You are operating under the misguided assumption that SUNY is a university system and not an ongoing public works project. This is par for the course these days. You can be sure this is being paid for out of a different piggybank, SUNY Construction Fund, which enables college presidents and trustees to throw their hands in the air and say "Oh, but the state says we have to spend it on this." There is always money to be cut from academic departments, always money to be made from raising tuition, and always construction to be done, no matter how pointless, especially if there's the chance that it'll lure some new suckers into the incoming freshman class who are more impressed by image than substance (which unfortunately seem to comprise a majority these days).