Letter to Editor

April 8, 2004

Letters to the Editor
The Times Union
Box 15000
Albany, NY 12212

To the Editor:

SUNY Trustee Candace de Russy has demonstrated once again how out of touch she is with the hardships faced by many of today's State University students by decrying the "poor graduate rates" at some SUNY campuses ("Lengthy stays at SUNY lamented," April 8).

Last year's huge tuition hike forced many SUNY students to increase their hours on the job, compelling them to cut down on their hours in the classroom. As even Trustee de Russy must recognize, there's only so many hours in a day.

We agree that delays in graduation rates can also be caused by too few available classes. But your article omitted the reason why that is a factor: The University has lost more than 1,000 full-time faculty lines in the last decade, which even SUNY now admits. Fewer faculty slows graduation rates as students lament that they are finding it difficult to take the required courses they need to graduate in four years.

Consolidating campuses is not a "remedy." It's absurd to discuss downsizing when enrollments and student demand for SUNY are at a record high. And elimination of unique electives such as the fine arts courses offered at SUNY Purchase (a campus de Russy cites as "wasting" public money) would eradicate a strength, not a weakness, of SUNY -- the breadth of courses it offers its students.

Let's not forget that state support for SUNY has dwindled to an all-time low. Many state-operated campuses now receive only a third of their funding from public resources, as New York has the dubious distinction of ranking 47th in state spending on higher education operating expenses for every $1,000 of personal income.

Besides, de Russy's argument is a red herring. Slow graduation rates are not a relevant measure of standards in academe and are in fact widespread. Even a SUNY spokesperson refutes her conclusions, noting that the University's six-year graduation rate compares favorably to the national numbers.

It's also noteworthy that SUNY Old Westbury and the College at Buffalo -- two of the three state-operated SUNY campuses Trustee de Russy says are "squandering" public funds -- have high numbers of minority students. What, exactly, is she implying?

Sincerely,

William E. Scheuerman
President, United University Professions