 9:41PM October 14, 2008