At the recent Academic Senate meeting, a student announced that the Campus Auxiliary Board intends to sell the 372-acre Ashokan Field Campus located in Olivebridge, a 45-minute drive north of New Paltz. Because the student's announcement was inaccurate and pre-mature, and also was a clear breach of the Board's confidentiality, I feel it is necessary to make the campus aware of the following facts:

Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS), the not-for-profit corporation that manages campus dining, the campus bookstore and offers other essential campus services, also owns and manages the Ashokan Field Campus.

The facilities at Ashokan, which include an administration building and a number of bunkhouses, are outdated and sorely in need of renovation - the cost of which is estimated to be between $1 and $2 million. Other camps that we compete with for similar outdoor educational programming have more modern facilities, which can make it difficult to attract business.

Currently, only 5 percent of the programming at Ashokan is SUNY New Paltz related. In addition, SUNY Central Administration and the Office of the State Comptroller have both indicated a preference that all tangential real estate owned and operated by College Auxiliary Services Corporations either be sold or run by a subsidiary corporation.

The CAS Board, which is comprised of 11 members, including myself; four students; three administrators; two faculty members and one classified staff member, was presented an offer from a very worthy non profit organization for more than the appraised value of the property. The CAS Board voted 6-0 with two abstentions in favor of selling.

This deal, if successful, would allow for the staff at Ashokan to maintain their jobs and for the college to maintain its current programming use for educational purposes - this is potentially the best outcome. There are 12 full-time staff and 20 temporary or on call outdoor educational instructors at the site and I have informed the employees of the board's intent.

Again, it is pre-mature, but there has been some discussion about where the money from the sale of Ashokan could have the most impact on current needs closer to the campus. The Board and myself have had a difficult time coming to this decision, however, in light of the ongoing aforementioned obstacles; we feel that this is the best outcome for the college. Discussions with the potential buyer are ongoing and we will keep the college apprised when/if any significant decisions are reached.

Please feel free to contact me if you have further questions.

For more information about CAS and the role of the CAS Board, visit www.newpaltz.edu/cas/about.html.

Steven Deutsch
Campus Auxiliary Services