When President Bergeron announced Robert ’88 and Karen Hale’s 20 million dollar gift to the College, I felt immensely grateful for their generosity. Having spent my entire first year of college working at the Alumni Office, I have always had a sincere appreciation for the crucial role that alumni play in supporting the efforts of Connecticut College. I am optimistic that our athletics program will thrive from building renovations and increased support for training and recruitment, and the five million dollars designated to Career Services will continue to strengthen Connecticut College’s distinguished CELS programs. As a student, I am especially appreciative for the ten million targeted towards financial aid and am hopeful this gift will play a key role in providing more students with the opportunity to access Connecticut College and all that our institution has to offer.
There is no denying that the news delivered by President Bergeron and Board of Trustees chair Pamela D. Zilly was, in fact, incredibly exciting. The Hales’ contribution will surely have an invaluable impact on multiple aspects of our college. However, amidst the celebration of such a significant contribution, we should not lose sight of the financial disparities that continue to impact our community. As President Bergeron begins to envision the objectives and goals for the future of our college, it is essential that we continue to advocate for the crucial programs on our campus that could similarly benefit from further resources and financial support.
Specifically, in my conversations with both peers and faculty, many individuals expressed the need for further investment in our campus centers. The Women’s Center, the LGBTQ Center, and Unity House all play critical roles in providing resources, safe spaces and educational opportunities for students on our campus. While our college expresses pride in these centers, as displayed through their online presence on the Connecticut College website, their capacity to provide for students on campus are often severely inhibited by a lack of financial resources. Amongst the three, Unity House is the only center that currently holds a full time faculty position; the other two, run largely by the work of student coordinators, are solely supported by a part-time faculty advisor.
Located in the basement of Smith and Burdick, the Women’s Center faces specific challenges in the context of accessibility. While the location is physically accessible without stairs when entered from one door, it often struggles to maintain visibility on campus partially as a result of its isolated location and limited budget. As described by student coordinator Lizzy Kenah ’18, “We welcome all people in the center and want to expand that base. With more resources and funding and more institutional support we would be able to do so much more for the campus community.”
Kenah, along with her fellow student coordinators expressed specific interest in the possibility of bringing more speakers to the center for events and discussions. However, funding these types of program within the center is often impossible without collaboration between other student organizations. As our campus continues to engage in critical conversations regarding equity and inclusion, the need to support the programming and efforts of these community centers is imperative.
The Office of Volunteers for Community Service (OVCS) also plays an essential role in connecting students with educational opportunities through wider community engagement. According to Kim Sanchez, Associate Director of OVCS, approximately 400-500 students serve as community partners through the Office over the course of the academic year. Throughout this period, the Office works diligently to meet this high level of demand and connect students with meaningful opportunities related to their personal and academic interests. In order to accomplish these goals, the Office relies heavily on private grants, many of which have been obtained through the efforts of Tracee Reiser, Associate Dean of Community Learning. In past years, these grants have been implemented to hire office staff and cover the cost of the vans used to transport students to and from their community placements.
In a recent community meeting, OVCS joined nearly 80 New London residents, Connecticut College students and faculty members to discuss community goals and ways to enhance engagement with the New London community. Of all the ideas presented in the meeting, Sanchez seemed especially excited about the prospect of bringing the highly successful Children’s Program, a preschool on campus affiliated with the human development department, into New London. “The current superintendent is a huge advocate for universal Pre-K and we would love to find a way to bring some of our ideas from the Children’s Program into our community,” she described.
Other ideas included creating a Connecticut College space within downtown New London, collaborating with Mitchell College and the Coast Guard to provide wi-fi for all residents of the town and holding weekly luncheon discussions with community members. While these opportunities all hold enormous potential, similar to the work of the centers, they require significant financial investment. As a student who has been profoundly impacted by the opportunities OVCS has provided, I am immensely grateful for all that the Office accomplishes with such tight budget restrictions. However, as the College integrates community learning into the new core curriculum, it is my sincerest hope that OVCS will be provided with the resources necessary to continue thriving within our direct and wider New London community.
Through shedding light on these crucial campus organizations, I do not wish to undermine the generosity of the Hales or the placement of their donation. As I have previously stated, I truly believe their gift will have a lasting and meaningful impact on the College. However, in light of such a major contribution, we now have a key opportunity to invest in other parts of campus that continue to profoundly impact student life. As students, we must advocate for these programs to ensure they are provided with the resources to support all members of our community. •
