Letter from the Editor: Farewell Empire State Tribune

In January, I wrote a Letter from the Editor when I assumed my position as Editor-in-Chief and responded to mixed feelings surrounding the Empire State Tribune. I stated that “Although I am graduating in May, my goal is to leave the EST with a positive legacy — a foundation for the future EIC to follow.” Upon receiving positive feedback on the EST under my leadership, I am confident that I will leave the publication with a positive legacy. However, leaving with a foundation for the future EIC to follow has proven to be much more challenging.

The King’s College Is Last Christian college to Close in NYC

The King’s College announced that it will not hold classes for the Fall 2023 semester and is pausing operations until further notice as of Monday, July 17. As a result of ongoing financial turmoil and having its accreditation revoked, the college decided to temporarily close while in search of a “strategic alliance.” The college began publicly looking for a partner in Jan. 2023, and ended its former partnership with Primacorp in April.

The Inside Story Of The King’s College Death Spiral Of 2023

The perilous state of Documents and interviews with insiders offer a more complete picture of key economic, strategic and circumstantial factors leading to the dramatic turn of events that left students, staff, faculty and families in limbo for months. in New York City developed over decades, hit turbulence in the past two years, then turned into a stunning death spiral in the Spring 2023 semester.

Accreditors Inform King’s of Investigation Findings

The King’s College’s academic accreditors conducted another meeting notifying the institution of their investigation findings last Friday, April 28. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) clarified that the conclusions presented are not final, nor do they constitute any definitive verdict on King’s accreditation status going forward. The findings presented, according to MSCHE procedures, “represent only the first step in a multi-level decision-making process.”

CampusColby McCaskillMay 1, 2023Colby McCaskill, campus, 2023 kings financial crisis, msche, Secondary FeatureComment

BREAKING NEWS: King’s Announces Termination of Primacorp Partnership with Change of Board Members

The King’s College officially ended its partnership with Primacorp Ventures and switched out members of the Board of Trustees, according to an email announcement from Chairman Henry Morriello sent on the evening of Friday, April 21. “The King’s College and Primacorp Ventures, Inc. have mutually and amicably agreed to end our collaboration agreements,” Morriello said, “including with respect to board representation and involvement in operations.”

The King’s Players Pull Off A “Killer” Agatha Christie Performance

The King’s Players put on a show “to die for” featuring Agatha Christie’s murder mystery “And Then There Were None” in the City Room of The King’s College on Friday and Saturday, April 14 and 15. Directed by Emily Zielinski, a sophomore in the house of Susan B. Anthony, the cast and crew featured members from every house and class year within the two-hour play.

CampusMelinda HuspenApril 18, 2023campus, The King's Players, Melinda Huspen, Agatha Christie, murder mystery, Secondary FeatureComment

Mattilyn Winburn on Her Presidential Term at King’s

The student body elected Mattilyn Winburn as Student Body President for The King’s College’s 2022-23 school year on Feb. 24, 2022. Winburn, a senior in the House of Clara Barton, spoke with Colby McCaskill, City Editor at the Empire State Tribune, during Interregnum XVIII about her time as the student body president during a season of financial woes and continued ambiguity about the King’s future.

King’s Accreditor Informs Students Of Non-Compliance “Show Cause” Status

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, The King’s College’s academic accreditors, conducted an informational meeting notifying the student body of King’s recent failure to satisfy MSCHE accreditation standards on Monday, April 3. According to MSCHE representatives, King’s accreditation status is not to be revoked before, if at all, June 2023.

Students Respond to What May be King’s Last Interregnum

The King’s College hosted its nineteenth – and possibly last – Spring Interregnum from March 29 to 31. The winners of the Interregnum Cup and the annual House Cup were the House of Sojourner Truth and the House of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, respectively. This year’s Interregnum theme was Flourishing, an adjective that might appear difficult to embody under the current circumstances at King’s. Some students at the college chose to skip Spring Interregnum because of the school’s situation.

Tattoos of King’s: The Meaning and Controversy Behind the Ink

Almost half of Gen-Z and Millennial Americans have tattoos, and among these are many young Christians who have embraced the increasingly popular craze of getting images of religious and personal significance permanently engraved on themselves. Several students at The King’s College offered their thoughts in regard to their tattoos and the controversy that exists within the Christian community.

CampusJulia JensenMarch 23, 2023Julia Jensen, campus, tattoos, Secondary Feature Comments

The Land Before The Times: The Story That The New York Times Forgot

(OPINION) A recent New York Times article depicted The King’s College as a conservative, predominately white and Protestant institution. In doing so, they directly ignored the minority voices that are poignantly shaping King’s. The Times emphasized the white presence at King’s by quoting only white students; only one out of the four was a woman. At least three students of color were interviewed, but the Times didn’t include their side of the story.

