Once again I am alarmed by the commentary from SUNY Fredonia President Kolison that appeared in the OBSERVER (Feb. 10-11). What I read was basically a “Puff Piece” submitted by Kolison. I believe the commentary was meant to assure the community that concerns regarding the future at SUNY Fredonia are misleading and that ” administration is working diligently to position Fredonia for continued success into the future.” In other words, don’t panic, there is nothing to see here folks — and let me throw out a couple bright lights to follow so we do not address the real issues! I feel compelled to disagree with this assessment. Initially I was disturbed to see that we still have no director of admissions. In my last article I mistakenly said a new admissions director had been hired but actually a new position was created — Vice President of Enrollment Management. Another vice president to add to an already bloated cabinet. Obviously, I wish her only the best outcome in her new role as she is faced with a daunting task. Evidently the search is continuing for a Director of Admissions, a position empty since August 2022. Dr. Kolison gave credit to the Interim Director of Admissions, saying she is doing a remarkable job. And yet as often as the issue was discussed at College Council, her name was never mentioned and we were never updated on the “remarkable” job. Instead all information was filtered through the Provost. Sketchy information and vague assurances that things were going well were time and again proven false when actual demographics numbers were provided. The total headcount published for fall 2023 was 3,236. I was alarmed when the spring 2024 demographics were published (SUNYFredonia.com) and total headcount was 2,994! This includes the graduate students, but the jaw dropping number is the undergraduate number which went from 2,880 to 2,622. This is a loss of another 258 students. That Admissions/Recruitment has not been taken seriously is obvious. We have all seen the press regarding the elimination of graduate programs and the amount of energy that has been focused on this action — it even makes headlines. But none of this activity has helped enrollment – if anything it has caused concern and unease with the potential students and their families! The president points out the successful new masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling saying that the initial cohort target was achieved. However, he fails to mention that number achieved was 11 and that a number of these individuals were already enrolled students. He proudly highlights the graduate efforts “which have increased our overall graduate enrollment by 57 percent over the past four years, going from a total of 237 students in 2019 to 372 students this semester.” What he leaves out is the the undergraduate enrollment during that same four-year period: — Spring 2019 — 4,019 — Spring 2020 — 3,864 — Spring 2021 — 3,532 — Spring 2022 — 3,209 — Spring 2023 — 2,917 — This spring — 2,622 In this timeframe we have lost approximately 1,400 undergraduate students. Yet we are supposed to applaud all our efforts to eliminate 13 masters programs and do a happy dance to celebrate a “new” masters program with 11 enrolled! I truly believe that this administration has no focus on the overwhelming issues and certainly no urgency to address them. Even efforts mentioned such as offering a Presidential Scholarship to one qualified student from each high school in the county is anemic and misses the mark. We have 17 high schools in the county. Why not three or four scholarships per school? We certainly have the resources and it might create interest locally. If you haven’t noticed the effect of the loss of undergraduate students you should drive around the campus. In a discussion about campus concerns an acquaintance told me that “this administration has brought one thing to the campus. Parking Spaces.” She noted that she had previously had an 11 o’clock class and had to get to campus by 7:30 to get a space anywhere near her building! Now she has many options. I personally remember as a student getting to class early to wait for classes to change and stalking people with car keys in their hands to get a space. The student parking on Ring Road was full. Now it is barely half full. I also believe that morale on campus is at a low point. Many feel disrespected and concerned and are leery of speaking up for fear of retribution. People who have spent their lives with a true commitment to the university, which includes, those who teach, those who are support staff, maintenance, alum, and all who took pride in this university over the years are confused and lack any confidence in the current administration. The president delivering a message with a false sense of security does not encourage trust. Finally, as I was about to submit this commentary I was able to read the recent articles in the OBSERVER March 2-3, “Enrollment decline creates ripple effect.” The two articles covering the losses incurred by FSA and also the student protest march are further indication of the enormity of the issues. I applaud the students and wish I had been able to attend and support their protest. The students are correct in their reference of the administration as “disinterested.” It is obvious that the agenda being followed by the administration is not going to address, much less solve the issues we face. And while they chanted “Fair funding for Fredonia” — funding is not the total answer. They should also be demanding review and accountability of an administration that has proven to be incapable of effective management. JoAnn Niebel is a Sheridan resident and former College Council member.