VESTAL, N.Y. -- When you hear their collective voices, you know something in Governor Paterson's budget has them upset.

"I think financing the state's budget with a student tuition increase is definitely a disproportionately placed burden. He's forcing those of us without employment to pay for the state's budget," said Matt Birkhold, a BU graduate student and protest organizer.

What these 50 odd protesters are talking about is a more than $300 per semester increase of student tuition at state universities. What has them really upset is that only 10 percent of the increase will actually come back to the school. The rest covers the state's budget gap. Taking up the Governor's challenge, they've developed an alternative to the hike.

"We're talking about raising taxes only one percent on those making over a million dollars a year. If you do that, you'll raise the same amount of revenue as you do raising tuition," said Birkhold.

While most students are against tuition increases and oppose the governor's plan, not everyone's on board with using protests to get bring to attention to their concerns.

"That's the thing. I agree completely with their stance, but it's just ridiculous. You come in here and you protest to students who are already on your side. You're not going to where it will do the most good," said Russell Salzman, a BU sophomore.

So while the campus is divided on the approach, most are singular in their sentiment.

"I'm definitely angry at the continued prioritization in Albany towards bailing out banks and incarcerating people. I'm angry at that. But I'm also hopeful that people are organizing and fighting back in different ways," said Andrew Epstein, a BU senior and another of the protest organizers.

The student protestors also waged a phone and text in at government offices, bombarding them with messages. What effect it has before the April 1st budget deadline, remains to be seen.

The students at Binghamton University were joined by hundreds of others at SUNY and CUNY schools across the state.