By AMIR GALBAN
Opinions Editor
At a time like this, there is no doubt people are struggling looking for their next moves. President Marcia White irresponsibly gave us the school closing news on such short notice. So short in fact, that several news outlets in the area broke the story a day before anyone addressed us. In fact, a Times Union story on Nov. 29 about how badly the school was struggling financially seemed to spur a board of trustees meeting for the next day in which they voted to close the school.
This is an example of silence becoming a weapon. I believe the heads of the school chose to “let things blow over,” hoping we would move on like nothing happened. But, this is an educational tragedy that is the result of many ignored setbacks. It seems like cutting the music program and losing many current and beloved staff as well as prospective students wasn’t enough of a sign to make changes. Instead, new buildings worth millions of dollars were built to add programs to fill in for the cuts they had to make.
Something both the board and the new nursing program have in common: the two have not lived up to the expectations. For starters, the program for nurses has not picked up how they wanted to and has very few students. Secondly, the board and President White set expectations for new enrollment and then touted how the school reached over 95% of that target–even with the new teacher pipeline program–when they knew full well that the target they set was not nearly enough to sustain the school financially..
Maybe if the heads of the school had given us far more than a week in advance notice, with some honesty attached to the message we wouldn’t be as furious. Fontbonne University, another school founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, recently announced it will close at the end of the 2025 academic year, giving staff, students, and faculty more than a year’s notice to prepare.
Furthermore, people at all levels of staff at Saint Rose are not getting any severance pay or extensions of insurance, while a handful of administrators are staying on months after the school closing to address various mandatory regulations around closing down the school. Administration has said they are not receiving severance, yet at the same time are receiving bonuses to “incentivize” them to stay on to conduct the mandatory work.
Here’s another issue; the administration kept things in a business as usual fashion during this big dilemma. It has been noted that the College of Saint Rose had still taken on tours for prospective students and were still trying to recruit, as if the school was healthy enough to continue. One music industry professor was set to head to western New York for a recruiting event the day the board voted to close the school. This shows a complete lack of professionalism and care of the well-being of the entire Saint Rose community. This is what makes us the pawns on the board.
Obviously, White and members of the board are the ones moving the pieces. It’s almost like a circus with how chaotic the higher ups have been with handling this challenging period. While everyone wondered how bad our financial situation really was, the board kept the wheels turning to hide what’s really going on and the administration ignored faculty requests for details on finances.
Here’s a thought that always loomed in my mind. What if the Times Union in that Nov. 29 article never exposed the school with the numbers and information about what was really going on? Would they have told us during winter break in an email? Would we have heard about it for the first time at commencement? I am grateful for the Times Union for forcing them to take action and face their mistakes, as unfortunately late as it was.
During the big meetings that have been all over social media, White and the board have avoided giving us truthful answers and apologizing. They say White used to work in PR, but I have not seen those skills while she has been president. It is common knowledge in PR to get out in front of a crisis, especially one this large that affects thousands of students and hundreds of employees, along with their families.
The students at this school don’t pay for everything. It’s the mothers, fathers, and grandparents who suffer as well as they’ve undoubtedly put thousands of dollars into a school that doesn’t have the strength to last another year.
The silence is the reason everyone is livid. The crickets from the ones at the top making low six figures a year, and still getting bonuses, are the reason we as students remain angry and will not settle.
But that’s the power of being the ones who can move the pieces. The pieces get moved to a point where the leaders can stand clear of the drama and setbacks. But what about the people they’ve ignored that have dedicated their lives to this college? To be in this position, you can’t have certain feelings of empathy or else it could mess up the money.
One thing all students and staff should know is that you don’t mess with the money. The board has been messing with the money for years. One example of this is the unbelievable spending on buildings even as they could see the writing on the wall that enrollments would decline. The proof is in the pudding when looking at the recklessness with the money.
All of us have had enough, as it’s time to expose the real truth. This truth is not put out in the atmosphere to get people to like or hate anyone. It is there because the original statements about our closing have been clouded and far from what has really been going on. These truths will come from the students and staff who will not be making over a hundred thousand dollars after it’s all said and done, but are motivated to create a solid future.
This is a time where we needed our board and president to be open, empathetic, and honest, and that has gone out the window. Who cares about being professional, this is about the truth. We are pawns and the board has done enough. It’s time for us to use our kings and queens on the board and go all in as this is our last resort to create something great.
