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WC Alumni Grapple With Admin Over “Foreigner” Cancellation in Virtual Town Hall

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At the close of a virtual town meeting with alumni on Wednesday, Washington College President Kurt Landgraf said he would make the same decision again to cancel the performance of The Foreigner–in order to be respectful of the most diverse student body in the college’s history.

“I take full responsibility for what occurred here,” Landgraf said. “I believe we did the right thing; and frankly, if I had to do it all over again today I would still do the same fundamental things that were decided.” 

‘What we did was fair, equitable and respectful to our student body and reflective of the values of Washington College,” he said in the virtual town hall.

The decision was made while Landgraf was out of town on Thursday, Nov. 6. — when the cast and crew were notified moments before the dress rehearsal that public performances scheduled for Nov. 8 and 9 had been canceled. 

Many WC alumni have called the cancellation a blatant case of censorship after it was announced in a letter signed by Provost Patrice DiQuinzio and Dean of Students Sarah Feyerherm.

In responding to outcries of censorship over the cancellation, Landgraf said the college was “unequivocal in its support of free speech.” He said free speech was the foundation of a liberal arts education. 

“We are absolutely unwavering in our support of that,” he said.

But he gave greater weight to being “respectful of all our students… to recognize that our student body is more diverse than it ever has been.”

Sitting with Landgraf, Theatre and Dance Acting Chair Laura Eckelman pushed back on criticism that shuttering the play was censorship and said she made the decision after consultations with the administration–and students who were passionate in their objections to portrayals of the KKK in the play.

She said the decision was made “out of a desire not to further injure those members of our campus community who already feel the most marginalized and who already face in many ways the most challenges both on and off campus.”

“In this case, canceling the production felt like the best thing to do,” she said. “I do not see it as an act of censorship but as a course correction and us being more attentive to the members of our community that were likely to be hurt.”

An ’00 graduate challenged Landgraf and Eckelman that the decision was not a case of censorship.

“Let’s stop debating whether or not this was censorship,” the ’00 graduate said. “By the word’s definition, this was censorship…just because the department was consulted doesn’t mean this wasn’t censorship, whether or not you think it was done for a good reason, this was censorship…so let’s just establish that it was censorship.”

The ’00 alumnus asked why The Foreigner was canceled when so many other performances in the past have touched on controversial issues.

“How are we going to protect the arts going forward,” he asked. “How are you going to establish where that line is so that people going forward don’t have to wait to find out if their play is going to be canceled.” 

Eckelman responded, “We haven’t made any decisions yet what that would look like because this is all still very fresh…we are planning to explore what might be the best practice in the future, so the short answer is we don’t really know yet.”

A ’17 alumnus said the decision to cancel the play was “cruel” to the student director.

“This was the culmination of her college career,” the ’17 alumnus said. The ’17 alumnus also said this was not the first experience with censorship on campus. 

“I personally experienced it while working at the ELM newspaper [and] not from anyone on the ELM or a faculty advisor, but from the administration. The canceling of this play does not reflect good intent, it reflects an implicit racial bias and a lack of willingness to confront our past, especially in a place like Kent County.”

Doug Rose, an ’86 alumnus and winner of the Sophie Kerr Prize, asked why the cast and crew were not included in discussions to cancel the play and why they were not invited to the town hall discussion.

“Where are the students in this discussion, why are we keeping them away from these important discussions,” Rose asked.

 Eckelman responded that it was a “time-pressured environment…they were in dress rehearsals.” She said she brought the cast and crew into the conversation “at the earliest opportunity.” 

“I respectfully refute your statement that the students haven’t been involved in the conversation,”  Eckelman told Rose. “We met with them on the evening of the cancelation and we met with them again a couple of days later.” She said she’s been in contact with the students by email asking for their feedback.

Rose was not satisfied with Eckelman’s answer and noted that every other constituency on campus was part of the discussion, except the students involved in the play.

“You took the time to talk to a lot of other student groups, other faculty, other staff, other administration, but no one bothered to talk to the people in the production itself until the cancelation order came in,” he said.

