Statement from SUNY Student Assembly President Julie Gondar
For Immediate Release: Thursday, July 1, 2010
For three months, State University of New York students have waited in limbo as legislators continued to delay passage of a state budget. For three months, our futures, the future of SUNY, and the future of this great state have been anything but certain. We see today as a turning point in what seems like a never-ending journey, and we urge legislators to act.
Millions of dollars in cuts are on the table for SUNY campuses – our programs, our classes, our teachers, our opportunities. Public universities cannot operate without public support. As students, access and affordability are paramount in our quest for knowledge and in becoming quality citizens of our state. With deep cuts come even deeper hardships, both for our students and for SUNY’s ability to provide access to a quality education.
Let students speak for themselves on tuitionLet students speak for themselves on tuitionThe Buffalo News
In a letter submitted by Edward Herman, chairman of the United University Professions advocacy committee of the University at Buffalo, he insists that the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act is not in the students’ best interests. However, in March, the State University of New York Student Assembly, which represents all 64 campuses of the SUNY system, endorsed the act in a unanimous vote and many SUNY Student Government Associations followed and approved of the act individually.
What students find most appealing about this piece of legislation is that it will remove tuition from the political process by allowing the SUNY board of trustees to set tuition, not the Legislature. Additionally, this will allow SUNY to keep all tuition dollars, instead of it going to aid the state deficit. Year 2010-11 SUNY Student Assembly OfficersCongratulations to following officers for year 2010-11 : President: Julie Gondar Vice President: Keisha Dobney Chief of Staff : Kevin Bretscher Director of Campus Relations : Cariann Quick Director of Communications (social Media) (Interim -- needing approval from assembly) : Joshua Davis
Budget Advocacy Toolkit
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Students urge lawmakers to rethink cuts and roadblocks for SUNYContact: John Dias
For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 17, 2010 Albany – Students of The State University of New York (SUNY) visited the Capitol today to advocate for state legislators to consider the negative impact on SUNY’s more than 465,000 students as proposed cuts to higher education become reality amidst continued emergency budget extenders and final budget negotiations. “The fact is that students are the future of New York,” said Julie Gondar, president of the SUNY Student Assembly and voting member of the SUNY Board of Trustees. “Ignoring this could cause serious short and long term damage to the state’s ability to remain competitive in these harsh economic times.” Your Newly Elected 2010-11 Student Leaders
Students Declare Support for Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act
Contact: Juliette Price
ALBANY (3/22/2010) – In a sweeping victory for SUNY students across the state, The State University of New York Student Assembly announced their support for the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (S.6607-A/A.9707-A) with a resolution passed on Saturday, March 20 by the SUNY SA Executive Committee.
Within the proposed legislation, students' cry for a rational tuition policy, like the one endorsed by the Student Assembly in October 2008, has finally been answered.
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Published: June 23, 2010, 12:30 am