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February 7, 2014
Lori Mould Presents Remarks at State Budget Hearings
The Fiscal and Higher Education Committees of the State Legislature Convene Annually
Lori Mould, the SUNY Empire State College student representative to the State University of New York Student Assembly, spoke on Feb. 6 at a public hearing on higher education convened by the state Legislature’s fiscal and higher education committees. Hearings on all aspects of the governor’s proposed budget take place annually as part of the state budget process.
Mould, who studies at the college’s Genesee Valley Center, was asked by SUNYSA President Tremayne Price to represent him at the hearing. As president of the SUNYSA, Prices sits ex officio on the SUNY Board of Trustees.
The role of SUNYSA delegates and representatives is to serve and represent the collective interests of SUNY students to the trustees, governor, state Legislature and the public. All SUNY students are members of SUNYSA.
Mould, with Bryant Barksdale, University at Albany, and Jesse Hicks, SUNY New Paltz, shared SUNY students’ budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.
Support for child care topped the list. There are 55 childcare centers throughout the system and the SUNYSA representatives advocated for additional resources for the centers and for state child care and development block grants.
Need-based aid for graduate students through the state’s Tuition Assistance Program was eliminated in 2011 and the students requested restoration of this funding.
In-state tuition for veterans, support for the Educational Opportunity Program and increased base aid for the 30 community colleges completed the list of top priorities.
Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher and members of her senior staff also presented testimony at the hearing. She joined the SUNYSA in calling for support for EOP and childcare, as well as additional support to fund increased costs associated with collective bargaining contracts. She also touted Open SUNY, called for investment in full-time faculty and urged reform for SUNY’s three teaching hospitals.
A copy of the chancellor’s testimony is available.
A video archive of the hearing is available on the webpage of state Sen. Kenneth P. LaValle, chair of the higher education comittee at :
The chancellor's testimony begins at two minutes, 20 seconds and the SUNYSA students' testimony begins at 6:22:35.