Rockwell Hall found itself host to a demonstration on March 10 lead by United University Professions (UUP) to protest Buffalo State’s recent program cuts.
Buffalo State University has been undergoing rapid change to combat its $16 million deficit, which has resulted in vast outcry from community members. Since the cuts were announced, students part of the deactivated programs voiced their frustrations, speaking with news outlets and creating petitions to fight against any future cuts.
The Buffalo Center Chapter of UUP joined in objection against the cuts, supporting Buffalo State students, staff, and faculty in an organized rally on Rockwell Hall’s front lawn.
The following will include fragments of the demonstration, which can be viewed in full on the official Buffalo State Record YouTube channel.
The demonstration drew in a substantial crowd of students, staff, and instructors, who all attended to support the message to save Buffalo State.
“I believe that it is unfair because the state does have the funds to help us,” said Essance Fay, a Spanish major here at Buffalo State.
After a short period to allow more to join, speakers associated with UUP and Buffalo State began to take to the podium to call upon Buffalo State to make changes.
The first to speak was Lisa Marie Anselmi, the president of UUP’s Buffalo State chapter.
“Buffalo State faces a budget deficit, and we are all working together to close the gap,” she said. “But we cannot cut our way out of this deficit. The current plan calls for cuts to over 160 jobs, about 25% of the total staff here. Today we are reminded of the strength of our shared SUNY system and New York state’s commitment to higher education for all.”
Anselmi then went on introduce the next speaker, UUP’s statewide president Dr. Frederick Kowal.
“I hate to put it this way, but the fact of the matter is, the leadership of SUNY is serving the interests of the millionaires and billionaires when they put cuts in place that take away opportunity for students and take away the work that our union does.”
Dr. Kowal also went into detail breaking down SUNY funding.
“What we demand for Buffalo State is public funding for a public university, pretty simple is it?” he said. “[The deficit] is about $16 million. The state budget is $260 billion.”
Dr. Kowal proceeded to mention the ongoing war with Iran, where the U.S. government is spending $1 billion a day on the conflict.
Following Dr. Kowal was Buffalo Common Council member Leah Halton-Pope, who highlighted Buffalo State’s importance in the community.
“Buffalo State is not some failing institute that needs to be quietly dismantled,” she said. “[Buffalo State] has been changing lives in this city and this state for generations. It has always been a place of opportunity. It’s a place for first generation college students to walk through these doors and realize higher education belongs to them too.”
Halton-Pope also went on to detail the success of the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration program, one of the deactivated programs in the recent cuts.
“This program prepares professionals to serve students across the region, across the state and across the country with a placement rate of more than 90%. Its graduates work right here at Buffalo State, at UB and at colleges and universities through this city, Western New York and the state of New York. That is not a struggling program, that is a pipeline of leadership.”
The next speaker was Grace Bogdanove, president of the Buffalo Central Labor Council of the WNY Labor Federation. She highlighted the impact these cuts will have on Buffalo State students and faculty.
“The administration is standing behind its callous estimation that these cuts will impact less than 1% of students. All I can say is we’re focusing on the wrong 1%,” she said. “One hundred sixty jobs are being threatened alongside the futures of hundreds of thousands of students here in our community. Program cuts are not deactivations. They’re planned extinction, and attacks on higher education like this one don’t exist in a vacuum.”
After Bogdanove was USG President Nick Smith, who sang the praises of Buffalo State’s location and diversity.
“Let’s start with the physical occupation of where this is,” he said. “We sit next to not one, but two art galleries. There’s a history museum, a zoo, there’s two parks. We live in a space where on any given Sunday morning, you can go to pray on Delaware, go to a bakery on Elmwood, and get a burger on Hurdle. Buffalo State is something special and is worth protecting.”
He then went on to highlight the campus’s diverseness.
“Buffalo State is the only minority majority campus in the entire SUNY system. It’s the only campus in the entire state of New York where someone could go to a high school and be surrounded by people who look like them, then come here and experience people that they’ve never met before. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Following Smith was Elisha Martin, the chair of the Student Welfare Committee at Buffalo State, who underscored the importance of all majors at the university.
“The majors that you chose could be at risk,” he said. “Whether you’re a student of television and film arts like me, or a part of anthropology, or indigenous studies, you matter. Your major deserves to survive because that’s how our community thrives.”
Martin went on to call upon the government to take necessary action.
“I’m asking our governor, our legislators, to put money in education. Not wars, not blood, not corporate greed, but in education and the quality of life of Buffalo State students… we are asking but for so little crumbs of your war chest.”
The final speaker of the demonstration was Buffalo State’s College Senate President Dr. Kevin Williams, who shone a light on the university’s dedication to student success, and Buffalo State’s potential for greatness.
“In my role as chair of the Senate, I’ve had a unique opportunity to talk to people all across campus in ways I didn’t get to as a faculty member,” he said. “I have to tell you, Buffalo State is a special place. The level of dedication to our student’s success and to supporting each other on campus is amazing.”
Williams proceeded to ask for “a little bit of a breather” in regard to making sweeping changes. “It’s hard to be creative and thoughtful when you’re in crisis mode.”
He also mentioned a recent report from Rockefeller Institute detailing SUNY’s impact on New York State, which reveals that for every dollar of state funding, SUNY generates $7.38 of economic activity, making it a 738% return on investment.
“By investing in SUNY, we invest in New York State,” Williams said. “By investing in our students, we invest in the future.”
There has been no official response from Buffalo State regarding this demonstration, and the cuts are still in effect with further cuts not out of the realm of possibility.
