My school is closing down...

[Mole 0]

During the beginning of this summer, we found out that our school was closing down. How did we hear about this? They put a flyer under our door in the middle of the day.

 

Here is an article about the situation in more detail.

 

The Personal Consequences of the Closing of Southampton College

 

By David Stoll

 

Much has been written about what will happen to the campus of Southampton College and its unique programs after it closes in the summer of 2005. These are very important issues, but they represent only part of the story. This report spotlights the human equation. The closing of Southampton College will affect individuals of all stripes in a broad variety of ways, all unhappy. And Southampton College cannot fix these problems, as the problems were engendered by the very way that the closing was handled. Here are some of the groups of people who find themselves in impossible situations. These are real people whose stories were told and confirmed during the research of this article. We believe it is accurate.

 

First, though, it is important to make the following point. Long Island University’s C. W. Post campus has much to offer, both in terms of facilities and programs. (Indeed, some have questioned how Southampton College can be such a drain on the LIU system given that the C. W. Post campus receives so much more money.) When comments are made in this story about people not wanting to attend C. W. Post, it is not meant as a criticism of C. W. Post, but merely an acknowledgement that different people have different interests and desires. Someone who wants to live in Southampton—a small town during the off-season and a resort area during the summer—may not wish to live in one of New York City’s suburbs, or its boroughs. (Brookville is a mere 40 miles from NYC, and LIU has a Brooklyn campus too.) Likewise, others came to Southampton College for the Marine Sciences program or the ability to attend the Writers Conference each summer. Let’s face it: whatever C. W. Post may offer, lectures by Jules Feifer and Roger Rosenblatt will not be part of the curriculum.

 

Class of ’08 Scholarships. The Southampton College Class of 2008 will come in September. Many of those students have scholarships. When they agreed in April to come here, they turned down scholarships at other colleges. Now they have only two choices: to spend a year at a college as it disappears and then transfer to another college, hoping to obtain another scholarship, or to go to LIU’s C. W. Post campus. These students and parents are devastated, as the students do not wish to go to C. W. Post. They enrolled at Southampton College for a reason.

 

Librarians. Southampton College has three tenured librarians. Tenured faculty cannot be fired, but these librarians have been told that there are no jobs for them at C. W. Post. Instead, they will be offered jobs at LIU’s Brooklyn campus. With no disrespect to that institution, the Southampton College librarians did not celebrate when told they must now work in a major City at a campus with an entirely different academic program.

 

Scholarship Athletes. There are a number of athletes now at Southampton College, a Division 2 school, who are on scholarship. While they have been assured that they will keep their athletic scholarships at C. W. Post, they have been informed that there is likely not to be space for them on C. W. Post’s sports teams. These are not people who are looking for a free ride. These are talented kids who love sports and are willing to devote substantial time to trying to achieve victories for their college. They have been benched.

 

Tenured Faculty. The faculty has been reminded that tenure is granted by LIU, not Southampton College. That means that, just like the librarians, the academic faculty can be sent to C. W. Post or Brooklyn, and many faculty members are hearing whispers that they will be sent to Brooklyn. Thus, their choice is (1) to commute over 65 miles to C. W. Post or over 100 miles to Brooklyn, (2) to move from the East End to New York City or its suburbs, or (3) to look for a new job. Some choice for someone who has chosen to make a life on the East End.

 

It has been rumored that the plan to close Southampton College has been in the works (quite secretly) for some time. LIU professors are unionized and command higher salaries than many of their counterparts at other colleges. People have remarked that the College has not replaced retiring professors in various disciplines. Indeed, the Political Science department has shrunk from a high of nine professors to a mere two today. Thus, there is a feeling that the closing of Southampton College and the whispers of sending people to Brooklyn are tactics to encourage resignations and early retirements. This article does not confirm or refute conspiracy theories, but it is a fact that many faculty are looking for jobs at colleges that offer an environment similar to that at Southampton College rather than move to Brooklyn or even C. W. Post.

 

Local Students. Quite a number of students at Southampton College grew up on the East End and live with their parents while in school. These students cannot afford student housing—even subsidized student housing. They will have no choice but to drive over 65 miles to C. W. Post (or even nearly 100 miles to Brooklyn).

