Hey all, I've been thinking about reasons why some people you talk to might be hesitant to sign the petition. The hole/ladder analogy in it and the reference to Fredonia's strategic plan may be too vague. They may still think what we're asking for is a "bailout" or a way to "kick the can down the road "

Here's one possible reply: this petition is not about a one-time fix to plug a budget gap; it's about coming up with a sustainable path forward for Fredonia once we climb out of the budget hole previous administrations have dug for us. Which is to say it's about finding a new equilibrium between revenues and expenditures and determining what the new balance of public and private revenue sources will be. We're telling Governor Hochul that the old solution of raising tuition on students and forcing SUNY and CUNY campuses to fight for students is untenable as the number of high school graduates will drop after 2025. In a period of decreasing "supply" of sources of tuition revenue and "demand" for college degrees, New York State has to change its competitive strategy to attract students to SUNY and CUNY. In an era of increasing price competition (through either actual lowering of tuition or increased financial aid), New York State needs to rethink its "minimize direct state aid" strategy and get much more aggressive about increasing indirect state aid (so that it starts to catch up to inflation). Why? Because affordable, accessible, quality public higher ed helps keep students in-state after graduation. (And NYS should get serious about using non-resident tuition to attract out-of-state and international students, too, but that's another resolution from Senate Executive Committee.)

So if anyone's worried about signing onto some left-wing, socialist agenda, just tell them it's basic ECON 101 stuff. And if they like a left-wing, socialist agenda, tell them this is a baby step toward that direction, but one that centrist governors like Kathy Hochul would find acceptable. (And to prepare to primary her next election if she rejects this baby step.)

The other component of the reply to the skeptic is that of course Fredonia needs to continue changing, developing, adapting. This petition is not about preserving the status quo, but it is about providing us the time and breathing room to implement our strategic plan in an orderly, coordinated way. Increased direct state aid won't lead to complacency. It'll get us off a starvation diet so we have the strength to climb that ladder.

Thanks as always for your support!

--Bruce