I, however, knew the night before the first email dropped that this attack on students might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Quartney Quile, the provost of the college, had texted me the plan at 11:44 p.m. the night before. The plan included precise information about email phrasing, affected classes, and Jaula Pohnson’s skincare routine.

This is going to require some explaining.

In a group chat on Sidechat, an anonymous social media app for college students and their meddling administrators who like to be spies, a user, presumably Quile, sent a message that read “I don’t know WTH we are going to do. I didn’t think they’d actually strike. -QQ.” Based on other sign-offs used, I determined the other members of the chat to be individuals on the board of trustees, President Johnson& Johnson, and Registrar(i) sed Registrare. And of course, myself, an esteemed journalist at the college with lots of credibility.

The messages continued coming in flurries throughout the night, ranging from discussion of the Wellesley Organized Academic Workers (WOAW) strike to the Chicken à la King that the Registrar made for dinner that night. It was clear that these administrators were scrambling and just trying to intimidate students and guilt professors. Most of the text messages were sent with the wrong iteration of there/ their/ they’re. I was cautious about accepting the truth of these initial texts, but I knew if we received an email soon detailing a reduction of course credits for classes with striking professors, I’d know that what I was reading was real.

Sure enough, the legitimacy of these top-secret messages was confirmed the next morning. While the exact details of their plans cannot be disclosed for privacy reasons, messaging resumed in the chat after the email was sent to students. One read, “Good job Quartney and your team!! -JP.”

No word on if these administrators were aware of my presence or if they’ve heard of a similar blunder made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the platform Signal.

The College has yet to implement the cap in units. 

“I just want to assure everyone we’re not making any changes right now, all classes are staying on the books exactly as they are,” said Coile. 

However, the College’s back-up plan for students begins on Saturday. The College said they are focused on a plan providing additional half-credit unit opportunities so students can register on Saturday to start classes on Monday to avoid falling below full-time status. They are also communicating with instructors on how they should award the half-unit of credit.

“Our hope is that the strike would end very quickly and we can unwind this backup plan that we’ve been putting in place and everyone can just go continue attending the courses they’re enrolled in and earn full credit,” said Coile. 

Federal regulations

Federal regulations regarding college accreditation hinge on what are known as “contact hours” — the time students spend receiving direct classroom instruction from faculty members. 

The College generally measures credit in quarter unit intervals, which can either be a half credit or one credit. The College does not award 0.75 unit. 

Coile said the courses that continue without a faculty member present do not qualify as contact hours and cannot be counted toward the total meeting time required for academic credit, according to federal guidelines. 

About five years ago, the College revised its class schedule to comply with updated accreditation standards, according to Coile. Classes, which previously met for 140 minutes per week, were extended to 150 minutes to meet the new requirements.

Coile emphasized the importance of the College following these federal requirements. 

“It is something that gets reviewed — whether the College is in compliance with these minimum meeting times — and explicitly examined when we go through this regular review process to maintain our accreditation,” said Coile. 

Academic life in question

Under the said “back-up plan”, students will receive grades based on past assignments and the decision of department chairs in the suspended classes taught by striking faculty. This may mean students cannot improve their grades through later assignments and their finals. 

Coile reiterates hopes for a short strike so the College can unwind this plan they have.

“People can get back in their classes and have the opportunity to follow the original syllabus and with the assignments and exams that are still to come,” said Coile.

The current situation also raised a complicated question on whether the College can still award full credit based on the contact hour if the strike ends earlier and the College reverts to normal academic instruction methods after the strike ends.

Coile said the College doesn’t have a precise answer for now on measuring hours if the strike ends by a specified date, given many courses are idiosyncratic and met for different amounts of time.

“It will depend on exactly how many minutes the class has already met,” said Coile. “We’ll need to look at all that carefully at a later date and make sure that the amounts of credit that we’re awarding are really the right level, given the amount of work.”

However, since students enroll in a class mid-way and receive no prior instruction on the course they are joining for five weeks, it is unclear how agencies and education commissions may view the quality of contact hours received in those five weeks. 

Some classes offered for registration include 300-level classes on real analysis and neurobiology and seminars that require prerequisites and significant knowledge. Even with a mandatory credit-non grading basis, it is unclear how students will perform in these classes. 