“No Disruption” – Albee Residents to Keep Utilities Despite ConEdison Notice

On-campus residents at Albee recently received letters from ConEdison requiring The King’s College to pay its outstanding balance, or else face a utility shut-off tomorrow, March 21. A ConEdison employee with knowledge of the situation informed the Empire State Tribune that the letter is simply a first warning and that King’s students are not in danger of losing utilities in the next few months.

CampusColby McCaskillMarch 20, 2023Colby McCaskill, 2023 kings financial crisis, campus, ConEdison, Secondary FeatureComment

The Importance of Christian Higher Education

(OPINION) There is another context in which I view these things. King's is a "strategic institution," however overused that phrasing became. It is a point of gathering and departure for many ambitious, capable Christians willing to subject themselves to a formative education. Running a private Christian liberal arts school in NYC is obviously a tall order. But when I was there we had 500+ students, and it seemed only to be getting bigger. Profs would complain about how many sections they had to teach and how many students they had to juggle. What went wrong?

Law Firm Who Served Eviction Notices to King’s Students Has Dubious History

(OPINION) Many students at The King’s College are aware of the multiple overdue rent notices and the service of an eviction threat from a debt collector to student residents. However, many do not know about the actual debt collector Kucker Marino Winarsky & Bittens. The multi-million dollar firm describes itself as “a highly respected Manhattan law firm” focusing on real estate and corporate law. Still, I can’t help but wonder: How respected can Kucker be when the New York Attorney General investigated them two separate times?

King’s Students Featured on WNBC Nightly News Broadcast

Dean of Students David Leedy emailed all The King’s College on-campus residents that WNBC would be interviewing students the following evening and disclosed a statement the college would send out to reporters on March 3. NBC 4 New York reporter Checkey Beckford interviewed the students that evening. The report aired at 11:14 p.m. on Friday night and was later posted to the NBC New York website. The report primarily addressed the overdue rent notices King’s students have received over the past few weeks.

CampusAngelina IspirMarch 7, 2023Angelina Ispir, campus, NBC, intrview, The King's Collge, Secondary FeatureComment

King’s Reveals Seven Transfer Schools at Latest Community Update

King’s discussed transfer options, current fundraising updates and the TKC Letters Project at the Community Update meeting on Monday, Feb. 27. “We've had a number of people… working on different transfer agreements with a bunch of schools,” said Dr. Kimberly Reeve, Dean of Academic Affairs. “This is to give you options.” Reeve then named seven schools actively building transfer agreements with King’s, noting that King’s has legal permission from each institution to disclose their identity to the public.

"A Time of Celebration and Joy" at the Spring into Life Gala

TKC Students for Life hosted a new kind of off-campus event, the Spring into Life Gala and Gameshow, on Feb. 25. The gala gave students a chance to wear formal attire, feast on amazing food and watch or participate in a live game show. At the beginning of the event, the SFL exec team members spoke about their intention to make the event a time of celebration and joy amidst the difficult news about the financial situation at King’s. Approximately 35 students showed up to partake in the festivities.

Uncertainty Doesn’t Usurp Faithfulness

(OPINION) I won’t lie – it’s hard being at King’s these days. As a senior, The King’s College has become home. I’ve been here through the COVID lockdowns, the tension of the 2020 election cycle and the general insecurity of a post-pandemic city. The Community Update on Feb. 13 felt like the breaking point. But I’ve kept coming back to this question that my dad would always ask: Who are we, and who are we becoming? Regardless of our circumstances, we are always being molded and shaped toward something. So who will we choose to be in the midst of uncertainty?

Overdue Rent Notices Persist for On-Campus Residents

Students living in the Albee on-campus housing have continued to receive statements concerning The King’s College’s overdue rent, with many citing a 14-day deadline. On-campus residents received letters in the mail from Kucker Marino Winiarsky & Bittens, a debt collector on behalf of the Albee residences concerning the overdue rent on Thursday, Feb. 23. Students then received notices from Spencer Albee Equities, the building management, on Friday, Feb. 24. These stated that the leaseholder (King’s) has 14 days from Feb. 21 to pay their rent.

Dr. Kelly Lehtonen Launches Book on “Heroic Awe” in Renaissance Poetry

Dr. Kelly Lehtonen, assistant professor of English and Writing, hosted a discussion for her recent book about the heroism of embracing the sublime on Friday, Feb. 24. “Heroic Awe: The Sublime and the Remaking of Renaissance Epic” is Lehtonen’s first official book and displays her continued affection for Renaissance-Era epic poetry after five years at The King’s College.

CampusColby McCaskillFebruary 28, 2023Colby McCaskill, Kelly Lehtonen, book launch, book, novel, campus, Secondary FeatureComment