Wellesley relies heavily on its endowment to fund the essential components of operation. Each year, the endowment covers 45% of the College’s total $280 million operating budget, and provides $60 million of the $82 million distributed in financial aid.

“The generous financial aid we provide to more than half of our student body, and [our] operating support, depend on this funding,” according to Johnson’s email. 

Since tuition revenue accounts for only 40% of the budget, the College has limited capacity to cover potential endowment losses through raised tuition alone. As previously reported by the News, according to the March 24 budget memo, a 4% increase in the comprehensive fee yields only a 1.8% increase in tuition revenue, showing that tuition increases can only offset a small percentage of potential losses.

To combat this proposed legislation, Wellesley is collaborating with over two dozen small colleges to “educate members of Congress about the significant impact this increased tax would have on our ability to offer financial aid and to carry out our educational mission,” according to the email.

Despite these dangers, the College is also working to strengthen its current financial aid structure with the addition of $3 million in financial aid, approved by the Board of Trustees earlier this year. This new funding would be used “to calculate a family’s financial need in a new way that will increase aid packages for about 750 current students and many newly admitted students,” according to the March 24 memo.

Still, the College’s actions will largely depend on if the endowment tax is actually passed. In a separate email to the News, the College acknowledged that, since “details of the [14%] tax are not finalized,” the College has “no details on … how a new endowment tax might affect college operations” and “no new information on changes to financial aid since the March memo.” 

Questions concerning contingency planning, student employment, and broader long-term impacts remain unaddressed. The College plans to share more details with the community as details of any finalized endowment tax increase become clearer, according to the email.

Around 40 students were unable to get an assigned room for the fall 2025 semester after slots were quickly filled during housing selection today.

In response, the Office of Residential Life (ORL) will “continue working on housing assignments throughout June and July as spaces become available,” but affected students may not receive a housing assignment until July 26, according to an email from the ORL to students who did not get housing. 

Students who did not receive housing were asked to provide the Office with their building preferences, name of a preferred roommate and any additional living preferences.

In a statement to the News from the Associate Dean of Housing and Community Life Brittany McDaniel, this year’s housing timeline “created some unique circumstances.” Some students selected rooms they ultimately may not need due to unfinalized fall study abroad plans. Nearly every student also submitted the housing application on time, which is not typical, according to McDaniel.

Room selection this year was split into two days, with the earliest time slot starting at 9 a.m. and the last ending at 4 p.m. Current juniors selected housing on Tuesday, while current sophomores and first-years selected housing today. 

Sophomores could start selection at 9 a.m. this morning and most first-years selected this afternoon. Each person was randomly assigned a 15-minute time slot. 

By 2:45 p.m. today, April 30, Starrez, the housing portal the College used to assign rooms, showed that no more dorms were available for selection. The latest time slot for selection was 4 p.m. 

This is not the first time students have experienced delayed housing selection. Back in 2021, students also experienced a similar situation when 50 students could not find rooms during initial room selection and were placed on an “open assignment” list, meaning they would be assigned rooms as they were made available in the summer.

In 2019, dozens of students were displaced due to a Starrez glitch and were housed in temporary housing with no guarantee of a permanent room. 

Rooms available to students each year are often subjected to changes due to the incoming class yield rate, the number of students going abroad and renovation progress.

90% of students live on campus and the College guarantees housing for all students, according to its website.

On the morning of March 27, the first day of the strike, Provost Courtney Coile sent out an email detailing the College’s plan for students to receive the credit despite many classes being cancelled. Coile asked students to enroll in new courses taught by tenure-track faculty to make up for lost contact hours and announced that students would receive 0.5 credits for courses taught by striking union members. 

It had been a little over eight weeks of course instruction at that point into the semester and given accreditation policies enforced by the New England Commission of Higher Education, the College deemed the credit change and course registration necessary to comply with the requirements for contact hours in order to maintain its accreditation. 

