Saint Rose students protest college closure, demand answers
CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Students at the College of Saint Rose came together to protest the college’s closure. NEWS10 was at the college's Huether building for the Monday morning protest. Poli-sci students are seeking more transparency from the college’s board of trustees. Nearly three dozen students gathered on Madison Avenue before they began marching around the campus wanting answers.
The College of Saint Rose is made up of a wide variety of students on all different levels of learning. “This place was known for its accessibility, the amount of people with disabilities that go here.” said student Dan Hanrahin.
Chandler Hickenbottom is a returning 27-year-old second-generation college student. She tells NEWS10 that it’s been a hard road to a higher education. “It’s been a long struggle because I've been in and out of school due to like my own health issues since I was 18. So, to come to the school I've been wanting to come here since I think about 2017.”
A dream she says quickly became a nightmare. “I get here my first semester and immediately you know, we're finding out that the Cold Case analysis unit is closed down, then we're also finding out that the school is closing down and we're scrambling, and we don't know what to do and it's difficult,” said Hickenbottom.
Lexi Reed, also a second-generation college student, says she too was caught off guard. But she’ll be able to continue her education at Russell Sage. However, she says the degree just won’t feel the same, “This is a school that I chose to go to especially because of it's teaching school, so not having that name attached to it and kind of almost being a little humiliated by it also makes it a lot worse.”
Angela Ledford, professor of poli-theory, tells NEWS10 that after nearly two decades of teaching at Saint Rose, the students are right to ask for more answers. “I think that there's been several administrations that have been marked by mismanagement and an ongoing lack of transparency, and at the end of the day, the Board of Trustees are responsible.” said the professor.
The college says they “will continue operating through Spring 2024 and the Summer 1 session and will cease academic instruction in June 2024. The College is announcing the closure now, immediately following the Board’s decision on November 30, months in advance of the actual closure, to give students, faculty and staff as much time as possible to plan for the future.”
The statement continued, adding “Currently enrolled students will realize many benefits through a comprehensive teach-out plan that will provide a smooth pathway for students to continue their degrees at other institutions without interruption. We will have a preliminary list of the institutions we are working with for teach-out agreements by the end of this week. We have been meeting with members of our community and, simultaneously, we are developing a comprehensive teach-out plan that will address many of their questions, and we’re continuing to share updates as soon as information is available."