Letter to the Editor: PSU Needs a New Plan
Jacob Benton
Contributor
3/6/25
I am one of many that is disappointed by the news that the humanities department will be defunded. The one silver lining is that there are so many people that care. I’ve seen more than a dozen people repost The Clock’s story, just like they have before, and as someone who feels a familial connection with Plymouth (since it is about 10 miles from where I grew up), it comforts me knowing that so many people care about the wellbeing of the students here.
I’ve watched a progression of events that bothered me over the last few months. First, I heard rumors that the school was going bankrupt. My first thought was that this was unfortunate, but the events that follow will determine the character of this school’s administration. Then, the news that some clubs would receive no funding came, and people were outraged about this and for good reason. Finally, there is this news. I was disappointed originally, but the optimism from the President about an “integrated humanities department” was a slap in the face. At the absolute least, I think that the President should be apologizing for needing to do this.
One thing I remember from Intro to Marketing and Sales with Prof. Russell was the story of Barry-Wehmiller. This is a manufacturing company that was facing bankruptcy in 2008, and instead of laying off numerous employees, they implemented a program in which all employees needed to take four weeks of unpaid vacation. His quote was, “It’s better that we should all suffer a little than any of us should have to suffer a lot.” I get that Plymouth State’s situation is very different. Obviously, many professors can’t just take four weeks of unpaid vacation, they have to teach their students throughout the term. However, this story shows that there are ways to curtail bankruptcy that are not immediate layoffs. I think the administration of Plymouth State needs to get creative and come up with a plan, anything to keep the humanities department the way it is. This would serve the double purpose (in addition to saving money from not laying people off) of increasing the morale of the students here, and perhaps a new reputation would spark enrollment from students who care about improving this school and maintaining a good reputation.
Thanks for reading,
Jacob Benton
Class of 2027