Among the many things in Andrew Cuomo's new budget are some hefty cuts into the State and City University of New York funds, which has educators and students from both institutions nervous. At a joint Assembly and Senate fiscal hearing yesterday reps from both spoke out against the cuts (which Cuomo insists can be handled without a tuition hike) and asked the legislature again for the authority to control their own tuitions.

Right now SUNY costs $4,970 per year plus mandatory fees of around $1,235 while CUNY costs $4,830 per year plus about $400 in fees (that is not including the costs of room, board or books). Those tuitions are set by the state legislature, which means that instead of a steady and predictable increase, they tend to remain static and then jump dramatically as they did in 2009 when SUNY's tuition bumped up $620.

The chancellors of both SUNY and CUNY, along with the president of the SUNY Student Assembly, yesterday argued that it is far more reasonable to plan for a 5.5% annual cap on tuition increases, which would allow students (and their families) to better plan their finances.

Of course, getting the Ledge to agree to such a "rational" plan is easier said then done. When Governor Paterson proposed a similar idea last year it was rejected (partially because Albany likes to dip it's cup into the school's tuition funds when needed).

Another idea proposed by educators looking to keep their schools afloat is the always-controversial one of partnering with businesses on high-tech projects, which can come with a whole slew of conflicts of interest. One idea not talked about? The political landmine that is "differential tuitions," in which it would cost more to attend to some schools and less to attend others. In any event, no decisions about the tuitions at either institution were made yesterday.