The Bear Necessities store on the South 40 (Coby Rinke | Managing News Editor)

WashU moved management of Bear Necessities, previously operating as a nonprofit by the Women’s Society of Washington University, to the for-profit organization Follett Higher Education this summer. Along with this change, the Women’s Society was discontinued. 

Follett also runs WashU’s Danforth and Medical campus bookstores. Raven Lumpkins, director of strategic initiatives and communications for University Services, shared that the change was made to maintain the longevity of the South 40 storefront. The store had been run by the Women’s Society since its founding in 1966.

“University leadership determined that transitioning management to Follett Higher Education was the right path forward to ensure the store’s long-term sustainability and continued service to students on the South 40,” Lumpkins wrote in an email to Student Life.

Julie Sward, president of the Women’s Society, was notified by WashU that they would no longer be able to run the store on March 31, 2026. In addition, she was told that the University would no longer support the Women’s Society’s operational needs, effectively ending the group. Sward said she wished there had been a way for the society to continue. 

“We had hoped that there was another place for us to go,” she said. 

The Women’s Society used the store’s profits to fund student events, scholarships, and awards, including the Elizabeth Gray Danforth Scholarship, a two-year scholarship given to a community college transfer student each year. They also partially funded events such as the Buder Center’s Annual Powwow, Black Anthology, and the Lunar New Year Festival. 

The fate of many of these scholarships and awards is now unclear. Sward said she was working to find ways to continue many of them. For instance, the Harriet Switzer Leadership Award previously administered by the Women’s Society is now being run through the Bauer Leaders Academy.

Last April, junior Casey Preis and other student workers were told by the University that their positions would be terminated after the spring semester ended. Aside from two full-time managers, the store employed only student workers. 

The timeline of the layoff caused student workers to find a job during the summer for work-study.

 “We were kind of told from a manager, ‘download Handshake, hopefully you can find something else. Your last day before you go home for the summer [will] be your last day working here,’” Preis said.

Preis was additionally concerned that the tone of Bear Necessities would shift. Since students run the store, on Bear Days, she said workers were able to connect and offer advice to prospective students.

“I’ve seen my coworkers be told multiple times, ‘you were the deciding factor,’” Preis said. “I think that is an impact that no other store will be able to fill.”

In response to these concerns, Lumpkins expressed that there will still be opportunities for students to work at the store this upcoming year. They are currently hiring part-time students and will hire externally if these positions are not filled. 

“Student employment has always been central to how Bear Necessities operates, and that remains true,” Lumpkins wrote. “As for the percentage of student workers, we don’t have a specific projection. If students fill all available part-time positions, that would be a great outcome.”

Sward expressed that the more than 200 members of the Women’s Society were disheartened by the news and will miss being involved on campus.

“We’re going to miss the connections. We’re going to miss having a store,” Sward said. “It’s so important to us that it is a shop where you all knew that your dollars support your fellow students. … So we are disappointed in the University’s decision.”