Undermining education at SCCC

There is a project underway at SUNY Sullivan (SCCC) initiated by the college president that will undermine the quality of education at the college. The library is being removed from its rightful central location, 26,000 books (about half the library collection) are being sold or given away, and the empty space filled with offices that have to do with administration, not education.

Remember that you and I paid for these books through our county and state taxes. The tragedy of this is that the quality of education for our students at a learning institution depends on two central pillars, the library and the teaching faculty. At SCCC one pillar, the library, is being undermined, scattered and depleted. What is to be gained educationally? Nothing. The SCCC president says digital is in. In attempting to support his project in misstatements to our newspapers, he claimed only 450 books were checked out last year. In reality, two to three times that many went out. In reality, the record shows a rather steady number of books checked out over the last several years. In talking to the librarians and some of the teachers in June, I found that neither they nor the public were asked for their advice on this project.

What kind of leadership is this? Let’s raise our voices and turn this around. Contact the SCCC president and the director of SUNY libraries in Albany.

Tim Shera

Liberty, NY

Sullivan promotes easy access for filmmakers

In response to the article “New film festival in Sullivan,” which quoted the filmmakers of “A Line Between All Things,” on being stopped by local police after sneaking in to shoot in abandoned or rundown locations in Sullivan County: Sullivan County prides itself on being an exceptionally film-friendly location, as discussed at the 2017 Big Eddy Film Festival’s “Movie Making in Sullivan County” panel discussion. Filmmakers wishing to shoot here are not required to get permits, and if they need any assistance in finding and securing locations and other resources, they can contact Eric Chaboty, undersheriff and liaison for film in Sullivan County (845/794-7100 or eric.chaboty@co.sullivan.ny.us).

As the director of the Big Eddy Film Festival in Narrowsburg, I get called on regularly to assist film crews in finding locations, production assistants, vehicles, actors, even animals to appear in their films. In my experience, property owners, local residents and business owners in the area are happy to help and be involved. All you have to do is ask.

Tina Spangler

Narrowsburg, NY

Online mega-corporation hurting local pharmacists

There is a great wrong going on in our area, and it is hurting our local pharmacists. There is a corporation called Express Scripts that has worked with our medical insurance company and made it so that all of our maintenance medications, the prescriptions we fill for three months, must be bought from them, though the mail, after July 1. We are no longer entitled to use our local pharmacies, whom we have always depended upon and who have depended on us for their living. We must get our prescriptions through the mail from this mega company. They did this easily as they appear to have certain politicians in their pocket.

The New York State Assembly unanimously passed a bill last year to prohibit such a takeover, but the New York State Senate never got its version put up for a vote. There was a bill brought up by Sen. Golden that has been held up by Sen. Seward, head of the insurance committee, and never brought to the floor of the Senate. And according to my research, Sen. Seward received over $1 million in donations from the insurance industry; it’s hard not to conclude that the hold is related to those donations.

We found out that our pharmacists may participate in this program if they are willing to take the same amount of pay from the insurance company as Express Scripts is getting. Express Scripts is a major corporation that pays far less than our pharmacists do for their medications. Therefore, our pharmacists, accepting the same amount of compensation, stand to lose a great deal of money. They have to do this, however, in order to survive. It is not fair to them and not fair to us to suddenly lose our choice of where to get our necessary and life sustaining prescriptions.

No politician should be allowed to do this, but it will happen as long as we, the people, stand for it.

Richard Chiger

Monticello, NY