Following controversy over Vassar College’s plan to turn an English Department classroom into a computer lab, Dean of Planning Marianne Begemann and Professor and Chair of the English Department Wendy Graham have reached an agreement to continue the department’s use of the classroom. Per the agreement, two other classrooms will be combined for the computer lab.
Three weeks ago, Graham was informed via email by Begemann that Sanders Classroom Room 013 (SC013) was going to be repurposed into what she described as a “high-end” computer lab. The decision was made after the College received a substantial financial gift to support the project. Construction was scheduled to begin in May 2026 and be completed before the start of the Fall 2026 semester.
In response, Graham, along with other Vassar students and faculty, protested the proposal by sending emails to the Dean’s Office. On Oct. 27, Vassar English Department Intern Emma Youngblood ’26 sent an email out to all English majors and correlates, asking for students’ help in supporting Graham’s effort to retain control of SC013. Youngblood urged students to email the Dean’s Office and Begemann directly, including personal experiences and anecdotes about the classroom.
In her email, Youngblood wrote, “Though [administrators] have said we will still have access to the room, the new set up will destroy what made the room useful and accessible.” Youngblood continued, “This classroom is one of the only accessible classrooms we have—it has movable chairs and a large space for performances, conferences, and group/partner work.” In contrast, Youngblood noted, “As I’m sure you know, the other SC classrooms are small, cramped, and uncomfortable.”
In an interview with The Miscellany News, Youngblood spoke directly about the unique services SC013 has provided her and other students within the English department: “[SC013] has movable seating, which the other classrooms do not… I’ve had performance classes [there]. I had a Shakespeare class and we had to do acting out and stuff like that… I’ve used it for group projects, and I’ve used it for creative writing workshops.” Youngblood explained that SC013’s size also allows for the department to accommodate larger classes, noting, “I’ve had a class where students are literally sitting on the floor for the entire semester.”
Youngblood explained that, to her, the greatest danger of losing SC013 has to do with classroom dynamics: “English is all about connecting with your other students and hearing what others have to say. And that’s really hard to do if you’re uncomfortable in a room that doesn’t fit people.” She identified fixed seating as her primary concern, saying, “Being in rows [means] you can’t see each other, [which makes] it harder to have a free-form discussion.” She also shared, “A lot of professors don’t even allow you to have computers in the classroom, so if you have a screen just staring at you…It’s super distracting. You can’t engage in the class in the same way.”
Emma Pearson ’27, an English major, echoed similar concerns and spoke about the valuable learning experiences she has had in SC013: “My first class that I ever took in the English Department, my first year writing seminar, was in that classroom. So it has sentimental value, because that’s the classroom where I decided I wanted to be an English major.”
Pearson added, “Also, the class I took in that classroom was with [Adjunct Assistant Professor of English] Christian Lewis, who specializes in Disability Studies, and that really opened my eyes to how English and Disability Studies can overlap…. It’s also one of the only accessible classrooms. And then it being taken away felt sadly ironic.”
Similarly, Vice President of the English Majors Committee Miranda Chen ’27 advocated for the value SC013 provides disabled faculty and students: “[If SC013 is repurposed,] we will lose one of our most accessible classrooms in Sanders. This will affect students and professors with mobility issues, as they may no longer be able to use the classroom.”
After several weeks of writing emails and collaborating with faculty and students, Graham was able to sit down with Begemann and Dean of the Faculty Demetrius Eudell. In an email to The Miscellany News on Nov. 10, Graham wrote, “Today, I received assurances that the reconfiguration of 013 Sanders as a Computer Science lab is off the table.” Instead, the Dean’s Office now plans to combine two classrooms on the basement floor to construct the computer lab.
To Graham, this outcome was ideal. She wrote to The Miscellany News, “[SC013 is] the only room that permits a forum for ideas.” Additionally, she noted that the College’s decision to keep SC013 a classroom aligns with its and the English Department’s larger goals to improve accessibility campuswide: “The college has expressed pride in the English Department’s contributions to Disability Studies, both through the curricular innovation of Professor Emerita Leslie Dunn and through hiring. We feel that it is crucial to keep Sanders 013 for the use of the English department and others as a reasonable accommodation for the benefit and convenience of all with mobility issues.”
Though proponents of the mission to save SC013 are satisfied with the outcome of the College’s decision, some feel that not enough has been done to protect the English Department’s academic needs. When asked about the plan to repurpose SC013, Youngblood explained that her frustration with the College was nothing new: “The English Department is already spread out across campus because our classrooms keep being taken from us… It’s the same issue. We only have about three or four actual classrooms within Sanders that we use. And the basement classroom, 013, is one of them.”