The last the student body had heard with regard to the layoffs announced towards the beginning of the summer, there has been a “firestorm of alumni reaction” and a petition made by students—with nearly 1,200 signatures—asking for financial transparency from the college.

Needless to say, the Saint Anselm community has been mourning the loss of more than a dozen staff members, as well as taking action against the way through which the administration approaches its transparency with students.

One of the many questions still unanswered is that of the status of the vice president of finance position. With the departure of Eric Norman—the last chief financial officer and vice president for finance—over the summer, it is unclear as to whether or when the College will initiate a search committee to find a replacement.

In a statement made by Neil Levesque, chief of staff for President Steven DiSalvo, he said, “The College has not started a search for a new Vice President of Finance. That has yet to be determined by the President of the College.”

In the meantime, Associate Vice President of Facilities William Furlong will serve as the interim Chief Financial Officer.

Levesque continued in his statement, saying, “The College is in a very strong position and our acting Vice President of Finance and his team have been fully engaged in moving into the new fiscal year.”

Additionally, according to Levesque, Furlong “brings many years of financial experience to every aspect of the college,” his most admired attribute being “the admiration and respect he has with so many employees of the college in many departments.”

With regards to the SACStudents4Change petition, the student body’s main concerns are the following: “greater transparency and communication between Anselmian students and administration;” financial transparency; clear communication between administration and students and staff members; and “respect for individual members of the community.”

When asked about how these changes in the Finance Office may affect the lives of students, Levesque answered, “As far as what this means for students, faculty, and staff: the capable team in finance are working to make the college the most efficient possible while keeping to its mission.”

In response to these statements, Senior English major Jenna Lyons said, “When you’re outraged but not surprised at something else your school has done, I think that says something in itself. When I heard about the layoffs last spring, I can honestly tell you I was heartbroken. When I heard about counseling services, I was just angry.”

Lyons continues: “I don’t want to feel like we’re fighting the administration. I don’t want to fight the administration. I understand that colleges need money to function, but these decisions seem arbitrary at best and detrimental at worst. Either way, students have been hurt by every action, and we are not even being told about it. No one is being told about it.”

“We have received no official information on the layoffs, let alone the cuts to health services. I don’t know what’s going on at my school. I don’t feel a bond of reciprocity, trust, or care. We’re not asking for that million dollars back although that would be nice. We’re just asking to know what’s going on and how it will affect us and the people we care about.”

Levesque’s final statement reads: “This means that the administration as a whole is focused on keeping costs as low as possible for Saint Anselm students while proving a strong work environment for employees.”