By Grace Cardinal, Asst. News Editor

Student government representatives for the School of Liberal Arts (SoLA) held a forum for students in the school to voice their concerns regarding the recent merger into the Kakos School of Arts and Sciences. Students voiced their concerns regarding a lack of transparency and communication, along with frustrations about professor layoffs and cut classes. 

Shannon Dinizo, a senior and the VP of Liberal Arts student government representative led the meeting with co-VP Katelin Usai.

Opening the meeting, a student started by asking for clarification surrounding the rumors of professor layoffs on campus. 

“We know just as much as you guys, we’re students,” Dinizo said. “We have to remember that our voice is what backs up our professors. If you guys have professors or faculty that you’re close enough with, I would contact them and show your support to them because I know they’re stressed as well.”

Another student voiced a question about minors being cut, specifically for foreign language students. Marlene Gottlieb, professor of modern languages and literature who attended the forum virtually, provided some clarity on the issue. 

“At least in the case of languages, we’ve lost already some of our faculty, so the Chinese minor is not viable,” Gottlieb said. “ [The] Japanese minor will no longer be viable, the Arabic minor will no longer be viable,  Italian may very well disappear as well. The French minor may also disappear, in which case the only language we’ll have left at Manhattan College is Spanish.”

Another student asked if there was any way the student government would be able to get an administrator to come to the forum to answer student questions that the student representatives themselves were unable to answer.

“We’re planning a meeting for next semester to meet with the new dean of the school,” Dinizo said. “We’re gonna have a social event [where] you guys can come and then talk about anything that you want to talk about with her, to kind of calm the nerves and put a face to a name.” 

Dinizo noted that it has been difficult getting administrative representation at student government meetings but efforts are being made to hold meetings every other Wednesday for students to voice their concerns moving forward. 

“Unfortunately, it’s kind of hard to get an administrative representative with our meetings but we have a meeting every other Wednesday, and we’re trying to have someone at least come and have students have a place for their voices to be heard,” Dinizo said.

Questions continued regarding how the continuous staff layoff will affect classes, especially upper-level classes that adjuncts are unable to teach. 

“What I’ve heard from my professors is that They’re going to increase the class sizes,” Dinizo said. “I know that’s a concern. There’s gonna be no longer a 15 or less person class…class is going to be canceled if it is less than 15 students.”

Adam Arenson, department chairperson and professor of history, was able to clarify that the 15-person class minimum would not apply to labs or classes where it is impossible to meet that criteria. 

“If a class is a lab or something where 15 is not physically possible, those classes are supposed to be happening regardless,” Arenson said. “If a class could be at 15, but it’s less than 15, those are gonna go on our list.”

Dinizo continuously emphasized throughout the meeting that the process of professor layoffs, the merger and increasing class sizes were all in the beginning stages, leading to a lack of information about them. 

She attempted to relieve students of their concerns about unavailable classes and on-time graduation by urging students to speak with their advisors and others who could answer their questions. 

Another major question brought up in the forum was regarding financial aid. On this front, the student representatives were able to put minds at ease. 

“Your scholarship will not change at all,” Dinizo said. “Your scholarship is for the classes you take, not what classes they are. There should be no worries about that.”

The question of tuition increase was brought into conversation, yet the price hike for tuition remains to take effect until the next academic year. 

“The reality of it is that the tuition has gone up,” Dinizo said. “I’m a senior, it’s gone up every year. So I don’t necessarily think that’s for the merger…Inevitably we don’t really know the numbers of that.”

Earlier this year, Manhattan College held a President’s Dinner at the Rainbow Room in NYC, where they raised $22 million, according to an Instagram post made by @manhattanedu. It remains unclear to students and the general public what this money is being used for. 

“We are discussing the transparency of where this money’s going,” Dinizo said. “We haven’t heard anything, we’re in the dark. We just have to take it in stride right now.” 

One junior, Jocelyne Alfred, noted that she has concerns about the layoffs affecting the diversity at the college, something MC had previously prided itself on. 

“We’re noticing a lot of tenured professors of color are being let go and being replaced with white adjunct professors,” Alfred said. “I personally came to the school for diversity and also to be taught by professors of color…How is this going to affect those students, especially the ones that come here for the diversity?”

Dinizo responded by encouraging students to lean on each other and create a united front to have their voices heard. 

“I think right now, it’s really important to lean on other students who are going through the same thing and we have to work together to have voices be heard,” Dinizo said. “We’re going to translate this to the student government, who also knows what’s going on and we see it received from the student side… I think there needs to be a larger conversation.”

Dinizo continued to address student concerns and noted that there are plans for a campus-wide, university town hall where students will be able to voice their concerns and opinions to administrators at the college.

“I know that there’s, in the works of a large school-wide university town hall meeting to get everyone to meet with [administrators], I know the CFO is going to be there,” Dinizo said. “We don’t know the date for that yet. I think that would be a great place to come and speak. Maybe get other people who feel this way and then we can have a larger conversation there.”

Dinizo also emphasized the town hall will be a good opportunity for students to come into contact with administrators to directly discuss these ongoing issues. 

“We see ourselves how the administration is not answering,” Dinizo said. “I think that’s a big issue in the school and I think that’s where the university town hall’s purpose is because we’re gonna be face to face with the administration.”