Blindsided staff at Hampshire College launch relief fund as liberal school prepares to close

Staff and faculty members at a Massachusetts liberal arts college that is closing are organizing a relief fund for employees bracing for sudden job loss.

Last week, The Advocate reported that trustees at Hampshire College voted to close the school due to funding concerns. Amid a national decline in college enrollment, the school’s student population has fallen over the years and dipped below 750 this school year, according to the university website.

With the school’s closure, more than 250 employees will soon lose their jobs, according to Help Hampshire Workers, a new mutual aid group focused on supporting workers during the transition. The group has launched a new emergency relief fund to help cover the immediate needs of workers who are losing their jobs.

Related: One of higher ed’s most LGBTQ-inclusive colleges is shutting down

The emergency relief funds will be distributed to affected workers to help cover “housing, food, health care and other essential expenses,” according to the Help Hampshire Workers website. “With limited time and no institutional safety net, access to immediate, flexible support is critical,” the fundraiser webpage reads.

As a progressive institution, Hampshire College has long been viewed as a supportive campus for LGBTQ+ students. The college houses a Queer Services division and Queer Community Alliance Center, and has streamlined enrollment for students leaving colleges that have enacted anti-LGBTQ+ policies.

Lorenzo Conte, director of the Hampshire College Art Gallery and an organizer of the emergency relief fund, wrote in an email to The Advocate that those values were shared by many workers who rely on the campus every day.

“Like many students who found themselves at Hampshire, many staff and faculty are here because we believe in fighting for the ideals of what Hampshire has always strived for,” Conte said. “For many of us, much like the students, Hampshire was also a refuge and a safe haven.”

This article was written as part of the Future of Queer Media fellowship program at The Advocate, which is underwritten by a generous gift from Morrison Media Group. The program helps support the next generation of LGBTQ+ journalists.