“Again, a lot of that had to do with the constraints of time…it’s hard to communicate just how pressured all of that was in terms of time constraints,” Eckelman responded.

Eckelman also made note that the student director was upset with the decision, but articulated 15 minutes later that it was the right thing to do.

Later in the day, Communications Director Wendy Clark told the Spy in an email that there was no guarantee future cancellations wouldn’t occur, even after a new vetting process had been established to consider the content of performances.

“It’s impossible to answer this unequivocally, since we can’t predict the future,” she said in an email.“The college never intends for any public event to be cancelled. We make these decisions only when absolutely necessary. We will continue to make efforts—better efforts—to anticipate potential challenges of content, logistics, or other event-related issues, but some situations will always be unanticipated, and we cannot control that.”

Yesterday the National Coalition Against Censorship strongly condemned the decision to cancel The Foreigner.

“Apparently the very presence of the KKK in the story, no matter how strongly the story condemned them, was upsetting,” the NCAC said. “A university should certainly listen to the voices of the campus community. It should provide opportunities for open conversation around controversial material – in this case, offering talk-backs after the performances would be a simple option. However, a college should no more allow the voices of some students the power to censor a student’s work, than it should allow objections to books taught in class to determine the syllabus. Were such objections to take precedence to academic freedom and educational objectives, there are many plays, films and novels that would have to be banned on campus because of the upsetting villains they present: there are Nazis in The Sound of Music, racists in To Kill A Mockingbird, and a character blinding horses in Equus, to take some of the plays more frequently performed on campus and in schools. Should the college also ban Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman and should its film history classes ignore the controversial but historically significant Birth of a Nation? And how would Washington College students deal with history itself, the violence of which far exceeds the caricatured villainy of The Foreigner?”

The statement was co-signed by National Coalition Against Censorship, Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)

And in a Facebook post yesterday, Jack Gilden ’87, called for new leadership at the college.

“There is but one urgent question that arises from yesterday’s conference call: How does the school continue as a ‘liberal’ arts institution when, antithetically to its own mission, it cancels student work and improperly controls what the community may experience? By continuing on and moving forward with the same leadership the stain of this malpractice will touch everyone in our community. If the students, faculty, alumnus and board do not stop this immediately then all of us are tacitly censors, too. Why? Because we have the power to change course or endorse what happened by keeping the present leadership. When you have a pilot who can’t fly, a bus driver who can’t drive, or a doctor who can’t diagnose or treat, you fire them. They don’t understand the job. A liberal arts president and educators who use and defend censorship tactics do not understand the job. The school needs a new president, provost, dean, and theatre arts leader as soon as possible. Continuing on this path, with this group, labels the school, right now and into the future, The Censorship College. Is that what we want for Washington College? Is that who we are? Change is gravely important and necessary right now.”

WC’s Landgraf Acknowledges Mishandling of “Foreigner” Cancellation, Student Safety Came First

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Washington College’s decision to cancel public performances of The Foreigner two weekends ago has upset the college’s Board of Visitors and Governors, and President Kurt Landgraff has acknowledged that the cancellation was mishandled. ca

Landgraff told the Spy yesterday that the last-minute decision to cancel the performance was made without his knowledge when he was out of town. But he said he supported the decision in the interest of the well-being of the students.

“This was not about the play,” he said. “It was about protecting the students.”

He also said the decision to cancel was made by Laura Ekleman, currently the acting chair of the theatre department, with support from the administration. This is in contrast to the Spy’s earlier reporting when several sources told the Spy that Washington College Provost Patrice DiQuinzio made the final decision to cancel the play — over the objections of the theatre department.

And while some believe the college will try to put on a performance in the spring, Landgraf said there was no guarantee of one. He said his focus would be on a discussion to better communicate and present sensitive content in the future — to avoid the same morass that occurred with The Foreigner.

Landgraf said he supported the decision because it was clear students needed to be protected after a racial incident was reported on campus. Landgraf said a white pickup truck was seen on campus with the occupants shouting racial epitaphs. He said the Chestertown Police Department was investigating the truck captured on video.