But for many students, these new policies have brought a wave of confusion, anxiety, and frustration. 

Ava Wilcox ’25, a senior history major, described her initial reaction as one of “fear and anxiety,” as she knew she would fall below full-time status, compounded by the already tense atmosphere on campus. Wilcox said, “I immediately reached out to the Class Dean, but the email was very vague. I didn’t know what to do.”

Wilcox enrolled in a new class in the Women and Gender Studies Department to keep her full-time status. However, she notes that the class only meets for two of the remaining four class sessions. “There was so much worry about contact hours, but I’m not even going to be in this class for more than six hours. The class itself is serious, but my participation in it feels like a joke.”

Wilcox expressed dissatisfaction with her “hollow” educational experience. “It just feels like a filler, like I’m just doing this so I can’t ask for my tuition back, but it doesn’t actually have value as a credit,” she said. 

Wilcox also felt skeptical about the administration’s motives, stating “my feeling is that educational value has kind of been swept aside just to get more leverage for admin in the union negotiations under the guise of education. There is some sort of obfuscation from the administration about what the impulses behind the plan are, and people are upset about that generally.”

First-year Ava Cantaoi ’28, a prospective political science major, was similarly taken aback by the abrupt changes. “I was definitely taken aback, especially given it was the day the strike started,” she said. “It was very overwhelming. There wasn’t even a lot of time for me to react.”

Cantaoi was originally enrolled in four classes, three of which were taught by NTT faculty. When the new credit policies were announced, she found herself below the threshold for full-time status, and she had to enroll in three new classes. “But because I didn’t have [the] prerequisites for other classes, I’ve been learning different things from before.”

Cantaoi stated that the transition has been challenging to the new classes. “Professors are doing as much as they can to help out, but I don’t really know what’s happening, and I’m also expected to keep moving forward with the new content,” said Cantaoi.

“I’ve been going with the mentality of doing the minimum to pass. I’m just trying to get my money’s worth out of this semester and go through so I can pass,” Cantaoi said, describing a sense of resignation both for her and amongst her peers. “These policies will have short-term and long-term effects for students.”

On the campus community, Cantaoi added, “As a student, as a product of these policies and what is happening to the school right now, it feels like not a lot of students can find comfort or community in this because nothing like this has happened before.”

Wilcox added that the credit changes have only strengthened her support for the union. “As soon as they announced the credits, I wanted to go to the picket line and it made me want to support the union more.”

As of last week, WOAW has announced the strike is over and students and faculty have returned back to the classroom.

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

The statement focuses on concerns that the government’s “political interference” and “overreach” is endangering academic freedom and more than 500 presidents and other officials have signed it, as of Tuesday afternoon.

“We must oppose undue government intrusion into the lives of those who learn, live and work on our campuses,” said the statement, released by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. 

The statement is signed by officials or presidents, including institutions which have seen federal funding freeze and peer liberal arts colleges such as Williams and Amherst. 

The statement comes a day after Harvard University sued the Trump administration over its threats to rescind billions in federal funding and contracts. 

Wellesley has yet to have any large-scale funding cuts or federal-level reviews conducted on campus. 

However, Wellesley is among the 60 colleges to receive a letter from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR), warning of potential enforcement actions, including funding cuts, if it fails to protect Jewish students on campus.

As the News previously reported, Wellesley received $12.8 million in federal grants in FY23, including nine million in student financial assistance and nearly three million in research grants from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Wellesley has already announced a six-month hiring freeze, citing budget deficit and ongoing uncertainty around economic risks. 

In a statement to the News, President Johnson stated American colleges and universities have long partnered with the government and organizations to promote American leadership. 

“At this moment, it is important for leaders in higher education to speak together against undue government intrusion into the lives of those who learn, live and work on our campuses, and in support of open inquiry and the ongoing free exchange of ideas and opinions,” said President Johnson.

