Is the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in trouble?

The Colorado Daily reported last week that "Naropa University has laid off 23 administrative and support staffers, and five open faculty positions will remain vacant in an effort to close a budget shortfall."

The cuts have caused students and alumni to wonder if the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa might be in trouble. Joe Richey posted the following on his site, The Boulder Reporter (nb: "Socratic Rap" is Waldman's weekly lecture class):

On Thursday afternoon, Anne Waldman’s Socratic Rap was overtaken by a discussion of the budgets cuts at the Jack Kerouac School, the Naropa Summer Writing Program, and Naropa University in general.

On Wednesday evening about thirty or so students, faculty, alumni gathered in a large circle on the grass south of Naropa. Major grievances were aired: unfair cuts of essential jobs and services, the timing of the cuts (at the outset of the Summer Writing Program), stonewalling, withholding on the part of top administrators. Students question whether Naropa will be able to deliver what was originally sold to them . . .

Richey posted the same thing on the tumblr SAVETKS, where there's more information from various sources, including "The Students Official Statement," which reads in part:

In the last year, students have watched the legacy of Naropa deteriorate. As of June 15, twenty-three beloved staff, who have devoted several years to Naropa University, were laid off. Included in these layoffs were administrative directors for each department as well as the sole diversity coordinator at the University.

The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics fears for the heart and soul of our beloved institution. The school was founded in 1974 by Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Its mission as a private, non-sectarian liberal arts college is inspired by a unique heritage which honors contemplative thought, critical and creative practice and freedom, and academic integrity. Naropa is more than a school; it is a community that has always been a place of honesty and visionary leadership. Unfortunately, we, the current students of the Jack Kerouac School, fear the current administration may not be aligned with the core values of Naropa . . .

A public hearing of poets, writers, and community members is scheduled for this evening at 6PM, according to the site. Find more information here.