So...a rather interesting development that may be helpful for others, esp. those who are weighing other time-sensitive offers.
I called the general admissions office today, and they suggested I contact SSP's Director of Admin, Tyler Browne. I've met Tyler a few times before, so I dropped him a quick (but very polite) email....
AND I GOT AN AUTO-REPLY.
There's a typo in the reply, so it's not clear when this change took place/is taking place, exactly, but basically - he doesn't work there anymore. He will not be responding to emails after March 16 or Friday (not sure which b/c of aforementioned typo) and will no longer be an employee as of Monday. The auto-reply does suggest a new point of contact, who I politely emailed as well.
Basically, my guess is that we either find out before he is officially no longer an employee on March 21st, or it's going to be LONG time.