Mark Nicholas, Vice President at the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), which awards Wellesley’s accreditation, told the News in a phone interview that the Commission is aware of the situation. The Commission will go through with its formal process on complaints filed against the College based on its policy. 

The Commission will review complaints and determine if they meet its nine criteria to proceed. If they do, it will ask the College to provide a response in 30 working days. 

Dr. Larry Schall, the President of NECHE, wrote that interested parties can file a complaint or a public comment. It would issue decisions after it convenes and makes decisions, which it does four times a year.  

The College has two bargaining sessions with WOAW slated for next Tuesday and Thursday.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Galeta Sandercok, Sazma Sarwar

Wellesley students will only receive a half-unit in courses taught by non-tenure-track faculty members in Wellesley Organized Academic Workers (WOAW) and can register for classes on Saturday, the College announced Thursday morning. 

In an email sent to all students from Provost Courtney Coile and Registrar Carol Shanmugaratnam this morning, all classes taught by Union members are suspended unless in departments where the class is substituted by an instructor or the NTT faculty continues to teach.

For classes with a laboratory component or a high number of minutes like language or studio classes, students will receive full credit for those classes. 

Students will still be considered to satisfy their major, distribution requirements and prerequisites for the classes they have already taken. 

The College will reopen registration for classes on Saturday. Classes will only be at 0.5 units and are mandatory credit/non-credit. Students are expected to attend their new classes starting next Monday, March 31. 

This comes as WOAW began a strike this morning after failing to make significant progress on compensation and workload with the College on their first contract. The News previously reported on the details of disagreements in bargaining. 

This latest policy poses an array of questions for students, especially seniors working to finish their degrees and students whose financial aid or visa status hinges upon their full-time enrollment status. 

The Dean’s Office will host a drop-in Zoom session with the Provost and the Registrar on Friday. The details of the session are not yet available and will be sent out when they are finalized, according to an email sent by the Office of the Class Deans this morning. 

It is not immediately clear how many classes will be opened for registration on Saturday and how many tenure-track faculty will choose to reopen their classes. 

It is also unclear how students and faculty should adapt to enrolling in a class consisting of existing and new students, in terms of class materials, instruction methods and grading with less than one and a half months left in the semester. 

“Students only need to focus on replacing the missing units. Students can select any new course that fits their schedule, including classes in the same block as a class that is no longer meeting during the strike,” said the email. 

The College has yet to provide information for the next steps for students when a tenure-track faculty member may choose not to reopen a class, or the available number of seats do not match the number of students in need of those seats for their enrollment status or academic plans.

The fall 2025 registration that was set to start April 8 will be delayed until further notice. 

In a poll conducted by The Wellesley News on its Instagram page, 44% of those who voted have at least a class taught by NTT faculty and 15% have 3 classes or more.

In a statement to the News, WOAW told the News that they are disappointed in the College’s policy.

“We are disappointed to see that the College has decided to set a precedent in this way— credit for courses has never been revoked from students during an academic strike before, and it is hugely disappointing that Wellesley would use this as a scare tactic to coerce students away from supporting the union. Shifting the blame for this punitive policy to federal requirements on meeting times is disingenuous at best, as the College has the full power to end this strike at any moment, and yet has declined all union offers to bargain at additional times, with no additional sessions scheduled before April 3rd,” said Leah Okumura, Senior Instructor of Science Laboratory of Biological Sciences.

Shortly after this statement was made, the College and the Union will meet for an additional session next Tuesday.

The Wellesley News has reached out to the College, academic departments for comments.

Updated on March 27th to reflect that registration re-opens on Saturday, not Friday.
Updated on March 27, 13:42 pm ET to add WOAW’s statement. 

Wellesley Organized Academic Workers (WOAW-UAW), the non-tenure track faculty union, will begin a strike this Thursday, the College announced today in an email sent to all students, faculty, and staff.

The Wellesley News reported yesterday that WOAW would likely begin a strike after both parties failed to agree on key issues, including compensation and workload in the Tuesday bargaining session. 

The College said the Union rejected the College’s offer to move to mediation facilitated by federal mediators under the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). 

