English for Speakers of other Languages Program for Service Employees Program closes
The program helped employees improve English language skills through conversations with volunteer tutors
On May 16, Nancy Kelly, coordinator of the English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) Program for Service Employees, notified former and current tutors over email that the program would pause indefinitely that week. Kelly, who served as the program’s coordinator since its inception in 2009, stated that she would be leaving MIT as part of “staff reductions” and that she did not know the future of the program.
The ESOL program allowed essential employees who are non-native speakers to improve their English language skills through free-form conversations with volunteer tutors. Abby Abazorius, an MIT spokesperson, told The Tech that 172 MIT employees participated in the program, which was supported by over 600 tutors and supporters.
The program’s website also included other resources for tutors helping their students to gain citizenship, obtain a driver’s license, or pass a high school equivalency test. In 2013, ESOL offered a workshop on basic computer skills. In 2023, MIT News highlighted Housing and Residential Services team member and program participant Sally Romero, who called learning English a “very big milestone for me.”
As of June 3 the ESOL page on MIT Human Resources’ website is no longer accessible. In a statement to The Tech, Kelly wrote that the program was “only possible with the help” of tutors and supporters including “students, staff, faculty, affiliates, and retirees.”