For those that know and for those that may not, I have been away from Harvey Mudd this semester. I needed to get away from some of the toxicity that a few of the faculty and staff brought about, and I needed to take a break and redefine what it meant to me to receive a higher education. Having been away from Mudd, and looking from the outside in, I can see problems that were masked by the stressful workload, the fake smiles to your face, and the constant thought of “it will be okay, life continues on”. But now that I can fully grasp everything that is going on, I can only ask what the hell is going on?
Today, they laid off Dean Qutayba Abdullatif, or Dean Q. He was seeing approximately half the students at Mudd to help with mental health issues accumulated during their stay at Mudd as well as going down to CMC and Scripps College to help their students with their mental health. Dean Q put in hours of his time beyond the paycheck to ensure that students at the college were able to tend to their needs. He was booked everyday, with the next available appointment being after two or three weeks. Students looked up to Dean Q and the work that he was doing. He was doing it because he loved what he does. Dean Q cared for the students, and did NOT receive pay amounting to any of the work he was doing. The Office of Health and Wellness at Mudd receives minimal funding as it is, and Dean Q was using the funding to it’s fullest, to ensure that students received the help they needed. His leave conveniently falls right after the Admitted Students Program (ASP) weekend, and puts more pressure on those students that need him since the next few weeks are finals weeks. Mudd has a mental health problem where many students have mental depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies, and physical health issues. These students have trouble finding the support that they should have while attending this school.
For those that do not know, a report about Mudd was leaked about an investigation within the school. The Wabash report (which can be read here) essentially asked students and faculty/staff what the problems at Mudd were, so administration could try and pinpoint changes that need to be made to make Mudd a better place for students overall, without losing the rigor that Mudd has. However, Mudd held this report from students after they found that there were some comments (which can be read here) that showed that there were Professors among the faculty that did not care for students of color and claimed that Mudd’s value was “declining because of students of color.” This took an emotional toll on many students of color that sparked even more anger and sadness. This was and still is a problem in Mudd. There was a forum held that was meant to highlight issues that students, faculty, and staff had on campus. During this time, Dean Q called out the administration for the lack of funding that the Office of Health and Wellness receives, and President Maria Klawe decided to avoid the problem asking questions such as “you don’t hate me do you” and claiming that she “gives Dean Q hugs”.
“Yes, she gives hugs of ‘fuck your feelings and fuck the students'” -anonymous HMC Student.
I would think, that after the events of the Wabash Report, the passing of two students of color in a toxic environment, and the environment that students of color have to go through at Mudd, that Mudd would increase the funding or find ways to help one of the sole people that contributed the most to improving mental health of the students on Mudd’s campus. But since he spoke up against the administration and called them out on their bullshit, he is being punished. The email sent out to students claimed that he took a “leave of absence”, insinuating that Dean Q himself decided to take a break. That, however, is not the case as he was required to leave campus immediately and is not able to have contact with current students or faculty. What good does this do for Mudd? Where are the students that need Dean Q’s help supposed to go now? Mudd as an institution has failed students of color as well as students that need help with mental health. What the hell is going on, Harvey Mudd? What is your plan to fix the existing problems you just brought to light?
