And will Hampshire’s board have transparency in its final act?

I attended the community meeting in the RCC on the day of the closure announcement. After a few heartfelt speeches, it was announced that we would move to breakout rooms in FPH (as opposed to having one large Q&A in the RCC). One student interjected: “You are dividing us!”

In the breakout room I attended, there was a staff member, a couple of faculty members, and a number of students. The students asked a member of the board about two dozen questions; he had virtually no answers except to say the board had made the decision only two days prior, point to the college’s website (which lacked many critical specifics), and that there is a difference between the board and college leadership in their roles. Students were exasperated, and finally someone came into the room to say the Dean of Faculty in the other room had at least some answers. How is this lack of answers to students’ critically important questions acceptable? 

It was clear that the board hadn’t thought through all the implications for students and employees. Now, many college employees and students are in a dire situation, scrambling to find their next place without sufficient lead time and with no severance for employees. 

I felt sorry and embarrassed for the trustee. I have to give credit to the trustees for showing up to the meetings and I know this is not easy for them either. They donate their time and money to help the college. But their decisions affect thousands of people, and they seem to be in over their heads. I asked the trustee if there could be a board meeting open to alums (I meant open to everyone) to ask questions, and he said, “We are being student-focused.” Ironically, he wasn’t able to answer the student questions either. I think the “student-focused” mantra is really a cover for not being transparent to any community members.

My heart goes out to all those affected. Here are a few resources: @hampshireworkersforjustclosure on Instagram has information on a petition and fundraiser. Hampshire students can now join the main Hampshire College Alumni Facebook group and the one for Local Frogs: Hampshire College Alumni of Western MA. The Hampshire hub website, created by Alysha Ras 22F, has a link to various resources, including collecting contact information so people can be in touch in the future: https://sites.google.com/view/hampshirehub/home  

Questions remain as to why the college made a sudden pivot. Of course, it’s no surprise, especially to those on campus, that there have been waves of cutbacks over the years. But this decision was made so soon after the most recent admitted students day, and the college held a strategy meeting with over 80 alums just several weeks ago to discuss long-term strategy. 

So, what now?

The board has been noticeably silent but President Chrisler’s April 29th email seems to signal that, while the college will still stay open in the fall, the board will decide on bids for the campus at its May 16th meeting. Apparently, the board hasn’t made a public request for proposals and definitely hasn’t given its own stakeholders a chance to bid, with clear guidelines on the requirements, details about the different parcels, a suggested bid amount, and deadlines. Their recent actions have shown that the decision to close the college and the handling of severance and other transitions are being managed from the top down, leaving little time for the community to organize. 

An additional problem with the hasty closure and sale is that it doesn’t address issues such as the return of any land. Davis Bates, an alum and parent of an alum, has volunteered for the college in numerous capacities. He recently wrote an open letter stating that he delivered the land acknowledgment for the college at the 55th Anniversary. “This is why I was saddened to receive the recent email about the College’s decision to hire a broker to sell the college to pay off the debts incurred in 2010 and 2016. While I understand the seriousness of the responsibility to honor these debts, this approach does not seem in keeping with the spirit of land acknowledgments that the college has asked myself and others to share at Hampshire events, including graduations, over recent years.”

Over 1,000 alumni and other stakeholders have been organizing via WhatsApp, Zoom, and Discord to advance a Hampshire 3.0 vision that seeks a variety of progressive uses of the campus aligned with Hampshire’s ethos and values. The meetings are open to students, staff, and faculty. They are striving to find more ways of working in solidarity. As I have been writing about for years, I think Hampshire works best when the various stakeholder groups work in concert. A good example was the re-envisioning coalition in 2019. 

The pressures caused by closing down the college without enough clarity and pathways for students, severance for employees, and a chance for alumni to rally mean that everyone is busy and stressed, but hopefully will continue to find more ways to work together. They are raising pledges at www.HampshireNext.org, and the thank you page links to the fundraiser and petition for Hampshire workers. Faculty have agreed to meeting later in the month to see if there are more synergies.

Will the board act transparently so everyone has input: students, staff, faculty, alumni, parents, and others? Everyone who has poured their soul into Hampshire over many years and is deeply affected?

I propose that the board: 

• Disclose all current financials and recent board presentations.
• Have an open meeting for all stakeholders and the entire board (some colleges do this!). 
• Create rules to make sure students get equal time with other groups.
• Explain the process and deadline for proposals.
• Explain the criteria by which a buyer will be chosen.
• Give preference to efforts organized by an inclusive, intersectional group of Hampshire stakeholders over those organized by outside institutions and businesses.
• Explain whether land patriation will be considered.

Students have always been at the heart of compelling Hampshire to change and bring out the best in itself. There is still time to make this happen again and make your voice heard. 

Thanks to the Hampshire Leapfrog for covering important issues, and I hope the readers will overcome any challenges to their academic plans. Alums have created a variety of help offers that are available on various forms, from grocery store rides to housing and other assistance. If you have other ideas, please let me know at frogcollabs.org 

Jonathon Podolsky 94F is a Hampshire alum, journalist, member of the Education Writers Association, and a Boardsource Certified Nonprofit Board Consultant. You can find him at www.Podolsky.cc