By MaKenna Williams, Managing Editor
Savannah Torebka, News Editor
Like all of you, The Saint Rose Chronicle is heartbroken by the news of our school closing its doors in May 2024. It was a shock to hear so suddenly that the school would close after 102 years.
The continued lack of transparency and honesty–yes President White, we are calling you dishonest–has been disheartening and offensive to all the professors and students that have dedicated their lives to this school.
The school’s enrollment decline over the past several years and large cuts in programs and faculty made it glaringly obvious that Saint Rose was struggling, like many small, private liberal arts colleges throughout the country.
However, the extent of the financial troubles, or the fact that the school was on the verge of closing, was never even hinted at publicly by any of the school’s leaders until the Times Union article came out last Wednesday. This begs the question: if the Times Union hadn’t published that article (with the school’s one-sentence, non-informative statement), would we all still be blithely going along as if everything was fine? When, exactly, would we have been told the school is closing?
Even in the meetings held by President White after the official announcement was made, she has continued to express how angry SHE is that we found out the news through leaks and breaking news–rather than waiting a full day to hear from her about the closure. But at least we FOUND OUT! Enough of the lies, enough of the bullshit, enough of the coverups. Enough is ENOUGH.
The students that have paid an exorbitant amount of money to come here have been betrayed by the board and the administration. The professors and staff members with families to care for and bills to pay have been abandoned by the place that was supposed to look out for them. The futures of 2,556 Saint Rose students are now uncertain, and the school continues to leave us with no clear direction going into the winter break.
Speaking of money, should we talk about how in 2021 the school was continuing to pay the previous school president, who left in 2020, six figures even though she does not work for the college anymore? That salary must feel pretty comfortable to sit in as you watch your previous employer struggle to stay afloat.
This is only one of the many issues we hope to help uncover during next semester so the Saint Rose community can get some answers as to how we got to this sad juncture. When we have tried to get hard numbers for stories in the past, like the enrollment story in the last issue, we tend to find barriers and evasions at every turn.
The lack of transparency seems to continue, with us hearing second- and third-hand about various staff positions already being laid off, such as in admissions, marketing, and most recently IT. With no clear channels of communication that we can trust, it breeds rumors and heightened fear among those of us still here.
We promise to do our best in diving into stories that are relevant to you in the campus community, but we also need your help. Too often we get tips on important stories, but people are unwilling to speak on the record about what they know, often citing fear of reprisals. Well, what do you have to lose now–getting fired? Please come to us with information you get during these next few months, and please be willing to let us quote what you have to say. Your words are powerful, and help all of us share what we are collectively going through.
We are here for all students at Saint Rose to be informed on events and timely news around campus. We know that this is a difficult and stressful time closing in at the end of the semester. The lack of transparency, accountability, and reliable information has put a strain on the Saint Rose community at large. Therefore, it is our mission when publishing each of the final editions of The Chronicle that we provide a platform for truth and authenticity for both students and staff.
Looking ahead to next semester, we hope that we are able to make this the best last semester possible even with our situation. We want to thank you all for reading our articles when each issue comes out and we truly enjoy writing about all of your achievements. We also can not wait to continue to write and publish all of your achievements in this last semester as we want to be remembered not only as The Chronicle but the entire student body at the College of Saint Rose who has gone above and beyond and succeeded through many hardships.
We as Golden Knights, regardless of what the future holds for each and every one of us, need to support each other and be positive in this time of chaos. We are a united group of smart individuals with a voice that deserves to be heard even if the school does not want to hear it. May we all be well-remembered as the last Golden Knights.
