Long Island official blames Stony Brook University for Southampton campus falling into "disrepair"
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. -- A Long Island official accuses Stony Brook University of being the East End's "biggest slumlord." The university is on the hot seat for the operation of its Southampton campus.
Graduate students said they like having the run of Stony Brook Southampton - there are no problems finding parking. But it's a bit desolate.
"We're in the Hamptons. So there's acres upon acres of empty fields," said Jessica Goldman, a grad student.
"It does feel a little weird at times I guess. It can feel like a ghost town," said another student.
With 400 students enrolled (half online), the campus in the heart of Southampton is mostly unused and many buildings are crumbling.
"The campus itself is in a state of disrepair. If this was in private hands, we'd consider them to be slumlords," said Assemblyman Fred Thiele, a Democrat from Sag Harbor.
Thiele said the state university has failed to keep its commitments as stewards of the campus it acquired from Southampton College in 2006.
Historic Southampton Hall, the campus centerpiece, has long been shuttered. Five years ago, the university agreed to a major overhaul that never happened.
When Thiele and a state senator notified SUNY of the availability of millions in grants, the school never applied. Meanwhile, dorms sit vacant and condemned.
The campus has welcomed a handful of new programs, such as marine sciences. But since losing the person in charge of growth in 2020, critics called this potential gem a rudderless ship.
In a statement, Stony Brook University officials said it "has been and will continue to be a committed to Southampton," citing new programs and a hospital moving to the campus.
Officials added, " ... we will soon launch a search for a new Vice President of Strategic Initiatives whose work will include a focus on determining an overall strategy."
Thiele said there's great potential here for culture and arts, even affordable housing.
"Eighty-two acres of waterfront in the Hamptons. How the state university can't come up with a productive use of property there, they're probably the only ones I know," he said.
Thiele said the community can't wait any longer for a plan.