FMCS is an independent federal agency that provides mediation and other conflict resolution services to help resolve labor-management disputes.

However, President Trump announced a presidential action on March 14, directing FCMS and other targeted federal agencies to eliminate “non-statutory components” and to “reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.”

The agency reiterated their efforts to remain operational and continue to provide their statutorily mandated services, in a press release on March 19.

“To be clear, FMCS is still operational and performing our statutory functions of collective bargaining mediation work in the private and federal Sectors, USPS dispute cases, labor-management committee work, and providing arbitration panels,” the agency said.

Members of WOAW plan to picket at the Route 135 entrance to campus, but the entrance and College Road will remain open, according to the College. 

The Union currently has plans for strikes on April 5-6 on a shift sign-up form on their website. That weekend, the College will host the Hillary Rodham Center Summit which includes speakers like former state of secretary Hillary Rodham ’69 and Arkansas State Senator Breanne Davis (R).

In an emailed statement to the News, WOAW believed the College’s mediation request was “disingenuous” and “would not have averted a strike,” on top of the fact the College announcement came after it was made aware that the FMCS is no longer able to provide such services.

“The college requested that future sessions be mediation, but still did not offer any dates before April 3. In our bargaining session yesterday, we offered to bargain with the college today to avert a strike and they declined.

“We believe mediation at this time is premature, and we have said many times we are willing to negotiate on many areas in our proposal,” said Jacquelin Woodford, lecturer in Chemistry.

The College told the News that they were unaware of the suspension of federal mediation services when the community email was sent, and their labor lawyer reached out to the mediator yesterday, before the administrative leave announcement had been made.

“The College stands by its offer to move to mediation with WOAW. Private mediation is still an option with a neutral mediator. The College is eager to take that step and calls on WOAW-UAW to join us,” said the College.

Talks falling apart

This announcement follows the 24th bargaining session between the Union and the College held earlier this afternoon. The session included WOAW’s presentation of a comprehensive package of all current proposals and discussions with the College on these high-priority issues. 

WOAW proposed to meet for an additional bargaining session tomorrow to avert a strike, but the College declined to meet before Thursday. While a strike has not been officially announced, WOAW members expressed in statements to the News that one is likely to follow. 

The College’s latest proposal for starting salary stands at $68,000 for Visiting Lecturers and $72K for lecturers, while WOAW’s latest proposal stands at $88,000 for Visiting and “Tier 1” lecturers. 

 The College’s offer also includes an “additional $10,000 increase over two years” for the new five-course workload standard, an across-the-board wage increase of 2.75% and an additional 1.5% increase for each year at the College for newly hired employees.

In an email statement to The News, the College described this offer as “a bold new package proposal” that included “unprecedented increases in compensation for union agreement on a five course annual teaching load for all unit members.”

 The College also stated that it made “serious movement” toward the Union’s proposal on discrimination and harassment, such as by adding stand-alone protections from bullying for the first time. 

According to an email statement from Erin Battat, Senior Lecturer in the Writing Program and a member of the bargaining committee, the College proposed a five-course workload with a $10,000 increase to the base salary during today’s bargaining session. This is equivalent to what non-tenure track professors currently receive when electing to teach a fifth course.

“The College’s proposal makes working overtime the new, required norm,” Battat wrote. “We had hoped that Wellesley was serious about their claims to care about averting a strike, but their actions at the bargaining prove otherwise.”

A spokesperson for the College told The News that a campus-wide announcement will also be sent out on Wednesday morning regarding the state of bargaining and the possible strike. Members of the bargaining units may choose whether to strike. 

“We would rather be teaching, but the College’s conduct has left us with no choice. We are prepared to join the picket lines on Thursday morning,” said Battat.

During the strike, Union members will receive $500 a week in strike assistance from the UAW if they picket for at least 20 hours.

During today’s bargaining session, the Union took a two-hour break and compiled a 95-page comprehensive package, which the College described as reiterating positions from months ago. 

 The College said it was “very disappointed” at the Union’s “outright” rejection of the offers without presenting alternatives “that could narrow, rather than expand, our differences.” 

