TANNER TRUAX
Special to The Leader
SUNY Fredonia continues to hemorrhage as COVID-19 stretches an already thin budget.
How much of a hemorrhage?
Nothing a bandage could cover.
“We anticipate borrowing 1.2 million dollars at the end of this year,” said Mike Metzger, vice president for finance and administration.
This is no new information, as it has been well known that the campus has been financially struggling in a deficit since, as Metzger estimates, at least 2008.
But what makes this year different from others since 2008 is that the campus has exhausted virtually any nest eggs they had relied on in the past, thus making this the first year the campus is forced to look to a loan for help.
“For next year we will have to incorporate the interest payment on that 1.2 million as well as principal payments on that 1.2 million,” Metzger said, adding to the list of expenses the campus will endure.
So how do you keep a ship already taking on water afloat in a rainstorm?
Surprisingly, there are a few bright spots in the storm.
Noted in the budget report is the campus expected only 4,000 students to attend this year.
However, an extra 75 enrolled.
This might not seem like much help, but Metzger was quite pleased with the results of the added revenue.
“[The extra students] gave us about a million dollars better to budget… it still means we have a deficit, but a lesser of a deficit than we had planned for,” Metzger said.
Metzger also noted that President Metzger is working on exciting new programs to help build the campus back into the black.
One of these programs being, extending our enrollment scouting beyond New York into Pennsylvania and even Ohio.
“We are not going to be able to reduce ourselves or cut expenses, we have to increase our enrollment,” said Metzger.
So what does all of this mean for the average student and what changes can we expect to see?
Metzger was very adamant that any corners cut were done in such a way as to preserve the integrity of the students’ college education and experience.
“The idea is to provide the same level of services, and cut in areas that do not affect students,” Metzger said.
Though Metzger says no changes to the campus are coming over the horizon, one thing to note is that, according to Metzger, the budgeting for the Fall 2021 school year has not been conducted yet, and that tuition is not in the control of Fredonia but rather the SUNY system.
With that said, no one knows how a very lean COVID-19 2020 school year might affect tuition, meal plans or housing prices for the next year.