Danielle Libby
Contributing Writer
I want to start this piece with a story that has a connection to today.
Four years ago, as a senior in high school, I spoke at a school board meeting in protest of a policy. After that meeting, I thought I would not have to speak in disdain at an institution I attended again. The meeting last Thursday proved me wrong.
The laying off of 22 staff members on Thursday left me, and much of the student body, in shock and feeling countless emotions—pain, angst, frustration, confusion, and fear for what the future holds here at the college. I heard the news as I left my afternoon class—my boss in APEX had been laid off. Someone that I have worked under for two years, someone who helped me with my personal statement for law school, who has mentored me in my role as a peer advisor and someone I have grown to care deeply about. Someone who has done this not just for me, but for so many students. Someone who has contributed to and helped build our community. That someone, alongside 21 others, was laid off with no warning. This is not how we should treat our staff. How this was done was wrong and is not how we treat our community. Instead of laying off 22 members of our community the day of, they could have been given an advanced notice. There could have been a community meeting where the students, staff and faculty were asked for suggestions on how we could move forward and protect the financial capacity of the college while limiting harm to the heart of our community. What I felt Thursday moved me to the place I was when I attended that board meeting four years ago.
What students, staff and faculty feel needs to be heard. By heard I mean actually heard, not just listened to. Our thoughts and feelings matter. I will not stay quiet and let what happened last Thursday be how we allow the administration at our institution to treat our staff and faculty. This is our community, and these are our people. I think that notion was made clear by the students who spoke Thursday. Our voices will be heard. They will be heard in advocacy for the staff and faculty. For the mentors that guide us through our journey at this institution that we love.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Below is a list of student organizations and individual students that have signed on in solidarity with the sentiments expressed in this piece about the potential risks facing faculty and the unethical layoffs that have occurred.
Mukta Pillai, Ruhee Mehta, Ty Reynolds, Ian Kelly, Abigail Reytblat, Alex Jordan, Katie Koeppl, Tomas Wetzel, Abhinav Randive, Elisheva Bergman, Allison Osei-Okrah, Natalie Katzenmeyer, Willona Asare Ayesu, Bella Woodbury, Sidney O’Rorke, Francesca Zehnal, Priya Nehria, Coco Rodríguez, Delta Theta Psi, Zeta Phi Gamma, Alpha Gamma Phi, Epsilon Kappa Omicron, Kappa Epsilon Zeta and Pi Kappa.