Ariel Jarman currently works full time for Spiritual and Religious Life as an Office Assistant. As of Sep. 16, 2024, The Monitor is unaware of when her position became full time. On September 21st, The Monitor was informed that she officially began her full time position a few weeks into the start of the semester.
The Chaplaincy begins the ‘24-’25 school year without a chaplain, along with an absence of full time staff. Unannounced to the student body, Chaplain Trevor Beauford left his position on July 1. It is currently undisclosed why he left his position, although Beauford himself seemed unsure of his future at Hamilton. This is reminiscent of the beginning of the ‘23-’24 school year, when Hamilton College fired Chaplain Jeff McArn.
Eva Jo McIlraith, the previous Interfaith and Social Justice Fellow, spoke with Beauford at the end of last school year. “I asked [him] so [many] questions. I was like, ‘okay, you're not going to be entering your name for the search committee?’ said McIlraith. “He said specifically, ‘yes, I will not be doing that. I will not be staying.’ Specifically to me. And then one day later he talked to [another student] and he told [them] something different, which has been a big pattern.”
Chaplain Jenn Ferman and Michael Ferman began working at Hamilton in the fall semester of 2022. In the ‘23-’24 school year Jenn Ferman took over many of the roles from McArn in order to support students.
“Over the past year and a half, with the invaluable assistance of Jewish Chaplains Jenn and Michael Ferman, the administrative burden placed on Hillel student leadership has been significantly reduced,” said Carter Hollins, Hillel co-president. “Previously, Hillel leaders were responsible for cooking almost every Shabbat meal and faced considerable stress about securing a Rabbinical student to lead High Holy Days services.”
Jenn Ferman was the only other full time chaplaincy staff member last school year, along with Beauford. At the end of last semester, both she and Michael Ferman told the school that they were planning on leaving. In addition to not being announced to students, this decision was not told to Hillel leadership, who had to learn from the Fermans themselves, according to Hollins.
With the Fermans’ absence, there are no full time chaplaincy staff, though both of them remain on the website while Beauford does not.
Chaplaincy Staff and Office Hours Page as of Sep 2, 2024
In addition to the Fermans, the school has also not announced Beauford’s leave. This has left many students rattled and unsure what this upcoming school year will look like for chaplaincy.
“I don't know if anyone's prepared [for the start of the year] because…we lost so many people…I'm so worried,” said McIlraith. “We lost so many seniors though. And now I'm leaving for the fall. I feel really guilty about it. I hold a lot of anxiety about it.”
Hollins emphasized their message. “This year will be a challenging year without Jenn, Michael, or Jeff as part of the Chaplaincy. Even small things, like ordering Shabbat dinners, have become more complicated. Hillel leaders will now need to collaborate with the Student Activities office to determine which events will be funded by the Chaplaincy’s budget and which ones Hillel will need to cover independently,” he said. “We will also be relying more heavily on the guidance and support of our faculty advisor, Professor Russell Marcus, especially in coordinating with a Rabbinical student to lead the essential High Holy Days services in early October.”
Previously, these tasks had not been put onto students. This year, students will need to manage these tasks, among others.
Dean Maria Genao-Homs has also left Hamilton, though this was announced to the student body. It is also unclear how her role in the chaplaincy will be filled. “With the departure of Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Maria Genao-Homs, who co-facilitated these monthly meetings, and her position still unfilled,” said Hollins, “The absence of professional leadership within the Chaplaincy is a significant concern as we head into this school year.”
The school has not told students how they plan to find its next chaplain. Students have urged for a national search although the administration appears hesitant.
“We've heard that they…were going to do a national search [then] they weren't going to do national search, but they were going to do it at some point,” said Kirk Petrie, one of the co-president of Newman council, “so under Dean Maria and Dean Card, it was a lot of just us trying to get answers and not always getting the answers that we wanted.”
It is unclear what the next steps will be from the school. Dean of Students Chris Card did not reply to Monitor’s request for a comment.
“We are at a time of so much conflict and uncertainty,” said McIlraith. “I wish [McArn] would just come back. And I can't even blame him if he doesn't want to come back. But I can blame [the] administration for not trying…[The school has] really really screwed up the chaplaincy.”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Michael Ferman is an ordained Rabbi. Rather, he was the head of Syracuse Hebrew Day School while working at Hamilton.
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