But in a call to CPD Tuesday, the Spy learned that there is no formal investigation into any incidents. CPD Acting Chief John Dolgos said it was brought to his intention but there was no formal request by the college for an investigation. He said he would start an investigation if requested.

In requesting clarification from the college, Communications Director Wendy Clark told the Spy, “Public Safety contacted CPD to let them know the nature of the incident, the type of vehicle involved, and whether they had had any similar reports anywhere else. He said that as part of that conversation, acting Chief John Dolgos told him that although the behavior was bad, it was not illegal, and so the CPD would have no crime to investigate.”

In a follow up call to CPD, Chief Dolgos said he spoke with WC’s Director of Public Safety Brandon McFayden, and they both agreed that behavior did not rise to the level of a crime.

In search of a remedy for the morale of the cast and crew, some Washington College alumni are banding together to take the cast to dinner and organize a performance of the show to run at Kent County High School, the alumni would pay the school $1,000 for use of the facility for up to three days.

Backlash: WC Cancels Performance of The Foreigner

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Updated: Last week’s decision by Washington College Provost Patrice DiQuinzio to cancel a student directed performance of The Foreigner, a widely performed comedy by acclaimed playwright Larry Shue, has set social media ablaze with outcries of censorship from alumni, former faculty and members of the arts community.

“Quashing a play, a book, a parade, a speech is indeed censorship,” said Skip Middleton, a 1987 graduate of the drama department at Washington College and a Kent County native. “There’s zero difference between censorship by a school board, a government, or a student body.”

In a letter to faculty and staff last week, DiQuinzio and Student Affairs Vice-President Sarah Feyerherm said the play’s depictions of Ku Klux Klan villains “In white hoods and robes” were “deeply upsetting to some.”

The administration had the final say and overruled the drama department.

Update: In a brief call after this story ran, WC President Kurt Landgraf and Communications Director Wendy Clarke denied that the decision was unilateral on the part of the administration. Clark said the drama department also agreed that the performance should be canceled.

The performance was a senior project for the student director, who was not included in the discussion to cancel the performance.

On Tuesday, the student director and the acting department chair sent out emails to Student Affairs and Public Safety to inform the student body about the play’s “sensitive content.” The play was also advertised on the college website with a content warning, “This play features portrayals of xenophobia and prejudice.”

Middleton said the best way to handle the depictions of prejudice could have been a focus session after the performance.

Instead, the cast and crew learned at Thursday’s dress rehearsal that the public performances scheduled for Friday and Saturday would be canceled. The dress rehearsal went on but it was closed to members of the public.

DiQuinzio and Feyerherm wrote that the cancellation did not “diminish the months of hard work, collaboration, emotion, and thoughtfulness that students invested in the production—nor does it lessen all that they have learned through those efforts.”

This did not deter Middleton in his rebuke of the decision. He rattled off 20 names of alumni “making their living in a non-censored world, in the Arts, who hold the WC Community and Admin to a higher standard than this… While I don’t speak for all of them, they are most likely not impressed…”

Middleton said the decision so close to Veterans Day diminishes those whose service “is built primarily on defending the First Amendment.”

He said the play had been on the schedule for quite a while and the decision sends a bad message across the institution, the arts community and among prospective students.

“How do you tell a current student, or a prospective student, or alum, community members and the like that a play has been canceled due to the sensitivity of the message?” he said. “How do you tell the cast and their parents, that the play cannot go on? How do you spin this regionally when you’re trying to gain headcount in the student body to shore up a suffering institution?

Attempts to reach Washington College Provost Patrice DiQuinzio went unanswered by the time this story ran.

Performances of The Foreigner on college campuses are not unusual.

University of Southern Maine
Indiana University
Virginia Tech
State College of Florida
Eastern Illinois Community College
McHenry County College

Feature image by Morgan Lewis, Flickr

Former Congressional Staffer Challenges Harris in GOP Primary

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Maryland’s First District incumbent, Congressman Andy Harris, will face a millennial less than half his age in the 2020 primary.