Contact the editor responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar

The Wellesley Organized Academic Workers (WOAW), non-tenured track faculty union, announced today, Apr. 24, that they are returning to the classroom tomorrow after a 29-day strike that began on Mar. 27.

The strike was called off after a unanimous vote by WOAW’s bargaining team to protect vulnerable members from “credible threats,” said Paul Martorelli, Lecturer of Political Science, in an interview with the News.

“The decision to end the strike was voted on unanimously by our bargaining committee in the last 24 hours…It was in the last 24 hours that these threats emerged and were taken seriously,” said Martorelli.

The Union and the College have yet to reach an agreement for a contract and the negotiation is still underway. The next bargaining session is slated for Monday, May 5.*

In an email sent to the college community, Provost Courtney Coile stated that the College is grateful to the Union for ending the strike and looking forward to “welcoming our valued colleagues back to the classroom and to celebrating upcoming milestones such as the last day of classes, commencement, and reunion, together as a community.”  

“Despite the College’s efforts to slow walk negotiations, we have made a lot of progress toward a first agreement in the last few weeks,” the Union said in their bargaining update. 

The classes that students enrolled in four weeks ago will continue, and students who complete these classes will receive 0.5 units of credit, the College told the News in an email. 

“Unfortunately, because some classes have not met for four weeks, there is simply not enough time to make up the required amount of classroom time in the remaining 5 days of classes… Classes that have not met for the required number of minutes will be awarded 0.5 units of credit,” said the College. 

With classes ending next Thursday, May 1st, and final exams nearing, it is unclear whether students are expected to sit for final exams in paused or newly enrolled courses. 

Students are expected to receive a detailed communication later today from the Provost’s office with additional details about their classes and credits. 

Michelle Li ’ 27 said she was confused by the unexpected announcement.

“It’s very disheartening to have seen our professors fighting so hard these past couple of weeks and really not backing down, even though the College has done so many things to try to break the strike and threaten them and divide professors,” said Li. 

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

*Correction made on 4/30: Updated to bargaining session date to May 5 from original date, Apr. 28, after the Union informed the College that they will not meet for negotiations on Apr. 28.

The email, sent to Wellesley College faculty and staff by Provost Courtney Coile, Piper Orton, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, and Carolyn Slaboden, Chief Human Resources Officer, stated that the “pause will apply to tenure track, non-tenure track, administrative (both exempt and non-exempt), and union staff positions,” but not for students who are hired by the College.

Despite the pause, the College acknowledged that they may need to hire faculty and staff in “critical” positions that participate in “essential College operations.” Those positions will be filled at the discretion of the Provost Budget Committee, with final confirmation from senior leadership.

The new policy will be reviewed in late fall by the College.

This announcement comes as other peer institutions have enacted similar hiring pauses in regards to growing economic uncertainty in higher education, including a comprehensive freeze at Harvard University on March 10 and a partial freeze at Middlebury College on April 2.

The News previously reported that the College faces a projected $8 million deficit for the 2026 fiscal year. The College also faces uncertainty around federal funding losses and a proposed endowment tax in Congress.

The email also emphasized that the pause may not be the only action taken in response to financial constraints. It stated that the College was “exploring other actions…including reviewing discretionary and non-salary spending across academic and administrative departments.”

Contact the editor responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar.

The College told the IMSEUA bargaining unit on March 21 that in the event of a strike, Wellesley College would remain operational, and IMSEUA employees would be expected to come to work.

The IMSEUA bargaining unit covers a wide variety of staff at Wellesley College, including food service, custodial staff, and groundskeepers. Workers at the power plant, distribution center, motor pool, golf course and botanic gardens are also unionized as part of the IMSEUA.

After receiving this notice, the IMSEUA filed a group grievance against Wellesley College on March 24, in an attempt to rescind the College’s interpretation of the no-strike clause in their contract.

