GWENYTH KIRKWOOD
Special to The Leader
Fredonia’s ownership of the College Lodge may be nearing its end, despite some students never knowing it existed in the first place.
The College Lodge is an event center that is operated by the Faculty Student Association (FSA) of SUNY Fredonia, located in Brocton, N.Y.
As stated on the university’s website, the College Lodge is surrounded by deep woods, nature preserves, wetlands and ponds. Features included are the main lodge, sleeping lodge, outdoor campus and catering services, as well as meetings and events.
Darin Schulz, the executive director of FSA, gave a brief rundown of the history of the property from the past to the present of the property and how it all ties together.
Originally, it was owned by the college, but then FSA took over the responsibility in the early 1970s. Since then, FSA has owned the property.
According to Schulz, the property used to be 204 acres.
For 50 years, FSA owned and maintained it as it is today, and with this said maintenance has come a lot of expenses.
Previously, they had a full-time manager living on-site to maintain the property, but eventually, FSA couldn’t afford this.
As a result, the utilization of the Lodge isn’t near what it used to be.
“It didn’t make sense for them to maintain it as they were,” Schulz explained.
He also noted how over years, use of the Lodge has decreased. “When it was first created, it was a destination and a great opportunity to have some outdoor experiences on college property that was relatively close,” he said.
The peak years for the Lodge were between 2004 and 2005, when many student groups were using it for various reasons.
Schulz explains that it was used as a place for training, team-building exercises and a low-ropes course. “There was a lot of money to do things like that,” he said.
Chloe Kowalyk, a senior majoring in journalism and psychology here at Fredonia, has been to the Lodge around four times with two different organizations, using it for various reasons. She has been there with Fredonia Radio Systems as well as through her job as a tutor on campus.
Kowalyk said that, “Every fall, at the very beginning of the semester, all of the tutors attend a ‘tutor training’ out at the College Lodge. There, we do different team bonding activities outdoors and we work on training the new tutors. Our training has always been at the College Lodge, so it has been cool to go there every year.”
Not only was the College Lodge used by students and faculty members, but it was also used by high school students. During the summer, the state’s Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) would bring their students there for six weeks, resulting in the Lodge housing anywhere from 60 to 70 students at a time, which generated its revenue.
Kowalyk explains her experience with the Lodge by saying, “My experience at the Lodge was really great. My favorite part was getting to see the lookout behind the Lodge. The Lodge itself is on a hill, so if you look out the back window, you can see a really pretty view of the trees. It’s especially pretty in the fall. I think the College Lodge is a really cool part of Fredonia that you get to experience off-campus.”
However, Schulz explained that even at the best of times, they still lost money on the property.
A decision was made to sell the forested part of the Lodge to the Western New York Land Conservancy. By selling land, they got some revenue and liabilities were taken off of them, so there was less labor to worry about.
The revenue they received was a little over $300,000. They continued operating with about 40 acres of land and the two main buildings. The college did not want to see it sold with no restrictions.
With the two large buildings there that cost about $50-60,000 a year to maintain, they’re looking for other opportunities to try and ease that financial burden. If unsuccessful, it gets placed back on the students, which Schulz claims is not what they want to happen. Maintaining these buildings is really what costs the most.
The current status of the Lodge is something that still needs to be discussed.
“The FSA Board of Directors would like to see the opportunity to market the property so someone can use it more appropriately,” said Schulz. “Right now they have to utilize revenue generated through meal plans and sales at the bookstore to help subsidize that property.” He also suggests he would be okay with it if there was high school utilization, but there isn’t.
Schulz made it clear that there has been no talk with a realtor and there is no marketing involved at this point, but it is in discussion.
He stated that it has to be a campus-wide decision, involving stakeholders, the college’s president Stephen Kolison, the college council and students. He says that FSA is at a point where they’re trying to cut expenses but not cut programming, and that’s something that needs to be discussed.
Kowalyk said that, “If the Lodge were to close, I would be super sad. It’s such a unique aspect that Fredonia has to offer. I know our budget is very tight and with declining enrollment, it can be difficult to keep everything as is, but the Lodge is something I would never want to see close. So many current students and alumni have fond memories of the Lodge, and so many more students have yet to experience it.”
According to Schulz, no plans are concrete right now. They’re trying to figure out what the best options are and what the most efficient use of funds would be, because a choice has to be made.
“If the decision by stakeholders on campus is that it’s worth spending $50-60,000 to keep it open, then that’s the decision,” Schulz said. “Or does that $50,000 serve a better purpose?”
Chloe Kowalyk, who was interviewed for this article, is the Editor in Chief of The Leader.