Guest Post: Save Stony Brook Southampton (Adam Ehmer, Roanoke Vineyards)

(Editor's Note: From time to time, we hear about projects and initiatives that we feel are better discussed and written about by those directly involved. In this instance, we've asked Adam Ehmer, who in addition to his duties at Roanoke Vineyards, also works as an instructor at Stony Brook Southampton, to write about his efforts to save the Southampton campus)

By Adam Ehmer, Guest Contributor

This spring, students at Stony Brook Southampton learned that they would not be returning to their campus at the start of the next school year. The president, Dr. Samuel Stanley, made an executive decision to close the dorms and the unique programs focused on sustainability, leaving open just the marine field station and the writing center. Dr. Stanley stated that budget cuts in Albany forced the university to trim and that he’d rather affect the few hundred students at the satellite campus than the thousands at the main campus. As a consolation to accommodate the displaced students, some of the unique major degree programs will be transferred to the main campus. You can read his reasoning to close the campus in the Op-Ed section of the Sag Harbor Express.

Dr. Stanley’s argument also focuses on the fact that Stony Brook doesn’t have the ability to independently adjust tuition as do more successful public research institutions in other stats. He suggests that the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA) is a solution to the problem, as it allows the tuition increases and private partnerships that will bankroll growth at Stony Brook.

Essentially, Stanley has chosen to make Southampton the victim of this political ploy.

This was made more clear as local politicians from the Town of Southampton, state legislators Fred Thiele and Ken Lavalle, and the office of congressman Tim Bishop offered Stanley a solution that uses Southampton community preservation funds to keep the campus open. It would also set Southampton on track to shed the Stony Brook name to become an independent part of the SUNY system.

Stanley flatly rejected the offer with little consideration. Most recently, the students of Southampton have formed a non-profit organization, Save the College at Southampton, Inc., and responded to Dr. Stanley by filing suit in the New York State Supreme Court.

As an adjunct instructor at the Southampton campus, I’ve seen the damage done to the spirit and livelihood of the faculty, staff, and students at the campus. I’m among 33 employees whose position will not be renewed. I support the students and the local legislators in their goal to block Stanley’s actions and reclaim the direction of the campus to the goal of sustainability. The incredible community that supports and promotes our local wine and food culture should empathize with these goals.

As an employee of Roanoke Vineyards, I’m supporting the students’ cause by offering a promotion of local agritourism.

I’m conducting private tastings at our vineyard (that's me on the left), which include a guided tour, a local hors d’oeuvres platter, discussion of our wines, and the history of Roanoke Vineyards in the context of the North Fork wine region.

For every private tasting ($25/person) I will donate ten dollars to Save the College at Southampton, Inc. Individual contributions can also be made directly at www.savethecollege.org.

The private tastings can be reserved during normal business hours between Friday and Monday.

I hope that in addition to raising some funds for the students, these tastings will engender discussion about our vision for sustaining the East End, of which higher education should be an integral component.

Comments

[simon worrall]

Good for you, Adam. The irresponsible, reckless closure of the campus has been a huge mistake. Hope to taste some of your wine sometime.

[Julie Semente]

As a parent of a student at the college at Southampton, I'd like to thank you for your generous offer.

After the Stony Brook president turned down the town's offer of double the amount of funding he said was needed to keep the college operational, it has become clear that the closing of this college is not about any lack of funds at all. The funds were being handed to the president on a silver platter and would not have been rejected if funding were really the issue. This is all about the 82 acres of valuable Hamptons property that is the campus.

On 3/22/10, the NY Senate passed a Majority Budget Resolution that included provisions for Stony Brook University to "engage in public/private partnerships" and allows SUNY Board of Trustees to "provide the release, transfer, or conveyance of state-owned property" controlled by SUNY.

Two weeks later (4/7/10), Stony Brook's president suddenly announces, out of the blue, that the college at Southampton's campus must be closed and the property cleared out.

It is no coincidence that he immediately decided to close down the college at Southampton as soon as the Senate's resolution, with the provisions mentioned above, gave signals that the university may be able to offer its public properties to the highest-paying private corporate entities and developers, without legislative oversight from Albany.

Putting a potential windfall profit from the sale or lease of this 82-acre, ocean-front campus property above all else, including education, he kicked out the 800 students and robbed them of their specialty college and their campus -- clearing them out to make way for more profitable private enterprise.

The lives and educations of these students have been disrupted - and in many cases devastated - in favor of the private profit the unversity stands to make off the tax-payers' public property under its control.

In addition to the mistreatment and callous disregard for the college, students, and staff, the community should also be very concerned about Stony Brook's intentions for the property. They may have no say in what kind of tenant or developer Stony Brook decides to give them as neighbors on that campus property.

[Printable Coupon]

From a parent of two proud Stony Brook Students.. Thank you. Its nice to see kindness like this

[Marianne Bielys-Klepacki]

Thank you very much for you support for the only 4 year college on the east end of Long Island. Your offer is very generous and much appreciated by me and my daughter, who is a student.

[Adam Ehmer]

Julie, I couldn't have said it better. The president doesn't have the guts to reveal what's really going on... and now its up to the community to reveal the complete motives and prevent the use of the land for interests that run counter to the locals!

I know that my offer is a small token, but I hope that it brings a little bit of attention to rally behind the students!

[Robin]

I was a student who left Long Island for college only to find myself SURROUNDED by Long Island students. I agree with Julie it isnt a matter of money, other states are making plenty of money off Long Island students, LI HIGHSCHOOLS ARE ONE OF THE MAIN COLLEGE RECRUITING GROUNDs IN THE NATION. With the closing of the Southampton campus we are pushing even more students off Long Island and most likely out of state.
In a time of localism, closing this campus is a huge mistake.

[TD]

Senator LaValle & Assemblyman Thiele have petitoned the legislature in Albany to include language in the 2010 state budget that would reverse Stony Brook's decision to close the college at the Southampton campus. Anyone interested in doing so may go to NY.gov to contact the Governor, Assemblyman Silver and their local NY state representatives urging them to support this petition & language.