Timeline of strike announcements

The News previously reported that the WOAW union’s strike authorization vote passed by 93% on February 24. However, in subsequent bargaining sessions, WOAW and Wellesley were not able to reach agreements on compensation, workload, and discrimination and harassment procedures. On March 10, WOAW held a rally to advocate for progress in the negotiations. 

Last Tuesday, March 18, WOAW announced March 27 as the strike date.

  The College responded to the strike announcement in a campus-wide email sent on March 24 by Provost Courtney Coile and Carolyn Slaboden, Chief Human Resources Officer. The email stated that the College did not feel that parties were at an “impasse” and “sincerely [hoped] that WOAW-UAW does not decide to strike,” as well as that bargaining sessions have been scheduled for the next several weeks. More information on negotiation status is available on the College’s dedicated website. 

According to the WOAW Instagram, WOAW has offered to participate in additional bargaining sessions every day since March 18, but the College declined. 

What students should know

Wellesley College’s unionization FAQ page states that affected class department chairs will notify students directly. In some departments, these notifications have already been sent out to students. 

According to a post on WOAW’s Instagram on March 24, “Over 70% of tenure-track faculty have pledged not to teach struck classes taught by WOAW members.”

In departments including Biology, Chemistry, Women’s and Gender Studies and Anthropology, classes taught by non-tenure track faculty who choose to strike will not be filled by tenure-track faculty. The Economics department has informed students that classes with striking faculty will be filled by tenure-track faculty. 

On the FAQ page for students, WOAW has asked students to demonstrate solidarity with the union by refraining from attending courses taught by those on strike, showing support at picket locations and emailing campus administration in support of the union.

Financial future

The College currently projects over $8 million in budget deficit for the fiscal year 2026, in a statement sent to faculty and staff by Provost Courtney Coile and Piper Orton, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, seen by The News.  

In a separate statement reviewed by The News, this included a projected 30% increase in total compensation over the four-year contract for WOAW.

While the College often comes to a balanced budget, this year’s $8 million would require “significant action,” according to Coile. The email also stated that the College is considering a hiring freeze and a food and travel cut for faculty and staff. 

This comes amid uncertainties around “ongoing conversations about the possible cost to the College to the WOAW-UAW contract” and federal policy changes targeting higher education institutions. 

Wellesley, among other higher education institutions, is facing increasing pressure from the Trump administration, including a potential endowment tax hike and threats of cutting federal funding and grants. 

“With the Union having apparently decided to strike on Thursday and disrupt campus life for our students, the College will now consider what is the best pathway to reach an agreement,” the College wrote.

Still, union members remain confident in their bargaining demands.

“We are fighting the good fights. We are willing to fight for the contract we deserve,” said Jacqueline Woodford, lecturer in chemistry.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar and India Lacey

Updated on March 26th to reflect corrections to department announcements.

Title VI prohibits any institution that receives federal funds from discriminating and harassing on the basis of race, color, national origin and shared ancestry, which includes Jewish ancestry, the Education Department wrote in its press release earlier today.

This letter follows the Education Department and Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism’s decision to cancel Columbia University’s $400 million in federal funding last Friday. 

The College said they are currently reviewing the letter from the OCR.

“Wellesley condemns antisemitism and other forms of hate and discrimination and has taken action to ensure that all our students, including Jewish students, have a strong sense of belonging at Wellesley,” said the College in a written statement to the News.

In Nov. 2023, the Brandeis Center, a Jewish legal rights advocacy group, filed a civil rights complaint against the College  on the grounds that Wellesley “failed to take a stronger stance and check their hostile environment” in protecting Jewish students.

The letter marks the latest action from the Trump administration that ramped up investigations against higher education on antisemitism. On Friday, OCR ordered enforcement staff to prioritize resolving antisemitism complaints, which the Education Department said were left “unresolved by the previous administration.”

“U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in the press release announcing the issuing of these letters.

 She noted, “The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year.”

Other liberal arts schools, such as Pomona College, Middlebury College, and Swarthmore College, were also among the sixty institutions to receive letters. Other Boston area schools on the list include Harvard University, Tufts University, and Boston University. 

The College stated, “We are continuing to make progress to improve the climate on campus and to ensure compliance with Title VI, including encouraging reporting and establishing mandatory Title VI anti-discrimination training for students and for other community members.”

