It has been an uneasy summer for staff and faculty at Emerson, rocked early on by a presidential communication that threatened us with layoffs. In an email from June 18, the eve of the federal holiday of Juneteenth, the college’s President informed the community that enrollment for the fall semester had fallen below expectations, and as a result the college would need to cut expenses. Staff and faculty would not be spared. “We will need to eliminate some staff positions, both vacant and filled, and potentially reduce some faculty positions,” stated the President in the email.
The rest was silence. No further information about the college’s financial problems was offered, no specific numbers were disclosed, no alternatives to the expected layoffs were discussed. We, faculty and staff, were left in the dark. Last semester, President Jay Bernhardt promised to improve the dialogue between the administration and the Emerson community. Instead of openness about the situation at Emerson and dialogue with us, the administration’s modus operandi has been secrecy and lack of communication.
Yet a few things have become clear as we head to the beginning of the fall semester. In addition to facing the anxiety that employment uncertainty inevitably produces, we are coming back to a more repressive work environment. Like most colleges nationwide, Emerson presents itself as an institution that embraces diversity of opinion, encourages critical thinking, and respects freedom of speech. In practice, all this has been compromised by the administration’s increasingly hostile attitude toward disagreement and dissent. The student arrests in the spring are the clearest example of the college’s intent to discipline and punish. But there are also less visible efforts to curb and control free speech, much of which has been underway while faculty and students are off campus. It is likely that surveillance of faculty, staff, and students will increase next semester.
Take the Bright Lights series, for example, the weekly screenings that have been part of life at Emerson since January 2012. Curated by Anna Feder, head of Film Exhibition and Festival Programs at the college and part-time faculty in the Department of Visual and Media Arts, the series offers our students one of the few opportunities to watch current films with rich post screening conversations. In the past few years, it has increasingly promoted films focusing on justice, equity, and diversity. Feder has programmed the series unimpeded by the college’s administration since its inception over 12 years ago. But that is about to change. On Aug. 6, she was informed that her schedule for the Fall 2024 semester, which was locked with distributors, filmmakers, external and internal partners and speakers, is now on indefinite hold pending the creation of an oversight mechanism for college events—particularly those that are public facing. Again, no further information on how this oversight will function was offered, nor was Feder consulted on any of these issues.
In practice this could mean censoring the content of the series. Given the educational nature of the Bright Lights screening series, it would also constitute a blatant attack on academic freedom.
It is, of course, no coincidence that this is happening in the wake of the spring semester student protests and, more specifically, after the successful screening of Israelism on Feb. 1. The film, which was directed by young American Jewish filmmakers, is critical of Israel’s occupation and theft of Palestinian land. When it screened at Emerson, it was extremely well attended (additional last minute space was needed). It also generated a lively, civil, and intellectually stimulating discussion. Despite the success of the event, the administration explicitly disavowed it. Is the college now trying to preemptively deny our students access to critical content the President finds disagreeable?
We think President Bernhardt’s approach is antithetical to Emerson’s core values, which emphasize “critical and creative thinking that inspires audiences; improves the arts and communication; and advances social justice, global responsibility and environmental sustainability in our institution, communities, nation, and world.” While a significant portion of our community is away–and in the wake of calls for transparency–the administration is making vital decisions about the future of the college and changing the culture of this institution.
Faculty, staff, and students sent clear messages of dissatisfaction to the President at the end of last semester. We once again ask him to listen to this community and resolve the issues peacefully through dialogue.
Nigel Gibson, Julia Glass, Nathaniel Justiniano, Yasser Munif, Vinicius Navarro are staff and faculty members at Emerson.