It’s no doubt risky business for a young newcomer to take on an incumbent in the same party, especially when there is little that separates the candidates on the issues. And both parties have traditionally resisted challenges to incumbents.

But at 30, Jorge Delgado III, of Ocean City says he’s adept enough to national politics to know that “the system is broken.” He says the GOP needs more youth and diversity in its ranks in order to reach across the aisle where the Democratic ranks have swelled with a young and diverse insurgency.

“I took a gamble, but I believe I’m in it for the right reasons,” he said. “I’m focused on the future and expanding the conservative movement for the next generation of young conservative voices.”

After graduating from Auburn University in 2011 with a degree in international business and finance, Delgado joined Colorado Republican Congressman Scott Tipton as an intern and later worked for GOP Congressman Cory Gardner, also of Colorado.

“When you called your congressman you called me; if you were a veteran with a casework problem with the VA you called me, and if you had an IRS issue I dealt with it; I dealt with all these issues,” he said.

When Gardner won a Senate seat in 2016 Delgado was promoted to regional director of Garnder’s Denver headquarters, where he worked on water and energy issues — and represented Gardner before the White House Business Council.

In 2016 Gardner became chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and called Delgado to Washington to be his aid on the committee. Delgado later became Gardner’s economic policy adviser.

Born and raised in Maryland, Delgado said he ventured out to find work with Republicans from other states because Maryland has only one Republican district.

“I had to expand my radius,” he said. “But after traveling over 190,000 miles a year I wanted to return home and be with my family in Worcester County and represent the Eastern Shore in Congress.”

This summer Delgado left his position on Gardner’s staff to challenge Harris.

Delgado said he will “run a positive campaign that deals with pocketbook issues and the issues facing the Eastern Shore.”  

There are some contrasts with Harris on water conservation and seismic blasting used in energy exploration.

“We are an energy-independent nation and we can harvest our resources without harming marine life and harming the livelihoods of our commercial fisherman,” he said.

Delgado said he’s looking forward to a debate with Harris.

 

Updated — MD 213 in Centreville Closed Through Monday Afternoon

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The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is continuing the closure of MD 213 (Centreville Road) between Main Street and Little Kidwell Avenue in Centreville through early afternoon Monday, October 21. Over the weekend, crews successfully moved the new MD 213 Bridge over Old Mill Stream Branch into place.  Before the road can be reopened, crews must complete paving and striping at the bridge approaches, work delayed due to heavy rainfall.

The detour route includes Commerce Street, MD 304 (Railroad Avenue) and US 301 (Blue Star Memorial Highway).  Drivers traveling south along MD 213 may also use MD 305 (Hope Road) to US 301. Local traffic will have access up to the point of the closure.

MDOT SHA apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks drivers for their patience.  Drivers are urged to stay alert when approaching the detour and work zone area.  For a list of all major MDOT SHA projects, click on Road Ready, MDOT SHA’s electronic construction brochure. For a look at real-time commute conditions and updates, please visit md511.maryland.gov.

 

Contact: MDOT SHA Office of Communications – (410) 545-0303

 

Pro Development Advocates and Conservationists at Odds on Third Kent Island Span

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With locations for a third Bay Bridge narrowed to three, Kent Island is said to be the most likely option, where Queen Anne’s and Anne Arundel Counties are already connected by two spans.

Gov. Larry Hogan said last month that he will consider Kent Island as the only option.

The state already has the right-of-way there and Queen Anne’s County Commissioner Jim Moran said it’s the only logical location to relieve the traffic backups that are “killing Queen Anne’s County.”

He said since the second span was built in 1973, highways east and west of the bridge have been expanded or added.

“All roads lead to Rome and Rome can’t take it anymore, the volume is just too much,” Moran said, at a Maryland Transportation Authority open house at Kent Island High School, Oct. 9. “The backups are here.”

“I’ve begged the state on multiple occasions to give us some hope,” he said.

Moran said he did not see another span at Kent Island as a third crossing but rather a replacement.

“This is a replacement bridge to handle the amount of traffic and future traffic we have running across that artery,” he said.

