Buffalo State adding dorm space

[steven]

A renovation at Buffalo State College will transform Cassety Hall back into a student dorm, with housing for 150 students.

The college will begin construction in March, with plans to make the dorms available to students in August for the 2007-2008 academic year.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/s...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

[ghosthunter]

Oh boy - I think I've been thrown under the bus. My kid wants to dorm there next year, and now the pleas to do so will become even more desperate.

[steven]

Does anyone know when the ECC dorm stuff is supposed to be done?

[Linda_D]

Does anyone know when the ECC dorm stuff is supposed to be done?

I wouldn't hold my breath on this; it seems to be mostly "planning". The ECC Master Plan site seems to be down, so I couldn't see what this says.
I googled "student housing at ECC" and didn't come up with much.

The only two relevant pieces that I found (except for the minutes of Trustees meetings) are:

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/s...6/daily41.html

http://www.erie.gov/legislature/district10/district10_news092106.asp

Other community colleges are farther along than ECC. Jamestown Community College plans on having housing ready for students in the fall of 2008.

[NoCtUrNaL]

Community College dorms…what's the point of that? Save the students the 10 minute commute times they currently have to endure?

Are they matriculating from Poughkeepsie? Philadelphia? Paris?

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Other community colleges are farther along than ECC. Jamestown Community College plans on having housing ready for students in the fall of 2008.

What kid is going to want to dorm in Jamestown? That is the funniest thing I have read today.

Dorming is Bad for a CC in Buffalo but it is ok in Jamestown. HAHA

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Community College dorms…what's the point of that? Save the students the 10 minute commute times they currently have to endure?

Are they matriculating from Poughkeepsie? Philadelphia? Paris?

Actually, there are a lot of kids from NYC that go to CC that dorm. Canton Tech used to get about 1k a year, but the went to a 4 year not to long ago.

[Linda_D]

Community College dorms…what's the point of that? Save the students the 10 minute commute times they currently have to endure?

Are they matriculating from Poughkeepsie? Philadelphia? Paris?

Exactly. The purpose of community colleges isn't to compete with the state university colleges, the state tech colleges or with each other. The CCs are supposed to provide affordable post-secondary education within their own communities, which is why NYS doesn't allow the CCs to directly run their own dorms.

There are some valid needs for some community colleges to have some housing. These are primarily the colleges serving multiple rural counties like Jamestown (Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties plus northern PA) or North Country (Hamilton, Essex, and Warren Counties) where students might have to commute 20 to 40 miles one way to attend class (especially an issue in winter). There are also some community colleges that have significant numbers of foreign students who would be best served with college-run dorms.

ECC has three campuses that enable students to attend a full service campus relatively near their homes, so having dorms isn't a pressing need. This is especially true of the North and the City Campus which are both in heavily urbanized areas. ECC South might have some need of student housing since it tends to draw in students not only from rural southern Erie County (Brant, Collins, Concord, Sardinia) but also from northern Cattaraugus and eastern Wyoming Counties as well.

[WNYresident]

Who's paying for the dorm expansions and so forth? All tution covered?

[Linda_D]

Who's paying for the dorm expansions and so forth? All tution covered?

Taxpayer covered, one way or another.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Exactly. The purpose of community colleges isn't to compete with the state university colleges, the state tech colleges or with each other. The CCs are supposed to provide affordable post-secondary education within their own communities, which is why NYS doesn't allow the CCs to directly run their own dorms.

There are some valid needs for some community colleges to have some housing. These are primarily the colleges serving multiple rural counties like Jamestown (Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties plus northern PA) or North Country (Hamilton, Essex, and Warren Counties) where students might have to commute 20 to 40 miles one way to attend class (especially an issue in winter). There are also some community colleges that have significant numbers of foreign students who would be best served with college-run dorms.