The College also pointed to their improved grade of B in the Anti-Defamation League’s 2025 Campus Antisemitism Report Card, as evidence of the College’s substantial improvement over the past year.

The College has stated that their work on these issues is ongoing and that they look forward to sharing the results of this important work with the OCR.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruby Barenberg and Valida Pau

Updated with fixing typos.

Under the current 3-3-3 distribution requirement, students must take three units of coursework in the humanities, three in the social sciences, and three in mathematics and natural and physical sciences, including one lab. The proposal suggests shifting to either a 2-2-2 model, requiring only two courses in each category, or a 2-2-3 model, slightly favoring STEM, for a period of three years. 

Some faculty members expressed concerns that maintaining a 2-2-2 model which reduces humanities requirements, could weaken disciplines, particularly language studies.  

Many professors expressed the need to support these fields, highlighting their importance to a liberal arts education. Others questioned whether the proposed changes align with Wellesley’s liberal arts values. One professor noted the importance of finding ways to sustain the humanities rather than simply mitigating their decline. 

In response, Dean of Academic Affairs, Michael Jeffries, pointed out that a potential 2-2-2 distribution model would not necessarily lead to fewer humanities enrollments, but would offer students more flexibility by reducing prerequisite requirements. 

The Administration emphasized their commitment to maintaining Wellesley’s liberal arts mission while balancing a broad curriculum with student autonomy in course selection. 

Some suggested integrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and humanities into single classrooms, such as combining STEM with ethics in interdisciplinary classes.

When asked if students had been consulted, faculty confirmed that no direct engagement had occurred, and that administration were not pursuing student voices at all. Administrators argued that, given the long term nature of the reforms — spanning at least three years — important policy decisions should account for evolving perspectives, not simply those of current students.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar and Valida Pau

The task force will include the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services and “other agencies as it develops,” according to the press release. 

The Task Force comes as a part of President Trump’s Executive Order on Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism. The Jan. 29 order requires that within 60 days of Jan. 29, 2025 each executive agency must submit a report identifying all pending administrative complaints and court cases alleging civil-rights violations related to post-Oct. 7, 2023 campus anti-Semitism involving institutions of higher education. The US Attorney General is “encouraged to employ appropriate civil rights enforcement authorities to combat anti-Semitism.” 

The Justice Department said in the press release that “first priority will be to root out anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses.” 

Reuters reported that the Department of Education said it would be opening investigations of antisemitic harassment at Columbia University, Northwestern University, Portland State University, University of California, Berkeley; and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

In 2023, as CNN reported in November, the Brandeis Center, a Jewish civil rights legal advocacy organization, filed complaints with the Department of Education alleging that Wellesley College failed to adequately respond to harassment of Jews on campus. The complaint alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act — which protects people from discrimination in programs that receive federal financial assistance, like Wellesley.  

Now, with the Executive Order requiring a report on all pending civil rights complaints post-Oct. 7, it is possible that Wellesley will be named in any report generated. 

Denise Katz-Prober, the Brandeis Center attorney overseeing the Wellesley complaint, told The News that the Brandeis Center’s Wellesley complaint is still pending before the Office for Civil Rights within the Department of Education. However, a new administration does not signal the end of the investigation. 

“Just because there’s a new administration, it does not mean and certainly Wellesley College should not think that this point is going to be forgotten,” she said. 

Wellesley has been in the news for accusations of antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023. Fox News reported on events on campus after Oct. 7, and CNN reported on the Brandeis Center’s complaint against the College in Nov. 2023. However, Katz-Prober does not believe that only the most prominently featured schools will receive the brunt of the legal action. 

“It’s not just the Ivies, it’s not just the ones that are prominently in the news. It’s a wide range of different kinds of schools,” she said. 

The Department of Education also announced that it would be opening investigations of antisemitic harassment at Columbia University, Northwestern University, Portland State University, University of California, Berkeley and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Katz-Prober spoke to the message she sees this Executive sending:

“What it signals to colleges and universities across the country, including Wellesley, is that this administration is not sitting back and just waiting for complaints to be filed. It is proactively addressing the problem of antisemitism as it sees it occurring on campuses,” she said. 

