By: Jon Dusza and Ava C. Green
The United Student Association (USA) senate met last Friday, Oct. 25, for their weekly meeting. During it, Canisius President Steve Stoute and Canisius Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Dr. Harold Fields addressed the nearly 50 students gathered in the Grupp fireside lounge.
Stoute and Fields responded to questions submitted to USA by students, which were read out by USA President Tim Sanders.
Stoute was asked about the proposed $15 million in budget cuts which are to be discussed by a committee of faculty, administration and students in the months ahead. Highlighting that “you can’t spend more money than you make,” and that Canisius has been running a deficit for eight years “to the tune of $50 million,” Stoute said that “we cannot kick the can down the road anymore, we have to stop, or the institution will not be here,” continuing, “It is my job to ensure that the institution is here for the next 150 years.”
Stoute was then asked about how he will work to create more transparency between the administration and students. “I will come whenever you ask,” said Stoute, highlighting a strong relationship between himself and USA presidents past and present. Stoute stated that his preference for solving problems is to have conversations, adding: “I can’t solve everything, I can’t always give you what you want, but I will hear you, I will listen, I will express empathy, and I will do the best that I can… to try to solve the bigger challenges.” Stoute expressed his desire to work out issues through conversations “before going through the formalities of passing [USA] resolutions and demanding things.” Stoute added: “That is not to say that USA shouldn’t pass resolutions… but if there’s an underlying issue, let’s just solve the problem.”
He also discussed some of the things he cannot talk about as president, chief among them are “personnel matters.” In the case of him being asked about something he cannot tell, Stoute said that “I’ll tell you” that it is not something he is able to talk about, noting that this applies to students as well as faculty and staff.
Stoute was also asked about how long Canisius can survive running its current deficits. “No longer” was his reply. Recounting how donors and a strong endowment has kept Canisius afloat even with the deficit, Stoute emphasized that “we have almost no flexibility left.” Therefore, as Stoute said, “the greatest harm we can do to Canisius University is to do nothing.”
Following that, Stoute was asked about when he expects Canisius to get out of its deficit. Stoute highlighted that he said from the beginning of his time as president that this process would take five years, and of those five years, we are currently in year three. He called this year “the hump year, and the hardest.” Acknowledging that Canisius’ finances took a “step back” this past year, “we are still on track for five years,” Stoute said, and that as of now the expectation is that Canisius will run a moderate surplus in FY28.
On the topic of financial resources and academics, Stoute was next asked about how many resources will be provided to liberal arts programs. “We have over 90 majors,” said Stoute, “my job as president is not to pick and choose winners and losers.” He explained that Canisius places high priority on teaching students how to think, appreciate the world, and be skeptical and critical of things – skills generally associated with liberal arts programs. Stoute said that at Canisius, “[those skills are] not uniquely confined to fields in the liberal arts.” Stoute emphasized that Canisius operates in a market, and that any decisions the school makes must be made in the context of that market. “As an institution,” Stoute said, “we can make a strategic choice. We can say here are our 90 majors today, and we’re never gonna change them. If you don’t want one of these majors, you have to go somewhere else…. The consequence of that choice will be negative for the institution.”
Stoute was then asked about the new Buffalo Promise scholarship that Canisius is going to offer, which will offer full tuition to qualified students living in a zip code that begins with 142-, and whether or not those benefits would be available to current students. “Our commitment to our current students is no different,” Stoute said. He next gave a crash course in the school’s rationale for how such a scholarship would help Canisius financially. On average, Stoute said, the average Canisius student tuition discount rate is 64%. The financial model says that those who are eligible for the scholarship are also eligible for full federal and state financial aid, totaling next year, Stoute said, $13,500 per student. That is money that students will be able to contribute to their tuition. So, “we yield from those students about the same as we do now,” Stoute said. Referring to current students again, he restated: “Our commitment to our current students is no different. What we have done and what we are committed to doing is continuing to invest in your success.”
