Barnard’s contingent faculty union has accused the college of violating its employment policies by not giving term faculty sufficient notice that their positions would not be renewed last academic year.

Reported burglaries at Columbia’s Morningside campus more than tripled between 2023 and 2025, while Barnard recorded a steady decline in burglaries over the same period, according to Columbia and Barnard’s 2026 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

The Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African studies department launched three new language-based minors this fall: Armenian studies, Arab/Arabic studies, and South Asian studies.

Barnard plans to hire 22 full-time faculty members and not renew around 30 term faculty positions this fall, a Barnard official confirmed to Spectator.

Barnard will offer two adjunct-taught Slavic studies courses in the spring 2027 semester, a temporary measure intended to preserve some curricular continuity while the college considers the department’s long-term future after a pause instituted in spring 2026.

When Adrienne Chacón, BC ’26, outgoing president of Barnard’s Student Government Association, first arrived on campus, she spent her first year trying to understand where she fit—exploring everything from her major to her extracurricular involvements.

Barnard students and nonaffiliates across academia are calling for Barnard to reinstate its Slavic studies department, following news that the college would pause the department starting in the 2026-27 academic year.