UVM lays off 9 employees affiliated with Health and Wellbeing Center; staff say they never saw it coming [Video]

The University of Vermont laid off nine employees affiliated with the Health and Wellbeing Center last week. Those staff members said they never saw it coming. Three of the individuals held management positions at the center, one was in charge of strategic communications, and five were part of the centers “Living Well” health education and outreach staff. Jenna Emerson was a sexual health and healthy relationships educator who worked on the UVM campus for seven years. She said the Monday of June 17 started like any other. She got up, got ready for her day and headed to her office at the Health and Wellbeing Center. When she arrived, however, Emerson said things quickly took a turn. “We got pulled into a meeting. Individual meetings on Monday morning, not knowing anything that was going to happen,” she said. She said she had no idea that just minutes later she would …