To the Editor:

When I first moved to the North Country in 2012, I was grateful to find a vibrant creative arts scene at SUNY Potsdam. The various plays and musical performances were an unexpected treat. But most impactful for me and my family were the Creative Arts Summer Camps for area youth. 

My son participated in these camps every year since he was old enough to attend. Being new to the area and without extended family nearby, these programs offered cultural enrichment and a sense of community. While the camps were closed during the height of COVID, they opened again in 2022 to record high participation rates. These programs weren't just impactful to my family but so many others throughout the North Country.

Grants and scholarships helped make these camps even more accessible. Participating in these programs made Potsdam feel like home and helped us connect us with other families in surrounding areas.

 I write about this in past tense because due to recent cuts at SUNY Potsdam the Creative Arts Summer Camps have been canceled for 2024 and possibly forever. Educational and cultural institutions are the backbone of North Country communities.

These cuts by the university and the SUNY system not only hurt faculty, staff and students at Potsdam, they hurt all of us.

Sandhya Ganapathy
Adjunct Assistant Professor
St. Lawrence University