Emporia State will not hold an academic fair during this weekend’s Black and Gold Days for the first time since their creation, according to Gwen Larson, ESU’s director of media relations. Black and Gold Days are tour and event days for prospective students.

The decision comes amid calls from students and an Emporia city commissioner for transparency from the university’s administration, after it implemented the Workforce Management Framework, which led to the mass dismissal of 33 faculty on Sept. 15.  

University administrators have said more changes are coming, and faculty have raised concerns over the lack of information shared about the future of ESU’s academic programs. 

The decision to postpone the academic fair, which gives faculty the opportunity to meet with students, was shared in a Thursday morning email from Rachel Spaulding, chair of the English, modern languages and journalism department. 

“Without clear direction yet from administration about the directions of our programs, I felt this action would be prudent,” Spaulding wrote. 

The email erroneously said that the Black and Gold Days would be canceled, however Lydia Barnhart, director of admissions, clarified in a later email that only the academic browsing fair would be canceled. ESU Admissions declined to speak to The Bulletin for this story. 

Gwen Larson, director of media relations, said that although it may seem “odd” for the university to cancel the academic fair, people should “look at it from another direction”-–since the university can not currently share what is in store for the future of ESU’s academic departments, the university is sparing faculty from having to say “I don’t know” to questions from prospective students. 

“Rather than making them uncomfortable, we can still share everything that is important to us,” Larson said. “We still have information on the website about the academic programs.”

Larson added that the decision was made out of “respect and empathy” for the recently dismissed faculty. 

Further information about the future of academic departments and the “strategic reinvesting” underway at ESU will be available on Sept. 30, according to a campus-wide email sent Thursday by members of ESU’s leadership team, who advise President Hush on decisions. 

Affected department chairs will communicate with their departments and advisors will inform affected students, according to the email. 

Sarah Spicer advises The Bulletin on stories about Emporia State’s framework to dismiss employees.