Dozens of UUP advocates told lawmakers the union strongly opposes legislation that runs counter to SUNY’s mission of providing a quality, affordable education. Of key concern: allowing the University at Buffalo to implement differential tuition and to sell or lease publicly owned property without  legislative oversight.

During a face-to-face meeting with Sen. Michael Razenhofer (R-Amherst), Buffalo Center delegate Albert Ermanovics pointed out the dangers of similar legislation regarding Stony Brook University that was recently introduced.

“If this isn’t stopped now, we could see our other university centers at Albany and Binghamton doing the same thing,” Ermanovics said.

Despite UUP’s warnings about the dire consequences of the bill, the state Senate approved A./S. 2020 in early June. That prompted the union to focus its attention on the Assembly to stop the bill before the scheduled end of the legislative session.

UUP sprung into action, developing a print ad that appeared in newspapers in Albany and Buffalo. It emphasized how giving individual campuses the power to charge higher tuition would undermine student access by pricing many qualified students out of attending. The ad also questioned the wisdom of allowing campus presidents to freely sell or lease SUNY assets.

UUP President Phillip Smith asked chapter presidents to have their colleagues urge members of the Assembly Higher Education Committee to oppose the bill.

The effort proved successful, as the Assembly recessed in late June without bringing A./S. 2020 to a floor vote.

But Smith cautioned that while the bill may be down, it’s not out. The Assembly could reconvene later in the year, giving A./S. 2020’s supporters another opportunity to bring the matter to a vote.

— Donald Feldstein