Faced with an $11.5 billion financial gap, the New York State Assembly finds itself hard-pressed to create a balanced budget for 2003-2004. This gap includes a $2.2 billion shortfall from 2002-2003, and a $9.3 billion shortfall for 2003-2004. As part of the measures to reduce the gap, Governor Pataki has proposed that higher education be cut by $600 million.
A $319 million reduction of SUNY and CUNY state support makes up the most significant part of the cuts in the Executive Budget, while cuts in the Higher Education Opportunity Program and Direct Institutional Aid make up $29.7 million of the difference. Both of these programs provide opportunities for New York State residents to attend independent colleges and universities.
According to the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, 41 percent of all students attending college in New York attend private college and universities, saving an estimated $1 billion annually.
Another large cut comes out of the Tuition Assistance Program. Pataki plans to withhold TAP awards until graduation, saving New York $279 million. Also on the table as part of this deferment plan is a five year cap on time spent in college.
This will hurt non-traditional college students who have to take time off to accumulate enough cash to complete a degree, explained John Mac Enroe, director of state relations. He went on to say that many programs are five year programs that a student may require more time to complete. For these reasons students are taking more time to graduate than they were a few years ago.
However, Mac Enroe emphasized that, “This proposal is as bad as TAP will get … this is a worst case scenario.”
Last year the State Assembly did not approve similar cuts and restructuring proposed by Pataki, although the shortfall they faced then wasn’t as significant as this year’s. “None of us know how this is going to turn out,” Mac Enroe said.
The proposed restructuring for TAP would require students to use loan programs such as Stafford loans. When they graduate, the state would then repay the loans and interest.
In addition, the minimum TAP award will increase to $500, and the maximum award will increase to $5,000. The TAP cut for juniors and seniors is $100, and the income eligibility ceiling is $80,000. The graduate studies TAP awards will not be changed.
At RPI, 1,400 undergraduate students shared $2.5 million in financial aid last year. Members of the Office of Financial Aid were unavailable to comment on how such a change would impact awards at the school.
On Tuesday CICU held a lobby day, where students from 51 colleges and universities across New York met with legislators and policy makers.
CICU is also running an e-mail campaign to save the financial aid programs of New York State. Information on the campaign can be accessed at http://www.cicu.org/support_now.php.