 

Low-wage Workers. Southampton College is the largest employer on the East End, and many of the employees are low-wage workers, without tenure, such as groundskeepers, janitors, cafeteria workers and secretaries. Once their jobs disappear, there surely will be insufficient new jobs on the East End for all these people. Thus, if they are “lucky” enough to be offered jobs at C. W. Post or Brooklyn, they will be left with the choice to commute, or else to uproot their families and move. For the working poor, this is plainly a Hobson’s choice.

 

Student Housing. Those Southampton College students who elect to go to C. W. Post will be housed at an “adjacent campus,” according to official statements. What this means, it turns out, is a SUNY campus in Old Westbury, and students apparently will be transported to LIU by bus. Thus, students who came to Southampton College for a familial atmosphere and in some cases for the ability to walk from home to school now must be segregated from the rest of the student body and instead live among students at a completely different institution. These students feel as though they will have fallen from the status of favored child to that of unloved step-child. To make matters worse, Old Westbury has a reputation (whether or not deserved) for crime problems.

 

Recruiting. The official story is that Southampton College, with its own programs, will continue to exist at C. W. Post; only the location will have changed. However, it was announced at the end of last week that the Director of Admissions of Southampton College is being transferred immediately to C. W. Post, leaving Southampton College without an admissions director to recruit the high school class of 2004. Moreover, the recruiting department has been instructed not to print brochures or otherwise to undertake efforts to bring students to Southampton College (wherever it is located). The feeling is that the institution is being left to die.

 

Incoming Juniors. As the closing of Southampton College was announced only recently, many students about to enter their junior year in September will be unable to transfer to another college this year. They will study hard this year and apply to transfer for the fall of 2005. The problem is that an enormous number of colleges and universities will not accept more than two years of academic credits for its incoming transfer students. So, the juniors this year not only are unable to graduate from a school at which they will have spent three years, but they will not even be able to graduate in May 2006.

 

Transfer Students. There is at least one person who was to have transferred to Southampton College from another college effective this September. She has been told not to do so, but has been offered a place at C. W. Post where she has not interest in attending.

 

* * *

 

The purpose of this story is to associate human faces with the decision to close Southampton College. The closing of Southampton College would be a blow to the East End as a unique place however accomplished, but it is also important to realize that the particular problems described above are caused not just by the closing but by the way the closing was handled. Indeed, it is said that the Trustees of LIU originally voted to close Southampton College as of August 2004, but were then asked to consider the chaos that would ensue. Their response was to delay the closing for a mere year. That is simply not enough time to prevent so many sad consequences to so many innocent people. And to add insult to injury, the decision was announced in the summer during the U. S. Open, when so many students and local residents were away or in hiding. That is simply disrespectful.

 

This is my 4th year, but I am a semester behind. This is really really really annoying.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Ha. That's funny. I didn't bother to read the article because I'm lazy. Will you take extra classes and stuff or will you transfer?...

[Mole 0]

I am going to Post with all of the SC students. I'll only be there for a semester, so it isn't that bad.

 

And I forgot to mention the school is debt $77 million.

[DerangedHermit 0]

I've been hearing that Stony Brook (where I go) will probably buy out the Southampton College campus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

......or it may become a part of Suffolk *shudders*

 

Here's a blog updating all the news on Southampton College:

http://savesouthamptoncollege.blogspot.com/

[Angle-plex 0]

And I forgot to mention the school is debt $77 million.

It must have been one hell of a school. Only the best get in debt for over $70 million, I say.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I'm surprised that they don't just take the Ohio State approach and jack the tuition up 20% every year.

[Mole 0]

I've been hearing that Stony Brook (where I go) will probably buy out the Southampton College campus

I heard that too, but it is just a rumor right now.

 

It must have been one hell of a school. Only the best get in debt for over $70 million, I say.

What makes this even funnier is that the CEO of Yahoo, the CEO of North Fork Bank and the CEO of Del Labitories Inc. are all on the board of trustees. If their companies do so well, can't they give us a little hint on how to fix things?

 

I'm surprised that they don't just take the Ohio State approach and jack the tuition up 20% every year.

It is already at $30,000.

 

The problem is that they give out WAY too much Financial Aid so more people will come. It doesn't hurt that the school is in the Hamptons, which costs a lot to live there.

[Guest syncer55]

That sucks, Hope your able to transfer

[Mole 0]

I don't think I'll be able to transfer because you need your bill paid off so you can send transcripts. Our bill is way to high, so there is no way we can pay it off.

