This photo captures a moment of resistance two years ago, where students at Wells banned together to fight for a professor on campus. Most of these students were involved or enrolled in the Women and Gender Studies Program at Wells College. The goal of this protest/sit-in was to call out the lack of diverse faculty/staff and the continuous denial to hire tenure track professors. Two years later, the fight continues on.
I’m not sure what they tell prospective students these days, but I do know one thing. Wells College was an all-women’s college when it was founded in 1868. Wells has historically been an all white institution. The foundation, in terms of the land beneath the physical institution was stolen from Cayuga Nation through the Clinton-Sullivan campaign. This means the foundation of Wells is inhernetly racist and violent. Throughout the years students and faculty have tried to “call out” the historical violence, educate others, study it and connect it to the larger systems of oppression in the world. Women and Gender Studies, is a place to do that work. The WGS program has become my foundation of undoing, educating and collaborating at Wells.
The college has been delayed in the accreditation process as of June 2019. Because of this academic probation, every major and academic program at Wells is being observed. Enrollment numbers matter and Middle States’ (who accredit colleges/universities) wants to see that the money is going to “the right places.”
Wells’ website states the following on their page,
“At Wells, we welcome students who are, above all, open to learning. Whether that comes in the form of ideas they’re not familiar with, experiences that broaden what they’re capable of, intellectually-stimulating experiments, or hands-on learning, it all leads to one thing: A global citizen who is ready to take the lead and effect change. Whatever is next in their lives, whether an advanced degree, a focused career, a series of new and varied opportunities, or a lifetime of learning—Wells graduates are ready to live life to the fullest.”
In the face of racism, sexism, ableism classism and every other system of oppression that operates in America, keeping a program and major that highlights people’s lives, breaks down systems of oppression, and creates “a global citizen who is ready to take the lead and effect change,” would seem like a priority.
However, Women and Gender Studies is in danger of being a program that is cut. WGS is a program that works with all the things mentioned on the schools’ page. This includes forming ideas folks are not familiar with, experiencing things that broaden what individuals are capable of, intellectually-stimulating discussions, as well as hands-on learning.
If we value this as a college and tell our students and prospective students that this is our foundation, Women and Gender Studies should not be cut and the proposal of a tenure track professor should be approved. Unfortunately, there is no certainty. Students are waiting to hear what will happen to the program and where WGS will fit in the future of Wells.
People may not understand WGS as a major, its relevance or importance to the world. However, people who study WGS carry that knowledge throughout their life. Stay tuned later in the week to hear from a recent WGS alum, Hannah Taggart. #Justice4WGS