Students at SUNY Stony Brook made their objection to tuition hikes known by holding a rally Wednesday.

Gov. David Paterson has proposed tuition hikes to help bridge the state?s budget gap. Students urged their classmates to write to their state lawmakers, telling them to figure out another way to balance the budget.

"He'll most likely propose a 10 percent cut or worse and that's something that we can't stand for,? junior Geeta Maliecka said from the podium. ?As students, it's your responsibility to let them know."

Students say they?ve heard classes could be dropped as a result of the cuts. School officials say they have to wait to see just how deep the cuts will be before they can talk about specific cuts on campus. On Tuesday, the SUNY Board of Trustees approved a $620 yearly tuition increase between now and next fall, followed by smaller increases over the next three years.

A town hall style meeting will be held on campus Thursday so the matters can be discussed.