ECC has three campuses that enable students to attend a full service campus relatively near their homes, so having dorms isn't a pressing need. This is especially true of the North and the City Campus which are both in heavily urbanized areas. ECC South might have some need of student housing since it tends to draw in students not only from rural southern Erie County (Brant, Collins, Concord, Sardinia) but also from northern Cattaraugus and eastern Wyoming Counties as well.

You are a walking contradiction lady. First you say that NYS will not allow the CC's to have dorms and then in you say that Jamestown and ECC south has a need and Jamestown is in the process of building them.

You are stuck in the past and that is the problem with you. ECC was created to "provide affordable post-secondary education within their own communities" at a time when you either went into the mills or off to a 4 year after HS. That was 1950. You are stuck in that time. The mills are closed and 4 year schools are expensive. The concept of local schools were also created at a time when commuting was not a prevalent as it is today. Furthermore, the education provided was for low paying positions like administrative assistant.
A degree from ECC does not hold close to the significance as it did 20 years ago. For most, a CC is a stepping stone to get into a 4 year. Once people leave a 4 year, they leave WNY for the most part.
Community colleges need and are evolving into practical institutions that can provide a solid foundational education without the burden of a liberal arts degree. WNY needs this type of workforce. Placing skilled workers in WNY without the burden of a 4 year tuition.
Furthermore, if the government is going to subsidize an institution, that institution should benefit the community that subsidizes it. Having 3 campuses may be more convenient for commuters but the pros of having a central campus downtown with dorms, elevating the curriculum to have a 21st century focus has more weight.
And why do you insist in comparing Jamestown and Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties to Buffalo when everyone knows they are different. Comparing ECC to MCC in Rochester or NCCC would be logical, but you lack logic so I answered my own question.
Why are you so opposed to change. Your way of thinking has not worked for the last 50 years.

[WNYresident]

Taxpayer covered, one way or another.

Why are we investing in dorms while people are leaving the WNY area? Who's kids are acutally utilizing the school? Basically local kids or kids from out of our area?

If they are out of the area why not let thier "taxpayers" foot the bill?

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Why are we investing in dorms while people are leaving the WNY area? Who's kids are actually utilizing the school? Basically local kids or kids from out of our area?

If they are out of the area why not let their "taxpayers" foot the bill?

Well I think dorms would bring in revenue to the city. Lets just say that ECC build a 10 story dorm in DT. Now dorm rooms are about the size of hotel rooms. So I would say 300 rooms would be about right. If each room has 2 kids, that is 600 people living DT. Room and Board at Buff State is $7,500. So lets make ECC $5000. 5K over 600 students is 3 million. Apply 2 million per year to the housing and 1 million for food. A creative program that the state system in California offers with local eateries could be done. Basically, if a place serves food and is close to the campus, students can use a swipe card at those places. Local business benefit and the schools have low overhead. This could be done with business downtown.
This is not also counting the funds spent in shops and stores. I do not know about others but a revived Lafayette Square sounds good to me. Heck, they could turn the old Lafayette Hotel into the housing complex.

[ghosthunter]

Why are we investing in dorms while people are leaving the WNY area? Who's kids are acutally utilizing the school? Basically local kids or kids from out of our area?

If they are out of the area why not let thier "taxpayers" foot the bill?

Buff State houses loads of kids from out of town, ECC maybe mostly locals.

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

Buff State houses loads of kids from out of town, ECC maybe mostly locals.

and your point is.....

Buff State housed kids who want a 4 year degree. There is a lot of competition for these kids.

What I think is a wide open market is two year schools who change the curriculum to suit today not 1950 and provide housing.

Change ECC from a local community college to a premiere 2 year school, located in a historic section of DT. Add curriculum to include more computer and new media. Then send some representatives to the college fairs. Get the message out. Get the "college experience" and do a two year instead of just doing a two year and staying with Mom and Dad. I am not suggesting that a kid from Hamburg is going to dorm, but some would. Just like they dorm at UB and Buff State. I am suggesting Buffalo go after kids from all of NYS.