By STEPHEN BARTLETT
PLATTSBURGH — There's ample speculation and little trust surrounding the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act.
Some feel the state is incapable of doing good by the State University of New York and should hand decision-making power over to local and statewide administrators.
Others say the state must enhance its commitment to public higher education and fear that stepping away and abolishing oversight will lead to privatization and decreased accessibility.
"It's a matter of who you trust and where you believe you can make a difference when moving forward," said John Homburger, Plattsburgh State's vice president for administration and business affairs.
AIMING TO EDUCATE
Plattsburgh State's Student Association sponsored a recent Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act panel discussion, which drew students, faculty members and administrators.
"We want to educate students on what the act means for the school and state," said Fiona Fogarty, vice president for student affairs for the Student Association.
Gov. David Paterson proposed the legislation as part of his executive budget. It touches on such areas as tuition and financing, land use, public/private partnerships and construction-fund and operations efficiencies.
FACEOFF
The language within the act has startled some, while others are embracing it.
SUNY administrators support the legislation, saying it will allow them to improve SUNY and individual campuses and close deficits while cutting troublesome red tape.
University employees say it will lead to the privatization of SUNY, push college affordability beyond the reach of the neediest students and force out union employees in favor of cheaper, outsourced labor.
The panel discussion included Homburger, representing management, and Dr. David Curry, nursing professor and president of Plattsburgh State's branch of the United University Professions.
'DANGEROUS'
"The mechanism being proposed is dangerous," Curry said. "It is tied to the state budget and will not get the proper attention it needs."
Curry was distressed SUNY is not pushing the state to restore $150 million in funding cuts and instead saying all will be well if Paterson's proposal passes.
He pointed out that the legislation would enable tuition to be raised across the board up to 2.5 times the five-year rolling average of the higher-education price index, which could mean a 10-percent hike each year.
On top of that, SUNY could enact differential tuition and increase costs for programs and campuses based on popularity, costs and other undetermined variables.
Curry thinks the act would fuel competition among campuses and drive weaker organizations out of business.
Plus, the changes would significantly benefit private partners but carry no labor protections, he said. Jobs on SUNY land could go to non-SUNY employees.
"To wrap it all together and say we gotta swallow this big pill is more than we can bare," Curry said.
'GOOD SOLUTION'
Homburger stressed tuition is going up, but it's a matter of "what medicine you take."
SUNY has made numerous attempts over the years to garner adequate state support, he said. Instead, students pay more tuition and the state takes a lump sum out of its support for SUNY.
"SUNY feels it's a good solution, pulling tuition out of the political arena and giving it to the Board of Trustees," Homburger said.
"There is a huge trust factor trying to sort this out, but we are going to take our chances with this and try to get support to break away."
Plattsburgh State does not have a sustainable budget in place and is running on a lot of temporary money, Homburger said.
"We are on a train that is taking us to a bad place."
TRUST AT ISSUE
Some students at the panel discussion worried about what they perceived to be a serious disconnect between the administration and its employees.
"How do we know it won't be abused?" Student Association President Charlie Pepper asked about SUNY taking over tuition policies and changes.
"That goes to the heart of the issue," Homburger said. "We don't trust each other."
E-mail Stephen Bartlett at: sbartlett@pressrepublican.com
