Cornell College interim provost Kate Kauper addressed plans for students and cleared up a few rumors during a speech at Cornell College’s Student Senate meeting Tuesday, Dec. 9.

Kauper first thanked students serving on Student Senate and the e-board for their continued leadership and work.

“I know many of you are doing your regular work and serving as leaders for the school, while also trying to correct disinformation when you see it,” Kauper said. “You are not representatives of the college administration, you’re student leaders, and many of you have brought your concerns to leadership of the college over the past month.”

Kauper said family obligations had kept her away during previous Student Senate general assemblies.

Kauper also told students in attendance that she knows they are angry and anxious over the decisions that were made in November, but wanted to make sure that everyone continued with clarity on the decisions.

Kauper said while teachers and departments were let go in November, some being let go at the end of the school year, that Cornell College still has some connection to the liberal arts.

“The liberal arts model is always evolving,” Kauper said. “We weren’t looking to keep and preserve classes that limited numbers of students were no longer taking.”

Kauper also said that a document called Visioning Thoughts was shared without proper context to many students.

“The reality is if Cornell weren’t to start to address some of these programs and their futures, Cornell might face the fate of other colleges who didn’t adapt,” Kauper said. “We want to be a college that will survive.”

And Kauper said that the decisions aren’t painless, that these were colleagues and friends that were impacted by the decisions.

She also said students and others have a right to be upset and ask questions.

“Running a college is a complex endeavor, and some of these decisions take legal knowledge and scholarly ethics into consideration,” Kauper said. “The court of public opinion isn’t a just court.”

Kauper said that the departments and fields of study impacted affect roughly five percent of Cornell College students who have declared majors.

She said that communication is being finalized for students, especially juniors and seniors, about the pathways that will exist to help them achieve majors they have declared in those fields of study.

“You can and should hold us accountable if you declared a major and we do not connect with you in the process,” Kauper said.

Kauper said while students may not agree with every decision made, the college does care deeply about the integrity of students’ education experience.

Kauper opened it up for questions.

Kaylanna Seu asked if it’s only sophomores, juniors and seniors who need to worry about the impact.

Kauper said there are some first year students who had declared a major that plans will be communicated on their major fields of study as well. The college has an obligation to students who have started classes in particular major fields of studies to see them be able to complete that field of study.

Students will work with their advisors to determine the particular classes they still need.

Keegan with Student Senate asked why this couldn’t have been a decision pushed down the road three years so it didn’t impact current students.

Kauper said even if the decisions were made three years down the road, they’d impact those students, and the college may have had greater deficits in enrollment and funding to address, meaning the cuts may have been even more drastic.

Sirius Bennett asked how the college is looking to address interdisciplinary study or interdisciplinary studies moving forward that will be impacted by some of these departments missing.

Kauper said discussions are happening with professors on how to find interdisciplinary courses in remaining fields of study that help meet those requirements.

Danny asked if for students impacted by the closure of departments and pursuing a major, if there will still be some variety in courses offered.

Kauper said that is a case by case issue.

“Some majors have particular requirements or classes that need to be finished to complete a major, and students may be locked into those specific required courses,” Kauper said. “Our intention is where there are options to offer, the college will try to provide those.”

Rylan asked for students who lost favorite professors or advisors, is there any guarantee that the same thing doesn’t happen again in the next three years at the college?

Kauper said it’s a complex question, and she doesn’t have a crystal ball, the decisions made were to better position the college for the future.

Kauper also cleared up a rumor about a third-party influencing the decisions. The determinations of the departments to be reduced was based on enrollment data and made by the president, faculty, board of regents and dean of faculty.

“We hired a third party consultant to work on a communications plan for us,” Kauper said.

A student asked if there was any thought given to a plan put forward by Cornell College faculty to take smaller cuts from all departments as opposed to eliminating entire departments.

Kauper said some of those cuts could have been more inequitable to other departments.

Hannah, a student, noted that most of the offerings left at the college are Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields. Hannah was also concerned why there hasn’t been as much funding for CSRI opportunities or female sports don’t get as much money.

Kauper said the college retains a powerful English department, strong philosophy department and strong fine arts departments.

She also said that CSRI grants and classes have different funding mechanisms. As to athletics, that is not her purview.