Emerson College will lay off faculty and staff and not fill some vacant positions in response to reduced enrollment, which it said was partly caused by “negative press and social media” from pro-Palestine demonstrations, according to an email President Jay Bernhardt sent to faculty and staff Tuesday. 

Bernhardt wrote that the enrollment decline is anticipated to last for one year, but will impact its budget for the next several fiscal years. 

“We attribute this reduction to multiple factors, including national enrollment trends away from smaller private institutions, an enrollment deposit delay in response to the new FAFSA rollout, student protests targeting our yield events and campus tours, and negative press and social media generated from the demonstrations and arrests,” Bernhardt wrote.

The exact size of the incoming first-year class as well as the number of expected layoffs and the departments that will be impacted were not provided to The Beacon. The numbers have yet to be determined, said college spokesperson Michelle Gaseau. 

The college recently announced a new Vice President for Enrollment Management, Dr. Matthew Boyce, who is slated to begin on July 15. Bernhardt said he has confidence that the enrollment team can “address these enrollment-related challenges quickly.” 

Several faculty and staff members said they did not anticipate the announcement. 

It’s “a shocking way to respond to the community asking for more transparency and more shared governance,” said Anna Feder, a member of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine.

Additionally, fall housing applications have been extended and will remain open throughout the summer. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with no waitlist.

Gaseau did not provide the number of available dorms to The Beacon.

The announcement comes after pro-Palestine demonstrations that occurred through the past academic year, including the “Popular University encampment” that resulted in the Boston Police Department arresting 118 protesters.