TAP Saved for 2004-2005
In her column in the ICQ 2004/1 issue, President Peggy R. Williams expressed her disappointment with Governor George Pataki's proposed cuts to New York State's Tuition Assistance Program and the possible loss of more than $1.2 million in financial assistance for IC students. She urged our New York readers to contact their legislators to let them know that TAP and other aid for higher education are important to them and should not be cut.
Many months of worry passed before the New York State Senate moved on this issue. In August that body responded to constituents and passed a budget that not only restores the funding that the governor would have cut but also appropriates additional funding for education, labor, and family services.
The bill restored proposed cuts to TAP in the amount of $302 million and rejected a proposal to defer a portion of a student's TAP award until graduation. The legislature also restored the governor's proposed cuts to Bundy aid (state support for private colleges; $2.2 million), STEP/CSTEP ($500,000), HEOP ($1.1 million), and EOP ($820,000).
