In his state budget address Governor George Pataki proclaimed “We face tough decisions. Reducing our commitment to education is not among them. It’s not an option. We won’t do it.” However, a state-wide outcry ensued soon after details of the plan were revealed.
Beginning next semester Pataki wants to withhold a third of a student’s Tuition Assistance Program grant until after graduation as a way of encouraging timely completion of course work. Consequently, students will have to cover the one third gap by taking out loans in the interim. The proposal has many students, including Farah Martin ’03 IME asking “We are going to get the money anyway, why add the hassle of taking a loan?”
Pataki calls this new proposal, the “New Incentives for College Graduation,” but opponents say it is anything but. Rensselaer’s principal lobbyist at the state level, John MacEnroe, describes the proposal as “troublesome to students who might already have high debt loads.” If students receive only two-thirds of their TAP awards and have to borrow new loans in addition to the regular amounts they already borrow, they may very well decide to forget the idea of attending college. In addition, there is little evidence to suggest that the proposal will inspire students who would otherwise leave school to complete a degree. “Would the state rather have people take more time or not go to college at all?” asked Martin.
“Middle class and poor families will be the hardest hit,” said Dean of Students Mark Smith. TAP awards vary between $500 and $5,000 per student depending on family income. Almost 40 percent of these students receive the maximum amount. “Students not only have to show financial need but they also have to keep a certain point average,” said Smith.
Meanwhile, students, professors, school administrators, and watchdog groups have been busy lobbying, writing letters, and rallying outside the Legislative Office Building in Albany. Their campaign at this point aims at getting the legislative branch to reject Pataki’s proposal.
Supporters of the proposal say that it aims to solve a problem that has long plagued the SUNY and CUNY systems. “The general idea behind the proposal is good, but the way it is carried out is not,” said Student Senator Arikpo Onda. The remedy, many say, will be to modify the educational system at state colleges and universities. Onda suggested that making courses available during all semesters instead of limiting them to certain ones and increasing the number of classes and sections offered is part of the solution.
Both Smith and MacEnroe agree that the proposal is unlikely to pass when it goes to the legislative branch in its current form, especially since this is an election year. Critics say that parts of Pataki’s proposal and fiscal policies seem more like sleight-of-hand approaches to cover for $88.6 billion in state spending. This proposal, if passed, will save $155 million in state expenditure.
According to Pataki’s executive budget fewer than seven in 10 students graduate with a traditional four-year bachelor’s degree within six years of starting courses at public or private colleges in New York State. Moreover, only a third of students obtain a traditional two-year associate’s degree within four years. However, “Rensselaer students on the average take four to five years to graduate,” said MacEnroe.
