UUP Binghamton

The information,

in Italics,

reflects UUP's analysis of the continuning cuts to SUNY's budget. The regular text is commentary on those facts.

• Over the past 18 months, state support for SUNY has dropped by an astonishing and recurring $410 million. The cuts to the State University’s operating budget have been proportionately greater than the state reductions for any other state agency and functional area.

Why is this? Doesn’t the state buy its own rhetoric that higher education is the solution to its economic woes. Why is it pulling up its newly planted seeds – remember Binghamton hired over 150 new Academics over the last three years – when they need to continue planting if any of us are to get out of this mess?

We all know there are enough budget problems to go around for everybody. Local, state, federal, business and family budgets are all taking a hit at the moment. While I can’t balance your household budget, I can provide some background and projections of NYS’ budget and its potential impact on SUNY.

The following is an annotated version of a statement from Phil Smith, UUP’s Statewide President, recently forwarded to members. I have provided some explanations, in Italics, of what it means and some of the implications of final passage.

Darryl M. Wood

In this toughest-ever budget battle, UUP achieved some extremely significant gains!