2 Vol. XXXI, Issue 10 | Wednesday, March 10, 2010 news USG Hot n’ Heavy With PHEEIA Stony Brook to create 10,000 new jobs, SBU is a Division-I school, it’s possible where money flies around and we can provide $8.5 billion for ongoing and that athletic considerations will trump grab it, it has to come from somewhere.” By Raina Bedford planned construction projects, and hire academics for out of state admissions, “The only negative I see is that a lot 400 new faculty members and 600 new he said. of students on campus would be af - Undergraduate Student Govern - staff members. This would decrease the Other senators feel that a tuition in - fected by tuition hikes,” said Senator ment President Jasper Wilson, on behalf student–to-faculty ratio, which cur - crease could benefit Stony Brook Uni - Tahir Ahmad. “But just because they of the USG Senate, endorsed the Public rently stands at 5.6-to-1, and is one of versity. can raise tuition by 10 percent doesn’t Higher Education Empowerment and the highest among the universities in mean that they will and we need to ex - Innovation Act (PHEEIA) at a March 1 the Association of American Universi - pand our university.” University Senate meeting. PHEEIA ties, an organization of leading public If PHEEIA passes, it would cer - would raise tuition and would allow the and private research universities in the tainly mean a literal expansion for SBU University to hire more faculty, reduce U.S. and Canada. because PHEEIA would also change the class sizes and supply the university Though Kaler said that the univer - way SUNY schools handle their public with more money for ongoing and sity probably wouldn’t seek a tuition in - lands. If passed, PHEEIA would allow planned construction projects, accord - crease higher than six percent, as SUNY schools to enter into public-pri - ing to SBU administration officials who PHEEIA is currently written, he said vate partnerships with contractors to are in favor of the act. that there is no legal mechanism stop - build on campus housing, food facili - ping the administration from raising tu - ties, stores and other buildings without ition by 10 percent. approval by the New York State Senate. While most USG Senators support G “It’s in some sense revolutionary be - PHEEIA, there is at least one senator cause it removes control from the state who stood out. “The act will give us more options legislature,” Kaler said. “I felt that his estimates were overly for our money,” said Senator Jordan Which is exactly why PHEEIA will optimistic and misleading,” said Sena - Cushner. “Students complain about the remain the cause of much debate in the tor Deborah Machalow. “In fact, I feel facilities here but they don’t want to pay USG, the Stony Brook administration the entire PHEEIA pitch is at times mis - to have them fixed. There’s not just a pit and up in Albany. leading.” Machalow formed an ad hoc com - mittee to investigate and make sense of U PHEEIA. The committee issued a pre - “Honestly—tuition increases—you liminary report on Tuesday that out - can’t expect students to be happy about lined some major points of the that, but I believe they’re a necessity if legislation. In its full report, the com - we want to continue on with the in - mittee will conduct a poll of the student tegrity of our school,” said Wilson at the body to determine whether SBU stu - University Senate Meeting. dents support PHEEIA. The Stony Brook administration has not decided how much tuition will increase if PHEEIA passes with the gov - ernor’s proposed budget plan. The cur - rent PHEEIA proposal allows for a two-tiered tuition increase. On one level, the university could raise tuition by a projected maximum of 10 percent per year, which will vary based on the Higher Education Price Index, a meas - ure of inflation specific to higher edu - cation. On top of that, the university could submit a request to increase tu - S ition further if they demonstrate need through the proposed differential tu - The committee found that SBU ition included in the bill. The SUNY could charge for student government Board of Trustees would have to ap - and student activities, and that these prove any tuition increases proposed by funds would be held by the SUNY University Presidents and the SUNY Board of Trustees who would be free to Chancellor. use that money as they see fit. PHEEIA According to Provost Dr. Eric W. doesn’t make clear how much of student Kaler, the university currently plans to activity fees could be held by the state. increase tuition by 6 percent if PHEEIA PHEEIA would also place a limit on the passes. If PHEEIA is enacted, students number of out of state students that can expect a $300 increase for the first could be admitted to the university. year. According to Kaler, a six percent President Wilson said that this was an increase over several years would allow area that caused