She also noted the greater scope these investigations present for prosecution.

“These directed investigations are initiated by the administration, and they also allow the administration to address the problem and direct their investigation more broadly,” she said. “They’re not confined to a narrow set of allegations in a complaint.”

The directed investigations are not the only proactive step the Executive Order allows for. The Executive Order states that “The Attorney General is encouraged to employ appropriate civil-rights enforcement authorities, such as 18 U.S.C. 241, to combat anti-Semitism.”

Under 18 U.S.C. 241, if two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person, they shall be fined or imprisoned for up to ten years. The consequences increase to imprisonment for any term and/or the death penalty if death, sexual abuse, kidnapping or any attempt to commit these crimes occurs. 

The executive order also requires the Secretary of State, Secretary of Education and Secretary of Homeland Security must also provide recommendations for informing institutions of higher education about how to monitor for and report “activities by alien students and staff” that would lead to investigations and potentially deportations. 

The statute referenced for this section of the order (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)), which denotes security and related grounds for inadmissibility to the US and ineligibility for visas, states specifically that “an alien who is an officer, official, representative, or spokesman of the Palestine Liberation Organization is considered, for purposes of this chapter, to be engaged in a terrorist activity” that would make them inadmissible. 

A spokesperson for College Administration said that they were not aware of any Justice Department actions that might specifically affect Wellesley. 

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Jessica Chen, Sazma Sarwar, and Valida Pau

The Japanese program’s request to expand its faculty with a part-time lecturer was entirely rejected. The Chinese program’s previously hired part-time lecturer was removed, and the Korean program’s full-time visiting lecturer was reduced to a part-time visiting lecturer, resulting in the nonrenewal of Professor Eun Ha Hwang’s contract.

Professor Mingwei Song, the chair of EALC, said that while the rejection to expand the Japanese program was expected, the change to the Korean program was surprising.

“Indeed, we were suffering the loss of the FTE [full-time equivalent faculty] across the programs, and for the Korean program, … Professor Hwang has been with us for four years, and she has been a truly remarkable teacher and devoted member of the department,” said Song.

Professor Sun Hee Lee, director of the Korean program, noted her surprise at the College’s decision to remove Hwang’s visiting lecturer position. Visiting lecturer positions are typically reviewed after the faculty member’s fourth year, where they are either promoted to non-visiting or let go. 

The College had warned the Korean program about possible cuts, but professors remained hopeful.

“I naively thought we are the exceptional case, because losing this person – our whole curriculum gets into danger. I didn’t see this kind of cut from this side, because Korean is quite popular these days; since 2021 our enrollment has almost doubled,” said Lee.

According to the College, the FTE staffing approvals did not change much from previous years.

“The Provost’s Office regularly receives more staffing requests than the budget can support; not all requests can be approved,” said a spokesperson for the College.

The move has been very unpopular with the student body. The News previously reported that over 850 students signed a petition in protest of Prof. Hwang’s contract nonrenewal. As of Feb. 18, that number is over 950.

“I think immediately students were like, ‘We’re not gonna let this just happen … we’re going to stand up for this professor who we really care about and [who] had a really positive impact on our experience at Wellesley,” said Sophie Larson ’27, a Korean major.

In the early 2000s, student activism helped to bring Korean language classes to Wellesley, according to Lee.

Organizers of the petition wrote to the administration but have been unsuccessful in reversing the staffing change. The Dean’s Office assured the petition organizers that the staffing change should not adversely affect student access to the Korean program.

“ … There are no plans to close or downsize the Korean program … For the 2025-2026 academic year, we anticipate that the program will offer eleven courses. This is highly consistent with the Korean curriculum over the past five years, and we are confident this will meet student demand for both the introductory language courses and a set of upper-level electives,” Megan Nunez, Dean of Faculty Affairs, wrote in an email response to the petition.

However, faculty remain concerned that this staffing cut will affect available courses. According to Lee, the Korean program had planned to offer 13 courses for the next academic year, 11 of which would be language courses. The change would require her to fill in for Korean 101 instead of offering another upper-level course. 

