JACOB BENSON: Merger bad for Darton, Albany State and the city of Albany

As a student at Darton State College, let me just say that I am glad that I will be graduating this semester. I say this not because I’m ready to leave, because I have truly enjoyed my time here; it is because I don’t want to see what Darton will turn into when the Board of Regents forces Albany State University to take it over.

When I came to Albany last year, I fell in love with the people, the culture and the history; Albany sure has a lot for a city its size. That makes this “merger” even worse for me, because this will hurt Darton, Albany State and the city itself.

Darton has built up a good brand name for itself, especially in the medical field. We will lose our name entirely with this merger and all the benefits that go along with it. If someone graduated from this school in the past, it might reflect badly on them that their school does not exist anymore.

Many students came to Darton because they wanted to start off their journey at a community college to save money and ease the transition into college life. Trying to force these community college students into a university, with its higher costs and more crowded classrooms, before they are ready is not a recipe that is likely to make students come back the following semester.

I am afraid that after this merger, Darton’s campus will be like a ghost town compared to the way it is now. That is bad for the nearby businesses, and it is a waste of the money that was spent making this campus as nice as it is.

It’s not like this will be any better for Albany State than it will be for Darton. The chancellor has said that the new school would still preserve Albany State’s HBCU Mission, but how can that be possible without alienating some people when Darton’s student population is almost half white? With this merger, Albany State will be forced to choose between sticking with its HBCU mission and risk losing Darton students or stepping back from its heritage and risk losing touch with why the university was founded in the first place.

In my opinion, the HBCU history of Albany State is something that the city of Albany and every student that attended Albany State University should be proud of, and I find it unfortunate that the university might be put in a situation where it may not be feasible for the HBCU mission to continue.

Enrollment at Albany State is already down 10 percent, and this has resulted in many academic programs being eliminated due to budget cuts. I find it unlikely that absorbing Darton’s campus and all the costs that come with that will help Albany State’s financial situation, even when the state government increases the funding for the combined schools.

I think that many students are likely to go elsewhere, to places such as Fort Valley State (where Darton’s current president has conveniently been appointed president), Georgia Southwestern, or other places, and take their bright minds with them.

The Board of Regents tried to sneak this merger through. Although it was only announced Friday afternoon, they voted on it Tuesday.

Please call them and ask them to get more feedback from the community. Here are the names and contact information of all the Board of Regents members: Chancellor Hank Huckaby, [email protected]; C. Dean Alford, P.E., (770) 860-9416; W. Paul Bowers, (404) 506-5355; Lori Durden, (912) 486-7607; Larry R. Ellis, (770) 458-3773; Rutledge A. “Rusty” Griffin Jr., (229) 245-1558; C. Thomas Hopkins Jr., M.D., (770) 227-4600; James M. Hull, (706) 863-2222; Donald M. Leebern Jr., (770) 302-3000; Doreen Stiles Poitevint, (229) 246-8577; Neil L. Pruitt Jr. (chair), (770) 806-6893; Sachin Shailendra, (706) 935-7268; Kessel Stelling Jr. (vice chair), (706) 649-2924; Benjamin “Ben” J. Tarbutton III, (478) 552-5151 x208; Richard L. Tucker, (404) 962-3255; Thomas Rogers Wade, (404) 962-4178; Larry Walker, (478) 987-1415; Don L. Waters, (912) 921-7535; Philip A. Wilheit Sr., (770) 532-4421.

Jacob Benson is a political science student at Darton State College. He is a lifelong resident of Tifton who moved to Albany to attend Darton State College.