According to the Wellesley Office of International Study, reasons behind the cancellation include “[t]he administrative model for the program”, which “was very complex, with legal and financial oversight posing a heavy burden to small finance and legal teams at Wellesley and Smith – for a relatively small number of students”.

The explanation echoes an email sent to students in the Spanish department, which stated that “the US administration feels that it is straining their resources to support a study abroad program.”

It also told students that such strains on the US side include financial, risk management and human resources components.

Speaking about their experiences with the program, former participants Maya Hart ’25 and Emily Rosado ’25 highlighted how welcoming their host families were. Hart called it a “home away from home.” 

“I genuinely felt like I became part of the family,” Rosado stated. 

Both also mentioned the cultural excursions to other parts of Spain and a stipend for experiences as contributing to the feeling of immersion. 

Additionally, neither noted a stressor from COVID-19 impacting their experiences or much of a feeling of a financial strain on Wellesley. Like other former students, Rosado was surprised by the program ending.

“We were all genuinely very shocked to hear the news,” Rosado said. 

Svetlana Greene ’26, a student who will be participating in PRESHCO next semester, echoed her surprise and the lack of issues with the program apparent to her. 

She expressed disappointment with the end of the PRESHCO partnership: “It’s one of the best programs for Spanish immersion for non-native speakers.”

Given the recent nature of the cancellation, students, faculty and administrators are still figuring out what programs will replace PRESHCO in the future. 

Although students will be able to participate this summer, after that programs such as Middlebury Schools Abroad will be a likely choice.

 The Middlebury Schools program, however, is not available to sophomores, which may lead younger students to seek other options.

In the email announcing the cancellation of the program, the Spanish department also expressed their hope to “[work] with [Cordoba] University to see if there are any possibilities to continue to work together.”

If students have any questions about the PRESHCO Program’s cancellation or their options for studying abroad, they are encouraged to contact the Spanish department or the Office of International Study.

Contact the editor responsible for this story: Valida Pau, Galeta Sandercock

Soph Petito ‘26 said that her Claflin Hall basement suite, which flooded shortly after Labor Day following an apparent plumbing issue.

“The shower was full of what looked like sewage, and we weren’t sure what to do. Immediately after that our toilet pipe exploded, and water was gushing out onto the bathroom floor, to our lounge area, and one of my roommates’ rooms. Water was leaking through the walls,” said Petito. 

On Wednesday, another pipe burst, flooding their common room and at least one bedroom. Petito and her roommates had to swiftly relocate from Claflin to Munger because of urgent construction on the pipe.

“During our packing time they had already started construction, ripping off the base walls in the entire suite and later drilling a hole into our living room where the pipe is supposed to be,” she said.

A sewage leak also impacted East Side residents. On Sunday, Sept. 15, the Community Director, DeAnna Bryfogle, sent an email update to notify residents that a sewage leak and facilities work in the Bates, Freeman, McAfee, and Hemlock communities impacted access to laundry and elevators. 

The basement laundry rooms in all three residential buildings and elevators in Bates and Freeman were “offline” until the next day, according to the email. 

The elevator and laundry machine outage did not manage to be resolved for three days. Pauline Paranikas ‘25 described a foul smell “like an aquarium”, especially near the entrance to Freeman and the Bates Dining Hall during this time.

Maintenance responded to the issue the same day the email was sent, and as of Wednesday September 18, all East Side facilities had been restored to working order. The impacted Claflin residents will continue to reside in Munger until restoration of their rooms is complete.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar