Anonymous asked: I'm a Kerouac School graduate. Who was fired, and what have you heard about the school being in danger of closing? Why does it need saving?
From what we know 23 people across the board at Naropa proper were fired, mostly support staff - but some had been on board for a very long time. This happened during the first week of the summer writing program. Budget cuts were cited as the blame, but there was also talk of $450,000 missing from likely another department in the University.
We know that something is stirring and it is not just paranoia, there have been student meetings for the last few days and faculty is being hush-hush or hushed, saying that this has to be a student-led initiative.
We do know, historically, the summer writing program and the Writing & Poetics department, including the relatively new low residency MFA are separate according to Naropa proper.
Without all of the details, it is fair to assume that this year the summer program - the actual Jack Kerouac School - may have hit a plateau in finances and enrollment and with budget cuts, Naropa proper is trying to find a sustainable model which may include removing the summer program or cutting it down to something that would kill it anyway.
This has happened before, in 1994, during a time when all parties involved were playing fair. The relationship between Naropa and TKS has always been a tad bit tenuous.
We are preparing for the worst case here - in solidarity - to pull the school up in whatever form it may be.