He said without a remedy, development and tourism on the Shore would suffer if people choose elsewhere to spend their money.

Moran also said there is solid support from at least four of QAC’s five commissioners to bring a third span to Kent Island.

Conservation Groups Fear Negative Impacts from More Traffic and People

ShoreRivers Riverkeeper Tim Trumbauer said “increased growth and development associated with more traffic and more people will have a negative impact on water quality.”

He said other solutions such as electronic tolling and more transit options should be favored over a new bridge.

Trumbauer said traffic could be reduced by “creating more vibrant communities on the Eastern Shore [where] people won’t have to commute as much.”

Queen Anne’s Conservation Executive Director Jay Falstad said his organization will oppose the third span to stop development that runs “counter to the goals of just about every county” on the Shore.

“There is not a road in America that hasn’t ultimately lead to more growth,” he said. “Anytime you bring in a new highway, or expand an existing highway, it ends up bringing in a lot more growth and development.”

He said the Shore is looking more at preservation than development.

“They’re trying to keep agriculture a principle part of the economy,” he said. “Filling up farmland with new houses is going in the wrong direction and the most costly form of land use is rural subdivisions.”

Del. Steve Arentz said that his personal opinions would not interfere with the will of voters.

“I still have to represent my voters and what the want in my district.” He said he would not support a span to Kent County because of the overwhelming opposition there. And that the jury was still out on whether he would support another span to Kent Island.

“When Queen Anne’s County as a group comes out and tells me they support a bridge in Queen Anne’s County, that will help me with my decision, I’ll probably follow the voters.”

End Criminalizing Addiction, Centreville Physician Says

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Dr. Eric Ciganek of Chestertown treats addiction at his Centreville practice

As opioid deaths in Maryland remain a public health crisis, a Centreville doctor is calling for decriminalization and a public health approach to addiction modeled on successful reforms in other parts of the world.

Dr. Eric Ciganek, who treats recovering opioid patients in his Centreville practice, said the U.S spends “billions of dollars” a year on drug enforcement “because it’s the only thing we know.”

“In 1971 Richard Nixon announced the war on drugs, do you think we won?” he asked rhetorically during an interview with the Spy. “We lost terribly.”

Ciganek proposes a decriminalization model similar to Portugal, “where the rates of addiction, overdose and infectious diseases have dropped dramatically.”

Overdose deaths, disease transmission and drug related incarcerations fell after Portugal decriminalized drug use in 2001. Overall drug use declined and voluntary participation in treatment programs increased, contrary to the fears of opponents at the time.

“The amount of people in jail has dropped dramatically and the amount of people going in front of judges…has dropped dramatically,” Ciganek said.

He said 75 percent of the inmates in the Queen Anne’s County Detention Center are there for nonviolent crimes committed to support their habit, like shoplifting and breaking and entering.

Safe Injection Sites

Ciganek said medically supervised injection sites would lower overdose mortality and reduce the spread of Hepatitis C and other infectious diseases.

He said there’s a crisis looming with Hepatitis C — when years from now many addicts and former addicts will develop liver cancer.

“We have a national disaster on our hands that we’re not even looking at,” he said. He said people can live up to 25 years without knowing they have Hepatitis C.

There are about 100 injections sites in 66 cities around the world. Users bring their own drugs and inject themselves in a medically supervised environment with clean syringes provided by the facility.  Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg,  Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada all have safe injection sites. The results in these countries also show reduction in overdose deaths and an increase in transition to treatment.

There are currently no sanctioned injection sites in the U.S, and recent attempts to establish them have come with a warning from the Department of Justice.

“Because federal law clearly prohibits injection sites, cities and counties should expect the Department of Justice to meet the opening of any injection site with swift and aggressive action,” wrote Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein in the New York Times in 2018. 

Rosenstein kept his word; in February the U.S. Attorney for the Philadelphia William McSwain sued to stop SafeHouse in Philadelphia from opening the first injection site in the U.S.

In a hearing on Sept. 5,  McSwain argued that SafeHouse would violate the federal “crack house” statute that prohibits maintaining a place for drug use.