 

Plus, I think I'll have over 90 credits at the end of this semester. I believe you can't transfer if you have more than 90 credits, so I'm screwed.

[Der Kommissar 0]

Well, that makes me feel a bit better. Both my former grade school an high school have since closed down, but at least the university I went to is still going strong. 1 out of 3 isn't bad.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Get a drunk mob and trash the joint.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Sue. Sue like there is no tomorrow.

 

And it's amazing how universities are supposed to be filled with smart people, but yet none of them can seem to manage a budget...

[Nevermortal 0]

Wow, I've never heard of a college closing down.

 

Southampton college must really suck.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Sue. Sue like there is no tomorrow.

 

And it's amazing how universities are supposed to be filled with smart people, but yet none of them can seem to manage a budget...

Financial sense doesn't always go hand in hand with other sorts of intelligence. For a close example, Paul Heyman. Brilliant creative mind, couldn't deal with money worth a damn.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Common sense doesn't go hand-in-hand with academia...

[Guest Dids]

I'm shocked to learn that both DH and Mole are old enough to be in college.

[The Czech Republic 0]

So am I Dids. WHOOOOOA

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

These are very important issues, but they represent only part of the story. This report spotlights the human equation. The closing of Southampton College will affect individuals of all stripes in a broad variety of ways, all unhappy. And Southampton College cannot fix these problems, as the problems were engendered by the very way that the closing was handled.

Jesus Christ, they should demolish the school now for writing this shit.

[DerangedHermit 0]

I'm shocked to learn that both DH and Mole are old enough to be in college.

Age doesn't mean shit on this board with regards to attitudes. Just look at Anglesault.

 

EDIT: Oh yeah......I'm shocked to see that Dids is on my case again about something..........OH WAIT I'M NOT

[Vanhalen 0]

WE LOVE YOU SOUTHAMPTON WE DO

 

WE LOVE YOU SOUTHAMPTON WE DO

 

WE LOVE YOU SOUTHAMPTON WE DO

 

OOOOOOOH SOUTHAMPTON WE LOVE YOU

[DerangedHermit 0]

WE LOVE YOU SOUTHAMPTON WE DO

 

WE LOVE YOU SOUTHAMPTON WE DO

 

WE LOVE YOU SOUTHAMPTON WE DO

 

OOOOOOOH SOUTHAMPTON WE LOVE YOU

Southampton, England > Southampton, NY

[Mole 0]

Wow, I've never heard of a college closing down.

 

Southampton college must really suck.

Oh it does suck. Big time.

[Vanhalen 0]

Yeah but its called Southampton College, that rocks.

 

 

OH WHEN THE SAINTS

 

OH WHEN THE SAINTS

 

OH WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN

 

I WANT TO BEEEEEE IN THAT NUMBER

 

OH WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN

[DerangedHermit 0]

Yeah but its called Southampton College, that rocks.

But if you've been to Southampton, NY, it most assuredly does NOT rock. Traffic and snobs suck. I mean...going from Hill St. & Windmill La. to Southampton College took 4 hours due to Rod Stewart and a nasty accident. I was going an average of .625 miles an hour!

[Mole 0]

Well you went during one of the worst time possible, of course it is going to be bad.

 

But during the US Open it was HELLLLLLLLL. Worst traffic ever.

[DerangedHermit 0]

Well you went during one of the worst time possible, of course it is going to be bad.

 

But during the US Open it was HELLLLLLLLL. Worst traffic ever.

I had work...really didn't have a choice.

[Mole 0]

Well you went during one of the worst time possible, of course it is going to be bad.

 

But during the US Open it was HELLLLLLLLL. Worst traffic ever.

I had work...really didn't have a choice.

Where do you work?

[DerangedHermit 0]

Well you went during one of the worst time possible, of course it is going to be bad.

 

But during the US Open it was HELLLLLLLLL. Worst traffic ever.

I had work...really didn't have a choice.

Where do you work?

I worked at the Waldbaum's on Jagger La. until last week as a summer job (the only reason I went out there was the decent travel pay and provided transportation), but now that I'm back at school, I quit it and am currently setting up an interview for a job in East Setauket where I'd make a shitload more (close to double).

[Mole 0]

Is that in Southampton or East Hampton?

[DerangedHermit 0]

Is that in Southampton or East Hampton?

Southampton off of Windmill Lane and N. Main St.