Reporter Volume 25, No.18 February 24, 1994

By ANN WHITCHER
Reporter Editor

When a group of alumni press the case for UB during SUNY Day March 1,
they will benefit from efforts last week of 15 members of the
university's Legislative Action Committee.
	"The alumni legislative action committee left at 5 a.m. by
bus, traveled to Albany and we had 13 legislative visits," reports
Molly McKeown, assistant vice president for government relations,
committee adviser, and coordinator of the capital visits. "We divided
the group into small advocacy groups, and each had a spokesperson. We
split up to cover the appointments. Many were legislators from Western
New York, but we also met with Sen. Kenneth LaValle, chairman of the
Senate Committee on Higher Education, and Assemblyman Ed Sullivan,
chair of Assembly Higher Education Committee. We spoke on behalf of
the SUNY system's priorities and UB's priorities."
	McKeown's team thought their chances for a full hearing would
be better in advance of SUNY Day, though McKeown will observe that
annual trek to the capital with a group of Albany alumni of UB. In
addition to a full complement of SUNY visitors, representatives from
18 other varied organizations, including the Motor-Truck Association,
N.Y.S. Society for Anesthesiologists and New York University, will
also press their case March 1, McKeown points out
	"We were met with a very enthusiastic response on part of the
legislators. To see a group of people take a day off from work,
undertake a grueling 10-hour round-trip bus ride, and to see that
enthusiasm and commitment which these alumni exhibited toward the
value of their UB degree, was impressive."
	The UB committee, chaired by Judith Schwendler, pressed for
SUNY legislative priorities, such as community college base-aid
funding. "We mentioned that at every legislative visit," says McKeown.
"Other priorities that SUNY and UB are asking forQand this is a biggie
for UBQinclude $5 million system-wide in GRI operating funds. The
beauty of this, if funded, is that UB gets approximately 40 percent of
those operating funds, because of the nature and scope of the research
we have going on here .
	"We're also asking for 100 additional full-time faculty
positions ($4 million system-wide). This will create 800 new course
sections throughout the system to help students complete their degrees
in four years. Next is $3 million system-wide for student services
support: EOP programs, career counseling, child care, various programs
for the disabled, among the examples." 
	Also on McKeown's agenda are maintaining graduate TAP, which
the governor did not include in the executive budget, but which UB
officials hope to see restored by the legislature. "For university
centers, this is a critical blow," says McKeown. "We're hoping the
legislature will restore it because it's very important to the
university centers."
	Another goal is to maintainQthroughout the budget
negotiationsQthe level of support recommended by the governor. The
1994-95 budget is the first since 1987 without any reductions to the
base, McKeown says.
	New York legislators return next week from their week-long
vacation and will be faced with 10,000 bills introduced since the
start of session, only of five of which have been passed and signed
into law thus far. 
	McKeown will return to Albany March 8 making the rounds with
counterpart Janice Coughlin, director of governmental relations at
Stony Brook. The idea, says McKeown, "is to show partnership and
unified effort at opposite ends of the state. We are going to go
around together as advocates, to show areas of common interest: GRI
operating funds, graduate Tap, etc."