Thursday, October 29, 2009

Crowd Calls for Budget Cuts to be Cut

Plattsburgh State University could be looking at a nearly $2 million dollar cut into its budget. When New York Governor David Paterson said he would cut 90 million dollars from higher education in the state, students at Plattsburgh State University voiced their opposition. The crowd chanted as it protested, "Hey, hey, ho, ho. Budget cuts have got to go!" Paterson had already said there would be tuition increases, and now says the budget cuts are unavoidable. Students and faculty say "SUNY" cannot afford more budget cuts on top of the tuition increases that are taken by the state for budget deficits. Paterson slashed more than $148 million from SUNY in 2008 and also kept 90 percent of the revenues generated from a $620 tuition increase. This year, the state is keeping 80 percent of the revenues generated from that tuition hike.