Student Health Services (SHS) staff claim the university has not been transparent about the new proposal to outsource SHS medical services next year. The potential proposal incited anxiety among staff and students who say that the administration is withholding critical information and excluding them from the decision-making process.

In his campus-wide email, New School President Joel Towers announced that the “vast majority” of the budget is tied to employee salaries and benefits and that the school will pursue voluntary separation programs, incentivized early retirement for eligible faculty, temporary salary reductions for the highest-paid employees, and an 18-month pause on retirement contributions. While the administration says these measures are necessary to stabilize the budget, Towers also acknowledged that some involuntary layoffs are likely.

During a meeting on Oct. 29, Provost Robert Mack opened the 90-minute meeting, but the discussion quickly escalated into a tense exchange between  Towers and members of SHS, who alleged they learned of the proposal two days prior. 

The New School Free Press was removed from the meeting by Provost Robert Mack, who offered no explanation beyond stating that the NSFP had not been invited to “his meeting.”

“No member of our staff has taken part in the conversation or any decision-making process,” a staff member said. The New School Free Press granted them anonymity due to fear of employer retaliation for speaking about internal discussions.  “We are honestly and frankly disappointed and genuinely appalled by the lack of transparency.”

Towers, however, said in the meeting, “We have undertaken [this process] in the most transparent way in my two decades at this university.”

During the meeting, questions were raised about job security, administrating care, the relationship between SHS with other departments, and accessibility.

Towers said the institution faces a financial emergency driven by decades of shortfalls.

The proposed outsourcing comes as the university moves forward with broad restructuring plans that could lead to layoffs, reduced benefits, and cuts to academic programs. The administration says these shifts are part of a larger effort to address rising financial pressures and “rebalance” the institution’s structure.

“We currently face about a $40 million operating deficit, and that comes after decades of accumulated shortfalls, roughly $100 million in debt over 30 years,” Towers said, warning that The New School “could be insolvent within three to five years” without serious action.

He said these decisions are shaped by three key questions: “Does it serve students first? Does it align with our mission and values? Can we sustain it financially?”

“All of us in the room are concerned about our jobs,” a SHS staff member said. “Can you give us a timeline? What is the plan, when is the board of trustees scheduled to meet, and when will you meet with the unions?”

“So I can’t seem to have a final decision or timeline,” President Towers said, citing widespread cuts across higher education and claiming the administration has been “very open and very inclusive.”

President Towers said layoffs would occur with “thoughtfulness,” but acknowledged that budget deficits limit the time available for institutional restructuring.

In addition, Towers did not answer some questions raised by staff, including who would administer vaccinations, STI treatment, gender-affirming care, and emergency support for vulnerable students. 

He also did not directly respond to whether any SHS staff had been consulted.

The community rallies behind SHS

Since the announcement, staff and students around the university have expressed support for SHS, insisting upon its necessity and disapproving the university’s proposal. 

Allie Maaher, a fourth-year BA/BFA student, said she worries about what outsourcing could mean for her ongoing care.“I would have liked to be more clearly informed about it,” Maaher said. 

“I have a provider through the school whom I would like to continue my relationship with …” Maaher said. “People’s health is not something to take casually … My request for the university would just be to do everything very deliberately.”

Ncobile Mukasa, a first-year doctoral student, said the proposal creates particular uncertainty for international students.

“I am an international student for context, so a lot of the services I receive are from SHS. It’s much easier,” she said. “The health system is unfortunately still confusing to me … so it’s easier to go to the institution.”

Mukasa said that SHS helped her feel connected when she arrived and that she received required vaccinations there.

“It’s very disheartening thinking of my experience as an international student,” she said.  “Especially now with the Trump presidency and ICE and everything, it’s easier to trust clinicians in the university as opposed to going out … where you don’t know if, unfortunately, ICE is waiting for you if you look or present yourself as an immigrant.”

For second-year Parsons student A.S., whose name is withheld for safety and privacy reasons, the shift away from SHS has already disrupted her care. “I was seeing a provider at The New School [SHS] for the first whole year and it actually helped me get through the first year,” she said. “I basically shared everything with my provider and I felt more connected to her [than I ever have] with any other provider.” 

Another staff member raised issues of equity, sanctuary, and care during escalating threats to reproductive health, gender-affirming care, and immigrant safety.

“We are living under really challenging political times, and, dare I say, fascism,” she said, emphasizing the community’s reliance on treatment for HIV, PEP, PrEP, and sexual health.

President Towers later responded that “the word fascism gets used too easily,” and that he hasn’t “given into the notion that we are a fully fascist state yet.” He added that political forces “use viability of institutions” to push certain changes, but insisted the university has “not scrubbed our website” or abandoned its values.

As the meeting ended, staff expressed fear, anxiety, and exhaustion. Many appeared to have left early in the meeting without answers to operational, ethical, and safety questions.

The New School University Student Senate has now organized a “KILL THE CUTS”informational picket” this Friday, Nov. 21 at 12 p.m. outside the University Center (63 Fifth Ave), calling on President Joel Towers to “stop the attack on higher education and labor.”

For now, the future of student health at The New School remains uncertain. President Towers said the administration hopes to clarify planning “shortly before this December meeting” of the board of trustees, but he declined to commit to a firm deadline.