Have a heart for higher education!
Long Island University Students to Bring Valentine’s Day Message to Albany
- Students will lobby for financial aid support -

Brooklyn, N.Y. - On Valentine’s Day, busloads of Long Island University students worried about financial aid programs that are vital for many seeking college degrees, will travel from their Brooklyn Campus to lobby their hearts out in Albany. Some 200 students will urge state lawmakers to oppose the governor’s proposals that would cut the Tuition Assistance Program and keep funding level for New York’s Higher Education Opportunity Program.

“While we commend Governor Pataki for the doses of positive news contained in this year’s budget, we are concerned that proposals for level funding and cuts in some cases will unfairly challenge students like ours, many of whom manage competing responsibilities as they pursue their education,” explained Christopher Williams, director of government relations for Long Island University as he prepared for the February 14 lobby day. “Financial aid requirements should not penalize hardworking students who need to hold down jobs and may even raise families while attending college,” he stressed.

The students will lobby Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and numerous representatives from New York City. They will request a $5 million increase for HEOP, the aid program forfinancially and educationally disadvantagedstudents, and oppose the $190 million reduction proposed for TAP that would result from an increase in the number of course credits required each semester for a student to qualify for aid.

“HEOP is what makes it possible for me to attend college,” states Enid Hernandez, a 52-year-old single mother of three from East New York majoring in sports science. She adds, “The financial, academic and emotional support from the program sustains me while I also work, complete an internship, and enrich my understanding of the world by taking courses in the University Honors Program.” She plans to pursue a career helping women in her community, who experience high rates of heart disease, obesity and diabetes, improve their health and physical fitness.

Brooklyn Campus students will also speak out against the proposal to sunset the Regents Professional Opportunity Scholarship that funds minority and disadvantaged students enrolled in degree programs leading to licensure in professions such as accounting, nursing and pharmacy. They will encourage the proposal for initiatives to increase the number of students who choose math and science careers.

Some 750 students from nearly 50 college campuses will join Brooklyn Campus students in the effort to build support for higher education. The lobby day is sponsored by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, which represents more than 100 member campuses enrolling 450,000 students across New York, including nearly 185,000 students in New York City.

Valentine’s Day Lobbyists Call on Albany to Protect Higher Education Aid

To talk to students or for more information, please contact Julie Bolcer at (718) 488-1014.

The Brooklyn Campus is distinguished by...dynamic curricula reflecting the great urban community it serves. Distinctive programs encompass the arts and media, natural sciences, business, social policy, urban education, the health professions and pharmacy, and include the Ph.D. in clinical psychology, the Ph.D. in pharmaceutics, the D.P.T. in physical therapy and the Pharm.D. in pharmacy. A vibrant urban oasis in downtown Brooklyn, this diverse and thriving campus offers academic excellence, personalized attention, small class size and flexible course schedules. In 2005, the Campus completed a new performing arts complex, which includes the 320-seat Kumble Theater, and in 2006 opened a $40 million wellness, recreation and athletics center. The new facilities serve the needs of both the Campus and community.