By Anthony Rifilato
The march was an attempt to influence the New York State Legislature to refuse Gov. George Pataki's January proposal to increase tuition by 35 percent, or $1,200, and his decision to hold back Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) loans until students graduate. The State University of New York had proposed a $1,400 tuition increase, or 41 percent.
"This is a jet engine screaming, 'Don't balance the budget on the backs of students,'" said Peter Lamia, senior project coordinator for the New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG), a statewide environmental, consumer and student-rights organization.
In all, the march is expected to be a 561-mile trek across the state, with other SUNY students jumping in on different legs and converging on Albany on March 11. Students in Buffalo are also marching, and will meet the others in Albany.
Monday morning was Nassau Community College students' turn to trek 25 miles along Jericho Turnpike, past the rows of shopping centers and speeding cars and beeping horns, some people shouting encouraging words, some profanities. Throughout the day, more students were expected to join, and Lamia said he anticipated about 70 people in all.
"I think anytime that citizen voices are brought to elected officials, it has an impact," Lamia said.
As the march rolled along the busy thoroughfare, students told of the impact tuition hikes would have on their lives. "It's just another expense we don't need," said Melissa Friedman, of Great Neck, who said she would march until 5 p.m., when the march ended for the day at Queens College. Friedman added that a lot of her friends would have to drop out of school due to the spike in tuition. "We have to keep bombarding [government officials] and get the issue out to the public."
Alfonso Wilson, 19, of Amityville, trailed Friedman and said that he wouldn't be able to afford a tuition increase. He said he already has to pay more for tuition because he lives in Suffolk, and the double whammy would hurt. "It's a contradiction," Wilson said. "They shouldn't take money from working families."
Another marcher, Bill Ost, an Elmont resident and criminal justice major at Nassau Community College, said his generation has been more receptive to protest as an avenue of influence. "I think it's our way of saying we want to be heard and we do have a voice," Ost said.
In 1995 a statewide tuition increase resulted in the loss of 29,000 students, Lamia said. Because financial aid is on the chopping block this year, the impact will be far worse, he said. Pataki also has proposed a 50-percent cut in financial-aid programs for disadvantaged students as well as the elimination of math and science training programs for minorities.
"It's a very precarious position they're putting us in," Lamia said.
A representative for state Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) explained that Skelos has heard from a number of student groups about the issue, though he was unaware of any contact from NYPIRG.
"The members of the Senate majority have placed a high priority on making college affordable," said Tom Dunham, a Skelos spokesman. Dunham said Pataki's budget was a work in progress and would be subject to changes. But he noted that, just like 1995, the new proposal might have negative consequences for students. "Obviously it's going to have an impact, and our responsibility is to make sure that possibility doesn't happen," Dunham said.
If tuition does rise, South Shore students said they are also going to feel the pinch. "To people who have money, it's probably not a big deal, but for others it's hard," said Nicole Iannarone, of Baldwin, who made the dean's list at Nassau Community College last semester. Iannarone said that she works on the weekends and is taking 17 credits this semester. "I don't know if I could take another job," she said.