Dr. Fields added that “the Promise Scholarship is more of a public articulation of the great support and value provided here at Canisius,” highlighting that students graduating from here often face less debt than students graduating from state schools. Fields also said that if a current student believes that they qualify for the scholarship, they are encouraged to discuss that with their financial aid advisor.
Next, Stoute was asked about the library closing, particularly whether that would force the silent study area of the library to relocate. “Relocate, no. But to include a silent study space in the Student Success Center, yes,” he said. He recounted a trip he and fellow administration members took to RIT to look at their library, which is an inspiration for what Canisius wants to do with their library. Stoute quoted somebody he met at RIT, saying: “Libraries are not museums for books. They are a place to foster learning.” He argued that students learn differently today than they did in the past, “and so we have to adapt.” With that in mind, Stoute expressed his hope that students will weigh in on what they want from the Student Success Center when those conversations are had in the months ahead. “More important than the physical space,” Stoute concluded, “is building the structure and the resources that will better support our students.”
Dr. Fields then explained the planned new advising model at Canisius which would come along with the new Student Success Center. New students would be placed with one of four professional advisors for their first two years, and would then be introduced to their faculty mentor by their professional advisor. The hope is that this will allow faculty mentors to focus on student needs during their last two years, as they prepare to either enter the professional workforce or go on with their education. The goal is to provide every student with a consistent experience.
The next question was about parking, and about whether on-campus parking will be expanded, and made more accessible for people who live on campus still using their car to get around. Dr. Fields spoke first about how Canisius is handling on-campus parking tickets this year, as opposed to years past, when tickets were handled by the Buffalo Police Department. This gives Canisius more flexibility and a greater ability to provide customer service. Fields said that the new system is still being fully implemented and that if anybody has any problems with a ticket, they should scan the QR code on their ticket and appeal it there.
Next, Stoute spoke about the current state of Lyons Hall and future plans for it. Future plans are “to be determined,” Stoute said. Conversations are still being with involved parties about exactly what the future of Lyons Hall will be. “It’s not as simple as you might think,” Stoute explained, “to manage through a legal process, a financial process, and an insurance process with large, very well-resourced institutions on the other side.” He continued: “We will continue to talk with our partners and hope to reach some reasonable resolution in the near term. It does not put us in the best possible light to have yet another building on our campus that is inaccessible.” Stoute also addressed the relocation of departments which called Lyons home: it has not been ideal, but considering the circumstances “it’s the best possible way.”
On a similar note, Stoute was asked and addressed the state of the proposed renovations to Old Main. Stoute confirmed that the renovations are still happening, recounting that “I got to swing a sledgehammer today,” noting that he wore protective goggles in the process. The renovations are running behind schedule, because “some of the challenges with our external partners did not allow us to do it.” Still, the plan is to renovate Old Main floor by floor. The goal is to have a building that makes students say: “This place inspires me to do better.”
With that, Stoute had answered all the questions submitted by students to USA. After expressing his thanks to USA and the students in the room, Stoute reiterated that “the door is always open,” and that he welcomes conversations about issues. He also implored students to “not accept as gospel truth the first thing that you hear” and to “probe, do your independent research, formulate your own thoughts and opinions, then stand for something.”
He concluded by expressing his reasons for being a university president. “I do this work because I genuinely care about you and your success,” said Stoute. “I have no right to be here as president of the institution, I am only here because [people] invested in me and trusted me.” In that vein, Stoute said that “The day that our students at this great university think that I don’t care about them, and I don’t have their best interests at heart, I will resign, because I do this job for you.” Stoute concluded: “Stand for something. And I stand for you and for this place, because you deserve that from me. And I am never gonna stop until you tell me.”
The meeting was gaveled out of session at 3:30 p.m. The next USA senate meeting will be held on Friday, Nov. 1 at 2:30 p.m. in Regis.
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