Emily Li, the chair of the University Student Senate (USS), is stepping down. She announced her resignation on the USS Instagram account, stating that her decision is a protest against the university’s restructuring plan.
Li held the chair position since August 29, 2025. Her vice chair, Ryder Glickman, will take over for the rest of the semester.
This resignation comes as many students and faculty express their concerns over the restructuring, which cuts majors, minors, and classes mainly at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts and The New School for Social Research. Li highlighted in her letter that the university’s decisions reflect “deliberate, political, and anti-worker” priorities regarding tuition dollars and the future of the community.
A significant impact of this restructuring is the planned layoff of around 15% of faculty and staff this spring. Li expressed her discomfort attending her own commencement while many staff members face termination between May 19 and June 1.
In her resignation letter, Li criticized the university’s spending and questioned the transparency of the layoff process, which she described as “mystifying.” She called the university’s claims of being “student-first” into doubt.
Under her leadership, the USS has experienced significant achievements. After a rocky period of financial mismanagement last year, Li’s leadership helped the USS grow its funding to student organizations and events by a remarkable 235%. They also prioritized informing students about the restructuring by hosting over 10 events and town halls, which contributed to four demonstrations against the plan. Notably, one demonstration involved delivering a 10-foot-long letter to university administrators.
Another milestone under Li’s guidance was the initiative to rename Kerrey Hall, in response to the revelation of former President Bob Kerrey’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein. While the final decision on the renaming lies with the university, it reflects student frustration, evident in recent graffiti incidents on the building.
Li cherishes a moment when over 50 students attended a meeting with university leaders to voice their concerns. She referred to the energy in the room as a reminder of student power, reminiscent of the part-time faculty strike in 2022.
Before becoming chair, Li served as associate director of the USS advocacy committee. In her farewell note, she expressed gratitude for her five years of service to New School students.
To understand the broader context, similar restructuring efforts often stir debates in educational institutions about funding priorities and administrative costs. A recent survey found that a significant number of students (around 67%) are concerned about how tuition fees are being utilized by their universities, making Li’s concerns resonate with many across campuses.
For more on university funding and restructuring impacts, you can check out reports from sources like Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
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