statute of limitations on debt owed?

[ram74]

i have recently received a letter in the mail stating that the state (new york) has garnished a tax refund filed jointly by my husband and i. the refund is solely my husbands because i am a stay at home mom, and receive no taxable income, but the debt owed (thus the garnishment) is solely mine from before we were married. it was garnished because my social security number is on the tax return. i am assuming that we can fight this, but my real question is about the statute of limitations on a debt owed. i have been told that new york state is six years. upon calling the number given to me on the paperwork (nys dept. of law, civil recoveries bureau), i have found that the debt is from a semester of college i attended in 1993, which i was under the assumption was being covered by financial aid. this is 8 years later, the first i've heard of this debt, and a critical time in my life for my credit rating. i have received tax refunds from new york state in the past, so i am assuming this is something that they have recently filed. what are my options, and what should my next step be?
Thank you, any info & advice will be greatly appreciated.