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While word spread over the New York State Assembly-approved state deficit reduction plan Wednesday, the SUNY Fredonia College Council was discussing mid-year cuts to the SUNY system that were approved more than four weeks ago.

During the council meeting Vice President of Administration Tracy Bennett addressed the mid-year reduction of an additional $90 million to the SUNY system bringing the two-year total to more than $425 million. The mid-year cuts were estimated to be approximately $2 million for the SUNY Fredonia campus, bringing the 2009-2010 deficit to $4.9 million.

To cover the additional cuts Bennett explained, budget actions were taken including $600,000 from 2009-2010 over enrollment funds, $500,000 IFR unrestricted funds, $300,000 from salary savings, $300,000 from energy savings, $200,000 additional energy support from FSA and residence halls and $100,000 from campus wide general student fees.

"Due to the use of the SUNY system reserves to minimize the effect of the $90 million in cuts to campuses, the final cut to SUNY Fredonia is now expected to be $962,400," Bennett stated. "However, the additional cuts already approved will still be implemented to put the campus in a better fiscal position going into the 2010-2011 academic year."

According to SUNY Fredonia President Dennis Hefner, the campus benefited from a change in the campus aid formula and some reallocation of funding by SUNY.

"SUNY was able to take funds that had been given to them to be used for other projects, they decided not to spend the money on the projects and so on a one time basis only they used those dollars to reduce the amount that campuses are incurring for this year," he said. "However, that additional $500,000 in cuts will hit us next year. The $900,000 will grow to about $1.4 million."

Over an 18-month period Hefner said Fredonia has been cut a total of $7.1 million and added that the figure is going to be almost $7.6 million in cuts.

The campus is also in the midst of a permanent 5 percent reduction in personnel. Despite that, Hefner said SUNY Fredonia was recognized in a US News and World Report that ranked Fredonia 15th in the nation among all public and private colleges with tuition under $10,000 for size of classrooms. Fredonia averages around 19 students per class.

As talks continue over the state deficit reduction plan, however, SUNY Fredonia will be focused on an advocacy plan highlighting three major financial issues going into the 2010-2011 budget year.

"We know the SUNY plan is going to have three major components that they will be approving. One, they are going to be asking for the dollars to support collective bargaining costs," Hefner began. "These are negotiated by the governor's office of employee relations and unless there is a change we are scheduled for this coming year to provide $1.8 million in salary increases based on the collective bargaining agreement. We are asking for this and the governor has indicated his intention is to not fund this. If it is not covered, our net hole will be huge."

The other two items included the request to have tuition and fees removed from the state budget. The state, according to Hefner, lumps several line items under revenue for the state, items that are actually monies paid to college campuses and then paid to the state. Items like fees for sports, research, and residence hall dollars. And third priority for the Fredonia campus, the SUNY board has also proposed and approved a $50 per semester tuition increase for the 2010-2011 academic year.

"We do worry about that (continued cuts) because we work so hard at trying to take care of a balanced budget and we act in a responsible manner that the governor and the legislature will basically turn around and take advantage of us, because they certainly have been so far," Hefner said. "That is a concern that we have and I think good behavior should be rewarded and not punished."

According to NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the agreed upon state deficit reduction plan included a 5 percent cut to operating aid for SUNY, CUNY and community colleges. It was unknown at the time of the college council meeting whether or not that 5 percent was included in the campuses' recent deficit numbers.

In other news, the ribbon-cutting event for the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator in Dunkirk will take place on Monday, Dec. 21 at 11 a.m.

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