Update on: Working through challenging times, together

Friends,

As you know, last week a group of students shared with me an open letter with a list of concerns and desired actions focusing on how we can best and better support Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab students during the war in Gaza. Since then, groups of student writers have been in direct dialogue with a number of faculty and staff colleagues and me in order to learn together where we have common ground, ways forward about specific topics, areas for further discussion, and areas where common ground remains elusive. Those conversations are ongoing even while a group of students continues to ‘sit-in’ in Founders..

I continue to hear from many students, as well as faculty and staff, a wide range of views, including solidarity, questions, and concerns about various of the requests put forward. In a diverse community like ours, I expect that we will not all be of the same mind about many issues, including these. I have been heartened to see so many fellow community members engage with each other with empathic queries and with respect, so that we can gain mutual understanding even when we have points of disagreement.

I thank you for all the ways you have been engaging with me, whether during or following this week’s monthly all-staff meeting, my monthly meeting with representatives from five faculty committees, catching me at the DC, or finding me in Founders or on a campus path. Thank you for everything you do to support all of our students, and each other. I wish you all the best as we head into the last week of this semester’s classes and finals.

Sincerely,

Wendy