SANDY, Utah — In less than six months, the University of Utah is closing down its Sandy campus for good. More than 600 students currently take classes at the satellite campus.
"I understand that there's hard times come about. I mean, if they can find a way to keep it open, I would keep coming and I would keep going until I'm graduated,” said Dustin Carter, a junior at the University of Utah.
It's the last first day of classes at the University of Utah Sandy Center. Almost a year ago, state lawmakers required Utah public universities to cut $60 million in their budgets.
The Sandy Center is on the chopping block.
"So now I'll have to go up to the campus at the U and it's going to be a much longer commute,” said Jackson Graybeal, a high school student who takes college classes at the Sandy Center.
The Sandy campus closure comes as a shock to some students who'd chosen to take more classes here to stay closer to home.
"It's been awesome, I mean, it's provided good classes but just closer to me so that I don't have to travel as far,” said Carter. “My family likes it because I get home sooner, I get to work more hours because of it."
It came in handy for high school students who are trying to get a leg up before they go to college.
"Classes are a lot cheaper when you do them in high school. It was maybe 15 bucks for a class last year,” said Graybeal. “Also, it makes it more convenient so when I'm doing college later, I don't have to take as many classes."
It was especially useful for some college athletes whose training schedules are so busy, they only had time to take night classes offered at the Sandy campus.
"Practice is scheduled throughout the day, one in the morning and one in the evening,” said Keeley Whitcomb, a freshman at the University of Utah. “So, then I was kind of just left with these evening classes as an option, so I was very dependent on evening classes."
While this will be the last semester students can take classes in Sandy, the university says it will be helping students find in-person and online classes for the future.
"It did say that they're working with other schools and that they hope to provide more options, but yeah, it is just upsetting and I'm sure inconvenient for myself and I'm sure lots of other students who have to scramble and figure out what to do,” said Whitcomb.
The University of Utah Sandy Center's last day is Jan. 1, 2027.