him concern. Because The Stony Brook Press 3 news That Tuition is High Enough, Thank You the SAC plaza to the Administration and their voices have a lot of weight that the state will pass this legislation Building where, protestors were ush - [with] the legislators,” said Peters. before his departure from the office fol - By Laura Cooper ered onto a privately chartered school “Time and time again, the administra - lowing the November 2010 elections. bus that made two trips to the Center tion remains silent or tosses out useless Protests continued outside Presi - Stony Brook University students for Excellence in Wireless and Informa - rhetoric against the cuts and hikes with - dent Stanley’s next-day press conference took part in an international day of ac - tion Technology building. There, a re - out truly using its power to help prevent with campus media, where a small tion to protest against budget cuts tar - search and globalization symposium them,” said the letter presented to Stan - group of students brandished signs and geting higher education and proposed was being held, involving university ley. “The students have risen to the shook coffee cups with change, theatri - tuition hikes, specifically those intro - President Samuel Stanley and SUNY challenge. The question, now, is cally asking for money for their tuition duced in Governor David Paterson’s Chancellor Nancy Zimpher. whether you will.” during a sit-in outside Stanley’s office. Public Higher Education Empower - Students lined the barricades adja - The students’ main concerns cen - University Police, including Chief ment and Innovation Act. cent to the main entrance of the build - tered around budget cuts in higher ed - of Police Robert Lenahan, met with the During campus lifetime on March ing, standing on the muddy grass as ucation spending and the Public Higher demonstrators demanding they stand 3, protestors gathered in front of the officials exited the building and Uni - Education Empowerment and Innova - up from their seated positions on the Student Activities Center, waving flo - versity Police observed. tion act (PHEEIA), legislation proposed floor outside the President’s office, un - rescent signs and chanting, “we will “Nobody was concerned, they were by Governor Paterson. specifically citing penal code. The win” and, “students, united, will never laughing at us,” said Peters, a member PHEEIA proposes differential tu - dozen protestors were met with five po - be defeated!” of the Social Justice Alliance. “Because ition, under which specific schools lice officers who collected student iden - “The issue affects everybody,” said they’re going to go home to their nice throughout the SUNY system can set tification and oversaw the protest for protester Dustin Peters, a sophomore house and go out for dinner tonight; their own distinct rates. Under the pro - the majority of its duration. Lenahan sociology major, from Auburn, Maine. they’re not concerned about the people posal, Stony Brook University can declined to comment for the story. “The entire community will be affected, falling through the cracks.” charge more than other four-year pub - “We came to show our presence,” whether you’re a student, faculty or staff While the Chancellor left the build - lic schools throughout the state, if they said graduate student Ryan DeNardis. [member]. In many ways, people will ing from a different exit, President Stan - choose. Also included in the legislation “The police had shown up and treated get the short end of the stick.” ley walked out the main entrance and is the systematically compounding tu - us with a little bit of hostility. They The students heard speeches from accepted a letter from the concerned ition, where tuition would increase by a weren’t friendly with us, from the start.” research assistants and student leaders students in which the organizers de - fixed rate every year—ostensibly to “It was successful, in that cops came who uniformly opposed cuts to higher tailed their complaint. avoid irregular larger tuition hikes in and that it was a peaceful kind of thing,” education. The research assistants “I take it very seriously. I hear what the future. Another aspect of the plan to said Anna Ceraulo-Jalazo, a junior psy - union collaborated with the demon - they have to say and I’m sensitive to it,” increase revenue streams for SUNY is chology major from Greenvale, NY. stration after fruitless attempts to reach said President Stanley during a press the leeway to form private partnerships “We got the chance to speak with a current contract agreement with the conference with campus media. “No - by leasing public lands. The plan is in - passers-by, and there was simply no way university after more than two years of body likes it when tuition goes up.” cluded in the executive budget, and that the president wasn’t aware of our negotiations.