2A LOCAL/VERMONT The St. Albans (Vt.) Messenger, Tuesday, May 17, 2016 ‘Crushing debt’ results in Burlington College closing By ELIZABETH HEWITT be made public after the ments at other higher edu- & ANNE GALLOWAY, decision has been finalized, cation institutions. The VTDigger.org staff which could be up to two Department of Labor will months out, she said. be coming in to help get URLINGTON — Burl- Dr. Barbara Brittingham, staff signed up for unem- Bington College officials president of NEASC, ployment benefits and announced Monday that said the commission con- other support services. the school will close effec- sidered the evidence pro- Burlington College, tive May 27 because of the vided by Moore and deter- under the leadership of “crushing weight of the mined that after two years former President Jane debt” incurred with the of probation the college Sanders, the wife of Sen. purchase of a lakefront didn’t meet financial stan- Bernie Sanders, bought property on North Avenue. dards. Institutions must for $10 million the for- College trustees voted have sufficient finances mer headquarters of the unanimously Friday — the to sustain the quality of Roman Catholic Diocese of Photos courtesy of the Vermont Agency of Transportation day before commencement educational programs and Burlington in 2010 as part — to close the school. demonstrate the financial of an expansion plan. The Above left, a seasonal turtle crossing sign posted by VTrans. Right, James Brady of VTrans At a news conference capacity to graduate an purchase was made with $6 demonstrates how to safely carry a turtle. Monday afternoon, college entering class, according million in bank debt and a officials described the news to NEASC’s “Standards for $3.5 million loan from the as “heartbreaking” and Accreditation.” Schools diocese. The college never COLD HOLLOW TO CANADA: lamented the loss of the that are not accredited collected many of the pledg- model of education that the are not eligible for federal es made under Sanders’ small institution offered financial aid for students. tenure that were used as through its 44 years. Financial woes were collateral for the deal, and Wanted: Turtle “It’s particularly diffi- compounded in April, ultimately, the diocese lost cult to see this come to an when Burlington College about $2 million in the deal. end when in fact this is failed to renew a $750,000 Sanders left the school in the cutting edge of higher to $1 million line of credit 2011 under a cloud and with education,” said college with People’s United Bank, a $200,000 buyout package. sightings President Carol Moore. according to Tom Torti, one Moore would not comment “These students that of the college trustees. The on Jane Sanders’ involve- By BRIDGET BUTLER you may encounter snap- can safely pick them up by were served here, it’s going school owed People’s United ment in the college’s his- Special to the Messenger ping turtles, painted tur- firmly grasping the base of to be very difficult to find Bank roughly $3 million. tory at Monday’s news con- tles, map turtles or wood their hind legs with their another perfect spot like According to Holm, ference. t’s probably happened to turtles on the move, so Cold head facing away from you. Burlington College for some when cash flow slowed Torti says the real prob- Iyou at least once in your Hollow to Canada needs Once again, watch out for of these folks,” said Coralee between semesters, “it was lem was student enroll- lifetime while driving: a your help documenting the head, snapping turtles Holm, dean of operations critical for the college to be ments. large turtle slowly making their movements. Through have long necks! Once your and advancement. able to operate to have that “People ask was it the it’s way across the road. our WildPaths Project, we good deed is done, snap a Fifty-five students line of credit.” purchase of the land and You pull over and do your can organize people to help photo, pat yourself on the graduated this weekend — Holm and Moore said the building that doomed best to keep your fingers turtles cross safely and bet- back and send the photo to including Fatuma Bolle, Monday they did not know the college,” Torti said. intact while trying to save ter yet, install new signage WildPaths. who received her degree the specific reasons behind “I’m a believer that people an ancient looking creature to alert drivers of turtle When to look: Anytime in international relations People’s United Bank’s make those decisions with from becoming road kill. crossing sites. By joining May through June after four years at the col- decision not to renew the the best of intentions, in The infamous joke, why did the WildPaths project you Where to look: Roads where lege. Standing in the cam- line of credit, commenting the best interest of the the chicken cross the road can help Cold Hollow to there are ponds, wetlands pus parking lot Monday simply that the bank did school. No one is making becomes...why was that tur- Canada better understand or river/stream corridors. afternoon, she said she had not “feel it was prudent for money off that deal.” tle crossing the road? where crossing sites are What to do: If you find not previously heard about them.” In 2014, the financial May and June are peak and how to reduce impacts. a turtle in the road, take the closure. “We’re not privy to those situation at Burlington season for moving turtles, And don’t forget to be photos of the animals you Bolle, a Somalian refugee kinds of decisions,” Moore College came to a head. and unfortunately, turtle safe while you help a turtle find, make note of where who arrived in Burlington said. “Those are bank deci- An audit showed that the collisions on roadways. get to safety! Always move the location is either with in 2004, said she had looked sions.” college failed to collect As the weather warms up, the turtle off the road in a great description or by at pursuing her degree at Moore said college offi- pledges to pay for the pur- female turtles leave the safe- the direction it’s heading. GPS and send your sight- the University of Vermont cials had looked into other chase of the diocese. The ty of ponds and forests to Small turtles you can pick ings to the WildPaths or Champlain College. “But contingency plans for try- school was highly depen- find a spot that gets warmed up with two hands at the Project at http://bit.ly/ it didn’t fit me because I ing to remain operational. dent on tuition to pay for by the sun to lay eggs. back of it’s shell; keep an CHCWildPaths. was a single mother and “This is a great loss to operating expenses, and There she’ll dig a hole eye on that head in case it The WildPaths Project is I couldn’t make it coming the higher ed community, enrollment levels fell. As and, depending on the spe- tries to protect itself with a program of Cold Hollow to every day to that school and and so we did explore many a stopgap, the college used cies of turtle, lay from 15 a bite. If it’s a large tur- Canada, which uses volun- working,” she said. other options,” Moore said. scholarship money and - 50 eggs. Sometimes they tle without any color like teers to gather observations Burlington College, with “But in the final analy- retirement funds to con- have to cross roads to find orange or yellow, be espe- about wildlife crossing road- its flexibility around sched- sis none of them came tinue operating. Not long that sweet spot, and some- cially careful, as it’s most ways in the Northern Green ules and its small class through.” after VTDigger reported on times that sweet spot is likely a snapping turtle. Mountains. Learn more at sizes, was a perfect fit for College trustee Tom the college’s financial situ- along the edge of roadways. Don’t pick it up by the tail www.coldhollowtocanada. her, she said. The college Torti said the financial ation, President Christine Over the next few weeks or get it to bite a stick! You org. offered English classes for situation was a “fairly Plunkett resigned. A group non-native speakers and straight line proposition.” of concerned Burlington Residents in northern New England awaken to snow in mid-May became like a second home The trustees believed that residents then stepped in to for her son, now 7. if they could maintain try to rescue the college. “We had a lot of support their line of credit through Part of that rescue plan ONTPELIER (AP) — Middlesex and Hyde Park But much of the snow here,” Bolle said. September they could have included the sale of much of MLeaves are coming out and near Pomfret got 2 was short-lived. The fore- Financial difficulties kept the school going. the Burlington College cam- on trees, daffodils are start- inches while the northern cast calls for temperatures have plagued the college “We ran out of the ability pus. Developer Eric Farrell ing to bloom and snow is New Hampshire town of to rise, with rain in north- for years. According to col- to pull more financial rab- purchased 27 acres of the falling in parts of North- Pittsburg recorded 2.5 inch- ern New Hampshire and lege officials, the institu- bits out of the hat,” Torti North Avenue property ern New England a month es.