Schools
Emerson College Says Enrollment Down Significantly After "Negative" Reaction To Student Protests; Layoffs Planned
On April 25, Boston police in riot gear broke up the protests, arresting 108 at the camp. Four officers were injured during the arrests.
![](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/23506961/20240620/085427/styles/patch_image/public/c60aa70e6eae2e3ac818fbc719b3c747-1___20085413452.jpg)
June 20, 2024
BOSTON - Emerson College in Boston said in a message to staff that student protests are one of the reasons why freshman enrollment this fall is "significantly below" projections. Now the school is planning budget cuts and may reduce faculty positions as a result of the decline.
Find out what's happening in Bostonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"We attribute this reduction to multiple factors, including national enrollment trends away from smaller private institutions, an enrollment deposit delay in response to the new FAFSA rollout, student protests targeting our yield events and campus tours, and negative press and social media generated from the demonstrations and arrests," Emerson College president Jay Bernhardt and other administrators said in the letter.
Emerson was one of several Boston-area colleges that saw pro-Palestinian protests inspired by student protesters at Columbia University. Protesters set up tents in a public alley next to Boylston Street in April. They said they wouldn't leave until Emerson called for a ceasefire in Gaza and divested from companies and institutions doing business with Israel
Find out what's happening in Bostonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Pro-Palestinian students set up camp in Boylston Place/CBS Boston
Click here for the full story via CBS Boston
CBS Local Digital Media personalizes the global reach of CBS-owned and operated television and radio stations with a local perspective.