Current treatment options 

Ciganek favors Suboxone with buprenorphine as a primary treatment method in his practice.

“It’s a weak opiate with almost no euphoric properties but it stimulates an opiate receptor in the brain that prevents a patient from going into withdrawal.” He said it eliminates cravings and is “well tolerated” if patients us it correctly.

Vivitrol is another treatment, a shot given that stops the effects of opioids for a month.

“It will prevent people from getting high,” he said. “It sits on an opiate receptor in the brain and blocks it.”

Ciganek favors the use of Vivitrol before patients leave rehab or prison because detoxification will have already occurred. To avoid withdrawal symptoms, there can be no opiates in the system when the shot is administered. He said almost 90 percent will use drugs within 48 hours of leaving a facility.

Vivitrol has also found its way to the court system, allowing patients to take it voluntarily as a condition of probation to avoid prison or get a reduced sentence.

MD Death toll rises in 2017 – 2018, tapers off in first quarter of 2019

There were 1,985 opioid deaths in Maryland in 2017, or 32 deaths per 100,000 of population, more than twice the national average, according to CDC data. This ranked Maryland fifth in the U.S for overdose deaths.

The majority of the deaths, 1,542, were from fentanyl, nearly a 30 percent increase over 2016. Prescription opioids and heroin deaths declined to 711 and 522 respectively from 2016, but the spike in fentanyl deaths in 2017 raised the state’s opioid death rate by 8 percent over 2016. (See figures 1 and 2)

Figure 2. 2016 Data

Kent County had three fentanyl related deaths in 2017, one from heroin and two from prescribed opioids, according to Maryland Health Department records. There were two deaths in 2018, both attributed to fentanyl.

A 2018 report from the Maryland Opioid Operational Command Center showed another increase in the death toll to 2,114. And while the report indicated another decline in prescription opioid and heroin deaths, it cautioned that the declines “may be the result of displacement of heroin for fentanyl as the drug of choice for many users.”

The first quarter of 2019 marked a decline from the first quarter of 2018 statewide, a drop in 86 deaths, from 601 to 515, according to an OOCC report released in June. Fentanyl related deaths declined by 8 percent over the same period last year. Prescription opioid deaths dropped by 23 percent and heroin deaths dropped 16 percent.

But Kent County has gone in the opposite direction with seven deaths occurring so far this year, three in the first quarter and four in the second — all of them are attributed to fentanyl, said Joe Jones, the local addictions authority with the Kent County Health Department.

Fentanyl’s rise as the drug of choice grew out of shortages of heroin and greater difficulty obtaining opioid prescriptions, said a recent report from University of California San Francisco. “It is about 30 to 40 times stronger than heroin and considerably cheaper to produce.”

Ciganek believes the decline in opioid prescribing fueled the rise of overdose deaths as more addicts switched to fentanyl.

“When people were doing Oxycodone they weren’t dying as much as they are now,” he said.

 

Kent and QAC Leaders Back Third Bridge at Kent Island

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Gov. Larry Hogan’s announcement last week that he will only consider a third Bay Bridge next to the existing spans on Kent Island was welcome news to leaders in Kent and Queen Anne’s counties, but reaction from conservation groups was mixed.

Queen Anne’s County Commissioner President Jim Moran said Kent Island is the only reasonable choice for a new span because “the state already owns the right of way…to enlarge roadways, access roads, and overpasses.”

The Maryland Department of Transportation had considered multiple sites and on Aug. 27 announced it had narrowed the options to three, but Hogan said the next day he would only support the Kent Island option. The two remaining options would have touched down in Kent or Talbot counties.

Moran said efforts to secure right-of-ways at the other locations would bog the state down in lawsuits for a decade. He believes the permitting process would be less problematic at Kent Island and cost the state far less than the other locations.

“If a new crossing is built anywhere else you will need multiple… studies for every mile of infrastructure across water and land, and again this could take a decade to complete the process.”

