Key Points:

• (**New issues: the removal of ability to use meal swipes at the campus' Starbucks location, understaffed Chartwells locations (eating areas on campus...*)
• Firing up to 12 Tenured Professors
• Entirely Phasing Out Liberal Arts Departments or Cutting of Funding (Art History, Chemistry, Music, Studio Art, History, English, Spanish, etc.)
• Administrative and Board of Trustees Neglect of Safety and Student Input on Campus and Lack of Transparency (Unhelpful Title IX response, mold in dorms, broken doors, other security concerns, food quality issues)
• Compensation for Executive Members of the Administration Increased by Over $220,000 ($1,178,261 to $1,399,276) from 2018-2020 Despite the School as a Whole Losing Money During That Time (Note: the college had a net loss of $1,855,808 in profit in 2019 and a net loss of $3,613,470 million in profit in 2020); happened at the same time as a 10% decrease of non-administrative faculty salary
• For Manhattanville College Tax Info See Following Link:  https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131740469 
• Contact us with further inquiries: valiantinitiative1841@gmail.com

Hi there,

We are reaching out to fellow members of the Manhattanville College community regarding recent budgetary and welfare neglect by school administration. Several issues have developed and are being recognized by a rising number of students and staff. For starters, monetary challenges plague the university, so much so that the college is opting to let go of as many as 12 full-time TENURED professors. This treatment of the staff's livelihoods is unacceptable and -- proves to be not only taxing on the mental health of all professors in position for potential termination, but also -- shows the corruption and incompetency of the administration meant to protect its constituents. 

Another consequential topic to be discussed is the cutting of small liberal arts programs the college currently offers, pillars to the very foundation on which this college was built. The administration's reasoning: To make way for new, flashy programs in a punitive effort to maximize profit as the incoming and returning rates of students continue to drop. To note the Admissions and Communications departments recent findings, in the past year, the college lost 85 students who had already submitted a deposit to return, 45 of them being first year students. Unfortunately, it's too late to take back the administration's recent multi-million-dollar project, enacted to renovate the Center for Design Thinking (the old President's Cottage), using money which could have gone to keeping tenured professors employed, and smaller arts programs funded. Additionally, the President's, Vice President's and Provost's "compensations," add up to a stifling $637,000 every year. As both students and staff of the college suffer, the Board of Trustees re-allocate money they do not have to the top three members of the college's administration, incompetent no less, take up 2.04% of the entire endowment of the college for themselves; which is 31.2 million dollars as of 2019 according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers. In particular, as noted in the college's Schedule J of Form 99, a tax document breaking down the school's monetary use, it's seen that such money is being used by these three administrative members for expenditures such under "Personal Use", including but not limited to, residence and personal services like "maids, chauffeurs, etc." Lastly, it's seen in a report on the ProjectsProbublica.org website for non-profit spending, the total executive compensation during the Covid-19 pandemic increased by $221,015, as faculty salary decreased by 10%. Furthermore, the college's profits tanked by almost $3 million. Check it out yourself!

 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131740469

Said monetary issues have already led to the cutting/downsizing of the art and chemistry departments, and incredibly slow response times from administrative offices such as "Student Life," a culmination of Res Life, Financial Aid and the Center for Career Development. To make matters worse, detailed in a plan for the college up to 2027, Manhattanville's administration states "changes" in the Natural Sciences, Sports Studies and Art History departments, without properly detailing what these changes are to students. Also, courses that have not been available for years sit idle in the course catalog, showing how limited the college's funds seem to be in their academic disciplines. Finally, some classes that are supposed to be guaranteed for next term (Spring 2023), have tenured professors who teach them on the chopping block for termination, leading to feelings of confusion and concern within the student population about their majors and minors. The College’s lack of transparency and communication with its students regarding proposed changes is highly concerning and reflects the corrupt nature of the administration, as they would rather keep things silent than risk potentially losing money if the students were aware of these changes.

Yet another pressing issue seen at Manhattanville College is how the administration's neglect of students has led to a drop in safety and community involvement, leaving students feeling discontent with their college experience. Several accounts of a deficiency in Title IX response, black mold in dorms, discolored water, lessened security measures on campus and sickness as a result of eating the school's food have been reported. To add, the college seems to not only lack social involvement on campus, but the administration disregards the concerns of all who disagree with them, creating a culture of mistrust between the administration and everyone below it.

The very fact that the college's priorities are where they are today, firing tenured professors, lining the pockets of the administration and putting money they clearly don't have towards new programs that have no true evidence that they will bring in and keep a high amount of new students, speaks volumes to how they feel about their staff, and by way of that, how they feel about their students, too. The students' feelings are so significant, that a large number of them are adamant about transferring or attempting to graduate early, as their dissatisfaction with the college grows.

Please help us by signing our petition, and stand up for what is right and just, as the precedent of firing tenured staff, watering down the students' liberal arts education, and neglecting student health and life is dangerous. Manhattanville College's key mission statement is "To educate students to be ethical, and socially responsible leaders in a global community," when simultaneously, the administration acts in ways that encourage behaviors contrary to who they claim to want to come out of their college. In an unethical manner, the administration furthers their agenda, which negatively affects both students and staff.