The disagreement centers around Article 16 of the IMSEUA’s contract with Wellesley College, which states, “there shall be no strikes, lockouts, picketing, stoppage of work, slowdowns, boycotts or any other direct or indirect interference with operations of the College concerning any matter in dispute between the College and the Union or any of the employees.”

Wellesley College interprets this clause to mean that the IMSEUA is not allowed to participate in any work stoppages.

On the other hand, Tricia Diggins, a custodian and business agent for the IMSEUA, argues that a sympathy strike is allowed under their interpretation of the clause. For the purposes of the contract, an employee is a member of the IMSEUA bargaining unit. Thus, the “matter in dispute” is between the College and WOAW, not their union or employees, allowing IMSEUA members to strike.

According to their grievance procedures, the College’s director of labor and employee relations, Donna Scally, has 30 days to respond to an interdepartmental group grievance. If the IMSEUA disagrees, they can then ask for expedited arbitration, but the arbitration process can take months.

“Grievances and arbitration take forever,” said Diggins. “So God forbid the strike is still going on when we finally settle this.”

In the meantime, IMSEUA employees are allowed to show support for WOAW in other ways, such as wearing WOAW buttons, bringing picketers food or donating to the strike hardship fund.

Outside of their scheduled shifts, IMSEUA employees are also permitted to stand and hold signs near the picket line, but cannot officially picket.

The College is wary of overstepping guidelines governing what employers can say to their employees about organized labor, and Diggins emphasized that Scally was careful to maintain those boundaries. “Donna [Scally] told us she spoke to managers and told them not to express opinions to us,” she said. 

Diggins explains that her father was a member of the large labor union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), until the 1980s, when his company closed and he got a job as a custodian at Wellesley College. 

“This is why my life’s been pretty good,” Diggins recalls, “because he had a union job.”

It has been difficult for Diggins and other employees who support WOAW to cross the picket line each day.

“It hurts us to do that,” said Gloria Figueroa, a barista at the Emporium and trustee on the IMSEUA executive board.

Still, sympathy strikes from other unionized companies have made it harder for certain IMSEUA employees to do their jobs.

The dining halls get the majority of their deliveries from Sysco, a multinational food distributor. At the beginning of the strike, there were concerns that food deliveries to the dining halls would be interrupted because more than 10,000 Sysco employees are part of the Teamsters union, including those at Sysco Boston. 

The College has since developed a workaround with Sysco, where unionized truck drivers park outside the picket line and dining hall managers transport deliveries in smaller vans. Service at the dining halls has remained largely unaffected.

In a statement to the News, the College did not say whether they have made similar arrangements with other vendors, or whether these vendors are receiving additional compensation for accommodating the College.

Unlike the dining halls, many of the supplies for the Emporium come directly from Starbucks and are delivered by UPS, whose drivers are also unionized.

Figueroa says that the Emporium has only received one shipment of Starbucks supplies since the strike began, and they are already running out of ingredients needed to complete orders.

“That’s all I have left, one case of matcha,” said Figueroa. The Emporium was out of large cups for two weeks before a manager was able to complete their shipment, and is currently low on strawberry and dragon fruit inclusions.

Figueroa’s biggest concern is for the Wellesley community, especially in light of the Trump administration’s decision to revoke visas for students across the country and the potential impact of the strike on international students’ full-time status.

“I’m always reading what is happening with the student visas,” said Figueroa. “You guys know that we are here to support you on anything, and if there’s anything we can do, we will do it for the students.”

Another unexpected impact of the strike on IMSEUA employees? Elevators.

According to Diggins, at the IMSEUA executive board meeting on April 9, the group leader for preventive maintenance said that Stanley Elevator Company, responsible for elevator maintenance and repair, is unionized and would not be coming on campus during the strike.

Stanley Elevator Company did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the College declined to comment on the College’s relationship with individual vendors.