“We have to cut one third-year class out of two, [have] no fourth-year language class, no content course for the first semester and maybe [offer] one content [course for the spring,]” said Lee, “I don’t know how I could manage for the future of the Korean major and minor.”

Still, the EALC department remains in negotiation with College administration.

“We have been making efforts to have a constructive dialogue with the college leadership and trying to at least save as much as possible some FTE for the Korean program,” said Song.

Despite these efforts, students remain concerned about the future of the Korean program.

“Already, I’d consider [the program] understaffed,” said Larson, “[For] her contract to be terminated, just takes away resources that were already being stretched thin.”

Joanne Kim contributed to reporting.

Contact the editors responsible for this article: Jessica Chen, Galeta Sandercock, Sazma Sarwar, and Valida Pau

Executive Order 14168, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” restricts participation in women’s sports to individuals assigned female at birth. The order applies to all institutions that receive federal funding, which includes all public schools and nearly every college and university in the US. 

It was signed on National Girls and Women’s in Sports Day, in alignment with Trump’s campaign promise of ending “the war on women’s sports.”

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) quickly aligned itself with the executive order and announced that it would formally change its policy on transgender students. The policy, which formerly allowed trans athletes to participate in women’s categories after a certain period and levels of hormone treatment, now requires all athletes competing in women’s categories to be assigned female at birth (AFAB). The NCAA has not changed its policy for transgender athletes participating in men’s sports, and it also still allows for non-AFAB athletes to participate on women’s formal practice teams (it is common for elite women’s basketball teams to compete against practice teams of male athletes). This means that while trans women are barred from inter-collegiate competition, they are still allowed a spot on an active roster. 

Wellesley Athletics follows the same steps as other institutions such as Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, which also pulled their pages outlining their transgender policy from their websites. Today,  Bethany Ellis announced in an email to Wellesley Athletics that the college had formally updated their transgender policy to be aligned with the NCAA competition and practice policies. 

While not unexpected, this action was disappointing to many student-athletes and others involved in Wellesley Athletics. 

Marty Martinage ’24, a former Wellesley Crew Captain and organizer for Trans Students Belong at Wellesley commented: 

“I spent a lot of my junior year sitting down and talking with people in admin about the lack of gender-inclusive language at Wellesley, and I’m genuinely sympathetic to the position they’re in. As I understand it, the ‘women’s college’ language has been part of how we avoid being required (through Title IX or otherwise) to go coed. Wellesley Athletics seems to be in their own version of this bind — they’re complying with blatantly discriminatory executive orders in the hopes that, by doing so, Wellesley students writ large will be able to continue practicing and competing in a community that genuinely prioritizes women’s sports.”

Martinage’s comment reflects a common dilemma amongst student activists. The rights of trans women and girls in sport are a very real but also very symbolic problem: NCAA President Charlie Baker told a Senate committee last December that fewer than 10 trans student athletes were competing in women’s categories across the entirety of the NCAA.

In a statement to The News, the College said that Wellesley’s website changes reflect NCAA policy and that these policy changes do not apply to any current Wellesley athletes. 

On Feb. 7,  Athletic Director Bethany Ellis commented in an email to all student athletes and PERA staff that while Wellesley will honor the NCAA change in policy, the Athletics “department remains committed to supporting and affirming all athletes, including our transgender student-athletes.”

This executive order is one of many actions taken by the Trump Administration against transgender people. However, it has not gone unchallenged. Maine Governor Janet Mills has openly refused to comply with the Trump Administration’s ban, saying, “see you in court” to Trump during a confrontation at a meeting with all state governors. 

Additionally, two high school girls from New Hampshire have also challenged Trump’s Executive Order. Supported by a legal team from GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), these young trans students, who were already in the process of suing the state of New Hampshire over a law which banned them from participating on girl’s sports teams at their high school, formally amended their complaint to also include Trump’s Executive Order. 

Despite ongoing cultural debates about trans women athletes, there has been no public organizing regarding this issue on Wellesley’s campus. Wellesley Athletics has also taken no further action regarding a change in the NCAA transgender policy.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Jessica Chen, Sazma Sarwar, and Valida Pau.

Updated on March 3, 2025 to include community perspectives.