First-years stay motivated, aware during troubling economy

Written by Greg Maker

Thursday, 02 September 2010 13:36

SUNY Purchase cites decrease in freshmen residents, increase in commuters

As incoming freshman Matthew Desanctis arrived at SUNY Purchase Saturday morning after a six-hour ride from Rochester with his father, he was well aware that life now holds fewer guarantees than it did for past students.
“It is almost given in our society that you need some sort of college degree to make a living,” Desanctis, who will be studying visual arts, said. “Hopefully it will be a bit better when I graduate but I’m not crossing my fingers.”

Freshman Pat Fullmer, a Binghamton native, enters college this year in hopes of one day having a steady job in graphic design. Though he dreams of working for an advertising agency in New York City someday, Fullmer has four years to not worry about the working world ahead of him.

“Jobs are pretty few and far between these days,” Fullmer said. “The economy seems like it can go either way. I’m hoping that it will turn around but I don’t feel it will.”

Spring Valley resident Errol Greene, a parent of incoming freshmen at Purchase and Iona colleges, thinks higher education is the way to go right now since it is hard to find work.

“This is perfect for them,” Greene said about the incoming freshman class’ decision to attend college. “It is either college or the military and with a war going on, college is a better option. I personally think it will take more than four years for the economy to rebound but hopefully it will.”

According to SUNY Purchase Associate Dean of Student Affairs John Delate, the freshmen population living in on-campus dormitories has dropped over previous years. He estimated that in a typical year, Purchase will have 92 percent of its freshmen living on-campus but this year’s number is around 85 percent. He added that he has not seen such a drop of this degree before. All of the dorms are filled this year, but transfer students are filling the gap. Delate believes that the reason that there will be more commuter students this year is based on economic factors.

“We have to be cognizant of the fact that we will have more freshmen commuting,” Delate said. “We want them to have the full college experience as well. We are broadening our programs for these students which includes an increase of programming in the commuter lounge. When a student is transitioning to college from high school they need to be part of the college culture no matter where they live. I think that during recessions, people recognize the vital need for post secondary degrees and education whether it is a community college, trade school or four-year institution.”

Roslyn Heights native Dina Cook is embodying Delate’s comment. After working two internships with two different companies, older co-workers of Cook told her that they wish they could be in school. This triggered her to attend Purchase as a freshman this fall.

“I was first looking at a design school but I wanted to pick a place that would give me the best of both worlds,” Cook said. “I don’t know where I will be four years from now but for right now I want to take as many interesting classes as I can and make a name for myself.”

John Elmore, a resident of Middletown, Conn. is sending his first child to college this fall. He believes that the timing could not be better than now to enter college.

“One advantage of hard economic times is the ability to go to school,” Elmore said. “I am hoping in four years that the economy turns around. It is a good time to be going to college but not a good time to be graduating from college.”

According to Associate Dean Delate, Purchase has upped its career development office’s efforts to help students plan for careers. The college is also offering broad financial services including gradual payment plans and more hands-on help with loan and grant applications.

“Freshmen do not focus so much about graduation but they look at where they can participate in internships,” Delate said. “Many students used to wait for junior year to begin career planning but we are giving them an opportunity to hit the ground running.”

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