Stronger voice in Albany

The Spectrum congratulates Peter Rizzo, the sophomore SUNY SA delegate who just won a seat on the SUNY SA Executive Committee. That Rizzo won on a strong showing by the UB delegates, a conviction that was missing in this past year's delegates, is a good sign for UB students' future strength at the state level.

Rizzo, only a sophomore this year, has an opportunity to advance issues for UB, including keeping tuition low and even among all the SUNY campuses and installing mandatory fee guidelines. Rizzo's quick rise in the ranks should also open the door for more UB student influence in the future, potentially advancing a UB student to the SUNY SA presidency.

The SUNY SA delegates are not as visible on campus as SA's executive board members like the president, but their decisions and ideas might have much more far-reaching effects than the locally-focused treasurer and vice president. Delegates represent students in issues that affect SUNY-wide decisions, and the decisions the executive committee make go directly to the SUNY Board of Trustees in Albany. With advances UB delegates make within the committee and executive boards, UB gains a greater voice in Albany. If Rizzo and the other delegates use the same energy they had during the election, they have potential to enact change in what has been a largely stagnant assembly.

During March's election, Rizzo and his co-candidates showed they understood the tuition increase plans currently on SUNY's radar and that they are the most pressing institution-wide issue regarding students today. The delegates should continue to stress the importance of maintaining low tuition but should also recognize that tuition increases are unavoidable in today's economic climate. The proposed plan where tuition increases are indexed with inflation is the best way for tuition increases to be managed, and the best way to remove political-economic bartering from SUNY policy issues. It also works to students' best interest by fixing tuition for each class. Critics suggest this plan places no cap on tuition increases, but the index is fixed to inflation, ideally meaning tuition would stabilize if inflation were reigned in. With a strong voice on the executive committee, UB could influence the SUNY SA president to vote on the Board of Trustees in favor of such a plan. Eventually, a UB student could be the one presenting the case to the board.

In the event of a tuition-indexing plan, mandatory fee increases seem to be an easy route for some schools to supplement a perceived shortfall in tuition. In the case of UB, this mandatory fee goes toward transportation and insurance, and a large chunk goes to SA. Delegates need to strive for guidelines to restrain fee increases that have increased by a larger percentage than tuition in recent years. SUNY SA has passed fee guidelines, but it can do more, possibly creating an index for mandatory fees somewhat like the tuition plan.

Rizzo and his fellow delegates deserve kudos for maintaining UB's place in the SUNY SA chain of power. Their unity on the issues and mere presence at SUNY SA conferences are a step above previous delegates, and their youth should lead to a strong UB presence for the future. As long as they stay on the issues, UB can shape SUNY SA into a strong student voice needed at a time when higher education is constantly under attack.