He said that a new span is needed more than ever at Kent Island because improvements have been made to “move traffic as efficiently as possible across the Bay Bridge.”

“This includes years of upgrades to routes 50 and 404, and now a new toll road in Delaware that brings traffic off of Interstate 95 and dumps onto Route 301 with a direct shot to the existing Bay Bridge,” he said. “So the traffic is here, and it used to move smoothly through our county, but over the last five years the volume is more than the existing bridge can handle, and it is getting exponentially worse.”

He said the infrastructure improvements that would come with another Kent Island span could reduce beach traffic on local roads — and make it safer for bike and pedestrian traffic.

QACA Will Oppose Kent Island Option

Queen Anne’s Conservation Association, a nonprofit that promotes rural stewardship and sustainable growth said it would fight Hogan’s plan.

“We plan on aggressively opposing the span at Kent Island,” said QACA Executive Director Jay Falstad. “We believe that the state has not exhausted or fully considered other options which might reduce traffic flow and make things more efficient.”

Falstad said high-speed tolling and employing “congestion pricing” could mitigate much of the traffic problem.

Congestion pricing incentivizes motorists to travel during off-peak hours by offering a toll discount. During peak hours the toll rate is increased significantly. Falstad believes congestion could be reduced by giving beachgoers the option to choose off-peak travel times to save money.

The InterCounty Connector, which connects Gaithersburg and Laurel, has no manned tollbooths and uses congestion pricing. For motorists without E-Zpass, video snapshots of license plates are used to bill motorists at the address the vehicle is registered.

Hershey Says Hogan Plan is Best Option

Sen. Minority Whip Steve Hershey said infrastructure on the Queen Anne’s side of the spans would be a priority.

“Gov. Hogan is absolutely correct, there is only one option that will best alleviate our current and projected congestion issues while remaining sensitive to overall costs,” Hershey, R-Queen Anne’s, said in a statement to the Spy. “Our focus will be to ensure the infrastructure in Queen Anne’s County, including local roads and bridges, is considered and appropriately upgraded within the scope of the project.”

Kent County Commissioners Tom Mason and Ron Fithian support Hogan’s choice of Kent Island but were concerned that the project could fail to break ground before the end of Hogan’s second term. Mason said a new administration might not see the urgency for a third crossing, “adding years to the process.”

KCPA Neutral

Kent Conservation and Preservation Alliance, which has opposed a third span touching down in Kent County, did not endorse Hogan’s plan but said the Kent Island option was a forgone conclusion based on a 2015 MDTA study.

“… if a third span is to be built the best option would be where the current bridge stands,” said Janet Christensen-Lewis of KCPA. She said KCPA would continue to oppose any plan to bring a bridge to Kent County.

A Conversation with President Kurt Landgraf: Lower Enrollments, Budget Deficits Mark Challenges at WC

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Declining enrollment, small endowments, and competition from more affordable public universities will continue to threaten the existence of small liberal arts colleges well into the next decade.

Moody’s, the Chronicle of Higher Education and other education experts predict these factors will force many small private colleges to close or merge with larger institutions — and Washington College President Kurt Landgraf agrees.

WC President Kurt Landgraf

He said he made his concerns known at an education conference several years ago, long before he was approached to take the helm at WC.

“I projected…that 50 percent of liberal arts colleges would no longer be here ten years from now,” he said in an interview with the Spy on Monday. “There are macro things that are affecting not just this college but all liberal arts colleges.”

The pool of high school graduates nationwide shrank by 81,000 in 2017 and the trend continues downward. The East Coast has been hit hardest by the decline.

The shrinking freshman pool is blamed on a decrease in birth rates at the dawn of the Great Recession, called the birth dearth. This means the brood of 18-year-olds headed to college in the mid-2020s will shrink by another 15 percent.

Small colleges, including WC, have tried to overcome dwindling enrollment with drastic tuition discounts. Experts say this is leading to a fiscal crisis at many small liberal arts colleges.

“We can’t cover the expense of every new student with tuition room and board [revenue],” Landgraf said. “That’s why all colleges take money out of their endowment.”

