This winter, hundreds of new first-years will line up to get free powder turns at Purgatory Resort, but transfer students will not be among them.
Nardy Bickel, the media communications strategist at FLC said in 2019, Fort Lewis College implemented free ski passes for first-year freshman students at Purgatory Resort to increase freshman retention rates.
The pass was an incentive for freshman students to attend FLC and an effort to provide an opportunity to explore the area and become involved in the community, Bickel said.
Bickel said the college would love to include free passes for transfers too. Mountain Corporate Alliance provides the pass for free.
However, the college feels it would be a big ask and commitment for MCA to provide it to transfers as well, Bickel said.
With this MCA partnership, FLC does pay for certain perks.
FLC paid MCA $7,600 last year for their collaboration, but the free ski passes are not among the perks they pay for, Bickel said.
Essentially, it is not in FLC’s wheelhouse to provide the pass to transfers and FLC does not want to seem unappreciative of the already generous offer from MCA, Bickel said.
“In this case, we decided to focus the program exclusively on first-year students or incoming freshmen as a recruitment tool for FLC,” Dave Rathbun, Purgatory general manager, said.
Rathbun said this decision was an effort to support FLC’s efforts to attract new students to the college and increase retention rates.
The program is managed by Purgatory ski resort, not MCP, Rathbun said.
Purgatory Sports, located at 2615 Main Ave, is one location for first-year students to receive their skipass. Additionally, the location offers ski/snowboard rentals, and gear for purchase.
“We routinely add new freshmen to the annual roster each spring semester for second term ‘incoming freshman’ but we have never offered the pass to non-freshman as transfers,” Rathbun said.
Many transfer students have shared their upset surrounding their lack of inclusion in this perk, some based on misinformation that FLC was in charge of the policy.
Alyssa Musumeci, is a transfer student who enjoys skiing.
Musumeci said she thinks it is only fair for all new students of Fort Lewis to have the equal opportunity to explore Purgatory given that it is new to all first-year students alike.
Timothy Barber, the transfer student ambassador at FLC, said it creates a feeling of alienation by FLC admin because it is not offered to transfer students.
“It makes it feel as if the school doesn’t actually care as much about its transfers, as if they don’t respect the money that we’re actually paying,” Barber said.
Kayleigh Warren is a transfer student who does not currently ski or snowboard.
“Knowing that both freshman and first-year transfers are charged the same rate of student fees, yet transfers do not get perks, feels inequitable, said Warren.
Musumeci said the community surrounding the mountain can feel a bit exclusive already, without the addition of not having access to the free pass.
Barber said not being included in the free pass as a transfer student set this precedent of missed social interactions.
If transfers did get it, he could be going to Purgatory with his friends without spending crazy amounts of money, said Barber.
Musumeci said it feels exclusive knowing that new freshman students are receiving an opportunity that new transfer students are not purely because they went to a different school the first years.
Barber said that while running transfer orientation, he got numerous complaints from transfer students about not receiving the first-year free Purgatory pass.
Some transfer students even want to start a petition, Barber said.
Bickel shared how she thinks this may affect transfer’s feelings of inclusivity at FLC, she said she believes infrastructure provided by the fort, such as Outdoor Pursuits, is a sufficient resource to help transfers feel involved and welcome.
Rathbun said MCP is committed to fostering a sense of belonging to everyone in the community.
“Since this is a Purgatory-managed program and not an MCP agreement, changes would be considered only if they align with our mission and the goals of our partnership with FLC,” Rathbun said