Instead, Stacey Schmeidel, director of media relations, related a statement from Piper Orton, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer: “We will find solutions to problems to ensure that Wellesley can maintain critical functions, including feeding students and ensuring that buildings are in good working order.”

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar, Galeta Sandercock, and Valida Pau.

Responses to the College’s credit plan

On March 27, the first day of the strike, the Provost, Courtney Coile, informed students that they would receive 0.5 units for classes taught by NTT faculty. The day after the strike began, students received an email from the Registrar’s office providing them with details about how they could register for additional courses. 

On Saturday, March 29, students were offered the chance to register for additional classes taught by non-striking faculty, with priority given to seniors in their last semester, students who were at risk of falling below the minimum required 3.0 units, and students with ADR support for priority registration. 

According to an email sent out by Provost Coile, this was a necessary action on the part of the College because “the strike threatens students’ visa eligibility and financial aid eligibility, because if classes do not meet for the required number of contact hours, the College will be unable to award full credit, and some students may fall below the credit threshold.”     

Federal regulations require international students to be enrolled in a minimum of three academic units to maintain their legal status in America. 

In response, the Slater International Students’ Organization released a statement empathizing with international students’ anxieties and voicing their frustrations with the credit plan. 

The email statement wrote, “By implementing this sudden policy without proper consultation or consideration, the administration has recklessly put us at risk — especially those of us taking courses taught by NTT faculty members. This ‘solution’ provided by the administration blatantly disregards the challenges that international students have to face to stay legally in this country.” 

Domestic students also expressed concern and worry for international students affected by the changes to credit or involved in activism, especially given the sudden changes in immigration policy.

Sachiko Goto ’27, an international student who recently became a naturalized citizen, addressed the College’s credit decision, saying, “I don’t want to believe that they intend to actively harm so many students on visas and financial aid but they did not put in the bare minimum level of care required in sending out that email.”

Domestic students also weighed in about the College’s decision. 

Sahiti Garimella ’28, a domestic student, noted their shock that neither Slater nor the Financial Services Office heard about the credit situation beforehand.

“It wasn’t the right decision to change [the credits], but I thought they at least would have informed everybody about it beforehand, so that people would have contingency plans in place,” Garimella said. “The fact that they were randomly making these decisions at the last minute, that affected people in this major way, without giving us time to recover, or creating a safety net of sorts for students who are affected by it was definitely very difficult.”

On March 28, the Registrar’s Office sent out an email informing students that two Zoom informational sessions to answer questions regarding the credit change would be hosted by the Registrar’s Office, the Provost’s Office and Class Deans. 

Sidney Kronbach ’26, who attended both Senate meetings which addressed the credit change and the Zoom registration meeting, said, “Oftentimes questions were shut down, as opposed to answered.” 

Responses to the College’s handling of the strike and negotiations

Ava Daugherty ’28 expressed anger at the lack of information provided by the College regarding the ramifications of the strike on enrollment status, immigration status, and course loads. Daugherty feels that the College “is keeping a lot of people misinformed and under informed.”

She continues that the College’s reaction and response to the strike was disappointing and unexpected for her, stating that she “thought it would be a pretty progressive place, even within the administration.”

Goto also addressed that while many international students want to support the union more vocally, they also do not want to risk their safety and legal status. 

“They [international students] have no clue what the boundaries for their support are because when you’re getting emails from the administration that say just as a reminder, this can affect your visa or financial aid status, that’s scary. And then you look at the news and you see that somebody was taken right off the streets in Boston, and that ICE is right there, right down the street,” Goto said.

Students are expressing their support for the Union by showing up at the picket lines. WOAW members are picketing at Central Street and College Road by the entrance of the College everyday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Daugherty said, “There’s an air of excitement on the picket line. Students don’t get the chance to be as politically active as other campuses, because a lot of times they’re very swamped with work. A lot of people are really excited to finally put action to their words, in regards to what they have said that they stand for and what they believe in.” 

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