Spring at Elizabethtown College means the return of classes, outdoor study sessions and all the joys that warm weather brings. It also carries a packed calendar full of deadlines and upcoming events, not to mention the announcement of changes for next academic year.
This year;s announcement came in the form of an email titled “A Message from President Rider” that the College sent out on Feb. 25.
Rider’s announcement outlined a variety of updates that came out of the recent Board Retreat. During this time, Rider and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) decided on how the college will approach its mission moving forward.
The Etownian reached out to the Office of Marketing and Communications who declined to comment and stated that more information on these potential changes is set to come soon.
After discussing enrollment and population trends, as well as the timeline for the previously announced five-year Strategic Plan, the SLT discussed some major developments.
The biggest change, marked with a quick notice at the end of the letter, is that tuition is raising by a few percentage points next year per the “FY26 Model.” The announcement also promised the creation of a new scholarship fundraising campaign to offset the financial burden students experience.
The announcement comes after the college announced that it was cutting 13 faculty members, including some that were tenured, and three majors.
Another major change in the announcement is renovations to the Marketplace. These renovations are set to begin this August, so next semester, students can expect the dining hall to look different than usual. It’s unclear what renovation plans will look like or how much they are costing the College.
The message then takes a turn, as the topic of the federal government’s relationship with higher education has changed. Recent executive orders are having a major impact on how colleges across the nation operate, and Etown is no exception.
The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights sent out a notice to all institutions on Feb. 14, “outlining that any college or university that violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, could lose federal aid/funding, based on how the Department now interprets the law.”
The college must comply within two weeks, which has put pressure on the SLT to act quickly. President Rider’s announcement does not get into specifics, but offers comfort to the student body who may feel the “deep impact the letter could create for many.”
The letter raised more questions than answers for some, with some concerns as well, including forJada Makar, a first-year political science student. Makar is an Ubuntu mentor, kinesis academic advisor, a member of the middle-eastern club and college democrats, and serves as the ambassador for the coalition on anti-racist education (CARE) for the Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking (CGUP).
“I am very involved in identity-based programs on campus focused on DEI initiatives. These same programs are what drew me to further my education at Etown, and it feels that now they are at risk of being stripped away,” Makar said.
She acknowledged the unfortunate position the college has been put in, but still remains frustrated.
“It’s unsettling to think that our college could face serious consequences, including the loss of federal funding, over this issue. While I understand the need to comply with the law, I feel frustrated and worried about how this might impact the inclusivity and sense of belonging that many of us value so much here,” she said.
