What’s Next to Go?
From left to right, Jackson Fordyce, Daniel Fuenzalida, Josiah Simons pose together on their last fall retreat in 2019. || Photo courtesy of Daniel Fuenzalida
The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College
Hidden away in upstate New York, two hours from Manhattan is a special place; a place filled with dear memories where time and space are irrelevant; memories of meeting new friends, stressing over competitions, late-night basketball games, dance parties, almost romances, getting sick the week after, and so much more.
The memories we have made at Fall Retreat will stay close to our hearts for years. I will never forget jumping around on stage with my closest friends celebrating the cheer we received from Bonhoeffer’s drama competition this past fall (even though we came in 7th place).
Whenever we hear sad news, we seek explanation — something to help us cope with the pain that we feel toward loss. This is no exception. The email from Dean of Students David Leedy and a subsequent town hall meeting run by the student life team on Jan. 27th were not enough. The explanation we received was two-fold. Firstly, the event was not financially sustainable long-term; King’s spent $77,000 this past year on Fall Retreat. We were told the college runs an $8 million deficit annually and that cutting the event will save money. Secondly, it did not promote spiritual life well enough. School told us that there was a significant decrease in the number of students attending the lectures.
The loss of Fall Retreat is not the only concerning aspect. Sources indicate that many student life staff and student leaders were not consulted before the decision was made. As president of the House of Bonhoeffer, this is especially frustrating. Though I have voting rights on The King’s Council, the student body government at King’s, I am well aware I do not have any say over certain financial or spiritual life topics at the college. However, Student Life has the opportunity to represent the student body’s interests. Not consulting them suggests that those in charge did not want any extra fight from Student Life trying to convince them to keep Fall Retreat. Why? Surely, they knew how devastated students would be.
Is there more King’s is not telling us? When considering the two explanations, the spiritual reason seems less pressing than the financial. If the lack of students at the talks were a problem, other solutions could promote spiritual life: mandatory attendance at fall retreat lectures for example. Maybe King’s is choosing to ignore this, but many people are deeply affected by the talks. Anyone who went to Fall Retreat in 2017 and heard Eric Bennett’s talk remembers his message about secret sins. If you went this past 2019 and attended Dr. Anthony Bradley’s lecture, it is impossible to forget his gripping story of the hateful painting he was sent by a former student before the retreat illustrating how the Devil is always hunting us. Simply put, there is spiritual growth during Fall Retreat. However, the spiritual impact is hard to measure. Unfortunately, the numbers are not good enough for what King’s feels is satisfactory.
The financial logic is much different; without money to pay for cabins, transportation and food, there is no retreat. The stated retreat cost is less than 1 percent of the annual $8 million dollar deficit. Of all the ways to cut the budget, why this loved event? Clearly, it made a statement about the financial status of the school. But maybe, that was the goal.
A picture taken at Fuenzalida’s last fall retreat, 2019. || Photo courtesy of Daniel Fuenzalida
Budget cuts were necessary; something needed to be done in order to help King’s meet financial stability. What if cutting this nostalgic event was not simply to drop the deficit by 1 percent but to signal to donors, to alumni, to all who love King’s that we are in dire need of money or a sustainable business model? Maybe, this was a signal to admissions that we need to seek out even more full-paying students. Maybe it was a signal to the Board of Trustees of King’s that we need a change to sustain the school for years to come or Fall Retreat will not be the first or only beloved event to go.
Next could be our athletic program. Recently, we have seen historic accomplishments in athletics at King’s. Our Women’s Volleyball team won the 2019 HVIAC Conference championship. Men’s Soccer took 6th place in the 2018 National Tournament and had a great record for 2019 until their unexpected suspension (our team had to forfeit 9 wins due to a player who was unknowingly ineligible). These programs have always received a small share of the budget. It would not be a surprise to me, as a four-year soccer player, if there is a decision to cut athletics. King’s was not able to show great care about the program in all my time here. We play with few practices. Our program operates on a shoestring budget. We often use subways instead of vans for transportation. We use low-quality soccer balls for training and official games. The players fend for themselves, often buying food from their own pockets during road games (we received a small budget for food when we made it to nationals). We have no assistant coaches. No trainer at practices or at school for physical therapy or rehab.
Perhaps changes are in store for the Houses? Perhaps beloved professors and adjuncts are let go? Maybe we change buildings again? If the goal was to signal to our donors, to admissions, to anyone who can help that we need more money, I hope that it works. I hate to see Fall Retreat go. It would break my heart for Athletics to go. But more importantly, it is concerning that we do not know what will go next.
Daniel Fuenzalida is a senior at King’s, majoring in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He is the President of the House of Bonhoeffer.