Anti-Israel protests linked to enrollment decline at Emerson College lead to staff cuts.

The college announced in an email sent on Tuesday that it had laid off 10 employees due to a projected enrollment decline.

An Emerson College spokesperson emailed Planet Chronicle Digital the same message that was sent to faculty and staff regarding spending cuts and layoffs.

"The college leadership has decided to eliminate ten staff positions to achieve cost savings, as stated by President Jay M. Bernhardt, the provost, and chief finance officer in an email. They expressed gratitude for the contributions of the dedicated staff members and have made arrangements to assist them during this transition."

Emerson officials stated that they implemented strategies to control their finances in order to reduce the number of positions and programs that were terminated.

Emerson College's layoffs were first reported by The Boston Globe, with their spokeswoman stating that the layoffs affected "multiple areas and a variety of supplemental programs and functions."

Immediately, most reductions will occur, but some will be phased in according to the college's policies and bargaining units, the spokeswoman stated.

The enrollment decline was attributed to negative press and social media generated from anti-Israel protests last Spring, which led to layoffs in June.

The reduction in enrollment can be attributed to several factors, including declining national enrollment trends at smaller private institutions, delayed enrollment deposits due to the new FAFSA rollout, protests by students targeting our yield events and campus tours, and negative media coverage and social media generated from the demonstrations and arrests, as Bernhardt stated in June.

The college's freshman class enrollment was "significantly below" what administrators had hoped after the deposit deadline for new students.

Next year, Emerson will reportedly have to restrict hiring due to unfavorable circumstances.

Several colleges across the country were rocked by protests during the Gaza conflict, including Emerson.

In April, 108 demonstrators were arrested by Boston police at Emerson, and four officers were injured during confrontations with anti-Israel protesters.

According to a police spokesperson, three officers sustained minor injuries, while one officer was more severely injured in an incident. However, none of their injuries were life-threatening.

Planet Chronicle' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.