On Sept. 5, Smith College hosted the first community webinar meeting of the semester to share the college’s plans and resources with the Smith community in light of recent political activity.
Previous webinars have addressed topics including the presence of ICE on college campuses, proposed taxation on college and university endowments as well as the availability of federal aid and grant funding for students and faculty.
President Sarah Willie-LeBreton opened the webinar with a brief welcome, followed by an explanation of the complaint filed against Smith College by conservative nonprofit Defending Education. The complaint alleges that Smith’s gender-based admissions policy, which focuses on gender identity rather than biological sex, violates Title IX. While Smith, as a private institution, has the right to determine its admissions policy, it still must comply with federal laws such as Title IX. Historically, Title IX has been interpreted to protect the rights of both cisgender and transgender women, but the current federal administration has challenged that interpretation in court and through executive orders in recent months.
Defending Education said in a press release that it had filed the complaint with the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office, but the Smith administration said it has not received it.
LeBreton also addressed the class action lawsuit filed in August against Smith and 31 other colleges and universities over their early decision admissions processes. Other defendant colleges include the remaining Seven Sisters schools — Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley and Vassar — and Five College Consortium member Amherst College. She confirmed that many of the colleges are working together to address the lawsuit and determine the legal next steps.
Earlier this summer, The Sophian reached out to the college for a statement on the lawsuit. Carolyn McDaniel, director of Media Relations, said, “While Smith College does not comment on pending litigation, we affirm our 150-year commitment to expanding access to education. Smith welcomes and supports qualified students from all economic backgrounds at all stages of the application process. We ensure that cost is not a barrier to receiving a Smith education through financial aid packages that meet 100% of each student’s demonstrated need through grants, not loans.”
Following LeBreton’s opening address, the webinar shifted to viewer questions, some submitted ahead of time. Members of the administration spoke to concerns including the availability of federal grant funding, academic freedom on campus, international visa security and COVID-19 resources at Smith.
College administrators plan to hold future webinars as matters develop and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all community members. In the meantime, the “Supporting Our Community” webpage features further information and resources that will be updated as necessary.
