As a 21-year-old UC Berkeley undergraduate, I had always known the Bay Area to be an extremely tech-driven land, where all fingers rested on a keyboard, marathoning across the cautiously-constructed plastic to generate code and communication. This is why, when I was first introduced to the surprisingly conversational nature of the area through my creative writing classes in prose, fiction and poetry, I was inevitably taken aback. As I reflect on the transformational nature of these learning experiences, I attribute the success that reverberates in my writing to my professors who showed me that writing wasn’t something that could be learned by simply doing, it also had to be taught — with enthusiasm, commitment and above everything else, desire.

But will the upcoming generations participate in this act of literary preservation with such gusto? A recent administrative decision made by Stanford’s creative writing department says that this might not be the case. On Aug. 21, 2024, over what has been recognized as a “notorious” Zoom meeting, Stanford announced the termination of the jobs of 23 Jones Lecturers. These lecturers — who are former Stegner Fellows — teach 90% of the classes offered by Stanford’s creative writing program. After this decision, which was spearheaded by the senior professors in the same department, most of the affected lecturers have turned to Medium to express themselves.

“The greatest privilege of my life has been to serve my students,” wrote affected lecturer Michael Shewmaker in a Medium article. “After I was told that would no longer be an option in the Creative Writing Program at Stanford University, to say that I was heartbroken would be a sickening understatement,” he added.

Shewmaker described that his decision was made by a secret working group, something that the Jones Lecturers were promised that they would have a say in. “And there wasn’t a single lecturer in the working group,” he added. Shewmaker also said how the party most affected by this decision wasn’t the Jones Lecturers, but the students. “And that’s the saddest thing,” wrote Shewmaker.

While Shewmaker may not have supported his claims with evidence, his declaration is not unfounded. The impact of this decision on students can be best interpreted as a cautiously-expanding wound that is tenderly splitting apart. This is most accurately reflected in an Open Letter entitled “Reinstate Stanford’s Jones Lecturers Program” signed by students studying a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from English to art practice and even computer science.

The unrest caused by this decision is clearly wide-ranging. But what led to it? In a passionate letter, Creative Writing Program Director Nicholas Jenkins answers this question. “The changes to the Jones Lectureship are based on the program’s values, original intents and student needs,” he wrote, indicating how the “cycling out” of these 23 Jones Lecturers is an attempt at value restoration.

In an article published on her blog New Material Girl, Stanford senior Ellen Yang offers an altered perspective. “Here’s the thing: values shift,” she argued. “You don’t replace a seasoned lecturer who has guided hundreds of students through their personal and creative crises with a short-term fellow and expect the same result,” she said. The Jones Lecturers are Stegner Fellows — some of the best writers in the country who have undergone rigorous rounds of literary training through workshops, roundtable discussions and extensive classes.

The administration claims to have the lecturers’ backs. “More than half of the current Jones Lecturers will be eligible to continue teaching at Stanford for the next four to five years, and others will receive other forms of support,” wrote Nicholas Jenkins in his letter. He is backed up by an announcement published on Stanford’s Creative Writing Program that emphasizes the thin line of difference that lingers between elimination and limitation. “The Jones Lectures weren’t being eliminated, they were only being term limited,” reiterates the announcement.

But a constant question persists. In an attempt to live up to the original intent of the program, is the administration inadvertently compromising on the heart of the program: enthusiastic, engaged and involved professors? To upper division undergraduate classes, it’s important to hire individuals who’ve been through it all. And, in the case of the Stanford Creative Writing Hiring Freeze, the Jones Lecturers go a step further.

It’s important to recognize that the Jones Lecturers are some of the best authors and poets in the country. Their dedication to the written word isn’t about a handful of years and extends way beyond the documentation of a calendar. The mere thought of this moves something within me, and as someone who is aspiring to emulate this passion, I find myself grieving as I think about the departure of professors who’ve never taught me, from a classroom that was never mine.

Praniti Gulyani is a UC Berkeley undergraduate.