The tuition discount for WC runs 55-60 percent off the list price of $251,00 for a bachelor’s degree, and the college normally uses 5 percent of its endowment annually for operating expenses. But in the last few years the board has allowed the administration to take 6.5 percent because of less than predicted enrollment, which resulted in higher operating costs.

In Maryland, withdraws from endowments that exceed 7 percent of their fair market value must get approval from the attorney general.

WC planned for growth as enrollment nationally began to slide

While experts were sounding the alarm of declining enrollment, Washington College was planning for growth. The construction of new dorms and a new stadium and the purchase of Stepne Manor and the armory were in anticipation of the student population climbing to 1,700. But the student population dipped and sits at around 1,350 headed into the fall 2019 semester.

“Over the last four or fives years the board expected the student body to grow,” Landgraf said. “They had every reason to believe that.”

He said during the expansion years the freshman class had swelled to 450 and the board’s predictors were based on “fundamentally sound facts.”

But the new freshman class is about 380 and the decline meant that staff reductions had to be made to help close a $6.6 million deficit, which in recent weeks has fueled concerns that the college is in peril.

Landgraf said the financial health of the college was sound but staff size had to be made commensurate with the student population and tuition revenue.

“There was a reduction in force because we had too many people…the college was built on the expectation of having 1,700 students,” he said.

The total staff reductions consisted of voluntary retirement packages for three faculty and 11 staff. Another nine positions were eliminated.

“We have to face the fact that we don’t have 1,700 students,” Landgraf said. “We’re in a recovery mode and the board is fully supportive of that; we’re doing all the things that need to be done to get us to the point where we’re back on a growth path.”

The staff cuts and additional revenues helped trim $3.6 million from the $6.6 million structural deficit, and the board allowed the administration to carry $3 million in debt into fiscal 2020.

To help further close the deficit, tuition will go up 4 percent and room and board will increase by 2 percent.

The college is also trying to sell off surplus real estate.

“The college is in a program to divest itself of nonessential real estate in Chestertown,” he said. “We’re selling everything we possibly can because we don’t need it…it’s a significant source of cash.”

When asked if senior staff had shared the pain of the budget woes, Landgraf responded that many in the upper ranks collectively agreed to take salary cuts — and in return he agreed to match it.

“Everybody said we’re in trouble, we have to face up to this and we have to participate,” he said. “I’m going to match whatever they give.”

The money will go to the Washington Fund and is estimated to reach $150,000.

Landgraf said WC was on a better financial footing than most small colleges because of its large endowment.

“Our endowment is four and five times that of smaller liberal arts colleges,” he said.

The total endowment as a March 31 is $228 million, and the Forge a Legacy campaign is nearing its goal of $150 million a year ahead of schedule. The campaign has so far earmarked $64 million from the campaign for the endowment. The numbers are expected to grow before the final tally.

Hodson Trust bears no influence on recent cuts, Landgraf says

The Hodson Trust, established nearly 100 years ago, provides scholarships and grants to Washington College, Hood College, St. John’s College of Annapolis and Johns Hopkins University.

The trust is WC’s largest benefactor, contributing over $80 million since inception. The trust is set to pay out its endowment to the four schools sometime in the next two years, when the trust is scheduled to bring its balance to zero. Speculation has circulated that the staff cuts were aimed at giving Hodson greater confidence in the college’s future.

Not so, Landgraf said. He said a large payout would certainly help with enrollment but the staff cuts were not an attempt to please Hodson. He said the potential for a large payout was not behind the decision to cut staff.

“Even if we were not one of the recipients of the Hodson Trust, there’s nothing we’re doing today that we wouldn’t do.”

But he did make clear that Hodson and other donors want assurance that their beneficiaries are financially on solid ground.

He said the Hodson requires quarterly reports to demonstrate sustainability.

“If they felt this college was not going to be here 200 years from now, that would impact how much money they would give us,” he said. “The Hodson Trust pays attention to sustainability. We’re better than sustainable, but in the next couple years they’ve got to know that we’re doing everything we can to make sure we’re still here 200 years from now.”

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