Reporter Volume 26, No.20 March 9, 1995

By CHRIS SHEA
Reporter Contributor
As the March 1 deadline for the governor to amend his proposed budget
has passed and the April 1 deadline for the legislature to effect any
changes in this budget looms, it has become clear that neither branch
of government will save SUNY from the largest cuts in support in
recent history, UB Provost Aaron Bloch said Feb. 28.
	Provost Bloch, addressing the Faculty Senate, echoed the
opening remarks of Faculty Senate Chair Peter A. Nickerson when he
said, "This time the wolf is really at the door.
	Bloch said that although the final numbers on how much state
support UB will lose are not expected until around commencement time,
preparations nevertheless have begun to ready UB for the financial
hit. Bloch said the deans of schools have been asked to make
contingency plans incorporating 5 percent cuts and 10 percent cuts in
their budgets. He emphasized that these were only "loose plans."
"Nothing has been put on the chopping block. We are doing our best to
plan flexibly," he added.
	The timing of this budget debate, the provost said, makes it
hard on a university that has to plan months ahead -- especially when
the exact magnitude of these cuts is still uncertain."We have to make
decisions concerning the admittance of students and the hiring of
faculty for the fall now or in the next few weeks," he said.
	Bloch said as a result of the expected cut in state aid, UB is
planning to admit a larger freshman class this upcoming fall than it
did last year. But he said he is concerned about what impact a rise in
tuition will have on this admissions process.
	"We have no experience dealing with what the effects of a
tuition hike like this will have on the admissions process," he said.
"There's going to be a great deal of guesswork involved." UB also
recently eliminated its Feb. 15 applications deadline for incoming
students and, instead, adopted a rolling admissions program.
Admissions applications will now be evaluated every 30 days, thereby
allowing UB to contact prospective students more quickly.
	Bloch also said that the system of graduate education at UB
will be fundamentally affected if the governor's budget passes through
the legislature without major alterations. Bloch, who said he has
assembled a small committee to study the financing of graduate
education at UB, predicted that "the financial jolt for graduate
students may be more serious than the financial jolt for undergraduate
students." He noted that this year $1 million in graduate TAP (tuition
assistance program) money was spent at UB. Under Gov. Pataki's
proposed budget, graduate TAP will be eliminated.
	In addition to losing TAP aid, Bloch said, graduate students
may see their tuitions rise substantially. He noted that many of these
graduate programs --  particularly UB's professional programs -- are
"underpriced" when compared to the programs at comparable state
universities. He stressed, however, that "we must try to avoid
'tuition shock' for those professional school students who have
budgeted in advance for the cost of their education."
	Faculty Senate Chair Peter A. Nickerson predicted that the
battle to win support for mitigating the cuts to SUNY may not only be
difficult in the legislature; but may be difficult in the media as
well.
	He said that members of the UB community should be prepared
for a "Blame the Victim" approach to be adopted in the media where the
SUNY system is portrayed as bloated and ripe for cuts.
Before the budget debate is over, he warned, "some people will call us
(SUNY) mismanaged."
	The budget situation was not the only item on the Faculty
Senate's agenda, however. A recent proposal put forth by the Faculty
Senate's Educational Programs and Policies Committee (EPPC) was also
debated. The proposal -- which would lower the number of semester
hours required for graduation from 128 to 120 for B.A., B.S., B.P.S.
and B.F.A. degrees -- received strong support among members of the
Faculty Senate.
	Many faculty members pointed out that the current requirement
of 128 semester hours for graduation was based on a 30-year-old system
when students took four 4-credit  classes a semester. Currently, most
classes receive 3 credits, thereby forcing students to take extra
classes to make up the difference.
	Bloch voiced his support for the reduction as well. "Students
shouldn't have to go to summer school or overload on classes in a
semester in order to graduate in four years," he said. 
	The Senate will vote on this resolution March 28.