Student leaders at UB are holding a rally today on the North Campus, protesting yet another proposed budget cut to the SUNY system.
On the chopping block is $90 million. This comes after $146 million was cut from the SUNY system last year. This time, one program that would feel the pain is the Tuition Assistance Program.
Student leaders say UB's 2020 program has helped keep this school afloat with minimal impact - unlike other SUNY schools, but some students say smaller departments are already feeling the pinch from the previous cuts.
"We have classes that are being cut, we have funds that are being cut," says student Sophia Azeb. "And we need student support so we can challenge these effectively."
The state also increased tuition by $310 per semester during last school year. Students say 90% of the extra revenue last year went off-campus to help bridge the state's budget gap.
"I've had friends who've been forced to take leaves of absence, to drop out of school, because they simply couldn't afford to keep up with tuition raises," says Azeb.
"Why don't we look into creative ways of tapping into other state-funded programs, like the New York Lotto, and take more money from those programs that don't directly affect someone's education?" offers Jennifer Lewis, a SUNY student delegate and UB student.
Still, just today the governor announced that the budget gap is even higher than the state had originally anticipated, putting the two-year projected total at $10 billion.