SUNY Oneonta accounting and business students are getting firsthand experience for the future by preparing income tax returns for the community, continuing an annual tradition in an impressive new venue: the recently renovated Alumni Hall.
Through the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, 20 students were extensively trained and are available through April 13 to provide basic tax return preparation and filing free of charge. Their services are available to area residents, with appointments available on Wednesdays, 5:30 to 8 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon. The team is excited to be able to assist community members and expects to complete more than 60 tax returns this year.
The tradition, which was started years ago by a beloved former professor, William “Jeff” Weinell, is hosted in a new space this year in Alumni Hall, which reopened in the fall after a multi-year, $22 million renovation transformed the building into a state-of-the-art center for learning and innovation.
SUNY Oneonta’s VITA program is part of a three-credit class taught by Assistant Professor of Accounting Charlene Foley-Deno. Having a new space has been “amazing,” she said, because the building has a large, comfortable lobby for clients. To ensure privacy, the students will escort each client into bright and cheery office spaces to begin the intake interview. Once complete, just a few steps away, work on returns begins inside the cutting-edge Bloomberg Terminal stock trading simulation room. Completed returns are reviewed by student coordinators and, finally, by Foley-Deno before clients return the following week for an exit interview. At the exit interview, the team assigned to the client meets with them to review the details of their return.
“We used to do the returns side-by-side with clients in a computer lab in one sitting, but this really brings a new level of professionalism, how it’s done in the real world, and also allows for collaboration among the students,” Foley-Deno explained. “All of this—dealing with the public, working with all kinds of people, 50 hours of training, attention to detail, being professional—it’s a low-stakes environment providing a huge benefit. They are on their home turf, where they feel comfortable and confident and have each other, and there’s just so much potential for growth. It’s really fun to watch them as they transition.”
Ready for the Real World
Students who have already taken the VITA class but want to stay involved can become coordinators for class credit, Foley-Deno said. There are six student coordinators this year, including senior Rachel Henry, a Professional Accounting major who has been involved in the program since her sophomore year. Henry, from Pawling, NY, already has a job lined up for after graduation, which she attributes to the VITA program.
“I’ll be working for CohnReznick LLP in White Plains, NY, as a staff tax accountant,” she said. “The VITA tax experience that I have acquired over the years helped me land my internship at this company, first, and then my full-time position post-graduation. It’s the best of both worlds because it’s an experiential learning course where you learn the basics of completing income tax returns while also serving the Oneonta community. Not only do you get the opportunity to learn a new skill, but you also are learning how to be a professional in the workplace by working with real clients.”
Morgan Simmons, another senior from Ghent, NY, agreed, saying VITA is “the definition of hands-on learning.”
“While traditional classroom settings offer valuable knowledge in areas like taxes, accounting, management, and marketing, VITA integrates these skills and provides a real-world glimpse into career opportunities beyond academia,” Simmons said. “As a coordinator, I find satisfaction in applying the knowledge gained from various classes to serve our community. Witnessing the gratitude of those we assist is incredibly rewarding, affirming my desire for this path post-graduation. I really love VITA and hope to see more people get involved after I graduate. Foley-Deno is so passionate about it, which has made all of us super passionate about it, too.”
To make an appointment with SUNY Oneonta’s VITA team, email vita@oneonta.edu or call (607) 436-2171.
*Photography by Sean Eaves, Art & Design BS '26