Published on 3/31/2001

Sean Elliot/TheDay Three Rivers Community College’s Thames Valley campus on New London Turnpike in Norwich.

As chairman of the faculty at Three Rivers Community College, I would like to express our concern over the continued delay in the consolidation of the Mohegan and Thames Valley campuses. Such delay is not only a disservice to the students of the college and the people of the community, but threatens the entire consolidation process. Unfortunately, these delays are clearly the result of selfish maneuverings on the part of some politicians.

Three Rivers has been planning to build new facilities for more than 10 years now. At the urging of a local legislator, the college considered the Norwich Hospital site and concluded it did indeed offer the best solution to consolidation. Initially, all of the local legislators supported this move. We moved slowly through the bonding process and were granted funding to consolidate at an undetermined site on the former hospital grounds.

Then state Rep. Jack Malone decided to change his mind. For him, downtown Norwich, with no clear rationale, became the optimum consolidation area. This new initiative has confused and slowed down the proposed consolidation at the hospital site. Owing to this initiative, no movement toward the goal of a truly unified college has been made.

Rep. Malone's actions have been detrimental to the college and continue to jeopardize the planned consolidation. Norwich City Council President Richard Abele's outrageous and arrogant call to Gov. John Rowland to halt all bond disbursements for Three Rivers further hurts our efforts and makes clear what Norwich's intentions are: It is looking for the state to bail out their downtown, a downtown that it has no clear vision for beyond “fixing it up.” Norwich is only one of the many communities served by Three Rivers. It is acting in a parochial and self-serving manner, jeopardizing any planned consolidation. The entire region will suffer.

Our faculty's mission is to provide the best education and services to our students. During the years that consolidation has been delayed, our facilities have deteriorated. The garbage cans currently lining our halls and collecting water from leaking roofs do not contribute to a congenial or professional learning environment. The state is hesitant, and rightfully so, to make major capital expenditures on facilities it may soon leave. Many of the college's resources are outdated, and the cost to update and maintain them is considerable. We have plans to modernize, but adequate improvements depend on the funding for consolidation.

As a member of the faculty, my fear is that the obstructionist tactics by the “downtown” proponents will cause the college to lose its bonding, and with it the opportunity for new and sorely needed facilities. Despite the assurances of Rep. Malone and state Rep. Peter Nystrom about our funding, it is Gov. Rowland who controls the bonding, and if the economy continues its slowdown or takes a further down turn, it is quite possible the governor could halt bonding disbursements. Then where will the college be? Stuck on two campuses, both with outdated facilities in bad states of disrepair, all because some in Norwich are pursuing a selfish and desperate course that is detrimental to our students who deserve a first rate, consolidated, and accessible college.

In light of recent events, it appears the delay is to continue. The questioning of the college's projected space needs by Rep. Malone in the March 1 issue of the Norwich Bulletin is a distracting tactic meant to mislead. What is more likely going on is that the Norwich proponents cannot find equivalent space downtown within the stated budgetary limits. As Norwich developer Ron Aliano has not publicly presented any concrete plan, this only leads to more confusion. News that the Norwich Community Development Commission has no clue to what the Aliano group is doing is also bothersome. A Bulletin report of rumors that there is a “falling out” between Rep. Malone and Aliano further muddies the picture.

All of this only delays the consolidation of the two campuses, making the likelihood of reaching a decision anytime soon highly unlikely. That is a misfortune and disservice for the students of Three Rivers and the community of southeastern Connecticut.

The college has posted a web site where all recent relevant information on the consolidation can be found: www.trcc.commnet.edu/collocation/index.htm.

Terrence Delaney, of Scotland, is chairman of the academic division of Three Rivers Community College. The letter was also signed by 33 other faculty members.