Student Remedies Task Force Final Update
A Message from Dr. Robert Mack, Vice Provost for Student Success and Engagement, Co-Chair of the Student Remedies Task Force; and Mikayla Durham, Lang, Director of Engagement in the University Student Senate, Co-Chair of the Student Remedies Task Force
Dear New School community,
As the semester comes to an end, we are sharing a final update regarding the progress of the Student Remedies Task Force. This message includes the recommendations put forth for consideration to Provost Renée T. White and Executive Vice President for Business and Operations Tokumbo Shobowale.
The Student Remedies Task Force was formed earlier this semester to assess how the strike and a variety of other activities on campus affected the student experience in the fall. Students, faculty and staff were identified to serve on this Task Force by each college’s Executive Dean in consultation with their communities. The group met regularly throughout the semester with the ultimate goal of providing a set of equitable and achievable remedies that would be implemented for current and graduating students.
In an effort to ensure all students played a part in developing, shaping, and refining the task force’s work, we conducted a student survey in March. This survey asked students designed to share how the strike impacted their experience. We received 995 responses and provided important takeaways in this community message.Â
Based on the student survey results and conversations with members of the Task Force, below are the recommendations we put forth for consideration:
- Offset Grant for Continuing Students – As one of the most prominent themes of the survey, students expressed a desire for a financial remedy. The Task Force strongly recommended special consideration be given to students impacted in the fall. Therefore, all enrolled fall 2022 students who are continuing at The New School next year will have a grant added to their student account that will offset the university tuition increase for the 2023-2024 academic year. Tuition bills will reflect a 3.5 percent increase, as approved by the Board of Trustees, but the university will provide continuing students with an “offset grant” that will effectively keep their tuition costs for next year unchanged. You can read learn more about this offset grant, here.
- Building Community Trust – Lack of trust among our community is recognized as a serious issue, and the university must dedicate time and funding to identifying best practices and community-building transparency, and accessibility to decision-makers. Students seek to communicate more frequently and openly with those responsible for institutional decision-making. For example, students know that refunds are not being granted but have not been provided the specific rationale for this decision. The leadership should model new approaches to better explain the impact and rationale of future decisions.
- Considerations for Graduating Students – We received significant feedback from graduating students for career-related support, and we are prioritizing remedies for these students. Next week, we will share with January 2022, May 2023 and August 2023 graduating students specific opportunities that will be available to them upon graduation. These opportunities will allow graduating students to access important career-related resources to support their journey after The New School.
The task force understands that these recommendations may not be sufficient to address all of the challenges from the fall semester. We also recognize that there is much work to be done and the university is committed to taking action to address ongoing issues.
As co-chairs of the Task Force, we want to thank all of the members of the group for their time, consideration, and commitment to the university. Their willingness to share creative solutions and bring unique perspectives helped shape this work. We hope these recommendations provide an important step forward in building our community and creating a sustainable New School future.