Student associations from SUNY schools across the state met for the biannual SUNY Student Assembly (SUNY SA) conference this past weekend. It was highlighted by the election of a new SUNY Student Assembly executive board and a vote to support the renewal of the rational tuition plan, which would limit tuition growth for the next five years.

The Assembly is the mechanism for students to participate in University-wide governance through communication between campuses, the Board of Trustees and the chancellor, as well as advocate for students in legislative matters. It also serves as the governing body for SAs in SUNY schools. It meets in the fall and spring, where it votes on resolutions submitted by students from across the SUNY system.

Each of the 64 SUNY schools at the conference had a certain number of voting delegates based on the size of their school; there were four from BU. Attendees elected Thomas Mastro, a Binghamton University student, as the next president of the SUNY SA. He will begin his term on June 1.

Mastro, a junior majoring in human development, transferred from SUNY Broome last year and is currently a member of BU’s SA Class Council.

Before the conference, Mastro sent a copy of his platform to each school’s student government, which emphasized improving communication between campuses and making sure smaller schools are given attention.

“We just need to really get out there and make contact with those campuses that don’t feel that they are being well represented,” Mastro said. “I really want to brand the organization and build the organization’s representation.”

Alexander Liu, president of BU’s SA and a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said that having Mastro as the president of the SUNY SA gives Binghamton University a way to get more involved.

“I think it’s awesome for Binghamton University,” Liu said. “Having a president of the SUNY association really puts Binghamton on the map. It’s more representation, it’s more people in positions that can help influence legislators, that can help influence government officials, to make sure they’re looking out for the best interest of the students.”

The assembly also reviewed the rational tuition plan and voted to support its continuation. The plan, first enacted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2011, implemented a standard for each SUNY and CUNY campus. Schools could only raise tuition by a maximum of $300 per year for five years to protect students from unpredictable tuition increases. According to Melissa Kathan, associate director of government relations for state operated campuses for SUNY SA, the renewal would continue with the current rate in place.

“This renewal means that our tuition rates will stay within the control of the Board of Trustees, not the state legislature,” she wrote in an email. “This also means that all of the revenues from the tuition increases will stay on our campuses and not the state.”

Kathan also said this plan would supply students with a comprehensive report by the SUNY Board of Trustees of how the past year’s tuition increased was used, how it benefited the campuses and if SUNY schools were refraining from increasing their tuition the maximum amount each year.

“By keeping the Board of Trustees in charge of our tuition, we are keeping our future within the hands of SUNY and individuals who are devoted to continuing to grow the largest public education system in the world,” she wrote.

BU President Harvey Stenger said he believed NYSUNY 2020, Cuomo’s plan to spur economic growth in New York state universities, should continue to be funded to support the renewal of the rational tuition plan proposed.

“This is a critical time for all of our SUNY campuses, as lawmakers in Albany decide how they will dedicate New York state resources for current and future fiscal years,” Stenger wrote. “At Binghamton, NYSUNY 2020 has helped stabilize our resources and we have been better able to plan for the future […] For us, for our students and for the community, it is imperative that this funding be extended.”