New York State Senator George Maziarz, R-western NY, has reintroduced the UB 2020 proposal that gained notoriety when it was championed by former Senator Bill Stachowski, D-western NY.
Maziarz picked up the ball on this issue since Stachowski lost the Democratic primary to Tim Kennedy in September. It is not clear whether Kennedy, who eventually won the seat, is on board with the current legislation, as its not public yet.
The previous bill was designed to transform the University at Buffalo into a model twenty-first century public university. This transformation will reinvigorate the Western New York region, spur the local economy and improve the quality of life of its residents.
Not 100 percent sure what all that means, but a professor at SUNY Geneseo basically made it sound like Buffalo would become a major hub of the SUNY system. As a SUNY Geneseo graduate I am appalled by the idea that the SUNY world wouldn't revolve around its shining star in Geneseo.
It would appear that the current bill could pass the Senate, as it made its way through last year with 45 votes, but with 16 Republicans in opposition. Because this feels like a regional issue, based on the Republicans that supported the bill last time around, it seems like a lot of Democrats from the city will feel free to oppose the measure this time around.
Regardless, though, this proposal has never gained traction in the Assembly, so it may be dead on arrival.
(My crusade still hasn't been addressed, which is that SUNY schools are too cheap four out-of-state students. We need to jack up the rates to generate revenue and open up spots for New Yorkers. States like North Carolina rip off kids who aren't native and students still pay higher prices because they have good schools. Well guess what, so do we.)
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