Farmingdale Chapter delegate Barbara Maertz came to UUP’s annual Long Island legislative event with a simple but very important message for local legislators—SUNY is the solution to New York’s economic mess.

At the Jan. 16 event, Maertz stepped up and told Assemblyman Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst) that SUNY needs to be a priority in the state budget. Further cuts to SUNY will only erode the University’s ability to provide affordable, quality programs to students, she said.

“We told him that SUNY was the solution,” said Maertz, who spoke to Sweeney along with Stony Brook Chapter President John Schmidt and New Paltz Chapter President Glenn McNitt. “We also told him of the need for more funding to educate students. We need to make our voices heard.”

Maertz was one of more than 60 UUPers from five downstate chapters who brought similar messages to legislators at the event, which kicked off UUP’s 2009 political action calendar. Farmingdale, New Paltz, Stony Brook, Stony Brook HSC and Old Westbury chapters were represented at the meeting. Three statewide officers—Eileen Landy, Edward Quinn and John Marino—were also there.

UUPers were not shy when it came to speaking on the importance of SUNY to legislators and addressing issues important to their campuses. For Ana Martinez of Old Westbury, that meant pushing for more funding for the Educational Opportunity Program.

“We’re going to need everything we can get,” she said. “And we need more than one voice.”

“Each of the five (participating) chapters has a different story to tell,” said Charles McAteer of Stony Brook, who coordinated the event. “This was an opportunity for legislators to hear those stories.”

Old Westbury Chapter President Candelario “Kiko” Franco chose to bring a familiar message to legislators. “We must convey the message that SUNY is the solution,” he said. “It is more than a slogan. We need their support.”

— Michael Lisi