Matt Emm

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"UB announces plans of rural campus, new academic programs"

Although in his press conference on Monday President Simpson said UB2020 is in jeopardy, the esteemed leader of UB has no plans of slowing down. He stated during the conference that building a state-of-the-art downtown medical campus is crucial to the future of UB and the economic stability of Western New York. He also spoke, for the first time in public, about plans to expand the campus even further. The plan calls for heading north, well beyond the Amherst boundaries of North Campus. This will create the Wilson Campus, home to the University at Buffalo's agriculture, marine and wildlife program. Simpson chose to locate the program in the town of Wilson and surrounding areas, saying the town was "perfect for what UB is looking for." Over the next 10 years, UB will pump an estimated $450 million into the area, and is expected to create hundreds of jobs. "We plan on really amping up the Western New York economy," Simpson said to thunderous applause. He then explained the strategy behind choosing Wilson, which has plenty of farming land, outdated infrastructure and underused access to many local streams, ponds and the largest body of water in the WNY region – Lake Ontario. "Access to the water was overwhelmingly the key to why Wilson was picked," Simpson said enthusiastically, while pointing out the small town on a map to confused supporters of UB2020 who had never heard of the town. "Not only is there thousands of acres for farming, the potential for hundreds of barns for cows and other animals, but we can also focus our program on fresh water marine biology." Tuscarora State Park, which is already suited with a boat launch site and docks, will be the gateway to Lake Ontario and several streams and creeks. The park, which has come under recent threat of closing along with many other state parks throughout the state, will be home to the marine and wildlife study institution. Simpson said the program would expand the Wilson Harbor to accommodate for the fleet of boats UB will need to purchase. The boats, which will range from tiny rafts to 30-foot fishing vessels, are fully equipped with the latest and greatest technology. Classes will be available to students and to the public for boat training and safety lessons, and will be a requirement for all marine biology students. "Lake Ontario is probably one of the most unexplored of the great lakes," Simpson said. "We plan on finding out a lot about the local ecology and giving our marine biology students the best hands-on experience possible." Which is why the program also calls for the constant use of a university helicopter. "If we find any new species or life forms, we will need to immediately fly them back to the labs," said Dr. Bill Cummingstein, who is the prospective dean of the new school. "The 45-minute drive may damage the specimen beyond the point of useful study." Plans are in the works to acquire two used Huey transport helicopters from the U.S. Army and to build a helipad on top of Cooke Hall, where labs will be created for the new programs. Simpson also explained that an additional five UB Stampede buses would be purchased for transporting students between the far away rural campus and North Campus. The plan will also make certain that required classes in the rural campus would be on Tuesday and Thursday to allow students to take regular classes during the rest of the week and not worry about travel time. Among the many buildings to be assembled will be a set of country farm houses for graduate students to stay in, so they can wake up early to milk cows, tend to fences and start work on the lake before heavy boat traffic sets in. "It will be necessary and crucial for our students to be located on site," Cummingstein said. Some residents of Wilson are concerned that the plan will bring in too much unwanted traffic and people. Others say that the university has no right to come into Niagara County. "It's absolutely absurd," said one outraged citizen, who preferred his name to be kept off the record for fear of harming future employment plans with the university. "I mean, it's the University at Buffalo, why the hell don't they stay up there?" When asked about the possible zoning violations in acquiring property in the town, Simpson said everything was under control and no laws were in danger of being broken. "It was talked about and asked, why is a Buffalo university expanding into Niagara County," Simpson said. "It's because we're the biggest and best university in the whole SUNY system, and we do whatever we please. I make the rules around here." E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com