At least there are no more cuts.
That’s the reaction from higher education officials and advocates to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposals for financial aid in his latest budget.
“It’s gotten to the point that if there are no new cuts, it’s almost a victory,” said Ted Traver, regional campus supervisor for the New York Public Interest Research Group, or NYPIRG. The group lobbies for spending on higher education.
The governor’s proposed budget would continue funding at levels near to this year’s for schools in the State University of New York — SUNY — and City University of New York — or CUNY — systems. But it does not restore money from past cuts to financial aid nor reduce increases in tuition prices. That hurts students struggling with debt, Traver said.
Sixty percent of college students in New York State are graduating with an average student-loan debt exceeding $25,000, according to research by non-profit the Institute for College Access and Success’s Project on College Debt, a group that advocates for affordable higher education headquartered in Oakland, Calif.
Cuomo unveiled his education plans in his budget proposal on Jan. 22. In his budget, he calls for slightly more than $1 million in financial aid for fiscal year 2014. That compares to the current amount of $947 million. The slight increase in the budget is attributed to changes in enrollment from year-to-year, according to the budget.
The funding goes toward tuition assistance programs, aid for part-time study and other scholarships or awards. The state and federal government fund the financial aid programs and the state administers the programs.
In hopes of getting more money for financial aid, NYPIRG members plan rallies to urge changes in the budget. The group also wants Congress to pass the DREAM Act, which would make undocumented students eligible for a variety of publicly funded financial aid.
Starting in 2008, under then-Gov. David Paterson, the state made cuts to financial aid programs and changed requirements so some groups of students no longer had access to aid, NYPIRG’S Traver said. Students who are married without children or those who have defaulted on a loan are two groups that were affected, Traver said.
Between 2008 and 2010, the state cut $74.3 million to tuition assistance programs based on a family’s financial need. Cuomo has not restored that money.
Officials at Onondaga Community College, a college in the SUNY system, said they could not comment on how the proposed budget could affect OCC students until the budget passes. The deadline is April 1. But New York lawmakers often continue the budget debates months beyond the deadline.
The budget and financial aid are on students’ minds every year, said Roger Mirabito, communications coordinator for OCC. But, he said, he is not aware of students raising specific concerns this year.
“Every year that’s an issue – ‘Am I going to get enough money with my loan?’” Mirabito said.
Private schools, like Syracuse University, are also watching the state budget proposals. One of the state programs is called Bundy Aid, which gives state money to independent colleges and universities, said Diana Napolitano, government relations associate for SU.
Given the poor economy, Napolitano said, she is happy to see funding for the programs remain constant. “We’d always love to have a yearly increase in these programs,” Napolitano said. “But at this point, and with how the economy has been, we’re just happy that they haven’t been touched.”
(Dara McBride is a senior with dual majors in business management and newspaper journalism.)
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